Craved By Mr. Russell

Young Dashing Man

MALIYAH

~~

“Slow down, girls.”

I cautioned my impatient twins as I drove our family car into the parking lot of the tech company whose address Dana had sent me along with other details about the meeting.

Unlike me, my girls weren’t nervous at all. They couldn’t wait to get out of their car seats even though I hadn’t parked properly or killed the engine.

“You should hurry, Mama. You are driving slower than usual.” Addison exclaimed. I could see her shaking her head through the rear mirror.

Madison sighed, “I could have sworn a snail crawled past us hours ago.” Of course, she was exaggerating but when she screamed, “When do we stop using these seats!”

Aside from my driving skills, one thing Madison hates is having to use the car seat. Although I made sure to change the seat as they grew older, Madison still didn’t like the idea of being buckled up like that.

“When you turn eight, Maddie. We talked about this.” I exhaled.

Addison exclaimed again, “Are we going to have this conversation again or we are attending this meeting? God, you both argue like kids. Do I always have to be the adult in this family?”

I looked back at the kids just in time to see Madison roll her eyes and yeah, I did the same just to tease Addison. I muttered, “You can be the kid, Addie. Mama is here–”

“Then let’s go. Stop worrying about showing your face to Mr. Daniel. I saw his picture from the email Auntie Dana sent to you. He’s an older man. You worry too much, Mama.” Addison shook her head.

If I was feeling nervous before, that feeling dissipated and was replaced by amusement as I asked, “Did you check the details of the meeting because you are worried about me?”

My daughter turned red as she pointed to her sister without hesitation, “Maddie made me do it!”

“Hey, snitch!” Madison cried out. “I only did that because I thought he was a young dashing man.”

My brows furrowed, “Young dashing man? What does that have to do with–”

“Just help me out of this seat, Mama!” Madison cried out, cutting me off.

“Okay. Okay. You don’t have to be a baby about it.” I rolled my eyes and got out of the car. I quickly opened the back door, helping the girls out. Of course, Madison got to be the first while Addison waited patiently for her turn. I took one last look at them, feeling nothing but pride in my heart as I asked, “Ready to go get the multi-million dollar deal?”

As if she wasn’t just crying to be released from her car seat, Madison flipped her long hair to the back, striking a pose, “I was born ready, girl. Permit me to lead the way.”

With that said, Madison sashayed, adding flare to every step she took and leaving Addison and me laughing at her.

“We better go with her before she takes the wrong turn.” Addison urged, pulling me after her sister.

I tried to keep up with them in my heels which I don’t wear often. The twins were wearing casual white tops with baggy jeans from the brand. Their white sneakers were a better option than my black heels.

“Wow, this place is huge, Mama.” Madison gasped as we arrived at the main building of the company.

Before I could count the number of floors, Addison chimed, “It’s a skyscraper. The tallest I have ever seen around here.”

While Skyscrapers were everywhere in the city, this one stood out. It wasn’t until I noticed we had been standing outside longer than everyone else that I urged my kids to keep moving. Eventually, we arrived at the front desk.

“Good day,” I said to the receptionist, a beautiful brunette in a nice piece of red suit. Whoever designed the outfit paid attention to details. It was eye-catching and smart–

“Welcome to Russell Tech. How may I be of help, Ma’am?” The receptionist uttered before I could get lost in my own mind. Her eyes were on me as she spoke but when she saw the twins, she gasped, “Oh, my god! The Disons!”

My daughters smiled at the young woman who seemed to be a fan.

“We’ve been expecting you, sweeties. Please come with me.” The receptionist breathed with twinkling eyes.

She wasn’t even seeing me anymore. No wonder Dana said the twins were my tickets to see Mr Russell. The receptionist walked ahead of us and introduced herself as Tina… to the twins, not me.

I simply followed them like a zombie, watching as my kids related with her and a few other people who recognized them. After walking for a few minutes, Tina stopped before a decorated background with lightning fitted for a professional photoshoot.

“Please take your seats, Disons. The photographer will be here in a minute.” Tina announced happily.

It was at that moment that I spoke up, “We aren't here for a shoot, Tina. We are here to see Mr. Russell.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am but Mr. Russell won’t be seeing any models today and definitely not meeting Managers,” Tina stated rudely, looking at me like I was standing in her way to fame.

I was too stunned to come up with a response but Madison didn’t hesitate to lash out, “Watch it, smug face. That’s my mother you are speaking to!”

Tina was taken aback but knowing that Addison was about to come to my defence as well, I folded my arms and enjoyed the show. Addison stepped closer to her and gritted, “Yes, our mother, not some Manager, and she has an appointment with Mr. Russell. You get us to him or be ready to lose your job.”

“I-I…” Tina stuttered. “My mistake. I assumed you were here to model the new gadgets–”

My babies’ pierced look shut Tina up and she apologized again before leading us to the elevator.

“Top floor. You can miss it.” Tina breathed without meeting my gaze.

“Thank you, Tina.” I chose to respond sweetly despite my kids’ glare which didn’t drop until the elevator door closed with a ding. “That was intense.”

“Nobody messes with you, not if I can help it.” Madison voiced.

While her twin agreed with her, I thought we wouldn’t have to face anyone as rude as Tina again but I was wrong. In fact, the next person I met with was as rude as annoying and to my biggest dismay, the twins weren't with me when I walked into Mr. Russell's office and came face to face with a rude ass bastard whose first words to me were, “What took you so long? And where the hell is my coffee?”

Having had enough for one day, I retorted sharply, causing him to inhale sharply, “Who the hell are you, asshole?”

He scoffed, disbelief clear in his eyes as he hissed, “The owner of this company. That’s who I am.”

My eyes widened as he rose from his seat, looking at me like he could kill me for speaking to him at all. I stuttered, staring at his unfamiliar face, “Mr. Russell?”

“Yes, and you are?” He answered with irritation.

I might have lost a multi-million dollar deal or walked into the wrong office, either way, I just pissed off Mr. Russell who looked at least thirty years younger than the man in the picture that Dana sent to me.