As we walked away, in the distance, I heard Mr. Gross say, “There are only so many times I’m going to allow you to talk to me crazy, girl! Keep trying me, and you’ll be out this door soon!”
“Cassie, I’ve had enough of that man,” I blurted as soon as he was out of my sight.
“I get it, I do, but remember you still need this job,” she stated, reminding me of my situation.
Cassie was right. I couldn’t afford to lose my job, and Mr. Gross knew that. Life was overwhelming, and for that reason, every little thing was setting me off.
We stood in front of the closed breakroom door. Cassie reached for my hands. “Ember, one day you’ll be able to walk away from this job forever, and that’ll be the day when you can cuss Mr. Gross the fuck out. When that day comes, I’ll be your biggest cheerleader, but only if you take me with you when you leave.” A huge grin appeared on her face.
All I could do was laugh because the shit she was saying sounded amazing. Leaving this job and cursing Mr. Gross out was at the top of my list. “Sounds like a deal, Cassie. Thank you for always keeping me grounded.”
“Life is tough, but you’ll be okay. I know you will.”
I’d lost faith long ago, so I found it difficult to find truth in Cassie’s words that I’d be okay. Instead of responding to her, I smiled. I hoped one day I would have as much faith in myself and in the world as Cassie did. She believed in me more than I believed in myself. Until then, I had to manage staying sane long enough to get me through the rest of my day.
CHAPTER 2
REASON ST. PIERRE
Istood in the middle of my office, staring at the Miami skyline from the panoramic view that surrounded me. The bay glistened beneath me, which created the perfect setting for reflecting, something I always found myself doing when I was in this office.
“Damn, it’s such a beautiful day to get some of my husband’s dick.” I heard my wife’s voice behind me, her presence stirring something in me without much effort.
I slowly turned around to face her, surprised by this visit. She closed the door behind her and stared at me sexily. It had been a while since she’d popped up on me, compared to a time when we fucked more in my offices than we did in our mansion.
My eyes roamed over her cream-colored, skin-tight pantsuit that hugged her thick body. I ran my tongue across my bottom lip; my gaze never left her. I walked toward my baby, loosening my tie in the process.
My wife, Saje St. Pierre, was the epitome of beauty, and the millions of viewers who tuned into the soap opera she starred in could attest to that. Thick, dark brown, wavy hair cascaded down her round, pretty brown face and stopped at her shoulders. My eyes roamed over her slanted eyes and plump lips, then downto her full breasts, which were begging to be freed from the material that covered them. My attention didn’t stop there as my eyes continued to travel down every curve she was blessed with.
As Saje seductively eased out of her clothes, I thought back to the day we first met. It was a couple months before my college graduation, and my former mentor, John Castleton, and I were out for dinner. We were in the middle of a conversation when the sweet scent of a woman’s perfume caught my attention as her beautiful ass walked past our table. She was a distraction I gladly accepted. Her aroma was one that would be forever engraved into my senses. After smelling and then seeing her, my conversation with John had to wait.
I took in her thick legs, big titties, fat pussy print, mysterious slanted dark brown eyes, and smooth cocoa brown skin. She was leading a pack of giggling women, and I didn’t care. I stood, looking thirsty as fuck, my focus zeroed in on her.
Before I could introduce myself to her, she stepped closer to me and said, “Shit, you’re fine as fuck. I would…” She looked like she wanted to say more, but she quickly glanced at John and paused. Instead, she said, “I’m Saje, and you are?” She extended her hand for me to shake.
Straightforward.A woman who knows what she wants.
“I’m Reason. Nice to meet you, beautiful.”
“Hmmm, Reason, I like that. Real different.” She licked her lips and bit into the bottom one after her wet tongue had nicely coated it. “I knew it had to be areasonI came here.” She grinned and looked back at the group of women whose attention was on us as they whispered to each other with big smiles on their faces.
If it was any other time, I would’ve snatched Saje up, and it would’ve been just us for the rest of the night, maybe talking or me sliding deep in her guts. But I still had to find out why John brought me here, and Saje was with her friends, so I would save that for another time. After we eye-fucked each other afew seconds longer, I passed her my business card, which she happily snatched from my hand.
“I’ll be in touch, Mr. St. Pierreee,” she flirted before heading to an empty table with her girls tagging along.
I didn’t move until she sat down, looked my way, and winked at me.
“Reason, she’s a bold woman. Be careful with that one, son.”
I sat down with my focus back on John. “Ahh, come on, old-school.” I laughed. “These women ain’t the same as the ones you dated back in the day,” I defended, trying to get John hip to these new-age type women.
After his wife passed away years ago, he never dated anyone else. He said he knew he’d never meet another great woman like his sweet Irene. John was used to meeting women the old-fashioned way and thought women in this new generation should’ve been the same as they were back in the day. That was never going to happen, but maybe there were a fewgood girls,as he called them, around somewhere.
We continued to have small talk until John was finally ready to tell me why we were here. He announced that he was passing down his business—his TV network—to me. Meaning I would be the new owner of Urban Television Network (UTN). By this point, UTN was bringing in millions of viewers daily.
As happy as I was and ready to embark on this new venture, I didn’t understand why John came to this decision. Yeah, I was his mentee and had completed my internship at his network, but, to me, that still wasn’t a good enough reason. I wasn’t trying to sound ungrateful, but I needed to know the why behind his choice. I was from the hood; I knew shit never came for free, definitely not in this industry.
John went on to explain that I was prepared for the role. With my major in communications, being an intern, and later his protégé, he stated there was no one better suited for thisposition than me. Not only that, but John didn’t have any children, no one to continue his legacy. He had taken me under his wing when my father died during my second semester in college. A period in my life I’d never forget, even if I wanted to. There was a time I was ready to give up college, and do what? I didn’t know.
