Unknown (21 page)

I put my suitcase on the scale and handed over my I.D., a familiar urge bubbling within me- the urge to scream. An urge I felt almost every day for my entire life, but had become an expert at suppressing with anxiety pills, food, and cleaning.

“Ma’am?”

My eyes shot up to the agent.

“I’m so sorry. What did you say?”

She looked at her screen. “You have two flights booked: a nine a.m. to Columbus, and a 9:30 to D.C. Was one a mistake?”

I nodded and she smiled.

“No problem; I’d be happy to cancel one for you. Which is the correct flight?”

“Uh-”

I’d already decided to go home; why was telling her so hard? There were people behind me and I needed to hurry up. Then, I spotted Reggie’s bright blue luggage on the conveyor belt behind the agent; the luggage I’d bought for him. My vision turned red.

Why was I going back? To a town with him in it, to stiff family gatherings where I’d have to face Danni (and now possibly Reggie), to a job that worked me to the bone and took advantage of my hard work, and to a house full of memories of a deceptive relationship. Then again, maybe the robbers stripped it clean.

I took a deep breath, the agent’s brows creased together as she waited for an answer. I’d spent my entire life planning, and it had gotten me nowhere. A week of living on the edge had brought nothing but happiness. Why not see how far I could take it?

As my good friend-
not boyfriend-
Derek Anderson would say: fuck it.

“I’m heading to D.C.”

Does Shae finally find her happiness in D.C.? Part 2 coming soon!

And now, a sneak peak at another release coming soon:
Lonely Hearts:

Jay’s bright future crashes to a halt when her identity gets stolen. Backed into a corner and desperate for money, she’s looking for a big payday.

She meets a lovely couple who offer her a huge paycheck if she agrees to be their surrogate. It’s a win-win- the perfect couple gets to complete their family, and Jay is out of debt.

Until she learns the baby isn’t going to such a perfect couple.

And she realizes she has more feelings for the child’s father than she should.

Unable to escape the couple, she’s pulled into a sinful, violent, and deceptive world, a world she desperately wants to save the unborn baby from.

Read an excerpt on the next page.

I looked at my phone in disbelief. Staring at the black screen, I squeezed the phone until my hand cramped. I was in the middle of the line at Starbuck’s, and I didn’t want to cry in public. It was my fault; I shouldn’t have answered the phone. I knew exactly who was calling and why. But I did it anyway, and now I was facing an uncontrollable tantrum in public.

I made almost sixty thousand dollars a year, and I couldn’t even get approved for a one-bedroom apartment in the worst part of town.  

My stomach turned, the smell of the freshly brewed coffee suddenly making me sick. After waiting in line for fifteen minutes, I abandoned my post, sucking in a huge gulp of air once outside.

Today was supposed to be a treat. I was going to splurge on a six dollar cup of coffee to try to cheer myself up. It was my first paycheck since I’d lost everything, and I wanted to do something nice for myself.

A year ago, if I wanted to do something nice for myself, I’d have a spa day, or take a shopping trip. Now, the thought was laughable; I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to do those things again. I got in my car and called my best friend, thankful she picked up on the first ring.

“Did they call you back yet?” she asked as soon as she picked up.

I nodded as if she could see me, my eyes swimming in tears. “Denied. A jobless, single mother with four kids and no credit can get into those apartments, but I can’t.”

I wiped my running nose on my sleeve, staring up at the high-rise building the Starbucks was in. It was one of the tallest buildings in the city. If I climbed to the roof and jumped off, it would be an easy death.

“Jay!”

“Huh? Sorry. I was drifting,” I said.

“I was saying it’s settled then. You’re moving in with me. I’ll have Shamont come help you move your stuff.”

I groaned, but had no choice but to agree.

“Okay. Thank you so much, hun.”

“Of course. You’re more my sister than my blood sister; I can’t leave you out on the streets.”

I hung up the phone, sighing. Desiree and I were roommates for years. I didn’t mind staying with her until I got back on my feet, and I knew she didn’t mind if I stayed with her and her boyfriend either- I just never thought I would have to.

After college, we agreed to remain roommates until we both got properly established in our careers. By the time we moved out, we could both afford to live on our own. Successful, independent single women on top of their game.

She got a modest apartment on the outskirts of the city, and I rented a condo from a private landlord. The rent for the three-bedroom unit was cheaper than most one bedroom apartments in the city. The low payments gave me a chance to save up; I was planning on buying a home of my own next year.

But all that was gone. Every last bit of it. I was starting from scratch. In fact, I was worse off now than I was when I entered college. The thought of starting over terrified me; I had no clue where to begin.

I glanced at the high rise building again, seriously considering it as my next move. Sighing, I started my car instead, pulling out of the parking lot to head to the place that was no longer my home.

My landlord had been great; I had no complaints. Unfortunately, he was a stickler for rent payments. As soon as I hit three months without paying, the eviction notice came. My job paid well, but I didn’t get paid on a regular schedule like most people.

I told him I had a big check coming, but he didn’t want to hear it. He just wanted me out.

Shamont was already at my place when I pulled up. He gave me a weak smile as I walked up to him.

“Hey.”

“Hey. Thank you so much for helping me. And I promise I’ll be out of your hair as soon as possible.”

He brushed me off. “You’re family, Jay. What happened to you is awful, and it could happen to any of us. You stay with us for as long as you need.”

“Thanks.”

I liked Shamont as a person; he was a good guy. But I never understood why Desiree stayed with him. He had no job, a baby he didn’t help support, and no ambition. Desiree and I were so driven. And she was so gorgeous, she could’ve had any man she wanted.

I knew their sex life wasn’t all that amazing, so I just didn’t understand his appeal. But she loved him. And if she loved him, then I supported her. At least he was free to assist when someone needed help moving during the middle of the week.

He helped me pack up the few things I had in my house: mainly clothes, shoes, my work supplies, and my massive collection of books. Everything else, I’d sold for money.

“Ever think about selling these books?” he asked, reading the back cover of one.

I smacked him playfully. “You bite your tongue; that would be sacrilege.”

He laughed, closing up a box. “I don’t know how you and Desiree are friends; you’re such opposites.”

I shrugged. “She keeps me fun, and I keep her grounded.”

“I suppose that works,” he said with a sparkle in his eye.

I smiled with wide eyes as we stepped in her loft apartment later that evening. Desiree had a delicious-smelling meal on the table for us.

“Damn, woman. You got my mouth watering!” Shamont said, sitting one of my boxes down and walking over to her for a kiss.

“I thought ya’ll could use a good meal after a day’s worth of packing. Did you get everything packed up?”

I nodded. “Yeah; I think my books are going to have to go into a storage unit. That is, if I can even get approved for one,” I said with a frown. I didn’t know if I was more upset about the awful credit or the fact that I was being separated from my books.

“We’ll worry about it tomorrow. For now, let’s eat.”

She had plenty of alcohol flowing with her dinner of fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens and cornbread. I felt like it was Thanksgiving, and soon my best friend had me grinning from ear to ear with stories of her crazy work day. She was a surgeon. A lot of her day was terrifying as she literally had people’s lives in her hands, and the other half was hilarious as she told of emergency room antics. That was one thing I loved about her- she always knew how to make me laugh.

I rose once she stood to clean up the table.

“Uh uh; I got the dishes.”

She hugged me around my waist before yawning. “Good, because I’m tired. We set up an air mattress in the loft. That will be your room so you have a bit of privacy. I’m going to bed; let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

She offered her hand to Shamont, and he accepted. They entered their bedroom with wicked grins. One thing I didn’t miss about having a roommate was listening to them have sex. I’d lived with Desiree for almost six years; she was a screamer. I hurried up and finished the dishes, thankful I didn’t hear them too much from my room up on the loft.

After checking my emails, I headed to bed. I’d just gotten hired for a new project, so I knew I had another paycheck coming up, but it still wasn’t enough. I spent half the night on my uncomfortable air mattress tossing and turning, trying to figure out extra ways to get income.

I could’ve gotten a part-time job, but the small hourly wage made it almost pointless. Stripping? I looked at my wiry frame- not an option. Maybe I could find a site for people who had a fetish for stick people.

I wiped away a stray tear, thinking back to when I logged into my online checking account and saw a negative balance instead of the normal six figures I’d worked so hard to save.

Eventually, my brain hurt from thinking, and I had to stop thinking about it. I rolled over, drifting off to sleep from mental exhaustion. A sound woke me up a little later.

My eyes were blurry when I opened them, mind hazy. I thought the air mattress shifted, but I wasn’t sure. When I felt a pair of hands on me, I knew it was real. I jumped away from the hands, a quiet voice shushing me.

“Shh, it’s alright.”

“Shamont? What the hell are you doing up here?” I whispered, my voice gruff.

“It’s three in the morning; I think you know why.”

My mouth gaped open so wide, I was sure he could see it in the dark. He reached for me once more, and I smacked his hand away.

“Get out of here before I yell for Desiree.”

He chuckled. “You won’t tell her. She wouldn’t believe you, and kick you out to protect our relationship. Renee tried to tell her, and she hasn’t spoken to her since. And you can’t afford to lose anyone else.”

Renee was Desiree’s sister. The two suddenly stopped talking a few months before, and Desiree would never tell me why. I jumped out of the bed.

My disbelief was so severe, it almost felt like I was dreaming. “You’re a piece of shit! She does everything for you, and this is how you repay her?”

He stood from the bed. “You’re getting loud. Be quiet.”

I opened my mouth, and he clamped his hand over it. My eyes widened as he started kissing my neck. His hand slipped down enough for me to bite down on it. He grunted loudly before backing away.

I ran down the stairs, into the guest bathroom, out of breath. I sat on the toilet for what seemed like hours, my hands shaking as I fought to process what happened. When I crept back out, it was still dark outside.

After grabbing a knife from the kitchen, I walked back up to the loft, ready to defend myself. Thankfully, he was gone. Unfortunately, I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night.

Thank you so much for reading my book! I love hearing from my readers; email me with your comments/feedback. I read/reply to all of them. If you liked
Honeymoon with the Stranger
, check out my #1 bestseller,
Executive Decision
:

A recently divorced single mom not looking for love, a millionaire boss not looking for anything but her….

A single mistake sent Tasha’s life into a downward spiral, but now she has a second chance. Determined to get her life back on track, she isn’t letting anything distract her- especially not another man.

That’s what she’s telling herself, anyway. Her new boss is gorgeous, rich, and only has eyes for her. They’re both damaged from their pasts, and she wants to protect herself from another heartbreak.

But he’s determined to prove himself to her and no matter how hard she tries, she can't resist his charm.

Also by Jasmine Garner:

Private Affairs

The love of her life betrayed her in the worst way possible. She runs from him, from the betrayal, and starts a brand new life for herself. But when he reappears back in her life, she realizes their love is as strong as ever. She has to forgive him before they can move on, but does he even deserve a second chance?

Is he her soul mate, or her worst decision?

Whirlwind

Her life is nowhere near what she expected it to be. So when a gorgeous and rich bachelor shows interest in her, why should she expect their romance to be anything but unexpected?

It's crazy, fast, and hot. But with nothing to lose, why not go all in?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jasmine Garner is a freelancer, editor, and author of scorching erotica and interracial erotic romance. She writes for multiple online blogs covering a wide variety of subjects. Several of her books have been number one bestsellers in her categories, and her loyal fan base is growing by the day.

She can be found on social media: @JGarnerBooks. The easiest way to contact her is via email:
[email protected]
.

For up to date news, or to join her monthly newsletter (which has freebies and exclusive content), visit her website at
www.JasmineGarnerBooks.com
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