To Have and To Hold

Chapter Twelve - Update

Andrea's POV
I'm in my office going over some papers when I hear a commotion out front. I am not in the mood to deal with another client complaining about the length of time it takes to clear their goods. Jermaine needs to handle this one. I take up the phone to call his extension when he enters my office.

"Andrea, there's a lady here to see you."

He looks uncertain.

"Who?" I ask.

"She refuses to give her name, she just says she wants to do business and she'll only do it with you."

I have no clue who this woman could be, I work for a handful of clients and only one is a woman. She hardly comes into the office and Jermaine would recognise her if she did.

"What does she look like?"

"It's a brown rasta lady. Pretty but with a bad attitude."

"Seriously?" I ask because only one person I know fits that description.

"You know her?" He asks, "she looks familiar but I can't remember where I know her from."

I take a deep breath because several things are going through my mind, like why is Kimmy here? How does she know where I work? And why does she insist on seeing me?

"Send her in and please tell Michael to be on his guard," I'm not sure if Kimmy is high so I have to be prepared in the event she is.

Jermaine steps out of my office and a few minutes later Kimmy appears at the door. I stand immediately because I don't feel comfortable sitting while she's standing.

"Hi Andrea, how are you?" She asks as she sits gracefully in the chair on the other side of my desk.

"I'm ok. How may I help you?"

"Oh Andrea, stop being so business-like, I'm just here to see where you work and what you do."

Then this girl nuh mad?

"Do you have a package that you need help clearing?" I ask in the same tone.

"No, I..."

"Then I'm going to have to ask you to leave," I interrupt.

She looks at me wide-eyed, "Andrea! There is no need to be so hostile. I'm only here so we can make amends. Please, sit and behave civilized."

This bitch! Nonetheless, I take a deep breath before sitting. I do not want to cause a scene in my office, so I decide to be the bigger one.

"I have nothing against you, so I don't understand what amends we need to be making."

She springs from the seat with such flair you would think she's in the middle of a dance recital.

"Great!" She exclaims, "now that we are on the same page, I think we need to work out a schedule."

Now this girl, lose me again.

"What schedule?" I ask.

"Oh!" She looks at me with a smirk, "it's your first rodeo."

This girl is trying my patience now. I feel as if we are in a play and she is the star of the show.

"What are you talking about?"

"Our relationship," she says, "don't you see what we have going? We are in a polyamorous relationship."

I paused for a moment then burst out laughing. No, I must call Tariq to come take this mad gal out of my office.

If I didn't find this so funny I would have Michael throw her out.

I am laughing really hard and every time I try to stop, I look at her standing across from me and start again.

Her phone starts ringing and I cover my mouth in an attempt to control myself. She takes the phone from a tote bag she is carrying, looks at it, then turns the screen to me after plastering the broadest grin on her face. Tariq is calling her.

I tell myself it's nothing, just a baby father calling a baby mother.

"Yes hun," she answers the phone endearingly.

She pauses to allow him to speak but I can't hear him on the other side of the phone.

"I am already here," she says.

"She understands," she pauses then continues, "well I explained to her that it's the three of us or it won't work."

What the hell are they talking about? It couldn't be this stupidness that Kimberly came to my office about.

"Tell her yourself," she says before putting the phone on speaker.

I hear Tariq's voice huskier through the speaker, "I'll come by to see you soon so we can finalize..."

She takes the phone off speaker and I can no longer hear his side of the conversation.

What the hell does he mean by that.

"I love you too hun!" She says before she ends the call.

Ok, this has gone on long enough.

"Kimberly, you need to leave," I say standing again.

"Look, Andrea, I want this to work out, can you just understand our point of view?"

This girl is trying my patience.

"Tariq and I have been together for years and I understand he's a man with peculiar tastes so I allow him to bring others into our relationship.

He asked me to come and explain it to you, woman to woman and that's the reason I'm here, and that's the reason he just called to check-up.

He really likes you, and he wants this to work, look, even I want it to work. That's why I insisted that you know. Tariq and I will always be but there's room for one more and we want you to occupy that space."

A wah di rassclath do dah gyal ya. I am so pissed that my hand shakes as I take the phone up and dial Michael's extension, "Michael, can you please come and escort this woman from my office."

I put the phone back down before looking her up and down. Why does she look so ugly now?

"Never come back to my place of business and please tell your baby father or your man or whatever he is to you, never to call my phone or come back to my home ever."

"Oh Andrea, don't..."

"Shut the fuck up!" I cut her off.

Michael chooses that time to step into my office.

"Miss, please," he says sternly to Kimberly, as he motions to the open door.

With a dramatic flair, she walks from the office.

Michael closes the door behind him and I release the breath I didn't know I was holding.

What the fuck did I get myself into?
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AndreaForbes6 rub mi in the comments and I came searching and found this chapter in my draft. I also committed to ending the book before the year ends 🤞. This is my first book and I didn't anticipate the time and effort it takes. I have a different level of respect for Wattpad writers. Thank you for reading guys, it means so much more than you think 💚