by Anna Black
“For what?”
“Your engagement.” He gestured toward her hand. “Your finger didn’t house that diamond a week ago.”
“I’m really sorry, Mr. Green, for everything.”
“No apologies. I told Kory to follow his heart. I know love when I see it, and the way he looks at you . . . He’s never looked at my daughter like that, so congrats.”
Tiffany smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Green.”
She hurried back to her office. There, she grabbed the vodka and had two shots to calm her nerves. She wasn’t fired and she couldn’t wait to get home to tell Kory.
She sat down at her desk and her phone rang. It was Colby. She thought the scene at the church was the nail in the coffin, but that didn’t stop him from calling every hour. She hit ignore again and finished her drink. She called Kory, but he didn’t pick up, so she decided she’d go to the set and see what the latest was. After four more long hours, she headed to Kory’s, where she planned to be for the rest of her life.
She went into the kitchen where he was cooking and gave him a kiss. “Hey,” she said.
“Hey, how was your return to work?”
“Well, as you can see, I’m not fired, thank God. And next week, your fiancée is going to be on television.”
“No way, seriously?”
“Yep, the exclusive interview with the cast of Boy Crazy will be on live on TiMax and Mr. Green said that he wants me to be on too.”
“Babe, that is fantastic.” He poured her a glass of wine. “I am so proud of you, Tiffany,” he said and she smiled. “I told you that everything would be okay.”
“I know, but I still hate it for Tressa, you know. Rumor has it her dad gave her the trust. I guess Mr. Green just wants her to be happy.”
Kory took plates from the cabinet, so they could eat. “Well, I know Tressa well enough to know that the money isn’t going to make her happy. She has issues, Tiff, and if she doesn’t get herself together, she is going to self-destruct.”
“Well, that’s not your problem anymore, my love,” she said and sipped. “Did Mr. Green tell you the damage for the wedding cost?” she asked as he fixed their plates.
“Well, surprisingly, he said I don’t owe him anything.”
“You’re kidding, right? I mean, I didn’t even see the reception hall, but I could tell that wedding put a dent in his wallet.”
“Baby, this is Mr. Green we are talking about. The man is worth billions. He’s run his network over thirty years. He isn’t stressing about this. This is like nothing for him. Hell he is worth more than Oprah.”
“True, but I still feel a little bad,” she said.
“Me too, but it is what it is,” he said and set her plate in front of her.
They ate and then they went out to sit on the patio and tried to enjoy each other, but every five minutes, Tiffany’s phone rang. It was Colby. She didn’t understand why he wouldn’t stop calling her.
“Give me the phone,” Kory said.
Tiffany hesitated. “Kory, come on, babe,” she said. “I don’t want you in the middle of this.”
“Tiff, give me the phone,” he demanded. She handed it over. “Hello,” he answered. After listening, he said, “Listen, bro, this has got to stop. Tiffany has told you that it’s over and done, so with all due respect, stop calling my woman’s phone.” He hung up.
“Kory, babe, I wish you hadn’t done that,” she said.
“Why, Tiff, because he heard you the last ten times you’ve told him to stop calling?”
“No, because I need to handle my own business. I don’t need you to do that for me.”
“Listen, I know you’ve been this strong, independent sister, doing it all for yourself for a long time. But I’m here now, and there is no more doing it for yourself. I am all in. I know you can fight your own battles, but you don’t have to. I am here now, Tiffany. And you know we were raised in the same arena, and under the business suits is the same old hood Kory you knew in high school. Colby is going to have to stop calling your phone.”
“Okay,” she said and lay back into his arms. As strong as she wanted to be, she knew he was right. Colby was on her nerves and if it took Kory to check him to keep him from calling, she was all for that.
Chapter Thirty-six
Tiffany was in makeup getting ready for her television interview. Kory was there too. She had put her phone on silent because Colby was relentless and wouldn’t stop calling and texting her. He begged her to talk to him, but she refused and didn’t understand what was so urgent that he couldn’t say in a voicemail or text. She smiled at Kory in the mirror as he watched as the makeup artist enhanced her face. She had butterflies flying around in her stomach, because she had never been interviewed on a live show before. She had done brief interviews on the red carpet and a couple articles here and there, but this was her first sit-down, “get into my head” interview. She hoped she wouldn’t say anything goofy or hood. Her momma subscribed to TiMax that week just so she could watch and DVR it.
“How you feeling?” Kory asked.
“Nervous. Scared. I mean, I’m used to being behind the camera, Kory. What if I say the wrong thing?”
“Tiff, calm down, babe, you will do fine. You are gorgeous and all you have to do is go out there and answer the man’s questions. And before you know it, it will be over and we will be heading home to a nice Bordeaux, soft music, and me.” He kissed her hand.
“On that note,” she said, “let’s get this interview over with.” The makeup girl removed the cape from around her neck and she stood. She took a couple deep breaths and gave Kory another smile.
“You are gorgeous and you are gonna be fine,” he said.
“I hope so.”
“In five, Miss Richardson,” one of the crewmen said.
“I guess this is it,” she said and headed toward the stage. She was shaking like a leaf.
“Okay, everyone, we have had a chance to talk to the crew and the newcomers of Boy Crazy,” the host said. “Now it’s time to meet the woman who makes it all happen. This show was created by a gentleman by the name of William Keiffer. It was a great concept, but when executive producer Tiffany Richardson joined the team, the show skyrocketed from number six to number one in just one season, and she is here to tell us how. Miss Tiffany Richardson,” he said. She stepped onto the stage, took a seat, and the interview got underway.
She brought them up to date on how she got her position by chance and how it just all fell into place. She told them about her determination to keep the show going and how she just so happened to run into an old high school crush, who was engaged at the time to Mr. Green’s daughter. “I met him, pitched the show, and here we are,” she said with a smile.
“Wow, I can say you’ve done well for yourself,” the host said. “And you know we have to address the drama, too.”
“Listen, my fiancé and I hate how horribly things went, but we are past all of that now. I am looking forward to a phenomenal season, and the cast is going to blow viewers’ minds.”
“Well, I’ve had a chance to sit in on a few recordings, so I agree,” he said with a smile. “We are going to take a peep at another clip from the show then bring the cast members back out and tell you guys about some of the guest stars who will be appearing on Boy Crazy this season.”
They went to commercial and Tiffany blew out a breath, glad that her segment was over. The crew rushed out with more seating and the crew members took their seats. Tiffany stood, but the host told her that she was still on, so she sat back on the sofa.
The cameraman did a countdown and they were back. “We are back live with the cast of TiMax’s very own new show, Boy Crazy,” the host said.
They discussed the guest stars and show times and when the first episode would debut.
The host gave the final comments. “Before our show comes to an end, we want to congratulate everyone on the show. We know it was a battle, but Boy Crazy lives on. We have one final clip for you guys.”
“Oh my God, turn it off!” she yelled, thanking God her mic was off. But it kept playing; whoever was in the control room would not turn it off. The clip played through and she was in tears by the end and her heart was pounding. She snatched the mic off and ran to the control room. She wrenched the door open and found Tressa’s evil ass. “What the hell is going on?”
Tressa sneered. “Tiffany one, Tressa two.”
“Where did you get this?” Tiffany yelled.
“Your boyfriend, or should I say your whore? All I had to do was dangle a few dollars at him and he got with you, fucked you, used you, and played you,” Tressa said getting in Tiffany’s face.
Tiffany pushed her hard as she could. “Get the fuck outta my face!” she yelled.
“You bitch,” Tressa said and pushed her back.
Kory came in and broke them up. He pulled Tiffany out of the control room and they hurried back to the set.
“Austin, what the hell was that!” Tiffany yelled at the host. “How did you let something like this happen?”
A million and one apologies came at her. “Tiffany, I had no idea that was going to happen,” he said.
Tiffany was frantic, embarrassed. She knew now that Colby was a joke and the joke was on her. “I wanna go home,” she cried. “Kory, take me home!”
Kory grabbed her by the hand and rushed her out of the studio.
Mr. Green rushed into the studio. “What the hell is going on?” he yelled. Everybody started looking around at each other. “Somebody explain this instant!” he yelled. Tressa walked out of the control room with the evidence in her hand. “What did you do?” he demanded.
“She humiliated me, Daddy,” she cried.
“Isabella, what in the hell is wrong with you? You brought your personal issues to my studio. You brought your drama to my studio!”
“That bitch ruined my life. She took everything from me, including you!” she yelled.
Mr. Green looked at her, his jaw flaring. “Security,” he called. “Please escort Miss Green out and make sure she leaves the premises.”
“Daddy, you’re going to throw me out?” Tressa cried when security rushed toward her. “Don’t touch me, you bastard!” she told the one who reached for her. The guard looked at Mr. Green.
“Isabella, I love you, baby, but I’m done. I’ve given you all but my soul, and I am not going to contribute to your self-destruction anymore. You have caused our family too much heartache, pain, and embarrassment, so I’m done. You can have your beachfront condo and your Benz, but you will not get your inheritance or another dime from me. If you ever have children, they will be entitled to their portion, but as for you, you are now cut off. Now get the hell out of my studio.”
The security guards moved toward Tressa again.
“No, please, Daddy!” she shrieked. “No, please no. Take your hands off me. Daddy!” She sobbed. “No, Daddy, don’t do this,” she cried as they dragged her out.
Mr. Green watched as his only child was ejected from the building kicking and screaming. He turned and looked at Austin, the host of the show.
“I’m sorry, sir, I had no idea,” Austin said.
“It’s not your fault, Austin. Whoever let her in that control room and played that footage must be fired at once.”
Mr. Green headed back to his office. He went straight for his Scotch and took a couple gulps. Then he pulled out his cell phone and called Tiffany, but she didn’t pick up. He left her a voicemail. “Listen, Tiffany, I am so sorry, and whatever we can do for you, don’t hesitate. Please know that I speak for myself and everyone here when I say that we never wanted something like this to happen. Please call me.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
When they got to Kory’s house, Tiffany was a mess. She had never been so humiliated in her life. Her phone was ringing off the hook and she wondered how long it would take for this to die down. She was afraid to show her face.
“I should have listened to you when you told me the truth about Colby,” she said and took a swallow of her vodka. Wine wasn’t going to cut it that time.
“Baby, shhhhh,” Kory said, holding her tight.
“I should have. Now the whole world has seen my ass cheeks dancing on a pole. My mother has called fifty times, Kory,” she cried. “How am I going to show my face in public?”
“Baby, it wasn’t that bad, to be honest. You looked damn good for one, and TiMax is known for stuff like that, so it may do more good than harm.”
She stared at him. “Kory, do you hear yourself? A clip of me pole dancing has aired on God knows how many televisions tonight. How is that a good thing?”
“Well, for one, you couldn’t really tell it was you; the camera wasn’t on your face. It barely focused in on your face, Tiff, until the end and they shut it off.”
She felt like she was in the Twilight zone. “Kory, everybody who knows me knows that was me. Do you see my phone lighting up like a damn Christmas tree?”
Her phone vibrated again and she looked at it. When she saw Asia’s number, she picked up. “Hello,” she said impatiently.
“Oh my goodness gracious, gal, you didn’t tell me that you were going to play a stripper on your own show. Girl, you were fierce. You need to teach me those moves.”
“Asia, that wasn’t a clip from the show. It was a scene from a dance I did for Colby’s punk ass that I had no idea he recorded.”
“Really? You looked so professional. I thought it was a scene from an upcoming show.”
“Well, I had a few lessons, but it wasn’t a scene, and I’m mortified.”
“Well, I don’t see why. Have you checked your Facebook and Twitter?”
“No, why?”
“Well everyone is talking about it and they all seem to love it. Here, I’ll read some of it to you. Listen to this,” she said. “‘Do it, Tiff.’ ‘Girl, you are too sexy.’ ‘Now that’s hot.’” Tiffany started to calm down. “Girl,” Asia said, “no one knows that that wasn’t part of the show.”
“Get out,” Tiffany said.
“Girl, I think you just boosted your ratings.”
Tiffany got off the phone and told Kory to follow her. They went to the room and powered on her iPad. She started reading her comments and the Tweets. She saw that it wasn’t so bad, because people really thought it was part of the show.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” she said. “How do people not get that this is real?”
“Count your blessings, love,” Kory said and hugged her.
“I still want to give Colby a piece of my mind,” she said and took another sip.
“Hey, look at me. Tressa, Colby, and the rest of that drama is all behind us. Block his number and we move on.”
“You sure? Because I really, really wanna give him a Chi-Town beat down,” she said.
He kissed her. “Me too, Tiff, but what would that solve or change?”
“Okay, you’re right,” she said and gave him a smile. Her phone rang again. It was her mother. “Let me take this. Hi, Ma,” she said when she answered.
“Child, why didn’t you tell Momma you were going to be shaking your ass on a pole? All my church friends were here to watch you on television.”
“Momma, I’m sorry. I didn’t know that clip was going to air tonight. It was actually edited out of the show,” she lied. “I only did that to help one of the actors from the show.”
“Well, it wasn’t so bad, because I couldn’t tell it was you at first, but I caught your face right before the clip ended. Betty Jean was the bigmouth who said, ‘Ain’t that Tiff?’ and after that, they rewound the thing five times to make sure it was you.”
“Momma, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, sugar. What’s done is done.”
“Listen, Momma, my line is burning up; can I call you tomorrow?”
They got off and she hung up. Relieved to have spoken to her mom,
she didn’t feel so bad. The next day, she found the courage to go to work. She made the trek to her office in the midst of unwanted applause. After she made it into her office, Mr. Green knocked on her door.
“Come in,” she yelled.
“Tiffany, I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for what happened.”
“It’s okay, Mr. Green, I’ll survive. Word on the street is I was hot,” she said with a smile.
“I know it turned out well, but this is something this network is responsible for. It’s fortunate that it didn’t get any negative backlash. Again, I’m sorry. And this is for any embarrassment or humiliation the station may have caused you. Please accept this as a token of apology.” He put an envelope on her desk.
“Mr. Green, this isn’t necessary,” she said, not taking the envelope. “I’m fine.”
“I insist. I have to share my wealth with someone,” he said sadly.
“Mr. Green, I heard about you and Tressa. I’m really sorry,” she said sincerely. She wished she had a dad like him in her life. Tressa didn’t truly know what she had.
“Don’t be. I just pray that this will be the wakeup call that Isabella needs to get herself together.” He smiled. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Tiffany, and if you ever need anything, just ask; no hesitation.”
“Thank you, Mr. Green,” she said and he made his exit.
She stared at the envelope and wondered what Mr. Green had given her for her embarrassing moment on live television. She dropped the check on the desk when she saw the amount. Then she grabbed it and raced out of her office to catch up with him. “Mr. Green, Mr. Green,” she called out as she caught up with him. “This must be some kinda mistake. I mean, last night was bad, but not forty-five million dollars bad.”
“It’s not a mistake, Tiffany, and if you don’t want it, you can endorse it to charity. It’s yours and I refuse to take it back. That money has been sitting and waiting to be spent by someone who deserves to have it, and I think that someone is you. Please do an old man a favor and accept.”
“But, Mr. Green, this is—”
“Tiffany, I won’t take it back,” he said firmly.
