The Boy Is Mine - The Finale (BWWM Romance) Page 4

  He calmly closed the door behind me and walked to his fridge. He came back with two beers and handed me one.

  “This one is for you killer, it will help calm you down.”

  I rolled my eyes and took a sip, “Now tell me.”

  “Come have a seat,” he said while walking over to his couch. We took seats on opposite sides of the room. “I was in a meeting earlier. I was meeting with my new bar manager to discuss the plan for the first year.”

  “I didn’t see your manager there, it was just you and that blonde.”

  He shook his head and smiled, “My new bar manager isn’t a male, she’s a female. That’s who you saw me with.”

  Everything began to dawn on me. I’d made a fool of myself…again.

  “Wait, then why did you all need to drink wine? It looked like more of a date to me.”

  “I’m in the bar business now, we’re all about the booze. But seriously, most of my meetings have alcohol in the midst. You need to keep people happy in this business and make them feel comfortable. Liquor loosens everyone up.”

  If I were a light complexion, my entire face would have been red from the embarrassment. I’d really gone off the handle again. I tried to hold it back, but it came bursting forth like a stampede of bulls. It was silly and childish. I was way too impulsive. I needed a therapist.

  “Ugh,” was all that I could say before hiding behind my hands.

  “It’s all right, babe. Although I may have a black eye in the morning after that slap that you gave me.”

  His laughing and played it off which made me feel worse. He shouldn’t have to put up with my behavior.

  “I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

  He stood and closed the distance between us. I stood up and he hugged me, “It’s nice to know that you care about me so much. Please believe me when I say, I’ll never cheat on you. I value my safety.”

  “Stop it, I’m embarrassed as much as it is.”

  “Oh no, baby. I deserve to hold this over your head for a while longer. I love you but I will get so many jokes from this.”

  “I guess I deserve that.”

  “Ooh, you should have seen your face! I know that you don’t want to hear this but you’re incredibly sexy when you’re angry. I think that’s one of the reasons why I love you. You’re cute no matter what.”

  “I love you too,” I replied before I kissed him.

  “You know this is the first time I’ve fallen in love since my divorce. I owe you for the support you’ve shown me.”

  “It’s no problem at all. I actually need to get some counseling, too.”

  “Really?”

  “Can’t you tell? I’m crazy.”

  He laughed, “But I like that though.”

  “Sure, you do.”

  “The next time I meet with Julie, you can come along if you felt so left out.”

  “Who is Julie?”

  “The manager silly.”

  I sighed, “I just may take you up on that offer. It will help me put all of my negative feelings to rest.”

  #Chapter5

  “I don’t mean to pry but...”

  Julie

  Michael made good on his promise the following week. He invited me to a networking event. It was earlier in the evening so a lot of people from the same industry that he worked with would be drinking and networking. Michael was a little excited about it because it was a great opportunity to get his name, face and business out there.

  I made sure that I was dressed to kill so that he could be proud to have me on his arm. I liked the new Michael and I appreciated him taking me out in public. I really liked that our relationship was making progress. We weren’t just screwing behind closed doors and pretending like we didn’t know or love each other in public.

  Julie met us there. Michael had given me a “please be nice” pep talk before we entered the bar. I think the only reason he dealt with me so well is because he had Kenneth for a younger brother who would act out in public.

  Michael spotted Julie as soon as we walked through the door. He ushered me over to where she was. She turned and looked at us, smiling.

  “Hey, Michael!” She said before she threw her arms around his neck.

  He gave me an “I’m sorry” look before he peeled her off of him. I took a few deep breaths; I was going to behave the way that he asked me to, I wasn’t going to embarrass him or myself.

  “Hey Julie, I wanted to take the time to formally introduce you to my girlfriend, Patrice. Patrice, this is my bar manager Julie.”

  Julie tried to keep her sweet smile but it was faltering. The surprise registered on her face and I could tell she didn’t expect that a woman like me could get a man like him. I’d just met her thirty seconds ago and I already didn’t like her. However, I remained professional, for Michael.

  “Hello Julie, it’s so nice to meet you,” I said before I extended my hand to her.

  “It’s nice to meet you too.” She gave my hand a quick and timid shake.

  I probably should’ve smiled but couldn’t muster it. So instead, I kept my facial expressions as neutral as possible.

  The three of us stood around making small talk and I watched as the two of them talk about future plans and the status of the bar. Before we got too deep, someone caught Michael’s eye.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, that’s Andrew Sutton. I need to speak with him, he owns an event company.”

  “Do you want me to go over and grab him?” Julie asked confidently.

  “No, he seems a little busy. Just keep your eye on him and make sure he doesn’t leave without talking to me,” he said.

  “Okay.”

  “This Andrew must be a pretty big deal,” I said.

  “Yeah,” Julie interjected, “If Michael can persuade him to hold some of his events at the bar, that would be huge for us.”

  I hadn’t been talking to her, my comment was directed to Michael but she felt the need to answer. I couldn’t stand women like that. Also, what was that “us” stuff? She was just an employee. The bar belonged to Michael and Michael alone. Michael was going to have to set some boundaries with her; she was a problem. I could smell her bullshit from a mile away.

  Shortly after, Andrew made his way over to us. I could smell the liquor on his breath.

  “Hello everyone,” he said with a cocky grin.

  “Hi, I’m Michael.” The two men exchanged a firm handshake and exchanged pleasantries as if Julie and I were second-class citizens.

  From his performance, I didn’t like Andrew either. He was very in love with himself. It was clear he liked to hear himself talk and he was doing most of the talking. Michael couldn’t get in a full sentence before Andrew started rambling again.

  Then, as if he suddenly noticed that we were in the room, he asked who we were. What annoyed me was that I could speak for myself. If he wanted to know my name, he could have asked me directly.

  “Well, this is Julie,” Michael said quickly and then he turned to me. But before he could introduce me, Andrew grabbed Julie’s hand and kissed it. He was digging her and she turned on the charm. I don’t know how she kept from barfing. The kiss looked sloppy.

  Michael tried to introduce me again but once again, the drunk interrupted him.

  “Do you know what? You and your girlfriend should join me at my table in the VIP room for a quick talk. Come on, I insist.”

  Before Michael could open his mouth to speak, Andrew rounded up Julie and Michael and led them towards the back. He never acknowledged me. He thought Julie was my man’s girlfriend.

  I wasn’t sure what pissed me off more: Andrew not considering that Michael and I would be together or that Michael didn’t try hard enough to correct him. I knew I couldn't cause a scene because this was all about Michael getting new business and it was important to him. So I decided to let it slide.

  I pulled my business cards from my purse and decided to schmooze with the crowd until Micha
el returned. I couldn’t allow a great networking opportunity to go to waste. Eventually, Michael returned and I gave him my side eye.

  “I’m so sorry, babe,” he said and kissed me on the cheek, “It would have made things really awkward if I tried to correct him.”

  “Whatever. How did it go?”

  A big grin spread across his face, “It looks like we’ve got a few meetings lined up.”

  “We definitely have some meetings line up,” Julie said, “I made sure of that.”

  “You’re like my good luck charm. I knew I made the right decision getting you on board,” they high fived each other in congratulations.

  Julie did her best impression of humility, “Aw, it wasn’t just me. You killed it back there and you’re pretty charming yourself.”

  I watched as they smiled at one another, it made me incredibly uncomfortable. Michael would deny it but their chemistry was palpable. They looked very pleased with themselves, making me feel like the third wheel.

  “Well, I’m going to go get us more drinks,” Michael said.

  In my usual fashion, I wanted to go to the place where I felt I could let myself go, “I’m going to the restroom.”

  “I’ll join you,” Julie said.

  Damn, I thought to myself. You only follow women who like you to the bathroom. Now I wasn’t going to have time to think and clear my head. We walked to the bathroom and went into our separate stalls. I stayed in there as long as I could. I hoped that she would wash her hands and go on about her business. But she stood there at the sink, waiting for me. I could see her leopard print stilettos from under my door. I came out and washed my hands. I looked into the mirror and saw that she was staring at me with a curious expression. I gave her a small smile.

  “I don’t mean to pry but how long have the two of her been together?” She asked.

  “You don’t mean to pry?”

  “Sorry.”

  “We’ve haven’t been together for long, things are still pretty fresh.”

  “Oh,” she smiled, “Relationships are so fun and carefree when they’re new. Who cares if it doesn’t last right?” Before I could ask her what she meant, she continued, “I’m so sorry about Andrew thinking I was Michael’s girlfriend. I would have said something but Michael didn’t say anything, so I went with the flow. I hope you’re not upset about that.”

  I wanted to wring her pretty little neck. In fact, I envisioned it in my head but I maintained my composure and lied. “Don’t worry about it. Misunderstandings happen all the time, that’s life.”

  “I’m glad that you’re so cool about it. I’m not sure how I would feel if another woman kept getting mistaken for my man’s girlfriend. I swear every time we go out that happens. But people seem to make the obvious connection but everything isn’t as it seems.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It’s just that most people would be surprised if they knew that you two were together. I’ll be the first to admit that I was a bit surprised.”

  “So what made you so surprised, Julie?” My tone had dramatically changed and Julie began to fidget.

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m going to get out of here and work the room.” She headed towards the door without saying another word to me.

  I was a little pissed but a little amused too. She knew better than to say what she meant to my face. She basically meant that she didn’t expect Michael to be with a plus size black girl. It was good that she kept it to herself. That way, I could still hold my tongue and not ruin Michael’s business relationship, or me and Michael’s romantic relationship. She wasn’t worth it but he and I needed to talk.

  *

  A few days later, I met up with Jasmine. I needed some girl time. I’d been working my butt off and so had she. We deserved a great night with some wonderful drinks. So we hit a local bar that got minimal traffic.

  “So what’s going on with you?” Jasmine asked.

  “The same things really. I am thinking about heading to New York. Some agencies want to talk to me.”

  “What?”

  “I know. I said that I would never work for an agency but apparently I’m on some of their radar. They’re thinking about starting a new division and would like me on board as a consultant.”

  “That’s huge. I can’t believe you didn’t call me!”

  “I know. I haven’t really had time to process it yet. Hell, I haven’t even told Michael about it. I’m not moving or anything. I’m just going to talk.”

  “Yeah, sure. You’re going to leave me for New York the same way Nicole left me for Paris.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. That’s what planes are for.”

  “I’m going to remember that. So I don’t want to hear any bullshit from you in a few months.”

  “I don’t know what you’re tripping over. You spend so much time with Cedric that I have to get penciled into your schedule.”

  “Nothing is like having you around. I can see you in twenty minutes if I wanted to. If you move, I’ll be lucky to see you a few times a year. I just lost Nicole; I can’t to lose you too.”

  “You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  “I better not. You don’t need me stalking your ass,” she laughed.

  “I can see you now, peeping inside of my window.”

  “I’m going to be in good company. New Yorkers are bat shit crazy.”

  “They are not. You’ve been watching too much reality TV.”

  “No, I haven’t. The craziest models that I’ve encountered are from New York.”

  “Girl, models are crazy by nature.”

  “True, but if you were hungry all the time you would be mad, too.”

  “I wonder what my excuse is.”

  We both laughed.

  “Shut up, you don’t get to talk about my friend, even if it is about yourself,” Jasmine said.

  “I’m just telling it like it is.”

  “No, you’re being hard on yourself. You look fabulous. You know you do because I don’t lie to women about that kind of stuff.”

  “All right, I’ll watch it. I just haven’t been feeling the greatest lately.”

  “Why not? What’s going on?”

  I told her about my recent run in with Julie and about how Michael didn’t correct the event planner. I was so upset that day I had to give myself a huge pep talk.

  “I’m so sorry that happened to you. I would have been upset about that as well. Ugh, sometimes I want to smack Michael upside the head. He’s so much like his brother. Michael loves you but he doesn’t know how to act. These men…”

  “I know. When we went home he was so clueless and I didn’t say anything about it.”

  “You held your tongue? I’m pretty sure hell is freezing over.”

  “Yes, I kept quiet. I didn’t want to ruin his evening and I didn’t want to overreact again. You already know how I embarrassed myself at his house.”

  “Oh, you mean that day when you should have listened to me?”

  “Stop being such a know it all. That’s Nicole’s job.”

  “Nicole told me that I could fill in for her during her absence.”

  I laughed and shook my head, “Don’t give me grief. I feel bad enough.”

  “I’m doing you the way that my father used to do me. He would talk about my mistakes so bad that I never wanted to do them again. You have to control your temper.”

  “I know. I’m starting my first therapy session soon.”

  “Hell hath definitely frozen over.”

  *

  I had a date with Michael the next day that I was looking forward to. I hadn’t seen him since the night of the networking event. He was going like the energizer bunny as his grand opening got closer. He called me that morning and told me to meet him at his place at 7pm. I made sure to get really cute that morning so that I could head to his place after I left my office.

  I didn’t have to get buzzed into his condo because someone was exiting a
lready. I headed for the elevator, got off on the 14th floor and went straight to his apartment. I knocked on his door and I heard Michael say loudly, “Please get the door for me.”

  A few seconds later, his door opened and Julie was standing in the doorway. Of course, my stomach dropped. Why was she at his apartment? He and I were supposed to go out. I hoped that he didn’t intend on bringing her along with us because I was going to let him know that it wasn’t acceptable.