She pulled her phone from her purse, opened a new contact on the screen, and handed it to him. “Plug in your info and I’ll call you when I’m on my way.”
Chapter 3
“Diva!” Janae and Cree collectively screamed theword when she walked into the private dining room. Each year one of them would host the celebration. This year was Vanessa’s turn. Yeah, she’d thought about bailing earlier, but whether she showed or not, her plans had been set in motion months ago. A private dining room in one of the fanciest restaurants in New York reserved just for the three of them. They’d spend the night enjoying each other’s company while being catered to by the restaurant’s staff.
It was the perfect way to celebrate her friends. They both worked so hard and had so much going on, Vanessa decided to give them a night where they didn’t have to worry about anything. A private car picked them up from their respective homes in Pennsylvania and transported them on the hour-and-a-half drive to New York City in style while sipping on champagne.
If the loud giggles and their nearly overwhelming delight at seeing Vanessa enter the room was any sign, they’d enjoyed the champagne while they cruised along I-80. Even though she hadn’t taken a sip of anything yet, she was equally thrilled to see them. Janae wore a metallic gold body-con one-shoulder dress that hugged every luscious curve of her plus-size body. The shiny gold color lookedmajestic against the deep brown of her complexion. Her long wavy hair spilled over one shoulder while the other, bare and beautiful, sparkled with a shimmer of body glitter. She was sexy, stunning, and Janae knew it, and Vanessa was pretty much certain anyone with eyes knew it too.
Cree was a statuesque beauty, six feet tall in her bare feet with curves that made an hourglass jealous. Her honey-brown skin looked sun-kissed even as the summer was quickly fading into the chill of fall, and with the black high-low number hugging her rounded hips, it was a wonder Vanessa hadn’t seen a path of people struck unconscious by her sheer beauty. Her hair was cut into a dark Caesar, making her striking and easily recognizable as a queen who understood her own power.
Both her girls were powerful queens. She often wished the strength recognizable in these two women lived somewhere inside her too. They’d both built better lives for themselves after their respective divorces. They understood their purpose, a purpose that blazed brightly in both of them and had nothing to do with their relationship status.
Vanessa had been Mrs. Karl Scott. Even her skills as an accountant had been used solely to fulfill her purpose as Karl’s wife. And when he was gone, Vanessa had nothing more to center her life. Now, she’d been floating listlessly for the last two years in search of what it was she was meant to do. She needed something that was just for her.
As her girlfriends fawned over her fitted black strapless jumpsuit, the long sheer gold duster she wore over it, and her sleek bob haircut, Vanessa realized that focusing on her impostor syndrome right now wasn’t what she needed. No, instead she would let these women celebrate her, even if she knew it was all a lie.
“Would you look at us?” Cree spread her arms wide, wrapping them around Vanessa’s and Janae’s shoulders. “We are glorious!”
Janae snapped her fingers and hollered, “Yasssss, queen! We’re out’chea stuntin’ on ’em. They ain’t ready for us.”
Vanessa closed the circle, forming a group hug. Being with her girls like this strengthened her, making her feel more empowered than she ever did in her everyday life. “I’m so glad to see you two. How was your ride in? Did everything go okay with the driver?”
“Girl, you didn’t have to go through the expense of sending a car for us. Janae could’ve driven us here.”
Vanessa waved her hand dismissing Cree. “I wanted to do it. You two work so hard; you deserve to be pampered tonight. Just consider it me putting Karl’s money to good use.”
Janae shook her head and interrupted. “Nope, that is your money. You earned every bit of it. Every time you put your life on hold to support his dreams, every time you stood strong in the face of his cheating and humiliation, nah, that money is yours.”
“You know Janae is always right. Don’t argue with her. You earned that.”
Vanessa felt the warmth of acceptance flowing through her, creating a buzz that no sparkling wine could compare to. “Thank you. I needed that.”
Janae reached out and tucked Vanessa’s hair behind her ear before cupping a gentle hand over her cheek. “Chile, please. Queens don’t tear each other down. We fix each other’s crowns. We got you, queen.”
“Yeah, always,” Cree said.
Vanessa beamed. Her affection for these two women filled her with positive energy, like she was tapping into the best version of herself. How she could ever have thought of ditching this event, she didn’t know. Because more than anything, this was what she needed. A reminder that she was strong too, maybe even strong enough to finally tell them the full truth about her relationship with Karl.
The serving staff entered the room with covered platters, signaling that their evening was underway. While Janae and Cree went to settle in their seats, Vanessa grabbed her phone from her clutch and scrolled through her contacts until she found Michael Park’s number. She tapped out a text telling him she’d make her way downto Monroe Hills sometime soon. She’d call him when she arrived. It was vague, unfortunately; she couldn’t do better than that. Not until she got herself together to do this.
And she would do this. If only to prove to herself that she was no longer the same woman Karl victimized. Her girls reminded her that she was strong enough to stop Karl, to help another young queen, and to take back what was hers at once. Her grandmother’s ring, her dignity, and her future were all within reach. All she had to do was spend a few more hours in the presence of the handsome man who’d held her in his solid arms and made her wonder what it would feel like to do that under a different set of circumstances.
Yeah, she could do this. She was a queen. Queens didn’t turn and run, they stood and fought. And with a handsome knight like Michael Park by her side, it might actually be fun doing so. What could go wrong?
Michael rolled over on the couch when he heard the text message notification on his phone. There weren’t many people who texted him. His sister, his best friends Adam and Derrick, and occasionally one of his deputies would message him to inform him of minor things at the office. Most of those people didn’t reach out at nine at night, however.
He picked up the phone and saw Vanessa Jared’s name, and instantly his concern slipped away and was replaced by curiosity. “What could she want at this time of night?”
Gotta figure out my schedule first
But I’ve decided to help you
Call when I’m on my way
Hope you’re ready for me
Although his head was pretty sure she was referring to the uproar her presence would cause in his sister’s life, his body took thatcomment an entirely different way, and he had to remind his lecherous cock that this was no time to be selfish. Cindy was the one who mattered. Not his undersexed, overworked self who spent way too many hours keeping the people of this town safe and not nearly enough taking care of his own needs.
