Love, Interrupted
Hitomi Narcisse is fed up. All her friends keep trying to wedge a relationship into her carefully constructed life. She has plenty of risk in her business life. She doesn’t need the pain love brings.
A computer error during college paired her with Raiden Saga, a male roommate. They formed a surprising friendship that quietly grew over four years from an ember of interest to a passionate inferno. Hitomi, believing the intimate weekend to have been a mistake, flees first from their tryst and then cuts off all contact with Raiden.
Losing control is inevitable, though, when Raiden sweeps back into her life as a sweetly compelling complication. Hitomi falls in love with the widowed Raiden and his daughter…but will she believe herself worthy of love? Or will she run again, losing everything to her fears of letting go?
Genre: Contemporary, Interracial
Length: 59,490 words
LOVE, INTERRUPTED
Kortny Alexander
EROTIC ROMANCE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance
LOVE, INTERRUPTED
Copyright © 2011 by Kortny Alexander
E-book ISBN: 1-61034-550-9
First E-book Publication: August 2011
Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
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DEDICATION
This one’s for you. You know who you are.
LOVE, INTERRUPTED
KORTNY ALEXANDER
Copyright © 2011
Chapter 1
What kind of person goes out on one bad blind date after another? This question played over and over in Hitomi’s head as she halfheartedly made her way toward the small crowd lingering in front of a lively bistro to meet Kyle. Her blind date.
Saturday night, which was the universal term for “date night,” explained the reason Hitomi had to squeeze through cheerful couples who walked hand in hand just to reach the golden handles of the onyx and crackled-glass doors of her favorite hot spot. The popular bistro was busy as usual. Upbeat music flowed through the hidden speakers, friends laughed as some stood and sat at the bar while others had taken up occupancy at the tables located throughout the establishment. She tried her best to stay positive. Duran, soon to be her former best friend, had promised that this was the very last time he would fix her up. It was as if he was intentionally picking from the bottom of the barrel.
Hitomi began making it a habit to meet her blind dates at the same restaurant. She was on a first-name basis with the owners and a majority of the employees. If the date wasn’t going well, she was easily bailed out. Her string of bad dates had become so common that the valet drivers began parking her car in the rear of the building next to the private entrance. Luckily for Hitomi, her friend Casey, who was co-owner, was filling in for one of her employees who called in sick. Casey had already been informed of her impending blind date, so she periodically passed by Hitomi’s table to see if she would need rescuing…again.
And looking up to see her blind date, the walking “hot mess” of a disaster, approaching her table was a clear indication that she would definitely need assistance tonight. She had halfheartedly described herself, but she noticed Kyle had not taken the time to look around the restaurant for other women sitting alone. When his eyes landed on her, his pace sped up. This did not look good.
Oh. My. Gosh! I am going to kick Duran in the nuts! Where in the hell did he meet this conceited lunatic?
Hitomi could barely control the horrified expressions plastered on her face. By the looks of the man in the bloodred, skintight leather pants, black ankle boots, and striped black-and-white, button-down, silk shirt he thought he was hot shit. He wore his streaked, muddy-brown hair in a ponytail, silver hoop earrings in both ears, and a ring on each finger, including his thumbs. His tan was so unnaturally dark it was downright embarrassing to sit there and look at him—her date.
I will definitely fire Duran for this! This man is a walking advertisement for any number of STDs. I need to get Casey’s attention. Where in hell is a waitress when you need her?
It took a lot of convincing by Duran to get her to go on this date, and now she wondered why she was still friends with the man. Considering this was the fifth blind date she had allowed Duran to set her up on, Hitomi didn’t even bother to ask about Kyle’s stats. She really did not care. Her friends acted as if the world were going to end if she did not have a man in her life. It was as if her love life was the most important thing on their to-do lists. They didn’t seem to comprehend that she liked being alone.
Well…not exactly. She was tired of having sex alone. Even though the thought of having sex with someone was great, Hitomi had never been the type of woman who freely shared her pot of gold. And there was no way on earth she would admit to being lonely. It was nobody’s business. But the torture she was experiencing as of late was one of the reasons she didn’t date anymore. It did not matter if you were fixed up by friends or a service of sorts, the most important and
attractive trait was being yourself. Nervousness, sweaty palms, none of it mattered to Hitomi if only you were being yourself. But the atrocious man she was to meet tonight was the prime example of what not to do. Kyle was overcompensating.
She sat staring at Kyle as he approached the table. Taking a quick glance around the restaurant, Hitomi realized other patrons were staring at him as he made his way to her table. Crap. He smiled so wide, flashing those extremely straight and too-white teeth, the thousands of dollars in dental work were clearly noted. Kyle pulled out the chair opposite Hitomi and flopped in it.
Oh this just gets better and better. “Wow! You’re even hotter than I thought you would be. You remind me of that candy.” He snapped his fingers as he thought of name, jewelry clinking together like small cymbals. “Werther’s Original caramels. I bet you would melt in my mouth.” Licking his lips and winking as if he had a twitch, Kyle slowly reached for Hitomi’s hand at the same time she slowly pulled out of his reach. “No need to be nervous, babe.” He laughed, showing those unnaturally white teeth again, damn near blinding Hitomi when the light reflected off of them. Leaning back into his chair, he regrouped and formed another game plan. “I’ve got my Benz outside.” He indicated, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. “We can go back to my luxury condo where it’s more intimate. How does that sound?”
How does that sound? How did he think it sounded? So I guess he thinks that crap is supposed to impress me. Does he even know if I’m the person he was here to meet?
Rolling her eyes, Hitomi finally caught Casey’s attention. Screw being rude. She knew if she sat there with Kyle any longer trying to stomach his advances, she would likely punch him in his overpriced mouth. Of course her parents taught her that violence never solved anything. But in that same speech they dished out, her father reminded her that real chivalry never dies. The man that sat across from her seemed more attuned with arrogance and pretentiousness.
Hitomi and Casey exchanged a silent conversation as they stared at each other for a quick moment. Kyle didn’t notice Casey keeping a safe distance as she did a nonchalant three-sixty around their table to check out what had her friend ready to bolt and what scenario she needed to get Hitomi away from the horribly dressed jerk in the inappropriate leather pants. When she made it back to the bar, Casey arched an eyebrow as she looked at Hitomi. A wicked smirk slowly graced Casey’s face and Hitomi sensed that her scheme was going to be hilarious.
Trying to contain her laughter, Hitomi watched as Casey sat her tray at the bar and adjusted her clothing on her sleek, toned swimmer’s body. She unbuttoned a few buttons on her red silk top, shook her long, silky black hair from its ponytail, put on a coat of glittered gloss and sauntered over to Hitomi’s table. Casey’s arrival interrupted whatever mindless chatter that was coming from Kyle’s mouth. He instantly stopped talking and stared up at her; a catlike grin curved his lips. Ignoring Kyle, Casey bent over and kissed Hitomi on top of her head.
“Sorry I’m late, sweetie. Have you been waiting long?” Casey was into her role at the moment and kept a straight face. Hitomi suspected it was difficult to accomplish because she was smirking at her.
It took everything Hitomi had not to burst out laughing when she saw how Kyle had responded to Casey’s appearance at the table. “No I’ve only been here a few minutes.” She jerked her head toward Kyle. “But this guy just sat here uninvited. I don’t even know who he is. He never introduced himself. Just started flirting with me and trying to talk me into leaving with him.” Hitomi knew blowing this guy off wasn’t the nicest thing to do, but she was completely uncomfortable with Kyle, and there was no way in hell she would go anywhere with him.
Kyle looked stunned and unsure what was going on with the sexy women in front of him. He stammered as he tried to get his words out. “I–I–I thought you were my blind date…”
“Did you ask?” Casey looked irritated just watching him. Overly aggressive men were never a pleasure to be around, and from the way he was grinning at the two of them, Hitomi had a feeling he thought he would get both of them. No way in hell!
“W–Well no. It was a blind date. I didn’t ask for too many details of what she looked like. I knew she was a hot black chick. I just assumed…”
“Ahh. Look what assuming got you.” Casey motioned for Hitomi to stand. They held hands. “The next time you flirt with someone else’s girlfriend, you had better make sure it’s your own.” They stormed off, no longer able to hold in their laughter when they reached the bar.
“Thanks, Casey. I know that was kind of mean, but he was already trying to get me to go back to his ‘luxury condo’ with him.” Hitomi did the last part in air quotes as she remembered his lines. Kyle truly didn’t have a clue when it came to approaching women or showing genuine respect.
“Make sure you kick Duran’s sexy butt for me, Hitomi.” Looking back over at Kyle, she saw he was already trying to pick up another woman. Nope, Hitomi definitely did not feel bad now.
“What the hell was Duran thinking? He fixes you up with the worst men. Tell him to stop helping. Please! The man who steals your heart will come when you least expect it.”
Hitomi was afraid to hope something that great would happen to her. Adopting a closed heart and mind when it came to love didn’t seem to attract the opposite sex. The two women walked through the kitchen that led them to the private exit. Hitomi knew Duran had to be doing this on purpose. She had met some of his friends, and the ones he kept setting her up with were none of the ones with potential. He was up to something. She couldn’t wait to get her hands around his neck.
* * * *
Ding-dong.
Someone has a death wish. “Who in the world is crazy enough to ring my doorbell this early on a Sunday morning?” Hitomi sat up in the bed, trying to gather her thoughts. She was having that dream again. And she was always discombobulated afterward. Wiping a stray tear from her face, Hitomi silently prayed she dreamt she’d heard the doorbell. Between the slight hangover and restless sleep, Hitomi wasn’t in the mood to entertain unwelcomed guests at the moment.
Ding-dong.
“Crap.” No such luck. Her body shuddered when the cool air hit her after yanking back her fluffy down comforter and fighting to untangle her feet from her sheets. She silently grumbled as she left her warm bed and shuffled to the door. “It’s too early for this crap. Don’t people sleep?” Hitomi managed to make it to the front door with her eyes barely open. She squinted when the rays of the bright sun hit her eyes as she peeked through her wooden blinds to see who was brave enough to stand on her doorstep this early in the morning.
Duran.
Rolling her eyes, she snatched the door open with the look of murder in her eyes. “Why are you here, Duran? We are no longer friends.” She questioned with her eyes half open while yawning.
Duran stood at the door, trying to restrain himself from laughing at the sight of Hitomi and fanning away her rank morning breath.
Still Duran smiled with admiration and snapped a picture of her with his cell phone.
“If I hadn’t seen you naked over a hundred times I might just be turned on.” He smirked, looking her up and down as he walked past her and shut the door, then spun around to face Hitomi. “That must have been one crappy-ass blind date you went on last night.” He laughed. “You look like you drank entirely too much alcohol.” Stopping short, he inhaled. “You stink. You smell like a brewery. That explains your wardrobe. Look down, Hi.”
Duran was one of the few people who still called her Hi. She had known him since their high school days. Hitomi looked down, turning to look in the large mirror in the hallway, and was expressionless over what she saw. Her hair was matted, makeup smeared, and she was wearing pasties and her favorite granny panties. Her eyes were bloodshot. She was too hungover to squeal or try to cover up. She just looked back up at Duran and felt her cheeks burn from the embarrassment. He was casually dressed, and she answered the door damn near donning her birthday suit. But then agai
n, the embarrassment she felt wasn’t new. Their relationship since their school years had always been like that, especially in college.
They never missed a party. There was always a big group of them, but Duran and Hi always kept an eye out for each other like brother and sister. It didn’t matter if it was a pajama jam, Greek week, a pep rally, Thank Goodness It’s Friday, St. Patrick’s Day. Heck, it was college. Thank goodness it’s Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday—it was always a reason to party. They took turns dragging the other home from parties and stripping them out of their vomit-soaked clothes. So this vision was something Duran had become accustomed to. It had just been a while.
Divorced after only three years of marriage, Hitomi dove in headfirst into work and never came up for air. She was a self-proclaimed workaholic and was proud of it. Her friends and family had to work extra hard to make her stop and smell the roses, which she adamantly fought. Every now and then they managed to get past that all-work-and-no-play wall of hers.
Duran was glad she was coming back around to the land of the living. He hated that she was letting life, fun, friends, men, and time pass her by. She was lucky it hadn’t been a stranger at the door. He smirked at the eyesore in front of him and grabbed her by her bare shoulders, and walking behind her, he headed for her bedroom.
“You’re going to need a shower and to put on some clothes. I can see you forgot we were going to go over a few things before I head down to meet with the Stafka firm in Sharpsburg in the morning.” Duran gently scolded her as he walked her through her bedroom and directed her straight to the bathroom door. Glancing back at her bed, he let out a chuckle. “Did the sheets make you angry?”
Alexander, Kortny - Love, Interrupted (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 1