Chapter 5 #2
I knew I looked good. But when I stepped off the elevator into the lobby, the catcalls I received confirmed it.
“Yesssssssssss, bitch!” Sherita yelled out.
The curvy woman with the long braids and gray contacts greeted me with the warmest hug as soon as she saw me.
“Hey, Sherita,” I said, hugging her back. “You look great!”
“So do you! I love everything about this look.”
“Can I get in on this hug?” Gabriella Pace shouted, her heels clicking loudly as she approached.
“Gabby!” I shouted to the plus size model with the huge Afro.
She was one of my favorite content creators, and she was one of the sweetest people I’d ever met. She was from the Los Angeles area, and she started growing her platform around the same time as I did.
“Hey, beautiful!” She gave me an extra squeeze before she took a step back. “It’s so good to see you again!”
“You, too!” I exclaimed. “And this!”—I gestured to the silky peach dress she had on—“I have this same dress in a different color. It looks fantastic on you!”
“Thank you!” She looked between me and Sherita. “You both look so good!”
“We all do,” Sherita confirmed.
“Where’s Toni?” I wondered, looking around.
“She missed her flight,” Sherita informed us. “She’ll be here tomorrow morning though.”
“Well, then, let’s get to the bus so we don’t miss our ride,” Gabby said, linking her arms with ours.
The three of us had the best night. We laughed, joked, and took pictures all throughout dinner. And then when we got to the after-party, we really let loose.
“I’m going to the bar to get a drink and do some recon,” I announced.
“I’ll get our spots in the section and check out the talent in the other sections,” Sherita replied.
“I have to go to the bathroom, and then I’ll walk through the dance floor and see what’s what,” Gabby said, wiggling her fingers. “See you guys in ten minutes!”
We each went our separate ways. I noticed a few other influencers and content creators at the bar.
I didn’t know them well, but I was familiar with their content on social media.
They weren’t anywhere near me on the bus or at dinner, but since the point of the night was to network, I marched over to them and said hello.
“Hi,” the tall, slim, fair-skinned woman greeted me. “You’re Nina, right?”
“I am.”
“I’m Skylar.” She stuck out her hand. “But you can just call me Sky. This is Daisy and Jess.”
I said hi to the other two women.
“Nina is a plus model,” Sky explained to the other thin women.
“Oh, wow, good for you!” Daisy cheered.
“Aww, I love that,” Jess cooed.
Their tone didn’t hit my ears right, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. It was loud in the venue, and I wanted to believe they weren’t coming at me sideways.
“And you are all fashion content creators, too?” I wondered, tilting my head.
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“Good for you,” I replied with a wide smile. I shifted my eyes to each of them. “I love it.”
“Pretty drinks for pretty ladies,” the bartender said loudly, handing the three of them martinis.
They giggled flirtatiously. “Thank you,” Sky replied, leaning over the bar to give him a better view of her low-cut dress. “So, sooooo much.”
He ran his hand through his stringy brown hair. “Of course.” He winked. “It’s on the house.”
They turned their back to him.
“See you later, Nina,” Sky whispered, giving me a knowing smirk.
Wiggling their fingers, Daisy and Jess said their goodbyes as well.
“I’ll catch y’all later,” I told them as I moved to the free space their absence created at the bar.
Before I could place my order, the bartender had moved down the bar to take someone else’s order. Several minutes later, I still hadn’t been served.
I glanced over at the feel of someone brushing against my arm. I moved over fractionally.
“Yo, what’s your name?” a man with enviably thick eyebrows asked as he continued squeezing himself next to me.
I met his gaze. “Why?”
He was clearly inebriated as he shifted his body toward me. His breath was coated in liquor as he leaned forward. “You don’t want to tell me your name?”
“You don’t want to tell me why you want to know?”
“Come on, Jelly Belly,” he said with a slight drawl.
I narrowed my eyes. “Jelly Belly?”
“You pretty though. You got a belly, but you pretty.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m not interested.”
“Let me take you home tonight. You look like you need some dick to turn that frown upside down.”
“If I did need dick, you’d be one of the last ones to qualify for an interview for the position,” I retorted.
It was a common misconception that big women had low self-esteem and low standards.
Because some assholes spread that rumor around, fat women spent good dating years fending off men looking for quick and easy sex—or worse, money.
Too many people thought fat equated to desperate and had the audacity to be offended when we didn’t welcome their advances or jump at the chance to entertain them.
It was that same audaciousness that made the man in front of me think he could talk to me like that.
Hell, it’s audacious for him to think he has a chance with someone like me in the first place.
“You’re gonna let that big back bitch carry you like that?” a voice on the other side of the man asked.
Before I could even address either of them, the bartender came over and took my order. After I told him what I wanted, I found the man next to me was staring at me.
“You think you’re bad, don’t you, Jelly Belly?” he asked, sneering.
He had one more time to say some slick shit or to call me Jelly Belly before I got petty with him.
“I know I am,” I replied. “And you know it, too, which is why you’re still staring in my face.”
“You got a big-ass ego to match that big-ass body.”
“Get her,” his friend egged him on.
I curled my lip in disgust. “He can’t. That’s why he’s mad now.”
“You got a mouth on you,” his friend commented. “If you keep running it, I’ll give you something to put in it.”
“I’m not taking any recommendations for what to put in my mouth from you. Your side tooth is on hospice,” I retorted.
“Oh, damn,” the man beside me snorted, unable to hold back his laugh.
I lifted my drink to their stunned faces before walking away.
Pleased with myself, I made my way to the section and spent the night partying with the other influencers.
It was a good time. My encounter with the man at the bar wasn’t an indication of how the night would be.
I drank and danced the night away. I gave my number to two men, but I didn’t plan on linking up with either of them before I left town.
By the time we got back to the hotel, I was feeling tipsy.
I wasn’t sure how I made it on time for the conference part of the weekend, but I did.
Everyone was going to be dressed to impress so I refused to be outdone.
Wearing a green pantsuit with a cropped black-and-white houndstooth top, I felt like a sexy fashion industry professional.
My hair was brushed into a high Afro puff and my makeup was soft and pretty.
I was proud of how quickly I’d gotten ready.
Since I was ahead of schedule, I made my way to the small coffee shop in the lobby before the workshops began. After grabbing a specialty coffee, I wandered to the hotel event space located next door.
“Nina, you look great,” Bree greeted me as I entered the large room.
“Thank you! So do you,” I complimented the woman, who was wearing a black pencil skirt and a gray eighties rock band T-shirt that had been cut up.
“The workshops are in the other ballroom—behind the front desk.” She put down her clipboard and gave me a hug. “But I’m glad you’re here. Every time I went to go talk to you last night, you were dancing.”
“I couldn’t help it! The DJ was playing hit after hit. You should’ve come out there, too.” I took a step back and checked her out again. “I love how you put that together.”
“Thanks! And girl, my man would’ve lost his mind if I’d been out there with another man,” she snickered.
“Do you have a lot more to do before the workshop starts?” I wondered, checking the time. “You want to walk over together?”
“I would, but I’m waiting for—hey!” Bree’s eyes shifted behind me.
I turned around and saw a woman who had that air of importance to her.
She strolled up to us wearing a red minidress with the matching oversized red blazer.
From the expensive shoes and the confidence in her stride, the woman was clearly in the fashion industry.
I couldn’t help feeling like there was something very familiar about her.
Is she a model? An influencer? I wondered silently as I took in her entire look. She’s definitely a boss.
And from Bree’s reaction, I could tell she was important.
“Remedy, hi!” Bree greeted her. “I pulled the paperwork for us to go over everything. But please, take a look around and tell me if there’s anything that you need for your session.”
The woman glanced at me and then back to Bree.
Bree gasped. “Oh, how rude of me!” She looked back at me. “Remedy Rose, this is Nina Ford. Nina, this is Remedy Rose of RL Fashions.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Oh, wow,” I blurted, sticking my hand out. “Nice to meet you!”
Giving me a firm handshake, she looked me up and down. “It’s nice to meet you as well.” My top was an RL Fashions top, and her eyes lit up when she noticed it. Her striking features were highlighted when her lips curled into a smile. “You have style.”
“Thank you.”
She didn’t need to know that I hadn’t realized RL Fashions made more than streetwear until a few weeks ago.
She also didn’t need to know that I’d gotten the top from a thrift shop.
I was a lover of fashion, and I spent a good amount of time seeking out cute pieces.
So since I’d stumbled upon the top I was wearing, I’d created a list of other items I wanted from their site.
I opened my mouth to tell her I was excited about the upcoming line. But before I could say a word, she’d turned her attention back to Bree.