“Come in,” I said as I stood to greet the client who was coming in.
There was a woman, gorgeous and pregnant. With her hair pulled up into a ponytail that flowed down her back, she was wearing a sundress that had her belly on full display. I smiled at how radiant she looked as she walked in, her smile warm.
“Hello, nice to meet you,” she said as she stepped through the door.
Before I could return the greeting and run over to close the door behind her, in walked a man who made me take one of those dramatic gulps like in the movies.
“Nice to meet you as well, Mrs. Hamilton,” I said despite the fact that I had suddenly become flustered.
His presence seemed to shift the whole atmosphere of the room. He was dark skinned and had the physique of an NFL player. As a tall girl myself at 5’8”, he towered over me. He was easily 6’6” or more. He was dressed casually, and I didn’t mean to stare at her man, but he was fine as hell.
“Hello,” I said as I quickly extended my hand to him. He gave me a quick head nod as we shook hands, then he pushed thedoor closed while I went back to my desk so we could start the sale process.
I made small talk with Mrs. Hamilton ever so often while I filled out the forms for her. When I looked up, her husband and I caught eyes for a bit, and I could see the lust in them. I tried to pretend like I hadn’t seen it. But he was staring at me right in front of his wife, and it was making me a bit uncomfortable because she didn’t seem to pay him any attention at all. I started speeding through the paperwork, missing highlighted fields, just to get them out the door.
“Alrighty, we are almost finished, Mrs. Hamilton, just a couple more signatures. Is this your push gift?” I questioned her as I slipped another set of papers across the desk for her to sign. She had mentioned earlier in conversation that her husband was purchasing the vehicle for her, and given the fact that she’s pregnant, it made sense to ask.
“Yes, actually it is.” She said as she learned forward and signed the places that I had highlighted.
“You have great taste, Mr. Hamilton. The Urus is powerful but still has room for bags, kids, and car seats.” I started to say to the guy who had been sitting quietly throughout the interaction. I had tried to find a name on the paperwork, but hers was the only one listed on the sale.
As soon as I said it, her face turned to disgust, “This negro is not my husband. This is my brother. My husband is playing basketball overseas. If he were my husband, I would have beaten his head in for the way he’s been eyeing you down and making love faces at you. He just brought me to pick up my truck, and to take me shopping so I could spend all his money on his nephew,” she laughed as she called him out and waved him off.
He chuckled as he slowly looked up from his phone, “Now I’m going home.”
“That’s correct. After you take me shopping.” She beamed, and I laughed at their dynamic. I had three older brothers, and if there was one thing I knew, it was how to be the spoiled little sister.
“Aight. We’ll see,” He challenged her.
I shook my head as they mumbled back and forth in the background, then scanned the documents back to myself so I could complete her purchase and have the funds confirmed. It took me another couple of minutes, but once the payment went through, I printed her receipt and got her on her way. I chose not to comment on the fact that she had said anything about him watching me. Not only was I married, but it would be unprofessional.
“You are all set. I hope you enjoy your custom Urus and have a safe delivery.” I smiled as I picked up the receiver to call the salesman so he could give her the keys and take her downstairs to her new ride.
She reached across the table to shake my hand, got up slowly, and rubbed her protruding belly, which looked like she was about to drop at any time.
“Appreciate you,” he said as he reached over and shook my hand again. He held it for a beat too long and let his eyes scan my body. The smell of Tom Ford invaded my nostrils.
I dropped his hand after seeing that he wasn’t going to let go of mine, and I created a little distance between us. He looked down at me with the deepest brown eyes, and then turned around and walked out.
As soon as the door closed behind him, I breathed a sigh of relief. While my heart may have belonged to Tim. I still had eyes, and that was one of the finest men that I had seen in a very long time. Like his parents made him out of that ‘dark skinned aunt Viv’ love that J. Cole rapped about. I shook the thought from myhead as another appointment popped up on the screen for me to accept. I confirmed the time and sighed heavily.
The appointment was right in the middle of my scheduled lunch break. Tim would be aggravated that I didn’t make good on our date, but we live together. These sales were coming through quicker than we had imagined, so I was going to make sure that business was handled first, and then he could handle me later. I pressed confirm and watched as it appeared on my calendar.
My phone vibrated on the desk, making me look down at it. It was a text from my friend Cassie, reminding me about the couple’s night and asking me if I was still going to be there.
“Shit,” I cursed aloud. We set this day months ago, and I had literally forgotten about it until now. But as soon as she texted me, it all came flooding back. Because it made me remember that I had also promised to bring two dishes. I didn’t want to stand her up; it was Friday night, I had nothing to do, and my husband was back. I told her that we would be there, then screenshot the message, and sent it to Tim.
I walked over to the mini fridge in my office and got a bottle of water. I knew that I had to start preparing my body now. Any time we were in the same place, alcohol was a guarantee. And they could throw the drinks back like nobody’s business. I knew that I would spend days trying to recover, so I had better walk in with a plan. Tim and I had been working nonstop, and I couldn’t remember the last time that we had taken a break to enjoy ourselves. But tonight, I was prepared to put business aside and let loose.
***
The door opened, and Cassie stood there with a smile as she took the buffalo dip pan from me and hugged me. Then she huggedTim as well before she pushed the door open wider for us to walk through.
“Tim, you can just put that anywhere,” she said, setting the pan she was holding on her counter.
I walked over to the room to embrace Cassie’s husband, Dex, her friend Lisa, and Lisa’s husband, Mel. Lisa wasn’t exactly my friend, but we were cordial. We rarely spoke outside the group, but we had hung out together many times. Lisa was a fun time, so I never blinked twice when Cassie said that we would be in the same place.
“Hey, pretty. I love your hair,” Lisa said as she kissed my cheek and hugged me. Then she whispered. “I can smell the dip and wings from over here. Thank God you brought real food because Cassie will kill us with Publix chicken.”
