“Business associates.” Kara rolled her eyes and smacked her lips. “But that’s not it,” she spoke softly and stared off like she was thinking about something or putting imaginary pieces of a puzzle together in front of her.
Again, my eyes shifted downward. She aimed a finger at me and shot to her feet.
“That! See. Every time I bring your name up to him or his name to you… something happens. That tells me that something else is going on. My womanly intuition is pulsing out of this world right now. None of this makes sense. You… him… that weird vibe you two give off when you are in the same room together. Shit is thick,” Kara announced, arms folding over her chest. “Tell me I’m wrong,” she urged.
“Kara, right?” I checked with her.
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded.
“Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but this is strictly business,” I insisted.
She squinted, full of doubt and shook her head.
“Well, it’s for the best then. If it is what you say it is. My brother is a very complicated man. He goes all in, and not everybody can handle that. If you are lucky enough to have him care about you, in any way, then you are set for life. I’ve never known anyone that loves or gives the way that he does. On the outside, he’s tough as nails and cold as ice. But he’s had to be that way his whole life to keep himself safe.” She was starting to sound like she was skipping down memory lane.
I didn’t interrupt her. From the way she described Frequency, I could sense the admiration. It was the same way that Celine spoke when she talked about him. I couldn’t tell if Kara was trying to persuade me toward him or away from him. She definitely had me intrigued about the man behind the shield he put up. Maybe, just maybe, tonight I could get him to open up. I’d shared a lot about myself, but Frequency was like an old box that had been sealed shut, and it was hard as hell trying to pry it open.
“There,” Julani said after she did my smoky eyes and applied the matte lip.
I was awestruck by my own reflection.
“Thank you. It looks so good,” I gushed, changing the angle of my face to look at the full reflection.
“You’re welcome. I think you should choose the Vera Wang,” she said, taking a couple of steps back and pulling a simple black dress out of the garment bag.
I could see that the back was out and the front was carved with a deep V that was going to leave me exposed. The jitteriness I caught in my stomach alarmed me. I reached for the hanger and held the dress up.
“Yeah… I think I’ll take this one. Thanks.”
“Anytime. That is why I get paid. Do me a favor? Do you have Instagram?” she questioned.
“No,” I answered. I didn’t even have a damn phone.
“Oh, well, Frequency does. Just have him tag me in his mentions,” she insisted, grabbing the bag that she brought all of her makeup stuff in and stuffing it with her items.
I glanced toward Kara as she stood there. I didn’t know what she was waiting for.
“Um, I need to get dressed now,” I finally said to her.
“Oh, yeah, right.” She dropped her hands at her sides and whirled toward the door to go.
A few minutes later, I was stepping out of the bathroom after looking at myself in the mirror. I didn’t even want to come out. I was fighting the knots in my stomach. It felt like I had been battling the urge to eat all damn day. After I slipped into the perfect-fitting dress, I was starving.
“God, I hope the food is at least good at this thing,” I muttered, and Julani snickered. She was just about done putting everything away when she turned to me.
“Wow. Damn, girl… you’re going to blow every man’s mind at this party. Shit!” she gushed.
“So it’s not… too much? It’s still elegant?” I questioned.
The last thing I wanted was to piss this man off. He made it clear—no ratchet shit.
“And sexy as hell!” She hyped me up. “Girl, if anyone is looking too long, trust me, it’s for all the right reasons. You know… Kara was right. I have known Free for a few years now. I was just a girl from the hood with a dream. My boyfriend, Haze, used to work for him. Haze died.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, ” I whispered somberly.
“Yeah. He was my rock, my other half, and I miss the shit out of him. But… this is about Free. He knows what it’s like to lose someone that he loved too. We ran into each other at some counseling group for people who had been through what we had. I was in a bad place. Addicted to pills, drinking, and partying all the time. I had lost my best friend. I didn’t want to even live anymore. He saw that in me because it was in him. And he helped me. He got me clean and asked me what I wanted to do with my life. Since I could remember, I always wanted to be one of those people behind the scenes. Hair, makeup, wardrobe. He got me in school, paid for my courses, and here I am five years later.”
“Damn, that’s a hell of a story,” I muttered.
