Chapter One
“LUCY!” Phoenix yelled from inside her executive suite. “LUCY!” she yelled again for her assistant. At that moment, the doors to her office opened and Vixen and Nya walked in.
“Phoenix! Why are you doing all that yelling?” Vixen said walking into her office. It had been nine months since Vixen had almost died giving birth to her triplets. She had done the maternity leave and now was back to being her fabulous self. Today she was in a white structured in a lightweight glam blazer with shimmering silver-tone touches and laced details along the waistline with Grosgrain seams, notch collar, and placket with dotted embroidery. It had two lower flap pockets with nickel buttons and long sleeves with three nickel buttons with center front button closure. Topping it all off with a white pencil skirt and gold accessories and a pair of white and gold “Swan Pump” Manalo Blahnik’s, which Phoenix would be sending her assistant out to pick up for her. Nya was with Vixen in a royal blue sheath dress in a pair of two-tone red bottoms with her hair twisted to one side and down her right shoulder.
“Nya, do you have your tomboy behind in a dress?” Phoenix said to her stopping what she was doing and looking Nya up and down swinging her arm in the air snapping her finger saying, “Sal is giving it to you so good you done remembered you are a girl! Get it, baby… No shame, girl, no shame!” Nya had to laugh along with them at herself on that one.
“Shut-up, Phoenix, I had on a beautiful pantsuit when I went to her house to pick her up and Gavin and Sal threw up on it and THIS was all SHE had!” Nya said pointing at the dress and then at Vixen.
“Sal and Gavin?!” Phoenix said looking at both of them “Did y’all have a mid-day kegger and didn’t invite me?” Phoenix said slamming the file down on her already full of paperwork desk. Phoenix was one of the most disorganized successful people you would ever meet. Phoenix’s office had been designed to emulate the pilothouse of a ship; the ceiling resembles the ribs of the inner carcass of a boat hull; materials like holly, teak, and mahogany replicate boat materials to amplify the effect. Phoenix’s desire to be close to her father had driven her design decisions for her office.
Shaking her head and laughing Nya said, “No, the babies, fool! Are you ready?” Nya finished.
“NO! LUCY!” Phoenix yelled again.
“PHOENIX! Stop that! Use the intercom and she is in the bathroom! She broke free of that chain you have around her ankle to go pee!” Vixen said to her cousin.
“That heffa is going to break free of her job if she does not get this presentation done right!” Phoenix said sitting down in the office chair opposite her desk.
“Phoenix, why are you so worked up today?” Vixen said to her.
“Your DAMN family!” Phoenix said walking to her in-suite bathroom to change into outfit number two for the day. Phoenix was not anything if not a Diva.
“Correction; YOUR family, I disowned those hateful, dysfunctional people years ago! You are the only one with a sense of loyalty to them,” Vixen said to her.
“Well, she has you there, Phoenix. They are not my family and… I… disowned them!” Nya said. “I told Vixen the last time your dad was hateful and downright disrespectful to you that I came this close to catching a case,” she finished holding up her fingers almost to the point of touching.
“I am so sorry, Ms. James! I was in the ladies' room!” Lucy said running into the office. Lucy was the sweetest lady that Phoenix had ever met but she was nervous and terrible at office work but she really needed the job. Her husband had left her for another woman and was not paying her any alimony or child support. Phoenix put up with her to help her out but there were days like today that she just did not have the patience for all the mistakes.
“It’s ok, Lucy, the Tasmanian devil is in the bathroom!” Nya said to her smiling, Phoenix stepped out of the bathroom in a purple silk olene dress with a draped front and silver gladiator sandals.
“Lucy, this presentation is not complete. We have a pitch meeting at eight a.m. tomorrow and you still have not finished this presentation. Go back to the storyboards I gave you and try again. I am going to lunch. I expect you to have it done when I return,” Phoenix said to her as she gathered her sunglasses and purse.
“Well damn, Cruella! You could at least say ‘please’!” Vixen said to her cousin getting out of her chair to follow Nya out the door.
Sigh. “Ok, cousin, for you. Lucy, please don’t make me fire your butt when I get back! Please, and thank you!” Phoenix said before following the other ladies out the door
