Drama 99 FM

by Janine A. Morris

  As she walked down Broadway wondering “what if,” she realized she was overanalyzing something that wasn’t such a big deal. After all, he could have been a married man with eight baby mamas and a jacked-up face. Why did she even care? Being away from her boyfriend was causing her heart and mind to wander much further from him than she cared to admit. She knew that working in the entertainment business had subjected her to only the worst of options half the time, but was she that hard up?

  She didn’t know why she would even be considering getting to know another man after last night anyway. The longer she thought about it, the more she forgot about the strange guy in the paperboy hat. She began to remember that she had enough on her plate for the time being. She had spent the entire night with Neil, drinking and hanging out. When they had left the Cîroc party, they had headed to some other industry party hosted by some artist and his band. She knew there was a chance he and Tyreek were cool enough to share stories, but that didn’t stop her from rolling with Neil until three o’clock in the morning. She had a feeling that maybe Tyreek wasn’t feeling her all that much, or at least not the way she was hoping he would.

  Naomi knew there was a chance she could bump into Tyreek while hanging out with Neil, and a small piece of her wondered if Tyreek would be concerned or at least a little jealous. It seemed she couldn’t say no to the attention. She told herself it was just innocent fun, but at the end of the night, it wasn’t innocent anymore. When Neil dropped her off, he reached in for a kiss and began fondling her breasts. Naomi, buzzed off a few drinks and a bit afraid to say no to him, went ahead and participated. It wasn’t until she felt his hand trying to go up her dress that she stopped short and pulled away slightly. She wasn’t ready to have sex with yet another guy in less than a week. It surely wasn’t out of respect for Tyreek—he had barely spoken to her since their night together. She just knew she could never speak to her boyfriend again if she was going to wild out like that.

  As for Tyreek, she had seen him twice in the department, and both times he had been quick and short with her. They had spoken once on the phone one night after work. However, aside from that, there wasn’t any talk about what had happened or any plans to hang out again. Deep down, Naomi felt a little used, but she didn’t want to succumb to the emotion. Not only was she not wanting to appear weak, she knew she still had to manage to clear things up with her man back home. Yet for some reason, she had kissed Neil, only adding to her disrespectful behaviors. She wished she could confide in her boyfriend, but she was well aware that he would very likely break up with her if he knew what she had been up to. She had sent him a picture of her new look via text, the same day she had gotten the haircut. His reaction seemed concerned with her new attitude more so than her new look; he’d said he liked it but that it was just so different for her. Naomi could tell it only added to his fears of the way the city life was affecting her. Naomi was beginning to realize he had some valid concerns.

  She walked into her building, past security, and pressed the elevator button, waiting patiently for it to arrive. The sound of heels clicking began to get louder in the hallway. When she looked up, Tiffany was walking up to her.

  “A bit late, are we?” Tiffany asked.

  “Yes, sorry.”

  “I heard you were out partying last night. That’s no reason to get here late.”

  “I know. It was the trains,” Naomi said, knowing damn well it wasn’t the trains.

  “Well, leave earlier if the trains aren’t dependable.”

  The elevator arrived, and they both stepped in. Naomi didn’t say anything, because she knew anything she said would sound like an excuse.

  “Speaking of, you need to be careful who you hang out with. You are a grown woman, and I’m not telling you what to do, but you don’t want to risk your career messing around with these men.”

  Naomi was beyond confused how her boss knew about Neil and was wondering if and what she knew about Tyreek. Then she also wondered if it was Tiffany’s business who she dealt with outside the office, and she began to get upset.

  “Many people have lost their jobs in this business because they couldn’t keep their personal preferences under control. It’s just a note to the wise—take it how you want,” Tiffany said as she walked off the elevator.

  Naomi trailed behind. She could feel her face fill with embarrassment—it was hot, and she knew it was red. Tiffany walked fast enough ahead of her that there was no chance to really explain herself unless she sped up after her. She was too embarrassed to do that; besides, she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t even know what Tiffany knew.

  Naomi got to her desk and glanced into Tiffany’s office to see what she was doing, but she couldn’t see her from that angle. She sat down at her desk and placed her purse in the corner of her cabinet as usual. Naomi’s mind was racing with thoughts; she was trying to remember where she was less than a month ago before her makeover and how she wished she could go back in time. It was as though she’d lost herself just that fast. Cheating on her boyfriend—sleeping with Tyreek and kissing Neil—all of it was just a lot for such a short period of time. Even if she tried to say it wasn’t that big a deal, she was feeling the consequences now. She didn’t want to get fired because she was characterized as a ho.

  She opened her cabinet to get out the employee manual to see if there was anything regarding having relations with other employees. She realized that a lot of companies had those boundaries, but they were all different, and she wanted to know if what she had done was grounds for being fired. She was scanning the handbook page by page when she noticed Tiffany walking toward her.

  “Can you take this file and bring it to Frank in the art department? Then bring the CD they’re going to give you to the business and legal department. Tell Adam I need him to listen for samples,” Tiffany said, handing her a file.

  “Sure,” Naomi said and jumped up.

  Tiffany walked away without looking back. Naomi could feel the tension all through her own limbs. She sensed that Tiffany might be mad at her or just disappointed; either way, she didn’t like it one bit. She was hoping that all she knew about was that she’d hung out last night with Neil. She was hoping that the Tyreek story hadn’t spread that fast and that far.

  She entered the art department on the fifth floor and walked straight up to Frank’s desk.

  “Hey, Frank. Tiffany told me to give this to you and to get a CD from you,” she said.

  “Oh, sure. I have the CD for you, but give that artwork to Susan. She’s at her desk,” he replied.

  Naomi walked away. From the reflection in the glass ahead, she could see him glance back to look at her derriere. She put an extra sway in her walk; she figured if he was going to look, she wanted it to look right. She continued over to Susan’s desk and saw she was on the phone. She walked up, waved the file in her hand, and slowly placed it down on her desk so Susan could see she was leaving it. Susan lifted her finger and mouthed Give me one minute. Naomi stopped and leaned against the wall behind her. Susan gestured toward the seat. Naomi was a bit confused but sat down anyway.

  She hardly ever spoke to Susan, so she knew it wasn’t gossip or anything personal. She figured Susan had a message she wanted her to relay back to Tiffany. She looked around the floor at the rest of the people in their cubicles and offices. Everyone seemed to be hard at work except for a few over by the coffee and water station. The art department designed all the album covers and posters and most of all the images of any sort needed by the label. Naomi thought to herself that if she had a bit of artistic skill in her, she would want to work in art. It was all creative and innovative; it could never get boring when it was something new every day, she thought to herself.

  Susan hung up the phone. “Hey, Naomi, sorry for the wait.”

  “It’s OK. Tiffany just told me to bring you that.”

  “Great, I needed this back today. She’s always right on time.”

  “Yeah, I have to go bring this CD to busin
ess and legal now and then go back to my chambers.”

  Susan laughed. “OK. But listen, I just wanted to give you a bit of advice from an old-timer to a new-timer,” Susan said as she looked Naomi right in her face to let her know she meant business.

  Naomi instantly became concerned with what she was going to say and looked puzzled and afraid of what was to come next.

  “We as women in this business have a thin line to walk. It’s a male-dominated business, and we are making a lot of strides, but we aren’t there yet. We can’t do what men do and get away with it. You have to be careful how you carry yourself around here, how you dress, and who you deal with. People talk, and things can look real bad.”

  Naomi could feel that tension filling her body again. Her underarms were getting sweaty. What the hell? she asked herself. Was there a label-wide announcement made about her? Naomi was thinking there had to be other interoffice relationships that took place—she couldn’t have been the only one. At this point she knew all this couldn’t have come from the Neil situation. It had to be Tyreek.

  “Thank you for the advice. I will be sure to keep it in mind,” Naomi said. She didn’t know what else to say. She felt she was getting a “whore intervention.” She was beginning to become more offended than embarrassed. She knew that what she’d done wasn’t necessarily the smartest thing, but it wasn’t as if she’d murdered someone. She didn’t understand how this had become such a big deal so fast. She knew she was new to the company, was young and from out of town, but she didn’t know where everyone got off putting their noses in her business.

  “No problem. I just like you, and I don’t want to see you get taken advantage of,” Susan replied.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you figure I needed these words of advice?”

  Susan looked away and began to move some papers around on her desk. It was evident that she would’ve chosen not to answer that question. Naomi figured if she had to be put on the spot, she was going to expect some information in return.

  “Let’s just say people talk. I am not implying you did anything, I just don’t want you to be the topic of too many conversations. You are still new here; you don’t want a tarnished reputation.”

  “Who was talking?” Naomi asked.

  “I don’t want to start anything, Naomi. I was just trying to give you some advice.”

  “Susan, with all due respect, you kind of already started something.”

  Susan looked at Naomi with her eyebrows raised. She seemed a little surprised that Naomi was being confrontational.

  “You are not the same young woman I met when you started working here, I see,” Susan said.

  “No disrespect intended. I am just curious because you are not the first person to speak to me today, and I feel like the butt of some company-wide joke.”

  Susan looked sympathetic. She looked around to see who was near, and then she leaned in close to Naomi.

  “I believe Tyreek told someone something about you and him, and that someone has a pretty big mouth. I don’t think Tyreek was intending to embarrass you, but the person he told wasn’t a wise choice, if you know what I mean.”

  Naomi knew just who that big-mouthed person was. It had to be Monique. She worked closely with Tyreek, and even being the new girl, Naomi knew about Monique’s mouth.

  “It was Monique, wasn’t it?” Naomi asked.

  Susan’s eyes widened. “I didn’t say that,” she replied.

  “But that’s who it was. She told my boss, Susan, and I can get fired. Regardless of if it’s true or not, it’s just a rumor. She shouldn’t have done that.”

  Susan just looked at Naomi. Her eyes said she had something else to say, but her mouth didn’t open.

  “It’s fine. You don’t have to say. Thank you so very much, though, for your advice and honesty,” Naomi said as she stood up.

  “I know you’re upset, but learn from this. Some of the men in this business will chew you up and spit you out. Don’t get caught up in it. Do your work and date outside these walls,” Susan said.

  “Thanks,” Naomi said.

  Her footsteps seemed heavy and swift as she walked down the aisle toward the elevator. She could feel her breathing patterns varying and her chest tightening up. Now was no time for any kind of anxiety attack because she had to put an end to this. She stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button. She was about to press her floor, but instead she pressed Monique’s floor.

  Everything was a blur. She was so pissed off she didn’t stop to think about what she was going to say or if saying anything at all was a good idea. She knew there was a good chance a scene could be made, but she figured she couldn’t make the situation much worse than it already was. She walked by a few desks and offices and saw people working and talking to one another. She didn’t slow down at the sight of any familiar face; even if she weren’t focused on her target, she wouldn’t feel comfortable talking to anyone not knowing who knew what. She knew it was more than likely that the people on the ninth floor—where Monique worked and where everyone worked closely with Tyreek—knew the most. Shit, there wasn’t that much to tell.

  She could tell from a few feet away that Monique’s door was open. She couldn’t see inside just yet, but she was ready to attack. The few minutes it took her to get to Monique’s office, she rattled off in her head all the things she wanted to say to Monique. As soon as she approached the door, she saw the back of a man’s head. Monique’s desk was facing the door, and as soon as Naomi appeared, their eyes locked. The guy in the chair was Tyreek, and he turned around once he saw Monique looking past him. Naomi was a bit shocked and wasn’t expecting to confront Tyreek just yet, but she had come all this way, so she couldn’t turn back now.

  “May I help you?” Monique asked.

  Her smart undertone gave Naomi just the refueling she needed to complete her goal to shut Monique’s mouth.

  “Actually, yes, you can. I don’t appreciate you walking around spreading rumors like we are in high school. If that’s what you choose to do, please just keep my name out of your mouth,” Naomi said. Her neck was bobbing so fast, and her hands were swinging so much, she barely knew what she said herself. She looked at Tyreek, rolled her eyes, and walked away. Neither of them even had a chance to say anything, and if they wanted to, they were going to have to chase after her, because she was gone.

  She could see a couple people pretending not to look at her as she walked by. More than likely they had heard her when she was in Monique’s doorway, and some of them probably knew exactly what she was referring to. By the time she got to the elevator, she was proud of standing up for herself and scared at the same time. She didn’t know if this would bite her in the ass—she was just an assistant, and a new one at that. She had just become a bit known around the building, and just that fast she had become the most popular girl at the company—it just wasn’t the type of popularity she was seeking. She wanted to be among the “in” crowd of the label. She had figured if she dressed nicer and made some more friends who had the cool jobs, she would fit in better. Now there was a nasty rumor circulating about her, and she was an enemy to the cool floor. She had no idea how she had gotten to this point so fast.

  She felt like every person she passed on her way back to the elevator was pointing and laughing at her. She considered finding the staircase and taking the stairs back to her floor, assuming she would have to pass less people. When she realized she would have to go back in the direction of Monique’s office to get to the stairs, she opted to stay en route. Eli from the fourth floor passed by, and when he greeted her, she thought he seemed a bit more flirtatious than usual.

  “What are you all giddy about?” she asked.

  “What?” he asked. He stopped dead in his tracks as though he was truly confused as to what the hell her problem was.

  Does every man think they can just show me a bit of attention now and they will succeed at getting in my pants? Or am I just paranoid now? What have I done? she ask
ed herself.

  “Nothing, Eli, my bad,” she said as she pushed the elevator button.

  He began to walk off, but she could see that he was shaking his head and mumbling something under his breath. Oh, boy, that’s just another tale to tell about me, she thought. She was thankful that no one was in the elevator; she didn’t want to have any more hallucinations. The elevator stopped on her floor, and she got off. She swiftly walked down the hall, practically trying to drop and roll into her cubicle. She made it there without anyone stopping her for conversation or ogling her.

  She sat down at her computer to begin checking her e-mails. She wanted to call Devora or someone to scream and cry, but she figured she was better off waiting a few moments in case her boss came out to question her. That was when she remembered she had never brought the CD to Adam in the business and legal department. She had been so distracted she had carried that CD in her hand the entire time, placed it down on her desk, and thought nothing of it. She grabbed it and jumped back out of her seat, hoping to leave the department without Tiffany seeing her. As soon as she stepped out of her cubicle, she saw Monique storming down the aisle.

  Naomi stopped midstride, unsure of what to do. She made eye contact with Monique and could see that it was no coincidence she was on her floor moments after Naomi had left hers. Naomi began to continue on as if she didn’t care what the hell Monique wanted; she was holding on to her fearless face. They were walking toward each other, but Naomi had every intention to just pass on by.

  “I don’t know who you think you are,” Monique said when she was close enough to be heard by Naomi.

  It was obvious that Naomi was in ear range, but she just kept strutting right past Monique toward the elevator banks. When she glanced over her shoulder and saw that Monique was still going in the opposite direction, she realized Oh, shit, she is going to Tiffany. Naomi quickly turned around and headed back to her desk. Her heart began racing, and she was filled with fear as to what Tiffany would say or think about the tantrum she had thrown in Monique’s office door. I wasn’t insubordinate, because Monique is not my boss…but it was unprofessional, Naomi was telling herself.