Dangerously In Love by Allison Hobbs Read Free Book Online Page B

see-through. She’d be sleeping in flannel pajamas and padding around her dream home in fuzzy slippers.
    Hanging up her G-string for good was her favorite fantasy.
    “Toxic” by Britney Spears, which was Mandy’s corny theme song, broke into Chanelle’s reverie. As much as she disliked the tune, oddly, she felt a strong desire to dance. Suddenly parched, she rotated her hips to the beat as she danced over to the bubbly and poured herself another glass. She took a few swallows of the extra dry champagne that delighted her taste buds. It may have been her imagination, but the second glass seemed to taste even better than the first.
    Less than a half-hour ago, Chanelle had to restrain herself from putting her fist in Lexi’s mouth, but now she felt, well…fabulous! This is weird!
    One last cursory glance in the mirror confirmed her belief: she looked hotter than ever. In fact, she was the finest mocha chocolate mama on the planet and those uptight white boys downstairs had better act like they know and have her money ready. Chanelle no longer had the feeling of being an outsider. Giggling and bouncing rhythmically, she descended the staircase.
    It was time to shake her moneymaker.
    Still garbed in Dolce & Gabbana instead of stripper wear, Lexi gave Chanelle a warm smile. How strange. Considering that Chanelle was late and should have been downstairs attending to the men fifteen minutes ago, she expected Lexi to give her a scowl of disapproval or to mouth off some type of chastisement, but Lexi maintained a pleasant expression.
    Yes, the mood in the room had definitely changed. Not only was Lexi more relaxed, the men also seemed less uptight. They were more animated and actually looked entertained as Mandy slithered around on a leopard sheet, gyrating to Britney’s awful song.
    Chanelle leaned over to Lexi. “Where’s the groom? I want to congratulate him and uh, you know, give him a special dance before I start my routine. Oh, yeah, where’s the best man—is he tipping for the groom?”
    Lexi scanned the crowd and then shrugged. “The groom was here a few minutes ago. I’m sure he’ll be right back. In the meantime, why don’t you go make nice with Brad over there?” She nodded toward a muscular young man who was watching Mandy’s performance from the back of the room. “Brad and the best man are paying…” Lexi paused; her head swiveled around until she located the best man. The best man had his head buried so deep in Mandy’s bosom it was impossible to get a clear view of his face. Lexi chuckled as if the best man’s behavior was the cutest thing she’d ever seen. “They’re paying for this shindig. I told them not to worry about the groom. His dances are free—part of the cost.”
    Free dances! Now, Lexi knows she’s wrong . However, for some reason Chanelle decided to let it fly. Though it was her nature to gripe and bitch endlessly when she believed someone was trying to exploit her, Chanelle merely shrugged and said, “Okay, I’ll hook the groom up. What’s his name?”
    “Trevor.”
    “Okay, let me know when Trevor’s ready. I’m gonna give him a bangin’ send-off.”
    Lexi smiled. “Okay, but look…Brad is the one who specifically requested a black chick,” Lexi added.
    Chanelle wasn’t aware that anyone had specifically requested a black girl. The request seemed racist, but she was feeling too good to let it bother her. Determined to put a smile on Brad’s face and some extra cash inside her purse, she sexily wound her way to the back of the room.
    Dressed down in jeans and a T-shirt, Brad was tall and muscular. He looked more like an Eagles linebacker than an investment broker. He was the only man in the room not wearing professional attire. With a brooding look, he stood slouched against a wall chugging down a Heineken. His eyes kept darting worriedly in the direction of the kitchen where the whizzing sound of a blender could he heard.
    Then his green eyes landed on Chanelle. He