Page 27 of A Player's Prayer
“Shit, baby.” I gripped his dreads and fucked his face faster. “I’m about to come!”
With one leg thrown over his shoulder, he held me in place by the waist to keep from falling. For what seemed like minutes, I shook uncontrollably as he sucked all of my juices out of me.
“Now I need a nap,” I chuckled as I removed my leg from his shoulder. “I don’t want to go to work.”
Simpering, I let him pick me up and carry me to the bathroom. He’s been so attentive lately, and if this is what I had to look forward to being his girlfriend, I didn’t mind at all. “You can always stay here with me. I’m not doing shit but going to the stores today.”
Since he and I have made it official, he’s been at my townhouse every day. We went to his house a few times, but he told me he wasn’t comfortable having me lay my head where other women knew he stayed. I respected the honesty and didn’t mind being in my own space with him. He hasn’t given me a reason to doubt anything he’s said thus far, so I haven’t put much thought into us always being at my place.
“As much as I would love that, I have to get back to work.” I walked into my bathroom and began running another shower. “With my birthday coming up, I was thinking about a trip or something. What do you think?”
“What I think is that you meantourbirthday.” I caught the mug on his face as I slid the pink and yellow Belle-themed scrubtop over my head. He was now finding me another scrub set to put on since he’d ruined my bottoms of the Belle set. “I can’t believe me and mygirlfriendhave the same birthday. Admit it, Kodi… we were meant to be.”
Stepping into the shower, I simpered at how corny he was. Ever since we’ve made it official, it’s been “my girlfriend” this and “my girlfriend” that. To my surprise, Adrian and his current behavior has been a complete shock to me. He seemed to be all in with me, catering to my every want and need. After going through what I went through with Bear, I felt like it’s only a matter of time before he pulls the wool from over my eyes. In the meantime, I’m rocking with this—with him.
After a quick shower and arguing with Adrian about letting him take me to work, I gave in and allowed him to drop me off. Upon dropping me off, a few of my coworkers stopped and stared at our affection, but I didn’t let it bother me. My business was my own.
“Good morning, Nurse Jenkins. Good to see you back.”
Smiling politely, I entered Martha’s office, taking a seat in front of her desk. Walking into the hospital where so much drama had taken place was weird, but I was happy to be back. This is a job I worked hard for and loved; I wouldn’t dare miss out on an opportunity that I dreamed about my entire life, no matter what had occurred.
“Good morning. I’m glad to be back.” I nodded as I glanced around her office. There were various achievements from her and the staff over the years posted on her walls and shelves. Despite the past drama, I was thrilled to be a part of such a great team. “I am back, right? You didn’t call me in here to fire me, did you? If so, you could have sent a text before I left home.”
Although we shared a chuckle, I was serious. I can’t say I won’t flip my shit if I were called in just to be let go, becausemanagers that did that were foul, and I’d hate for Ms. Martha to see that side of me.
“Heavens no.” She continued to giggle, waving me off before reaching for a folder on her desk. “I just wanted to have a formal chat with you before your shift started. First off, I want to apologize again for the things that occurred on the staff floor. As your superior, I should have been more aware of the hostile work environment you girls had to endure. I spoke with the other nurses, and I feel awful about having Tanessa in a position where she abused her power.”
“It’s water under the bridge.” I shrugged. Tanessa was indeed a bitch, but that wasn’t Ms. Martha’s fault. “I want to move forward and do the job I was hired for.”
“About that…” She grinned, sliding a manila folder over toward me. “I want to know what you think about this.”
Skeptically, I grabbed the folder to view the contents inside. Pausing my scan, I looked up to see Ms. Martha staring right at me. “Is this real?” Flipping through more of the pages, notes of my accomplishments since being here, multiple patient feedback cards, and an offer letter for a higher position on the staff rested in my hands.
“Absolutely.” She nodded, standing from her desk. “This has nothing to do with what’s transpired, and more so about your work ethic and qualifications.” Stopping before me, she leaned her bottom against the desk with her eyes trained on me. “Before you were hired to work here, we were already pleased with your achievements thus far from Florida. You’re deserving of this, so I don’t want you to doubt that. If you want the role, I would like to appoint you as the new charge nurse of our emergency department. Should you accept, it would be effective immediately. If you need time to think about it?—”
“Time? Oh no, I accept!” I cheered as I stood from my seat. “This is a dream to me!”
Being in charge for me is not about power and ordering people around; it’s about me being in a position to lead. I want to be the standard for the ones I work with when it comes to what we do. I want to be an example of how to be the best nurse to our student interns also. I couldn’t believe that everything that had happened would result in this. I looked back at the papers, amazed to see how much of a boss bitch I was professionally. With this new position, I was going to give being in charge a new meaning here.
“I was hoping you would say that.” She grinned, pulling me in for a hug. “Congratulations, Nurse Jenkins. Just so you know, your team will be the same, and I hope that isn’t an issue for you. Those girls you were previously working with under Tanessa sang your praises. That’s one of the main reasons we chose you for the job. When we decided to hire within, your name is the one that was mentioned the mostandloudest.”
Now, that was a surprise because they seemed not to care for me at all in the months I’d been here. “Wow. Okay… And Tanessa?—”
Raising her hand to stop me, she said, “She is no longer an employee here.” Giving me a knowing look, I had figured that much, but I wanted to hear her say it. “The ethical codes she broke were too severe for me to overlook. Listen, dear…” She placed her hands on my shoulders, giving me a stern look. “You’ve earned this, and I know you will excel. If there comes a time when it’s too much or you no longer want the title, let me know. Don’t allow what happened with Tanessa to cloud your reputation here. Her choices and behaviors were hers, and hers only. As long as you can handle yourself with some decorum and professionalism, I see a long career for you at Grove’s Memorial Hospital.”
We spent a few more minutes speaking about the position, what it entailed, and, of course, the salary. Ms. Martha madea few suggestions on how to negotiate for more money when I met with the HR representative. Since I’ve only been a registered nurse for a little over two years, I never thought something like this would happen so soon, but I am thankful.
Leaving her office, I was on cloud nine. I never expected to come back to work to this kind of news, and I couldn’t wait to share it with my man.
My man.
Stepping onto the elevator, I shifted my backpack off my shoulders, removing my cell phone from my pocket. This news was big to me, and I didn’t want to share it with anyone but him.
“Girl, all I did was circle the block,” he stated as soon as he picked up the line. “I was hoping you’d call to say you missed me and wanted me to come back for your fine ass. I’ll be there in?—”
“Baby, wait!” I laughed as soon as the elevator dinged and the doors opened to my floor. “I was calling to tell you I got a promotion! I can’t believe it, Adrian. I—wait… You didn’t have nothing to do with this, did you?”
I knew Adrian had connections, and I really hoped that this position was something I’d truly gotten on my own. I know being with a Mills man may come with certain perks, but I didn’t want it interfering with my career.
