Weapons of Mass Seduction by Lori Bryant-Woolridge Page B

agree with you, darlin’; your man quest system needs a tune-up.”
    â€œI just shut it off. I’m done with grandiose ideas centered on men and marriage.”
    â€œI’d be mad as hell, but you don’t seem bitter,” Flo observed.
    â€œNo, just tired of the games and their emotional aftermath.”
    Unburdening herself from the need for men and taming her desires, Pia had put males on the shelf and gone to work on herself. Without a man’s rude insertion into her life these past few years, she’d managed to climb from senior producer to senior vice president. For her hard work and impressive success record, she was compensated handsomely, her salary well into six figures. With only one mouth to feed, Pia was able to support herself in lavish style, from her apartment in pricey Chelsea to a to-die-for collection of vintage clothes and handbags to exotic travel wherever in the world she fancied. She’d become an even more fascinating, self-reliant woman and was happy living the exciting life she’d created for herself. Yet now, in an ironic twist, the only thing missing was the one thing she couldn’t have without a man’s assistance.
    â€œSo you want to date again ’cause you’re ready to fall in love?” Becca asked.
    â€œNo, I’m not looking for love or a mate. Just a man to father my child. But because I’ve been off the market for so long, I don’t have a clue how to make a guy call me back for a second date, let alone impregnate me.
    â€œSo you want to know why I’m here, well, there it is.”
    Florence and Becca sat in silent disbelief. Pia couldn’t tell if they were appalled by her lack of social finesse or her plan to have a baby without a husband. The idea of being judged by these two women, who through a forced kind of intimacy had quickly become her friends, felt wickedly uncomfortable.
    â€œWhy don’t you just adopt? Plenty of great kids out there need a home,” Becca asked. “My parents did it. Tom and Nicole, Angelina and Brad, even did it,” she added, as if a celebrity endorsement might help. “Plus, it might not seem so bad that you don’t have a husband.”
    â€œI haven’t totally ruled out adoption, but if I can, I’d really like to experience pregnancy.”
    â€œSo what’s your mama and daddy sayin’ about all this?” Flo asked.
    â€œMy dad died years ago, and I figured I’d wait until I had something to announce before I said anything to my mom.” Pia was not at all looking forward to that discussion, so it was definitely a bridge she’d cross only when and if necessary.
    â€œWell, that explains the way you were lookin’ at that baby in the mall,” Florence said, her gaze directed at the charm around Pia’s neck, “and your icon.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?”
    â€œI noticed the label on the tray yesterday didn’t say ‘love’ at all. You picked out a symbol that stands for ‘mother.’”
    Pia lifted her hands to her neck and gently covered the pendant. Her silence was comment enough.
    â€œWell, then, darlin’, I may not agree with the whole no-husband thingie, but who am I to judge? Havin’ three babies with Dan sure didn’t guarantee he’d stick around. So put on whatever you’re gonna put on and let’s get out there and get you datin’.”

Chapter Nine
    P ia, Becca, and Florence, along with the other glammed-up WMS teams, stepped into Suede, a swank but currently empty restaurant and bar. Gleaming hardwood floors, exposed brick, subdued lighting, and inviting leather sofas trailing the serpentine walls provided a sensual mix of sophisticated textures and architectural lines. The velvety voice of the crooner Johnny Hartman and the great John Coltrane gave the environment a jazzy, romantic air.
    The group was shuttled into the restaurant, where the