Chapter One
Ororo sat in front of the mirror and meticulously applied her makeup. As she added her mascara, she thought about her relationship and some things she had noticed about it over the last few months.
As a new partner in her father's law firm, she had built her career based on her attention to detail. She would scour a document or details of a case until all of the pieces fit. If there were discrepancies, she and her team would research them to determine how they fit in the puzzle. Because of this tenacity, she and her team were victorious in nearly all of their cases, resulting in them having the highest number of wins at the firm. Including this last case where more than $100 million dollars of compensation was at stake. Ororo and her team presented such an airtight case that the defense decided that it would be cheaper to settle out of court.
The outcome of that case impressed her father so much, that he offered her the position of partner. Most people when they heard the news were shocked that she had not already attained that level in the firm, especially with her father as the lead attorney. But they didn't know her father or the Munroe way. You had to work for whatever you got.
After law school, Ororo wasn't surprised when her father offered her a junior associate position at his firm. Though he didn't have to, he reiterated the lessons he had drilled into her and her brother since they were kids – work for what you have; you would appreciate it more. Though the road was long and hard, she appreciated her father's decision.
Now, a day after hearing the news, she was wondering how a person could have such tenacity in one area but lack it in others. For her, that area was her relationship with her boyfriend Damion. A successful lawyer in his own right, Damion made the decision to trade in corporate law for entertainment law. Now a year later, he was deeply entrenched in the entertainment world, traveling all over the world to make contacts and changing his work hours from 7am – 5pm to 5pm – 7am.
It wasn't that she was upset about him making the career change. She had on several occasions joined in him on business trips and attended several exclusive, celebrity thrown parties, like the one happening tonight. But it was the small things that she had begun to notice, like not being able to reach him at certain times, late night whispered conversations, and vague answers to her questions about how things were going with his efforts to build his clientele among other things.
As a lawyer, her mind immediately went to the idea of something's not right so let's get to the bottom of it. But as a girlfriend, Ororo wanted to believe that she had no reason to not trust him. Sure, he was the epitome of the idea of tall, dark, handsome, and intelligent. With a chiseled body that wore a suit well, an analytical mind that rivaled hers and a disarming charm he uses to work a room, be it a courtroom or a ballroom, the man had a lot going for him and he knew it.
They met during a case where they were the lead attorney for their respective sides. One party was suing the other for breach of contract and trademark infringement. Ororo fought hard to maintain her focus during the case because she thought he was extremely attractive and charismatic. She learned later that Damion was just as attracted to her as she was to him.
As soon as the last document was signed and notarized, Damion asked her out to dinner and Ororo accepted. Their relationship became a fast pace love affair that at times left her breathless and a bit discombobulated. So they slowed it down and allowed it to move at a comfortable pace.
A month ago, Damion surprised Ororo with a romantic getaway. They hadn't had much time to see each other because of work, so Damion decided to take them away from it all to disconnect from the world and reconnect with each other. After a simple dinner, they retired to the living room of their seafront suite. Ororo was shocked when Damion began speaking and went down on one to ask her to be his wife. With tears flowing down her face, she said yes.
Since their returned from the trip, she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. It was because of that feeling that she had begun to notice the small things. She knew before she could really deal with this issue, she would need proof and until then, she would put thoughts away and focus on something more pleasurable– like the possibility of seeing one of her favorite singers at the party tonight.
The Throw Down in the A-Town as it was billed was slated to be one of Atlanta's biggest parties of the year. The Who's Who of the entertainment world is said to be on the guest list. Damion, friends with the host of the party, got one of the elusive invites at the last minute and called her yesterday to ask her to be his plus one.
Ororo had hoped to have a quiet, peaceful night alone at home because of the long week she had, but Damion convinced her that they could celebrate her promotion while rubbing elbows with the elite of the R&B and Hip Hop world. When she didn't respond, he mentioned Ne-Yo would definitely be at the party. Ne-Yo was a handsome singer, songwriter and gentleman who Ororo thought could do no wrong. Damion had teased her about the Ne-Yo being her other man.
Even with the possibility of seeing her "other man", she still hesitated. Damion knew she was tired but he needed her to be there with him so he tried harder, explaining that this was a good excuse for them to dress up and they would be spending some quality time together, since they both had been busy with work for the past two weeks. After a few minutes, she agreed to go with him but made him promise to not stay out too late.
Now as she continued getting ready for their night on the town, she smiled as she thought about being in the same room with Ne-Yo. I wonder if he's performing, she thought as she stepped into her dress and went to look at herself in the mirror. Her dress was a form fitting, one shoulder, floor length white dress with a thigh high split. The dress had two crossed lines of silver and black sequins, flowing diagonally across her torso and ending at the split. Simple yet elegant.
Ororo walked over to her closet just as the doorbell rang. Going to the security panel on the wall, she saw Damion looking up at the camera. Keying in the code, she disarmed the alarm and opened the door. She retrieved her black and silver strappy stilettos and sat on her bed to put them on.
She was buckling the last shoe when he entered the room.
"You look beautiful," he said, taking her hand and helping her to stand.
"Thank you," she replied smiling, turning around so he could see the back. She smiled as she heard his low whistle.
"I think we should forego the party and spend the night in, enjoying each other," he replied, pulling her close and kissing her deeply, running his hands down her back to cup her backside.
"If we do that, then you will miss out on this opportunity to make some connections," she replied, using the line he used to convince her to attend the event with him.
"That's okay. You're worth it," he teased, coming up behind her and rubbing himself against her.
"Stop it, Damion," she said, giggling as she headed into her bathroom to put space between them, "And besides, I didn't get all dolled up to stay home."
"I guess you're right," he replied, coming to stand behind her as she refreshed her lipstick and put on her Chanel No. 5, "The Limo is waiting. We should leave soon so we can be fashionably late." He kissed her on the shoulder and got a smile in return.
"Five minutes tops," she told him, getting a nod in response. Turning back to the mirror, Ororo sighed and finished getting ready.
A few minutes later, Ororo headed toward the living room where she heard Damion on the phone.
"Yeah, after I drop her off. I'll see you tonight. Bye."
Ororo, not letting on that she heard him, called out that she was ready from where she stood in the hall. As he helped her wrap her shawl around her shoulders, she couldn't help but wonder, who he was talking too and what he was talking about.