Page 25 of Finessed By A Hood White Boy

“Bitch, can you focus!” I pointed ahead of us. “Yes, they’re real.”

“Awe hell nah, are they still hiring? They must’ve taken that out of your pay check.”

I smiled, thinking about the note Ethan left.

“Actually, my boss told me not to worry about that. So, no, it wasn’t taken out of my check.”

My sister’s smile somewhat matched mine as she kept glancing over at me.

“Let me find out you’re about to turn into a sugarbaby. I ain’t mad at it. Hell, I'd rather an old white man take care of you, and keep that smile on your face, than you dealing with Rob trifflin ass. You have a good thing going, Ava. If you don’t leave his sorry ass, he’s bound to ruin this piece of happiness for you. Fuck him and fuck this so called marriage.” She smacked her lips.

I really didn’t want to have a conversation about Rob.

“First of all, the CEO isn’t an old white man. He’s white, but definitely not old. The old man died and passed the company down to his oldest son.”

“Well shit, that sounds even better.” Aja giggled.

When we pulled up to the designated building, only the valet stood outside. I gathered my belongings before blowing my baby a kiss. I thanked my sister for dropping me off, and told her I’d call for an Uber to take me home. She volunteered to keep Savannah, promising to drop her off in the morning. I was cool with that. Before I walked into the building, I made sure to leave all the bullshit I was carrying outside the door. For once, I wanted to enjoy myself in a social setting, even if it was work related. I deserved to have some type of fun and that’s exactly what I planned to do.

CHAPTER 8

Ethan Whitmore

For an entire hour, I had been pretending to care about abstract art and meeting muthafuckas that I didn’t care too much to have a conversation with. The annual Whitmore Foundation Charity Gala was one of the biggest events of the year. Every politician, business owner, socialite, and donor worth mentioning attended. The entire room was filled with millionaires and billionaires. Besides the paintings, it smelled like money in the air. As for me, fuck the paintings, I was the new attraction. Apparently, attending the event was a way to build my new image. It was my opportunity to rub shoulders with new high profile people that could or would benefit me in the long run. I stood in the middle of the gallery floor with a glass of bourbon in my hand. Muthafuckas were approaching me left and right, giving their condolences, and congratulating me for inheriting the CEO position in the same breath. All I could do was force a polite smile and nod my head. I kept checking my watch because Ava had yet to show up. Stephanie told me about forty five minutes prior that she spoke to Ava, and informed me that she would be arriving late. I thought about calling her myself but I went against my better judgement. Posted up by the bar, I continued scoping the scene, while trying my best to avoid unwanted conversation. Then, Preston walked up to me with a smile and drink in his hand.

“How are you holding up?” He stood beside me.

“To be honest, I’m ready to go. Y’all gonna get another thirty minutes outta me, and I’m out.”

“Yeah, these events aren’t really fun per se. If you’re down, we can always leave here, and go have some real fun. Julia is dying to get out of here anyway.”

“I don’t know, we’ll see.” I shrugged.

I only said that so the conversation wouldn’t continue. Preston was cool and all, but I was still getting to know him. Therefore, I wasn’t too eager about kicking it with him in a social setting outside of where we were. He stood, pointing out and filling me in on everyone and their business. Dude was like a messy blogger walking, he knew everyone’s dirt. I listened while taking mental notes, just in case I needed to use any of it in the future. The announcer had finally gotten on the microphone to inform everyone the auction was getting ready to start in twenty minutes. As soon as I pulled out my phone to send Ava a text, Preston nudged me with his elbow.

“Look who just showed up.”

My attention went from my phone to across the room. Every coherent thought in my head disappeared.

“Jesus Javante Christ.” I whispered under my breath.

The room seemed to blur around her. For a few seconds, she was all I could see. That gown I picked out fit her body perfectly. The way it clung and displayed her curves, I would say she was the best piece of art in the building to stare at. Many eyes seemed to be on her, and I could tell it made her uncomfortable. It was mainly the old men, gawking and shit. Her eyes slowly darted around the room, and I knew she was most likely searching for me. The closer I got to her, the more beautiful she became. Her hair was completely different than what I was used to seeing. She had it bone straight, neatly parted down the middle.

“I was starting to think you weren’t going to show up,” I spoke.

A light giggle escaped her lips as my eyes roamed her pretty brown face. She wore a small amount of make up, but the gloss on her lips made me lick mine. Everything about her was effortlessly beautiful. The second our eyes met, she smiled, and my chest tightened unexpectedly. That shit had never happened before but it felt good.

“I’m sorry. I had to make other arrangements for Savannah at the last minute. I hope I’m not going to be penalized for my tardiness.”

“Nah, it’s cool. Besides, you haven’t missed out on anything except keeping me company. I’m bored as hell in here.” I leaned over to whisper the last part.

Her laugh caused me to smile a little wider than I should’ve.

“Oh my god! You made it. I was starting to get worried.” Julia came out of nowhere with a smile.

“Yeah, I’m so sorry I’m late.” Ava sighed and embraced my sister.

Julia waved over one of the hostesses so Ava could grab a campaign flute from the tray. I couldn’t help but notice that the smell in the room changed. My mouth watered from her scent. It was sweet and hypnotizing. Her mocha color skin glowed with a bronze highlight, smooth and buttery.