Page 4 of Mr. On Your Knees
There was no use in lying or delaying for that matter. If nobody else in the world knew about how important this job was to her, Lauren did. Just as she knew how once upon a time, Jared had been just as important.
“Yes, he was there.”
Lauren sighed. “And? Girl, just spit it out. What did he say to you? Do I need to come over? Or do I need to pay his ass a visit?”
Desi shook her head even though she knew Lauren couldn’t see her. “No. None of the above.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “He asked questions. You know, interviewed me like he would’ve interviewed any other candidate for the position.”
“Really?”
“You said that already,” Desi countered. “Look, it was just as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. As I told you it was going to be. But you were the one who said, ‘it’s been three years, damn, both of y’all should’ve moved on by now.’ Like three years is that long of a time.”
“It is,” Lauren replied dryly. “It’s long enough for you to have gotten over a man you were only involved with for seven months.”
“You know he was different,” she said hating how those words sounded. They sounded pathetic and hopeful and that made her cringe.
“He was only different because you desperately wanted him to be. That’s why you hurried up and moved your ass into his apartment. And that’s why he quickly got you out of his place with all those permanent forever thoughts you kept tossing his way.”
“I didn’t toss any thoughts his way. I was simply up front about what I wanted out of the relationship. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Nope,” Lauren said, “there sure isn’t. Except when one of you doesn’t want the same thing. He didn’t want a commitment like that. He liked his in-house pussy while it was new and then when it started to get to be more like a routine, he opted for greener pastures via a damn sex club. How fucking basic was that?”
The pain that seared through Desi’s chest at those words felt way too damn fresh to have happened all those years ago. “We don’t have to take this walk down memory lane,” she said, putting her free hand up to her chest like that was going to somehow soothe the ache there. “I was there, remember?”
“And so was I,” Lauren said. “And that joker was too. Now, back to the interview, do you think you got the job? Or is he still holding a grudge?”
She shook her head again. “There’s no grudge for him to hold. He’s the one who did me wrong.”
“True. True. But you know men can be petty as hell when the woman is the one to walk out.”
“True. True,” Desi echoed Lauren’s words. “But he wasn’t. At least he didn’t seem to be. I mean, to be honest, he acted like he had no reaction at all to seeing me there. I don’t know if he already knew I was coming or not.” She paused and thought about that a moment. “No, he didn’t know because he had to ask Mari for my submission information.”
“So, you shocked him? I bet he was foaming at the mouth at how good you looked.”
Now, Desi shrugged. “He didn’t seem too impressed. Not that I was looking that hard at him. I was trying to stay focused. To walk my ass in there and beast that interview without him distracting me.”
“Uh huh.” Lauren chuckled. “And how’d that work out for you?”
“Well, I definitely did my best,” she replied honestly.
Now, Lauren clucked her teeth. “But you still want that man, don’t you? Girl, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you. For the past three years you’ve been living like a damn hermit, barely going out with us, only coming over here to hang with Emerson and working.”
“What’s wrong with that? Sounds like a pretty full life to me.”
“Sounds like a dickless life to me.”
“Just because you’ve got Sonny in your bed every night that he’s night driving that rig up and down the interstate, don’t mean you have to gloat.”
“I ain’t gloatin’, just stating the facts. You could have somebody frequenting your bed a few nights a week too, if you get that wanna be GQ nerd out of your mind.”
“Don’t call him that.” The comment was reflexive. Every time Lauren joked about Jared’s suave professional demeanor versus the video game and astronomy nerd he really was, Desi got defensive. She loved that contrast in him—the self-assured businessman and the introverted gamer were both sexy in her eyes. Still.
She sighed.
“None of that matters. I just want to get this job and do a great job. It’s everything I love, Lauren, you know that. The art exhibition and the masquerade ball. I have so many ideas running through my mind already.”
“I know you do,” Lauren told her. “And if it’s meant to be yours, girl, it will be. Remember what I always tell you, have faith that your destiny will not pass you by.”
“You’re right,” Desi said. “Look, I gotta get ready if y’all expect me to be on time tonight.”
