Chapter 9 This Little Game
THIS LITTLE GAME
ASHA
“You’ve been preoccupied lately.”
I glanced up and saw Margo in the doorframe, waiting to be invited in.
Since I wasn’t in the mood for company or whatever lecture I felt she was about to deliver, I didn’t give her the courtesy.
It had been a few days since I’d argued with Ori at my house.
I hadn’t been called back up to the FBI office so there was no need to see him there either.
Truthfully, I felt as though he were angry with me and instead of being happy I was frustrated.
I didn’t want to be in constant contention with him either, because life was frustrating enough as it was.
I’d spent the time buried in the case files and when I had too much of that I went back to the office to check on the progress of how things had been going in my absence.
It wasn’t necessary but I needed a distraction to get me through the mental lull I was in.
I removed my glasses from my face and rubbed my temples. “There’s a lot going on.”
This time she didn’t wait for an invite, she simply strolled inside and sat in the chair across from my desk.
My office was small, barely able to fit the desk, chair and bookcases I had inside, which were overflowing.
I could tell this had once been one office that they’d chopped up to make way for more bodies to fit inside the building instead of adding on.
Margo looked at me expectantly and since I hadn’t requested her presence nor invited her in I had nothing to say.
We sat in a silence that was probably uncomfortable on her part but didn’t bother me.
She shifted and stared for several seconds longer before she realized I wasn’t about to say anything.
“How’s the case going? Find anything that might help them crack this thing?” Her face was expectant and I had to bite my tongue before I said something rude.
“Not yet.” I tried to soften my words with a smile but I wasn’t about to share anything with her since she wasn’t part of the case.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with those agents.”
I was about to divulge what he actually was to me but then I remembered that Margo wasn’t the person who I could trust to confide in.
She knew nothing of my personal life and despite the confusion I was currently feeling, confessing all of this to her wasn’t the move.
Ori’s words about her came back into my mind forcing me to keep my mouth shut even more.
“It’s the nature of the work, Margo. There’s nothing else to it than that. ”
Damn we’re getting much better at telling blatant lies.
“I’m sure it is. I was just making an observation. They’re both so handsome I’m sure that you all must talk about things besides work. It’s only natural if you do.”
“I’m a professional. I’m not about to mess up this case or my professional standing by getting sidetracked.” I already knew his tongue had strength and dexterity like he trained to eat pussy daily and his dick was another wonder of the world on its own.
“I forgot who I was speaking to. You are so singularly focused I shouldn’t be surprised that you’re oblivious to how they look.
I'm wondering if they’re dating someone.
” Margo leaned forward as though we were going to sit and gossip about those two men and it wasn’t something I was interested in wasting my time with.
Especially since one of them was mine and if she said the wrong thing I wasn’t sure how I could contain my annoyance.
Shit, is he mine? Why am I possessive?
***Because you know that it only takes three rungs on his ladder to make you cum. ***
“Being focused has always been a good thing for me. It helps me reach the goals that I’ve set in life. My family has sacrificed a lot for me to get where I am and I don’t take that for granted.”
That was the easiest way to confuse someone who insisted on being in your business.
Telling them it was because of family fed into whatever stereotype they already had about Africa as a continent and I was sure that Margo knew very little about the different tribes of Eritrea.
And even if she did, she wouldn’t know which of the nine I was from or what every tradition was.
Believing that I was from an underprivileged background was easy enough for her to swallow as the reason I wasn’t dating.
“Surely they have no issue with you having fun while you succeed.” Apparently, getting a small glimpse into my world was enough to keep her focused on me. Margo sat forward, waiting on me to divulge more information that would give her more insight to my personal life.
“I have a meeting later.” I needed to change the subject because I could feel my frustration mounting the more she questioned me.
“What meeting? I saw nothing on the schedule.”
“It’s not a department meeting it’s a personal one.” A lie because I wasn’t in the mood to continue talking to her about my life. If I gave her something maybe she would leave me alone.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” She was watching me in that pitiful way of hers that disgusted me but also made me feel bad.
“I’m meeting with a wedding planner.” My meeting with Jada, the woman I was told would be in charge of planning all of this, hadn’t been scheduled yet because I wasn’t interested in rushing this marriage.
The date hadn’t even been set and it was already April.
No matter what anyone said we had more than enough time to wait. Years even.
“For what?”
“Because I’m getting married.”
Her face went blank and then pale before she spoke. “You’re what?”
“Getting married.”
“You’re joking.”
My brow arched at the incredulous way she spoke to me. “I’m not.”
“Are you truly getting married?”
“Yes, I am.”
“This seems like something that didn’t just happen. How many other people heard about this before me?”
“Because it’s not that big a deal.” I wasn’t sure why I’d spoken of my getting married. I hadn’t even put in a time off request nor did I have a ring as a token of the supposed marriage. Things I’m sure she was going to call into question.
“Not that big a deal? We’ve been friends for years, I thought I would’ve been one of the first people to know about this.” Margo’s voice was measured but she was angry. Her neck was getting redder, a contrast to the pale green button-up she wore.
“Seeing as I’ve said nothing to anyone, you are amongst the first to hear me confirm it.”
“Amongst. What does that mean exactly?” Her tone was haughty and I wondered where she got off thinking she was so damn important.
“Is this some sort of pissing contest? I don’t understand why this is such big news to everyone.”
“Because I didn’t even know you had a partner let alone been in something serious enough to get married.”
“I guess when you know you know.” I sounded cliché, but what the hell was I supposed to say?
I was an heiress and my father arranged a marriage for me to a man so that he could help overthrow the power our corrupt government had in our home country?
That was far too much information for someone like Margo who I was sure would carry it back to whomever would listen.
I refused to let her spread my business around for idle gossip.
I wasn’t even going to invite anyone from here to attend so it truly wasn’t any of her business.
“Are you marrying him for a green card? Do we need to set up some type of sponsorship for you?” She’d leaned forward again as though offering me a lifeline, and her self-importance amused me.
I couldn’t help but laugh in her face because who in the hell was desperate enough to be tied to this country if they didn’t have to be?
I had two separate citizenships and didn’t want a third.
Marrying Ori would make me eligible for US citizenship, but I was so disinterested in any of that I hadn’t bothered to look into any of the logistics.
“No offense but who would want to be willingly bound to this country with the state it’s in right now?”
She gasped as if I’d paid her some grave insult. “Well, if it’s so bad—”
My hand rose and I stopped her before she said something that would completely disgust me.
“Don’t do that. That thing that white people in this country do where their reflex to constructive criticism is going straight racist under the guise of patriotism.
Don’t put words to being that person. As though the only reason that you all are here wasn’t because you wanted to escape the bullshit from where you all originated. ”
She took a deep breath like she was going to check herself but the damage was already done. I felt disgusted at the way her mask had slipped. “I’m sorry but I don’t understand how you have the gumption to be angry about my questions so you lash out with being rude.”
I blinked slowly wondering if there were truly a manual for how white people attempted to escape claims of racism. Her attempt to point out that I was being rude instead of addressing her prejudice was telling.
“What’s rude about it? We are seeing the erosion of every liberty that people in this country fought and died for.
It’s ridiculous to be anything but critical of what is happening now and if you don’t see it that’s because your privilege prevents you from seeing it.
I have no problem with being called out on my shit because the purpose of life is to evolve and improve.
It’s clearly not something you strive for. ”
“Wow, that’s really a gross take coming from you.” Her nose was wrinkled and lifted as though she were looking down at me.
Oh, now the gloves were about to come out. “Coming from me? Please, elaborate, I beg of you.”