“I wanted to keep it a secret until it was time for me to start selling,” I let Tommie know, as she pulled away from me.
They were both in awe, going back over to the packaging, telling me how nice everything looked.
“I want to buy a couple of sets. Put one in my bedroom, and the other one in one of the guest bedrooms. How much are you selling the sets for?” Free asked with a smile on her face, as she looked over at me.
“The sets are $200,” I let her know, having it casually fall off my tongue,
“As it fuckin should be! This is good quality shit. I can tell by the packaging that whatever is inside is going to be top tier quality. Well, let me take my two, and I’m going to send you your coin right now. Oh my God. I’m such a proud little sister right now,” Free beamed, keeping true to her word as well because she pulled two of the packages to the side, so that she could keep them for herself, and Tommie did the same thing.
As we were standing here, it’s almost like I was a damn k-9 because I could smell that all too familiar cologne smell, even though I didn’t see his presence yet.
Before I could even question it, I saw the huge, beautiful, long stem 150 white roses that he was holding in his hands, and it was wrapped in white, and gold wrapping paper. On top of the roses, there was a topper, that read out, ‘House of Henry’.
I smiled big, happy for the roses, but even happier to see him because I woke up to Tank this morning, and I was happy about my inventory delivery that I was going to have, so I asked him if he would be able to swing by and take that moment in with me. Tank had virtual meetings today with his business out on the west coast, so he had to break the news to me, telling me that he wouldn’t be able to make it. I knew that he had a business to run, so as much as I wanted to be in my feelings about it, I couldn’t. To see that he made it, and that he’d come with these beautiful flower arrangements, I quickly moved my feet, and I went over to my man, rushing to him, like I hadn’t seen him in ages.
The roses were so big, that it made it hard to get to him, but Tank was strong, so he was able to juggle holding the roses in one hand, and his other hand wrapped around my waist for a second, and he cuffed my ass, not giving a damn that my sisters were in the room. I placed both hands on the side of his face, and I continued to kiss his lips.
“I didn’t think you were going to comeeeee,” I whined, doing that thing where I would poke my bottom lip out, as if I was sad.
“I had shit to take care of with the business, but you should know that daddy wasn’t going to miss this shit. I was hoping that I was going to pull up at the same time as the truck, but I see that they already started. Free, and Tommie, what’s good? Ya’ll see that your big sister is big dawg now, huh? This about to be a multi- million-dollar business. She finally let the cat out the bag, and told ya’ll what she’s been working on, huh?” Tank askedmy sisters, his hand still on my ass, but he had his attention on them.
“I was calling her, and then I checked her location, and I saw that she was at a damn warehouse. My mind went left, thinking that she was somewhere being kidnapped. I was already with Tommie, so we flew over here. We didn’t know about the business, but we’re so happy for her,” Free announced.
“Yeah, your sister secretive as fuck. If I commit a crime, I’m going to tell her because I know that she’ll take that shit to the grave,” he joked, getting my sisters to laugh.
“We need to go out tonight and celebrate my sister. Let’s go to the club, get a section, pop bottles. The whole nine. Dionne, I know that’s not your definition of a good time. Your ass would rather step foot into a 5-star restaurant but let us celebrate you tonight. We’re happy for you, and we want to take you out,” Tommie said, and I groaned at what she said because she of all people knew that I didn’t do the whole clubbing thing. If I did go with my sisters, I would usually just stay for about an hour.
I hated Miami clubs. It was always some shit going on. These group of dudes were always beefing with the next group of dudes, and then they would bring that shit to the club, and fights, or shootouts would happen. I didn’t have time for that tonight.
“Let’s do it, baby. Have a nice lil’ club outing tonight, and then I’ll take you to a fancy dinner tomorrow,” Tank bribed me, and when he said it, it was easier to give into, versus when my sister just asked me.
“Okay. I’m not staying long though,” I told him, and he laughed, and nodded, letting me know that that was cool.
My sisters were happy because the two of them loved to step foot in the club and pop their shit. I was going to have to call Blake and let her know what the plans were because if we wentout tonight to celebrate me, and I didn’t tell my best friend, her ass would be ready to fight me and fall out with me.
She was going to scream when she found out about my business. I knew she was. Blake loved the way I had been living my life for years, where I would be able to get whatever I wanted out of these niggas and how put up I was. Even with that, she was always in my ear, telling me to get my own hustle. Blake knew that I was a fashion fanatic, so she was always trying to get me to pop my shit by opening my own fashion boutique, but I would turn it down each time because that’s been done a million times by so many other women here in Miami.
My girl was going to be happy to see the brand that I’d come up with. I could already hear her now, screaming over the phone, and trying to leave work, so that she could come over here, and see it for herself.
10:25 PM.
“Classy nails, French tips.”
The sound of Skilla baby’s voice boomed through the club’s speakers, vibrating the entire room, as I was sitting in a section with my girls. My man was here, June pulled up, a dude that Tommie was entertaining was here, Rico came, and other dudes that my girls were entertaining had pulled up as well to support me. If you all remember Sandy, Fendi, Shay, Kita, and Paris, then you would know that these were my sisters, Free’s friends, but over the years, I had gotten close with them, looking at them as my friends / little sisters, so I’d texted them all this afternoon, letting them know what the plans were for tonight, and they were quick with writing me back, telling me that they would pull up.
Of course, Blake was here, and my girl was so happy for me, just like I knew she would be. Every woman that was in this section with me, they all made purchases today for my brand, wanting to support me right on the spot. The cost of my brandwas hefty, but they each sent me that $200 like it was nothing, and I loved these women for that.
“Look at Free. She’s going to disappear in the bathroom with June in a few seconds. Watch,” Sandy, who was sitting on the right of me said.
I turned my head, so that I could look over at my sister with her husband. June was posted up against the railing in our section, with a blunt in his mouth, while Free was standing in front of him, body bent over, shaking her ass on him. The short, black dress that she was wearing, he was holding it at the bottom, so that her ass wouldn’t be exposed, and the two of them were in their own little world, not locked in with anyone, or anything that was happening around them.
When Free stood up, June put his left hand, which was the hand that wasn’t holding onto the blunt, right on her flat stomach, whispered something in her ear that only she would be able to hear, and she just smiled, while nodding her head. He put the blunt to her lips, which she took a pull of, and she was back to shaking her ass on him.
“I know I keep saying this to you D, but I’m so happy for you best friend. You need to go ahead, and post it on social media, so that I can share it too. I’m dying to get on the internet and talk my shit about my best friend. These hoes really going to hate your guts now. You were already a bad ass bitch, but now you got a business? It’s nothing sexier in the world than for a woman to run her own shit. That combo on you is not to be fucked with. Then, when you really think about it, all the money that you’re going to make, all you gotta do is cuff your shit. Look at the nigga that you got. You’re going to be well taken care of, even with you having your own coin. Give these hoes your fuckin game book, Dionne!” Blake walked back over to the velvet couch, where I was sitting amongst the rest of the ladies, and she was holding a drink in her hand.
I knew that my best friend was tipsy, and that it was only a matter of time before she got emotional because Blake was one of those people that would get drunk, start expressing her love for you, and start crying.
What she said to me, got all the women around me to chime in, agree with her, and celebrate me some more.
