by RaeLynn Blue
“That’s right!” said one of the women at the neighboring table. “That fat waitress was very rude.”
The other woman turned around so fast, Brice had to do a double take. Chloe leaned down into the woman’s face and whispered something he couldn’t hear. Whatever she said caused the other customer to flee.
Who the hell are these women? He knew Tawana—easygoing, smart, professional…but here, she’d set her purse on the table and had started removing her jewelry. What the hell was going on?
“No. We’re in a damn recession and this dude has cost Aerial her job,” Tawana said, her voice escalating. She closed her eyes as if in prayer.
The other woman with Tawana, tugged on her arm, and stilled her hand. “He’s not worth it. Let’s go. Get Aerial and let’s go. We can help her in other ways.”
Tawana looked up at him, her lips a thin line of fury. He’d seen a similar look on his mother’s face when as a child he’d really crossed the line. He didn’t like it.
“You two are causing a scene, and we’re all about to get kicked out,” the waitress said. She seemingly appeared out of nowhere when she touched Tawana’s arm. “Let’s just go.”
Brice didn’t know what to do or say, so he said nothing.
Tawana nodded. “I’m coming. You and Chloe go on ahead.”
Aerial glanced at him and then at Tawana. “T, come on. Don’t do anything big sisterly. I will get another job. Besides, I have auditions on Monday. Oh, if we leave now we can catch that new movie with that hunky brunette actor you like…the one from England.”
He was taken aback. Aerial appeared to be comforting her sister when she was the one who had lost her job. She didn’t encourage Tawana to fire him nor had she come storming back to give him a piece of her mind. In fact, she ignored him completely, and focused on calming her sister down. She smiled and hugged Tawana.
“Come on, let’s go. If I beat you to the car, you buy the popcorn!” Aerial tugged once more at Tawana.
“Okay, Munchkin, you’re on!” said the other woman, the one Tawana had called Chloe.
Munchkin?
He’d found her attractive earlier, but now, while she was busy, he drank her in. For starters, Aerial stood taller than the other two women. Hell, she was only a few inches shorter than him. In heels, she’d probably be his height. Aerial sure wasn’t fat. Thick and healthy, the woman had meat on her bones. He let his eyes drink her in as she tried to talk Tawana into leaving without confronting him further. Aerial had dark, nearly black, corkscrew curly hair. Throughout the front, purple highlights ran like lightning in the evening sky. The café’s uniform, a purple polo, hugged her curves snuggly. The black jeans could’ve been painted on, they fit her so well. Not too tight where he could see panty lines, but then what if she wasn’t wearing panties…
Whoa! Stop! What was wrong with him?
He blinked back the imaginary undressing and returned his focus to Tawana’s face. Her lips were moving and he realized he’d missed part of her dressing him down.
“…don’t think I’m going to forget this,” Tawana snapped and turned to the exit. “Come on, Aerial.”
With another glance back, Aerial headed toward the exit.
The three women disappeared through the doors and the entire room seemed to relax. Chuckles flitted around, releasing the pressure, and drawing Brice’s temper into a cool, fresh chuckle of his own. All the tension left with them. The neighboring table of women giggled and talked openly and furiously about those ‘ghetto’ women who had just left. Brice grimaced and shut out their catty talk. They didn’t know anything about those women. For one, Tawana Gibson wasn’t ghetto. Two, he was almost sure Chloe wasn’t either. Something about her demeanor and dress spoke to some professional job. And three, Aerial, the waitress, said she had auditions, and no way could one be ghetto and actually audition for jobs, parts, or placements in plays, TV or anything of the sort. The parts would be very limited.
“Sir, I apologize for everything,” said the manager whose name tag read, Antonio. “I have corrected the issue. You have a new waitress, Mariana.”
Brice looked at the man. “You fired the other waitress.”
“Yes, of course,” Antonio said eagerly. “There was a complaint.”
Brice watched the man wring his hands. Too much hair on his hands. Hope he didn’t prepare the food. “I didn’t complain to you. A complaint. One. So, is it your policy to fire waitresses when they do something wrong?”
Antonio glanced around and then back to him. “Sir, I am not sure what you are asking.”
Brice walked from around the table and met Antonio in the aisle. The much smaller man backed up a step. “I am asking if it is your common practice to fire people when they do something wrong?”
“I see. Well, sir, she was already on thin ice. It is not your fault she was fired.”
Brice flashed teeth, but he knew it wasn’t a smile. “I know it isn’t my fault that woman is without a job. It’s yours.”
Antonio was clearly confused and each time he took a step back, Brice took two forward until he’d backed the balding, sweaty, hairy manager against the u-shaped counter.
“I-I am unsure of the reason for your anger…” Antonio sputtered out.
“You can make me very happy by calling her tonight and offering her job back, at twice the shitty wage you were paying her,” Brice said, leaning nearly nose to crown. He spoke very low, so only Antonio could here.
“Why are you doing this?”
Brice bent and got into Antonio’s face. He had no earthly idea why he was trying to get Aerial her job back. Something about her demeanor, her frankness, and her ability to just keep it moving got to him—a little. All these emotions flooded him inside, but out loud he said, “It isn’t right to fire a person for one mistake. I watched her this evening. She’s a good waitress. You should treat her better.”
“And if I don’t?” Antonio asked, a defiant lift to his chin.
Brice smiled again, and Antonio shuddered. “If you don’t, I will have the health department come through here with a microscope and a fine tooth comb. Secondly, I will make sure Aerial sues your ass for sexual harassment. Yes, I heard the comment about her body. So did my cell phone’s voice recorder app.”
Antonio’s eyes widened. “Yes, I will do it.”
“Double her regular salary.”
“Yes, double.” Antonio nodded repeatedly. His head moved like a Bobblehead doll.
Brice stepped back and adjusted his shirt. Antonio wiped his face and blew out a sigh of relief.
“One more thing.”
Antonio groaned and whimpered all at once.
“Don’t tell her about me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Brice swore. He couldn’t do any more than he had just now. Yes, his sister worked for the health department so the threat wasn’t idle, but now Tawana would make his life miserable at C.A.K.E. He didn’t give idle threats and neither did Tawana.
So why did he get Aerial her job back? He frowned as he reclaimed his suit jacket and tablet from the table. Normally, he didn’t do anything for anyone, except himself and the clients he served to close the sale. The last time he opened his heart and gave, it cost him everything, including six weeks of his life in a hospital.
Brice couldn’t risk that again.
So, he left the restaurant with his mind still on what had taken place there. A woman Aerial’s size was difficult to miss in such a cozy little place. Something about her movements between the tightly packed tables and chairs mesmerized him. She had grace like a ballerina, and her laughter sailed over all the buzzing conversations and whining computer noise. It struck him how free it sounded, not forced or faked, just a light sailing of mirth and happiness. When he realized she was his waitress, he’d been taken aback and embarrassed to not have made a selection. He overreacted to avoid criticism and he expected her to react like all the other servers and wait staff, with a “yes sir,” and a vanishing act.
It had been a long time since someone surprised him.
A long time, indeed.
Chapter Three
Monday
The parking lot of C.A.K.E.’s two-story building teamed with cars at two o’clock. Overcast clouds clustered tightly together and threatened to bring rain to join the increasing humidity. Blares of horns and screeches of tires saturated the moist air as Aerial turned into the lot. Behind her, angry drivers shot around her. They jerked her out of her reverie. She’d been thinking about her audition. Nearly half way through Ophelia’s soliloquy, she’d fumbled the lines. Her brain couldn’t get over the strange call she’d gotten last night from Antonio. He’d offered to give her the job back and with double the salary. It made no sense, but she’d make close to twenty dollars an hour. Not to mention, he apologized profusely for his ‘mistake.’
A raw wind blew by her SUV, rocking the vehicle. She pulled into a spot marked visitor and threw the vehicle into park. She’d left the auditions for The Triad Stage’s production of Hamlet with a lesser part, but still a speaking one. She’d managed to convince them of her comedic talents, and so they’d rewarded her with one of the parts of the gravediggers. Nevertheless, her curiosity couldn’t be contained. Antonio wouldn’t be so generous on his own.
Suspecting Tawana, she’d called, but it went straight to her voicemail. Now, she would get to the bottom of this. She’d confront her face to face. It wasn’t that she minded getting her job back, but Antonio sounded scared on the phone—panting and stuttering. If he’d been truly sorry, that would be one thing. But to offer an apology and her job back out of fear and coercion, well, he’d only end up resenting her. In the long run, it would make her job worse.
So she had declined.
And Antonio cried like a baby, until she agreed to come back.
Now, seated outside of C.A.K.E., she had to know what her sister had done to make a grown man wail. Motivated, Aerial unbuckled her seatbelt. Her cell phone rang.
“Yes, Chloe,” she answered, seeing her cousin’s picture on the incoming call screen.
“What’s up? You’ve got like 10 minutes before I go into a very big meeting.” Chloe sounded breathless.
“Okay, quick. What did T do to Antonio?”
“Who?”
“You know, Antonio. The manager at the café.”
“Um, she didn’t do anything to him. We left with you and as far as I know, she hasn’t had any contact with him. Why?” Chloe sounded clear, honest and without her customary joking. At work and in attorney mode, her cousin locked down her usual candor.
“He offered my job back—”
“Oh, good,” Chloe interrupted. “Maybe he saw the error of his ways. T didn’t have to do anything, Munchkin.”
“…and doubled my wage.”
Chloe was quiet.
Aerial filled her in on the rest of the weird call.
“Did you and T threaten him?” Aerial asked. “Seriously, I’m old enough to take care of myself.”
“First of all, no, you’re not, and secondly, no, we didn’t,” Chloe said. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Maybe he just decided to stop being an ineffective boss. Okay, kiddo. I’ve got to go.”
“Okay, bye.”
Chloe ended the call, leaving Aerial unsatisfied. All her brothers were out of town on business or tied up in some family matters. Chloe didn’t do it. She could tell when Chloe lied, because she giggled. That left only Tawana. Despite what Chloe said, she couldn’t account for T’s every move since Friday. Shoving her sunglasses into her hair, Aerial checked for an umbrella and got out of her SUV.
She waved to the security guards, Felix and Bobby. At one point, when Tawana had first started working here, everyone thought Aerial was the oldest, because she was taller. Not any more. She strolled by the receptionist’s desk, knowing the way to her sister’s office by heart.
“Hey!” came a female shout.
Aerial turned around.
“You get yourself back here and give me a hug!”
A short, pudgy woman with a gray afro stood up from her desk with her hands on her ample hips. “Aerial Gibson!”
“Oh hiya, Mrs. Owens!” Aerial felt like such a heel. She walked quickly back to the ancient receptionist and hugged her tight, bending to do so. The woman had made a delicious cake for Aerial’s college graduation and a wedding cake for her eldest brother’s wedding.
“Look at you, all grown up and all grown out!” Mrs. Owens beamed. “You here to see your sister?”
“Yes ma’am.” Aerial blushed. Mrs. Owens sure did know how to embarrass a grown woman.
Mrs. Owens walked back to her desk and touched the monitor’s screen. “Well, I think she’s in a meeting in the boardroom. You can wait outside her office. Here take this visitor’s badge.”
Aerial frowned, taking the sticky nametag from her. “This is new.”
“Yeah, well child, about six months ago, a woman went nuts and threatened Mr. Silver’s fiancée. Had to bring Felix and Bob to the front of the building instead of flanked inside. Now we check everyone’s I.D.s and make sure we know where everyone is all the time. Mr. Silver’s wants us all to be safe.”
“Right.”
Aerial walked down the hallway, passing rows of cubicles and conversations, employees and computers. No one paid her any attention. Most were caught up in working. She reached her sister’s department, Sales, in the right corner of building. Sure enough, her office door was locked. The sales people had cubicles, but Tawana, as manager, had an office. This section seemed deserted, emptied out, unlived in, probably because most of the sales force spent the day out recruiting clients.
“Oh!” said a male voice just as Aerial sat in one of the lobby’s chairs.
“You.” It was all she could think to say. Brice Middleton had come around the corner, papers in his hand. When he saw her, he froze with that silly expression on his face.
“Me.”
Aerial rose. It made a funny sort of sense now that she saw him. Chloe had been positive Tawana had not done anything to Antonio, and women didn’t really scare Antonio. Though she had to admit, her sister could be intimidating, more than likely someone else had put the fear of Jesus in Antonio.
“You threatened Antonio.”
Brice scowled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He started forward, but she got in his path. “I’m a big girl, so moving me isn’t going to be easy.”
Brice smirked. “If I really wanted to move you, you’d be moved.”
“I don’t think so. I grew up with three older brothers. So you can try.” Please try. I’d love to wrestle your beautiful self to the ground. Lick you all over like lollipop.
Aerial chuckled at the saucy thought. Sure, she’d thought about him and his sexy self. Moreover, she’d dreamed about him tossing rose petals across her nude body and planting kisses as he picked them off.
Brice sighed noisily and tried to step around her again. Once more, she blocked his path. Without actually touching her, he wouldn’t get by.
“Nuh-uh. You’ve got that look,” she said.
“What look?”
“Of guilt.”
Brice glared. “First, you insult me. Now you accuse me. What is your problem?”
“What’s yours? First, you’re incredibly rude to me, and then you force my boss to hire me back, at double the salary—an incredibly nice act.”
Brice’s face went blank, but he swallowed. Aerial watched his Adam’s apple bob as he did so. This guy should never play poker. She smiled at him.
“You’re not as mean and aloof as you want everyone to think, are you?”
She tried to step back, but he smelled so incredible, she found herself leaning forward. He looked as good as he did Friday evening.
“I only corrected a wrong,” Brice confessed at last. “It wasn’t anything more than that.”
Aerial couldn’t believ
e it, though it didn’t surprise her. He stalked around her. Following, Aerial continued to ask questions. If he answered one, he’d answer more if she asked enough times. She felt a connection with him and the chemistry between them burned. Not ignoring her hot lust for him, she kept plugging.
“Why?”
“Why what?” He reached the copier, and began making photocopies. Leaning back against the wall beside the machine, Brice stared straight ahead, with his arms folded protectively over his chest.
“Why did you do it?” She walked by the machine and stood against the cubicle wall across from him. He did not meet her eyes. “Why did you think it was wrong?”
The muscle in his jaw ticked and his mouth worked behind closed lips. He wanted to talk to her, but he battled with the decision.
Tawana had explained on the way to church how no one liked him, how they called him Brooding Brice, and how all the other salesmen envied his success. Inside of him a good man resided. Tawana had spent the better part of church on Sunday, berating Brice Middleton.
Aerial remained unconvinced. She liked him—was attracted to his opposing viewpoints. Opposites attracted and Aerial was absolutely attracted to him. Despite his initial rudeness at the café, she suspected that somewhere inside him was a man other people liked or else they wouldn’t sign advertising and marketing contracts with C.A.K.E.
Oddly enough, Aerial saw it. Like a ray of sunshine gleaming through a tiny hole in rock.
“Tell me, please.”
Brice pushed off the wall, and went to the copier, putting his back to her. “Why don’t you just leave? You got what you came here for, right? I told you. I made the manager give you your job back. I did it so your sister wouldn’t take it out on me. Okay?”
Aerial went to stand beside him at the machine. “No, you didn’t. You didn’t want me to know, remember? So you couldn’t have done it to appease Tawana.”
“For the love of Mike!” Brice swore. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head in frustration. “What do you want?”
