Dreu, was still rattled by the video, he snapped the laptop shut loudly then picked it up. He shot Aubry a nasty glare, who was shrinking further into his couch, his lip puffed and bruised from earlier.
“You need Jesus,” Dreu spat, voice shaking with disbelief and disgust.
“Seriously, man, you need help.” Dreu continued.
“Let’s go, Dreu.”
Twenty-One
BLEU
My phone vibrated oncein my pocket; it shifted my concentration instantly. I didn’t have to pull it out right away to know who it was.
Truly…
She was the reason I found it hard to focus on this meeting and my introduction to my new plus size clothing line that would be catered to full-figured women. It had been three days since she left my home. I dreaded each day leaving Maison Langston’s and going home alone. I already started to plot how I could see her pretty diamond shaped face more often other than going back to just facetiming and texting her.
The day after my visit with Aubry, Truly called me crying happy tears. She thanked me a thousand times and told me that Aubry had dropped Princess off with all of her belongings. What shocked her the most was him apologizing for all that he had put her through. He kept his visit short and told her before he left that he was seriously happy for her.
What I hung over his head was enough for him to get with the program and not stress her out. I was just happy that he wouldn’t be a thorn in her side.
My eyes gazed at everyone in the meeting room, everyone was occupied looking over the folders that were passed out before the meeting started. I used that time to pull my phone out and check the text from Truly.
Thickumz- What’s the address for Maison Langston’s…I want to bring you lunch.... This morning, I made a new energy tea blend, I want you to be the first to try it. It’s your favorite color too!
I inhaled sharply and smiled. Truly woke up this morning and felt good. She got right down to work mixing and blending herbs. Some days she woke up and did other things. She recently expressed how she also enjoyed making candles and body butters. It was kind of funny how she thought of new things to create overnight.
Eventually whatever she yearned to do she did it. Mr. Jackson expressed how Truly’s new endeavors sometimes cost a lot of money. He said that she was in debt for taking out small business loans, hardly able to pay them back. I planned on fixing all of that for her soon. She would be able to try whatever she wanted to until she found her true passion. Right now, that passion was blended teas, candles, soaps, and body butters.
I typed back quickly giving her my address and telling her to go through the private lobby that would lead her to the elevator that shot up directly to my office. Once I slid my phone back in my pocket, I picked up the remote control to dim the lights for the projector. It was time to wrap this meeting up and continue it another day.
The boardroom was full with creative directors, seamstresses, and brand consultants. All of us had a great relationship, the excitement showed on all of their faces when I presented something new to them. We had already covered the winter collection months ago for winter which covered suits, along with Dom’s new fragrances that I decided to do a cross collab between both companies. The collab went crazy, now the world couldn’t just mention Maison Langston’s without adding Dom’s to the conversation.
“As I was saying before.” I held the remote and aimed it at the projector. “This is what I’m after when it comes to the new line, ‘Curve Devor’.”
The beginning of the video started, a plus size woman strutted down the runway with a fierce sophisticated look. I stood at the head of the long marble table, my hands rested light on the surface as the woman began to talk.
“Clothes don’t make a woman,” she said seductively, “but clothes should honor her.” She smirked, unbuttoned her trench coat revealing one of the one piece cheetah bodysuit that I created during my off time at home with Truly.
A few heads nodded in agreement around the table.
“Women don’t owe the world smallness.” She dropped her black trench coat on the runway as other curvy women walked down the path behind her. “They don’t owe apology for taking up space.”
Ten women fanned out beside her wearing different expensive threads of clothing. It was stylish, and very classy. It was the type of clothing that many smaller women would rock. Now curvy women up to a size 6x would be able to have the same threadsof clothes on. All of the women on the video spoke in union together.
“Curvy Devor! Designed for Curves!”
The models stepped in a perfect line formation and strutted away one by one. Each one of them looked stunning in rich fabric that flowed and hugged every curve where it should. Soft silks. Structured blazers. Waistlines that emphasized their beauty not hiding it. The video went blank, before I could cut the lights back up, everyone clapped loudly.
I glanced over at my new assistant, Ren. He sat to the right of me; his knee bounced under the table. Nervous energy hung off him like static.
“Ren.”
He jumped when I called his name. I made a mental note to gift him a full collection set of Dom’s. It wasn’t that his body odor was pungent, it was more of the strong smell of gel that he had caked up in his slicked back dirty blonde hair that annoyed me. He reeked of chemicals, and I was sure most of it came from the scent of his hair.
“No need to be nervous, you’re doing perfectly fine.” I nodded my head at him.
His eyes widened, then he nodded. His knee under the table stilled, he picked his stylus pen back up and relaxed his shoulders. I never went hard on my assistants. Most of them were young, fresh out of college. Ren’s father was associates of my father’s. He got the position based off of that alone.
