Brief Intermission: A Novella Read online

  Brief Intermission

  A Novella

  B. Love

  Prolific Pen Pusher

  Copyright © 2020 by B. Love

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  1

  The End

  Sasha

  Listen. I don’t know what in the entire fuck I was thinking coming over here. Well, I knew when I first arrived, but by the time I’d made it to Jace Kingsley’s condo, all common sense left my brain. Every time I was in his presence these days that happened – and that was partly why Evan was so dead set on us parting ways.

  In which case, I couldn’t really blame Evan. If I knew that he was still entertaining his ex-girlfriend that he was in love with I would feel some type of way too.

  Actually, I wouldn’t.

  My confidence and self-esteem were set up differently. I didn’t care what Evan was doing or who he was doing it with. That wasn’t my concern. I prayed to God every time I got into a relationship that if my man did anything to disrespect me and the commitment we made that I would find out. And if he did… that would be his loss. All I could do was be the best woman I possibly could be while we were together.

  Evan was different though. When he loved… he loved hard. And a part of that loving hard included being insecure and possessive as hell. For a while, it took me some time to get used to it, but eventually I accepted the fact that that was how he showed his fear of being hurt while loving me.

  With a sigh, I tried to cut my phone on again unsuccessfully. I’d forgotten my charger at work. When I first left, I planned on going straight home, but thinking about my argument with Evan had me coming to Jace’s place instead.

  Opening my car door, I looked up at the tall ass building and dreaded taking another step. I’d been on my feet since six a.m., and the bulk of that time was spent in heels. When I left the boutique that I co-owned with my best friend, Ava, it was a little after ten p.m. It usually took me about thirty minutes to get to Jace’s place in traffic, so I figured it was around ten-twenty or a little after.

  It was crazy how time changed things. When Jace and I first broke up two years ago, he was a struggling author who wrote freelance articles and stories for whatever blog or newspaper he could. Jace had too much integrity behind his work to take a small deal from a traditional publishing company nor could he subject himself for pricing his book for less than fifteen dollars on Amazon as most authors did. Even though he was crazy talented, it was hard for him to get the exposure he deserved for his street lit and suspense novels.

  Eventually, after we broke up, he lowered the price of one of his ebooks and sent a paperback copy to a few celebrities. A Memphis musician took the bait and read the book, put it on their social media, and the rest as they say is history. He went from living in an open spaced efficiency while we were together to having a beautiful condo on Madison in Downtown Memphis.

  Slowly, I made my way up the stairs, holding the railing for support. I went inside and gave the doorman a small smile before nodding when he asked if I was going up to see Jace. The entire time I went up the elevator I wondered if I was doing the right thing. If it was the best idea to tell Jace this in person.

  Shit, if I were to be completely honest – I needed this for myself – way more than I needed this for Evan. I needed to be able to be in his presence and not turn into a puddle of mush. To not allow my brain to get all… stupid while my heart created a melody only for him. I needed to be able to see him and keep my pussy from pulsing. Leaking. Aching. Waiting. For him… to return. I needed to be able to tell Evan that I could marry him and know without a shadow of a doubt that Jace Kingsley was out of my system.

  My fist lifted to knock but I couldn’t pull myself to do it just yet. I don’t know why, but it felt like we were about to break up again, and we’d been separated for a whole two years. Well, it didn’t really feel like we had broken up in the beginning because we still talked, fucked, and made love. That ended when me and Evan committed to each other. The fucking and making love part. We still talked and kept up with each other, though.

  After cracking my knuckles, I knocked lightly, hoping he would be asleep and not answer me. I knew he was home because I saw his matte black Camaro parked outside.

  Inhaling a deep breath, I took a step back and waited for him to come to the door. Took a little time, but eventually I heard the latch before seeing the knob twist.

  As soon as Jace opened the door, I regretted making the decision to talk to him about this in person. Even dressed in something as simple as black basketball shorts and a tee, he was fine as hell. His tall frame was covered with acorn brown skin. The black cross necklace that I’d given him was wrapped around his neck… as always. Black diamond studs were in both of his ears.

  The sides and back of his head were shaved, and the top and middle was in its curly state, pushed over to the left side. The longest part of it came down to his nose, but it was tapered and shorter in the back. Jace had a long, curly ass beard too. The front of it had to be at least six inches. I often wondered if our little girl would have his curly, shiny hair or my tightly coiled tresses. I’d cut mine into a blonde pixie though, that beautifully accented my toasted peanut colored skin. Didn’t matter anyway; the chance of us having a child together at this point was nonexistent.

  His dark, piercing eyes bore into mine as his straight eyebrows wrinkled and bunched together.

  “Sasha,” he called, voice raspy, as if that was the first time he’d spoken all day – but that was how his voice always sounded. Low, raspy, thick. My eyes lowered to his round lips before returning to his eyes.

  Jace was probably the most beautiful man in the world. Not just my world but the world in general. And I’m not just saying that because I loved him at one point in time. Every single feature on his face was beautiful. Even his nose. It was wide and manly yet pointy at the end… giving it a delicate touch.

  “Hey.” Swallowing, I pulled my hands behind my back and rocked from my toes to my heels. That was a horrible mistake. They were literally burning at this point in pain.

  “Everything okay?”

  Shaking my head, I gritted my teeth and inhaled a shaky breath through my nostrils. “I need to talk to you. Can I come in?”

  With a slight nod, Jace turned to the side and allowed me entrance. Walking down his entry hallway, I smiled. Every time I came here, I was filled with so much pride. It was literally physical proof of how well he was doing now. Not only that, but it was proof of the fact that he was finally doing what he loved and was making money while doing it. Everyone wasn’t blessed to bring their dream into fruition let alone get paid well for it.

  We went to the right, passing a wall table that had pictures of those dearest to Jace along the way. As I sat on the cream couch directly across from the mounted tv, Jace asked, “Hungry? Thirsty?”

  At first, I shook my head, then requested, “Can I have a shot of something? Brown?”

  Jace temporarily left me alone with my thoughts, giving me time to gather them and remember what I was doing here. Between his scent and his looks, I was already rocking in my seat. My attraction to Jace had never felt healthy or real for that matter. Always felt like it wasn’t safe.

  I
take that back – it felt safe to me… but others in our lives convinced us it wasn’t safe. But it was, and it was rare. If only we would have trusted our love and accepted that we were worthy of the chemistry we shared.

  Sitting back in my seat, I looked around to see if any of the plugs in his living room had his charger in them. They didn’t, so he was either in his bedroom chilling or in his office writing before I came. Jace would write literally all day when he was in the middle of a project, stopping only to shower, shit, and stuff his stomach. His phone would be on do not disturb, the WIFI would be off, and he wouldn’t watch tv or listen to anything beyond his writing playlist.

  I admired his dedication to his craft and how it had finally started to pay off. And even with his success, I knew this was only the beginning.

  Jace sat next to me and handed me the shot and I didn’t bother asking what it was before tossing it down my throat.

  Every time his gaze met mine, my heart fluttered in response. And when his hand went to my thigh, my tummy tingled. His gaze, as soft as his caress, traveled all over my face before searching my eyes.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Tightening my grip around the shot glass, I chuckled and ran my free hand down the back of my hair. It was slicked down and ready to be flat ironed tomorrow for whatever I got into.

  “Why does something have to be wrong?”

  He smiled with the right side of his mouth as his grip on my thigh tightened. “You’re at my place knocking back shots at damn near eleven. What’s wrong?”

  “Were you writing? Are you in the middle of a project?” I stood and placed the glass on his coffee table. “I can leave, and we can so talk about this another time.”

  Before I could walk away, his hand was wrapping around my wrist. Not pulling me back right away, Jace stood. I was powerless to resist the moment he began to pull me into him. There was nothing between us – not even an inch of space as I looked up at him.

  “I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what it is, Hoops.”

  Smiling, I lowered my head briefly. He’d been calling me Hoops since we met five years ago. I’d gone to the precinct to watch my brothers play basketball and got on the court as soon as they started playing two on two with Jace and his best friend. When my brother, Carter, needed a break, I stepped in to guard Jace. From that moment forward we were inseparable, and I guarded his heart just as fiercely.

  “I don’t think this is something you can fix, Jace.”

  His voice held an infinitely compassionate tone when he said, “Let me try.”

  Unable to hold it in longer, I blurted, “Evan broke up with me.” For the first time, he looked down at my left hand and noticed my engagement ring was gone. “He’s… not comfortable with our friendship. He told me I have to cut you off completely or the wedding is off. Well, it is off now, but if I stop being your friend, we can get back to us.”

  His eyes glowed with a savage inner fire before he smirked. “I ain’t your friend, Sasha.”

  “Then what are you?”

  “The nigga you have been and always will be in love with.” Rolling my eyes, I removed my wrist from his grip. “And you know that shit.” Snatching my keys off the couch, I began to walk away. “And he knows that shit. That’s why he wants us to call this quits.”

  “There is no this,” I yelled, turning back in his direction. “We aren’t in a relationship.”

  “You’re more mine than you’ve ever been his.”

  Scoffing, I continued down the hall. “I just came to tell you that we can’t be friends anymore,” I tossed over my shoulder, needing to get the hell out of his space.

  “I don’t agree.”

  His calmly deceptive voice stopped me in my tracks. Not bothering to turn back, I twisted my head and looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

  “What do you mean you don’t agree?”

  “I mean I don’t agree. I ain’t done with you yet.” Chuckling, I shook my head and scratched my nostril. “I’ve let you string him along long enough. Don’t you think it’s time you came back where you belong?”

  Finally turning to face him, I crossed my arms over my chest. “And where do I belong, Jace? You can’t possibly mean with you.”

  “I do.”

  I don’t know why, but the calmness of his tone kept irritating me with every word he spoke. He was the reason we were even in this situation. Had he not broken up with me, we would probably be married and expecting our first child by now. Instead, I fucked around and gave myself to the first man who showed me interest after we broke up to prove to myself that there wasn’t anything wrong with me.

  Admittedly, Evan was a man of convenience. Not only was he good for my ego but he was good for my pockets as well. He invested in me and Ava’s boutique and funded literally everything we needed for it. We aren’t making enough money to live off our profit yet, so Evan helps out with whatever we need for the store and my bills. Eventually, I learned to love his heart and not his hand, but I still couldn’t say I was in love with him.

  But I was comfortable, and content, and safe with him.

  I knew that one day I’d fall into a steady love with him.

  Besides, his bitter bitch of a baby mama needed to be taught a lesson, and I was capable of helping Evan do so. They were at the end of a nasty breakup when we first met. Now, they were in the middle of a nasty custody dispute. Evan’s lawyer was the one who suggested we get married to prove he could provide a more stable living environment for their two children since the Judge usually favored the mother. I agreed, knowing this was best for him and a nice way to pay him back for everything he’d done for me and Ava.

  Which was why I was surprised Evan was willing to risk us breaking up over Jace. I wasn’t sure if he was confident in the fact that I would choose him or if he was that worried about my connection to Jace.

  “You broke up with me, Jace, there is no coming back from that.”

  “I get that you don’t believe in allowing the man who hurt you to heal you, but you know why I broke up with you. It was never because I wasn’t in love with you or didn’t want to be with you. I just didn’t feel like I was capable of being the man you needed.”

  My head tilted as I swallowed hard. That was true. When we were together, Jace was struggling. The hair he had on his face and head then wasn’t for a trend… it was because he couldn’t afford to get his hair cut on a weekly basis. Most of the money he made went towards his bills, and a lot of months he didn’t make enough to cover that. In debt, going on dates and buying me things just wasn’t in his budget.

  There were only so many free things we could do and so many times he’d let me pay for a date before it began to bruise his ego.

  It didn’t matter how much I tried to show him compassion and assure him that I was willing to wait for him, Jace couldn’t handle not being who he thought I needed him to be. Didn’t help that I was working a job I hated trying to save for my shop. He wished he could have helped me more, but he couldn’t even help himself.

  The night he broke up with me was also the night he had gotten evicted from his apartment. Of course I told him he could stay with me and Ava but he wasn’t trying to hear that shit. He felt as if he was failing as a man, and there was nothing I could say or do to convince him of otherwise. Even though it hurt like hell, I accepted the choice he made.

  Never would I ever beg a man to stay with me, no matter how much I knew he wanted to.

  So we broke up.

  And then I met Even. And for a while, it seemed like Jace was happy for me. He felt as if I’d found someone worthy of me. But that changed when he started making money from his books. The better he did in life the more he hated the choice I’d made for the partner in mine. But… he had no one to blame for it but himself.

  “I just came here to tell you that you won’t be hearing from me anymore. And if you reach out to me, I won’t respond.”

  “His money mean that much to you? ‘Cause I know it ain’
t love that has you running back. All of that is reserved for me.”

  “Fuck you,” I grumbled, heading for the door.

  “Come do it.” His raspy voice challenged me in a way that made my nipples harden instantly. I didn’t have to turn around to know he was walking over to me. His spicy, minty scent grew stronger. The warmth of his body radiated towards mine. “You said fuck me, right?” he whispered into my ear, pulling me close from behind. Tugging my ear between his teeth, Jace got a slight shiver out of me. “Come fuck me then.”

  Turning to face him, I boldly met his eyes. Lifting my chin, I gave him a slight smile that was laced with defiance. It didn’t matter how hard I made this though, I wanted him just as bad as he fucking wanted me.

  “What makes you think I want you?”

  His head tilted, already piercingly dark eyes grew darker as they lowered. “So if I touch that pussy, she won’t be wet for me?”

  I could have lied but there was an easy way for him to find out the truth.

  “It doesn’t matter if my pussy is wet or not. She no longer belongs to you.”

  This was what I’d come here for – to prove to myself that I was immune to him. But Jace showed no signs of relenting.

  Tone low, he baited me with, “Let me prove to you that the both of you do.”

  Pressing my lips together tightly so no sound would come out, I forced my heart to stop racing and my pussy to stop throbbing. If I wasn’t careful, she’d betray me and put us in a tight position. But the longer I stared into his eyes… the more my defiant determination dwindled.

  “Okay,” I surrendered softly, knowing we would have come to this point regardless.

  Jace took charge with quiet assurance, taking my hand into his and leading me to his bedroom. This was the exact thing Evan was worried about. Of course, if we were still together, I certainly wouldn’t have let this happen. I’d never been a cheater and never would be, but every opportunity I had to have Jace I was taking.