Candace

      I strolled into the casting room dressed in a pair of low rise Marciano jeans that clung to my body like a second skin, a tan camisole that had a plunging neck line and made the most of my medically enhanced D's, and a pair of tall brown suede boots that gave my walk that extra sway. I knew I looked good and the casting director would be a fool if he didn't pick me for the lead of this video. Doing music videos wasn't really my life's goal but it was a foot in the door.

      A slow smile formed on my face when, after I walked in, I noticed that fine assed dude Dreux from the party. He'd been on my mind since but, as you could probably tell, he and I didn't really run in the same circles so I didn't have the footing to weave my way into his relationship and rip those seams to create something between the two of us. He was glancing through the pictures of various girls and talking to a slightly older guy before glancing up catching view of me.

      "Hi," I said with a smile just knowing he knew who I was.

      He frowned before saying, "You are?"

      That kind of threw me off because I wasn't a chick that you just forgot. Obviously he didn't know but I'd plan on making him see the light. Men were all the same, after all. I swallowed my pride and threw him a seductive smile before saying, "I'm Candace Jones."

      He nodded before whispering something to the older guy before leaving. The older guy had his full attention on me and licked his lips before asking me to dance as he grabbed a remote and turned on the radio. I swirled my body and popped my hips to the beat. No, I wasn't Shakira but I could grind and pop it with the rest of them.

Kendra

      "Hey baby," I greeted Jarell as I joined him at an outside table at the Ivy.

      Normally we didn't do lunch seeing as we were both busy with our careers but Jarell insisted and I needed a break. A waiter came over and took our orders before I turned my attention back to Jarell. I looked him up and down before frowning and saying, "What's wrong?"

      "What makes you think anything is wrong?" he asked with a faint smile as he wiped his hands on his pants.

      "Because you're acting suspect," I pointed out as the waiter came back with our drinks.

      "We've been together for a while now," he pointed out.

      "Yes, we have," I concurred with a faint smile as I briefly thought of the heated arguments we'd had along with the heated make up sessions.

      Jarell joked a lot so people didn't really get to see the depth of him but he was an incredibly intelligent man who was passionate about life. What made me fall for him, besides his giving nature, was that he could hold a conversation. It wasn't that he knew everything but he knew a little something about a lot of subjects and that was a turn on for me. There was just nothing sexier than an intelligent black man.

      He paused a bit and sipped some of his water before clearing his throat and turning his attention back to me. "You know I love you right?"

      "I love you too baby," I replied with a genuine smile.

      "How much you love me?" he asked playfully.

      "Bunches and bunches," I answered with a smile.

      "You love me enough to spend the rest of your life with me?" he asked and I paused what I was doing to comprehend what he was asking.

      "Don't play with me Jarell," I snapped at him and he smiled widely showing his pearly whites.

      "I'm not playing with you baby. Will you marry me?" he asked.

      'Yes!,' my brain screamed but nothing came out. Jarell looked at me in worry before speaking.

      "Baby? Can I get an answer?"

      "Yes!" I coughed out and left my seat and jumped on his lap. Fuck decorum. My baby just proposed. I peppered kisses on his face.

      "Well damn," he chuckled as he clutched my waist tightly. "If I knew it would have been this easy I wouldn't have even bought a ring."

      "Don't play with me!" I snapped before asking him where my ring was.

      "You sure you want it?" he teased.

      "Jarell Damonte Houston!"

      "Aight, aight," he replied holding his hand up in surrender before gently maneuvering me to the side so he could delve into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He grabbed my left hand and opened the box to present me with an antique designed diamond ring and slipped it onto the fourth finger of my left hand. It was a perfect fit. Damn, I was getting married.

Dreux

      The private jet I'd chartered landed on the private landing strip located on a portion of my parents two hundred plus acre land on Lake Tahoe. I hopped into one of the pimped out golf carts my father had located on the edge of the landing strip and relaxed as one of the workers drove me to the main house. I hadn't seen my mother in a while and was eager to see her but I wasn't in the mood for the conversation I knew my father wanted to have.

      "It's good to see you home Mister Frederic," Claire, one of the live-in maid's said as she engulfed me in a warm hug. She had been working for my parents since I was little and was more like an aunt than one of the help.

      "Is my father in the billiard room?" I asked as we parted she nodded and I maneuvered my way around the 38,000 square foot home I used to get lost in when I was a child and knocked on the closed door to my father's sanctuary.

      "Come in," his deep baritone ordered and I opened the door to see him sitting in one of his hard back chairs smoking a Cuban cigar while reading The Art of War.

      "Hey pop," I greeted him and shook his hand firmly before taking the seat across from him.

      "Dreux," he said before slipping the platinum coated book mark into his book before turning his undivided attention to me. "Lionel has told me that you still haven't sent him the signed prenuptial agreement."

      "Get right to the point, huh?" I asked.

      "I'm above beating around the bush," he answered simply. "Why haven't the papers been signed?"

      "I haven't asked Koren to sign them," I answered honestly seeing as I could never lie to my father.

      "I know you feel uncomfortable with asking her and honestly I like the girl but this is for your own safety Dreux," he started before elegantly waving his hand around the room. "This is what you grew up with Dreux. I've worked hard, as did your grandfather, to give us a comfortable lifestyle and unfortunately you understand the lengths people will go to use you. I know that you think Koren is with you for love, and I'm sure she is seeing as she probably has no idea what you're worth, but things change as time goes by. Being the sole heir to a twenty billion dollar fortune changes a lot of things Dreux and I just want your interest to be protected."

      "I know," I replied with a sigh and Lord did I.

      Growing up I was always one of the popular kids but I'd noticed how more people tended to want to be all up under me when they visited my home and saw just how privileged I was or found out that my father was THE Jacques Frederic. Sure, there were other 'rich' kids attending my prep schools but they most certainly didn't grow up in a home worth somewhere around a hundred million dollars. My father worked hard for his money and didn't feel a reason to hide it. Don't get me wrong, he didn't flaunt his money, but that didn't mean that he didn't go into Harry Winston on a whim and spend three and four million dollars on a necklace for my mother.

      "It's just that Koren and I never discussed money. Imagine the questions that would arise if handed her the papers and a black pen with instructions to sign," I pointed out.

      "Well, then maybe it's about that time that you have this discussion," he replied with finality and switched the subject to business.

Kendra

      "So you're getting married?" Candace asked me shocked when she and I had brunch later on in that week.

      I had invited Koren as well because I wanted to tell her the good news as well as to try to inadvertently show Candace how sweet a person Koren was so she would stop scheming on the girl's man.

      "Yes," I answered with a smile, "he asked over lunch a couple of days ago."

      "I'm so happy for you," Koren replied energetically as she engulfed me in a one-armed hugged. She then grabbed my left hand and looked at the ring. "It's beautiful. It's just like the ring you told me you always wanted."

      "I know," I gushed as I stared down at it. "I'm surprised he even remembered."

      "You know this means that we can go dress shopping together!" Koren exclaimed.

      "Didn't you already start?" I asked her.

      "Yes, but I have an appointment with Marie at Neiman Marcus. She set aside some dresses for me so you should call her and have her add some dresses for you too," she stated energetically.

      "We haven't even set a date," I pointed out.

      "It's never too early to start," she replied knowingly. "Dreux and I have been engaged for almost a year and we still have so much to do. Planning your dream wedding takes time and do you know the waiting lists at certain areas are out of this world for spring and summer weddings."

      "I didn't even think about that."

      "You also have to pick out who you want in your bridal party, if you even want one, and then dress cuts that would flatter your bridesmaids," she added.

      Candace cleared her throat to get our attention and gave Koren this look that I knew meant she was going to start something. She took a sip of her water before saying, "You're engaged to Dreux, right?"

      "Yes," she answered simply before taking a bite of her eggs and turkey sausage.

      "How do you make that work?" Candace asked. "I mean he works in the music industry and we all know how men in the industry get."

      "We both respect and trust each other so promiscuity isn't a problem," Koren answered smoothly.

      "So you mean to tell me that in all the time you've been together, he's never cheated?" Candace asked digging.

      "Candy!" I snapped intervening but Koren gently placed her hand on my arm and shook her head before turning her attention back to Candace.

      "Not that the going's on in my relationship is anyone's business but Dreux and mine, I can honestly say that he hasn't and he most likely won't because he knows what we have and he cherishes that," she answered with a faint smile before sipping her Mimosa.

      "I find that hard to believe," Candace replied with a snort. "He's a man and they all cheat."

      "Maybe that's the sort of men you entertain," Koren replied as she looked up from her plate to lock eyes with Candace.

      It was at that moment that I realized that Koren wasn't as oblivious as I'd assumed. I can also guess that Candace noticed that fact as well because she backed down and turned her attention back to her salad.

Koren

      "So you're thinking about using Charles Elliot for photography and then using Meredith to design the cover?" I asked my publisher.

      "Yes. Those were the ones free to do the project out of the list you gave me," he replied.

      "Okay. I'll call Charles and tell him what I'm looking for," I told my publisher just as Dreux walked in looking stressed out.

      I quickly ended my call before turning my attention to Dreux. "What's wrong baby?"

      "I need to talk to you," he replied with a sigh.

      "Okay," I dragged as I wondered what he needed to tell me that had him acting all...guilty.

      In that instance the conversation I'd had with Kendra's friend flowed back in my mind and immediately Dreux had my full attention. I wasn't about to jump to any conclusions because he had never done anything to make me doubt him but I did know that if he came out of his mouth with some nonsense about him cheating on me, I was going to beat his ass.

      He pulled me up from my leather office chair and led me into the living room and, gently, pushed me into the comfortable sofa. Dreux stared at me for a minute before taking a deep breath and began speaking.

      "This is a conversation I have been avoiding for a while now," he started, "but after speaking with my father I know I can't avoid it any longer."

      He was speaking as if it was the end and it was pulling me more on edge than I originally was. "Just spit it out Dreux because you're making all sorts of thoughts flow through my head right now."

      "You remember my parents?" he offered.

      "Yes," I replied with a faint smile as I remembered when they'd visited shortly after we'd gotten engaged. "Are they okay?" I asked suddenly worried.

      "They're fine," he assured me with a smile. "It's just that there are a couple of things that have to be done before we get married."

      "What's that?" I asked curiously, wondering if there was something his family did when they married that the average family didn't.

      "I need you to read and sign this," he stated as he handed me a legal folder. I opened it with a frown that only deepened as I began reading and found out what this was.

      "A prenupt?" I asked glancing from the pile of papers.

      He looked down at his hands before glancing up at me and saying, "My father thinks its best to have my assets protected."

      I could understand his reasoning but what a way to go about get married. I love you and want to spend my life with you but I'm pretty sure it won't last so in the event that we don't I want to make sure you can't take shit. Grudgingly I read through the document before placing it on the table and looking over at Dreux who had taken refuge in the chair across from me.

      "I'll sign it," I told him and he let out a breath of air I didn't know he was holding, "but I want a clause put in."

      "Stating?" he asked as he grabbed the paper and pen so he could jot it down.

      "If things don't work out and we both tried to make it work then I agree to leave with what I came into the marriage with," I started, "but if we end because you fuck up then I feel I deserve retribution. Especially if I'm not working. We both know how you've been trying to get me to quit and, if at some point, we have kids and I feel it's best to be a full time mom then I want to know that I'll be okay if we don't last."

      "Why are you thinking like that?" Dreux asked me.

      "I wasn't originally," I pointed out, "but I figure that if your interest are protected then so should mine."