by Tamara Black
“Are you okay?” he asked her, a total change from the way he’d been treating her when I walked up.
“I’m fine,” she said quietly.
The sound of her voice made me take notice. I wanted to hear her continue talking.
“Do you mind if I talk to her for a moment?” I asked the man.
“No, go ahead. What do I care?”
After he went back to giving orders to other servers and cooks, I took her arm and led her out the back of the kitchen. Only a few stars could be seen in the sky with all the city lights.
“Where are we going?” she asked defensively.
“It’s okay,” I said, backing up to give her a little space. “I just wanted to get you away from your boss. He looked like he can be a mean asshole.”
She laughed nervously. “Yeah. Thanks. I really need to get back inside.”
“Do you go to school here?” I asked, trying anything to keep her around.
“Yeah, I’m a senior.”
“What’s your major?”
That’s all you can think of to ask her, you idiot? I lambasted myself in my mind.
“Architecture.”
“Oh, really?”
“Don’t sound too surprised.”
“It’s not that you’re a woman or anything. I’m a real estate developer.”
“Whatever,” she said, rolling her beautiful eyes. “And I bet if I was an acting student you would be a casting director, right?”
I smiled, showing her the best teeth money could buy.
“No, here’s my card.”
After I pulled one out of my inside jacket pocket, a move I’d perfected over the years, I handed it to her. She took it, holding it close to her face so she could read the text.
“Aaron Stone, huh?”
“That’s me.”
“Well, thanks for saving me, but I have to get back inside or I’m going to get fired.”
“I understand. If you want an internship, give me a call sometime. We may be able to use you while giving you real world experience.”
“That might be nice,” she said, looking directly into my eyes.
“Call me,” I said.
She went back inside, and I walked around the building to the parking lot where my Town Car waited.
THREE
Lela
I ended up losing my job. Even worse, the letter from financial aid stated my scholarship was revoked. They were pretty sure it was all a clerical mistake, but I had to come up with two grand or drop out of school. My life was fucked in a big way. I waited two whole days before calling the strange white man who had stuck up for me. Maybe he can help me, I thought.
“Hello, this is Aaron,” he said.
“Hi, I’m Lela.”
“How can I help you, Lela? Do I know you? Your voice sounds familiar.”
“We met the other night on campus. You stood up for me and said you might be able to help me.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Not really. I lost my job because of that crazy lady. To make it worse, my financial aid got screwed up and I might get kicked out of college,” I said, trying my best to hold back the tears.
“Settle down, it’s not the end of the world.”
That’s what you think, you rich asshole, I thought as I took a deep breath to calm myself.
“I tell you what. Why don’t you come into the office tomorrow. We’re looking for a new intern.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Come first thing in the morning.”
“I have class.”
“Well, come when you can, but I’d really like to see you.”
“Thanks so much.”
“Don’t mention it. I have to go now, but I’ll talk with you soon.”
“Sure. Bye. Thanks again.”
I did a little victory dance, not believing my luck. When I was done, I headed downstairs to treat myself to a glass of wine. Before I reached the living room, I smelled weed and heard laughter. Fucking Patricia, I thought to myself. My roommate was the biggest pot head I’d ever known. And I’d grown up in a poor Cleveland neighborhood. Her parents paid for everything.
While I hated her for having money and not having to work for anything, I appreciated the fact she helped out a lot with food, rent, and other expenses. One of the big negatives was that she was a stoner of the Harold and Kumar variety. She had made me watch their movies three times, always laughing hysterically at the two hapless stoners riding a cheetah in the first flick.
“Hey, Patricia, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t smoke in the living room anymore,” I said as I reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped into the common area.
“We did?” she asked, looking up at me from the couch, an orange cheese puff sticking out of her mouth.
“Yeah, we did. You agreed and everything.”
“Weird. That doesn’t sound like me, but okay.”
She stood up, bong in hand, and was about to leave the room when a familiar knock sounded at the front door. It was the landlord.
“Fuck,” she muttered, scurrying away to her bedroom.
I rushed to find the nearest can of air freshener, liberally spraying it in the air while the knocking increased in volume and intensity. Once I was semi-happy with the smell in the room, I cracked open the front door.
“Can I help you?” I asked, coughing from all the air freshener.
“You damn hippies need to pay the rent,” he barked, reminding me of George Jefferson.
The urge to crack a joke about moving on up was almost irresistible, but he’d likely heard it all before.
“I’m not a hippie,” I offered. “We just like air freshener.”
He stomped a foot on the ground in anger without saying a word. I stifled a laugh.
“Good day!” he yelled then turned and stormed away.
I shut the door and locked it, waving my hand in front of me to clear the air. While I had a lot to do and even more to worry about, I went upstairs and picked out an outfit to wear for my big interview to be an intern for Aaron Stone. The mysterious white man definitely had my attention.
FOUR
Aaron
I was on my way to a meeting and in a hurry when she stepped off the elevator. Her white dress contrasted the mocha color of her skin. She was forbidden to someone with my net worth according to all the unwritten rules of society, but as I watched her walk toward me in the hallway, I realized I was attracted to her physically.
“You made it,” I said when she stopped in front of me.
“I did. And I’m ready to go. It’s a bright new day.”
“I’m actually on my way to a meeting. You can wait in my office if you want…”
“Can I sit in and learn something?” she asked.
Beautiful and independent, I thought to myself.
“Sure, that should be fine. Just make sure you don’t say anything, okay?” She nodded. “This is an important meeting for me. It’s worth quite a bit of money and, more importantly, my time.”
“My lips are sealed. Thank you.”
I smiled, loving the way she looked at me so eagerly. After a nod of my head for her to follow me, I headed down the hallway to the main boardroom at the end. Inside, three wealthy Chinese investors were waiting on my explanation on why it would cost them an extra three hundred million dollars to finish their New York condo project.
They weren’t going to like the answer I gave them, which was fine with me. Their money couldn’t sway me because I had so much of my own. What drew me to the project was that I was requiring them to build suitable dwellings for the lower class residents who would be displaced. That was part of the extra three hundred million - a big part of it.
“This is so exciting,” the young woman by my side said as I stopped at the door.
Inside the room, I stood at the head of the table in front of a projection screen on the wall. All eyes in the room, including Lela’s, were on me. I hesitated, not saying a word, lettin
g the tension build to an almost unbearable level. While silence filled the air, I looked each Chinese investor in the eyes for a few seconds before moving on to the next.
“Three hundred million dollars is a lot of money, gentleman, but let’s not kid ourselves. In the long term, it’s just a drop in the bucket when compared to what you’re going to make.”
I picked up a remote control on the table and clicked it for the first slide, a three dimensional rendering of their prized condo complex. It was truly a work of art. After I had their attention with what they wanted, I clicked a button and moved to the next slide - a rendering of what the low income housing would look like when it was completed.
“Because of the new materials we used, we’re not going to need as many internal supports…”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Lela said.
All eyes turned to her. I glared at her a moment then returned my gaze to the investors.
“She’s a new intern,” I said, laughing it off. “She’s a bit vocal, but she has a lot to learn about architecture.”
“What are her thoughts on the internal support beams being made out of this new material?” the oldest man in their group asked me then looked at her.
I hoped she would have enough sense to excuse herself from the room and get the hell away from my meeting, but as soon as I turned my attention back to her, I saw she had no such plans.
“Well, it’s a great material, but the long term strength hasn’t been tested yet. I mean, it’s a brand new product. We don’t know how it’s going to stand up in five or ten years. Because of that, I don’t think it should be used in any building, let alone one for low income housing.”
The investors all nodded their heads thoughtfully. Try to be nice to someone and they fuck you over, I thought to myself as I smiled. My goal was simple - take back control of the meeting before she did any other damage. To get everyone’s attention, I clapped my hands together loudly.
When I had their attention, I said, “Regardless of the final material we use, the extra three hundred million investment is really nothing compared to the money you will make on the luxury condos.”
I watched in horror as they all began whispering to each other in Mandarin. While I caught a few phrases, I wasn’t able to decipher what the hell they were talking about. I glared at Lela again, who was oblivious and smiling. Just you wait, young lady, I thought.
“We want more time to think on the matter,” their spokesperson, not their senior manager, said. “The points brought up by your intern are very much appreciated.”
As soon as they were out of the room after a half-dozen awkward bows and handshakes, I turned my attention to Lela. She still had a smile on her face as if nothing was wrong. I gave her the look that struck fear in anyone negotiating with me in the business world.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, you should not have said a fucking word.”
Her eyes widened in surprise at the tone of my voice.
“Do you understand how much money that deal is worth to me? The Chinese don’t mess around, and I think you just cost me a lot of money.”
“Well, that material is a risk if you use it,” she countered.
“I know the risk, but if this deal falls through, it’s a lot of lost housing for people who really need affordable housing right now. Do you even understand?”
“You don’t need to yell.”
“I don’t, huh? Well, this is my company, and if I want to call you out for not following my instructions, I’m going to do it. Understand?”
“I’m out of here,” she said, turning to leave.
“Don’t you walk out on me, young lady,” I snapped.
She waved a hand as she walked away. Once she was out of sight, I walked to my office, trying to calm down and figure a way to get the deal back on track. Unfortunately, she kept popping into my thoughts no matter how hard I tried to think of my real problems.
FIVE
Lela
“And then he had the nerve to yell at me. Like I was supposed to know he really meant for me to be quiet. I thought he would be impressed with me speaking up,” I said, turning to Patricia.
Her eyes were glazed - as usual. “Whoa,” she said. “That really blows. Like a whale.”
“What?”
“You know. A whale blows water through their spout thing.”
As she giggled uncontrollably, I gave her the nastiest look I could muster.
“You can’t take anything seriously, can you? I’m not going to be able to afford rent this month.”
“It’s fine,” she said. “I can help out.”
“No, I don’t want you to do that for me.”
She wasn’t the type of person who would hold it over my head, but I still didn’t like owing anything to anyone. It was a personal preference because of the way my mother had been treated growing up. After she took money from men who said they only wanted to help, they invariably wanted more.
“Whatever. I can. It’s no big deal.”
“See? That’s what I mean. You don’t have any idea of what the real world is like, do you? He was an asshole to me and you should be on my side.”
“Wait. Who are you talking about?” she asked, looking genuinely confused.
I sighed. “Nevermind.”
I left the room before I got even more upset with her. While it was the middle of the day, I wanted to take a bath and try to relax. The time I spent soaking in a warm tub with bubbles was some of the best moments I ever had. Once the water was full and just the right temperature, I climbed in.
As I sunk into the water, I took a deep breath. Part of me was sure I was to blame for ruining my chance at an actual architecture related internship, but I found it easier to blame the rich white guy. He was suck a prick, I thought, which was a big mistake.
The word prick made me think of that area of his anatomy. It had been a while since I’d been with any man - or had pleased myself for that matter. I closed my eyes and moved my hands to my breasts, running my fingers gently over my big, dark nipples.
They quickly became aroused, growing even larger and more sensitive. With my eyes still closed, my hands slipped down my stomach. I moved them back to my breasts for a moment, still not sure if I wanted to go all the way with myself.
You’re stressed. It will help, I told myself.
Just as my fingers reached my pussy lips, someone knocked on the bathroom door. I sat up quickly, splashing water out of the tub.
“Yeah? What is it?” I called.
“Hey, like, I’m sorry to bother you, but some guy is here for you.”
“What? Send them away. I’m busy.”
“Sure. Sorry…”
“Hold on,” I interrupted as I stood up in the water. “Who is it?”
“Says his name is Aaron. Didn’t look like anyone you would know.”
I rolled my eyes. “Tell him I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Gotcha, sister,” she yelled, sounding ridiculous.
I’d told her about not pretending to be my soul sister, but nothing ever stuck in her THC soaked brain. After drying off, I wrapped the towel around me and slipped into my bedroom to find something to wear. My heart still beat quickly in my chest as I settled on a pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt.
The top was way too tight, but I didn’t have time to pick out the perfect outfit. I couldn’t think of why Aaron would come to campus to hunt me down. It was kinda creepy for him to know where I lived. After I was dressed, I headed downstairs where he was standing by the doorway.
I crossed my hands over my chest. “What are you doing here?” I snapped.
“I wanted to apologize for earlier today and ask you out to dinner.”
He don’t waste any time, I thought. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“I’m waiting for your apology.”
“I’m sorry. I was out of line. You should have listened to me, but it�
��s okay.”
I shook my head from side to side as I glared at him. “Seriously? That’s it? You show up unannounced at my house and give me that bullshit?”
A look of confusion swept over his face, like he wasn’t accustomed to someone yelling at him.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“How about dinner to make up for it?”
“Are you serious? You’re like ten years older than me. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Okay, look, I’m going to go. If you change your mind about dinner or the internship, give me a call.”
When he turned and opened the front door, I didn’t stop him. He looked back once, staring directly into my eyes before he left.
“That was rude,” Patricia said.
“Shut up. It’s none of your business.”
“Damn. You want to smoke a bowl to chill out some?”
I went back upstairs, my bath ruined. The strange white man was probably rich and had a nice body, but he was an asshole and never go for someone like me. And that was my final answer on the matter. As a young college student, time was my most valuable resource. I couldn’t waste it on trifling men, no matter how hot or rich they were.
SIX
Aaron
Lela finally agreed to have dinner with me, which was a pleasant surprise. I could have taken her to any restaurant in the world - literally - but I decided to invite her to my modest lower upper class house in Shaker Heights. Hiding among the millionaires was a popular trick of mine to maintain what little anonymity I could manage in the modern world.
When she knocked on the door, I answered it myself. She understood I was wealthy, but I was certain she had no idea how much I was worth in total. I smiled as I saw her. Her dress was simple and elegant at the same time. It definitely fit her body. For the first time, I noticed most of her beautiful curves. I stepped aside and waved her in with my hand.
“Glad you could make it,” I said.
“Nice house.”
“Thanks. I like it.”