Page 13 of When You Dance
CHAPTER6
SANDRENE
Iwas so damn nervous I was trembling. How could I have missed that? Now I was risking my identity by Jamel having to see me again so soon. He seemed like a smart man, so I knew if he had to come here again, he would put two and two together.Shit!I sat at my desk to get ready for the day to begin and had placed his documents that he needed to sign on my desk. I was more than sure he would be my first appointment today.
I was so caught up in him that I didn’t realize he’d missed signing in a couple of places on his recertification app. I was more than sure he would complain, and I would get written up, if I didn’t get written up anyway. His job would probably complain, too, for lost wages. Although this was my first screw up, they took those types of offenses seriously.
After taking a sip of my coffee, he walked through the door. I closed my eyes for a moment and said a quick prayer because he looked angry. I quickly stood from my seat and smoothed out my skirt and blouse as he approached. “Hello, Mr. Dent. First, let me apologize for inconveniencing you. I don’t normally make those types of mistakes. I’m so sorry.”
He looked at me strangely, and I could feel the sweat accumulating under my breasts and in my armpits. “Where do I need to sign?”
I cleared my throat and quickly slid the papers in front of him, then pointed where he needed to sign. “I was supposed to be in Memphis this week. I lost out on almost four grand. You got that? You gon’ pay me?”
My eyebrows lifted, and I was actually thinking about going to my bank account to give him that money. He’d probably given me ten grand over the past few months. The money I made from stripping went into my savings account. I’d been wanting to own a home, and stripping was how I was saving money to get what I wanted.
I lowered my head and said, “Yes, sir. If you can meet me when I get off, I’ll pay you. I feel horrible about this.”
“Sandrene.”
He remembered my name. I stared up at him then quickly looked away. I noticed he’d signed the papers, so I said, “I’ll make sure it’s rushed through since it’s my mistake.”
As I was grabbing them, he grabbed my hand. I swallowed hard. “I’ll meet you later, but for dinner.”
I stared at him, wondering if he’d figured out who I was. After glancing around for a few seconds, I said, “I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“I just can’t, Mr. Dent.”
He gave me a smirk.He definitely knew who I was.God bless it. He’d caressed my body and had probably memorized everything about it. My nipples were throbbing from thoughts of his fingers invading my privacy. As I reached over to get his paperwork, my boss appeared next to me. I took a step back as he apologized to Mr. Dent again.
Once he finished his spiel, he cut his eyes at me and took Jamel’s paperwork with him. However, before he could get too far, he said, “Sandrene, please come with me.”
I looked back up at Mr. Dent, and he asked, “What time should I meet you to get my money?”
I closed my eyes and said softly, “Four.”
I walked away feeling like my chest was on fire. I was the only black woman that worked here and the only woman in my department. They were about to write me up. Minorities didn’t stand a chance when they fucked up. The minute I walked into his office, he pulled some papers from his desk drawer. “Have a seat.”
I did as I was told, and he slid the papers in front of me. The bold writing caused tears to immediately spring from my eyes. I was being terminated. “You’ve cost the company ten thousand dollars by not being more diligent. I don’t know where your head was at with this one, but clearly, it wasn’t on the job. We can’t afford mistakes like this.”
I signed the paperwork, then walked out of his office to get my things. When some of the employees saw me packing my things, they silently stared. I could only shake my head and continue packing my belongings. When I walked out of the building, Mr. Dent was driving away. He gave me a look, and I heard his tires screech. I quickly made my way to my car, not wanting to talk to him right now.
He backed up until he’d reached me, then jumped out of his car. For a moment, he stared at my car, then looked back up at me as I put my box in the back. “They fired you?”
“Yeah. Apparently, the company is reimbursing your company. I’m not sure if your company will pay you or not, but you’re going to have to take that up with them. I’m going to need my money until I find another job.”
“Sandrene, I’m sorry. I didn’t complain. It must have been my job. I would never want someone to lose their job.”
I waved him off as I prepared to get into my car, but he only came closer. “It’s okay, Mr. Dent. It’s not your fault.”
As I sat in the driver’s seat, he reached and grabbed my hand. “So, I probably won’t see you again. So maybe I should shoot my shot again. Can I take you to dinner tonight?”
I huffed. I wanted to go to dinner with him, but I also knew that I needed to go to the club to see if I could work more days now. Staring up at him for a moment, I closed my eyes and said, “Yeah.”
When I opened my eyes, he was staring at me like he was in shock. He cleared his throat and said, “Umm… okay. What’s your phone number so I can call you later?”
I gave him my number, and he saved it in his phone. At this point, I almost didn’t care about hiding anymore. I didn’t even have a reason to hide anymore. My job was a thing of the past, and my mother was deceased. No one I knew lived in Houston anyway. As the tear I was desperately trying to hold back fell down my cheek, Jamel swiped it with his thumb then grabbed my hand again.
