Let Me Love You

Chapter Three

"Do you care to explain this, Ms.Hartfelt?" Jody Richardson, Mila's boss, asked. She slammed a news outlet that had Derick and Mila on the cover onto her desk. The headline read 'NBA Player Derick Foster and Mila Hartfelt Call It Quits'. There was a zig zag line cut between Mila's and Derick's to show that they had gone their seperate ways.

Mila shrugged her shoulders at the woman. "It's a news outlet from the Daily News." She exclaimed sarcastically before turning her attention on her nails.

Something told her this morning that as soon as she stepped foot in the building of In Color magazine, that Jody would say something to her and she did. She made Carmen, the new blonde receptionist, send her into her office as soon as Mila arrived.

So here she was, dressed in a black and white business jumper suit, some black heels, and a matching jacket, being stared coldly at by her long time boss. She could hear and see the busy workers running around like chickens with cut off heads through the glass wall office.

In the mist of the craziness, her friend Malcom was just emerging out of the elevators. With his suitcase in one hand and a Starbucks cup in the other, he started to walk to his cubicle but stopped in his tracks when he seen Mila staring at him. He shooked his head and chuckled knowing full well why she was being held hostage by Jody.

Mila smiled and waved at him.

"Would you please stop flirting with Mr.Jackson and listen to me. My goodness. I swear if you weren't the best writer in this building, I would have been fired you." Snapped Jody.

Mila smiled at her. She never got a compliment from Jody. It was nice to know that she thought she was the best writer employed."Oi, don't get ahead of yourself. You may be the best Journalist here, but you're still a pain in my ass. This..." Jody stop to point at the newspaper. "Has got to end. How many more basketball players and rappers are you gonna go through? Its not a good look for you or In Color." She continued leaning back into her rolling chair.

"So, what do you want me to do about it?" Mila asked."Stop dating them." Jody stated simply which earned her a laugh from Mila.

"You can't tell me who I can and who I can not date." She replied.

"Maybe not but I can fire your ass if I find out you have any relations with any of them. The choice is yours now get out my office and get started on that article I assigned you last week. Deadline is Friday." Threatened Jody who through the newspaper at Mila's chest.

She balled the paper in her hands and got up to leave, making sure to slam the door on her way out. People stared at her back as she walked to her desk next to Malcolm's cubicle. She snapped at them to get back to work then sat down and sighed after tossing the crumpled up paper in her trash bin.

"I take it that the talk with Cruella went well?" Malcolm spoke before taking a bite of his bagel that he grabbed out the work room. Mila rolled her eyes at him.

"Amazing. " She stated then set up her laptop to edit the article that Jody assigned. She had already finished it. It just needed a little revisioning and editing it would be ready to print.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Malcolm asked but Mila pretended not to hear him. He rolled across the walk way in his chair than turned hers around to face him.

"Don't you pretend not to hear me. So...What the negro do?" asked Malcolm. Mila gave him a look that told him exactly what he did. Malcolm shook his head at her.

"This is like the fourth man to cheat on you in the past 3 years. You know what that means?"

"What?"