The Player & the Game by Shelly Ellis

Author:Shelly Ellis [Ellis, Shelly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, African American, Mystery & Detective, General, Contemporary Women, Romance
ISBN: 9780758290373
Google: Ac5jAAAAQBAJ
Amazon: 0758290373
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2013-07-15T10:22:05+00:00

Chapter 19

Dawn took a steadying breath before finally opening the front door and striding into the dimly lit restaurant.

Middle Eastern music played in the background and laughter and conversations buzzed around her. Elaborate colored tapestries with fanciful patterns hung on the gold-inlaid walls and couples sat on low seats, surrounded by silk pillows as they ate their meals of b’stella and beef shish kebabs. An adventurous few smoked from hookah pipes.

I don’t know why I’m so nervous. It isn’t like I haven’t done something like this before, Dawn thought as she drew toward the back of the restaurant where Razor had texted he was sitting.

But she knew deep down that this time was different. It wasn’t like in the past where she had manipulated men for her own gain. This time she wasn’t calling the shots, and she wasn’t sure if she would really benefit in the end.

Percy wanted Razor to show his work at Templeton Gallery—no matter what—and she didn’t want to disappoint Percy. That meant taking the Acela train yet again to New York. She had to do everything possible to win Razor over tonight and that could easily mean ending up in bed with the young artist before sunrise—a prospect she truly hated. It wasn’t that she didn’t find Razor attractive. Yes, he was hot . . . in a grubby, bad boy sort of way. But he seemed more like a spoiled little brat than a grown man, and Dawn didn’t have sex with children. And sleeping with him meant breaking one of the family’s prime rules, something she just didn’t do.

Well, I didn’t do . . . up until now, she silently corrected.

Dawn found Razor sitting alone, leaning casually against a stack of pillows as he munched on dates. He watched a lithe belly dancer gyrate in front of him to the music. He was completely entranced by the woman’s undulating body.

Dawn waited for him to notice her standing there. He didn’t. After waiting for several seconds, she loudly cleared her throat. Razor finally looked up at her.

“Please . . . Don’t let me interrupt,” she said wryly.

Razor’s handsome face curled into an impish grin. “You aren’t interrupting, babe. You’re exactly who I was waiting for.”

No longer the center of attention, the belly dancer wandered off to sway her hips for a couple at another table. Razor held out his hand to Dawn.

She took it and began to sit down, intending to take the seat beside him, but she yelped in surprise when she felt him roughly tug her toward him. She tumbled face first into his lap. Razor cackled like a hyena and Dawn grimaced, muttering to herself. She rolled onto her side and sat upright. She shoved her skirt back down, which had flown up around her waist when she fell.

Great, she thought. Now about half of the restaurant knows what color panties I’m wearing.

“You thought that was funny?” she asked tersely, glaring at him.

“Oh, come on! Lighten the fuck up, babe! Life’s a party.

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