Chapter 1 #3
I haven’t dealt with another man ever since.
I was too paranoid. Being shot and coming so close to death had really scared the shit out of me.
Although I had enough money put in different accounts to last me a few lifetimes, I wanted to change my mindset these days, and hustle to have my own shit.
Which brings me back to why I had been in Milan for over a month.
I was coming up with my own luxury bedding line.
After the shit with Garrus, and when I had time to reflect on what I wanted to do with my life, I thought that I wanted to create my own luxury travel agency business.
I even looked into some courses, but along the way, it just didn’t feel like it was my thing.
That’s when I went back to the drawing board, and I thought about a business that I could see myself owning, and something that I knew I would find interest in.
Whatever my brand was going to be, I knew that it had to be something luxury.
I had a thing for home décor. I love to decorate bedrooms. I remember moving into my new condo, and also when my sister, and June, purchased a house, and how eager I was to work on the interior designing.
It was specifically the bedding that I would find interest in, and that’s when the lightbulb went off in my mind, and I decided that I would come out with my own luxury bedding line.
I decided to call it ‘House of Henry’, incorporating my last name into my brand.
This was such a huge investment, and a gamble with my money, like I’d already mentioned.
I went out to Milan with a purpose, and I felt like a damn boss!
Even though the men that I’ve dealt with in the past, and the money that I’d gotten from them that I saved was the sole reason why I was able to even drop the bag in Milan the way I did, it still felt good knowing that that money was going to get flipped, and it would be my hard work that would one day put even more money in my bank account.
I found a vendor out in Milan, where I was able to share with them more about my brand.
I wanted my bedding collection to look like something where you would see it, and you automatically knew that if your funds weren’t right, it was something that you couldn’t afford.
I’m talking Egyptian cotton, silk sheets, champagne colored bedding, anything that just looked like money.
I explored so many options while in Milan, and I didn’t leave until everything was in production, so I couldn’t wait to see where this new business venture was going to take me.
It just so happened that I was coming back home on the same day that my niece, Liberty was having her half year birthday party.
Free, and June were throwing her a big party today, and when I landed, I was only going to have enough time for the driver to pick me up from the airport, drop me home, so that I could shower, and I would head to the party.
Because I knew that I was coming back on the day of my niece’s party, I made sure that I picked my baby up some things while I was out in Milan.
I loved my ‘Tee- Tee baby’ so much. Free had her, but I promise that was my child.
I’ve been away from everybody for over a month, so I really couldn’t wait to touch down in Miami, so that I could be around some love.
I was most excited to see Bagel, my puppy.
It broke my heart that I was away from him for over a month, and I knew that I was going to attack him with love the moment I touched down.
Hours later
6:27 P.M.
The party started at 3:00, but I didn’t land in Miami until a little after 4:00.
After getting my checked bags, and meeting with my driver, having him take me home, I was already running super behind.
Luckily, at my condo, the building offered pet concierge services, so I was able to leave Bagel with them while I was away.
I damn near broke my neck, going to the pet center at my building, so that I could get my baby.
I loved on him, and almost cried, seeing how happy he was to see me.
From there, we made it to my house. I was quick with rolling my suitcases in the house, jumping in the shower, and getting ready.
The things that I’d gotten for my niece in Milan, I kept them in the designer shopping bags that they came in, and took them out to the car, and here I was, finally pulling up to the park, where the party was being held.
As I pulled up, and I saw the decorations, the DJ that was playing loud music, all the fun activities for kids to enjoy, such as bouncing houses, face painting, pony rides, all I could do was laugh because I expected nothing less from Free.
Mind you, Liberty was only turning six months, and my sister had gone all out like this.
I could only imagine what the hell she was going to do when Liberty turned one years old.
I pulled my car into the crowded parking lot, and I parked.
I was pushing my new toy. It was a brand-new convertible, Bentley Continental GT.
I traded my Porsche in for this car after everything happened between me, and Garrus.
I didn’t want to keep anything that he’d purchased for me.
It was just my way of trying to take it away from myself first before he could take it away from me because I knew that he was pissed with me behind me not wanting anything to do with him.
His wife was in prison for shooting me, and he thought that because she was locked up, him and I would be a thing, but I no longer wanted any parts of that.
I was in love with this Bentley. It was a statement car. Whenever I pull up in it, people would break their necks to look at it. It was the kind of car that screamed that I was young, fine, single, and kid- less.
I shut the car off, and I opened the door, so that I could get out.
Even though this was a kid’s party, I didn’t miss an opportunity to dress up.
While I’m sure every woman that was out here in attendance were going to have on something chill, and sporty, since this was an outside event, I didn’t do what everyone else did.
The outfit that I had on, I could leave here, and sit at a nice, upscale lounge once this was over.
I was wearing a nude color corset, that snugged my body, and in this corset, you could see that the Pilates, tennis, and golf were all paying off because my waist was snatched!
I paired it with light, denim high- waisted jeans that hugged my body, and before I left out of the house, I looked at myself in the floor length mirror in my bedroom, and I saw the way my ass sat up in these jeans, and the way the jeans hugged me.
Clear, six-inch heels graced my feet, showing off my beautiful French tip pedicure that I’d gotten while out in Milan.
A small, shiny gold Balenciaga purse was paired with the outfit, and because I didn’t feel like doing anything too heavy with my hair, I was able to wet it, and I had it slicked back into a low bun.
A slick back bun was one of my go- to looks.
It separated the naturally pretty bitches from the bitches that had to do a lot just to get pretty.
My face card ate down, and that could truly be seen once my hair was pulled away from my face.
I didn’t wear make-up because I was secure in myself enough that I didn’t have to leave the house with a face beat down to the gods each time that I stepped out. I only had on lip liner, with lip gloss, and a little bit of mascara.
Stepping out of the car, I held my purse, along with the designer shopping bags for my niece, and like this was a runway, I walked with purpose, heading for the pavilion, seeing that there were so many people that were in attendance.
My eyes were dancing all over, trying to find my niece.
I didn’t care who was holding her because I was getting ready to take her from them, and I was going to love on her, and tell her how much I had missed her while I’d been away.
“There goes my sister. Dioneeeee, I missed youuuu,” Free cooed, being the first one to spot me.
She was empty-handed, as she walked away from the pavilion, and she quickly made her way over to me.
My sister was breathtakingly beautiful. All my sisters were.
Neither one of us had the same father, and we all looked like our dads, so with that, none of us looked alike.
I looked like my mom, and dad though. You could see bits of both of them in me.
Here I was, with this rich, dark skin, tall, and slim slick, but Free had caramel skin, she wasn’t tall like me, and she was collard greens, and cornbread thick!
Free’s body was one out of this world, and the hating ass bitches in Miami loved to say that she laid on a table to achieve her body, when that wasn’t the case at all.
Free was a gym rat, just as I was, so she put in hard work for her body, with a mixture of having good genes.
“I missed you too,” I cooed right back, dropping the bags on the floor for a second, so that I could hug my sister. It was one of those hugs where you rocked side to side with one another. We held onto each other for longer than a minute, and then we let go.
“How was Milan?” she asked, even though we’d talked almost every day while I was gone, and I had been telling her how everything was going.
“Good. I’ll move out there,” I let her know, and she rolled her eyes.
“Yeah right. Tell that to mommy,” she said, and at the same time, our other sister Tommie was coming over.