Seeing Red [✓]

xix. redbone

I waved her off. "It'll be alright."

"Really?" she asked. "By the way, what is Declan planning?" she asked.

I raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

She lifted her other leg now, so that she was wholly on top of my desk. "After the fight, Declan said that he was going to fix this Dennis problem once and for all." Liza scratched her head. "Is that hyperbole, or?"

"Declan only speaks in hyperbole," I replied. "Although I'm pretty sure spilling that red wine on Dennis's shirt wasn't an accident at all."

"You think?" Liza snorted. "He might've as well poured it on him."

"Strange that he had it, though," I commented. "Declan usually goes for white wine."

Liza shrugged her shoulders, going for my beer, but stopped when there was a knock on the door. "You wanted to speak to me?" Lola, poking her head in, asked.

Liza looked back at me, curious and I stared for a moment at her. She jumped down off of the desk. "I'll talk you later."

She greeted Lola, before opening the door wider and exiting. Lola fully came in, and closed the door behind her. "Usually I'm the one who makes the meeting appointments."

"Yeah," I said, softly. Unusual for me. I gestured to the chair in front of me. "Take a seat."

"I prefer to stand," she replied, slowly creeping over until she was standing in front of me. "I have a lot of things to get to."

"Sure, sure." I coughed. "Lola, um, why did that blackface party happen?"

She blinked. "Because you're friends with racists?" She put a hand on her hips. "What is this about, Reece?"

"You oversaw that party for me, Lola," I said, "why was that party allowed to happen? Why were you in my mother's room that night?"

She didn't look like she was breathing anymore. "Why are you asking me all of this?"

"So you can explain yourself," I answered. "My father loved you, Lola. He respected you and I want to be able to trust you like he did. But if you're lying to me and if you and Erika and...Ashley are u to something, I need to know what it is. Maybe I can help."

"Ashley has nothing to do with this," Lola said. "Leave him alone."

I could breathe a bit. At least he's innocent. "Then tell me why you allowed that party to happen."

"I didn't," she said. "You friends did. I just followed their lead."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a subordinate, black glorified secretary and they are Ivy League, trust fund babies and I value my job." Her eyes were so narrow now that the mascara that she had on had eaten them. "I'm not going to say sorry, Reece. So, can I please get on with my job?"

"No you can't," I blurted and almost regretted it.

Lola...well, Lola's face was indescribable. "What are you saying?" she asked.

I exhaled. "I'm saying you're fired, Lola."

She took a full minute before she responded to it. Hell, I would have left her standing there for ten if she needed the time to.

"Thank you for the opportunity," she said, stunning me. "I will always be grateful for the years I spent here." She wasn't smiling, but at least she wasn't spitting acid into my eyes either.

She turned to walk out the office, but stopped at the door. "By the way, you have a visitor."

I furrowed my brows. "Who?"