She didn’t have much to her breasts but I could tell they were just big enough to grab and squeeze. She was definitely the “take home to momma” type. I watched as she was locking up the place.
“Hold that door, baby girl,” the O.G. hollered as he rushed up.
“Grab some of these things, son.” He handed me a bucket of cleaning supplies. I grabbed them and followed him in.
Knowing I wasn’t in any position to holla at any respectable-type chick, a girl like her, I didn’t even look in her direction as we walked in.
“Good evening,” I heard a soft voice say. I was surprised that she’d acknowledged me.
“How you doing?” I tried to sound polite and gentlemen-like.
“Very good, thank you. Have a good night,” she said as she walked away.
“You too.” I nodded.
A nigga was feeling real low right about now. Before I’d gotten locked up, I could pull any girl I wanted, because my game was always tight. No woman could deny me: black, white, hood, rich, whatever they were, they loved them some Breezy Breeze. I had all the accessories to go along with my good looks and irresistible charm, too. The money, clothes, jewels, and cars. There was no way I could come at this bank lady, broke, fresh out of jail, and working a janitorial job. What real bitch would want a nigga like that? I really had to do something about my situation.
“Son, getting here on time is half the battle. Now let’s get to work,” the O.G. said while taking the cleaning supplies I was holding and handing me a dust vacuum.
“You know how to use that?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” I lied. I’d never used one, but I knew I could figure it out.
“Well, get to work!”
This gig was a piece of cake. The rules were simple. Anything left on the desk, I couldn’t dare touch. I had to make sure the trash was emptied every night, vacuum, and dust. I had to clean up the bathrooms and break rooms, sweep and mop if there was a spill. There was no way I could fuck that up!
Chapter 2
All in a Day’s Work Tanisha
Clients can really stress me out, but Mr. Biggs and his wife earned the grand prize. Mr. Biggs was one of the bank’s biggest clients, as well as one of my biggest headaches. As soon as I saw him coming off the elevator, I took a fast detour into my office, quickly picked up the phone, and put it to my ear. I pulled up my computer screen and pretended to be deep in conversation with whomever was on the phone. Even though I put on an Oscar-winning performance, Mr. Biggs still rudely walked into my office and interrupted me.
“Ms. Johnson, may I speak with you for a moment?” He stood in front of my desk.
I held up one finger to signal that I’d be with him in a minute, as I wrapped up my bogus phone conversation.
“What can I do for you today, Mr. Biggs?” I tugged at my skirt as I stood up, in an attempt to lengthen it a bit.
“There are quite a few things that come to mind,” Mr. Biggs said while walking toward me. He grabbed my hand, then whispered in my ear, “When are you gonna stop playing hard to get? A little Southern beauty like you should be getting spoiled, not working hard every day as some little old bank branch manager.”
My stomach turned as I felt the heat from Mr. Biggs’s breath on my forehead. That sensation along with the combined scent of Doublemint gum and Prada cologne really made me want to vomit.
“Daddy, Daddy.” Mr. Biggs’s moment of sexual harassment was interrupted by his kids running into my office.
“Hey, Jaden. Hi, Kaylyn!” I happily greet them.
“Hi, Ms. Johnson!” They rushed into my arms, greeting me with big hugs.
“What’s going on in here?” Maria walked in with the same rude demeanor she had on a daily basis. I couldn’t figure out if she was just a miserable person or if she had a personal vendetta against me.
“Nothing, sweetheart, just discussing some last-minute business transactions with Ms. Johnson,” Mr. Biggs lied.
“Looks like a little more than talking was going on from where I was standing,” Maria said, eyeing Mr. Biggs. Then she directed her attention to me. “Are you hard of hearing, darling? Otherwise I don’t understand why you must be so close to my man when he’s speaking to you.”
More like your man is all up on me, bitch, I said in my head, but wouldn’t dare let that type of language come out of my mouth. I was much too classy to stoop to Maria’s level. I chose to ignore her comment, and turned toward Mr. Biggs. “Is there anything else you need today, Mr. Biggs? Was everything taken care of for you” I asked.
“Everything is fine, Ms. Johnson,” he replied. “As ususal,” he leaned in and whispered to me when he noticed Maria was distracted with Kaylyn.
“Well, let’s head to dinner. I’ve got reservations for us downtown. Come on, kids,” Maria snapped, getting back to Mr. Biggs and me.
“Bye, Ms. Johnson!” the kids said in unison.
“Wait a minute. Don’t forget your candy. You know Ms. Johnson always gives you candy.” The kids rushed over to get their lollipops.
“After dinner.” Maria snatched the candy from the kids’ hands and they all headed out the door.
I was happy to see Mr. Biggs and Maria leave, but each time I saw those little rug rats they grew on me more and more. They were the only pleasurable part of Mr. Biggs and Maria’s weekly visits. It was sad they had such a horrible person as a mother. It’s against everything I know as a Christian to talk about people, but, truth be told, I didn’t have anything nice to say about that woman. It took everything in me not to curse her out each time Maria’s snobbish behind walked in the bank, with her nose in the air looking down on everybody like she’s better than us. It’s only by God’s grace that her kids hadn’t turned out like her. They’re so cute and well mannered. I always looked forward to seeing them every week.
It was obvious Maria didn’t like me, but I guess when your man is always with another woman, you would have to be on the defensive. On the other hand, if the cheating was that bad for Maria, she could have left him a long time ago. Rumor had it, Jaden and Kaylyn weren’t Mr. Biggs’s kids anyway, so she could easily have left without any ties. I guess to some women, money was all worth it. It was customary for Mr. Biggs to flirt and make passes at women in the bank while Maria wasn’t looking, or especially if she wasn’t around, but sometimes he was bold enough to do it practically right in front of her. He’s the kind of man who just won’t take no for an answer.
My secretary buzzed not even five minutes after Mr. Biggs and Maria had walked out of my office. “Ms. Johnson, the tellers need you up front.”
“Mrs. Biggs, unfortunately, our shipment is running late. I won’t have those brand new hundreds for you for the next hour. As an alternative, I can get you brand new fifty dollar bills,” I heard my lead teller say as I walked up.
“I’ve been coming in the branch every week at 4:00 P.M. with the same request. This isn’t anything new. I want my hundreds. And I want them now,” Maria demanded as she looked me up and down while clenching her Chanel purse.
For the next ten minutes, she gave me a lecture about how much she and Mr. Biggs had invested with the bank, as though they were our only big clients. Believe me, we had other clients with much more than Mr. Biggs. As my temples tightened, I decided to call another branch. Fortunately, they had those precious brand new hundreds Maria so desperately needed.
“I’m going to have to go to another branch to get the money for you, Maria. It will take me about thirty minutes. Is that okay?” I asked, hoping she would decline my offer since she had dinner plans.
“You’re ruining my dinner plans, but I will