Mckenna couldn't get comfortable. The thought of her enjoying the place that KP called her own was unsettling to her. She didn't sleep in the master bedroom; she opted for the guest room she slept in each time she visited. Her bad sleep caught up with her, causing her to oversleep. Aaliyah's loud knock on her door woke her up when her alarm clock failed to.
Mckenna smiled as she sat across from Aaliyah at Cheesecake Factory. She wouldn't go out to a club like Aaliyah wanted, but she couldn't resist the chance to eat Cheesecake Factory. The large menu didn't matter to Mckenna she was addicted to their Buffalo Blast. The chicken bites had just enough kick to them for her. Almost as good as her favorite wing spot back in Florida. She made a mental note to find the best wings in Atlanta. She couldn't live without hot wings.
Aaliyah's hot body added even more spice to Mckenna's taste buds. She was amazed by Aaliyah's transformation. Curiosity was getting the better of her. She wanted to know what Aaliyah was doing at the label, and did she have to fuck for her position, like many women in the company?
The idea of Aaliyah working in the strip club she found her in the year before didn't sit well with Mckenna, and the idea of some exec having his way with her really made Mckenna's blood boil. Aaliyah was sexy beyond words. She could have any woman or man that she wanted.
Mckenna noticed the twinkle in Aaliyah's eyes every time they looked at each other. She wondered why Aaliyah hadn't brought up the scar across her face again since the other day in the car. Mckenna never caught her staring at it, Aaliyah looked at her like she always had. She had to notice it. After all Mckenna could see it in a mirror a mile away.
Dinner went over with success. Mckenna pressed for the secret job of Aaliyah's, but she wouldn't budge. She also never mentioned Mckenna's scar, how she got it, or the woman who came in between them. Mckenna's eyes wandered to Aaliyahs plump breasts. She was by far more attractive than Armani, yet she couldn't see it when she was still devoted to Armani. Love was a son of a bitch.
Mckenna woke up bright and early for her first day at work. She didn't feel like the anxious intern, but this was more pressure. Overnight she had gone from student to executive, and she didn't want to make any mistakes.
Mckenna had her first day outfit laid out and ironed to perfection. She started her normal routine of showering and primping to create her perfect look. Mckenna didn't get the same joy out of getting ready like she used to. No matter how perfect her look was, she knew it wasn't.
She stared at her imperfection. She rubbed her ointment on her scar. The prickly feeling disgusted her. She took the tip of her finger, pressing her finger nail against the scab. A twinge of pain shot through her, but she continued until a piece of the scab lifted. Mckenna sighed, she slowly pulled a piece of the crusty scab off of her face. Most of it didn't hurt, it peeled off easily. She stared at the light-colored spot scar on her face. It wasn't as bad as before, but still was unsightly and didn't belong on her face.
Mckenna sighed. She was able to deal with it better than before, but she knew plastic surgery was in her near future.
Mckenna hated the weather in the South. The humid air was filled with moisture. She could smell the rain that was supposed to fall by afternoon. Mckenna stared at the SoSo Def logo and took a deep breath. Her new life had officially started. She exhaled and opened the door.
"Good Morning, Ms. Murizaki," the cute, young receptionist greeted her. "Hey, Tina. You can call me Mckenna or Kenna or whatever you like." Mckenna smiled. A lot had changed. Last time she was in the office she was treated like any other intern. Now she was called by her last name. Suddenly KillaKenna didn't sound as good as it used to. She wondered, was it time for a new nickname, or even worse, time to start using her government name? "Tina, do you think I should go by another name?"
"Well, Jaydee calls you Kenna, so why don't you just go by that?"
"Hmm, good point."
Tina smiled. "Thank you, Ms. M-I mean Kenna l. Are you excited to be here?"
"Can you see it on my face?" Mckenna looked at Tina.
Tina blushed. "No, you are fine. You look very ... cool. Would you like to know where you are supposed to be?"
"Oh shit, yes, I do." Mckenna felt her body tense up from her nervousness. "Man, I'm trippin'."
"It's fine." Tina pressed a combination of numbers on her phone. She stood up and walked around her glass desk. Tina pulled her gray blazer down and adjusted her twisted skirt. "Follow me."
Mckenna greeted other associates and artists as they walked down the long corridor. She felt herself calming down. She glanced at the large platinum plaque on the wall. KP's first album cover dominated the majority of the plaque. Mckenna's happiness was bitter-sweet. She made a mental note to try to get in touch with KP.
"So here we are. Welcome to your new office, Kenna."
Tina opened the door.
Mckenna's face lit up with pride as she walked into the nice size office. It was bare, no gold or platinum plaques on the walls like the other A&R reps. The chocolate carpet was only joined by a large dark chestnut desk, a chair for her, and two extra chairs for company. Her bookshelf was empty, and there was no stereo or awards.
"Man, this is ... this is ..."
"Bare," Tina joked.
"No, amazing." Mckenna looked at Tina, who was unimpressed by the office. "It might not be anything in here, but it has the most important thing of all." Mckenna walked over to her desk. She picked up the small name-plate. She looked at the MCKENNA "KENNA" MURISAKI written on the plate. "This is really all I need for now." Tina smiled. "Well, enjoy your nameplate and empty office. I need to get back to the front. Welcome, Kenna. Oh, and you have a meeting in an hour with Jay."
Mckenna sat down in her plush black chair. "Thanks,T." Tina closed the door as she walked away. Mckenna couldn't resist the urge. She put her hands on the desk and pushed herself, causing the chair to spin around real fast. "Hell yeah!" Mckenna laughed. A knock at the door ended her childish antics. Mckenna grabbed the desk so her chair wouldn't move. She sat up straight. "Ummm... come in."
A petite, young woman walked into the office. Her locks, oversized jeans, Jordan's and black button-down gave away her sexual orientation immediately.
"Greetings, Ms. Murisaki. I'm Teyanna, but most people call me Tee."
"How are you, Tee?"
"I'm, well, I'll be better when you decide to make me your assistant." Tee held her head high, her thin locks hitting her on her shoulders.
Mckennn leaned forward and put her arms on her desk.
"Wow, that's straight to the point."
Tee walked forward. She put a manila folder on the desk. "If you take a moment to view my resume, you will see that I have extensive experience in the field.
As of recently I was the assistant for KP and Danger Dane."
"KP? You were with KP?" Mckenna's eyes widened.
"Yes, I was with her for the last few months until ... well ,until recent events. I am a hard worker and I promise-"
"Hey, do you know where KP is?" Tee's lower lip quivered. "Umm, well..."
"Come on, Tee, I'm just trying to locate her. She's my friend, and I'm worried about her. Hey have a seat ok." Mckenna motioned toward the chair.
Tee hesitated but sat down. She pulled the chair closer to Mckenna's desk and leaned in. "I'm not supposed to say anything, because ... well ... she's sorta banned from around here."
"OK, just let me know. I promise I won't tell a soul."
"Right now she's in New York. She's kicking it at an old girlfriend's house until the spot isn't so hot."
"Really? Wait, why does she feel the need to hide? I mean, all I heard was that she was fired."
Tee's lip curled. "Yeah, right! Ms. Muri-"
"Call me Kenna."
"Oh, OK. Well, Kenna, it's a whole lot more than that.
I know 'cause I was practically staying there for the last two months. KP went off the deep end for real. She got into heavier drugs. I was on O.D. watch."
"Damn, are you serious?" Mckenna's mouth dropped.
She thought about the piles of cocaine and weed that was always present wherever she and KP would go.
"So what was it? Pills? What?"
"Worse. Crack."
"Hell naw! I don't believe that. Tell me you are bullshittin'." Mckenna's mouth dropped further. Tee shook her head. "I wish I could say it, but I can't. Man, I saw the pipes myself. I tried to get her to get some help, but I'm just the assistant. She wouldn't listen."
"No, no, no! I can't believe you are telling me this shit." Mckenna leaned back in her chair."T'm sorry." Tee sank down in her chair."Damn!" Mckenna ran her fingers through her curly hair. She sat back up. "Fuck that, I need to get in touch with her. I gotta help her out. You got a way to get in touch with her?"
"Yeah, I'll get it to you." Tee stood up. "So, um, I know you might not want to talk about it, but I was wondering about the position."
Mckenna laughed at Tee's awkward look, "Sure, Ill give you a try out. I think you might just be a good fit for me."
Tee smiled, showing almost all of her teeth. "Great!" She pulled out an iPhone. "In that case, Kenna, you have to be in Jaydee's office in one hour and then you have your first artist planning meeting directly after."
"Oh, so you just knew I was going to hire you, huh?" Tee smiled. "Let's just say I wanted to be prepared.
Now, is there anything I can get you?"
"Yeah, well, I need some stuff for this empty-ass of-fice. Can you work on getting me things that go in an office? You know, kinda take the cue from the other people."
"Done. You will have something by the end of your meetings today." Tee turned around and walked toward the door. She turned back toward Mckenna. "Oh, by the way, thank you for the opportunity. I won't let you down."
"Dig that."
Mckenna sat back in her chair. She wanted to enjoy the moment, but she couldn't get KP off her mind. She thought about her new life. Taraji popped into her mind. "Oh shit," Mckenna said to herself. She hadn't checked in with her bestfriend and she was way overdue. Mckenna picked up her phone. It went straight to Taraji's voice mail.
"Wuz up, bruh. I'm sitting here in my phat-ass office in ATL and I realized I hadn't talked to you yet. Bet you off becoming a supastar. Well, get at me. I might hit New York soon. One."
Mckenna hung the phone up. She looked down at her watch. Her meeting with Jay was quickly approaching. She sighed. It was time to work.