This whole thing was crazy and he knew it, but why the hell couldn’t he keep his mind off of Lateisha?
*****
Lateisha waited for a moment for Bryce to say something else. Why he was so angry about her ex-boyfriend was a mystery, but the fact that he didn’t trust her hurt even more. Not that it should; this was a business deal. Lateisha sighed.
“I’m sorry to have wakened you,” he finally said.
“It’s alright,” she answered.
They said goodbye and hung up. Lateisha groaned and lay back down in her bed. This was going to be the longest nine months of her life.
*****
Two days passed and Lateisha hadn’t heard from Bryce. Not that she was waiting. That morning she woke up, around ten as usual, and got ready for work. She shrugged on her uniform shirt and frowned in the mirror. She was getting tired of working in fast food but she didn’t have the energy to look for something else. Bryce certainly didn’t think much of it. Maybe after she had this baby for Bryce and he paid her she could do something with her life. Frowning at her reflection one last time, she swept her curls into a ponytail and pushed her hat down on her head. Grabbing a quick breakfast of Pop Tarts as she headed out the door, Lateisha wondered what Bryce was up to. She shouldn’t care what he thinks or does, but she did and it made her uncomfortable.
As Lateisha walked to the bus, the morning sun rising in the sky to warm up the city just a bit, her phone vibrated alerting her that she had a call.
“Hello?” She answered, not checking to see who it was.
The bus stop was packed and the bus that usually came at ten forty-five seemed to be late. Sighing, Lateisha took a seat on the curb, hoping she wasn’t late for work again.
“Lateisha? It’s Bryce. I was wondering if you had time to meet me at my office this afternoon.” The sound of his voice made Lateisha’s heart hammer against her ribcage. Why Bryce? Why not Ty or one of the other losers she dated?
“I’m on my way to work right now. I work until seven tonight. Can I meet you after that?” She asked, doubting he would be in the office that late.
“That’s fine,” he answered to her surprise, “I should be here until nine.”
Lateisha hung up with confusion. What could Bryce probably want to see her about this time? Probably the parental rights paper she didn’t sign. Her heart sank at the realization and her hand went to her belly from instinct. No, this wasn’t her child. She didn’t want children. That’s what she had to keep
telling herself until this was all over.
Chapter 5
At seven thirty sharp Lateisha was walking into the lobby of the Henderson Building. She didn’t have time to change before coming here and she tugged self consciously at her McDonald’s uniform. At this time of night the dark haired woman who was in the booth in the lobby was long gone and a security guard took her place.
“Can I help you, miss?” He asked, standing from his swivel chair parked in front of the security cameras.
Lateisha took off her silly hat and shoved it into her purse. “I’m looking for Mr. Henderson. He’s expecting me. Lateisha Aaron.”
The security guard nodded. “I’ll call him.”
Five minutes later, Lateisha was on her way up the elevator to Bryce’s office. She was nervous but she wasn’t sure why. What could he possibly say besides ask her to sign the papers? Stepping from the elevator, Lateisha looked ahead through the glass doors, happy to see that Blond Bitch wasn’t there. She opened the doors and headed down the hall towards Bryce’s office. The whole office was deserted at this hour. Looking around as she walked down the hall, Lateisha jumped when she felt a hand rest on her arm.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Bryce said, coming up next to her as she turned around.
“It’s okay. I was walking to your office,” Lateisha said, slowing her breathing with a hand to her chest.
“I was coming out to meet you from the other side and saw you walking this way. Let’s head to my office.” Bryce held her by the elbow and steered her towards his office.
Lateisha jolted at his contact but didn’t pull away. If she was being honest with herself she would admit that she didn’t want to pull away; she wanted him to touch her. She ran a hand over her face in frustration. Lately, Lateisha didn’t know what she wanted. Bryce let go of her arm and she didn’t like the way him letting go made her feel.
“Have a seat,” he said, motioning towards the chair across from his desk.
Lateisha thought back to the first day she met him, over a week ago, and while she thought he was sexy, she also thought he was ridiculously prim and proper. Something changed in Bryce over the last few days but she couldn’t figure out what. He wasn’t clean shaven and his hair was messier than the first time they met. She longed to run her fingers through the hair that flopped over his eyebrow when he sat down. Lateisha suddenly had the urge to run far away because of her feelings, but knew that if she was carrying his baby she had to see this through.
Wanting to get this over with, Lateisha spoke, “What’s going on, Bryce?” She crossed her legs and tapped her foot, wringing her hands in her lap. “Is this about the parental rights paper?”
Bryce frowned as if just remembering the paper, “No, that’s not it. I wanted to talk to you about an idea I had.” He shuffled papers on his desk before pushing them aside with irritation.