Haywood Millionaire Series: Box Set Books 1-5
Page 44
Samantha’s full bosom was nestled in a dark blue Ralph Lauren two piece swimsuit. There was a white anchor patch that made up the covering on the left breast. That same anchor was placed on the back of the bottom of the suit. Even though Simone had just given birth a few months ago, even she was ready to flaunt everything that kept Terrell in line. Her swimsuit was basically a two piece but had a connecting stylish piece of material that stretched from the middle of the top down to the center of the front of the bottom piece. Simone had killer thighs and her butt was barely contained in her cobalt blue suit. Terrell was glued to her hip.
Baby Steph was definitely pregnant again. She exposed her bare belly in a stylish suit. It was a caramel brown and white striped suit. The bikini top was barely containing her now swollen pregnant boobs. Just below her smooth and flawless belly was a matching skort with ties on each side. Steph was always a big eater and she had not lost her appetite at all with either of her pregnancies. Ced stood ‘body guardish’ over her as well. Amina could only shake her head. The men had no clue that each woman was with the only man on the earth they truly wanted to be with. Emani looked as if she was a toddler being forced to participate in activities she had no interest in. She had chosen to cover her body in a black see-through halter top one piece. Amina looked at her and immediately got a headache.
The Jefferies twins wore matching brown and gold snake print bikini’s that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Even though they would still do modeling jobs from time to time, Laini and Zoey were nowhere near the size two and four’s that Emani and Amina were. Laini and Zoey had body for days. Cantaloupes for breasts, small waists, firm onion butts, thick thighs, strong calf muscles, and dainty feet described them from as far back as college. Amina always described them as having a Serena Williams build when she is toned down and ready for a match. Fortunately for them, they could roam free except for Liam keeping up with his most prized possession, his boss. Amina could tell that he was not happy about all the photos being taken of Laini by paparazzi. Then there was the issue of all of the other thirsty men trying to get close to her. Amina quickly decided, this trip would change some lives in major ways.
Even though her sized eight frame didn’t need it, Mama Anna chose a turquoise and purple printed strapless one piece. She had a matching sarong that was made of the same print. Despite her age, Mama Anna was not about to be outdone by her daughter or daughter-in-laws. She took her fashion serious and everyone knew it. Nice firm breasts sat in an expensive Betsey Johnson crisscrossed hot pink top with white ruffles along the trim. The bottom matched with more material on the white trim than what was covering her bottom. Amina was getting the most attention in her suit. Carlos blocked every set of eyes he could that could have potentially watching his wife.
The rest of the vacation went without another incident. With all of the ladies knowing Amina’s secret, her load was nonexistent. Eating, drinking, and being merry was the mantra for the trip. On the last night of the trip, Amina made her way downstairs to the kitchen to get juice. It was then that she stumbled upon her brother-in-law Darrell, sleeping on the couch. He should have been sleeping but he was not. Instead he was lying there staring off into space.
“Darrell, are you ok? I mean is everything okay? Why are you not in bed?” Amina tightened the wrap to her robe as she moved closer into the room.
“No sis, actually I’m not okay. There is no reason for me to lie to you.” Darrell sat up and began to scratch his head.
“Is it something you can talk to me about?” Amina sat down on the opposite end of the couch.
“As a matter of fact, you’re the only one I can talk to about this.” Darrell turned to face Amina.
“Well, I’m seated- don’t sucka punch me in the gut though. I can’t handle too much more right now.” Amina hoped he it was nothing too serious to mess up the dynamics of their family.
“I guess I should start with a question. What in God’s name is your sister going through?” Darrell looked as if he was on his last ounce of strength.
“I was hoping you could answer that question for me honestly. I didn’t want to bring it up here and cause confusion, but I was definitely going to approach you once we made it back to the states.” Amina decided to give a little and hopefully end up getting some information in return.
“You are the closest person to her besides me. If neither one of us knows what’s going on with her that just makes it just as foul as I always thought it was. “
“Yea, now that you put it like that; something is terribly wrong.” Amina’s eyes were on Darrell but she could see the silhouette of someone standing on the other side of the door’s opening.
Amina put her pointer finger up to her lips. The universal signal to keep quiet.
“Well, you know to keep family business going we are going to have to sit down and figure out what’s best for the family collectively. I will remind Carlos about it and we will talk one day next week- the three of us.” Amina held her breath hoping Darrell picked up on her hint to through off the conversation.
“Yes, lil brother would be excited to expand his brand. He’s always thinking of green- leafy greens in salads and that almighty green dollar!” Darrell winked at his sister-in-law.
Amina got up and hustled to the kitchen in the opposite direction of the figure standing in the shadows that she was sure was Emani.
22
Once she was back in the office it was clear to Amina just how unbalanced her sister had gotten. She spent all day Monday and Tuesday putting out fires that Emani had lit weeks ago. There was a big show coming up in New York and Emani had fired nearly half of their models. What was more troubling was that Amina had no idea how Emani knew what was going on with the business enough to fire anybody since she was never there. Between Mrs. Gert, Felicia, and Amina had a solid number of twenty models committed by signed contracts by the end of the business s day. They had even booked plane tickets for New York along with accommodations for the models. Amina was stressed out to the max. She had the assistant’s book interviews for new models. She also pulled together a letter of remorse to get some of the old models back with the promise they would not have to deal with Emani at all.
After all the must do’s had been done, Amina sent her go too girls out for mani-pedi’s and massages with double time pay in advance. If Amina had the strength she wanted to wrap her hands around Emani’s neck. She took comfort in seeing her sister grasp for even the slightest bit of air. In Amina’s opinion, Emani needed her ass whipped. She felt that with Emani’s behaviors, they were in the weakest position to possibly lose their business in addition to the name they had made for themselves as being professional and well respected in the modeling industry. Amina had no choice. She had to make preparations for the worst while still hoping for the best.
Amina put in a call to Darrell to schedule a round table sit down meeting. The meeting would include Darrell, Steph, Terrell, Laini, Carlos, and Amina. The meeting of the minds would be top secret and there would be no blood mixed on her end. Laini would be there in the role of support for Amina and a first chair business partner. Laini had been there for the start- up of the Barton Modeling Agency. She knew the ins and outs. Checks were cut for the employees according to Laini’s direction. Laini knew the overhead, how much each of them was worth in net earnings, and could give a real time answer of how much money the agency was pulling in at the drop of a dime. Emani thought she was the brains of the operation, yet she had no clue how much power Laini had in the agency remaining at the top of their field. Emani foolishly thought that all Laini did was design outfits. Amina had a feeling her sister was going to be in the shock of her life if she wasn’t careful. Amina would sign over her shares to Laini in a heartbeat before she let Emani run the corporation into the ground.
Terrell was for legal advice. Darrell would be there to shed light and gain knowledge on his wife’s busy schedule. Carlos was going to be there because Carlos knew all of Amina’s busines
s. He knew all of her business all except for the heart and baby business. Until she had her business issues straight and found out what Emani was up too, she could not say when she would give Carlos the complete truth on her health issues. She decided she would just take it as easy as possible and pray that God gave her favor to keep her secret.
Laini stepped out of her office and walked up to Mrs. Gert’s desk.
“Nana, I’m going to Laini’s office. I will be right back.” Amina always smiled when she talked to her Nana.
“Ok sweetheart, but you do remember that you have not had lunch yet and you just sent me home? Do you want me to call and have something delivered for you, do you want me to get something from the cafeteria for you….?” Mrs. Gert’s tone was that of a humble mouse but she locked Amina with a deadly stare as if she dared Amina to tell a fib.
“Um, no ma’am. I will get Laini to go to lunch with me. Then I’m going home. If you leave before I come back, make sure my office is locked please?” Amina hustled out of her eyesight.
She was not in the mood to be read by Mrs. Gert for telling a lie that day.
Amina chatted with Laini’s assistant Yvette for a few minutes while waiting for Laini to end a business call. As soon as the light changed from red to green, Amina walked into Laini’s office without knocking first.
“Imagine that- just the tall and slender brown girl I wanted to see!” Laini walked from around her desk to give her best friend a hug.
“What you wanna see me for? I have all the latest threads. And I know you’re not cutting me a check!” Amina giggled.
“Oh, you best believe nobody at that agency besides Mrs. Gert and Felicia is getting a check any time soon! Ya’ll gonna have a Tiny Tim Christmas in ya’lls camp and ya’ll don’t even know it!” There was no longer humor in Laini’s voice.
“Please don’t tell me how bad things are right now. I just got a glimmer of hope. We just got the show completely covered and booked. We have interviews set up for new bodies for the rest of the week. We’ve sent out apology letters, begging some of the old ones to come back. If I can get another good solid five beautiful brown faces for the show, the Agency will meet our bottom line for the month.” Amina had made herself comfortable on the couch in the office.
Laini stared at her cross-eyed. She was impressed that Amina had gotten so many tasks handled within a day but there was still a lot of work that needed to be done. Laini simply was not one hundred percent satisfied.
“Now all we need is another six months of solid Monday thru Friday days like today and things will be all good.” Laini’s voice was dry.
“I have a heart condition and I have been working like a Hebrew slave! You are being violently unfair to me!” Amina tried to produce a crocodile tear but she couldn’t.
She had taken her shoes off and was lying back as if she was in a therapy session. She was also massaging her temples. She had a pounding migraine.
“Ok, I’m not going to say anything else about the Agency. Baby sis, I got your back you know that right?”
“Yes big mama, I know that if no one else has my back in this world- Laini’s got it!” Amina gave Laini a few diva snaps. “Do you have something for a headache?”
Laini laughed. “It depends on what kind of headache you have. Do you not want to feel your head is attached to your body anymore or is it just a hungry headache? You probably just need to eat a real meal?”
“I want to be knocked out cold! Come on with the good stuff!” Amina giggled as she talked even though her head felt as if it were vibrating.
“You ain’t fixing to get me in trouble! I give you something to knock you out then Mrs. Gert in here beating me up- no ma’am! I will take you home and make sure you are in bed before I knock you out, how about that?”
“You are too kind!”
“Yea, I shouldn’t be! You coming in here in that BCBG pantsuit when I know Purple Label makes you shine like new money! I shouldn’t give you anything! One day ya’ll gonna stop sleeping on me!” Laini crossed her arms over her chest.
“Girl, stop acting like I bought this junk. It was free and you know good and well I wear all the free clothing thrown my way. Then stop trying to act like you don’t know I have to be seen wearing and supporting the labels that are sponsors for the shows!” Amina tried to smooth things over but Laini took Purple Label too seriously sometimes.
“Yea, that’s what all ya’ll say! The only people that are appreciative of my talents are Felicia, Yvette, and Mrs. Gert. That’s cool though. I’m designing your gown last too! Now deal with that!”
Amina shot up in a sitting position. “No, please don’t do that to me! You know I need to know what mine will look like so I can get with CeCe about my hair!”
“Then don’t come in here talking about how you have suffered, your big headache, and then laying on my couch like you are in therapy!” Amina had taken a seat on the coffee table in front of the couch.
Amina locked eyes with her.
“When I get my hands on that heifer, you are going to need the police and a small army to pull my stiletto out of her ass!” Amina put Laini on notice.
“You won’t get a chance to do anything to her because you will be too busy deciding which Purple Label suit to dress her in for her final fashion show. Her casket viewing for her wake! I wonder if they would prosecute all three of us for strangling that witch or if we would get another key to the city from the mayor? I don’t know where she is getting her drugs from but she is getting some good quality stuff if she thinks there is something that can save her from this storm!” Both women agreed with a small nod.
Operation “Restore Family Namesake” was in effect.
23
Days continued to pass and Amina resumed her life as if nothing was going on with her body on the inside. She still went on couples only weekends with her in-laws, she still partied, brushing elbows with affluent figures, and she never saw Dr. Frasier again. She had not taken the time to cancel each appointment his receptionist set but she always failed to show up. Amina increased her resting periods and did absolutely nothing when her husband was out of town on business. She could feel that her body was changing. Her heart had to be getting worse. She could feel it.
One evening she was just waking out of a deep slumber. She had set her alarm clock to wake her at least two hours before Carolos’ flight was to land. She would need that time to bring her appearance up to par. She had taken the day off and had chosen to work from home. At least those were her intentions. She ended up sleeping the day away. Amina hopped out of the bed and straightened her side back to perfection. She didn’t want her husband to know she had been napping. She took a lukewarm shower to wake her up. No matter what she did, she couldn’t kick herself into gear to pick up speed. It was as if she was a turtle attempting to make it across a country road.
While in the shower stall she figured she would get dressed in casual wear and then lounge in the den under a fluffy throw blanket. Having a caffeine snack of chocolate covered turtles and a coke, she was sure that would boost her energy. She would need to get and then save all her energy from all the love making that was sure to take place that night. Carlos had been gone for three days. She knew he would be ready for a marathon. Amina was standing at her side of the sink moisturizing her skin with cocoa butter when she blacked out. She hit the floor. She had passed out in an instant and there was nothing she could do to break her fall. Just like before, there was so much noise in her head and ears. But unlike before, there was no one to come wondering where she was after being late for a family activity. Carlos wasn’t scheduled to be home for another few hours.
Hours later Amina was shocked to consciousness by paramedics. When her eyes popped open for the first time she saw her husband damn near on top of the paramedic’s shoulders. It would mark the second time she had seen her man with tears streaming down his face. Amina’s secret was out for all of the people in the world to see. When she closed her eyes she could h
ear her heart beat in her ears. She was transported to the hospital by ambulance. She was unable to speak for herself. There was nothing she could do to stop Dr. Frasier from telling Carlos the hurtful news she had kept to herself. Her HIPPA restrictions that prevented Carlos access to her records had expired and she was in no position to sign for herself again. In hearing the blood curling screams from her husband, she heard how bad her condition had become. The cardiomyopathy had never been treated as Dr. Frasier had initially instructed. Amina needed a defibrillator implanted into her chest that would potentially save her life should her heart stop beating again in the future. The walls of her heart were two and a half inches thicker than they should have been. The entire time Amina had been ignoring her condition, her heart was rapidly growing and getting worse.
Dr. Frasier was set on another heart ablation procedure but was brought to an abrupt stop not to do the surgery. An ultrasound confirmed that Amina had three fetuses growing in her womb. She and Carlos had successfully gotten pregnant again. From the sounds of the voices around her, everyone was both pissed and elated at the same time at her deception and determination. Carlos punched thin air and stormed off. Amina heard her father-in-law call and then chase after him.
The entire Haywood clan was present, even Emani this time. Amina took the coward’s way out and pretended to sleep until the room was cleared. Yes, she loved every single person in her huge family. But, she loved her husband more. Amina was the only one that knew that she and Carlos had started trying to get pregnant months before their wedding. She knew her husband wanted beautiful children that were the result of both of their gorgeous genes. Amina huffed to herself. She didn’t give a damn about what anyone else had to say about how she had chosen to live her life. Carlos was angry at the moment but he would not stay mad for nine whole months. The bottom line was that she was finally pregnant again. More importantly she was blessed to have a chance to get three kids out of one pregnancy term. Amina could care less what she had to do to keep her babies safe and alive in her womb. But, whatever the punishment was going to be, you could consider it done. Even if she did nothing else with her life, Amina was going to give her husband babies. When Carlos finally made it back to the private hospital room he was not interested in Amina being asleep. Not long after the door was shut behind him, he was pinching her nose to wake her up. He knew she hated when he did that to her. Amina’s eyes immediately snapped open.