There is something enigmatic about coffee especially to a caffeine addict like me. I watched my parents from a tender age as they thrived on coffee, day in day out. I didn't understand it until I began to tutor three juniors in my senior year and had to handle filling in a role in the school's drama team as vice president, three times every week we met and then living in a house where as the only female all the dishes and cooking and laundry was left for me once my mom wasn't around which was a lot.
All I can say is, coffee is a life changer, a mood stimulator and my best friend which is why I find myself every morning like this on this long queue at my favorite confectionery cafe where they make the best of coffee.
"Hi, good morning! Welcome to Tasteline pastries what-" The girl behind the counter starts until she eventually looks up and sees me. "That would be an iced cappuccino coffee with three extra sugars." She drawls with a smile.
"It'll cost you three dollars."
"Which I'll pay once I get my coffee Leila." I tell her with a playful eye roll.
"Stand to the side it'll be shortly."
"Whatever."
I move to the side and immediately my phone vibrates in my pocket. I take it out and unlock and all I see is a text from my agent.
Berry:
The meeting is by nine-thirty. For your sake please be there 🙏🏾.
Refusing to reply, I shove the phone back into my pocket. If anyone thinks that is an attitude, it's a definite yes.
Bridgit Berry was my best friend as best of friends should be but I knew she had this issue with her family and that part of her life and story she made sure to never tell me. When I got my first big gig to pair with this pen name author who I never saw in flesh until now and write a book, she jumped first boat to be my agent.
I mean, she was new to it and all but she had the right connections somehow. We never had any issues, we even lived in the same house and all was well until it wasn't.
Braydon and I had been dating a good two years when I got the gig and the next and the next. He came from a wealthy family but they were estranged a while so he had to squat with me. For six months he squatted and there wasn't any real problem until Bridgit's younger sister Tammy came around.
Tamilah Berry was everything Bridgit wasn't. A smoker, a drunk, a party girl, she was a wild card and unfortunately she had more than I had to offer Braydon if the sex position I met them in can tell a story enough.
Tammy was busty, though I am she is more-I think the word I am looking for is endowed than I am and that is speaking about her backside too.
So let me recap, Tammy and Braydon had been doing it while I was trying to secure a deal which I eventually lost thanks to the drama that followed. When I caught them I was alone and when I told Bridgit, she didn't believe me and Tammy even denied it so I guess, blood is thicker than water after all.
We got into this huge fight and I left. I left the house for a good three weeks and my uncle leased me one of his condo's. I came back with my car and my only intention was to move my clothes and any other item that felt personal to me but I had to separate a scuffle first between a fully clothed Bridgit and a very naked Tammy.
It wasn't funny and I remember the remorseful look she had given me and to me, that only solidified the end of our friendship. The only thing existing between us now was purely agent and client business.
This was all some nine months ago but I still carry all the burden from that time. It gave me this huge writers block and I have tried a lot of things to get my writing back but I just can't. Anytime I remember the reason Braydon fell into Tammy's arms was because I was putting more effort into pursuing my newly found career as a writer and less effort into preserving our relationship, the walls of my writer's block only grows thicker and higher.
These is the sixth deal in these nine months and I am beginning to get tired of my own pity party. All the money from my first three gigs are being counted judiciously now and I don't want to be termed a broke author for too long. This phase must be done with, the sooner, the better or I am going to lose my mind.
That successful self speech flies out the window almost two hours later when I storm out of the conference room and into the hallway, my now melting cup of cappuccino in hand right in front of me just before I bump into someone who is coming from a corner and the contents of the damned cup spill over the person's pants and shiny shoes.
That is when it clicks in my angry and shocked brain that I just spilled my coffee on a man.
"Oh-oh my God." I look up a slam a palm over my mouth to stop my screech.
Right in front of me is Heath Roley Sutherland in flesh and I just spilled my coffee on him. I can't begin to fathom how I poured coffee on the sexiest and one of the best male erotic romance writers and my icon when it comes to erotic romance.
Heath's forehead forms creases as he merely frowns and stares straight into my eyes and raises a questioning eyebrow. I stare back at him unable to speak and I am sure he thinks I'm stupid for my sudden loss of speech.
"Don't you have any other words in your vocabulary except "oh my God"?"
Deep and velvety as I expected. The clam on my tongue varnishes and I can feel something pool in my underwear at the sound of his voice and I know deep down it isn't my period and neither is it urine.
"I am so sorry, I don't know how it happened. I wasn't looking at where I was going and-"
"Enough pretty lady." He smirks. "At least I know you can speak."
I swear I can feel the redness if my blush climb up my neck to my face. "Can I at least get you something to clean up?"
"I could really use the males room right now." He mutters looking down at the damage and I can't help but chew the insides of my mouth.
"The males room is just down this corridor. I could show you the way." I offer.
"After you then." He says and I try not to fumble as I walk. Then I decide it's a good thing my shoes are not heels because the sound of Heath's heels has me nervous already. The sound traveling through the walls around us.
Some doors are opening and people are curiously peering out to see what occured or why I am being led down the corridor like a thief when it's not even the case at all. I may be the one leading but with the aura that surrounds Heath, it surely seems like he's doing the leading. With his elongated shadow hovering behind and beside me despite the lightning in the corridor.
When I reach the door, I stop and turn around. "Here you are-how are you going to get changed?"
Heath raises an eyebrow and I can't tell if he's amused or unimpressed with my question.
"I'm sorry that came out wrong." I fiddle with my fingers as the redness climbs up my cheeks again along with the awkwardness.
He clears his throat, "I'll ask my friend to get me something different. Don't worry about it."
I nod, "still, I am really sorry. I am never this clumsy. Things aren't exactly-just going well this morning." I tell him for some unknown reason. "For me at least." I add.
Heath chuckles for the first time since our meeting and I smile.
"I'll let you be on your merry way now miss "I'm never this clumsy"." He smiles. "I hope your day gets better by the way." He throws me a salute before opening the doors and disappearing behind them.
I stare back at my reflection on the the reflective doors, my hair let down with big hoop earrings peeking through, biege coloured pant trouser with a bigger and matching suit jacket coupled with a small shoulder bag and a pair of black pumps, my lips stretch into a big smile before I turn around and leave. I hope his day gets better too.
Sorry for the delay I'll make up for it soon this chapter isn't properly edited so forgive any grammatical and spelling errors. The other story would be out on Wednesday with only one chapter like I promised while some stories would be going down. Aesthetics/esthetics up next.
Remember to tell a friend to tell a friend🤭
Love you all. Good morning.
Abigail
