You're The One: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 12)

by Shanade White

  “No, I’ll TiVo it. What’s wrong?”

  “Who said anything’s wrong.”

  “Well, you sound wrecked, and you went to see the hot chick with the racy blog, right?”

  “It’s not racy, she takes the…”

  “I know, I know. So what’s wrong?”

  “ I thought she’d jump at it. She didn’t.”

  “So she’s cautious. That’s not a bad thing.”

  “Yeah…I just. I wanted to get this win for you, y’know?”

  “Cliff, I have faith in you. That’s why I gave you this assignment. I knew you’d choose the right people.”

  “She’s hot though, really hot. Even if she is on the bigger side.”

  “Which is a problem, how? It’s all about inclusivity these days, no? Is she as well spoken in person as she is in type?”

  “More so.”

  “And she’s hot. So telegenic and articulate. I’m failing to see the crisis.”

  “She doesn’t want the job.”

  “She’s playing hard to get.”

  “Or she really doesn’t want the job.”

  “You think she’s the only good looking girl with a personal take on this shit?”

  “No, I just think…”

  “Yeah, I know what you think. You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ve got scotch and some whiskey for later. I’ll be back late tomorrow. Deal or no.”

  “You’ll come back with the deal, Greenberg, or I’ll personally kick your ass.”

  Cliff laughed. “You only win because I’m not allowed to hit my boss.”

  “Yeah, well I shouldn’t be hitting my underlings either but it never stops me from smacking you upside the head.”

  “Goodnight Sven.”

  “Night Cliff.”

  *****

  Elmira was sitting on the second story deck of the frat house, her feet resting on the last keg of her college career. Sascha sat down next to her and lit a cigarette, squinting at the sky and then at Elmira. “What are you looking at girlie?”

  “Nothing, I was just… you know, thinking.”

  “Girl you got through four years of college without doing that, why you gonna go start that kind of shit now?”

  Elmira looked over at Sascha. “What are you doing next year?”

  “What?”

  “Where are you going? You got into like, fifty grad schools. You pick one?”

  Sascha shrugged, flipped her cigarette butt over the ledge, and lit another. “I figured I’d go where you did. It’s not like you didn’t get into fifty schools your own damn self.”

  “You’re…”

  “Shhh, shit, don’t get all teary eyed on me. It’s good fiscal sense. I need a roommate wherever I go. You I can live with, and sixty five percent of the time, I don’t wanna kill you.”

  “Only sixty five?”

  “Yeah, sometimes you get a bit obsessive with the social media thing and don’t talk to me for days. Plus you leave your freakishly large shoes all the fuck over the place to trip me up when I come home blind drunk.”

  “Yeah. Which is different than you bringing a different girl, or group of them, up there nightly and purposely putting your gym socks under my pillow.”

  “Damn straight it is. That shit doesn’t bother me.”

  “So wherever I go, huh?”

  “That was the plan.”

  “Read this for me?”

  Elmira held out Cliff's offer. Sascha backed away. “Girl, are you like, suing me? I swear it wasn’t me that knocked you up.”

  Elmira smiled. “I promise I won’t ask for child support. I just want your input.”

  Sascha lit another cigarette. “You should see the wall in the great room. Those fuckers did a crap ass job; we may have to get them back in here to fix it.”

  “Or we could hang a picture over it.”

  Sascha nodded, distracted by the document on her lap.

  Elmira moved the lamp closer and went inside. “See ya.”

  Four hours later Sascha walked into their room and dropped the sheaf of papers onto Elmira's stomach.

  Elmira was hunched over; absorbed in her phone, writing a thread on twitter about Kylie Jenner’s lip kit and the various ways it could be better. She sat up. “Well?”

  “Everything’s covered from car service to make up; gifting of clothes, in your size, especially with brands looking to stand out in that way, backstage previewing – which I’m accompanying you on fyi, I don’t care how - a new iPhone to take pictures with; Instagram takeover with Just Jared; basically they’re treating you like a blog-ebrity; and the thing’s legit. I did some research.”

  “So we’re…”

  “We are going to NYFW girl! I always wanted to find out if that Hadid chick swings both ways.”

  Elmira let out a long breath. “I’ll call the guy tomorrow.”

  “No, let him wait. We gotta find a place to live, and you gotta make him squirm on the hook girl, there might be more money available. Gotta figure he’s holding out. Can’t look lame taking the first offer that comes your way.”

  “I don’t know...”

  “Girl, have I ever steered you wrong?”

  “There was that civil war history class you convinced me to take.”

  “That was sophomore year and I didn’t know it was like a hotbed of confederate douche bags. I’m Spanish Taino; I grew up in Puerto Rico. It was all new for me too.”

  “Okay, we’ll both take the hit on that one.”

  “Yeah, but girl, you can’t, you know…”

  “What fuck this up? I wasn’t really planning on that but thanks for the reminder bitch. Just what I needed right now.”

  “I was gonna say you can’t let that voice in your head bring you down. You’ve gotta just… I don’t know… be you.”

  “You think two million people would read my shit if they knew I’m not anywhere near as awesome as Beyonce? I’m not trying to be a poster child for the fat-shamed, dark skinned, insecure masses.”

  “Your life girl. So we lock up the house on Friday and spend the weekend in Colombia. Get our letters of intent in, and find housing, right?”

  “That’s the plan, oh, and take the multimedia job that pays enough that we may never have to eat ramen again.”

  “I’m all over it.” Sascha's smile was almost genuine.

  *****

  Cliff was feeling dejected and kinda like a total loser when he got back. Sven was in make up for some pundit battle show he was booked on. Cliff talked to him while making eye contact in the mirror.

  “So you didn’t get the wunderkind, so what? I’ve read her shit. It’s good, but you’ll find someone. You’re just whiny because you haven’t gotten laid in like, forever.”

  “That’s so not the issue.”

  “It is, but you’ve forgotten what anything other than your right hand feels like. Why don’t you call Debbie for some, you know,” he shimmied his shoulders in a disconcerting way.

  “Sex with the ex.”

  Cliff shook his head. “If I wanted to have sex with her, I wouldn’t have designated her an ex. Besides, it’s been three months since we broke up.”

  “Five.”

  “Five?”

  “Five.”

  “I need to get laid.”

  “Yeah, you do. So…” and he never got to hear what Sven was going to say because a PA interrupted him to say that a young African American woman was asking for him.

  Cliff pushed the hope down to a reasonable level and walked out to the lobby. “Elmira.”

  “Charlie, right?”

  “Cliff.”

  “Right, right, Cliff. It’s a weird name.”

  “So I’ve heard. What can I do for you?”

  Elmira held out the contract.

  “I didn’t need it back. I have copies.”

  “Signed ones?”

  “You’re taking the gig.”

  “Well, do you have an office or anything, because…”

  �
�Right, right, do you want something, water, coffee?”

  “Water would be great.” They walked down a long hallway and Elmira sat down in what was presumably Cliff's office, frosted glass, and mahogany colored wood trim.

  “So you’re accepting our offer?”

  “I’m making a counter offer.”

  “Really?”

  “I want more walking around money; twenty percent more to be exact. I want to keep the rights to my personal entries. Those that are designated so. I’ll guarantee at least two non-designated entries per show.”

  Cliff stared at her. He was relieved that she was here; no matter his friendship with the company CEO, his job was still in jeopardy. There had been too many losses and not enough wins lately. Getting Elmira Olivette on board definitely went in the win column though. Sven would be very pleased.

  “Ten percent bump in offered stipend, you can keep the rights to designated personal entries, but I need at least fifteen total non-designated for the weeks.”

  Elmira smiled. “Deal.” She held out her hand. Cliff took it, and felt how soft and warm it felt in his. He could see why Sven had insisted on this one. Her charisma was palpable.

  “I’ll have the papers drawn up. Can you be in Monday to sign them?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be here.”

  “Good, then I guess we’ll see you next week for fittings. “

  Elmira walked out of Cliff's office, and the building, shoulder’s square, head held high and as soon as she sat in the rental car next to Sascha she deflated. “Fuck.”

  “What? Mami don’t tell me you caved.”

  “No, I got what you said we wanted.”

  “Excellent.” Sascha pulled into traffic. “We have an appointment to see a place in a half hour, so woman up sister.”

  “I just… Sascha, what the fuck are we doing. We both got into grad school at Colombia and NYU. We could have drifted through two more years, hell five more for a doctorate, without even having to think about it.”

  Sascha nodded. “Drifting rocks. But you know this is too good to pass up. This is your dream; sitting on the front row at fucking New York Fashion Week? Girl, you can’t pass this up. You’re like a fuckin’ genius and you’re…”

  “What? Wasting it at one of the best schools on the east coast?”

  Sascha rolled her eyes. “It’s time for you, for us to move on.”

  “When I crash and burn and am writing obituaries for the local suburban free paper, I’m gonna remind you this is all your fault.”

  “Deal.”

  Sascha focused on driving and smoking and cursing at people. Elmira tried not to think about the risks. Not thinking about things had gotten her through most of high school and all of college. The only thing that had really changed was that they were paying her instead of vice-versa.

  The place was nice, open, bright, two bedrooms, large living room, and kitchen. The previous residents were Grad students at NYU, thus the availability. They signed the lease. Neither Elmira nor Sascha gave a shit about what it looked like. The part they appreciated were the bedrooms, larger than the ones at the Zeta Tau Alpha Zeta Tau Alpha house and on opposite sides of the space. Privacy for the first time in years.

  They were back in their hotel room. “You realize we have shit to buy, right? I mean, I don’t know about you, but I don’t own a bed.”

  “Yeah.” Elmira finished her beer and opened another. "We’ll get that done. Rent a truck to get our shit down here, and maybe I gotta buy a car."

  “It’s New York. There’s a subway…and taxis.”

  “This fucking job better be worth it because this is a lot of hassle.”

  “Life after college is a lot of hassle. Didn’t anyone tell you that?”

  “They might have. I think I just ignored it since I wasn’t gonna get tested on it and shit. Gimme my laptop.”

  “Girl you’re gonna go pouring your heart out for free when you just got hired to do it for actual money?”

  “I’m gonna do it for free because… I don’t know… I feel like it. Might be the last time I can do this because I just wanna.”

  “Whatever. Babes at the bar. See you later?”

  “Yeah.”

  *****

  Elmira waited impatiently for Cliff on Monday and was surprised when she was escorted to another office instead. Apparently Cliff’s boss wanted to see her. She didn’t know what to think about that but followed the assistant to his office, straightening out her Reformation Avalon Bodysuit, tightly laced because this was a business meeting. The assistant let her step into the room before introducing her to perhaps the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. She heard the name ‘Sven Marcel’ but there was mostly just ringing in her ears. The man smiled at her, his gray eyes open and friendly. And with that shaggy brown hair he might have looked like just another innocent college student except his suit was Armani; he was the CEO of Boston Consulting and behind the open friendliness in his eyes was a hint of calculation that Elmira did not miss. She felt her lips widen in a smile, which was a relief. At least her body had sense memory on how to behave like a human being because she was drowning here.

  Sven indicated the chair in front of her and bade her sit before he put the contract in front of her. Elmira checked for the changed clauses and signed. They stood up, and Sven handed her an envelope and a folder.

  “There’s info about your fashion week itinerary, and getting an ID as well as an advance. Will you have a drink with me to celebrate?”

  “Now?”

  Sven indicated the side board, “I have champagne.”

  Elmira turned to look, “Really? Never really had that in the middle of the day before.”

  Sven stepped to the makeshift bar, “Well we’re about to change that.” He said pouring a drink into two glasses. He handed her one, they toasted each other, and drank.

  And then Sven was kissing her, his hands on either side of Elmira's face, his lips pressed softly against Elmira's, his tongue, god, his tongue, pushing for entrance and Elmira met him halfway. Their bodies pressed close together. Sven pulled back first, flushed. “I’ve wanted to do that since I saw you.”

  “Oh really? Like five minutes ago?”

  “Actually I saw you at the Miu Miu spring/summer show; someone was trying to get you to give up your place for some starlet running late. You stood your ground. I knew we had to have you right away.”

  “So that you could be my boss and sexually harass me? Kinky.”

  Sven seemed to get flustered. “It’s that sense of humor…bleeds into your writing. I love it. I would have introduced myself sooner but I didn’t want to influence your decision.”

  Elmira laughed, pecking Sven's cheek. “You’re good, but no one’s good enough to make me do this for a kiss.”

  “Oh.”

  “But the sexual harassment thing?”

  Sven looked like all the blood had drained out of his face. “Yeah?”

  “Keep it up. I like it.” She nodded and left. “I’ll be back on the first to start work.”

  “Do you know what your work schedule’s gonna look like?”

  “Why? You planning on stalking me?” Elmira was walking backwards down the hall and Sven tilted his head as if considering it.

  “I’m your boss. I have a right to ask.”

  “Oooh, I love it that you’re going all Mr. Control on me. Gives me goose bumps.” Elmira was smiling lasciviously.

  Sven rolled his eyes and turned to his office. Elmira laughed, turned around, and met Sascha outside. “Met the big boss. I think he likes me. This is gonna be fun.”

  “Girl! Girl! You can’t fuck the guy who writes the checks.”

  “I didn’t say I was gonna fuck him. I haven’t decided yet. Let’s go buy beds so if I do decide to fuck him into the mattress, I have one to fuck him into.”

  “I want to be on record as against this.”

  “We’re not Tau Alpha’s anymore. We don’t have house meetings and records.”

&nbs
p; “Tau Alpha till I die isn’t that what we made them repeat a hundred times a night for two weeks.”

  “Yeah, but your system is supposed to be cleared of the Kool-Aid.”

  “Whatever. It’s still a bad idea.”

  “So is everything I do, but it always manages to work out.”

  “For you, but there is always collateral damage.”

  “I promise I won’t rope you into this.”

  Sascha followed the GPS directions and didn’t say another word about it.

  Chapter 2

  Carl Marefield didn’t have sample size sixteen but they were able to procure something for her to wear to the show with a minimum of bitching. The reduced bitching might have had something to do with Elmira snap chatting the entire experience. Her fans were plus sized women who had felt excluded from high fashion for too long. What with the economic climate, designers could not afford to turn up their noses at that segment of the market anymore.

  “You have a wonderful figure though, I envy you,” the preternaturally thin and pale blonde who was taking her measurements said.

  Elmira’s brow lifted, “Really. You’re envious of all this?” she asked indicating her ample hips even as she suspected she was being made fun of.

  “Yeah. I mean you like…literally have that hourglass figure. Full hips, smaller waist, big boobs…you’re a Renaissance pin up model.”

  “Yay me. Now if only I was born in the right era.”

  “Sarcasm will get you everywhere,” the woman said with a smile as she pinned and tucked Elmira’s hem. Elmira suspected her name was Becky but wasn’t sure enough to actually call her that.

  Next she was presented with a choice of shoes to wear, and chose a black stiletto pump dipped in black caviar glitter and embellished with cut-out star and lightning motifs in bright, sparkling colorways made from calf leather that slimmed her feet and lengthened her legs.

  “Good choice,” Pale and Blonde said.

  “Thanks.”

  *****

  Elmira sat down on the padded wooden chair in the front row which had her name printed across a piece of paper, reaching behind and plucking it from it's attached tape. She crumpled it into a ball noisily before looking around to find a bin to drop it in. When she couldn’t identify any, she surreptitiously rolled it under her chair, biting her lower lip anxiously. Not one heartbeat passed before a woman with a clipboard and headset, dressed in tall black heels and a tight black dress, rushed over to pick the paper up. She shot a glare at Elmira slamming the paper against her clipboard to emphasize her annoyance. Elmira paid her no mind, eyes focused forward and waiting for the show to start.