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“Thank you.”
“I look forward to working with you, Quintessa.” He extends his hand to me. I look at it, then look back up at him. Up until this point, I’d never touched any part of him willingly. The handshake during that terrible interview – that doesn’t count. I suppose this would be a do-over.
Reluctantly, I reach to capture his hand and when I do, I look up at him, making appropriate eye contact that has me catching my balance. Something inside of me sizzles when he squeezes my hands and that feeling of nostalgia takes over again – a feeling that somehow, I know this man. I tried to write it off before, but when it’s this potent, I can’t deny it. There’s something about Mr. DePaul – Essex – that’s familiar.
I pull my hand away from his and say, “Well, I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Yep.”
“Be on your best behavior.”
He grins wickedly. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Bye,” I say unlocking the door.
“Bye,” he tells me after I step inside. I give him a wave before I close the door and he throws up a hand while backing away, then turns around and jogs down the stairs.
I close the door and breathe a sigh of relief. He’s gone. And now I have to sit here and think about what I’ve signed up for. I have no idea why I agreed to help him adjust his attitude, but I feel like I’ve shot myself in the foot. Mr. DePaul has a way about him, and that’s not going to change with any coaching on my part. Besides, when he’s at work, he’s a different person – a shark – and nobody’s getting away with anything.
My mother has been blowing up my phone since I arrived back at my apartment, almost like she knew the moment I returned. I call her back because if I don’t, I won’t hear the last of it.
“Hey, Quin,” she says, elation in her voice. I imagine she’s smiling.
“Hey, Ma. What did you think of the place?”
“It has potential. It’s like you’re just starting out and starting all over again.”
“Yeah, it is. You’d think I’d have myself together by now, right?”
“Don’t worry about that. Just be excited you get to enjoy a new space and have your own privacy. There’s a certain level of joy that comes with starting fresh and by the looks of things, you got yourself a man to help you out.”
And there it is…
I knew he would come up in this discussion. I say, “I knew you were thinking that, but Essex is not my man. He’s my boss, Ma.”
“Then you better make him your man. Do you know who that is, girl?”
“Yes, I—”
“That’s Essex DePaul, one of the richest men in this state!”
Whoop de do…
“Yeah, I know that. I told you, I work for him.”
“Honey, tell me something. How did you snag a man like him? You know he’s very smitten by you.”
“Please….the only thing he’s smitten by is cash.”
She chuckles.
I ask, “What exactly did he tell you and dad?”
“He was talking about how glad he was that you worked for the organization and his eyes just lit up when he told us all the good work you were doing there.”
Yeah, I bet they did light up – just like they did when he went off on me and my team in that meeting.
To clear things up with my mother, I say, “Well, don’t get the wrong idea, Ma. We’re not in any sort of relationship or anything.”
