Chapter 6
Six
Mila
I t was the next day, and my anxiety was the same as it had been yesterday as I rode to my new job.
So much took place that my brain hadn't caught up.
Chasity and Trina spent the rest of the day reminding me that everything that was happening was a blessing.
I couldn't help but wonder why me? I thought about how Tremaine stepped in and defended me from Kyle.
His demeanor was professional, but I could tell that if he had to get rowdy, he didn't mind doing so.
My hesitation was strong. A part of me couldn't help but feel that there was a hidden agenda behind all of this.
Maybe I was a tax write-off, or maybe he got the pleasure of taking on charity cases.
Whatever it was, I planned to take everything with a grain of salt and keep my guard up.
A few minutes later, I arrived at the building.
On the storefront, there was a huge sign that read: Houston's Real Estate .
It was a one-story red and black brick building with big, tinted windows.
The neighborhood was pleasant. A few people were out early with their coffee and dogs, getting a start on their day.
There were other buildings around the office, and I was sure the streets came to life around noon.
The anticipation in my steps grew as I made my way to the front door.
I took a deep breath and said a quiet prayer to myself before opening it.
As soon as I opened the door, a young, light-skinned woman with curly blonde hair greeted me.
She wore a light pink dress that stopped just above her knees and nude heels.
She wore soft makeup and simple silver jewelry.
"You must be Mila?" she asked with a tight smile.
I nodded. "Yes, I'm Mila, and you are?"
"Susanna Richardson."
"Nice to meet you, Susanna. I'm actually here to speak with Mr. Houston about the office manager position."
She folded her arms across her chest. The once-tight smile dropped. Her face was straight as she peered into my eyes.
"How do you know, Mr. Houston?"
Her voice was no longer soft, but stern. She wasn't happy with my presence, so I began to think that this was Mr. Houston's girlfriend or wife. I wasn't surprised. A man as successful as him would have a young piece of ass on his arm.
"I met him at my old job. Well, current job, only part-time now." I smiled, hoping to break the tension.
"Mmm, are you dating him?"
My eyes widened. "Dating Mr. Houston? Absolutely not! Our first interaction wasn't the best, which is why I'm still surprised he offered me the position here."
"Your first interaction?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where do you work?"
"Justine's."
Her eyes widened. "Are you the server who had him ready to write a Yelp review?"
I shrugged. "Probably."
She replaced her stern look with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Mila."
"Nice to meet you, too." I smiled back.
"Have a seat over here. Mr. Houston should be in soon. Would you like water or coffee?" she offered.
I shook my head. "I appreciate the offer."
I made my way to the white sofa sitting by the large windows.
Everything in the office was white. The desks were white, along with the chairs, including the MAC computers.
The only pop of color was the art that decorated the walls.
Low, soft jazz music played from the ceiling, and the sun tried to beam through the vast windows. It was a calm space.
I pulled out my phone and checked the group chat with Trina, Chasity, and me.
Trina: You got this, best friend! And please go with the three-bedroom apartment. It's new, and it gives you more space. The amenities are fire!
Chasity: I agree with Trina! Plus, the waiting list for that place is four years. He is pulling some strings for you!
Me: I don't know y'all. I am grateful for all of this, but I can't help but be suspicious. Why me? Is what I keep asking myself.
Chasity : Stop asking why me and start saying why not me. You've been through hell. You deserve this!
Trina: I agree with Chas. Be thankful, best friend. You and KJ deserve the world!
I fought back tears, reading how Chasity and Trina boosted me up.
Since I told them about everything that had happened, Trina had already arranged to come and help me with the move.
She was excited for me even though I was skeptical about everything.
I closed my phone when I heard Susanna's heels approaching.
I looked up at her as she took a seat on the sofa across from me. We sat in silence before I spoke up.
"How long have you been working here?"
"Two years," she explained, sipping from her coffee mug. "I was the office manager. Then, after being exposed to real estate, I began studying for the exams, and I passed. Mr. Houston just offered me a position here a few days ago."
I smiled. "Oh wow! Congratulations! That is so impressive."
"Thank you. Mr. Houston is such an inspiration."
I wasn't sure how to respond, so I smiled. I knew very little about him. All I knew was he had money and offered me a job because he felt bad for me.
"Are you married?"
Bile built up in my throat. The term marriage put an unpleasant taste in my mouth. No one in society appreciated the importance of marriage anymore.
"Divorced."
"Ouch! My parents divorced, and it was rough."
I nodded again. "Very rough."
"Any kids?"
I smiled big this time. "One, he's six."
She smiled big as well. "Aw! I can't wait to become someone's mom. I know have a while to go, but I know when the day comes, I'm going to love it."
I kept a smile on my face, but internally, I burned.
I didn't regret KJ, but I regretted his father.
When I got pregnant, I was ecstatic to grow my forever family, but forever never came.
Now here I was, starting from the bottom, still providing KJ with the same love and care as if he had two parents.
"Oh look," Susanna said, standing to her feet. "Mr. Houston just arrived."
I turned around and saw a black Lamborghini pull up to the front of the store.
I watched how he opened the suicide doors and stepped out.
He wore black Ray-Ban shades, a brown khaki suit, with a white button-up shirt under it, and brown dress shoes.
He reached back in the car and grabbed a laptop bag before he headed into the office.
Susanna sucked her teeth and chuckled. "Mr. Houston is such a showoff. He never drives the Lambo. He drives that car only when he is trying to show off." She looked at me and smirked. "Which makes so much sense."
Before I could ask Susanna what she meant, she walked toward the front door.
I quickly jumped to my feet and smoothed down the navy blue pencil skirt and adjusted my white shirt.
I borrowed a pair of Chasity's nude kitten heels and wore silver jewelry to match.
I reached for my purse and pulled out the notebook and pen I planned to use to take down important information.
By the time I finished adjusting myself, I could hear Susanna and Tremaine's feet against the hard tile.
"She's over here. She was prompt and on time, unlike you," Susanna fussed.
"Don't start. I had to get dressed."
"Hmm, I can tell," Susanna said.
Mr. Houston laughed loudly but quieted down once he saw me standing in front of him.
From the windows, he looked good, but now that he was in front of me, my honeypot felt like she wanted to betray me.
His cologne filled the space, and his macho stance dominated the room.
He removed his shades and smiled softly.
"Good morning," he greeted, glancing at me up and down.
"Good morning."
He moved closer. "I didn't think you were going to show up."
"I'm here."
"I see. Have you been able to talk with Susanna?"
I nodded. "Yes. She's really nice."
"Good, she will train you on the duties around here. If things get to be too much, let us know, and we can scale back."
I nodded.
"You good?" he asked.
"Yeah... first-day jitters."
"That's understandable. Just take your time and make it your own."
Tremaine placed his hand on my shoulder. His simple touch sent jolts of electricity through my body. The firmness and weight of his hand screamed power. He dropped his hand and looked back at Susanna.
"Susanna, her work material is in the back. Take it easy on her today. I'm swamped in meetings, but I trust you got her."
Susanna smiled. "You know it! Come on, Mila. Let me show you where you're going to be sitting and get you set up."
Our bodies brushed against each other as I tried to walk around him to follow Susanna.
"Sorry about that," I immediately apologized.
"It's all good."
I sped off to make sure I didn't have to be in his presence much longer.
For some reason, Tremaine was extremely fine today.
I needed to keep my composure and avoid the thoughts trying to invade my mind since he stepped out of his car this morning.
The thoughts in my mind were not good. I was here to do a job, make a living for KJ, and be able to keep him.
I wasn't here to imagine how it would be if he had me bent over the white sofa while he stroked deeply into me.
It had been a while since I had felt this type of urge.
I never felt this type of energy with Kyle.
Yet, Tremaine was my boss now, and I planned to keep things on an employee and manager level.
No matter how long it had been since I had back-breaking sex.
I was thankful to Susanna for pulling me from my imagination when she called out to me.
"Mila, would you like a Mac or a Dell?" she asked, holding up two laptop boxes.
I shrugged. "I'll take a Mac, please."
She smiled. "I'm liking you more and more."