WORKING FOR CAMERON DALLAS *BWWM

Chapter 22: Staying

"Hey." I greet Denise before she hops into her car and drives into oblivion.

"Hi." She takes off her shades and smiles, unaware what this conversation may be about.

"Denise, I want to start off by thanking you for getting me this job. It's open a lot of doors for me and I've met a lot of good people." Lies, all lies.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm glad to hear that." Denise rubs my shoulders. She almost looks relieved.But she doesn't realize I'm not done.

"But yeah, that's not it."

"O...k?" She stands there.

The garage is burning up, hot, even with the door open. We're on the verge of sweating.

"Do you think it can wait? I've got a client to meet with." She tries to ask.

"No, no, it'll only take a second." I exhale. "Denise, I don't know if you've noticed or not but, you have a bad reputation in this town and it's really affecting me, negatively."

She stands silent. "Bad reputation? My commission says otherwise."

"Okay, you're not getting me. Denise, you're a hoe!" I was gonna be nice about it, but she wants to play that dumb, ditzy blonde role that she so loves to stick to.

"Excuse you,  young lady--"

"No, excuse you! You've been letting your cooch do the talking for you and I'm done suffering from it."

"Suffering? My vagina and who I f*ck with it, is none of your damn business, Felicenne!" She shoots back at me. She's getting fiesty. "Your tone is unacceptable and I really don't appreciate it."

"It's one thing to cheat on my dad--" I raise my voice. "Another to cheat with the owner of the place I work at, but with my PEER?"

"The owner?" 

"The owner of Leid, Denise. Will Demps." 

She still looks lost.

"Wow, have you slept with that many people that you don't know which one he is?"

"Wait, let me think." I can't tell if she's acting or serious, but I am truly disgusted.

"He's a tall, hunk of caramel with muscles bigger than my thighs and he wanted to take me out. He wanted to splurge on me. And he wanted to be my boyfriend but as soon as he dropped me off at this house, he was having flashbacks of the time he f*cked my STEP MOTHER!"

Now she remembers but she's speechless. 

"And Derek?!" I add. "What was that? That's gross. You could be his mom! Are you really that desperate?"

Denise doesn't answer. Instead she looks at me evilly, like she's going to put a hex on me. "You know, Cene..." She breaks her silence. "I didn't want you here in the first place. The thought of a teenager roaming my house, eating my food--"

"Yolanda's food, you don't cook sh*t." I interrupt. "But I'ma let you finish, go ahead."

"I pay her 80 grand to put together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It's my food." She firmly says. 

"Your dad wanted you to come here. He wanted to rebuild his relationship with you since he was too busy screwing me and forgot about your dusty mother--"

Denise knows better than that. She knows I knock her dead in her jaw. I get in her face.

"You speak on my mother again and you won't remember your first name."