April 23rd, 2013
He kissed my lips...rubbed his left hand through my hair and snuck his right hand beneath my skirt. Once he finished kissing my lips, he moved to my neck.The soft skin on his lips caressed my earlobes as he whispered in my ear and I began to quiver.
"Sstop...Jamal, stop." I murmured
He heard nothing. Instead, he began to remove my panties. I clenched my legs together, but that just turned him on even more. I wanted this. I wore the revealing top. I offered to stay after and help with some filing. But, he's an engaged man. He's an older man. I'm only 21 and this is an internship, I'm fucking up already.
"Eva, I know you got your second thoughts about this...it'll just be one time." He kissed my lips again and continued to remove my underwear.
"You're almost 30 years old and about to get married Jamal! This is not right nor appropriate. I need this internship!" I panicked.
He shut me up with another kiss. He kissed me deeply and used his tongue. My weakness.
"One time." He whispered.
I nodded.
•••••••••••••••••••••
"You slept with him?!" My best friend Ashlyn asked.
"No...it was at the office, no sleeping."
"Bitch. You know what I meant. Did you or did you not have sex with him?"
I readjusted the phone to my ear and continued putting on my pants.
"Yes, damn." I sighed and put the phone on speaker and went to my closet.
"Eva!" She exclaimed.
I said nothing. I looked for my red pumps and a non revealing top.
"I know you hear me...how could you?....I mean...was it good?"
I ran to the phone. "It was the best. And you know It must be if it's coming from me."
"How are you going to deal with him today? Look him in the eye? I mean he is kind of your boss." Ashlyn had a point.
"I don't know...look, I only have a few more weeks and then the internship is over." I picked up the phone and went to fix my tea and bagel.
"But, you know he's going to hire you...you are good as hell at what you do Eva. He won't deny you...trust me."
I sighed and glanced at my watch.
"Hey I gotta go, I'll call you on my break."
We said our good-byes and I headed out the door.
Jamal lent me a company car an S-Class Mercedes is all I knew about it. He said,"You work the part, you dress the part, you need to ride the part too."
On the way to work, I got a text from Jamal.
Meet me at Johnathan's Pancake House on 56th and Juniper. It's urgent.
Damn, no good morning?
I pulled up to the pancake house within minutes. I fixed up my make-up and went into the restaurant.
The hostess led me to the table where Jamal was.
"Good Morning Eva, have a seat." He grinned.
"Good Morning." I sat down in the seat across from him.
We sat in silenced until after the waitress got our orders.
"So, about last night...I can not just let that be a one time thing." He drank from his cup of coffee.
"Jamal, I.."
"Shhh...look, Tracy and I...we aren't even married yet...and it feels like we have been for 25 years. She doesn't excite me. You do. You're young, brilliant, beautiful and sexy as hell. I need you."
I pursed my lips and drank from my cranberry juice.
"Jamal, I'm not going to be that girl..that woman, hell no."
"You don't have a choice. I already paid for the hotel for the next 3 weeks. Every lunch break at the Berlin Hotel for three weeks or else...you lose this internship."
He was serious. He gave me the same look he gave me when I got the internship.
*****
December 8th, 2012
"Eva...Henderson?" Jamal stood at the door frame to his office, tall with skin of milk chocolate and an impeccable smile.
I got up from the waiting room and adjusted my blouse and skirt. He gave a warm smile and a firm handshake.
"You have a good handshake for a woman." He laughed.
I laughed back, "Thank you, I suppose."
He directed me to a chair in his office and closed the door.
"Sooo, Eva. You graduated from Finway High in 2008, number 4 in your class...and you just previously graduated from The University of New Orleans also at the top of your class...you were very involved...tell me Eva...what will working for Long & Hemway do for you?"
I correct my posture in my seat and thought of a non-cliche reply.
"It's not what Long & Hemway will do for me...it's what I will do for Long & Hemway. I have the intelligence and work ethic this company needs to rank number one."
Jamal shifted through some papers.
"What makes you think we're not?" He questioned.
"I know it's not. How many construction sites do you have up in the Metropolitan areas of the South? I'd give about 75-80. Trent & Harmon however have 250 construction sites that extend up into the mid-west...you all need me."
Jamal smiled and continued to shift through some papers. He pulled one from the pile and began to read aloud:
"Dear Sir or Madam, do not hesitate to hire Eva Henderson. She is an exceptional young lady and a bulldog when it comes to her work.....blah blah blah."
He laughed. "Look, you've got it....but don't make me regret this. I have never hired a woman except to do the copy & coffee runs."
His face turned from playful to serious.
"You can start on Monday. 9:00 and not a second later...now since this is an informal internship...I'll start your pay on $4000 a month...now, you're excused."
Of course I was happy. I was fresh out of college and already landed a great internship.
