Eric (Men of Honor 2)

“Why are you asking about Janine? Is she showing her ass again?” Such language!

“She called earlier.” I thought about telling him about what Grey had said but thought better of it. Somewhere along the way, my boy had grown very overprotective of me, and telling him something like that might just lead to more fuckery between him and his mom.

It’s true that the two of them had had hardly any dealings with each other before Justine came into the picture, and he’d long since stopped caring, but I didn’t want any of this to reopen old wounds for him. The fact that he’d grown very protective of Justine and Lora as well was just another pile on to this cluster fuck of dumb-fuckery.

He’d known from day one that I had it bad for Justine. It was the way I’d gushed about her like a teenager that first day after we’d literally ran into each other. I was leaving my office building, and she was rushing to catch the elevator. We crashed into each other, and the folder she held in her hand went flying. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” She must’ve said sorry ten times as she bent down to pick her stuff up.

I hadn’t seen all of her yet, just a quick glimpse of her face beneath the fall of midnight black straight as a pin hair that fell to well below her shoulders. But when I stood up from helping her gather her stuff, she poleaxed me. Fucking gorgeous.

I think I lost the ability to speak for a good few seconds and just stood there staring at her until her blush clued me in to the fact that she was embarrassed by my attention. “No problem, here.” I passed back the folder with the papers lying on top.

I got a glimpse of her name on her resume and realized that she was the woman my secretary Janelle was waiting to interview as her replacement when she went on maternity leave in another week. She hadn’t liked any of the others so far, and we’d been at this shit for weeks.

Janelle is an African American beauty of twenty-five going on eighty. The way she talks, you’d think she’d been here before and saw all there is to see. It didn’t matter who I liked; she wasn’t about to have just anyone take her place and fuck up her shit; her words. Yes, that’s how my secretary speaks to me, and I mind my own and stay out of her way.

She’s been with me since her high school days when she tagged along with her older brother to the job sites picking up work here and there until I gave her a job as my right-hand man, so to speak, so I know her very well. On the days when her husband gets on her damn nerves, again her words, I know to steer clear and to warn everyone within a ten-mile radius to do the same. But I digress.

That day I forgot all about where I was headed and instead took the elevator back up to the top floor, all the while checking out the beauty that barely reached my shoulders. I wanted to jump her and mate before the hellos had been said. It had been some time since I’d had such a strong reaction to a woman; in fact, it might have been the first time ever.

When we reached my floor, and I got off behind her, she’d blushed and looked flustered, which for me meant she’d been affected by me as well. I caught Janelle’s attention and motioned for her to follow me down the hallway away from the outer office. She greeted the delectable Justine and then followed me after asking the other woman to take a seat and wait.

“Hire her,” I ordered. She quirked her brow at me.

“I haven’t even interviewed her yet.”

“I know, just go through the motions, but she’s hired.”

“But what if I don’t like her?”

“You don’t have to work with her, you pain in the ass. Just do as I say… Uh, I mean, please.” I backpedaled fast at the look she threw me.

“Thought so.” Her pregnant ass is ten times worst the closer she gets to her due date.

“Fine, but if she messes up my order around here, you’re gonna pay me double to fix it.” Highway fucking robbery! She already makes almost twice as much as any other secretary in the building. “Fine, now get back in there.” She grinned and went back to it.

I eavesdropped on the interview and knew that Janelle knew I was listening in because of the questions she asked. What business was it of hers if the woman was married or not, or if she had kids with her ex, and if the ex was still in the picture. When Justine seemed to catch on, Janelle’s excuse was that the job is very time consuming, and she couldn’t hire someone who wasn’t committed one hundred percent because of familial issues.