Ceasefire by Scarlett Black Read Free Book Online

Roman, I wouldn’t have expected
anything less.
    And
then, to my left, was a wall of windows overlooking the river.  Lush, green
trees and a couple of geese lazily swimming upstream.  A gorgeous view, and I
could see myself kicking back in his office chair with my feet up on the desk,
watching the water flow by, getting lost in my daydreams.  It would’ve been the
perfect place to hide, shut out the world and just relax .
    Roman
cleared his throat, sat up in his chair, and using a single finger, he slid my
resume across the desk, as if it were something offensive.
    He
said, “Convince me you belong here, Kim, because I’m not sure you do.”
    Again,
I wasn’t sure I wanted the job, nor could remain a responsible mother and work
the odd hours, but something came over me—maybe it was the need to prove myself
to somebody, to prove my mother wrong—but it happened.  I got caught up in the
moment.
    Take
control.  This is your room.
    I
offered a smug, confident smile and replied, “May I call you Roman?”
    “Of
course.”
    I
leaned forward in my chair and lowered my voice.  Poised and calm,
self-assured, I said, “Roman, that’s no way to speak to your future star employee.”
    He
grinned.  “Good answer.”
    “I
know it was.”  My heartbeat hammered inside my chest.  I wasn’t used to being
so… forward . 
    His
smile widened.  “I admire your confidence, but there’s something missing. 
Something doesn’t add up in your background.  At least, not from what I read.”
    “And
what would that be?” 
    “You’ve
got an MBA from Stanford while a lot of young women your age are trying to
decide which fraternity house they’ll pass out in this weekend.  I mean, for
God’s sake, you were the valedictorian of your class at one of the most
prestigious schools in the nation.”
    “And?”
    “ And …you’re
brilliant, apparently, so why in the hell are you an unemployed customer
service rep?  Why aren’t you out securing a few million dollars in venture
capital for some Silicon Valley startup?  Basically, what I really want to know
is,” he said, as his voice grew more demanding, tapping the desk with each
word, “why are you here ?”
    I
thought about lying.  I thought about making something up about how the
business world bored me and I wanted something more adventurous, but it still didn’t
explain how I wound up in that dead-end job in the first place.  Since I had
nothing to lose, I decided that honesty would be the best option.  Someone
would find out eventually—better to get it out of the way.
    “You
really want to know the answer?”
    “Make
it a good one.”
    I
almost stuck my highly intelligent nose in the air.  Instead, I settled for a
lot of five-cent words.  “Being intelligent doesn’t preclude someone from
unfortunate oversights.  I’m fallible, like everyone else.  And when those
mistakes occur, especially when you’re at the top of the mountain, it simply
means you have a longer way to fall.”
    “I
see.”  Roman leaned back in his chair, studying me.  “What kind of mistakes are
we talking about?”
    “Mistake. 
Singular,” I said, then regretted my choice of words.  Joey wasn’t the issue. 
He was the best thing that had ever happened to me.  I rationalized it by
thinking that his father , Marcus , was
the mistake.
    I
turned my eyes away and stared out the window.  The geese had moved on.  The
lust that had been a raging storm inside me evaporated into a tiny droplet of
water.  It was still there, but there was integrity and business to deal with. 
“The truth—the truth is, I have a son.  He’s almost eighteen months, and, well,
I chose responsibility over glory, over that Silicon Valley startup.” 
    Which
wasn’t exactly true.   A number of companies had been in the process of
recruiting me before that fateful night with Marcus.  I’d already been promised
high-level positions and annual salaries well into the six figures.  I’d