Dark Billionaire Romance For WMBW Romance Fans | Purchased For Pleasure (BWWM Billionaire Romance)

Caption: An iPad with a copy of Jamila Jasper’s billionaire romance Purchased For Pleasure sits on a table next to a cup of tea sitting on a saucer with two cookies next to it. A black woman’s hands grasp the tea cup and stir sugar into the cup.

Caption: An iPad with a copy of Jamila Jasper’s billionaire romance Purchased For Pleasure sits on a table next to a cup of tea sitting on a saucer with two cookies next to it. A black woman’s hands grasp the tea cup and stir sugar into the cup.

You can pre-order Purchased For Pleasure now! Click here to order. This is a sizzling hot story for all the cold months ahead…

If you enjoy a dark billionaire romance featuring an attractive white male with aquamarine eyes and a thick, full-figured black female lead, you’ll enjoy this BWWM romance story with a happily ever after ending.

This book has scenes that will make your heart throb and you’ll probably need to buy a brand new massage wand wink wink to cope with the heat between the thighs from this book.

Seriously… the story is out of control hot and perfect if you’ve been a thirsty lady this cuffing season.

Check out Chapter 1 here. Don’t hesitate to click here and one click order ASAP.

Romance Novel Excerpts | Purchased For Pleasure

Alice was twenty years old with little dating experience. She’d worked her ass off through high school, sometimes taking jobs that were less than legal to pay her way through college. Alice was an African American beauty whose booty didn’t go unappreciated by the men in her neighborhood. She had an hourglass figure with plump breasts and buttocks that attracted unwanted attention to a large degree. 

Alice hated feeling like she was constantly on display. Men gave her attention, but she never returned it. They didn’t know how to treat her. To them, she was just a pair of ass and tits. Alice hadn’t ever dreamed of becoming someone’s baby mama. She wanted more for herself than that, despite her past — the past of poverty that she never spoke about in her college setting.

Alice had ignored the advances of the men in her community her whole life. She’d made it to twenty years old, giving none of them the time of day. Alice felt lucky. She’d kept herself pure, and she wasn’t like some of her other friends who got knocked up the second they left high school. Alice knew love stories didn’t really happen for women like her, but she maintained her hope that just around the corner she’d meet the man of her dreams.

Unfortunately, he seemed to be just out of reach. Even when Alice tried to date, all the men were just looking for some fast action. They assumed that Alice’s alluring figure meant that she “put out”. Alice was just about ready to give up on dating altogether based on her last experience - her date had pinned her down in the back of his car and tried to force himself on her. No more men like that. Never.

Now that she was at university, and about to enter her last year, she found that she was not only tight on cash but thousands of dollars in debt. She couldn’t ask anyone in her family for money. Unlike some of her white peers, Alice didn’t have a safety net. She didn’t know how things had spiraled out of control, but now they’d threatened her with eviction, starvation or worse.

Alice wished she could turn to her mother, but there was no point trying to interact with Elise when she was using. That had been one of Elise’s biggest vices that Alice had been paying for since the day she was born. Elise had Alice at seventeen with a retired pimp twenty-five years her senior. Alice hated feeling like a stereotype or the product of a twisted situation. She knew it was technically wrong to feel ashamed of her mother and her circumstances, but she couldn’t help it. Few people in Alice’s life knew exactly what she was dealing with back home and what she was so desperate to avoid. 

Alice had never known her father, but she knew what he looked like from old pictures. He’d never been around much; Elise said that he had no interest in claiming Alice as his own. Alice believed her. The absence of a father in her life had always hurt her. That was one reason she’d vowed to save herself for the right man. 

Alice didn’t want to end up like Elise. Her mother had many boyfriends throughout Alice’s life, but when Alice was still in her teens, most of them became more interested in her than in her addict mother. None of them counted as a father figure. Not the ones that would do something nice for her only to try their hardest to get into her pants while she was underage. 

Alice hated them. Sometimes, she thought she hated her mother too. The world didn’t have to be so cold. Other girls in her school had mothers and fathers. And they made fun of her. She hated that. She loathed being the one who they called a stereotype. How did it make sense as a stereotype when she was the only one in her class without a dad? 

She wasn’t angry about it. The past disappeared… and it was the past. But she wanted more. She always had. 

The memories of her past hadn’t chilled Alice to the world. Some people succumb to pain and let it ruin them. Alice used her pain as motivation to work even harder. But even with her scholarship, she was still on the verge of bankruptcy and losing everything she’d worked for. Alice’s goal after college was to meet a nice, well-mannered guy, get a job working for a bank with her degree in finance and then have the perfect life. Her past didn’t have to ruin everything for her.

Alice hated feeling so defined by her tragic backstory, but she knew on some level that her experience motivated every single one of her actions.

Despite this hardship, Alice had made it out of her neighborhood and she had no intention of going back. She couldn’t face the same chicks who made fun of her, or the guys who mocked her skin color, her hair and the fact that she never had designer clothes. 

“Everybody knows her mama smokes crack!” one boy shouted during Alice’s last presentation senior year.

She didn’t want to carry the humiliation back on the old blocks. Even if it would have been nice to get a Jamaican patty from the corner store and one of those small sugary drinks. Alice had one mission: pay off this debt and get herself some cash fast. 

She had a good part-time job, but her income was not enough to cover her expenses. Things were spiraling and with no one to turn to, Alice considered a permanent way out. She wasn’t depressed. And she hated the thought of… giving up. But there wasn’t any money. She had no one to ask. She had no one to turn to. No parents. Barely any friends. Shit. 

“I’m such a fucking loser,” Alice muttered to herself.

She didn’t want to be a loser. She wanted to… breathe. Money solved more problems than it created. She didn’t believe more money meant more problems. Rich people made that line up to trick poor people into thinking they were better off. Ha! Alice would kill to relax in some ski chalet or to have $100 to spend on herself.

To add to her stress, her mother expected her to send cash home, not understanding that college was more of a financial burden than a source of income. Alice’s little brother Jevon, who was only five. Her aunty in the suburbs — who never returned Alice’s calls — adopted him. The adoption process had been brutal. Alice couldn’t stand knowing she’d failed her brother. And that her aunt thought she was just another deadbeat like her mom.

“Can’t you see, I’m trying my hardest! I’m just so fucking POOR!” Alice screamed into the phone.

But her aunt hung up. And Alice was alone again. She didn’t have time for boyfriends. Not like boyfriends wanted to be with what one guy called a “broke ass bitch”. Seriously… Did he have to drag her ass like that?

Alice longed to make enough money to bring her brother back, to get her mother the help she needed and to reunite their strange and broken family. It would never happen. Not with Wells Fargo about to slap her on the ass with a $15 overdraft fee. Why the fuck do I have to pay to be broke? Alice wondered.

Alice wanted Jevon back more than her mother did. Her mother barely wanted to get better. Alice couldn’t negotiate with her when she was using. She couldn’t get Elise to see that she was tearing her family apart. All she did was demand Alice send her money, call her a worthless skank and scream about her dealer. Once, she tried to convince Alice to sleep with her dealer for drugs. 

Desperate. That was the best word to describe her. So. Fucking. Desperate. Throughout college, she was friends with plenty of girls who were stripping to put their way through school. These girls had done what Alice never could. They spent their evenings and weekends at seedy strip clubs, making thousands of dollars a night. All of it was in cash too, so they could keep their earnings well under the radar. Alice wasn’t sure if she really envied them, but she envied their ability to go through college carefree. Old guys bought them fancy handbags and high heels and jewelry. Alice didn’t own any jewelry. She barely owned a ceramic bowl to cook her ramen noodles in.

Maybe I should change my name to Poverty McBrokeAssBitch, Alice thought to herself. 

No matter how she hustled, money wouldn’t stay in her account.

Many of the chicks she knew had Mercedes Benz cars, and nearly all of them wore designer clothes and had designer boob jobs or ass jobs. Once you got your ass done, you didn’t have to work a day in your life. Men would give you money just for having a big fat ass. Alice wanted to scream. Her natural homegrown booty was cute enough, but she couldn’t compare with silicon butts. There were the girls who made money from their tits and those who relied on their ass. But each one was financially stable. When you worked in that world, men gave you everything. But “natural” went out of style years ago.

Natural hadn’t been in style since the 80s. Alice hated the jackass who gave men the idea that women needed to have boob jobs and ass jobs to please them. Men with small dicks weren’t out here turning their wieners into ten-inch monster schlongs just to make women happy. Fuck ‘em. 

Those women never wanted for anything, and most of them had steady boyfriends too. Men didn’t seem to mind that they spent their weekends exposing their breasts and butts at clubs. Even if she was hesitant to enter that world, Alice was desperate for money and there was one friend from that world she could reach out to. Goldie was one of Alice’s closest friends, and she was one of the best paid strippers in her club. Alice never asked her too many questions, but she had a feeling that Goldie was netting close to six figures. Perhaps Goldie could help her? 

Goldie made fun of Alice too because she had “no ass” and didn’t strip. Goldie called her poor sometimes, but at least she bought dinner once in a while.

As the deadline to pay her tuition bill drew closer and closer, Alice felt desperate. This could be her ticket out. She wouldn’t enjoy shaking her ass in a club and having random men place dollar bills in her underwear, but she also wouldn’t enjoy going down the same dead-end path that her mother had. First it was bankruptcy, then it was dropping out of school… Alice didn’t want to let her imagination take her too far. The preview was grim enough.

Alice called Goldie. 

“Can we talk? I need to make money. Fast.”

Goldie laughed.

“Sell ass, girl!”

Alice cringed. She didn’t want to “sell ass”. She wanted money. She didn’t want to sell out. Goldie agreed to meet at the school’s burrito bar. Goldie arrived overdressed as usual. Goldie’s image was everything to her, and she always had her eye on the next trend in plastic surgery. She was five foot eight and had massive ass augmentations. Despite this, her butt still looked real and natural. 

Goldie had caramel skin and long black weave that hit in the middle of her back. She wore tight skinny light wash jeans, with the whale's tail of her black thong revealed. Goldie wore a see through white crop top with a cheetah print bra underneath. She contoured her face to perfection with massive fake eyelashes and overdrawn lips. Goldie didn’t look like a natural beauty, but men didn’t seem to care. They loved her looks. 

Goldie paid for their burritos and the two sat at a corner table. 

Goldie began talking, “So what do you want to know about stripping. I know that’s why your ass called me mid day instead of your usual ‘Let’s go take shots!’ that you text every Thursday.” 

Alice blushed a bit, not expecting her ploy to be so transparent. 

“I’m kind of strapped for cash I guess and I was wondering if I--” Alice started.

“Well, honey, no offense, but stripping is not for you. There are other ways you can make money without having to go through all the shit I put myself through,” Goldie said. 

Alice was silent, listening intently to the girl’s advice. 

“So, you’ve probably guessed that most of us don’t make all our money from stripping,” Goldie chuckled. 

She was wrong; Alice hadn’t guessed at all. She tried not to get too many details from Goldie’s sordid life.

“I didn’t know,” Alice muttered. 

Goldie laughed in disbelief. “Girl, do you see the shit that we buy? It’s expensive!” 

Goldie launched into an explanation. She explained that many of the girls had sex for money. She’d only done it once, but she’d made an easy $3,000 for just one night. Alice was shocked, and she was getting uneasy. This wasn’t the work she was looking for. Goldie explained that she had an online profile where she made money doing various naughty activities on camera. Alice squirmed in her seat as she listened to her. She wasn’t sure that she was quite that desperate for cash. Not yet, at least. She also explained that she had a profile where she would go out on dates with guys for a lot of money. Goldie went on dates with high-class clients who didn’t want other rich men to see them with ugly women. 

Often they bought her gifts — one of these gifts was  Goldie’s impressive ass augmentation. Goldie also mentioned that she’d had work done on her tummy and gotten free boob jobs for two of her friends. The guys were mostly nice, but some of them were real creeps. Alice tried to listen. When would this get to the part where she could do something for herself?

“But I think you could benefit from something else,” Goldie said after she’d explained a variety of techniques. 

“What would that be?”

She was a little titillated by what she’d heard, a little scared but keen to learn more.

“Sweetheart, you’re still a virgin, right?” Goldie asked her.

“Yes, I am,” Alice said, a little embarrassed. 

“Oh, thank God. I have the perfect idea for you,” Goldie said.

Goldie launched into another explanation. It was a website where girls could sell their virginity to older, wealthy men who had a penchant for youthful flesh. Well, one of these websites. This website sought specific black girls willing to risk impregnation by having the buyers take their virginity. A lot of white men had this fantasy and would pay big bucks to have it fulfilled. 

The arrangement was this: you put up a profile, they matched you with a buyer who took an interest in you. You could look at what he was offering and his net-worth, both of which the website vetted. Then, he could pay you for a date and see where things went from there. Often, the dates are at their homes, so Goldie promised that she would be the check-in person for Alice if she took her up on it. 

“I’ll help you make your profile. They love innocent looking girls like you,” Goldie said and then she laughed, “Girls like me look a bit too... used up to these guys.” 

“I don’t know if I can do this, Goldie.”

“You can! Listen… If you’re worried about a husband, you can always lie. Tell him you’re still a virgin. Guys love that shit. If you’re in a tough spot, I promise this will end all your problems. One night with a rich ass dude. You can slip a quaalude into his drink and rob his ass if he gets creepy.”

Alice shifted uneasily. This wasn’t who she was. She studied. She did odd jobs like babysitting and chauffeuring kids to soccer practice. Not sex. She didn’t sell sex. She didn’t look the part. She didn’t dress or act like Goldie. 

“But it’s sex with a stranger! I’m just not that kind of person,” Alice urged, trying to get Goldie to see her perspective.

Goldie kissed her teeth, “Listen, Alice… Life works against us. We grew up poor. Even in college, it’s just bills and more bills. I don’t know what demons you got, but if they’re anything like mine, you need to do whatever it takes to get ahead. Don’t let the demons win because you’re too much of a prude to do what you have to do. You don’t get a prize for saving your virginity.”

“How did you lose yours?” Alice asked.

“Stepdad. He got me a Sidekick so I wouldn’t tell my mama.”

Alice grimaced. 

Sex for money? Is that what she had to do? Alice pushed back tears. I’m not weak, she thought to herself. It’s one night. And who cares? It’s not like I’m saving my virginity for any special guy. Guys don’t want to date a broke bitch. Not normal guys. 

Alice pursed her lips. Goldie had a point sometimes, as much as she resented it. Still, Alice didn’t know if this was the thing she could do easily. She was humoring Goldie now — there was no stopping her once she put her mind to something — but Goldie didn’t exactly convince her that going through something like this could be worth the money.

Could you really put a price on self-worth?

* * *

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Romance Novel Excerpts: The Engineer's Baby

Romance Novel Excerpts The Engineer's BabyRomance novel excerpts featuring attractive full-figured black women and gorgeous white men are our raison d'être at Jamila Jasper Romance. The Engineer's Baby is one of our best contemporary romance novels and a perfect read for anyone who enjoys interracial romance books. 

This story incorporates some massive reader input! A few weeks ago, we conducted a survey amongst BWWM Romance readers to figure out what they wanted to see in these stories and here are some of the points that were included in The Engineer's Baby. 

1. Heroine is a full-figured, dark skinned black woman with a professional career. 

2. The Heroine's relationship with her family is important to the story! We wanted to acknowledge the role family plays in the black community. 

3. The H/H are married to each other! More people wanted to see how BWWM married couples solve problems together. 

Here's the full description below: 

Dale is a top-tier engineer and his wife Monique is a successful African American financial manager. Monique is a gorgeous, full-figured, dark skinned woman who finally completed her life's dream to become the true definition of success. 

Together, they are unstoppable except for one little problem. No matter how hard they tried in the past, Monique can't have a baby. 

Dale and Monique decided to start a family the non-traditional route through <i>in vitro</i> fertilization. As they proceed with their choice, both of their families push back against their decision. Dale and Monique are forced to face their families or risk ruining their relationship.

Matters get more complicated when Dale's long-lost ex girlfriend comes into the picture with a secret she's kept for years that could change their lives forever...

A devastating event pushes them all over the edge and puts the Dandridge family to the ultimate test.

**NSFW Steamy BWWM Scene In This Excerpt!** 

Romance Novel Excerpts: The Engineer's Baby

Chapter 1

 

Monique lay next to her husband Dale as he half-heartedly flipped through The New Yorker. Their fifth wedding anniversary was approaching in a day or two and as usual, they were going to throw the “Dandridge Anniversary Dinner”, a formal dress affair where their closest friends and family gathered to celebrate their love.

 

“It feels silly to do a fifth anniversary dinner don’t you think?” Dale asked.

 

Monique scoffed, “You say that every year Dale.”

 

“Well we haven’t really been together five years, have we?”

 

“Twelve this December technically. But it didn’t really count until we were married.”

 

“Seven years didn’t count?”

 

“You know what I mean,” Monique said.

 

Dale smiled, “Okay fine… I guess I’ll have to get used to this five year event. It’s almost a milestone I guess…”

 

Monique leaned over and kissed her husband, “Almost.”

 

Monique looked into Dale’s gorgeous, aquamarine eyes. From the moment she’d met him, she’d fallen completely in love with him. Dale was handsome, well over six feet tall with a thick, body builder’s body. He had a shock of brown hair with blond streaks and the most beautiful aquamarine eyes that allowed Monique to read him like a book.

 

“I’m glad we got married Monique,” Dale said.

 

Monique hugged her husband tightly, “Me too…”
 

There had been a time when Monique had assumed she would never marry Dale and she would have to be his girlfriend for years. He’d taken seven long years to be sure that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Monique eyed the giant ring on her chubby finger. It looked beautiful… Dale had selected a gold band and a gorgeous square cut 2 carat diamond. Monique loved looking at her engagement ring even if now it was just another fixture in her life. It reminded her of the freshness of their romance and the beauty of everlasting love…

 

There was a point in Monique’s life when she felt like no one would love her. She had many failed relationships in her late teens. Black guys she’d dated would always say she was too dark or they’d string her along until they found someone better and lighter. At first, Monique had believed the lies they’d told her, the lies that broke down her self-esteem one hateful comment at a time. When Monique met Dale, things started to change for her. She saw the beauty that emanated from her skin. She saw the perfection that existed in just being fat, black, dark skinned and full of love.

 

Monique was shorter than Dale, standing at 5’8”. She was a proud size 18 with copper colored skin that got over three shades darker in the summertime. Monique’s smile lit up her whole face, highlighting her chubby cheeks that softened up her facial features. She had big, downturned eyes that were a velvety black color and absorbed light. Monique’s figure was shapely, and perfect for the man who could handle and appreciate a full-figured woman. Monique had smallish breasts and a nice, round butt that she loved to show off to her husband alone.

 

“It will just be nice to do something besides work,” Dale said.

 

Monique agreed. Both of them worked too hard and they knew it. Monique wondered if a part of it was the pressure they both felt to succeed from their parents or if they overworked to avoid dealing with some of the more difficult problems in their lives. Monique worked as a financial manager for a corporate bank in the city and Dale was an engineer at a clean energy tech company. Together, they made over $300,000 a year and they hadn’t had any money troubles since they’d been married.

 

“Agreed, I can’t wait for dinner…” Monique whispered. She kissed her husband on the cheek suggestively.

 

“Oh?” He asked.

 

Monique grinned. They had been together so long that they each knew the other’s subtle signals for indicating desire.

 

“Pretty please?” Monique whispered breathily.

 

“Your wish is my command…”

 

Dale rolled Monique onto her back as she giggled. It took only a few seconds for her to ease her way out of her slip and allow her husband to position himself on top of her.

 

“I guess my hormones are raging,” Monique said.

 

“Oh baby…” Dale whispered, kissing Monique on her neck.

 

No matter how many times she’d made love to Dale, it never got old. Their passion for each other hadn’t died in the seven years they’d been together before marriage and it hadn’t died after marriage either. For a long time, Monique had believed the myth that sex vanished after marriage. Now, at thirty five, she realized that might have just been something said to scare her by a generation of women who were afraid to ask their husbands for what they wanted. But Monique wasn’t afraid to ask…

 

She reached her hand down and slid Dale’s boxers off. She could feel his large cock resting against her thigh and smell the sweet scent of his Burberry cologne. Monique gripped Dale’s ass cheeks, taut and muscular from years of squats and lunges. He kissed her neck again and said, “Are you ready for this?”

 

“Always.”

 

Dale began to thrust into his wife slowly. Monique was dripping wet with anticipation and eager to receive her fill of her husband. As Dale’s large dick began to press inside of her, Monique let out a loud groan and threw back her head. Her beautiful brown skin was becoming slightly flushed as Dale eased his dick halfway in. Monique’s hands gripped Dale’s back, massaging his thick muscles as she pulled him in. His body had only gotten more attractive the longer they’d been together. His sinewy flesh rippled as he dove his dick all the way in.

 

Yes…

 

This was perfection. Dale held still for a moment and then he began to plunge in and out of Monique. She closed her eyes and let her body take over. With each of Dale’s thrusts, she let out an unwilling, high-pitched gasp of pleasure. She could feel that orgasm wasn’t far off. Dale’s dick was thick, long and filled her up completely. Every cell in her body responded to his thrust and gooseflesh prickled over her skin almost instantly. Monique heaved and with each breath, she drew in more of Dale’s animalic scent.

 

“You want it harder?” Dale growled.

 

“Yes… Harder… Please…” Monique gasped.

 

Dale’s face took on an impish grin and Monique knew she was about to receive the full brunt of her husband’s domination. He took Monique’s arms and pinned them above her head. Monique tried to struggle and resist, but at usual, Dale’s grip was far greater than her ability to wriggle out of his erotic restraints. He kissed her deeply and then began to pound into her harder than ever before. The combination of his restraints accompanied by his hard body pounding into hers drove Monique nearly over the edge.

 

“Don’t stop… Don’t stop…” She implored.

 

Of course, she knew that Dale had no intention of stopping until he’d taken his fill of his wife and enjoyed every inch of her flesh to the maximum. Dale released his grip on Monique’s arms, allowing her to pull him in deeper and deeper. Her wetness gripped him tightly, forcing Dale to exert extra force with each thrust. He grunted in pleasure as he squeezed his cock into her tightness repeatedly.

 

“Whose pussy is this?” Dale growled.

 

Monique was lost in pleasure and ignored his question.

 

Dale began to make love to her deep and slow. He asked her again, “Whose pussy is this?”

 

Monique moaned, trying her hardest to emit an answer, “Yours…”

 

“Yours who?”

 

“It’s yours daddy… Oh daddy fuck me!” Monique cried out breathily.

 

Dale was starting to drip with sweat as he pumped hard into Monique. With each thrust, her voluptuous breasts and the rest of her fleshy body jiggled. Just the sight of his arousing wife bouncing to the rhythm of his thrusts was enough to drive Dale wild. Monique shuddered as a climax washed over her body. The inexplicable pleasure set her limbs on fire, sending a tingling sensation from her wetness to every inch of her body. She was engulfed by her desire for her husband, entranced by yet another beautiful union between them.

 

Dale started to slow down his rhythm as he approached orgasm. He kept his blue eyes locked with Monique’s, taking in the shifting expression on her face with each thrust. As each emotion shot past her face, Dale consumed all of it. As he looked at her and plunged into her slowly, their bond became stronger and stronger. Throughout everything they’d been through, making love was the one thing that healed them, restored their passion and reminded them of why they were together.

 

Dale couldn’t hold back any longer. He could feel the muscles in his body tensing as he came closer and closer. Monique could always do this to him, she could always bring him to the edge with ease no matter how many times they’d made love in the past. A surge of emotions combined with a spike in pleasure pushed Dale over the edge. He grunted as he released a hot sticky load inside of Monique. They were both breathing heavily, panting desperately for the next breath. As hot skin touched hot skin, their minds were both crowded with one unifying thought, “I’m happy I get to spend the rest of my life with this person.”

 

Dale pulled out of his wife and lay on his back.

 

“Cigarette?” He asked.

 

Monique shook her head, “No thanks... I thought you quit?”

 

“I did quit, until this big deal came through. Randy wants me to send him my designs by Wednesday and I don’t know if I’ll be able to impress him.”

 

“I’m sure you will,” Monique said, kissing her husband on the cheek. Dale leaned over to his bedside table, frantically searching for his cigarettes and a lighter. Holding the cigarette stick in his mouth, he took a long drag and then exhaled. The smell of tobacco still initiated her cravings, but she’d given up smoking a long time ago; now she was well practiced at resisting her desires.

 

“So… Are we going to talk about it again?” Dale asked.

 

Monique pulled their blanket up over her naked body and shifted uncomfortably in the bed.

 

“What’s there to discuss?”

 

“Come on…” Dale said, blowing O-rings as he waited for his wife to engage with him on the subject he knew she’d been avoiding.

 

“Fine… I know I agreed to it but I’m having second thoughts Dale. I mean… Maybe I’m just not meant to have kids.”

 

“That wasn’t part of our plan though,” Dale countered.

 

Monique sighed, “I know. I guess I can’t help but wonder if what we’re doing is wrong. You know… If it goes against nature.”

 

“Monique…”

 

“No, I don’t want you to comfort me Dale. Maybe this is my cross to bear and IVF is just cheating.”

 

“It’s not cheating.”

 

“Well then we’ll set the appointment for the implantation.”

 

“We’ve already come this far Monique,” Dale started, “But if you’ve changed your mind and you think we should back out, I’ll support you.”

 

“Or you’ll hate me forever for not being able to have kids.”

 

“I wouldn’t,” Dale said, trying to soothe his wife’s insecurities.

 

Monique sighed, “Fine. It will be fine then. I’m probably just hormonal and having cold feet.”

 

“Are you sure?” Dale asked. He was puffing on that cigarette like his life depending it, already keeping a second one in mind.

 

“Yes, I’m sure. We’re going to do this and we’re going to have a baby.”

 

“Or babies…”

 

Monique nodded, “Right. Or babies.”

She kissed her husband on the cheek, hoping he didn’t notice the terrified look in her eyes. Monique had agreed to IVF but the truth was, she was scared. No matter how many times her doctor explained it, she couldn’t get over the fact that this was a bizarre procedure from start to finish. How could she be sure it would work? What if she got someone else’s baby?

But with Dale’s work pressure mounting and the stress of their anniversary party, Monique had no time to reveal a hint of her panic. That would only make things worse and the last thing Monique wanted was for everything to get worse…

This story will be available on Kindle soon! 

Books Similar to 50 Shades of Grey: European Billionaire's Baby

books like 50 shades of greay sugar milanIf you are searching high and low for books similar to 50 Shades of Grey, check out Sugar Milan's debut novel, European Billionaire's Baby. This book is one of our best contemporary romance novels and you'll definitely want to add it to your romantic novels list... If you love pregnancy romance books featuring sexy billionaires and confident African American women, check out the excerpt below.

This story follows Ginger Blair, a black woman in a rut with her long distance boyfriend. Her best friend convinced her to use a dating app called “Find Your Flame” to try meeting someone knew. Ginger Blair doesn’t think using a dating app will go particularly well for her as an African American woman but she gives it a spin…

She meets a handsome man named Zachary Vanderbilt with a few secrets of his own…

Zachary has billions of dollars to his name and appears to be the perfect guy except for his hidden addiction that has the potential to drive him to the pits of despair from which he might never return…

Ginger decides to take the plunge with Zachary… 

She gets thrust into a whirlwind world with more drama than she ever wanted. Ginger is in over her head; her love affair with Zachary seems to be the only thing keeping her going. 

Just when things have settled down, she meets Mrs. Olga Vanderbilt, Zachary’s mother. Olga has it out for Ginger because of her “lower class” status and the color of her skin.

Can their love overcome all these barriers or will they continue to face obstacle after obstacle…

 

Books Similar to 50 Shades of Grey: European Billionaire's Baby

 

Chapter 1

 

Six months after finishing college, Ginger Blair was completely stuck. It was harder to find work than she imagined and she didn’t have the money or interest in going to graduate school. Ginger had never really dreamed of putting her degree to use anyways. She wanted to do something bigger and better than being chained to academia. She had dreamed of being a model most recently, not necessarily a runway model, but at least good enough for a boutique or modestly-sized clothing line to use her for their catalogs. It wasn’t like she was unfit for modeling anyways.

 

Ginger was five feet eleven inches. She had rich henna colored skin and an amazing body without a hint of extra fat on her belly. She had medium sized breasts and a round booty. Ginger knew she had the body of a video vixen, except a little less thick. But where she lived, there were no opportunities for a girl who looked like her. Despite the fact that she felt her modeling dreams were hopeless, Ginger still took impeccable care of her appearance. Her “signature look” was always her hair. She wore it differently nearly every week. She went from faux locs to natural hair to waist length weave at a moment’s notice. Wherever she went, all eyes were on her hair; with people desperate to either copy her or praise her bold new look.

 

Looking good had no bearing on Ginger’s current burgeoning problem: she was unemployed and her student loan bills were soon to be approaching fast and furious. Ginger knew if she worked as a waitress, she was unlikely to make enough to pay the bills. So she was trying desperately to get a job that paid better. It was more difficult than she could have imagined. At least she didn’t have to worry about rent…

 

Ginger’s mom was a professional escort. As a single mother it was the only thing that had allowed her to provide for Ginger’s every need. Because of her lifestyle, she was always traveling around to meet various clients. Unfortunately even if she made a lot of money, Ms. Blair was unable to support Ginger completely. Back in 2006, her mother had a major disease that they were still paying hospital bills for. These bills made Ginger’s student loan look miniscule. But it wasn’t miniscule to Ginger.

 

The only light at the end of the tunnel was her long distance boyfriend Tobias Berkowicz. They had never met but he had promised Ginger that someday, he would come east to be with her. Ginger was far more attractive than Tobias, but he seemed to be the only guy who had ever really cared for her as a person and not just for her looks. Tobias was thirty, a full eight years older than Ginger.

 

He tried never to make their age difference a problem but Ginger could tell that he was desperate for marriage, children and to have a life she wasn’t ready to lead. Tobias was also “culturally Jewish” and his mother strongly disapproved of his long distance relationship with a “gentile” - as she ever-so-kindly referred to Ginger. It was an okay relationship, and most of all, it felt totally safe. Ginger wasn’t sure she was in love with Tobias, but she did really care for him, and at this point in her life she felt like that was enough. Plus, she was unemployed and Tobias had a job working for his father. He had a lot of potential to take care of her.

 

Of course, Ginger’s best friend Latika absolutely hated Tobias’s guts. She thought he was a “balding little chubster with a small dick”. Ginger thought Latika was too obsessed with sex. Her connection to Tobias had nothing to do with his baldness, his chub or his penis (which Ginger had never even seen). Latika Sethi was Ginger’s Indian American bestie. They’d been the only women of color together in their school’s theater group and they’d taken to each other like two strips of velcro.

 

Latika was short with a voluptuous body and waist length black hair. Her family was somewhat traditional, but they’d eventually come to accept Latika for the out and proud lesbian that she was. Latika had an extremely feminine style and attitude, so the misinformed tended to believe she was straight at first glance. In fact, Ginger was the first person who Latika had come out to and since Ginger had encouraged her to embrace who she was, she took that advice to heart. Since high school, Latika had slept with over forty women and she had a string of ladies she cycled through who she called her ‘harem’.

 

When Ginger’s doorbell rang, she knew it was Latika right away. That girl was so damned impatient! The doorbell rang at least three times before Ginger could even get up to answer it. She opened the door and Latika burst into her house screaming greetings and blessings. Latika hugged her tightly as if they hadn’t just seen each other the day before. “Ginger my beautiful princess! Ah!! How are you sweetheart?” Latika squealed. Ginger hugged her back, rolling her eyes at Latika’s over the top behavior.

 

“I’m alright girl. Let’s head up to the living room to talk. My mom isn’t here this weekend,” said Ginger.

 

The two sat in the comfortable chairs of the house’s living room and immediately poured glasses of wine. Being able to drink freely still felt like a novelty to Ginger, only twenty-two. Latika was slightly older, but she was always ready to drink.

 

Once they sat down, Ginger began to tell her friend about her day.

 

“... I have no idea how the hell I’m going to pay this student loan Latika. I would do y’know, some kind of sex work but it feels wrong. My mother hustled, she’s still hustling so I wouldn’t have to live like her,” Ginger finished.

 

“There’s no shame in it K,” Latika said, whipping out her phone and taking a few selfies. #DrinkingWithBae

 

“I know… but I feel like I should be able to do more for myself,” Ginger sighed, taking a sip of her moscato.

 

“Girl, I know what you mean. Aaand I don’t. Money’s out there just waiting to be made! I needed some extra cash so I hit up Mike. I’ve been selling for him to college kids around here. Bam. Money,” Latika said, downing her entire glass and pouring herself another one.

 

“Latika, you don’t mean…” Ginger hesitated.

 

“No hard stuff. Only ADD meds, Xanax. Nothing that they wouldn’t find from someone else if I weren’t around. It’s good money,” Latika shrugged.

 

“It’s illegal,” Ginger said, hating how she always seemed to be lecturing Latika about one thing or another. It was like the girl knew nothing about how risky the world was.

 

“Come on K. You know how hard it is,” Latika pleaded. She felt bad that Ginger always worried so much about her.

 

“I know. Just be careful. You don’t know what that life could lead to,” Ginger replied.

 

“You need to get laid girl,” Latika said, drinking a bit more. Maybe that was why her friend was so uptight.

 

“Latika?! I have a boyfriend remember?” Ginger said.

 

“Baldie ain’t shit,” Latika scoffed.

 

“I think I love him,” Ginger said weakly.

 

“You don’t sound too confident. Girl, you should download this app Sparks and get yourself a little something something to pass the time while you wait for the old guy to finally decide you’re worth moving cross country for,” Latika said.

 

Ouch. That hit Ginger where it hurt. The entire time she thought she was lukewarm about Tobias, maybe he was the one who was lukewarm about her. Latika always knew what to say to spur her into action. The two drank, and Latika began singing a lullaby to Ginger in Hindi, something from a Bollywood film. They laughed together, sang and downed drinks until well into the night. Latika needed to go home to put her younger siblings to bed and to help her parents close up shop so she left Ginger’s house before her tipsiness had worn off.

 

Ginger was alone and a little drunk. She started to consider the advice that Latika had given her. Should she really be out there exploring her options? What was she really missing out on? Most men her age didn’t have any ambition. Their lives weren’t together at all.  Ginger realized the irony behind her reasoning. She was arguably far behind. Just like these men she denigrated mentally. Ginger figured, what could it hurt. She could go out on a couple dates, maybe play the field. If things looked much better out there, she and Tobias could respectfully part ways. No harm done.

 

Sparks was a popular dating app that everyone around her seemed to be using. It was “the straight version of Grindr” according to Latika. The app uploaded your social media profile and you could swipe left on guys you hated and swipe right on guys you liked. If you matched up, then they might message you or you could message them. The concept seemed a little shallow to Ginger, but in the game of appearances, she never seemed to lose.

 

She uploaded her best profile pictures, where she truly looked like a model and not just a wannabe and she figured what the hell. It was a Friday night so the app seemed abuzz with activity. She matched with a few guys who weren’t that attractive, but it was an ego boost just the same.

 

A notification flashed on Ginger’s phone. It was an email letting her know what her student loan bill would be that month. When Ginger saw the number, her mood spiraled downward into an immediate depression. It was well over five hundred dollars.

 

How the fuck am I supposed to come up with this money? She wondered what Latika would do under the same circumstances. Latika would certainly not allow herself to panic. She deserved to enjoy the night alone for a change.

 

Ginger tried to push the number out of her head and return to her dating app. She felt so wrong but she couldn’t help look at the veritable buffet of men before her eyes. And chances were, if she liked them they would like her too.

 

While scrolling through the profiles, Ginger felt as if she were slipping into a state of hypnosis. Nope. Nope. Nope. None of them seemed to have any appeal to her. All of a sudden Ginger came across one profile that stuck out to her. She felt magnetically drawn to this man for some reason and he was online right now. She’d clearly never met him before, but he seemed somehow familiar. His name was Zachary Grunewald. He had light brown hair and lightning-blue eyes; he looked like a young Leonardo DiCaprio. Maybe that was why he looked so familiar. Ginger swiped right to indicate her interest.

 

Her heart beating faster as she waited to see if they were a match. Why did she care so much? She was beginning to get distracted as she continued swiping through other profiles when she saw a notification pop up. You and Zachary have matched! Modern romance was funny. Ginger wasn’t sure if she should message him first or not.

 

But she didn’t have to wait.

 

“Hey, After checking out your profile I would like to get to know you better. I would love to call you and see if we are compatible,” the message read.

 

Confident, short and sweet. Ginger was instantly hooked. She couldn’t wait to receive a call from Zachary. He seemed antithetical to her boyfriend already. The fact that she was thinking that way should have told Ginger that it was already over between her and Tobias. She gave Zachary her number and waited eagerly for him to call her.

 

Within a few moments her phone rang.

 

“Hello, Is this Ginger Blair?” he asked.

 

“Yes. I assume this is Zachary?” Ginger responded.

 

That was all it took. They spent the rest of the evening on the phone flirting, chatting and getting to know each other better. It was the best and most unconventional first date that Ginger ever had.

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Romance Novel Excerpts: Love Over Envy

romance novel excerpts love over envy jamila jasper This post includes one of Jamila's best romance novel excerpts. Love Over Envy (based on the best selling short story Ain't About The Money) is one of our best contemporary romance novels for people who love romantic stories and can't get enough of them!

This book is a best-selling romance novel which ranked #19 in African American romance.

Genevieve Mauricette -- the main character -- is an ambitious French Creole black woman from the South who has just moved to a Northern city to fulfill her dream of becoming a famous editor. Genevieve's friend from work Greta drags her along to a salsa club where she meets a sweet talking white man named Sam Andover.

Genevieve is initially unimpressed by Sam's smooth talking ways, but when he fends off an assailant, she starts to wonder if he's more than what he seems...

Sam isn't the man Genevieve thought he was. Although he is an incredibly wealthy CFO for Apex Development, his humble roots make him more down to earth than anyone Genevieve has met since she moved North.

Sam and Genevieve seem like the perfect couple, until Genevieve's life starts mysteriously falling apart. Who could possibly be so envious that they would try to destroy everything Genevieve has worked for, including her new relationship?

While Sam and Genevieve try to figure out who is playing puppet master with their lives, an unexpected contraceptive failure makes a resolution more urgent than ever.

There are more than two lives at stake and the envious villain will stop at nothing to get their way...

Romance Novel Excerpts: Love Over Envy

 

Chapter 1

 

When was the last time you heard of a black woman named Genevieve? That was the obnoxious question that had plagued  Genevieve Mauricette  her entire life. People seemed unable to wrap their minds around the facts but not all black people originated from the United States.  But for most of her life, Genevieve’s peers didn’t care about anything except the fact that Genevieve was different and they could make fun of her for it. They mocked her for her “white” sounding name, even if where her parents came from, there was nothing “white” about the name Genevieve.

 

Her peers were unable to broaden their minds and accept that some people just had a different culture than she did. Genevieve’s father, Jean Luc,  was a black Frenchman. Her mother, was Haitian Creole from the Bayou. Their names all sounded excessively French as if they had hailed from Paris itself. Genevieve’s parents were self-made business people. While their small businesses were not always the most successful, they managed to give the Genevieve the very best with regards her education. They had managed to pay for Genevieve to go to a great university and then for her to spend two years at an elite writing program tucked away in the middle of the Vermont wilderness.

 

Now, Genevieve was pushing 28 and she had just landed an excellent job out of graduate school for her MFA. Well, the job was only excellent in theory. In reality, Genevieve felt unfulfilled. Even if there was potential for her to make a lot of money it was embarrassing to explain to people what she did. See, Genevieve worked for one of these click bait news sites. She came up with articles like:

 

“10 Ways To Dress Like A Kardashian.”

 

“23 struggles that women with long hair know all too well.”

 

“14 prayers to improve your relationship with your boyfriend.”

 

The list went on. Genevieve found the work really uninspiring, but she was working towards something greater. She wanted more than anything to become a senior editor at the online magazine she worked for. That kind of position would give her a huge pay raise, a lot of prestige and it would make her parents proud. Sometimes you had to work as a grunt for quite a long time before you could get to the big leagues. That was something Genevieve had a hard time with as time went on. Patience wasn’t exactly one of her virtues and she felt like she had worked too hard for too long. Where were the results? This current position felt like it was headed nowhere  But now she was trapped in a city where the rent was too high and she was too stressed out even think about moving on. She had committed to this life and she would have to deal with it.

 

At first, Genevieve had been excited to move to the big city. She had never lived in a tall building that contain hundreds of other people before. She had never lived anywhere that seem to keep going and going and going even after dark. But the reality of the city ended up being much different than what Genevieve had expected. The city kept going and going, but not in the good way. Genevieve was often rushed or overwhelmed.  There was no time to stop and contemplate. Personal development took a backseat to the daily grind. She had no time for any meaningful social life. She has become one of these women she swore she would never become: a woman who only has time for her job. She had kept chasing and chasing her dreams to the point where she forgot there was more to life than a new job or a promotion.

 

All of Genevieve’s friends had settled down already. She knew it was ridiculous, but she was starting to feel like an old maid at 28. She could see the highlight reel of everyone’s lives and not the reality.  Those standards were crippling. Screw these standards! Who says a woman has to settle down and start popping out babies second she hits 23?  Genevieve tried to keep herself afloat by pointing out to herself that most of her friends didn’t have to go through what she went through to make it big. All they had to do was find a nice man to marry.  Genevieve had always wanted more than just a man at her side. A part of Genevieve resented society's pressure for her to have a child early, but another part of her felt as if she was somehow incomplete for not having at least a long term boyfriend. She wasn’t on a path to meet anyone you either. Genevieve felt like she should just settle down and get herself a cat… If only her apartment allowed it.

 

A part of Genevieve thought that she was broken because she was single. She wondered if perhaps she was too hideous for words or had a terrible personality. But none of that was the case. Genevieve was quite beautiful,  just not in the way the magazines wanted you to think of beauty. She wasn’t very tall but despite that she had a very feminine gait with perfect posture. All these years of dancing ballet as a child clearly paid off. Although Genevieve didn’t remember what a plie was, she still remembered to stand up straight and tall.  Genevieve had dark walnut colored skin with earthy golden undertones.  

 

Genevieve had a sweet round face, with high cheekbones and a dimpled smile. She had a large forehead, which was highlighted even more by her thin eyebrows. She never wore much makeup because her mother had forbid it when she was a child. Although she hadn't  been to church in a minute, Genevieve was raised a staunch Catholic. Makeup and revealing clothing had never even been an option as she was growing up. As an adult, it was just habitual for her to dress modestly and wear nothing more than light mascara and a tiny bit of lipstick.

 

Her face emitted a warm and friendly glow, just like you would expect of a woman from Louisiana. One of Genevieve’s best features where her obsidian colored eyes. It was funny, many people in Genevieve's  family actually had those catlike green eyes you occasionally saw on black people, but Genevieve was an odd duck. She used to be awfully jealous of these bold green eyes, but she eventually came around to loving her eyes and face the way they were. Who said there was anything wrong with dark colored eyes anyways?

 

Genevieve's body wasn’t bad to look at either. She was short and extremely curvy. Her H-cup breasts made bra shopping difficult. Her thick booty meant leggings were a blessing.  Genevieve wasn’t a woman who you could describe as “slim thick” either.  She had a little pooch that never seemed to disrupt her daily activities. Genevieve was a curvy, thick woman and over time she had become proud of her curves. People were always trying to say one thing or the other about women’s bodies. First everyone was into staying paperthin. Then you had to have big breasts. Now you had to have a big ass to be considered “hot” according to the media. Genevieve learned that all these little trends that try to fit women into boxes were meaningless. All that mattered was loving the body she was born in.

 

As she took a break from writing at her computer, Genevieve looked into her little pocket mirror. Her plump carnation pink lips  were getting a little parched from the air conditioning in the office. Genevieve was wearing long thin braids and she used the mirror to help her clip them back out of her face. As Genevieve was about to return to work, her work friend Greta popped up out of nowhere.

 

She had severe vocal fry that linguists write articles about every month or so.

 

“Hey Genevieve,” Greta rasped. She leaned over Genevieve’s desk almost knocking over her coffee mug. Genevieve was nearly scared out of her skin. Something about Greta was a tiny bit unnerving to Genevieve. She just couldn’t put her finger on what it was exactly.

 

“Hey Greta,” Genevieve answered. She tried to be polite to Greta because they were coworkers after all. Sometimes Genevieve considered Greta a friend. Plus, Greta seemed to have a vested interest in spending time with Genevieve. Genevieve hated to admit it, but Greta was the closest thing she had to a best friend since she had moved to the city.

 

Greta Hansson was the type of woman who never spent a weekend alone. Her “body count” was somewhere well over fifty. As Greta leaned over Genevieve’s desk and she began recounting a grotesque sexual exploit, Genevieve took the time to truly examine the woman’s features under the guise of providing a listening ear. Greta had slightly wavy bright red hair; she pretended it was natural but her blonde roots let Genevieve know that Greta was a liar.

Greta had skin that was the color of evaporated milk. Her eyes were giant and icy blue. Just making eye contact with Greta was hypnotizing but not necessarily in a good way. Another creepy thing about Greta was her staring habit. Sometimes, Genevieve would look up from her desk and see Greta just watching her from across the office. These startup internet companies never seemed to learn that open floor plan offices were not the way to go. Greta could be so distracting too. Like right then…

 

Genevieve was lost in her own thoughts when Greta snapped her fingers in front of Genevieve’s face.

 

“Helloooo? Earth to Genevieve! I asked you a dang question!” Greta hissed. She laughed awkwardly afterwards and then stared into Genevieve’s eyes waiting for a response.

 

“Um… Yeah… It sounds… Great!” Genevieve said, pretending she knew what on earth Greta had been talking about.



Greta gushed, “Oh my gosh! Yay! So you’ll come!”

 

Shit. Genevieve had just agreed to something. What on earth was it? Greta always seemed to drag her along when some crazy idea popped into her head. Last time, they had driven to the Jersey Shore and it was absolutely terrible…

 

Greta had abandoned Genevieve to hook up with an actual cast member of Jersey Shore. Meanwhile, Genevieve had languished in their motel room alone with a her favorite Raven Ferrari romance novel. The novel was captivating but it didn't make up for that loneliness Genevieve had experienced.

 

Greta continued babbling on; Genevieve was trying to piece together what exactly she had just agreed to do. After a few sentences, she finally figured out that she had agreed to go out for drinks after work with Greta. It wasn’t the best news, but Genevieve was just glad she hadn't gotten dragged into another road trip. Genevieve had an after work ritual that she hated to deviate from. In fact, Genevieve hated to deviate from any of her rituals. She was the type of woman who had her way of doing things and she did accept anyone else’s.

 

After work drinks were a waste of time in Genevieve's view. All you got was drunk… And distracted… Genevieve had goals and going out after work to get wasted every night wasn’t going to get her any closer to accomplishing them.

 

When Genevieve arrived home, she would first take a long hot shower and wash away the day's worries as well as all the dirt from using public transportation. After a shower, Genevieve would tie her hair in a silk scarf. Then she would climb into bed with a hot cup of chamomile tea and her laptop so she could watch Netflix. She would watch a movie, maybe two and then she would drift off to sleep. There was absolutely nothing wrong with this ritual. Sure, sometimes she wished there was sexy dark skinned dude in her bed like Morris Chestnut… But for the most part she was content to do things alone. Most people her age came with too much drama. Genevieve absolutely hated that petty nonsense. Now all her plans were completely squashed because she hadn’t been paying attention and she had agreed to go out with Greta for drinks.

 

Genevieve tuned back into what Greta was saying.

 

“You know what Genevieve? We’re also going to meet tons of hot guys. You obviously haven’t been laid in a minute and I think you’ll find a guy to give you some much needed release. You’re too wound up! It’s actually crazy. Oh my god, speaking of crazy…”  

 

As Greta went off on another tangent, Genevieve zoned out again. She didn’t know  What to make of Greta’s comment. Sure, it had been a while but that wasn’t any of her business. Genevieve knew she didn’t like the type of guys that Greta liked anyways. Genevieve took dating seriously.  Greta saw guys as nothing more than one night stands. Genevieve couldn’t help but take Greta’s comment to heart either way.

 

Was it really that noticeable that she didn’t have a man in her life? Genevieve was insecure about her complete lack of romantic prospects. Since moving to the city things had gone from bad to worse.

 

She couldn’t figure out what was going wrong. Genevieve thought she knew exactly what she wanted. She knew boisterous outgoing men were not her type. These men had no values. They were the type of men to run around behind your back going through women like crazy. These were the men who would get up and leave you for another woman the moment their fickle minds decided it was time. Despite her beliefs, Genevieve had a few doubts about how well her dating convictions were working out for her.

 

Despite Genevieve’s constant pursuit of beta male nice guys, she found they treated her no better than the alpha males she avoided. Another woman would have decided that it was time for a change, to start giving guys a chance based on who they actually were as opposed to who she perceived them to be. Genevieve just figured she should swear off men for a while. Her guard was up and she was tired of getting her heart broken.

 

Finally, Greta decided to leave Genevieve so she could get back to work. She was more than excited about the chance to go out with her new bestie.  Greta might’ve been a little off, but she was genuine about how much she liked Genevieve. At least that's what Genevieve thought. There was something about Greta that could cause you to open up and tell her all your secrets. Sure, Greta might’ve been a little odd but everyone needs that one odd friend right? Genevieve was starting to work herself up to being excited to get to know Greta better over a few drinks and a hot sweaty night of salsa dancing.

 

The rest of the day at work seemed to drag on. Genevieve was forced to think about her past, both her romantic past and otherwise. There was a point in time when Genevieve was the life of the party. She was the girl you could always rely on to show up with 10 of her hottest best friends. She was the girl you could rely on to say from opening of the club to the close. Of course, that was college. After college and after struggling through grad school while try to work two jobs, Genevieve had calmed down quite a bit. She was no longer the last at the party. She was the person that couldn't wait to go home at 5 o’clock to eliminate the stress of the work day. Her social life was nonexistent.

 

Genevieve used have great dreams. Just want to be a famous editor. She wanted so much out of life and now it seemed like there was no moving up as quickly as she wanted to. All of Genevieve’s old friends had started families. They didn’t care about career advancement; they didn’t have any of the lofty goals that Genevieve did. Genevieve felt like she was being punished for her position. She could either have one thing or another, but she couldn’t have it all.

 

Chapter 2

 

Evening. After work. Genevieve had pulled herself together in less than an hour and despite that, she felt what she has looked good. She had bought the dress off an Instagram boutique.  Even if she hadn’t tried it on before that night, it fit her perfectly. The dress was a deep cocoa brown, nearly the color of Genevieve skin. It hugged her curves in all the right places. She was one intense makeup look away from being a model. But as usual, she only added a little mascara. Still, Genevieve felt out of place in the salsa club once she got there. This just wasn’t her scene at all and she couldn’t believe she had agreed to go out with Greta like this.  What the hell was she doing in a club trying to meet guys? Genevieve knew she would never find any man worth her time in a place like this.

 

A popular, overplayed salsa song La Vida Es Un Carnaval  blared through the speakers. Celia Cruz’s baritone sounded phenomenal, but Genevieve was too uncomfortable to pay her voice much attention. The lights in the club were dim except for a couple flashing green and red lights. It looked like a scene right out of Havana or Santo Domingo. Except no one in the club cared if you were Latino or not. In the dim light, anyone who could speak Spanish was Spanish. Anyone who could dance salsa belonged.  The club was filled with Cubans, Dominicans, Panamanians, Puerto Ricans and more.  Anyone who bumped into Genevieve’s thought she was their Dominican cousin or something. Negrita! Negrita! She  she couldn’t count how many times she had the word hurled at her as some suave Latino man tried to have his way. If only it weren’t for the language barrier, Genevieve would’ve found plenty of them physically attractive. But Genevieve knew a serious man like the one she wanted wouldn't get caught dead here.

 

It was still early in the night, but the smell of sweat was already starting to permeate the room. Dancing salsa was a workout no doubt.  Genevieve couldn’t help but wonder why on earth Greta brought her here. Genevieve didn’t know much salsa. She had taken one class and she was absolutely terrible. Despite all her years of childhood ballet, when she got on the dance floor with an instructor who expected her body to know movement intuitively, she had two left feet.  Genevieve wanted nothing more than to plaster herself against the walls and not move until Greta decided was time for them to go home.

 

Genevieve looked over the dance floor at the scene before her…

 

The men populating the club seemed confident to the point of arrogance and had no qualms about feeling up every woman they danced with.  Their hands wandered over hips and cupped butt cheeks confidently.  Each man knew that once a woman agreed to dance with him, it would be far too difficult for her to get away. They touched and felt their curves as if the women were their property. At least that’s how Genevieve saw it.

 

Genevieve wasn’t a prude (in her mind), but she considered herself to be too classy to be felt up by a guy who’d spent the entire night feeling up ten other girls just like her. She didn’t want to be a notch in some guy’s belt. Greta ordered them both cosmopolitans and they sat at the bar. Genevieve didn’t like cosmpolitans as much as she liked a simple rum and coke but she didn’t want to piss Greta off. After all, she was already being a party pooper and she could tell Greta was getting tired of babysitting her.

 

Greta decided to stimulate Genevieve into action.  She wanted that girl to get some dick! “Look at that guy damn he’s so fucking hot!” Greta yelled loud enough for the guy to hear her if he’d been listening. It was amazing how her raspy voice seemed to carry even over blaring speakers. Genevieve looked over at the man Greta was trying to point out to her. Meh. Sure on the outside he was pretty attractive. He was taller than average and oozed sensuality which Genevieve interpreted as being sleazy. She hated guys that walked around thinking they were God’s gift to earth. Whatever happened to a little humility?

 

“Looks like kind of a sleaze ball,” Genevieve mumbled dismissively. But Greta wasn’t listening to her. She was just staring at the man making his way around the dancefloor like a pro. The suave gentleman's name was Sam Andover. He was tall, tanned lightly with green eyes that seemed to gleam even in the dimness of the bar. He was clearly muscular and athletic, an all around gorgeous guy.  Sam Andover had been coming to this club for over 10 years. It was his usual after work way to let loose. He was extroverted and charismatic; he fit in well amongst the more commonly found Latino people despite the difference in culture. He could move on the dance floor better than anyone, and for that reason alone he was accepted with warmth. Genevieve didn’t know this as she watched him, but he was a man could trust; the frequent visitors of the salsa club could sense how trustworthy he was. Every single woman would let him dip her low so much so that her head would almost touch the ground. He was the kind of guy you could trust not to let go.

 

But Genevieve had already determined he was a sleaze and as they continued to stare at him, both her and Greta noticed that he had flirted intensely with maybe five or six of the girls he danced with. Probably trying to sleep with all of them. Genevieve had thought to herself.  Even if Genevieve was judging him, she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off him. He hooked her in. He had a magnetic personality and every single woman in the room was becoming more and more aware of him. He dominated the room like it was second nature.

 

Women were trying their best to strut their stuff, but they didn’t decide whether or not Sam Andover approached them. It was all up to him. He was choosing from the pack of ravenous broads. That's why Genevieve was surprised when Sam approached her and asked her to dance. Although "ask" is a strong word for what happened. Sam reached for her hand and before she knew it she was in his arms. Genevieve didn’t even know his name…

 

Sam had sought her out in a crowd full of women were more dressed up and more conventionally beautiful. He had looked past the blondes, the brunettes, the beautiful Latina beauty queens. He had looked past the girls who belonged on the covers of magazines and locked eyes with Genevieve. In that moment, he decided that he needed to dance with her. It wasn’t love at first sight or anything. But she have a look in her eyes that said she was different. She looked a little bit out of place. She was clearly unfamiliar and that added an aura of mystery to her. What’s more, Genevieve wasn’t like these other girls. It wasn’t like the way these other girls were was wrong… Her differences just made her stand out. What kind of woman goes to the club with no makeup on? What kind of woman goes to the club without skanky heels on? Why haven’t I seen this woman before? Those were the strange kind of traits that drew Sam to Genevieve when he first stood 2 feet in front of her face and asked her, “Quieres bailar?” His accent was atrocious and he broke out into the biggest smile as if he knew just how bad it was.

 

Maybe he thought she was Spanish, maybe he didn’t know and didn’t care. But before Genevieve knew it, she was holding on for dear life in trying her best to keep time with the music.

 

His hands were little bit sweaty, but within a few seconds Genevieve found that she didn’t care. She just wanted him to Put. Her. Down.  There was no time to protest though. The music was speeding up faster and faster. Damn you Marc Anthony!  Genevieve was hustling back and forth and spinning around and around. She almost felt sick to her stomach. The smell of the room and the smell of Sam specifically filtered through her nostrils. She couldn’t tell which was which. Was he sweet or bitter?  Why the hell did he have to spin her around so goddamn fast?

 

A brief moment to catch her breath emerged as the song slowed down. Sam looked at her with a devilish grin on his face as if he enjoyed making her work hard to keep up with him.  He tried to maintain eye contact with Genevieve but she looked away in silent protest. His hands clasped hers tightly. She couldn’t help but notice how strong he was. Even if she wanted to just be let go, she couldn’t ignore how safe she felt in his arms… But who did he think he was?

 

As he swung her around like a rag doll, Sam was actually trying to start a conversation with Genevieve. It was hard to imagine. She could barely catch her breath and here he was trying to talk with her as if this were a stroll through the park.  It wasn’t that Sam meant to be rude. He was infused with energy from the beat of the music. This was his favorite after work hangout and he wanted to share the excitement with everyone. Manners escaped him sometimes… He had grown up rough around the edges. Deep down, he was a good guy, but he lacked some finesse. Genevieve couldn’t see any of that. She just saw him as an attractive man, and most certainly a womanizer. She vowed to remain closed off to him even as he swung her around for a second song…

 

Sam tried to ask her, “so what do you do for a living?

 

Genevieve narrowly avoided stomping on his feet she huffed, “I’m a writer…”

 

Maybe she would have elaborated if she had enough oxygen in her lungs.

 

Sam was still trying to make eye contact with her. He asked Genevieve more, “Yeah? That sounds like kind of a lonely career for a woman as beautiful as you are…”

 

How corny! Did that guy really think that cheap line would work on her? Genevieve was miffed that he had even tried it. He probably approached her because he saw her as some ugly desperate low-self-esteem having woman he was trying to get in bed with because he perceived her as easy. Genevieve’s face turned sour.

 

She had read it all wrong again.

 

“It’s not lonely…” Genevieve lied.

 

In time with the music, Sam pulled her in close and whispered into her ear, “A woman like you could never be lonely…”

 

Another corny line. Really? Genevieve was starting to wonder what she did to deserve such a cheese ball. Sam dipped her low to the ground. Genevieve’s heart didn’t miss a beat. Even in her anger she implicitly trusted him not to drop her.

 

After they had danced for a couple more songs, Genevieve felt like she’d overstayed her time in his arms. Plus, she wasn’t very good at dancing salsa and she felt a little seasick from all the spinning. She gently pulled away from Sam, thinking and hoping that he wouldn’t try to approach her again. Genevieve was starting to feel the liquor anyways. She always knew she was getting drunk when the urge to drink Henny crept up. She fumbled until she got to the bar but Greta was not where she expected.

 

The entire time that Genevieve had been dancing with Sam, Greta was stewing. She couldn’t believe Genevieve had the hottest guy in the bar come up to her. Greta was the one who had been eyeing him and she felt entitled to at least a moment of his time. Of course, when he sauntered over to Genevieve, Greta thought he had been coming over to her.

 

Maybe it was a pity dance or something. Greta thought to herself. But it didn’t look like a pity dance. Greta was envious. Greta downed three more cosmopolitans while Sam and Genevieve danced. The way that guy was looking at Genevieve made it seem like he was actually into her. Greta was baffled! She didn’t think Genevieve was that ugly, but she was acting like a shrinking violet the entire night. She didn’t seem like the type of woman who would attract someone like that emerald eyed adonis who was touching her waist ever so gently…

 

Greta was pissed off. Whenever she didn’t make “her kill” she worked it off by finding one or two more guys to take home that night. By the time Genevieve returned from her sweaty dance with Sam, Greta was gone…

 

She was meeting up with her “man for the night”. He was the guy that every woman has… That guy you can call whenever you’re feeling lonely and he’ll come right over and warm up your bed no matter what. Greta had no real interest in Erwin. He was pasty, underweight and blond with no backbone whatsoever. He had been pining after Greta for ten years. Of course she slept with him, but she never agreed to go the distance with Erwin no matter how desperate he was to marry her.

 

Erwin was one of those guys who thought he deserved everything because he was “nice”. But that’s all Erwin was. He was just a “nice” guy with no interests. All he wanted was some woman to become completely consumed with. Greta had no intention of ever becoming “consumed” by the little shrimp. But during times like this when she felt rejected by better prospects, Greta returned to her old watering hole.

 

While Genevieve kept herself steady against the bar she saw Greta flirting with Erwin in a corner. She had no idea who Erwin was. She just assumed that Greta was off flirting with some man who was twice her age. She was just glad she hadn't lost sight of Greta in the crowded club. Genevieve felt like the liquor was taking hold of her. She ordered a glass of Hennessy. She was already out, getting a little tipsy would at least make the club more bearable. Between the time she had ordered and received her drink, Genevieve had already turned down three other guys.

 

She felt clumsier on her feet than she had with Sam. She chugged back the Hennessy and suddenly felt like she was going  to throw up. I should not have done that… Genevieve mused. But perhaps she would be alright despite having had too much to drink. All she needed to do was keep her eye on Greta. That was her ride home and as long as Greta was in her line of sight, everything would be okay no matter how much she had to drink.

 

Genevieve whipped her head to the spot where Greta had just been standing. She felt her tummy turn even more. Greta was nowhere to be seen. Genevieve scanned the salsa club over and over again. There was no sign of Greta or Erwin.

Where on earth were they…?

 

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