“His girl? I’m sorry but you lost me. Who’s your girl?” she asked looking at him. Mark smiled.
“Well, if you agree, then it most definitely is you,” he said. She laughed and shook her head.
“Me? Have I died and gone to hell already? Because I know it’s been long since I went to confession but damn, my sins can’t be that many,” she said sarcastically. Mark laughed and shook his head.
“Well, you still have a great sense of humor. I’ll give you that,” he said.
“Yeah some things don’t go away,” she said. “So, again, I ask, what brings you here?” she asked, looking at him. Mark cleared his throat and crossed his legs.
“Well, this is more of an apologetic visit,” he started. Desiree looked at him and shook her head.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, I was kind of an ass the last time I saw you,” Mark said. Desiree let out a sarcastic laugh.
“Kind of an ass?” she asked looking at him. “Try full blown ass,” she said in a cool, calm and collected way even though she was really pissed off that he would even consider coming to her place of work.
“Wow, you can keep a grudge,” he said. Desiree shook her head.
“No, keeping a grudge would suggest that I actually care while in essence I don’t,” she said.
“I did behave like an ass, I agree, so I will give you that. You have a right to get pissed,” he said. Desiree was getting impatient. Having Mark there was not something she wanted to entertain. She crossed her arms on her chest and looked at him.
“I will not ask again, Mark, Why the fuck are you here?” she asked.
“Well, like I said, I came to apologize. I hate thinking that there exists bad blood between me and you for the way I behaved, especially since you are one of a kind. I would definitely hate to lose you,” he said. She looked at him and shook her head.
“Lost me? You never had me,” she said looking at him.
“I know and that was actually my fault,” he said.
“Listen, Mark. I appreciate you coming here and apologizing but I don’t think you and I have anything more to discuss,” she said.
“That’s where we differ,” Mark said.
“Really?” she asked in a cynical voice.
“Yes. I think you and I can have something special,” he said. Desiree laughed, this time a more genuine laugh.
“Two things Mark. Hell no, and two, I am happy with someone else. Someone more deserving of my time than you will ever be,” she said. Mark nodded.
“Yes, I know about you and the former marine,” he said. Desiree raised an eyebrow. How could he possibly know about Taylor’s past?
“What? Are you stalking me now?” she asked.
“Not at all, I just wanted to know how you are doing,” he said.
“So, let me guess, you had someone look into me like you did the last time?” she asked.
“Never mind how I did it. It’s all semantics,” Mark said in an attempt to brush off the topic. “All that matters is that I am here now and that I am willing to put the past behind us,” he said.
“Me and you do not have a past to put behind anything, Mark,” Desiree said.
“Listen Desiree, please try to understand that I don’t want to fight you but I think that you and I could really have something special,” he said. Desiree shook her head. She could not believe what she was hearing.
“Are you freaking serious right now?” she asked.
“I am a busy man yet I chose to come and talk to you. That should count for something at least,” he said.
“And I am a busy woman and you are wasting my time,” she said angrily.
“Come on, you work in a store. How busy could you possibly be?” Mark asked, smiling.
Desiree smiled back and looked at him. It was not the kind of smile she gave her sister, cousin or even Taylor. It was also not the kind of smile she gave her workmates. It was the kind of smile that spelled doom.
“And just like that, you prove to be the ass you have always been to me, but guess what Mark, when I get that paycheck, it does not read that I work in a store and honestly I don’t care what you think because at the end of the day I make an honest living and that’s enough for me,” she said and then pushed her chair back before standing up. “Now, I would like you to leave my office,” she said as she looked at him.
“Yes, but we are not done talking yet,” Mark said looking at her.
“You were talking. I was here wondering when you are going to shut up,” she said.
“Wow, you are a tough nut to crack aren’t you?” Mark asked.
“I like to think so,” she said still looking at him.
“Okay, maybe I should ask one thing before I leave. Why him? What does he have that I can’t offer you?” he asked. Desiree smiled.
“Simple. He is everything that you are not. And that is good enough for me,” she said.
“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked.
“Well, for starters, he actually respects me and what I do for a living. Two, he is not an ass like you are. Three he is humble and finally and most importantly, he loves me for who I am,” she said. He looked at her and shook his head.
“You know I could give you all he is worth a million times over, right?” he asked.
“I know. But I would never be happy,” she said. “So whatever fix you are in, maybe your mommy has insisted that you marry a nice black girl or whatever, trust me when I tell you that I am not now, nor will I ever be, your cushion for whatever landing you are destined for,” she said. Mark smiled and nodded.
“Really? Even if I told you that there would be a substantial kitty for you and your family to make sure that you are all as comfortable as you would ever imagine?” he asked. She shook her head.
“Just what kind of fix are you in, Mark?” she asked. “I know there is a catch,” she added. Mark took a long deep breath and looked at her.
“My company is…it has not been doing so well for a long time. I need money from my trust to invest; otherwise I will have to declare bankruptcy,” he said.
“What has that got to do with me?” Desiree asked. Mark took another long breath and sighed.
“Well, one of the conditions of getting my trust is that I have to get married,” he said. Desiree laughed.
“You are kidding, right?” she asked. Mark shook his head. “Well, I am sorry but that will never happen, Mark. Have some of the mail order brides or something because there is no way I am marrying you. I can’t even stand you,” she said. Mark looked at her, nodded and then stood up.
“Well it was worth a try,” he said as he walked towards the door. He turned around and looked at her. “If you change my mind, you have my number,” he said.
“I won’t,” she said as she watched him walking out of her office.
She took a deep long breath and leaned back in her chair as she came to terms with what had just happened. By the time she left that day, she had no idea whether she was going to let Taylor know what had happened in her office that day. As she walked out of the store that day, she wondered what exactly had made Mark think of propositioning her. He was the kind of man who could get absolutely anyone he wanted, so why her?
She had just started walking down the street when a sleek black BMW pulled up next to her. She rolled her eyes and looked at the tinted windows. “God, Mark. Don’t you get the point?” she asked as the window rolled down. “No means fucking no,” she added.
“Whoever Mark is, I wouldn’t want to be him,” Leon, Desiree’s ex said.
Desiree looked at him and sighed. The day was not turning out as she wanted at all.
Chapter 7
“What? Is today douche day or something?” Desiree wondered as she looked at Leon.
“You look surprised to see me, Dee. Or is that your pleased to see me face?” he asked as he smiled at her.
“Your first guess was right. What are you doing here? I just dealt with one douch
e. I don’t really need another, one at least not now. A douche a day is my limit,” she said.
“Douche is a really strong word, don’t you think?” Leon asked.
“Actually no, because in my books, a man who lies to a woman about his marital status is as much a douche as Bin Laden,” she said.
“Ouch,” Leon said, still smiling at her. He climbed out of the car and stood in front of her. Because of her whole ordeal with Mark, she had lost all patience. The only thing going through her mind was how much she wanted to bash his face in. “And by the way, I didn’t lie,” he said.
“Oh yes you did. You lied by omission,” she said as she looked at him. Leon smiled.
“You always looked so pretty when you got mad,” he said. Desiree rolled her eyes and looked at him.
“I have no time for your bull, Leon. I have things to do,” she said looking at him.
“That’s fine. I got you something,” he said as he opened the rear car door.
“I don’t want anything from you,” she said as Leon took out a big square gift box. “What the hell is that?” she asked as she looked at the wrapped package in his hands.
“Well, why don’t you open it?” he asked. She looked at the package and sighed.
“I told you I don’t want anything from you,” she said.
“Will you at least open it and see what it is?” he asked. “It’s something you will like, I am sure of it,” he said. Desiree was getting anxious. She wanted to be out of there as soon as possible.
“Fine,” she said as she took the package from his hands and tore the wrapping paper off the package. She almost gasped when she saw what was inside. A beautiful painting. She could not make out who exactly had done it.
“I was going to give you that for your birthday but…well, certain events transpired,” Leon said as Desiree admired the piece of art in her hands. “It’s a piece by a good friend of mine in Italy. I thought you might like it,” he added. She looked up and shook her head.
“Why are you giving it to me?” she asked. “Why now?” she asked again.
“Well, I got it for you. There was no point in keeping it around. It only reminded me of you…of us,” he said as he looked at her.
“But I really don’t see myself hanging on to this. I mean, I did move on Leon. How am I going to explain a piece of art from my ex-boyfriend?” she asked.
“Well, as I said. I got it for you. If you don’t want it, you can always sell it. It’s worth maybe ten or fifteen thousand,” he said. “But I really wish you would keep it. Sort of a reminder of our time together,” he added. Desiree raised an eyebrow.
“Have you completely lost your mind, Leon? Why would I want anything to remind me of one of the biggest mistakes of my life?” she asked.
“Come on, Dee. We were happy once. Weren’t we?” Leon asked.
“Well, yes, but that was before I realized that the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with was married with kids. So, again, tell me, why would I want something that would remind me of that?” she asked. She put the painting in his hands.
“Please, for the love of God, Leon, stay away from me,” she said.
“I just wanted to give you something I got you when we were still together,” he said.
“And I appreciate it, I think. But like I said, I have too much on my mind to even think of entertaining this,” she said as she began walking away.
She could hear him calling her out but she wanted to be as far from him as possible. It was as if her past had decided to come and haunt her, with a loud bang. She got into a cab and gave the driver directions on how to get to her place. Looking back, she could still see Leon, standing there like a child wondering what to do in a big city. She turned her head and leaned back in her seat. This had been one of the most eventful days of her life.
When she got to her place, she quickly went up the stairs and walked into the apartment. Cynthia had just got in moments before she did, and Rochelle and Tony were up to their usual lovey dovey mischief on the couch.
“Hey, Dee. I thought you’d be here ages ago,” Cynthia said as Desiree walked towards the kitchen.
“I had a long day, or at least a long two hours,” she said after saying hi to her sister and her boyfriend.
“Really? What happened?” Cynthia asked. Desiree smiled and walked to the sink. After washing her hands under running water, she tied an apron around her waist and looked at Cynthia. “Well?” Cynthia pressed.
“Okay, guess who came to see me at work today,” Desiree started as she walked to the fridge where she pulled out the beef she had left in marinade earlier that day.
“Really? You want me to guess? That’s a long list. Right off the top of my head I would say Bill Clinton?” Cynthia said, smiling. Desiree looked at her and shook her head.
“Be serious,” she said.
“Okay, who? One of your exes? Leon maybe?” Cynthia asked.
“And we have a winner,” Desiree said. “But there was another person before him. Mark,” she said looking at Cynthia.
“Mark? Who the hell is Mark?” she asked.
“Remember the first time I met Taylor?” Desiree asked.
“Yeah, at the speed dating thing at the café,” Cynthia said.
“Exactly. I met Mark on the same day,” Desiree said.
“Oh, Denzel?” Cynthia asked.
“Yeah the very evil Denzel,” Desiree said as Cynthia began peeling the carrots.
“Okay, what did he do?” Cynthia asked.
“Well, he came to see me and get this, he wants to marry me,” Desiree said in a whisper. Cynthia’s eyes grew wide.
“I’m sorry, what?” she asked.
“You heard me. He proposed,” Desiree said.
“Why? I mean, you are a catch and everything but why would he come and ask you now? After all this time?” Cynthia asked.
“Something about his business failing and him needing his trust which he can’t get until he gets married,” Desiree said as she put a skillet on the stove.
“Okay, but still, why you?” Cynthia asked.
“I don’t know. I think he thought I might need the money a bit too much because he even offered to pay me,” Desiree said.
“What? Seriously? He must consider himself a very big deal,” Cynthia said.
“I would not take his money even if I was on food stamps,” Desiree said as she put some oil in the skillet.
“Word,” Cynthia said smiling. “And what did Leon want?” she asked.
“Apparently he got me a painting while we were still together and he wanted to make sure I got it,” Desiree said.
“Really? And where is it?” Cynthia asked.
“Well I gave it back, of course. I couldn’t take it,” Desiree said.
“Why not?” Cynthia asked looking at her.
“Well, for starters it is from my ex-boyfriend and two because it is just wrong,” Desiree said.
“Well, for the record, I would have taken it,” Cynthia said shrugging.
“Of course you would have,” Desiree said laughing.
“What? I would have sold it,” Cynthia said smiling.
“But that’s not the only thing that happened today. Lucas, the area manager of the store brand came to see me at the store today. Apparently we are the best performing store in the region. We are talking bonuses,” Desiree said excitedly.
“I see that not even the two dumb jocks who spoke to you never killed your spirit,” Cynthia said as she went on to prepare the vegetables.
“Please we are talking extra money here. The only thing that would kill my spirit would be bin Laden and he is dead so, cheers to that,” Desiree said laughing.
“Dee, we don’t have any drinks,” Cynthia said smiling.
“Well, we will, as soon as we sit down to eat,” Desiree said just as Rochelle walked into the kitchen
“Hey guys. Need any help?” she asked. Desiree looked around.
“You can make the salad,” she said,
smiling. Rochelle smiled and walked to the fridge where she got all she needed for the salad before walking back to the table where Desiree was busy at the stove.
“By the way Dee, Taylor’s here,” Rochelle said as she began peeling the layers off a head of lettuce. Desiree looked at Cynthia.
“Would you take over for a minute? I need to talk to Taylor about something,” she said. Cynthia smiled.
“Sure thing,” she said as Desiree walked out of the kitchen. Taylor and Tony were already engaged in some common interest, sports or something. He smiled at her when she walked towards them.
“Hey,” she said as Taylor stood up to hug her.
“Hey,” he said before giving her a quick kiss. “Good day?” he asked. Desiree smiled. She could have told him all about her day but she thought she would spare him the details.
“Well, I’ve had better,” she said smiling. “Hey Tony, you mind if we talk right here?” she asked as she looked at Tony who smiled back at them.
“I'm making ESPN my bitch right now. I won't even notice you are here,” he said smiling. Desiree smiled at him as she and Taylor sat down.
“So, I have been doing my research on what we talked about. And as it turns out we have options. Very viable options if I must say,” she said.
“Okay, give it to me,” Taylor said.
“Okay, you could choose to invest the entire amount in hedge funds but there are pros and cons in it. Sometimes, those funds suddenly go missing when the CEO of the company decides to take a mysterious trip to the Caribbean,” she said. Taylor frowned.
“I don’t think I like what’s behind door number one,” he said. “What else?” he asked.
“All right. You could use the money to do some business but the question is what kind of business to invest in,” she said. Taylor took a long deep breath.
“I could grow my current business,” he said.
“Great idea but you cannot use the entire amount for that,” Desiree said.
“I guess not,” he said. “So any other options?” he asked.
“Stocks,” she said without hesitation.
“Stocks?” he asked.
“Yeah, like in the stock market,” she said. At that moment, Tony looked at them,.
My White Lottery Winner (BWWM Interracial Romance) Page 6