Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young
Genre: Legal Thriller; Mystery; Suspense
Angela Evans should be on top of the world. She’s a smart, attractive prosecutor who’s about to marry a successful judge. But the closer Angela gets to saying “I do,” the more she wants out. Then she meets Dre, a street-smart brother who’s nothing like her stuffy fiancé Cornell. Angela eventually calls off the wedding, but Cornell can’t accept the rejection. He turns violent in a way Angela never could have imagined. Dre comes to her rescue, but Angela soon learns that he’s hiding a shady past, and her world falls apart all over again.
Below is an excerpt from Chapter 48. Read the excerpt and leave your comments below, along with a valid email address. A random drawing will be held on November 27, 2009. Five people will win signed copies of Buying Time. The winners will be announced at the Black Pearls Magazine Blog: http://edcmagazine.blogspot.com/
Chapter 48
Angela eyed the clock on the dashboard of her Saab. She was meeting Dre for drinks at The Dynasty Restaurant & Lounge in Inglewood and she was fifteen minutes late. She had to circle the block three times before finally spotting an open parking meter around the corner on Hillcrest.
When she stepped inside the club, she spotted Dre sitting at a table overlooking a small dance floor. He leaned over the railing and waved.
“You lookin’ mighty fly,” Dre said, checking out her legs when she reached his table.
“Sorry, I’m late,” Angela apologized.
“Calm down, baby. You ain’t late. Why you stressin’?” He stood up, kissed her on the lips, then pulled out the chair next to him.
“You lookin’ mighty fly,” Dre said, checking out her legs when she reached his table.
“Sorry, I’m late,” Angela apologized.
“Calm down, baby. You ain’t late. Why you stressin’?” He stood up, kissed her on the lips, then pulled out the chair next to him.
Angela immediately relaxed. Cornell would’ve been lecturing her about the importance of time management by now. Dre just seemed happy to see her.
“What do you want to drink?” he asked.
“Apple martini.”
“They make a bomb caramel apple martini here. Wanna try it?”
“Sure.” Angela gazed around the club. “This is where you hang out, huh?”
“Yep. The music is slammin’ and the fried chicken is better than my Mama’s. But don’t tell her.”
Angela laughed and took the paper napkin underneath Dre’s wineglass to wipe the lipstick mark she had left on his lips. A worried expression suddenly distorted Dre’s face.
“Shit!” he said under his breath.
Angela looked over her shoulder in the direction of Dre’s gaze, but couldn’t see what or who he was staring at. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothin’. Just somebody I really don’t wanna see.”
She could feel Dre’s body grow taut and wondered what was going on. Before she could ask again, Angela saw what had attracted his attention. A shapely, dark-skinned woman of medium height was prancing toward their table. The look on Dre’s face had now changed from frustration to embarrassment.
The woman boldly pulled out a chair and took a seat across from them. “Hey, Dre, how you doin’?”
“Nobody invited you to sit down,” Dre said.
“Don’t worry,” the woman said, “I ain’t stayin’. I just came over to say hello.”
She had a long, reddish-brown weave streaked with blonde. Her bangs were angled across her face, shielding her left eye. The woman’s hoop earrings were the size of lunch meat and her sheer lace top left nothing to the imagination. A red, spandex skirt barely covered her gargantuan ass.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” The woman looked Angela up and down.
Dre pursed his lips. “It’s a weeknight. Why aren’t you home with Little Dre?”
The woman put a hand on her hip and tossed a handful of her fake hair over her shoulder. “Oh, so you can hang out during the week, but I can’t?”
“I asked you who’s takin’ care of my son?” Dre demanded.
“He’s at my sister’s, okay?” She gave Angela another appraising look. “Stop being rude and introduce me to your little friend.”
“Angela, this is Shawntay. My son’s mother. Good-bye, Shawntay.”
“If I hadn’t seen y’all lockin’ lips a second ago, I woulda thought you were his lawyer or something. Is that how y’all hooked up?”
Dre pursed his lips. “It’s a weeknight. Why aren’t you home with Little Dre?”
The woman put a hand on her hip and tossed a handful of her fake hair over her shoulder. “Oh, so you can hang out during the week, but I can’t?”
“I asked you who’s takin’ care of my son?” Dre demanded.
“He’s at my sister’s, okay?” She gave Angela another appraising look. “Stop being rude and introduce me to your little friend.”
“Angela, this is Shawntay. My son’s mother. Good-bye, Shawntay.”
“If I hadn’t seen y’all lockin’ lips a second ago, I woulda thought you were his lawyer or something. Is that how y’all hooked up?”
Dre shot up. “I need to talk to you outside.”
Shawntay ignored him and directed the conversation to Angela.
“If y’all gon’ be an item, you’ll probably be hangin’ out with my son. So we need to get to know each other.”
“Oh, hell naw.” Dre gripped Shawntay’s upper arm. “C’mon. We need to step outside and talk.”
“Why we can’t talk in front of your little friend?”
“Don’t make me cause a scene up in here,” Dre threatened.
With Dre’s help, Shawntay grudgingly rose from the chair.
“Do Ms. Prim and Proper know what you do?” Shawntay asked, as Dre dragged her away.
Angela watched them weave their way through the packed club and out of the door. She pretended not to notice the curious gazes from other people in the club who had watched Dre leave with Shawntay. It was another ten minutes before they returned and headed in opposite directions.
“Sorry about that,” Dre said, sitting down again. His face still had a stern expression. “Now where were we?” He tried to take Angela’s hand, but she locked her arms across her chest.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
“Nothin’. Absolutely nothin’.”
“Excuse me? I think you owe me more of an explanation than that.”
Dre exhaled. “Hey, I’m sorry. I just got a little baby mama drama going on.” He leaned over and kissed her, but Angela did not reciprocate. “She’s just tryin’ to cause me problems, which she’s pretty damn good at. I swear she’s psycho.”
“She’s the mother of your son. She must not be too psycho.”
“Shawntay was never my woman, okay? You have nothin' to be jealous about.”
“Who said I was jealous? I’m not even sure I can compete. I see you like your women a little rough around the edges.”
Dre appeared genuinely embarrassed. “Let’s just call it a lapse in judgment on my part. She was just something to do.”
“What did you do? Take her outside and scold her?”
“Basically. I kick her down with way more child support than she needs to take care of my son and I’ve also agreed to pay her rent until Dre either graduates from high school or comes to live with me. She knows I ain’t about to stand for no ghetto girl crap.”
A pout remained etched into Angela’s face.
“C’mon, babe, forget about her.” He kissed her on the neck.
Angela still wasn’t satisfied. “What did she mean when she asked if I know what you do?” Angela mimicked Shawntay’s voice.
Dre stiffened. “Uh, let’s just say I wasn’t always the goody two-shoes that I am today.”
“Oh, so you used to be a bad boy?” she asked, finally in a playful mood again.
“You might say that.” He kissed her again and this time, she kissed him back.
“You might say that.” He kissed her again and this time, she kissed him back.
Just when Angela was beginning to relax, she followed Dre’s gaze across the room. Shawntay was sitting at the bar shooting him a nasty look.
“Shawntay doesn’t look too happy. Are you sure you two are really done?” “Hell yeah. Ignore her ass. She’s crazy.” “That’s fine,” Angela said, turning back to him. “As long as she doesn’t get crazy with me.”
###
Check out Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young Today!
ISBN-10: 098156271X | ISBN-13: 978-0981562711
Pamela Samuels Young is the Essence bestselling author of Murder on the Down Low, In Firm Pursuit, Every Reasonable Doubt and the newly released Buying Time. The former journalist and Compton native is the fiction writing expert for BizyMoms.com and is on the Board of Directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.Pamela served as legal consultant to the Showtime television series Soul Food. She is a frequent speaker on the topics of writing and self-empowerment. View her books here: http://www.pamelasamuels-young.com/
Bookclubs, select one of Pamela’s novels for your book club meeting and she will join you in person, via webcam or via speaker phone. Read more book excerpts here: http://www.pamelasamuels-young.com/books/index.html
To schedule a visit with Pamela, email her at author@pamelasamuelsyoung.com
To schedule a visit with Pamela, email her at author@pamelasamuelsyoung.com
Author Website: http://www.pamelasamuels-young.com/
Author Email address: author@pamelasamuelsyoung.com
Genre: Legal Thriller; Mystery; Suspense
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