Craving my Best Friend's Brother

Mia

Mr. Hendricks leaned against the edge of his desk, blocking the only door out of his office. His sleeves were rolled up, sweat darkening his collar.

The air conditioner had broken three days ago, but no one dared complain. Not when he controlled the paycheck.

"You're a pretty girl, Mia." He said it like he was stating a fact. "Pretty girls know how to take care of the people who take care of them."

I kept my hands flat on my thighs. My nails bit into my knees through the thin fabric of my skirt. "I don't understand what you're asking."

"You understand."

He pushed off the desk and stepped closer. I stood up from the chair so fast it tipped backward and hit the carpet with a thud.

He didn't stop. His hand reached for my arm and I jerked away.

"Don't," I breathed.

The corner of his lips curved up. My heart was beating so fast.

"You think you're special?" He said, voice low. "I've had every girl who's sat in that chair. Every single one and they all said yes."

My back hit the wall. He was close enough that I could smell his cologne… that I could see the yellow tint of his teeth. His hand grabbed my wrist.

I twisted.

He grabbed my shirt instead and pulled me toward him.

One of the buttons ripped.

"Let go of me," my voice shook as I tried to push him away from me.

"How dare you refuse me?" His hand dropped down to my chest. I squirmed under his touch. "Why, Mia? You think you're better than them?"

"I have a boyfriend," I whispered. "If you hurt me, he will destroy you"

The lie came out of my mouth before I could stop it. Derek, my boyfriend… The man who rarely remembers my birthday and even comes home late. I doubt he would care.

But Derek was the only shield I had.

Hendricks laughed. An ugly bitter sound. "A boyfriend?" He released my shirt and stepped back. His eyes crawled over me like insects. "Then bring him here. Let's see if he's real."

I walked away from him toward the door. "I am not sleeping with you. Never. "

He bit his lower lip and growled. He covered the door with his body and then brought out a pink slip from his pocket. He scribbled something on it and held it out. "You're fired."

A shaky laugh escaped me. My hands were still shaking.

I stared at it but didn't take it. "You can't fire me for refusing to.."

"I can fire you for anything." He pushed the slip into my hands. "Bad attitude. Poor performance. We don't even need a reason in this state. Now get out before I call security."

I bent down and picked up the pink slip myself. Not because I wanted it but I couldn't let him see me leave something behind.

I walked out of the office holding my head high even though I was breaking inside.

This was the only job I had and now it was gone.

He followed me to the workstation.

"You know what your problem is?" He screamed , gathering the attention of everyone. "You think you're entitled to something. You walk in here with your pretty face and your tight skirts and then you act surprised when people notice you."

I kept walking toward my desk. My cheeks burned. My eyes stayed dry. They would not see me cry.

"Look at her," Hendricks announced to the room. "Fired before lunch."

A woman I'd never spoken to, Linda from accounting, whispered something to the person next to her. Nothing good I was sure. Their eyes roamed my body and I couldn't wait to leave the workplace.

I pushed through the glass doors and didn't look back.

*****

I crossed my arms around myself in the taxi. My blood was boiling. I should have reported him. I should have recorded him. I should have done something other than just walk away.

What am I going to do now?

I still had rent to think about and groceries and the fact that Derek had been dropping hints about splitting the utilities differently which was his way of saying he wanted me to pay more.

I paid the driver and walked out of the taxi. I headed toward our apartment. The hallway smelled like spoilt cabbage and cigarette smoke. Mrs. Patterson from 4B was watering her plastic plant again.

I scoffed.

I gave her a tight smile and inserted my key.

The smell hit me first. The smell of something burning. Oh my God.

I threw my bag on a nearby chair and ran to the kitchen. Fuck, Derek must have been trying to fry egg or something. I couldn't tell from the burnt particles.

A surge of anger rose inside me.

"DEREK!"

How could he forget it on fire? What the hell could he be doing that would make him almost burn the house?

The one moment that he decided to come home and now this?

I lunged toward the bedroom. It was closed. Weird. Derek never closed doors unless he was hiding something or someone.

I swung the door open.

My legs shook. My hands fell from the doorknob. He was on our bed. Our sheets. The ones I'd picked out from Target last spring because he said he didn't care about colors.

He was on top of a woman with red hair and a snake tattoo curling up her ribcage.

She looked at me first then he turned.

Derek didn't even flinch.

"Oh, for fucks sake," he said. He didn't stop moving. "Can you not?"

I stood there. The room tilted. My ears rang.

"It's not what it looks like," the woman whispered, trying to push him away from her.

He pulled out of her and glared at me. Naked and unashamed.

"It's exactly what it looks like. Why are you home early anyway... You said you had a shift."

My mouth opened. Closed it.

"Derek..." My voice broke. "How can you be doing this? With another girl?"

I let out a sharp breath.

"I just got fired and now I am finding out that... That you're cheating on me?"

He rolled his eyes at me, picking up his trousers on the floor. Not even caring that I was hurt. Something inside me cracked. All the years of swallowing his cruelty, ignoring his lateness, pretending his wandering eyes meant nothing.

It all flooded out.

My hands curled into fists. "I'm done."

"You're done?" He mimicked my voice in a high pitch. "Where are you going to go? You have nobody. No job. No money. No friends except Chloe, and she's not gonna want your broke ass on her couch."

I swallowed. I didn't give him a response as I walked to the closet. The girl rushed past me, her clothes rumpled around her chest and fled out.

Three years of my life wasted, hoping that he could change. That he could love me.

I quickly packed all the things I had. Not much anyway. Some of it was already packed. I had been wanting to leave his ass for years now but I couldn't... I wasn't brave enough.

I couldn't remain with a man who didn't have a shred of respect for me.

"You'll be back," he said. "You always come back."

I ignored him and walked out. My phone buzzed, probably Hendricks or my mother asking if everything was fine.

I didn't answer. I stepped out into the street. I couldn't hear anything other than the sound of my own heartbeat in my ears.

Where was I supposed to go now?