I walked over to the bar, where Evan, the bartender, was stacking glasses and wiping down the counter.
“Ms. Sterling, you need anything before I pack up?” he asked.
“Water’s fine,” I said, while checking the time on my watch. I couldn’t wait to get home and soak in my jacuzzi tub with my bottle of wine. Having a man waiting in bed for me would be nice always, but these days, I didn’t have the patience of time to raise these overgrown little boys.
Evan grabbed a bottle of water out of the mini fridge and slid it across the counter.
“Another perfect night for Sterling & Co.,” he said.
“That’s what they pay us for… perfection.”
He smiled at me. “You really don’t miss, huh?”
“Not if I can help it. I pride myself at giving the best possible experience to every client that books with me.”
He laughed softly and nodded. Get home safe, Ms. Sterling.”
“Always.”
I thanked him and headed toward the exit. The staff was already breaking things down, tucking candles into boxes and wrapping the last of the centerpieces. On my way out, I glancedacross the room and caught sight of Daniel. He was a little too close to a woman I was sure wasn’t his wife, guiding her toward the exit with his hand resting low on her back. I shook my head. Not my business. Still, it was a quick reminder of why I didn’t have a man. Most of them, you couldn’t pay a million dollars to be faithful. If Jay-Z cheated on Beyoncé, the rest of us didn’t stand a chance. I pulled my coat tighter and stepped into the night air that was cold enough to sting. I hurried toward my cocaine white Ranger Rover that gleamed under the streetlight. I called her Pearl. She was my first real gift to myself after I’d made my first six figures, and every time I saw her, she reminded me of how far I’d come. Just a raggedy foster kid that made a way for herself and here I was now, owning my own successful event planning business and bringing in more money than I could’ve ever imagined.
The door handles lit when I hit the key fob. I slid into the cold leather peanut butter seats and immediately turned on the seat warmer. The faint smell of coconut oil and perfume mixing in with that new car smell. The dash screen came alive and the soft sounds of Ella Mai hummed through the speakers. I was a sucker for R&B so when I tuned the car on, it was no surprise that it was right where I left it earlier this morning when I got to the ballroom. Once the car had warmed up, I pulled out of the parking lot, heading home.
Charlotte at night was beautiful. Holiday lights hung across the streets, couples held hands on the sidewalk and the shop windows glittered with Christmas displays. In the middle of downtown sat the most beautiful city Christmas tree and people sat gathered around admiring it. I drove slow, letting the heater warm my hands and my mind wander. Seeing those couples had put me deeply in my thoughts more than I cared to admit. I’d love once in my life. Real love, or what I thought that was. Dre was fine as hell, funny and ambitious. We met at a networkingmixer, and he made it easy to fall for him. He could talk any woman right out of their draws and that’s exactly what he did to me. He talked about building an empire together, about marriage, kids and all that other good happily ever after bullshit. Then came the lies, the long nights and the phone he kept face down anytime I was around him. I ignored all the signs until ignoring them turned into me losing myself, completely.
The night I found messages from some woman he worked with, promising her the same lies he’d promised me, I packed my shit before he could explain and left. He called me for weeks after, but I was done. Backtracking was something I didn’t do and when trust breaks, you can’t just glue the shit back together again. Since then, I kept my peace sacred. Went on a few dead-end dates, while building life, my brand and my routines around not needed anyone to fill that void that Dre left. Some would say I’d sworn off men, Bree would jank for days, swearing I was lesbo, but that wasn’t the case. I did like men, especially the piece that she carried between their legs but I didn’t want to deal with the other parts of them that came with it so I’d chosen to stay celibate for some time now. That’s why there was a drawer beside my bed stocked with the toys that did what I told them to do and nothing more. I slept good every night knowing that I was fine, successful and wasn’t getting cheated on.
I turned the corner onto my street, hearing pearls tire humming over the pavement. The city lights faded behind me and were replaced with the soft glow of my building entrance. I parked, cut the engine and sat for a moment, letting the silence breathe around me. Another night done. Another bag secured… and another cruel reminder that success didn’t always silence the loneliness I felt at times. I gathered my bag, stepped out, and walked into the warm lobby, ready to close out the night the only way I knew how… on my own terms.
Inside my feminine, chic condo. The warmth hit me instantly. I dropped my clutch on the counter, grabbed a wine glass and the bottle of wine I had chilled from the fridge and carried it toward my bedroom. I kicked off those painful as ass red bottom heels and unzipped my dress. I popped the top off the wine and poured my glass to the brim. I stood naked in my bedroom, drinking down the first glass in seconds, then poured me another.
I ran my bath, adding lavender oil and a few drops of eucalyptus. The combination always relaxed my mind, body, and soul and that was exactly what I needed.
“Alexa, play slow jams/quiet storm station.”
I slid into my jacuzzi tub, letting the heat wrap around my body asCoco Jones’voice filled the room. Slow jams were my thing and I preferred the old school jams but a few of the new R&B artists had my attention as well. For a minute, I sat there, eyes closed, champagne in hand… listening to the music along with the sound of the water lapping against the porcelain. My phone buzzed and because I made sure to have my bathtub tray in front of me, I was able to pick it up on the second ring. I thought about sending it to voicemail but I knew she would have the police here in two point five seconds if I didn’t answer.
“Hey, Bree,” I said, voice lazy and relaxed.
“Please tell me you’re not answering no damn emails right now,” she said.
I smiled, rolling my eyes. “No, I’m in the tub with my bubbles and champagne. Happy now?”
“Finally! I was scared I’d have to stage an intervention for your ass. “You sound half alive,” she teased. “That event wore you out, huh?”
“You know how it is. Clients want perfection and a miracle on top of it.”
“Girl, you make shit look easy.”
“It’s not.”
“I know.” Her tone softened. “Which is exactly why you need this retreat I booked. It’s called Winter Haven, up in the mountains. You get a private cabin, spa treatments, wine tastings, no Wi-Fi after six. That means no clients, no staff, and no phone for a whole week.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “You do realize I have clients booked back-to-back. I can’t just disappear for a week.”
“You can and you will. I already used your travel points, so if you don’t go, that’s money down the drain.”
I sighed, letting my head fall back against the tub. “You’re impossible.”
