Vows of Deception: Something old, new, borrowed, and BLUE... (9 page)

Walking into the gymnasium with so much on her mind she felt a migraine coming on. She had to get out of her current living situation. Living with him was going to cause her too go mad. Looking around for a seat, she happened to find a spot open near the center net. The game had started already but it seemed she had only missed five minutes. That was enough to feel terrible about missing it over a pointless discussion with that bastard. When she first spotted Niecee she could tell she looked a little off. As soon as Niecee saw her she instantly brightened up and that warmed Danni’s heart. ‘She was happy to see her.’

“Glad you could make it.” She was so focused on the floor she didn’t realize she wasn’t alone anymore.

“Hey Mark.”

“Hey Miss Danni.” Mark gave off a dazzling smile that caused Danni to give him a second glance. His cologne was making her dizzy it was so alluring. ‘Had Lamont ever smelled so well,’ she questioned herself.

“Uhm, sorry I got here so late.” She had to clear her throat.

“Better late than never. Do you see that smile on her face?”

“…” Danni only nodded because Niecee was beaming on the floor.

“That’s because of you. Sure she was happy because I was here but she was looking a little off before you showed up.”

“At least somebody is happy.” She said to herself or so she thought.

“Are you not happy Miss Danni?” He asked never taking his eyes off of the floor.

“At the moment yes.”

“And every other moment?”

“It could be better but I won’t complain.”

“It wouldn’t do any good if you did.”

“My father always said that.” Danni chortled.

“Wise man.” Mark chuckled. “So what are you going to do different to get your joy back?”

“To start, I’m getting a divorce.”

“Getting or filing? There’s a difference.”

“Already filed.” Danni didn’t know why she felt so at ease to discuss her issues with Mark. He seemed so easy to talk to. They never took their eyes off the game as they had their back and forth.

“Are you sure that was the right thing to do? Have you gone over all of the pros and cons of something so final?”

“You sound like my lawyer.”

“Just asking.”

“Yes I have. There is no other way. The bond is broken, there is no going back.”

“Well good luck with everything.”

“Thank you.”

They watched the rest of the game cheering for the team and making side comments. They sounded like announcers there was so much conversation going on about the game. When it was over they went out on the floor to greet Niecee. The team was off to the side after shaking hands with the losing team. Danni attempted to leave because she saw nothing but parents waiting around for their kid but Mark wasn’t having it. He had placed a hand near the small of her back ushering her over to stand near him as they waited for the coach to finish his speech.

“Miss Danni!” Niecee ran up and hugged her tight. If she was honest with herself, Danni would have to say she needed that hug. It was filled with love.

“You did so good out there.”

“Thank you.”

“Is Miss Danni the only person here?” Mark asked jokingly.

“Sorry, hey daddy.”

“That’s more like it.”

“Miss Danni, can you come out to my celebratory dinner with us?”

“Niecee…”

“Sweetie…” They both laughed for speaking at the same time. “I’m sorry go ahead.”

“No you go. Ladies first.”

“What I was going to say was, I didn’t want to intrude on father and daughter time.”

“You won’t be intruding. If you aren’t busy we would love for you to join us.” Mark said with a smirk on his face. He knew she was having a hard time telling Niecee no to anything so he only tried to give her an out.

“Please Miss Danni.” Niecee pulled no stops with her persuasion. She was currently putting the puppy dog face on blast.

“Ok, how could I possibly say no to a face like that?”

“Yes!”

The three left the school with Mark leading the way. They ended up at a family soul food restaurant on the
urbanisque
side of town. Danni had only driven to these parts when visiting with a family of a patient but never of her own accord. Although she felt completely out of place, somehow she felt safe being with Mark. He walked with an aura of confidence. Without a care in the world as if he was the top dog and no one could top him. The crowd of people even seemed to notice when he stepped over the threshold. Danni didn’t know whether she wanted to be afraid or turned on.

So many street type of men were speaking to him and calling him by name. Quite a few of people called him by some other name that she hadn’t heard before. Nor would she, it’s not like she knows him intimately. Intimately? Danni was mentally slapping herself for letting her mind wander with the simple word such as intimate. ‘What has gotten into me?’ She questioned herself. Personally was the word she had intended on using not the other one. Obviously she was having some withdrawals in the bedroom department. In her feelings so much lately that she hadn’t even touched herself to alleviate some of the buildup.

On the way to the table he had stepped aside to let her go before him with Niecee leading the way. His hand brushed the small of her back for the second time that night. Her hormones were out of control by now for sure. The first time she felt tingles all over but she brushed them off. This time however left a load of heat where his hand once was. It slowly started to spread through her body. An attempt to shake it off only caused him to inquire what was wrong. She used the ancient excuse for being a little nippy.

“So what has you so preoccupied Miss Danni? You seem to be deep in thought when my daughter isn’t talking your head off.” Mark asked when Niecee went to the restroom. Danni regarded him for a few minutes before considering telling him what the problem was. One thing was for sure she couldn’t tell him of her attraction to him. That would be wrong on so many different scales.

“I have to find me an apartment, condo, house, or something before I go to jail for murder.” Danni said with a straight face only to gain a chuckle from Mark.

“That would be drastic don’t you think?”

“No.”

“You can’t let other folks steal your joy sweetheart.”

“Too late for that line.”

“It’s not a line and it’s never too late.”

“I hear you.”

“I know you hear me because you are responding but until you absorb the words, nothing will change. Now feel me.”

“So you are the therapist now?” Danni didn’t mean to sound condescending but she felt some type of way that he was trying to coach her on how to feel.

“Never that. But I have lived, learned, and done better with each life lesson.” He smirked at her. Before she could say anything else Niecee came back. They went about dinner like nothing had ever taken place. Mark didn’t even seem the least bit offended from the defensive way she spoke to him. Why couldn’t she have a man like that? Instead of the jackass she was now stuck under the same roof as.

The next day at work just continued to drive her heavy into an abyss of depression and loss of self-worth. Not only did Lamont eat her last raisin bagel but he drank the coffee she had gotten up early to prepare while she showered. On an empty stomach, she rushed to work with her gas tank damn near on empty as well. With there being no money in the account there was nothing she could do. Her actual payday wasn’t until next week and thankfully with the last twenty-five bucks she had, she was able to open another account at another bank. In the meantime she didn’t have a clue what she would do. She could always ask her parents for a loan but that was going to be the last resort.

Finally arriving at work, she realized that she left her office keys at home. There was no way in hell she was going back so the janitor had to let her in. Hoping the day couldn’t get any worst, she soon got her answer when her boss called her into his office. NO doubt something was wrong to be called in so early in the day and on a Friday. Her gut was telling her that this was terribly wrong. Taking a seat in the cold, plain office she greeted the stuck up man with the expensive suit. He hardly ever showed his face at the hospital as is and now he wanted to see her.

“Danielle, do you enjoy working for this institute?”

“Yes sir.”

“It has been brought to my attention that you seek other employment.”

“I’m sorry sir. I’m not sure I understand where this is coming from.”

“You do know the term moonlighting, correct?”

“Yes sir but I am seeking a part-time job to help supplement my income.”

“Perhaps you should try living within your means Danielle.”

“Pardon me sir, but me living within my means is all I know. The problem I am boggled with is that I am going through a divorce.”

“That brings me to my next dilemma. An issue of that magnitude brings concern to the board of whether it’s wise of you to see patients while going through personal situations.”

“…” Danni was floored at the way this uppity man was speaking to her as if she has no professionalism available for her to do her job properly.

“It is with grave displeasure that we must put you on a leave of absence until further notice. Effective immediately.”

“Thank you sir.” With the last bit of restraint Danni had left, she hightailed it out of the bastard’s office to her own. Hastily she gathered her belongings before security showed up to ensure she didn’t go out with a bang per say. She knew the routine and protocol all too well. When the door opened she just assumed it was them coming for her.

“Meet me at our spot for lunch.” She heard Beejay rush out instructions before she could turn around security had shown up. Instead of replying she just nodded and kept it moving out of the building. Tears were blocked from escaping her eyes. Her life was in shambles and there was nothing she could do about it. There was no doubt in her mind that Lamont was behind this. Being spiteful for having been embarrassed at his job, or so he says. He was the true embarrassment.

“Hello?” She answered her ringing cell blindly. Not really caring who it was.

“May I speak with Danielle Hunter?”

“Speaking.” She perked up praying it had something to do with a job. Pulling to the side of the road she wanted to give the caller her undivided attention.

“This is Gabriella from ‘The Mix’ and I wanted to offer you a positon as a bartender. Can you start tonight?”

“Yes!” Danni didn’t care what it was at the moment she just knew she needed something.

“Well alright. You do understand this is a trial position. I know you have no experience in this field but the person we originally hired couldn’t do it. You were next in line so please don’t disappoint me.” The woman said.

“I will do my very best.”

“See you at 8:00. Where all black. Jeans, skirt, or pants. Heels or boots. Sexy is the idea. Any questions?”

“No. Thank you.”

“See you soon.” Behind every corner it seems evil was out to knock her joy from under her but she was determined to continue to fight. No matter what else was thrown her way. She just had to.

To say Danni had been having a day from hell was a major understatement. The once love of her life had totally sabotaged the only thing she had left to call her own. He had already played her for a fool the entire marriage and now he had humiliated her by spreading untruths to her employers. Lamont knew how hard it was for her to climb up the corporate ladder at the hospital and dang sure couldn’t get a promotion. Now she wondered had he been the one throwing a monkey wrench in her professional climb all along. It sounded logical. Normally it would be the woman that did shady things to destroy their ex but not in Danni’s case.

Lamont was proving be a major bitch in the relationship. A man scorned was what he was portraying himself to be. Like she had been the one who cheated and disrespected him. Meeting Beejay for lunch had proven her suspicions correct as he told her of his inside source giving him the full tea. In turn he poured the ‘tea’ for her, giving her all the juicy details that were provided to him. Lamont had gone too far in her opinion. That was the lowest blow. The only good news she got of the day was the phone call offering her a night-time job at the new social lounge. Having never done anything like that before, she was petrified of messing up.

Another great thing about Beejay was that he was easy to talk to. After confessing that she was struggling financially and didn’t want to accept any type of handout, he put her onto some serious game. Insisting that she follow him to places unknown, she wound up at a jewelry dealer or pawn shop. The idea of pawning anything had never crossed her mind before. Mainly because she has never had to suffer financially before. Her parents weren’t rich but she never wanted for anything either. They instilled in her the importance of paying bills on time. Not depending solely on credit cards, they were for emergencies.

Unfortunately for her, she married an ass that lied about cherishing those same values. ‘What a waste,’ she thought to herself. He had ruined her credit to a point where just applying for a gas card was frivolous. ‘Who gets denied for a gas card?’ Danni was constantly berating herself as of late because she allowed ‘ONE’ person to dictate her entire life. With the ending result being she was led astray and dumped in a sea of debt. ‘How could she be so stupid and trusting?’ Her very expensive wedding rings were a constant reminder of all that bastard had done to screw her over. Of what she needed to let go if she was going through with this divorce.

When the worker at the shop asked whether she wanted to sell the rings or borrow on them, she was tempted to say sale. Instead she relented to borrowing. In her mind those rings that ended up on a credit account in her name were going to be a constant reminder to never go down this road again. Love really didn’t live there anymore and she highly doubted that it ever would again. Danni had heard so many horror stories of men treating women like crap and she always thanked her lucky stars Lamont did not. Too bad she spoke or thought too soon because indeed she was being screwed with a diseased dick. She chuckled to herself from her errant thoughts, thinking sourly she was losing her mind slowly but surely.

“How much did you get?” Beejay asked when she walked out.

“A thousand.”

“Why didn’t you sell them?”

“I need them as a reminder.”

“A reminder of what?”

“Never fall in love again.”

“Girl stop. WHEN! Let me repeat, when, the right man comes along you will be singing a new tune. I get that your hurt right now but this too shall pass. You mark my words.” Beejay said with confidence. “I know you don’t want to hear that right now so I will leave it alone. Just know I am prepared to do my victory dance for being right when it’s all over with.”

“I will see you later Beejay. I gotta go find something to wear tonight. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck sweetie. You will do just fine. Just don’t drop the liquor that shit is expensive. I have bartended before.”

“That’s right, I remember you telling me about that. Any pointers?”

“I just told you don’t drop the bottles. Since you have never done this before, I am going to pray you know the basics of mixing drinks right?”

“Kind of.”

“Danni, why the hell would you apply for a job you have never done before?”

“I was desperate.”

“Oh my, you are going to be the death of me.”

For the next couple of hours, Beejay tried to drill the basic skills of bartending into her head. Now that she was dressed it was only a matter of time to see if his skills will be used wisely or wastefully. Arriving fifteen minutes early, Danni was escorted to the back she assumed where the employee dressing room was. She had chosen some black skinny jeans, a pair of black thigh high leather boots with a three inch wedge heel, and a simple black fitted sweater. Gabriella gave her a fitted tee with the name of the club in sparkly letters across her breast. Luckily for her she wore her Spanx underneath her jeans to be sure the extra softness she harbors around her midsection didn’t turn into a muffin top.

Glancing around at the other women in attendance some wore spandex pants, painted on jeans, and even a couple girls wore mini-skirts. The guys were mostly muscular and big in size all around. Their shirts fit their biceps like a second skin. She was a bundle of nerves from just sitting in on the meeting with the other staff members. No one else seemed fazed by it being a Friday night which was great for business. The manager seemed like he was bent on perfection and nothing less. Danni was hoping and praying she wouldn’t be the one who rocked the boat.

*****

Two hours into the shift and Danni’s nerves were shattered to smithereens. Two very expensive bottles of alcohol had hit the ground with a resounding crash. The manager was holding on by a thin thread of restraint from calling her everything but the child of God. By the time the customer called her a bitch for spilling the drink on the front of her dress accidently she was done. Not by choice but by force. The manager had not so politely called her to the side, reprimanded her for a poor performance. He told her the owner wanted to speak with her about compensation for all the damage she caused.

From the talk amongst the other employees, the manager was a cake walk compared to the owner. He didn’t take no mess. The women referred to him as a sexy, tempting giant with no wiggle room or soft spot for the ladies. Quite a few said that they would love a run with him but because of his demeanor and no bullshit attitude towards any fraternization they relented in any attempts. According to some that started training a few weeks ago, the girl whose place she took was fired on the spot for suggesting the things she could do with the boss. Trying to use her womanly wilds to seduce some special treatment from him.

“Wait here.” The impatient manager said when he showed her to a masculine decorated office.

He quickly turned on his heels to leave grumbling about having to work in her place. Several other slurs left his mouth but she couldn’t make them out. Determined not to cry, she tried to think of any excuse possible to persuade him to not fire her but maybe give her something else to do. Hearing the door open and close silencing the commotion on the other side of the door made her tense up. The only sound heard was rustling of papers as if he were reading while walking. It frightened her more that she couldn’t hear any footsteps whatsoever and he wasn’t saying a word. She was too afraid to turn around or mumble a sound until he was in clear sight.

“Mark?” Danni questioned thinking for sure her mind was playing tricks on her. He snapped his gaze up to meet hers and smirked before dropping the folder on the desk.

“Miss Danni.” He said her name so sensually or maybe her mind was doing some extra things to her imagination. “So you are the one causing all of the ruckus on floor?”

“Oh my God, Mark I am so sorry. I was so nervous but…”

“Danni calm down. It’s cool. Well now that I know it’s you that is.” He chuckled.

“Does that mean I can keep my job?” She asked hopefully.

“Uh no.” He chuckled again. Danni heaved a breath of despair.

“What am I going to do now?” She sighed. Not realizing she spoke out loud.

“What’s the problem Danni? What are you going to do about what?”

“I am having the worst day of my life. Well besides the day I found out about my soon to be ex-husband cheating on me for god knows how long. I have basically lost my job because of that bastard. This was my last resort. I have to find another place to stay.” Danni was beyond frustrated at this point.

“Whoa. Whoa. Calm down Danni.” Mark scrambled from his desk to grab a bottled water from his mini-fridge. Danni was spouting so many words, she was starting to hyperventilate. “Danni, I need you to calm down and breathe. Breathe. Breathe, baby, breathe.” He was speaking to her in a soothing tone while forcing some water down her throat.

“…” The only thing Danni could do was shed tears from feeling extremely ridicules. Mark must think she was a lunatic or a blubbering idiot. She was so damn embarrassed.

“Better?”

“Yes, thank you. I’m sorry for that outburst.”

“It’s cool.”

“No it’s not that was so uncalled for. After all I was once your daughter’s counselor. Now I am a blubbering mess.” She expressed with disdain.

“Everyone needs someone to talk to at times. You can’t be everyone’s sounding board but neglect to seek out your own. Listening to yourself rant will only drive you mad.”

“Still…”

“Still nothing. I would think by now we are on familiar ground to say the least. You and my daughter have become friends is a way. A friend of hers is a friend of mine.”

“Thank you Mark. I appreciate you saying that.”

“Now what about you needing to find a place? Something about you would rather be homeless.” Mark inquired causing Danni’s cheeks to flare from another bout of embarrassment. ‘How much had she said out loud?’

“It doesn’t matter, it seems I have said too much as is.”

“…” Mark didn’t say anything which caused Danni to look up at his face. From the looks of it, he had a ‘don’t bullshit me’ face on blast. Danni visibly swallowed thinking about the dangerous disposition that the employees spoke of.

“My…uhm… my ex refuses to leave our house. He is making me feel extremely uncomfortable there. I decided to let him have the house and find me something else. He took all of the money we had in our joint account leaving me with nothing to my name but bad debt. I applied for several jobs to gain some extra money to achieve that. That soon turned into more than extra income because obviously I just need a job period now. I’m screwed all around.”

“Wow.”

“Right.”

“Uncomfortable how? He hasn’t hurt you has he?”

“Not physically. Basically I have a lock with a key for my door to the spare bedroom that I have turned into my own.”

“Oh really. It’s like that, huh?”

“…”

“I have a solution to that problem.”

“Really, what a stun gun?”

“I can get you one of those as well if you like but no.” Mark chuckled darkly. “I have an apartment that you could use until you can get on your feet.”

“That won’t be necessary Mark. Thank you though. Plus I don’t have any income to pay rent or anything. Especially since I just lost the only job I had at the moment.”

“What if I offered you a part-time job?”

“At this point it depends on what the job entails. As we see I am not good in the service industry. Bartending. Waitressing.”

“Yeah I see. No seriously. I need someone I trust to watch after Niecee. If you are living in the apartment we both have a win-win.”

“I would love to look after Niecee free of charge so I couldn’t take your money for that.”

“But I am offering so is that a yes?”

“Wait just a minute. I didn’t say that. I don’t feel right about taking funds from you for watching her. I will do it but not for payment.”

“You drive a hard bargain Miss Danni.” Mark smirked. “What about the apartment being the payment? You watch her and that way I am assured she has a safe place to be with no drama. Deal?”

“…” Danni thought over his offer thinking what the hell she had to lose. Nothing. What other offers did she have knocking on her door? None. “Fine until I find another job.”

“Cool. Nice doing business with you. Why don’t you meet me at this address sometime tomorrow and I can show you the space?” Mark said writing the address down on a sticky note.

“Thank you again Mark. You don’t know how much you are helping me right now.”

“It’s cool. Now go ahead and get up out of here. I will have Big Bobby meet you at the side exit to walk you to your car.”

“That won’t be…” Mark cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

“It is necessary. For me?”

“For you.” She conceded. Before her mind could stop her movements she had hugged him in gratitude for just being there. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist. Feeling a little too comfortable in his embrace, Danni took a needed step back. Regretting the step almost immediately. “I will see you tomorrow.” She confirmed awkwardly.

As promised Big Bobby was waiting at the exit ready to escort her to the car. He had gone as far as to open the door for her and waited until she pulled away. The simple gesture was enough to show her what she had been missing at home. She had suddenly met two gentle giants and not to mention the one guardian angel with a feminine swag. Although gay as all get out, Beejay still treated her like a lady. What was Lamont missing that he didn’t possess any of those characteristics?