Tag: Black Love

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day

As we all rush out like madmen to purchase cards, chocolates, sexy lingerie, and toys to create magic in our otherwise mundane love lives it should take one day to make the person that you care about feel special. I have never really cared for the commercial holiday; it has always been just another excuse for men to get laid and for women to acquire an often cheap piece of jewelry and a dinner date. And let’s face it, after 50 Shades of Grey, no man alive can compete with a fictional character whose sexual prowess and romance skills are on an unachievable level. So I will keep this blog short and straight to the point: book boyfriends are so much better.

Love At Last is now available starting at its discounted price at .99 on Amazon Kindle. Trey will never disappoint.

http://www.amazon.com/Love-At-Last-Delizhia-Jenkins-ebook/dp/B00QLHC612/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423928352&sr=8-1&keywords=love+at+last+by+delizhia+jenkins

Love At Last: Final Excerpt

Love At Last: Final Excerpt

Chapter 23

Trey

Trey couldn’t wait to get Danielle back to his place. He was anxious to see what her “surprise” was. But when he made the stop at her mom’s house, and all she came out with was her duffle bag, he was even more curious. The suspense made him incredibly horny. He was little disappointed that he didn’t meet her mom right then, but she wasn’t there. He was excited that she wanted him to meet her family so soon. He had originally planned on taking her out somewhere tonight but she was adamant about spending time alone at his place, which was fine with him. She said she wanted to cook for him which was a plus. He had food at the house, but she wanted to stop at the grocery store so that she wouldn’t use the food he bought for himself and Amir. Trey found himself ready to say the “L” word, but he figured now wasn’t the time.

She cooked him baked salmon, with roasted red potatoes and gravy with a Caesar salad. She even bought red wine to go with it. He helped her set up the ambiance: he lit candles, dimmed the lights and turned on Usher’s latest single, Climax to set the mood. Once the table was set, she ordered him to take a shower and get comfortable. He did as he was told. He put on some sweats and a t-shirt and sat on the couch waiting to see what she would do next. She took her duffle bag and hurried into his bathroom to shower herself, and thirty minutes later she came out looking like a breath of fresh air…and then some. She wore a blood red teddy with the matching panties and red pumps. Trey all of a sudden didn’t want to eat, at least not dinner. Those long legs of hers had him completely incoherent, and just the sight of her behind had him in a frenzy. She sashayed past him, smelling like night roses and sat at the dinner table. She had taken her hair down and had even applied some dark eye liner, giving her a sultry look. “Aren’t you going to join me?” She asked seductively. All Trey could do was nod and got up to join her at the table, not even trying to hide his arousal. She got up and served him his plate and then sat on his lap to feed him with her hands. “I hope your hands are clean, ma’” He joked. She laughed. “Of course they are…” she said. This was possibly the most sensual experience he has ever had with a woman. She said he was going to cause her to explode, shit, she didn’t know he was about to explode any minute. He finished his plate. “Ay, you haven’t touched yours,” he said. “You can feed it to me later.” She cooed. That was it. The gauntlet had been fucking dropped. He couldn’t take any more. With a quick sweeping motion Trey scooped her up in his arms and kissed her hard and passionately. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him back…gently biting and sucking his mouth. He almost tripped carrying her to the room.

He couldn’t get her on the bed fast enough. He laid her down, not once breaking the kiss. She was so soft and warm, her moans were like music to his ears. He took his shirt off and draped her with his body. Tonight, every question was going to be fucking answered. What she wanted he was going to deliver. Off came her teddy. Her size 36B breasts bounced free and he planted his mouth on one, latching on like a newborn baby. His hands, well let’s just say, went to work in other places. She cried out in pleasure. He took her mouth. He ripped her matching panties set clean off. Fuck it, he would buy her a million more. She opened her legs wider for him to nestle in between. Yes, tonight he was going to tattoo his name all over her body until she begged him to stop. Even if it took all night he was going to take her to the heavens and back. He was going to make her go blind with pleasure. She cried out again. Yes, goddamn it she was going to get it. He kissed her starting from her neck all the way down to her sweet spot. Damn she tasted good, he couldn’t get enough. She was going to hit a new note tonight-better yet she was going to acquire a higher octave. “OH GOD!” she cried out. Her hands gripping the sheets until they were knuckle white. “YESSSS TREEEEEEEY!” He was going to make her come so much that she was going to lose all feeling in her legs. Her cries of pleasure was his motivation. “TREY!” she screamed. Orgasm one down. Many more to go. Since he was the only one who can take her to new heights sexually, he was taking her on a trip through the universe. He was going to imprint this night in her mental rolodex, she was never going to forget it. Shit, neither was he. Her legs started to tremble. “DAMN IT TREY!” Orgasm number 2, and he still wasn’t finished. He got up and went to his Chester drawer nearest the bed to grab a gold pack, Magnum condom. She was writhing in the bed, watching him, biting her bottom lip. “Don’t worry ma’ I got you.” He said. He took of his sweats and climbed back on the bed to finish what he started. He went back to work on her sweet spot. A few minutes later, orgasm number 3. She was glistening with sweat, her lip bloodied from biting it so hard. He rolled on the condom. “You ready ma’?” She could barely speak. “Yeesssss”. He opened her legs wide and gently pushed himself inside. Good lord she was tight…almost virginal tight but she was wet as hell. As hard as it was, he remained careful but once he knew she was used to his size, he went to work. She wanted this, she needed this…said she was going to explode, well fuck it, now was the time to do so. He pushed in deeper. Again she cried out, and Trey felt her walls tighten and release as orgasm number 5 rolled through her. He kissed her neck and sped up the pace. She was everything and then some. Sensuality personified. Sexual heat magnified, and she was his. “Oh shit ma’,” he moaned as he continued to thrust. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him in deeper. Shit, take her to through the universe and back? She took him with her. They both cried out as probably the best orgasm Trey ever experienced in his life stopped his heart then restarted it, an engulfing energy of heat and pleasure wrapped around him and poured into her, trapping them both and releasing them. Trey couldn’t move an inch. He could barely breathe. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to. Her cries told him everything he needed to know. After what seemed like hours, he managed to pull himself from on top of her, and gather her into his arms. They remained nestled in each other’s warmth, surrounded to total darkness. He could feel her heart beating his against his chest; its rhythm slowly returning to its normal beat. “Trey?” she said weakly. “Yeah ma’?” “I can’t feel my legs…” Mission accomplished. He smiled. “Is that a good thing ma’?” he asked. “Hell ya that’s a good thing.” She sat up to face him. “That was a real good thing…” he kissed her shoulder. “Are you hungry? I didn’t give you a chance to eat your food.” She laughed. “It’s ok. I don’t think I can get out the bed without falling on the floor.” He chuckled. “I was supposed to be the one giving you your surprise,” she added with a sly smile. “Oh yeah? I thought when you came out the bathroom lookin’ all sexy and shit was the surprise.” He mused. “That was part of it but not the whole thing.” “Oh yeah? Well what was it?” Trey sat up. “Now, that I think of it, I am kind of glad that we skipped it.” He raised an eyebrow. “Why?” “Because you would have laughed.” She giggled. ‘Well aren’t you going to tell me what it is?” She sighed. “For the last two weeks, after my class paralegal studies class, I have been going to a pole dancing class not far from my mom’s house…I wanted to show you what I had learned so far…” Trey laughed, not at her but the idea of her actually sliding down a pole. “See? I knew you would laugh…” she had to laugh herself. “I’m not laughing at you ma’, I think that is kinda cute that you was willing to work a pole for a nigga…” “Well see, the instructor does give pole dancing lessons, but it focuses more on strip teasing…” Trey chuckled at her embarrassment. It didn’t take much for her to get embarrassed; that was her most endearing quality. “You didn’t need a class to get me off ma’. You just being you is more than enough.” He kissed the top of her head. “So how do you feel about what we just did?” he asked. He was more than alright with it. He had no plans of going anywhere. In his mind she was the one; she was everything he dreamed about and then some…everything he dreamed about. He suddenly remembered where he had seen her from. He had a dream a few weeks ago about a woman that looked just like her. All he could recall was them meeting out in the city somewhere and sharing a kiss. He remembered waking up hard as hell and having to relieve himself twice before he could even get out of the bed. “If you are wondering if I regret anything, the answer is no.” She turned and lightly kissed his cheek. “I have never felt pleasure like that in my life,” she gushed. Trey smiled…a big ass nacho cheesy grin. He knew he broke her off something proper. All of that waiting and near misses and almosts really paid off. And as long as she would let him, she could have as much as she wanted. “I think I am going to feed you now,” he said getting out the bed. She could see the outline of his toned and hard body in the darkness as he put his sweats back on. “Trey, you don’t-“He turned to face her. “Ma’, I want you to stop it. Right now.” She sat still, shocked. He approached her, sitting on the edge of the bed. “You are so used to having to be the one doing the pleasing, but you don’t have to do that with me. I am into you, so into you that I don’t know what to do with myself. You know my history with women, especially Shyann. I never thought another woman would ever be the one for me and then I found you. If I like a woman, I do what most men will do to impress her. But, the way that you make me feel goes beyond like, and I am finding myself wanting to do more than just buy you roses and take you out to eat. Do you understand?” She nodded. “So just sit back, relax and for once let someone else do the pleasing. You fed me, right?” She nodded. “So it is only fair that I feed you. If it wasn’t for the fact that I just met you two months ago, I would have moved you in here so quick it would have made your head spin. I don’t know what this is between us, but the shit is strong. Six months from now, I want us to be planning our future. A year from now, I want you wearing my ring, and if everything goes right, I want you carrying my next son or daughter. If it makes you comfortable, we can slow things down but I just want you to know where I stand.” Trey stated. So far, his relationship with Danielle had been perfect. They had their moments where they would disagree but she would always come back or he would always come back and the issue would get solved. In all actuality, what they mostly had disagreements about was who was going to pay or Danielle’s independent streak taking over. He didn’t mind an independent woman, but he also wanted an independent woman to feel secure enough to let him be the man. She was pretty good with that, but she still had her moments. He knew her past was still haunting her. Hell, his was too. He hadn’t heard from Shyann since that night she dropped Amir off. And he hadn’t bothered to look for her. He knew where she was at: with that ass-wipe King. But he did need to know if she was alright. He had already asked a few of his cousins to get the scoop on what was going on with that. But with all of this going on and more he wasn’t prepared for what was going to happen next.

Danielle’s expression had softened so he almost forgot about her food and was about to take them both on a ride to Pleasureville and back. He wondered what she was thinking, until she spoke. “I think I love you Trey…” she blurted out. Trey wasn’t sure her heard her right. “What?” he asked. “I said, I love you Trey.” Damn. He knew he had made her lose her mind, but shit…”Look ma’”…”No you look Trey,” she said. “It has nothing to do with what just happened. I know how I feel about you. You are the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing that is on my mind when I close my eyes to sleep at night. When you leave, even if it’s just for five minutes, I miss you like you have been gone for twenty years. I have never felt this way even for King. Ever. We had our moments when things were going right where I felt something for him, but never on this level. I love everything about you. Your smile, the way you look when you are thinking; how you care for Amir; the way that you walk; how you carry yourself…I am anxious to meet your mom and your sisters just because I know that they love you. I love the sound of your voice when you wake up in the morning. I love the fact that you are willing to go out of your way for me…I just love you Trey, and I mean that. You have been such a gentleman with me since the moment we met it kinda scared me. Any other guy would have tried to jump my bones the first night I came here, and you didn’t. Any other guy would have seen how vulnerable I was and still am and took advantage of that, and you haven’t. So don’t even think to question how I could be in love with you when you have given me so many reasons why I am. I love you Trey.” She looked down like she always did when she was worried about his reaction. She had no idea what she just did. Trey had been wanting to drop the “L” bomb for a minute now but didn’t, thinking that she might run off. But she said it first, and she said it with so much emotion that he was devoid of any thought or reason. A few minutes passed between them before she got up and went into the bathroom. He followed behind her and listened after the door shut. Was she crying? He heard soft sniffling and the shuffling of clothes from her duffle bag. He opened the door. She was wrapped in one of his towels, her nose red and her face damp. He didn’t mean to make her cry, lord knows he didn’t. He was madly in love with her; was willing to risk his freedom for her if he had to. “Come here ma’.” He said softly. Her eyes were puffy and red which broke his heart. “Come here ma’” he pleaded. She didn’t go to him. She just looked at him. He stepped inside and took her palms in gently pulled her out into an embrace. He made her look at him. “Danielle, you didn’t give me a chance to respond. Baby, I am so in love with you it hurts. I was just in shock that you were so honest and I didn’t know that you felt that way. If you don’t believe me when I say that I am in love with you, then let me prove it to you.” He went in the bathroom and cut the shower water on. She was still standing in the hall where had left her, wrapped in the towel, holding herself. When the water was just right, he stripped down and beckoned for her to come in with him and she did. She took off the towel and he helped her into the shower. It was a bit of a tight squeeze but he was able to maneuver himself around her. He held her gaze as he took the washcloth and the squeezed out the body wash onto it. He stole glances of her body, of course and what a sight it was to see. Her sun kissed brown skin was absolutely radiant under the spray. He carefully took the towel and massaged it onto her skin and made sure to wash every inch of body. Her hair went from straight to now curly which gave her a more erotic appeal. After washing each section of her body he lightly plant a kiss and by the time he was done he had literally covered her with kisses. She returned the favor, not only showering him with the soap but also with her affection and when they were done, he did what he always did and scooped her up, taking her not to the bedroom but to the kitchen. They were both wrapped in towels. He sat her down at the table, took her plate and warmed it up, then brought it back to her, only for him to return the favor and feed her with his bare hands. All of this done in silence, She didn’t need to speak and neither did he. It wasn’t until she said she was full, is when he spoke. “Now, do you believe me?” She smiled. Of course she did. “Now I want you to remember this whenever you start doubting how I feel.” “I feel like I’m in a dream.” “So do I,” Trey said. “Where I’m from what I just did would look like some sucka shit. But I told you ma’ that I would be your prince if you let me. So, are we good?” “We are more than good, Trey…until my heart stops beating there is no way I see myself ever being without you. You know how I feel.” “Until your heart stops beating?” He repeated. “Until my heart stops beating.” Trey had to smile at that. Until her heart stops beating? Shit, that wasn’t going to be until they were old and grey. But somewhere in the back of his mind, someone was going to try to change that, and that someone had made a deal with the devil.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

Head on over to my Facebook page and LIKE “The D Code” for more info on giveaways, events and more!

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDelizhia?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Nubia Rising: Excerpt: Osiris

Nubia Rising: Excerpt: Osiris

Trenton could feel a dark presence moving about the shadows of the Osirian realms. Syrene was still unconscious and Durga was late. Really late. If he could pray, he was would have prayed that she wasn’t killed by one of those Destroyer pests and that Durga would wrap things up and come on. He could hear Syrene stirring behind him. Being who she was, he should have realized that the dark energy spell wasn’t going to hold her for long. And the ring in which he wore’s powers seemed to be waning. He knew he didn’t have much time. He could sense it. And then he heard a familiar voice. “Trenton!” Durga shrieked. “Where is Syrene? I have been waiting to sink my teeth into that bitch’s neck for centuries!” Trenton materialized out of the nothingness and stood in front of the she demon. “She is safely tucked away,” he replied. “Give me the ring,”Durga demanded. “And then what? You have told me nothing. Have the shields been dropped?” “I did my part!” Durga snapped. “But have the shield-“ Trenton’s calm voice was quickly interrupted when he heard the rumblings of a not so unfamiliar voice. Durga, aware of the presence, slowly began to back away from Trenton, as if anticipating an approaching nightmare. “You should have ran when you had the chance boy,” came the deep, husky sound of the approaching apparition. Trenton could feel his fading pulse quicken with fear, and for a second he was dizzy with adrenaline as he prepared to either take flight or put up a fight. The energy from the ring had all but gone and he wasn’t sure if he had enough power to effectively protect himself. Durga surely wasn’t going to waste energy protecting him, she had her own agenda. “Give me what does not belong to you,” said the voice coolly,” and I may allow you a quick and  merciful death, rather than a long and excruciatingly painful one” . Before Trenton could even think to react the ring dissipated from his finger, leaving the space on his finger as well as in the rest of his body feeling eerily empty. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Durga standing a few more feet away from him, her body tense as a spring, and based off of her strained expression he could tell that she was debating on whether or not she should dematerialize. The entity must have sensed her dilemma too because he made a tisking sound before he slowly began to manifest right before their eyes. Six foot seven of dense muscle and brawn, dark, smooth mahogany  skin, perfectly thick lips atop a chiseled face, with a pair of abysmal ly dark eyes that glared back at them. Long Kemetian locks hung proudly to the tip of his waist. Osiris, Egyptian ruler of the Underworld: first great Pharaoh of Egypt; and the only god to cheat death. To his followers, he was the definition of resurrection, and a force to be feared. Trenton,  not sure what else to do, found himself on his knees. The nothingness beneath him became solid. The instance  his knees buckled and collapsed onto what he once felt as nothingness, sent a shot of pain throughout the course of his body. He grimaced, but remained just as he was on his knees, ready and willing to beg for his life.

It was a damn shame that his life had come to this. He thought he had figured out the entire game. Everything he did in life was planned to the “t”; even his hooking up with Jewel also known as Isis. He thought he knew everything there was to know about the supernatural, and how to control it, but instead, he was the one being controlled. This was not how things were supposed to turn out. He was supposed to be the reigning king of hip hop; he was the one that was supposed to be a part of the New World Order. He knew what it was like to have power; not just financial, or political but REAL power and all of it has slipped through his fingertips-literally. Now he was forced to beg for his life-well whatever life he had left-like a coward. Everything that he worked hard for, everything that he wanted, dreamed about, and possessed was gone. Especially Isis. “You dare cower before me and even in the threat of impeding death you still demonstrate desire for my wife?” Osiris seethed, his eyes  burning with such an intensity that the cavernous dimension that he was now trapped in began to tremble.  “You are nothing more than an imposter! How dare you assume yourself worthy to wear MY ring, to userp authority in MY realms and to BED MY WIFE!!!” Osiris roared “I ask for your for-“ Trenton stuttered. “SILENCE!!!”  Durga had remained quiet throughout the entire display. She was not sure what Osiris had in store for her but she was prepared to fight if she needed to.  She had no problems with challenging Isis but Osiris was something else. He had access to powers and realms that she could only imagine which would not make him simply a formidable opponent; but a lethal enemy.  As she was assessing whether or not it would be conducive to her survival to fight Osiris in his own realm Osiris glanced over in her direction and gave her a wicked, toothy grin. “You know Durga, for the offenses that you have committed are of a grave nature,” he began. “But there is a way for you to redeem yourself…” Durga’s eyes narrowed  at his last statement. “How so?”, she began. “You are a demon of death,” Osiris began, still looming over the still prostrate and  aging Trenton.  “You are not a death demon but a demon of Death. I admire all of your strengths and abilities and had it not been for you, my story of godhood would have meant nothing to human masses. However, despite the fact that my spirit has not been able to manifest into the physical world; that I have had to remain in a ghastly apparition type of state,  the only thing that I have been able to do to maintain my sanity was watch. And I have watched you Durga. I have watched seen every gory, sick and twisted detail and your absolute lust for the stench of death. But, I have also watched you  threaten my wife and even,” Osiris looked down at Trenton and growled with disgust,” made a deal with this worthless bag of humanity to steal my powers and harness the energies of Atlantis to yourself while claiming the life of that precious little Destroyer that is chained in one of my chambers.” Durga swallowed thickly and felt her muscles tighten as she prepared to spring. “I could imprison you here forever, you know?” Osiris quipped. “And with you trapped in my realms unable to satisfy your thirst for death and decay, humans would live forever? Even as their physical bodies deteriorate with sickness, age, or fatal injuries… I mean you  are the curse that was unleased after the Fall of Man are you not? So with you out of the picture…” “Alright!” Durga shouted. “What will you have me do?” “First, you will leave that Destroyer to me-“ “You have GOT to be FUCKING kidding me right now!” Durga snapped. “I have been WAITING for-“ “-She is of more use alive than dead. You clearly are unaware of her genealogy,” Osiris mused. “You will understand in time. Second I need for you to retrieve my body. That bitch Naomi, a descendant of my lands is responsible for my imprisonment here. She hid my decapitated body in what is known as the 16 Sisters in Mesopotamia, better known as Lebanon. But before you leave, kill this foolish man. He has defiled my realms, my ring and my wife. Put him out of his misery.” Durga smiled wickedly and took her time approaching the beyond terrified Trenton who tried to scramble away from both entities who glared on with sadistic satisfaction, but to no avail. With the ring now removed from his finger, his body was becoming weaker and weaker. His joints now ached from what might have been arthritis, his breathing was becoming labored and vision dimming. His hair was falling out strand by strand, until his hair line was now at the center of his head. Just as Durga inched her way over to him, he looked down at his wrinkling hands and hoped that at the rate that he was aging, that his heart would give out before she even landed her infamous death bite. She smiled at him, baring her elongated fangs and he got his wish: with eyes wide with shock and agony, his heart stopped, sending a massive explosion of pain from the center of his chest that radiated throughout the course of his body. His body began to tremble and twitch involuntarily and as his spirit finally left his body his final thought was: ”At least she didn’t get the ring.”

Osiris watched Durga tear the lifeless human’s body apart with her teeth and her eyes lit with seemingly orgasmic relief as she chewed through flesh and bone. It was interesting to witness a creature of such a ravenous and violent nature to indulge in fleshly greed even though her choice of appetizers was absolutely disgusting…at least to him. “I need for you to hurry up with that. The shields will only remain dropped for so long and I can feel my wife’s incantations pulling me out of this realm. I need for you to move quickly. We only have until sunrise before the spells wear off and there is no more Potential blood to open the door. I need my body back!!” Durga stopped what she was doing and gently wiped Trenton’s blood from her gruesome mouth before answering. “Your wife was so hell bent on the major details of this long awaited day that she forgot to obtain your body? How dreadful.” “She must have thought that the r eunification process would do it automatically…” “Or maybe she was more concerned with her own desires for power-“ “GO GET MY BODY YOU INSOLENT CREATURE OTHERWISE I SHALL MAKE GOOD ON MY PROMISE AND TRAP YOU IN HERE FOR ETERNITY!!!” Osiris bellowed, his voice echoing for what seemed like a millennia. Durga was not one to take orders but being locked in the Osirian realms for an eternity was not an option. She quickly dematerialized out of the nothingness and on the hunt for the 16 Sisters.images39L7LYPD imagesLN75GRZX

Spoiler: Love At Last….#Him

Chapter 6

Him

It had been two weeks since me and King’s fall out. I only went back to the apartment once and that was when I knew for sure he was not there. My brother had come with me to collect the rest of my things: my clothes, personal paper work such as my car insurance policy, and that was basically it. He could have it ALL. I am just so ready to move on with my life and to start anew. I mean, don’t get me wrong, in the two weeks that King and I have been apart, I did miss him-terribly. The night that I left, King called me so much that I had to turn my phone off just to get some peace. The first twenty voicemail messages he left were basically him begging for me to come home. “Baby I’m sorry”, “So when are you going to come home”, and “I miss you”, you know the usual. The same thing went with the fifty plus text messages he sent and all of them went ignored. I did not speak to him until three days later, after I had cried and vented to my mom and my brother so much that I was beyond exhausted. I even called out of work for a couple of days because I just could not pull it together. Kendra had even called, and like King’s her calls went unanswered. I will deal with her in due time. My mom did tell me that Kendra did come by, but since I was finally sleeping so peacefully, she did not want to disturb me. But, like I said, I will deal with her in due time. Patience has always been my virtue.

So here I am back at work and trying to get back into the full swing of things; but as a single woman. I no longer feel like I have to work for two people. I do not have to come in super early to squeeze in some overtime. I can sleep at night, peacefully without having to deal with King and his insomnia issues. I do not have to deal with King at all…Sitting in front of my computer screen struggling to concentrate on imputing the client’s information into the system, it is hard to digest the fact that I am…free. Free from King and all of his drama. Free from tears and burrowed resentment. Free to be who I am. Free to…just then my line rings. “Lender’s Disability, this is Danielle speaking. How may I help you?” I say clearly and confident into the receiver. Damn, even my confidence has went up. “Danielle, this is King”. My heart drops. Of course King would call me at work. “What is it?” I say. God this man just refuses to leave me alone. “So you are just not coming home, huh?” That was not really a question. It was more of a demand. “And why should I King?” “Look I was wrong. We can work this out. We have been together for five years, Danni” (now he is using my nickname…typical but not going to work). I roll my eyes wishing that I could be somewhere else doing something else-anything but being in this moment, having this conversation. “And what does that mean?” I ask. “There is nothing to work out.” “So what after one little fight you’re just willing to throw everything away?” King replied. By the way he sounded, he seemed a little…hurt. “You threw everything away every time you lied to me…every time you” (I whispered into the receiver so that no one could hear what I had to say next) “slept with other bitches and especially when you put your hands on me King. You blamed me for everything that went wrong in your selfish little world and-““Baby I’m sorry…” He croaked. “Yes King you are sorry. And I bet the only reason why you are even putting this much effort into bringing me back is because you have no idea how you are going to pay the rent on your own this month.” There was a pause. “Man fuck you then Danielle. I don’t need your stupid ass anyways-“There was something in those words fuck you that made me see pure red. This was the last time he was going to utter those words to me ever again. “Good. Because after tomorrow I am removing my name from the cable, the lights, the gas AND that lease. Have a nice life King.” And, with that I disconnected the call.  Suddenly, I felt a massive headache coming on so I reach into my bottom drawer and pull out a bottle of Advil that I keep on hand for moments like these. I get up and walk a few steps over to the communal water cooler, grab one those itsy-bitsy Dixie cups and fill the cup with water. Just as I pop my pill and take a seat, Martha, the firm’s receptionist who was also a charmingly vibrant older woman with an infectious Colgate smile, tanned skin and blue eyes approaches my desk. She had to be in her fifties but had such a youthful spirit, her age was the last thing anyone ever thought about. She wore her hair cut short in one of those Bob type styles and she recently died her hair this reddish brown color. Today she wore a yellow cardigan with matching wedge shoes and grey slacks. She wore a look of deep concern on her face. I force myself to smile. “Hey Martha. How are you?” She smiles back. “I’m ok Danielle, but the question is are you?” I raise an eyebrow, please don’t tell me King called and is harassing everyone in the building. “I’m fine. What’s going on?” She clears her throat before speaking. “There is a young man who keeps calling here looking for you. He told me his name was King. I think you should get back to him as soon as possible.” All I could do was shake my head. “Either that or file a restraining order against him.” “Thank you Martha, will do.” I turn and face the computer screen and pretend to be preoccupied with something of importance so that I won’t have to respond to the probing questions she has written all over her face. “Seriously Danielle, you should get a restraining order or at least tell that young man of yours to leave you the hell alone.” With that, Martha turned to go back to her desk. All I could do is rub my temples and pray that the day went on without any more King issues. But, like most things that have happened to me in my life, the thought alone was too good to be true.

The day went on without a hitch. King did not call me at all since and that was great. I just want to be done with the situation. After I punched out for the day and slipped my favorite bubble gum pink flip flops on, I begin my walk to the train station. I pull out my phone and my headphones so I would not have to be entertained by my thoughts that could easily turn depressing, and I guess I wasn’t paying much attention because I accidentally walk right into a young man who was exiting a tattoo shop. I dropped my phone while my headphones went flying in another direction. He and I both bend down at the same time to pick up my phone only to make a clumsy situation even clumsier. We bumped heads. “I am so sorry!” I shout, immediately straightening myself out. He hands me my phone. “It’s all good ma’. Are you alright?” I accept my phone and nod, “I’m ok. How about yourself?” Just then, our eyes meet and I do not want to sound cliché but there was a very strong connection. It was as if I knew him from somewhere, but where? I immediately brush off the feeling and scold myself for being so silly. Clearly we are not two star-crossed lovers. What I am is an emotional wreck and incredibly vulnerable and…those eyes, those slanted almond shaped eyes…”I’m good ma’. Hey you look real familiar do I know you from somewhere?” He asked. Couldn’t be…or could it? Stuff like this only happens to white people in movies. Maybe I’m trippin’…”No, don’t think so,” I say. I put my phone in my bag. I gotta get out of here, I think to myself. I think I am going crazy. “You seem like a nice person,” Mr. Slanted eyes says. “I am, or at least I try to be,” I reply. I check my watch. “Are you in a hurry? Where are you coming from?” “I uh, ummm I am coming from work…” “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be in your biz or nothing it’s just-“No, no it’s fine. You’re good.” I hate myself. I’m such a lame. “Oh ok cool.” My mind is telling me to leave and that I have enough issues (namely King) but my feet refuse to listen. “So, you were getting a tattoo?” I ask, wishing that I could think of something else more charming or witty to say just to keep us trapped in this moment for just a few minutes longer. “Oh no ma’ I was here earlier with one of my homeboys while he was getting tatted up and I lost my brand new IPhone 5 so I came all the way back here to see if anyone found it. I’m pissed off man.” He looked around and then back at me. “That sucks. Those phones are super expensive…you had insurance on it though, right?” “Yeah, but they was like, it’s gonna take 7-14 business days, so I am basically without a phone until then. Plus all of my contacts and pictures of my son…” In the dimming light I could see his frustration. “Well, again I am sorry about your phone. But, I really have to get going now. I still have a train to catch.” “Oh you’re catching the Redline?” he asked. “Uh yes…” “Oh, well would you mind if I walked you?” I was not sure what to do at that moment other than say, “I don’t mind”.  And there it was. We walked a steady, even pace and during the first few minutes of silence I snuck peeks at him. He wasn’t very tall. As a matter of fact he was shorter than King. He was maybe 2 inches taller than me and I am 5’7”. He had a slim build and a medium brown complexion. His lips weren’t full, but they were nice, he was clean shaven even though his moustache and beard looked more like peach fuzz. But I just couldn’t get over his eyes. He must have caught me looking at him because then he said,” You look good too ma’”. I never blushed before, and black people (unless they are very light) do not blush, but I felt the blood rush to my face. I couldn’t help but respond with a cheeky grin. “I forgot to ask,” he goes on, “but do you have a man? I got so caught up in not letting you get away that I-““NO!” I did not mean for it to come out that way but it did. “I mean, no, no I don’t”. Then he and I just burst out laughing for seemingly no reason at all. We continue on with our walk. “So what’s your name?” I ask. Good Lord, I am actually nervous. I thought all sense of shame went out the window with King, but I guess not. “Trey,” he says. “And yours ma’?” “Danielle.” I don’t really understand the whole “ma’” thing, but whatever. He could call me “ma’” all he wants. “Danielle…” he breathes, “so what do you do Miss Danielle. You look real professional,” his eyes gloss over me as if he taking me in and storing me away in a mental rolodex…and then he sees my feet. Mind you I keep my feet pedicured so there is never any crust I need to be ashamed of but my bubble gum colored flip flops did look out of place with my grey slacks and black my black blazer with white tank. “Please don’t judge me,” I giggle, “But my shoes were killing me and I keep a pair of flip flops on me for after work.” He cracks a smile. “It’s all good. I get it. I have five sisters so I know how it is.”  In that instance, the walls came tumbling down on both parts. We both opened up about our lives and what we had to deal with and what we wanted in the future. I briefly talked about King and I informed him that our relationship was over for good. He talked a little about his sons mother and what she was putting him through, and to me, she sounded like a piece of work. Of course, you can’t believe everything a person tells you because folks lie and because you typically hear only one side of the story. But, the woman did sound like she had a couple of screws loose. By the time we made it to the platform, I felt like I had known him forever. “So where do you get off at?” he asked. I told him the name of the stop and that I also have to transfer trains. “Damn ma’ you live that far?” I nod. It was strange. I didn’t want him to leave. I could have stayed on that platform all night just to be in his presence for a while longer. He must have read my mind because he says, “I will ride with you, and don’t worry about me being a stalker it’s just that it is late and a woman such as yourself has no business riding a train alone.” I thought I had died and went to Heaven. I have a hard enough time trying to get a man to open a door for me let alone ride a couple of trains with me just to see me safe. I didn’t know what to do or how to even react. “Thank you but you don’t have to do that. I’m a big girl, I do this daily.” “You need a car ma’.” He said. If it was not for the fact that he had already earned 1000 points in my book, I might have been offended. “I have a car. It’s parked at my last stop in the parking lot. I just hate driving the freeway.” If his jaws could have fallen to the floor, I am quite sure they would have. He seemed stunned. It was obvious he wasn’t expecting that. “Well I’ll be damned. Alright then,” he said. “But I am still going to ride with you and I will even walk you to your car.” Would it have been too much if I had kissed him right then and there? I feel like I am in a dream. “Sounds good…I could use the company”, was my reply.

The train ride, well to be specific, all three train rides had me in a bliss. On each train he sat on the seat nearest the edge, like he was protecting me from everything and everyone-and I never felt safer. He wore a black hooded sweater over some khakis, and black and white Nikes. The day had finally gave way for night and the air was borderline freezing. The evening rush was near its end and I found myself wishing that I had a time machine just so I could start the day over again and relive this magical encounter. Our conversation never ceased, even when we changed trains, it was like we were in our own world…truly an enchanted moment. By the time we had exited my last train and he escorted me to my car, I felt bad that he had traveled so far with me. I started to ask him if he needed a ride but as soon as my mouth moved to say a word he says,” Don’t worry about me ma’. My car is parked right over there at that tattoo shop.” “But I feel so bad that you traveled all this way with me and now you have go all the way back.” He shook his head. “It was worth it, believe that.” “At least let me drive you…” “I thought you hate driving the freeway?” He smirked “I do but-““No buts,” he said. “Unlock your car.” I hesitated for a moment. Fear began to creep in. Was this a set up? I do so against my better judgment and he walks along to the driver side and opens the door. “Get in.” I do as instructed and once I am inside, I say, “You forgot to ask for my number.” His smile is big…and beautiful. “I surely did. Damn ma’, you got a nigga all discombobulated. You got a pen and some paper? You know what happened to my phone”. I reach over into my glove compartment and find a pen and a pad. I write my number down. “Don’t lose this.” I tell him. Then I scold myself for sounding desperate. He laughs. “Trust me I won’t. Now, start your car. I’m not leaving until I see you drive off.” This man unknowingly scoured another two million points in my book. King who? I fasten my seatbelt and start my car. “I feel like I am saying goodbye to my best friend or something,” he chuckles. “Me too,” I say a little sad. “But look ma’ I’m going to call you. I never met a woman like you before…let alone ride three trains with her to her car. Be safe ma’.” “Goodnight Trey. I look forward to that call.” And with that I rolled up my window, reversed, and honked my horn as a final goodnight and I pulled away. And as I drove off I felt like I   had just left that missing piece of me right there in the parking lot.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/465611

Spoiler: Love At Last…Meet Danielle.

Chapter One

Danielle

Monday Is a Bitch

I hate early mornings, but I especially hate MONDAY mornings. But hey, I know that I am not alone in my hatred for the first day of the work week. You see, Monday mornings are incredibly hectic in my household; they are constant reminders as to why I should be single. My boyfriend of five years live together in a small one bedroom apartment in Los Angeles, and before I go any further, rent ain’t cheap ok? Which means that we BOTH have to work. Unfortunately, I am the only one who does (and has been since the first of last year when he lost his job as an account manager for a mid-sized security company) and I will most assuredly get to that later. So, for over a year I have found myself having to go in TWO hours early just to squeeze in some overtime. As a matter of fact last week I had to beg, plead and borrow just to scrape up the money to turn our lights back on AND buy some food for the house. Any who, back to the reason why Mondays are a bitch: I have to get up at four, attempt to do some housekeeping before I leave (even though I will have to do it again when I come home) and then beat feet out the door before “his majesty” wakes up and asks me a million questions which when dealing with him has the potential to make me late. And God forbid he rolls over and decides that he wants some early morning “cookie”. But thankfully, today is the day that period has decided to grace me with its presence, so just as I am grabbing my bag and my jacket, I hear nothing but loud snoring coming from the bedroom.

I hate driving, especially downtown Los Angeles so I usually just park my car (a 2000 all white Honda Accord) in the Green-line parking structure and ride the train to work and today is no exception. I park my car between a beat up forest green Sudan and a 1995 funny colored BMW, slip on my flip-flops (yes I wear them on my way to work. You try walking in five inch heels all day riding public transportation and walking to and fro and you will quickly find out that before the end of the day, your feet will hate you.), load my “work shoes” and my lunch in my favorite tote bag, do a once over in my mirror to make sure I at least do not have any food stuck in my teeth and make my way to the train. I say a little prayer that even at 5:15 in the morning, my ride to work is uneventful and that instead of laying in the bed all day and eating us out of house and home, the man with the title “boyfriend” is in front of the computer screen and making use of the resume I put together for him. I hate Mondays. I really do.

I work for a small law firm on 5th and Wilshire as a legal assistant. The pay is ok, all things considered but being the go-getter that I am I am working on my paralegal certification. And before you say anything Paralegals make good money, at least in my case good enough for me to move on from my living situation. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure somewhere in the pit of my stomach I do love King (again don’t. say. Anything. I am not the one who named him) BUUUUUUUUUUT he has done quite a bit of damage not only to me but to our relationship and as I have gotten older and much more mature I have realized that I don’t have to take that shit. Excuse the ghetto that just came out of me but it is the truth.

Moving on, I already have my Bachelors of Arts in Liberal Studies from Cal-State Dominguez but what the hell am I going to do with that? Now that the job market is messed up I need to do something that is practical and that I will not have to worry about the field coming to an end. And it is painstakingly clear that people with legal problems are never going to go away and there is such a wide range of law to work around in, I figured why not? I did at one time want to be a lawyer, which is still a dream that I may pursue, and I already work at a law firm so again, why not?

So, where was I? Oh yes, so I work as a legal assistant at a Disability law firm. I have been there for a little over two years and I feel that it is time for some advancement. Between being the sole provider for my household AND paying off my student loans, I most definitely need to upgrade. It is unfortunate that I am the only African American, black person, Negro, whatever the politically correct term for a person of African descent is that works at the firm. Everyone else is either Mexican, or white and there is that lone Asian that ironically works in accounting. I have good report with everyone, or in laymen’s terms, it is pretty chill. I actually enjoy working in a professional environment. My pay is salary based and not hourly; I know that everyone here has some formal degree of education or training and my benefits package is nothing to complain about: full medical and dental coverage, 401K, a free gym membership to 24 Hour Fitness (which I have yet to use) and access to a company owned time share in Lake Tahoe.

Stepping off of my last train, it is now almost six in the morning and my REAL shift does not begin until 9, but I have to do what I have to do so I guess I should not complain. The walk is a long 15 minutes and I say long because each block is a stretch. The sun has yet to fully peek over the horizon; the early shades of blue are barely breaking through the still darkened sky. The air is crisp, clean and ridiculously chilly. Granted, it is still in the middle of winter (early January) and I do prefer the cold but as I expressed earlier, it is Monday and I would have still loved to lay in the bed for an extra hour. My toes have lost all feeling due to the freezing temperature, but once I am inside the building and can relax and enjoy the warmth and comfort of the heater, my toes will be just fine.

Throughout the course of my walk, I realized nothing has changed in this area. I see the same old abandoned buildings that squatters have taken control of; the streets are littered with trash and last night’s festivities; I see the same drunkard passed out on his favorite bus bench snoring peacefully; and the same homeless woman who has been on the streets for so long she has forgotten who she is. She reeks of a combination of smells; smells that are from her lack of care in her personal hygiene and just from living in the streets. She holds what appears to be meaningful conversations with herself as there is no one who is physically there to entertain her. There have been days where it was quite clear that whoever she was talking to had pissed her all the way off and as I am a couple of blocks away from her I could still hear her voice ranting and shouting at the top of her lungs at this invisible manifestation of her outrage. My heart goes out to her, and today is not any different.

As I finally approach the building where I work I quicken my pace because it is a little after six and I need as much overtime as I can get, but just as I open the door to enter the five story building my phone buzzes. It’s a text message from King. It read, “What time are u off?” It takes everything in me to not reply with something nasty but instead I swallow my anger and reply,” 6. Why?” He does not answer me back and at this point I could care less. It is a damn shame that at six in the morning I already have an attitude so I turn my Samsung Galaxy III off and toss it back in my bag. I acknowledge the overweight security guard who sits at his desk in the lobby with a quick,” Good morning” and make my way over to the ladies room to put on the black pumps that I purchased from Target. The shoes add an additional four inches to my already 5’7” height. My black slacks are slimming and my favorite white gold buttoned blouse makes me feel a bit better about myself. Here at work, I keep my black shoulder length black hair pulled back in a neat little bun and since I wear no make-up I take pride in keeping my cocoa brown skin healthy looking. I do one last once over in the mirror, apply some Chap stick and even though by no stretch of the imagination am I fat, I remind myself that maybe it is time that I use that free gym membership. Then I make my way to the elevator, press the button for the fifth floor and prepare to start my day. Monday mornings are truly a bitch. Let’s hope that the rest of the day is not.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/465611