Page 1 of Choosing the Chief

Prologue

Adom

“Mr. Annan, don’t you want to answer that?”

I look down with thinly veiled contempt at the conference table and my vibrating phone. That’s the sixth time it has gone off in the past 20 minutes. At this point, the phone appears angry, and I fear it will violently jump off the table if I do not answer it straight away.

The problem is that I am closing a deal with a company I have been trying to buy out and break apart for the past six months. I finally have this dumbass CEO by the balls, and my phone is ringing. Everyone knows you do not call me between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. I bet money it is my mother. She is such a pain in the ass and only calls when she needs something.

I give Mr. Cho a tight smile. “Of course, will you please excuse me a moment?” I call to my assistant, Farrah. She looks up from her laptop and blushes, and I try hard not to roll my eyes. Ever since I fucked her two months ago, she has been unbearable. No matter how much I tell women I’m only interested in sex, when it hits their ears, it apparently sounds like a marriage proposal. I need to start arranging her transfer to another office. She’s smart and a hard worker, so I’m sure a promotion to another department will suit her fine. That will be my sixth assistant this year. I’ve seriously got to stop shitting where I eat.

I give Farrah my best smile. “Will you please order up a fresh batch of coffee for our guests? I will be just a moment.”

She adjusts her posture so that her beautiful bosom is on better display. She slowly works her eyes down my body until she lands at my dick. She licks her lips. “Of course, Mr. Annan, I will jump right on it.” I hear a small chuckle from my vice president and work confidante, Sheila Baskins. She knows about my insufferable habit of shagging my assistants. Shit, I’ve even shagged her,-but she was never interested in more than my dick, so it worked out. I give her a firm stare and she adjusts in her seat. This morning is going to shit fast.

I pick up the phone, purposely not looking at the caller ID. When verify that it is my mother calling and interrupting me, I won’t be able to hide my anger. Mr. Cho eyes me carefully. I refuse to give this prick the pleasure of witnessing any form of emotion on my face. He came to this meeting with pre-conceived notions about my ability to bring his company to its knees because of the color of my skin. He has committed no less than 5 micro-aggressions towards staff and I since he arrived this morning. Today he will learn to never underestimate a Black Man again. I step out into the hallway and make the few steps to my office and close the door so no one hears me roar at my only living parent.

I look down at the phone and see all the missed calls are from one single number: Maya Taylor. She is definitely not my mother. My dick jumps immediately. My dick always responds the same way to her presence, real or imagined. It stands at attention. Maya Taylor is a fucking goddess and the most infuriating creature on Earth. I’m convinced God put her in my life only to torture me.

Her smooth, deep mahogany skin invites my touch, and her ass is an absolute work of art. She’s tall and poised and always properly dressed. Her smile is so beautiful, most men would do anything short of murder to have it thrown their way. Not only is she a former supermodel, but she also holds a Ph.D. in African studies. She never lets me forget the latter. Maya often scolds me in her sexy, condescending tone, claiming she is more African than I am because she knows more of my history and engages more in my culture. It’s such a disrespectful thing to say. I would hate her if I didn’t know that she only says it to provoke me to deeply reconnect with my Ghanaian family and culture. I’ll pass. I visit when I have to, and I even keep a home there for show. But Ghana represents nothing but hurt and rejection for me

Maya and I have been friends for 16 years. She’s the best friend of my Spelman sister and dearest friend, Ella Jenkins. Therefore, we were thrown together by necessity. We spent our college years getting plastered to the point of almost making out one minute and fighting over politics and where to party the next. Once we graduated from college, she went away to Paris and I went to London. Ella stayed in Atlanta with that jerk-off Marcus Banks.

When Maya and I came back to Atlanta five years later, the two of us barely knew each other; the only thing we had in common was Ella. That is the way it has been for the past six years, and that’s why I am so surprised by her missed calls. Ella left for Ghana a little over a week ago for a month. She went to build schools for my arrogant cousin, king Kofi Ajyei. I do not trust him or his intentions, so I also went to Ghana to ensure my Ella would be all right. I stayed for a few days and returned only two days ago to ensure this meeting took place. Something must be wrong with Ella. If anything has happened to her, I will kill Kofi with my bare hands.

When I finally pick up the phone and call Maya back, a man answers the phone. I do not know why I am instantly jealous, but I am. My speech is a bit rough. “Who the fuck is this?”

The man on the other line takes a deep breath. “Thank God, you finally answered. This is Dr. Michael Singleton. I’m calling because your sister has been in a very serious car accident.”

My sister? I am an only child.“I’m sorry, what? Who has been in a serious car accident?”

“I know this must come as a shock.” His voice goes soft. I imagine this is the voice he has honed over the years to deliver bad news to families and loved ones with minimum impact. But I don’t need to be coddled right now. I need him to tell me who the fuck is in the hospital.

“Your sister, Maya, was in a head-on collision this morning, and it has seriously injured her.” I lose my breath for a few seconds. The thought of one of the few women that makes me give a damn being thrown around in a metal death trap makes life go black for a moment. I snap back in time to hear the rest of what Dr. Singleton has to say.

“She is in a coma but stabilized. You and a Ms. Ella Jenkins are listed as her emergency contacts. However, Ms. Ella Jenkins is not responding to any of our calls and the number listed for you did not work.”

I nod my head, forgetting for a moment that he cannot see me. I change my number often to dodge my mother. But he doesn’t need to know that. “Yes, Ella is in Africa on business. Tell me, how did you get my number?” I must not have taken enough of the edge out of my voice because the doctor’s voice turns apologetic.

“Well, her phone was in her purse and we saw a text from you wishing her a Happy Birthday and you called her sister. So, we figured it out. Look, I know that is an invasion of privacy and that you two could be estranged for all I know. But I could not just let Maya lie here alone. She is going to need someone to help her when she wakes up, and…”

His voice trails off, and this time I see flashes of red in between the black. Why is he talking like he knows her…intimately? He talks like she is his—or once was. “Dr. Singleton, do you know my sister outside of this accident?”

“I do. We both work here at Emory. Maya and I dated for a few months, two years back. We remained very good friends. I remember her saying she was estranged from her family. But I am sure she would make an exception in this case. In my experience, a person comes out of coma quicker and heals faster when a loved one is near. I hope that you will be that person for her. She needs a lifeline.”

I place the phone on speaker and walk over to my desk. I place the phone on the glass surface screen up and loosen my tie a bit. I then walk over to my bar and pour myself a strong glass of Louis XVI. This shit is too much. I almost forget I have the doctor who used to fuck Maya on the line until I hear him clear his throat.” Ummm, Mr. Annan, you’re not her brother, are you?”

I run my hand over my face and then smirk. “What makes you say that, doctor?”

He chuckles. “Well, first of all, you’re not in your car yet. Secondly, you asked me how I knew Maya, like a jealous lover, not like a brother. Whoever you are- you must be very important to Maya.”

I pause. “How do you know that?”Please tell me you have empirical data that proves I drive her as crazy with desire as she drives me.

He clears his throat again. That’s a nervous tick—a tell. “Well, she has your text messages and emails in a folder on her phone entitled, ‘When I finally need someone.’” I almost choke on my drink. Maya hates to need anyone. Like me, she curates her life in such a way that guarantees she never will.

The doctor continues. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but the reason Maya and I did not make it is because she told me she never wants an exclusive relationship. Her exact words were that she never wants to need another person. That stuck with me, because it was the only thing that could make me let her go.” He pauses and swallows back something in his throat.He soft.“Now, Maya’s not awake to confirm this claim, but I think she needs someone now. Especially given the circumstances around the accident.”

I put my drink down. “What circumstances?”

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