by Vera Roberts
“Everyone’s trying to get famous in L.A. No one is actually trying to report the news. The news as we know it has some sort of liberal or conservative spin. No one wants to present a clear-cut middle anymore. No one cares about the other side as long as their side is presented.” I pause for dramatic effect. “Are people really going to care about two YouTube beauty gurus beefing?”
“That’s the news today. You think teens and millennials care that much about the Tweeter-in-Chief? Do you think they’re more concerned with what K-pop member left and is about to go solo?”
“Not only millennials care about K-pop and YouTube,” I defend my generation, “some of us care about stuff other than avocado toast.”
“My point is, Ariana, you might think you’re fighting the good fight and maybe you are. But in the land of journalism today, anyone can write an article and post it without fact-checking.” I recognize the dig and remain silent. “It doesn’t take much for someone to post something online and it’ll spread like wildfire before the truth comes out. And when the truth does reveal itself, do you think people still care?
“Sensationalism sells, baby girl. The more controversial you are, the more successful you’ll become. Think of all of those A-listers you cover. What is about them that draw people in? All of them got their start doing some ugly mess. You think people still mention Tom Hanks cross-dressing in one of his first roles? Dustin Hoffman? Or the actors who did porn before they made it big?
“You’re boring and keep to yourself? No one cares about that. You get involved in some drama, even if it’s not your fault? All eyes on you. You honestly think people care that much about that family you’re dealing with? No. But they want to know the drama. They want to know what makes them tick. They want to know what skeletons they’re hiding.
“The Ellisons are not popular because they’re rich and good-looking. There’s something more about them that makes the public fascinated with all of them. And don’t think for one second, they don’t have their keen eye on Soul because he has broken from tradition.”
I stare hard at Laura, who’s equally trying to read me. We’re in a staring contest to see which one will break before the other smiles or laughs, yet neither one of us is willing to give up.
“What does all of that have to do with you writing me a letter of recommendation?” I ask.
Laura blinks. She’s surprised by my answer. “I’m warning you what’s out there. Anyone can be a journalist nowadays and no one will question otherwise. People are more interested in going viral than building a solid case of evidence. You need to be prepared that unless you plan to go viral with every article, no one will care what you have to say.”
I’m not entirely sure if Laura was trying to warn me or if she was tying to scare me. She’s capable of doing either. “I’m aware of that and I’m taking my chances. I think every journalist knows what they’re up against when they become one. Journalists have been killed for trying to report the truth.”
“You’ll become popular because of your association with Soul. You’ll also become a target because of him. The moment someone has information that will bring the Ellisons to their knees, you’re the person they’re going after. How much is a journalist willing to sell out her boyfriend’s family? Keisha might not have and Aaliyah looks like she won’t, neither. But a journalist? A journalist with a checkered past? They’re the target and the bull’s-eye will be on you the moment you move to New York.”
I’m tired of Laura and her damn dramatics. Ask for a letter of recommendation and get a lecture along the line of, ‘Girl, if you don’t get...’ “Thank you.” I stand up. “I’ll clean out my dressing room later today.”
“I’ll give you the letter of recommendation, Ariana.” Laura adds and I stop in my tracks, “but you can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Chapter Eleven
Moving to Harlem was easier than I thought it would be. Living here is more challenging than I’d expected.
After I finished my week at Sista Gal, I boarded the private jet Soul chartered for me. Everyone wished me well, but Derrick and Sherry were in tears. I’ll miss my glam squad with the biggest tea the most.
They were like the surrogate mom and unconventional dad I never had. They protected me and looked out for me. They made me pinky-swear I would keep in contact with them and I told them I would.
Soul had to leave before I did because of urgent business he needed to take care of New York and it couldn’t wait a few days. He never told me what it was. My mind replays the other day when I read his lips. He never told me about the phone call nor did I inquire.
A part of me wanted to find out what it was about and a part of me didn’t care. I wonder what was so urgent Soul had to take care of business without telling me what it was?
It doesn’t matter. If it were something Soul wanted me to know, he would’ve told me. It’s not like I have a lot naïve trust within him; the fact he’s an Ellison always tells me people are watching me even when I’m not aware.
Things are different now. Not only am I in a different tax bracket but I’m also in a different way of life. People don’t silence each other with guns or violence but instead, money and opportunities.
I have to get used to being silent and compliant in my own way.
Is this the life I want? I want to be with Soul, but if every single thing I do has to be checked out first, I’m not sure how badly I want to look past all of that so I can have him. Starr was clearly the exception, and not the rule.
After I put my clothing away, I got settled on the ginormous bed in Soul’s bedroom. I immediately took out my phone and started going over job listings. Despite her warnings, Laura did come through with a spectacular letter of recommendation.
I still want to prove to everyone I can do this on my own. No high-powered executive behind me. No famous family name in addition. Just Ariana. Just me. I know I’m being hard-headed but I don’t want anyone to say I got my start because of who I was connected to. I want them to say I got my start because I was just damn good.
“Now this...” Soul’s voice booms from the door jamb and I smile at him. “...this is what heaven must feel like every damn day.”
I put away all of my notes and phone and pat the bed. Soul doesn’t even hesitate to come over. He climbs on top of me, pinning my body to the bed. My legs stretch out to accommodate and my body becomes so aware of him.
“Nice to see you, Ms. Woodward.” He caresses my face.
“Mmm...” I rake my hands up and down his back. “Nice to see you, Mr. Ellison.”
“How was your flight?” He adjusts his position and I feel all of him pressing against me.
“It was good,” I breathe out, “just got in not that long ago and I’m glad to see everything is here.” I pause for a beat. “I thought my clothing was going to be put away.”
“I thought about it and Jenny asked if she could, but I decided that was something you should do. You know how to organize your own closet now.”
My own closet. Soul made it clear I would have my own closet because he didn’t feel like sharing his. I would’ve been offended except Soul’s closet is the size of a small boutique and mine is of equal size. I also have a mannequin inside of it as well.
The jewelry case inside of my closet was already filled up with small, minimalistic jewelry that was worth a pretty penny. It was clear my Forever 21 cheap jewelry wasn’t going to do.
It’s a completely different lifestyle than what I’m used to. Despite how much money Desiree made being an independent rapper, we still lived in the same apartment and she was very frugal with her funds.
With Soul, money is not an object. Whatever he has, he’ll make sure I’ll get the same or something very similar. He doesn’t care what stores I shop at, but I have a feeling he wouldn’t want me to be at Wal-Mart too much longer.
Come to think of it, I’m not sure if Harlem actually has a Wal-Mart? “I need to get used to your life. It’s taken some adju
stment.”
“Take your time. It’s a lot to get used to. You’re connected to me and everything that comes with it. Sometimes, it’ll be great. Sometimes, it’ll be bad. But that’s how we are. We roll through everything.”
“In terms of your family,” I begin, “am I expected to show up at the political fundraisers and what have you?”
“Doubtful. They know I barely show up myself. If my father is receiving some type of honor, and he usually is on a yearly basis, we’re expected to show up for photo-ops.”
I look into Soul’s eyes and trying to see if there’s a storm brewing. “Is everything okay with your parents now?”
“It’s always been okay,” he answers, “it’s never been more or less than that.”
I don’t want to rehash his hurt as it’s clear he’s still dealing with it and will probably forever deal with it. When money is loud, emotions are silent. “Am I supposed to act a certain way since we’re together now?”
Soul’s eyebrows furrowed and I see the obvious question marks in his irises. “What do you mean?”
“Should I keep quiet like I’m a professional athlete’s wife who’s not Ayesha Curry? Or should I channel my inner Cardi B and talk back to all of the haters out there every other second? Or should I be like Chrissy Teigen and pretend to be all woke but the only thing I’m good at is Twitter?” I blink at him.
Soul laughs and I feel the vibration down to my sex. “If I wanted a quiet woman, I wouldn’t be with you, Ari.”
I needed that compliment and I didn’t realize it. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” He smiles at me.
“In terms of everything else like cooking, cleaning, all of that jazz?” He shakes his head but I continue. “Well, is there anything else I can do? Is there anything I can help?”
“Actually,” he flips over onto his back and holds his hands behind his head, “yes.”
The way Soul feels underneath me is more than magical. My cunt throbbed against his erection and my body sighed all over again. My mouth was hungrier for him before my sex could have him.
I slide off Soul and began to unbuckle his jeans. I reached inside, pulled out his hardened shaft, and smiled as it lightly bounced in my hand. I felt the heat within my body and it became a ticking time bomb. “Miss me?” I whisper.
“Very much.” His voice is husky and full of heat.
I lick the underside of his cock and a growl escapes Soul’s mouth. He’s calm and collected like he normally is, but not for much longer. Gripping his dick with one hand, I twirl my tongue all over his shaft before I swallow him whole.
“Damn it!” Soul’s body briefly lifts up before he settles back down. I didn’t become some expert in deep throat overnight. It took a lot of practice on my ex and watching a ton of porn.
I focus on the moment between us. Blood rushed into my ears and my heart pounded so fast. All I wanted was to please him, show my appreciation, and blow his fucking mind. Everything else was just minute.
Giving head is the most intimate act next to kissing. You’re inside a person’s soul and you can find out their deepest secrets. What they like. What makes them tick. What turns them on. You can’t hide too much when you’re doing either action.
I feel Soul’s eyes watching me as I bob my head up and down, but I don’t give him the satisfaction. I want him to enjoy what I’m doing and I don’t want to break the moment. I’ll have to share him any other time; this is mine.
Swirling my tongue around his dick, I tongue the underside of it. I play with the length of the thick veins before I took his mushroom tip inside my mouth. Suddenly I felt two large fistfuls of my hair. Soul was losing control and I loved every second of it.
I gripped his dick with one hand while my free hand cupped his balls. Seeing how hard he felt in my mouth in contrast to how soft and tight he felt in my hand sent my emotions on edge. I wanted to get him off. I wanted him to feel everything I felt whenever he gave it to me. I wanted complete ownership of Soul’s body.
I suck harder and faster, hollowing my cheeks to increase the suction. Soul is humming, almost singing, as the moans come out of his body. He’s about to come and it’s going to be explosive. I’m ready to taste all of him.
I lightly tug on his balls, feeling how tightened they’ve become. I selfishly took a hold of him as I kept lapping and sucking on him, loving every inch of Soul. I sucked harder and faster until I heard a loud growl and burst of hot come hit the roof of my mouth.
He kept coming and I sucked harder on him. He finally released his death-grip on my Afro and I rejoined him by the pillows. “You don’t need to return the favor,” I whispered. “That was my treat.”
Soul didn’t reply. He softly fell asleep next to me. This moment couldn’t have been more perfect even if it was written in a script.
OF COURSE, THE PERFECT moment didn’t last very long at all.
After Soul and I had dinner and made love again, we fell asleep in our bedroom. Soul snuggled up against me as I quickly got used to his huge four-poster bed. My life was a dream and I didn’t want to wake up.
Unfortunately, my cell phone made me.
I barely crack open my eyes to look at the bright glare of my screen facing me. It’s an unrecognizable number and I normally wouldn’t answer my phone at any number I don’t know.
Something told me I had to pick up for this one. Maybe it was Desiree or a member of her entourage calling me? If she got into an accident or trouble, I would feel horrible I wasn’t there for her.
“Hello?” I wipe my eyes.
“Ari?”
I would recognize that voice in a dark alley. “Jared?” I glance at the time on my Apple Watch. It’s 3:30 my time, which would put him at 12:30 L.A. time. “Why are you calling me?”
I hear sniffles on the other end. Has this fool been crying? “I messed up, Ari.”
“I don’t follow you.” I shake my head. I look behind me to see Soul is sleeping peacefully.
“Man, I didn’t know what they were doing!” He says between tears. “I swear I didn’t!”
“Jared, I have no idea what you’re talking about and I can’t help you until you tell me.”
“The guys, Ari...” He sobs some more. There’s something off-putting about a grown man crying. “...I didn’t know they were about that lifestyle.”
“Jared, if you don’t tell me I need to hang up.”
“Drug trafficking, man! Drug and sex trafficking! They arrested everyone in the house. They found coke, heroin, and all sorts of stuff. Apparently, Trey was moonlighting as a pimp and involved in the sex trafficking part. I didn’t know about any of that shit!”
I’m stunned to hear all of this. I know Jared may be a lot of things but he doesn’t get involved with anything illegal. “What?”
“And I got caught up. They arrested me because of who I associate with. Like how in the hell was I supposed to know?” He sniffles.
“I’m sorry to hear all of that but I don’t understand what you want me to do about it?”
“I need you to bail me out, man. You’re good for it.” He sniffles some more. “My bail is at one million but you only need to put down ten percent.”
The price shocks me. “I’m sorry, what? One million? And you expect me to put down ten percent of that, which is a hundred thousand?”
“You’re the only person that could help me, Ari. The only one.” He pleads. “Please?”
“You called me a trick-ass ho and now you’re asking me to help you?” I question. “What’s wrong with this picture?”
“Ariana, I’m sorry! Look, we’ll talk about all of that later. Can you please bail me out? Please?” He begs again.
It took me a long time to get to where I am in terms of Jared. I waited for the day I would see Jared get the karma he deserved for everything he put me through. I thought about if I would ever see it and how I would react when it finally happened.
I turn off my phone and turn over to still see Soul
sleeping. Thoughts about what he said linger in my mind and I don’t doubt Soul might have played a role in what happened with Jared.
Power isn’t about physically murdering someone. You can ruin someone’s life if you do enough research on that person.
I stay awake a little longer and just stare at my boyfriend. He and his family are capable of ruining someone’s life if they don’t play by their rules. I wonder if I’ll be collateral damage if I don’t play the game just right.
Book III
Chapter One
It’d been a long three months but I finally got the job of my dreams working at The Metropolitan Times.
It wasn’t like I was laying around on my laurels as I window-shopped with Soul’s money and had caviar and bon bons and whatever rich, bored housewives eat on a daily basis. I volunteered a lot of my time and resources to various charities.
I was a free tutor for high schoolers struggling in English and history. And when I wasn’t doing that, I volunteered my time at Nicola D’Amato-Rodriguez’s non-profit, Donne Forti, helping the women with their resumes and interview questions.
When I couldn’t participate in the manpower, I helped curate newsletters, ran social media accounts, and got out the word about the charities. Soul even helped with money and a few of his resources to make sure the charities didn’t go without.
I kept the small fan base I do have on social media about what I was up to so I didn’t end up on an episode of, ‘Where Are They Now?’ Everyone saw pictures of me doing my usual millennial hipster things like standing outside of a building and diving in avocado toast.
The biggest piece of my happiness of all, however, I kept a closely guarded secret. While Sol featured me on his Sweet Nectar page, he didn’t post any pics of me at all on his personal, locked page. I’m okay with that. We’ll reveal our relationship when the time comes.