Full Figured 14

by La Jill Hunt, Latoya Chandler

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

"No Strings Attached" by La Jill Hunt:

When they were children, people couldn't tell identical twins Brooke and Brittany apart. Now that they're grown, the beautiful, plus-sized divas still look alike, but they are very different. Brooke is a free spirit who lives life on her own terms and does things her way. Brittany, on the other hand, is cautious and plays by the rules.

Despite their differences, the sisters are each other's yin and yang—until a frivolous one-night stand with a stranger turns their lives inside out and jeopardizes their sisterhood forever.

"Illusions of Love" by Latoya Chandler:

Ebonee's checklist for the happiest day of her life: man of her dreams, check; wedding of her dreams, check; abduction.not a part of the itinerary! Love, like life, can change in the blink of an eye, and for this beautiful, successful businesswoman, both are about to change from better to worse. Ebonee McQueen thinks she has finally found her Prince Charming in Kasim Oringo.

However, when the day finally comes for them to exchange their vows, their picture-perfect future spirals out of control. Will the tie that binds Ebonee's heart to Kasim's be strong enough to hold them together through this tragedy? Or will their worlds be completely turned upside down, leaving a relationship with no room for repair?

Release date: September 24, 2019

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

“Well, look who decided to grace us with her presence today.”

I looked over at Helen Tolbert, the administrative assistant for my department, and gave her a smirk. “Well, I would be here more often if you’d quit sending me away for weeks at a time.”

“Hey, I can’t help it if you’re the best corporate trainer in the entire company.” She grinned at me. “And you are wearing that blouse, girl. Let me have it when you’re done with it. Besides. you never wear the same thing twice.”

I looked down at the belted yellow pantsuit I was wearing and smiled. “Now, what in the world would you do with this top, Miss Helen? It’s about three sizes too big for you, and you know it. And I do wear a lot of things more than twice, ma’am.”

The reality was that the shirt was probably more like five sizes too large for her, especially since it was a size twenty and Miss Helen had to be no bigger than a size four. But I appreciated the compliment. I prided myself on staying trendy. Just because I was a big girl didn’t mean I couldn’t be fashionable and fly. Some plus-sized women wouldn’t dare wear the bright yellow ensemble I was rocking. Not me. I had taken one look at the overpriced suit and had known it would be a head turner, and I had instantly had to have it.

“Brooke, I keep telling you you’d be perfect for my nephew. He’s smart, handsome, and he’s a doctor. You’re his type,” Miss Helen told me for what had to be the hundredth time. Every time she saw me, she had to say something about her nephew.

“Thanks, Miss Helen, but I’m good,” I told her.

“You have a new man in your life?” Her eyes widened, and her head tilted slightly.

“I’m not saying all that,” I said. “But I’m not interested in dating.”

“You’ve been saying that for years, young lady. You’re too good looking and successful to be walking around here without a ring on your finger.” Miss Helen shook her head.

She was a slightly older woman who put me in the mind of Louise on the old TV sitcom The Jeffersons. I really liked her, and not just because she handled the department travel arrangements and always looked out for me, making sure I always flew business class and stayed in the nicest hotels. She also made sure I got the inside scoop on the office happenings and all the gossip, which I appreciated.

I’d worked for Worldwide Holdings, a Fortune 500 company that owned several rental car companies, since graduating from college six years ago. In addition to providing me a moderate salary, a nice yearly bonus, and great benefits, they’d paid for both of my master’s degrees, all of which I enjoyed. I even enjoyed all the traveling that I was required to do. But because I was out of my home office so much, I was sometimes blindsided by decisions that affected me, though I had not been consulted about them. Being buddy-buddy with Miss Helen sometimes prevented that from happening.

“Miss Helen, you’ve seen my schedule. Do you think I have time to date anyone? I’m gone three to six weeks at a time, what amounts to several months of the year,” I said. “I’m sure your nephew is really nice, but I won’t even get the chance to find out for myself, because I will be gone all the time.”

“You’d make a perfect couple, Brooke. Trust me.”

I wanted to ask Miss Helen why, if her nephew was so great, he was still single after all this time, but I didn’t want to run the risk of starting that conversation. Besides, I knew there was probably a pile of intercompany mail piled on my desk for me to handle, along with the other endless tasks I had to take care of on the day I returned to the office.

“I’ll talk to you later, Miss Helen,” I said and then waved before I walked away from her desk and down the hallway. I opened the door to my small office, and just as I had suspected, I was welcomed by a pile of folders and mail on top of my desk. I placed my messenger bag on one of the small chairs that faced my desk, and immediately reached for the gallon jug of water under my desk and filled my aromatherapy diffuser. I always felt the need to air out and Zen my work space as part of my morning routine.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“Good morning,” said a male voice.

I turned around to see Brandon, my boss, standing in my doorway.

“Good morning to you.”

“What’s good, Brooke?” he asked as he strolled inside. “I see you ’bout to Badu-ify it up in here.” He shook his head at me as I put drops of essential oils in the water and turned the tiny machine on.

“Badu-ify? Is that even a word?” I laughed. “Don’t hate because I’m trying to ignite positive vibes in here.”

“Your positivity is enough to brighten any room.” Brandon smiled. “You’re looking good.”

I stood back and stared at him. He was looking well put together, as usual, in his perfectly fitting slacks and crisp white shirt with the collar open. I didn’t even have to look down at his shoes, which I already knew were stylish and expensive, the only kind he wore. His handsome face was clean shaven, and his haircut fresh. His deep-set eyes were damn near as perfect as his smooth reddish-brown skin and white teeth. He was good looking, and he knew it, but not in an arrogant way. He was an all-around nice guy that everyone liked, including me . . . most of the time. But we had a history, and he had a tendency to try to use that to his advantage.

“What do you want, Brandon?” I asked, my bullshit meter suddenly alerting me.

“What? I can’t give you a compliment?” he asked innocently.

“You can. But what do you want?” I repeated.

Brandon turned around and closed the door, letting me know that whatever he was about to tell me was going to make me either super happy or super pissed, both of which would cause a reaction that he didn’t want the rest of the office to hear. He pulled the empty chair closer to my desk and sat down.

“Oh, I know this is about to be some BS.” I shook my head and waited for him to speak.

“Okay, Brooke. Check it,” he said. “I know you just got back, but—”

“No. Hell no. Absolutely not, Brandon,” I told him before he could even finish his sentence.

“Wait. Just listen for a sec.”

“No, I’m not listening. Come on, Brandon. I’m not scheduled to go anywhere else for a month. You promised me if I took this last training class, I was good for a minute. Now here you go,” I snapped.

“I know, I know. But this isn’t even for a full training. It’s just a week in Denver,” he explained.

“Denver? Oh, hell no. Send someone else, because I’m not going,” I told him.

“Brooke, come on. I don’t have anyone else to send.”

“Send Holly’s ass. She never has to carry her ass anywhere. She stays here and does what? She damn sure doesn’t train, because I have to do the in-house classes here too, for some odd reason,” I said, referring to my young blond coworker, whose only job responsibilities seemed to be putting up colorful bulletin boards in the office, planning potlucks for staff birthdays, and making sure everyone pulled a name for the Christmas gift exchange every year.

“Come on, Brooke,” Brandon pleaded.

“Come on what? Why can’t she go?” I asked. “If it’s not for a full training, then you go, Brandon. You’ve done it plenty of times to do a short run.”

“I can’t go this time.”

“And why not?” I peered at him.

His eyes went from mine down to the humming diffuser, then back up to meet mine. “Brooke, I need you in Denver. I’ll have Helen book your flight for tomorrow.”

“Oh, now you are really tripping. Today is Wednesday, and today is my first day back in the office. And you think I’m leaving tomorrow? You are really tripping, Brandon.” I sucked my teeth at him. Anyone else in my position might be a little hesitant to talk to their boss in the manner in which I was speaking, but I’d known Brandon since before we’d both become employees at Worldwide.

“I gave you Monday and Tuesday off. I always give you a couple of days off when you come back after a full training assignment, Brooke, and you know I wouldn’t be asking you to do this if I didn’t have to,” Brandon said. “I tell you what. Let’s compromise. You can leave Saturday night and be ready to go on Monday. It is just a basic cross-training between billing and claims and is mainly for managers.”

“If it’s management training, then why the hell aren’t you handling it?”

“Because I have something important to do next week and can’t leave.”

“Listen, I don’t care what chick you got plans with. You gonna either have to take her with you or find someone else to go, because . . .”

“It’s not a chick.”

“Then why the hell can’t you go?”

Brandon inhaled. He lowered his voice when he said, “I have to be here for the board meeting.”

My eyes narrowed. “For what? Why would you need to meet with them?”

Again, Brandon’s eyes dropped, confirming that there was something he wasn’t telling me. But I was determined to find out whatever he had going on.

“Brandon,” I said with a warning tone.

“Okay, but you can’t say anything,” he said.

“About what?” I waited for his answer.

“I’m being considered for an associate vice president spot.”

“What AVP spot? There isn’t an AVP spot available.” I knew this to be true, because checking the company job vacancies web page was something I did religiously. Not only did this give me a heads-up about areas to which I may be sent to train new hires, but it also enabled me to see if there was another job that piqued my interest, not that I was looking for one. Besides, if there was a position available and Brandon was interviewing for it, Miss Helen would tell me, and she hadn’t mentioned anything at all for quite some time. Oddly enough, she hadn’t even mentioned the possibility that I would be going to Denver, so she probably didn’t know about that either.

“It’s not available, because it’s being created, and I’ve already been approached to fill it,” Brandon told me.

I pulled my chair out from under the desk and sat in it. I mentally spoke to myself as if I was speaking to one of my students. I told myself to think before speaking and to make sure I asked the right questions, to get all the answers I needed. Brandon was smart and educated, and he was well respected by everyone in the company, from the regional director to the janitor. He also knew how to play the corporate game very well. But he was fair, and he was a great manager, even to me. The fact that he was to be promoted came as no surprise to me. The fact that he was to be appointed a vice president was what was shocking.

“What position is this exactly?” I asked.

“AVP of diversity and inclusion. In light of recent events, the company is trying to identify measures to ensure we are meeting the needs of all members of society when it comes to—”

“They’re trying to fix the racist and sexist bullshit now that we’ve been put on blast on social media. Call it what it is, Brandon. Both you and I know what the deal is. Certain locations were denying black and Latino customers the opportunity to rent certain cars. Plain and simple, they were profiling, and although it’s not illegal, it’s bad business, period,” I said matter-of-factly.

“Well, that’s another way of putting it.” He shrugged.

“So, they’re bringing in you, the token black man, to save face.” I shrugged.

“Hold up. Don’t act like I’m not deserving of this opportunity. I bust my ass around here the same way you do, and you know it,” he said.

“You’re right, and I’m sorry. This is actually a good look for you, Brandon. Congrats.” I paused for a moment to think. “But the real question is, Once you’re promoted, who gets your job?” I asked, suddenly realizing this meant that I would finally be getting the chance I’d been waiting for.

Brandon’s eyes met mine, and he gave me a half smile, instead of the grin I was expecting. “All right, so . . .”

“You’re kidding, right?” I threw my hands up in frustration.

“You know yours was the first name I said,” he told me.

“And?”

“It’s kinda like this. If you’re promoted to management, then that means—”

“That means that y’all won’t have anyone to send all around the damn country, doing everyone else’s job. That’s what that means.” I sat back and fought back tears of anger, which were now threatening to fall.

“You know you’re the best corporate trainer we have, Brooke. That goes without saying.”

“Which is why I deserve this,” I snapped.

“You do, but right now, we have too many upcoming . . .”

“The crazy part is that one of the main reasons you’re even being promoted is that I help make you look good. You promised me that once you got a regional position, you were going to make sure I got your spot. And now here you are, telling me this bullshit.” I shook my head in disbelief.

“Brooke, I know you’re pissed right now, but I promise I’m gonna make this right. I just need for you to go to Denver and let me get through this process.” Brandon sounded sincere, but I was too angry to accept what he was saying.

“Man, you just told me that they wouldn’t even consider me. Why should I continue bending over backward for something that ain’t gonna happen?” I asked. “Basically, what you’re saying is I’m overqualified for the job I’ve been bending over backward to get. Ain’t that some shit?”

“That’s not what I’m saying at all.” Brandon stood up and leaned across my desk, nearly knocked over my diffuser as he put his hands on my shoulders. He stared at me intensely and said, “I promised you when I got this job that I had your back, and I meant that. We go back a long time, even before working here, and you know when it’s all said and done, we’re friends. You’re right. You’ve gone above and beyond and helped me get this department to be the best. I told you what they said when I mentioned you, but now we know where their head is. Now we just have to make them see otherwise. If I don’t know nothing else, I know how to play this game and win.”

The sincerity in his eyes and the wisdom of what he was saying caused me to relax in my seat. Brandon had always kept it real with me, and I really didn’t have a reason not to trust him. I inhaled the scent of rosemary and sandalwood from my diffuser and closed my eyes, then opened them. “I’m taking the rest of the week off. As a matter of fact, I’m leaving the office as soon as I finish my report and clear my desk. Oh, and this is comp time and doesn’t come out of my vacation bank. I have something to do Friday and Saturday night, just so you know.”

“My girl.” Brandon smiled at me. “And I got you on all of that, and I’ll make sure you fly out Sunday morning.”

“You’d better,” I told him.

“So, what you got going for this weekend?” He raised an eyebrow and sat back down in the chair, then put his hands behind his head.

“None of your business,” I said. My cell phone, which was lying on my desk, began ringing, and the picture of my best friend appeared on the screen. I answered the call. “Hey, Em.”

“What’s up? How’s your first day back?” Emory asked. We’d worked together at Worldwide Holdings for nearly six years, and she’d become more like a sister than a coworker. Emory was the one person I could confide in without having to worry about judgement, no matter what the situation was. She was also one of the few people in the office whose shoe collection could compete with mine.

“Girl.” I sighed.

“That bad, huh?” She laughed.

“Hey, Em!” Brandon yelled out.

“Hey, Bran,” Emory yelled, so loud that I held the phone from my ear.

“Don’t speak to him,” I told her. “We’re not friends with him right now.”

“That’s not true, Em. Don’t listen to her,” Brandon yelled.

“So, I guess you’re working through lunch.” Emory laughed.

“As a matter of fact, I’m leaving for the day in a little while. I can meet you wherever.” I glanced over at Brandon, making sure he understood that I meant what I had said earlier.

“Uh, okay. Is something wrong?” Emory replied. “Is he tripping again about what happened last time?”

The “last time” that Emory was referring to was an incident that had occurred six months ago, when Brandon and I had both attended a weeklong training conference in San Francisco. One night, we drank too much at the hotel bar, and I ended up in his hotel room. It wasn’t the first time we’d had sex—we’d done so a couple of times during grad school—but I assured him that it would be the last. As much as I enjoyed it, I’d learned a long time ago that sleeping with a coworker brought a lot of drama along with it, and I didn’t do drama. There was also the fact that he was now my boss. He had attempted a time or two since then and would occasionally flirt, but he had finally accepted that it wouldn’t be happening again, and we continued to have a great working relationship.

“Nope, not at all. But I’ll tell you later. Text me where you wanna meet and what time,” I told her, then hung up.

“Well, I guess I’ll get out of here so you can finish up. I’ll make sure Holly gets the materials sent out to the Denver office, so you’ll have everything you need for the week.” He stood up.

“Please don’t have Holly do me any favors,” I said sarcastically. “She’s already so busy.”

“Funny. Thanks again, Brooke. I really appreciate you. Enjoy your time off doing whatever it is you’re gonna do.” He shrugged.

“Thanks, Brandon. I will,” I said. “But trust me when I say this. If I get shit on with this promotion thing, Holly will have plenty of stuff to do around here.”

“Understood,” Brandon said. And just before he walked out of my office, he added, “I’d been looking forward to seeing you this week in the office. Lord knows you stay looking beautiful.”

“Bye, Brandon.” I couldn’t help smiling as he closed the door behind him.

“Ms. Newman, we need you down here in D-thirty-six ASAP,” the voice announced through the walkie-talkie attached to my hip. I looked at my watch. It was after two o’clock, and I was trying to leave on time for a change. I had already had a long day and had addressed the pile of paperwork on my desk that I’d needed to get through.

I pushed the button on the side of the walkie-talkie and, not trying to hide the irritation in my voice, asked, “What’s the problem?”

“It’s Marlena again. She’s having a meltdown and threatening to take her clothes off,” was the response.

I exhaled loudly and stood up, then stretched before I took the long walk up the flight of stairs and down the corridor to get to the recreation room, hoping to arrive before thirteen-year-old Marlena got naked in front of everyone, as she’d done several times before. As I moved as quickly as possible, I promised myself for the hundredth time that I was going to start going to the gym or at least walking in the evenings. I knew I was lying to myself, because by the time I usually left work, it was too late, and I was too tired to do anything other than go home, take a shower, eat, and go to bed.

“Where is she?” I asked when I got to the recreation room.

“Right over there, Ms. Newman. I told her you were coming down here,” Crystal, one of the rec aides, announced loudly.

I looked over to where she was pointing, and there was Marlena, singing and rolling on the floor, barefoot and wearing only her white uniform shirt and flowered underwear. I was slightly grateful that most of her body was still covered.

“Marlena!”

The sound of my voice yelling her name caused her to stop rolling, and she slowly sat up, turned around, and looked at me. Her eyes were wide, and she looked shocked that I was in the room, even though she’d been warned.

“I told you.” Crystal nodded and folded her arms.

“She sure did,” said another one of the aides.

“I love it. I love it. I love it,” Marlena said, and then she went back to singing loudly. But instead of rolling around, she began rocking back and forth.

The room erupted in laughter.

I looked around at the other students, who were watching and pointing. “Ms. Crystal, you all take the other students out of here while I handle this, please,” I said.

“Where you want us to take them?” Crystal asked. “It’s too late to go outside. And the other classrooms on this floor are either locked or have students.”

“Take them down to the gymnasium,” I told her. “It’s open.”

“But I thought Mr. McGee told us to wait here until the buses come,” Crystal said, having to yell over Marlena and her laughing audience.

Before I could stop myself, I turned and snapped, “I don’t care what Mr. McGee said. Get these students out of here.”

“Yes, ma’am. Come on, everyone. Line up,” Crystal said in a not too pleasant voice. I didn’t care. I was too busy making my way over to Marlena, who was now pulling at the bottom of her shirt.

“Get your tail up and put your pants on. Now!” I said through clenched teeth.

At first, she didn’t move and just stared at me as she continued singing. Then I grabbed her by the shoulder, and she stopped. “Ouch.”

“You heard what I told you to do. Why are you in here acting a fool, Marlena? I told you the next time you felt the need to be a stripper in this building, you were getting put out. So, now let’s go.” I frowned as I looked around for her clothes. I spotted one sock under a nearby table and her brown shoes across the room. I still didn’t see her pants anywhere. “Find those pants, so we can get to Mr. McGee’s office and call your mother.”

“I don’t wanna get put out,” Marlena whined. She was a pretty girl with bright eyes and a small dimple. Her hair, which her mother kept cut short, because Marlena would pull it out when she got angry, was standing on top of her head.

“I don’t care what you want to do.”

“I’m sorry,” she pleaded.

“I don’t wanna hear that. You weren’t sorry when you were in here disrobing, were you?” I said, grabbing her sock and shoes and still looking for her pants.

“I told Ms. Crystal I was hot and needed some water,” Marlena tried to explain.

I turned back around and said, “So, because she wouldn’t let you get some water, you decided to do this? It’s fifteen minutes until the buses come. You couldn’t stop and get water in the hallway on the way to the bus?”

Marlena looked at me as if I’d just announced a way to end world hunger. “Oh.”

“Oh, nothing. Find your pants and let’s go.” I sighed. “The buses are going to be outside in a minute.”

“Ms. Newman, I’m gonna be good, I promise. I don’t want no days,” she pleaded again.

“Marlena, you said that last time.”

“I know. But this time, I promise.” She hopped up and reached behind the small bookshelf that she had been crawling in front of. Seconds later, her pants and her other sock were in her hand, and she pulled them on. She rubbed her hand through her hair and innocently asked, “Can I just go w. . .