A Curve Ball Called Love

Chapter 6

Tiffany had gone to bed rather early that Thursday night but it wasn’t until much, much later that her sleep finally caught up with her. She wasn’t so sure what time she finally went to bed but she was sure that it was definitely after two in the morning. That was why she planned on being late on Friday morning. Perhaps the fact that she’d finally gone to sleep so late was why she still felt exhausted when her alarm went off. However, when her eyes fluttered open, she knew something was wrong. It was still dark out.

What the hell? she wondered as she reached for her phone.

That was when she realized that it wasn’t her alarm going off. It was her phone ringing and it was only five in the morning. She saw her boss’ name flashed across her phone screen.

What the actual hell?

“Virginia? Is everything okay?” Tiffany asked in a groggy voice.

“I’m sorry for calling so early but no, everything is not okay,” Virginia said as Tiffany sat up.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Douglas Ingram happened. Again.”

Tiffany didn’t need to see her boss’ face to know that she was angry. She could hear it in her voice. She could hear it in every syllable.

“What?” Tiffany reached for her iPad and quickly searched Douglas Ingram’s name. “Oh my God,” she said in a soft voice when she saw that Douglas Ingram was all over the internet.

“I thought you were supposed to handle Mr. Ingram,” Virginia went on.

“I was… I am.” Tiffany was scrolling down the pages as she struggled to explain herself to Virginia. It was hard. Harder than she ever imagined.

“Well, what happened then?” Virginia asked. “The new issue hits the stands in a couple of days and we cannot have any more bad press, Meyers.”

“I know, Virginia, and I’m sorry about this.”

“I don’t need an apology from you, Meyers. I need you to do your damn job. With everything that’s been going on with Xavier Morrison and now Douglas Ingram, I have serious doubts about you. I might have to reconsider your position if you don’t handle this before you get to the office.”

Tiffany had barely any time to answer before Virginia hung up on her. She exhaled loudly as she threw her head back. Her mind was on overdrive as she wondered what kind of fresh hell had been unleashed on her life. Her situation was definitely not ideal. The day Douglas walked into Entity, she knew that everything was going to blow up in her face but not this bad. She was still tired but she had no alternative but to get up. Her job was on the line. Her daily Colombian dark roast wasn’t going to cut it. That Friday was going to be a Red Bull kind of day and not just one but several. It was the only way she could get through her day.

She got out of bed and took a quick shower before she put on a pair of black fitted pants and an equally fitted top before she threw on a red waterfall. She finally put on a pair of nude heels before she made her way out of her house. There were a number of things that she hadn’t done that morning like make her bed or style her hair but she didn’t really care. It was a big hair day and anyone who had a problem with her curls falling freely on her shoulders was the least of her problems. Her job was on the line and that was all that mattered. This new situation was the last thing she needed. Her job at Entity was conditional. She only had a job as long as she made the company look good. However, the frequent hiccups at work were most definitely putting her job at risk and her conversation with Virginia hadn’t exactly made things better. Her heart was racing as she waited at the elevator. Nothing could have been more important at that moment.

***

Two years into her career, Tiffany made the decision to buy a car. For her, it was an investment. She was still not making the kind of money she would have wanted to be making at that time and she needed more money. She had bills piling up and her lease wasn’t exactly cheap. So, she chose to get a place and take out a mortgage instead. When she made that decision, she had a talk with her cousin Tara.

“You have nothing to put up as collateral,” Tara had pointed out.

“That’s why I’m not taking a loan. I’m taking a mortgage,” Tiffany said. “I have enough for a down payment.”

“You just bought a car though,” Tara went on.

“I know. I’m thinking of joining the ride sharing business. Make a few bucks on the side.”

That was how she ended up with her sedan. At first, she made enough on the side to make her payments and still made the time to show up at the office. However, when she began getting busier at work, she ended up being a cab person or being a regular with the ride share apps. She never knew just what time she would be expected to be out of the office and that factor bothered her.

However, after talking to Virginia that morning, one thing was for sure. There was no cab that would get her to Douglas’ place fast enough. She got into her car and drove to his place. The drive was supposed to be forty to fifty minutes but she made it there in twenty- five. She was just lucky to not get a ticket in the process.

When she got to his house, she could already smell trouble from the conversation she had with security.

“Aren’t you a little late for the party?” he asked and she shook her head.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Mr. Ingram came home at around three in the morning with an entourage…” his voice trailed off when he saw that she had no idea what he was on about. “I think you should probably just go and see for yourself.”