Free In The Cut by Arlene Brathwaite

send my brother in.”
    A few minutes later, Jon-Jon walked in with his college girlfriend. Olivia was impressed. She looked to be twenty-four, twenty-five, slim and sophisticated looking. She was rocking a pair of army fatigued boy shorts, showcasing her long legs and a matching vest. But what caught Olivia’s attention were her shoes. Olivia was a shoe connoisseur. Lynise had on a pair of El Dantes.
    “Sis, this is Lynise.”
    Olivia stood up to shake her hand.
    “Nice to meet you, Miss Martin,” Lynise said with an accent Olivia couldn’t quite place.
    “What you got going on today, sis? You got reporters, and everything out there. You got Puffy coming down? Oh shit that’s what I’m talking about, yeah.”
    “Calm down, Jon-Jon. Puffy isn’t coming here. I got some people from overseas coming.”
    “They got it going on like Puffy?”
    “Listen, I’m kind of busy right now—”
    “C’mon, sis, Lynise took off from school to come down here. Don’t hit me with the come-back-tomorrow line. You don’t even have to interview her. You’re just going through the motions anyway, right? She can start right now. It looks like you’re going to need all the help you can get today.”
    Olivia leaned back in her chair. “Did you bring your resume?”
    “Ah—”
    “Here’s her resume,” Jon-Jon said, pointing to his braids. Lynise had braided his hair in the fashion of a spider web.
    “A lot of the work I did was under the table,” she said.
    “Well, everything here is done above the table.”
    “Yes, I know. I’m dying to get a real paycheck.”
    “Okay you braid hair, what else?”
    “I do manicures, pedicures, weaves, fusions—”
    “We don’t do weaves and fusions here.” Olivia pressed the button on her intercom. “Miki, send Baby in here.”
    Baby knocked on the door a minute later and stuck her head in. What’s up, boss?”
    “This is Lynise. We’re going to be extremely busy today, and she needs a job, so, I’m going to give her a try.”
    “On a day like today?” Baby asked.
    “Yes, today.”
    “Whatever you say, ma.”
    “Thank you Miss Martin,” Lynise said.
    “Call me Olivia.”
    “C’mon,” Baby said to Lynise. “I’ll show you around, introduce you to the rest of the team, and then show you my station.”
    Jon-Jon hugged Olivia. “I love you, sis.”
    “I need you to be on your best behavior today.”
    “C’mon, this is me you talking to,” Jon-Jon said, beating his chest.
    “David, Mike, and Shawn said they’re going to stop by later on.”
    “They the ones you need to be telling to be on their best behavior. Especially, Mike. He thinks he’s the shit now, because he got a license to walk around with a gun.”
    “Work with me, Jon-Jon.”
    “I got you, sis. Don’t even worry about it.”
    “Now, if you don’t mind, I got to finish meeting with Clayton.”
    “The dude that left the office when we came in?”
    “Yes.”
    “He’s the accountant?”
    “Not today, Jon-Jon.”
    “Sis, I’m on my best behavior.” He opened the door and looked both ways. He saw Saint talking with Glenn and made eye contact with him. He called him over. As Saint walked into the office, Jon-Jon closed the door.
    “What’s up, duke?”
    “Hi,”
    “You seeing my sister?”
    “Jon-Jon—” Olivia started.
    Jon-Jon held his hand up for her not to interrupt him. “I think you need to ask your sister that.”
    “I’m asking you, duke.” Saint didn’t respond.
    Jon-Jon looked him up and down. “You got a business card or something?”
    “I don’t use business cards.”
    “So, how can people get in touch with you?”
    “My clients know how to get in touch with me.”
    “What about a person who’s not one of your clients?”
    “Then we don’t have anything to talk about.”
    “You sure you ain’t a lawyer, ‘cause you got a slick mouth.”
    “Jon-Jon!!” Olivia started walking toward him.
    “All right, all right, I’m out of here,” he said, opening the