The Johnson Sisters

by Tresser Henderson

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

The Johnson Sisters is the riveting story of a close knit bunch struggling to keep the family legacy going in spite of their differences.

Vivian, the oldest sister, has the house, the nice car, designer clothes and money, but no man to share her life with. After a previous abusive relationship, she’s struggling with her self-esteem. What will it take to convince her she’s worthy of love?

Shauna is the funny, happy-go-lucky sister. Give her a drink and she’s content with the world—until one tragic event forces her to face her demons. The revelation of her secret threatens to damage her relationship with her sisters.

Dawn feels like the black sheep of the family, and this feeling is reinforced when her sisters voice their opinion of her upcoming marriage. Will she be forced to choose between her family and her future husband?

Serena is the only sister who has a child, but she’s also got plenty of drama in her life. Her child’s father already has another crazy baby mama, so he has no intention of marrying anyone. Serena believes love can conquer all, but will love be enough for her to endure this roller coaster relationship?

Phoenix, the baby of the bunch, says she’s never getting married. Diva extraordinaire, Phoenix enjoys the life she has, until one of her men invades the sanctity of her home and finds a way to lawfully squat in her home.

When secrets begin to spill and resentments from the past come flooding back, it’s a pressure cooker of drama that could leave these sisters divided, and possibly destroyed, in the end.

Release date: May 26, 2015

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

I was sitting behind my mahogany desk when an administrator walked in, handing me a folder on a case I needed to call on and resolve. Being the director of underwriting for a major insurance company was daunting. I loved my job, but like anything, at times it really became too much for me to handle. Today was that day. I hadn’t had a chance to breathe since I walked into this place. One issue after another walked in or called needing a resolution.

I knew I needed to hire a new manager to handle things ASAP. It had been a week since my manager quit on me. I mean, she just walked into my office, placed her badge down on my desk, and walked out. I ran after her, wondering what was going on. This was so sudden and done in such an abrupt fashion that it caught me off-guard. I needed to understand why she was choosing to make this decision.

“What’s going on, Samantha? Why did you put your badge on my desk?” I had asked, stepping outside my office, looking at her saunter away.

“I’m quitting,” she said, stopping and turning to look at me with frustration written all over her face. As nicely dressed as she was in her deep coral short-sleeved sateen jacket with matching straight-leg pants with black pumps, Samantha looked vibrant. Her outfit brought happiness to the space, but her demeanor was one of being overwhelmed.

“Why?” I asked.

“Vivian, I appreciate you taking a chance with me and offering me this position but I can’t do this anymore. I’m not cut out for this.”

“But you are doing so well,” I said. And she was. Samantha had managed to move from mail clerk to manger in three years. Anything she worked on was done with flawless determination. I mean, she did make some mistakes, as most of us did, but she would correct them with no problems and keep on with her day. Sometimes when you gave feedback to someone on what they did wrong, they took it badly. Some believed they never made mistakes. Some blamed someone else for their mistakes, but Samantha took hers in stride. She was harder on herself than I ever had to be on her. So, for her to give up like this was surprising to me.

“I thought I could handle this job, but I can’t. I’ve never been this stressed out in my life. Then I hear they are going to give me another team to manage,” she said, putting her finger on her temple.

“I’ve heard the same thing, but nothing has been set in stone yet,” I said.

“I already have forty-seven people under me, Vivian. I don’t think I can handle another twenty-four. All of this downsizing and putting more work on the ones who are here just to save more money for the bigwig’s pockets is bull.”

“I know this job is stressful,” I agreed. Everything she was saying were exact things I had thought about and argued to the higher-ups about myself, but in a business like this, you had to take one on the chin, do your job, or you could be without one.

“I don’t want you to leave. Let me see what I can do. Give me two weeks. This way you can put in your notice and exit the right way. If I can’t change things within that time, I will not stand in your way of leaving if you still choose to do so,” I offered.

Samantha stood looking down at the gray carpet tiles , pondering what I was saying.

“Two weeks. That’s all I ask. This will also give you time to find something else if you still feel like you need to leave.”

She nodded, saying, “Okay. I’ll do that.”

Two weeks came, and as much as I had hoped I could change things, I couldn’t. My power was useless when it came to downsizing and the overworking of individuals. Samantha never changed her mind, and she did leave the company. I can’t say I blame her. Her last few days here, she seemed relieved with her decision, and a part of me envied her. She left despite the great money she was making, but this goes to show money isn’t everything. Happiness most of the time outweighed finances, especially when it came with the cost of losing yourself.

Right now I didn’t mind the stressful distraction. It wasn’t like I had someone to go home to. This lifestyle afforded me the life I always wanted for myself. I grew up in the small town of Chase City, Virginia, a town known for having only two street lights. I grew up on five acres of land in a three-bedroom, one-bath house in which my five sisters, my mom, and dad lived.

Three girls slept in one bedroom and two in the other. So, needless to say, we had an argument about something every day. The one bathroom situation was enough to cause World War III because we would battle to be the first one in. Most times we had to do our hair sitting on the edge of our bed, holding a mirror between our knees in order to get ready and be out the door on time. Bathroom time had to be timed. We only had twenty minutes each to do what we had to do in the bathroom, and that time flew. You were always reminded your time was up when you heard a tap at the door letting you know it was time to get out.

We didn’t have running water for seven years of my life. I can still recall having to go to my aunt’s house, who lived down the road, to get water in as many jugs as we could. Water needed to be heated on the stove in order for you to take a bath. There was no central air, so when it was hot as hell, we had to fight over who was going to sit directly in front of the fan to cool off. We heated the house in the winter with a wood-burning stove, which still to this day I consider to be the best source of heat. My dad would get it so hot in the house we had to open windows to cool off.; but when morning came and no one got up during the night to refill the stove, it felt as if we were lying outside in the snow, and it was then we wished we had that heat we let escape once we opened the windows to get some reprieve from the heat.

Back then, I didn’t think we were poor. My parents never let me feel as though we were. We always had a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, and food. Most of the vegetables were grown in the very large garden my parents planted every spring. You name it, we grew it. My mom cooked every night, and most times there were no leftovers. As many mouths as she had to feed, you can see why.

I am the oldest of our clan. Then comes Renee, Shauna, Dawn, Serena, and Phoenix, who was the spoiled baby of the bunch. I have to say we were all close. Unfortunately, about seventeen years ago Renee was killed. Her death was so devastating to our family. She was only sixteen and the one I was closest to growing up, since we were only a year apart. I miss her so much. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her beautiful spirit.

We, as sisters, vowed on the day of her funeral to always remain close, no matter how hard it got at times. All we had was each other. To keep the closeness we even moved to the same city of Roanoke, Virginia. I was surprised by that. I thought Phoenix would be down in Atlanta, or somewhere trying to act in California. I’m still waiting on the day when she was going to break the news to us that she was moving away. You never know what to expect with the Johnson sisters.

I was so excited about tonight. Two of my favorite things were about to come together as one: a party and sex. Now, I know what you’re thinking. You think I was having some type of swinger party, but I was not. I was having a sex toy party. This was the first one I was hosting, but I had been to a few before. I think I was invited because most of my friends and some of my family members considered me to be one of the biggest freaks they knew, and they knew I would buy the products, which got them closer to getting as much free merchandise as possible. Now tonight was my turn to see how much free stuff I was going to get.

I looked at the table I positioned in my living room against the wall. It looked great covered with a black cotton tablecloth and red napkins. I thought about breaking out my dishes, but I didn’t want these heifers tearing up my stuff, so I opted to use red square plastic plates for them to eat off of. I picked up one of the plates and loved the look and feel of them. I purchased the plates online and thought they looked terrific. They were disposable, but these bad boys might be washed and saved to use for other occasions. I might as well get my money’s worth.

I stood back and was happy with the way everything looked. A cheese, fruit, and veggie tray, along with finger sandwiches surrounded by a chocolate fountain raining down luscious goodness adorned the table. A few bottles of Moscato were also chilling on ice. This was just for starters.

I picked up a strawberry and held it under the drizzling chocolate and let it cover half of the fruit. Holding the berry over a napkin, not wanting to drip anything on my outfit, I brought it to my mouth and took a bite. Oh, my goodness, it was so good. I closed my eyes, savoring the flavor. Strawberries are my favorite fruit, and to combine that with this russet liquid almost made me have an orgasm.

I finished the fruit, walking away so I wouldn’t stand there and eat the entire tray by myself. I had to leave some for the guests, who should be arriving in about thirty minutes. Thinking about that, I thought the girl showing the products tonight should have been here. I hoped she hadn’t forgotten.

I went into my dining room and looked at the meal I’d had catered. I decided to go with filet mignon with bacon-wrapped asparagus and seasoned, grilled potatoes served with brioche. For dessert we were having mini cheesecake bites. You thought I was excited about the strawberries and chocolate? The several different arrays of cheesecake excited me the most. The flavors consisted of plain, key lime, amaretto, chocolate, marble, and strawberry cheesecake, of course. I know all of this sounds extravagant, but I liked to go all out like this when it came to any event I threw. I was a diva for real. Nothing but the best, depending on the crowd. And I know what you’re thinking: filet mignon served on plastic plates is going all out? Hell yeah, for me it is. Again, I didn’t like people who tore up my things. Just because I had it didn’t mean I had to show it off all the time. I worked hard to get everything I had, even if I did get men to supply most of my needs.

I went to my bedroom and looked at myself one last time in the mirror. Damn, I looked good. I snapped my fingers at myself as I twirled to make sure I looked good at all angles. “In the words of Kenya Moore, I’m Gone with the Wind fabulous,” I said to myself, twirling.

With my long hair sophisticatedly curled and makeup done to perfection, I knew I looked hot. This was a casual event, but I couldn’t help but put on my black-and-white form-fitting mini with one shoulder exposed and a cutout at the waist making it super sexy. Hell, I was sexy. I am five feet four inches, weighing 130 pounds, with measurements equaling 34-26-36, and yes, my butt is my main attraction. I’m talking about fastening your seat belt and enjoying the ride type of attraction. I am a walking rollercoaster of thrills and spills, if you get my drift. Being as beautiful as I am comes with a lot of advantages. One of them is the lifestyle I lead now.

I stood in the mirror thinking, Damn, look how far I have come.

I can remember when I was in high school, I was considered a rail. I was a stick figure. The boys used to hold up a pencil to me and compare me to it, laughing like it was so funny; but I didn’t find a thing to laugh about. It hurt my feelings. Now those same boys were men who salivated over me. Most of them I dissed, but some I had to have just because I’d had a crush on them in high school.

One in particular scratched my itch on a regular. His name was Von. In school he was the quiet athlete who hung with the popular kids but still didn’t want to be seen with the unpopular. Now he was an NFL football player with all the right moves. He still wasn’t much of a talker, but that was fine with me, since all I wanted was his money and his dick, which both suited me very well.

The doorbell rang, snapping me out of admiring myself. I pulled my dress down a bit and went to the door, opening it. The consultant who would be showing us the products tonight was standing in front of me.

“I’m so sorry I’m late. I had a flat tire,” she said, panting like she had run all the way here.

“Oh, you are fine. No one has arrived yet. Come on in,” I said, watching as she pulled in two large suitcases.

“Good. I hate to be late. It takes me a little time to set this merchandise up.”

“Do you have anything else to bring in?” I asked.

“I do, but I’ll get it,” she said.

“Okay. If you insist,” I said, not really wanting to help her in the first place. I was trying to be nice.

She went back outside and proceeded to bring in a table for setting everything on and a briefcase, which held the order forms along with the pamphlets of products.

I picked up one and scanned through it, thinking I needed 85 percent of what she had in this booklet. New products came out so often that it made the old merchandise you previously purchased look prehistoric. These companies were on top of their game when it came to finding the many different ways to sexually please someone.

As she took each tool out of her suitcase piece by piece, I was getting eager. I looked at the clock to see that as usual, all these tricks were late. I’d said arrive at seven. I should have said six. That way they would have been on time.

It wasn’t long before the representative had everything arranged on the tables. After she did that, she placed a folder in each space I had available, which consisted of my sofa, loveseat, and twenty chairs I had in my spacious living room. Then she turned her attention to me.

“So, I’m ready.”

“I am too. I don’t know why my guests are late. Forgive them,” I said.

“No problem. It actually worked in my favor today,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Now, you know the more you sell, the more free products you get. You get ten percent of total sales.”

“I know, and I hope these women buy, buy, buy.”

When I said that, the doorbell rang. The first to arrive was my oldest sister, Vivian, and middle sister, Serena.

“Hey, you guys,” I said with glee, giving them both a hug as they walked in.

“Sorry we’re late,” Vivian said. “Multiple outfits here delayed us,” she said, pointing at Serena.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to wear. I still got this baby belly,” she said, grabbing her gut.

“It’s almost gone,” I said, rubbing her almost flat stomach. She only had a little pudge, and I believed if she took a dump, it would go down.

“I still need to lose another fifteen pounds, and then I’m good,” Serena said.

“That will make you smaller than you were before you got pregnant,” I said.

“Exactly. I’ll feel better about myself. Looking at you in that dress is not helping either. I thought this was a casual event. Where the hell do you think you are going?” Serena asked.

“Girl, this old thing?” I joked.

“Please, Phoenix. Every time I see you, you got something on I haven’t seen you wear before. Where the hell are you getting the money to afford so many clothes?”

“Serena, don’t worry about my finances,” I said, giggling. “It’s none of your business.”

“Y’all make me sick,” Vivian interrupted.

“Why?” I asked.

“Y’all know why. Look at me. I’m the plus-size sister.”

“And you look good every time I see you, too, Vivian.”

“You do look good, sis,” Serena cosigned.

“I know, but y’all skinny bitches always find a way to make me feel bad standing here with your perfect shapes. Serena is talking about losing more weight. Any more weight loss and you are going to disappear on us.”

“Whatever, Viv. I’m doing this for me. This kangaroo pouch ain’t cutting it,” Serena said, jiggling her belly.

“That ain’t a kangaroo pouch. This is a kangaroo pouch,” Vivian said, lifting her shirt to reveal the Spanx she had on pulling everything in. Vivian rolled the garment down and let her belly expand outward. Serena and I giggled. “You see. So can y’all shut up about weight?” Vivian said, pulling the Spanx back up and fixing her clothes.

“You did not have to go that far,” I said.

“Yes, I did, so y’all could shut up,” Vivian said.

“Okay, you guys. Enough about our bodies. Where is everybody?” Serena asked.

“You two are first to arrive,” I said.

“We can see that,” Vivian said.

“Wasn’t this supposed to start at seven?” Serena asked, picking up an appetizer off the table and putting it in her mouth.

“Yep. You know how black folks are,” I said.

“Don’t put this on black people. Kimara is Puerto Rican. Mayumi is Japanese. Bella is Italian, and Hanna, Mackenzie, and Paige are white. You should say this is a woman thing, or mother thing, or even diva thing, but not a black thing,” Vivian corrected, walking over to claim the space she wanted for the party. She sat down on the sofa.

“Well, I didn’t mean to offend black women,” I said jokingly, checking out what Vivian was wearing. Even though she was considered plus-size, she could dress her behind off. She looked good in her red skinny-leg jeans with black dolman top and black stilettos. You would think that red would make her look bigger, but it didn’t. It flattered her body nicely. With Vivian’s thickness, she carried it in her hips, butt, and breasts, so I didn’t really see what the issue was.

“Is that an apology coming from Phoenix? Because I need to voice record this on my phone,” Vivian said, pulling out her cell and typing something. “You never apologize about nothing, and that’s as close to one as I’ve ever heard you come to.”

“Shut up,” I said, playfully hitting her.

“I’m just saying.”

Serena went over and sat on the sofa next to Vivian, yawning, leaving a space to her left for someone else to sit.

“All right, sleepy head. We can’t have that. You got to get ready to have some fun tonight,” I said.

“Phoenix, I’m tired. Nevaeh still isn’t sleeping through the night. I know I get up every two to three hours. But when the sun rises, that girl sleeps for hours. Why do babies do that?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know,” I said seriously. “I don’t want kids. Hell, I don’t really like them. All that crying and throwing up and changing Pampers and always needing someone to care for them. Naw. Y’all can have that, because I don’t want it.”

“You just don’t want anybody stealing your spotlight,” Vivian chimed in. “Selfish is what you are.”

“True,” I agreed with her.

“At least she owns it,” Serena defended.

“All I know is this party better be good. I worked ten hours today, and it was taxing. A guy got fired today and lost his damn mind. Security had to come and get this fool. They literally dragged him off our floor and out the building. He was screaming many threats of what he was going to do when he came back.”

“When he came back?” Serena questioned. “I hope they called the police on his behind. Disgruntled employees go on shooting rampages all the time. I hope the company is taking his threats seriously.”

“I hope so too. The only positive thing on my end was I tried to fight for him to keep his job. Hopefully he remembers that if he decides to come back and go crazy. Still, I hope human resources was smart enough to disarm his badge so he can’t get back in the building, because he looks like the type who would come shoot up the place,” Vivian said.

“I bet you he was white,” I said.

Vivian sighed, saying, “There you go again with that race crap.”

“Well, am I right?”

Vivian didn’t say anything.

“See, I knew it. Only white people snap and want to shoot everybody and then turn around and shoot themselves. Why not just shoot yourself when you get home and eliminate all the tragedy?”

“You know what? I’m done with this conversation. I’m going to the bathroom before you find something else crazy to say,” Vivian said, getting up and leaving the room.

It was around eight when most of my guests arrived, including my other sisters, Shauna and Dawn. Shauna was feeling good when she walked through the door. Probably that joint and beer she had in the place of bacon and eggs with some orange juice this morning. I wished she would calm down on her drinking and smoking, but I had to say she was fun to be around when she was tipsy. When that heifer was sober, she was hell to be around.

The only people who hadn’t arrived were my best friends, Kimara and Mayumi. I texted them and they said they were pulling up. As soon as they arrived, my posse was complete and it was time to have fun.

It was good to see everybody mingling with each other. Drinks were being poured and appetizers were being eaten. Everybody knew each other already, which made things easier. The only two who might’ve had an issue with one another were my sister Dawn and my guest Paige. I could see the two of them giving each other the evil eye every now and then. They had a history and it wasn’t a good one. I hoped this evening would go on without any hiccups.

“Ladies, have a seat. It’s time to get started,” I said as the women shuffled to their seats. “I want to first thank y’all for coming to my sex toy party, even though all y’all bitches was late.”

The ladies laughed along with whooping and hollering with excitement.

“I’m going to introduce you to the woman of the evening. This is Ashley, and she is our consultant and educator for the next hour, so pay attention, get involved, and let your inner freak be your guide to purchase some sex goodies,” I said, clapping and giving Ashley the floor. I sat next to Serena on my sofa.

“Hi, ladies,” Ashley said and everyone greeted her back. “It’s so good to see so many of you. I’m excited to be here tonight. I can’t wait to show you all my merchandise. I made sure to place a folder in each of your seats. The folder contains a booklet, an order form, my business card for future parties, and also a sheet on how I did my showing. On that sheet, it also has a box to check yes or no if you would consider being a consultant like me. The job is very fun. I get to travel, make good money, and make women happy all while selling them products that bring them joy.

“I have a few items with me—not all, because we would be here all night. If you see something you like, put a checkmark beside it. If you decide to make a purchase, some of the merchandise can be taken home tonight, but it is first come, first served. I have a limited amount. The rest of your orders should be back in a week. Most of the things I’m going to show you are our bestsellers, so sit back, enjoy, and please know no question is wrong to ask.”

Ashley started out by showing us creams and lotions. Some were used for moisturizing and massaging, and some were used for licking. We tasted nipple drops and warming oils that tasted like candy. There was chocolate for the body, and primer to suck off the man’s penis. There was not a woman in there who didn’t get her savor on. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the tasting too. I could have sucked down a bottle of that apple-flavored warming oil. It tasted like a Jolly Rancher.

Ashley proceeded to show us a bottl. . .