Arriving at work, I went straight to my office where Cassandra was sitting at her desk.
“I thought you wouldn’t be in until tomorrow. Aren’t you exhausted?” she asked worried.
I was touched by her concern. “I am, but I wanted to get you going on what I need because I know tomorrow you’ve requested to leave early.”
“Aww, Ms. Banks,” she said teasingly. “You’re too thoughtful.” The she gripped my arm and pulled me into my office, closing the door and locking it behind her. There was a sense of urgency to her movements. “Have a seat. We have to talk.”
I sat behind my desk and noticed how everything looked out of place. “Has someone been in my office?”
“We’ll get to that.” Cassandra had been carrying a legal pad and a manila envelope, which she laid on her lap as she sat in front of the desk.
Good lawd, the woman had a list!
She started casually. “Everyone thinks you’re the saving grace around here after what Mr. Howard announced.”
“I’m not a hero to anyone or anything. I’m here to do my job and I just happen to do it well. I’m not going to be worried about that.”
“Well, just be on your toes, because I heard that Erin was finding reasons to get rid of people.”
I was shocked that Cassandra was indulging in office fodder. “So now you’re listening to the grapevine?”
“I don’t want to be the last one to know I’m unemployed again. And I don’t want to see you like that, either. In my opinion, and this is just between us, you could run this ship by yourself.”
I teased, “Why don’t I do so well that Earl might actually want to retire.”
She laughed with me, but said seriously, “I think you could really do it, too.” Looking down at her notepad, she crossed some things out. “Number two, Erin came in your office this morning and did some things on your computer.”
“Again?”
Frowning confused, Cassandra asked, “What do you mean by again?”
I relayed to her what happened before I left concerning Erin and my computer. She already knew about the post-it notes situation.
“She did ask me if I had left some notes for you about three times since you’ve been gone,” Cassandra confided. “I was so pissed off and tired of being asked the same thing over and over again that when she asked the last time, I said no real sharply.”
“What did she do on my computer?” I inquired.
“Well, since you ordered ITS to give me PC Anywhere to access your computer while you were gone, I watched as she did a search on Sroban.” She passed me a post-it note with the company’s name on it.
I remembered that funny name from the Debner file. Those notes meant more to Erin than she wanted to let on. Maybe I should take a good look at them again.
“Number three,” Cassandra continued. “Earl Howard and Erin requested your video meeting tapes to be copied and delivered to them. Erin made her request with Mr. Howard’s request. She said she wanted them by five. I have tech support getting those to them. Erin also requested the typed transcripts.” She handed me a copy. “I looked them over and other than that snide remark about you running the office by Ms. Newsome, I wouldn’t worry too much.”
I wasn’t and was glad I had kept the meeting very professional.
“What’s next?” I asked.
She looked over her notes again. “Nothing business wise, unless you have some things for me before we continue.”
I told her the duties I needed her to do from my own list of things to do. She was a little confused about the Debner file notes though.
“Is this a proposal?” she questioned.
“I was thinking of how we could improve the communications between our clients. I felt that if I wrote up a proposal to ITS to see if their director would be interested in implementing this, then it would cut a lot of time and headache off a lot of people’s heads. Of course it would consist of extra duties, but after a while I feel our whole system could be changed if we implemented this as soon as possible.”
“Did you look up the research all ready?” She pulled up information I had downloaded while I was at the hotel.
Since I don’t sleep much, I stayed up all night after getting back from dinner at the Sanchez’s. I think better in the middle of the night.
“Some of it. I also contacted someone at Microsoft who says they could look into sending our ITS conversions on how to implement the system. No use reinventing the wheel when there’s already a software program out there that could –” I paused. “What?” I asked because Cassandra suddenly had this weird look on her face.
“You are just amazing. I don’t see why Earl Howard just won’t retire and give you the company.”
“Maybe when he pink slips us all, I’ll open up my own and hire the best damn assistant in the world.”
“You better,” she teased.
“Okay, is that it for the business?”
She nodded and then put the manila envelope she was carrying on my desk. “It’s about your father.”
I sighed in disappointment. I was so ready to call off anything that Cassandra was researching on a personal level for me, because the whole thing was really getting on my nerves.
“The death is certain,” Cassandra said. “I did the investigation myself.”
I opened the envelope to pull out a newspaper clipping and a hospital report from Tampa General. The newspaper clipping said that E. Heasley of Detroit, Michigan lost control of his car while on a high speed chase with Hillsborough Sheriff and ended up driving into a swamp. He had duped investors by setting up a phony business in Tampa and getting people’s money. The driver arrived at Tampa General D.O.A. Only two million of the seven million dollars that was stolen was found in the car.
I remembered what my sister had said about Nina having money, but that was ridiculous to think that my mother had sat on five million dollars all this time. Really ridiculous.
Yet…I started thinking about things that had happened a couple of years after Uncle E died. We moved into a nicer house, even though Nina was still working as a nursing assistant. She was suddenly able to finish off her Bachelors to become a nurse. Then the scholarship came for me right after she finished her degree.
At the time I thought it was strange that she had gone out and applied for a scholarship for me to go to school, but I didn’t make a big deal about it. I just assumed my mother was the best thing since sliced bread. Lauren had gotten a scholarship, too, but she had declined it.
Whenever I asked my mother about the scholarship, she just said that I had nothing to worry about and to just concentrate on getting good grades so I wouldn’t lose it.
I did and I never thought anything more about it. When I needed money, I would just call my mother and she would send me what I required. Of course I never asked for any ridiculous amount because all my schooling was being paid for and my student card was always filled with money. I had assumed the scholarship was depositing the payments.
“Five million dollars is a lot to hide, Cassandra,” I said quietly.
“A good financial lawyer can do it easily,” she said nonchalantly. “Throw it at some businesses and some trust funds and you’ve easily hidden something that didn’t want to be found.”
I tried my hardest to think about the name of the scholarship. When it wouldn’t come to me right off, I called a friend who still worked in the admission’s office of my alma mater. While I waited for a call back, I asked Cassandra, “Do you think I should ask my mother flat out if he’s alive?”
“Well, according to the paper, he’s dead. I don’t think you should hurt her like that. Why would she lie to you?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “To cover up five million dollars.”
“You want me to look at this a little more?” she questioned. “I mean, I checked that the document was signed by the morgue director and that the hospital records confirmed that the real time of death was really the date the morgue direct
or signed it. But I could look further.”
“If you could.”
She nodded. “No problem.”
A knock on the door interrupted us. It was Peter. He was holding a folder.
“Was I interrupting?” he questioned, looking a little nervous. I saw a little bit of ‘I’m glad but not glad to see you’ in his eyes.
Why on God’s green earth was this man asking for punishment? Peter never came to see me unless he wanted something. By now I was positive he would avoid me.
“Yes,” I said. “But that’s all right.” I checked the time to see that it was going on five o’clock. “It’s the end of the day, Cassandra. Go home.”
“I could stay late,” she offered.
“No. I’ll be fine.”
When she was gone, Peter went over to the door and locked it. I wasn’t scared, but his docility was intriguing. I hadn’t requested him, so why was he here?
“I bumped into the girl at research and told her I was on my way to see you.”
“Oh really?”
He placed the folder on my desk. “She said you requested this information.”
I opened the sealed folder briefly to see that it was the Sroban company information that I had requested. As quickly as I opened the folder I closed it right back, not really wanting Peter to see what I had received.
“How was New York?” he inquired.
Annoyed, I snapped, “Peter, I don’t chit chat.”
He bowed his head submissively and walked around the desk. I tried not to show my own shock as he went down on his knees by my chair.
Since his eyes were looking at the ground, I was able to shield my stunned expression. Standing up, I pulled down my underwear and pulled up my dress, glad I had worn garters. I rested one leg on my desk. Before I could even finish resting my back in the seat again, Peter’s mouth had made contact with my womanhood.
Oh Damn! It was great to be back in Detroit.
Entry Twenty-Six
To be totally honest, I think Peter got more pleasure out of tasting me than I did. And I was positive I saw a hard on between his legs after I kicked him out my office once I received my own pleasure from his mouth.
This thought occurred to me as I was being chauffeured over to where Mack awaited me. He had bought out the Sweet Georgia Brown restaurant and so the staff was at our beck and call.
Mack spoiled me with three-dozen pink, white and red flowers and he couldn’t stop kissing me.I was enthralled with the man’s attention. At the end of the night, Mackeroy had the waitress deliver a diamond bracelet surrounding one of my favorite desserts.
Kissing him was so pleasurable and I was totally in love with my bracelet. He reserved a room for us at the expensive five star Athenaeum downtown. There was a Jacuzzi in the middle of the room. We spent hours in it just having fun touching, kissing, and rubbing against each other. Which ended with me riding him to ecstasy.
Afterwards, we adjourned to the bed in thick hotel robes. We sipped champagne and ate white chocolate covered strawberries that were so delicious!
By this time it was like one in the morning. I knew I should be going home, but I was having so much fun being pampered and spoiled.
“Are you going to take my suggestion and just take off of work and let me continue to pamper you?” Mack asked, stroking my leg.
“When?”
“Why not tomorrow?”
Was he smoking crack?
I decided to give Mack the benefit of the doubt. He probably didn’t know what was going on at the company and he really didn’t need to know. He was a client and I was not about to cost the company any money by opening up my mouth and telling him how we all felt we were going to lose our jobs.
“Tomorrow won’t do, Mack.” I kissed him apologetically. “But Friday looks good.”
He opened my robe and suckled gently on a nipple. A pleasurable buzzed softly vibrated through my body. The chocolate strawberries were soon forgotten. Passionately, Mack kissed me. He cupped my face, licked the chocolate off my lips and then entwined our tongues together.
I was so in heaven at the gratification of being this intimate that I could barely focus on what Mack was asking me.
“Sheryl, you know you’ve come to mean a lot to me, right?”
I didn’t know how to respond to this. Damn, it was only like a week and Mackeroy was already talking serious. I hated when guys started this pussy whip shit.
I didn’t say that out loud, but that was what I was thinking. “Why, Mack?”
He gathered me in his arms and smiled tenderly. “You’re smart, sexy, beautiful – inside and out, and you make me lust for you twenty-four seven.” He kissed me deeply and then pulled away. “I want to make you happy. Anything you need, baby, okay?”
I let him kiss me again, but my thoughts were on his statement. The weird thing was that I wasn’t feeling any guilt about it.
When he stopped kissing me, I said, “Yes, baby. Anything.”
He kissed me more deeply and we began to remove each other’s robe. I knew this time was going to be different. He was taking his time and relishing my touch and kisses. Rolling on my back, Mack indulged in kissing my neck, chest and then moved down to my stomach.
I didn’t stop him as he continued down. My thighs rested on his shoulders. I smiled to myself. Just the way I like them.
Gawd, this was the one, I told myself. He was rich, powerful and …
I stopped that thought as my body culminated with gratification. Mack then moved up and entered me easily, rocking my hips. His manhood was stiff and I enjoyed the ride. At first when I reached up to kiss him, knowing my essence was on his lips, he seemed reluctant to kiss me. As if he did not know if I would agree to kissing my flavor from his mouth. He soon allowed me to draw him down. He groaned as I passionately tasted myself all over his mouth.
There was a soulful connection between us and I revered every second of Mack and I joining.
We came together and a tear welled in his eye. Our bodies trembled together and Mack nuzzled his face in my neck and whispered, “I love you, Sheryl.”
I forced myself not to stiffen.
Oh, fuck!
Entry Twenty-Seven
As much as I try to think it over, hearing Mack say that was just too soon, but it’s crazy to break it off. Out of all the prospects of a possible solid relationship that I have going right now, he is my best bet.
And wasn’t I just admiring Tanner and Devlin and wishing for something like that?
So Mack could be my duke. Right?
I’m just going to have to get some kind of control over myself and allow myself to open up to him. This isn’t the first time a great guy wanted to get serious with me. It’s just that in the past, I never wanted to get serious with any of them in return.
Mack and I got along well in and outside of the bedroom. And along with his wealth, he actually knew how to treat a woman. He made an effort to want to be with me. Plus, he really was attracted to me as a person, not just by what he saw on the outside.
On that particular level, I felt the same way about Mackeroy. I just hadn’t allowed my heart to become involved with him.
But he loved me!
True, those words might have come from a man who said them by mistake too early, but it was just a notification for me to know how much I was beginning to mean to him. Love didn’t look at time. Love was about the heart.
So was I afraid to love?
***
The prior entry was done in the middle of the night after Mack had gone to sleep. Instead of starting a new one, I just went off of the last one.
After I left the hotel at two in the morning and got home, I couldn’t sleep so of course I grabbed my work brief and pulled out all the things I needed to take a look at.
Although the Sroban file was on top, I pushed this aside and picked up the manila envelope on my father’s information. With my laptop on the bed, I went on the Internet to find out if there were prior stories ab
out E. Heasley bilking investors out of millions of dollars.
It left a sick feeling in my stomach to know my own father had done illegal activities. In a way I could understand why my mother had gone through such lengths to not tell me I was breed from such an evil man.
Sadly, I found several stories about it. It seems that E had promised elderly investors almost triple their return on a business venture, only to steal all their savings in the end.
After reading the articles, I kept seeing Hillsborough County. Yet when I looked at the death certificate it was signed by the city of Sunnybrook. Usually counties signed death certificates. I assumed that maybe with so many old folks in Florida this was remanded over to city officials.
I did a search on Sunnybrook, Florida and found out that the city was down near Miami, which was out of the county of Hillsborough.
WTF?!
I spent over two hours trying to justify this, but I couldn’t.
I finally came to the conclusion that my father may still be alive and that I needed to face Nina about it.
At seven, I dressed and made a detour towards my mother’s house. I had a key, so I walked right in. I found her in what my sister and I used to call her trophy room. It was the back family room where Nina kept all the family awards, even those she had received from her work. It was a shrine to our family and she never allowed us to go in there with friends because she made it seem like it was a sacred place.
Nina was up and looking refreshed from her yoga. She greeted me with a kiss and a hug, then beckoned me to follow her to the kitchen for a cup of green tea.
“I’m not on a social call,” I said immediately after declining the tea.
“I’m fine in case you wanted to know,” Nina said sarcastically.
“Momma, is my father still alive?”
Nina looked appalled that I should ask something like that. “I have worked my fingers to the bone as a single parent raising you and your sister.”
“I’m not knocking your parenting skills,” I said firmly. “I just want the truth.”
“What lies did she put in your head?” Nina slammed her cup of tea on the table and went over to the wall phone to dial Lauren’s number.
Diary of A. . . Page 12
