by Sherell Lynn
Walking back out into my room, Mr. Garret gave off a loud whistle. “You are gonna turn some heads tonight. Poor young men aren’t gonna know what hit them when they see a stunning beauty such as yourself. I’m glad I could catch you before you went out. I have some good news.”
“Okay, what’s the news?” I asked not really knowing where he was going with this information that he seemed nervous to say.
“Well,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “Well, Ms. Brenda and I have been kind of seeing each other.”
“That’s great! But why do you seem nervous to tell me that? I mean I knew there were sparks flying from that first dinner we all had together.”
“That’s just it, Bella. We’ve been seeing each other ever since then.” He was really acting like this should be a surprise to me, but it wasn’t. I was happy for him. So, I told him just that and he then excused himself saying he had to call Ms. Brenda and let her know the cat was out of the bag, if it had ever been in one. Ava arrived a short time later. She had opted for a dress also. Hers was a tight black spaghetti string dress, with sheer see through sides running down from the sides of her breasts all the way to her knees. Considering we both wanted to have some drinks, we decided to get an Uber and make our way to the city. There was a strip in the city that houses nothing but bars about a mile long. Once we got there, we went from bar to bar, having a drink or two from each.
We finally made our way to the last bar. It was by far the best. It was a two-story building. The bar was on the first level, followed by a winding staircase that led to a dance floor. We decided to make our way upstairs to turn up, since we had already had enough drinks in our systems. Tonight, was my lucky night because the DJ was playing all of the 90s hits. There was nothing I loved more than some good throw-back music. On the dance floor, we shook it like a salt shaker and backed that thang up to a few songs before we took a little break in the lounge area. I laughed to myself, who knew Ava could really turn up. She was giving me a run for money with dance moves to match mine.
“This is so much fun, huh, Bella?” Ava said.
“Yes, girl I…”
Before I could finish my sentence, a couple of guys came to sit beside us. Both of them were very attractive white men. They were equally buff as if they lived in the gym. One looked to be about 5’9” and the other one 6’1”. The guy who was 5’9” had the darkest brown eyes I had ever seen, even darker than mine. And his friend had green eyes that for some reason reminded me of tree moss. He was the one who spoke first.
“Ladies, my friend and I had to come meet the two of you before the lines formed.”
“And what line would that be?” Ava grinned with a hint of amusement in her voice.
The taller guy spoke up, leaning into my personal space. “That would be the line to see the most attractive women here tonight. I’m Steven by the way and this is my friend Luke.” He points to his friend, who I guess takes Ava’s smile for an invitation to go and sit by her.
Steven scooted closer to me. “Your skin has this beautiful glow to it. I bet it feels like silk and would melt in my mouth, like chocolate.”
I literally threw up in my mouth. Did he really just come at me with that? He then places his hand over my thigh. Okay, that was a little too much. I jumped up and made my way to the exit stage left.
Steven then took this on as a mission to chase me down. He pulled me to his side right before I hit the stairs running. He turned me toward him and I froze. “Where are you running off to?” he whispered in my ear with his hot alcohol-scented breath. His breath felt like it was attacking my neck and my nostrils.
I took a deep breath. “It was really nice meeting you, Steven, but I’m not interested in dating anyone right now.”
He ran his hands down my back. “Who said anything about dating? What I have in mind is making you feel good only for tonight.”
I looked over his shoulder to see Ava laughing at something Luke said. I contemplated on leaving her here since she was obviously having a good time while I was in deep distress.
“No thank you,” I managed the courage to say to Steven.
He looked hurt for a minute and then walked away mumbling something about black women. I didn’t have time to give a shit about what he had to say. He was a jerk and there was no way of changing that in one night.
Shrugging that horrible experience off, I ran back over to Ava. “Ava, can we go?”
She was about to protest, when she observed the look on my face. Something about it made her change her demeanor. The ride home had been a silent one. I was sad that it had to end on a sour note and I was sure Ava was too.
14
Ava
Last night had been fun until it wasn’t. Bella had made a big deal about some guy hitting on her. I didn’t see the exchange between the two of them that led to her ending our night abruptly, but it couldn’t have been that bad. Steven and Luke were hot. I mean fine as hell. If I had it my way, Luke, and I would have had a night to remember. I was really feelin’ him and had no shame if one thing had led to another. I had wanted him from the moment he came over and sat beside me. Now that the night was over and the day had begun, I was still hungry for a taste of him. Maybe I would call him later. He had given me his number and an unbelievable kiss that had me seeing stars.
Today was the day for the De Luca event. We had gathered everything and I had my staff ready to roll out. Over a year ago, after getting my building in place, I had purchased a couple of vans. I found that it was a lot easier to have everyone ride together as a team and leave as a team. The food and equipment had its own van. Both vans were white and decorated with my company’s name. Bella had shown up dressed and actually looked the part of a professional caterer. My staff consisted of three chefs, five servers, and Bella our office admin. Today she would get her first taste of what we do with all that wonderful food we create.
I loved catering events and wanted my staff to love it as well. We always dressed in black attire. To me it looked professional and made us stand out from the crowd. The guys’ names were Raymond, Max, and Daniel. I had met Raymond at a cook off at the county fair. His skin was the color of caramel, his eyes were hazel green, and he spoke with a French accent. During our talk, he told me how he loved being here in the states and planned to stay. I took the opportunity to tell him about my business plans. Raymond agreed to work for me if I made him head chef. On our catered events, he got the privilege to dress in whatever button down he wanted. He was a part of what made the food a success.
Then there were my two male servers, Max and Daniel. They wore black button-down shirts and black slacks. Both were your typical all-American guys. Max had blonde hair, blue eyes, and had a lean muscular body. Daniel, on the other hand, had jet black hair, brown eyes, and a body similar to Max’s. My female staff members included my chef, Stephanie, and three servers Laura, Daisy, and Nicole who was not there.
My female servers had to wear black cocktail dresses. Stephanie had the choice of wearing whatever color she wanted if it didn’t clash with mine. Most of the time, she stuck with black, saying she liked the way it looked on her pasty white skin. I always liked to stand out from the crowd. For this event, I chose to wear a red short-sleeve crew neck bodycon dress.
We had just arrived at the event. Today all that we needed to do was the set-up and the serving of food and drinks. Sometimes, the host liked to have us cook all the food on site. Mr. De Luca, like a few other of my clients, opted for off-site cooking. That was fine by me. I didn’t enjoy having to wear an apron all day cooking over a stove and oven that wasn’t mine. I mean I did it, but if I had my choice, it would be to use my own space. Besides, when my company just set up and served, I got to showcase my gourmet food dishes and myself.
I walked around the conference room that they had turned into a winter wonderland. It was beautifully decorated with white and light blue décor. The fifteen round tables had white and blue roses as centerpieces. There were crystals cas
cading all over the room walls. I found Stephanie setting up the lamb, veal, and chicken. “How’s it going Steph?”
“So far, so good we got all the sides and drinks ready to be served and I’m just making sure everything is the right temperature to serve.”
I smiled. “That’s what I like to hear. How is Bella doing?”
We both turned to glance at Bella with a serving tray that had champagne glasses ready to be distributed.
“She is actually doing really well. Nicole better watch out because she might not have a job once she is healed,” Stephanie jokingly said.
I laughed along with her as I watched the room start to fill up with De Luca Incorporated employees. About an hour into it, I sought out Bella. “Hey, girly, how’s serving going?”
She gave me the biggest smile. “It’s kinda fun, although my feet are killing me. My boss is such a tyrant, making us girls wear five-inch heels while standing and serving all day.”
I rolled my eyes. “A tyrant, huh? She sounds like a bitch to me.”
“You better watch your mouth. That’s my best friend you are talking about.”
Placing her empty tray to her side, she walked away, giving me air kisses. I didn’t know why I had hesitated to have her help with this event. She was so damn good at this. If she kept this up she would be at each and every event from here on out.
A little while later, I notice Bella was in a conversation with no one other than the CEO himself, Adam De Luca. There was not any time to go see what was taking place because it was now time to serve the desserts. I headed over to Raymond, who was slicing the cakes and pies into square pieces. I grabbed a knife and began slicing.
“Bella is doing her thang out there,” Raymond mentioned as he placed a piece of cake on a saucer on the serving tray.
“Yeah, she really is doing a great job,” I replied. I was happy that my staff seemed to take a liking to her. She was proving that she was a good friend, as well as an employee. It was important to me that all my staff got along. It was not a secret that we were friends. So, I was happy that they could see what a hard worker she really is. I didn’t want them to think that just because we were friends I would be lax on her.
Raymond opened his mouth to speak. “And have you noticed that the CEO can’t help but stop her every time she walks past him? Max and Laura were making their way around the room and said he simply refused to take what they were offering.” Raymond chuckled with admiration displaying across his face. I watched his eyes land on Bella and Adam De Luca. I felt a ping of jealousy. I rolled my eyes to myself yeah, I was sure it was nothing. Bella was not his type. Over the years, he had many different girlfriends all ranging from blondes and brunettes. They all had the same thing in common. Their skin was white like mine.
I wasn’t a racist, but I called it like I saw it. I was sure Adam was not down with the swirl. Even if he was, Bella still didn’t measure up to his standards. With that thought, I continued slicing and placing the desserts on trays. Stephanie made her way over just as we put the last dessert on the tray.
“I am going to go ahead and have the servers hand out the coconut milk cake, chocolate soufflé and the white Christmas pie. Do you two need anything else done?”
Raymond and I looked at each other and in unison said, “No, we’re good.”
It had been an amazing night. My staff was packing up from another job well-done catering event when Adam approached me.
“Ava, you and your staff did an outstanding job. Thank you. The food was the talk of the party.” I had to admit what he said gave me goose bumps. His voice was deep and masculine.
Looking at Adam, I noticed he was still a very attractive man. I remembered him from school. He was fine then, but now he looked like a god standing before me. His skin was naturally tanned. His eyes, the bluest of blues, looked as if they could suck the soul right out of a woman. I desperately wanted to be that woman.
“Are you okay?” He asked. Crap! I must have zoned out while I was taking in his god-like physique.
“Yeah,” I nodded.
He squinted his eyes, focusing in on me.
“I was so impressed with the quality and taste of everything. It was mouthwatering. It made me think we should set up another event soon. I was thinking I could have you cater my New Year’s Eve’s party.”
This man just didn’t know I would do anything for him. Then a thought ran across my mind, “Oh, that must be what you were talking to Bella about?”
Adam looked confused for a minute before he spoke again. “Who is Bella?”
I should have known a man like him had no need to know the name of the help. “Bella is my assistant. She was filling in today for one of my servers. I saw you speaking to her earlier. She was the African-American woman who was handing out drinks and hors d’oeuvres.”
Adam flashed a smile. “No, we didn’t speak about that.”
Well, that made me curious. “So, if not the next event then what?” I really wanted to know what these two had talked about.
“It doesn’t matter,” he stated. “I will come by your location so we can make arrangements for the party.” He just walked away. Dismissed, Adam De Luca had just dismissed me like I was nobody. I was fuming. God had granted him an angelic appearance, but he had a devilish personality. I had to get out of here. I went and sat in the van until my crew got everything together.
Bella was the first to get in followed by the others. “Hey, what are you doing out here?” she asked.
Collecting my feelings on what to say, I finally gave words to my thoughts, “Well, sometimes I like to take a moment—”
“Girl, since when have you ever sat in the van to have a moment?” Raymond asked, interrupting my sentence.
The whole group erupted into a laughing fit. I rolled my eyes and started the van. We made it back to the place I like to think of as my culinary dream, in no time thanks to my heavy foot. Everyone else was laughing and joking around with each other. I on the other hand was ready to put everything away and go home. Bella tried to have small talk with me, but I just wasn’t in the mood to hear what she had to say. We had gotten the last of the pans washed, when I bid farewell to my staff. Luckily, I didn’t have to take Bella home tonight. I needed a break from her. Raymond had offered to be her chauffeur and she accepted. Tomorrow will be Sunday and I planned on doing nothing at all. We were closed on Sundays, so I wasn’t going to miss anything from work. Maybe I could have a spa day. Yes, that’s what I would do. I was due for some good relaxation.
15
Bella
Today was Monday. I spent yesterday’s time going to church with Ms. Brenda and Mr. Garett. Church was becoming a new normal for us. It lifted my spirit and gave me new hope. I wasn’t going to pretend that I was someone who had the upmost or the highest quality of spirituality. I was new to the faith and was learning how to love the Lord and love myself. After church, we came back to my home for lunch.
Mr. Garett had left soon after that with Ms. Brenda. I spent the rest of my afternoon cleaning. Cleaning had always been my therapy. Not only did my house look great, I got out a lot of frustration too. It was a good thing because it got me prepared for today’s deterrents. Ava had been in and out of the office. She claimed she was getting more supplies for upcoming events. I knew her better than that, though. Something was up with her. I wasn’t sure what I had done to her. She was obviously upset with me.
Maybe she was still upset about what happened at the club. I know she was feelin’ Luke, but his friend was an ass. Steven had no respect for me at all. I wasn’t there to feed his fetish or entertain his stupidity. Ava had to understand that. In fact, she seemed like she did. Saturday at the catering event, she was all smiles. But come to think of it, by the end of the night she was in the van, alone in the dark. When I had asked her what was going on, she said it was nothing. Sitting here watching her give me the silent treatment had me in complete dismay. Why was she acting like a child instead of a grown woman?
>
The door opened and in walked Adam De Luca. My smile was colossal. I mean showing teeth and gum colossal. This man seemed to bring out all kinds of involuntary body actions. I slapped my hand over my mouth to cover my smile.
“Isn’t it polite to greet a client when they walk in the door?” Adam vocalized with his deep baritone voice. “And by the way, why are you trying to hide such a beautiful smile?”
Now, I was so thankful for my dark skin, any fairer, and I would be blushing for sure. With a little nervousness in my voice, I decided to give him the greeting he was asking for, ignoring his question.
“Hello, Mr. De Luca. How are you this afternoon?”
He stepped closer to my desk that Ava had set up upfront, so I could do exactly what I was doing now—greeting clients.
16
Adam
Bella had to be the most beautiful woman to walk God’s green earth. That was the sole reason why I had come here to Ava’s Tasty Treats and Eats. I hadn’t planned to have a New Year’s Eve party. In fact, I was going to be out of the country. All that had changed, once I caught sight of her. That night had been life changing. I was definitely smitten with her.
Throughout the night, I had kept trying to talk to her, but she wouldn’t hold a conversation with me to save my life. She was polite in saying she had other guests to serve. I followed her all over the room, wishing I could sample more than what she was serving on that tray. I chuckled, recalling the conversation.
“Are you just going to follow me around all night, Mr. De Luca?”
I was amused by her straightforwardness. So, I gave it right back. “I will if that’s the only way I can get you to speak to me.”