by Anna Black
“What? Get the fuck out of here. Right now?”
“Yes, right now, but I want you to go.”
She laughed out loud. “You want me to go to Vegas right now?”
“Yes. We can make it a one-day trip.”
“Hold on,” Tiffany said. “Kory,” she heard Tiffany yell. A few moments later, Tiffany said, “Are you up for Vegas?”
“Why not?” Rose overheard him.
“We can pack a bag and be at your place in an hour,” Tiffany confirmed.
Rose screamed. “This is crazy! Come on. We are going to Vegas!” Rose hung up. Levi went to shower, and they threw a bag together. Tiffany and Kory came shortly after, and they agreed to take the SUV. Tiffany sat in the back with Rose, and they laughed and talked the entire four-hour drive. They made it close to six in the morning and checked into the Bellagio Hotel. By five the next evening, Rose and Levi were married, and they hung out, gambled, and decided to leave the next day.
Rose was now a successful business owner, a wife, and an expectant mother. The only thing that weighed her down was that she and her sister still were not talking. After Levi had kissed her good-bye to head to work, she pulled out her phone. This was her last attempt to reconcile with Roslyn. She dialed her number and after the voice mail came on, she left her a message. “You know who this is. I didn’t sleep with your husband; never did I ever even try to. I’m married now, and I’m having a baby, and I want us to fix this.” She hung up. That was her last try. About twenty minutes later, she got a call.
It was from her sister Roslyn.
Under New Ownership
Episode 33
Tiffany
Tiffany squeezed Kory’s hand tighter as she waited for someone to come for her. The press conference had begun over an hour ago, and Langley assured her after he and Mike spoke and answered all of the press and media’s questions they would send for her to introduce her. The baby was doing flips, and Tiffany’s stomach had a million butterflies fluttering about.
“Calm down, baby.”
“I’m trying, Kory, but the baby is anxious; I’m anxious. I feel like I’m going to blow chunks.”
“If you are, blow them now, Tiff. You have a big moment, and you don’t want to blow chunks out there.”
She squeezed his hand tighter. “I know, baby, I know. Why is this taking so long?”
“You know the press. They will ask the same damn question a dozen times, but reword it.”
“True, by the way . . . off the subject, I hear Cameron and Myah are doing well.”
“Yes, they are. You did well. I’m training him to manage the new location, and all he talks about constantly is Myah and her kids. He took her two boys to a game, and he is like already saying she’s the one.”
“Well, I hope it works out for them. I plan to promote Dee to be my right hand and give Myah that spot Tracy called herself getting. That way, Myah can produce and keep up with the series department. She already knows how to read the numbers and evaluate the ratings. Dee and I will continue to work with her on the producing side, but I know she will do great things.”
“Wow, baby, listen to you. You are already delegating—and you haven’t even been on the job a day yet.”
“I’ve thought about a lot of fresh changes for a while, Kory. There were a lot of talented people that came before us, and those people are worn out and tired. I just want TiMax to flourish. Now the veterans will leave with a handsome package, but as I said, we need new age ideas. TiMax is going to be the number one network by the time I’m done.”
“Do you, baby.”
“You know I’m always doin’ me.”
“Tiffany,” a voice interrupted. “They’re ready for you.”
She stood. “Baby, this is it.”
“Go get’em, baby.”
“I love you, Kory.”
“I love you more.”
Tiffany exited the room, and when she heard Mr. Green announce her name, she stepped out. Cameras were flashing, and Tiffany felt like royalty. Things happened so fast it was a blur. She answered all questions confidently and was happy when it came to an end.
She stood in what used to be Mr. Green’s office, now her new office, with Mike and Langley.
“How do you feel, darling?” Langley asked.
“I feel good, sir. I’m ready to make you proud.”
“You will do great, Tiffany, and I know you don’t think too kindly of me, but you have my number as well. If you get stuck or need advice, don’t hesitate,” Mike offered.
“Thank you, Mr. Harrington. You are a brilliant man, and what you and Mr. Green did with this company is phenomenal, and for that, I have great respect for you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Banks. Now I must go. My wife and I have a plane to catch. We are leaving for Italy for a couple of months, so keep in touch,” he said. Tiffany laughed on the inside. People with money could always make any obstacle “disappear.”
“Safe travels, Mike,” Mr. Green said, and they hugged tightly. “We did well, old man. Now it’s time to sit back and watch the younger generation finish what we started.”
Mike grinned. “Yes, indeed, and once Laura and I return, we will be by to visit with you and Estelle.”
“Looking forward to it,” Langley said. Mike made his exit, and Mr. Green turned to Tiffany. “This is only the beginning, kid. This moment right here is a moment I always dreamed of sharing with my Isabella,” he sighed. His eyes watered.
“Mr. Green, I am so sorry.”
“No no no, Tiff, no apologies. God is taking care of my angel now. I have to take it for what it is. Isa was my center, and no matter what, she was my baby. To tell you the truth, I’d rather her be resting there than to be here fighting drugs and alcohol and all of those demons she couldn’t defeat.”
“I know, Mr. Green. Tressa and I weren’t close, nowhere near it, but I have my moments when I miss her too. After she had cleaned up and we worked together, I got to know a kind Tressa, a sweet person, and she was so smart. It only took once for me to tell her something and she’d remember. When I did have the pleasure of spending time with her, she left me with fond memories.”
He wiped his face. “Yes, my Isabella had a side to her that not many people got to see or experience, and I miss her so much, and it still hurts so bad,” he cried.
Tiffany rushed over and hugged him tightly. “I know, sir, and we all miss her.” Tiffany gave Mr. Green all the time he needed. She sat with him and held his hand and listened to his stories about Tressa until he was ready to leave.
“You know you and Kory are welcome to come by the house at any time, and when this little girl makes an entrance, Estelle and I want to be there.”
“Of course, Mr. Green.”
“Call me Langley. I’m not your boss anymore, Tiff.”
She smiled. “Well, you still own this company, so you are. I’m just the CEO, but I will call you whatever you like.”
“Good. Now go and handle business with that Tracy person, and then get home and have a good time with your husband.”
“Yes, sir,” Tiffany said. They exchanged their last hug, and after Tiffany called in Dee and Mee-Mee to inform them of their new positions, she made her way to Tracy’s office. She was surprised her name was still on the door, and even more surprised she was still there.
Tiffany walked in without knocking. This wasn’t Tracy’s house, and Tiffany didn’t owe her an ounce of respect. “You’re still here?” Tiffany said.
“I work here,” Tracy snarled.
“Do you?” Tiffany held back her laughter. “Have you heard the news?”
“I have, and what does that mean to me?”
“That means you don’t have a show, an office, a title, or a place at TiMax. Your badge has been deactivated since eleven a.m. The gates know that you are no longer on the list. Shall I continue?”
Tracy rolled her neck, and then looked up at Tiffany. Her eyes were filled with anger, and Tiffany, being six-plus mont
hs pregnant, should not have gone in there alone. Tiffany placed a hand on her belly, and then took a seat. She didn’t want to entertain Tracy, but she was inclined to hear her parting words.
“Do you think this is over?” Tracy growled.
“Tracy, come on . . . What do you want? Sympathy? Forbearance? Tell me what are you talking about? This is over. You’ve only been here what . . . seven months and some change, and you are back where your sorry ass started from. I won’t slander you. I won’t prevent you from getting a job at another network, but TiMax is not a fit for evildoers like you. We are family here, Tracy, and we don’t bug offices, prey on junior producers, or plot to destroy each other.
“You are a black woman with an attitude. You are holding a grudge over something that is so old, that has no bearing on your future. You have allowed that one moment when you think I took something from you dictate your actions, Tracy, and that’s just crazy.”
Tiffany eyed her and could see she was boiling, but she finished what she had to say. “I did not take your job, Tracy. I showed up, presented my ideas, and Todd liked them. When you showed up, it was up to you to defend your position, but you didn’t, so I did nothing wrong. For months, I felt guilty; for months, I prayed for you, and now, here we are.
“You are blocking yourself, Tracy, not the other way around. Holding on to anger is destroying you.” Tiffany stood. She was going to leave, but she wasn’t hateful or evil like Tracy, and she made a decision. “I’m willing to let you stay on as a producer of Grapevine. It is a great show, some of your best work, and we can discuss new original ideas somewhere in the future. This is your last chance, Tracy; please don’t make me regret it.” Tiffany went to the door, but she heard a sound come out of Tracy’s body that scared the shit out of her.
“Fuck you, Tiffany Richardson! Hell will freeze over twice before I work for you. I’m not a loser; you are, and I’m not done with you. You will see my face again!” she roared like a lion at Tiffany.
“Don’t threaten me, Tracy. I’m not afraid of you. If you think you want to try me, you better be ready. I am a winner, and winners always win!” Tiffany spat before exiting. She took quick strides to distance herself from Tracy’s office. She wasn’t weak, but she was pregnant, and standing up to her was probably a horrible idea. She called security and told them to remove Tracy Simms from the building and to make sure she vacated the premises. She gave specific instructions that Tracy Simms was banned from their property and should not be allowed in the gate under any circumstances.
Then Tiffany called Kory and told him what happened after he left, and he insisted he’d come and pick her up. She didn’t argue. She was happy to be home, safe and sound.
“Baby, about getting a gun . . .” she said as she pulled the covers back.
“Yes, what about it?”
“I changed my mind. I think we should,” she said.
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I think I’d feel a lot safer with one.”
“Okay, I’ll call Levi tomorrow.”
“Yes, baby, do that,” she said and climbed into bed. Tiffany wasn’t familiar with crazy, but the look on Tracy’s face was like an evil, empty person, someone with nothing to lose. She didn’t want to be afraid of her, but she always wanted to be cautious. She had a baby coming in less than three months, so she had to make sure she and her baby stayed safe.
You Will Pay
Episode 34
Tracy
Tracy sat at her desk and waited for security to open the door.
“Don’t touch me,” she said and stood. “I’m happy to leave, just don’t put your hands on me,” she repeated. They did not get aggressive. They allowed her to get her bag, purse, and two armed security guards escorted her to her car. She got in without force and handed over her badge and garage card.
“Ma’am, please make your exit now and do not return.”
“Whatever, fat boy. If I was a real criminal, I’d run just to see if you can catch me,” she said to the husky officer. If that was TiMax’s finest, they needed to do some rehiring.
Tracy turned off the radio and headed home. She talked to herself the entire ride. “I’m going to get you—oh, I’m going to get you. Mike, you ugly grown-ass baby fucker, I’m going to get you and Tiffany. Your ass is going to suffer. I’m going to get you, bad baby, just watch. You two will be the last two people on this earth to fuck with me. You hear me?” she yelled. “You bitches have fucked with the wrong one,” she spat, with spit flying from her lips. She stopped at a red light and slapped herself as hard as she could. Whap, whap, and another whap as she punished herself with two more slaps. “Fucking bitch-ass bitches, stupid fuck bitches, I am going to fuck you in the ass, Mike, fucking stupid bitch.” She heard a horn. She looked up, and the light was green. She pulled off, but she was overwhelmed with emotions, and she couldn’t control herself.
Whap, whap, whap, whap.
She continued to punish her face as she drove home. “You’re a stupid bitch. A dumb bitch, a dumb bitch that changed a grown nigga’s diaper,” she ranted. Whap. “You stupid bitch, you dumb whore.” She continued this behavior until she got home. Her face was numb and purple from the bruising, but that wasn’t enough. She wanted to get her ammunition for the press. She opened her safe—and all of her files were gone. Video footage on her tablet of her and Mike’s rendezvous gone. “Son of a bitch!” She quickly realized that her spa day was just a day for Mike to clean up his mess. Every tape and voice recording she had in her safe was gone. How they cracked the codes or got in was too much for her to figure out. All she knew at that moment was people with money had the power, and she had none. She had earned a few stacks from her time at TiMax, but with that, she’d only be able to be jobless for approximately six months; after that, she’d be penniless.
“You’re so stupid, Tracy, a stupid dumb bitch,” she admonished herself and went into her closet. She stood and looked at the straps she had hanging on the walls and grabbed the thinnest one. She stripped out of her clothes and sat on the ottoman in her room, and she gave her thighs fifty hard lashes. By the time she was done, she was sobbing uncontrollably and out of breath. She reached for the blanket that was nearby at the foot of her bed and eased back into the chair. Her thighs and face stung, but she knew she deserved that ass whipping for being such a failure.
She closed her eyes and prayed for sleep, but not before she prayed for revenge.
Baby Shower
Episode 35
Tiffany
Tiffany left the office humming a tune and smiling. Her baby shower was going down the next day, and she was superexcited. She was thirty-nine weeks and larger than life. Work was good, her marriage was perfect, and her best friends, Rose and Asia, were living in bliss. Rose was starting to show, and her gallery was not only doing well, it was doing so well Rose had to hire two new artists because now that she was pregnant, she couldn’t keep up with the demand. One of her new employees was a painter, and the other was a sculptor. He specialized in wood, but either way, they turned over profit, so life was great.
Levi had quit the force and was now working as a jeweler at one of Kory’s stores because Rose could not stand the fact that she could lose her husband in the line of duty, and they were having a child. Although Levi wanted to be a detective, with his first child on the way, he agreed with Rose. Kory assured him that he’d manage his fourth location within a year when he opened it, but for now, Levi dedicated himself to learning what he needed to know to be able to run his own store.
“Baby, please bring in the bags from the back of my car,” Rose told Levi.
“Rosy, I know, baby. Please let a brother get a sip of water first,” he said.
Rose went over to kiss him. “I’m sorry, baby, and if I wasn’t carrying your big-headed kid, I’d go myself,” she jabbed.
“Oh, Lord, am I going to have to hear this until delivery?”
Rose rubbed her stomach. “Yes, sir, now go get the bags,” she o
rdered.
Tiffany laughed. “Rose, leave that man alone. He is sweating from doing everything you’ve ordered him to do.”
“So? And I have a waddle in my walk now because of this baby. I am close to six months, Tiff, and look at me. I know it’s a boy, but is this Baby Huey? I’m huge.”
Tiffany laughed. “Rose, you are talking to a pregnant person that cannot see her feet. I have to rely on Kory and a mirror to see how my cankles look in shoes, so stop. This is the beauty of motherhood.”
“Oh, really?” Asia interrupted. “Mi so glad, I didn’t blow up like you two.”
“Get yo’ skinny ass outta here, Asia. Nobody asked you,” Rose snapped.
Tiffany laughed out loud. “Well, I will be glad when this little girl makes her appearance. I am so tired of being pregnant.”
“Me too,” Rose said.
“Girl, please, you still have almost four months to go.”
“Hell, I’m still tired.”
“Baby, where do you want this?” Levi interrupted.
“Over by the gift table.” She poured the salsa into the bowl. “Tiffany, I don’t know why you came early. You were supposed to get here when all was done.”
“Well, Kory said he had to pick up the baby’s gift and wanted to surprise me, so I’m here. I can always go outside and chill by the pool.”
“Yes, go,” Asia instructed. “Let me and Rose finish up here.”
“Yes, go outside.”
Tiffany left the kitchen and went outside. She relaxed on a chaise and thought about wine. “Lord, when this is over, I am going to drink a gallon of wine. With a straw,” she laughed out loud. She began to let her mind wander back when she lived there and how she’d sit out by her pool and think of show ideas and chat with Dee or Mee-Mee on the phone. She thought of the times it would be snowing at home, and she’d tease Rose about being out by the pool.
Those were fond memories, and she cherished them. She loved her home at one time, but now she had grown to love the home she and Kory shared. Her old home was for entertaining, and she wondered if Rose thought about expanding the backyard to lay sod and adding a security fence around the pool. She was having a baby, and the guest room in that two-bedroom home would transform into a nursery.