Sharynn POV

She was not a gold digger.

Sharynn did not consider herself the type of woman that went after men only for their money. No, that's not what she was about.

She went after guys that made more money than her and that was a lot because she made a lot of money. She came from money, both her parents were doctors. They expected her to live a certain life that she was accustomed to, so she went into a field where she knew she could make a lot of money out of the gate.

Majoring in finance, specifically accounting, she not only knew how to count money, she knew how to make money. Even while in college she worked and invested her money so by the time she graduated, she had enough money already stacked up she was able to buy what she wanted. The icing on the cake was getting the job of her dreams at Edward Jones, the largest accounting firm in St. Louis.

Because she interned there for two summers, she was able to jump in and start as a manager two years ago, and since then had become a senior manager. She made top money at a very young age. Only twenty-five and made close to two hundred grand a year not including bonuses and perks. Currently finishing up her Master's degree by taking evening and online classes, which would then increase her pay.

Money mattered.

Thankful that her parents invested in her before she was born and started a college fund. She was able to attend Missouri State University solely with that money, no loans, and a few small scholarships. Some of her classmates took out loans, received grants, or even had to work. Her parents sent her a weekly allowance so she never had to work all four years. Even was able to work unpaid intern because of them.

Again, money mattered.

It got you a head start in life.

She had lots of it and she wanted to keep lots of it. She liked to buy nice things for herself, but she also liked treating her friends when she could. When Amari needed a couple hundred dollars to get her car fixed, she gave it to her with no hesitation. When Kayla needed money for a deposit for her new place, she quickly offered it to her and said she did not have to pay it back.

Her friends were her everything. She didn't have many friends growing up, that's why joining a sorority and having lifetime friends meant something to her.

Her girls were there for her when she went through heartbreak losing her best friend and the only boy she ever loved.

While she sat at her desk in her office at work, instead of finishing up the spreadsheets she needed for her meeting, she was on her tablet going to the St. Louis American newspaper's website, staring at pictures of her ex in it. Her ex-best friend slash her boyfriend.

"Richard Richardson III, youngest new CEO of Richardson Realty." "Richard Richardson, millionaire deal maker."

Richard was that type of rich where money truly wasn't a thing for him. Since she had known him since birth, his money never came between them. He was always generous with it, sharing whatever he had it felt like it was hers too. They grew up together because their mothers were best friends, but around middle school, they had feelings for each other and began to date.

Their mothers were delighted in that. Already planning their wedding even when they were fourteen.

Richard was a super-genius and though they were the same age, only a few weeks apart, Richard was ahead by several grades due to testing into higher classes. He attended a private all-boy school while she attended a private all-girls school.

He finished high school at fifteen and started college right after he turned sixteen on his birthday in June. He decided to go away to Howard University, while she stayed home in St. Louis. Having a long-distance boyfriend was hard. They had sex for the first time that summer before he left for college.

Then he was gone. She never thought their relationship would suffer. Richard loved her, she loved him.

Richard was always a looker to her, but as he got older, lost the glasses, and braces, and cleared up his acne-prone skin, girls began to notice him more. He was not the young, super-nerd on campus anymore. She did not like this new, very good-looking Richard.

He was the most handsome man on the planet to her. She used him to measure all other guys so she had been desperately single for years. They broke up when she was twenty-one. Here she was twenty-five still brooding over the guy who broke her heart in a million pieces. Those pieces she still struggled to put back together.

"Knock, knock!" someone said as they knocked on her door.

She looked up, it was a fellow manager from another department. There were very few African American managers and directors at Edward Jones, so they all kind of bonded and swapped notes about their departments. Trenton Anderson was older and had also been there since college, though it took him longer to work his way up to manager.

"Yes, Trenton?"

"Wondering if you were free for lunch?"

Oh yeah, and he always hit on her every chance he got. She felt no attraction for the guy. Totally not her type. Shorter than Richard. Very overweight, not like the fit Richard. Made way less money than Richard. He was a manager like her, but she happened to know he made twenty thousand less than her. What was she going to do with that?

Not a damn thing. Money made the world go round.

"I have too much work to do. I have all of these reports to prepare for my meeting so I'm eating at my desk," she said, absentmindedly eating a licorice stick as she closed out the pictures of Richard on her tablet so that she could do her actual work.

"Sounds like another brush-off to me, but I'll keep at it." He gave her a grin before he walked away from her office door.

He was not a bad-looking guy, but he did not meet her criteria, so bye.

She was no looker like her friend Amari. That girl could make a gay man straight she was so beautiful. Like one of those Black Barbie dolls she played with as a kid. All that hair that was hers, versus she was quick to put a weave in, a lace front, or even some braids.

In fact, as she scratched her messy, curly hair, she realized she needed to get something done with her hair this weekend. Her curls were frizzy and dry and all she could manage was pulling them up in a high ponytail letting the curls fall as they may.

She grabbed her phone to use the camera to check herself out. Besides her messy hair, looked good. Having money and knowing how to apply makeup on her medium-brown skin helped. She was fifteen wearing a full beat on her face back in high school and taught others how to as well.

She loved her big doe-like eyes, especially with some added lash extensions. She had full, plump lips she wore a simple gloss on. Nails always down, as well as her feet. Nothing less if she wanted to catch a man with money.

She dressed to impress, though nothing tight and fitted like Amari loved to wear. Tailored suits and dresses, giving her slim build some shape. She hated being so thin. If only she had a little more meat on her bones. It was hereditary, both her parents were beanpoles. As much as her friend Kayla hated her shape, she wished she was built like her. Men liked women with curves.

After getting off work at eight o'clock at night, she made it to her place. The first thing she did was step out of her five-inch Prada heels. Then off came the red jacket to her Donna Karen suit. Through the DKNY shirt, she undid and pulled off her La Perla bra on her small A-cup breasts, and tossed it on the back of her sofa. She took out the ponytail holder and messed her curls up. All this while holding her iPhone and not missing a beat as she made her way to her mini bar.

She grabbed a bottle of chilled wine from the fridge, grabbed a stemless wineglass, and poured her favorite Moscato wine.

"This definitely is a whole bottle day!" She grabbed her glass and the bottle and walked into her living room, sat down with her dinner, and tucked her feet under her.

A long gulp of wine and she finally relaxed.

She ate dinner at the office, so she was not drinking on an empty stomach. Nor was she an alcoholic.

She thought about her friends' quest to find their dream guy.

"He's out there somewhere," she thought to herself. If only he looked like Richard with Richard kind of money. She had the perfect man and then lost him.

Could she settle for less? Something different? A man who checked most of the boxes she desired in a man.