PullMyHair

by Kimberly Kaye Terry

  “I think that, for a long time, I had false hopes,” she began and although her voice was hesitant, there was a clear determination in both it and the directness of her gaze.

  “False hopes about what?”

  “To be honest…that there could be something between us,” she stated boldly. “Something beyond our professional relationship.”

  “Did I ever give you the impression of that, Renita?” Greg was suddenly apprehensive. Maybe his disclosure earlier regarding his relationship with Liza had been out of line. Maybe he’d crossed some invisible barrier that he shouldn’t have with her.

  “No. It wasn’t you, Greg. It was all me.” The laugh that she uttered was totally without humor. When she suddenly stood from the chair and walked away from the desk toward one of his large bay windows, Greg felt a slight apprehension in his gut.

  “What’s going on, Renita? You can tell me. Please do, I’m a bit in the dark about this.”

  “I’ve been in love with you since the first time I interviewed with you and I’ve decided to quit. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to work here anymore,” she admitted bluntly turning around to face him, her light amber-colored eyes sparking with a look akin to relief.

  Renita felt crazy and nervous, yet at the same time, she felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders just by uttering the words to him. Out loud. With no care for the consequences.

  She knew that Greg loved Liza. She had no doubt in her mind, despite the rocky time they’d been suffering lately. When he’d first started working later and longer hours, Renita had secretly cheered, hoping against hope, although she knew it was wrong, that one of those late night sessions working side by side, would turn into something more than working on legal briefs.

  She wanted to work on briefs all right, but not those of the legal variety…she wanted what was inside his briefs.

  She’d never been overt in her desire to let him know that she was interested. But she did want him. He was everything she wanted in a man. Fine, sexy as hell, educated, had plenty of money and was…stable.

  He was everything her parents would love in a man for her. One they despaired she’d ever be able to “catch”. Especially her mother. Elena Dexter-Nash openly scorned and despaired of her youngest daughter ever finding a man who’d overlook her daughter’ indiscretion of the past.

  But, despite everything, she’d never been able to go for it and pursue Greg.

  For one reason she didn’t picture herself as the happy hooker busting up marriages. It just wasn’t her thing. For another, she had fought long and hard to change her image. To be the upstanding woman that her parents wanted…needed for her to be.

  She wasn’t that reckless girl anymore. The one who everyone thought was selfish and only thought of herself. Drinking and partying and to hell with the rest. The chick who had no future, no goals, no plans. Headed to nowhere-land on the express train, as her mother so bluntly put it. The one who’d gotten pregnant at sixteen years old…

  “Don’t worry, Greg. I’m not going to seduce you…”

  “Try and seduce me, you mean…”

  She glanced at him from beneath lowered lids and smiled, but let it go. “Try and seduce you,” she modified the statement. “I think, however, it would be in my best interest to give you two weeks notice. I’ve given it quite a bit of thought. I think the time has come.”

  “Renita, you’re a wonderful assistant as well as an amazing paralegal. I would be lying if I said I want you to go,” he said and the sincerity in his voice made her heart lurch. If only…

  “What about your parents? I know that your parents have conditions in order to help you financially so that you can finish law school, and this job was one of them. What will you do?” he interrupted her thoughts.

  Greg knew some of her history. He knew what was on paper; that she’d gotten into some legal trouble as both a teenager and young adult, and that she had served time in a juvenile detention hall.

  He knew that she’d eventually gone to college and that her parents had placed conditions on helping her financially. This job was one of the conditions.

  What he didn’t know was that she had to maintain the job in order to prove her worthiness to them. To prove she was responsible enough and they’d continue to pay for school and would pay back the student loans she’d taken out to pay for undergraduate school.

  They’d paid once for school and she’d screwed up, as her parents liked to remind her. The second time around, she had to pay for it, or not go. They’d taken “pity” on her and said they’d pay her loans back, as well as the night courses for her law degree as long as she kept her act together.

  As long as she didn’t embarrass them again.

  Renita had gritted her teeth together and accepted their handout.

  “I’ll deal with that…and them, when the time comes. Sometimes you do what you have to in order to maintain your sanity,” she said slowly.

  There was silence as they both thought about her words. Greg spoke into the silence. “What will you do? Do you have another job lined up?”

  She laughed. “Actually, I do. The Holt brothers have offered me a position in their agency,” she said.

  “Oh really? Is that why Gaynor Holt was hanging around when we drew up his contract? To steal you away from me?” Although Greg said it laughingly, Renita heard the underlying masculine irritation.

  Men were all alike. They may not want your ass, but they damn sure acted strange when another one did.

  “You can’t steal something that doesn’t belong to another.”

  “When do you start with him?” He didn’t comment on her choice of words.

  “That all depends on you. I want to be fair and give you enough time to find my replacement and I’ll train him or her. Gaynor knows this. I told him I wouldn’t leave you high and dry.”

  “Thanks, Renita.” Greg stood from his chair and walked over and stood tall and lean in front of her. She felt a bit nervous with the way he just stared at her and even more nervous when he took both of her hands in one of his big strong hands.

  “I love you too, Renita, you’re a good woman. I hope Gaynor knows what he’s getting in you. There aren’t too many like you,” he said and with a half-smile leaned down to hug her.

  She knew the love he spoke of was not of the romantic variety, but she treasured it just the same.

  “Yeah…I sure do. Know exactly what I’m getting with Ms. Nash,” the scratchy deep voice interrupted her just as she was going to reply back to Greg.

  She broke away from him and almost tripped over her high heels in her haste to step out of Greg’s loose embrace. She felt her face burn and a queasy feeling settle in the pit of her stomach when she heard the voice and turned around to see the casual way Gaynor Holt leaned just inside the doorway.

  “Good, because Renita is worth her weight in gold. Remember that, Holt.”

  “Don’t worry Colburn,” Gaynor said with studied casualness and a very discernible bite in his voice. “She’ll be in good hands. I’ll take good care of her,” he said as he walked over to them and casually, as though he had every right in the world, removed Renita from the loose confines of Greg’s arms.

  Renita glanced from Gaynor to Greg and didn’t understand the smile that played around the corners of Greg’s mouth with the exchange between her current employer and her future one.

  Neither did she understand…or want to understand why just the sight of Gaynor, dressed in his standard uniform of t-shirt, worn jeans and scruffy yellow hiking boots had her clenching her legs together to stem the embarrassing wetness that had suddenly eased into her panties.

  Nor did she examine how she welcomed the way he drew her away from Greg and to his side as he casually asked Greg how much longer he’d be in need of her services.

  “I’m…anxious…to have Ms. Nash all to myself,” he said with just a half smile that managed to show his canine teeth only.

  Renita suppressed a shive
r as she thought flashed through her mind, that once again, Gaynor reminded her of a wild jungle cat who hadn’t eaten in a long, long, time.

  And she was the sweet cream the big kitty wanted to lap until he was nice…and …full.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Liza, I’m so glad that you agreed to come with me! This will be fun. Girl, when was the last time you’ve been to the old neighborhood?” Karina asked in excitement as they pulled into the large parking lot in front of the recreation center.

  As they’d driven down Hub Street, Liza had alternately listened and intermittently tuned Karina out. When Karina had asked her why she didn’t take the interstate to reach the northern side of town, Liza had given a nonanswer. She’d picked Karina up early and said they had plenty of time and decided to take the long route.

  She’d actually picked her up early just so that they could take the longer route.

  The city was divided into several sections. There was West Stanton, where she and Greg lived. Karina lived in this section also, as of several months ago when she’d married her husband, Cooper. West Stanton was the most affluent section of town and even within West Stanton there were layers of wealth.

  South Stanton was the section of town where many immigrants lived in a community that, although close-knit, was poverty-stricken in most areas. Midtown or Central Stanton held much of the middle, working class, and North Stanton, where she and Karina had grown up, was similar to South Stanton in many ways. It held the largest percentage of working poor and the demographics were overwhelming in this.

  South Stanton, like West Stanton, had layers. In the upper end of North Stanton were the families who were quite middle class, and in the lower end of the subsection were those who were living in the projects, or what was the politically correct word for it?

  Government, subsidy housing.

  Whatever. Tomato, to-mah-to.

  The projects were the projects in Liza’s book. No matter what name you called them, it was the same.

  Welfare.

  She should know. She’d spent most of her childhood in one “government subsidy housing”,or another.

  It was incredible to Liza how it had all changed. As they’d driven into the old neighborhood, she’d been amazed at the differences, both good and bad. She averted her eyes, unable to look at one of the old dilapidated houses that she instantly recognized as one that she and her mom had lived in when she’d been growing up. She couldn’t believe it was still standing.

  “I can’t believe you agreed to not only bring me here, but come inside. That’s great, Liza. I’m proud of you. Greg was right, I think this will do you a lot of good,” Karina smiled without looking across the seat at her best friend, as she unbuckled her seat belt.

  She missed the look that crossed Liza face.

  The look that would have warned her…

  “What will do me good? And what does Greg have to do with this?” she demanded and was extremely proud of herself when she didn’t reach across the console and take one of Karina’s small dreads and wrap them around her round little neck and strangle her with it.

  She was so proud of herself. That she’d been able to exercise restraint.

  “Ohhhh. Umm…what I meant was that, um, it’ll be um, good for you to get out of the house and have some, um, fun with me. I think Greg would like you to have fun, don’t you?” she squeaked out, struggling to open the door.

  Karina tried to unlock the door, but Liza enabled the lock on her door panel, which would not allow Karina to open the door without her aid.

  “Doggone it, Liza! Let me out!”

  “Nope. Not until you give it to me straight, Karina. What does Greg have to do with this?” she demanded.

  Liza crossed her arms over her breasts and simply gave her the best evil eye she could conjure, the one guaranteed to put the fear of God in her friend. She wasn’t surprised when Karina gave in seconds later.

  “It’s no big deal, Li, not really. When I called, you were in the shower and he and I started talking,” she said nervously, looking everywhere, but in Liza’s face.

  “Go on.”

  “Well…after that he asked me about Girls Unlimited,”

  “What about it?” Liza insisted.

  “Just if I still volunteered, what time and day…things like that. He asked me if I’d ever asked you to go with me. I told him sure, all the time. He just kind of suggested that I ask again. It was no big deal, Liza.”

  “I didn’t say that it was. I don’t understand why he asked you, and why he pretended he was surprised when I told him about it,”

  “Probably because he didn’t want you to be angry with him. Look, Li.” Karina turned in the low seat and faced her, her expression thoughtful.

  “Greg really loves you. You two have gone through a lot of emotional things lately. You’re starting to really open up to him. He just wants to help you. Girl, the man loves you. He wants you to get over this fear you have of facing your past.”

  “I don’t have a fear, Karina. I just feel nervous, that’s all.” Liza felt an odd dread pool in her stomachs when she turned away from Karina and looked over the building. They’d done quite a bit of renovation to the outside of the building. She’d barely recognized it when they pulled into the parking lot.

  “You don’t have anything to be nervous about, Li. I’m going to be right beside you. It’ll be okay. Let’s go,” she encouraged her.

  Karina took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Karina was right, there was nothing to be afraid of. She’d walked through those doors more times than she could count as a young girl. “You’re right, let’s go,” she said and at Karina’s pointed look, she laughed and unlocked the door for her. “Sorry.”

  “Thanks, mama!” Karina mocked and laughed as they exited the car and walked to the entry of the building.

  It was a nice fall day and several of the girls were outside the building standing in groups laughing and talking and a few stopped when they spotted Karina and waved a hello.

  Karina laughed and stopped to speak to a few of the girls and Liza felt a pang of jealousy with the easy way that she spoke with the young women. She herself felt strange and out of place and was doing her damnedest not to run back to her Mercedes, fire up the powerful engine and get the heck out of North Stanton.

  Her anxiety must have shown, because she felt Karina’s eyes turn to her and she pulled her forward and introduced her to the young girls. With a stiff nod, Liza plastered what she hoped was a semblance of a smile on her face, before she and Karina left and entered the building.

  “Girl, you have so got to loosen up! No one here is going to do anything to you!”

  “I never said they would, Karina! I just feel a little antsy. I’m fine. Or I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it,”

  “Good. Now take a look around, what do you think? Not the same ole center that you remember from our childhood…huh?” Karina smiled at her when she saw the surprise she knew flashed across her face as she took in the new, clean club.

  “Wow. It’s awesome,” she said as she glanced around. Every square inch of the walls from what she could see depicted a scene from the community.

  There were murals of little girls in pigtails playing double-dutch, there were young boys playing basketball, as well as a scene of a young man and woman walking hand in hand down a crowded street licking ice cream cones.

  She allowed Karina to give her a tour of the renovated building when a small girl came bursting out of a closed office, running top speed and smack into Liza’s legs, almost buckling her.

  “Angelica Rene Strong…halt right where you are, little girl. Take one more step and I’m calling your father! Don’t take another step!” The unseen owner of the voice issuing the demand was strong and loud coming from behind the corner the little girl had just barreled from.

  “Call him, Miss Cane, see if I care! He’s not going to spank me, if that’s what you think. My daddy never spanks me! No matter what I do. So there. Se
e if I care if you call him! I’ll give you the phone number if you want,” the small girl yelled back to the unseen woman, giving the woman so much attitude, Liza felt like she was looking at a mirror of herself as a child.

  The child rolled her eyes, had her hands on her nonexistent hips and shook her skinny little neck so hard, Liza had to seriously stifle a laugh. The child had more attitude than anyone she’d met, young or old in a long, long time.

  Damn if it didn’t bring back flashbacks to her own rebellious days.

  “Hey, little miss. I don’t think that’s any way to speak to an adult, do you?” she asked automatically as she stooped down to the child’s height.

  “She started it! Always threatening to call my daddy for every little thing I do! I can’t even pee without her telling my daddy!” The child said, and although she said the words belligerently, her small mouth poked out in anger, Liza saw the tears that swelled in her dark eyes. The little girl was all eyes, it seemed. Her big, dark brown eyes, completely dominated her solemn, narrow face.

  She was patting the child on the back when a woman rounded the corner, her small, shapely body finally catching up with her booming voice. “Angelica Rene Strong…” she started, but was interrupted by the child.

  “Why you always gotta call me by my full name? Angelica Rene Strong,” she asked and once again rolled her little neck as hard as she could, with a sneer plastered on her small lips. “You are not my mama! My mama is dead, and you are not her. Only my daddy can call me by my name like that!” she said and turned into Liza’s arms and burst out crying. Liza automatically returned the child’s embrace.

  “Baby, I know I’m not your mother. And if you don’t want me to call you by your full name, then I won’t. But you still have to follow the rules, Angel. I cannot allow you to do whatever you want, because you think you’re old enough. That was a session meant for our teen girls. Your session with the girls your age is going on right now in the blue room. Now, hurry up and get to your session and we’ll forget about telling your dad about this, okay?” The woman said and Liza didn’t miss the way her eyes softened when she looked down at the little girl, nor the way the child’s mouth quivered in response.