The Perfect BMW

By Luvvenia Hawkins

Misunderstood as a gold-digger Sheila doesn't believe a marriage can be successful based on love after watching her mom and older sister's failed marriages and love lives with men. Therefore she schemes to get a man making six figures who can help create a business partnership to build a lifestyle based on the American Dream. Her criteria: of course he must be making bank, never married and definitely N Kids Allowed!!!
Neal Towers was not your average black man. He was a successful air personality for the number 1 broadcast radio-company in the USA and he was moving up the syndicated radio show list fairly quickly; expecting to have his own syndicated show one day soon. He had a college degree, making big money, never married and he loved beautiful and successful black women. All of his life getting a woman was the easy part and he never gave much thought about family life or having children. So when his high school sweetheart had Junior, it was no big deal; he just stepped up to the plate making sure he handled his financial responsibility. Of course high school puppy love can grow passé when you’re in college and see all of the fresh new meat that you’re missing out on; and that’s how he met baby momma # 2 Denise his college first love. Graduating from college and landing first an internship at the #1 urban & hip hop station in town was a dream come true so Neal focusing on his career somehow lost touch with Denise and the two of them moved on. Wow, working around the hottest R & B acts in the US was a surreal experience for Neal; the parties, the luxuries and the women was mind blowing to someone who had been born and raised in a working-class and humble life. Neale couldn’t get enough of the parties or the women and that’s how he met Susan a groupie who followed and traveled around with one of the boy bands that his station sponsored.
Neal meets Shelia and for him it’s love at first sight; only she’s not interested in having any kids or a man with any. What’s a man to do when he’s just met his perfect woman but he doesn’t quite meet her standards? Is it lying if you fail to disclose certain information? Join Neal and Shelia in this romantic-comedy that asks: What is the most important quality in a marriage? Together they search for common ground and understanding in trying to save their marriage.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Luvvenia Hawkins
• Release date: Aug 30, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452355412

Luvvenia Hawkins

L. Hawkins is a writer for Jirehis Publications where she authors books under the pen name ALm HLgh. She currently works as an Assignment Manager for a major broadcasting company in the Midwest.Earning a Bachelors in Communications from the University of Illinois, she went on to study for one year at the Graduate level, majoring in Urban and Regional Planning.Before beginning her writing and broadcast career, L. Hawkins worked as a Loan Officer for a financial institution, a teacher in the public sector, and as a marketing research liaison for various companies.

Book preview

Recalibrate My Love Series

Book 1

THE PERFECT BMW

(Black Man Working)

By

Luvvenia Hawkins

* * * *

* * * *

THE PERFECT BMW

PUBLISHED BY:

JIREHIS

On Smashwords

TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER 01 UNEXPECTED SURPRISES

CHAPTER 02 NO FREE RIDES OR HONEYMOONS

CHAPTER 03 HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN

CHAPTER 04 THE B.S. OF IT ALL

CHAPTER 05 WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE 50/50 TAKE?

CHAPTER 06 RUDE AWAKENINGS

CHAPTER 07 WHAT ABOUT FORGIVENESS?

CHAPTER 08 LET THE BLESSINGS & HEALINGS BEGIN

Luvvenia Hawkins’s Books

Chapter 1:

UNEXPECTED SURPRISES

NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING: THE BRIDAL SHOWER PARTY

CLI—NK… CLI—NK, the champagne glasses rang as the ladies made their toasts to the bride.

--May you have a long, happy and prosperous marriage… Alicia wished. The proud look that Sheila was wearing on her face revealed that she was drunk with happiness and pride. Finally, her carefully laid plans and calculations were paying off. Patience indeed was a virtue. Sheila looked around at her not so good friends- the unofficial Divine Sisterhood of Divas. Everyone of them were on the prowl to find that near perfect brother- who had it going on without all of those men issues that black men were commonly known for.

Even though she was sitting in the middle of the posh Ritz-Carlton Hotel with good loosely-clad friends and family sipping Dom Perignon and enjoying delicious foods; her mind was caught up in reminiscing about snagging her man- the golden elephant —the elusive perfect BMW. She had never thought that she would find a good brother working after age 30, but through the grace of God she had met Neale Tower.

Sheila hid a smirk under the pretense of taking a long sip of the floral aromatic smooth, clean and crisp taste of the fine champagne that mesmerized her taste buds while taking covert peeps of the envious divas. All of them over the age of 30, successful and women of substance in each of their own way; were dying of jealousy and she absolutely loved it! Finding a good, black man that wasn’t on the DL, living in the basement of his momma’s house, Ex-felon on probation, in-between-jobs, looking to pitch-in or a place to stay, high school dropout and last but not least- no children and / or baby’s momma’s drama was a rarity. And yes with a little luck, and an introduction by a friend of a friend she- Sheila Daye had pulled off the seemingly impossible- the perfect BMW.

"Ch-hheeeeeeers…" She heard the ladies singing and it snapped her attention back to the present place and time. The posh ballroom was decorated with crystal chandeliers, imported hand painted silk wallpaper, and custom-made and imported Italian tile flooring. The room was like a confirmation of the kind of life she had hoped and dreamed to live and one that she had carefully cultivated.

Looking around the room, Sheila was a little saddened to see that the only relatives in attendance were her mother, a distant cousin from out-of-state and her young niece 14 year-old Kyra; whom she was helping to raise. Kyra’s older brother Brandon who also lived with her mother had opted out of this girly-event citing his awkwardness of being the only male in attendance. Missing was her older sister; the mother of Kyra and Brandon- who always managed to pick the wrong guy and wrong situation; thus leaving her two children in the care of their mother.

It’s a great story, hearing her Secretary Alicia’s voice again made her smile. Alicia was probably the only real friend that she had. Shelia felt blessed for having at least one person in her life that she could count on. She stopped her daydreaming and decided that she would focus on the current event. After all, it was her bridal shower and tomorrow was her big day- she would be Mrs. Neale Towers.

Hmm, I’ve never heard it… Myra the distant cousin from Memphis TN replied.

How is that possible? Never? Ah. Sheila smiled as she heard Alicia continue.

Sheila, you must tell us again…

Staggering in her black and rhinestone 5-inch stilettos, Sheila nearly tripped over her long black sequin gown while making her way over to the center amongst the women. Sipping her champagne straight from the bottle; she was ecstatic and her hazel-brown eyes glowed under the lights of the crystal chandeliers.

The women’s eyes slanted watching her arrogant ways as they nonverbally communicated their disdain for her stroke of good luck. However their eye movements did not go unnoticed by her; she simply couldn’t care less considering her great fortune. She had what they wanted- a black man working- who incidentally graduated from college making the six-figure income that most women only dreamed about.

If I must, she said aloud while inside her head the words ‘who cares what you tricks think of me, I’ve got the man of your dreams,’ squeezed at her vocal cords trying to ease out of her mouth. But no, she mustn’t say that; social decorum was everything. She took her seat center stage, crossed her legs and tilted her head up. There, her poise said: I’m young, gifted and beautiful; and the three and a half karat marquis cut diamond engagement ring adorning her left hand sparkling under the bright lights said the rest. It was definitely an object of beauty and envy; much like its owner.

You know Neale was listed as one of Ebony’s most eligible bachelors in 2009… she continued unapologetically.

You mean Neale Towers; W-Y-B-U Overnight Lover syndicated Air Personality? Incredulous Myra asked with a tinge of jealousy and disbelief stuttering her speech. Smiling Alicia responded,

That’s the one… Attractive, Alpha-Kappa-Theta, good body type and deep pockets. She got a kick out of watching her boss hurt these spiteful women’s egos.

Ah do tell… How did you get your hands on him? Another acquaintance queried.

Well you see girls, those who can do… the rest… That would be you people, listen and learn… Sipping more champagne and getting tipsy, she made herself comfortable. She then took the ladies back to the beginning.

Eight months ago, I got a call from a friend of mines… The ladies huddled in closer giving their full attention. They didn’t have to like her in order to learn something from her. If it worked for her; then it could work for them.

Howard it’s been a while… I said to him… I hadn’t heard from him in years, but we soon fell into an easy conversation just like it had been yesterday since we last spoke. We chatted, he asked me about business and I asked about the family. We had a few laughs and then he told me about his friend. Sheila set her bottle down long enough to gesture the proverbial quotation marks while frowning with her face.

Can you believe it? She didn’t even know who he was, Alicia interrupted.

Neale Towers? The name doesn’t sound familiar, I told him. So I promised that I would Google… She went on to tell them confirming Alicia’s statement.

Google him? a laughing Myra asked in disbelief again.

I Google, but couldn’t find a thing. She admitted flippantly remembering that she thought that Howard was building Neale’s reputation up more than he deserved.

That’s because she didn’t know his radio name. Alicia added to the story. Shelia was telling the story too slow and not quite to her liking. She felt that Sheila was leaving out too many juicy details.

Unbelievable… a gold digger could miss a prime target like that… Myra pondered aloud irritating Sheila at her insinuation.

Hey, what gold digger? Sheila snipped why cutting her eyes in Myra’s direction.

After mildly protesting she then defended, I’m just more discriminating when it comes to choosing men… The ladies looked at each other communicating again nonverbally as they sipped on their drinks.

Is that what we call it now- discriminating? Kathy audaciously asked with mocked sarcasm garnering a few isolated snickers from the group.

Sheila huffed and was about to respond but Alicia shot her a supportive look. The look told Sheila that she would handle it so Sheila swallowed her snippy retort with another long gulp of champagne.

Alicia slightly older than Shelia knew that as a successful and discriminating businesswoman, that she was a target for much envy and jealousy from her highly competitive peers and associates. No matter what Sheila said or done; they were determined to find flaws in her character simply because something good had happened to her and not them.

Most of them had invested heavily into the superficialities of life such as clothes, rentals, and fancy cars. They were hoping that the illusion of success would be enough to lure good, financially solid and successful men into a falsehood of having met a solid, financially set and cultivated woman. However Sheila was different. Her life was based on lots of hard work and tangible assets that increased in value adding to her overall personal portfolio as a potential partner. All of her efforts coupled with her no nonsense and nose to the grindstone attitude had caused her to be labeled:

Gold digger… The ladies said in union. The words rang out in the warm air and hung like a heavy fog over them. Sheila would have cringed at those words, but she had given up feeling guilty and having to be apologetic about a certain standard of living that she wanted to achieve. She simply refused to allow haters with hatorade to rent space inside her head.

Shush… back to the story… Another lady admonished.

Anyway, we agreed to meet… Right away I knew he was into me… But until I saw the portfolio, I had nothing but financial advice for a brother. Sheila couldn’t help but bragging a bit at her shrewdness of not being so taken in by Neale’s good looks and charm.

Smart… So smart… The women conceded. Each of them silently admitted to themselves that had they met a celebrity like Neale Tower it would have been enough proof of not only his financial standing but also his character as a person to them.

We met at the Hard Rock Café. I thought the restaurant was overrated, but he was buying. He was already waiting for me. He was dressed to the nines in a black Linen Armani and a pair of gators. He kind of reminded me of a younger Steve Harvey type sitting there sipping on a glass of Merlot when I had arrived purposefully ten minutes late.

Ten minutes late, why?

Ladies, don’t you know anything, Myra answered.

Rule one: never appear anxious. She paused as if she was demonstrating her point, then she continued.

Apparently he recognized me from a picture that Howard had emailed, because as I approached the table he stood to greet me. The ladies were held captive by Sheila’s words as she continued her story.

He extended his hand and gave me the most charming smile I’d ever seen. It was captivating and disarming. Sheila blushed remembering how taken in she had been of his charm; yet she hadn’t let on about it.

He does have a smile to die for. The prettiest set of white teeth that you can only buy with a pack of Crest Stixs… Alicia added for dramatic effect. Sheila cleared her throat attempting to get the ladies attention again. It worked.

Sorry… Meeting ran late… You know I was lying through my teeth…

First rule, don’t appear anxious… The ladies harmonized as they laughed.

We had finished dining and were enjoying some cappuccino while I was glancing through his portfolio.

More like not trying to pop your top after looking at all of those zeros… again Alicia interrupted.

No denying that; I was impressed. But, like I said to Mr. Towers… Shelia paused remembering his words when she called him by his surname.

That’s when he insisted, please, call me Neale. We’ll be seeing more of each other in the future… Alicia couldn’t resist finishing. She actually