III.
Nathaniel.
. . . Hypocrite.
Get off my back. . .
Nuri's contempt for me hangs over my head and dances around my office with gusto. I can't even focus on the conference call going on now, because all I can think about is her, her sobs in the shower and the fury she unleashed on me as result of me backing her into a corner.
She knew about Emma, this much was obvious. I'm not completely dense as to think that she wouldn't know about her, but in no way was I prepared to hear her tell me that I've tormented her in my sleep just as I was tormented in my dreams.
Ambrose told me all about her Thompson and what he's been up to. I already knew he was contacting her parents, but what Ambrose revealed only served to turn my blood to a boil and I lashed out at her. What frayed me more, was how flip and nonchalant she was about it.
I will never apologize for being overprotective of her, that's just a part of who I am. . . but where Emma is concerned, she has free reign to feel and say whatever she pleases.
With my elbows on my desk, my head fell in to my palms and I tried to sort out my jumbled thoughts. With a dead wife, that wasn't so dead, and Nuri's ex worming his way back, I'm not sure I can stomach Nuri's silence.
I should have stayed till after her shower and apologized. Better yet, I shouldn't of even came at her the way I did.
I'm an asshole.
"Mr. King," the woman's voice directing the call came over the line. "Have you heard a word of what has been discussed here this morning?"
"Why do you ask?" I inquired, feigning interest. But this old bat has been doing business with King Industries since it's start up and it's quite possible that she's learned my tells.
"You're awfully taciturn and didn't even flinch when Stevens proposed the account with Millers and Jacobs. Well no offences Stevens but that suggestion is - -, " she chuckled. "Well it's laughable."
Stevens is usually an out of the box thinker and some of his ramblings suggest that he's borderline psychiatric, so I didn't doubt her. I usually respond to him with something equally foolish in attempts to make him see reason, but today was not the day.
"I am not myself this morning," I admitted. "I move to reschedule this meeting till tomorrow. I know this might delay the progress we've been - -,"
"There's not question that it's put a major delay on our progress Mr. King. We have been preparing for this for days now." She interrupted me.
"Well take another twenty four," I said disconnecting the call than swiveled away from the desk to face the city life.
I have just pissed off an array of clients and partners, but I don't give a shit right now.
My office door opened and I already knew it was Maggie, so I didn't bother turning to face her. "Really? Mr. King don't you know that when you hang up on people, they start looking for blood. And I'm the one they call when they want blood, you ought t be more considerate."
"Not now Maggs," I griped. "It's not a good time."
"Oh I already knew that the minute you dragged your ass in here without Mr. Hart on your arm," she said. "Did you guys get into a fight again? It's barely been a day."
"If you need something say your piece, otherwise. . . Go. Away."
She hummed as if coming to some sort of conclusion and I hear her set something down on my desk. "Ms. Hart's team has put their best foot forward with the King's Court project. They are proving to be a much needed asset around here. You've got all of King Industries working on your side, you would be cautious to keep that in mind."
Before she could walk off, I turned. "Maggie wait." She was almost at the door but stopped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you- - I just. . .," words failed me and I shook my head.
Maggie turned and settled in one of my chairs facing my desk. "No worries Suga, you wanna talk about it or do you just need someone to listen?"
I said nothing and we stayed silent. Maggie St. James is not a patient woman, and she has a temper that is down right infamous, but I was glad to call her my colleague and friend. She knew all that went down and has been loyal to me from the very beginning.
For a time she tolerated the silence waiting for me to speak first, but when I said nothing, she rolled her eyes and leaned forward to ask, "So you got in a fight?"
"Yes." I nodded.
"This morning?"
I nodded again. "It was my fault. I started it, I'm man enough to at least admit that part. I threw her past in her face. She didn't react like I'd expected and - -,"
"Well how's that?" She inquired with a raised brow her bright emerald eyes scrutinizing me the way she often does when she needs someone to get to the point.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you said she didn't react like you expected. How did you expect her to react when you threw her past in her face? You make it sound like something you had planned out."
I blinked up at her and she glared back at me.
"Did you plan for this to happen or were just acting off of emotions when you threw her past in her face. You have to give me all he particulars here Suga."
"You know very well that I have a temper, it was a knee jerk reaction to something that I'd found out. I thought she would understand where I was coming from."
"But she didn't understand," she said drawing her own conclusion.
"No she didn't. Than she threw Emma in my face and stompped off telling me in not so many words to leave her alone."
Maggie looked off for a moment and nodded her understanding. "So you've told her about Emma, I gather?"
I shook my head. "Nuri knows about Emma but she didn't hear it from me. All this time she's been waiting to hear my side and I just was not- - I am not ready to tell her about that part of my life."
"What's the harm in telling her about Emma? She'd dead, and you've moved on. I think it will bring the two of you closer together as a couple."
I havent' really got an answer to that question.
Maggie picked at invisible lint on her white blouse. "At any rate, you should never bring up a woman's past, at least not in a harmful way as though you have leverage over her. I'm not surprised she reacted the way she did."
"I don't' want to lose her Maggie," I admitted. "She's a good girl, innocent and it's like she's been shielded from the ugliness of this world. I need something good in my life."
Maggie drew in a cool breath and held her hands together in her lap. "You aren't going to lose her Suga. Nuri Hart is smart girl. Beyond the naive exterior, she has keen instincts and I think she realizes what she has with you."
I shook my head convinced that was just trying to make me feel better about myself.
"I'm serious. Right this second she is just as miserable as you are. The both of you are pathetic looking - - only she is hiding it much better than you are."
I wanted to ask Maggie all about it, but what purpose would that serve. She's miserable and so am I. I don't need more confirmation of what I already know.
"I say you two should just fuck each other's brains out and go about your business, but I don't know the real issue at hand. Hopefully you can work this out amognst yourselves. I would hate to have to take matters into my own hands." She stood to her feet and straighened her skirt.
"No one asked you to do that Maggs," I said it reference to the morning she went to Nuri's house. "It wasn't necessary."
"Wasn't it?" she asked with shrug of her shoulder. "Nothing was getting done. I took the necessary steps and things worked out well for you. Now you've gone and messed that all up in the span of hours. You ought to write a book."
Her heels moved across my office towards the door, right as Ambrose came through.
"Dere she is," Ambrose beamed and pecked her temple. "Ambrose stopped by y'desk and y'wadn't dere. Dis where y'run off to?"
"Yes Suga," she said placing her hand over his heart. "You here to take me out to lunch?"
"Oui."
"I'll be waiting." They shared a look between themselves and Maggie left us to ourselves.
The smile on my friends face was undeniably one of love. He could deny it all he wanted, but he was gone over the damn moon for Maggie St. James.
I waited for him to settle in the chair where she sat to say, "You better invite me to the wedding."
"Wedding?" He perked up, his face folding in on itself. "Make no talk of marriage, Nathaniel. Sides-- she not ready her."
"And you are?"
He shrugged. "Love be a strange ting ami. Men folk been fallin in love since de very beginnin. Seem like it be my turn at bat. An when y'find someone- - like my Maggie someone. . . y'just know."
"Like I said," peeking at the documents Maggie set on my desk. "Invite my ass to the damn wedding. I want good seats too, of the front row variety."
He waved a dismissive hand at me. "Talk serious man. What happen dis mornin? First y'ask Ambrose t'look up dis fool. He look em up an get t'tellin you bout him an y'can't even listen a while fore hangin up."
"I didn't like what you were saying," I said simply.
"Figure as much," he sighed leaning forward. "Suppose y'an de petite had words?"
"She didn't like what I was saying either."
A wry laugh moved through him. "Fils-putain," he cursed me son of a bitch, "Dat be why y'look like y'slept under a bridge."
"I assume you here to tell me about Thompson," I asked standing and moving to the liquor bar. It was the middle of the day but I needed a damn shot.
"Dat's right," she said joining me. I poured him a shot of brown water. I didn't even know what it was, but it was alcohol so it would do. "Thompson stayin put f'now, but I don' tink dat'll last f'long."
"What makes you say that?" I took the shot and let the liquor burn down my throat, the mild discomfort was like penance.
"Y'don need t'know dem facts frere," he sipped his drink and went back to the chair and propped his legs up on my desk. "Jus be glad f'de petitie sake dat she got someone like y'dat know someone like me. Odderwise she'd be in grave danger her."
That right there is the reason I would never apologize for standing between her and anything that posed a threat to her life. She could see the world however she wanted to, but I was going to make sure that when the world looked back at her they saw me standing behind there. . . breathing fire.
I poured myself another glass before settling in the chair beside Ambrose, resting my legs on the desk as well. "What do we do now?"
"Nous attendons," he said and downed his drink. With a heavy breath, he set the glass down on the desk and steepled his hands on his lap. "Got eyes on him. Thompson make any wrong moves. . . we put em down like de dog he is."
I downed my glass and said, "Thank you."
"Mmm Hmm," he nodded and placed his hands behind his head.
I didn't want to think about Cassius Thompson because he was already a non factor. Ambrose made sure of it. All that was left now. . . was Emma, Nuri's sobs and the ache that crept up in my gut and gnawed my heart.
Hypocrite.
I hugged myself and rubbed at the tattoo of Emma's initials on my shoulder silently cursing the day I got it.
"Let's go out tonight," I asked Ambrose.
His eyes were closed but his brows shot up to his forehead. Opening one eye he found me and asked, "Tonight?"
I nodded. "Yeah. That is if Maggie won't let you than - - ,"
"Nathaniel," he cut me off closing his eyes. "Kiss my Cajun ass."
I laughed and sat back in the chair with my hands clasped behind my head. "Let's just forget our problems."
"Ambrose don't got no problems ami, he got his woman still."
"Fine. My problems."
"I know exactly how dis night ends," he said and it was Ambrose's turn to laugh. "Jus give de time an Ambrose be dere."
*
An entire work day had gone by and I got more work done than I thought I would. I even managed to avoid a meeting with Nuri . . . or she avoided a meeting with me.
The latter was more accurate, cause it wasn't for lack of trying. I had lunch in the lobby hoping to get a glimpse of her, but I missed her. After lunch I even made pointless trips to her floor hoping to catch her on the elevator, but that was futile.
My angel needed space and I would begrudgingly give it to her.
Heaving myself into the Range. . . alone, I started the engine and made my way out of the parking garage but was deterred by the red light.
The pedestrians filed out across the street and I watched aimlessly until I caught the familiar glimpse of dark curls. Narrowing in, I watched as Nuri Hart crossed the street with the dozens of other in the crowd.
Everything about it felt wrong. She should be in here with me. We were going the same way.
She wore a simple black dress that was tailor made to fit her curves, and her legs were accentuated with dark heels that carried her away. An oversized bag was drapped across her chest and she was engrossed in her phone texting.
She really ought to watch where she's going. She might bump into some vagabond and he might trample all over her. I might have to get out of this car and beat his ass. She might turn me away and call me an overbearing possessive hypocrite again.
The light turned green, and cars behind me were honking their horns for me to go. They could all go fuck themselves because I would not move until Nuri was no longer in sight. Much to my pleasure or chagrin. . . I can't tell right now, she was joined by her three co-workers.
The smile on her face was enough to satiate whatever sick torture I was putting myself through so I ended it and I drove off.
At least she wasn't alone.