Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Side Chicks Read online

  Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Side Chicks

  N’dia Rae

  Contents

  Copyright

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Ratchet Wives Club Excerpt!

  Also by N’dia Rae and Chanel Q

  C opyright © 2016 by N’dia Rae and 5 Star Lit Publishing

  All rights reserved.

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  Prologue

  Two Months Later

  I nstead of tears rolling down my cheeks, sweat breached my brow, smudging my make-up. The church where my mother’s funeral service was being held was hot as Satan’s balls. And I was caught between assuring flower arrangements were placed perfectly and comforting my little sister, Skye, through her melt down.

  She wailed enough for the both of us. My tears weren’t needed.

  “Nova, can I help you with anything?” my best friend, Misa, asked as she approached me in all black.

  “No, I’m good. Go check on Skye. Make sure she doesn’t hyperventilate,” I instructed, while nudging her toward my despondent sister.

  “What about you? Are you sure you’re okay?” she pried.

  “I’m fine. We’re missing some flowers. I have to go outside and check with the delivery guy.” I attempted to walk away.

  But she followed me. Everyone was being extra careful with me because none of them had seen me break down in tears. I just didn’t feel it. Grief hits people at different times, I guess.

  With Misa on my heels, I stomped outside into the warm sun. My mother, Antoinette, was lucky to be laid to rest on a warm and lovely day.

  “Excuse me, sir, we’re missing a white rose reef arrangement,” I spoke when I approached the man dressed in a blue jumpsuit. He was climbing back into the floral delivery van.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, that’s all we have in the back. They didn’t load any white rose reefs.”

  “That’s unacceptable. I ordered and paid for it. I want it here,” I thrashed. His brow furrowed, as he looked me up and down.

  “That’s an odd color for a funeral,” he commented at my powder blue linen dress while digging for his cell phone in his pocket.

  I didn’t bother responding to his observation. Powder blue was perfect for a funeral. It was light and airy. And that was what I needed to be today. I needed to hold it together.

  “Nova, what’s going on?” Misa asked from behind me.

  “I told you to check on my sister. Please, Misa. I’m fine!” I stressed to her. Defeated, she nodded and turned away back into the church.

  When I returned to the deliveryman, he had slipped his phone back in his pocket. My stomach tightened in anticipation for what he had to say.

  “I apologize for the inconvenience, Mrs. Shelton. I spoke with my boss and he’s going to give you a full refund for the…”

  “That is unacceptable! I paid you people to do a fucking job and you shortchanged me! This is my mother’s fuckin’ funeral!” I flipped out, surprising myself.

  Before the man could part his lips to respond to me, I heard my soon to be ex-husband shout my name.

  “Nova! Calm down, baby!” he shouted grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the delivery guy. He nodded to the man, cueing him to leave while he walked me to the corner, away from the crowd that had begun to form to see what the commotion was about.

  My entire family and all my friends saw me go berserk on the deliveryman. Regret washed over me as I thought about how I blew my cool. All I wanted to do was to get through this funeral without showing much emotion.

  But it was all too much.

  “Baby, what is going on? Are you okay?” he asked, stroking my cheek.

  The touch of his fingers to my perfectly beat face made my skin crawl. I had half a mind to bite him.

  “Get your fucking hands off of me,” I snarled between gritted teeth.

  “I know that you’re grieving. I know that you’re upset and that’s okay. I need you to let it out. Let it all out. You know that I’m here for you,” he attempted to convince me. But I knew it was all lies and bullshit.

  “Tyriq, get the fuck out of my face. Why are you even here?”

  “Nova, I love you! I loved Ms. Toni. She was like a mother to me. Why are you being like this? What has gotten into you? You were fine when I saw you this morning.”

  “It’s funny how quickly someone can change. Isn’t it?” I asked cryptically before turning to walk away.

  Yeah, I was fine when he last saw me earlier this morning. But that was before I found out the truth about him. A truth that I had to sort through along with the burial of my mother.

  As I walked away from my husband, I weaved in and out of the sea of folks dressed in black. I was the only one that dared to wear a light color, aside from some of the children.

  My blue dress stood out as I climbed the stairs to the church. I could feel the dozens of eyes burning into my backside as I approached the church’s door. When I walked back in, my eyes landed on Skye, who was sprawled out on the closed part of the casket. She was banging her fists on the hard cover while yelling, “Please don’t leave me.”

  I sighed, while watching the pathetic sight. You see, this was why I couldn’t mourn. This heffa was doing more than enough.

  She hollered to the top of her lungs as a couple of our cousins rushed to her side, attempting to pull her away. The veins in her balled fists throbbed while her tears poured.

  She was a sad weakling, just like our mother.

  1

  Nova

  “ Y ou just need to leave him,” I flatly said to Misa, while swirling pasta around my fork before stuffing it in my mouth.

  “I can’t! You know I can’t.” She sniffled, barely touching her lunch.

  There we sat outside at Luciano’s, an Italian eatery in downtown D.C., eating lunch and talking about her philandering husband.

  Misa was a beautiful woman, but since getting married and spitting out a few babies, she had let herself go. I remembered telling her, she had to keep it tight, if she didn’t want that fine ass husband of hers to look outside of home for some pussy.

  But she didn’t listen. She swore up and down he loved her for who she was no matter what.

  My response was, “What does
love have to do with his dick?”

  Men can love you and still want to fuck other bitches. Your job is to keep him so satisfied so that he is too caught up in you to sleep around.

  But Misa didn’t keep up with her looks to keep him interested. And what the hell was her excuse? It wasn’t like she had to work. My ass worked, sometimes 60 hour work weeks. And I still managed to keep my body looking good, hair done, food on the table, and pussy or mouth on his dick. Granted, I had no kids yet, but work took up just as much time.

  “I just can’t believe he would do this to me! I supported him through law school! If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t even be an assistant district attorney. And he does this to me!” Her tears had dried, but the anger still lingered.

  I paused from scarfing down the fettuccine alfredo that lay on my plate to look her in her sad eyes.

  She had a cute round face, the color of burnt sienna. Her skin was so smooth and unblemished; it looked as if she were wearing foundation. But that was the only thing she had going for her.

  The three babies she popped out for her asshole husband had left her skinny-fat. She never had much boobs or butt, but the babies made everything sag. Her naturally long hair was never done. She kept it swooped in a ponytail. And she stayed in baggy t-shirts and unflattering yoga pants.

  I had tried to tell her before, but it never worked. And now wasn’t the time. What she needed now was encouragement.

  “Just leave him, Misa. You are beautiful, talented, and intelligent. You don’t need him.”

  “I can’t leave him. The kids are in really good daycares and I can’t afford it without him. Where will I live? What will I drive? You know I signed a pre-nup.”

  Shaking my head, I took a sip of the ice water in my glass. Women were so dumb. This was why I could never be fully dependent on a man.

  Sure, my husband and I were a power couple. But if he left, I would be okay. You had to have a career and never ever sign a pre-nup! If he cheated, you needed to be taking his ass to the cleaners.

  “Is he only cheating with one girl? And do you know who it is?” I prodded.

  “Yeah, that I know of. She’s the only one who’s been texting him and calling him. I finally followed him one day, and he went to a hotel to see her.”

  “You have to get rid of her. Just kill her ass,” I joked while laughing. It lightened the mood, forcing Misa into giggling.

  “I wish. That little bitch knows he’s married yet she still runs around with him.”

  “I hate those kind of women! Side chicks and mistresses. Get your own man, you pathetic broads!” I fussed.

  I really did hate those bitches. They break up homes every day. I know it’s really the man’s fault, but if there weren’t so many of those hoes who willingly slept with married men, there wouldn’t be nearly as big of a problem.

  Sometimes, I wished all of those bitches would just die. I know that’s terrible. I need help, pray for me. I laughed to myself.

  “Well girl, I know you have to get back to work. I don’t want to hold you up.”

  “Yeah, let me head back to the office so I can wrap up this press release. Maybe we can catch up this weekend for a spa day?” I suggested. With all the stress she was dealing with, she needed it.

  “I’ll see if I can get someone to watch the kids.”

  “Let me know,” I replied, while we waited for the check to come.

  * * *

  A fter lunch , I sashayed down the crowded sidewalk to get back to my building. My leopard Loubous clicked along the cement, while I switched my curvy ass. Niggas broke their necks to catch a glimpse of the fat ass walking before them.

  I was a naturally a thick girl. In spite of some of the cosmetic surgery I had I was definitely still considered a BBW. Right after college, I went and got liposuction around my midsection and had the fat transferred to my tits and my ass, giving me a bodacious hour-glass figure. I was thick in all the right places.

  My butter pecan skin was flawless and glinted underneath the sun as I trekked back to my office. The black pencil skirt I wore hugged my hips, but the tan blouse I wore was much more modest.

  I couldn’t be in my office with my cleavage showing. My goal was to eventually become one of the vice presidents at the public relations firm. And I wasn’t going to get there dressing like one of these thots.

  “Welcome back Ms. Shelton,” Ron, the security guard greeted me as I walked through the halls. He was always nice to me, trying to flirt.

  “Hey Ron. And you know its Mrs., right?” I corrected him. I don’t play that shit. I’m a married woman who is deeply in love with my man. I rock this diamond on my fourth finger with pride.

  “Excuse me! I was just wishful thinking,” he joked. Without verbally responding, I smirked and stepped on the elevator to the 12th floor, where I had my own office with a beautiful view of the city.

  At only twenty-eight years old, I had made senior account executive at the firm, Ashworth Marketing. Which allowed me to lead some PR and marketing campaigns for a lot of heavy hitters that included beverage brands, apparel companies, and real estate.

  Before going back into my lovely office, I stopped in the restroom to reapply my cherry colored lipstick. While in the bathroom, I primped my hair, which was cut in the mushroom bob style, similar to Rihanna’s.

  I went to my hairdresser weekly to keep the hairstyle looking perfect. I don’t know who made up the lie that short hair was less maintenance. When you have a style like this, you have to keep your kitchen looking good.

  After assuring my hair was perfect and my lips were on fleek, I settled back at my desk to complete the day.

  “Hey Nova,” Andrea, my manager, a vice president, said when she walked into my office.

  “Hi Andrea, what’s going on?”

  “I just wanted to give you a kudos for the lovely job you did on the American leg of the Satori campaign. The stuff is flying off the shelves all over the country.” Andrea referred to Satori wine, a Japanese wine company that hired Ashworth to do its marketing.

  It was my first assignment as an account executive, and I had done a really good job.

  “Thank you! I read the reports this morning. The sales are doing well.”

  “It’s all because of you. Keep up the good work, lady. One day soon you’ll be up there with me and the other big dogs,” she chuckled.

  “You know that’s always been the goal.” I smiled.

  “I know and you’re well on your way. I’m rooting for you,” she replied before turning away.

  “Oh and before I forget. Your bonus will be in this next paycheck and I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised.” She winked before exiting.

  There was nothing like doing an amazing job and getting paid for it. As I read over the press release that I wrote for another client, my cell phone rang. It was my mother, Antoinette, also known as Toni.

  “Sup ma,” I answered with the phone pressed between my ear and my shoulder.

  “Nova, I need you to come over tonight. I have a surprise I want to tell the family. Bring your husband,” she gleefully said.

  “It’s a little short notice, don’t you think?”

  “Just come. It’s very important. You know, Nova, you only have one mother. You need to treat me right…” She went on her extended rant about how I should treat her well since she was older and could die tomorrow. Rolling my eyes, I blocked her out. I hated when she did that shit.

  “Fine, I’ll be there. I’ll talk to you later,” I replied. As soon as I hung up, I phoned my husband. I hated interrupting him at work. He didn’t need any distractions. Just like me, he was also one of the youngest people at his job in an upper management position.

  My baby worked for one of the top real estate development firms in the area, Durden Development. Like I said, we were a power couple, striving to be the best in our careers and lead elite lives.

  “Hey sweetie,” he answered the call.

  “Good afternoon, love. I won’
t hold you. Please meet me at my mother’s house tonight. She said she had an important announcement and wants you there along with me.”

  “What? Is she pregnant?” He laughed at his own joke.

  “Boy please. She better not be. As old as she is.” I laughed back.

  “You said it, not me.” He continued to chuckle.

  “You implied it. But can I count on you to be there?”

  “Of course. I love you. I gotta run.”

  “Love you too, baby.” I hung up and returned to work.

  I loved my how my husband made an effort to be there for me.

  2

  Tyriq

  “ O f course . I love you. I gotta run,” I replied before hanging the phone up on my gorgeous wife.

  But when I looked up from my cell phone, I was met with an evil eye and severe sucking of teeth.

  “Don’t be like that,” I said to Kinasha, my assistant and secret jump off.

  “I just hate how you do that shit in front of me. You see me sitting right here, yet you still answer your phone when she calls. It’s disrespectful,” she hissed while poking her bottom lip out.

  These thots never knew how to stay in their place. I cleared my throat and shrugged it off, while returning back to our conversation.

  “What was I saying again? Oh yeah, I need you to come with me to the meeting tomorrow at the Gardens. I need you to be my eyes and ears. You take really good notes, okay?”

  “Uh huh, I’ll be there. But seriously, Tyriq, why are you even still with her? I thought we had something special,” she whined while biting down on her bottom lip.

  Every time she did that shit, my dick jumped. If we didn’t have so much work to do, I would lock my office door and bend that ass over my desk, like I’d done hundreds of times.

  “Because she’s my wife,” I flatly stated.

  I know it sounds fucked up, but I do love my wife. But we got married too young and I’m not ready to stop getting pussy. I loved a variety of women. My wife was thick and had sexy short hair.