Seeing Red [✓]

vi. strong black woman who don't need no man

I folded my arms. "That's a Public Relations nightmare for all of you," I said. "You just announced it to your investors. If I say you lied, you'd be as reliable as pulling out."

"Pretty reliable method," Reece said and both Mrs. Red followed it by politely yelling a "SHUT UP!" at him.

"Ashley, if you don't play ball, you're going to be fired," she said.

"Then fire me," I said. "I'd rather be fired than engage in some sloppy backseat car blowjob of a relationship with your incredibly dense and ego-maniacal son akin to early Nazi Hitler."

"Oh come on," Reece soured. "A freakin Hitler comparison?"

"I'm not talking about this job," Mrs. Red said and she opened the door again and whispered something.

Then she opened it wide and Erika stepped inside.

I sighed almost immediately. "What deal with the literal devil did you make, Erika?"

Erika sighed herself, then she huffed. "Mrs. Red explained her intentions and I agreed to the terms."

"Without my consent?" I breathed. "You sold me without my consent?"

"I didn't sell you," Erika said. "This is just a deal we have in place."

"You will pretend to be engaged to my son, when the time comes, you will dissolve the arrangement," Mrs. Red said. "You have your minority team to help your community and my company's image is revived."

"And if we don't want to play ball?" Reece asked.

Mrs. Red fixed her dress. "Reece, are you aware of the show Game Of Thrones?"

"Who isn't?" he retorted.

"Well I'm Tywin, you're my horrible daughter Cersei and Ashley is a black, Loras Tyrell. You will marry him or I'll feed you to the dragons."

"Actually, Cersei doesn't have any dragons..." Reece trailed. "I get the overall point of the clumsy analogy though."

"Good," she said and looked at Erika. "You talk to your kid," she said and looked back at Reece with piercing eyes. "You, get your pasty ass downstairs and receive your congratulations on settling down."

Reece groaned under his bath. "This isn't even fair."

"Yeah well, life's not fair, life's not nice and life sucks and before you know it, you'll be dead," Mrs. Red grunted at her son as he exited the room. She looked back at me. "Ashley, honey. Let's be honest, this is the best possible situation for you. Marrying into a powerful family. Who else is waiting out there for you? You won't be a strong black independent woman who don't need no man for the rest of your life."

Then she closed the door and left Erika and I in the room.

"Should I spin around so you can stab me in the back again or will you be aiming for my nuts this time?" I rumbled.

"You're being overdramatic," Erika said.

I literally said something that even I couldn't understand. "How did she even know I worked for you?"

"Because you didn't lie on your resume," she replied. "You're too goody for your own good."

"What should I have put?" I asked. "Foot Locker?"

She rolled her eyes and came closer, reached under her dress and pulled out a small camera. "You have access to the Red Manor," she said. "You will be sleeping next to Reece Red." She held me by my shoulder. "Ashley. In this house, somewhere, there is evidence of The Reds helping Antonio Richland get off with murdering my father by bribing that judge and there is evidence of your father's shooting situation here by the same man."