Subterfuge (chapter 9)
Mia plans to hook up with Martin; Malcolm gets some brotherly advice. #MalcolmMondays
Hi to the seasoned eyeballs, and welcome the new ones. 🤓
In today’s installment of #MalcolmMondays, we pick up from last week, where Mia got the news that she was being laid off and was comforted by Malcolm. She also got a call from Martin. This week, we see Mia scheming to meet Martin as Malcolm gets some advice from his brother, Christopher, who is in town for a conference.
As always, this and anything else I write is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidences are the products of my imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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SUBTERFUGE (chapter 9)
by Tiffany M. Davis
© 2014 by Tiffany M. Davis
MIA AND MALCOLM
The next day, Mia raced through her work and left early in order to get a manicure and pedicure. Malcolm’s attentiveness the night before was just what she had needed. They had had dinner at her favorite restaurant, which was a major thing since Malcolm didn’t particularly care for Spanish food. Then they strolled up and down King Street, looking into shop windows before taking a romantic stroll along the waterfront. They made out like teenagers before returning home, where they had mind-blowing sex. She had overslept this morning and ran a couple of red lights to make it to work on time. Why she was rushing, she didn’t know. Since she was being laid off in a couple of weeks, what could they do if she was late: fire her?
She had thought about getting her hair done but decided against it. Martin would mess it up soon enough. She already felt a twinge of guilt at deciding to keep her date with Martin; however, Mia was afraid that if she asked Martin for a raincheck this time around, there wouldn’t be a next time. Which reminded her that she needed to check with Malcolm and make sure that he hadn’t made any last-minute plans for her. She dialed his office.
“Thank you for calling Quasar Financial Services. This is Assata. How may I help you?”
“Malcolm Jennings, please.”
“May I ask who’s calling?”
Mia rolled her eyes. “Yes, this is Mia Andrews.”
Assata’s voice went flat. “Oh, hello, Miss Andrews. One moment while I connect you.” There was a brief silence, then Malcolm came on the line.
“Quasar Financial. This is Malcolm Jennings.”
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Hey, what’s up? How are you feeling?”
“Much better, thanks to you,” Mia replied with a smile. They spoke of inconsequential things for a few minutes: how their respective days were going, lunch plans, etc. Finally, Mia got down to the purpose of her call. “So, you have plans for this evening?”
“Yeah. Some clients may be stopping by that Nate wants me to meet. After that, or if they don’t come, I’m going to see Chris and grab a late dinner.” Silence, then: “Why?”
“No reason, just wanted to know if I should start dinner later or not,” Mia lied glibly. “I didn’t know that Chris was in town.”
“He came in this morning for a conference. So don’t worry about dinner. “
Mia twirled the phone cord in her fingers. “Are you staying with me tonight?”
“Nah. I have to be at the office early tomorrow morning. I’ll stay in DC.”
“Okay.” Part of Mia was relieved that Malcolm wouldn’t be around to question her whenever she got home, but another part of her was pissed that he wouldn’t. She still didn’t understand why he preferred that wretched apartment of his to the much more upscale house in Reston.
“Is there anything else?” Malcolm asked abruptly. “I have to go; I have a meeting starting in about five minutes.”
“No, nothing else. Tell Chris I said hi.” She paused briefly before saying, “I love you,” but she spoke to a dial tone. Malcolm had already hung up. Mia sighed deeply then pressed a button on the phone for a new connection. She left a message on Martin’s cell phone, confirming their plans for that evening and arranging to meet him at the JW Marriott.
MALCOLM AND CHRISTOPHER
Malcolm and his clients left the Capitol City Brewery after a successful meeting. One last round of handshakes and the clients got into their Lyft, off to a performance at the Kennedy Center. Malcolm rolled his shoulders to release tension and exhaled loudly, glad that they were gone. These clients were senior staff at a dotcom in Silicon Valley and were referred to Quasar by one of Jeff’s friends, Elliott Brown, who was a co-owner in the company. Elliott hadn’t been able to attend, as he was currently in Japan working on a project. The only reason Malcolm had agreed to meet with the men was because Elliott was Jeff’s friend. The account wouldn’t bring in much money for Quasar, but you never knew. And he would have much preferred holding the meeting in more civilized surroundings, but the clients were beer mavens and were excited at the opportunity to sample the many microbrews that the brewery had to offer. Due to the last-minute tickets they were able to get for a dance performance, they agreed to meet for drinks only, which was fine with Malcolm.
Malcolm pulled out his phone to call his brother as he walked back toward the JW Marriott. “Chris? What’s up, man? I’m on my way back to the hotel so be ready when I get there.” Chris tended to move too slowly for Malcolm’s taste, which had resulted in Malcolm’s prodding him on for years. “How far? I’m a few blocks away, so hurry up.” Malcolm paused at the corner, waiting for the traffic light to turn green in his direction. “I don’t know. Where do you want to eat? Well, we’ll figure it out when I get there.” Malcolm listened then said, “Alright. See you in a few.” He stuck his phone back in his pocket and crossed the street.