Workplace romance was never her cup of tea, but the unspoken body language between her and Seth was undeniable. Sasha knew that she was extremely sexy and that the other women in the orientation who were also attracted to Seth envied her. Competition was never her thing, because she never felt like she had any. Realizing that she slept with another woman’s husband fed her ego and the shame that she felt turned into cockiness. Sasha found herself daydreaming in class about being with Seth. She imagined him with Tia if they were an item. The more she imagined it, the more she wanted to see if that could be made a reality. Time was flying by and it was almost the end of the day. She made it known during orientation that she was not interested in mingling with the other co-workers, but was interested solely in Seth. The day finally ended when Seth decided to let everyone leave early. The room filled with laughter as people exited. Meanwhile, Sasha pretended to be preoccupied in order to be the last person to leave.
“So, Sa…sha, is it?” Seth asked as he looked down at the name tag stuck on her chest.
“I like the way you say my name,” Sasha replied, flirting with only her eyes and voice.
“Is that right? Well Sasha, it’s a pleasure to have you. I hope that you enjoy working here. Let me know if there’s anything that I can help you with.”
“Thank you, Seth. I really appreciate that. And yes, there is something that you can do for me,” Sasha told him.
“Really? What would that be?” Seth asked, curious to know what Sasha was going to say.
“You can wear that cologne again. It smells really nice and I concentrate better when I have a pleasant fragrance around me,” Sasha giggled.
“Is that so? Well, I definitely want you to be focused, so I’ll see what I can do.” Seth grinned and walked out of the room.
Sasha was excited about work and could not wait to see Seth again. She did not intend to sleep with every man who was interested in her, but could not pass one up either. As she got into her car, she began to have mixed emotions. She really wanted to see Seth again, but knew that men had always been her weakness. Reality started to set in and Sasha knew that being with a man at her job could be a huge mistake. Still hurt by Lance’s betrayal and wanting to forget him altogether, Sasha became convinced that Seth would shift her focus. Thoughts of Seth continued to fill her head as she drove back to the babysitter’s house to pick up Tia. Time flew by and before she knew it, she had arrived.
Chapter Ten
The candle lit up the room as Sasha relaxed and lay on top of her pillow-top mattress reading her favorite book. She had finally gotten Tia to sleep and was tired from folding laundry. As she turned the page to her book, her phone began to ring. She was in a good mood and did not want her evening to be interrupted with any drama. Thinking that it could be Lance, Sasha did not get up to answer the phone. Not even two minutes went by when her phone began to ring again. She hurried to answer it to prevent Tia from being woken up. She was surprised to see that it was Stacey; she was not in the mood to argue.
“Hey Stacey,” Sasha answered in a melancholy tone.
“Hello to you, Sasha. I know that you’re probably mad at me, but I love you anyway.”
“Whatever,” replied Sasha.
“Did you start your new job today?”
“Yes, I did, as well as found a babysitter for Tia.”
“That’s great. Who will be watching Tia for you?”
“Are you serious? Why do you care?”
“I care because she’s my niece.”
“You don’t care. You’re just nosey.”
“That’s not true. I do care. So who’s keeping her?” Stacey asked.
“This lady a friend referred me to.”
“A lady that a friend referred you to? So you don’t know her?”
“Ugh. My friend knows her. This woman has watched kids for over twenty years”
“But Sasha, come on now. You don’t have the best choice in friends. I’d be concerned about anyone who they might know or recommend.”
“Well, for someone who isn’t paying for my childcare, you have an awful lot to say. I’m not interested in your opinion right now,” Sasha replied, even more annoyed than before.
“Girl, you’ll leave that baby with people that you wouldn’t even trust to hold your purse.”
“Are you finished? That isn’t true and I’m done with your interrogation. Tia is my daughter, not yours. When you decide to have kids, then you can do whatever you want. Oh, never mind, you’re too selfish to have kids.”
“You’re right. It’s your life. Just don’t call me to fix your mistakes anymore.”
“If you really cared, you would have helped me with my childcare.”
“Helped you? You mean enabled you. I just want you to grow up and to start making better choices.”
“I’m trying to change,” Sasha replied sincerely.
“I believe you. Well, enough of that. How did your first day go?”
“It went well. I think I’m going to like it. I might end up there permanently.”
“You mean to tell me this is a temp job?”
“For now. But a lot of people are getting hired on directly.”
“But Sasha, those people probably have a college degree and you don’t.”
“I have more than that. I have my looks and then some,” Sasha stated.
“More than that? Sasha, you disgust me. You’ll say anything to upset me, won’t you?”
“I’m not worried about upsetting you. And I wasn’t playing. My supervisor is already interested in me and he is fine. Trust me, he’ll keep me around.”
“That is so unprofessional. You should know better,” Stacey said disapprovingly.
“I do know better.”
“Momma didn’t raise you like this. You should be ashamed of yourself. What happened to the attorney you were seeing?”
Sasha knew that this question was going to come up sooner or later. She was terribly embarrassed, although she tried to convince herself otherwise.
“Stacey, I wish I could go into all that right now, but I just don’t have the energy. Trust me; you’ll be glad that I left him alone.”
“Maybe so, but you jump from man to man to man, and that’s a hot mess. I don’t want my niece around all those men,” Stacey exclaimed.
“As much as I’d like to sit here and have you critique my life, I have better things to do. Call me tomorrow. Better yet, I’ll call you,” Sasha replied as she hung up on another sister.
Chapter Eleven
Sasha sipped her coffee as she pulled into the parking lot of her new job. She was anxious to see Seth again and made sure that she wore one of her classiest dresses. Although she was excited to have arrived at work, her mind was occupied with Tia’s lingering cries. Miss Susie seemed not to mind her temper tantrums, but Sasha hated to see her baby girl cry. She wanted to call to check on Tia but got distracted as she noticed Seth pulling up to the building. Her stomach started to flutter. She sipped her coffee one last time and intentionally left her phone in the car as she got out. Lance had blown up her phone all morning and she did not want to risk an interruption at work. It was obvious that he had a new phone and wanted to explain himself. I should have known that destroying his phone wasn’t going to stop the calls, Sasha thought to herself as she licked the lipstick from her teeth.
Upon entering the building, Sasha realized that none of the new hires were in the orientation room. Confused and not knowing where to go, she went to the receptionist’s desk.
“Good morning,” the receptionist greeted her.
“Hello, and good morning to you. Would you please tell me where the orientation is being held today? I didn’t see anyone in the room that we were in yesterday,” Sasha said.
“Sure, one moment please,” the receptionist instructed. Her words were cordial, but her attitude was extremely cool.
“Seth will be training you today. He’s on his way.”
“Ok, thanks,” Sasha repli
ed.
She waited for several minutes. Then suddenly, she noticed Seth walking towards her with a confident swagger. He had a grin on his face that welcomed her and his cologne reached Sasha before he did.
“Good morning, Sasha. Follow me this way,” Seth instructed. Sasha walked away with him happily. As they walked down the narrow hallway, Sasha brushed up against him intentionally several times, but he ignored her flirtatious behavior. Just as they were about to enter another room, he paused and handed Sasha his number.
“I want to get to know you, Sasha. You seem like a cool woman.”
“You’d like to see me or get to know me? Please clarify,” Sasha asked.
“I’d like to know you, but I don’t want all these nosey people to be all in my business.”
“Say no more,” Sasha said in agreement.
“Ok, good. Well, let’s get you trained,” Seth stated as he watched Sasha walk past him into the room where several other people were gathered.
The work day was finally over and Sasha was thrilled to walk into her warm vanilla- scented apartment. Tia had cried herself to sleep and Sasha could not have been more relieved. Sasha hated whenever Tia became fussy for no apparent reason. Thankful that the babysitter fed Tia before she picked her up, therefore she wasn’t crying due to hunger. Sasha became frustrated from brainstorming Tia’s recent clingy behavior. She laid her down in her crib and hoped that she was out for the night. Sasha had no plans for the evening other than relaxing in a hot bubble bath while she listened to the radio. As she grabbed her towel from the back of her bedroom door, she thought about Seth and how sweet he seemed to be. There was something different about him and their attraction was strong. There was no indication of how things would go between them, but Sasha was willing to take the risk. She had marriage on her mind and Tia needed a father. Thinking of all the possibilities, she picked up her phone and sent him a quick text message to put the ball in his court.
“Hello, handsome, it’s Sasha. I look forward to hearing from you,” she typed quickly.
Instead of waiting for a reply, Sasha continued to the bathroom. As she ran water in the tub and poured the lavender bath salts into it, she began to daydream and ponder what Stacey told her about hopping from man to man. Although she hated getting unsolicited advice, she knew that there was some truth to Stacey’s remarks. No one ever told her how to do things differently, but easily pointed out her mistakes. Stacey and Randi were the closest women to her and she respected their points of view. Texting Seth probably was not the best idea, but she was lonely. All she could think about was her sisters lying next to their husbands every night. The bath water was steaming hot as she gently placed each foot into the water. Lowering herself slowly into the tub, she began to think about her life in reality for the first time.
A couple of hours had passed and Sasha was still in the bathtub. Realizing that she had fallen asleep, she jumped out of the tub and wrapped herself in her towel. She tiptoed towards Tia’s room, making a trail of wet footprints on the carpet. Tia was still sound asleep. After closing the door to Tia’s room, she began to dry herself off as she walked back down the hallway to her room. Shocked that her cell phone was blinking, she dashed to see if Seth had texted her back. Unlocking the screensaver, Sasha smiled when she noticed that Seth had responded several times. Without hesitation, she replied quickly.
The two of them continued to text all night, until they could text no more. Sasha knew that she had made a terrible decision when she invited Seth over to keep her company. She wanted him badly, but did not want to lose her self-respect once again. Time was running out and he was on his way. Sasha went back and forth playing out different scenarios in her head. Although she wanted to un-invite him, she continued to apply scented lotions and perfume to prepare her body for a sexual encounter. Not having the courage to deny him, she walked towards the door when she heard a soft tap. She looked through the peephole and it was Seth. He was wearing a baseball cap and a sweat suit. Sasha was extremely attracted to him in his professional attire, but did not realize that he would be even more appealing to her in a baseball cap. Against her better judgment, she opened the door and greeted him with a passionate kiss. He was wearing the cologne that she loved and there was no turning back.
Chapter Twelve
One Month Later
The sun was shining brightly and Stacey could not wait to go to church. She had had a black eye for over a week and had been held hostage by her disfigurement. Larry’s temper had gotten out of control once again. Stacey imagined how life would be if she had a marriage like Randi’s and Russell’s. She was considered to be the smart sister, but if everyone knew how badly Larry treated her, they would see how foolish she truly was. Stacey hated her life, but worked very hard to please Larry. It seemed like the more money she made, the happier Larry was. Her self-esteem was low and Larry would often remind her how he had rescued her from the hood. He took credit for all of her accomplishments and blamed her for any failure. Her sisters had no idea how she and Larry really lived. Larry isolated Stacey and she had not seen her sisters in over a month. Normally, they would have called her, but she understood that Randi was busy losing weight and committed to change, while Sasha, on the other hand, had started a new job and was occupied with a new love interest.
Stacey left the house without Larry and hoped that she could find a seat at church next to one of her sisters. She had convinced him that she needed to arrive a little early to help Randi with a women’s group. She made sure that she applied enough makeup to hide any signs of abuse. Her business had not made any profit and Larry had taken it out on her. She needed some encouragement and needed her soul to be uplifted. Stacey tried to fight back the tears as she drove into the church parking lot. Shifting the gear into park, Stacey hopped out of the car and nearly ran inside. She could hear the choir from the parking lot, which instantly put her in a better mood. As she approached the main entrance to the church, the greeters welcomed her with a smile as they held the door open. She dreaded to see the tenant who owed her money. Church and money had always made her feel uncomfortable. She was not the one who liked to track down people for her money; however, the tenant had no idea how miserable things were for her at home because of the woman’s past due balance. With the eviction papers in her purse, she was determined to confront the tenant after church.
Once inside the church, Stacey walked fast and eagerly to the sanctuary. She spotted Randi right away and asked the ushers to seat her there. Randi looked surprised to see Stacey sit down next to her. As Stacey took her seat, she hugged Randi and smiled at her nephews.
“Hey girl, where’s Russell?” Stacey whispered.
“I’ll tell you later. Where’s Larry?” Randi echoed.
On his way to Hell, Stacey thought, then she laughed to herself just as she was about to reply.
“I guess he’s still at home,” Stacey whispered as she tried to hide her true feelings. The truth was that she really could care less where he was.
The two of them stopped their conversation and began to worship. Stacey looked over at Randi and began to cry. She admired her. Randi had actually changed a lot since the last time she had seen her. She was confident and glowing. Stacey was good at masking her feelings, but the Spirit of God was breaking her down. She was vulnerable. She was allowing herself to be purged. Randi glanced at Stacey and noticed how weak she appeared to be, so she grabbed both of her hands and began to pray with her as they both stood up from their pew. Stacey began to feel a shift in her spirit. The weight of the world was being lifted off of her. She began to feel hopeful instead of helpless. As they took their seats, an usher walked over and handed Stacey some tissue. She began to scan the congregation to see if Larry had arrived at church, but there was no sign of him anywhere. She was not surprised.
The pastor began to ask for a sacrificial offering. Stacey was never in favor of such an offering. She hated when people were begged to give. Randi looked at Stacey.
Randi did not reply. They sat and watched as people walked towards the center aisle to give. Stacey’s mouth literally fell open once the pastor asked for a two thousand dollar seed to be sown for the youth ministry.
“Stacey, stop looking like that. The money is for our youth,” Randi exclaimed.
“It’s not that. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”
“What?” Randi asked, desperate to know what Stacey was referring to.
“That heifer just got in line.”
“What? Who?” Randi asked, even more curious.
“My tenant, who is now three months behind. She must not have seen me come in, because she’s not crazy. How is she going to sow anything? That’s my money,” Stacey said. “If she knew that I was here, she wouldn’t have dared to stand up to give an offering. She’s been dodging me for weeks.
“Oh no! Stacey, don’t worry about it…”
Before Randi could finish her sentence, Stacey had grabbed her purse and walked towards the center aisle holding a piece of paper. As she approached the tenant, her rage blossomed. She walked up to the tenant and handed her the paper. The woman looked confused.
“You’ve just been evicted. Now get out of my house,” Stacey demanded. The tenant did not reply, but just stood, shocked, in front of the whole congregation.
Stacey walked out of the church in a rage. Randi instantly got up to follow her. Seeing all of the commotion, the usher sat next to Randi’s children.
“Stacey, wait!” Randi cried out as she continued to run behind her. Stacey finally began to slow down. As she approached her car, Randi could see that she was in tears.
“What’s wrong, Stacey? What’s going on?” Randi asked as she got into the passenger seat, refusing to allow Stacey to leave.
“I hate it when people take my kindness for weakness. My husband is breathing down my neck over that money and that heifer stood up there trying to sow something that she doesn’t have to give. That’s why I can’t stand church people!” Stacey sobbed.
Sasha: African American Romance Page 5