Page 16 of Tap In

Lark called me immediately. I got there minutes after the police. The client was still on scene because her car was vandalized too. Once I got there, I told the police that I had video surveillance in and around the home. This was a requirement for all of our properties. The system that was put into the properties were our own, and installation was included in the fees. If the client wanted the system to stay, they could add that to the cost of the home, or we would remove it.

When the mention of video surveillance came up, the client suddenly wanted to leave and started to act suspicious. The police picked up on her behavior and told her that she needed to stay put. First, we reviewed the outside footage where we saw Eve and two other females vandalizing the vehicles. Lark asked how she would even know that I was there. That was when we received the inside footage. Lo and behold, the client asked to step away to take a call from herhusband.In that conversation, she told whoever, we’d assumed it was Eve, to remember to mess her car up, too, so that it would be believable.

She was arrested immediately, for being an accessory after the fact. Her weak ass started ratting on folks like she committed a murder and was facing twenty-five to life. The police went to the address that she gave them to arrest Eve and her other two accomplices.

“How is Lark?” Travis asked.

I sighed. “She’s annoyed, naturally. It’s been months. Why is this girl still in her feelings about a bullshit ass receptionist job?”

I would never get people. First, Eve wasn’t here for a year, so there was no way that she was vested in the position. I probably should have fired her close to the beginning of her employment during the ninety-day probationary period, when I found out that she was being passed around by a few of our male agents. At the time, I didn’t feel like that had anything to do with her work as long as it didn’t cause hostility in my office. Ryan was one of the agents that she fucked. With all of the pussy popping that she did, I was surprised at her reaction to Jacobia’s allegation of messing with her baby’s daddy.

“Chance, come on. That bullshit job paid sixty-thousand dollars a year, with benefits. The title may have been bullshit, but the pay—benefits was not.”

He had a point. My firm paid all of our employees well, from agents to the cleaning staff. My parents taught me early that it was important to pay your employees like they weighed—not what they thought they weighed, but what they actually weighed. When you did that, your employees tended to be more loyal, satisfied, and happy.

There was a knock on my door, then it opened. My cheeks raised at the sight of my mom and dad. My dad moved to the side to allow my mother in first. Toria Broughton was not to be played with when it came to fashion. She walked to check her mail in full glam. Lark reminded me of my mother in that sense. Travis and I stood to receive them.

“Hey, Pops.” I dapped him before giving my attention to my mother. “Beautiful mother of mine. How are you doing?” I gave her a hug and kissed her forehead.

My parents exchanged pleasantries with Travis before he excused himself from my office. My dad sat on the couch that was along the wall of my office. Once he was comfortable, he pulled my mom down on his lap. Their public display of affection was the reason I felt so comfortable openly loving Lark. They were my example of perfectly imperfect love. My parents were far from perfect, but they worked at their love, and it showed.

“Are you and Lark ready for the awards gala?” my mom asked. My parents would meet Lark in her capacity as my girlfriend at the gala. I would also meet Lark’s mother, Georgia, for the first time, as I told Lark to invite her to the gala as well.

The Prestige Award Gala was a yearly event that was held in different locations of the country for realtors. Awards were given in multiple categories from top selling realtor to top selling firm and anything in between. The award that every firm wanted to win was the Prestige Award. The rubric to win was extremely stringent, and only the top firms were in the running. Broughton Real Estate Firm was one of those top firms.

My father was notified last week that our firm won. This would be the second time that we won. The first was nine years ago when my father was at the helm. Like most companies, during the pandemic, we took a hit. It was hard getting our bearings after the world officially opened back up. I was proud of the work that I’d done since my father had begun to pass the firm over to me.We deserve this award.

“Yeah, she’s so excited. I think she’s more excited that her mother is coming to visit. She’s been cleaning our house like we didn’t have a housekeeper,” I said the last part through a chuckle. Lark and I officially lived together. “My baby misses her mother and needs her.”

My father nodded with a smile. “It’s important to anticipate the needs of your love. Good job. I’m excited to meet Lark’s mother as well. You said she was a retired postal worker?”

“Yeah, she is. You’ll enjoy her. She’s a shoot from the hip kind of person.”

Some would say that Lark’s mother was of the hood variety, but I didn’t see it that way. I also knew that my parents wouldn’t either. Yes, my parents were now a part of the upper class, but that was not always the case. They both started from extremely humble beginnings. One day, they decided that enough was enough, and they were going to break the generational curses of poverty in their family.

My mom shimmied on my dad’s lap. “I can’t wait to meet her and see my future daughter-in-law.”

My parents and I talked for a little while longer. I let them in on what happened today with Eve. My father made sure to tell me that we would not only move on with the criminal charges, but we would also file a civil suit for the damage. I left the office with my parents to get home to my love. When I got there, Lark was just how I liked her… naked.

* * *

A GALA TO REMEMBER…

The moment my family walked into the ballroom that the gala was held at, all eyes were on us. We were the elite, black family in this industry. There were other black firms; however, no other firm had the success like Broughton Real Estate Firm. In the past forty plus years that we’d been in establishment, we had always surpassed any goal that we set.

I pulled Lark close to my side. My lips went to her ear. “You are absolutely gorgeous. I am so proud to have you on my arm.”

Her beautiful face lit up. Her lips met mine. “Thank you. I love you so much.”

Her black, sequin dress fit her curvy frame like a glove. The allure of the dress was that back the was out. Her hair was in an updo with tresses lining her face. I loved when she wore her hair in her loc’d style, but there was something about when she wore it straightened.

“Ms. Hunter, you are beautiful tonight as well,” I complimented.

She did a little pose, then responded. “Don’t I know it. Thank you, son.”

Lark was a carbon copy of her mother. To know that she was fifty-six and looked like she was no older than her mid-thirties was inspiring. Her black had no signs of cracking. My mother and her hit it off as soon as they met. What was a weekend trip for Ms. Hunter turned into a week trip at my mother’s insistence. They had plans to spend some time at the spa later this week.

The evening progressed nicely with mingling and dinner. The Prestige Award was the last award of the night. I was proud that Ryan won an award for the highest sales numbers in the state of North Carolina. The moment came for the big award of the night. When our firm was announced as the winner of the award, I grabbed Lark’s hand to take her on stage with me. She tried to decline, but after I gave her that look, she complied.

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