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Authors: Taylor V. Donovan
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to be held."
"He called me Mrs. Woods."
"Huh?"
"I'm nobody's Mrs.," she complained, as if she seriously expected for the boss of one thousand employees to know that detail of her personal life.
"It's been weeks since the last time I saw him," Derrick whispered, ignoring Tashana's nonsense and thinking about the time he ran into Roman at the courthouse at some point in late August. It'd been brief, and no words were exchanged, but Derrick could've sworn his boss had wanted to talk to him.
"Last time I saw him was at the firm's picnic." Tashana turned her head until she was able to look at Derrick in the eye. "Is that wood I feel against my leg?"
"You're a sick woman." He pushed her away. "He looks different."
"He's lost some weight," Tashana agreed.
Derrick shook his head. "When I started working here, he was a pretty cool guy. He was always authoritative but very easy going at the same time. Later on, I noticed he was looking stressed out of his mind, although that got better last year. Matter of fact, he looked happy for a while." Derrick shook his head again. "I don't know what's happened to him, but sometimes he looks like he hates the world and… sad . He looks extremely sad."
"What he hates is seeing his employees shooting the shit when he's paying them top dollar," Tashana informed, not commenting on his analysis of their boss's attitude.
Derrick let out a long sigh. "He's going to fire me, isn't he?"
Tashana straightened her blouse and removed some lint from her skirt. She looked far from concerned.
"What's he gonna fire you for? Having a sex life?"
And wouldn't that be fantastic? Not losing his job, but for Roman to actually care that Derrick had plans to go see someone. He'd never be so lucky, of course.
"Why was he here?" Derrick got up from the window sill and laced his fingers behind his head. "He's never come to my office before. Not once in the six years I've been with the firm."
Tashana shrugged. "You'll find out soon enough."
Derrick stared at his friend. A mix of nerves, fear, and anticipation had him paralyzed. He had spent months wishing for this moment. He'd wanted to be near Roman Bradford at least one more time. Just the two of them… alone…
He'd prayed for the opportunity to talk to the man and find out why he'd backed off the way he did, but he hadn't wanted it to be like this.
Not out of the blue. Not when he had his guard down and most definitely not when he was telling a friend that he had plans to have sex with another man.
Derrick covered his face with his hands. " Goddammit, " he cried out.
"I really don't think you need to worry."
"He shouldn't have heard that, Tashana." He pulled his hair and bumped the back of his head against the window. "Fuck, fuckity, fuck ."
"That was unfortunate, but there's nothing you can do about it." She forcefully moved his hands away from his head, fixed his hair, pinched his cheek, then grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and pushed him through the door. "Go now, white boy. You don't want to keep him waiting."
Derrick left his office in a daze. He thought he heard Casey frantically calling him, but he didn't stop to talk to her. He had no recollection of walking down the long corridor, but all too soon he found himself in the Family Law department's conference room.
Roman was sitting on the far side of the twenty-seat mahogany table.
He didn't get up to greet Derrick.
That was a first. The man's manners were impeccable, and even though Roman had refrained from approaching him, he'd never failed to shake Derrick's hand or at least nod in his direction the few times they'd been in the same room.
So what was the deal? Was Roman trying to keep his distance? And, if so, was it because they were completely alone for the first time in almost a year? Did he think Derrick intended to make a scene or demand some answers? If that was the reason he seemed to be poised to jump out of the window, he needn't have
"He called me Mrs. Woods."
"Huh?"
"I'm nobody's Mrs.," she complained, as if she seriously expected for the boss of one thousand employees to know that detail of her personal life.
"It's been weeks since the last time I saw him," Derrick whispered, ignoring Tashana's nonsense and thinking about the time he ran into Roman at the courthouse at some point in late August. It'd been brief, and no words were exchanged, but Derrick could've sworn his boss had wanted to talk to him.
"Last time I saw him was at the firm's picnic." Tashana turned her head until she was able to look at Derrick in the eye. "Is that wood I feel against my leg?"
"You're a sick woman." He pushed her away. "He looks different."
"He's lost some weight," Tashana agreed.
Derrick shook his head. "When I started working here, he was a pretty cool guy. He was always authoritative but very easy going at the same time. Later on, I noticed he was looking stressed out of his mind, although that got better last year. Matter of fact, he looked happy for a while." Derrick shook his head again. "I don't know what's happened to him, but sometimes he looks like he hates the world and… sad . He looks extremely sad."
"What he hates is seeing his employees shooting the shit when he's paying them top dollar," Tashana informed, not commenting on his analysis of their boss's attitude.
Derrick let out a long sigh. "He's going to fire me, isn't he?"
Tashana straightened her blouse and removed some lint from her skirt. She looked far from concerned.
"What's he gonna fire you for? Having a sex life?"
And wouldn't that be fantastic? Not losing his job, but for Roman to actually care that Derrick had plans to go see someone. He'd never be so lucky, of course.
"Why was he here?" Derrick got up from the window sill and laced his fingers behind his head. "He's never come to my office before. Not once in the six years I've been with the firm."
Tashana shrugged. "You'll find out soon enough."
Derrick stared at his friend. A mix of nerves, fear, and anticipation had him paralyzed. He had spent months wishing for this moment. He'd wanted to be near Roman Bradford at least one more time. Just the two of them… alone…
He'd prayed for the opportunity to talk to the man and find out why he'd backed off the way he did, but he hadn't wanted it to be like this.
Not out of the blue. Not when he had his guard down and most definitely not when he was telling a friend that he had plans to have sex with another man.
Derrick covered his face with his hands. " Goddammit, " he cried out.
"I really don't think you need to worry."
"He shouldn't have heard that, Tashana." He pulled his hair and bumped the back of his head against the window. "Fuck, fuckity, fuck ."
"That was unfortunate, but there's nothing you can do about it." She forcefully moved his hands away from his head, fixed his hair, pinched his cheek, then grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and pushed him through the door. "Go now, white boy. You don't want to keep him waiting."
Derrick left his office in a daze. He thought he heard Casey frantically calling him, but he didn't stop to talk to her. He had no recollection of walking down the long corridor, but all too soon he found himself in the Family Law department's conference room.
Roman was sitting on the far side of the twenty-seat mahogany table.
He didn't get up to greet Derrick.
That was a first. The man's manners were impeccable, and even though Roman had refrained from approaching him, he'd never failed to shake Derrick's hand or at least nod in his direction the few times they'd been in the same room.
So what was the deal? Was Roman trying to keep his distance? And, if so, was it because they were completely alone for the first time in almost a year? Did he think Derrick intended to make a scene or demand some answers? If that was the reason he seemed to be poised to jump out of the window, he needn't have
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