The Rich Girls' Club (23 page)

Title Page
Welcome
WARNING!
Dedication
Epigraph
Mutual Masturbation
Chapter 1: Storm
Chapter 2: Morgan
Chapter 3: Brooks
Chapter 4: Hope
Chapter 5: Storm
Chapter 6: Morgan
Chapter 7: Brooks
Chapter 8: Hope
Chapter 9: Storm
Chapter 10: Morgan
Chapter 11: Brooks
Chapter 12: Hope
Chapter 13: Storm
Chapter 14: Morgan
Chapter 15: Brooks
Chapter 16: Hope
Chapter 17: Storm
Chapter 18: Morgan
Chapter 19: Brooks
Chapter 20: Hope
Chapter 21: Storm
Chapter 22: Morgan
Chapter 23: Brooks
Chapter 24: Hope
Chapter 25: Storm
Chapter 26: Morgan
Chapter 27: Brooks
Chapter 28: Hope
Chapter 29: Storm
Chapter 30: Morgan
Chapter 31: Brooks
Chapter 32: Hope
Chapter 33: Storm
Chapter 34: Morgan
Chapter 35: Brooks
Chapter 36: Hope
Chapter 37: Storm
Chapter 38: Morgan
Chapter 39: Brooks
Chapter 40: Hope
Chapter 41: Storm
Chapter 42: Morgan
The Deception of Dick
Reading Group Guide
Acknowledgments
Also by HoneyB
Teaser of
If I Can't Have You
Newsletters
Copyright

Y
ou can’t see it…it’s electric!”

The music moved through me like lightning. Happiness filled the room. My hips swung to the beat. I sang, “You gotta feel it…it’s electric!”

My man got down on one knee. I gyrated in his face.

“I love you, Madison Tyler. Will you marry me?”

In the midst of grooving with over a hundred people doing the electric slide, I stopped dancing. The moment I’d been waiting for had arrived in style. I couldn’t hold back the tears. What girl didn’t want a husband to love and adore her for the rest of her life? I was positive I wanted to get married.

“Yes! Yes, I will marry you, Roosevelt!” I wasn’t sure if he was the one, but he’d do for now.

Roosevelt didn’t like his first name, but I appreciated it more than what everyone else called him, Chicago. I found southerners strange in many ways. Roosevelt had no middle name, so his family gave him one when he was a toddler. They weren’t from Chicago and he hadn’t visited the Windy City until he was an adult. The only rationale was that the Bears were his father’s favorite team.

The ice cube he’d slid on my ring finger blinded me. Damn! I held my hand in front of my face and cheesed the widest grin ever. I pulled Roosevelt to his feet by his lapel, leapt into his arms, smashed my lips against his.

The Electric Boogie faded from blasting to silence. “Did Chicago just propose to Madison?” the DJ asked.

“He sure did!” I flashed my ring to all the bitches at my girl’s wedding reception. All the single females’ eyes melted. It didn’t matter who caught the bouquet now; I was the envy of them all.

Stealing the spotlight from Tisha wasn’t planned. How was I to know my engagement ring would be a bigger solitaire than all the chips in her wedding band and engagement ring combined?

Not my problem. I gave Tisha a big hug because she had to be feeling really small right now.

I’d turned to kiss Roosevelt again when someone snatched my bicep. The grip was that of a blood pressure machine about to explode. My fingers automatically curled into a tight fist.

I didn’t fight, but I swore if I turned around and saw one of those desperate bitches that wanted my man trying to ruin the moment, I was going to lay their ass out, then glide over them as though I was on the red carpet.

They were beneath me. All women were beneath me, including my best friends, Loretta and Tisha. When I saw it was Loretta, I uncurled my fist.

Loretta had dated that loser construction worker, Granville Washington. He worked for me. I told her not to do it, not to do him. Told her that misfit had a big dick—saw it myself when his lazy ass pissed outdoors on my property. And he had nothing to lose because outside of work, he had no real interests other than trying to get laid.

Granville was a clumsy brute. Six-feet six-inches, two-hundred and seventy-five pounds of muscles. Worst combination for a man is to be good looking, great in bed, and think he knows everything when what he truly is, is ignorant. Loretta should’ve taken my advice, took the dick, and kept shit moving. But no. Loretta always had to find the good in every man until he treated her bad.

“Girl, let me—” Before I finished protesting, I was being dragged off the dance floor, out the back door.

“What the hell are you doing?” Loretta asked.

I flashed my ring in her face. “Duh. Trying to enjoy the moment. What’s wrong with you?”

“You can’t accept Chicago’s ring. You’re going to ruin another good man. You’ve already got what, six engagement rings collecting dust. It’s women like you that mess it up for women like me.”

“Correction. It’s eight. And see, that’s where you’re wrong. It’s women like you that allow men to dictate to you instead of you training them like I’ve taught you. That’s how you end up with fucked-up men like Granville. By the way, have you filed that restraining order like I’ve told you?”

“Have you fired him like I’ve asked you?”

“He’s not my problem. Granville is an excellent worker. Hell, he does the work of ten men. I’d be stupid to fire him.”

“Well, don’t marry Mr. DuBose. What are his mother and father going to say about this? If he marries you, our entire football team is going to hell.”

Not my problem.

So what if his parents hated me. Roosevelt appealed to me because he managed a professional football team. He was unquestionably a man of power, in charge of everyone around him, except me. I’d make sure I’d marry him right before he inherited the ten million his grandparents had willed him.

“Look at it like this, Loretta. Now, I’m responsible for all sixty-one players and the assistant coaches and the head coach. You should be nicer to me. I might hook you up with a millionaire, girlfriend. Stop hating because you can’t find the right man.”

“Fine, if you want to ruin Chicago’s life, go right ahead,” Loretta said, flinging my arm toward me. “But don’t overshadow Tisha’s wedding day.”

“Not my problem. Tisha should’ve married a man with more money.”

Loretta shook her head. “Girl, you’re lucky you’re my friend or else.”

“You’ve got that one twisted. The soon-to-be Madison DuBose is going back inside to celebrate her engagement. I suggest you stay your ass out here until you cool down. Trust me, you don’t want me to blast your business in front of Tisha’s guests.”

“Okay, Ms. Thang. Wait a minute,” Loretta said. “Since you’re so great at training men, I bet you that you can’t train Granville Washington.”

I stared at my girl. She must’ve been insane giving me a dare. Nobody gives Madison Tyler a dare and wins. I’d show her how good I was at getting my way with men. “This’ll give me something to do while Roosevelt is on the road. But before I agree, what’s in it for me?”

“Whatever you want.”

That wasn’t specific enough. I could become Loretta’s worst enemy by the time I won this bet. I threw my hands up. Why was I entertaining her? “Look, I’m not sure you have enough to lose for me to charm that loser.”

“Just what I thought. You’re all talk. You’re not all that, Madison,” Loretta said, walking away from me.

“Fine, I’ll prove it. But I’m not having sex with him.”

“That’s the only way you can prove it to me.”

I was so good I could open an obedience school for men, but sexing Granville would go against my principles. Not sexing him would give Loretta bragging rights. I’d show her ass. I was going to break this Granville guy in one weekend.

“Fine,” I said, walking away.

“One more thing,” Loretta said.

“What? Girl, what!? You are ruining my moment.”

“Better for me to ruin yours than for me to stand by and let you do the same to Tisha. If I win, you’ll call off your wedding with Chicago.”

I shook my head. “Fine. Because I’m not going to lose. You are.”

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