Beneath Me (Chicago Love Series Book 2)

Jason G. Covington (Chapter 1)

When I think back to my childhood, I often wonder what could have changed the outcome of today. Had I not been born black, had I not been born in the urban jungle of Chicago, had I not been born with skin the color of toasted almond, would I be free? I wonder had I not been the scapegoat, the social outcast of my narcissistic family, could I have learned to love? I often ponder the answers to these questions, and when I feel them begin to weigh down on my subconscious, I simply pull out my latest suit and dress for success. I hop into my truck and drive to the place that defines my existence. At the top of the Hancock building in downtown Chicago, I run a small, but profitable advertisement agency dedicated to professional men. In my hands and from my mind the latest ideas about fashion, money, music, and women fill the pages of Homme magazine every week, and I always deliver.

“Mr. Covington your one o’clock is in your office, your sister is on line two, and I ordered you the salmon from downstairs for lunch,” my beautiful, but overworked assistant says to me as I walk into the office later than usual.

“Thank you Cheryl,” I say with a brief smile and head into my office. Cheryl had potential, she graduated the top of her class from DePaul University with a dual degree in Journalism and English, and she was always ready to take charge. Yet, she lacked the key essentials to being successful, drive, motivation, and creativity. It was like she was stuck in the slow lane of traffic and didn’t know where to find the nearest exit, but I kept her on because she was good to me.

“Good morning Mr. Brooks,” I said as I extended to shake the hand of the man who’d make me richer than I already was. Thomas Brooks was the COO of Akira and had proposed to use my magazine as the key piece of advertising for the launching of Akira Men, their new brand of boutiques that would be gracing not only Michigan Avenue, but the likes of Rodeo Drive and the like. His partnership with mine would bring in at least 10% of their revenue my way and give my magazine the exposure it needed for the new generation of the leading man.

“Good morning Mr. Covington, I’m glad you could finally join me,” he said with a sneer forming across his face.

“Well you do know how morning traffic can be in the windy city, but I’m glad you could stop by today. I’ve already sent over the spreads for the next issue to your advertising team, and talked to Miranda about covering the boutique launch. I just believe we need to sign a couple of these documents and our business here is done,” I replied as I eased into my luscious leather office chair and smiled back at him.

“I’ll have our lawyers look them over, what I really wanted to discuss with you today is launching something new. Akira appreciates all you’ve done for us, but we’d like to take a different angle. You know doing our own issue, soley on the Akira Man,” he said leaning up in his chair.

“How does that involve me?”

“Easy, you assemble a team of people we approve to launch a quarterly magazine of our brand,” he said as though he’d just asked for a cup of coffee. I always appreciated a challenge, but this was asking me to completely revamp my own image and change the face of my company. I didn’t like people giving me orders and I didn’t like people asking me to change.

“I’ll see what we can do for you, until then please inform Cheryl that you need the documents. I look forward to hearing from you soon,” and with that I dismissed him, besides he was killing my vibe. Leaning back in my chair I allowed the Prestige Recordings by John Coltrane ease me into a decent mood and powered up my Mac to check my messages.

Dear Sophisticated Brotha,

For the past two years I’ve been in an “official unofficial” relationship with this guy I met through a mutual friend. We’ve gon on dates, met each others friends and families, event spent holidays together, yet he won’t wife me up. I’ve asked him what more could I do, bought him gifts, gave him everything he asked for and he still doesn’t heed to my wishes. Now I’m a patient, passionate, kind and considerate woman, but I feel he is making a fool of me. I love him, why doesn’t he understand that? I recently caught him with another woman and I asked myself, what does she have that I don’t. I have a college degree, good job, my own home and you know what she got!! She works at Target, lives at home with her parents, and she ain’t even cute! What do I do?

-Hopeless in Love

Dear Sophisticated Brotha,

I’ve been dealing with an issue for awhile, a serious issue. I’m a married woman with three children, but recently I’ve been cheating on my husband with his assistant. It started innocently, you know us just chatting about the kids and how our husbands don’t appreciate all we do for them, but then she touched me. She was a shoulder to cry on, someone to have fun with, and my husband loved our growing friendship. Yet, she allows me to explore my inner curiosities and be free sexually. I’m not in love with her, but she is slowly falling in love with me and I’m afraid it could hurt my husband’s business. What do I do?

-Confused in Lust

Women…there are some things about them I will never understand and that is one of the main reasons I started my magazine. Yet, I felt something was missing so about two years ago I decided to start an advice blog for the “single and/or confused black woman” searching for love and who she was WITH and WITHOUT a man. I was amazed at how many women who thought they had it together, really only had a sense of false wisdom and hope. So many of those who read my blog, or sent me messages thought they had it together, but failed to do a self check every once in awhile.  Although tons of them were sophisticated, successful, and educated they lacked the most basic skill in the world…common fucking sense. They allowed men they know who weren’t shit, to milk them for all they had, they allowed themselves to be downplayed and then blamed others for not realizing they were stepping in shit. So many of them forgot that no you can’t control someone else’s actions, but you can control what you allow to happen to you. So, every week I decided to steer them into what I considered the right direction and prayed for those who never would.

“Mr. Covington there is an invitation from Ms. Naima Carter-Moore here for you,” Cheryl announced dropping the invitation on my desk. Nai and I went way back when I was a Sigma Rhomeo and we pledged together in college, her husband Charles was my frat and they always kept in contact whenever their music group made moves. Sometimes I wish Nai and I were would have grown closer, but I understood that she chose Charles as her soul mate and I fell back…way back.

“Thanks Cheryl, and you know you’re welcome to come if you don’t have anything else that night,” I said after dismissing her for the evening. I silently prayed that she would come and that it would give her the push she needed to network and get her own.

“Actually I was thinking maybe we could get a drink later on tonight, you know chat a bit,” she said sitting down in the chair in front of my desk.

“Excuse me,” I replied hopefully she wasn’t pushing the envelope and taking my kindness for a sign I was interested in her.

“Jason I think we both know there is a mutual attraction between us, I don’t understand why you keep fighting it,” she said licking her lips and with that I was done.