J.L. Sapphire's Ex Chronicles- Part 2

Have you ever dated someone who just wouldn't leave you...no matter how hard you tried to make them do just that? Back when I was around 20 years old, I met this guy who was about eight years older than me. I had just given birth to my son (he's now 17...time flies) and his sperm donor had also gotten another girl pregnant a month earlier, so he decided to pretend my son didn't exist. Whatever. He was dead to me anyway, so  didn't care if he was around or not...my son would be cared for regardless, which was what I told him.

So, I was a single mom, trying to make it. I met this guy one day in a video rental store. He seemed really nice. We got to talking about some video, he was trying to convince me to watch it, but I wasn't sure it would be good. He ended up paying for it himself and said 'if I didn't like the movie, it wouldn't be my money wasted.' I thought that was really nice. Turns out, my neighbor and homegirl knew the guy well, and she decided to play matchmaker. I knew physically, he wasn't my type. He was short and shaped like Carl Winslow on the Steve Urkel Show. I'd been used to dating college type guys around my age. I told myself maybe I needed to change my dating habits, because look where I was- a single mother who'd had to drop out of college for a while to care for my child. So, we started talking. I tried to tell myself that even though I really wasn't feeling him like that, maybe I'd learn to love him later on. Later never came. I cared for him, but I never was in love with him, nor did I see him as my soulmate, or the man I would marry. My grandma would tell me, "You better stay with that man..he takes care of you and your baby." "Yeah, but I can take care of myself," was my response. And I could. I've had a job ever since I was 16, and I've always been very independent. so I didn't need him for that, nor could I make myself love a man...either it came naturally or I didn't want to waste my time anymore.

So, I began telling him that since I'd gotten enrolled back in college, I wouldn't have time for dating and maybe we could be friends. Either he didn't take me serious or he didn't care what I'd said. I would drop little hints in conversation about not wanting to be in a serious relationship. Nothing. I was around 22 or 23 then, and my friends and I began going to nightclubs nearly every weekend. I'd go out and leave him at the house...maybe he'd get tired of me doing that and leave. He didn't. Whenever I wasn't at school or work, I was out with my friends, never spending time with him anymore. Surely that would give him the hint. He stayed put. Finally, I wrote him a nice and sweet 'Dear John' letter and left it on his work clothes so he'd see it the next morning. He saw it and told me he would move his things out when he got off. YES! Finally, he got it. Only, after he'd gotten off work and was moving his things, my son (then a toddler) asked him where he was going. His response, "Your mama is putting me out. She don't want me no more." I swear my son looked at me like I was the devil. "Why mommy?" Damn! Playing off of my son, the ex says something like, "Can't we work this out?" Between his puppy dog eyes and my son looking like I'd betrayed him, I said, "Fine. You can stay." I was ambushed, I tell ya. 

Even though I told him he could stay, I made it clear my feelings were the same...I still wasn't feeling him like that. I still went out with my girls every weekend, I definitely didn't give him any, and I'd seen my first love at the club one night, and we messed around a few times. I've always kept diaries and journals, so I wrote about one of my escapades with my first love in my journal. As time went on, I began thinking that my ex was snooping through my things when I wasn't home, so I tore the pages I'd written out of my journal, ripped them into itty bitty pieces, and threw it in the trashcan in my room. I would come to find out about later on that not only had he been snooping through my things, he'd gone through my trash and come across the torn up pieces of the dairy..where I'd talked about my sexual fling. He actually taped the pieces back together and kept it for six months. He'd known the entire time that I'd cheated, and didn't say anything. He showed up at my house one day after we were finally over, asking me if I'd ever cheated on him. "What does it matter if I did or not; we're not together anymore," was my answer. Then, he pulls the torn up and taped up pages of my journal out of his pocket. I recognized the little flower that was on the top of each page. No he didn't, I thought. Oh, yes he did. I snatched it from his hands and read my own explicit words of my indiscretion. "You went through my trash and read my journal?" I yelled. He stood there all smug. "Yes, I did." "So what the hell you come over here asking me for if you already knew?" He really pissed me off, more than anything. No way in hell can I be silent for seven months if I have proof my man is cheating. 

Okay, so he knew. Whatever. I let him keep the journal pages as a souvenir....I mean, I didn't want it. He wasn't done yet. This fool drove over to my grandma's house, and read to her what I'd written. My phone rang and my baby sister was on the other end talking about, "Ooohhh Joycie," (her name for me) "Girl, this dude is over here at granny house crying, talking about you cheated on him with (first love) and he's reading her some piece of paper...oooh girl...you did that?" I really couldn't believe he went there. Mama told me I would regret letting that good man go, but it's about 15 years later, and I haven't regretted letting his crazy ass go yet. I wonder if he's still holding on to the pages of my journal that he dug through my trash to get. Good riddance. 

Writer Wednesday: Current WIP's

Because every other aspect of my life has found itself in the plots of my books, my recent divorce won't be any different. My current #WIP is a series that I'm working on, tentatively titled: Unexpected Situations- Simone's Divorce Chronicles **inspired by actual events...names changed to protect the innocent** LOL. 

I'm also finishing up my BWWM romance novel, Sweet Taboo, which will be released on Valentine's Day 2016. 

And lastly, I'm also working on a novella that I started last year, but I got side-tracked with another project. 








So, I'm definitely going to be doing lot's of writing over the next several months. I'm sure somewhere along the way, another idea for a book will hit me, and it'll be added to this list. Stay tuned...

Writer Wednesday

Last week, I released my #African-American romance novel, A Chance Seduction. I've gotten lots of downloads on Kindle Unlimited, but no reviews yet. I really want to know how you feel. It's important to me as an author to know if I'm writing books that readers either enjoyed or even if you didn't, I won't know what to improve upon if I never get feedback. If you have read it, drop me a few lines on Amazon pleeaasssee...if you haven't read it, #1Click it for $2.99 or read FREE on Kindle Unlimited. I've included the synopsis below. Happy Reading!

Synopsis:

Love is risky business…

After her whole world suddenly comes crashing down around her, Imani Monroe builds a brick wall around her heart, and throws away the key, giving up on the notion of finding love. Opening a sophisticated supperclub is just the distraction she needs to stay away from men, like the charismatic Chance Alexander. Despite the hard outer shell she has around her, the smooth-talking delivery guy ignites the dying flame of passion inside her that she’d forgotten existed.

Chance is a love’em & leave’em type of guy, who thinks the notion of love and monogamy is for suckers; but there’s something about Imani that has his nose wide open. The attraction between them is obvious, but Imani is putting up a good front, pretending not to be interested in having anything more than a business relationship with him. Never one to back down from a challenge, he’s willing to bide his time- until she gives in and lets him rekindle the sexual fire within her.

http://www.amazon.com/Chance-Seduction-J-L-Sapphire-ebook/dp/B018IZ7IJE/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449090649&sr=1-3&keywords=Jl+sapphire

Get Ready To 1-click A Chance Seduction: Cover Reveal

After playing around with a few ideas, this is the final cover that I created for my latest novel, A Chance Seduction. This is my favorite book that I've written, and my best, if I do say so myself. I have grown so much as an author, and it'll show in this novel. While readers have always said I definitely can tell a good story, they need a little more character development...so I feel that I delivered this time around. I've included an excerpt for you to read below as I patiently wait on the powers that be at Amazon to give the green light to start 1-clicking. Enjoy!

Excerpt: 

“Didn’t your mama ever teach you that it’s not polite to stare?” Imani asked as she walked towards him.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it; the view was too nice for me to look away. I don’t know many men who wouldn’t stare at an ass like yours,” he said in the most seductive voice he could muster up.

Imani smirked as she reached for his handheld computer so she could sign for her package. Something about knowing that Chance had been staring at her made her and that he was obviously a little flustered, made her happy.

“You’re such a smooth-talker; I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.”

“Yes…but this time, I mean it. As a matter of fact, all you really need to do is look down to see how much of an effect you had on me just now.” he responded.

Imani shifted her eyes downward. Her eyes widened when she looked at his crotch and saw the bulge pushing against his work pants. She gulped hard to keep from drooling, and without realizing it, she licked her lips. Daamnn! Why was it so hot in there all of a sudden? 

“You want this?” Chance asked walking towards her.

“Yes, I want all of it,” she answered. The naughty thought she’d had in her mind slipped out of her mouth, instead, and she wished she could take her words back.

Chance laughed out loud. “I’m flattered; but I was referring to the box; do you want it here, or would you like me to take it to the back for you?” 

“Oh!” She felt sooo stupid at the moment. You really need to get it together, girl. “Y-you can set it here on the table, I guess.” Did she really just tell this man she wanted his dick? She couldn’t even look at him as she reached for the box he was holding. Her fingers brushed against his as he handed it to her, and she could swear he deliberately grabbed her finger. She looked up at him, and saw the unmistakable lust in his eyes. Her breathing picked up as they stared into each other’s eyes for several seconds. She nervously licked her lips, which had suddenly become dry. 

“Do you always lick your lips when you’re nervous?” Chance asked her.

“Who said I’m nervous?” Imani asked as she set the box on top of one of the dining tables. She attempted to use her nails to peel back the packaging tape from the top of the box. 

“Let me help you,” Chance said. He came up beside her and removed a box cutter from his pocket. Imani admired his muscular forearms as he opened the box. She wanted to use her tongue and trace the veins that snaked down the insides of them. When he turned to face her, she got a whiff of his cologne. Curve. She recognized it immediately. Kyle used to wear that same cologne. For some reason, it smelled so much better on Chance, though. 

Whenever Kyle would wear this cologne- before she found out what a snake he was- it used to instantly turn her on. There was something about this men’s fragrance that was so seductive, and those same urges she used to get when Kyle wore it, she was starting to get them now. Not realizing that she was doing it, she leaned in closer to Chance, inhaling his scent. Damn, he smells so good. She wanted to lean in closer, smell his neck, and maybe even lick it. Would he think she was weird if she did that? 

“You want me, don’t you?” Chance’s deep baritone brought her back to the present, and to the realization that she really didn’t like him as a person. Yes, he was fine- nobody could take that away from him- but he was extremely arrogant and conceited, traits she hated in a man.

“No…not at all,” she said nonchalantly as she began looking through the contents of the box; trying to act as if she hadn’t wanted to jump his bones a few seconds earlier.

“Your eyes say differently; and the eyes never lie,” Chance told her.

Imani ignored him, and instead removed one of the Cabernet flute glasses from the box. “These are perfect,” she said. She let her delicate fingers glide over the narrow stem, then traced the finely cut sheer rim at the top of the glass.

“What I wouldn’t give to be that glass right now,” Chance said.

She looked at him in annoyance. “You’re still here? I thought you left.”

“You really want me to leave?” he asked taking a step closer to her. He looked down at her beautiful face. Her burgundy colored lips were slightly parted, and he could hear her shallow breathing. She looked up at him from under her big, doe eyes for a second, then dropped her gaze to his lips before looking back up at him again. She nervously looked around. He was in her personal space, and he had her body trapped between his and the table. Him being so close to her made her extremely nervous. She licked her lips again.

“I let you get away with that the last time, but there’s only so much teasing a man can take. Why do you insist on tempting me like that, Imani?”

“I’m sorry, I have no idea what you mean,” she said in confusion.

“You keep licking your lips. When I see you glide your tongue across your lips, all I can wonder is what it would feel like gliding across me.”

Instinctively, her eyes dropped to the spot between his thighs again. “Oh,” was all she could say. Great minds think alike, because I wonder the exact same thing. 

“Why don’t you stop playing this game, Imani?”

“What game?”

“Pretending like you don’t want me as much as I want you. We both know that‘s bullshit.”

Chance being in such close proximity to her, and the seductive smell of his Curve cologne put her under his spell. His gaze was intense, his breathing was hard and fast, and he looked as if he wanted to take her right here on the dining table. The bad part about it was, she couldn’t even lie, the thought of that excited her. She stared him in the eye, as if she were daring him to make the first move.

Luckily, the enchantment was broken when Raymond called out to her from the kitchen, freeing her from the erotic voodoo Chance had her under. She placed her hand on his chest and lightly pushed him away, putting some space between them. “Who said it was a game?” she asked as she turned and folded the flaps on the box closed. Without saying another word, she stepped around him and walked towards the kitchen, leaving Chance there with a puzzled expression. He had been sure that Imani had been about to give in and let him give her a taste of what would happen once he got her alone. 

“One more thing before you go,” he called to her.

Imani stopped walking and turned to face him. “What?”

“You can have this,” he dropped his eyes towards the lower half of his body, “anytime you want. Just say the word.” He walked away before she could respond to what he’d just said. As he climbed into his truck, he thought about what had just happened. Had Imani been any other woman, they would be in her office, fucking each other’s brains out on the desk. She was definitely good at this hard-to-get game she was playing. He loved a challenge as much as the next man, but he wasn’t used to having to work this hard or wait this long to get a woman, and he was beginning to lose interest and patience with her... 

Writer/Whatcha Reading Wednesday

I have so many books on my Kindle, sometimes I forget about some of them. Hi, my name is Joyce, and I'm a 1-click-a-holic. Amazon get's what few coins I usually have left over to spend on myself. And no matter how many books I have on my Kindle, I often find myself saying I don't have anything to read. 
So, I decided to scroll through my Kindle library, in an attempt to actually read some of the books I've bought, and I came across this one by Author Dyphia Blount. I started and can't stop reading it. I'm not even halfway through, and I'm already feeling a range of emotions, from anger to sympathy for June, the main character. 
When I first read the tagline under the title, I thought, "Huh?" But I get it, now. Synopsis and purchase link below. 

Synopsis (from Amazon):
What happens when you give the best you've got and it's still not enough? June and Marcus were happily married, or at least she thought so. Marcus had fell out of love with June, but didn't know how to tell her without breaking her heart. He used tactics that come across as inconsiderate and selfish, but he knew he had to do it because he'd been involved in acts of infidelity. Although it wasn't his fault, it happened and now they all had to live with the consequences; including his four year old baby girl. June has been trying to please Marcus in the oral sex department for years but just couldn't seem to bring him to completion. She sought help from a friend which she planned to execute, but someone beat her to the punch. What she didn't understand was that he needed a deeper connection from her. He needed to feel needed and wanted and to be the King of his castle. Will she do her or fight for her family?   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0149J3H2U/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_10kqwb0R68JN4

Writer Wednesday

I must say, I had a few reservations about #NANOWRIMO because I hate working (writing) under pressure, and feeling like I'm on a deadline. However, I must say, it's not that hard. If anything, it keeps me disciplined...knowing that I've set a personal goal for myself, and since I'm a Virgo, a perfectionist, and I hate starting things and not following through, I'm determined to finish this novel by the end of November. 

I just banged out another chapter on A Chance Seduction, the name of the novel I'm writing, and my current word count is 10,039. It's only my fourth day of writing, but according to my stats, if I keep writing at the pace I am, I should be finished with the book by November 20th (which is also my son's 17th birthday). So, I plan to keep at it. Are you participating in #NANOWRIMO ? How's it going for you? If you are, stay determined and don't quit. Who knows, this novel might be 'the one' to make you famous, so don't doubt yourself. Happy Writing!