Chapter 12
Cherry
I burst through my front door and nearly collide with Ginger, who is eating a bag of Hot Cheetos.
“It’s not even eight in the morning,” I tell my best friend. “Have you been here all weekend?”
“No. I’m here to get the dirty details before I have to go to work,” she says.
Before I can take a breath and start talking, Solange comes in. “Well, well, well,” she says, crossing her arms. “And you better thank me because I’m the only reason you met him.”
“I would be pregnant with triplets already,” Ginger says. “And I’d have about three Birkin bags by now.” She walks closer to me, grabs my chin, and turns my head. “This slut got a hickey like she’s in high school. And what are these clothes you’re wearing?” Solange grabs the back of my shirt to check the label, then lets out a whistle.
“That’s not from Marshall’s,” she says, and I move away.
“Listen—” I begin, but Ginger cuts me off.
“At least tell me you’re pregnant with twins and that the Birkin bags are being delivered later by a security guard.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you want a Birkin bag?” Daniel says as he strolls in, and I want to sink into the ground and disappear. Ginger covers her mouth with her hand, which doesn’t drown her giggle. “As for the twins, I can’t promise to put two in you at once. ”
“You two are so embarrassing,” I say to my friend and sister.
Daniel puts both hands on my shoulders, spins me around to face him, and tilts my face up. He gives me a chaste kiss.
“I have to go, but my driver will be here to pick you up at noon. We can have lunch in my office.”
My eyes widen at him. “Oh, you know I won’t step foot in that Jubilee building.” I cross my arms. “You guys had your chance.”
“You tell him, girl,” Ginger says. “They fucked up when they didn’t hire you.”
“Well, I kinda work there and want to have lunch with you, so you’ll have to get over that in the next four hours.” He kisses my mouth again. “I’ll see you soon.” He looks at my sister and friend and says, “Good day, ladies.”
Once he leaves, I take my time removing my shoes. I leave my uninvited guests in the living room and go to the kitchen for something to drink. The only thing I have is bottled water, so I grab one.
I sit at the table, uncap the water, and sip.
“I’m a second away from snatching that bottle out of your hand. Talk,” Ginger says. She pulls out the other chair and sits, but Kirby comes in before I can say anything.
“I just saw him leave. Spill the tea,” he says.
And I do. I tell them everything, leaving out the dirty details.
“So, what you’re saying to me is that Daniel Jubilee Junior is your boyfriend?” Solange asks. Her mouth stays open after she poses that question.
“That’s what I’m saying.” The three stare at each other before they start talking at once.
“Is the dick big?” Ginger asks. “Honestly, if it’s not, it’s okay. His bank account makes up for it. Short dicks are acceptable only when the money is long. It’s the law.”
“Please, don’t answer that,” Kirby says.
“It’s huge,” I yell, and Ginger and Solange scream.
Kirby makes a face and covers his ears with his hands .
“And by the way, you’re welcome,” Kirby says after he puts his hands down. “I had to come in here and throw you over my shoulder to get a little help out of you. Now you have a man because of me. And you know I have a bad shoulder.”
I eye my sister and brother-in-law before giving them the middle finger. “You two are a good match.” Then I turn to Ginger, “And I’m going to rest before meeting my boyfriend for lunch.” Ginger and Solange scream again. “And my coochie needs a compress to heal from the past three days.” Kirby makes another face, but my sister and friend high-five each other.
Ginger, still squealing, comes and hugs me from behind. She does it so hard she almost knocks me over. “That’s what I’m talking about,” she says.
“This is going to kill Ashley and her ratchet mama,” Kirby says, “who still hasn’t paid us the rest of the money, by the way.”
“I told you not to take that stupid job. They signed a contract. Sue them,” I toss out. “But I’m in too good a mood to discuss those people.” I get up and dramatically throw myself on the couch. All three of them stand above me and look down. “What is it? And Ginge, you better not drop any Cheeto dust on my new clothes.”
“Well, excuse me,” she says. “Tell her ass, Sol. I’m sick of this bitch.”
“Tell me what?” I ask my sister.
“Dad wants us all at the house for his birthday next month. Now you can bring your new boyfriend.”
“Except I’m not going. We can take Dad out like last year,” I say.
“He says he wants all of us at the house for a barbeque, and I’m not telling him no for his birthday.”
“You are such a wuss.”
“You can’t avoid our mother forever, Cherry.”
The building looks the same as I remember. It’s tall and in the middle of the financial district. It’s peak lunch hours, so the streets are filled with pedestrians, cars, and a few buses. It’s a massive clusterfuck, and if I ever come back here, I’ll tell Jubilee I’ll take the train.
The door of the sleek luxury vehicle opens, and I step out.
“I’ll walk you inside to Mr. Jubilee’s office, Ms. Cross,” Ari, the driver Daniel sent me, says. Ari is not the same guy who drove us this morning. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I can find his office myself, but I have no idea where it is. I follow him through the front door and to a private elevator. He uses a card before pressing one of the two buttons inside, and we go up to the forty-ninth floor.
It’s a different world than the office I interviewed at on the twelfth floor. There’s no carpet, but the floors are marble. A beautifully coifed woman with dark brown skin is at the reception desk. She smiles warmly at me, and I do the same.
I don’t see another soul until we get to the double doors. They swing open before we can knock, and he’s sitting behind his desk but stands when he sees me. The tie I picked out for him this morning is gone, and he has undone the top two buttons of his shirt.
“Thanks, Ari,” he says. Ari nods and leaves without another word.
His lips land on mine before the door closes. He kisses me for so long and so deeply that I forget we’re in his office during work hours. I jump into his arms and wrap my legs around him. He walks us over to a couch and sits, so I’m straddling him.
“Take off these stupid pants,” he says against my mouth. I jump off his lap and manage to pull one leg and half my underwear off. By the time I’m done, he has his pants pulled down, and his dick springs free. I straddle him again and slide down.