Chapter 23
He squeaked into his parking slot, pulled up immediately, disengage all running vehicle settings, cast his sight all over, took a gaze of himself in the view mirror, brushed off the fluff, took a deep breath before lackadaisically maneuvering in the direction of Jilian's office. It was 8 bells sharp and it was business as usual at JCC. His weekend had been awesome beyond measure and had had a good time with his son, Roy, and had vehemently relished every minute of it. The employees had had a cracker of a weekend and the best of them were upbeat about the prospects of a brand new week. In essence, there is no such thing as motivating as having to be windfall spoilt at one of the most unbearable times of the month. You know how anxious and desperate it becomes the week before your payday.
Parked next to the Merc was the BMW. Not to be outdone was a fleet of Toyota
bakkies and Chris's 30-seater bus that had been negotiated in earlier on.
The JCC week had been differed by mana, the mood was ironically electric and
very far away from blue. There had been a fair and split share of romantic
indulgencies. Cold wars were never to be ruled out, but both Jilian and Jason were
happy to meet again after a roller coaster of parallel romantic rides. She had
submissively dragged Paul to her messy once again. The beer-binging strong
fellow proved why he is counted among the best in trades. He might not have
been that gifted as Jason when it came to bedroom assets, but he conspicuously
turned it on behind the scenes at Jilian's place, the mood was just on another
level this time around to mask whatever physicality shortcomings.
He had gotten her deserved compliments for firing from all cylinders to go
unnoticed. Given all these remarkable configurations, their Saturday night turned
out to be a banger. She had considerably enjoyed extending that brainwash
bedroom gesture, but she had, notwithstanding, also proven that tomfoolery-
inspired night crack was merely a fly by night to threaten Jason's rigid footing in
her life. In Greylands, things got even more insane as some subtle windfalls kept
creeping in.
"They are working now, go and pick that Merc" read the instruction that came after another clearly written and related message.
"That's a befitting car for a Manager" another one popped up more or less at the same time.
Jilian had paid for the Mercedes Benz that she had vowed to buy cash and she wanted it out of the dealership forthwith. She had transferred the renamed cost fees of a Merc she had test-driven barely two weeks ago via EFT and had instructed him to do that again just to make sure. Delia who had felt somewhat tense when they conversed via the telephone over this issue eased her concerns as he configured into discipline owing to her close presence. She hardly gave Jason any chance to dissuade the attention from him.
"I just did all that to get back at you Jason" she explained to her an equally pumped up Jason.
"I understand, let's keep keeping it professional Jilly" he responded as he flamboyantly walked upstairs into the site office.
All ducks were in a row, systems go, and everyone rearing to go. Jilian had pitched up deliberately earlier. She had had enough of her office and was ready for the Monday morning brief that was always slated for 8 bells. She might have had her moral flaws like everybody else, who is perfect anywhere? but she was pretty conscious of her subordinates' wellbeing and wellness. She was dressed in a purple velvet suit and dim glasses that concealed the after-party red-eye tints. She was never that kind of person who mixed business with pleasure. Drinking belonged to those rare occasions or after-work impulses and was never a priority on her calculated agenda. That weekend had not been an exception, and the fact that the thrills and spills had come on the back of a successful project stage was more than gratifying.
"It's Jason Merc, it was parked at his house all night" confidently asserted one of the site crew.
"Man, this car is damn expensive and beyond his means, I don't buy what you saying" refuted another elderly surveyor.
As of now, not even the inquisitive and grapevine happy Chris knew of the inner and finer details surrounding the Merc which was going to be registered in Jilian's name, but stay in Jason's custody as per the vowed agreement. Delia had smelt a rat at how he passionately embraced the car news and his on-point follow-throughs afterward.
"Is that gonnabe be your other company car?" she had inquired out of curiosity.
"Sort of" he responded.
"She looked stiff at the party, little did I realise that she got such a soft spot for you" she had loudly registered her insecurities.
"It's all in the name of branding" he calmly downplayed it all.
"Congratulations for your recognition, but let's hope it's all in good faith" she extended subtle compliments.
In the meantime, Jason who was busy appreciating the mint condition of the Merc, could not hide the fact he was feeling like a million dollars to be the one behind the inner wheel of this state-of-the-art automobile.
Their Saturday had turned out to be a follow-up to their romantic Friday. They had made the most of their scheme to avoid whoever they felt was an eavesdropper and had also taken time in the outskates of the city lodge to have some lekker time with their son Roy. They had loved that neighbourhood escape sensation and derived a strong sense of family connectivity over it.
"At least your boss is considerate and not selfish" she had appreciated the unseen financial prospects.
"She is a visionary professional" he added to the praise.
"Give praise where it is due indeed!" she uttered flatteringly.
"But that doesn't mean that we have to relax, we got to be our own bosses also one day" he added with a sense of ambition.
"I concur with you, we need to derive personal inspiration and not get trapped in hero-worshipping fallacy from her success"
They had critically ventured into the prospects, limitations, and all the dynamics of him being a pivotal part of JCC. He was on a way better salary than his wife Delia, he also had great extra perks, fair and fine, but, as a civil servant, Julia was well covered in terms of social security as opposed to him. He, therefore, had to make the most of his windfalls and never get carried away. Having a construction project going on, he had used more than half of that bonus on the procurement of cement for the erection of drywall of his preferred choice. If there was anything that Delia so appreciated about Jason was his robust and consistent drive to make himself more than what he was last time every time he got an opportunity to do so.
''I love the fact that you are driven by the spirit to grow by each day" he had complimented him as they converse.
"I am not a ship, and never will I subscribe to casual blinkers" he added with a register of self-praise.
He had left Delia feeling like the winner. He was due to return the next weekend or alternatively she could unleash another surprise they had jested with a sense of emotional attachment. They had had a blast of sexual pleasure and he had also had enough time with his son, Roy, despite having to attend to Delia's attention-seeking strategy. Her sex, at that particular juncture, was more than any hoodwinking machination any desperate prostitute would pull. She had continually exaggerated her bedroom mannerisms and had seen the efficacy of her headmistress's instigations.
What a Monday it had turned out to be at JCC. As was her norm, she was never the kind of person who would hide her excitement. Her tender bid had not only gotten the attention of the board chairperson but also incited a fast-track plan since the funds had been allocated in the recent budget. She had been emailed to confirm if she could be able to hold her fort should JCC be called upon to go ahead with the construction of the Manburg/Zonex road construction project. That was part of the morning brief agenda ad she had made it clear that her attention was bound to be divided and was therefore requesting them to be on their traditional professional discipline as if she is there.
It had never occurred to Jilian that she would be in charge of two gigantic projects all at once. That being the case, she felt somewhat stupidly having gone ahead of herself in undressing before Paul. She felt somewhat in a state of stupor but the consolation was that it had also sent a very strong signal to Jason that he was not irreplaceable. The connecting thread was Paul's hunger to master each and every aspect of the construction field and she had observed and appreciated that and was therefore not apologetic for romantically patronizing him. Furthermore, he was that sort of party animal who could turn the whole neighbourhood wild with his free-spirited dances and karaoke to steal any show. The past weekend had not only branded him a party darling of the JCC crew but also a responsible boozer who never lost track of his faculties despite taking very hot concoctions. However, all these strides had since been overtaken by new events to render him that mega influential before Jilian.
Paul was obviously going to be part of the Monday deliberations over the fast-tracking of the Manburg/Zonex project, but it was never premised on his individual influence and push but the strength and appeal of her bid. In any case, his nod was also a vital endorsement and it had been paid for strategically. He had felt like a hero, little had he realized that this was largely a way to cunningly pay for his due services and slightly based on genuine feelings.