Read Online Exit Strategy by L. V. Lewis - Free Book Online Page A

Brown liked more than Grandma’s good cooking.”
“I know, right? That’s exactly what I told Mama about Pastor Johnson when she finally decided to let me in on her little secret, but then she had breast cancer, so I couldn’t stay mad at her.” I blame the generation gap for our many misunderstandings over the years, but she says it’s because I’m so much like her. Mama had me during her early menopausal stage at forty-five, so there is a solid four decades that separates us, generation-wise.
When I emerge from my thoughts, Carmelo looks stunned. It has to be from the offhand way I told him about what had been going on with Mama.
“I thought you said Mrs. Beale was fine?”
“Well, she is now. She had surgery just before Thanksgiving last year, and she’s cancer free. For a woman who’ll be seventy this year, that’s pretty damn good. Knock on wood.” I lean over to knock on the cocktail table and almost spill onto the floor. Carmelo is swift. He catches me before I fall.
His eyes lock on my mouth, and a strange sensation comes over me. Unexpectedly, I have an impetuous desire to kiss him. I need to see, once and for all, if it is as I suspect.
I wet my lips, and he gets the signal that I want to taste him. His arms are already around me, so all he has to do is close the few inches between us. His lips brush mine, tentatively at first, and I register that they are softer than Tristan’s. Then he goes for pay dirt, and I abandon caution and let him kiss me full throttle. I’m not sure if it’s the liquor fueling my deprived libido or if Carmelo Rojas has got serious skill. It’s not a Tristan White eyes-wide-open, soul-stealing kiss, but it’s more than decent.
I’m gonna tell Tristan, Triple-G says. She grabs my ear with her little hands and tugs. Chick is suprisingly strong for a fairy her size.
Carmelo, must think I’m pulling away, because he breaks the kiss just as I begin to feel a little heat.
“I said I wasn’t out to get you drunk and take advantage of you,” he whispers against my lips. “Now is a good time to stop if you don’t want to get horizontal on your couch.”
His words snap me out of making a mistake of monumental proportions. I slip out of his arms and sit back on the sofa, my face burning with embarrassment. “You’re right. It’s only been two weeks since Tristan. I’m totally not ready for this.” I look around the room, afraid to meet his eyes.
Fairy Hoochie Mama plasters a Hello My Name Is ... tag on my chest, which says, “Use-A-Ho.”
I think she means, Idaho, but these chicks never get simple jokes.
“Keisha?” Carmelo touches my chin and assists me in returning his gaze. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that.”
“What? Kiss me?”
“I’ve wanted to be with you since I broke up with Monica at DePaul, but the timing was never right. You know what I’m saying?”
I nod.
He continues. “At best, all that can happen be between us right now is a rebound romance. But I want you to know if the Prince of the Loop doesn’t step up soon, I’m giving it my best shot.”
I should tell him there’s no chance Tristan will step up, but I don’t because he won’t understand how or why I’ve fallen for someone who never wanted a real relationship. I could possibly have with Carmelo what Tristan is unwilling to give me. All I’ve got to do is say the word, and we could pursue this and see where it takes us. However, for some inexplicable reason, I’m not ready to give up on Tristan yet. There is a difference between perfectly good and passionate. Fool that I am, I want to hold out for passionate a little while longer.
“Thanks for the warning, but if I’m fair to you and myself, I’m not ready.”
“I’m cool with that,” he says. “I’m not sure yet which direction I want to go in with my career, so we’re even on that score.”
I have an epiphany. “So, what are you truly burned out on? Being on the road or being in a band?”
“It’s