Sweet Like Chocolate

Twenty-Three

Greene

I sat at my desk later the next morning filing paper work. My head was throbbing. I only had three hours of sleep last night, aside the fact that I stepped in here two hours early. I'm not sure if it was the stress of pushing this business project along, or if it was the non-stop thinking about my family. I wasn't supposed to be here, but here I was.
Nicole didn't call me back when they got in last night, and I didn't call to check up on her. I thought that she must have forgotten, and she'd call me that morning. It was nine twenty, and I was already contemplating to burn her phone up.

There was a soft tap on my door. "Mister Green?"
I looked up from my paperwork on my desk. Nancy's face curled up as she got a look at my face. I guess her expression confirmed my theory. "Woah, you look exhausted. Do you need me to get you a coffee?" Nicole had my morning coffee hot and ready on my desk at eight-thirty every morning. I massaged my throbbing temples and managed to sit up straight. "That would be great... thank you. What's the problem?" I didn't want anyone in my office, along with this terrible headache. So getting her in and out with my coffee would do just the trick.
"Um, you've got a... visitor."
Nancy used the term loosely.
"Oh yeah? Well send them in," let's get this over with, I thought.

"I think you should take this one outside the office..." she warned, as if this wasn't even business related.

"Why?" I stood up and adjusted my collar.

"Well for one, he's definitely not a happy visitor." She widens her eyes. I swallowed and followed Nancy out my office and into the main lobby.
As I neared the front of the office, I spotted a man pacing around the open floor. When he seen me, he immediately buffed up. He quickly walked up to me. "You Edward Greene?" The anger in his face was clear. What the hell did he want?
"I said is you Edward Greene?!"

"What do you want?" I asked him.

"Niggah, I'm asking the questions!" He pulls out a gun and points it to my head. "Tell your bitch Cherry to be cool, you here?"

My employees screamed and fled the office. With the barrel aimed at my the temple of my skull, I surrender and slowly get to my knees. I needed to remain calm. "What is it that you want from me?"

He didn't seem at all settled with that he was doing. The shaking grip of the gun against my head indicated that this guy had some conscious.

"Tell that bitch she ain't welcome at Rome's. Strict orders to bust a cap in her if she show face."

Rome...Rome... the name rung a bell. I remember Nicole telling me about a man she grew up with. I was too nervous to weave out the details, but I remembered the name. I knew asking him questions would get me nowhere but bleeding out on my nice office carpet.

"The police have been notified and they're on their way!" Someone, I think it was Craig the Canadian generator, yelled, hiding underneath a desk nearby.

The man, with his thick bearded face and cigarette breath, came closer and whispered something that I would never forget.
"I bet yo White ass would do a fine job taking good care of that Black hoe. Snitches get more than snitches around here." And just like that, he stuffed the gun in his belt and rushed out the door.
My heart was skipping some beats, but I was breathing. My employees immediately responded by emerging from hiding and kneeling to my aid. I was surrounded by a swarm of old people. "Mister Greene, are you hurt? Do you need any medical-"

"I'm okay." I simply said. He then helped me to my feet and I dusted my Bloom suit.

"What an asshole, what did he want with you?"

"None of this mess would have happened if I locked the door."

"Do you think he'll come back?"

They were asking me questions that I didn't know the answer to. They were in fact pissing me off at the same time. "Everyone just get back to work. I'll talk to the police when they get here. Just get back to work." They nodded, shook, confused as to what to do or say. Nothing, they should say absolutely nothing about this or everyone's life, including Nicole's, would be in danger. "Listen you all."As some began to leave right out the door, I centered myself on the floor. They crowded around me like some followers waiting for their prophet to give instruction. "No one, and I mean no one, will disclose any information on what just occurred, okay?"
Clueless, someone asked, "why, sir?"
"Because," I said. "This is a matter that I brought onto myself, and there's further threats set in place if the police were notified."