STIFF – Final Sunday Sample

Hey reading family! Below, I have a sample of STIFF for your reading pleasure. This week’s sample picks up where last week’s left off. If you missed last week’s Sunday Sample, you can find it HERE.

Also, I’ve got good news. STIFF is getting a new release date sooner than the original! WOOT. Are you subscribed to my text message alerts? Stay in the know and get on my VIP list!

ASIA

The red lights stopped blinking when I reached a door at the end of the corridor. The Zoo was scribbled in cursive font on the door. I slid a hand down my neck and left it on my chest as I clutched invisible pearls. 

There could be anything behind this door, and I was incapable of making my own decisions. Sensing this, Cain—I mean Eric—closed in on my backside. Reaching forward, he tapped twice on the door, and a small square-like window was revealed. 

It was just enough for me to get a look into the room without committing to venturing inside. I glanced over my shoulder at Cain. “Thanks again.”

There was that tip of his head again. Turning completely to face him might have made sense when I moved, but when my nipples grazed against his rigid breastplate, I realized my mistake.

My entire body lit up as a shudder spiraled through my core. Ears tingling now, we stared, my eyes never leaving his intense gaze. 

I cleared my throat. “Eric, do you mind if I call you Cain?” 

He was silent, and I responded. “Speak, please.”

“Who is Eric?” his thick baritone drummed.

Another intense, illicit shiver slid over me, this time going straight to my pussy. A smile spread my lips. His “who’s Eric” was his way of telling me he was now Cain.

Why did I feel excited about this? Who was I becoming? 

“Are you sure?”

I could see the highlight behind his gaze. I imagined him to be smiling. 

“Are you, Carmen?”

I swallowed, inundated by his dark vocals again. 

“I am.”

“Then I am Cain.”

I dropped my eyes over his neck, down his chest again, and almost forgot why we’d stopped at this door. Clearing my throat, I turned my back to him, but not without poking my ass out a little. 

I wasn’t one to say I had a naughty side. I was an absolute prude in the bedroom. My college years were filled with jocks who only wanted to bed me because of my popularity. Rarely did I have a one-night stand. Maybe two or three, but I was uninterested in that then, and it followed me throughout adulthood. 

I didn’t give myself the time to let my hair down and get wild, as our elders would say. I was all about business and branding, growing and succeeding in goals set from the moment I graduated from Howard University. However, I’d been in Cain’s presence all of fifteen minutes, and a hedonism that I’d never felt before was taking over me. 

With my eyes looking through the window, I saw a stage. On it, a cage. My pulse accelerated when a man, mostly hidden behind the steel bars, crawled around on hands and knees. He paused, and his gaze came to me as if knowing I was watching him from behind the door. 

Much like Cain, the entertainer’s face was shielded, and only his eyes could be seen. My curiosity got the better of me, and I hit the green button on the guide.

The window closed, and the doors parted, giving me an eyeful of the entire room. Slowly entering, I took in the light purple neon color that sat as a backdrop to the space. Dark purple lounge furniture was positioned close to the stage, and a full bar outlined the wall. 

A fragrance I couldn’t quite make out floated mid-air. It was a saccharine scent and enough to make the partial sweet tooth I had come alive. 

Cain moved around me and headed to the bar. There he grabbed something and strolled back to me. Was it crazy that I couldn’t take my eyes off of his splendor?

He reached a hand out to me, and I took it, enthused to be led by him wherever he thought I should be. 

Front and center, I sat in a chair that gave me the closest look at the man in the cage. A sound came from him, like that of an animal in the wild. 

I glanced up at Cain, who stood by my side, watching me closely. When I didn’t speak, he motioned with a hand toward the sofa that was a little further back. 

I looked back to the stage and realized maybe I did want to be on the sofa. My nerves had not wholly settled since I walked into the room.

Nodding, I rose to my feet, and Cain retook my hand. His large palm swallowed mine, and another illicit shiver shook through my body. We were only connected for mere seconds before I reached the sofa. 

But that was long enough for me to feel a vibration of warmth coil around my flesh. 

I wondered if I was just hyped and intrigued about this experience, or if all of these vibes that penetrated from Cain meant something more.

After thinking it over for a second, I laughed. What more could it actually mean?

Sitting, I crossed my legs, and Cain handed me what he’d gone to the bar to retrieve, an electronic tablet like the one Daniella had.

On the screen was a menu for drinks. Reaching down, Cain swiped the screen, and another menu appeared. 

Desires.

My eyes grew as I glanced at the word, then slowly, I lifted my attention to his. A nervous laugh cruised from my lips.

“Um. Cain, do I have to ask you to speak each time we start a new conversation?”

He watched me, his gaze heavy, making my nerves spin. It was enough to answer my question.

“Speak, please.”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” I looked back at the menu. “I’m not sure how this is supposed to work but, to guess, I’m to look through this menu and choose my…” I hesitated. “Desires?”

“Yes.”

A languorous breath escaped me. Okay, Asia, don’t trip. This is why you’re here, remember? I did remember. I also remembered I was out of my league. 

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