If she had to do this, she had to do it right. And once she started, she couldn’t back out. This was the perfect plan she had so far, she thought. It might be a crazy plan but she was desperate. Jackie was certain it was the fastest, easiest one. It would be easy because she would have full control over it.

“Jackie,” Joseph’s voice said above her. “The report?”

“It’s here,” she answered, picking up the folder without looking at him. She was too busy looking at her computer.

“Then give it to boss Dean. What the hell is wrong with you?”

She looked at him blankly. “Won’t you check it first?”

He gave her one of his warning looks.

“Fine, I’ll take it to him.” She minimized the page on her computer, stood up and strutted her way to the Devil’s Room. “Sir,” she said, calling Dean Gamboa’s attention. He looked up from whatever he was doing and raised an eyebrow.

Handsome bastard, she muttered inside her head. You’re the perfect candidate, she added.

“Here’s the report,” she said when he didn’t say a word.

He held out his hand and she walked into the office.

There was a long silence as he studied her report. Jackie was crossing her fingers behind her back as she waited in anticipation. She was completely confident that she did a great job.

“This will do,” he finally said with a frown.

This will do? What the hell! It was the best report she had ever made in three years! When he didn’t say anything further, she slowly backed away and started walking to the door.

“Miss Ramos,” he called.

Jackie closed her eyes before she turned and faced him with a fake smile, one she perfected over the years.

“Don’t ever give me a crappy report again. Yesterday should be the last one.” His gaze was dangerous and intensely gorgeous at the same time.

“I promise,” she bit out before she faced the door and walked. “Arrogant jerk,” she added under her breath as she made her way to her desk. “Now,” she whispered to herself, going back to her work at hand. “Let’s make you a Facebook account.”

  *****

Her intention to put her plan into action was immediately cut short when Joseph told her she needed to contact people for the event, which was going to be a themed runway event sponsored by big companies for the victims of the recent typhoon. As an advertising company, it was their job to make sure that all companies would be well-exposed. And as the events planning department, it was their job to make it right.

She wanted to make a good impression on Joseph so she set aside her plan on making a Facebook account for Dean Gamboa. She accomplished one task as of the moment and that was to make a fake email address for him. Next step, make the Facebook account.

But as she searched her phonebook for the contacts Joseph was talking about, something occurred to her. How could she get a picture of Dean Gamboa, something that would seem real and not--well, stolen?

The good thing about her plan was that she could easily hide everything from her co-workers, thanks to the privacy settings of Facebook. And an additional bonus was the fact that Dean Gamboa was not a friend of anyone else. Well, maybe Joseph, since the two were almost friends. But Jackie highly doubted that Dean Gamboa had an account. The man obviously didn’t have any social life at all. And if he had one, no one was aware of it. He was single as what she heard from gossips (which was another plus) and she was grateful for that because the lady would be the unluckiest girl around.

Another thing she was grateful of, for the first time in months, was that she had not resorted to blocking Brian on Facebook. One, because she rarely checked the social networking site since he started stalking her; second, she rather liked Instagram and Twitter more.

For two hours or so, she forgot about her plan for a while and started calling her contacts. When that was done, she went out for a quick lunch with Karen in the cafeteria downstairs. For the past few months, she mastered the ability of eating fast so Brian wouldn’t be able to corner her. While she busily munched her burger, she saw Dean Gamboa at one corner of the room, the spot he had always taken. And naturally, he was alone. She was reminded once again of her lack of materials for the account.

While Karen talked about the latest gossips in the office, she scanned her phone to look at photos with her team. Surely, Dean Gamboa would have decent pictures around here. But if there were any, they were not good at all. It seemed that her boss had a big camera phobia. He never went with them on any after-work parties or dinners anyway. Not that anyone dared invite him, really.

Disappointed, she chose to listen to Karen. At that moment, she was talking about a local band she heard last night.

“People call them Anon because they can’t even come up with a name for themselves, you know? But they were really good last night,” her friend was saying.

“Hey, you are eating way beyond your diet,” she pointed out, changing the subject. Her friend grimaced. She was not that fat, but she was healthier than most of the female population in their office. Jackie had made it her mission to transform Karen into a sexy gal. But her friend was not helping at all.

“Just let me finish the fries,” Karen begged.

Jackie rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

“And oh, did I tell you that Troy Brady was there last night as well? He was with his friends. You know them, right?”

“Troy Brady, the professional photographer?” Jackie asked. Of course she knew Troy. Who wouldn’t? It was not every day that you would be friends with a Filipino-American who had women tailing him around, ready to pounce on him, both to get a chance to be one of his subjects and well, yeah, jump in his bed.

“Yes! He was there taking pictures of Anon, I guess.”

But Jackie was no longer listening. Her mind was already somewhere else, wondering where Troy Brady was at that very moment.

  *****

Finally! I almost cried all my gas out when I saw George walk out of the door and toward me.

Dee, the ambulance, had been a good company, but she left about an hour ago to have a run. Some vehicular accident or something, she said. I was left with no one but my handsome and cool self for a while and it was starting to get boring (hey, no matter how awesome I was, I couldn’t entertain myself that long). Good thing George was punctual. As always.

Maybe because she was half-Chinese. Hey, don’t blame me. In my years of existence, I had proven that Chinese-Filipino folks, especially ones with the same background as George, considered time as golden.

Come on, Georgie, let’s go!

As she climbed inside me, her phone rang. She answered while she strapped my seatbelt over her oh-so lean body. “Hey, Jackie, I’m on my way.”

She played with the key for a while as she listened to Jackie’s words.

What is she saying? She’s still alive? That creep hasn’t gotten her yet? I tell you, Georgie, it will not be for long.

Slowly, George’s slit eyes narrowed further as a frown formed on her face. “What? Please, don’t tell me you did that.”

What? What did she do?

George listened further and after almost a full minute, she sighed, inserted the key and started me up. “Fine, I’ll just get Dannie and we will fetch you--Are you sure? Okay, see you.”

Georgie, what was that all about?

“She’s done another crazy thing, Toto,” she said as if she heard me.

My engine groaned inwardly. Jackie girl, what have you done this time?

  *****

Jackie grabbed her bag the moment the clock struck four.

“You seem to be in a hurry,” Karen said, munching a Snickers bar.

“I need to go somewhere,” she answered without looking, her mind focused on her phone. “See you tomorrow.”

“Jackie!” Joseph’s voice called before she reached the elevator.

She turned around, walking backward. “What?”

“Are you done with the contacts?”

“Yes! I’ll follow-up tomorrow!” When the elevator door opened, she went inside with a last glance at the Devil’s Room. Behind his desk, with his perfectly brushed up hair and neutral face, Dean Gamboa was busily signing papers.

One corner of her lips lifted up in a smirk. “If you can’t help me, then I’ll just have to use you,” she uttered in a sing-song voice.

Her phone rang again just as she walked out of the elevator. It was Brian. She ignored it.

But she didn’t have to because the guy was already outside the building waiting for her.

“Jackie! I’ll take you home.”

She frowned. “No, Brian. I already told you to leave me alone.”

“I know you don’t have a ride during Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

Jackie was constantly shocked at how much Brian knew about her life. “I don’t want to go home with you,” she stated matter-of-factly, walking past him. Deep inside, she was hoping she didn’t tell George not to pick her up.

Brian followed her to the side of the road where she intended to wait for a taxi.

“Stop following me!”

“Just let me take you home.”

“I don’t want you to take me home! God! What’s wrong with you?!”

“Jackie--” She did not let him finish because she already waved her hand when she saw a jeepney approaching her way, desperate to get away from him as fast as she could.  “You don’t need to ride a jeepney. I’ll take you home--”

“Leave me alone, Brian!” she shouted before she climbed the rear of the vehicle. The other passengers stared at them in curiosity, but she was now concentrating on how to walk the length of the jeepney in her heels so she didn’t care. She was used to riding the jeepney, but in the past, it was always planned. When she was short of budget, she would wear her flats which she kept under her desk. Today, it was an exemption. She didn’t even plan to ride a taxi home because George was supposed to pick her up, and she surely didn’t plan to ride the jeepney. But she just had to because of that creep!

“Excuse me,” she said to the lady who was almost occupying three slots of one side of the vehicle. “Excuse me,” she repeated.

The jeepney started to drive away.

“Hey! Manong! Wait!” she shouted, gripping the long iron rod attached to the ceiling of the jeepney. “Hey, excuse me!” she added to the lady. The woman just stared at her and moved an inch. “Did you pay for three people? If not, scoot over,” she uttered. The lady gave her a stingy look before she finally righted her position and moved aside. “Thank you.”

Jackie rarely did such a thing whenever she was in a public vehicle, but she was already pissed and the lady didn’t help at all. When the jeepney finally rolled away, she looked behind her and saw Brian standing there like a puppy who lost the scent of his master.

“Crazy,” she muttered under her breath. When the tension between her and the lady finally eased away, she handed out her fare and attacked her phone. “Hey, Troy! It’s me, Jackie!” she greeted with a contained squeal since she was in a public vehicle.

“Hey, Jackie! What’s up?” Troy asked.

“Can we talk? I have a favor to ask you.”

“You know you can ask for anything, Jackie. You boys are always welcome.” She brushed the ‘boys’ word aside. In the past, she would have flipped, but she got used to the collective name most of their guy friends used.

“Are you free right now? I will meet the girls at Sanders. Can you come?”

“Sure!”

She, George and Dannie had known Troy and his friends way back since high school and then in college when they attended the same university. So you could say that the favor she wanted to ask from the guy would be done without second thoughts. And she knew Troy. He liked playing around, with women or other things alike.

Well, this is just the game Troy will play a part in, she thought with a smile.