French Roses and Silk Kisses [Discontinued]

Recognition

"Jesus Christ, Amber, is this a hotel room or a pigsty?" Zaria curled her lips in disgust as she finally made it up to the woman's hotel room. Although you could see it was an expensive room, it reeked of perfume and stale Chinese food. There were clothes, makeup, and random food containers everywhere.

"I know, I know. Cut me some slack, he's been working my ass off. Whatever you guys are fighting over you need to hurry up and make it right." She groaned as she stepped over a pile of clothes to hop in the bed. It was almost midnight by the time Zaria made it to their hotel room.

"What do you mean?" Zaria followed her steps and made it safely across the room to place her bag on the large vanity by the window.

"I can always tell when you guys get into it because he goes from a nice understanding boss to a complete asshole." Amber muttered before she shot up from the bed, her long brown hair flowing with her movements. "Don't tell him I said that!"
...

"Amber get up." Zaria pushed the woman off her with a groan. The bed was a queen size so they could both peacefully sleep but Amber always ended up on top of Zaria.

Amber let out a moan of protest as Zaria stood from the bed and navigated towards the bathroom. Just as she finished her business, a loud pounding sounded at the hotel door. Her heart jumped to her throat and she froze in place before hurriedly cutting off the bathroom light. She didn't want Max to know she was here yet as Amber told her it'd be a better surprise if she showed up at the banquet tonight.

"Ms. Davis, it's almost 9am why are you not dressed?" Max's deep voice echoed in the room. It held a robotic tone that Zaria knew was his 'work' voice.

"S-Sorry, sir. I'm getting up now." There was shuffling in the room before the door was opened and Zaria quickly moved behind it. She sighed softly in relief as Amber appeared once the lights were turned on. "Told you."
...

"I'm not wearing this." Zaria turned to examine her open back in the mirror.

"Girl why not? You look good!" Lisa smiled into the phone as she examined Zaria in the dress. Fortunately, Amber had sort of reassured her by providing tape for her boobs.

"Yeah but isn't this sort of unprofessional? I mean one slip up and my bitties will be out for everyone to see." Zaria grumbled as she once more adjusted the fabric to cover as much of her chest as possible.

"No ones worry about those little things. Turn around and let me see how your ass looks." Fully turning around towards the phone, Zaria pulled her wig from her head to show how much of her back was exposed.

"Ooo, yes! You look snatched in that, you have to wear it. No more discussion." Looking back in the mirror, Zaria couldn't deny her figure looked amazing in the dress but she was always very critical of herself. A knock on the door let her know she needed to hustle up.

She slipped the wig back on and focused on laying down her baby hairs. The wig was a simple sleek, black frontal that she planned to bobby pin away from her face so it hung elegantly down her back all night. Her makeup was a natural glam look with a nude gloss and big lashes.

"Amber I didn't bring any heels! Oh my god!" Zaria pulled her dress up as she stormed from the bathroom. They'd spent the better part of the day cleaning up the room so they wouldn't have to worry about hopping over things while they got ready.

Amber's slender body was clad in a blood red dress that had high slits up her long legs. Her hair fell in soft waves across her shoulders and she had a natural glam look with a red lip. Zaria took a moment to watch as she effortlessly slipped her white toes into a pair of sparkly heels. Amber was an absolute smoke show.

"Here. Put on these." She tossed a pair of plain black heels at Zaria. Using coconut oil, she was able to slip into the heels and they were surprisingly comfortable.

"You look good." Amber complimented as she entered the bathroom to examine her makeup in different lighting.

"No girl, you look good. Red is definitely your color." Zaria gushed as she watched Amber pose in the mirror- her hazel eyes glistening in the light. Amber smiled brightly before they both gathered their things.

"Alright, I'll be riding with Max but your car will be right behind ours. You have your ticket right?" Amber double checked and Zaria pulled the sleek black card from her clutch. "Please don't lose that."

She wished a good luck before leaving the room. Zaria stared out the peephole and watched as Max joined Amber in the hallway. The pair looked like the ultimate power couple. If she though Alexandria made her insecure, Amber was on an entirely different level.

Nerves bubbled within her stomach and made her feel constipated. Taking a deep breath, she took one last look in the mirror before heading to the lobby. The car Amber arranged for her was waiting in front of the hotel, a large man already holding the door open for her.

"Thank you."
"You're welcome, Ms. Hopkins." He smiled brightly before closing the door.
...

"Ah, yes, Ms. Hopkins you're at table 6 next to Mr. Robinson." The attendant showed her to the table. The venue was standard with high ceilings, bright lights and crisp table sheets. There were eight chairs at the circular table with four unoccupied- the others were people she'd never seen but she politely greeted anyway.

Looking around, Zaria felt out of place among the women here. They were all dressed in either red, white, or a shade of the two. She seemed to be the only woman in a dark dress. Little voices in the back of her mind tried to convince her that Amber set her up to look back but she pushed them away.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Yang billerd!" A short Asian man walked on stage and waved at the crowd. She assumed this was the man who threw the banquet. "And our newest partner- Max Belcourt!"

Cheers erupted in the room as Max confidently strolled across the stage, a neutral scowl on his face. They spoke about some business news but Zaria tuned them out as a familiar body sat in the chair next to her.

"You look quite familiar but I highly doubt I'd forget a face as beautiful as yours." Trey smirked at her before smoothly grabbing her hand and kissing the back. He looked just as delicious as he had when she'd first saw him- clad in a sleek navy blue suit with a large Rolex on his wrist.

"It must not be that beautiful then, Trey." She laughed as she pulled her hand from his. His smirk fell and he simply stared at her attempting to piece together who she was. Zaria pat him on the shoulder before excusing herself. Eyes followed her as she moved through the crowd causing her to square her shoulders and lift her chin, her face set in a soft smize.

She put extra swing in her hips and carried herself like royalty. It helped her push their staring eyes to the back of her mind while focusing on the placement of her heels. Just as she made it within inches of Max's table, a hand pulled her away.

"Zaria!"
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