Imperfectly Right for Me

Seven: She's back

Lily

I am as happy as can be. Mr. Acquire gave me my job back, and he's paying me now! Surely mama won't hit me if I start bringing home money again, right?

Mama hasn't been home since the night I quit. That night when I told her about it, she beat me so badly I could practically feel the skin from my back leaving. I checked in the mirror and saw it was a nasty mark, too. Today, the pain is finally starting to leave.

I returned to work Monday, which was four days ago, and Mr. Acquire has kept his word. He hasn't been as mean and cold as he was when I first arrived, he's been giving me money to pay for his lunch and he even listened to me when I told him about the pretty blond woman that paid for my food the other day.

Of course, he still throws in the occasional, 'I do not care.' or 'Get out of my office, Ms. Hernandez.' and sometimes, 'Do you ever shut your mouth?' but I've grown quite used to that. If Mr. Acquire didn't tell me that on a daily basis, I would know something was wrong.

I walk in with his coffee and muffin with a smile. "Mornin' boss!"

"Hi, Ms. Hernandez." He replies, not looking up from his desk.

After setting his coffee and muffin on his desk, I take a seat in my chair. He immediately begins to devour the muffin as he usually does. I laugh and a wonderful nickname comes to mind.

"Your nickname should be, Muffin!'

He shakes his head, "No, you're not calling me that."

I frown, "Why not?"

"I don't like it. I don't want to be called a food, Ms. Hernandez."

"Not just any food, though. It's your favorite food!"

He continues to shake my head and I stand up, "Please, oh please, Mr. Boss!"

I keep begging him and he looks up from the papers on his desk with a glare. "If I say yes, will you stop bugging me?"

I smile, "We both know that's not going to happen, sugar."

He rolls his eyes and brings his attention back to his papers. "Fine, you can call me that stupid nickname. Just leave me alone."

I squeal and sit back in my seat, "Thank you, thank you!"

"Whatever." He grumbles

I get to work for a little, but after fifteen minutes, I think of the man flirting with Kelly on my lunch break and tell Mr. Acquire.

"Muffin."

"Yes, Ms. Hernandez?"

"When men flirt, why do y'all lick your lips?" I stand up and try to demonstrate. "See this how y'all look."

Pulling my skinny jeans down a little, I lick my lips and clear my throat, "Why aren't you just the prettiest thing going." I say, speaking in a deep voice.

His head lifts in confusion and I gesture for him to stand up. After some hesitation, he does so. I stand behind him and take a handful of his tush. "You need help with all that dump truck, sugar!"

He laughs, a deep, manly laugh that makes my insides tingle. Getting out of my hold, he backs away. "We do not sound like that."

I rub all over my chest and pants. "You sure you don't want all of this, sweetheart?" I ask, speaking in a male voice and trying to stop the laughter from escaping.

He laughs again and sits back in the chair. I smile, "You look real nice when you laugh, Mr. Boss."

"Get back to work, Ms. Hernandez." He lifts his head down and I notice his cheeks turn pink.

I smile widely, "Aww, you're 'blushin!"

"Shut up, no I'm not." He replies as I sit back down.

He totally is.

I frown, "Well how you do y'all flirt, muffin? Since apparently I'm wrong."

I'm not wrong though. In fact, I'm always right.

He stands up and I swallow hard as he approaches. He licks those gorgeous lips and kneels to my level. When his hands go to my thighs, I suck a breath in.

He rubs his thumb on my left thigh slowly, "You look fucking beautiful today, Lily."

I blush and my heart begins to beat faster. "Thank you."

He licks his lips again, and the grip he has on my right thigh tightens, "I bet you'd look so much better with your legs wrapped around my waist and my d-" 

I cover his mouth before he can say that nasty word, and he laughs. Backing up, he shakes his head and stands up. "That's flirting, Ms. Hernandez."

I blush again and hold my heart at the effect he has just had on me.

Well, that certainly isn't the same way the man flirted with Kelly.

For the remainder of the day, we work on the upcoming casino he is trying to invest in. I checked it out on the internet and saw a gorgeous casino. The outside is just wonderful. But, Mr. Acquire tells me don't get my hopes up until we see inside.

I try to stay for a little extra, scared of what is to come when I get home. Around three-thirty, mama had messaged me telling me how angry she was with me. I try to figure out what I've done. I know I didn't leave the house a mess. I wouldn't dare. After the beating she gave me the first time I did that, I don't even think about leaving the house without it being spotless.

I think harder and finally realize what I've done. I had forgotten to fix the car for her to go visit her 'Friend'.

Goodness gracious, Lily, why are you like this? You can never do anything right, can you?

Sometimes I rub my necklace at night, thinking about all the perfect women I see walking around this building every day. I wish I was as perfect as them. Then maybe mama would love me as much as she used to.

She still loves me, though. Just not like she used to.

I zone out of my thoughts, hearing Mr. Acquire tell me to leave and grab my bag before standing up. I glance at him, trying to say goodbye, but I notice he is writing in something. A journal of some sort. The cover is navy blue with the words, 'For Cass.'

A diary?

I move closer and smile, "You've got a diary, Muffin?"

At the sound of my voice, he shuts the journal immediately and shoves it in his drawer. "It's not a fucking diary. " He replies, looking at me with the ugliest scowl.

"Yes it i-"

"No it's not. It's a journal, and it's none of your business. Get out of my office, Ms. Hernandez." He snaps and my smile drops.

I nod and turn away. Walking out of his office, I try to keep my tears from falling. I really don't like how sensitive I am.

I don't think he likes me very much.