Free Seduced By The General by India T. Norfleet

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    “ Where in the hell is my shoooooe?! ”
    Brandie ran around her house searching like a madwoman for the mate to her black Coach pump with the cute burgundy buckle on the side. She loved those shoes and had built her entire outfit around them. She’d searched all four closets and the basement of her ranch-style home and still, no shoe.
    Think, Brandie …
    She dropped down to her knees for the third time and threw her arm under the couch for her Hail Mary, making sure she swept the floor with her hand. Nothing.
    She stood quickly, squinting her eyes to get a glance at the green neon clock on the stove.
    “Shit! Lord, please don’t let me be late.”
    It was 7:15. If she didn’t leave the house by 7:45, she would be late for her company’s biggest benefit dinner since the graphics company opened its doors twelve years ago.
    After checking the hall closet once more for the shoe, Brandie gave up and grabbed her all black with gold trim spiked heels from the pile of shoes that now almost completely blanketed the hallway, then scuttled to the bathroom to finish getting dressed. She stood in front of the full length mirror, making sure she was sassy but classy as she admired the burgundy cocktail dress waiting for her in the dry cleaner’s plastic , hanging on the bathroom door.
    She nodded, pleased with her last minute change in wardrobe before carefully removing the plastic and sliding her curvaceous frame into the snug fitting, knee-length dress.
    “Very nice Brandie,” she purred, turning to her side and admiring her perfectly shaped backside. The fight with the Spanx was definitely worth it.
    She applied a deep burgundy tinted lipstick to the full lips of her lightly made up face and made sure that her pinned curls were still in place before finally exhaling into a smile.
    “7:40. Perfect timing,” she whispered as she put on her black pea coat. She grabbed her keys from the coffee table by the door when she noticed something sticking out from underneath the other end of her coffee table. Sending up a silent prayer, Brandie walked over to the table and grabbed her pump, snatching it so quickly that she knocked some dusty magazines onto the floor.
    “Ugh,” she grunted. She knelt carefully, picking up the magazine and tossing it back on the table when a picture slid out onto the floor.
    “Perfect.” Kneeling down a third time to pick up the photo, she glanced at it and then took a seat in disbelief.
    “This can’t be—how did this get in here?” She thought she’d burned everything she owned with her ex’s face on it years ago. She couldn’t help the small smile that tickled the corners of her lips at the irony of Kahlil finally being the scum under her feet for a change.
    Brandie took one last look at the photo. Kahlil was washing her car, no shirt on. They had been together for three years and he’d lost a bet. The car was only the first thing he had to do for her. That was one unforgettable Indian summer, she thought. Shaking her head at the memory, Brandie crumbled the faded photo into the palm of her hand and tossed it in the kitchen trash can.
    After making a quick switch into her Coach pumps, she grabbed her small clutch purse from the closet and ran out the door.
     
    She revved up the Cherry Red Cherokee and pushed play on R. Kelly’s “Chocolate Factory”. She had butterflies of excitement at the thought of being a part of such a special night, but it was still a bittersweet celebration for her since Kahlil wasn’t there to witness her joy and see how far she’d come in the company in such a short time.
    “Wow,” she whispered. “Seven years to the day.”
    He’d left her seven years ago on this very day. She’d accepted the job offer from Sweet Cheeks Graphics and was so proud of herself. The suppressed memories came roaring back as she relived that horrible day.
    “ Kahlil, Kahlil baby I got the job! I can't believe it. I got the freaking job! I am now the new marketing