“Straighten up. Focus!” I demanded, refusing to join her rising pity party.
Essen aimed at the clouds a second time. “Ready!”
This time around, she sent a slug through the air and smacked the steel target before it could reach the highest point in the sky.
“Good shit, pretty girl!” I praised her.
The urge to smack her ass prompted me to ball up my hands. Essen could press all she wanted, but I knew she wasn’t ready to tell her brothers about us. As much as I wanted to treat thesituation like I was above consequence, my love and respect for Shiloh kept my ego in line.
“What the hell is going on over here?” I heard Durk ask from behind my back.
Essen waved him off and walked away, leaving me alone with Durk.
“So, you’re not going to say anything about being chummy with Essen? Y’all out there poppin’ metal plates together.”
“Stop being messy.”
“This shit gon’ get really messy if Shiloh finds out y’all messing around. Church is cool, but Shiloh’s ass likes to jump off his rocker. He would never approve of this shit.”
“Don’t play me like some dog ass nigga.”
“Why not? That’s what you are. You ain’t never had a problem with me saying it before.”
“I don’t treat all women the same. Think of it like Santa’s Naughty or Nice list. I just so happen to get the naughty hos, and they get what they deserve. Essen is better than that.”
“Yeah. Y’all been fucking,” Durk clowned, finding humor at my expense.
Though I didn’t return to my seat, I distanced myself from Essen to avoid more questions. If our connection was obvious to Durk, anyone could see it.
“Casey,open the damn gift and stop playing.” I grunted, watching my over-the-top receptionist dance with the Christmas gift I handed her.
I always gave the team a few days off before and after Christmas, so I decided to gift everybody their presents before their vacation.
“Loso. Don’t rush me because you don’t have a gift. You always say you don’t want anything.”
“The thing I want, y’all can’t give me,” I admitted. “Now, hurry up. We have work to do, and I’m not trying to be here all night.”
Casey playfully rolled her eyes then tore into the big orange box. Though she swore all she wanted was the cash from the swear jar, I got her something extra because she deserved it. Next to making school a priority, she took care of my shop like it was her own.
“Oh my God! Loso, you really spent bands on a bag for me?” she yelled, prancing around with the designer piece on her arm.
“You sent me that link for the bag months ago. There was no way in hell I would spend that type of money on some Employee Appreciation Day, but this is a special occasion.”
The petite princess rushed into my arms and squeezed me tight. “Thank you, Loso! I swear you’re the best boss in the world.”
“Oh, yeah? I want to hear you say that when I don’t let you leave early.”
Juice was next to open his gift, and just like Casey, I purchased him something he could use. They may have been expecting a bonus check since that was my usual route, but after the S.O.E giveaway, I wanted to put more thought into showing appreciation for their presence in my life.
“Hold up. So does this mean we don’t get our holiday bonus?” Casey quizzed in a cutesy tone.
“You’re getting your bonus,” I assured her.
Juice admired his new watch while stepping to the middle of the floor. “Aww, shit. Loso must have found him a woman who gave him some holiday cheer.”
“Something like that,” I said, keeping things short. “Casey, how much did you make off the swear jar?”
She retrieved the jar from her desk and waved it around. “Five hundred and twenty-nine dollars. Mind you, I started collecting at the top of the month. I’m so happy we have some days off. I want to prance around the mall with my new bag and spend some money!”
