Forever, For Always, For Love (February, 2007)

"Now you and Seth have the whole house to yourselves!" Natalie said.

"You're free to get your freak on in each and every room in the house, whenever and however you feel like it without worrying about little prying eyes!" she continued.

"Oh please, that's the last thing on my mind," Josette told the younger woman, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand.

"What do you mean the last thing on your mind?" Natalie asked as her eyebrows arched in surprise.

"Don't tell me you and Seth are an old married couple who sleeps in separate beds like Ralph and Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners ?"

At just under six feet tall, Amir Swift was breathtaking.   Azure regarded him with uncharacteristic interest, his smooth skin bringing to mind a mug of warm buttermilk.   Thick, sun-kissed lips which wore a half-smile as he introduced himself were those of an African Adonis.   She found his bold features, including a powerful nose and high, defined cheekbones, positioned ever so perfectly on a slender face to all be incredibly sexy.   His light, dusty brown hair was laid in long dreadlocks which hung down to the center of his back and were tied back away from his face with a black band.   Unable to find a physical comparison between him and any man either Azure or Yanté had ever seen, they stood frozen, summarily blown away.

Amir Swift was looking for a painting for his sister, a housewarming present of sorts.   She wanted to respond, even imagined herself responding, but unfortunately, her feet had grown roots and she couldn't figure out how to move from the spot she seemed to be glued to.   She became a mess of jumbled nerves which caused her stomach to feel like a train wreck about to happen.   Never in all of her twenty-three years, eleven months and thirteen days had she felt feelings as overwhelming and all-encompassing as these, and she was at once astonished and embarrassed.

Finally, Azure forced herself into motion.   She approached Amir, stopping within two feet of him and was immediately lost in a pool of grey eyes, speckled with bits of brown which smiled openly into her own.   Breathlessness took over, the spacious gallery suddenly as restrictive as a closet as his eyes held her captive like a fly caught in a spider's web.   Unwillingly, and at great length, Azure broke the spell and with tremendous effort assumed a more professional stance.   She wasted no time helping Amir to select a painting, giving him detailed descriptions based on the type of work he thought he wanted to purchase.   She was unnerved by him and extremely eager to send him on his way.

Even his name, Amir Swift, was strong and commanding as was the man who wore it.

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Free Verse

"Excuse me, Miss, I need to have a few words with you," a thunderous voice boomed from behind Kimara, commanding her attention.

Kimara looked up from the sink and into the mirror above it. Her eyes met those of a male police officer. He struck an arresting pose, his dark, ebony brown skin clad in a neatly starched uniform of indigo blue shirt and navy blue pants. The requisite octagonal hat sat perched on a clean shaven head. Thin, smooth lips were surrounded by a neatly trimmed silky-black mustache and goatee.

"Right," Kimara hissed as she walked out of the restroom and dropped onto the nearest stool.

"May I have your name please?" he asked.

"Look Officer . . .," Kimara read the name on the badge affixed to the solid chest which threatened to tear through the thin cotton material covering it. "Porter—"

"Your name please," Officer Porter insisted.

"Kimara Hamilton," she replied through tight lips.

"Your address please," he continued.

"What could you possibly need my address for?" Kimara asked angrily.

"Look, Miss Hamilton. You can either cooperate and be done with me in a matter of minutes, or you can keep up the attitude and spend the next hour answering my questions," Officer Porter said, his tone even and serious.

Jared was annoyed. It was bad enough that this woman had the most startling eyes he had ever seen, their color that of roasted chestnuts, and that her petite, shapely body was making it difficult to concentrate. Her dicey tongue was enough to propel an already long night into an unbearable one.

"As I've already said a million times, I have no idea what happened. One minute I was serving drinks, the next minute, glasses were flying, people were yelling and running around the place like it was on fire. I hit the deck and stayed there until the commotion ended. Are we done?" Kimara asked.

She hopped off the stool and titled her head back to get a better look at him, meeting his fiery gaze with one of her own. Almond shaped brown eyes stared down at her, their liquid depth like warm pools.

"For now," he answered, unwilling to break the connection their eyes had made. "If you should think of anything else, please call the number on this card and ask for me."

Jared remained immobile as Kimara snatched the card from him and stomped away in the direction of the ladies room. He watched her retreating figure, the delicious curve of her behind sashaying to an unheard rhythmic drumbeat. Once she was out of sight, he blinked several times as if to dissolve the residual image of her. He knew from painful past experiences that a woman like Kimara was trouble with a capital T. He also knew that more trouble was the last thing he needed in his life.

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Pack Light

Maya pushed her seat back from the conference room table and stood. She needed to take a break from what had already proven to be an exhausting night. She walked listlessly around the table to the large picture windows on the room’s west wall. From this, the thirty-seventh floor, she could look out across Manhattan. It was approaching midnight, yet the city that never sleeps was still bustling below her.

Maya rotated her neck slowly from left to right in an effort to work out the kinks which had settled in her upper body. She thought briefly about Vic, a slow smile turning the corners of her mouth upwards. Lately, it was all she could do not to think about him and remain focused on her work. His easy laughter was contagious and his sexy walk could make any girl grow weak in the knees. She was greedy for more time to spend with him, but she knew that was asking for too much. It was nights like this one that were the hardest on her. She was stuck at the office, buried under mounds of paperwork, but wanting so much to be with him.

A sudden knock at the door surprised her. Vic pushed the door open cautiously.

“Hey you,” he said.

“Vic, I was just thinking about you,” Maya blushed.

“So what were you up to? Contemplatin’ takin’ a dive,” he asked, motioning to the windows.

He crossed the room and joined her. They both looked through the glass, the dazzling lights of the hundred plus buildings in front of them momentarily mesmerizing. Maya glanced at Vic, his profile as alluring as a full frontal view. He turned to face her, their eyes meeting and holding one another’s gaze.

“Would you miss me?” Maya asked.

Vic’s answer was clear as he cupped the back of Maya’s neck, drawing her face to slowly to his. He paused, his lips less than an inch from hers, a magnetic pull already connecting them. Her breathing became ragged as she took in his face, feasting on each one of his striking features. His eyes told her what she needed to hear.

Finally, his lips found hers and the contact was explosive, sending shivers up and down her spine. Maya ran her hands along his muscled back, his toned arms encircling her and pulling her even closer.

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Coming Soon

Soul Caress (Fall, 2007)

Before You Go (Spring, 2008)

Taylor Winters is the owner and sole proprietor of Winters Wonderland, an up and coming designer of women's clothing.   Taylor is the picture of success -- beautiful, accomplished, and daring enough to work her way up in the fashion industry.   Beyond the exterior, however, lies a time bomb waiting to detonate. Mental illness in African-American culture is not a subject which is discussed with ease or comfort.   Taylor's struggle with mental illness will be the catalyst which forces the entire Winters family to face some ugly truths about themselves and their beliefs. They will learn that the true fabric of the African-American family is a durable, sustaining lifeline -- if one has the courage to embrace it.   Can they allow laughter to be their medicine as they work through the challenges which face them?   Shedding imperfect skins to find imperfect souls, this family must learn that all they really need to do in life is love each other exactly as they are.