"You sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I couldn't care less."
Chapter 24
He had the nerve. For him to actually bring that Barbie bitch along as his date, she couldn't have been more disgusted. She swore she wouldn't allow their presence to bother her. But damnit, it did. On top of that, he didn't even have the curtesy to acknowledge her. They were attending the same event. The least he could've done was greet her. Not pretend like she was just another simple hoe off the street.
Ugh.
She was doing it again. Thinking about him. She should've been outside, enjoying the festivity. But yet, here she was, locked up in the bathroom pining over Cameron.
She shut her eyes with a deep breath. She needed to get herself together. Was she really worrying about Cameron? Please. He had no effect on her life. If he wanted to pretend she didn't exist, she was perfectly fine with that. She could do exactly the same.
Reese stepped back, gazing at the sleek copper dress that adorned her shapely frame. The strapless dress complemented well with her smooth dark skin, her matching hued stilettos enhancing her look. Her jet black hair was styled into her usual pixie cut, with her makeup done to perfection.
She looked damn good, tonight. Definitely better than his little Barbie bitch, who looked nothing but a mess in that hot pink mini dress she wore, looking like the slut she was. Where did she think she was? A strip club?
She laughed to herself. Cameron really had no standards.
Reese grabbed her clutch and left the bathroom.
The event took place at a small banquet hall. The dinner was an intimate one, with no more than 50 guests in attendance. Apart from Yasmine's business partners, a handful of A-list celebrities attended, from models, to athletes to musicians, all of which were current clients of Yasmine's agency or had been in the past.
Reese sat around her table. Each table had seating arrangements, in which hers included Yasmine's closest friends, such as Donette, Linda, and a few others she had been acquainted with a few times. Just to her luck, Cameron's table was across from hers. Right on her radar.
She deeply hated how gorgeous he looked in his black suit, royal blue button up, and matching tie. He sat amongst a few athletes and of course his Barbie, Farah. She still couldn't get over how she looked tonight. The bitch really thought she was cute in that dress that did nothing for her boxy shape and pale skin tone. Not to mention, she had been nothing but touchy feely with him the entire time. He didn't seem to mind either, laughing and chatting amongst his confidants without a care in the world.
Reese rolled her eyes and took sips of her Champagne. She wasn't even hungry. Although the place was well catered with top quality food, she had completely lost her appetite.
When she finished her wine, she tapped one of the waiters passing by holding a tray of drinks. She gestured for another one, and he handed her the flute of Champagne. She thanked him and drank more.
After a while, Yasmine approached the front of the room. The music had shut off, and she signaled for everyone's attention. The place grew quiet as all eyes drifted to her.
"I just want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. I put this dinner together, because I wanted to celebrate all of you for your support. It's been a tremendous 5 years. And I’ve seen this agency grow bigger than I expected," Yasmine announced on the mic. "When I first started, I..."
Reese's focus drifted off as she tapped another waiter passing by. She requested another drink and he handed her the flute off the tray. She took much needed sips.
When Yasmine finished her speech, applause filled the air. The RnB music resumed and she stepped off the stage. Reese glanced across at Cameron again, to find him smiling along with whatever Barbie whispered in his ear. She huffed and downed the last of her drink. She was sick of this shit.
She slammed her glass on the table and stood up. She stumbled a bit, but held unto her chair for balance and walked in careful steps across the wooden floor that began to sway beneath her feet. She approached a nearby table and grabbed an empty chair.
"Excuse me, someone was sitting here," a woman said to her.
"Well bitch, tell 'em to get another one," she snapped.
The woman gasped. Reese dragged the chair toward Cameron's table and placed it in between him and Farah.
"I'm gonna need you to move over." Reese flicked her wrist dismally at Farah.
"Excuse me?" Farah said, taken aback.
"Reese, what are you doing?" Cameron scolded with frown.
"I need to talk to you." She plopped herself on the chair.
"What?"
She spun to Farah. "Damn bitch, can I get some space?"
With a scoff, Farah moved her chair. Reese rolled her eyes, scooting closer to Cameron.
"Yo, are you serious right now?" His frown deepened.
"So, you can't answer my calls?"
"What?"
"I called you 5 times. What, your phone broke or somethin'?"
He gave her an incredulous look. She glared at him, waiting for a response. With a bitter chuckle, he pinched the bridge of his nose, mumbling to himself.
"Yo, I don't know what’s up with you. But you're making a fool of yourself right now. So, why don't you go back to your seat and—"
"No, I ain't leavin' till I get an answer! You think you could just fuck me a-and just treat me like some random hoe off the street? You couldn't even call not even once!" She blurted, hurt spiraling her insides.
Cameron sighed, glancing around at the peering guests. "Reese—"
"Then you have the nerve to bring this Barbie bitch with you?"
"Um, excuse me?"
Reese spun to her. "Bitch you heard me."
"Um, Cam, I don't know who this is. But you need to tell your hoe to leave," Farah said to him.
"Hoe?!? Who you callin' a hoe? Bitch, I'll drag your curly mop head ass all across this floor—"
A pair of arms grabbed her. "Let's go."
Reese fleeted her gaze up at Yasmine, and yanked away. "No, I ain't done with this anorexic looking bi—"
"Reese, I said let's go! Get up." She demanded, grabbing her arm. With reluctance, Reese stood up only to stumble on her heels. Yanking her arm, Yasmine dragged her across the room like a rag doll, and into the bathroom. She shut the door and locked it.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Yasmine spun around.
"Me? It's her fault. S-she shouldn't even be here," she slurred.
"And look at your ass, drunk."
"No I'm not." She stumbled a bit.
"I can't believe you. You know how much of a fool you made of yourself out there? Ready to fight bitches over what? Cameron? Really, Reese? That's some hoodrat shit."
"Why you let him bring her? You should'a tol' me he was with her."
"Sit down." She grabbed her arm and forced her to the suede bench. "You need to go home."
Reese rushed to the stall and huddled over the toilet, vomiting.
"Shit." Yasmine rushed to her. Reese exerted the acidic contents into the toilet, as Yasmine stood over her, rubbing her back.
Reese buried her head in her arms, crying. "What's wrong with me, Yas?"
"Nothing is wrong with you. C'mon." She flushed the toilet.
"I'm damaged."
"Stop talking like that. You're not damaged."
"I am...nobody wants me. My own mother didn't even want me..."
"C'mon Reese, stand up." Yasmine linked her arms with hers, as Reese forced herself up. She led her to the bench and they sat down. With a sigh, Yasmine shook her head. "I gotta find a way to get you home."
"I'm sorry, Yas..." She leaned her head on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to ruin your party."
"You didn't ruin it."
"I love you," She wiped her tears. "You the only that's 'been there for me. You're the only family I have."
"Okay, wait right here. Don't move." Yasmine stood up. "I'm gonna go run and get Donette. I'll see if she could take you home. Okay?"
&n
bsp; Reese nodded.
Yasmine rushed out. Suddenly feeling tired, she leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.
*
"That's her? Really?"
Cam nodded with a sigh.
"Wow, you sure know how to pick 'em." Farah smirked, sipping her drink.
He couldn't believe Reese would act like that. For her to try to fight Farah over him, really threw him by surprise. And even left him flattered, he had to admit. For so long, he had been waiting for that type of fire from her. Some sign that she felt something for him too. This whole time, she had been pretending there was nothing between them. Even making him feel like a sucker for feeling the way he did. But the moment she saw him with another woman, she became possessive. Like a wild animal ready to mark her territory.
Just like a woman.
She deserved that though. Playing all these games. She hurt his ego. He had too much pride and too much pussy available for him to accept that. So yes, he cut her off. He just had to shake her up a bit. To see if she would rattle, and she had.
A tap on his shoulder cut through his thoughts. He turned his head, only to meet Yasmine towering over him.
"I need to talk to you."
He stood up and followed her out to the quieted hallway.
"Look, I don't know what kind of games you're playing with Reese. But whatever it is, it needs to stop."
He jerked his head. "What?"
"You heard what I said. We had this conversation before and I told you to stay away from her. She's not one of your little groupie hoes you could just throw away like trash. She's more than that—"
"Aye, I never did anything to her, alright."
"Then why is she busy getting drunk, crying over you?"
"I don't know. Why you asking me?" he defended.
"Because, you're the reason Cam!"
"Wait, she's crying?"
"Yes, she is."
He let out a sigh. "Where is she?"
"That's none of your business."
He shook his head. He couldn't believe he was getting the blame for this.
"Look, Reese might pretend she's strong and all that. But she's been through a lot of shit. And I don't wanna see her hurt again...by anybody. So, just stay away from her like I said."
Chapter 25
Reese strutted through the main lobby, her heels clicking against the tile floor with each step. She entered the elevator and pressed the button to close the doors.
"Wait! Hold that door!"
She peered ahead to find the board member, Tom, running towards her. She placed her hand between the doors to stop them from closing and he rushed inside.
"Thanks." He adjusted his blazer, out of breath. She pressed the button and the doors closed. "Typical Monday morning, you know? Nothing ever goes the way it's supposed to."
"Tell me about it." She sipped her coffee.
"Spent almost an hour trying to get those kids up for school. Didn't know how hard it is, till my wife left for her trip. Now, I know what she goes through on a regular basis," He gave a hearty laugh.
Reese said nothing. She really was in no mood for small talk. Especially about irrelevancies that had no bearing on her own life.
"So, how was your weekend?"
She spun her head. "Why?"
"Just asking." He raised his hands in surrender. She glared into his blue eyes, wondering if he had heard anything about what happened. Word traveled fast around here. And people loved to talk. "Didn't mean any harm by it."
She faced forward, drinking more of her coffee. "It was fine."
The doors opened and she stepped out.
How she made it to work was a fucking miracle. She spent her entire Sunday, recovering from her horrible hangover, and kicking herself for allowing her ass to drink like a damn fish. How did she allow herself to get to that point? She had embarrassed herself completely, and she regretted every moment of it. What pained her the most, was how she displayed such behavior in front of Cameron. She allowed him to get under her skin. To act out of character. All over his trifling ass.
Fuck him.
She was done. Whatever little...fling they had was completely over. He not only made her look like a fool, but made her feel like one too. He turned out to be everything she expected. She should've known. He was an immature, 20 something year old, with no sense of decency. And she was a grown ass woman. She refused to play those childish games.
She just prayed that none of this went out to the public. She kept checking online to see if the media had gotten wind of this story. She couldn't imagine if they had. Thankfully, nothing as of yet. But she was still on edge.
"Morning Ms. Wilson," Naomi welcomed from her desk.
"Naomi," she briefly responded, walking passed her.
"Uh, I was wondering if you had a minute. I wanted to talk to you about something."
Reese stopped.
"If you don't mind?" Naomi added.
With a sigh, she opened her office door. "Come in."
Naomi followed her into the office then closed the door, as Reese placed her bag and coffee on the desk.
"What is it?"
She stood against the door. "Uh, I know this is last minute to ask. But I was wondering if I could take the rest of the week off."
"Why?"
"Well..." She looked down at her heels.
"I'd appreciate it if you look at me while you spoke."
She had such a habit of doing that, and it got to her.
"Oh, sorry." Naomi met her gaze. "Well um, my mom is very sick. She has dementia and according to the doctor, she won't have that much time to live. So, I just wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. And also, this Thursday is her birthday and I was hoping to make her last one really special for her."
"This is very last minute, Naomi."
"I know—"
"And it's also a busy week. Not to mention the women's Domestic Violence Walk is this Thursday as well. Out of all weeks to take off, you choose this one."
"I know, believe me. And I understand if you refuse, but this would really mean a lot to me. I just want to make her last few moments worth it. We're just really close, you know?"
With a sigh, Reese stared out the window. "Fine."
Her brows shot up. "Really?"
She nodded. "Go spend time with your mom...you only get one."
"Thank you so much! I really appreciate this, you don't understand."
With a smile, Naomi left then shut the door behind her. Reese stood alone in her office, a hallow feeling deepening in her chest. Her eyes fell to her carefully organized desk, filled with stacked papers and folders, void of any pictures. Nothing like the offices of her peers, which were decorated with pictures of mothers, children, husbands or wives. Special photos she knew nothing of.
Sadness resonated within her, and she quickly brushed away her thoughts. She gathered her things and prepared for her board meeting.
Chapter 26
Cam sat in his black Ferrari, staring at her two story suburban home. This was a bad idea. There was no way this would work. After everything that had occurred, he was probably the last person she wanted to see. And could he blame her? He shouldn't have played her the way he had.
The way things had spiraled out of control, it was best to go their separate ways. Things had gotten way too messy between them. Plus, out of respect for Yasmine, he should really let her go. But...something wouldn’t let him. He needed to talk to her. To see her. To make things right.
Cam shut off his engine and stepped out of the car. The cool winds brushed his skin, as he walked up the brick driveway toward her home. She lived in a quieted, residential area in New Rochelle, not too far from the busy city. A little too quiet for his taste. Having grown up in the inner city all of his life, he preferred the busy streets, the chaotic noise, the endless ruckus of pedestrians.
He had been here many times, but only to pick her up and take her to his apartment. He never stepped foot inside. And sh
e never offered either. Which he found odd as well, but he never pushed it.
When he stepped on the porch, he rang the doorbell. As he waited, he looked around the ghostly neighborhood, dimly lit by the dull streetlights. Damn. It was dark as shit.
When the door swung open, he turned his head, to find her standing at the entrance. He was taken aback by her appearance. Her face was bare of any make-up, just the features she was blessed with. And in that moment, he realized that this was his first time seeing her without make up. And damn…she was even more beautiful. That beautiful brown skin of hers shined like a piece of gold under the light of her foyer, bringing out those bold features he fell in love with. He then took notice to her attire. A purple silk gown adorned her frame, displaying those slender arms, curvature shape of her breasts, and those long cinnamon hued legs that kept calling his name. He didn’t understand how someone could look so perfect.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
He snapped out of his thoughts, only to meet her piercing glare. The fiery rage in her eyes was enough to give him second thoughts.
"Uh, I know it's late. But I was hoping if we could talk."
"You have some nerve showing up at my door, this time of the hour."
"Look, I know things got hectic the other night. And I just wanna apologize on my part. I was wrong for the way I acted, and I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I wasn't hurt," she retorted.
"Well, if at any point you were, I'm sorry."
She scoffed, looking away.
"Farah's just a friend." She grimaced at the mention of her. He added, "We have nothing going on between us."
"Look, I don't give a damn about you and her. You both could go to hell for all I care." She slammed the door, and his head jerked at the noise.
He stood there in shock.
Did she really just....?
Wow. He had never in his life had a woman slam a door in his face. Ever. He let out a deep breath, trying to keep his cool.
He knocked on the door. "Reese."
"Leave!"
"Just hear me out."
"If you don't leave in the next minute, I'm calling the police."
Hook'd Page 15
