Femme Tales Read online

  “Damn, I told Frenetic to keep it in his pants while they worked together because Cree wasn’t the side chick type.” Cass hit the intercom on her phone.

  “What can I do for you, Cass?” her assistant answered.

  “Stephanie, would you please set up a meeting with Frenetic and Cree as soon as possible? Shift whatever on my calendar needs to be shifted to make this happen. Include Ebony in that meeting as well.”

  “Will do. Don’t forget you and Ebony are meeting with the event planner about the charity ball in an hour at Chayse’s Place.”

  Cass ran her hand across her close-cropped head. “Yeah, okay. Can you have one of the cars pull around in about twenty minutes?”

  “Man, you look tired. Why don’t you let me and Stephanie handle the charity ball? The event planner is doing a great job so everything is pretty much finished. All we really need to do is show up,” Ebony said.

  Cass knew Ebony was right, but she found it hard to let go. Cass wasn’t the type of CEO who sat lounging in her penthouse office letting everyone else do all the work. She liked being involved and having a say in every aspect of Pure Music Records. The company was failing and about to go bankrupt when she took it over from the previous owner and CEO who had been too busy partying and spending more money than they could make to care what was going on with the business. She promised her employees and artists that if they stuck with her she would show them the true potential of Pure Music by personally investing her own money and time every step of the way. She kept her promise, and now Pure Music was one of the highest grossing independent labels in the industry. Knowing that it was her own personal sacrifices and the fear of failure that brought them to where they were was what was keeping her from stepping back and letting someone else takeover some of her responsibilities.

  “No, I’m good.” She stood and stretched the kinks out of her back. “A dose of Chayse’s lobster mac ’n’ cheese is just what I need right now.”

  * * *

  “Yo, Cass!”

  Cass opened her eyes to find everyone staring at her. “Shit, did I fall asleep again?”

  “Yeah, you did,” Chayse said.

  Cass shifted in her seat. “I’m sorry, y’all. I haven’t been sleeping well lately,” she explained with embarrassment.

  “May I make a suggestion?” Eve Monroe, their event planner, asked.

  Cass yawned. “Unless you have some formula for cloning myself to get more done I don’t think there is anything you can suggest that I haven’t tried.”

  “I did a promotional event for Beaches Resorts, and they gifted me with a complimentary stay at their resort in Turks and Caicos that we’ve been holding for the past three months. Unfortunately, between my events and Lynette’s book tour we haven’t been able to sync up our schedules to use the stay. Why don’t you take it and get some rest before the ball?” Eve suggested.

  Cass raised a hand to stop any comments Ebony was about to make. “Thanks for the offer, Eve, but I don’t have time to take off for one day let alone a week.”

  Eve shrugged in resignation. “The offer is on the table if you change your mind. I’ll get the swag bag samples over to Stephanie tomorrow for final review. After that we’ll be all set,” she said as she gathered her things.

  Cass, Chayse, and Ebony all stood as she stood to leave.

  “Thanks again, Eve. Chayse said Details by Eve was one of the best planners in town, and she was right judging by how smoothly all of this has been going compared to previous years.”

  “Thank you. Remember that when any of your business associates are looking for a referral,” she said.

  Cass watched the sway of her hips as she walked away. “Damn, that woman is fine.”

  “That woman is also very happily married,” Chayse said.

  Cass sighed wistfully as Eve disappeared from view. “I could probably change that in one night.”

  Ebony laughed. “Man, even if she was interested you wouldn’t know what to do with all those curves. Your flavor is usually one of those tall, lanky runway models who need to have Chayse feed them a real meal once in a while.”

  “Yeah, if you bring another one of those wispy things in here again to order ‘just a salad, please’ off of my menu I’m gonna pour some bacon fat on it just to see how quickly it’ll thicken her up.”

  Cass laughed. “Oh, y’all got jokes now that you got yourselves henpecked. I bet Belinda and Serena would love to hear how y’all used to roll with me back in the day.”

  “Belinda knows exactly who I was before we got together,” Ebony said confidently.

  “Serena knows I had no social life before she came along so don’t go telling any lies on me.”

  Cass yawned again. “No worries. All I’m going to be doing right now is going home to bed. I’ll see you in the office tomorrow, Eb.”

  “I know you, Cass. Don’t go back to the office. Anything that needs to be done can wait until tomorrow,” Ebony insisted.

  Cass bid her two best friends good-bye and did exactly what Ebony told her not to do. There was no point in heading home since she wasn’t going to get much sleep anyway. Instead of calling for her car service, Cass decided to take the subway downtown. Because most of her work for Pure Music happened behind the scenes, it afforded her more anonymity than Ebony or one of her other artists so she took the subway more often than not. She also knew the minute she would have sat in the car’s comfortable interior she would have fallen right to sleep. She figured taking the subway during rush hour would help her stay awake. When she got down to the platform it was as packed as she expected and the train was pulling into the station. She managed to squeeze in just before the doors closed and found herself sardined between the door and an elderly woman trying to balance herself with her cane as the train jostled out of the station.

  Two stations later, the train was less crowded, but there still were no seats and those sitting nearby seemed to ignore the common courtesy of offering the elderly woman a seat. Cass was just about to say something, when what she could only describe as an African goddess walked over and suggested to a teenage boy sitting nearby that he should offer the woman his seat. He simply looked back down at his phone, tapping the screen. The goddess smiled sweetly, leaned forward, popped his earphone out of his ear, and whispered. The boy’s eyes widened in shock or fear, Cass couldn’t tell which, and when the goddess straightened back up, he stood, walked over to the elderly passenger, and offered his seat. She took the seat and smiled up at the goddess in appreciation while the teen hurriedly went to the next car avoiding any eye contact with her.

  As the train traveled along, Cass and the goddess’s gaze met across the car. Cass’s heart skipped a beat; she was mesmerized. The goddess stood at eye level with Cass, about six feet in height. Cass figured most of that height was from the six-inch red platform stiletto heeled boots the goddess wore. She wore her hair in a sculpted flat top that brought attention to her face, her complexion was a rich mahogany, her deep brown upturned eyes shone brightly, and her full dark berry-painted lips turned up in a sexy grin. The spell was broken when the train stopped and the goddess’s visage was lost in the crowd exiting the train.

  It wasn’t Cass’s stop, but she decided to exit as well in an attempt to catch the other woman, but by the time she made it off the train it was too late. The mystery woman seemed to have disappeared. Cass jumped back on the train just as the doors were closing and managed to grab a seat. As the train began slowly rolling out of the station, to Cass’s chagrin, she caught a glimpse of the goddess’s red boots through the window as she walked up the stairs from the platform.

  * * *

  Faith Shaw was on a mission and walked with purposeful strides toward Columbus Circle. An urgent message from her attorney had her cutting short an important meeting with a prospective buyer that she had been courting for months so that she could meet him regarding her mother’s estate. Her heart ached at the thought of her mother who had passed away just a few mon
ths ago from breast cancer. Her mother had been her best friend, her life coach, and her biggest role model, and Faith missed her terribly.

  Sabrina Shaw had not allowed an unplanned pregnancy during her second year of college or Faith’s father leaving them because he decided fatherhood was not for him to hold her back. Her mother kept right on moving, managing to finish college on time to receive her bachelor’s in marketing from New York University, getting a full-time job and then taking evening and online courses for her MBA while raising her child as a single parent. Faith had grown up watching her mother struggle for years to keep a roof over their head and food on the table.

  She was her mother’s biggest cheerleader when she was finally offered a position as a global marketing manager with a six-figure salary for a top fashion designer. Her mother’s success afforded them the opportunity to finally leave their cramped apartment behind and move into a beautiful home in the suburbs so that Faith would be able to live in a neighborhood and attend a high school where she could feel safe. In spite of the money her mother made they continued to live frugally which afforded Faith the opportunity to work straight through her bachelor’s in fashion design at Parsons New York campus to her master’s in fashion studies at Parsons Paris campus. Faith’s mother had not only made her own dreams come true but Faith’s as well.

  As Faith entered the lobby of the building where she was meeting her lawyer, she spotted him talking to a female security guard who was flirting outrageously with him. She couldn’t blame the woman. Ezra was a very good-looking brother who fit the tall, dark, and handsome role perfectly. Not to mention that his perfectly tailored Armani suit, leather loafers, and leather briefcase smelled of money and success. If she dated men he definitely would have been the type she would go for. Suddenly, a vision of the woman she saw on the train came to mind and it made her smile. She had a sexy self-confidence about her that piqued Faith’s interest the moment she saw her, and it was obvious by the way the other woman watched her that her interest was piqued as well.

  If the train hadn’t been so crowded she would have made her way over to talk. Unfortunately, the train didn’t empty until they reached her stop and a quick glance back told her it wasn’t the other woman’s stop. Faith had waited to see if she would exit the station, but when she didn’t spot her she went on her way. It was probably for the best since her life was too complicated right now to even think about dating anyone.

  Ezra smiled as he spotted her approaching. “I didn’t think you would make it in time,” he said as he drew her into a tight embrace.

  The disappointment on the security guard’s face almost made Faith laugh.

  “Well, I did. I may have lost a buyer, but I’m here,” she said.

  When Ezra moved to release her from the embrace, Faith held on for just a moment longer then let go.

  “You okay?” Ezra asked.

  “I am now. Just needed one of your healing bear hugs,” she said.

  “I may have to add healing hugs to my services,” he said with a grin.

  They were interrupted by the security guard. “If she’s going up with you she’s going to need a badge,” she said in an annoyed tone.

  Faith handed the woman her ID and waited patiently for the visitor badge to be made. The guard slid her ID and the badge across the desk to her. Faith smiled pleasantly at the woman and said, “Have wonderful afternoon,” getting nothing but an eye roll in response.

  “I think I might have just ruined your chances with her,” Faith said.

  Ezra laughed. “Thank you, because my lack of interest didn’t seem to deter her.”

  “Face it, you’ve grown into quite an eligible bachelor since high school.”

  “And I thoroughly enjoy all the benefits that come with that title,” he said.

  Faith laughed. “I can’t wait to see the day some woman comes along and makes you forget all about being a bachelor.”

  “Unless she can measure up to you then I can’t see that happening,” he said with an exaggerated sigh.

  Faith gave him the same eye roll she had received from the infatuated security guard.

  “So what are the evil threesome after today?” Faith asked as they got on the elevator.

  Ezra’s playful demeanor faded away. “Craig wants to sell the house.”

  Faith’s heart skipped a beat. “Which house?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

  “The Glenridge, New Jersey, house.”

  Faith could feel the tightness in her chest that always came when she had to deal with Craig Lawson and his daughters, Monet and Chenelle.

  “No. My mother loved that house, and I won’t let that con artist profit from it,” she said angrily.

  “Since your mother left the house to you he has no claim on it or right to sell it so this shouldn’t take long. I would have taken this meeting on my own, but since it’s the Glenridge house I knew you would want to be here.”

  Faith gave Ezra’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”

  They reached their destination and entered the offices of the Lawsons’ attorney. They were brought to a conference room where Craig, Monet, and Chenelle were waiting with their two attorneys.

  Faith didn’t like the smug, Cheshire cat grin Craig had on his face. He was up to something, and Faith knew she wasn’t going to like it. Next to him sat Monet looking as if she was in serious need of a good meal. If Faith didn’t know any better she would swear the already too thin woman had lost even more weight in her determination to become a runway model. Her sister, Chenelle, sat beside her, the complete opposite of Monet’s tall skeletal frame, with her short stature and rounded torso. She dreamed of becoming the next Jennifer Hudson. She had the talent; unfortunately, she also had her father as her manager. Under different circumstances Faith thought she and Chenelle could have been good friends. It was too bad her father’s and sister’s influence over her was stronger than her own self-confidence.

  Faith’s mother met Craig, a real estate agent, almost three years ago. She was happy for her mother who had spent so much of her life focusing on either Faith’s well-being or her career that she rarely made time for a relationship of her own. Before Craig, the longest meaningful relationship Faith knew her mother had lasted four months and ended because he could no longer handle her mother’s work coming before him. Craig had somehow charmed his way not only into her mother’s heart but Faith’s as well by getting her mother to slow down and relax more. When he asked Faith for her mother’s hand in marriage a year later, Faith didn’t see any reason why she would disagree. He had told them he was a widow with two daughters he had raised on his own while building his real estate business. He told them his parents had passed some time ago, and that other than his daughters, his only other family was a sister who lived out of the country and some cousins he rarely spoke to. He treated her mother like a queen, never let her pay for anything, seemed to treasure the ground she walked on. The few times Faith had met his daughters before the wedding, they came across as very pleasant. Faith had even liked Chenelle and offered to introduce her to a club owner she and Ezra had grown up with who did open mic nights to help her with her career.

  Their lives changed drastically a year later when a mass was found in her mother’s left breast. She had not been consistent with her annual appointments and had either ignored or chosen not to tell anyone of any symptoms she was having, so by the time it was discovered it had reached Stage 4, spreading to her lymph nodes. After a mastectomy of her left breast, which included lymph node removal, and four weeks of radiation treatment, her mother was given a clean bill of health. Her mother was not a vain woman so missing a breast didn’t worry her as much as not being around for her family. She took her recovery and post-surgery health seriously, but the very treatment that removed the cancer caused damage to her lungs. Craig had been the wonderfully supportive husband until her mother’s health deteriorated to the point where she required an oxygen tank to assist her breathing on a regular basis.
He hired a nurse and would disappear for days claiming it was for a business venture he was working on, and when he was home avoided her mother as much as possible.

  Faith moved back home to help care for her mother who, in spite of her failing health, stayed in good spirits. A few months before her mother succumbed to her illness, her accountant contacted Faith, who her mother had given power of attorney to for her legal and financial matters, to inform her that Craig had withdrawn twenty thousand dollars from their joint bank account. When Faith told her mother about the missing funds, her mother admitted to Faith that the only thing that surprised her was that he had waited so long to do it. She then told Faith she had learned a year ago that Craig wasn’t all that he claimed to be.

  The sister that he told them was living in Europe actually lived in North Carolina and had contacted her mother after she heard Craig had gotten married. It seemed Craig had a history of charming wealthy women into relationships then milking them for all he could before getting caught and disappearing when he tired of them. His sister had called to warn her mother and had even given her the names of some of the women she knew Craig had conned into giving him the small fortune he had managed to accumulate before meeting her.

  Faith had asked her why she stayed with him after finding out the truth. Her mother told her she believed that in spite of his original goal to con her, Craig must have truly loved her because he had never married any of the other women.

  Faith couldn’t believe her strong, independent mother could think so naively and told her that very thing. Her mother had laughed and explained that believing in love didn’t make her naive. Before she and Craig married she had her attorney and accountant create security restrictions for her finances to ensure any suspicious activity was flagged and she was notified immediately. She set up the joint account with Craig to appease him, but the bulk of her finances were secure. She loved Craig, but she was no fool.