Product of Pain

Applied Pressure

Friday mornings has become almost routine for a man like Zachary Taylor. He generally woke up around 9 am and started his mornings with prayer. Having grown up in a church as a child, this was one habit he had yet to stray away from. Even the morning he woke up to an empty bed, he still prayed; ironically , asking God to allow his will to be done and if he was meant to see her again, he would. What he didn't expect was to see her standing in his next business venture. 

Hearing the vibration of his phone buzzing against his night stand, Zac's eyes slowly began to open.  Groaning, he reached over to his right,  to grab his phone his nose caught a strong whiff of the woman who last laid here a few nights ago before she disappeared into the night.

"Yo, Jake man what's up?"

"My bad bro. I wouldn't have called you if I didn't need a favor?"

Zac sucked his teeth "Man I know you not about to ask me to do something work related on a Friday?" He questioned

"Bro. I swear on my life, I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important." He paused "Can you help me out?"

"Yo, you know me better than that. I'm not agreeing to shit til you tell me what it is?"

Jake signed on the other end of the phone, already knowing how Zac is when it comes to asking for a favor

" Hollins printed up two contracts for the Hyatt. I told him I would come and grab them last night but it slipped my mind..."

"And you can't go get them today because...?"

Jake adjusted the computer strap on his shoulder as he made his way to the terminal "—Because I told you I was flying out to Colorado for my sisters wedding this weekend." Zac groaned and laid his head on the pillow that held Fatima's scent "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

"Yo, lemme ask you a question. Why when you call me for a favor you can't ever ask for something simple like money or some shit. You always want me to physically go do something"

Jake laughed "Can I borrow some money?"

"Fuck no, do I look like Wells Fargo?"

"Zac, the contracts?" He pressed "Can you grab them or not?"

"Yeah man, damn. I'll pick them up but it'll have to be later on. I got errands to run."

"You a life saver. Just look them over when you get back to the office and let me know what you wanna do. I definitely think it's a great deal. Maybe you'll see...uh...what's her name. Oh, Fatima" he chuckled

"You mad messy bro. Don't worry about her."

"Alright, let me know. I gotta go."

"Copy" the line disconnected and Zac closed his eyes once again, taking in the scent on the pillow "Damn she got my whole bed smelling like her" he groaned. He laid there silently for about ten minutes before he decided to go ahead and get his day started. He made his way to his master bathroom to start his shower. While he waited on the water to warm to his liking, he freed himself from his briefs and made sure he released himself before stepping onto the marble floors of his spacious shower.

He squeezed a generous amount of Native Cucumber and Mint body wash on his rag before thoroughly washing himself. Scrubbing away at his skin, Zac's mind wandered off about this date he scheduled with Fatima. Zac, a hopeless romantic in the wrong era, usually had a good idea on where to take someone for a first date. Unfortunately for Zac, the dating pool in Atlanta had been frequently on the shallow end. The women of his past would hint at the higher end restaurants and bars and were expecting the red carpet special from him because he had a large lump sum sitting in both his checking and savings. They would talk about absolutely nothing other than themselves and there was typically no follow up. And the ones that ended in sex, there was definitely no follow up.