by Desiree Day
“So I guess it’s safe to say, no lawyers need apply?”
“You’re right. So where are we going tonight?”
Mya grinned mischievously. “Tonight is part one. I hope you brought something sexy to wear. I’m promoting a celebrity studded club opening and you’re getting the V.I.P. treatment.”
“You’re going to be working. You won’t be able to hang out with me,” Willow protested.
“I’m working for only an hour, then after that I’m all yours,” she promised.
“You say that all the time,” Willow groused. It wasn’t unusual for Mya to leave her sitting in the V.I.P. section with the promise to return in ten minutes, only to have her return two hours later, profusely apologizing.
Mya raised her right hand. “I promise, for real.”
“So what celebrities are going to show up tonight?”
Mya rattled off the guest list and Willow recognized many of her clients. “And there’s a rumor that Jay Z and Beyoncé are going to roll through.”
“I hope so, she’s so beautiful. They’re the perfect couple.”
“I know.”
I need to rethink what my dream guy is, Willow thought.
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Violet Murphy and her best friend Althea Connor jogged along the trail in Piedmont Park. In excellent shape, they easily sailed through two and a half miles, they had exactly that many left before they were done.
At thirty-eight-years-old Violet looked much younger than her age, as do most black women. With her smooth unblemished skin, short trendy haircut, and her well-toned, lightly muscled body, she was occasionally mistaken for someone in her late twenties.
Without breaking her stride Violet snatched her water bottle off her hydration waistpack and guzzled down half its contents before clamping it back in place.
She peeked out of the corners of her eyes at Althea; she was in the zone her gaze focused on some unknown marker that only she knew. They jogged in a comfortable silence, being friends for over a decade they had earned that right. During their morning run, neither said anything unless it was absolutely necessary. Violet started to say something but changed her mind when she saw how focused her friend was.
It was October and they both were excited at being outdoors again. The extreme summer heat and thick as slaw humidity had them working out at their gym.
At six o’clock in the morning the park was filled with groups of fitness boot camp participants, people doing yoga and joggers like her. Violet breathed deeply enjoying the cool air.
Piedmont Park was the perfect place for their daily run, since it was so close to their homes. Violet owned a house in Virginia-Highlands, an eclectic neighborhood filled with a mix of boutiques, restaurants and historical houses. Althea owned a condo in Midtown Atlanta.
Violet suppressed what she had to say until their cool down, when they finally shifted gears and ambled along. They walked slowly coming down from their runner’s high, and filled with the satisfaction that they pushed their bodies to the limit and won. “Great run,” she murmured.
“It was, I wish I had time to get a massage, but I have a meeting in two hours that I can’t miss,” Althea said with a frown. She rolled her shoulders and wiggled her arms, as though she could shake off her stress.
“Schedule it for after work,” Violet suggested.
Althea grinned at her friend. “I think I might.”
They continued their walk. Even though it was still cool, the temperature had inched up a few degrees since they had started their run. “I think Clint is cheating on me…again,” Violet said quietly.
Althea was silent, she had heard accusations against Violet’s husband before and they all turned out to be false. “Clint’s changed…” Althea grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop. Joggers and walkers grumbled as they went around the newly formed obstacle on the trail. “Let’s go over to the grass and stretch before we get run over. You can tell me everything over there.”
They found a spot on the grass and settled down. It was a little damp but it didn’t matter, they were already sweaty. Violet and Althea began the second half of their cool down routine. Violet started talking as though her friend hadn’t interrupted her, “He’s been so distant and he’s never home.”
“Could it be because he owns one of the most popular bakeries in the city?” she asked, her voice toeing sarcasm. A couple of years before the cupcake craze started, Clint had opened a bakery, Sugah Cakes; that focused on gourmet cupcakes and cakes. Since its opening business was brisk, but with the growing popularity of the little bite size treats, his bakery had taken off sending his sales soaring into the stratosphere, and making him one busy man, so much so that he had to double his staff.
“No!” Violet snapped. “Because he used to be attentive, but now nothing.”
“What proof do you have?”
“Proof?” Violet asked. “I don’t need proof, I have my woman’s intuition, my gut is telling me that he’s cheating.”
“Violet…”
“But—”
“Clint loves you. Xavier and I always talk about how sweet he is to you. He made a mistake and he apologized a million times, it’s time to move on. And what makes you think he’s cheating, you know that you’ve been wrong before,” Althea said softly.
“But not this time I’m not,” Violet insisted. She stared defiantly at her friend almost hating her; she had a perfect man, beautiful children and an envy worthy life. She doesn’t have a husband who cheated on her five years ago, Violet fumed to herself. Clint had confessed his indiscretion one night after he had too much to drink. The admission had blindsided her, knocking her to her knees. Over time, they had slowly rebuilt their marriage, but now the walls were tumbling down around them. It was just as painful to reveal now as it was then.
Althea turned away from her friend and instead touched her toes. She was looking at the ground when she asked, “Why are you so sure?”
“Okay, here’s one. Last night he got home at midnight, and even before he kissed me hello, he was running up to the bathroom to shower. And when he was done, he went right to bed. He could barely tell me goodnight,” she fumed.
“But the bakery…”
“Don’t say anything about that bakery again, I don’t believe it’s the problem,” Violet hissed. “He fucked somebody and he was trying to cover his tracks.”
Althea swallowed a retort, instead she asked, “Have you talked with him about it?”
“No,” Violet replied curtly.
“But why?”
“Because, he’ll lie about it and why should I waste my time listening to a lie?” Violet twisted her torso, turning away from her friend.
Althea rested a hand on her friend’s shoulder, forcing her to stop and face her. “Talk to him Violet, approach him with an open heart and really listen to him. You might be surprised by what he has to say.”
Violet flattened her lips and pulled away from her friend. Althea’s hand dropped to her side. “I’ll see,” she mumbled.
They finished their stretching in silence. The two friends strolled to their cars. When they got to their vehicles, Althea pulled her friend to her and hugged her tightly. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie. Go by the bakery today and see your husband. Or better yet, take him to dinner. I know that he’ll love that.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she replied absent-mindedly. She wiggled out of her friend’s embrace. “See you tomorrow?”
“Sure will.”
They got into their vehicles, Violet’s a BMW and Althea’s a Volvo. They drove off, going in separate directions. “That asshole is cheating on me, and I’m going to catch him!” Violet vowed.
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Sawyer Longley, soon-to-be Sawyer Spector, looked up at her older sister Campbell. “I can’t believe that Walt and I are finally getting married,” she said softly.
“Yep, and I can’t wait until it’s all over with, you’re driving me crazy,” C
ampbell lovingly scolded, while she inspected her sister. With her hair pulled back into a sleek chignon, her makeup impeccably applied, and her ivory, curve hugging, wedding dress, she was beautiful. She reminded Campbell of the exquisite Barbie dolls that her sister enjoyed playing with when they were little. Sawyer loved Barbie so much that she had started a collection, so far over two hundred dolls filled her house. “You weren’t quite a Bridezilla, but you did work my nerves. And lucky you, today is going to be a perfect day for a wedding. There’s nothing more beautiful than a May day in Savannah.”
They were in the corner of what Sawyer had nicknamed the Holding Pen, the room that the church had set aside for bridal parties to use before they took that long life-altering walk down the aisle. Sawyer savored this alone time with her sister, she knew once she got married, their chances of continuing to spend a lot of time together would become as rare as a forty-five year-old woman winning American Idol.
Her ten bridesmaids were clustered together on the other side of the room, chattering and laughing while putting on their finishing touches. Sawyer chuckled at the image, she was finally having her fairytale wedding, the one she had been dreaming about ever since her mother had given her a wedding Barbie.
Sawyer agreed with her sister. Then, “I can’t wait until tonight,” she shyly admitted to her sister.
“So you guys are finally going to do the do,” Campbell said. “I don’t know how you held out so long, I would’ve gone crazy.”
“Trust me, I almost did, but fortunately I had Steele, if I hadn’t, I would’ve dumped Walt a long time ago,” she revealed and Campbell snickered. As soon as she and Walt decided that they wanted to abstain from sex until they were married, Sawyer had immediately gone out and bought a ten-inch dildo that she had named Steele and had used on a frequent basis.
While neither one was a virgin, Walt had a five-year-old daughter, Shelby. And Sawyer had slept with more men than she could count, with most of those short-term relationships ending horribly. She had found that as soon as they hit the sheets they either decided that things were moving too fast and they needed to slow things down, which really meant that they got what they wanted and was itching to leave or they just went MIA. She was tired of both scenarios. So she was more than willing to comply with his request. Walt wasn’t like any man she had dated before, he treated her like a lady.
“I spent a ton of money at Victoria’s Secret. I got so much lingerie that it’ll fill up a suitcase. And I ordered some stuff off the Internet…some freaky stuff,” she whispered, not that she needed to since the chattering from the bridesmaids provided enough noise that hearing anybody that wasn’t within arm’s length was impossible.
Campbell chuckled. “That’s a good idea, but I don’t think Walt will need all that. All you have to do is show up and it’ll be a wrap. Trust me I know. I barely got dressed on my honeymoon, all I wore was a bathing suit and when it was time for dinner, I mean when we actually left the room, I threw on a sarong.” She smiled at the memory.
Just then their cousin Moesha chose to stroll over and Sawyer tensed, bracing herself for Moesha’s onslaught, she didn’t know what it would be, but she knew it would be something, and she was right. “So you’re finally gonna get fucked tonight, huh girl?”
Sawyer gritted her teeth. She had only asked Moesha to be in her wedding because their moms were each other’s favorite sister. And she promised her mother that she’d include Moesha, no matter how uncouth she was. “Yes, Walt and I are going to consummate our marriage, if that’s what you mean,” Sawyer answered. She knew that her friends and relatives talked about her behind her back and she regretted the moment she had let them in on such an intimate matter of her relationship, but at the time it seemed like a good idea.
“Damn girl. You don’t have to talk like you’re at work surrounded by a bunch of White people.” She gestured to the other people in the room. “It’s just family. You can say it, you’re gonna get fucked tonight, that is if you’re doing it right,” she said with a snicker.
“Moesha Tamika Barnett watch your mouth!” Priscilla, Sawyer’s mother demanded and she shot her a grateful smile. “This is a church and I will not have you disrespecting it with your potty mouth.”
“Aw Auntie I was just telling it like it is, we all know what she and Walt are going to be doing.”
Priscilla pressed her lips together and shook her head at her niece. Moesha was twenty-five-years-old, had a five-year-old daughter, named Destiny, and still lived with her parents. Moesha rarely stayed at a job long enough to accumulate vacation days, so far this year, she had four different jobs.
Sawyer saw Marsha her wedding coordinator jogging towards her and she braced herself a second time. In the eight months she had known her, Sawyer had never seen Marsha stroll or just putter along, she was always sprinting, and Sawyer never figured out if Marsha was running away or towards something. None-the-less she had served as an awesome wedding coordinator. And the feedback from the wedding party was that she was running the ceremony with an iron fist.
She came to a stop in front of Sawyer. “You’re the prettiest bride I’ve ever seen,” she uttered reverently and Sawyer beamed.
Sawyer was sure that Marsha said the same thing to all her brides, but seeing the expression on Marsha’s face made her believe that she really was the prettiest bride in the world and that the compliment was genuine. “Thank you.”
“Are you ready? I think it’s about time we get started.” Sawyer nodded and Marsha jetted over to the bridesmaids and began barking orders.
“Ready girl?” Campbell grabbed her sister’s hand and pulled her up, the dress clung to her curves so tightly that it felt like she had been wrapped in it, she was surprised that she was able to sit down in it.
“Thanks! This dress is so tight and must weigh at least twenty pounds,” Sawyer nervously fretted.
Campbell nodded towards a garment bag hanging on the wall across from them. “You don’t have to wear it long. You got your second dress,” she reminded her.
“Yeah, and I thought you were crazy when you said I should buy two dresses. But you were right. After sitting in this for an hour, I know now that I wouldn’t have been able to wear this all night long. I’d be so aggravated that I’d probably rip it off halfway through the wedding.”
“That’s one way to get your honeymoon started early,” Campbell joked.
Sawyer smiled weakly, she suddenly wished that she had eaten some of the cheese and crackers Marsha had ordered for her and the wedding party, but she had been too nervous to eat, now she was feeling lightheaded and all the food had been eaten. She swayed lightly.
Campbell wrapped her arm around her sister’s shoulders and let her lean on her for support. “Hey you okay?” she whispered as the wedding party hurried past them.
“I’m fine, just hungry,” she answered and smiled ruefully. “I should’ve eaten something.”
“Yeah, I told you, you never listen to me,” Campbell scolded again. She reached into her clutch and pulled out a small packet of almonds. “Here, munch on these.”
Sawyer was so grateful that she nearly burst into tears, but she didn’t want to ruin all the work her makeup artist had done, all she could manage, was, “Oh, Campbell.”
“Not a problem. Eat pretty fast otherwise Marsha’s gonna get you,” she teased.
Sawyer tore open the package and gobbled down the treat, she was just finishing when her mother approached her, she had broken free from the wedding party.
Priscilla hugged her daughter. “Congratulations! You’re fortunate baby, you found yourself a good man.”
“I know Mom.” Her mother never let a day go by without telling her how lucky she was to have found Walt. She made it a point to remind her that good Black men were hard to find.
“I know you do. Treat him right and take care of him.”
Sawyer resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I will Mom,” she said obediently.
Campbell squeezed h
er sister’s hand, she empathized with her, their mom had given her the same advice ten years ago when she and her husband, Milt had gotten married. Sawyer gave her a grateful squeeze back. “Let’s go,” she said softly.
Sawyer wrapped her arms around her new husband’s waist, laced her hands together, and pulled him closer. Her wedding had exceeded her expectations. She peeked around her husband and took in the room, three hundred of their loved ones filled the area. The hotel’s bland ballroom had been transformed into a white and gold wonderland. This is such a Barbie wedding, Sawyer thought giddily. The whole room looked like a fluffy creamy confection. She saw Marsha standing on the perimeter of the reception clutching her clipboard to her chest. It looked like she was at the starting line and poised to sprint away at the sound of the starting gun. Marsha stressed Sawyer out more than necessary, but Sawyer was very happy with the results Marsha had achieved. Even though she knew that Marsha couldn’t see her, Sawyer smiled at her, a slow grateful smile. It was already past one o’clock in the morning and the reception showed no sign of slowing down.
“So are you happy Mrs. Spector?” Walt asked.
Sawyer grinned up at him. “Yes, I am Mr. Spector, I’m ecstatic.” And she was. Walt was the man of her dreams. Walt was her Ken. She knew he was The One the first time they’d met. Their meeting was like a ghetto fairy tale. Sawyer, Campbell and a bunch of their friends had gone to Happy Hour at a popular club. The evening had started off fun. A radio personality from the city’s number one hip hop station was in the club playing music. After a couple of hours the club was packed. But even with the number of people, Sawyer couldn’t miss Walt. He was in a group of giants, they were all easily over six feet and they all looked like they had healthy appetites. She later learned that they were his brothers and his cousins; they were getting an early start on his brother’s bachelor party.
She had walked by him at least ten times before he stopped her and asked her for her name. He later admitted to her that he had seen her the first time she had strolled by, but he had been too intimidated to talk to her.