Pardon My Frenchie

20

Thad managed to keep up with her in traffic after all, due to running at least one red light and cutting off a delivery truck. Ashanti had called Ridley to let her know that they would be arriving at her place within ten minutes so she could put their names on her condo’s visitors’ list.

She pulled just beyond the parking gate after being let into the condo building’s garage and idled while the attendant checked Thad’s credentials. She waited until the arm of the gate rose before she drove forward and made a right, parking in one of the open visitors’ slots.

She stood next to Thad’s back bumper as he hooked Puddin’ to his leash and guided him out of the truck, keeping her eyes averted as he approached, praying he wouldn’t revive his aborted question from just before they left his grandmother. She wasn’t sure how she would answer—how she would want to answer—if he did.

Okay, so she knew how she wanted to answer. But what she wanted and what was best for where she was in this stage of her life were on opposite ends of a very long, very complicated spectrum.

“This way,” Ashanti said, gesturing to the smoke-gray glass door that led to the building’s lobby. She had only visited Ridley’s condo a couple of times since she’d moved here, mainly because they were all so used to hanging out at the daycare and at her house since she’d started baking the Duchess Delights treats.

They walked up to a podium just to the right of a bank of elevators.

“Afternoon,” the doorman said.

Ashanti couldn’t help but wonder if this was the doorman who had spent time blowing Ridley’s back out. Goodness, she hoped not. He couldn’t be more than twenty-three years old.

“We’re here to see Ridley King in 1210.”

His ears and neck immediately became flushed.

Good Lord, he was the one.

“She’s expecting us,” Ashanti said.

As they waited for the doorman to confirm their arrival, Thad looked around the sleek lobby. Everything was glass and chrome, a departure from most of the structures around here, which leaned into the city’s old-world French architecture.

“What exactly does your friend do for a living?” he asked. “A one-bedroom in a place like this must run four thousand a month.”

“She’s tried to explain it, but I honestly have no idea what Ridley does for a living,” Ashanti said. “She has a doctoral degree in marketing from Wharton and a huge corner office that overlooks the Mississippi River, if that helps.”

“Explains a lot,” Thad said.

“You can go up now,” the doorman said.

“Dogs are allowed, right?” Thad asked, pointing to Puddin’.

“Of course,” the doorman said. “Wait. Is that—?”

“The poodle from the viral video,” Ashanti said. “Yes.”

He looked over his shoulder. “Do you mind if I take a photo?”

She had to stifle a laugh at the look of repugnance on Thad’s face as he watched the doorman snap a selfie with Puddin’. He then directed them to an elevator and pressed the button. It took mere seconds to reach the twelfth floor. Ridley’s two-bedroom condo was at the end of the hallway. She opened the door before Ashanti could knock.

“Finally,” Ridley said. She pointed at Puddin’. “What’s this?”

“Standard poodle,” Thad said. “I’m Thad, by the way.”

“I don’t do dogs.”

“Me neither.”

“Cute,” she said. She blew out an exasperated breath and opened the door wider. “I’ll make an exception this time, but keep him away from me and the furniture.”

Puddin’ barked at her as they entered the condo.

Ridley jabbed her finger at him. “I will turn you into a rug.”

The dog whimpered and snuck between Thad’s legs.

“I like you,” Thad said.

“Everyone likes me,” Ridley replied. “Dominique had to get something out of her car. She’ll be back up in a few minutes. Your flight boards at twelve fifteen p.m., so you’ll need to head for the airport no later than eleven. You know how traffic can get.”

Evie came out of the kitchen. “Ah, Puddin’s here! Hi sweetheart.”

Puddin’ dashed from between Thad’s legs and darted toward Evie, clipping Ridley along the way.

“He touches me again and he goes out in the hallway,” Ridley said.

“Puddin’ deserves special treatment,” Evie said. “He’s part of the reason we’re here.”

“What are you doing here?” Ashanti asked her. “Don’t you have patients this morning?”

She waved that off before giving Ashanti a hug. “Cameron can man the practice for a few hours. This is all too exciting to miss. You two ready to hit the Big Apple?”

“We don’t really have a choice,” Ashanti said.

“No, you don’t,” Ridley said. “Just wait until you hear all the spots Dom was able to line up. By this time on Friday, anyone who didn’t know about Puddin’ and Duchess getting it on will definitely know.”

The PR specialist returned and they all sat around the living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows that afforded a view of both the Crescent City Connection bridge and the downtown high-rises.

Ridley’s colleague Dominique was a petite biracial Black and Vietnamese woman with a cute pixie haircut and the physique of a gymnast. She forwarded the itinerary to Ridley with instructions to distribute it electronically to everyone around the table.

“You arrive this afternoon and head straight for a podcast in Hell’s Kitchen,” Dominique started. “It shouldn’t last more than an hour, and it isn’t too far from your hotel. On Thursday, you have a live in-studio TikTok interview with Casey, the Dog Whisper. Once you’re done there, you have another podcast in Brooklyn. Friday morning is Leah and Luke, of course.”

“Is it really worth going up there a day early just to talk to someone on TikTok?” Thad asked.

“Casey, the Dog Whisper, has over twelve million followers,” Dominique said. “A couple from Kansas with a new self-care line for dogs moved more product after going on her show than they did when they appeared on Shark Tank.”

“I could have gone my entire life without knowing that people spend money on self-care products for dogs,” Thad said.

“Says the man whose poodle wears a rhinestone collar?” Ridley said.

“My grandmother bought the collar.”

“Back to the itinerary,” Dominique said. Ashanti now saw why she and Ridley were good friends. They had the same personality. “I’m still trying to line up a radio interview with a guy who has the most popular evening drive talk show in New York’s tri-state area, so more to come there.” She huddled over her laptop. “The second PDF that I will send contains talking points and basic tips for dealing with the media: how to keep your cool during an interview, how to keep your responses to under twelve seconds—the longer you ramble, the more likely you’re going to say something the interviewer can use against you.”

“Is that something we need to worry about?” Ashanti asked. “These interviews are supposed to be friendly, right?”

“Every interview is an opportunity for a gotcha moment,” Dom replied. “It’s my job to make sure you’re prepared for them.” She glanced at her watch. “Are there any other questions?”

“I have one,” Thad said. He gestured at his phone. “Who’s paying for all of this? Who’s paying you?”

“I’m fronting you both the money for everything the morning show doesn’t cover,” Ridley answered. “I do, however, expect to be paid back.”

“Don’t you think I should have been consulted before all these plans were made if I have to shell out money for it?” Thad asked.

“Do you know anything about marketing or public relations?” Ridley asked. “No,” she said before Thad could answer. “You have no idea how valuable these next three days will be for your business. Consider it an investment.”

He held up his hands, as if giving up his argument. It was probably for the best. Ridley never backed down, even when it was an argument she was losing. That wasn’t the case here. Thad may still be unsure, but Ashanti had full confidence that this time in New York would be worth it.

“And you and Kara are going to handle the social media posts for the contest, right?” Ashanti asked.

Dominique swiped across her phone’s touchscreen and turned it to face Ashanti. “Already have the first one ready to go.”

The contest Kara had signed her up for turned out to be a much bigger deal than Ashanti had first realized. It was actually a sponsorship backed by a venture capitalist firm dedicated to helping minority businesses. And that $250,000 prize was only the first component of a five-year commitment.

In addition to the money, a nationwide marketing campaign, and the mentorship, the winner would also be given an opportunity to borrow up to two million dollars from the investment firm. Their flexible payback model, which would be based on revenue and not a set monthly payment, was one of the most generous terms Ashanti had ever seen.

Winning this contest would negate the need for a traditional loan. As much as she abhorred the thought of taking on such enormous debt, knowing she wouldn’t have to start paying it back until her business showed a profit made it easier to swallow.

She had to win this contest.

However, in order to win it, she had to convince people to vote for Duchess Delights utilizing the nationwide online voting method the contest had set up. She was up against four other Black women-owned businesses, including a natural hair care line that was already gaining popularity and the country’s first Black woman-owned microbrewery.

But there was one thing she had that none of those other contestants did: the chance to get her name out there on a national stage. This contest and the segment on Leah and Luke’s show truly could not have come at a better time. Ashanti had no choice but to believe it was kismet.

“That’s all I have for now,” Dominique said. She handed Ashanti and Thad a square black card with a QR code on one side and in bold letters DOM. on the other. “I will text you both daily. Many of these parts are still moving, so you will need to be agile.”

With that she told Ridley she would see her at some mixer next week and left the condo.

Evie hooked a thumb toward the door. “You cannot tell me that Dom is not short for dominatrix. I was afraid to breathe around her.”

“Even I’ll admit Dom is a bit scary, and I’m not afraid of anything,” Ridley said. “But she is one of the best in the business and there are a bunch of people who are jealous of you both right now because you got the chance to work with her.” She pointed at Ashanti and Thad. “Do not blow this. It’s rare to get this kind of opportunity.”

Thad pushed back from the table. “I’ll do my best,” he said. “I still need to pack, so I should get going.”

“You haven’t packed yet?” Ridley said. She dropped her head on the table in one of her signature overly dramatic Ridley moves. Her head popped up. “Weren’t you in the Army? Isn’t your slogan ‘Be Prepared’?”

“That’s the Boy Scouts,” Thad said. He snapped his fingers and Puddin’ came to stand next to him.

“You got him to follow a command,” Ashanti said. “You’re making progress.”

“Don’t get too excited. We still hate each other,” Thad said. “Nice meeting you,” he said to Evie. To Ashanti he asked, “Do you have a ride to the airport?”

“Puddin’ will need a travel crate,” Ashanti said. “I have extra at the daycare.” She looked at Evie. “Maybe you could bring us in the van?” Evie had a van that she used for making house calls to her clients. “Meet us at Barkingham Palace in an hour?”

“You got it, babe,” Evie said.

Thad left and Ashanti started gathering her things as well. She didn’t want to admit to Ridley that she had not yet packed either. This was all moving so quickly, she barely had time to breathe since getting that email from the show producer yesterday.

“Don’t be nervous, Shanti,” Evie said.

“I’m not—”

“Your hands are shaking,” Ridley said.

She blew out a breath. “This is just… a lot. Podcasts, radio, live on TikTok? And I just realized this is the first time I’ve ever taken Duchess on an airplane. The farthest I’ve traveled with her is the Alabama Gulf Coast for that beach vacation the girls and I took a couple of summers ago.”

Evie walked up to her and captured her shoulders in her hands. “You will be fine. Duchess will be fine. It will all be fine, Shanti.”

Ashanti nodded and tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. It didn’t feel fine. It felt slightly chaotic. Couple that with the fact that she had to do all of this alongside Thad and his gorgeousness, and she would need Evie to prescribe her some anxiety meds before the plane ever started taxiing down the runway.

“Trust me,” Evie said. “Everything is going to go wonderfully.” She looked Ashanti in the eyes. “But I do have one request, and it’s an important one.”

“What?” Ashanti asked, alarmed by the seriousness in her tone.

Evie took her by the hands and squeezed them tight. “Promise me that you will spend at least one night in New York letting that man do the filthiest shit imaginable to you.”

“Preach!” Ridley said, throwing both palms up in the air like she’d just caught the Holy Ghost.

“Evie, stop it,” Ashanti said, wrenching her hands away.

“Promise me, Shanti.”

“I expect stuff like that from this one.” She nodded toward Ridley. “Not you.”

“Girl, there is nothing wrong with a fling,” Ridley said. “I have them all the time.”

“We know,” Ashanti and Evie said in unison.

“Keeps you young,” Ridley said, taking a sip from her iced tea and letting out an ahhhh sound.

“This is a business trip,” Ashanti reminded them.

“Business during the day, orgasms throughout the night. What could be better than that?” Ridley shrugged. “Just make sure to double up on protection, because that man looks like he can get you pregnant just by breathing on you.”

“Just by looking at you,” Evie said. “I’m stopping at CVS for a pregnancy test on the way home.”

They all burst out laughing.

“There will be none of that going on in New York,” Ashanti said. “Thad is not my type, and vice versa.”

His unfinished question from this morning popped into her mind. When he’d leaned into her car and asked if he learned to like dogs… What? Would that make him her type? It was the only logical follow-through she could think of, but she didn’t want to think about it at all, not when she was spending the next three days in New York with him.

And now Evie and Ridley had put the thought of orgasms in her head.

“I need to get going,” Ashanti said, pulling her purse strap over her shoulder. “I’ll meet you at the daycare, Evie.” She gave Ridley a hug. “Thanks for setting all this up.”

“Do me proud, girl,” Ridley said, squeezing her tight.

Ashanti returned her squeeze. “That’s a promise I’m willing to make and keep.”