The Last Dance

02

Janet found herself stressing over what to wear and the woman rarely stressed about something as simple as apparel a dinner meeting. Cause that's what it was, a dinner meeting. She kept telling herself that, and soon it became easier as she picked out a simple outfit. Dress and heels can never fail you. Especially when they're both black.

On the opposite side of town, Mariah seemed to be going through the same struggle but worse as she was tearing her closet apart piece by piece. Every outfit was trash suddenly, and the woman was stressing the hell out. Mid change, her condos door opened and she heard a familiar voice yell. "MJ!"

She ignored it momentarily as she looked at herself displeased with her reflection in the mirror. Footsteps approached her room and soon her older sister popped in. Mariah hadn't moved an inch from the mirror and her sister, Madison, smacked her lips. "Bitch! You didn't hear—" She paused when she saw that her sister wasn't even paying her attention. "Who your ugly ass getting all dressed up for?"

The woman rolled her eyes in response before shooting back. "Your sugar daddy."

Madison was her older sister, by 2 years. She was turning 31 this year, while as Mariah was turning 29. They had a younger brother who was 21.

The two had a different father from Mariah's, but it never affected the love they held for each other. Plus, Mariah's father was deceased. He had passed when she was fourteen. Her mother and father hadn't been involved romantically or emotionally after Mariah's birth, so the relationship lacked harshly growing up but he spent as much time as he could with the child before he passed.

Growing up, Madison and Matthew's father had stepped back into the picture and had raised them since. He was the only male figure that Mariah considered a father after her own passed. He'd accompanied her to all of the father daughter dances and hadn't ever treated her like a step child. To the man, Mariah was as much as his as was Madison and Matt. Well at least until the arguments worsened and their mom broke it off with him. Since then it had been just the three siblings and their mother. Still, they had no ill feelings towards anyone and Drew would always check in with them.

"Well I hope he throws ya ass a couple hundreds, cause in the club you only making pennies."

Mariah pointed the finger at her sister before sighing. "I'm going to a important dinner meeting and I don't know what to wear. I definitely need to look like somebody but I don't want to over due it either."

"What's wrong with what you have on?"

Her eyes swept over her reflection once again. Her black dress curved her figures and she had red pumps on her feet to match with the red jacket she was planning on placing on her body. "You don't think it's too little?"

"Girl you look fine. Stop over thinking your wardrobe. Whose the meeting with?"

"Well, mama is pregnant and her doctor put her on bed rest. Which was followed up by her boyfriend putting her on lockdown because he knew that she would sneak and dance anyways. So now I have to choreograph Janet Jackson's selection of 'I Get Lonely.'"

Mariah always referenced to Aisha as 'mama'. Everyone told the two that they looked like mother and daughter, so they just embraced it now. Even though Aisha referenced her as daughter, she still had no problem cussing the child out. It was never favoritism between the two. Everyone knew that.

Maddy nodded and smiled. "Well, smile. This could get your name out there. More exposure for you."

"I know. I know, but what if I do bad?"

"Girl," Her sister paused before looking at her with a face meaning nothing but irritation. "You could never do bad. It's your natural craft. What time does it start?"

Mariah's eyes glanced at her watch before panic set in. "8, and I have 15 minutes to make it downtown in LA traffic. I have to go Maddy. I love you! Lock up!" She scrambled to the front of her condo before grabbing her Apple Watch and snapping it on as well. Heading out the door and mindlessly leaving her jacket behind, she practically flew to her car before she got a text from Janet. They had swapped information before leaving the studio earlier.

Janet
Running late. Traffic's a monster and I'm not even on the highway yet.

The younger woman chuckled at the text message before replying.

Mariah
Same here, anywhere else you want to go because how it's looking, we won't make it to the restaurant for another hour or two.

Dots popped up, and Janet texted back.

Janet
My house? I can get my chef to cook. It's last minute so it won't be as fancy but it'll be something.

It took a moment for Mariah to text back, she was thinking another restaurant, not being alone with Janet Jackson in her home. Well the chef would be there of course, but still, Mariah was already on egg shells as it was.

Janet sat waiting for a response from Mariah as they got off the ramp of the highway and headed home. She knew she was more than likely pushing the quiet woman's limits, she just wanted to see how far she'd allow them to be pushed. Her face broke out into a grin when Mariah texted her back.

Mariah
Sure, what's your address?

The woman was quick to reply with it and soon she pulled up to her home. Getting out the car, she thanked her driver before walking into her house. As she walked, she remembered that she had agreed to have food prepared. Checking the time, a frown graced her features. Her chef had left a hour or two ago. Sighing, she walked into the kitchen and began pulling out things. The woman knew how to cook, her and her mother would be together in the kitchen for hours at a time. So to work she went, making anything that could work well at the moment.

By time Mariah arrived to the house, 35 minutes had passed. She still had to enter some sort of traffic in order to get to the older woman's house but you wouldn't hear her complaining. Her footsteps paved their way to the front door of the singers home. Mariah's hands were clamping as she shakily pressed the door bell. She had barely sent that text message out, let alone actually thought it through.

Her heart stopped beating for a moment when she heard footsteps approaching the door in front of her. She wiped her hands on her dress quickly as she waited. It opened shortly after and Janet smiled at her as she motioned her inside. "Hey, come on in."

Even though the singer had spoken, she was stuck mentally. The duo were matching without even trying and Janet couldn't help but think that they had to vibe somewhere along the lines.

Mariah followed her instructions and walked into the house. Still, her mind was everywhere but on what it needed to be on. Dancing is one thing, business meetings? Nah, that was Aisha's thing.

'Here goes nothing,' Both of the women thought to themselves as Janet shut the door behind her.