Fifty Shades of Jungle Fever by L. V. Lewis Read Free Book Online

waitress and grins at me and Princess Danai. “The next bottle of Cristal is on me.”
    He sits on the leather chair adjacent to me, the one the guy sitting next to Tristan occupied before. We listen to the comedian who’s taken the stage now, and laugh at his jokes until the waitress brings us the second bottle of champagne. We’re almost done with the bottle when one of Princess Danai’s people walks over to us. “You’re on in fifteen,” he says.
    Princess Danai pours our last glasses of champagne. As she does so, a rather imposing figure appears in our line of sight. Fuck! It’s Tristan White. I didn’t make it out of here before Byron showed up, but I thought I would at least get out of here before Tristan returned.
    “Ms. Beale, fancy seeing you here,” he says, his tongue caressing my surname in a succinct purr, like a lion. His smooth baritone does weird things to my nether regions. My Fairy Hoochie Mama jumps up off her chaise and does an African dance, shaking everything her mama gave her.
    “Yeah, fancy that,” I say, flippantly like Maggie Gyllenhaal said to Christian Bale in The Dark Knight . The Cristal has emboldened me, but it’s not as if I need it. I’m always in rare form. Byron reaches across the table and palms the glasses of champagne and hands them around to us. I take mine absently, because Tristan’s eyes and mine have locked, and he doesn’t look away until Byron hands him a glass, too.
    Tristan folds his frame into the leather chair next to Byron, dwarfing him, facing us. He even looks like a big, predatory cat about to pounce on its prey. “I’d like to have a word with you in private after you finish your drink,” he says. “I still have something that belongs to you; however, our attempts to connect with you to effect its return have been ignored.”
    I take a huge gulp of champagne, my mouth having gone dry. I giggle nervously. “I worked an early shift at the store, and had to receive a shipment of fixtures at KSR. You didn’t have to go to the trouble. I’ve replaced all my personal property that matters.” Princess Danai and Byron look from him to me as if they’re watching a cage fight, or tennis match, I can’t decide which.
    “I didn’t go to any trouble. I can’t say that Darryl wasn’t frustrated a time or two. Apparently you’ve been indisposed each time he tried to contact you.”
    “I’m a working girl,” I say, then rephrase, “I mean, a business woman. I’m usually busy.” I didn’t want to give him any ideas about jumping my bones anymore, although truth be told, I’d knock boots with him something fierce if given half the chance.
    “I can see that,” he says with a sardonic expression.
    I narrow my eyes at him and take another sip. He even makes champagne taste different when he’s around. My Triple-G does a little two finger point to her eyes and his, as if to say, I’m watching you, Mister.
    Princess Danai leans in to me and whispers in my ear, “Girl, your pheromones must be doing triple-time, you got two cocks and this banty hen all after your ass tonight. You sure you don’t want to do business with a venture capitalist like Tristan, and we kick it for real?”
    I don’t know what comes over me, but I smile and kiss her cheek. “You’re too sweet, Darnelle, but I’d rather just do business with you. Tristan scares me.”
    She looks at me with a mixture of lust and commiseration. “His growl is worse than his bite.”
    Darryl, whom I didn’t know was in the club comes over to deliver a message to Tristan, who stands, and points menacingly at me. “Stay here until I get back. Don’t make me have to search for you again.”
    Damn, he’s bossy. But I sit my happy ass right where I am.
    “You gon’ let him talk to you like that, Keisha,” Byron says when Tristan is out of earshot. I can’t help it, but I watch Tristan’s every move as he walks over to the bar to talk to the other guy who was with him and Princess Danai