Blurb
Lawyer
Simon Young is smart, confident, and adept at keeping things with
women casual—until he meets his best friend Marcus’s sister,
Regina. Immediately intrigued by Regina’s beauty, Simon becomes
increasingly enthralled and ultimately risks his friendship to have
her for himself.
Social
justice writer and activist Regina Kent is usually cautious and
savvy. Yet, unable to resist her attraction to the handsome Simon,
she plunges into a torrid affair, knowing that she chances angering
big brother and her less tolerant followers, many of whom will not
accept that one of their most popular pro-Black bloggers is dating an
Asian man.
As
their clandestine romance evolves, Simon and Regina fall deeper in
love. Making sure that things stay between them becomes progressively
impossible, and neither knows how much longer they can keep Marcus in
the dark and the world at bay.
Excerpt
Chapter
10: Jamaica Station
“Coffee
ready?” Simon took his jacket off the hook and shrugged it over his
wide shoulders.
“Just
now. You’ve got good timing, Young.” Errant drops fell from the
spout and sizzled into evaporation on the hot plate. Regina filled
the mug, noticing Simon reading his phone screen out of the corner of
her eye. “It just stopped ringing’.” She offered him the
morning libation. “I hope it wasn’t urgent.”
Simon’s
face remained cheerful. “Nope. Just someone from work.” He
grabbed the mug and pulled Regina towards him. “See you tonight?”
“I
can’t. I’m goin’ out with some girlfriends. Tomorrow night?”
“I’m
probably gonna be workin’ late preparing for a case.”
“If
you don’t mind the train ride,” Regina smoothed his tie, “I
won’t mind the lateness.” She laced her fingers in his silky
hair, drew him into a long, hot kiss, and softly blinked, waiting for
a response.
Simon’s
eyes smoldered. “I’ll be here.”
Regina
kissed his nose. “Good. Now go.” She teasingly pushed him away.
Hearing the door close behind Simon, she poured some coffee and
perched on a stool, cradling the hot mug in her hands. Only gone for
a few minutes, she already yearned for his presence. There was no
denying that Simon Young was under her skin, and she was going to
make sure he stayed there.
She
hopped off the stool and shuffled to her desk. It started to ding a
series of notifications as soon as she raised the laptop open. She
skimmed through a list of articles, stopping and cringing at a
headline:
Can
you be Pro-Black and Marry White?
She
scanned the article, which contained the usual arguments for and
against Black activists and celebrities marrying interracially.
Regina focused her attention on the comments section and the plethora
of derision, which included words like “internalized racism,”
“color struck” and the same “sellout” the guy in the elevator
shouted at her.
She
pushed in the squishy belly of the kitty-shaped stress reliever stuck
on her desk. She couldn’t deny that many of her followers might
have the same criticisms about interracial dating and marriage as the
ones on the screen. Some may be accepting, but others will eviscerate
her and jeopardize her blog. She couldn’t lose everything she
worked for—or Simon.
About
the Author
Lyndell
Williams is an award-winning writer as well as a multifaceted editor,
romance scholar and author. She is a managing editor and columnist
for various media platforms and serves as a content editor for a
select group of clients. She’s had numerous short stories published
in collections and enjoys a growing list of subscribers to her Layla
Writes Love online short story series.
Lyndell
is an adjunct instructor as well as an anti-racism and gender equity
advocate. She is committed to the traditional use of literature as
social commentary to affect positive social change.
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1 comment:
Hi, Lyndell -- thanks so much for being my guest!
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