Dreams Do Come True

Copyright @ 2014 by Jada Pearl. Published by Jessica Watkins. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except by reviewer, who may quote brief passages to be printed online, in a newspaper or magazine.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be assumed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This book is dedicated to my love for music, and especially to the ones who have made my “insane” moments – SANE.  Nathan M, Shawn S, Wanya M, Brian M
,
Shelé
a
F and all the R& B, Gospel and Jazz Artists who rock my world with their lyrics.

The art of teaching I have learned now is ongoing. There have been ups and downs in this writing journey of mine and guess what? It is only BEGINNING!! So let’s get this rolling! First and foremost, I am thanking GOD. His will is always my motivation to write. Without him, none of this would ever be possible. I would also like to shout out my family and friends, especially my legacies; Quentein and Alvin Jr., the dash I am creating is for both of you!!

Next my family: Auntie Gloria K, father, Ernest, my sisters Meco, Tricia, Darenda, Ta-Nisha, Tina W, Jay, Dani, Sonia, Joy, Latonya, Monique. My nieces’ To-Nesha, Tyra, Ashley, Octavia, Jordyn, Camryn, and Lauryn. I love you all to pieces and all the rest of my huge family & friends that consists of blood, ties and strength. I can’t say enough how you all have encouraged me. A special thank you to my muse, for being my personal sunshine!

Thank you, thank you, thank you: Lovey, N’icola, Jessica Watkins, JWP Authors, and all my current supporters and future supporters. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for your belief in me. Finally to the best Promotion Team ever, Indie Love Promotions, for stepping in and showing out- Round 2!!

PROLOGUE

Shontell tried to keep her eyes on the road since she wasn’t used to the California streets. She still couldn’t believe the turn of events that even had her driving here. Usually, she was always with Jesse, and he never drove.  He always had a driver.

It had been three weeks since she had heard from or even seen her fiancé. They were supposed to be getting married in a month. She wasn’t even sure that was going to happen. Sitting at a red light, she replayed his last visit. She remembered being upset because of a tabloid picture of him and some woman at a party.

“This is what you do now?!” she screamed at him, throwing the paper in his face.

“What?! Why are you so mad? It was just a party. You are the one who doesn’t like going to these events. You can’t expect me to miss everything because you don’t like being in the spotlight.”

“Wow, that’s not fair,” she retorted back, quickly wiping the tears on her face away. 

She stood up in her living room and paced the floor, trying to control her anger. So this is what this was about…because she didn’t want to be in the public eye? Why did they always have to talk about this? He always said he understood but then, on the flip side, threw it up in her face when it suited him. His footsteps across her hardwood floor broke into her thoughts as she felt him standing behind her. His breath was on her neck and tickled her skin. She knew what he was doing, and it wouldn’t work this time. Slowly he turned her around to him, but she folded her arms and kept her eyes on the floor.

“Listen, I don’t want to fight about this. I was going to tell you. You know I didn’t want you to see it like this. We are getting married in two months. Are you still going to take this same stand? I mean…think about it…no one even knows we are getting married outside of our families because that is how you wanted it. I’ve gone along with this for the last three years because I needed you to see how serious I was. But don’t you think I have proven that with this?” he said as he took her hand and put the ring he bought her in her face. 

She glared at him and snatched her hand away. “Jesse, you knew what my cards looked like going into this game. I get so tired of this back and forth crap when it suits you. All I am saying is if that is what you were going to do, don’t you think you should have at least given me the courtesy of a heads up?”

“I didn’t have the time. Rodge called me three hours before the event with my tickets, and he said me bringing someone was more favorable than not. And it was not like I could have you flown to California to go. This is not that much of a big deal,” Jesse said while he headed to her bar and poured a drink. 

He watched her stand there over the rim of his glass. She glared back at him and remained quiet. This was what she didn’t want. It was just too damn much. Jesse stood at 6'2", brown skin, broad shoulders, and a nice body…not great, but nice. He had the kind of eyes that made you want to swim in them. That is what got her when they met, and she was lost after that. She wanted to believe what he was telling her. But she had her suspicions about his manager, Rodge. He covered for him too much.

“I just bet he did,” she finally spoke, rolling her eyes at him. 

Jesse slammed down his glass, and it made her jump. “Shontell, are you really going to do this? What do you have against Rodge?”

“Outside of that fact that he is a liar and doesn’t respect our relationship…oh, nothing. You should be asking yourself what does he have against me.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Please, don’t make me laugh. He is the one who told you to get me to sign a prenup.”

“He is just protecting my best interests.”

“More like protecting his pockets. You know what…I am done talking about this. I am tired, and I have an event in the morning,” she told him, finally leaving her spot by the fireplace. She picked up her uneaten dinner and walked into the kitchen. She was about to return to the living room to get Jesse’s plate when she almost ran right into him because he was standing right behind her. She didn’t hear him walk up to her this time.

“Damn it, Jesse,” she told him, clutching her chest.

“I’m sorry. I thought you heard me.”

“No, I didn’t. Now, excuse me, I want to finish cleaning this kitchen.”

“So how long is this going to last, Shon?” 

“Until you decide if my needs are greater than your wants. You could have easily told Rodge ‘no’ about the date request. It’s like you are okay with blatantly allowing the disrespect. If I can’t trust you, I damn sure can’t marry you,” she told him as she walked around him to finish what she was doing.

She heard him curse under his breath. When she walked back into the kitchen, he had his coat on. She didn’t even care. She was so mentally drained. She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. Jesse smiled slightly at her. That was his usual “step one” of making sure she didn’t stay mad at him, but this time it wasn’t going to be as easy as it used to be.

“I think I am going to go over to the studio for a while to give you some time to cool off,” he explained to her. He walked over to her and tried to hug and kiss her. She didn’t reciprocate. He pulled back and gave her a look she hadn’t seen on him unless they were talking about her best friend, Sandy. He was getting irritated that for once he couldn’t get her to do what he wanted. He let her go and headed to the door. He turned around when she called out his name.

“Jesse, maybe we need to take a little break before we walk down the aisle. We both need to see if we can take one another, flaws and all.”

“Is that really what you want?” he asked her with a look of shock on his face.

“Yes. Yes, it is,” she said, shuffling her feet and looking at the floor again. That was one of her bad habits she was always trying to break. She needed that moment to completely convince herself of her own request.  She looked up when she heard the door slam. That was the last time she had heard from him.

When she pulled down Jesse’s street, she had to let the window down. She was nervous and had started to sweat. The warm California air was so much different than Detroit’s this time of year. She began to see landmarks that were familiar to her. Slowing down and pulling the car up to the entrance, she pulled her phone out. After searching for the entry code, she located it and punched it in. The gate jerked open and she checked her appearance in the rearview mirror. She pulled all the way in and parked right at the front door. She didn’t see Jesse’s car. If he wasn’t home, she would just wait for him. Maybe she would surprise him with dinner. Using her key, she walked into the foyer, set her purse down, and headed into the main area. She could tell his cleaning lady had been there recently.

Jesse wasn’t a slob. But for an entertainer, he always had his stuff everywhere. The house was quiet, and she started to call out his name when she heard a noise from upstairs. Taking the stairs slowly, she listened more closely. She felt her breathing quicken as she stood outside the door. Her legs felt like jelly, and she thought if she tried to move she would fall for sure. The sounds in the room were getting louder. It was definitely the sounds of a woman moaning. Her hands were shaking as she finally willed her legs to move. Maybe Jesse let someone use his house. For his sake, that’s what it had better be. As the door slowly opened, she felt the bile rising in her mouth at what she was seeing.  A Black woman was sitting on Jesse’s face. He was lying on his back. She was sitting sideways, which kept Shontell from seeing both of their faces. But she knew it was Jesse by the tattoo that was on the arm that was grabbing hold of a Latina woman who was riding him; her long hair cascading over his legs as her head was thrown back in passion.

Shontell walked backwards in disbelief until she felt her back hit the edge of the wall hard. She didn’t even care about her pain. She didn’t even realize she made a sound, but the room suddenly got quiet as they all stopped to see what the noise was. Jesse’s eyes bucked when he saw her. He quickly pushed both women off of him as he got out the bed and grabbed his shorts. She didn’t know when she gathered her strength, but she finally reached her car. When she started it up, she looked in the rearview mirror and saw Jesse chasing behind the car and yelling. She never saw the gate until it was too late. Then she kept screaming until everything went black
.

Jessica Watkins Presents

Dreams Do Come True

b
y
Jada Pearl

Shontell has been an events and meeting planner for close to ten years, so why was she so nervous about her new clients? Maybe it’s because she completely loved their music and had been a fan since they started. She tapped her heels at the hotel’s entrance, glancing at her watch every few minutes. They were running late and would be even later to the album release party that she was in charge of this evening.
 
Just then, she spotted the limo coming around the corner. 

She checked her nerves. Fixing her clothes, she waited until the men stepped out the limo; all four of the members of Divine Attraction were fine. She let out a slow breath. Nico Baker, who was about six-feet tall, was known for his caramel complexion and a shy smile. He wore fashion glasses most of the time. John Dell was about five-foot-eight; he had a dark chocolate complexion, deep dimples,  and a stocky build. David and Dennis Roberts were brothers. Both stood tall at six-foot-two and had the same milk chocolate complexion, but only one wore glasses. They weren’t twins, but they closely resembled one another. The men came toward her and all smiled in greeting. She had met them backstage each time they came into town, but it had never been this formal. She wasn’t surprised when Nico asked if they had met before. She laughed slightly and replied, “Something like that.”

Nico tilted his head to the side and gave her a strange look. He didn’t say anything back to her comment, but she felt him watching her. 

She escorted them to check in and then up to their rooms.  Shontell told them that they had about an hour to get ready. She informed them that she would be in the hospitality suite off of the lobby area, waiting for them. The group’s business manager, Martin, touched her shoulder and asked to speak with her before she went down the hall. Martin Downs was an older man and very thorough. He contacted her shortly after he attended a birthday party she had planned for his sister, and he told her that night that he loved her spirit and professionalism.

“I just wanted to speak with you briefly to make sure that everything was planned as we last spoke,” he stated.

“Oh yes, Mr. Downs. Everything is just as you wanted it. I called the location right before you pulled up. They are expecting us by 10:45 p.m. The group will perform two songs, and then they will do autographs and pictures. The radio stations did an excellent job of promoting the event. I heard that it’s standing room only, so we should be all set. Three radio station interviews are set up for tomorrow, and then you have the rest of the evening to yourself. Your tour bus has been prepared as requested. It is scheduled to be here at 9:30 a.m. so that you can make it to your next destination on time.”

Once they finished with the business conversation, she left to run to her own room and change quickly. On her way back down, she stopped to speak with the hotel manager about the arrangements she had requested. Then she headed into the hospitality suite.