trying to swoop in and take credit by finishing the settlement agreement. You are a sad person, you know that? Pathetic.”
“Sorry you feel that way,” he stated dismissively as he undid one of the buttons on his shirt. “You’re resourceful, right? Surely, there are at least three other cases you could be devoting your time to. Hopefully you won’t screw any of them up. If you think about it, Yasmine, you should be thanking me.”
Yasmine grabbed her purse from the chair she’d been sitting in, slung the strap across her shoulder, and started to walk to the door.
“I’m calling a meeting with Terrell as soon as he returns from Dubai next week. I am also issuing an ultimatum. You’ve been warned.”
“Hold up, are you actually angry?” He laughed as if what she’d shared was completely asinine or incredible. She looked over her shoulder at him. “Why, honey? Aren’t you happy? You have everything you want, Yasmine. You’ve been given all sorts of opportunities. It’s just greedy, really, for you to try to hold onto a case you aren’t prepared for – one I took off your hands and can wrap up quickly. This Spencer case is complicated, but I’ve dealt with so many like this before that for me, it would be a sure bet. You have nothing to be unhappy about. In fact, I did you a favor.”
“Camden, the only favors that will be needed are the ones you call in after I finish raking you over the coals. You have messed with the wrong woman. The wrong—”
“Bitch. The wrong bitch, right? Or, should I say, Black bitch? I know you’re into that sort of thing… continuously qualifying yourself with divisive measures such as race.” His assistant gasped and looked supremely uncomfortable. “Black art in your office, all these causes you run after… all this ‘Black this,’ ‘Black that.’ We’re all just people, Yasmine. I don’t even see color.” He grinned. “All lives matter. When you do things like this, it hurts you, Ms. Prince. That’s my professional opinion, free of charge.”
Yasmine turned to face him, a full-throttle smile on her face. Cocking her head to the side, she took several steps towards him, her heels clicking along the floor. Every fiber in her being was on fire, twisting and turning like grapevines and weeds gathering into a big, horrendous mass.
“Bitch? I bet you thought that would send me into a rage, spiraling out of control? You wanted me to do something, so it would cause a scene – give you a little show. Perhaps then you would run back and relay the story that I became unhinged… You know, all those Black bitches are so damn emotional. The word ‘bitch’ doesn’t bother me. Do you know why? Because we’re not talking about your mother or the woman you begged to wear a strap and fuck you in the ass.”
The assistant’s face flushed a bright red now.
“Ohhh, Yasmine! The claws have come out, I see!” He laughed his ass off, hitting the table over and over as if the best show on Earth were playing out right before his eyes.
“Your professional opinion is worth about the same as a gnat on a horse’s hairy nutsack. You don’t have shit on me. And that’s what worries you most.” He cackled, though it was clearly forced. “You have to steal this ‘black bitch’s’ work to get a leg up. You have to lie, dodge and manipulate to even get a second glance. I run circles around you. I intimidate you. I think faster than you. Clients trust me more than you and I have the brains to do what you do, ten times better. My Blackness is an asset, your Whiteness is an American privilege that you never lifted one finger to earn. It was given to you simply because of the skin you’re in. You’re lazy, stupid, and not the least bit attractive.” His smile slowly faded. “You have nothing going for you, except your Whiteness, and that means nothing to me.” She took a deep breath, telling herself over and over not to reach out and punch him in the nose. “You can’t make sure I do a damn thing, except show you that I was the wrong one to mess with.”
He began to clap in a sorry attempt to save face. “Bravo! What a lovely performance, Ms. Prince. Perhaps you can do an encore when Terrell returns. In fact, I will make sure that you do.”