Marcus looked down at the man’s finger. Then returned his gaze and inched closer into him. “I would have loved to see that!” Marcus grunted.
The man looked back over his shoulder. Another man that looked awfully familiar was standing behind him now. “Look at this fucking tough guy!” He said to the familiar man while pointing his thumb at Marcus. Returning his attention to Marcus, he shoved the cigar back in his mouth, and lightly slapped both of his hands onto Marcus’ face. “Marky, Marky, Marky.” He mumbled through the cigar. “You talk back to me like that again, and I’ll slice that fucking pretty face of yours. You understand?” He nodded, waiting for Marcus to respond.
Marcus stern face turned into a huge smile, and then he laughed—he truly laughed, really loud. “Sure Uncle Louie, you fat cock-sucking bastard, you’ll have to get past my mother first; you know how overprotective she is of her boys.” Uncle Louie laughed and nodded as he removed his hands from Marcus’ face and took the cigar out of his mouth. He blew the smoke in Marcus’ direction, but Marcus didn’t flinch.
“You’re right. How’s that mother of yours anyways? Is she still lonely at night?” He winked.
“My father would turn in his grave if he heard yah talking like that about his wife.”
Uncle Louie chuckled and patted Marcus on the shoulder before walking to the black SUV that was parked behind Marcus’ car. The tall man followed and opened the back passenger door for him. Before entering the vehicle, he shouted out to Marcus. “I’ll be by tomorrow to go over the next job. No fucking excuses this time, Marky!” He entered the vehicle, and it sped away. I watched as Marcus slammed a closed fist on top of his car and yelled a few curses before getting in and speeding away.
I stood in place for a few minutes before going out to make sure Marcus was far enough. I went out and walked to the alleyway next to our building. I dumped the trash and practically ran back in. What was that conversation about? And what did that Uncle Louie mean, talk about the next job. What was Marcus into? What I did know was that conversation had nothing to do with a legal case. He did call him uncle, so I’m guessing he’s related.
Deciding to put aside my thoughts of Marcus and Uncle Louie for the moment, I searched my clothes instead to figure out what I would wear for my first day of work. It didn’t take long for me to choose the light grey, high-waisted pencil skirt with a sky blue blouse and nude pumps. That will certainly have Marcus thinking about our little weekend all day at work tomorrow; well at least I hope so. After ironing my clothes and gently placing them on a hanger, I hopped in the shower.
****
It was nine o’clock when I heard the front door open. Jeremy’s grin widened when he saw me on the couch. “Hey, Mia! How was your weekend?” he asked as he placed his keys on top of the table and walked over to me. He kissed my forehead before taking the empty space beside me. “I see you’ve gotten a nice tan.”
I smiled like a school girl, remembering my weekend. “It was so much fun. I love the Bahamas! We should go there together before the summer is over.”
He shrugged as he reached for the remote. “Sounds good to me; I haven’t been to the Bahamas in a couple years.”
“So are you set for tomorrow?” I asked as I stretched my legs over his thighs.
“Yeah, I’m kind of excited. You want to drive down together? Or do you have plans after work?”
“No that sounds good. Well I’m going to bed; I’m exhausted. Good night.”
“Okay, I’m going to watch TV for a while before calling it quits. Good night, Mia.”
He asked me about my weekend and that was it. He didn’t ask me about Marcus or any scoop regarding what happened. He’s such a guy! Sometimes on days like this, I wish I had a girlfriend: someone I could call and confide in, someone that can give me advice and tell me if I’m making a stupid mistake or a good move. Other days I wish I had a mother: a mother who would wipe away my tears, a mother who would encourage me to do well, and a mother whose words could soothe a broken heart. God! I only get this emotional and sensitive when my time of the month is approaching. So I know it’s coming soon…oh well, off to bed I go.
Chapter Nine
My alarm was set for 6:35 in the morning; although, I knew I could sleep in for another half hour. I woke up and used that time for a morning workout. I wanted to make sure I was flawless today; first impressions are everything. Well it was my first impression for the office, and I wanted to look good for Marcus. The memories of my weekend with him forced me to stay in the shower a little longer than necessary.
When I finished my shower, I dressed in the clothes I’d laid out the night before and took extra time doing my makeup and hair. I styled my hair in a low ponytail with my bangs swept to the side of my face. I completed my look with medium white gold hoop earrings and a simple thin necklace with a diamond pendant my father purchased for me on my fourteenth birthday. I glanced in the mirror and congratulated myself on a job well done.
It was 8:15 a.m., and I was ashamed to admit my disappointment when I didn’t receive any text messages from Marcus. I felt a deep twist in my stomach, thinking that he might not be interested in me any longer. I was not going to allow that to ruin my morning though. When I walked out to the kitchen, I was shocked to see that Jeremy was ready. He was dressed and had two travel mugs of coffee in his hands. He walked over to me and handed me one. I couldn’t help but smile at how handsome he looked in his all-grey suit, sky blue shirt and matching tie. We matched.
“What?” he asked after taking a sip of coffee.
“Nothing, I was just thinking you’re going to make one handsome lawyer one day.” He shot me a crooked smile, and we walked out of the building.
We decided on his car and headed toward Midtown Center City. Traffic wasn’t too bad, and we made it to the parking lot with ten minutes to spare. Jeremy had come for the interview, so he knew where we were going. I followed as we entered into a sky high building. The design and décor had Jeremy’s father’s name written all over it. I’d seen a lot of his work and could point it out in a heartbeat. He was definitely a creative man and knew how to satisfy a customer. The lobby of the building was beautifully designed with all-white marble floors and black and platinum fixtures and furniture.
We walked to the visitors’ table where we gave our name and ids to a good-looking young man. He handed us badges that gave us access to the building until August first, which was the last day of our externship. We entered the elevators. Jeremy pressed the button for the 25th floor and swiped the badge along a scanner, just like he was told to do by the young man at the front desk. The ride up was a smooth one, and to my surprise I didn’t feel nauseated like I usually do on elevators.