#Sell Your Gold in Weston

[ns-imagines]

Marine Corps Birthday Ball

RAAHHH THE BEST DAY OF THE YEAR JUST PASSED. NOVEMEBER 10TH THE MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY!!

All U.S. Marines in COD x USMC Birthday Ball

| Word Count: Not sure its a lot w/ videos| SFW

A/N: *Rips someone into two pieces with my bare hands* Shit makes me so happy that im a U.S. Marine. RAH. Keegan please be my date to the ball &lt;3 Sgt Russ and Sgt ****** <3

Context: Every year throughout the month of November we have our Marine Corps Birthday Ball. There's a ceremony and fancy dinner and of course a lot of alcohol and tabaco. Enlisted wear our Marine Corps Blues uniform and get to show off all our fancy awards and medals. The officers wear their sick uniform as well. Guests wear a formal suit or dress!! We get drunk, have cake, and dance. Its fun and one of the many traditions we have in this service. This year it was the 248th Birthday!! Let me give you the run down for todays event <3

Military Lingo Key at the end

1845 - Venue doors open

1900 - Cocktail Hour

2000 - Cocktail Hour ends all bars are closed

2005 - 5 Minute warning for the ceremony

2010 - Ceremony begins

2100 - Ceremony ends

2110 - Dinner service starts and Bars reopen

2200 - Dance floor opens / DJ starts

0130 - Venue doors close

Okay now that we have the schedule down. Lets list all the Marines in COD. Were gonna pretend everyone's alive and in the same unit for tonight. Whos going to be your date for tonight? Skip past the photo when you're ready.

All unnamed Marines <3 (damn npcs)

-MARSOC Marines, 2nd MarDiv

1st FRP (MW1) Source for info below click here and here (<- Has character pictures as well for some)

-Lt Vasquez, Cpt Pelayo, Sgt Paul Jackson, SSgt Griggs, Pvt Massey, Pvt West, Pvt Royzewicz, LCpl Lopez, and LCpl Gaines

DRT Stalker Units With Air Squadrons (All games) Information Source click here

Cpl Baker, Sgt Baker, Capt Weston, Cpt Keating, and Lt Volker

GHOSTS Platoon prior Force Recon Platoon (COD GHOSTS) Information Source click here

Sgt Keegan Russ, Sgt Alex Johnson, and Cpt Gabe Rorke

Lemme know if I forgot anyone!!

Okay, you have your date or friend group that you're going with. You as the guest are in your formal attire. Lets get this party started! (Every year and in every venue its the same setup, same ceremony, and same food)

1845-1900

You show up to the venue with your date. The ball room is set. There are about a dozen round tables draped with a beautiful white table cloth. There is a round red and gold table cloth in the center of the table. On it sits two pitchers one with water and the other with iced sweet tea. In front of each seat is a set of silverware for each course, a wine glass, a water/tea glass, a pamphlet with tonight's events, and a neatly folded napkin. Each section is sat with each other. A chair left empty next to your Marine for you of course.

Usually the Commanding Officer or Executive Officer will put money down for everyone to get one free drink. The venue offers two bars. Both the lines are a bit long but you can just chat while you wait. There plenty of people to be introduced too and everyone is saying "Happy Birthday" to each other. If you're stationed in an allied country like Japan there are guests from their military as well.

The bar has a wide variety. Wine, shots, mixed drinks, and juice if you arent drinking. They even sell cigars. You and your date get your drinks and socialize. You get to meet their peers and squad members. This is also the time to take pictures! You walk towards the entrance of the venue with your date. There is always a professional Photographer waiting. The American flag and Marine Corps flag are proudly displayed in front of a royal red backdrop. The backdrop has accents of gold.

The photographer asks if you want their pictures or just on your phone. You both pose and smile. The pictures came out amazing. Your Marine will take some photos with their shop and then you'll head back into the venue. Another drink?

2005

Man that hour went by fast! The five minute warning has just been called. You and your Marine go to your seats and wait for the ceremony to begin.

2010

The ceremony starts. Everyone is seated and quiet. There's always one rushing back to their seat from the bathroom. (You can watch a full ceremony from last year here but im going to summarize it. Im speaking from my experience overseas but the video is stateside Marine Corps)

The band does their introduction segment commencing the start of the ceremony. The march forward turn and march back. Next comes the sword detail. There are 4 pairs that walk through. There are both Enlisted Marines and Officers in the sword detail. They march in pairs to their position and once are all in place the Commanding Officer, Sergeant Major, and XO march past the sword detail to the front of the stage. Everyone stands when they walk by to show respect. Next comes the color guard with the American Flag and Marine Corps flag and two rifles march onto stage. Everyone stays standing to honor the colors are they pass. The National Anthem is played followed by Anchors Away and then the Marine Corps Hymn. Which every Marine sings!!

The cake is then marched onto stage while the band plays. A traditional speech is made. Then the CO cuts the cake with the NCO sword giving a slice to the guest speaker. The another slice to the oldest Marine. The oldest Marine takes a fork full and passes it to the youngest Marine for a fork full. This symbolizes the passing of traditions!

After that the color guard marches off stage followed by the cake detail and oldest and youngest Marine. The CO, XO, and SgtMaj exit the stage. Then the sword detail. The guest speaker will then give their speech and then the birthday message will play. I have it linked below. It was fire this year!!

2110

The ceremony ends and the bars open. Half the Marines there rush to the bathroom and the other half to the bar. The venue staff start to bring out a shrimp cocktail appetizer. After 15 minutes they bring out a salad. Then after about another 15 minutes they bring out the main course. There are four options chicken, steak, fish, and vegetarian.

2200 - 0130

The dance floor opens. You are free to leave at this time if you want. The venue service starts clearing off the tables and the DJ starts playing music. Marines go outside to smoke cigars others hit the bar for the 4-5th time. The dance floor gets crazy. The CO will even bust some moves on the dance floor. Medals come off so no one looses them (Plus they are so freaking expensive) and everyone has fun till the venue closes.

I hope you enjoyed your ball <3

Happy Birthday Marines!! Semper Fi

Military Lingo Key:

Section - who you work with basically

Sword detail - you can read about that tradition here

cake detail - you can read all about it here

#call of duty #call of duty x reader #keegan russ #keegan russ x reader #cod x marines #just a random post for fun!!

[beachboysnatural]

OMG OKAY GUYS I AM SO EXCITED. @gaydeanwinchester​ @thursday111​ @hollywoodforevercemeterymp3​ HERE YOU GUYS GO.

So Fleetwood Mac formed in the UK in the sixties. It was this guy Mick Fleetwood (drummer) and his friend John McVie (bass guitar), and they did not have a steady guitarist OR singer for a while. I think Peter Green was the founding guitarist but he left like two or three years in.

So for this one song they get some backup singers and one of them is this girl Christine. Her and John have this whirlwind romance and get married. Christine can sing and she can play keyboard so she decides she’s part of the band now and they don’t complain because they need her but they STILL don’t have a steady guitarist and they are not making enough money by any means. The band relocates to LA for better luck in the mid-70s.

In LA in the mid-70s there’s this duo called Buckingham-Nicks, consisting of Lindsey Buckingham (guitar, singer) and Stevie Nicks (singer). Stevie is working three jobs to support her and her boyfriend Lindsey, who spends his time playing guitar and smoking weed with his friends or sick with mono sometimes. Their album (Buckingham Nicks) does not sell well at all and they are both wondering if music is the right career for them.

Mick Fleetwood (the band manager) hears one of Stevie and Lindsey’s songs and contacts Lindsey to ask if he’d like to play guitar. Lindsey says, “Sure, but ONLY if my girlfriend, who is a singer, gets to sing with me.” But Fleetwood Mac already has a singer. So Christine and Stevie have dinner together. If they don’t like each other the band can’t happen. Luckily they hit it off and agree that they can each write and perform their own songs.

So now, finally, Fleetwood Mac has a steady lineup. Five people, three singers, and a guitar (!!). It’s important to note that John and Christine’s marriage was kind of on the rocks, but they put that whole thing on hold because they had a chance to actually make money. They could sort their marriage out later.

It’s also important to note that Stevie and Lindsey’s relationship was shaky at best, but they put it on hold to focus on the band.

It’s also important to note that Mick Fleetwood’s wife was cheating on him with one of the other guitarists from their lineups, Bob Weston.

So the five of them write an album and then tour it relentlessly throughout 1975. During the tour, Stevie and Lindsey break up and John and Christine hurdle towards divorce faster than Mick Fleetwood is! They gain attention but the damage to their personal lives has been done. So it takes almost two years and a divorce for John and Christine for the band to release another album, Rumours (1977), which is the best album ever made.

Every single song on Rumours is either about another band member or it’s a fuck you to another band member. All three singers contributed: Lindsey wrote “Second Hand News,” “Never Going Back Again,” and most famously “Go Your Own Way” about his breakup with Stevie. Christine wrote “Don’t Stop” about John, “You Make Loving Fun” about her sidepiece, “Songbird” about John, and “Oh Daddy” about Mick OR her sidepiece. Stevie wrote “Dreams” about Lindsey, and “Gold Dust Woman” about living in Los Angeles, as well as “Silver Springs” about Lindsey. But “Silver Springs” wasn’t on the album when it released, because Mick felt it was too personal. So it was not released, and they reworked an old song “I Don’t Want To Know” and replaced “Silver Springs.”

There’s only one song that all five of them ever worked on, and that’s “The Chain” which is a composite of at least three other songs which makes it absolutely BRILLIANT but anyways. Yeah. Rumours is a ginormous hit. Also Stevie and Mick start having an affair, but it’s over by their next album...

Two years later the band releases Tusk, which is a much more experimental album (they gave Lindsey more creative control) and doesn’t do nearly as well as Rumours. They also release Mirage and record Last Tango in Paris before Lindsey quits. The band falls apart after this because everyone hates each other and no one wants to work together ever again.

But in Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign, he used “Don’t Stop” as his campaign song. So when he wins the 1992 election, he reaches out to the band and asks them to play at his Inauguration. Every single member says that if it had been more than one song they would have refused.

So they play “Don’t Stop” and they’re done. Right? Except this little reunion made them all realize that maaaaybe they don’t despise each other. So in 1997 the band gets back together and does a reunion tour. Christine leaves the band again in 2003 but gets back together with them in 2017 because they’re doing another reunion tour I think? Things are fuzzy here because no one could agree on anything as we will see in literally the next sentence.

It becomes apparent that old tensions are alive and well when Lindsey is fired from the band in 2018 because of a “touring disagreement.” It comes to light that Stevie approached the other members of the band and told them to fire her or fire Lindsey, because she refused to work with him anymore. Because Lindsey Buckingham is an asshole, they fired him, not Stevie, and he was very petty about it.

When Lindsey released his latest solo album, he was even more petty about it and basically killed any chance that the five of them would ever reunite.

This isn’t even all of it

#THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME <3333333333333333

[frontporchconsign]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Anthropologie Weston Wear Blouse Womens Blush Gold Applique Leaf Top Size L.

[brvisedmorality]

[ TESSA THOMPSON, 37, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER ] Have you seen BENTLEY BOURDEAUX down in St. Landry again? I heard they’re one of the BOSS, for the KELLEY’s now. They’ve been so CUT THROAT & GUARDED lately, it’s no wonder. I’ll sure miss when they were CREATIVE & SENTIMENTAL. I wonder if they’re going to stop listening to HEAVEN KNOWS by THE PRETTY RECKLESS. now, or if LILY TATTOOS WRAPPING AROIND HER HEART, A GAZE THAT DEFINES IF LOOKS COULD KILL & A RUSTED WEDDING RING BURIED IN THE SWAMPS will still announce ‘em.

Violet Maheaux was born in the backwoods of the bayou as a chilling side effect of what could only be called the hate fucking exchanged by her parents. She was the kind of woman that you admired for both her inherit, natural beauty and her dreams. The dreams were always the big ones, the ones that involved making a name for herself and leaving the sleepiness of this little town behind forever.  As pretty as she was, that was all that the ancestors saw fit to give her, nothing much more. They didn’t see it important to offer the woman the tools that she needed in order to make it out of her circumstances, there was no second chance at a life unless she learned to use the one thing that she did have – her body. Violet learned at her young age that for as many dreams as she had, her parents had that many less. They could barely spell the word dream let alone live it, so there was no other choice for her to start to get creative. She managed to learn that the world would open up to you just as soon as you opened your legs. Pussy, that was the one marketable talent that she was born with and she decided to use it as such. The phrase gold digger was one that had been coined especially for her, the girl with champagne taste and beer money. Through the years she had found men here and there but she never really managed to accomplish anything great from sloppy blowjobs and quick sex until she met Weston Bordeaux.

Weston was not only the most desirable man that she had ever seen, his bank account reflected just the right amount of zeroes to make him the prime candidate to run her right out of the woods and into the penthouse. There were two dates before she found herself pinned to the backseat of his Bentley, a chorus of convincing moans and slick sheen of sweat resulting in her golden ticket, the baby that he put inside her that night. In all her glory, she managed to rope on of New Orleans’s most eligible bachelors. Weston’s parents were not about to let a bastard child be born with the prestigious Bordeaux name so he had no choice other than to marry the downgrade that he had made the mistake of impregnating. Their marriage was one that sealed fates ticket to bring the poor house to the Hamptons, so to speak. In commemorative fashion of their fuck trophy, Violet elected to name their first born child Bentley. The keep sake that lived and breathed was born shortly after they were married and there were days where she regretted even that simple, silver spoon mistake.

Bentley’s childhood was one that was filled with attention from anyone other than her parents. The people that whispered through the halls of their house, the ones that dusted ancient heirlooms and tended to the children were the ones that she knew the best. Her mother was a ghost of a woman, a woman whose only goal had been to get somewhere where she didn’t need to worry about money. She accomplished that goal on her back but now there was nothing left for Violet to aspire to. Weston on the other hand was miserable in the begging of their marriage and subsequently, while Bentley was growing up. He drank too much, worried even more and then of course eventually succumbed to his fate of loving the backwoods Barbie doll that he had been forced into marrying. The hurricane that was Bentley Mason stormed her way through the house and the grounds, never a soul to settle for too long. The wild child that her mother had been in her youth was the only trait she was thankful that she was passed down. There was no way to calm her waters or cage her desire to learn, love, hate, anything. She was as unpredictable as they came, something that her father saw as an immediate danger and attempted to cut off at the neck just as soon as possible. Weston’s suggestion for calming down their daughter was to all but sell her off to the highest bidder. Arranged marriages were a thing of the past, everyone said but what high society wanted, high society got.

The attempt to clip wings that were made for flying made Bentley more than enraged when she started coming into her teens. It was delicate age, the age where rebellion could come running into the back of your head and make its home there. It did just that, as a matter of fact. She was a wild horse that bucked the saddle they were trying to fit her with in every sense that she possibly could, but eventually daddy won out. He managed to rope her into a relationship with a man who was ten years her senior, ignoring the obvious age gaps and general inappropriate nature of their pairing, he was just happy someone would continue the prestige that was promised by the life he knew. The one thing that daddy didn’t know was that he had just pushed his darling daughter into the arms of malice, abuse, and violence all rolled into one. That was her dance with the devil, her chance to lose the wide eyed innocence that she had been born with. Her only saving grace was her sister, Delilah.

Bentley only stayed around for as long as she did because of her little sister, someone needed to be there to hold the hand of the most precious thing that shared her bloodline. Delilah Lily Bordeaux was the one thing that brought her head back down from the clouds and centered her in a way that one other hand that had ever touched her managed too. The problem with that was that Bentley was only human (as far as she knew), she could only handle so much. The straw that had broken the camel’s back was the last time that her husband to be busted her lip wide open. The copper taste of her own blood in her mouth was enough to break down the last of her defenses, leaving her with one choice at the ripe age of sixteen and that was to leave. She abandoned the family, the money, and the manufactured sense of both safety and love, making the last strike the last time that someone would ever put their hands on her without regretting the decision.

Leaving the house on the hill that she had been born in and subsequently her sister, affectionately coined as Lily, was the one thing that will constantly be a soft, untouched mistake that she still didn’t speak about. It was the reason that some nights she woke up screaming, other mornings she contemplated just ending the suffering that radiated from that hole that was left in her chest by the happenings at that house. Shortly after Bentley left home, Lily then twelve would just so happen to go missing. They searched for her for days, spending minutes, hours, days trying to find any sign of what had happened to the small girl with the sincerest of smiles. Local law enforcement combined with neighbors and friends scoured the woods, the swamps, everything that they could to find any sign of the youngest Bordeaux sister. The overly eager attempts to find the child by one neighbor in particular would be the downfall of the whole scenario, eventually finding that he had raped, brutalized and then killed the light of Bentley’s life weeks earlier, not even bothering to bury the body but instead leaving her in the basement of his oversized home right next to the Bordeaux’s house. This is what heart break feels like, this is what heartbreak sounds like, hell – this is what heartbreak looks like.

Bentley’s lines were blurred forever after that small, simple incident that came to define her own personal views on morality. She didn’t mind becoming the judge, jury and the executioner because that final kick in the balls so to speak came when they acquitted this man on a technicality that she was sure that his lawyer bought with all that money that they had to offer him. It was the law, the government that allowed him to not only kill her flesh and blood, but turned the blind eye to it. It was then that fate decided to brand itself a killer at the ripe age of sixteen. It was the first body that ever disappeared under Bentley’s name, but it sure as hell wouldn’t be the last one. That was the thing about blood, once you got it on your hands, those stains never did come out.

True to the saying, the first cut was the deepest, but that didn’t mean it was going to be some kind of well learned lesson. Instead, it became a means to an end. Regardless, the one mistake she’d made was getting caught. The person who caught her had a badge that she assumed would somehow steal the loyalty from her to it, but she was pleasantly surprised. The pair eventually took off together, until he’d left her in a cheap, roadside motel, to deal with the reality of her hand written tragedy. Upon coming back to town, Marie Kelley took her in. After all, she’d always known the girl, and something told Bentley, that when she looked at her? Somehow, she didn’t see the same monster that B did when she looked in the mirror. 

The Kelley family became the only family she knew and loved, aside from her sister, that she carried with her every day. That was the only reason she was allowed to climb the ranks the way she did, and it was at Marie’s dying recommendation, that she took the throne. A gift, that she hadn’t intended to waste then, and surely wouldn’t now. 

#renn.intro #bentley #tbt

[ejzah]

could you do a reverse charade one-shot? where kensi has to go seduce someone undercover and deeks gets jealous?

A/N: I wasn’t sure how closely you wanted this to align with Charade, but I did keep certain aspects similar, if not the same. Hope this works.

***

Kensi flipped her hair over her shoulder, smiling flirtatiously at the bartender mixing drinks in front of her. She was dressed in a dark blue, sleeveless dress that clung to her figure and stopped mid-thigh, courtesy of Hetty.

“I’ll have another Sex on the Beach,” she told him, flashing a sly glance to the man sitting next to her. “And he’ll have a cosmopolitan.” Kensi winked at him.

“Actually, I was drinking Coors,” he said, gesturing to his bottle.

“What, a cosmopolitan isn’t manly enough for you?” Kensi teased, as the bartender set a bright pink drink in front of Kensi’s companion.

“Not at all. I just really hate triple sec,” he replied, leaning in towards Kensi.

Deeks rolled his eyes from his spot in the taco truck. Hector Weston was practically hanging on every word she said. It had been ridiculously easy for her to gain his attention and now she seemed well on her way to seducing him.

That thought made him shift uncomfortably and he reminded himself to focus on what Kensi was saying. Refocusing on the small screen, he turned up the sound and watched as Kensi reached out and brushed Hector’s shoulder.

It had been a unanimous vote, his included, that he stay in the surveillance truck while Sam and Callen provided back up. Deeks was confident in his ability to remain impartial, but since this wasn’t expected to be a particularly dangerous op, he had decided to stay back. Watching his wife flirt, and potentially seduce, another man, wasn’t his idea of a good time.

Now he was starting to regret that decision a little bit. Somehow it was worse watching Kensi-Alexa-through the screen, knowing he had no connection to her. Plus, it felt wrong to not be backing her up.

He kept thinking of random comments to make before he remembered that was technically Callen and Sam’s job today.

“That’s an interesting bracelet,” Hector said, taking Kensi’s hand under the guise of looking at the simple gold chain that dangled from her wrist.

“Oh, buddy, you are not nearly as smooth as you think you are,” Deeks told the screen as Kensi smiled, glancing down at the bracelet fondly. She shifted, revealing another, unnecessary strip of skin and Deeks rolled his eyes. Totally overkill at this point.

“It was a present from a good friend,” she said. Still holding her hand, Weston asked,

“Hm, so what are my chances of becoming one of your good friends?” Kensi carefully extricated her hand and took a sip of her drink, before responding.

“I guess it depends on what type of gifts you have to offer.” She pitched her voice lower, so making the statement indecent.

“Then I think we’re going to be very good friends.” He grasped Kensi’s chin, kissing her roughly. Deeks saw the momentary look of surprise on her face before he made contact, but she recovered quickly, trailing a hand down his chest and returning the kiss enthusiastically.

Deeks’ throat tightened as the kiss reached nearly obscene levels. Weston must have said something too quietly for him to hear because a minute later he tossed some money on the bar and Kensi grabbed her ridiculously tiny purse.

As Hector Weston led her from the bar, she flashed a glance in the direction of the camera, her expression holding a hint of guilt. Then she was Alexa again, laughing indulgently at every thing Hector said.

Deeks sighed, trying not to think of how far Kensi would need to go to sell her cover, and get the information they needed. Rubbing his eyes, he turned up the sound again and tried to remind himself it was just part of the job.

***

Thanks for the prompt!

#ncis la fanfiction #densi #kensi blye #marty deeks #is this angst #anonymous prompts #ejzah fanfiction

[themarketismychurch]

Response to Westside Whole Food Movement - 2010

In 2009, there was an uproar about a whole food co-op in Venice entitled “Rawsome”, the local Weston A. Price group, and the original owner of Healthy Family farms. Rawsome had been shut down by the city for health issues, the owner of HHF was being called out for possible ethical breaches (and attacked for personal past events), and Weston A. Price’s influence on local food politics. I was then managing SoCal farmers market raw dairy sales for Organic Pasture Dairy and was deeply involved in the raw milk movement in California. The events that were happening at this time were souring me (pun intended) on the whole local organic and raw food scene as I saw that the infighting taking more precedent than the politics of whole and raw food itself. This is one of my first responses on David Gumpert’s blog, “The Complete Patient”

Living in Hollywood one becomes good at seeing the Wizard of Oz and who is actually behind the curtains. This is the land of projection. 

The whole food scene here and especially on the Westside is schizophrenic at best. Working at the markets and especially with a product that is a hot-button issue, I am pretty much at ground zero and because of my nature either information comes to me asked/unasked or I am caught in the crossfire. 

There is a great deal of backstabbling, greed, machiavellian posturing, paranoia, and "tiger" mom's becoming totalitarian for "the good of the community." Many who are producing "whole foods" are producing a mediocre product at best yet are the loudest to scream against the powers that be. The fight seems to be more important than improving the quality of their product. I have been a part of all of these. 

Because of this I am wary when people in this movement talk about "unity." In this movement, I know of farms heavy handing co-ops to get them to sell their product. I personally have sent many people to co-ops knowing that they had products that that we didn't have and yet constantly be bad-mouthed in return by the owners and members of these co-ops. I know of farms who have become corporate and who have begun to resort to the California way of "hiring cheap and have them do more." Of "mom and pop" operations who are vicious with anyone who they consider competition and actively lobbying to keep competition out of the markets. Of farms and individuals who cut as many corners as the can in relationship to county or city codes obstensibly for libertarian reasons yet more likely to increase their "bottom line" 

And this "movement" unites against an "enemy?" 

If this movement continues to be adrenalin-fueled and war-based then it will just be pissing in the wind. War has become obsolete except for those who want to play it, use it for marketing and establishing their brand. Give a "romantic" an actual solution and they will refuse it as that which they are romantic about will cease to exist. They would rather it remain "in perpetuity" And how much of these raids been brought on by those who operate these dairy's, co-op's and buyers clubs themselves? By being contrary for the sake of being contrary. Sorry, a lot of James' clientle are out-and-out nutcases. People can be who they are. Yet just because I do not worship chem-trails, gold standard, upcoming-armeggedon, Zeitgeist, David Icke, pick your politician nor have the appropriate hatred towards towards the imaginary Illuminati, Bilderberger, fill in your global conspiracy group, I am held with some sort of contempt to where it has come to I have to go in, get my product and get the hell out. Circular logic is the name of the game here so when something like this happens their well-argued case in their heads is proven. And then I am called to stand up for them in the name of "freedom" and "unity?" 

I was Madonna's first yoga teacher. I soon left as I did not care to be a part of the entourage. I then had regrets as to whether I had given up something that literally would give a lot of press and cache. I spoke with a good friend and successful movie producer about this. Her reply was, "Most people in this industry see her as a fanatic. If you are associated with her, you will be seen as one also" There are a lot of good people who post well-thought out, interesting and informative things on this site. I also appreciate the work David has done. And it has become more and more an issue to sift through the continual, hyper-vigilant call to arms that is constantly here. If one is in a constant state of vigilance, then that person doesn't know what is truly threatening. And in this case, more and more, it seems like the "movement" itself. 

We have met the enemy....and they are us! 

Lastly, I am sure some of you will post saying, If you don't like it then stay away from the site" And that is the point. Staying away. It shouldn't be that way. Not for me. And not for others who want to stay current with what is going on. 

I support Sharon as I see her as a woman establishing a business, standing on her own and learning how to negotiate the system openly. 

I support Victoria as she is a friend who has been supportive, open, intelligent and kind in my presence. She has also answered me clearly when I had questions about HFF. 

I do not care to deify either.

#wholefoods #raw milk #weston a. price #food politics

[blackkudos]

Mary Wells

Mary Esther Wells (May 13, 1943 – July 26, 1992) was an American singer, who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s. Along with The Supremes, The Miracles, The Temptations, and the Four Tops, Wells was said to have been part of the charge in black music onto radio stations and record shelves of mainstream America, "bridging the color lines in music at the time."

With a string of hit singles composed mainly by Smokey Robinson, including "The One Who Really Loves You"", "Two Lovers" (1962), the Grammy-nominated "You Beat Me to the Punch" (1962) and her signature hit, "My Guy" (1964), she became recognized as "The Queen of Motown" until her departure from the company in 1964, at the height of her popularity. She was one of Motown's first singing superstars.

Life and career

Early life and initial recordings

Mary Esther Wells was born near Detroit's Wayne State University on May 13, 1943, to a mother who worked as a domestic, and an absentee father. One of three children, she contracted spinal meningitis at the age of two and struggled with partial blindness, deafness in one ear and temporary paralysis At age 10, Wells contracted tuberculosis. During her early years, Wells lived in a poor residential Detroit district. By age 12, she was helping her mother with house cleaning work. She described the ordeal years later:

Daywork they called it, and it was damn cold on hallway linoleum. Misery is Detroit linoleum in January—with a half-froze bucket of Spic-and-Span.

Wells used singing as her comfort from her pain and by age 10 had graduated from church choirs to performing at local nightclubs in the Detroit area. Wells graduated from Detroit's Northwestern High School at the age of 17 and set her sights on becoming a scientist, but after hearing about the success of Detroit musicians such as Jackie Wilson and the Miracles, she decided to try her hand at music as a singer-songwriter.

In 1960, 17-year-old Wells approached Tamla Records founder Berry Gordy at Detroit's Twenty Grand club, with a song she had intended for Jackie Wilson to record, since Wells knew of Gordy's collaboration with Wilson. However, a tired Gordy insisted Wells sing the song in front of him. Impressed, Gordy had Wells enter Detroit's United Sound Systems to record the single, titled "Bye Bye Baby". After a reported 22 takes, Gordy signed Wells to the Motown subsidiary of his expanding record label and released the song as a single in September 1960; it peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard R&B chart in 1961, and later crossed over to the pop singles chart, where it peaked at number 45.

Wells' early Motown recordings reflected a rougher R&B sound than the smoother style of her biggest hits. Wells became the first Motown female artist to have a Top 40 pop single after the Mickey Stevenson-penned doo-wop song "I Don't Want to Take a Chance" hit number 33 in June 1961. In the fall of that year, Motown issued her first album and released a third single, the bluesy ballad "Strange Love". When that record bombed, Gordy set Wells up with the Miracles' lead singer Smokey Robinson. Though she was hailed as "the first lady of Motown", Wells was technically Motown's third female signed act: Claudette Rogers, of Motown's first star group the Miracles, has been referred to by Berry Gordy as "the first lady of Motown Records" due to her being signed as a member of the group, and in late 1959 Detroit blues-gospel singer Mable John had signed to the then-fledgling label a year prior to Wells' arrival. Nevertheless, Wells' early hits as one of the label's few female solo acts did make her the label's first female star and its first fully successful solo artist.

Success

Wells's teaming with Robinson led to a succession of hit singles over the following two years. Their first collaboration, 1962's "The One Who Really Loves You", was Wells's first hit, peaking at number 2 on the R&B chart and number 8 on the Hot 100. The song featured a calypso-styled soul production that defined Wells's early hits. Motown released the similar-sounding "You Beat Me to the Punch" a few months later. The song became her first R&B number 1 single and peaked at number 9 on the pop chart. The success of "You Beat Me to the Punch" helped to make Wells the first Motown star to be nominated for a Grammy Award when the song was nominated for Best Rock & Roll Recording in 1963.

In late 1962, "Two Lovers" became Wells's third consecutive single to hit the Top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100, peaking at number 7 and becoming her second number 1 hit on the R&B chart. This helped to make Wells the first female solo artist to have three consecutive Top 10 singles on the pop chart. The track sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Wells's second album, also titled The One Who Really Loves You, was released in 1962 and peaked at number 8 on the pop albums chart, making the teenage singer a breakthrough star and giving her clout at Motown. Wells's success at the label was recognized when she became a headliner during the first string of Motortown Revue concerts, starting in the fall of 1962. The singer showcased a rawer stage presence that contrasted with her softer R&B recordings.

Wells's success continued in 1963 when she hit the Top 20 with the doo-wop ballad "Laughing Boy" and scored three additional Top 40 singles, "Your Old Standby", "You Lost the Sweetest Boy", and its B-side, "What's Easy for Two Is So Hard for One". "You Lost the Sweetest Boy" was one of the first hit singles composed by the successful Motown songwriting and producing trio of Holland–Dozier–Holland, though Robinson remained Wells's primary producer.

Also in 1963, Wells recorded a session of successful B-sides that arguably became as well known as her hits, including "Operator", "What Love Has Joined Together", "Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right" and "Old Love (Let's Try It Again)". Wells and Robinson also recorded a duet titled "I Want You 'Round", which would be re-recorded by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston.

In 1964, Wells recorded "My Guy". The Smokey Robinson song became her trademark single, reaching number 1 on the Cashbox R&B chart for seven weeks and becoming the number 1 R&B single of the year. The song successfully crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it eventually replaced Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" at number 1, remaining there for two weeks. The song became Wells's second million-selling single.

To build on the song's success, Motown released a duet album recorded with fellow Motown singing star Marvin Gaye, Together. The album peaked at number 1 on the R&B album chart and number 42 on the pop album chart, and yielded the double-sided hits "Once Upon a Time" and "What's the Matter With You Baby".

"My Guy" was one of the first Motown songs to break on the other side of the Atlantic, eventually peaking at number 5 on the UK chart and making Wells an international star. Around this time, the Beatles stated that Wells was their favorite American singer, and soon she was given an invitation to open for the group during their tour of the United Kingdom, thus making her the first Motown star to perform in the UK. Wells was only one of three female singers to open for the Beatles, the others being Brenda Holloway and Jackie DeShannon. Danny Tyrell accompanied her in live shows in Detroit. Wells made friends with all four Beatles and later released a tribute album, Love Songs to the Beatles, in mid-decade.

Former Motown sales chief Barney Ales described Wells's landmark success in 1964:

In 1964, Mary Wells was our big, big artist, I don't think there's any audience with an age of 30 through 50 that doesn't know the words to My Guy.

Leaving Motown

Ironically during her most successful year, Wells was having problems with Motown over her original recording contract, which she had signed at the age of 17. She was also reportedly angry that the money made from "My Guy" was being used to promote The Supremes, who had found success with "Where Did Our Love Go", just as "My Guy" was promoted, using the profits from another, earlier hit Motown song. Though Gordy reportedly attempted to renegotiate with Wells, the singer still asked to be freed from her contract with Motown.

A pending lawsuit kept Wells away from the studio for several months, as she and Gordy brokered the contract details, with Wells fighting to gain a larger share of the royalties she had earned during her tenure with Motown. Finally, Wells invoked a clause that allowed her to leave the label, advising the court that her original contract was invalid, as she had signed while she was still a minor. Wells won her lawsuit and was awarded a settlement, leaving Motown officially in early 1965, whereupon she accepted a lucrative ($200,000) contract with 20th Century Fox Records.

Part of the terms of the agreement of her release was that she could not receive any royalties from her past works with the label, including use of her likeness to promote herself.

Career struggles

A weary Wells worked on material for her new record label while dealing with other issues, including being bedridden for weeks suffering from tuberculosis. Wells's eponymous first 20th Century Fox release included the first single "Ain't It The Truth", its B-side "Stop Taking Me for Granted", the lone top 40 hit, "Use Your Head" and "Never, Never Leave Me". However, the album flopped, as did the Beatles tribute album she released not too long afterwards. Rumors have hinted Motown may have threatened to sue radio stations for playing Wells's post-Motown music during this time. After a stressful period in which Wells and the label battled over various issues after her records failed to chart successfully, the singer asked to be let go in 1965 and left with a small settlement.

In 1966, Wells signed with Atlantic Records' subsidiary Atco. Working with producer Carl Davis, she scored her final Top 10 R&B hit with "Dear Lover", which also became a modestly successful pop hit, peaking at number 51. However, much like her tenure with 20th Century Fox, the singer struggled to come up with a follow-up hit, and in 1968, she left the label for Jubilee Records, where she scored her final pop hit, "The Doctor", a song she co-wrote with then-husband Cecil Womack. (Meanwhile, she had attempted a film career, but only managed a guest starring role in 1967's "Catalina Caper".) In 1970, Wells left Jubilee for a short-lived deal with Warner Music subsidiary Reprise Records and released two Bobby Womack-produced singles. In 1972, Wells scored a UK hit with a re-issue of "My Guy", which was released on the Tamla-Motown label and climbed to number 14. Though a re-issue, Wells promoted the single heavily and appeared on the British TV show Top of the Pops for the first time. Despite this mini-revival, she decided to retire from music in 1974 to raise her family.

Comeback

In 1977, Wells divorced Cecil Womack and returned to performing. She was spotted by CBS Urban president Larkin Arnold in 1978 and offered a contract with the CBS subsidiary Epic Records, which released In and Out of Love in October 1981. The album, which had been recorded in 1979, yielded Wells's biggest hit in years, the funky disco single, "Gigolo".

"Gigolo" became a smash at dance clubs across the country. A six-minute mix hit number 13 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Club Singles chart and number 2 on the Hot Disco Songs chart. A four-minute radio version released to R&B stations in January 1982 achieved a modest showing at number 69. It turned out to be Wells's final chart single.

After the parent album failed to chart or produce successful follow-ups, the Motown-styled These Arms was released, but it flopped and was quickly withdrawn, and Wells's Epic contract fizzled. The album's failure may have been due to light promotion. She still had one more album in her CBS contract, and in 1982, released an album of cover songs, Easy Touch, which aimed for the adult contemporary radio format.

Leaving CBS in 1983, she continued recording for smaller labels, gaining new success as a touring performer.

On the April 21, 1984 edition of American Top 40, Casey Kasem reported that Wells was attempting to establish a hot dog chain.

In 1989, Wells was celebrated with a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation during its inaugural year.

Final years

In 1990, Wells recorded an album for Ian Levine's Motorcity Records, but her voice began to fail, causing the singer to visit a local hospital. Doctors diagnosed Wells with laryngeal cancer. Treatments for the disease ravaged her voice, forcing her to quit her music career. Since she had no health insurance, her illness wiped out her finances, forcing her to sell her home. As she struggled to continue treatment, old Motown friends, including Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, members of the Temptations and Martha Reeves, made donations to support her, along with the help of admirers such as Dionne Warwick, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt. That same year, a benefit concert was held by fellow fan and Detroit R&B singer Anita Baker. Wells was also given a tribute by friends such as Stevie Wonder and Little Richard on The Joan Rivers Show.

In 1991, Wells brought a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Motown for royalties she felt she had not received upon leaving Motown Records in 1964 and for loss of royalties for not promoting her songs as the company should have. Motown eventually settled the lawsuit by giving her a six-figure sum. That same year, she testified before the United States Congress to encourage government funding for cancer research:

I'm here today to urge you to keep the faith. I can't cheer you on with all my voice, but I can encourage, and I pray to motivate you with all my heart and soul and whispers.

Personal life

Wells married twice: first, in 1960, to Detroit singer Herman Griffin. The marriage of the teenage couple was troubled from the start due to their age and Griffin's unhealthy control of Wells; they divorced in 1963. Despite rumors, she never dated fellow Motown singer Marvin Gaye, who would go on to have successful duet partnerships with Kim Weston, Tammi Terrell and Diana Ross after Wells had left Motown.

In 1966, Wells married singer-songwriter Cecil Womack, formerly of the Valentinos, and the younger brother of musician Bobby Womack. The marriage lasted until 1977 and produced three children. Wells began an affair with another Womack brother, Curtis, during her marriage to Cecil. Her relationship with Curtis Womack was reportedly abusive. Wells was a notorious chain smoker and went through bouts of depression during her marriages. After separating from Cecil, she attempted suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills when word had leaked of her affair with Curtis who was married. After the failed suicide attempt, Wells sought other methods of what she called "meditating," including using cocaine. Over time, she developed a heroin habit. Her drug habit ceased after she became pregnant with Curtis' child. After splitting from Curtis in 1990, Wells focused on raising her youngest daughter Sugar (b.1986) until her cancer appeared.

Wells had four children: Cecil, Jr., Harry, Stacy (with Cecil Womack), and Sugar (with Curtis Womack).

Death

In the summer of 1992, Wells's cancer returned and she was rushed to the Kenneth Norris Jr. Cancer Hospital in Los Angeles with pneumonia. With the effects of her unsuccessful treatments and a weakened immune system, Wells died on July 26, 1992, at the age of 49. After her funeral, which included a eulogy given by her old friend and former collaborator, Smokey Robinson, Wells was cremated, and her ashes were laid to rest in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in a Womack family crypt. Family friend Sam Cooke is buried in The Garden of Honor, about 850 feet (260 m) to the west.

Accolades

Though Wells has been eligible for induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, being nominated twice in 1986 and 1987, she has yet to achieve it.

Wells earned one Grammy Award nomination during her career. Her song "My Guy" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Wells was given one of the first Pioneer Awards by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1989. A year later, the foundation raised more than $50,000 to help with her treatment after her illness had wiped out all of her finances.

Wells was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2006. She was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2017.

#05/13 #07/26

[tiny-maus-boots]

The Fool

A/N: Part 4 of The Debt Collector Series, or the many bespoke three piece suits of Aubrey Posen.

Super big thank you to my bestie and beta @chloes-yellow-cup who puts up with me when I’m annoying (which is all the time), and STILL is kind enough to read and edit for me.

AAAAAND a very special thank you to @kate-harper because omgosh look at what she made!!! It is the greatest thing I have ever seen. It’s beautiful and I love and I have it saved as my lock screen so I can stare at it all day at work.

Stacie

She held up one dress in front of her body and sighed before flinging it to the side and holding up another. They were both beautiful long gowns that were light weight enough for the season but long and form fitted enough for the type of event. Stacie flung the second dress, a pale green, to the side and stood in front of Cynthia Rose in exasperation.

“I have a closet full of evening dresses and gowns and I can’t figure out what to wear to my own event tonight. I should have planned this weeks ago.”

Of course weeks ago she’d still been planning on attending by herself. It wasn’t always that way, usually Weston pretended to humor her work and attended events with her. But for the last couple of years she’d gone to each event with excuses instead of a husband. And when Aubrey had found out she asked to be her date, which was amazing, except now she had nothing to wear at the last minute. Her best friend looked up from the deck of cards she was idly shuffling and smirked then shook her head slowly. “What difference does it make? You ain’t gonna be in it but a minute.”

Stacie huffed and walked back into her closet to look for something else to wear. White was out, gold was out, green was definitely out. This used to be so easy before, any dress would do and Weston would wear the same tuxedo he always wore. It was nice of course, with classic lines, and he wore it well enough she supposed. But no one wore a suit like Aubrey and she had a feeling that Aubrey in a tux was going to make her weak. So she wanted to up her style game. Going stag was not the same thing as arriving with an escort.

“That isn’t the point. Like at all.” There was a knock at the door to the bedroom and she poked her head out of the closet to watch Cynthia Rose take something from the housekeeper. It was a large rectangular box with a bow on it. “What’s all this?”

“Georgia said it was just delivered by a strange mute woman. So I’m guessing Lil.” She placed the box on the edge of the bed and rested her hands on her hips. “You gonna open it?”

Stacie bounded over and leapt on to the bed already imaging what kind of dress might be in it. “What do you think it is? A pony?”

“I really hope you’re playing, girl.”

They had been best friends since college and the banter had always been the same. She’d be the dumb one and CR would be the cynical wise cracking one. It was a façade they both played to even though they knew each other much better than that. She pulled the ribbon off and opened the lid then let out a breath of surprised air. She shouldn’t have been surprised, Aubrey had impeccable taste, but for some reason she was blown away. Stacie reached into the box and pulled out the long deep red silk satin spaghetti strap gown.

“Guess that solves your dress problem. Damn. You gonna look hot.”

Stacie bit her lip and reached for the card in the bottom of the box and flipped it open. Cynthia Rose tried to look over her shoulder and she closed the card quickly. There were a lot of things that Aubrey would probably not care about if she told Cynthia Rose but something this personal, this romantic, that was out of the question to share.

“Nosy.”

“And which one of us is always digging through my phone to read my texts?”

“That’s different. Your sexts with that Ashley chick are awesome. Seriously. You could sell it as lesbian erotica. I know a guy.” Cynthia Rose gave her a look like she was out of her mind but it melted into something more considering after a moment. Stacie smirked and slid off the bed so she could read the card to herself. “Think about it.”

She leaned against the wall next to the window and smiled softly at the handwriting. Of course Aubrey wrote in beautiful heavy cursive script. ‘I promise to take it off you later – A’ It sent a thrill down her spine and she inhaled deeply at the thought of what Aubrey might have planned for her. Stacie gave the dress another look, holding it in front of her body while facing the full length mirror. It was gorgeous and she would look hot in it.

“You better hurry up. It’s almost time.”

Stacie nodded glad that she had already done her hair and makeup as padded into the closet to dress. Unsurprisingly the dress fit her perfectly, the slit riding almost to her hip was sure to flash a peek of her garter if her step was too long. She had wanted to tuck a gift from Aubrey into it but despite how small the lightweight the .22 caliber pistol was it was still a little too bulky for a simple black band. At the time Aubrey had given it to her the concealer thigh holster had seemed silly but as she adjusted it on her other thigh and tucked the gun into it she realized it was the perfect accessory. It held firmly and securely without ruining the line and fall of the dress. She grabbed her shoes and stepped into them, buckling the thin straps around her ankles.

When she stepped out of the closet Cynthia Rose gave her a whistle. “Aubrey’s going to love it. You look awesome, girl.” Her brow furrowed when her gaze trailed down Stacie’s body and ended at awkward way she was standing, trying to get used to the weight and feel of the gun strapped to her thigh. It would take her a few minutes to get adjust and get used to it but it was the first time she was wearing it for practical use. The other woman raised her brows in question as she guessed the problem immediately. “Oh so you ride or die now?”

It wasn’t an idle question and she could feel the current of something underneath the words. Maybe a threat, or a warning, she wasn’t sure but she gave a slow nod after thinking it through. She knew what being with Aubrey would mean if things got bad at work. She knew exactly the type of business Aubrey had, it was how they got to the situation they found themselves in now. Stacie turned to the mirror and started to touch up her makeup and hair.

“If you’re asking if I’m totally cool with how violent Aubrey can be for work then the answer is yes. I knew who she was before we started this, remember?”

Not that she herself could ever really forget the blonde’s work. This relationship with Aubrey had been so easy and almost too normal. It became harder and harder to remember that she was married to Weston and not Aubrey with all the time they spent in each other’s company. Stacie couldn’t even remember the last time she’d gone to Weston’s office to take him to lunch, then again he was rarely even there anymore. He spent more time traveling for work than he did at home which was quite frankly a relief.

But with Aubrey it was different. She found herself planning out her days so that she’d be around The Bird near lunch or dinner. And she’d dropped in a time or two at an inopportune moment. The most recent time giving her a very vivid reminder that this life was not a game.

She had hoped that it was a slow business day when she walked in to the manager’s office in the back. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that she would be walking directly into a business meeting of sorts. But she had and she’d stood frozen in the doorway as she took in the balding man tied to the chair and Aubrey with her sleeves rolled up to almost the elbow with slap jack in hand raised and ready to break a kneecap. The other woman hid it quickly but there was a flash of panic on her face that made Stacie’s heart squeeze painfully. For a second. Just a second, Aubrey had been afraid and it showed. She didn’t know how to ease that flash of fear without undermining the blonde so she cleared her throat and glanced down at the man, quietly closing the door behind her and locking it with a click.

“What’d you do?”

He tipped his head back to stare at her as if she were insane. She couldn’t blame him, this was obviously not the time for idle chit chat. When he didn’t answer soon enough Aubrey reached up and twisted two of his fingers roughly in a direction they were never meant to bend. They snapped and her voice came out with a low growl that did things to Stacie, making her body tighten with sudden desire.

“Answer the lady.”

Heat rose to her face and she cleared her throat when the man cried out. That…should not have been hot. He was a human being and he was in pain and Aubrey was the one causing it. It should have turned her stomach. But. It didn’t. She trusted that it was for a reason, because Aubrey never did anything without a damn good reason. The man lifted his head, beads of sweat dripping from his brow.

“I skimmed off my pick-ups.”

Oh. Stacie gave him a sympathetic look and patted the top of his head. “It’s going to hurt for a while, but the good news is you won’t make that mistake again.” Because she was pretty sure he was going to wind up dead. This was something she should have found horrifying but she felt strangely calm about because she knew there would be a perfectly valid reason. You didn’t steal from Aubrey Posen, and if you had the balls to try then you were risking your life and that was really on you.

She turned back to Aubrey, dismissing the man and any deeper thoughts about what went on in the back office. She knew how she felt with Aubrey, she felt safe despite the potential for so much violence. She felt safer here with Aubrey than she did in her own home. And all that dark, raw, energy so perfectly and tightly controlled took her breath away. Stacie took a few steps to Aubrey’s desk and leaned back against the edge, placing herself between Aubrey’s knees as the other woman was reclined in her office chair, watching her with open curiosity.

“So, dinner tonight, wanna eat out?” Stacie smirked at the flicker of surprise in Aubrey’s eyes at her obvious intent and stood to give the blonde a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. “See you in a bit.”

Cynthia Rose gave a slow nod at Stacie’s comment, weighing it for truth. “If she hurts you…”

“She won’t. Aubrey doesn’t hurt people because she likes it C, its business. She doesn’t pretend to be the good guy but she isn’t the bad guy unless someone makes her be. I can live with that.” Stacie swallowed thickly, pausing as she was about to apply her fresh lipstick. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, dimly aware of Cynthia Rose standing behind her. “I love her.”

Her friend gave a solid nod and shrugged into an indigo blue tuxedo jacket with black lapel. “She damn well better love you back.”

“She does.” Stacie smiled and finished her lipstick before turning to help Cynthia Rose fix her bowtie. That was something she believed without hesitation and not just because Aubrey had said so for the first time the night before, she just knew that the other woman did, she felt it in her bones. “Hey, thanks for letting me host this thing at The Diamond Club. It’s kind of the perfect venue for a Monte Carlo themed event. It’s going to earn a lot of money for the shelter and that will help a lot of women in need. So, thank you.”

“I got’chu Stace. It’s a good cause and it makes me look like an upstanding member of the community.” Stacie smoothed out Cynthia Rose’s lapel and linked their arms so they could look at themselves in the mirror. “Damn. We look like we’re going to prom.”

It made her laugh and she nudged her best friend with a shoulder bump. “Yeah, a big gay prom.”

“Hnghh. I look fly as hell too. Hm. I might find me a wife tonight.”

Stacie rolled her eyes playfully and tugged her friend’s arm to lead them out the door. “Okay well look fly from the car, I don’t want to keep Aubrey waiting.”

Aubrey

Aubrey walked through the tables set out for the various games and nodded approvingly. “Get this table a bit more to the back and put the high roller Baccarat and Poker upstairs in VIP.” Cynthia Rose had given her carte blanche to organize exactly how the gaming went since she was the one supplying the set up and games. Happy nudged her elbow gently and jerked her curly head toward the entrance of the club.

The light from outside was blocked out partially as the figure strode toward them with an unmistakable cocky strut. Aubrey smirked and turned to face the woman as she finally made her way to them. “Detective Mitchell, here to gamble away your check for a good cause?”

The smaller woman looked around at the club and gave a slight nod as if she was seriously considering it. But they both knew she wouldn’t be there for more than a drink or two before crawling back into whatever hole she’d crawled out of to be there. “Maybe, lots of bored rich wives come to these things right?”

Aubrey snorted softly and gestured for Happy to take over ensuring everything went the way it was supposed to until Stacie got there. Her eyes landed on the briefcase in the Detective’s hand and she gestured toward the stairs that led to Cynthia Rose’s office. “I see you visited our friend.”

Beca followed her up and into the office, shutting the door behind them. “That guy is a fucking creep.” She put the briefcase on the desk and opened it before turning it to face Aubrey. “Also, he’s missing some teeth. You know anything about that?”

She didn’t say anything as she reached for the stacks of money to make sure it was all there. It hadn’t taken much to get Detective Mitchell to agree to blackmail Weston, she had a particular prejudice against the wealthy that Aubrey used to her benefit. Besides, she was a dirty cop that would do anything if the price was right. Aubrey counted out twenty five thousand dollars and tossed the stack lightly across the desktop. “That’s unfortunate news for him, I hope he doesn’t smile for photos.”

Beca dropped into the chair across from Aubrey and picked up the cash without bothering to count it. She trusted Aubrey not to cheat her and in turn Aubrey trusted Beca not to rat on their dealings. The cop tucked the stack of bills into the inner pocket of her leather jacket and crossed her arms over her chest, watching Aubrey with a calculating gaze.

“Hm. If I didn’t know better I would say someone knocked or pulled them out. Sounds like something someone might do to teach a guy a lesson. Especially if that guy owed that someone a lot of money.” It was getting too close to the truth for her to lie outright against. So Aubrey leaned back casually, adjusting the matching tie and vest set she wore. It wasn’t an admission but it wasn’t a denial either and Beca took it as a sign to continue. “Did you have me blackmail this guy just so you could loan him back his own money?”

The corner of her mouth quirked in a predatory smile but it faded quickly and she leaned forward, hands clasped in front of her on the desk. “If someone were doing that to our associate Mr. Whitman I suspect they would be doing it for a good reason. Don’t you?”

The brunette sat there a moment turning it over in her head. “I’ll tell you what I know. Weston Whitman is grade A piece of crap. I did my own research and he’s clean as a whistle on the surface, but there’s something wrong about him. Hookers go missing or turn up dead everywhere he goes, investors get squeamish whenever his name is mentioned, corporate higher ups start hiding behind walls of attorney’s whenever anyone asks about him.”

They were toeing a line just discussing it but Aubrey hadn’t yet said anything incriminating to substantiate what the Detective was saying. “I think that sounds about right for Mr. Whitman.”

“Jesus Christ Aubrey. This guy is a legitimate bad guy, I could have investigated this shit for real. What are we doing dicking around with shadow games like this? And please for the love of God, give me a better fucking excuse than you wanting to bang his wife like a Salvation Army drum.”

She could understand Detective Mitchell’s irritation, even if she was on the take, she was a good damn investigator and letting a bad guy get away from the law when there was a good case against him bothered her. Aubrey chose her words very carefully when she spoke.

“Let’s say you make this a case Detective. And just for the sake of argument he didn’t have enough money and lawyers to bury this whole thing before word gets out. Let’s say you manage to drag this figlio di puttana through the mud and shit where he belongs.” Aubrey stood and slid her hands into the pockets of her tuxedo trousers to keep from wanting to reach for a weapon in her anger at the very thought of Weston. “Who exactly do you think suffers the most for it? Him? You think his money can’t buy him some luxuries in prison? Who do you think the press is going to hunt and hound? Him all safe in his cell or…” Stacie.

She didn’t say it. She didn’t have to. Beca deflated a little and shook her head still upset even if she were resigned to accepting it. They both knew Stacie didn’t deserve the fallout of what would happen and there was a good chance that Weston would use his leverage over Stacie to save his own ass. And that was something she couldn’t allow to happen. So she did it her way, moving people like chess pieces until she could trap him in a corner with no one to turn to for help, no money to buy his way free, and no will left to try and fight.

“You have a fucked up sense of chivalry, you know that Posen?”

Aubrey moved to the cabinet that held Cynthia Rose’s well equipped bar and pulled out two small tumblers and a bottle of grappa so strong it would put hair on a man’s chest. She poured them each and drink and handed the Detective a glass. Beca took it and raised it with her.

“Salute.”

They clinked their glasses together and tipped them back. The harsh burn of the alcohol slid down her throat and she gave an involuntary shiver that would have had Detective Mitchell laughing at her if she hadn’t been choking on a cough herself. “Oh my God, poison. Holy shit is that turpentine?”

Aubrey started to answer but her phone vibrated against her ribs. She set the glass down and reached into her jacket pocket. Her lips pulled into a smile at the text from Stacie. A sudden rush of nerves made her pull at her cuffs and straighten her tie once more and she caught Beca watching her at it. “How do I look?”

“Like a woman in love.” Beca stood and lifted Aubrey’s hand to fix the cuff she had twisted around her wrist. They weren’t on the same side of the fence, not by a long shot. They were still cop and criminal, employer and employee even. But if Aubrey were being honest she counted on Beca in her life and thought of them as friends. It was a dangerous way to think given the business she was in but there was a certain amount of mutual trust built up over years of sometimes violent encounters. “Which is super gross by the way.”

Aubrey gave the shorter woman a mild glance but she could tell Beca didn’t really mean it by the almost wistful sigh she gave when she was done fixing the cuff. “Didn’t know you were such a romantic, Detective.”

Beca made a face and shrugged. “Honestly I’m not but...” She shrugged and Aubrey waited patiently for her to continue. “Seeing you happy like this, despite the shit we muck through every day, makes a girl wonder if maybe it could be worth it. You’re in love and as much as that weirds me out, I can’t help but think that might not be the worst thing in the world. One day.”

Aubrey chuckled softly and gestured to the office door. So Detective Mitchell low key wanted to find herself a heart to call home. If she hadn’t ever met Stacie she might have mocked that sentiment. Made a joke about Beca going soft for wanting to be loved and love in return. But it was different now, she was different now and it was apparently obvious to see. She locked the office behind her and tucked the key into her vest pocket, eyes already scanning for Stacie. When she finally found her, Aubrey almost missed a step and had to catch herself before she crashed into Beca. The other woman looked over her shoulder at Aubrey and snickered. “Smooth, Posen, real smooth.”

“You shut up.” Her eyes slid back to Stacie and she watched the easy sweet smile as she greeted a few patrons. It took Aubrey’s breath away and she chose to watch from the bottom of the stairs as Stacie maneuvered through the swiftly filling room. Her eyes trailed down Stacie’s long body, appreciating the way that dress looked on her. Almost as if she felt the weight of Aubrey’s gaze Stacie raised her head and turned unerringly toward her, flashing a perfect smile.

They were caught for a moment just staring at each other across the room. It was hard not to walk over and kiss Stacie in greeting but she managed to restrain herself. It was only obvious to the few people that knew them like Detective Mitchell and Cynthia Rose or Lilly and Happy, that they were there as a couple, for everyone else Aubrey was just another benefactor and contributor. No one really to take note of and certainly not more than a passing acquaintance to Stacie. But she knew and she had dressed the part, her vest, tie and pocket square matching Stacie’s dress perfectly. Aubrey smiled when Stacie realized that they complimented each other perfectly. Maybe she was going soft for the girl, a thing she swore she’d never do, but seeing that spark of happiness in Stacie’s eyes made it all worth it.

Stacie

“Thank you for coming, it was wonderful to see you again.” She smiled and shook hands with another guest, kissing his wife on each cheek as they parted. It felt like hours had passed and she’d barely gotten to see Aubrey. It had been a long nonstop stream of people all wanting to make small talk geared toward finding out her secrets and point out her flaws with polite smiles and condescending little laughs. She hated this part of it, the part where she had to interact with people that didn’t give a damn about anything real but always threw money at the first cause to cross their paths. People like her parents.

Not that her parents were terrible people, they weren’t, they were just too concerned about appearances to really make a change in anyone’s life. Their desire to help people was only as extensive as the amount of time it took to write a check. It was why she spent so much of her time and family inheritance trying to be better than that. Because the truth was they couldn’t even be bothered to help their own daughter out of a horrible situation and she never wanted another woman to know what it felt like to be trapped and alone in an unsafe relationship. Stacie took a deep breath before yet another person got between her and the bar where she’d last seen Aubrey. A warm hand landed lightly on the small of her back and she could feel the heat of it through the dress sinking into her skin.

“I was wondering where you’d gone.” Stacie leaned back slightly so that her body bumped against Aubrey’s and the tension melted away. She turned and smiled at the blonde, taking the time to appreciate the full effect of Aubrey’s tux and perfect smoky eye. It was sexy as hell and she had to resist the urge to run her hands down the other woman’s chest and over her ribs.

“I’ve been here with you the whole time.” Stacie reached out for Aubrey’s hand, wanting to do more than give it a squeeze. She wanted to do so much more but that would have to wait until later when they were at home together. “You want a drink?”

“Yes, please.” Aubrey smiled at her and Stacie’s heart skipped a beat. She was still lost in the memory of Aubrey’s smile moments later when another much heavier hand landed on her arm. The smile she wore faded instantly because she knew the too familiar touch as one of Weston’s friend’s from work. He was always pushy and always far too drunk and so far tonight had hit on her at least five times. The last time going so far as to squeeze her ass when no one was looking. She knew why he was so aggressive, was sure that he had seen certain movies of her, a thought that sickened her almost as much as the smell of his booze tainted breath.

“You’ve been giving me the dodge Stacie, c’mon, let me buy you a drink and take care of you since Wes isn’t around.”

She tried to carefully extricate herself from his grip but he held tighter, pulling her a little closer to his body. The smell of whiskey on his breath so strong she had to turn her head to get away from it. “You’re drunk Phillip, please let me go.” Her mother’s voice rose up in a frantic roar in her head. Don’t make a scene Anastacia, it is better to suffer in silence than endure a scandal! It was so hardwired into her brain that she caught herself trying to hide his rough grip on her so no one would know.

“I thought you liked it like this.” She had suspected of course, but having that confirmation made her stomach wind in knots. If one person knew then others could and would eventually find out. People would know about her, about what Weston did to her. Bile rose up in her throat and she elbowed him hard enough in the gut to get him to let go so she could get as far away as she could.

Stacie scanned for Aubrey and headed in her direction but a hard yank to her wrist pulled her to a short stop just feet from the bar. Aubrey turned just then, sensing more than seeing movement over her shoulder and green eyes narrowed in malice as she took in Stacie’s situation. Phillip pulled her over to a smaller table that had been pushed to the side to make room for the servers coming in and out with trays champagne and hors d’oeuvres. She didn’t recognize the two men sitting at the table but she didn’t have to know them personally to know what kind of person they were.

It was obvious from the sly smiles and complete and utter lack of concern for her wellbeing. They were like Phillip, and like Weston. The type of men that preyed on women because they were rich and powerful and had been born with a sense of entitlement bigger than their trust funds.

“I don’t think the lady wants your company.” Aubrey’s soft voice came out with the echo of a threat and Stacie shivered at the sound of it. Phillip let her go and she stepped out of his reach before he could think about grabbing her again. Aubrey gestured with a small wave at a server and gave the girl a fifty dollar bill as a tip. “Bring these gentlemen a round from the top shelf.” The girl nodded and hurried off away from the darkened corner to the full light of the bar and well away from the dangerous vibe in the air.

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to be rude but who the hell do you think you are?”

Aubrey raised a brow and turned her head to take Phillip in, judging him for threat level. When she didn’t find one worth worrying about she pushed forward and rested her hands on the table top. The nearest man, reached out to grab her but Aubrey was faster that he was and far more vicious. Her hand came up to the back of his head, slamming it into the table hard. The second man started to stand but Aubrey lashed out with a quick jab to his throat that buckled his knees and had him silently gasping for breath. In one smooth motion she pulled her gun from the small of her back and placed it on the table directly in front of Phillip with a heavy thunk. She thumbed back the hammer and leaned in so her eyes were level with his and Stacie was sure he had just peed on himself.

“No. Means. No. Are we clear?”

Stacie bit her lip when Phillip nodded a little too quickly in agreement. She held his gaze a moment more before she stood up and tucked the gun away as smoothly as she’d taken it out, the server none the wiser for the for the display. Aubrey turned to Stacie and gently stroked her fingers over the already fading red mark from Phillip. Her voice was low but so much softer than when she’d spoken to the man at the table.

“Hey, you okay?”

She could only nod, afraid of what might come out of her mouth right then. Aubrey gave her a slow nod then turned back to the table to pin them each with a hard look. “Enjoy your drinks gentlemen and get the fuck out of my house.”

All three of them got up without so much as glancing at the drinks, two of them helping the third to the closest exit. Like magic Lilly appeared at Aubrey’s side and the blonde gave her a short nod, watching as her right hand man disappeared back into the shadows to follow Phillip and his friends. She turned back to Stacie, eyes soft with apology but none of that was necessary for Stacie.

There were no words to express how she felt right then. Stacie stood there staring at Aubrey wanting and needing to be anywhere but there in front of so many people. Aubrey opened her mouth to apologize and Stacie pulled her in by her lapels for a quick and hungry kiss. She honestly didn’t care if anyone was watching or had noticed anything out of the ordinary at all. She couldn’t care less if every single one of them saw. Aubrey pulled back from the kiss in confusion her breath coming out in a fast pant.

“Wha…”

“We have to go right now.”

“Wher…”

Stacie took Aubrey’s hand and pulled her along the wall to the edge of the bar. She had to wait as several servers spilled out of the door to the back area before tugging Aubrey behind her to the delivery door at the back. It was too busy with the hustle of bodies and she pushed out into the cool evening with an exasperated sigh. She spotted the other woman’s black Escalade parked next to Cynthia Rose’s Mustang. She turned and slipped a hand into Aubrey’s pants, her fingers tracing the seam of the pocket as she dug for the key. The blonde’s hips jerked once before she found what she was looking for and clicked the lock open.

She couldn’t even feel herself take the steps to the car, only the feel of the cold metal and glass against her overheated back as Aubrey pushed her up against the side and kissed her as if she could devour her right there. Stacie struggled to open the door behind her, breaking away only long enough to lift her dress and scoot into the backseat. The other woman climbed in after her and Stacie reached for her tie, tugging her closer for another kiss. Her hands scrabbled to peel the jacket from Aubrey’s shoulders, needing to get closer than the layers of clothes between them would allow.

Aubrey’s short nails grazed over her hips as they tugged her panties down the progress stopped when the blonde encountered the thigh holster. She looked down at it then at Stacie with a raised brow. “That’s so hot….”

Their lips crashed together again and Stacie swore there wasn’t enough air in the car, maybe the universe even. Aubrey tossed her underwear over her shoulder and pulled Stacie onto her lap in a straddle. Fingers grazed along her heat and she bucked wildly needing more than the tease of foreplay. Oh God she had never needed anyone as badly as she needed Aubrey right in that moment. Her fingers worked with frenzied intensity as she pulled the tie loose from its knot and worked the buttons open on Aubrey’s shirt and vest enough to reach the lace of her bra and the soft creamy skin of her chest.

One hand reached out to brace against the window when Aubrey filled her and Stacie could only think that she’d never felt this much anything in all her years of living. This much desire, need or love. She had never felt this safe in such an out of control life. This was everything for her and Aubrey was everything to her. Stacie brought their lips together in another desperate kiss, her words barely a whisper against Aubrey’s soft lips.

“I’m so yours.”

[morganrealty-blog]

Morgan Realty: Making Your Dreams a Reality

The second of 5 kids who moved from Montego Bay, Jamaica to Stamford, Connecticut in 1986.  Margo fell in love with Pembroke Pines on a weekend trip to Florida in 2001.  Six weeks later she bought a home and moved her family there.

Acquiring her Real Estate Appraisal License in 2003 from Gold Coast School of Real Estate, Margo worked as a full time Property Appraiser for 7 years before getting her Real Estate License in 2010.  After acquiring her Real Estate License she went to work for Home Owner Ship Realty Inc. as a Acquisition and Disposition Agent on a $89 million dollar Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) project; putting both licenses to work.  At the end of the project Margo went back to Gold Coast Real Estate School and attained her Real Estate Broker License.  She opened Morgan Realty and Management Services Inc., and Morgan Realty & Appraisal Services Inc. Morgan Realty focuses on listing and selling homes in Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Weston, Davie, Cooper City, Miami and throughout all of South Florida.

Morgan Realty is an expert in selling Foreclosures, Short Sales, Probate and Divorce Sales in the Southwest Broward Real Estate market.

Morgan Realty is in the business of making your dreams a reality.

OUR COMPANY

Located in Pembroke Pines, Florida, Morgan Realty and Management Services Inc. is a real estate company which assist clients with Acquisitions, Dispositions, Residential and Commercial Leasing, First Time Home Buyers, and Down Payment Assistance.

OUR MISSION

To act in the best interest of our customers at all times, bringing unquestionable ethics to each transaction. To become trusted advisors for all our customers. To develop long-term client relationships by providing exceptional brokerage services that drives unparalleled customer satisfaction.

OUR PLEDGE

For every single customer, we will work as hard as we can to help them achieve their dreams. We are grateful and inspired to be working with a select team of professionals whom I believe are the most capable, honest and hard-working in the state of Florida. We believe that working hard at something you love to do, with people you trust, is one of the greatest experiences in life. We love to help our customers find a house that can become a home. We are devoted to our families, our colleagues, our community, and our country. We are proud to offer what we feel are the finest homes in the county. Finally, we believe that our business can be successful for generations only if we continue on a path of honesty and trust. We will not bend the truth to make a sale.

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It's all start 😎" Would you like a crazy offer on your home 🏡 " ... The rest is history 😝using our CB 360 marketing plan enhances by #listingconcierge & guarded by my coach @mak2300 😍. The results 💪 is amazing " Olympic Gold medal " 😇 close at $750K highest record sell in Emerald Estate, Weston , Florida ... Tonight 😉Japanese whiskey 🥃 & my favorite cigar 🤩 (at Weston, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR7ukTDrFgj/?utm_medium=tumblr

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