Welcome Today's Featured Author
Shani Greene-Dowdell!!!
DANGEROUS BONDS
Synopsis:
Kemara
wants nothing more than a quiet, simple life. In her experience,
relationships are anything but simple. However, when she meets the
Channing, her convenience store hero, she can’t help but long for a life
that’s a bit more…complicated.
From the moment Channing lays eyes on Kemara, he knows he has to have her no matter what it takes. Given his affiliations with a white supremacy group, getting with a black woman is going to take quite a lot. But what could he say? She’s the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen and the heart has no biases.
From the moment Channing lays eyes on Kemara, he knows he has to have her no matter what it takes. Given his affiliations with a white supremacy group, getting with a black woman is going to take quite a lot. But what could he say? She’s the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen and the heart has no biases.
Amazon:
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Kemara
The
universe was conspiring against me. That was the only way to explain
the morning I was having. When I got to work, all I wanted was a
lukewarm cup of the free coffee in the breakroom, in hopes that the
strong blend of mojo would perk me up. However, just as I was about to
exit and head to my office to enjoy that coffee, an intern rushed into
the room and bumped right into me. Instead of drinking the hot,
life-changing fluid, I was wearing it. Perfect.
I
spent the next twenty minutes in the ladies' room trying to rinse the
stubborn brown stains out of my chemise, but it was no use. No matter
how hard I scrubbed, the shirt wasn’t coming clean. I didn’t have an
extra change of clothes and too much work piling up to leave, so I ended
up wearing my blazer with nothing underneath but a black sports bra. As
I stuck one last safety pin in the top of my blazer to make it look
presentable, I took a look in the mirror and sighed.
I’m still going to make this a good day, some way, somehow.
Walking
out of the bathroom, the itchy material against my skin looked better
than it felt. I was immediately struck by an endless barrage of issues
upon entering my office and sitting behind my cluttered desk. I dealt
with so many clients that I was already five minutes into my lunch hour
before I looked at the time on my computer. Dang, it’s lunchtime already? Usually, time wouldn't matter, but I promised to meet Sharon for lunch, and I was going to be late.
As
I drove twenty miles away to Moss Tavern in Lafayette, Alabama, work
was still on my mind. I had to follow up with two customers about their
insurance claims, and investigate at least ten more before I got around
to my regular daily duties. Mulling over the details of what needed to
be done, I absentmindedly took a wrong turn, which was going to push me
even further behind with meeting Sharon. I hoped my friend would
understand that, for some reason, shit was happening that was beyond my
control.
I
reached over and took my phone out of my purse to call and let her know
I was on the way, when I noticed the screen was black except for the
image of a red blinking battery. Damn, damn, damn. I threw the
phone down and cursed the universe that helped to land me in this
position of wearing a blazer with no shirt underneath, taking a wrong
turn and now having a dead cell phone with no charger.
I
laid my foot onto the pedal and flew down 431. As I drove, I looked for
a place that I might be able to buy a charger. Up ahead, I saw this
dinky old gas station—the kind in 80s horror movies that anyone with an
ounce of sense knew to stay away from. But much like the characters in
those movies, I was desperate. So, I pulled up to the place and got out
of the car. Not two steps later, I felt a squish under my heel. I closed
my eyes and took long, deep breaths to keep me from screaming and
tearing my hair out and someone dragging me away for my dramatics. I
spent five minutes scraping gum off my shoe before I finally headed into
the shop. An old man behind the counter tipped his hat at me.
"Howdy ma'am."
I gave him a small nod and asked, "Do you have any iPhone chargers?"
"They're in the back aisle on the top shelf, ma'am."
Scanning
the half empty rows of shelves, I headed to the back of the store.
There was a group of white men huddled up in a little rancid lounge area
near the back wall. Some were standing to the side chewing tobacco and
some were sitting around an ancient, fat-back TV watching Fox News, at
least they were until they noticed me. At that point, they all stopped
what they were doing and just stared with their faces twisted with looks
ranging from shock to displeasure. Now, I was never the type of person
to assume someone was a racist, but the way they looked at me suggested I
needed to haul my black ass out of there, pronto.
I
turned on my sticky heels and didn't even make it a step forward before
I slammed into a broad chest covered by a dirty white tee. My eyes
trailed up to his face and my breath caught. Was he with the
evil-looking group in the back? Lord, I hoped not. He was positively
yummy. His hazel eyes had specks of green. He had a slight grin that
would make a girl want to stand on tip-toe and lick his lips, and I
would have to stand on tip-toe because even in my heels I had to look up
at him. He had such a presence. Even though he was only standing in
front of me, it felt like he was all around me, and his body was warm. I
could feel the heat rippling off his muscles. It took a moment for me
to come to my senses and look away.
With
my face turned, I could feel his eyes still on me. It felt like he was
memorizing every curve of my face. Part of me wanted to turn and look at
him again, but another part was far too intimidated. I wasn't sure if
he wanted to kill me or devour me. Given the grimaces on the faces of
his friends, I figured it would be best not to stick around and find
out.
I stepped to the side. "Excuse me," I said trying to get past him.
He
pulled something off a shelf and spoke. I wasn't expecting him to say
anything, and I was so dazed that I didn't even get what he said.
"I'm sorry?"
"An
iPhone charger. That's what you were looking for, right?" His gruff
voice rattled through me as he waved the package in front of me.
As
I took it, our hands touched for the briefest of time and it felt
magical. I could barely speak. "Yes, thank you." I stammered before
quickly retreating to the front of the shop. As I walked away, I could
still feel his eyes on me.
I
paid the clerk and headed out the door not daring to look over my
shoulder. I got in the car and sat there for far too long. At first, I
told myself I was just getting my phone set up on the charger. After
that was done, I didn't know how to explain it. I felt like I'd just run
miles and couldn't catch my breath.
He's just a guy, I told myself.
But
I didn't believe that for one minute. There was something about him
that made my skin tingle. He was imposingly muscular with a roaring
voice that should scare away anyone from his vicinity. Yet, I was
smitten at the thought of him helping me out. I shook my head laughing. I
was acting like a crazy person. It had to be from a lack of coffee. The
result of too much stress on the job, maybe?
Sure,
he was an attractive man. A very attractive man, but my reaction
probably had more to do with hunger than desire. Yeah, I needed a tall
cup of coffee and some food. That’s what I chalked it up to, when I put
the car into drive and headed for the tavern.
Chapter Two
Channing
When
I first saw her, I'd only caught a glimpse of her profile. She was
shorter than me, but she was tall with long legs, and man was she curvy
in all the right places. She must have been some sort of professional,
because she wore a dress suit that was just tight enough and showed off
enough skin to make men look twice. And looking twice was exactly what I
did. I watched those legs as she click-clacked her way to the back of
the store like she had the best treasure hidden between them known to
man. Even the sound of the way she walked was sexy.
I
followed her to the back and found the guys glaring at her. I knew how
they were, and I knew they could be total dicks sometimes. She was just
some nice lady trying to get a phone charger. Something built up inside
me, and I kind of wanted to punch them in the face for scowling at her.
It
was the strangest feeling. Usually, I didn’t care y what the hell they
said or did to people, but I had the incredible urge to defend her. So
much so that without thinking I was on her, standing not even an inch
behind her, knowing that if any of them took a step towards her I'd
break their legs.
She
turned and slammed right into me. For a moment, she looked up at me and
I was lost. I wanted to stroke her cheek. She looked so scared. I
wanted to make her feel safe again. I realized she was about to leave
without the charger. Of course she was. Why would she stay with those
jackasses glowering at her like that?
I
grabbed the charger and handed it to her. She shivered as our hands
touched. I wanted to kick their asses for making her feel frightened.
Though they hadn't laid a finger on her, I had a good mind to snap their
fingers, just for them for being rude. I didn’t even care if they
realized the reason was that my emotions were raging on first sight of
this black woman whose essence had been as beautiful as the open sky.
I
watched her take the charger up to Otis and pay, her curves swishing
from side to side. My mouth slightly curved into an O, as I watched her
walk away. After she walked out the front door, I realized something
heartbreaking—I'd never see her again. I'd never get a chance to ask her
name. I'd never get to caress that smooth, brown skin. Some part of me
found the prospect of that completely unacceptable.
I turned to the guys. "Hey, I have a job I need to head too. I'll catch you guys later."
"See ya, Channing," Bubba said first.
“Alight buddy,” Rodger added.
“Stay out of trouble,” Dirty Neil roared out through his chewing tobacco covered teeth.
I
built houses for a living. My work schedule wasn't set, so it wasn’t
unusual for me to have to leave to handle business at different times of
day. Work was as good of an excuse as anything else to leave the
presence of the guys. And far more acceptable to them than what I was
about to do.
When
I headed to my truck, I was surprised to see she hadn't left yet. I
hopped in my truck and drove behind the shop and waited for her to start
her car. Everything I’d been taught up until that moment should have
propelled my vehicle in the opposite direction. However, I let her get a
bit of distance in front of me before I started to follow.
I
stayed a few cars back as I trailed her, hoping she wouldn't notice
what I was doing. I didn't even know what I was doing. Sure, she was the
most beautifully exquisite woman I'd ever seen, but did that mean I
needed to stalk her? Clearly, it did.
What
was I going to do next? Just hop out of my car and ask her if she had a
boyfriend? And what if she did have a boyfriend? I realized right then
if she wasn't single, I'd be heartbroken. What if she was single, but
didn’t date whites? I’d be equally heartbroken, then.
I
frowned into the rearview mirror. What the hell was coming over me? Was
she really that great to break every oath I’d taken to my family…my
race? Yes, she was. I couldn't even say exactly what it was. I was
simply drawn to her. Just some part of me wanted to get to know her.
Wanted her really bad. She seemed as if she wasn't having a great day. I
pictured brightening it. I imagined having the chance to make her smile
and it just lifted me.
After
following her for about ten miles, she turned into the parking lot for
Moss Tavern. I kept driving. Now, I knew where she hung out. I had
figured out how I would see her again. I'd go there time and time again
until I bumped into her. If it took a week or a year, sooner or later
I'd see her gorgeous face again, and I'd strike up a conversation. After
that, I'd ask her out. That little bit of reprieve in my mind had me
willing to leave and not look back. I couldn’t wait to see her again.
Personal assistant to her husband, children and two toddler grandchildren, playwright, novelist, and medical transcriptionist.
"I write my way out of reality, weaving worlds of romance, drama and suspense."
Social Media Links:
Website: www.shanigreenedowdell
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