Page 17 of Marcellus: House of Drakos
He made his way to the bathroom where his valet had just finished preparing his bath. “Is there anything else, sir?”
“No.Thank you.”
The valet bowed and backed out of the same side door he had entered.
And as soon as he closed it, Marcellus Drakos, a man known for his free spirit and refusal to live in the limelight, felt boxed in.
CHAPTER NINE
“Why on earth are you so worried about them white folks?”
“Why you got to say it like that? I’m not worried about no white folks. I’m worried about Niko. That’s all.”
“That’s the crazy part to me. You’re worried about the same white boy that just fired your ass two weeks ago. That’s who you’re worried about. He fired you, Savannah!”
“How many times I got to tell you Niko wasn’t the one that fired me? I keep telling you he wasn’t even there. His asshole fashion director fired me. Probably so he could give the job to his girlfriend or some other barely twenty-year-old.”
“That’s not how I see it. I’m certain he fired you with Niko’s blessing.”
“And I’m certain Niko doesn’t know anything about it.”
“How can you be so sure about that, Savannah? He hasn’t even called you not once.”
Savannah leaned back in her chair and stirred the lime wheels in her gin and tonic. She knew telling her best friend anything at all about her situation would be a risky proposition. Although Tyla meant well, she had an unshakable habit of viewing everything, no matter what it was or who it was, as black or white. You either loved her or you didn’t. You either trusted her with your life or you didn’t trust her at all. There were never any gray areas. There was never any middle ground with Tyla. She loved hard. She played hard. She was hard. So Savannah knew what she was opening herself up to just by bringing the subject up. But she had to tell somebody!
They were in the Brewery Bottom, a popular sports bar in Chicago, after popping in for drinks after work. At least, after Tyla got off work. It had been two weeks since Savannah was let go. She was still unemployed.
“It’s been two long weeks and he still hasn’t returned any of my calls or my text messages. That’s not like him, Ty, I’m telling you. That’s not like him.”
“Who cares what he’s like? He fired you, Vanna. End of story. How much ofyou’re fireddon’t you understand?”
“I’ve been his secretary from day one when he first started that company eleven years ago. He always, and I mean always returned my calls and texts. This isn’t like him.”
“Okay okay. It’s not like him. He fired you, but it’s not like him.” She smiled and shook her head.
“I’m not going to tell you again that he didn’t fire me. He wouldn’t have fired me.”
“That semantics shit is ridiculous, and you know it. But maybe you don’t. Maybe he’s got you so twisted up in the head that you actually believe your shit. So okay. Let’s say he didn’t fire you. Let’s just say his company fired you, how’s that? He’s the boss of said company, but so what right? Is that what we’re doing?”
“Forget you,” Savannah said with a frown on her face. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you anything about it.”
Tyla looked at her best friend and let out a harsh exhale. She’d never met anybody whofeltas deeply as Savannah felt. Even when they were in high school she was always the crusader and always loyal to a fault. Even to the man whose company fired her, she remained loyal to a fault. But that was Savannah. Always giving of herself to all those jokers who didn’t deserve the time of day from her. All those men that used her and abused her and tossed her aside like she was stale bread. But she gave them her all anyway. Got her heart broken over and over andover again as if she never learned from the last time. That was the one thing about Savannah that drove Tyla nuts.
But the rest of Savannah? She wouldn’t change for the world. “Alright alright, I’ll stop,” she said. “But why him is what I don’t understand.”
Savannah was puzzled. “What do you mean why him?”
“Why would you want somebody like him? That’s all I’m asking. He’s like what? Thirty years old? You’re nine years older than him. I thought you liked older men. At least every single one of your boyfriends have been older men. When since you went around robbing cradles?”
Savannah stopped stirring her drink. She could not believe what Tyla had just said. “No you did not just say that. Me andNiko? What I look like wanting him, Ty?”
“Too young for you?”
“He’s thirty-one and I’m thirty-seven, but that’s not the point. I don’t fool around with my boss.”
“You’re fired. He’s not your boss anymore.”
“I don’t want him. And I never did. But that’s not the point. The point is I’m unemployed. The point is I’m sending resumes everywhere I can send them trying to find employment. And then I’m pounding pavements going into those companies personally just in case they aren’t paying attention to those resumes. I barely had savings to begin with considering this high behind Chicago rent, and I’m almost flat broke. And you think I’m worrying about aromance? You think that’s what this is about? Girl bye!”
