Plastic (Book 1)

۞8۞ (BWWM)

MAKING PROGRESS

Chanel Alexis Taylor was a twenty-five-year-old southern sistah from rural Arkansas who never imagined a life away from her folks.

When she left the small town of Hope, it never crossed her mind that she would find herself living in a posh condo in Beverly Hills. It was impossible for her to foresee something like that ever taking place considering her monthly income wasn't enough to cover the costs associated with leasing a place like the one in which she lived.

Cat was taught to only live within her means, but unforeseen events forced her to accept a man's help. Though she refused to receive a handout, becoming the recipient of some measure of assistance exposed her to a different world. Because of the doctor, her address changed from a modest neighborhood to an environment where people were worth more money than she could even imagine.

Regardless of the zip code change, Cat went to work every day. She stayed to herself to lessen the likelihood of drawing unwanted attention. It wasn't like anyone would try to make her acquaintance, but she was sure people knew the owner of the condo in which she lived.

Not only was Cat concerned about potentially nosey neighbors, she couldn't afford to get in any trouble that might get back to her family.

How could she ever fully explain to her parents all that happened with Samantha leading to her living at one of her new boyfriend's properties?

The idea of having a boyfriend was one thing, but she was sure there were a few things about him that her parents might not agree with.

Regardless of the problems she had experienced, including her current living arrangement, Cat continued to show up for work and make tons of progress on her job. She remained humble as she followed her boss's lead. But he wasted no time expressing his pleasure at how quickly she had exceeded his expectations.

She was grateful that everything was working out on her job and relieved that Ari hadn't tried to impose himself on her. Instead of treating her like a live-in lover, he would call to ask her permission whenever he wanted to visit. And no matter how much she insisted she must pay him, Ari refused to accept even a single dime from her for rent.

He made a promise to respect her space without requiring anything from her in exchange. Staying true to his word made it easy for her to respect and crave him at the same time. The only thing that worried her was when she noticed that lately, he had been a little stand-offish.

Cat considered that maybe something had occurred of which she was unaware. There was no doubt Ari seemed to hide more than he wanted to share, including why he avoided intimate contact with her any time he stopped by.

Despite her growing concerns about the man she was growing close to, she knew it was best to focus on anything other than the issues plaguing her mind.

With her workweek coming to a close, she conceded that three months was long enough to make Samantha suffer for being an asshole.

Before her contrition, no matter how many times Sam called, Cat refused to speak with her. She also made sure to stay away from the medical center because there was a likelihood that she might run into her childhood friend.

Of course, all of that would be taken under consideration along with any other issues that might fall in her lap. But the main thing on her mind, at the moment, was enjoying her days off.

Cat was excited with the prospect of lounging about the condo intent on catching up on some much-needed rest.

As she pulled up to her new place, a tall blonde stood right in the middle of the driveway.