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miyuhpapayuh · 1 year

Text

𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Her red bottoms click against the black marble with each stride she takes, her fiery red curls flowing down her back.

Pushing through the glass doors, she pulls her deep burgundy, fur computer chair away from the desk and sits down, grabbing her buzzing phone.

“What?" Simone's sultry, yet irritated voice fills her ex-boyfriend's ears.

"Why you keep sending me to voicemail? You too good to answer me, now?" He spats.

"Anything I do is too good for you, B. I don't even know why I gave your dumb ass a chance, in the first place." She scoffs a laugh, pulling the phone away from her ear and putting it on speaker.

"Wow.... that's how you do me?"

"You cheated on me. What am I supposed to say to you? What do we have to talk about?"

"I keep trying to apologize—"

"Save it." She hangs up and blocks the number, rolling her eyes as she turns around and stares out of her big window.

"Boys."

"Indeed," Jada comes in with a bottle of champagne. Simone turns back around and laughs.

"Is it too early to celebrate?" She asks, sitting the chilled bottle on the desk.

Simone checks her watch and shakes her head, reaching into a compartment under her desk, pulling out two wine glasses.

"It's five o'clock and right about now!... I need a damn drink."

“Let's pop this bottle then, bitch!"

Pulling the cork out of the bottle, the popping sound echoes throughout the space. The fizzy alcohol slightly spills from the top and down the side of the bottle.

The clinking of their glasses and laughter is just what she needs, after another long day of being the best editor in chief in Atlanta, Georgia.

Allura has been her reigning domain for about three years and counting, and she's never felt so powerful.

Having one of the biggest offices with the nicest view on the corner of Peachtree was more than a lifelong accomplishment for her, especially doing it all at the young age of twenty-five.

“Congratulations! We all know that your name should be on every issue. I'm so glad that you're finally being recognized for all the work you put in to make us look fabulous!"

“Thank you, chica! You're up next!"

“Simone, you've got a call on line three,” her personal assistant, Logan, buzzes through.

Sitting her glass down, she pushes the little red button and thanks Logan, before picking up the phone.

“Hello?"

“That beautiful voice is one I could listen to, forever."

A deep chuckle rattles through the phone and down her spine, but she quickly recovers, raising her eyebrows at Jada.

“Is that so?"

Jada grabs the champagne bottle and her glass, before slipping out of the door. Simone laughs and shakes her head.

"Indeed. How's your day going?"

"Well, our next issue just went out and my name is on the cover.”

The excitement in her voice is unmistakable.

"That's incredible, princess."

she swoons at the nickname.

"I'm so proud of you. Did you celebrate?"

"Thank you and yes, my best friend and I popped open that damn champagne bottle that's been staring at me for weeks!"

"Weeks." He reiterates, making her laugh.

“I thought you were gonna wait 'til I made it back, to open it."

"Well, originally, I was— why didn't you call my phone? This, technically, isn't a business call."

The deep chuckle returns. "You're a very busy woman, Ms. Carson. I didn't wanna disturb you."

“Hm... fair enough," she sticks her tongue into her cheek, "enough about me... how are you?”

"As long as I'm talking to you, I'm great."

She giggles, sipping on the golden toned liquid that's left in her glass.

"When you kiss ass, you get both cheeks, don't you?"

“Hm, I guess I should pay you a visit, soon. You get a little rowdy, when I'm away for too long—"

“—is that right?," she cuts him off.

A pet peeve of his. He licks his lips and laughs, but she knows it's less than amusing to him.

“That's right. You like startin' fires, but I'm coming to put ‘em out."

She crosses her legs, smirking as her plan works, once again.

“When?"

“Soon."

“I won't be waiting."

A little lie never hurt anybody, right?

Lie on this phone, again, Simone."

She rolls her eyes as if he can see her.

"I'll see you when I see you."

She hangs up and steps away from her desk, heading out of her own office and further down the hall to Jada's. Walking into the creamsicle colored office, Simone takes a whiff of the cinnamon incense burning, before that amused chuckle fills her ears.

“That was a quick little conversation." Jada eyes Simone as she moves towards the window, with a sly smirk on her face.

“What can I say?" she sighs, "we don't beat around the bush."

"Mmhm. He gon' come beat them walls down, ain't he?" She asks.

A boisterous laugh escapes her, before she can stop it.

“Is he really?!"

The excitement is unmistakable in her tone as she moves from her chair to poke Simone's side.

“He's always poppin' up to put me in my place as he calls it."

“When's the last time he came down?"

“February," she replies.

"It's damn near May, girl!"

“I know, Jada. How do you think I feel?”

“I'd be dead by now, no lie. The way you talk about him, he's the truth."

Simone pulls on her open collar and sighs. "...with his arrogant, fine ass."

They both laugh and move away from the window. "So," closing her office door, Simone raises an eyebrow at Jada. "Where's lover boy?"

“Oh God," Jada rolls her eyes, "he's around here, somewhere. I had to shoo him away—"

“Why?!"

“Cause he's tryna make me fall in love with him! I do not wanna do that. We can fuck— we can do that all day long— but that's it."

"Yeah, right. You know you want him all to yourself.”

“In the nastiest way, possible.... yes."

"Hm.....well I'm gonna head home. Enjoy the champagne."

"I will! Text me when you make it."

"Will do."

Heading back into her maroon hued office, she grabs her phone off her desk and her bag from her bottom drawer, before turning off her lights and locking her door behind herself.

Heading towards the elevator, she pushes the button to take her downstairs. Her phone goes off with a message. The doors slide open and she steps on, pushing the golden button with the dim 1 on it, lighting it up. She pulls her phone out and scoffs a laugh.

Call me when you get home.

So you can harass me, some more?

Cut that out. I just wanna talk.

Stepping off the elevator, she makes her way down the wide hall and passes the receptionist, waving her goodbye.

“Have a wonderful night, Ms. Carson."

“You too, Liz."

Making her way outside, she heads towards her red Mercedes and gets in, plugging her phone up to her Bluetooth. Summer Walker's voice flows through her speakers as she makes her engine come to life. Instead of quickly going home to call the smug bastard that weakens her knees, she cruises down the street, watching as the pink sky turns into a deep orange.

"My last nigga was a bitch nigga I need a nigga wit bout six figures. Someone who know what to do with it, yeah Someone who ain't on that goofy shit..."

“Ugh," she turns down her street and slowly pulls into her driveway, cuts the car off and walks up the brick-lined sidewalk. Once inside her loft, she locks her door and kicks her heels off, heading into her living room to plop down on her sofa.

Running her hands through her curls, she pulls her phone out and shoots a text to Jada, before tapping his contact, watching the call connect after two rings, his handsome face coming into view.

"Don't you look gorgeous.”

"You got me beat, handsome."

"I could never.”

He props his phone up and places his salt and peppered, beard-clad chin into the palm of his calloused hand, his eyes wandering down the valley of her exposed chest.

"You left the house, like that?"

"I'm grown, yes." He laughs.

"Nobody had a heart attack?"

This makes her laugh.

"The usual perverts, but it's nothing I can't handle. How was work?"

"It was fine. Just a regular day at the office, honestly. I'll be glad when I can come back."

"I thought you could just do it, without needing permission?"

"It's a little more complicated, this time. I got some deadlines to meet and then I can be outta here."

The slight pout on her face makes him smile.

"You miss me, don't you?"

"Unfortunately." Her expression straightens, but he's unfazed. He even laughs.

"Nah, you blew that mean ass act, when I picked up the phone… callin' me handsome and flippin' your hair. Don't try it, now."

"That doesn't mean anything."

She props her phone up against the stack of records on her pink tinted, glass table and leans forward, her cleavage daring to jump from underneath the silk fabric.

"You're such a tease.”

"You like it, though."

Standing back up from the couch, she grabs her phone and heads upstairs, into her bedroom. He scoffs.

"My feet are killing me,” she stresses as she lets the phone fall onto the bed, while she pulls a navy blue bralette and panty set out.

"You're annoying, but your hands work magic. I could use that, right now." She continues.

Stripping out of her work clothes in record time, she ignores his chuckle and pulls on her set, grabbing the matching robe off her vanity chair.

"When I come back, you can get all the magic you desire."

"Can I, really?" She asks in a sarcastic tone, as she sits down at her vanity and props her phone up.

A deep sigh leaves as he stares at her. "Damn... you definitely can, babygirl."

"You should find a way to come back, sooner."

"I'll see what I can do, but I can't guarantee anything."

"But, I miss you," that famous pout returns, causing him to chuckle.

"I miss you more, princess. Quit pouting."

"I'll stop pouting, when you get here."

He shakes his head and stands up, walking into his kitchen. She hums to herself as she watches his back muscles flex underneath his shirt, with the slightest movements.

"Jesus." She mutters to herself, as he turns around to face the camera, his black sweats hanging low on his hips. Her eyes linger on his outlined print, causing a chill to creep up her spine.

"Did you hear me, babygirl?" His tone is full of amusement as he watches her eyes dart up to his face.

"What did you say?"

"You've got some gifts coming your way, tomorrow."

"What kind of gifts?" Her ears perk up.

"Just a couple of things to hold you over, until I return."

"You didn't have to get me, anything—"

"Yes I did. I know you still don't like asking for things, but we'll break you out of that. It's just a couple of gifts, I promise."

"But, babe," she whines.

"Imani. I've already told you, my money is yours to spend." She sighs, staring at her nails.

"I want you to take me out when you come back."

"Where do you wanna go?" He comes back to his chair, giving her a full view of his grown out beard.

"I don't know, yet. It's one of those restaurants where the flowers hang overhead and there's lights everywhere! I just wanna get dolled up, eat good, drink good... come back to my place and fuck good."

He raises an eyebrow at her, but she just innocently smiles. "You're something else."

"That's why you put up with me." She winks.

"That and many other reasons. But, I'll see about the restaurant and set everything up."

"Thank you, baby."

"You're welcome. What's on the agenda for tomorrow?" She groans at the mention of her backed up schedule.

"I've got a press conference in the morning. The building is supposed to be getting redesigned and my goofy ass decided to put my two cents in, and now I gotta sit in for the meeting after that. Then, I've gotta help Jada find her sister the perfect wedding dress, before next Friday— it's just a little too much going on."

"You've got this, business woman. Hard work pays off, right?"

She nods, placing her chin in the palm of her hand. "That, it does."

"It's all worth it, then."

Staring at the clock on the other end of her vanity, she sighs. "It's almost seven and I haven't eaten a thing."

"You drank on an empty stomach?"

"Yeah, but I only had half a glass. I might just order a pizza or something. And no, I don't want you to buy it for me. I'm still mad at you for paying my rent."

"You can front all you want, but I take care of mine. You keep your money in the bank and let me spend mine on you."

She rolls her eyes, fighting the smirk that makes its way onto her lips. "I'm hanging up, now."

"Why?"

"Cause, I can't fight you through this screen." He laughs.

"Keep that same energy, babygirl."

"It's kept. Goodnight." She blows a kiss.

"Goodnight."

˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ.₊̣̇.̑ෆ₊̣̇˟̑ෆ

@ghostfacekill-monger @sheabuttahwrites @thegifstories @blackerthings @twistedcharismaaa @cecereads209 @honestpreference @soufcakmistress @abeautifulmindexposed @awerkofart @nayaesworld @mauvecherie-writes @harmshake @starcrossedxwriter

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miyuhpapayuh · 1 year

Text

𝐫𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝.

"You're just gonna stare at me, huh?"

For the past five minutes, Anthony has been sitting across from Simone, watching her slowly sip on her second margarita, her fiery gaze set and stuck on him.

It had been a long–almost three months since she'd been able to look him in his face, and if possible, he was even more handsome.

"I'm mad at you." She finally speaks, cutting her eyes at him, before looking towards Jasmine, in her silk, red dress with a daring slit up the thigh, dancing with her husband.

"I wanted to surprise you."

"You succeeded, but I'm still mad."

"Nah, you're just stubborn. I know you're happy to see me, princess." He confidently states.

"I never said I wasn't."

"Can you act like it, then?" He rounds the table to sit beside her, pulling her into his side, smirking as she melts into him.

"I didn't get in a helicopter and fly fifteen hours ahead of my schedule, just to watch you pout."

“What did you just say?” She asks, turning her head to look up at him.

“You heard me. I rearranged my whole day to be here. Even if it's just the reception, cause I knew how important this was to you. So… get that frown off your face.”

Instantly fixing her pout, it’s replaced by shock. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.” He mocks, leaning for a kiss that she eagerly meets him halfway for.

“You said you couldn’t make it! I thought that was finite.” She softly defends.

“You're right, but you know I always pull through for you, too.” He says, smiling down at her.

“I missed you,” she finally says, before sighing dramatically.

“God, that hurt you, didn't it?” He asks, smirking at the look on her face.

“It really did!” She obnoxiously nods, making him laugh.

“I missed you too, with your spoiled ass.”

“All your fault and none of mine,” she laughs, grabbing her glass from the table and taking the last couple sips of the strong drink.

“You smell good,” he plants his face right into her neck, inhaling her scent.

“Thank you— stop!” She giggles, pushing him away as he starts to nibble on the area. He beams back, behaving this time.

“You smell good too, my favorite cologne.” She smiles, leaning back into him.

“I always keep a bottle near for that reason,” he notes, just as Simone's sister dances over to where they're sitting.

“Hey, lovebirds!”

“Hey, April! Nice to see you again.” He greets, as they slap hands like old friends.

“Always fun runnin’ into you, Ant!” She slurs.

“How many drinks have you had, dude?” Simone asks, staring at the glass of brandy in her hand.

“Well, including this one,” she holds the glass up, “three. I might have one more.”

“Be careful, April.”

“Girl, lighten up a little. I'm a big girl, I'm good.” She smiles, patting Anthony's shoulder. “I'm glad you're back. Take care of my girl, here.”

“Always.” He smiles back, while she makes her way back to the dance floor.

He turns to his pouty date, softly chuckling. “She seems to be enjoying herself.”

“Yeah, ‘cause she left the ball and chain at home.” She replies.

“Hm. Come dance with me.” He says, pulling her up and out of her funk with his “elite” dance moves. Her giggles are futile as he hits his famous robot for her.

“So stupid,” she says through her laughing fit, swooning as he pulls closed the space between them, grasping her left hand into his right.

Her cheeks grow a deep crimson as a couple of Jada's cousins give their whistles of approval.

“That means they like me, right?”

“Yeah, they like you,” she pecks his lips, “who wouldn't?”

“You act like you don't sometimes, but I know the real.”

“You get on my nerves. Multiple things can be true, I suppose.” She shrugs.

“Yeah?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Mmhm.”

Driving down to the beach at two in the morning, was definitely not in her original plans. But, when you've got a beautiful man whispering in your ear, you'd be persuaded into just about anything.

"How was the wedding?" Idris asks, resting his right hand on her knee, drawing small circles into her skin.

"It was beautiful. I cried a lot, like usual. Her dress. Her hair. The flowers. The church!, their union and those vows— wow. One of my favorite weddings, by far." Simone gushes.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. You definitely drank enough to." He teases.

"Free bar! Of course, I'm taking advantage. Don't do that, when you knocked back those three glasses of Brandy." She points her finger at him, as he pulls into a parking spot, just minutes away from their destination.

"I had to catch up with you, babygirl." He cuts the car off and hops out, heads over to her side to open her door for her and locks the car up.

Their index fingers naturally intertwine as they start their trek towards the sand. The midnight blue sky gives the scenery before them a calm feeling.

Stopping for a moment, Simone slips her sandals off and hooks them on her fingers, sighing as the gritty sand finds a home between her toes.

"I haven't been to the beach in the longest time." She mumbles as they get closer to the water.

"I'll make sure you see it more often," he responds without so much as a second thought. She shakes her head fondly, absentmindedly clutching his hand tighter.

A breeze sends a slight shiver through her, and he disconnects their hands long enough to shrug out of his suit jacket and sling it over her shoulders.

"Thank you," she says. Her tone takes on a genuine warmth that doesn't mirror the acidity from earlier.

For a moment they simply stroll in a comfortable silence, nature's symphony being the only thing heard.

"Ya know, Allura's fourth anniversary is around the corner. I could use a date." She speaks up as she swings their arms between them.

"What?" He asks with fake shock, "around all those pesky cameras that I'm sure are gonna be there all night?"

"I mean I could ask my other options to join me if you're not down."

"Other options?” He asks with a chuckle. “Not after the speech you gave me the other night!”

She immediately cackles, squeezing his hand. “I'm only kidding!”

“Oh, I know it.” He nods, matter-of-factly, sending her eyes rolling. “And, I'd love to accompany you, princess.”

She will never grow tired of hearing that name.

"You basically own the place now, don't you?" He continues.

"Absolutely not! That's all Rose's baby."

"I think she'd disagree. You're the only one who's been there since its inception. You're just as responsible for it being as big as it is. I see just how much you do to keep it running so smoothly."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, sir." Her tone is light, but she was grateful the darkness of the night cloaked the ever present rosiness of her cheeks.

Slinking back up to her place after their lovely night, it was well into the wee hours of the morning.

They stop in front of her front door where she turns to face him, looking up into his eyes.

"Thank you for showing up for me tonight. You made an already fantastic night...perfect." She had to remember to lay off the alcohol whenever he was involved. Soon enough she'd be laying all her cards on the table, and that was a severe no-no in her book.

"Anytime at all." He moves a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, trailing his hand down the side of her neck, leaving goosebumps in his wake. "Can I keep you warm tonight?"

The answer is already in her starry eyes, but she unlocks the door and pulls him inside by his belt buckle, sealing the deal.

Once the door closed, his lips and hands were on her, carefully unzipping her dress before helping her step out and tossing it, along with her thong, onto her side chair. She pushes his suit jacket and shirt away, tossing it onto the same chair.

As he carries her down the hall, her hand pats the wall, flipping the light on so she could see him and make sure this moment was actually happening.

“How thoughtful of you,” she snorts once she pulls away from their liplock for a breath, her body being sat on her kitchen counter, her legs wrapping around him.

“I do what I can,” he cheekily responds, recapturing her lips, taking her breath away again.

His hot mouth trails down her neck, locating her hot spot with ease, making her moan and move her hands from his shoulders to his belt buckle.

Assisting in pushing the rest of his clothes away, he sank into her and revels in the deep gasp that left her. Her hands find his shoulders.

“Anthony…” she breathlessly moans, as he wastes no time pounding into her. Her ankles uncross and roll from the chills that creep up her spine.

“Missed you, baby.. fuck, you feel so good.” He moans, bending down to kiss her lips, then her neck, still mumbling his praises to her.

She leans back onto the counter, throbbing all over as his open-mouthed kisses land on her sensitive breasts, making her body fall all the way onto the surface.

“Oh my god, please,” she moans, biting her lip and shutting her eyes tight at the overload of him.

Her hands didn't know where to land as his thrusts continued to jack up her breathing, sending her higher up than the alcohol ever could.

“I'm gonna, fuck!— cum,” she moans, squeezing her thighs against his waist, trying her best to ride that first wave of pleasure as it coursed through her whole body.

“That's it, princess. Gimme that good shit— gah damn.” He praises, kissing all over her skin.

Slowing down to give her a moment of reprieve, his slow grind still sends a shiver down her spine but she's slowly coming back down to earth, even laughing a little to herself.

“Fuck, what do you do to me?” She asks, almost whining into his mouth as he answers with another steamy kiss, his hands cuffing underneath her legs to press them back against the surface.

“Stop,” she whines, her shoulder inching up to block his slippery kisses from the other side of her neck, due to her being stupid ticklish.

Peppering kisses around the area and making her body bend upward, he found access to her spot anyway, her sweet laughter floating through the air.

“A–Anthony! That fucking tickles,” she squeals, clawing at his arms and back as he goes back to pumping into her.

Her eyes slid back into their hiding spot as he brushed against her spot, that pretty pout staining her features as she got ready for another release.

“Don't stop, baby!”

˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ.₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ₊̣̇.ෆ˟̑ෆ.₊̣̇ෆ.₊̣̇.̑ෆ₊̣̇ෆ˟̑

The next morning, they are lazily wrapped up in each other. The sun shines through the cream colored organza curtains, casting them in a golden glow.

The calm of the moment is interrupted by a ringing phone.

"Business calls, huh?" She asks softly, her tone neutral, “damn, just when I was starting to like you, old man." She draws abstract patterns on his exposed chest.

He allows the phone to ring until it stops. "Hmm. Whatever they need from me, they can get from Carmichael. Hell, he probably knows more than I do."

She rises from her position on his chest, a lift in her freshly waxed brow. "You're serious?"

"As a heart attack. I missed you." There's a teasing glint in his eyes that makes her heart flutter.

"I can see why you would." She stretches her limbs with a yawn. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

"Yes ma'am."

Forty five minutes later, and they're sitting across from each other in a French café enjoying delicious pastries and each other's company.

"I need a favor," she changes the gears of their conversation.

"Name it."

"My assistant, Logan. She's one of the most dedicated, ambitious people I know. She's got big dreams, and I think she could use a...friend. A generous, well-established handsome friend who's more than willing to help her realize them. And preferably one with a very large penis." She says the last part without blinking.

Anthony on the other hand, almost chokes on his hazelnut latte.

"Well. I can't make any promises about that last part, but I do think I have the perfect candidate. I'll talk to him."

"You're the best."

"Oh, I know."

To that, she dips her fingertips in her glass of ice water and flicks it at him.

After breakfast, they decide on a lazy day, wanting to languish in being in each other's presence for as long as they could.

Anthony has his head in her lap as some mindless show plays on her TV. She strokes the scruff of his beard, neither one of them truly paying attention.

A phone interrupts their nothingness for the second time, only it's April ringing this time.

"What's up, April?"

"Well hello sister. Where's that man at?"

"Right here," she puts the phone on speaker and puts it near his head, "Say hello."

"Heeeeyyyy, boyfriend! You keeping my sister's back cracked?"

"Girl, have you lost your mind?"

"You know it!"

Anthony and Simone respond at once, and she immediately takes her off speaker.

"I knew it. I could tell from that glow, last night. That wasn't just Fenty."

"I'm not about to play with you!" She laughs. "What do you want?"

"It's my last day before I go home, and I wanna hang out with my sister. Can we do that?"

She weighs her choices. All things considered, she does miss her sister dearly, but she won't entertain a single word about that husband of hers.

"Sure. What time did you have in mind?"

"Give me like...two hours then I'll come get you. Cool?"

She checks the time from his phone.

"That's fine. I'll see you then."

"Great. I love you, Simone."

While that's not news, it throws her for a bit of a loop to hear it at such a seemingly random time.

"I love you too, April." They end the call and she sets her phone back down.

"Spending some time with your sister?"

"Yeah."

"You don't seem too excited."

"No, I'd love to see her. We just...haven't seen eye to eye in a long time."

"From what you tell me it seems like you still care."

"Of course I do. We've been through almost everything together. I just don't understand these trash ass choices she makes sometimes."

"The direction she decides to steer her life isn't always for you to have to understand, love. Your only job as her sister is to love her through the changes. She's gonna always need that. But I understand how hard it can be to see someone you care about seemingly self-destruct."

"I hate your sound advice," she says, ending on a chuckle.

"I'm a wise man. I know a few things."

"I'll give you that," she runs her hand through her hair, "We got a couple hours...how about you show me what else you know?"

Simone washes the sinful activities from her skin before she's to meet with her sister.

Just as she's putting her outfit of choice on, distressed denim & an olive hi-cut bodysuit, there's a knock at the door. Anthony volunteers to get it, and she hopes her sister can keep the embarrassing remarks to a zero while she's putting the finishing touches on her hair.

They greet each other with one of the warmest embraces they've shared in their adulthood.

Anthony makes a promise to meet back up with her later that he seals with a steamy kiss.

"Okay you two, that's enough." April playfully pushes their heads apart.

They bid her handsome man farewell for now, and then they're off to their favorite soul food place.

Once they're seated and waiting on their drinks, they begin reminiscing about their younger "misguided" years.

"And, that bitch sees me and walks the other way to this day!" They break out into laughter.

"Her bony ass knew better than to try it, too. Speaking of, do you remember Resha?" Simone asks, sipping on her water.

"The one you caught fucking on Devante, Resha??"

"The very one. You know people are DMing me screenshots of this hoe still throwing shots? Girl, it's been years! That nigga can remain your headache."

"She only doing that because she'll never forget that tag team beatdown we gave her and that frog faced bitch of a homegirl."

"For as long as she lives!" They smack hands, falling into another round of laughter.

"Why does it feel like it's been so long since we laughed like that? That's all we used to do." Her posture turns more dejected as she slouches in her seat.

And here it is. The point of their meeting that Simone was dreading.

"We did. We just grew into women with our own lives to tend to."

"I still miss the young us. All the time."

"So do I," Simone replies quietly.

"I know Will plays a part in it."

"Don't even bring him up, Iris." She wants to nip it in the bud before her mood sours.

"I know that's it, though, Imani."

"He's your husband. It is what it is." Her passive tone betrays her feelings.

"Look, I know he can be…”

"Complete and utter garbage."

"Simone."

She shrugs. "I only call it like I see it."

"Okay. He can be abrasive, but he goes through a lot of stress, and I owe it to him to be-"

"You don't owe him shit, April!" She doesn't like where her sister's statement was heading. "He owes it to you to be a better husband. Period."

"You don't get it."

"Then help me get it. Help me understand why me and mama have to watch you be treated so miserably by that no good bastard every time we see you."

April looks away feeling her eyes start to burn with unshed tears, cracking her knuckles, a nervous tick she never broke out of. Simone softens feeling the sadness emanate from her sister in waves. She reaches across the table and grabs one of her hands. "Talk to me. Please."

"It was all my fault," she speaks quietly.

She squints, at a loss for what she could be talking about. "What was?"

"I thought I was okay. I thought I could still work. My doctor told me everything was okay. I didn't listen to my body, and now she's gone." Her voice breaks at the end. The emotions that April had been holding in finally spilled from her eyes and into her lap.

Simone's heart breaks for her sister, but above that she feels...anger. Anger that her sister's husband would allow her to carry the guilt of a faultless miscarriage for a second, much less two years.

She immediately considers asking Anthony if he had friends in high places who didn't mind getting their hands dirty.

But for now, she moves to her sister's side of the booth and wraps both of her arms around her narrow shoulders making sure she knows the loss of her child was never her fault, uncaring about whatever prying eyes may be on the pair.

"We probably look crazy," April says, laughing softly.

"I don't give a hot damn. You're the only thing that matters to me right now." She smooths her hand over her hair. "You know I wanna kick his ass, right?"

"Don't you always?" She says with a light tone.

"He deserves it. What he doesn't deserve is you as his wife."

"I know how you guys feel about him, but I don't know how to walk away from my marriage just like that." She snaps for emphasis.

"You put one foot in front of the other. But seriously, you have to put what's best for you first at some point because that man obviously never will."

April sighed to herself. "You're right."

"I'm sorry. I'm what now?"

"Don't go fucking up the moment, Imani," she says with an eye roll, making them both crack up in the booth.

Their food is cold as ice by the time they get to it, so they decide to take it to-go, opting for some well-deserved retail therapy.

The sisters don't decide to part ways until well after the sun has left the sky, promising it won't be months before they see each other again.

She ends her night with a FaceTime call to one of her favorite faces.

“Hey, big head.” She greets him cheerfully when he pops up on her screen.

"One of these days I'm truly going to get offended that you keep coming for my head." His words go through one ear and out the other as she watches his shirtless form move around his bedroom.

"Mhmm."

He stops to look into the camera and see where her seemingly diverted attention lies, when he realizes it's still on him, just not on his words.

"Are you checking me out, Imani?"

"And if I am?" She replies smartly with a quirk in her brow.

"Forever the smart mouth. I've been away for entirely too long."

"What are you gonna do to me, huh?"

"Keep it coming, princess. You'll see. How was your day with your sister?" He stops moving about to give her his full attention.

"I was pleasantly surprised by how...well, pleasant it was. Without telling her business, I learned a lot. I kept in mind what you told me earlier...it helped."

"Truly glad to hear that, love. I know how much you love your sister."

"I hope I got through to her this time."

The next day, Simone's up bright and early for work seeing as Allura's big night is less than three weeks away, and she has a million last minute errands to tend with.

"Morning, boss lady," Logan says as she lets herself in with the breakfast Simone neglected to pick up.

"Morning, sunshine. What's on my to-do list for today?"

"Whole lotta nothing. A couple of new investors are scheduled to swing by around three. Just be prepared for a lot of schmoozing and ass kissing to secure their funds. I emailed you files on them, so you can look extra good."

"The baddest is what you are." She chuckles and takes a sip of her piping hot tea. "What else?"

"Well most importantly, you have a fitting directly after work."

"A fitting?" She gasps in realization. "I finally get to see my dress?"

She'd gotten Logan to agree to tailor make a dress for the special occasion, but the girl had been keeping a tight lip about what it actually looks like.

"Yes ma'am."

"I can't wait because I already know it's fire." She claps excitedly.

"I really do hope you like it, cause it's taken up all of my free time." She jokes.

"I apologize, dear. I'll make it up to you."

"Oh, no," Logan laughs. "I'm just playing around."

"Nonsense, babe. I've already got a surprise on the way."

"What kind of surprise, Simone?" She ditches the formalities for a second as she racks her brain of what it could possibly be.

"Don't worry your gorgeously locced head about it. It's all taken care of. I'll let you know when it..arrives." She winks, before heading back to her own office, sighing blissfully as her back rests against the fur of her chair.

Opening her laptop, she pulls up her file titled ‘fits', and pulls out a picture that she'd snapped of her outfit and sends it to her phone. She then uploads it to her Instagram, like she does, every week.

She'd given herself the task to upload a picture of her outfits to her Instagram, to give her followers a glimpse of her sense of style and they loved it!

This week, it was a white, thin strapped corset-style top paired with light wash, flared jeans and squared strapped heels.

She momentarily focuses on the photo in its entirety, before gazing at the tired, pink polish on her nails.

Reaching over to her office phone, she pushes the red button to call Logan.

“Dear, I need a fill-in. Can you schedule an appointment at two, today? I don't wanna be chipped when the investors get here."

"Yes ma'am. I'll call them now."

"Thank you."

A knock sounds at her door, before Jada marches inside with a wide grin on her face, hurriedly closing the door behind her.

"Why are you so cheery, this morning? Are you glowing?" Simone asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I don't know.... I might've had, one of the best dates of my life, last night. I might've actually confessed to being so deeply in love that my chest hurts.... we might've had sex in every part of his house." The grin never leaves her face.

"Awww, Jada! That's so great! I'm so happy for you!" She opens her arms as Jada bends down to receive the hug.

"Thanks! It was so perfect," she sits on the edge of the desk. "He took me to this restaurant, where the centerpiece is a candle and you get to choose the scent— I chose sandalwood, of course— and the food was amazing! We took a stroll down the boardwalk and that's when I just couldn't hold back how I was feeling, anymore. I literally told him everything. If he were anybody else, I might've died, but he's just as in love as I am!..." Simone's eyes gleam as she listens to her best friend gush about things they've only dreamt of.

"I really am happy for you, boo. You deserve it."

"So do you, girl. I saw the way you and ol’ lanky were looking at each other, the other night." Simone rolls her eyes as her heart skips a beat, at the mention of him.

"Jada, he's only around for certain things. A relationship is not one of those things." She bats her lashes.

"You do know that I know you, right?” Jada shakes her head. "You don't have to admit to it, but I see it."

"You see what?"

Jada just laughs and stands up, smoothing her hands over her skirt. "I see right through this little act, you got going on."

"An act?"

"Simone, I'm not doing this with you. You play too many games."

"Ugh, anyway! I'm going to get my nails done at two, you wanna come or you got plans?" Simone asks, picking at her grown out cuticle.

"Yeah, I'll come with you. I need a color change, myself." Jada stares at her nails, before looking back in Simone's direction. "You hear about the investors that are coming?"

"Yes. I'm glad you said that, cause I need to pull up these files."

Jada rounds the table and hovers over Simone's left shoulder, watching her type away on her keyboard and pull up the 'need-to-know’— as Logan put it.

"Alright... two men and a woman—typical," she scoffs.

"I hope she's the leader of the pact." Jada adds.

"It's two thousand and twenty-three. She better be!" Simone exclaims, making Jada chuckle.

"Okay, so we've got John," Simone starts.

"He looks like a white supremacist." Jada frowns.

"Oh, boy!” Simone laughs, "he's been in the investment industry for about... twenty-five years, Jesus!"

"Damn, he's been in business as long as you've been alive, girl." Jada's eyes widened.

"He's gonna be a problem," she scrolls down as she reads his track list— a bunch of boring nonsense about how his entitlement has gotten him where he is today, on top of him being white.

"Moving on, we have his twin brother, Jack. And, then we have Bianca."

"Oooh! She's gorgeous,” they stare at the screen in awe of the umber-hued woman, with her rich, tight coils and impeccable sense of style.

"I think I've died and gone to heaven." Jada mumbles.

"You and me, both."

"Wow, it says that she's been with the company for fifteen years, she's actually invested in Allura a couple of times— why am I just now hearing of her?!" She asks out loud.

"You have a short attention span, girl. We've been over this."

"Having a short attention span, and zoning out when the conversation starts becoming mundane, are two different things."

"Whatever you say."

Walking back through the double doors, Simone gets pulled to the side by her boss. Her furrowed brow causes some of the tension to lift from Rose's face, being replaced by a small smile.

"What's going on?" Her eyes wander around the lobby, watching everybody scatter about. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. The investors are here and they wanna speak with you."

"Wha— me?" Simone slides her clammy hands down the sides of her skirt, feeling her heart start to hammer in her chest. "Oh God, what did you tell them?"

"I mentioned that you're the face of the remodeling for this place. They love it and wanna talk— it's just a conversation, love. I promise."

"Okay..." she nods, still feeling a bit nervous.

Stepping off the elevator, Simone takes a right down the main hallway and knocks once, before opening the door to the conference room.

Three pairs of eyes stare back at her as she enters; two obviously enthused and one, well... not so much.

"Good afternoon, Simone," Jack moves from his leaning position against the table and reaches out for her hand, giving it a firm shake. "It's so nice to meet you. I'm Jack."

"It's nice to meet you too, Jack."

"Hi, Simone. I'm John." He politely shakes her hand.

"Nice to meet you." She keeps it short, as the absence of light in her eyes speaks volumes.

"Likewise."

"Ah, the woman of the month, is what you are, darling. I'm Bianca and it's literally an honor to meet you." Pulling her into a hug, Simone returns it and laughs.

"Wow, what an ego booster, you are! I could never amount to someone as prestigious as you. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"We could do this all day long, doll. I've done my homework on you and I'm utterly impressed." Everyone takes a seat at the table.

"As I am, with you."

"Let's get started, shall we?" John asks, cutting their conversation short.

"Sure.” Bianca motions with her hand for him to get on with it.

"So, we've heard a lot about you, since your latest spread has hit the stores— with your name on the cover in those, bright pink, letters."

Simone's expression stays stoic, as she listens to him to talk.

"We're very impressed." Jack adds.

"All of you?" Simone's index finger circles in the air, around the trio.

Bianca chuckles, knowing where this is headed.

"Excuse me?" John raises a bushy eyebrow in her direction.

"Oh, come on. You were unimpressed, before I even walked through the door."

That nervous chuckle that white men do when you've caught onto their game, comes out of his mouth.

"Do you think this is professional? I've been in this business for twenty-"

"–five years, I know," she finishes with a swift roll of her neck.

"That's probably longer than you've been alive, young lady." She laughs.

"I'll be twenty-six in July, so you've only got me by a couple months. Besides the point, by the way. Just because you've been in business, doesn't mean you know business."

"Why do you think they keep me around, then? Since, you've got all the answers." He quizzes.

"Because, you're white and a man. It doesn't take a genius to know that." She blinks.

"Wow," Bianca hums, "I like you."

"Bianca." John firmly states, causing the duo to laugh at him.

"You know better than that, John. If you're gonna be an ass, you should learn how to conceal your facial expressions."

"It's true." Jack adds.

"Well, I don't have to stand for this."

"Well, you're not in charge. I am, and I like everything I've seen from this company, so far. You can bitch about it on your own time."

"It was incredible, babe. I just went for it, which was very risky, but so worth it!" Simone giddily tells Anthony about her day, as she sits outside of the boutique where her dress is.

"You really aren't afraid of anything, are you?" He asks with a subtle laugh.

"Not in any kind of way. Guess where I am." She smirks.

"Hm... is there food involved?"

"Surprisingly, no. Guess again."

"Let's see. It's four o'clock, which means you just got off work. Are you at your fitting for your dress?"

"I'm so glad that you pay attention when I talk." She teases, before getting out of the car.

"Keep talkin' shit," he hums a laugh. "Are you gonna show me what it looks like?"

"Of course... the night of the gala." He sucks his teeth as she laughs.

"Oh, hush. I don't even know what it looks like, yet. Let it be a surprise!"

"Says the woman who doesn't even like surprises." She feels the eye-roll through the phone.

"Well, this one isn't for me, smartass. It's for you. I gotta go."

"Alright, I'll be seeing your pretty face later." She giggles, making a kissy noise into the phone, before hanging up and walking inside.

"Welcome to Bella's. How can I help you, ma'am?" The green-eyed, dark haired woman greets from behind the counter.

"I'm here to see Logan."

"Can I have your name?"

"Simone Carson." Her dainty fingers tap against the keyboard, before she escorts her to the back of the shop.

"Logan, Simone is here." She knocks on the light blue door, twice.

"I'm coming!" With that, the lady excuses herself with a smile. Simone comfortably shifts her weight as the door swings open.

"Hi, beautiful!," she steps out of the way, for Simone to walk inside. Her eyes naturally fell on the mannequin with a dark garment bag on it.

"Hey, girl! Is that my dress?!" She rushes over to it, while Logan laughs and closes the door.

"It sure is. Go ahead and take a look." Simone sits her phone down on the table and unzips the bag, gasping at the sight.

"It's beautiful! Pink is my second favorite color! And this splash of orange is so pretty! Wow, this is beautiful, seriously." Logan giggles as Simone rounds the dress, gasping even harder at the back; a clear acrylic bangle holds the fabric in place as it's diagonally ldraped across the back.

"You really... really outdid yourself. I cannot wait to try this on!"

"I'm so glad you like it! Let me slide out and let you put it on, so I can take pictures." She excuses herself, leaving Simone to squeal some more, before stripping down and putting the dress on.

"Oh wow.... I. Am. Snatched! Logan, come see!" Walking back into the room, she cups both sides of her own face, staring at Simone in awe.

"This was literally made for you. Oh my gosh, you look stunning!" She grabs her phone from her pocket and starts snapping away at, an always camera ready, Simone.

After their mini photo shoot, Simone pulls her clothes back on and slings the heavy garment back over her shoulder.

"Your 'after work' attire is super cute, by the way." Simone compliments Logan's distressed denim jeans paired with her blue, long-sleeved crop top and custom, baby blue converse.

"Thanks! I try to tone it down when I get here."

In her free time, Logan is a seamstress which was definitely her dream job. She'd been into fashion, since she was well into her teens. She'd landed this job when she turned twenty-one and never looked back.

Her being Simone's assistant was her side job— one she thoroughly enjoyed.

"It's workin' for you, babe." Simone pinches her cheek. "I sent the money to your account."

"You didn't have to pay me. I did this for you as a gift."

“Please, you never work for free. Whether it's a sketch or to look at a piece of fabric. You charge! Whether it's me or Rihanna! You charge!”

“Okay, okay! I'll take your money,” she mumbles in a faux dull manner.

Simone giggles. "You sound like me! We've gotta do better at accepting this cash.”

"Ugh, easy for you to say! I don't have a gorgeous man sending me money!"

"That could change!"

"How?"

"When you've got connections, things happen, babygirl." She winks. Logan crinkles her nose.

"Remember what we talked about. Charge."

"I'll be writing it down on everything now. Thank you."

"And, thank you for making this masterpiece! I'll see you tomorrow."

She kisses her cheek, before heading out.

Logan grows curious, as she pulls her phone out and checks her bank account, almost dropping her phone when she sees the amount that came outta Simone's account.

“Five hundred dollars??” She squeals.

@thegifstories @blackerthings @ghostfacekill-monger @sheabuttahwrites @honestpreference @fujiiapples @nayaesworld @blowmymbackout @harmshake @twistedcharismaaa @abeautifulmindexposed @cecereads209 @starcrossedxwriter @soufcakmistress

#sugarff #miyuhpapayuh #poc writers #blackwriters #black romance #yahya abdul mateen ii #tabria majors #smut #simone x anthony

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miyuhpapayuh · 1 year

Text

𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞.

The night was finally here, and Simone couldn't be more excited– for many reasons.

She's been praying all week, for exposure that would send her career skyrocketing to the moon.

She'd finally get to show off her Logan original, and who wouldn't wanna be seen with a man as fine as hers!?

Ogling at how the fabric hugged her skin, she finally sat down and slid her feet into the gold heels Anthony gifted her, wrapping the laces around her ankles.

She decided to let Fiona do her hair in the same fashion as Jasmine's half up half down, since she'd fallen in love with it. Fluffing the strands in her ponytail, she lets it fall over her shoulders.

"I look so good.... wow."

"Wow is right." Anthony walks into her room with a red rose in his hand, causing all thirty-two of her teeth to present themselves, in a blindingly-white smile.

"You were supposed to wait downstairs, it was gonna be a surprise." She says, not being able to suppress the smile on her face as he closes in the space between them, placing sweet kisses on her lips.

"Usually, I'm a very patient man, but you've been up here squealing for the last fifteen minutes," he says, while she playfully rolls her eyes and turns back towards her mirror. "I had to see what the fuss was about."

"And, well?"

"You look fucking amazing, babygirl." He wraps one arm around her waist and hands her the pretty red flower. She puts it up to her nose as the rosiness on her cheeks starts to become more evident.

"Thank you. You clean up nice, as well." He was clad in a white dress shirt with a couple of the buttons undone, daringly orange slacks and white loafers.

"Ah, she's being nice to me. Tonight must be very special." He teases.

She tries to turn in his grasp, which he tightens.

"I've been nice to you, before tonight!"

"Only because I ate that pretty pussy of yours.”

The inside of her thighs tingle at the memory.

She clears her throat. "Well, maybe you should do that, more often, hm?" She stares into the mirror, meeting his glazed over gaze.

With that, he releases his tight hold on her, making sure to keep her hand in his. "Let's get you to this event, before we miss it altogether.

Stepping out of his custom painted, candy green BMW M3, Anthony rounds the passenger side and opens Simone's door, shielding her from the bright lights of the cameras.

Tossing his keys to the valet, he waits for her to hook her hand onto his broad arm and escorts her up the stairs of the W hotel— one of the fanciest places in downtown Atlanta.

"I hope they caught my good side," she jokes as they head towards the elevator.

"You don't have a bad side." He says.

She looks up at him with a raised brow. He looks down and matches her gaze, causing her to look away and laugh.

"Am I lying?" A chuckle intertwined with his question.

"No, no... you're not lying."

They step inside and ride up to the fifth floor. The doors slide open and a gasp leaves her mouth. Pink and black balloons litter the high ceilings, along with gold streamers.

"Wow, they really outdo themselves, every year!" She exclaims.

He nods in agreement.

"Agreed. Last year was nice, but this is better." He carefully helps her down the shiny, black winding staircase to the cherrywood floor.

"Simone!" Jada calls out, waving her hand over her head, trying to get her best friend's attention.

"You hear my name?" Simone glances in different directions as the calling continues.

"Sounds like Jada." He says, looking around now, too.

"Simone! Over here!" The pair turn to their left, finding Jada in a scandalous, red dress. The velvet number clings to her figure like a second skin, with a slit that sits at her right hip.

"Well, damn! I think you might've shown me up tonight." Simone huffs, pulling Jada into a hug.

"I could never! This dress is killing me! I love your hair, too! You look absolutely stunning!”

"Thank you, thank you! You look amazing, sis. Who slayed this hair?"

She flips her burgundy, two-toned hair off her shoulder.

"Obviously, me! You know, I don't let anybody do my hair, besides Fiona, cause she'd literally kill me if I denied her."

"We make her sound scary."

"She is."

Jada smirks as she tilts her head up at Anthony, who squints his eyes at her, in a lighthearted manner.

“Hey, boyfriend!” She sings, making Simone sigh.

"Always nice to see you, Jada. Tell your sister, congratulations, for me."

"I definitely will. How's life been treating you?"

"Oh, it's very sweet, right now." he squeezes

Simone's shoulder. "How about you?"

"Peachy as hell. Tonight's just another cherry on top." Her dimples deepen.

"There's the superstar!" Logan walks up to Simone, immediately stopping herself from gawking at the man behind her.

"Hey, Logan! Wow, this dress is beautiful! Did you make this one, too!?"

"Indeed, I did!" She turns towards Jada with her hand outstretched. "Hi, I'm Logan. I've heard so much about you."

"And, everybody's familiar with the famous Logan!

You're so pretty! I'm Jada." She compliments.

"So are you!"

"Logan, this is Anthony. Anthony, this Logan, the best assistant I've ever had." He shakes her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Logan. You've got some real talent."

"Oh, the friend,” she drags out, making Jada snicker. “It's nice to meet you, too, and thank you! I appreciate that.”

"Can I get everybody's attention, towards the front?” Rose taps the mic twice, while everyone starts to turn their heads towards the stage.

Her chocolate, sequined dress hugs her curves in all the right places, while the slit that runs up her thigh adds a sultry vibe.

"Wow, it's starting to fill up in here, huh?"

Laughter fills the room, proving how much space it has, as the bass of the sound bounces off the vast walls.

“I wanna thank everybody for doing their part in making tonight happen. It takes so much time to coordinate these things, and I just really appreciate the dedication and hard work that y'all have been putting in, since the year started. I know everybody isn't here yet, but I just wanted to quickly say that."

She waves as everyone applauds.

"She looks so good!" Simone compliments aloud.

"She does! You see the slit?!" Jada excitedly asks.

"I did! I know her husband is loving it."

Simone chuckles, before asking the very question that's been on the tip of her tongue, since Jada called her over.

"Where's Derek?" Jada smiles, before rolling her eyes.

"He's talking to Mark. That man's always got something going on," she rolls her eyes. "I told him that I'd be by the bar when he was done."

Simone stretches on her toes and stares in the direction of the bar, spotting Derek waiting for Jada.

"I see him. Let's head over there." They head through the slight crowd of people and sit along the granite countertop on black barstools.

"Hey, baby." Jada greets Derek with a kiss. "Look who I found!"

"Hey, Simone," he extends a hug her way. "It's nice to see you, again.”

"You, too!" She says, giving him a knowing look. He laughs, before slapping hands with Anthony.

"Wassup, man!” They say in unison, making the girls laugh.

Sitting beside her, he sits it on Simone's knee, beginning to rub circles on her exposed skin.

"Can I get a shot of tequila?” she looks over at him, "you want anything?"

He shakes his head. "I'm good for now.”

Simone grabs her shot and knocks it back, before leaning back into his chest.

“Thanks again for coming with me, tonight.”

"I know how important this is to you. I wouldn't have missed it, babygirl." He kisses her cheek.

"Hello, beautiful people!” Rose greets, placing her cold hands on Simone and Jada's shoulders.

"Hey, boss lady!" Simone responds.

"You look beautiful tonight!" Jada adds.

"Thank you. You two show out every year with these dresses, I see!"

"We all got the memo about the slit, too!" They burst into a fit of giggles. Anthony chuckles at their exchange.

"Who is this gorgeous man, you've got on your arm, honey?"

"This is Anthony. Anthony, this is my boss, Rose." They politely shake each other's hand.

"That's her boo thang!" Jada interjects with a grin on her face.

"Well, it's definitely nice to meet you. I knew there was a source behind this glow." Rose says, knowingly.

"Anything to make her happy. It's nice to meet you, as well.

"Do you mind if I steal her, for a minute?"

"Just as long as you bring her back to me." He smirks as he helps Simone off the stool.

"I promise. Come, dear. I've got something to show you." The pair head back through the crowd, towards the side of the stage, where a gold plaque sits.

"I wanted to show you this. Look in the top left corner."

"Oh my God, Rose! Is that my name?!" She asks in disbelief.

"Of course it is, girl! You deserve it."

"This is huge! Oh wow, this is so huge!" She starts pacing, dramatically.

"I've got another surprise for you.”

“What??” Simone asks, blinking rapidly as she steps back onto the stage, gaining everyone's attention, quicker this time.

"Now that everyone has arrived, I wanna thank everybody again for coming. Now I can share my announcement with you all."

"I've been thinking about how my business has been running for the past three years, and I've been making some slight changes. I'll be opening two new locations in October. There'll be one in California and one in Manhattan. Also, I've decided to finally pick my COO. I'd been sitting on it, because I couldn't picture who was right for this position, but now it's clearer than it's ever been.”

She reaches for the black and pink, hand-sculpted glass A. "It is with great pleasure that I introduce to y'all, Simone Carson." The body of well-dressed people applauds for her.

Jada's mouth falls open as she starts cheering, while Anthony ecstatically claps like the proud beau he is.

Simone, on the other hand, carries her shaky legs up the steps to accept the award. Her widened eyes cause Rose to laugh.

"Really? Me??" She asks, over the noise.

"There's no one else more deserving, dear!" She gives Simone a hug and moves away from the mic, letting her have the spotlight.

She nervously smiles and looks out at the people, as their cheering comes to a slow stop.

"Wow... I don't even know what to say.... thank you," she looks towards Rose. "You have a lot of faith in me and I don't always know what to do with that, because I don't wanna disappoint you, but obviously I'm doing something right!," slight laughter erupts. "I appreciate you for giving me a chance to show my creativity. I probably would've never made it this far, without you constantly pushing me. Thank you so much.”

"We love you, Simone!" Jada yells from the side of the stage, just a few feet behind Anthony, who's got the most impressed expression on his face. More people join in, the applause beginning again.

"I love y'all, too! Thanks, again."

Rose and Simone are escorted down the stairs and off to the side of the stage, where she places the award in security's hands.

"I'm gonna lock it up in the office, just to keep it safe. It'll be in your office tomorrow.”

Simone nods, still in shock. "Thank you.”

"You're welcome. Your friends are waiting for you." She pats her shoulder. "Enjoy the rest of your night. I'll see you, Monday."

"Oh my gosh, congratulations!" Jada rushes over, pulling Simone into a hug that pulls her tears to the surface.

"Thank you! I'm so shocked right now. I would've never guessed that I'd be in this position!"

"You deserve it, girl! You work your ass off!"

"It's true!" Logan pops up. "You deserve it all! I'm so happy for you.

"Ugh," Simone drags her thumbs underneath her eyes, stopping the tears from ruining her makeup.

"Thanks, you guys."

"Awww!" They pull her into a hug, smothering her with their love.

"Ant’s is waiting on you." Jada gets behind her and pushes her towards him. Simone playfully smacks her hands away.

"Cut it out! I'm going." She walks the short distance to him, yelping as her feet leave the ground.

His strong arms hold her up as he places a passionate kiss on her lips, making her head spin as she reaches out to hold his shoulders.

"I'm so proud of you." His voice takes on a husky tone that'll quickly ruin her panties, before the night is through.

He sets her back on her feet, his hands lingering on her hips.

"Thank you, baby." The look in her brown eyes is one he's only seen a couple of times.

"You had no clue, did you?” He asks, laughing as she shakes her head.

"I never thought, in a million years, that a position like that would have my name on it! Like, who am I??"

"A boss. A go-getter. You're everything.” He says, laying it on extra thick.

She smirks. "I'm everything, huh?"

"You didn't need me to tell you that."

"No, but I like the way it sounds, coming out of your mouth." She bites down on her bottom lip.

"You wanna celebrate here or take it back to the crib, because the way you're talking–”

"Relax. You're not the only one that can tease."

She pulls him back towards the bar and orders three more shots of tequila, all of them immediately hitting her bloodstream to give her the buzz she's been craving.

"Can you drink with me, please?"

He lets his shoulders slouch as she orders him two shots of rum. She slides them towards him, cheesing widely as she watches him knock them back, clapping obnoxiously.

“Yay, no more stuck in the mud!” She teases.

"Keep it up.”

"Or what?" She challenges him.

He darkly chuckles. "You'll see.”

As the night goes on, the liquor continues to flow between them, along with the skyrocketing sexual tension.

Popping another shrimp puff into her mouth, her eyes dance across his face. "Let's get out of here."

Without a word, he pulls her up from the stool and leads her towards the elevator, sliding inside before the doors close. She reaches forward to push the button for the first floor.

Completely in their own world and ignoring the other two people inside, Anthony kisses along Simone's neck as she tries to suppress her moans.

The doors open and they practically rush outside, not caring about the millions of flashing cameras going off as they do so.

"Miss Carson, over here!"

"Is this your new beau?!"

"How does it feel to be a COO?!"

"It's feels fucking great!” She slurs at the reporters as he opens the passenger door for her, laughing as she dramatically slides into the seat.

“Let's get you home.”

Unlocking her front door, Simone, less than gracefully, walks through her living area, into the kitchen and pulls the bottle of peach crown royal out of her top left cabinet, twisting the top off.

"It's that type of night, huh?" He amusedly questions, leaning on her white marble countertop.

She responds by turning the bottle up, swallowing some of the strong, yet sweet, poison. Sitting it down, she drags her thumb across her bottom lip.

"This is my celebratory liquor! This calls for it, no?" She smirks as he rounds the counter, closing in the space between them.

"Yes, but I think you've drank enough, tonight." He dips his head into her neck, kissing her hot spots. "Let me show you how proud I am.”

She bites her lip and verbally agrees, squealing as he lifts her off the ground and rushes upstairs.

"Wait, wait!” He sets her on her feet, almost confused, until she turns around and points to the back of her dress for him to unhook it.

"We can't mess up this dress. I may be drunk, but I'm not crazy.... well..."

"I was just about to say,” he starts, but gets cut off by her turning her head to glare at him.

"Your words, not mine." He chuckles, carefully pulling the dress away from her body, leaving her in nothing but the red lace thong that he'd gifted her, on one of their many shopping sprees.

"Mm," a growl leaves his throat, leaving a trail of goosebumps along her skin.

His lips kiss a path down her back, as he kneels down to untie her shoes and help her step out of them.

She sighs as her toes welcome the plushness of her pink carpet, before turning back around to face him.

He picks her up and sits her on the edge of her bed, pulling her small ottoman in front of him and sitting down.

Pulling her drenched thong to the side, he groans at the string of nectar that clings to the fabric.

"Look at this pretty fuckin' pussy,” he breathes, pressing his thumb against her clit, sending her back arching away from the bed.

"Mmm." She tugs on her bottom lip as she stares at him through her low lids. "It's so wet for you.”

"I see," his thumb continues to rub her clit in circles, slowly driving her insane.

"Unh– please..." her hand reaches out to grip his curls, pulling him closer to her core.

"What do you need me to do, princess?" He teasingly kisses her inner thigh, as she rests her legs on his shoulders.

"Eat this pussy, baby."

He glides his tongue over her slit and suckles her clit into his mouth, warranting her soft cries to fill the air.

"Ohh fuck!" Her head falls back into her pillows as she locks her ankles around his neck. He moans at her sweet taste.

"Just like that,” his tongue laps up her slit, repeatedly.

"Mmm... pussy so good, babygirl," he moans against her, making matters worse. He dips his tongue into her drenched opening, slurping up everything she has to offer.

Taking his index and middle finger, he rubs them against her slit and plunges them into her, immediately curving to her spot as his tongue finds her clit, suckling it like his favorite candy.

"You're gonna make me cum!" Her back arches as she grabs his wrist, moaning as he increases his pace and flicks his tongue against her clit.

"I'm gonna cum!-– I'm gonna cum!"

Her hands rub over his head, fighting between pulling him closer and kicking him away.

"Cum for me, baby." He growls against her heat.

Her body caves in as her orgasm rushes through her. Her profane praises fill in his ears as he continues his lashing on her sensitive bud.

"Unh! St— ooh shit, stop!" She pushes his head away and cups her wet core, trying to catch her breath.

Her low, red eyes stare up at him, while he strips out of his clothes, making her throb all over again.

"C'mere,” she beckons him with one finger, pulling him for a juicy kiss, which turns into him stealing her breath as he dives into her.

Groaning against her lips, he stuffs his face into her neck and begins slowly thrusting in and out of her. Her nails scrape along his back.

"Fuck!" She whimpers, "just like that, baby.”

Slightly increasing his pace, his hips begin to roll into hers, making her see stars, on top of the alcohol rushing through her bloodstream.

"You're so deep!" She kisses his ear and wraps her legs around his waist.

"You like that shit," his gruff tone sends a chill up her spine.

“Love that shit, baby,” she moans back, “fuck me!”

Leaning up and placing his hands flat on the bed, his hips begin to slam into hers, deliciously knocking against her spot.

Her body reacts by seizing up, she places her hand at his hip, slightly keeping him back. "Fuck!"

"Take this dick, princess." His hand wraps around her throat, while hers stays glued to his hip.

"I- unh!"

"You what, babygirl? " he teases, pressing his thumb against the front of her throat, a little weakness he'd learned in the first few times they'd had sex.

Her hands travel up to his stomach, pressing firmly against it. He grips her wrists and places both of her hands over her head.

"Keep them up here." He demands, returning his hand to her neck, rubbing his thumb over her bottom lip.

"It's so deep!" Her hands tremble something terrible as her spot is continuously pressed up against by his thick intruder.

"You can handle it," he assures. "Handle this dick, like a big girl."

Her eyes roll back slightly at his words, but the force of him pulling out and jabbing back in to precisely hit her spot sends them all the way back in her head.

"Shit!" Her hands fly towards his waist. He quickly grabs and places them back over her head, leaning closer to her face.

"Keep ‘em up,” he repeats before leaning back up and dipping his hips into her.

Her hands go to her mouth, muffling her cries as she bends away from the bed.

"You look so good, takin' this dick... hands up, babygirl."

Her hands reluctantly leave his skin again, falling just above her head, twitching to push at his waist, instead they tighten their grip on the sheets.

"Why you keep pushin' me away, huh?" Leaning down to hover his lips over hers, his strokes never let up.

Her fluttering gaze makes him smile and kiss her parted lips. "Too much?"

"Yes," her hands find his shoulders, immediately digging into his skin. Taking her hands into his own, he presses them back into the mattress, holding them there.

"It's too much, huh?" He taunts, hitting a little deeper.

"Yes! Ooh shit! Ooh shit!" Her toes curl at the intense pleasure rushing through her body. His lips find her neck, whispering into her heated skin.

"You want me to stop?"

"No! Don't stop!"

"Say it, again."

"D-don't stop,” she whimpers.

"Again."

"Don't stop, baby! I'm gonna cum!"

"Cum on this dick, princess." His strokes speed up, knocking her breath away and pulling a strong orgasm out of her.

Her mouth drops open as she squirms underneath him, digging her nails into her hands as he continues to drill into her.

"Ohh fuck! It feels so good, fuck!"

"That's right, baby," he nips at her skin, "drench that shit."

His name rolls off her tongue as she goes into orgasmic shock, wiggling in his grasp til he releases her.

Cupping her hand over her sensitive lower lips, she doesn't get the chance to recoup as she's flipped over and gripped up by the hips.

Her breath gets caught in her chest as he slams back into her. He grips the front of her throat with one hand as he begins to pound into her.

"Oh shhhit!" Her hand slaps against his stomach as he speeds up. Her back continuously arches at the feeling.

"Shut up." his hand collides with her cheek, leaving it stinging something awful.

"Fuck! Wh--what did I do?"

Wrapping his hand around her ponytail, he yanks her up, his chest pressing against her back.

"Remember all that shit you was talking, princess?... bein’ so fuckin’ bold… huh?” He smacks her ass again, another yelp leaving her.

"Come on, baby... talk yo shit."

"I'm– unh! I'm so-- fuck!" Her nails dig into his thighs as she tries to force her words out, his sped up thrusts doing nothing to help her.

"Say it!"

"Shhhhhit!--I'm s-sorry!" She stumbles, feeling another orgasm creep up in her belly.

"What was that?" He taunts.

"I'm sorryyy! Fuck! I- ooooh, I missed you!" She whines as her body caves in and her fingers latch onto the sheets in front of her.

"I know, babygirl," the smirk is evident in his voice, "I missed your bratty ass, too.”

"I'm cummin'!" A gasp leaves her mouth as she collapses into the sweaty, deep blue cotton sheets.

Continuing to glide in and out of her, he kisses up her back and neck, chuckling at her heavy breathing.

"Shit.... you make such a mess, princess." He mumbles, staring down at the white cream coating his thick shaft.

He was far from done.

Rolling over to turn her alarm off, Simone ends up smacking the phone off the dresser, completely.

"Ugh," she grumbles and turns back in the other direction, laying her head back on Anthony’s warm chest.

She glances up at his face and laughs to herself, at his soft snores. Feeling a kick in her bladder, she's off to her bathroom to relieve it of all the tequila and whiskey, from the night before.

Washing her hands, her fluffy slippered feet carry her back into her room. She bends down to retrieve her phone, rolling her eyes as the alarm that woke her up, was pertaining to her having a conference call for the first steps in the redesign for Allura.

Plopping down on the bed, she places her phone right over his face and snaps a couple of pictures, giggling as he starts to move around a bit.

Latching his hand onto her arm, he lazily pulls her back into his side and kisses her face, eyes still closed. She lays the phone on the dresser.

"Duty calls, this early in the morning?" He asks, soothingly running the tips of his fingers up and down her back.

"Nah, it was just a reminder. I set random alarms to keep me on my feet, today." She explains.

"Yet, you're still in bed," he chuckles as she crawls onto his chest, tucking her face into his neck.

"I don't wanna get up, right now." She mumbles, sighing as he wraps his warm arms around her.

"Come on, boss lady. I'll make you breakfast," he turns his head in her direction to nip at her ear, which makes her flinch.

"You'll make my favorite?" She asks, her face still tucked in his neck.

"Of course, babygirl." He leans his head over to kiss her shoulder. "Cinnamon and strawberry french toast with scrambled eggs."

She giggles as his kisses reach her neck, just milliseconds away from her sweet spot as she reveals her morning face.

"Okay, okay!"

"Thanks for taking my makeup off, by the way. I was out of it."

"It's nothing. As much as I love to listen to you rant about your extensive and expensive skincare, I thought I'd save you, this go-round." He smiles as she stares him down.

"You're an ass."

"An ass, that put yours to sleep."

Cutting into her third slice of French toast, Simone grumbles at the sound of her alarm going off, again.

"You never take off, do you?" Anthony states more than asks, flipping another piece of the egg, strawberry and cinnamon battered bread in the pan.

"I didn't realize how fast this would move! Rose said in a week tops and she meant it!" He laughs at the change in her pitch as she goes on.

"This basically fell in my lap, and like the goofy bitch I am, I decided to take on the fucking challenge." She frowns.

"Quit referring to yourself as such and stop pouting. Look at me," he says, waiting for her gaze to line up with his.

"You're a boss. Bosses get things done— isn't that what you always tell me? I mean, look at what you accomplished last night!”

"Yeah, I know but-"

"No but's, Simone. You got this, and you know you do. I agree, it's a big project, but there's nothing too big for you to handle.

Suddenly feeling full, she mushes the rest of her eggs with her fork, letting her eyes linger on the mountain of man at her stove.

"I wish I believed in me, as much as you do." She chuckles as he nods in agreement.

"Me too."

“Can you show me how much you believe in me? I need a pep talk.” She says, smirking at the words leaving her lips.

“Whatever you need, princess.” He chuckles, hoisting her up from the stool and carrying her over to the sofa.

After a mid-morning quickie that almost clashed with her conference call, Simone rushes into her upstairs office space and closes the door, leaving Anthony downstairs, with a wide grin on his face.

Quickly re-buttoning her shirt, she sits down in her pink office chair and places the phone on speaker.

"Good morning, Miss Carson, are you ready?" A female voice asks.

"Yes, good morning," she grabs her bottle of water and chugs half of it, trying to rehydrate and calm her nerves.

"Alright, let's get started. My name is Sabrina, how are you?"

"It's nice to meet you, Sabrina. I'm doing good, how about yourself?"

"Pleasure's mine, and I'm well. Now, the best place for us to start would be in the front and work our way around and up. I'm thinking maybe, either the lobby or the elevators. Which one works for you?"

"We can start with the elevators. It'll be an inconvenience, but I'd rather knock that out, now.”

"Alright, great. What ideas did you have in mind to give those elevators a facelift?"

"I was thinking cream marble with gold veins on the interior with a mirrored accent wall on the back panel. Also candlelight trim around the floor borders. Also, I need a smooth transition between the interior and exterior of the building, but we can cross that bridge when we get to it," she ends with a soft laugh.

Sabrina is on the other end using her iPad to make notes and sketches of possible end results.

“I like the way that sounds, Miss Carson. Rose did make mention of black marble on the exterior, so I definitely see what you mean about having a smooth transition between the spaces."

What was meant to be a roughly thirty minute conference turned into two hours as the pair continued to share ideas back and forth.

"I can tell this is going to be a lovely partnership,

Simone. You've got some serious style.

"Thank you so much!," she says, accepting the compliment graciously.

"We also heard about you getting the COO position, congratulations!," Simone softly laughs, responding with a second, sweet thank you.

"You're welcome. I think we made a pretty good headway today. The crew will be in on Monday at 9am sharp to start renovations. I'll call if I have any more questions, and don't be afraid to do the same.”

"Will do, ma'am. You have a great rest of your day."

“You too, boss lady.”

As soon as she hangs up, an incoming call from Jada comes through.

Propping her phone up against her folders, she accepts the FaceTime call, shaking her head as a cheery Jada comes into view.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, chile."

"You disappeared early, last night." Jada gives her a knowing look.

"Sorry, girl. That dick was callin' my name."

"Mmhm. The glow says it all. You look like somebody oiled your fast ass up!"

"Oh, he definitely could!" she fondly sighs and leans back in her chair. "What's up, though?"

"I just wanted to call and bother you, and congratulate you, again! Miss COO! We should celebrate!"

"Yes, we should! You got plans, tonight?" Simone asks.

"I do, now! Let's go to Peach!"

"Alright, what color are we wearing?"

"Hmm... black?, maybe.... pink?"

"Oh God, I gotta go see what I can find, now."

“Yes, cause we finna fuck it up tonight!”

@thegifstories @blackerthings @honestpreference @sheabuttahwrites @soufcakmistress @ghostfacekill-monger @abeautifulmindexposed @twistedcharismaaa @headcannonxgalore @henneseyhoe @harmshake @cecereads209 @planetblaque @nayaxwrites @blowmymbackout @nayaesworld

#sugarff #miyuhpapayuh #poc writers #blackwriters #black romance #tabria majors #yahya abdul mateen ii #simone x anthony #black ocs #brown thick oc #black!reader #black!oc #black fiction

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miyuhpapayuh · 1 year

Text

𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

"Over here, Simone!"

A woman with bright blue eyes, standing near the left of the black podium raises her tape recorder up towards the beaming redhead.

"Yes?" She fiddles with the golden charm bracelet on her arm. One of the many small gifts that she'd received, this morning, from Anthony. All of the charms were specially made with real diamonds, including her favorite one; 'Imani' written in a signature font.

"What does it mean to you, to be recognized by Allura?" The woman asks.

"I personally feel like it's long overdue, but I also feel like everything happens in its own time. I put my all into these magazines and I'm really grateful that my talent is being recognized. It means a lot to me."

"How long have you been with the company, Ms. Carson?" An older man asks.

"It's been a wonderful three years." She smiles.

"At your age, I'm positive that this is a milestone for you," Simone nods, "what advice would you give to your following or anybody that wants to be an entrepreneur?"

"That might be the best question I've ever gotten." The room fills with slight laughter. "Well, this definitely is a big accomplishment for me and I have nobody to thank, but God. The only advice that I have would be to just believe in yourself. You'll get knocked down and rejected, but that's inevitable. You have to have faith that whatever your plan is, is worth it. Someone's gonna recognize that fire in your eyes and give you a chance to show your capabilities. It's a process, but it's worth it."

"One last question, do you ever wanna retire and settle down or are you gonna keep this up and running?"

"I don't see myself as the 'settling down' type of woman, right now. As long as I'm in the right mind for this job, I wanna keep at it. Who knows what the future holds, though! I guess, we'll wait and see." She taps the podium and moves her hair away from her neck.

"Anything you wanna say to the people, Simone?" Her boss, Rose, asks.

"I just wanna say thank you to everybody that believes in me. I try my hardest to create a space for all women, especially my women of color and my creatives. Don't wait for a spot to be created for you, go out there and make it yourself. You got this."

"Thank you, Simone." She nods and makes her way down the side steps and out of the room.

Heading back to her office, Rose calls out for her. She turns on her heels and waits for her boss to close in the space between them.

"You're getting better at handling these press conferences. I'm very proud."

"Well, thank you. It can still be kinda nerve wracking, but I'm managing. Thanks again for the accolade. It was definitely a confidence booster." They begin to walk down the hall.

"Ah, you deserved it. You really do work hard, and I wanted to make sure that you know how much I appreciate you. You're one of a kind, dear." She pats her shoulder, before heading towards the elevator.

"Keep up the good work."

"Will do!" Simone heads further down the hall and into her office, closing the door behind her. The twenty-four red roses littering her side-table, makes her laugh.

"Alright," she sits down at her desk and opens her candy red, custom painted MacBook and checks off everything she's gotten done, so far.

"One hour, until this meeting— God, don't let it be boring!" She clasps her hands together and stares at the ceiling.

"Simone, you've got a call on line one." Logan buzzes through.

"Thank you, Lo."

Grabbing the phone off the hook, she holds it up to her ear, not even getting a word in before her mother's voice comes through.

"Congratulations, babygirl! I tried calling you yesterday, but I couldn't get through. Anyway, I'm so proud of you— your name is in bold, big letters!" Simone laughs.

"Thank you, mama. You're too much!"

"You had to get it from somebody, right?"

"This is true."

"Exactly. Now, tell me.... where's that man of yours?" Simone sucks her teeth.

Ever since her mother met Anthony, she'd treated him like her one and only son- in law. Which is far from the case, but she wasn't too fond of Simone's sisters' husband, which Simone didn't blame her for.

"He's not my man and he's out of town."

"Have you talked to him?"

"We talked yesterday."

"You know... you're gonna wanna do more than just spend his money, one day."

"That's not all I keep him around for, thank you."

"He's just a piece of meat, huh?" The laugh comes before she can stop it, causing her mother to scoff on the other end.

"Can we please talk about something else?"

"Fine. Your sister's coming down in a week."

"For what?"

"She's my plus one for Jasmine's wedding. I thought I told you this."

"You didn't, but alright. Why's Will not coming? Not that I care, but where's he gonna be?"

"Apparently, he has to work and can't get out of it. That's what she told me."

Simone scoffs. "I'm surprised he showed up to his own wedding."

"Now, Simone."

"Am I lying? You know he's a dick— excuse my language."

Her mother sighs. "You're not wrong. But, at least, April won't be influenced by his nonsense."

"The fact she's ever on his side is beyond me, but that's a marriage, I guess."

"No, that's foolishness."

"Well, she's never been that smart, so—"

"Anyway, let me know when you girls have found the dress. I wanna see it." Simone sighs, heavily.

"I will, ma. I've got a meeting about the redesign of Allura, and then we'll head out that way after work."

"Alright, I'll let you get back to it."

"I'll call you when we get there. I love you."

"I l you too, sweets."

Hanging up, she buzzes Logan. "I'm out to lunch."

"Actually, your lunch just arrived. Would you like me to bring it to you?" Simone's brows furrowed in confusion.

"No, I'll come and get it."

Heading out of her own office, she heads down the adjacent hallway and walks into the black and crème colored office that belongs to her beloved assistant.

"Hey, sunshine. Here's your lunch." Logan grabs the white bag with South City Kitchen written in black letters on it, handing it to Simone.

"Thank you... who sent this?"

"It had a note attached to it," she grabs it off the desk and squints down at the cursive writing, "it's from an Anthony."

Simone's eye roll comes out playful, causing Logan to giggle. "Oh, that's why you're so cheery, today! Boyfriend?"

"Not even close. He's just a friend."

"Friends send each other two dozen roses and the sparkliest charm bracelet I've ever seen up close??"

Simone laughs, staring down at it., "it is blingin', huh?"

"Definitely. I need a friend like that."

"Do I have any more surprise packages comin' in?" She asks, side stepping her comment.

"That's all that's come through here. I'm sure you'll find more, when you leave here." They both share a small laugh.

"Dear God," she heads back to her office and calls Anthony, laughing as he immediately answers.

"What's so funny?"

"You are. How'd you know I was craving fried chicken?"

"Because, I know you." She rolls her eyes and pulls the styrofoam box out and opens it, sighing as the savory smell hits her nose.

"A year and some change ain't enough time for you to know me." He chuckles on the other end.

Pulling the cover off her plastic ware, she goes straight for the red-skinned potatoes, almost moaning at the taste.

"Sounds like you're enjoying it."

"I am! I haven't had these in forever," she sticks another forkful into her mouth. "We're still gonna fight."

"Why, princess?"

"Because, you're still not back. Thanks for the gifts, by the way."

"You're welcome and I'm closer to coming back than you think."

"That's not a time frame that I like. I've gotta go to this wedding alone. Not that I'm pressed about that sort of thing, but still... it'd be nice if you were in attendance." He laughs.

"I thought we didn't beat around this bush, baby girl. Just say you want me there."

"It wouldn't make a difference, Tony. You're not gonna be here, in time. The wedding is Saturday."

"How do you know that I won't finish all of this up, before then? Don't count me out. I could come through for you."

"We'll just have to wait and see, then."

"Keep those pretty brown eyes open, then."

"You're annoying," she snorted, sticking her fork into her chicken.

"That must be why you're still on the phone. When's the meeting?"

"For the building redesign?" she asks, quickly chewing her mouthful of food.

He chuckles an 'mhm'. She stares at her phone and sighs. "I've got like, thirty minutes. I know it's gonna be boring and I'm already kicking myself in the ass for agreeing to be a part of this shit."

"It may not be as bad as you think, Simone. Don't go in there with an attitude like that."

"Sorry, it just comes out naturally."

"Don't I know it." He mumbles, snickering as she sucks her teeth.

"I'm seriously smacking you up, when you get back. You've been gettin' too many jokes off."

"Aight, like your attitude ain't been super salty, lately."

"I need some dick! This always happens, when you leave.... you better not be fucking them bitches, out there." She frowns.

"Don't start that. You know this dick is exclusively yours."

"Yeah, it better be."

“As spoiled as you are, I wouldn’t even have time to give it to somebody else.” He says, making her cackle.

“Shut up!”

"Thank you all for attending this meeting." Rose's voice echoes throughout the spacious black marble conference room. "This is the first time that we've seen so many new faces, and we've got you to thank for that." She nods at Simone, who smiles in return.

"I'm glad to help."

"That's always a good thing. Now, the first step to redesigning this building is a theme. An aesthetic, if you will. I need colors, elements... all of it."

"I really like the mint theme we were discussing earlier." Brittany says, tapping her pen against the table.

"Is that really an everyday thing, though?" Lisa asks.

"It could be. What about an all black theme?"

"We don't wanna look dead!" Mark adds.

Simone laughs at the exchanges, feeling an idea brew in her own mind.

"I've got an idea."

"Let's hear it." Rose gestures towards her.

"How about the outside of the building being matte black and Allura being written in white calligraphy. The lobby could use something— say, you stay inside the marble theme, but splash some gray on the countertops and do a polished cherry wood for the walls by the elevators. The offices could stay customized, but the walls could stay black. The conference rooms could stay the way they are, maybe add a chandelier or some lights. The cubicles could use some sprucing up. I mean, just because you work in a confined space, doesn't mean it has to be bland. You could use cherrywood for those, too!"

"How long did it take you to come up with all of that?" Brittany asks.

"I literally just came up with everything. My mind was runnin' while y'all were talking." She laughs.

"Well, should we put you in charge of this whole thing? I love all of those ideas." Rose says, sitting down in her chair.

"You want me to be in charge?" Simone points to herself, "I don't know.... that's a huge responsibility, Rose."

"There'd be no pressure on you. All you'd have to do is make sure that everything is the way you like it. You'd be the boss," she smirks, "I know that's exciting to you. It's in your nature."

Simone can't help the widespread grin from showing up on her face.

"Well... in that case, I guess we got some work to do."

"Then, it's settled. I'll have a crew ready for you in a week, tops."

"Wow... am I really about to do this?" She asks herself out loud, making a couple of her colleagues laugh.

Walking inside of Goddess Bride, Jada and Simone are greeted by an umber toned woman with jade eyes.

"Welcome, ladies. Champagne?" Both hands grab the diamond flutes off the tray in response, causing the woman to laugh.

"Thank you," they say in unison, before heading towards the back, where Jasmine is waiting.

"Hey sis!," Jada pokes Jasmine's shoulder.

"Hey girls." She turns around and hugs her sister, doing the same to Simone. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Did you find the dress?"

"I've narrowed it down to two! Come look," Jasmine leads the way to her dressing room, which is ten times bigger than any 'dressing room' Simone's ever seen, on TV and in person.

"There's this one, which is probably the one I'll end up choosing. Let me try it on for y’all." Jasmine pulls the dress off the hanger and shoos them out of the dressing room.

"Your sister better be glad I love her," her and Jada walk over to the emerald loveseat across from the rooms., "cause, she got one more time to stick her hand in my face."

Jada laughs. "Don't kill her. She's just a little antsy, at the moment. She's been looking for dresses, ever since he proposed! The literal day he proposed, Simone." Jada emphasizes with a laugh, causing Simone to do the same.

"It's okay to be excited! I would be, too— did you see the size of that ring?!" Simone exclaims.

"It's a beauty, no doubt."

"Okay, close your eyes!" Jasmine yells from across the way. The pair do as they’re told.

"They're closed!"

Jasmine's dainty footsteps carry her across the floor as she flattens her hands against the soft crème material.

"Okay," she smiles, "you guys can open them up, now."

Removing their hands, they collectively gasp at the blushing almost bride, in all her glory.

From the body-hugging, silk silhouette with the back out, to the lace train that stops just below her behind, to the egg shell hue, gleaming over the entire dress.

"Well," with a teary-eyed smile, Jasmine asks, "what do you think?"

"You look," Jada starts.

"You look— wow, you look gorgeous!" Simone finishes.

"Breathtaking!," Jada sits her champagne down and hops up from her seat, smoothing her hand down the side of the dress.

“I’m mad it took me so long to find it! My wedding’s in less than a day, y’all!” Jasmine frowns.

“The important part is that you found it!” Smone says, heading toward the honey hued sisters. “It was made for you, seriously. You look beautiful.”

“Ugh. y’all love making me cry!” she whines and covers her face, making them laugh.

“Oh man, it’s been so long since I’ve sat in one of these!’ Jada sighs, her voice shaking slightly due to the vibration of the chair.

“I would say the same but I came here a couple months ago.” Simone says, fixing the cucumbers over her eyes.

Jada sucks her teeth and sits up in her chair, removing her cucumbers altogether. “Why don’t you just marry the man, already? He flies you out to these expensive ass countries, pampers you to no end, pays your bills!! Worships the literal ground you walk on!”

“Jada, relax!” Jasmine says, pulling hers away as well. “Are you jealous or something?”

“No, it's more of a, “call coming from inside the house” kinda thing. She could have that with Derek if she’d stop running from him, and she wants to project it on me.” Simone says, still laid in her relaxed position. She pulls a cucumber from her eye and eats its, meeting the gaze of a red-faced Jada.

“Suck my dick, Imani.”

“I’ve already got one of those to suck.” She winks.

Jasmine laughs and lays back in her chair. “You two are too much.”

“She started it.” Jada grumbles, before swinging her legs over the side and carefully placing them in the white slides that the hotel provides, avoiding chipping her freshly done baby pink toes.

“Where are you going?” Simone asks, just as her phone goes off.

“I gotta pee. Answer your phone. It might be your husband.” she cheekily responds, before sharply turning the corner.

“Ugh,’ grabbing her phone off the side table, she slides her finger across the screen and holds it up to her ear.

“Hey, beautiful.” His voice cuts through before hers, making her stop and laugh.

“You must have some bad news.” She responds, staring at her freshly done candy red acrylics.

“I’ve got good and bad news, actually.”

“Oh boy.. lay it on it.”

“I won’t be able to make it to the wedding, but I’ll be home the day after.” He says, causing her frown to deepen.

“I’m glad you’re coming back soon.” She says. Sighing anyway.

“But,” he trails off, knowing that wasn’t it.

“I really wanted you to be there. My mama’s been asking about you, I even talked you up to a couple cousins, cause those nosy heffas wouldn’t leave me alone! And, I know I’m just a bridesmaid and it doesn’t matter if I have a damn date or not, but weddings are always different.. They’re—”

“-special,” he ends, nodding like she could see him. “I know baby, I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.’

Jada came back to her chair, taking in her friend’s red face, looking to her sister. “What happened?”

“He can’t make it to the wedding.” She responds.

“It’s fine, I’m sure you did everything you could. I’ll see you when you get back.”

“Alright, princess. I’ll see you later.” He sighs, already formulating a plan in his mind.

Sitting her phone back down, a sad sigh leaves her. “This is why him being my man would be a disaster.”

“Why?” Jada and Jasmine ask.

“Cause! Look at how sad I am. I’m not getting married and he’s not even my boyfriend, and I’m near tears cause he can’t make your wedding. Too much is going on.”

“Maybe you like him a little more than you’re leading on,” Jada shrugs.

“Ugh,” she responds, having nothing else to say.

Rolling over on the queen size mattress, Simone smacks her hand down on her phone, forcing her stiffened joints to wake up and cut her blaring alarm off.

“Jesus Christ, that could wake up a dead person.” She sits up and rolls her eyes, already feeling the headache coming on for today’s events.

Before she can even process, Jasmine, Jada and their mom rush into her hotel room to wake her up, followed by a loud chatter as they pull her up from the bed.

“I’m glad you’re awake, we gotta get ready!” Their mama singsongs, latching her arm onto a half-sleep Simone.

“Get ready for what? The wedding isn’t until three. It’s… what time is it?” She asks, realizing that she didn’t have her phone on her.

“It’s a little after eleven,” Jada responds, handing it to her. “We let Jasmine sleep in a little, but it’s seriously time to get ready.”

“Okay, okay. I’m up.”

“Don’t worry, you’re not the only one hanging on by a thread.” She snickers as they move to the bridal suite, revealing five more sleep deprived women.

“You better be glad we love you.” One of them says, tossing the empty bottle of tequila in the trash.

Needless to say, their bachelorette party was a success.

“Trust me, I know I’ve been a bit much.”

“Dear god, cover us all.” Her mama mumbles, drawing an invisible cross and kisses her hand.

"You're so dramatic.... but amen."

"Alright, sit down so we can get started." Their cousin, Fiona, rolls out her pink suitcase and opens it up, pulling out her essentials for today's hairdo.

Jasmine had decided on the infamous half up, half down style with a swoop bang.

Taking her seat in one of the comfiest chairs known to man, Fiona gets to work, running her fingers through her newly pressed hair.

"I'm getting married today..." a smile spreads across her face like wildfire, causing everybody in the room to join in a chorus of 'awe's.

She covers her face as the heat rushes to her cheek.

"Seriously, it's finally happening! I get to marry the man of my absolute dreams. God, he's so perfect."

“He's gotta have a flaw, somewhere!” Jada argues.

"He really doesn't. I mean, nobody's perfect, but he is to me. He's human, just like the rest of us, but everything is so sunshine-y and real, at the same time. We get into it, but we talk through it. We let each other know what's on our minds at all times. There's no dark moments. No solitude in anger. Respect. So much trust, I'm tearing up just thinking about it- whew."

"You make me feel so mushy, I hate you." Simone playfully states.

"I love you too, sweets."

"I always thought Jada would get married, first.” Sierra, another cousin, admits.

"Why?" Jada asks.

"Because, you used to be so boy crazy, and you swore you were in love with what's-his-name...What's his name?"

"Who?" Fiona stops curling the top half of Jasmine's hair and squints in Sierra's direction.

"He was tall, pretty brown skin and he had the whitest teeth I've ever seen on a human being."

She snaps her fingers, trying to conjure up a name.

“Girl, Derek?!” Simone stares at Jada with wide eyes.

"Yes!” Sierra and Fiona confirm, while Jada tucks her bottom lip in and puts her attention on her sister, who's also giving her a puzzled glance.

"Jada... what? You were in love with him?" Simone asks.

"Maybe, it was something else that she was in love with." Their mama adds, shocking everybody.

"Ma!" Jada groans and covers her ears, while Jasmine laughs.

"Well, I'm probably right on the money, but I'll head out and let you speak your truth.” She says as she kisses her forehead and slides outside of the door.

"So, when did we start keeping secrets?"

Jada turns back towards Simone, whose glare could kill.

"It wasn't a secret. Derek took me out one day and we ran into Sierra. I can never lie to her, so I told her how I felt about him at the time.”

"You still feel that way? Honestly."

"I don't know. Let's talk about something else. Please.”

Simone could sense that she was lying, but she didn't know whether to press further.

"I didn't mean to make it tense in here." Sierra clears up.

"Yeah, I know." Jada stands up and heads out on the balcony, Simone quickly walking after her.

"Jada, what's going on?" She turns around and unties the curtains, letting them cover the door.

"I'm not trying to make this day about me, man. We can talk about this, later.”

"I'm just trying to understand why you never ran this by me? You don't have to, but I figured that you would. I'm your best friend, Jada. What, you thought I was gonna judge you or something?"

"I don't know, maybe!"

"Why would I do that? I encouraged you to say something to him, in the first place! I would've loved to hear about you being in love."

They both frown.

"I'm sorry.”

"Don't be. I just wanna be in the know, next time."

"You will be. I promise."

They turn towards the golden railing and gaze at the orange sun that's slowly coming up.

"How long ago was this? I'm just wondering."

"Back in September. I had just got back from vacation and he took me out to dinner. It was then, that I realized that I may have liked him... a little more than I had originally planned to." Jada explains with a laugh.

"I knew it.” Simone bumps her shoulder, "the chemistry is undeniable. You can front all you want, but I always knew it."

"Okay, do you want a cookie?" Jada playfully rolls her eyes.

"If your sister wasn't getting married, I'd push you over this balcony." Jada's mouth drops open.

"You'd kill me??"

"Of course, not…so, I got another question."

"Ugh. I already know what you're gonna ask and yes... I'm still in love with him.”

"Is that why you're keeping him at a distance?”

Jada shamefully nods.

"We talked about it. I couldn't avoid him for too long, so I told him about this not being a part of our situation, and that I'm seriously not ready for that."

"That's a lot for you, I know,” she rubs Jada's back, "sorry I acted like that. You're not obligated to share any of this with me.”

"I'm not, but it wouldn't be any fun if I kept it to myself!" They share a laugh.

"I just want it to be when I'm ready to tell you. Some things I try and keep to myself. It's nothing personal."

"I'm not offended, boo. I understand."

Since she'd been keeping something to herself for quite a while.

Watching Jasmine, basically, float down the aisle was definitely a sight for everyone who laid their eyes on her.

"God, she's beautiful." Simone says as she wipes away her seventh batch of tears.

"Isn't she?!" Jada adds, wiping her own tears away.

Jada, Simone, Sierra, Fiona and three more of Jasmine's favorite cousins stand to the left, in their handmade mustard colored dresses, as she finally makes her way up the crisp periwinkle steps.

Her soon-to-be husband, Jason, just about breaks down as he pulls her veil away from her face, taking in her natural beauty.

If it was one thing Jasmine hated, it was makeup.

Her skin was flawless and she didn't feel the need to add anything extra to it, besides a little highlight that Fiona practically threatened her life with.

"You look so beautiful." Their lips meet for a sweet kiss, before they turn towards their family and friends with their fingers intertwined.

The beloved pastor from their mother's childhood, Reid, was ecstatic when he was chosen to marry her oldest child and the love of her life.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to unite Jasmine Woods and Jason Tyler in holy matrimony. If anyone has any objections as to why these two should not be lawfully joined together, speak now or forever hold your peace."

The entire congregation silences, giving room for laughter, shortly after.

"Alright, alright. Let's do the vows." Reid looks over his glasses at Jason, "you first, son."

Jason blows out a breath and locks his eyes with her gleaming, green ones.

"I'm so lucky. I've never cried this much, in my entire life.," he laughs as she squeezes his hands. "We met back in college and I'll admit that I definitely couldn't handle all the woman that you are, back then. You'd shoot me down. Give me the cold shoulder. You bruised my ego, baby girl--but, I needed that. It humbled me. It made me find my common sense, because my mama always told me, no good woman is gonna wait around for someone to be good for her. And, she was right. You slipped out of my grasp and I had to prove myself worthy, if it was the last thing I did. I fell in love with you, that day we went to Carowinds, back in 2016. It was right after your family reunion. We'd taken a trip down to North Carolina and decided to make a stop, cause you kept reminding me that you hadn't been there since you were a kid. We probably went on every ride they had to offer. I remember we were sitting on the bench and you were gushing about how much fun you had..." his voice cracks, "it was then that I knew that I wanted to keep that smile on your face, every day that God allowed me to. I love you so much, Jasmine." He kisses her forehead.

A couple of awe's and an abundance of sniffles carry throughout the building. Jasmine turns towards the pastor and whispers, "I have to follow that?!"

Laughter rings out, again. Jason swings their linked fingers back and forth, whispering an encouraging “you got this, babe."

"Okay, okay... where do I even start? We've been at this since we were teenagers. I've spent a good majority of my twenties with you and I don't regret a single moment, I swear. It may sound selfish, but you're the only boyfriend that I count–- they just can't compare, I'm sorry!" She turns towards her family, who wholeheartedly agrees.

"You never put me through any pain or trauma and for that, I'm forever indebted to you. I love you more than any word could ever describe. It hurts my chest, when I think about it. I'm safe with you. You're safe with me. I'm so glad that I get to spend the rest of my life with you, cause it wouldn't be this much fun with anybody else. We've seen so much together," she giggles to herself, "I guess you really are the Aladdin to my Jasmine."

"Oh, brother." Jada nudges Simone.

"Shh!" Fiona pinches Jada.

"Beautiful, beautiful. I need the rings." Jason's brother, Jordan, hands over the rings. Reid places them in Jason and Jasmine's hands.

"Do you, Jason, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and in woe, for rich or poor, keeping yourself unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." He answers, without hesitation, sliding the gold band onto her finger.

"Do you, Jasmine, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in good times and woe, for rich or poor, keeping yourself unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." She slides the gold band onto his finger.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride, son."

Cupping her face into his hands, he captures her lips in a kiss that makes everyone blush and loudly cheer.

The inside of Whitehead Manor was the best place for a reception. From the golden drapes hung from the ceiling to the tea lights and white roses used for centerpieces.

The simplicity of it all is just so beautiful.

Simone's on her third glass of champagne, when a tall figure looms over her.

She quickly turns her head, finding Anthony in an all black suit with a yellow handkerchief in the pocket, almost the same color as her dress.

"Hey, gorgeous."

"Took you long enough,” she grabs her half empty glass off the cherrywood island and walks away.

He chuckles and strides after her, his eyes glued to her ass with every step she takes.

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