Page 43 of Rich and Rotten

Leaning forward, I looked at her. “What you want me to do, Tata?”

She finally turned to stare at me, never removing those glasses.

“What can you do? You can’t make them fuel the jet quicker, and you damn sure can’t get me up in the air in the next fifteen minutes.”

I remained quiet and looked at her for a few minutes before I got up. She had received a call as I made my way back towards the front.

“How much longer?” I asked, staring directly at him.

I wanted my answer to come from him, not the bullshit assistant standing beside him. The man who had been sweating bullets five minutes ago was gone. He stood straight, his suit jacket buttoned, and his hair smoothed back like he wasn’t sweating and apologizing moments before. That panic and nervousness he had in his eyes had vanished, and it had been replaced with a calm customer service tone. That tone that pissed you off when you were trying to get a payment arrangement, and they just told you no, then proceeded to apologize like that would keep your lights from being turned off.

He was back in control.

A few other clients had come in with their luggage as he held the phone to his ear. “At least another two hours.”

“Same thing he just told me,” Yaya responded, standing near the fancy-ass champagne vending machine.

“Enjoy anything from the lounge in the meantime.” His tone was clipped, and he was dismissing us.

This wasn’t the man who was tripping all over himself in front of Tatiana moments earlier. His tone told me that he thought I wasn’t important, and I was just the help. In his eyes, he didn’t think I should have been asking questions.

Better seen, never heard.

“He’s a rude bitch who only acts one way in front of Tatiana because he’s scared of both Raphael and her father. When it comes to anybody with her, he doesn’t give a shit about them. We are all considered her help and shouldn’t have anything to say. If anything, he thinks we should be grateful for the experience.” Yaya confirmed exactly what I had been thinking.

“Oh yeah?”

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Cello. We will have you up in the air in fifteen minutes. We’re doing a final cabin check on our jet to make sure everything is perfect for you.”

The bald white man chuckled, that rich kind of chuckle. But I knew he wasn’t that rich because he was chartering one of their jets instead of having his own stored there.

“We appreciate the very last-minute accommodation.”

“Anything for our loyal clients. The lounge is right through there. Take a seat, and we’ll come get your luggage when it’s time.”

They smiled as they both rolled their carry-on while leaving the three big pieces of luggage in the lobby.

“You have a jet ready right away for them but not Mrs. Sterling.”

“Yes. We have multiple jets so we can accommodate our clientele. Who are you again? I never got your name.”

He wasn’t asking because he genuinely cared to address me correctly. The bitch was asking because he wanted to remind me of my position. It was his way of putting me in my place in a classy way.

As I approached the front desk, the phone rang, and he picked it up. The assistant looked at me, then quickly looked away. He knew how to read a room and didn’t care to put his boss onto what was about to take place.

“The Hamptons this weekend? Ugh…maybe. I have to see what my schedule is looking like... Oh? He’s going to be there? Well, I might have to.” He faked a cough. “Pretend to be sick.”

The person on the other end must have laughed, because he returned their laugh with an even faker one. I had very little patience, and mine had run with him. I pressed the receiver button, ending their call. He gasped and stared at me in shock.

“Look, I don’t like doing all that yelling and shit that I know you’re expecting from me. It’s not even my flow on the real. That jet that’s gonna be ready in fifteen minutes, make sure the name is switched to Tatiana Sterling and guests.”

He snatched his hand back, appalled.

“That is against company policy, and I will do no such thing.” He placed the phone back down on the receiver.

“Not even worth it. We can just wait,” Yaya said from behind me as she stood a little distance away.

The smirk that curled at both ends of his lips pissed me off. He was waiting for me to accept defeat and go sit back down. Before he could react, I snatched his ass over the desk and grabbed the phone. Using the cord, I wrapped it around his neck while he screamed out.