“True. He once thought it was a good idea to design the inside of an apartment with red and green colors because it was Christmas. It was like the holiday vomited in there,” Andrew chuckled.
I let out a little giggle imagined Cedric and his Christmas apartment.
“So bad,” Polly laughed with us.
“Anyway, this is what you have so far on the chair?”
“Yeah, I don’t like the wood,” Polly shot a look at Andrew.
“And I don’t like the leather,” Andrew rolled his eyes.
And I don’t like any of it, I thought to myself. The chair doesn’t look like it belongs in the picture. Although, I couldn't say anything because it wasn't my place and I didn't want to be that person.
“Mr. Tate,” Andrew and Polly sat up straight like statues.
I turned around to see an older man who must have been in his 70’s, if not older. He was wearing a full fitted black suit. His tan face was long and thin, just like the rest of him, but he wasn't that tall. He was holding a blueprint in his hand tightly as he walked over to the table.
“What. Is. That. Abomination.” Mr. Tate stepped over to the chair, eyeing it down as if it was the ugliest thing he had ever laid his eyes on. His body language and loud steps made everything in the room seem frozen, as if a blizzard had just covered everything.
“Sir, that is the chair for the Sion house,” Andrew spoke strongly, but I could tell that he was worried.
Mr. Tate looked over at them both with a glare then at me. He looked me deep in my eyes without expressing any emotions, not even curiosity. He picked of the chair, and turned it around to take a good look at it. The tension in the room was almost painful. I didn't know how to feel about Mr. Tate, I had thought he was a jolly old man when Cedric talked about him.
“What do you think?” Mr. Tate looked over at me handing over the replica.
“Me?” I pointed to myself.
Why was I involved?
He arched his eyebrow as I took the chair and turned it around in my hands.
“Hmm, I don’t work here. I don’t —”
“I know you don’t work here that is why I am asking you. What do you think?” he asked again with the same tone.
“I-I don’t like it,” I avoided Andrew and Polly’s faces when I gave my opinion. “I don’t think it fits the apartment. The chair has an organic structure to it even though the apartment is mostly . . . geometric . . . shapes,” my voice was almost silent at the end.
I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked over at Mr. Tate who had a faint smile across his face.
“Exactly,” he took the chair out of my hand and placed it in the center of the table carefully. “Start over. You have less than a month and I don’t want to see any hints of red either,” he pointed at the stained cherry finish on the chair.
Mr. Tate walked over to the door until he stopped in his tracks and glanced at me, “Come with me.”
I looked over at Andrew and Polly whose eyes were wide open with shock. I nodded and walked over to Mr. Tate who was already out of sight.
“What’s your name?”
“Penelope,” I spoke as I caught up to him.
“What are you doing here?”
“Cedric — Mr. Mount brought me along to take a look at how an interior designer works.”
Mr. Tate came to a halt when I bought up Cedric. “Ced is already here?” his voice was a little shaky like he was worried about Cedric. “Well, anyway let’s show you around so you can get a better understanding of how my company works.”
“Yes, Mr. Tate,” I nodded appreciating his helpfulness, but I had a feel he was stalling or maybe even procrastinating.
“You can call me Walter,” he smiled and opened a metal door that led us to a workroom. It was filled with different drawers, shelves, and other storage, which contained different types of swatches of fabrics, leather, materials and anything else imaginable to help design or decorate a home. There were a couple of high-end computers and tablets on the side of the tables.
“This is the workroom,” Walter walked over to the different boxes and pulled them out. Each one had every kind of fabric and pattern. I was stunned. Walter then went over and pulled out a wood plank with different wood grain and stain samples on it. “I want to see something. Let’s think of it as a test. Pick three different fabrics and wood finishes and put them together. If I like what you come up with, I’ll give you a job.”
“What?” I blinked slowly.
He let out a raspy laugh, “If I like two out of the three choices then I will hire you. On the exception that you will go to school and get a degree.”
I pulled out a five inch square of rough textured leather and then looked over at Walter. I narrowed my eyes on him and he did the same. I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
Was he serious? Because this seemed like a joke.
“You have an hour,” Walter placed the blueprint on the table and pulled out a chair to sit at the computer. He carefully opened his jacket and pulled out his reading glasses, “I’ll be here when you're ready.”
“I think I’m done,” I looked over my three samples and double-checked them for the hundredth time. Well, I guess this was it. I watched Walter take off his glasses and place them back into his pocket. He got up and walked over next to me to see the three examples I had chosen. We sat in silence for seconds, which then turned to minutes. My heart was racing but also moving slowly. “I think —”
“Walter!” I heard Cedric’s angry voice fill the hallway.
“Ah shit,” Walter muttered under his breath.
“Walter!” Cedric stormed into the room furious, his nostrils flaring up but his expression soften the second he saw me, “Penny?”
“Hey, there Ced,” Walter placed his hands on the table and took a deep breath.
Cedric looked down at the table and let out a heavy sigh as he realized what he was looking at, “Really, the test?”
Wait, he knew about this? Is this really like an interview process?
“It worked on you didn’t it,” Walter chuckled.
“How’d you do?” Cedric looked over at me.
“She failed,” Walter shrugged his shoulders.
“Wait — what?” My eyes widen as I looked at Walter who had a smile on his face. I pressed my lips together and looked down, feeling a little bit sad but mostly naive that I thought I would pass.
Cedric shrugged, “Eh, it happens.” Cedric walked over to my side and looked down at the samples.
Walter switched two of my choices with each other and made a better combination. He patted my shoulder and smiled at me, “You were right the first time, kiddo. Don’t second guess yourself next time.”
“Next time?” I felt a little bounce of happiness take over me.
“I failed five times,” Cedric chuckled while petting a leather piece I picked out.
“Next time you come here we can do it again. The same reward will apply.”
“Reward?” Cedric looked over at me.
“A job. I will get a job after college,” I spoke as my eyes lit up.
“Really?” Cedric’s eyebrow arched as he narrowed his eyes on Walter, “Penny still has to go to school. She still has at least three years left.”
“I figured, but the offer will still stand,” Walter’s eyes narrowed down at me. “You seem like you have a natural eye for it, better than the two blind people currently working on the Sion project.”
“I don’t know when I’ll be in Miami again. I don't live here,” I spoke softly thinking about how it doesn't really matter if I get the job or not.
Walter shrugged his shoulders and picked up the blueprint to give to Cedric, “Things change all the time. I grew up poor in Montana and now I own a successful design firm in Florida —”
“Is that the blueprint?” Cedric cut off Walter as his fury became noticeable again.
“I was going to find you and give it to you but I was distracted,” Walter smiled at me.<
br />
“You son of a —,” Cedric mumbled under his breath. He reached for the blueprint and snatched it out of his hand. “You need to stop taking your damn vacations when I’m away. Do you think that just because I’m not here you can relax? NO. We will talk about this later when I figure out everything with the Baltimore project,” he scolded Walter with the blueprint.
Walter rolled his eyes and walked toward the door, “I think you forget that I’m your boss and I can fire you.”
“I know. I know. Which is why you’ve already fired me six times,” Cedric smirked.
Walter chuckled and left the room with a smile.
“You’ve been fired six times?”
Cedric laughed and placed the blueprint on the table. “Yeah,” he scratched his scruff. “It’s nothing. He never means it after he does it. We just get into arguments about something stupid and then he lets his emotions take the best of him. He always hires back in like five minutes after he’s cooled off. “
“Oh, okay. Nothing serious,” I smiled up at Cedric.
“Exactly. Nothing to be worried about,” his eyes focused on the blueprint.
“Want me to open it?”
“Nah,” he gripped the print tightly and slowly unraveled it. I watched Cedric hold his breath as he unrolled the print. He examined the paper as his body language relaxed. “Holy shit,” he grabbed his heart and let out a loud sigh. “Holy. Fucking. Shit.”
“I’m guessing it’s good news?” I laughed with him looked at the apartment layout.
“Yeah,” he shook his head. “I got so lucky,” he looked over to me with a big smile and grabbed me to give me a heavy kiss. “I guess you’re my Lucky Penny.”
23
Penelope
Son of a Bitch. Daughter of a Bitch.
“YOU FUCKING —!!!”
I jumped out of my slumber as I heard Kendall’s voice blast the apartment. I looked over at Cedric who was still heavily asleep.
“YOU CAN’T GO INTO MY APARTMENT WITHOUT MY PERMISSION!!!”
I heard Kendall roar again this time slamming his fist on a table. I got out of bed and headed toward my suitcase to find a pair of pants.
“Where are you going,” Cedric’s sleepy voice covered the room while he rubbed his eyes.
“IF I SEE ANYTHING OUT OF PLACE WHEN I GET BACK!!! I SWEAR TO GOD!!!”
“Whoa,” Cedric stood up at the sound of Kendall’s fury. “What the fuck?”
I smiled faintly, “I’m going to cool off Kendall.” I pulled up my pants and headed for the door.
“Wait —,” I heard Cedric say as I left the room.
Kendall was sitting at the dining table with his face turning red and his phone pressed tightly against his ear. Kendall stared at me with his blazing mad eyes and clenched his jaw as he shook his head. He inhaled sharply then pushed his chair back with hatred as he stomped toward the couch.
Yep. That was his mother on the other line.
I walked over the fridge and grabbed the milk and PB&J mixed jar I was smart enough to buy at the market yesterday. I slapped some PB&J on the white bread then finalized the sandwich by cutting off the crust and cutting it in half.
I looked up to find Cedric in the doorway watching Kendall stare at a blank TV. He was quiet and still but that didn't change the fact that he was burning up like a furnace.
“FUCK. OFF!” Kendall ended the call and chucked his phone at the chair. The phone disappeared inside the crest of the cushion.
I walked over to him and placed the food and drink in front of him on the coffee table. He looked at me with a dirty stare that wasn't intended for me and crossed his arms. I sat next to him and crossed my arms with him just staring at the TV blankly. I heard heavy footsteps approach us, followed by Cedric who stood next to me, his hand on my shoulder. It was reassuring to have him there. Kendall let out a heavy sigh and grabbed the plate of food.
“I’m not a little kid,” he ripped a bite of the sandwich and smacked his lips.
“I know,” I said calmly.
“You can leave the crust on,” he growled as he finished his first slice.
“I could,” I said in the same calm tone.
His mood started to calm down as he finished his sandwich and went onto his milk. He chugged it down and placed the empty glass on the table carefully. I could tell he was trying hard not to slam it down.
“Thanks,” he sighed heavily.
“You’re welcome.”
There was a moment of silence, a silence that was comfortable between all three of us. It was like we all knew exactly what Kendall was going through. Kendall stood up from the couch and grabbed the phone from the cushion. He clenched it tightly and sat down on the chair.
“Sorry for waking you guys up,” he mumbled, ashamed that he got so angry.
Cedric shrugged as he a seat in the chair across from Kendall. “Shit happens.”
“True,” Kendall placed the phone on the table and stared it down. “It was Wendy.”
“I figured,” I laughed.
Kendall smiled briefly and shook his head, “Son of a Bitch.”
“Daughter of a Bitch,” I said with a smile and Kendall laughed alongside of me. I looked over to Cedric who still half asleep.
“Your mothers are that bad?” Cedric yawned.
“Hell yeah,” Kendall got comfortable in his chair as he slouched. “My mother is in my apartment, as we speak, turning the place upside down so she can find my secret money stash,” Kendall grunted loudly.
“Has she done this before?” Cedric asked.
Kendall ran his hand through his short hair, “Yeah, ever since I started working she’s been stealing money from me. She started to gamble a lot after my dad left. She says she is just borrowing it, but I know I’ll never see that money again.”
“Damn, that sucks. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It made me who I am today and frankly it makes me want to become a better person. Save money, go to college, get a better job, and so on,” Kendall went back to his regular happy self, not really caring about what was happening at his apartment right now.
“How much money do you think she has taken from you?”
“$15,543,” Kendall and I spoke at the same time.
Cedric let out a hardy laugh that covered the apartment, “Shit. That is a lot of money. So what’s your plan?”
I looked over at Cedric who was actually interested in Kendall’s life. Kendall usually doesn't open up so it was nice, it was great seeing them both getting along.
“I want to become an accountant,” Kendall laughed.
“Really?” Cedric looked at me. I nodded to reassure him that he wasn't lying. I knew he wanted to be an accountant for so long because he had always been freakishly good with numbers and math.
“Yeah, I am really good at math so why not put it in good use. I can’t be a mechanic for the rest of my life.”
“So you want to become Brad?”
Kendall nodded, “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Have you talked to him about this?” Cedric asked.
“Nope, I told him he should.” I looked over at Kendall who was rolling his eyes.
“Doesn’t really matter if I talk to him. What the fuck is he going to do? I need to get my degree and then I can figure out what the fuck I need to do.”
Cedric nodded, looking down at the plate of crumbs and the empty glass.
“What about your mom?” Kendall asked Cedric. I looked over to him and waited for an answer. I knew about his dad but he didn’t even mention anything about his mom.
“She died giving birth to me. Not much to talk about there.”
“Sorry to hear that.” I reached over and touched Cedric's thick thigh.
“No worries. I guess that is the beauty of not knowing her,” he smiled at me then shifted to Kendall. “Although, I bet I can top that story,” Cedric smiled.
“Really? Fuck it! Be my guest,” Kendall got comfortable and crossed his legs, waiting for the s
tory.
“After my sophomore year of college, I transferred from Butler University to Ball State,” Cedric looked over at Kendall because he had already told me this part of the story. “Anyway, maybe a month after my second semester I started to have trouble with my tuition payments. So, I decided to go talk to a financial advisor about it. The line was so long, I waited for about an hour until I got fed up and banged on her door, requesting I see her next. She let me skip the long ass line and started looking up my information, just like any other meeting. She was really nice in the beginning, telling me that everything was all right and that there was nothing to worry about, but then things got . . . weird. She got more flirty and sexual. Standing over me, rubbing my shoulders and telling me ‘I know what would make you feel better’ while moving her hands down to my cock —”
“Whoa. Whoa. WHOA! She tried to fuck you while you were in her office just trying to get help. What the fuck?” my eyes widened and I looked over at Kendall who was just as uncomfortable as I was.
Cedric nodded, “After she started feeling me up, I pushed her off of me and called her out on how unprofessional she was, but she didn’t even care. She was still trying to get with me, pushing me against the wall, kissing me and telling me how all the guys on campus love an older experienced woman. How lucky I would be to fuck her. I was so pissed at her that I stormed out of her office, but not with some of the guys in the line following me. They caught up to me and started beating the crap out of me to show me what would happen if I told anyone.”
“Hold on . . . so this lady that worked at your school basically slept with all the guys who came into her office? That’s . . . classy,” Kendall shook his head.
I got up from my seat and hugged Cedric with my tightest hug, “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“That’s okay,” Cedric whispered softly only for me to hear. He wrapped his large arms around me and let out a faint grunt.
“That’s so messed up,” Kendall picked up the dirty dishes and walked over to the sink. “So fucked up . . .” said across the apartment.
Daddy's College Roommate: Bad Boy and Virgin Forbidden Romance Page 14
