Flawed (Imperfectly Perfect Book 1)

by Lym Cruz

  A hasting rush of guilt spread from my stomach up to my chest. Last time we met, I told him that I was going to help, that I was hardworking and a reliable person … then I disappeared.

  “Voila!” I teased. “The infamous Melissa is back and this time I’m here to stay. Where’s Andrew?”

  Shaking his head with smiling eyes he said, “Door behind you.”

  “Thanks.”

  I pulled my head out of his office and turned to Andrew’s, knocked twice, and didn’t wait for an answer before pushing the door open.

  Andrew was there, it was his office. However, a force rooted my feet to the ground and I stopped dead on my tracks. All I saw was a tall, lean, strawberry blonde leaning over Andrew’s shoulder with her cleavage in his face. The first three buttons of her blouse were undone, her breasts were jutting out. Andrew seemed unmindful of her assets. His full attention was on whatever they were looking at on his computer. Regardless, a quick stab of jealousy had me stiffen.

  Who the hell is she?

  Andrew lifted his eyes and smiled. Unable to return the smile, I folded my hands over my chest and scowled.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” He stood, rounded his desk and made his way to me. “Is this your first day at work mood?” he said softly and kissed my forehead.

  Behind us, the girl murmured, “Andrew, I’ll come back later.”

  “Mel this is Sabrina. She’s the receptionist. Sabrina this is Melissa.”

  The introduction did nothing but aggravate my fury knowing that she worked here. With Andrew. Everyday. Sabrina darted over to me and extended her hand. I maintained my position and, embarrassed, she tucked her hand back at her side and excused herself.

  Andrew took on a disapproving expression which I ignored. He wasn’t in his usual work suit. He wore black slacks and gray V-neck shirt that made him look so much paler. He needed to get some sun.

  “What was that about, Mel?”

  I was not the jealous type and not one to mistreat others but I hated that her chest was all over his face.

  “Who was that?”

  “I told you, Sabrina, the receptionist.”

  “The receptionist who had her breasts in your face.”

  Andrew stepped back frowning. “Oh God, Mel, you’re jealous?”

  I snorted and looked away. “Of course not.”

  “Yes, you are and you have no reason to. She’s Dalia’s niece. Dalia asked me to help her out.” I said nothing. “Melissa, look at me.”

  Rolling my eyes, I inspected his office instead. It was pretty basic. There was a desk, a chair on either side of the desk. A black couch by the door, and a tall shelf that had nothing on it. The walls were bare and white, the space felt impersonal and clinical.

  “Melissa, I’m talking to you,” Andrew insisted.

  Exhaling, I turned to face him. He stood quietly, staring at me with a serious face. He wasn’t scaring me though. “What?”

  “Mel, I admire your confidence and the way you carry yourself. I love how driven and strong you are but I also love your heart. You’re kind, honest, and possibly the sweetest person I know. You’re not a snob and you sure as hell don’t treat people like shit because that’s not who you are. She just works here.”

  Damn! He got me. My shoulders dropped as his words sunk in. My mother would probably have pulled my ears off had she been here and seen how I behaved. I may not like her but I didn’t have to be rude.

  Pouting, I said. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not the one you should apologize to.”

  “I’ll sort it out later, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like her.”

  “Fine by me. Now can I at least get a smile?” he asked hopefully.

  I plastered the phoniest smile on my lips. Andrew shook his head, moving forward he wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my neck. I trembled a little bit because his stubble itched. Gently, he nibbled on my neck, moving towards my cheek and lastly, dropped one hasty kiss on my lips.

  “You are already late for work and now you’re trying to seduce me.”

  “If you’d woken me up before you left, I wouldn’t be late.”

  “You look so peaceful when you sleep. I didn’t have the heart to wake you.”

  “Then don’t complain—it’s your fault.” I pushed away from his hold. “You know there are a lot of problems with this place, it needs…” I searched for a word not wanting to come across as offensive or depreciating their work. “Life.”

  “Life,” he muttered back.

  “Yup.” I shrugged. “This place is bare and when I walked in, I was anything but pleased. The reception is a mess and let’s not talk about the back.”

  “Then give it the life it needs.”

  That was exactly what I planned on doing. I felt horrible for not being around and helping sooner. It would be sort of a redemption making this place presentable. I began imaging color schemes, maybe some art on the walls.

  A few minutes later Andrew asked Ricky to join us and together, they got me up to speed with what was going on and how I could help—mostly taking care of bills and making sure they were paid on time.

  There were only a handful of clients so far and they wouldn’t require my services full time. As agreed, I would come in three times a week since I had school. For the time being, I would be sharing Andrew’s office, which wasn’t all that bad. I could keep an eye on him.

  I stayed in the office all morning, except for a few trips to the bathroom, avoiding Sabrina. I promised I’d apologize to her. Although I knew I had to do it, I dreaded it. No one enjoys apologizing.

  But eventually, I went to find her.

  Sabrina was behind the counter, wiping it clean with a yellow cloth. All the papers and cluster I saw in the morning were gone. She continued with the task at bay absent-minded and focused. I didn’t think the counter could become any shinier. Sabrina thought the opposite. She ran the cloth over the same spot trying to remove a stain only visible to her eyes.

  Sabrina was indeed pretty and now she looked much more decent. She had buttoned up her shirt for starters. Her bust was large and the shirt seemed half a size too small. The phone on her desk rang, she picked it up, took down some notes and finally her eyes fell on me. The smile on her lips disappeared and she shifted on her feet, rushing whoever was on the other side of the line.

  “Miss Alford, how may I help?” She said, putting down the receiver.

  I strode closer. “Just Melissa is fine.” I sucked in air, building the courage to formulate an apology. “Look, I’m sorry for this morning…”

  Sabrina waved me off. “No, I get it. At first, I didn’t understand what was going on, or what I’d done wrong, but when I went to the bathroom and saw that my buttons were undone. I was mortified. I totally understand. I mean, I would be completely thrown too if I found a random girl with her boobs all over my man.” She laughed nervously.

  Darn! Now, I feel bad.

  Sabrina tucked her hair behind her ear and kept touching things on the desk, almost as if she was trying to keep her hands busy or as if she didn’t know what to do with herself. Her explanation seemed frank and I was making her uncomfortable, to put her out of her misery I said, “Thank you for understanding and just so you know I’m a really nice person when you get to know me. At least, I hope I am.” The smile I offered was earnest.

  As the day went on, Andrew made everyone well aware of my pregnancy. Sabrina had a child of her own and took it upon herself to give me advice. Unsought for but she did it innocently and out of kindness. Every half hour Andrew would force me to eat or drink something. He said I didn’t look pregnant enough as if I could blow up in a day.

  “Rob wants to take us all out tonight,” Andrew announced, his mouth forming a wider smile with each word. “We’re celebrating my child.”

  “Andrew,” I complained. “I should wear a sign saying ‘I’m pregnant’, it will spare you the trouble of having to announce it to everyone. I hope David’s comi
ng too.”

  Andrew eyed me suspiciously. “He probably is.”

  Erica was my friend and Dave was Andrew’s best friend. There was no way I would cause a rift in their relationship. “He’s nice.” I smiled. I was trying.

  Andrew chuckled. “Is he now?”

  “Yup, he’s the best,” I said with a humor-filled voice, and already typing out a text. Christina’s reply was instant. “If all your friends are going it’s only fair that mine be there as well.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mel.”

  “Why not? Tina knows Rob is not into her and she’s moving on.”

  Andrew huffed, leaving something hanging.

  “What?” I prompted.

  Pouting, he shook his head. There was something he was not telling me. After clearing his table, we both walked out hand in hand, making our way to the front when Robert stomped in.

  “Mama,” he chimed, lifted me off my feet and twirled me around, and then put me down. “If it’s a boy name him Robert and if it’s a girl Robert will do.”

  I chucked, a little dizzy from the spin. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “So,” Rob clasped his hand glancing around. “Ready to go?”

  “I have no idea why you are here,” Andrew said, narrowing his eyes. “I said we’d meet at the restaurant.”

  Out of somewhere, a little boy came running from the corridor with Sabrina hot on his heels.

  “Brian!” Sabrina yelled.

  They both halted once they saw the three of us staring at them. The boy, who seemed to be about five, hid timidly behind his mother.

  “I’m so, sorry Andrew. My mom had to drop him here ‘cause she had no one to look after him.”

  “It’s all right,” Andrew said with a smile. “We’re done for the day anyway.”

  Sabrina sighed and her shoulders lowered. The boy poked his head from behind his mom. He had a darker shade of his mother’s hair and a face covered in freckles.

  I waved and he waved back. “I’m Melissa, and I’m guessing that you’re Brian.” He nodded and stared at Robert who in return was staring at his mother with an odd gleam in his eyes.

  “Hi,” Robert said to Sabrina.

  “Hello, Robert,” she answered.

  They obviously knew each other.

  “You can call me Rob, everyone does.”

  “I know, we’ve had this conversation before.”

  “Yes, I…yeah,” Rob searched for words, seeming out of place. Then scratched the back of his head. “Wha… what…” he stuttered. “What are you doing tonight?”

  “Oh boy,” Andrew muttered underneath his breath.

  “I mean, now. What are you doing now?”

  Sabrina frowned and so did I. What the hell?

  Robert took in a deep breath and tried again, “What I’m trying to say is that we’re going out to dinner to celebrate our baby. Not our baby, but Melissa’s baby who is also ours.” He stopped again. “Would you like to join us?”

  I gazed at Andrew who refused to make eye contact with me. But he didn’t have to. I understood what was going on.

  “Oh, no! Thank you, I have to get Brian home.”

  “Okay, sure. I understand, maybe some other time then.”

  I peeked at Andrew from the corner of my eye and he simply shrugged.

  ∞∞∞

  The next morning, we left together for the office and Andrew sighed for the millionth time.

  Andrew was eager to sell the app, especially with the baby coming. He didn’t tell me this, but I sensed it. He wanted to make a good impression on my father. He didn’t need to worry about that because I didn’t need my parents’ approval. I was happy with who he was and that’s all that mattered.

  So, I tried to bring up last night to get him talking. Dinner was strange and there was tension between Rob and Christina. I learned from Andrew that Rob had a thing for Sabrina. Just perfect!

  “I feel bad for Christina.”

  “It is what it is, beautiful, we can’t control what the other person feels.” Andrew shrugged. “Mel, do your parents know about the baby?”

  “My mother knows. I asked her not to tell my father yet. I want to tell him myself.”

  “Can I tell him?”

  Raising a brow, I shifted to look at him. “You don’t even know him.”

  “Eventually, I’ll have to get to know him and I’ve heard that pregnancy is a great conversation starter.”

  I laughed.

  “I have some stuff at my old apartment that I need … now.” He sighed again. “Ricky is out and so are the guys and I can’t leave.”

  “I’m right here, Andrew, not doing anything. I can go.”

  He shook his head. “No, the box is heavy. You won’t manage.”

  I growled and wandered towards his desk. “Give me the keys. I’ll ask for help from the doorman to carry it down. Stop treating me like I’m sick.”

  “You’re pregnant.”

  “Yes, that means I am not sick.” I stretched out my hand to him. “Keys.”

  He opened the top drawer and took out a set of keys and hesitated before placing them on my palm.

  “Why do you still have stuff there anyway? It’s been a while since you sold it.”

  “I’m handing the keys over next week when the new owners get back in town. They gave me until then to vacate. I had to figure out where to put my stuff.”

  “Where is your stuff?”

  “I sold most of it. Some of it, my mother took, and what’s left I’ll give away.” Then he explained to me what he needed from the apartment.

  “Cool. I guess I’ll be going.” I blew him a kiss and turned to leave.

  “Don’t lift anything heavy, Mel, I mean it.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I answered, walking out the door.

  In the cab, I called Christina to check up on her. She said she was fine but her voice told me otherwise. I felt her agony and wished to be able to somehow lessen the ache she was going through.

  When the taxi arrived at the apartment building, I climbed out, punched in the security code and the doors unlocked. The doorman wasn’t at his desk, therefore, I decided to go up and if the box was truly heavy, I’d call him through the intercom.

  It had been a while since I was here. I put the key in the keyhole but it wouldn’t go in, I insisted but nothing. Then I twisted the knob and the door open. I peeked my head in and saw no one.

  “Hello,” I said, hearing the return of an echo.

  I stepped in, leaving the door open and noticed that there were keys on the opposite side of the keyhole. The apartment looked the same and foreign at the same time. There was barely any furniture left and the room seemed much more spacious without it.

  With caution, I proceeded to the spare bedroom, listening for anyone but there was no one there. I passed Andrew’s bedroom and smiled, remembering how much fun we had in there. Then I heard a rattle as if something metallic had fallen. The sound came from down the hall. My steps halted and I grew rigid.

  I was about to turn around and leave when I heard voices. They were coming from the spare bedroom. Curiosity spiked, I looked over my shoulder and saw no one. I moved forward. The voices became clearer and the sounds distinct.

  When I opened the door to see who was on the other side, my heart dropped and I was immobile, unable to process what I was seeing. In my entire life, I never expected to see the scenario in front of me. It took me a lot of seconds to recompose and for my brain to kick back into action.

  Jennifer was sitting on Andrew’s desk with Mendez between her legs. Her face was directly in my point of view but because she had her eyes clenched so tight that she didn’t notice my presence. Mendez had his pants down to his ankles and was shoving fast into Mrs. Malcolm. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands clung unto his upper, and, well defined body.

  I took out my phone and snapped pictures of the two. That’s when Jennifer’s brown eyes startled open and, like me, she was momentaril
y unable to react. Mendez was still oblivious and kept on thrusting until she pushed him away.

  Once he grasped the situation, he bolted back and pulled his pants up. Jennifer leaped off the table and picked up her clothes. I’d never seen two people get dressed as fast as those two did.

  “What are you doing here?” Jennifer said, combing her hair with her fingers, her skin brightly flushed.

  “I could ask you the same but then that’s pretty obvious.”

  She squared her shoulders. “Listen here yo—” she began, pointing her thin index finger at me. I cut her off immediately.

  “No, you listen to me, Jennifer. You’ve humiliated me, treated me like I was worthless and here you are screwing the driver, how cliché, and what makes this even better is that it’s not just any driver. He’s different. Isn’t that what you called me? The same kind you supposedly loathe. So, you see, we’re not so different after all. You’re as much as a whore as I am. How many times have you done this before? I’m sure Mendez isn’t your first driver.”

  Mendez wasn’t even able to look at me. He hung his head low with shame.

  “At least I’m honest about who I was as opposed to you who pretends to be so high and mighty. I wonder what your husband might think or even Andrew when they see the pictures and boy, they are hot.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” Jennifer growled.

  I laughed. “Of course, I would. What would stop me from humiliating you?”

  “Fuck you.” She launched herself at me but Mendez held her back. “Give me that phone,” she yelled, wrestling with Mendez.

  “Sure,” I offered my phone. “But it won’t help, I’ve backed up the photos in this thing we have now that’s called a cloud, and I can access it from anywhere. So here, take it.”

  “If you show those pictures to anyone, I will kill you, Melissa. Do you hear me? I will kill you. You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

  I slipped the phone into my pocket and clasped my hands. “Since I’m such a nice person I won’t show them. But it will come at a price.” I smiled, relishing the moment. “From today onwards you’re going to be my biggest fan, actually, you’re going to be president of my fan club. You’ll worship the ground I walk on. You’ll go to Andrew and apologize for everything you’ve said about me and you’ll make sure his father makes amends with him. And you will stop interfering in our lives.”