6. Chance
EARLIER SAME DAY…
“What you gonna do until I get out of the meeting, baby?”
I had a client that could only meet after five in the evening, pacific standard time since he lived in Washington State. We also had an office in California. Elijah, the client, had lived all over the United States, and he always used our firm to acquire his properties. Marla, Travis, and I were licensed to sell properties in all states, excluding the Dakotas, Oregon, and Utah. That was an extremely tedious process to obtain all of those licenses. That was what made our firm one of the most elite in the country. We also had realtors in Europe.
Lark walked out of the bathroom that was inside of my office. Sex in our offices had become an every other day thing at this point. It was ironic that I was a member of the sex club, but her sex drive was higher than mine. It wasn’t a problem at all. There were days when she would come in while I was on a call, turned me in my chair, got on her knees, then sucked my dick. The first time she did it, I had to end the call early.
“I’m going to be home. What time do you think the meeting will be over?” she asked with a pout.
I walked the short steps over to her, wrapped my arms around her, then kissed her neck. “You gonna miss me?” Lark was clingy. I didn’t know that I liked it until I liked it. “It’s going to end at nine, so I’ll be home a little after. Make sure you’re there when I get there.”
Her pout turned into a smile. “I will.” She looked at her watch. “I’m going to get out of here. Have a good call, baby.”
When she walked out of my hold, I smacked her ass. She peeked over her shoulder with high cheeks before she strutted out of my office. Damn, that girl got me in a chokehold. I had an hour before my call, which was enough time to go over Elijah’s portfolio.
Fifteen minutes into my preparation, my phone rang. Elijah called to let me know that he had to cancel the meeting. His wife went into labor. After wishing him and his wife a healthy delivery and disconnecting the call, I got my things to leave. I decided instead of calling Lark to let her know that my meeting was canceled, I’d go pick her up.
It took me thirty minutes to get to Christianson Circle from my office. When I pulled up in the driveway, I didn’t see the Range. It must have been in the garage. I knocked on the door and waited the short minute for Jacobia to answer the door.
“Hey, Chance!” She walked away from the door as she told me to come in. “What you doing here?”
My head drew back a little. “I’m here to pick Lark up. Where is she, upstairs?”
She stopped walking, glanced at me with a confused expression, but recovered quickly. Not quickly enough for me to miss it. “Oh, no, she went to the store on a snack run. We were about to watch movies but realized we didn’t have damn snacks. Since you clearly want to interrupt our time, I’ll text her and tell her to head to your house since she’s out. It doesn’t make sense for her to come back here.”
I stood there with an unreadable expression. “Yeah, you right. Let me get out of here so I can make sure I’m home before her.”
We said our goodbyes after she assured me that she would text her. Jacobia clearly thought I was slow or some shit. I had just been at their house less than a week ago. Jacobia had a special pantry just for snacks. Lark sent me in that damn maze of snacks closet to get her ass some cookies, and it was fully stocked.
I pulled out my phone and opened the tracker app to locate the Range. This was not me stalking Lark. It was me locating my company vehicle. Ruth’s Chris. If Jacobia was in the house, who the hell is Lark at Ruth’s Chris with. Lark had no other friends outside of Jacobia here. I suddenly had a taste for some stuffed chicken.
* * *
When I got to the restaurant, it didn’t take more than one minute to find my woman. I could spot her in any crowd. The hostess was busy with the crowd that she had, so she missed me walking past her into the dining room. Lark’s back was facing me. I walked up to the table just in time to hear some man tell my woman that he should have married her.
“Damn, if you should have married my woman, then why didn’t you, playboy?” I asked with a twisted face.
His face screwed and head bucked back. Lark’s back stiffened, and I swore I saw her stop breathing for a few seconds. Her body pivoted in the seat to face me slowly. She looked up at my face for a second before her ass turned right back around in her seat. The hostess sat them at a four top table, so there was a seat just for me. I made sure I lifted her chin to give her a passionate kiss.
Once I sat down, I called over the waitress to order a drink. Everyone else at the table had one, so I needed to match the vibe. I outstretched my hand to mystery man. “I’m Chance Broughton. It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met.”
He glared at my hand for a beat before placing his into it. “My name is Derrick.”
Ah, this is Derrick. I peeked at my beautiful woman who looked like if she could blink or wiggle her nose to disappear, she would. “Lark, baby, is this Derrick, your ex-fiancé?”
She cleared her throat. “Um, yes, this is him. He reached out to me a couple days ago and wanted to have a conversation. I promise it’s nothing like that. What happened with your meeting?”
“Elijah canceled. His wife went into labor. Oh, and I don’t think it’s anything like that, my love.” I put my hand on her thigh and squeezed lightly, then turned my attention back to Derrick. “So, Derrick, what conversation did you need to have with me?”
The top of his eyelids lowered with the pinching together of his inner brows. “A conversation with you? She said that I wanted to have a conversation with her, not you.”
“Oh, she didn’t tell you? I am she, and she is me. You can speak freely.” My head tilted toward Lark. “Is that alright, my love?”
“Ye-yes, that’s fine. Please, Derrick. Whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of him,” she said with a little hesitation, but I’d take it.
Dude looked at my baby like he wanted to choke her. “I simply came to give her an apology for how I treated her when we broke up. Lark, I’m regretful for cheating on you, like I said earlier. If I could take it all back, I would.”
From my peripheral, I saw the waitress coming with my drink. Someone followed behind her with two plates. Oh, they planned to stay and eat? My drink was set on the table, then the food. I leaned over to see what my baby ordered. She loved their mushrooms stuffed with crab meat. Derrick had a nice-looking steak.
I picked up Lark’s fork and steak knife. After adjusting Derrick’s plate for a better angle, I cut into the steak. “Oh, this is cooked perfectly.”
“Chance, what are you doing?” Lark asked.
I cut another piece of the steak. “Baby, I’m tasting the steak. Here, taste it.” I lifted the fork toward her mouth. She shook her head but took the bite. “Good girl.” I leaned in and kissed her lips.
“Derrick, you should get into that steak. Lark, is there anything we want to say to him?” I was doing a great job at masking how pissed off I really was.
She was quiet for a moment. “Derrick, I appreciate the apology; however, I don’t feel it’s genuine. The only reason that you’re here is because it didn’t work out with Polly Pocket. Now you want to circle the block to see if there is still anything viable. As you can see, there isn’t.” She glanced at me. “I’m perfectly happy where I am.”
That made me feel good, but it didn’t take away from my anger. I stopped the waitress as she passed by and asked her to box up Lark’s food. “Derrick, we thank you for the apology, but like my love said, it wasn’t genuine. It would behoove you to not reach out to us again.”
The befuddled expression that sat on his face was comical. The waitress came back with the to-go box at the right time. I stood up, pushed my chair in, then reached for Lark’s hand. She took it, stood, then stepped to my side.
“I wish you well with your future endeavors, Derrick. Have a good night.” Lark gave him a warm smile.
We walked out of the restaurant together. Both of our Ranges were valeted, so we waited silently. When our vehicles arrived, I kissed her lips then told her that I would see her at my house. I planned to ask her to move in with me soon.
Lark got to the house before I did. When I walked in, Lark was sitting at the kitchen island with a bottle of water in front of her and one across from her. I set my messenger bag down in its rightful place and took my suit jacket off, then walked over to the kitchen island to take a seat.
“First, I want to apologize. I should have told you that he reached out to me and wanted to meet me. I shouldn’t have gone,” she blurted in one breath.
My body leaned forward onto the counter. “Lark, I want to know why you didn’t feel comfortable to come to me and tell me that he reached out. I’m not upset that you went. If that was what you needed for your closure, then that is fine. My issue is that instead of you telling me about the situation, you opted to lie. Lark, my love, I don’t like liars. My woman lying to me is an affront to my manhood because I would never do it to her.
“There is nothing that I would knowingly keep from you unless it is a surprise that will bring you love, peace, and happiness. At no time should you feel comfortable to lie to me.”
A tear rolled down her cheek. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have lied. I was just scared that you would think it was something that it wasn’t. I love you, and I didn’t want to hurt you.”
That was the first time that she told me that she loved me. It felt amazing to now know that. I wished that her feelings would have been revealed in a better situation. “I love you too, Lark. Telling me the truth will never hurt me as much as lying will. Let me ask you. Was that meeting with him what you needed for closure?”
She sat there for a beat before she responded. “Yes, yes it was. I didn’t realize that I needed the closure until he reached out. It’s like when he was out of sight, so was the hurt. Now that I’ve talked to him and gotten an apology, regardless of how disingenuous it was, I can officially say fuck you to the hurt and move forward with love and you. I hope that makes sense.”
“It makes complete sense. I’m happy that you got the closure that you needed.” I picked up my water from the counter, then walked around the island to Lark. “Give me a kiss.”
She hesitantly stood from her seat and walked into my arms. Our lips locked. When we pulled back, she stared at me. “So, what now? Are you going to be an asshole to me now?”
This is the unsure side of her that she shows in our relationship. Professional Lark was never unsure, or at least she never showed it. I noticed that her professional personality was a stark contrast to her personality within a relationship.
“What happens now is we move on. You explained how you felt and apologized. I’m not a man that lets things linger within my relationships. I only ask that you never lie to me again.” After she assured me that she wouldn’t, my ear lowered to my shoulder. “Lark, I will tell you that you have a loyal friend. Her ass lied for you on demand, and something tells me you didn’t even tell her that you were going to Derrick’s apology stop.”
She chortled. “Hey, my bullshit is her bullshit. Now I just have to tell her about my bullshit.” Her cheeks drew back, her teeth showed, and she let out a little hiss. “Matter of fact, she texted me, but I didn’t look at the text.” She grabbed her phone from the island, pressed some buttons, then gazed down at the screen. She began laughing before she handed me the phone.
Best Fren:
Look bitch! I don’t know where the fuck you at but your man just came over here looking for you. I told him you ran to get snacks. I told him I’d tell you to just go to his house. Heifer, stop at the store and get some snacks so he see you went to the store. Make sure you get stuff I like too so it’s believable. We gonna talk later about your sneaking ass.
I shook my head with a chuckle. These two were hell. See, I didn’t have to get in her ass about this because I knew Jacobia would.
* * *
A SHORT TIME LATER…
“Yo, I can’t believe Eve went out like that,” Travis said in disbelief.
We were in my office toward the end of the day. It had been a long, exhausting day. I was ready to leave the office, go home, and lie up under my baby. After what happened earlier, I sent her to the spa, then home.
Earlier today, I sent Lark out with another agent to do a shadow. A little over a month ago, my baby came to me about getting her real estate license. If I didn’t know that she was meant for me before, I knew it then. Lark would be an excellent real estate agent. I wasn’t saying that because she was my woman.
Every time that I sent out an after-close feedback form, there was always feedback about Lark which wasn’t asked for. The overall feedback was that her personality and input during showing was the pebble in the level to push them into the sale. She had a canny way of fitting the client’s family and life into the feel of the house. The agents also loved that she did it, because they got the sale and the commission. I would love to have her as an agent under me, pun intended.
I told her to use the company account to pay for her classes. One day, when my father handed the business over to me 100 percent, I would have her by my side. By that time, she would be my wife.
Today, when she shadowed Autumn on a showing, something crazy happened. Apparently, the person who requested the home showing was a friend of Eve’s. The point of the showing was to vandalize one of my company vehicles. While Autumn, Lark, and the fake client were touring the house, Eve’s stupid ass was outside vandalizing Lark’s Range. When they came outside, the fake client was so appalled that we would show her a house in an area that she described as crime ridden. She immediately pulled out her phone, got on live, and tried to slander our business.
“Yeah, moving out of emotion will get you every time. It was the quickest that I’d ever seen a plan unravel.” I shook my head at the thought of how everything played out.
Lark called me immediately. I got there minutes after the police. The client was still on scene because her car was vandalized too. Once I got there, I told the police that I had video surveillance in and around the home. This was a requirement for all of our properties. The system that was put into the properties were our own, and installation was included in the fees. If the client wanted the system to stay, they could add that to the cost of the home, or we would remove it.
When the mention of video surveillance came up, the client suddenly wanted to leave and started to act suspicious. The police picked up on her behavior and told her that she needed to stay put. First, we reviewed the outside footage where we saw Eve and two other females vandalizing the vehicles. Lark asked how she would even know that I was there. That was when we received the inside footage. Lo and behold, the client asked to step away to take a call from her husband. In that conversation, she told whoever, we’d assumed it was Eve, to remember to mess her car up, too, so that it would be believable.
She was arrested immediately, for being an accessory after the fact. Her weak ass started ratting on folks like she committed a murder and was facing twenty-five to life. The police went to the address that she gave them to arrest Eve and her other two accomplices.
“How is Lark?” Travis asked.
I sighed. “She’s annoyed, naturally. It’s been months. Why is this girl still in her feelings about a bullshit ass receptionist job?”
I would never get people. First, Eve wasn’t here for a year, so there was no way that she was vested in the position. I probably should have fired her close to the beginning of her employment during the ninety-day probationary period, when I found out that she was being passed around by a few of our male agents. At the time, I didn’t feel like that had anything to do with her work as long as it didn’t cause hostility in my office. Ryan was one of the agents that she fucked. With all of the pussy popping that she did, I was surprised at her reaction to Jacobia’s allegation of messing with her baby’s daddy.
“Chance, come on. That bullshit job paid sixty-thousand dollars a year, with benefits. The title may have been bullshit, but the pay—benefits was not.”
He had a point. My firm paid all of our employees well, from agents to the cleaning staff. My parents taught me early that it was important to pay your employees like they weighed—not what they thought they weighed, but what they actually weighed. When you did that, your employees tended to be more loyal, satisfied, and happy.
There was a knock on my door, then it opened. My cheeks raised at the sight of my mom and dad. My dad moved to the side to allow my mother in first. Toria Broughton was not to be played with when it came to fashion. She walked to check her mail in full glam. Lark reminded me of my mother in that sense. Travis and I stood to receive them.
“Hey, Pops.” I dapped him before giving my attention to my mother. “Beautiful mother of mine. How are you doing?” I gave her a hug and kissed her forehead.
My parents exchanged pleasantries with Travis before he excused himself from my office. My dad sat on the couch that was along the wall of my office. Once he was comfortable, he pulled my mom down on his lap. Their public display of affection was the reason I felt so comfortable openly loving Lark. They were my example of perfectly imperfect love. My parents were far from perfect, but they worked at their love, and it showed.
“Are you and Lark ready for the awards gala?” my mom asked. My parents would meet Lark in her capacity as my girlfriend at the gala. I would also meet Lark’s mother, Georgia, for the first time, as I told Lark to invite her to the gala as well.
The Prestige Award Gala was a yearly event that was held in different locations of the country for realtors. Awards were given in multiple categories from top selling realtor to top selling firm and anything in between. The award that every firm wanted to win was the Prestige Award. The rubric to win was extremely stringent, and only the top firms were in the running. Broughton Real Estate Firm was one of those top firms.
My father was notified last week that our firm won. This would be the second time that we won. The first was nine years ago when my father was at the helm. Like most companies, during the pandemic, we took a hit. It was hard getting our bearings after the world officially opened back up. I was proud of the work that I’d done since my father had begun to pass the firm over to me. We deserve this award.
“Yeah, she’s so excited. I think she’s more excited that her mother is coming to visit. She’s been cleaning our house like we didn’t have a housekeeper,” I said the last part through a chuckle. Lark and I officially lived together. “My baby misses her mother and needs her.”
My father nodded with a smile. “It’s important to anticipate the needs of your love. Good job. I’m excited to meet Lark’s mother as well. You said she was a retired postal worker?”
“Yeah, she is. You’ll enjoy her. She’s a shoot from the hip kind of person.”
Some would say that Lark’s mother was of the hood variety, but I didn’t see it that way. I also knew that my parents wouldn’t either. Yes, my parents were now a part of the upper class, but that was not always the case. They both started from extremely humble beginnings. One day, they decided that enough was enough, and they were going to break the generational curses of poverty in their family.
My mom shimmied on my dad’s lap. “I can’t wait to meet her and see my future daughter-in-law.”
My parents and I talked for a little while longer. I let them in on what happened today with Eve. My father made sure to tell me that we would not only move on with the criminal charges, but we would also file a civil suit for the damage. I left the office with my parents to get home to my love. When I got there, Lark was just how I liked her… naked.
* * *
A GALA TO REMEMBER…
The moment my family walked into the ballroom that the gala was held at, all eyes were on us. We were the elite, black family in this industry. There were other black firms; however, no other firm had the success like Broughton Real Estate Firm. In the past forty plus years that we’d been in establishment, we had always surpassed any goal that we set.
I pulled Lark close to my side. My lips went to her ear. “You are absolutely gorgeous. I am so proud to have you on my arm.”
Her beautiful face lit up. Her lips met mine. “Thank you. I love you so much.”
Her black, sequin dress fit her curvy frame like a glove. The allure of the dress was that back the was out. Her hair was in an updo with tresses lining her face. I loved when she wore her hair in her loc’d style, but there was something about when she wore it straightened.
“Ms. Hunter, you are beautiful tonight as well,” I complimented.
She did a little pose, then responded. “Don’t I know it. Thank you, son.”
Lark was a carbon copy of her mother. To know that she was fifty-six and looked like she was no older than her mid-thirties was inspiring. Her black had no signs of cracking. My mother and her hit it off as soon as they met. What was a weekend trip for Ms. Hunter turned into a week trip at my mother’s insistence. They had plans to spend some time at the spa later this week.
The evening progressed nicely with mingling and dinner. The Prestige Award was the last award of the night. I was proud that Ryan won an award for the highest sales numbers in the state of North Carolina. The moment came for the big award of the night. When our firm was announced as the winner of the award, I grabbed Lark’s hand to take her on stage with me. She tried to decline, but after I gave her that look, she complied.
“I’d like to thank the committee for this honor. Broughton Firm works tirelessly to match families with their home happiness and hopefully their forever home. We are proud to provide resources and embellishments to our community when it comes to homeownership. It is no secret that the black to white homeownership gap is there and not accidental due to intentional exclusionary zoning that is sponsored by the government. Predatory lending schemes along with redlining have kept many black people from purchasing and sustaining a home. Sadly, the homeownership gap between blacks and whites is wider than when there was legal segregation. Something has to be done.
“Broughton Real Estate Firm has taken a stand to be a change maker by being in the room where policies are talked about and made by being advocates for our community by demanding equality in this market. That is what makes us prestige. Prestige is what we all should strive to be.”
I glanced next to me at Lark who faced me with her pride showcased on her face. “This woman to the left of me is the love of my life. I used to think being a successful real estate agent for my family’s company was my biggest success and highlight. Since meeting this woman, I’ve come to realize waking up next to her and doing this thing called life is the highlight.”
If Lark’s skin tone was any lighter than it was, her entire face would be red. She stood there pulling her index finger. It was what she did when she was nervous.
“That is why here tonight, in front of our family and everyone else, I want to ask her to do this life thing with me as Mrs. Broughton.” I pulled a ring box out of my pocket, opened it, then got on my knee. “What do you say, Lark? Can I change your last name and have you as my forever?”
Tears messed up her makeup. With a little jump, she answered. “Yes! Yes!”
The crowd erupted in cheers while I placed the engagement ring on her finger. When I was on both feet, she wrapped her arms around my neck and crashed her lips against mine. “I love you, Lark.”
Tonight was a perfect plan that came together just as I wanted it to. When I decided that I wanted to marry her, I spoke with my parents about it, and they were ecstatic. My father told me that I needed to get her mother’s blessing. I flew up to Maryland and did just that. It was my first time physically meeting her, but we spoke via video chat often. Once I had her blessing, my mother gave me her engagement ring to give to Lark.
If you would have told me that I would meet the love of my life in a sex club, I would have thought you were crazy. The universe had a different plan, and I was grateful. Lark may have tapped out the first time, but I was happy that when it counted, she tapped all the way in.