“Yeah. What’s up,” she answered.
I hadn’t talked to her since that incident in my dining room. “Hey. You busy?”
“On lunch.”
I could hear noise in her background. “Well, I was calling to see if you wanted to go to this social event Aric invited me to tonight.”
“Hold on.”
I could tell she was walking away from the noise. “What time is it?”
“Well he said he would be by to pick me up at around seven.”
“So we’re riding with him?”
I figured she had decided she was going already.
“Yeah.”
“OK. I’ll be at your place around six-thirty.”
“OK and it’s like a business social type thing, dress accordingly.”
She was quiet a second. “Bitch, I know what to wear to a business gathering,” she laughed. “Anyway. Got to get ready to go back to work, but I will see you at six thirty and you’re the one who needs to be trying to figure out what to wear.”
Before I could respond, she hung up. That’s just how April was. I guess calling me the “b” word was her favorite pastime since she had been doing it since we had become friends. I let what she said slide. Although she laughed, what she said grated my nerves. I left work early and did a little shopping. First thing I did was stop by a hair salon and got a four strand French braid so my fro wouldn’t be all over the place. I must say that I was pleased with the outcome. I didn’t visit the salon that much so that was a treat. I stopped by Simplicity Spa to hook up a manicure and a pedicure. I had no choice but to rush into Lenoxx Mall and ran inside of Neiman Marcus to pick up a nice evening wear gown. I didn’t want anything extravagant but I wanted to be cute. So I spent way more than I should have on a black one shoulder draped Charmeuse dress that came past my knees and contoured to my body. The pair of silver Jimmy Choo six inch stiletto heels with diamond studs on the cuff that strapped around the ankle was costly too.
By the time I was done, it was five o’clock. I rushed into my house, and couldn’t remember the last time I had rushed so fast to get ready for a date. I jumped in the shower so quick it was like the water barely touched me. I moisturized my skin with honey and vanilla body cream from Bath and Body Works. I quickly got dressed and hurried to the door when the doorbell rang to let April in. I must admit that she looked stunning. The bold red dress that flared over her hips and ass, stopped mid-thigh, left me speechless. The silver strap up stilettos only enhanced what God had already blessed her with. Her short hair style was freshly done and her makeup brought out the glow in her butterscotch skin complexion. The dress hugged her extra small waist and drew attention to her forty inch hips. Her C-cups were almost spilling out of the top of the dress that tied around her neck and made a V on her chest, leaving most of her back exposed.
“Damn, girl! I said we were going to a business social not the Velvet Room,” I exclaimed.
She only looked at me and rolled her eyes before walking in past me.
“Whatever! Are you driving or are we being picked up?”
I looked her over once again and I felt underdressed. “You look good though,” I complimented her.
“Thank you. So you driving?”
I shook my head. “No. I told you Mr. McHale is picking us up.”
She smiled. “So you’re back to calling him Mr. McHale now?”
I shrugged while looking in my mirror on the wall behind my loveseat and putting my diamond earrings in my ears.
“He insists that everyone calls him Aric, but I want to keep it professional.”
“Yeah sure he does and I bet you do.”
April made her way to my kitchen. I heard her pull my fridge open.
“So are you and Mr. Man getting y’all grown folk on?”
I frowned at her when she rounded the corner with a bottle of my Dasani water in her hand. “No. I don’t mix business with pleasure.”
“Bitch please! As fine as that man is I would be sucking and fucking every chance I got.”
I didn’t get a chance to answer. The headlights turning into my driveway let me know Aric was here.
“Speaking of the devil,” April crooned. The way she smiled and the seductive look that laced her eyes gave me a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t know why I was tripping. All this man had ever done was kiss me twice and he hadn’t said a word about us hooking up. My doorbell rang and it was like I was stuck where I was. Aric made me nervous like that. I watched as April opened my door like it was her house. I noticed the surprise register on his face and then I saw the way his eyes gave her a once over and a once over again. His face clearly showed that he liked what he saw. April’s slow and easy smile clearly gave off the vibe that she approved of his approving of her. My hand went to my hair and then back down to my side. I felt my hair to make sure my edges were still lying down. You know just making sure my natural look was holding up.
Aric held his hand out for April to shake. “Hello, April. Nice to see you again,” he greeted.
She bypassed his outstretched hand and went in for a hug with a giggle. “No need for all of the business and polite stuff. Save that for Chyanne. How are you this evening?”
He embraced her and I looked away.
“I’m doing fine. Thank you. You look great by the way.”
She pulled away from his hold and playfully tapped him on the shoulder with another giggle. “Thank you. You know, you are not looking too bad yourself. You are making that suit look good.”
He gave a chuckle. “Thank you.”
April finally moved and let him in the door. He had to kind of crouch down so his head wouldn’t hit the door frame. Looking at him left me speechless. I mean I had seen him done up in business suits and all at work, but he was killing this all black Armani suit. It was so well tailored to fit him that nobody else could come close to pulling that look off. The wide legged pants were cuffed to fit his tall frame perfectly. I stood there like a deaf mute until he looked over at me. When he finally did a slow and easy smile crept over his face. His pearly white teeth added even more sexiness to his smile.
“Good evening Chyanne. Wow! You look beautiful,” he said, walking over to me.
“Thank you,” I said to him as he grabbed me into a tight embrace. He smelled so good. Like Ivory soap mixed with a masculine fragrance. He pulled away slowly from the hug and when I thought he would kiss me my heart rate sped up. He didn’t kiss me although his eyes lingered on my lips. I ran my tongue across them out of nervousness.
“You look very handsome tonight as well.”
“Not as good as you do,” he whispered to me so only I could hear.
I smiled. “Let me get my purse and keys.”
“Do you need for me to stay with you while you lock up,” he asked.
I shook my head and smiled. “No I got it.”
Truth be told, I needed to get myself together. I quickly went to my room and grabbed my purse, Blackberry, and keys. Aric and April had already stepped out to his truck. I walked out to hear the end of whatever conversation they were having.
“We’ll talk,” I heard him say to her.
With the way she was standing close to him it made me wonder what he meant by that statement. He was standing on the passenger side of his cream colored Cadillac Escalade with the door open. When she walked around him her breast brushed across his chest. He smiled at her and looked over at me. I don’t know why she felt that she automatically got to ride in the front beside him. I don’t know if it was in my walk or what, but when he opened the back door for me I didn’t even look at him. I am sure my attitude was visible. He tried to take my hand and help me up, but I snatched it away from him.
“You okay,” he asked me.
I looked at him. He didn’t have his glasses on and his light eyes shone at me. “Yeah. Shut the door.”
I didn’t give him a chance to say anything else. I reached over and slammed the door shut for him.
“Damn, Chyanne,” April laughed.
With steam coming from my ears, I watched Aric walk around to get into the truck.
“You ain’t mad, are you?” April teased me as he slid into the truck.
Something in her voice struck a nerve, but I let it go. Aric put the car in reverse and turned to back out. I don’t know how he backed out without hitting anything because his eyes stayed on me the whole time. I couldn’t look at him for as long as he looked at me so I turned my head in another direction.
We ended up at the Intercontinental Buckhead in one of their ballrooms with Atlanta’s business elite. So much business power in one room made for a boring night for me. After we found our table Aric introduced us to his friend and business associate Gabriel. Gabriel was a sexy dark chocolate brother that should have been a carnal sin. He and Aric were the same height. Aric had a thicker build than Gabriel and a sexier smile but that didn’t take away Gabriel’s appeal. The brother had a nice head of neatly done locks that swayed around his shoulders and his accent was a killer. He had that deep Southern baritone that would make a woman drop all of her clothes in a matter of seconds. His goatee was perfectly aligned and his eyes made his smile more enticing.
“Hello, April,” he said as he stood to greet her. She always got the greeting first and it wasn’t lost on anyone that his eyes roamed over her body from head to toe then toe to head again before he even looked at me. As usual she gave a tight hug and returned the greeting.
“Nice meeting you, Gabriel,” she crooned. “Chyanne never told me she worked with brothers who looked like this.”
All three of them chuckled and laughed. I didn’t. Gabriel took his eyes off of April long enough to turn tome.
“You must be Chyanne,” he said with a smile.
“Yes I am,” I said extending my hand to him. He bypassed my hand and pulled me into an embrace that made me feel some type of way. For whatever reason, I glanced over at Aric. He sipped his drink and looked away for a quick second. His smile had disappeared.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said pulling away. “I guess Aric is happy he finally found a competent assistant.”
I smiled. “That’s always a good thing and I hope everything is all good that he has told you about me.”
Gabriel chuckled and handed his glass to a passing waitress. “All good, but he didn’t tell me how beautiful you are. Guess he wants to keep you all to himself.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. I just laughed a bit. “With as much work that is on my desk he has me for at least . . . another ten years.”
He said, “You could always come and work for me. I know how to treat my employees and with one that is as good as Aric says you are I could use you in more ways than one.”
I took a quick sip of my drink and looked at April as we all took a seat at the table. She only chuckled and moved her tongue around in her mouth before sipping on her wine and giving me a side eye. Before I could think of anything to say Aric spoke up because I really didn’t know how to respond.
“That’s too bad now isn’t it? She’s not going anywhere. As a matter of fact when we get back to the office on Monday I’m going to need that in writing. This Negro is trying to take you from me. Not going to happen. Besides nobody will do her like I do. It would do you good to remember that Chyanne,” he laughed.
I was glad he laughed because if I didn’t know any better I would think they were serious. Especially when Gabriel looked me up and down, smirked, and made a ‘hmph’ sound under his breath. He folded his arms across his chest and looked at Aric then at me.
“Chyanne, everything is not always what it seems and if ever you get tired of this asshole, look me up,” Gabriel finished.
I smiled. “I will keep that in mind,” I said. I needed to get away for a second so I excused myself. “Excuse me. I need to visit the ladies room.”
April stood as well. “I’m going to go and keep Chyanne company. You guys behave until we return.”
Gabriel and Aric stood when we stood. I assumed they didn’t sit back down until we had walked away. I observed as men drooled over April. She had what we liked to call the pony walk and when you threw in the stilettos she had on, it made her all the more enticing. This was a mess. My body and my nerves were jittery and shot to hell. For whatever reason, I didn’t know why. I made it to the ladies room, staring at myself and tossing cold water in my face. April was standing at the counter with her arms folded looking at me.
“What,” I asked her.
The smirk on her face let me know this would not be good. What I should have done was left right then and there, but I didn’t.
“Why didn’t you tell me Jonathan called you?”
“When?”
“When Jo-Jo was at your place?”
I exhaled and shrugged. “I didn’t think it was a big deal. He called and asked to speak to the boys. I thought it would be okay.”
“Why in the fuck did you think I would be okay with that bastard talking to my kids?”
“Because they are his kids too April. All he did was—”
“And you let Jo-Jo take your car to take Aaron and Aaden to see him. Why?”
Other women in the bathroom were looking at us on the sly.
“Because they asked. What’s the big freaking deal April? Jonathan has a right to see his children. Just because he doesn’t want anything to do with you doesn’t mean he doesn’t love his kids. You need to stop trying to make them choose between you and their father. He doesn’t want you anymore! So what? He has moved on. Why don’t you?”
I knew I had said too much before the words left my mouth. April stood to her full height and I did the same. Hell, if she was going to swing then I wasn’t backing down. People were looking at us. They all had stopped doing what they had come in the bathroom to do to watch us. Over the years April and I had been through a lot. I was with her when her mom died. With her when Jonathan started coming home later and later. I was her shoulder to cry on. I stayed with her when she drank herself sick. I was with her when she and Jonathan lost the last child they conceived together. Now we had come to this and I didn’t know why. We had been friends for five years. Met when we were in Georgia State together. She ended up having to quit for a while because Jonathan lost his job. Her whole attitude had changed when Jonathan actually left, but I just thought it was because she was hurt. Now I didn’t know what the problem was but I was done trying to figure it out. She put her hands on her hips, clucked her tongue to the roof of her mouth, and looked me up and down before snatching the bathroom door open and walking out with the same smug smirk that she had been carrying all night
I rushed behind her. “Look, April, I’m sorry,” I apologized as I tried to grab her arm and she turned and snatched away. She looked at me, the look in her eyes cold.
“It’s cool,” was all she said before she sashayed off. I rushed behind her and then remembered I had left my clutch in the bathroom on the sink. I quickly turned around and slammed right into somebody that was built like a brick wall. I stumbled and almost fell back. He caught me by my arm.
“Excuse me,” I said. “I am so sorry.”
“Chyanne?”
I finally looked up and into the face of a man who looked familiar.
He said, “It’s me, Jamie. Do you remember me from a few weeks ago? We met at Club Miami.”
I nodded. “Oh, yeah. I am so sorry about running into you, but let me go and get my purse. I left it in the restroom and I will be right back.”
He nodded and I went into the restroom to get my purse. Thank God it was lying where I had left it. I walked back out into the lobby and Jamie was nowhere to be seen so I walked back in the direction of the table where we were all sitting. I stopped in my tracks when I spotted Aric with his arms wrapped around April and they were dancing to a slow song the live band was playing. He was looking down at her and smiling and she was so close to him she may as well have been his skin. My heart dropped when she
brushed her fingers across his lips and all he did was run his tongue across his lips in return. I was so caught up in what was going on in front of me that when someone tapped my shoulders from behind I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I turned around and Jamie had an amused look on his face with his hands up like I was sticking him up. “My bad! I’m sorry!” He laughed when I smiled.
“You just scared whatever hell I had in me away,” I joked.
“I am truly sorry but I came over to ask if you would like to dance. I don’t know what the hell they are playing, but I think we can keep up,” he smiled.
He looked different tonight. Maybe it was because his locks were pulled back nice and neat and the black suit he was wearing complimented his physique. His dark eyes held a sparkle that pulled me in and his smile was enough to charm me into the dance he asked me for. I let him lead me to the dance floor and when he pulled me close to him for some reason I laid my head on his chest and relaxed.
“So what brings you here, Ms. Chyanne? I didn’t think of you as the uptight type,” he said.
I lifted my head and looked up at him. “What does that mean?”
“I mean look around you.” He shrugged gazing down at me with a smile on his face. “Look at all of these boring business men and women and listen to this music.”
I laughed. “Hey my boss isn’t boring and what does that make you since you are here?”
His head fell back a bit and he laughed before looking back down at me. “Good question. Who’s your boss by the way?”
“Aric McHale . . .”
“Oh the brother who took over at B&G?”
I nodded. “That’s him.”
“Well I heard about what they used to do over there. You good?”
I nodded. “Oh, yeah. Aric is the best. I haven’t had any problems.”
“Well you can always call me if you do.”
Before I could respond Aric and April were right in my view, Aric’s eyes were planted on me. I looked away for a second and then back at him. He kept his eyes locked with mine.
Full Figured 3: Carl Weber Presents Page 17