SAMPLE SUNDAY TIMES TWO
Happy Sunday Beauty!
August is coming to a close and we have two more releases before September rolls in! First up we have Indigo Haze 3 by Aubreé Pynn releasing on August 28th and Skylar Nightingale closes out the month on August 30th with Forbidden Acts.
SAMPLE
Taj
Every so often she would look over her shoulder hoping that Indie was somewhere behind trying to get her attention but after the third glance into the crowd of people she let it go. Her mind was consumed. She was trying to find out why she was the last to know. Why would everyone hide this from her? She knew why Senior did what he did but not Ricky and aunt Mary. If anything, they should have said something.
The pain she felt was making her chest hurt. The only thing she wanted to do was clear her head and then go home. The life she built with Malcolm wasn’t as cozy as she felt in Crenshaw but it was a lie that she was used to. A lie she lived with zero expectations and she knew what she was looking forward to day in and day out with him.
Checking into a hotel, she got her room key and made her way up to her floor. When she entered the room, she closed the door behind her, locked it and slid down the door to the floor. As long as Indie was dead, living the way she was made sense. It felt like that was all she was going to get. That would be the closest thing she had. The closest thing she had to him. If anything, Malcolm was the furthest thing from Indie and he’d done nothing but solidified that.
She went from being hurt to being embarrassed, to being mad as hell to feeling numb. It was emotions on repeat. Soon as one played out another would come around and then bring a friend. Her mind flashed on how bad her depression was, how many nights of sleep she lost, and the PTSD of witnessing Bubba and Indie back to back caused. She was finally functioning and attempting to move on and here he was popping up wanting to explain himself.
When she needed him, he was nowhere to be found. When she needed to be held, he wasn’t there. When she needed saving, she had to learn how to be her own hero. She had to navigate without her nurturer, her protector, her haven, her love, her heart. She moved around an empty vessel of nothing, incapable of moving and just trying to make the next day better than the previous.
But it was done, the decision was taken from her and they made it. They controlled the narrative. No one had anything to say to her. No one had anything to explain. Especially Senior. She silently vowed that this would be the last time someone let her down. This couldn’t happen again.
SAMPLE
The next day, everything was going according to plan. I relaxed and listened to soothing music throughout the day while thinking about Alex. I prepared my outfit and took a warm bubble bath. Sinking deeper into the sudsy water, I received a call from him.
“Alex?” I asked, looking around as if he could see me through the phone.
“Hey, I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
“No, not at all.”
“When can I see you again?” he asked.
“Maybe tomorrow. Although, I can’t promise. I’ll let you know.”
“Alright. So, what’re you doing?”
Thinking about you. “Relaxing.”
“Tell me, how do you relax?”
His voice was so velvety I wanted to pull him through the phone.
“You really wanna know?” Practically purring, I arched an eyebrow.
“Of course.”
“Well, right now, I’m taking a bubble bath.”
He cleared his throat, and I gave a light chuckle. “Oh wow. Well, I think I’ll let you get back to your bath, but I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?” I clutched the phone tighter, not wanting him to hang up.
“Trust me, yes.”
“Okay, talk to you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow, Zuri. Definitely.”
Those three simple words made my heart soar. I sank my head under water. Nothing could stop this feeling. It was full speed ahead with Alex. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself, but I could feel it.
After I toweled off and finished preparing for bed, I wrote in my journal.
Journal Entry: I’m eager to see where this thing goes with Alex. I realize he’s taking it slow, and I’m thankful that he wants to take that route, but I’m looking forward to digging deeper.
That was all I could manage as my heart skipped a beat from the thought of his name. Alex.
The next day as I drove onto Maple View Avenue, I enjoyed the delightful view of maple trees that aligned the street. After I pulled into the parking lot of Maple View Community College, I climbed out of the car and took in a whiff of the fresh morning air that surrounded me. Then, I walked inside the building where my office was located to get acclimated. As I walked around, I greeted faculty who were also strolling around. I went inside my office, sat behind the desk and began clicking around on my computer, learning the system.
As I sat there, my door creaked open. I stopped what I was doing, peering up at the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“Alex?” I asked with astonished wide eyes. Please tell me he isn’t a student. The employee handbook made it clear.Students and faculty were to remain professional at all times. There was no fraternizing with the students. Period.
“Zuri? What are you doing here?” He spoke as if someone sucked the oxygen from his lungs while his eyes were wide with dismay.
“I was wondering the same thing about you.”
“I’m a student here.”
Crap! My head fell into my hand, while my heart plummeted to my toes. This couldn’t be happening. This was just a horrible nightmare.
“You’re kidding, right?” I moaned.
He looked at the nameplate on my desk. “I wish I were.” His face was ridden with disappointment. I knew exactly how he felt.
“I gotta go.” He turned and dashed out of the room.
“Alex wait,” I said while standing, but it was too late he was gone.
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Stay tuned for more sneak peeks coming your way very soon!