Tag: books

Two is a flame. Three is a wildfire that’s sure to burn.

In an attempt to rekindle the spark between them, Lauren and Marcus step out of the comfort and routine of their marriage and do the unthinkable: invite another party into their bedroom. As things quickly heat up, what they had hoped would ignite the flame that had been extinguished in their relationship, erupts into a scorching inferno of desire…and betrayal.

The moment Joy’s estranged mother shows up on her doorstep and drops off a mysterious child for her to raise, she’s forced to put her life on hold. Two years later, she abandons her dream of becoming a civil engineer, when her mother reappears with yet another child from her drug-addicted sister. Twice is enough, and the third time isn’t a charm as Joy’s outright refusal makes her an outcast to her small family. With so much responsibility at such a young age, having an intimate relationship is something she never allowed herself to dream. Until a chance meeting at the most unlikely of places.

Mia’s head snapped up at a sound that wasn’t anything like the faint echoes of music from the other end of the lake. For some reason, her instinct was on high alert especially since the additional security team was missing in action.
“Having dinner out here was a great idea,” Mia said for the sake of their nosy neighbor Patty, who was walking in their direction as Calvin approached the table.
The older woman wasn’t any cause for concern.
“You like me cooking for you.” He brought out the spaghetti and salad, slid it on the table, then leaned in, kissing Mia. He wrapped his arm around her waist, nuzzling her neck. “Maybe we should have dessert first.”
“I’ll not be reheating dinner tonight.” Pushing him away, she turned him back toward the house, then swatted that gorgeous rear end of his to send him on his way. “You need to go grab those breadsticks. I’ll open the wine.”
Calvin, who had never been married, enjoyed playing the role of husband a little too much. He winked before stepping off the planks and into the dining room. He paused at the door and glanced over his shoulder. “We need to do this more often.”
Most often wouldn’t happen. Tonight was the last day of her assignment, then she’d be back to her regular life and that didn’t include being a high security detail protector to a top secret invention and its handsome creator.
Several minutes later, she poured him a glass of red wine before fixing their plates. She scanned the area again and a tingle of suspicion ignited in her mind.
What’s taking him so long?
“Calvin, today would be nice,” Mia yelled. She perched on the chair, waiting for his smart response.
None came.
Mia placed the glass on the table and swept into the house. Calvin wasn’t in the kitchen. If he had slipped into his office to work instead of joining her outside, there was going to be a problem.
Mia laid eyes on Calvin as she rounded the corner, but his voice halted her in her tracks.
“Run, Mia. Run,” Calvin yelled, lunging for the stocky Asian man near the office door.
A hefty Black guy slammed his weapon across the back of Calvin’s head.
Mia sprinted down the hallway past the study and powder room, aiming to get her weapon. She kicked herself for not bringing it inside. They wouldn’t kill Calvin, but they could hurt him if he didn’t cooperate. She slid a cast iron skillet from the cooktop.
“Go get her,” someone yelled from the office.
Several things crashed to the office floor. Calvin put up one hell of a fight. Mere seconds had passed when Mia’s pursuer rounded the corner. She slammed the skillet into his chest, causing him to fly into the wall. He recovered and reached for her arm. The skillet crashed down onto his head with a backward swipe. This time, his body hit the ground, right on top of his gun.
Damn.
Her feet pounded on the hardwood floor as she raced for the front entrance, aiming to find some type of reinforcements. An armed man came off the path to the porch. She slammed the front door, locking it. Keys jiggled in the tumbler.
Mia ran top speed toward the kitchen ahead of a spray of bullets that landed in the cabinets. She slid toward the island like a baseball player trying to reach the home plate. She scrambled around the counter, bolting to the deck and made it to the table.
“Nowhere to run,” a man with an ivory complexion said as a Latino guy calmly stepped over the threshold onto the deck as though nothing out of the ordinary had transpired.
“Don’t be so sure of that.” She snatched the Ruger, aimed, and pulled the trigger five times taking out the biggest threat. Mia didn’t wait for the Latino man’s advancing body to hit the ground. She hit the stairs. The ivory man took cover in the dining room and held up on a perfect vantage spot.
Three armed men raced toward her. Damn, how many did they send?
Mia’s heart sank, but adrenaline kicked in as she turned back.
She had to make it to the Lincoln.
“Mrs. Atwood, don’t do it,” he yelled as she climbed from the patio chair to the railing.
He aimed his Glock and fired.
Mia took a flying leap from the banister and dove into the water.

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Spicing Things Up

There’s a time for playing it safe, but sometimes you need to spice things up!

Excerpt Not That Nice by Michelle D. Rayford – Spice Anthology

Kelsee braced for his reprimand and anger. Both were as familiar as breathing. She knew how much Alex hated the light shining in his face. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten to close the blinds.
Everything had to be perfect. Always.
When she couldn’t take the silence a moment longer, she chanced a peek and released a sigh of relief at the sight of the empty pillow beside her. Then she remembered. He wasn’t there. The reason, for the moment, escaped her.
Kelsee snuggled deeper in the sheets and stretched out in the middle of the bed. She tried to relax and reclaim sleep, but her brain was already churning. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d forgotten something.
The phone rang, and she checked the caller ID screen and groaned. She composed herself before answering, “Hello, Mariam.”
Her sister-in-law skipped the usual greeting of ‘As-salamu Alaykum’ and asked, “Are you ready?”
Kelsee’s mind froze. Ready for what?
“I can’t believe I have to do this,” Mariam’s usually strong voice cracked.
Memories flooded in. Today was the funeral.
Two days ago, her husband left to play “golf” at the Chandler Park Course in the Five Points area in Atlanta. Kelsee made him a fruit smoothie. He downed it in silence and left without saying goodbye.
Kelsee went about her regular Saturday chores of cleaning the house, stripping the sheets, mopping and vacuuming. She was washing their dishes when the phone call came. The call that changed everything.
Her mask firmly in place, Kelsee lied, “I can’t believe it either.”
She closed her eyes, listening as Mariam sniffed and repeated the same rambling from yesterday. “Why would Allah take him from me so soon? My baby brother. Why?”
Kelsee didn’t respond. No one in that family listened to her anyway. Instead, she padded to the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror, wincing at the fresh bruise. A final rebuke from her loving husband.
Kelsee ended the call and mentally prepared herself to play the part of the grieving widow. Make-up would camouflage the bruise. Dark shades would hide any other remnants of what had become of their marriage. Or maybe she’d display what he’d done. This was one secret he wouldn’t take to the grave.

They met in the emergency room where she worked. The cop, with the chiseled features and sexy smile, had a habit of trying to coax a reaction from her. She never obliged. Kelsee had convinced herself that she didn’t need the distraction.
What happened next was a blur. Kelsee remembered tending to a gunshot wound patient. She remembered a loud banging sound coming from the admitting area. She remembered the doctor turning toward the hall and screaming. All she could recall was the shape of the gun a teenager pointed at her.

***

Kelsee came to on a cot. For a blissful two seconds, she didn’t know where she was. Her memory returned in waves. The controlled chaos of the emergency room. The smell of sulfur from the gunpowder.
And then a baritone voice said. “I knew I would get you in bed, but I didn’t envision it happening this way.”
Her eyes snapped open. Officer Williams’ dark hooded eyes lasered into her own. Up close, she noticed a scar under his clean-shaven chin and his scent, a heady blend of musk cologne.
“What happened?” Kelsee croaked and swallowed hard. She tried to sit up but couldn’t navigate the mechanics of her body.
He extended his hand. “Some punk tried to finish off your patient. My partner had to put him down.”
Kelsee turned to leave and winced from a jab in her side.
“You may feel that for a while,” he said, “I had to tackle you.”
“I didn’t even get dinner first.” Kelsee blinked in horror. Was she really flirting with the man right now? “I mean, I owe you a thank you.”
“I’m Alex, by the way.” He cleared his throat. “How about we get a coffee or something?” He tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “As you can see I’m a nice guy. You have to say yes this time.”
His touch fought for space in the jumble of thoughts clouding her mind. Kelsee sighed. Maybe she should give Mr. Nice Guy a chance.
And she did. Officer Alex was her real-life hero. Someone had finally arrived on time. Kelsee thought she would never have a reason to be afraid again.
She was wrong.

In the anthology, SPICE readers get a taste of the most anticipated fiction offerings of the year. Readers will enjoy this eclectic blend that will stay with you long after the pages have been turned.
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