robbed

Jake drove me home and walked me to the door, just as perfect a gentleman as Derek had been that first night.

And, just like that night, Sadie met me at the door, her eyes wild and her expression panicked.

"Ginny! Thank god you're home. We've been robbed!" She shrieked, her eyes brimming with tears.

I rushed forward at her words, grabbing the door frame with trembling fingers as I stared into the living room of our shared apartment. Jake was right on my heels.

"Sadie..." I began, staring around at the apartment, studying every inch. "What exactly did they rob us of?"

Turning to face my long-time friend and roommate, I watched as she shrank under my gaze. She had always been dramatic, but this was a little overboard, considering from where I stood, the apartment and all its contents seemed to be just as we left them.

"Well, actually, Ginny...." Sadie began, flexing her fingers back and forth in her nervous tick.

"Spit it out, Sade."

"Actually, umm... only you... have been robbed."

At my dumbfounded look, Sadie brushed past me into the apartment and led the way to my bedroom door. One look inside confirmed what she said. The room was completely empty. Even the calendar on the wall was gone. A quiet chuckle from the doorway reminded me that Jake was still here.

And of course, Sadie was standing behind him gesturing wildly, clearly no longer concerned about all of my worldly possessions being stolen because they were, presumably, being replaced by an Adonis of a man.

I ignored her for the moment and pinned Jake with my stare. His eyes were jubilant.

"Spill." I commanded. Jake chuckled again and nodded, raising his palms toward me in surrender.

"You know housing is included in the contract, Ginny." Jake said simply, offering no further explanation.

My eyes bulged at his words.

"You mean Galloway, Inc. is responsible for my apartment being broken into and all my things being whisked away to god knows where?!?" My voice rose higher and higher as I spoke.

Jake shrugged.

"Holy shit, Jake, are you joking right now? This is too much. Too far. I mean... did they... like, pack my stuff? I had stuff in those drawers!" I pressed my index fingers to either side of my nose and breathed deeply. "What about the bathroom? The kitchen? The books I keep in the living room? What the actual fuck, Jake?"

I knew Jake wasn't solely responsible, but he was the only one here to get my wrath at the moment, and he was taking it in stride, watching me have a meltdown as he stood comfortably in the doorway.

Sadie was still standing behind him, now slack-jawed at the knowledge that my new boss and his accomplices had initiated a burglary just to move me into my new housing accommodations. I felt hot tears prick at the corners of my eyes and let out a frustrated "UUGHH!" before dropping to the floor, cross-legged in the middle of my empty room.

Jake was there next to me in less than a second, rubbing circles on my upper back and brushing my hair out of my face. He tilted my chin up and ducked his head so that I had no choice but to make eye contact with him. I refused to let a tear slip, but I couldn't control the little wobble my bottom lip did.

Jake's eyes softened and he made an exasperated sound as he pulled me to him, cradling me against his chest.

"Ginny, I promise you, Derek's team is extremely respectable and professional. They were instructed to only pack and move the things in this room, none other. We assumed you would have other personal items in the apartment, but thought you would rather go through those yourself when your roommate decides to move out as well. Derek was just... insistent... that we go on and encourage you to get settled in your new place."

Jake's honeyed voice soothed my irritation away like a cooling salve, but when I heard his last words they lit me up like a firecracker again.

"Encourage me to get settled?" I asked flatly. "I'd say moving my things without my knowledge or consent is a bit more than encouragement."

Jake's silent laughter shook me in his arms, and I found myself smiling regardless of the situation.

"Would you like to see it?" He asked.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Well I guess I better, or I won't have a bed to sleep on or clothes to wear tomorrow."

"Awesome., I'll take you." Jake stood up and brushed himself off before reaching both hands down to help me to my feet.  "There should be extra boxes in the closet if you want to grab your personal stuff before we go."

I ignored the mischievous glimmer in his eyes and gave him a playful shove.

"Can I talk to my roommate for a little bit first, please? You can go on and get the boxes assembled, though. There's packing tape in the kitchen."

Jake nodded and busied himself with the stack of cardboard boxes that was, as promised, in my small closet. I allowed myself a moment to admire his chiseled physique before turning and crossing the hallway to Sadie's room. I tapped lightly on the door frame before stepping inside her room and closing the door behind me. Sadie was sitting in the middle of her bed with her arms crossed, eyeing me suspiciously.

"You got some 'splainin' to do, Lucy," she said with a grin, patting the bed next to her.

I rolled my eyes at her Ricky Ricardo imitation and took a running leap onto the bed next to her. She squealed and scooted over, grabbing my hands and facing me full-on. Her eyes were full of glee as she drilled me with questions, much like she had about Derek the first night.

"Is that your boss? Like, another boss? What's his name? Why are they so hot? How did they get in the house? Where is your new apartment? Are you sleeping with him? Why were you so late getting home?" As she spoke, Sadie reached into the small cabinet next to her bed and pulled out a bottle of Grand Mariner, which she offered to me. I took a swig gratefully as she bombarded me with her interrogation.

"My turn to speak?" I asked, handing her the bottle back. She nodded vigorously before turning the bottle up and passing it back to me.

"Ok. Yes, that's another boss. Jake. The other two are just as fucking hot and it shouldn't be allowed. Derek has too much money and ridiculous connections, so getting in here was probably a breeze. I haven't seen the new place, and I don't know where it is... probably close to my office though." I took another swig before tackling the last couple questions.

"I'm not sleeping with any of them. (Sadie gave me her 'yeah right' look.) And I got the afternoon off so Jake took me out for a long lunch." I pressed the bottle to my lips and turned it up again before I volunteered too much information.

I took a bigger gulp than I intended to, and the sweet orange liquid dribbled down my chin as I looked sheepishly back at Sadie. She hadn't said a word, but I could tell her mind was screaming a million more questions and accusations. Still, she didn't push it. Instead, she took the bottle from me and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Just be safe, okay, Ginny?" She whispered in my ear, still holding me tight. "I know you're smart and you know what you're doing, but you're also still getting over a horrible breakup and your head might not be super clear right now."

She sat back and looked at me, her hands on my shoulders. "I've read a lot of smut about the Galloway, Inc. guys, and they don't have the most shining track records. They've been called womanizers and drug addicts, Gin."

I couldn't help but giggle at Sadie's summarization of the rumors surrounding my bosses. I had read all the same rumors, but I had also met all of the guys. True, I didn't know them very well yet, but I wouldn't say they were womanizers. And definitely not drug addicts. That part had actually been in the extensive contract I had signed last week.

"Sadie, I love you to the moon and back a million times for how much you worry about me. But I promise you. I wouldn't put myself in a situation to jeopardize myself, or my career. It's all okay."

Sadie nodded slowly, contemplating. After a moment she tilted the bottle towards me and raised her eyebrows. I shook my head, but then bit my lip and made a grab for the bottle after all. I was about to pack up my life and move into an apartment I had never seen, paid for by men I barely knew, who would probably all have their own keys to come and go in my personal space as they saw fit. I needed more than a swig of Grand Mariner.

"Want to help me get packed up?" I asked, hopping off Sadie's bed and heading to the door.

She shrugged and followed, me, tilting the bottle of Grand Mariner back and finishing it off in two gulps before tossing it in the small trash can by her door.

"Might as well. It'll be a good catalyst for me to start packing, too." Sadie's words gave some heaviness to the situation for a moment as we regarded each other. We were both leaving our tiny apartment for bigger and, hopefully, better things, but it was bittersweet.

Linking arms with my best friend, I steered her down the hallway to the living room, where Jake was finishing up taping boxes together.