Ain’t Quite…What I Thought Excerpt by Mirika Mayo Cornelius

Ain’t Quite…What I Thought is the latest novel by Mirika to release in 2012 and it will be Mirika’s twisted romance debut! Below are two excerpts from Ain’t Quite…What I Thought that introduce the audience to the main character, Jeena Delilah Ray, and her new man, Andre’!

Excerpt Number One

On my way to my exiting destination, I heard the sound of Andre’s footsteps behind me, and I pictured his body. Muscles beneath the clothes. Everything that I imagined from the images I retrieved from my memory banks of him in that tub of water. I even began to see myself on top of him in that darn hospital tub with my own clothes off…us both dripping wet. My hormones just wouldn’t stop. The more I tried to stop them, the less I wanted to. It was becoming too much. The people in the street were walking back and forth, some waiting on cabs, some across the street at the hotels, and others just enjoying the night. I saw all of this as I peered through the glass windows and reached for the handle on the door. Suddenly, his hand landed firmly on top of mine. The more I pulled, the more he held. Terror began to rip through my skin and my heart began to flutter at the same time. That dog on door wasn’t gonna come open. I didn’t know whether to fear or let go, but I knew that my mind couldn’t choose. He chose for me.

Andre’s arm…his hand…his fingertips gently glided across my belly button, and my stomach tightened. He wasn’t even tugging on me to keep me here with him, but it still felt as if he was. I had never been held in place before with a touch as soft and simple as that, but there I was, stuck in my stance. I slowly began to breathe, his hand still barely around my waist, but enough for me to feel the heat from his palm. I didn’t turn around. His hand that he had placed on my hand while I held the knob to the door, he slid off slowly, bringing my hand with his. Then, I felt as he caressed his whole body closer to mine and whispered in my ear.

“Don’t go, Jeena.”

His voice almost quivered. Just the tone of it made me want to comfort him…shoot, and myself for that matter.

“Jeena,” he stated softly to me again. His breath on my neck made my toes curl and a freaking chill drip down my spine. I almost jerked. “Jeena,” he repeated once more, and then, he grazed his lips across my shoulder near my dress’ strap. It fell off of my shoulder. As I reached to push it back up, his lips kissed my fingertips…all the way down to my wrist and moving up my arm.

Quickly, not realizing what I was getting ready to do, I turned and faced him. As soon as my eyes met his, I looked down, fast, not my head, but only my eyes. I wanted to speak even, but I couldn’t even get my lips to part.

“Will you stay?” he asked quietly, leaning his head down. He was trying to look into my eyes.

I wasn’t going to answer, however. I knew what he wanted, and I also knew what I wanted. We matched. Like bees and honey, I felt I needed to feed off of him. Like everything I needed, he was my source. He read my mind, so without my answer to his question, he continued to lean over and attempted to kiss my lips. I looked to my left, through the window. People everywhere.

“Don’t worry about them. They can’t see us.”

“Andre’,” I spoke, but then he interrupted.

“Jeena.”

That was it. His lips met mine, and my eyes went shut. Our first kiss. My first kiss…

To a Married Man.

Excerpt Number Two

I was hurt. In the store, on the way to the mall, even when I was trippin’ with the cashier at the grocery store while buying my strawberries, I was having to hold back the tears, fooling myself that everything was okay and that he had to do what he had to do, that he didn’t mean most of it when he disregarded me. It wasn’t like he ignored me for nothing because due to the situation that was in our faces, he couldn’t recognize me as the man who sent me two dozen roses a couple hours earlier. That hurt though. I felt not worthy to be kissed in public, in front of his friends, nothing…like his wife.

One lonely tear drifted down my cheek but I wiped quickly.

“I don’t want to be in love with him,” I whispered in my overly decorated and scented bedroom. Everything in my room had something that matched but me. The white sheets had a comforter, the windows had curtains, the floor had polish, the candles had fire, and even the television had a remote. My cell phone even had an operator! I had nothing and no one. Andre’ couldn’t love me back how I loved him and why did he have to? Why did I even expect it?

Another text. My cell just vibrated away. This time I picked it up and stared at it for a good moment before I read it. It was time to start using a house phone. Can’t receive texts that way. All men get a land line number from now on, I decided to myself with a head nod, then I opened newest text.

OPEN YOUR FRONT DOOR, JEENA. IT’S ME. DRE’. PLEASE.

Andre’! At the front door! I tossed my cell phone across the bed and jumped up from my comfortable rose nest. Then, I looked around, planting my eyes on the mirror in front of me, and what I looked like was a crying shame wrapped in a T-shirt. Then, I thought for a second. Why do I care if he’s at the front door? This bedroom was off limits. When I got to the door in my little raggedy T, I stared out of my peep hole.

There he was, fine as ever. He was wearing a white shirt and some blue jeans and was leaning up against the wall, I supposed, awaiting the door to fly open and me to jump inside his arms. Wasn’t gonna happen. I did open the door, though.

“Yes?”

He didn’t budge his body but only turned his head my way.

“I came to get my key, Jeena.”

As I leaned my body on the side of the door, I responded to what I considered a dumb ass request and reason to come over. “What key, Andre’?”

“The key that you gave to me today, baby.”

I didn’t give that nigga a key. I said I was going to give his ass a key, but that was out the door. As we both stood there in silence, I glanced at him again – and again and again. Hell, the key was his. I was playing hard, but Andre’ was fine tonight. How his wife let him out like that was pure insanity. I couldn’t keep my eyes straight. Every time he looked away from me, I undressed him. He must have spotted me checking him out because he started coming towards me, but I wasn’t gonna freak out.

“Jeena, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what, Andre’?” For embarrassing the hell out of me? That’s what I wanted to say, but didn’t. I just stood there hoping that my eyes weren’t red from those tears that I was fighting back in the bedroom.

“Why are your eyes red, baby?” He placed his hand gently on the side of my face and moved my hair back.
So much for hoping. I wanted to fall over and melt. He knew how much I cared for him.

“I apologize, Jeena. I came all this way to see you. I will do anything. I didn’t lie when I told you that I love you. Jeena, she’s my wife. You knew about her from the beginning.”

Slammed on the brakes! I moved my face from his grimy little paws. “So this is my fault, Dre’?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” he replied as I watched his eyes drift toward the bottom of my t-shirt. “All I’m trying to say is don’t expect me to be perfect in every situation.”

Well, lah dih dah! Perfection? Man, we are sleeping with each other, and you’re hitched! Perfection? Neither one of us has even consulted with Jesus about this one! Suddenly, I felt dirty. I didn’t know why I didn’t feel this dirty all those other times, but this time, I felt the mud drying up on me, and it was drought hard.

“This,” I began, “Is nowhere near perfect, Andre’. No where near it.” I didn’t move from the door despite my noticing him making a sly attempt to get in.

“We can make it that way, Jeena. Let me in.”

“No.”

His hand reached around my waist, and my hand met his hand there, moving it back until he kissed me. And then I kissed him back. I fell for it again. Andre’ got his wish. I let him inside…

And Inside Again.