Chapter 10 #2
I smiled at Tremaine as he walked out of the kitchen after putting our dishes in the sink. Ms. Shonte sat at the table patiently eating her food.
"Again, thank you, Ms. Shonte."
She fanned me off. "It's nothing, but I have a question."
"You can ask me anything."
"How long have you been smitten with my son?"
My eyes ballooned.
"Unfortunately, I am not smitten with Tremaine.
"Are you sure? That kiss upstairs told me otherwise. From the looks of things, it seems as if he is smitten with you. I mean, I don't blame him. You're a beautiful little thing."
I snickered. "I appreciate that, but I hate to break the news to you. Your son is just helping me. Even though I keep telling him he doesn't have to, he insists."
"There's a reason for that."
I shook my head. "Tremaine has a heart full of empathy. He'll give the shirt off his back for anyone."
She scoffed. "That's true but not like how he is doing with you. Don't sell yourself short. It's more than empathy at this point."
Before I could respond, Tremaine walked back into the kitchen.
"Your clothes are ready upstairs."
I immediately sped past them and made my way to my clothes.
I kept thinking about the conversation I had with Ms. Shonte.
Tremaine was only helping me out of the kindness of his heart.
There wasn't a hidden agenda in it. The kiss was an in-the-moment thing.
However, it wouldn't happen again, and I made a promise to myself to keep my distance from Tremaine Houston no matter what.
It was the start of the workweek, and I hadn't heard from Tremaine since he dropped me off at my house Saturday night.
The car ride was quiet, and our goodbyes were quick and painless.
Before my key could turn over, Chasity and Trina grilled me on what happened, but I kept with the same details as Owen and Vance told them, which was that I got sick from the wine and had to get cleaned up.
They tried their hardest to pry any type of information out of me, but I stood my ground.
However, I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss Tremaine and I had.
It was succulent and impressive. I didn't recall a time when I had received a kiss like that.
What I knew was that we were in the heat of the moment, and things got out of hand, so it was time for me to buckle down and remember my current goals.
I was sitting at my desk when Susanna walked in. She had a big, bright smile on her face.
"Good morning, beautiful! How was your weekend?"
I smiled. "Good morning. It was... it was a weekend. Nothing too special," I lied.
"We've got to get you out more. It's so many things to see and do. Plus, it's a lot of single men out here."
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm swearing off all men for a while, at least 'til my son graduates high school."
Susanna knew about my divorce, but she wasn't aware of all the other issues I was dealing with regarding Kyle.
"That would be insane! Not all men are the same. It's some good ones out there."
"I'm not sure about that," I added.
Before Susanna could respond, Tremaine walked through the door. He wore a navy blue tailored suit with a white button-up shirt. He had on brown dress shoes and accessories with a gold Rolex.
"Good morning, ladies."
We both said good morning, but I avoided making eye contact with him. I kept my eyes on my computer, pretending to be busy.
"Can you both meet me in my office in five minutes? I want to run through a few action items for the week."
"Sure, we'll be over," Susanna confirmed.
I could feel Tremaine's eyes on me, but I still kept my attention on my computer.
Once I heard his feet against the tile floor, I caught the back of his head as he made his way into his office.
Just seeing him from the back sent shock waves through me.
I wasn't sure how I would maintain my composure at this meeting.
Before I knew it, five minutes had passed, and Susanna and I sat in the two chairs across from Tremaine.
I had my notebook in my lap, keeping my eyes trained on the lines of the paper.
I prayed he wouldn't call my name or request that I speak.
I wasn't sure if I would even know what to say or how to form a sentence that made sense.
"Alright, ladies, let's get started. I don't want to keep you all any longer than I need to."
He paused.
"Mila."
My heart leaped out of my chest. I closed my eyes and counted to five before looking up at Tremaine.
"Yes?"
"Are you okay?"
I nodded. "I'm good."
He stared at me for a few seconds before looking back at his screen.
"Alright, so most of the week I'll be out of the office. I have viewings on the other side of town, and I'll be working from home. That way, I don't have to drive so much. If you need me, you both have my number."
He reached for his glasses and placed them on. I squeezed my legs tight to control my rush of feelings.
"Susanna, I'm going to have you handle the viewings on this side of town. Please make sure that people are signing their names and placing an email or phone number so that we can reach them."
"Yes, sir. I'm so excited! I love showings." Susanna danced in her seat.
"I know you do, and due to my caseload, you can have them. They will be your commission."
Susanna jumped from her seat and squealed. She ran around to the side of Tremaine's desk and hugged his neck.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
I giggled at her excitement. I was happy for her. Susanna really enjoyed her job, so I was thrilled that she was receiving the opportunities Tremaine presented to her.
"You're welcome. I sent you an email with all the background information. Review and hop right in."
"Will do!"
She walked back to her seat and squealed again when she saw the smile on my face.
"Congrats, Susanna," I expressed.
"Thank you! I can't wait to tell my man!"
We both laughed, and Tremaine joined.
"Anyway, in other news. That means for you, Mila, things might get crazy. Are you going to be okay by yourself?"
I nodded.
"Either way, I'm just a call away," he reminded me.
"Me too," Susanna added. "I'll be here too, but I'll be gone for long hours because of the showings."
"I think I'll be fine. If not, I'll reach out."
"Great. Last but not least, in two months is the annual black realtors conference, and they're wanting me to be a guest speaker again this year."
"That's exciting!" Susanna commented.
I looked between the two. The meaning of the conference was self-explanatory, but I didn't get the excitement.
Whenever Kyle attended these types of conferences, he always complained about how boring they were.
He complained about the guest speakers, the hotel, the food, and the people. He made it seem like a bad thing.
"I was thinking maybe Mila could go this year."
My eyes widened and bounced from Susanna to Tremaine.
"Me?"
He nodded. "I think it would be great exposure and an amazing networking opportunity."
"Oh, I agree! I've met so many people over the years from all over. This is such a great idea."
"What do you think, Mila?" Tremaine asked.
"Um...can I make arrangements for KJ before I fully commit?"
"Of course, you have plenty of time. Just let me know."
I did a tight-lipped smile. Tremaine went back to reviewing more action items before he dismissed us.
"Mila, can you hang back for a second?"
Susanna walked out, leaving me in the room with Tremaine. I bounced my knee, feeling my heart race now that I was alone with him.
"Mila, I would like to apologize for the other night."
I pretended I didn't know what he was referring to. However, I knew he was talking about the kiss.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"Mila, don't play crazy. I'm talking about the kiss. I overstepped, and I shouldn't have. If I have made you feel uncomfortable, I promise that was not my intention. Please forgive me."
I paused. He had a sincere look on his face. I knew Tremaine was seriously sorry for his actions. Yet, he didn't act alone.
"It's not all on you. So, I apologize for my actions that day as well. From the throw-up, inconveniencing your night, and the kiss. I hope I'm not fired."
"Nah, it's all good. We just have to remind ourselves what the relationship is. I'm your boss and you're my employee. Neither one of us wants to mix business with pleasure."
I nodded in agreement. Even though I knew this battle of controlling my inner thoughts would take over. I made a mental note to order myself a sex toy to help fix the craving I felt.
He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out an envelope.
"Also, this is your sign-on bonus. Susanna and I agreed that if the new office manager lasted a week, they would receive a sign-on bonus."
"Thank you," I stated with a smile.
To me, any money at the time was good for me. I was saving all I could to afford a decent lawyer.
"You're welcome. Go ahead and get back to work. I'm going to head out."
I smiled and quickly exited his office. By the time I made it back to my desk, I had finally released the breath I was holding.
I sat in my seat and stared at the envelope.
I wasn't sure how much it was, but I was thrilled to receive extra money.
I opened the envelope, and my eyes damn near fell out of their sockets.
There were a bunch of blue-faced hundreds.
I looked around to make sure I wasn't getting punked.
I pulled the cash out, slowly counting the bills.
It was twenty hundred-dollar bills. This had to be some sort of mistake.
Tremaine's door opened, and I stood to ask him if he had made an error, but before I could, he speed-walked toward the door.
"Remember, ladies, if you need anything, please reach out. I'm only a call away."
He looked at me.
"Mila."
"Yes?"
"What's in your hand is correct." He winked and flew out of the door.
My mouth fell slightly ajar. Tremaine must have known I was coming to him. Susanna giggled, prompting me to look in her direction.
"What's funny?"
"Mr. Houston's so funny. One would think he was this big, bad businessman, when he really just loves to help people. He's just a big ol' teddy bear. Whoever receives the blessing of being his wife is one lucky lady."
"You're saying that all because he likes to help people?"
She nodded. "He helps strangers, so imagine what he will do for a woman that he loves? If he could give her the moon, he would."
I sat back in my seat and looked at the money in the envelope.
I thought about what Susanna said. Any woman who received the opportunity to be on Tremaine's arm was one lucky woman, and I knew that from the moment I laid eyes on him, but now knowing a bit of his character, anyone would envy her, including me.