Chapter Twenty-Six
Twenty-Six
“How!” Mr. Stevenson said as he began his closing remarks on the stage, wearing a fake war bonnet made of dyed chicken feathers. A gift from Sasha Storm Cloud.
It was beyond offensive using this “Hollywood Injun” greeting and wearing this costume. It was a caricature of a Great Plains chief.
He continued, “Our quarterly sales are through the roof, and I couldn’t be more proud of this team. This has been our most successful and productive quarterly meeting. With your copies of Ask for Forgiveness Later , I know this second half of the year is going to be the best in Technix history!” I zoned out, not listening to the rest of what he had to say.
What had we missed at Sasha Storm Cloud’s spiritual awakening class? Danuwoa was sitting in front of the stage with all the sound equipment, but he looked over his shoulder at me: What the fuck?
I was sitting next to the area sales manager from our Austin office, Tina. I leaned over and asked, “Was there a peace pipe ceremony yesterday too?”
Tina giggled. “No, but we did do a lot of chanting and burning sage, and we wrote down the things we wanted to let go of on tiny pieces of paper.”
Damn, I was gonna have to wear those heels for Danuwoa. Oh no, poor me.
Apart from having to share a room with Danuwoa, which, after last night and early this morning, I didn’t mind at all, this meeting was a success. My first ever business trip and big conference was done. Danuwoa had to pack up all of his computer equipment, so I stepped outside to say goodbye to this magical place. A place I never would have been able to afford to come to in my life if it were not for this job. I walked along the sandy path to get one last glimpse of the ocean and the beach that changed everything for Danuwoa and me.
“Hey, hey, EA!” Kyle’s singsongy voice floated to me over the breeze. I turned around, bracing myself for an innuendo or something about that elevator kiss he witnessed.
“Hi,” I said, and lifted my hand in a small wave. I hoped my smile didn’t look too fake or annoyed.
“Great work this week.” Kyle leaned against the wood of the fence, propping his elbows behind him. His stance was casual and nonchalant. My intuition was sounding the alarm. I didn’t trust whatever camaraderie he was trying to develop with me.
“Thanks, I should head back inside and do a final check before the flight back home.” I stepped away from the fence, turning from him and the beautiful ocean.
The sound of Kyle’s laugh followed me as I went to prepare for our departure.
Things went from bad to worse when Danuwoa and I piled into the back of the SUV taking us to the hangar with Mr. Stevenson. Kyle hopped in next to our boss and threw me a wink. Danuwoa was busy on his cell phone filtering through his help desk tickets to send to colleagues in the office by priority.
I pretended to be very interested in my event binder. Was it too late to go into the career of acting? Because I thought I nailed it. On the plane, Danuwoa and I claimed the same seats we had on the way here. Kyle sat up front with Mr. Stevenson, and I thought that would be the end of our interactions. But ten minutes after takeoff, Mr. Stevenson barked for Danuwoa to fix the Wi-Fi and his laptop.
I was left alone in my window seat when Kyle plopped down next to me. I glanced up at Danuwoa, who gave me a small shrug before looking back down at Mr. Stevenson’s computer.
“Got any work to do on the flight?” Kyle asked me.
“I have some emails to catch up on once Dan gets the Wi-Fi back up.”
“Cool, cool. I have an assignment for you since you have an accounting background and great attention to detail.” He smiled and winked. I was sure he thought it was charming, but it made me want to ignore what he had to say.
The part about accounting was intriguing, as I still very much wanted to learn more about it before I could reenroll in school. I missed the mundanity of straight accounting work. Being on a private jet was a novelty, but I really enjoyed having a job that was predictable.
“Flattery will get you everywhere—what is it?”
“We have all the executive expenses that need to be coded and looked at. We wouldn’t want to be audited, and right now things are a bit of a mess. It shouldn’t take too long.”
“I can review expenses.” I smiled, relieved he had not once tried to bring up Danuwoa and me kissing.
“Excellent. When we get back, I’ll send you all the deets.” He drummed his hands on the table before hopping up and heading back up front.
Before long, Danuwoa folded himself into his seat, breathing a long exhale.
“We will not be having Wi-Fi on this flight,” he said as he rubbed his face.
“Is he pissed?” I asked.
“Definitely.”
“It’s not like we can just land the plane to figure it out,” I offered.
“I felt like he half expected me to offer to climb out of the plane like Tom Cruise to fix something,” he whispered and leaned toward me over the table.
I giggled and said, “Hopefully he falls asleep soon.”
“Ember!” Mr. Stevenson barked from his seat at the front of the plane. I spoke too soon. The man was awake and alert and…in a mood.
“Yes, sir?” I asked when I approached his seat.
He lifted himself up slightly and leaned back into the seat, digging his hand into his pocket. “Here.” He handed me a handful of wadded pieces of paper. “My receipts. Don’t lose them.”
“Okay,” I said and stood there, waiting to see if he needed anything else, and my presence must have irritated him.
“That’s all.” He snapped open his copy of the Wall Street Journal from the hotel, and I was dismissed.
I gingerly opened each crumpled receipt to flatten and sort. Just how was I supposed to explain new headphones as a business expense? I was going to have to review the expense policy again, because I was certain we did not cover alcoholic beverages for employees unless at a catered event like what Natalie planned. I paper-clipped and filed them away in my binder for safekeeping.
—
The adrenaline high from the longest and most exciting three days of my life crashed and burned. Danuwoa’s energy was subdued too as he gave me a ride back home. He said we would see each other exclusively, but did he mean it? Men in Oklahoma said a lot of things and made a lot of promises in the comfort of a bed, but with real-life pressures, were these promises real?
The butterflies that never seemed to go away in his presence fluttered in my stomach. They had me hoping that Danuwoa’s words truly meant something. That Danuwoa was someone I could actually count on.
He parked around the corner from my complex on the street, away from the streetlight. With the time zone difference, it had been dark when we had finally landed. I opened the door to get out, but he yanked the hem of my shirt and pulled me back. “Get over here,” he said before he conquered my mouth. I sighed. It had been a long day and nearly ten hours since his last kiss. My body had quickly grown addicted to it.
Under the cover of night and the intimacy of being alone in the tight quarters of his truck, I gave him a kiss that promised more. Danuwoa’s expert hands slid up my thigh and under my skirt, sweeping a teasing caress over my underwear.
I pulled away from his lips. “Inside. Now.”
We were running up the street, my hot pink duffel bag strapped across Danuwoa’s chest like a fluorescent bandolier bouncing up and down from his quick steps. Before I could climb up the stairs, he stopped and pulled me into his embrace for another kiss that I felt down to my toes. Even tearing ourselves apart for a few minutes to get inside, on a bed, and behind four walls was physically painful. We needed each other’s kiss like we needed the air to breathe. We were insatiable lust incarnate, and I didn’t care.
In a passionate haze, we made it to my front door. I fumbled for my keys, Danuwoa’s hands wrapped around my lower waist, pressing me close to feel his arousal.
“I love that key chain, some might even say it introduced us,” he whispered against my neck.
I giggled and opened the door.
What I saw made me drop my keys. It was like a bucket of ice water hit me. My mood and thoughts about the things I wanted to do to Danuwoa in my bedroom evaporated. Because sprawled out on our couch was Sage. To further add to my annoyance, he was wrapped up in my favorite fleece blanket, which he had taken from my bed.
“Just friends my ass. Auntie and I were right! You were lying about that. I can’t wait to tell her.” Sage laughed as a lit cigarette hung from his mouth.
“What are you doing in my house?” I marched up to him, yanking the cigarette away from him.
“Hey!” he yelled in outrage, sitting up to reveal he was lounging in just his boxers.
“We don’t smoke in the house.” I coughed for the dramatic effect. The smell of the smoke was nasty. I ran to the kitchen, past a confused and awkwardly standing Danuwoa, who was using my pink duffel bag to hide his hard-on, which no doubt was quickly deflating after this episode. I ran the cigarette under the water in the faucet since we didn’t own an ashtray. What a clusterfuck.
“Where’s Joanna?” I yelled over the sound of the running water.
“She said she’d be back soon,” Sage yelled, attitude coating his tone. As if he had anything to be put out by. Family drama was not something I wanted to deal with tonight, and I especially didn’t want to do it with Danuwoa as our audience. As much as it pained me, I had to send him home so I could deal with Sage.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?” I asked Danuwoa. He nodded, setting my duffel on the floor before following me to my bedroom, where I closed the door to shut us away from Sage.
I looked longingly at my full-sized bed. It was probably better to pump the brakes tonight anyway. There was no way Danuwoa would fit in my bed. His feet would hang off it. I remembered our night at the hotel. Could it really have been only last night? So much had happened in such a short span of time.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, looking at the center of his chest. I was unable to meet his eyes, worried I’d find only disappointment there. I felt like all I did was disappoint people.
His hand lifted my chin. “Why are you sorry? Family comes first, Ember. I don’t care, because I know I’ll have you in this bed and mine. It doesn’t matter if it’s tonight, tomorrow, or a month from now.”
“I really hope we don’t have to wait a month,” I said, smiling.
He laughed and kissed me. It was a sweet, tender kiss. This one was meant to reassure me and give me strength to face whatever drama Sage brought into my life.
The front door slammed, and Joanna’s loud voice boomed, “Wear some damn clothes in our home!”
“I better clear out,” Danuwoa whispered as he caressed my cheek.
“Yeah.” I stood there, rooted in the same spot.
“Yeah,” Danuwoa answered. I swear we had hearts in our eyes, and I didn’t hate it.
I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him again, a sweet goodbye, but my lady bits were screaming in protest. They too wanted Danuwoa on my bed doing all the things.
Before I could act on those wants, I pulled away and opened my door. Danuwoa lightly swatted my butt and winked at my glare.
I walked into my living room arena, getting ready to fight and kick Sage out of my home. Why he was here and for how long I didn’t know, but I knew Joanna had something to do with it. The feeling of betrayal fueled my anger.
Danuwoa waved to Joanna and escaped out the door. He was lucky; I too wanted to escape this showdown, but I had to participate.
“Just what exactly are you doing on our couch?” I asked Sage, but I looked directly at Joanna eating her McDonald’s fries dipped in ranch.
“He said he needed a place to crash for a few nights while he gets a job,” she answered me, mouth full of mashed fries.
“I got a lead on some construction work, and Joanna is gonna pay me to help her at the jewelry show at the fairgrounds this weekend,” Sage said, stretching out on the couch, arms behind his head. At least he had put a shirt on.
I looked back at Joanna and rolled my eyes.
“I’m not going to let you live with me, Sage. I have boundaries.” I stomped to my forgotten duffel bag and took it to my room.
Sage followed me.
“I didn’t say anything about living with you. I just need some help until I’m on my feet. Jobs pay better in the city, and there isn’t much going on in Ada right now.”
“Whatever.” I refused to look at him. I yanked my dirty clothes out of the bag. Sand escaped the folds of my wadded-up white dress, leaving a small pile on my comforter. It was a reminder of all that had happened between Danuwoa and me. That’s what I wanted to be doing right now, exploring more of what we could be—not babysitting my delinquent brother as he used me and my friend for the hundredth time.
I nudged Sage with my shoulder to get him out of my way. He moved a quarter of an inch, and I wanted to scream.
“Did you read Dad’s letter yet?” he asked me as he crossed his arms, judgment coloring his face.
Now that made me scream. “God! Of course not, and I’ll never read it. I don’t care what he has to say. Unless there is a check in there that can cover all my school expenses, then I want nothing to do with it or him.”
Sage had the decency to look embarrassed. He looked down in shame and muttered, “I told you I was sorry.”
“Saying sorry while in jail so that Auntie and I paid the commissary isn’t a real apology, Sage.”
“I meant it. I mean, I still mean it! Why are you like this? You think you’re better than me. You always have because you graduated high school and now have a fancy job,” he scoffed, escaping back to the living room.
“Fancy job?” I followed him on his heels. “Let’s get this straight. Yes, I did finish high school, but it’s not like we went to some fancy private school, or I got the best grades. I worked hard, Sage. Something you’re too scared to do. You give up when things get hard.”
“Shut up,” he said, pulling his pants over his boxers.
“You’ll listen. Without college I couldn’t get a job to call me back or interview me. I sacrificed so much to save that money for school, and you skipping out on your bail was a slap in my face. I have never had delusions of grandeur or lofty ambitions. I just want to be comfortable and stop struggling.” Tears started pouring down my face as I watched Sage shove his feet into his sneakers, once again too afraid to listen to a hard conversation.
I pushed through, continuing to drive my points home. This was a conversation 365 days in the making. “We cried for you, Sage. When Auntie and I got the call that you had been arrested for drunk driving, we were scared out of our minds. Auntie didn’t have the money, and it wasn’t for her to pay. You’re my baby brother, and I didn’t think twice about paying the bail. I knew—I thought—you wouldn’t betray me and that I would get it back. I was so stupidly wrong. You didn’t show up to your hearing and we couldn’t find you for two days and I wept again. I wept because my brother cared more about having fun and partying with Tito than me and all I sacrificed and worked for.”
Sage rubbed his fists in his eye sockets, as if he was forcing the unpleasant memory away. “I made a mistake. I’m not the same person. I just want to get a job and pay you back, E.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it. So go ahead, sleep on our couch and get a job. Help Joanna at the fair. But don’t ask me for any more favors and don’t ask Auntie for any more help.”
He left without another word, escaping into the night to cool off. His stuff was still here, so he would be back. He always came back when he had nowhere else to go.
“That was a lot,” Joanna said from our tiny dining table.
“Too much?” I asked, sitting down to join her. The energy I used to say all that I had pent up left me depleted. I wiped the tears off my cheeks.
“No. It had to be said, but it still doesn’t feel good. It’s baby Sage.” She squeezed my hand.
“It’s baby Sage,” I conceded, bitterness rolling off my tongue. We always called him that. He had a baby face and was the cutest kid you’d ever meet. He could charm his way out of anything, and we laughed at his fumbling mistakes growing up, writing it off as baby Sage being baby Sage. “You really offered to pay him to help you?”
“I said I would pay him, but he didn’t ask about the currency. He can pick one of my creations as payment. Any money he makes should be going to paying you back. I wouldn’t do you like that,” she said as she got up to throw away her take-out trash. “Now, forget about Sage. You had IT Guy Danuwoa in your room. What exactly happened on this work trip?” She opened the fridge and took out two cans of beer, placing one in front of me before sitting down, head resting in her hand, eager for the tea.
“Some things…” I felt my cheeks heat.
“You fucked the IT guy!”
“Why do you have to be so crass?”
“Oh, so you made long, languorous love to the IT guy?” She rolled her head, exaggerating her voice like an audiobook narrator of the dirtiest romance novels.
I took a swig of the beer, hiding my smile. It tasted like piss, but it was cheap and had alcohol. I took another gulp for this conversation.
“Tell me, is our Native Daddy packing down there? What’s his technique? I must know!”
I kicked Joanna’s leg under the table. “Oh my god, stop. We had sex and that was that.”
“No, your face tells it all. You had a lot of sex. A lot of good sex.”
“I’m going to bed.” I stood and chugged the beer, needing the alcohol to erase the remaining tension from my confrontation with Sage.
“What about the no-dating-colleagues rule at work?”
“It’s as you said, we’re adults and can keep things professional.”