Page 52 of Business Casual

My head fell back, and I cackled. I could always count on my best friend to call me out. “I never said I fell for him!”

“Oh please!” she shrieked sarcastically. “You spent hours on the phone with him, getting to know him, telling him about your life. You even sound smitten in that long ass paragraph you texted me. And if it wasn’t so cute, it would be sickening.”

“You are being dramatic.”

“No, I’m not. You are officially into this man, and you need to figure out what you’re going to do about it because from the sound of things, neither you nor him are going to make it six months.”

“I have to make it. I don’t have a choice. Mr. Franklin said if all goes well during this contract, he’ll hook me up with his connections.”

“Holy shit, Imani!”

“I know. Just thinking about the caliber of companies in his network…” I shook my head.

“That would be incredible. This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.”

“Yeah. That’s why I need to do a better job at resisting Tre. Because I know Josephine knows.”

“Who is Josephine?”

“The executive administrative assistant. She knows.” I chewed on my bottom lip and stared out the window. “I know she knows.”

“Has she said anything yet?”

“No, but you know how it is when someone is waiting for the right moment to expose you?” I asked. “I can feel it in the air. I don’t know if she’s waiting until Mr. Franklin comes back to the office next week or if she’s just waiting for more concrete proof, but I feel her watching me and Tre whenever we’re together.”

“Damn.”

“I know!”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“As your best friend, I’m going to support you either way. Is this thing with Tre something real? Because if it’s real love, then cool. But if it isn’t, you can’t jeopardize one of your biggest opportunities. If Mr. Franklin tells all the people in his network, you will never have to go a month without knowing when your next contract is coming in.”

“You’re right,” I told her. “I have to hold off until the contract is over. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been fooled by good sex before.”

Keisha laughed. “Haven’t we all?!”

She had to go so I ate my food quickly and then placed a to-go order for dessert. With my head held high and a renewed resolve to resist Tre Franklin, I headed back to Franklin Financial.

As I entered the building, my phone rang. “Jimmy!” I answered my godfather’s call.

“How are you? How’s The Mustang?”

I laughed. “I’m great. And The Mustang is in pristine condition.”

“Glad to hear it! Before we get down to business, I had to check on my kids,” he joked.

With a smile, I hit the elevator call button. “Yeah, okay.”

“Well tomorrow any time after two, your car will be available for pickup. It is in the final stages of drying now.”

“How does it look?”

“I’m going to be honest with you.” He paused. “It looks better than it ever has.”

My face lit up. “Really?”

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