Dream Girl Awakened Read Online Free PDF Page A

the bedroom media center, tucked between Norbit and Mona Lisa Smile . He went upstairs to the bedroom, peeled off five twenties from the wad, putting the rest back just as Aruba kept it. He looked in on Jeremiah, smiling at his son. He didn’t want to awaken him. Taking Tawatha back to the Phoenix would take twenty minutes tops. No need to wake up little man. James went downstairs, rejoined Tawatha on the sofa.
    â€œI got a hundred. That enough for you?”
    â€œThank you, James. I appreciate it!” She hugged him and reluctantly grabbed her purse. She stuffed the money in her bra, still trying to concoct an alibi, so she could spend the night. The instant James turned his back, she tossed her thong under the sofa. She sat back, then noticed he was missing something important.
    â€œAin’t you gonna take your son with us?”
    â€œI’ll be right back. I’m just dropping you off.”
    â€œIt’ll only take a minute to get him.”
    â€œTrust me, I’m coming back home,” said James.
    Tawatha glanced up the stairs. She knew she wouldn’t win a mother of the year award, but she felt uncomfortable about James leavingJeremiah alone. She thought about the short drive it would take to get back to her apartment, then bit her lip and muttered a short prayer under her breath. “Please let him stay asleep until James gets back home.”
    He grabbed his keys and headed across town to take Tawatha home. Tawatha fished through the CDs and popped in Musiq. She sang now, throwing her hands up, feeling the fierce thump of the sound system.
    â€œSo what kinda truck is this? I’ve been looking for something different ’cause that hoopty of mine is giving me all kinda trouble.”
    â€œToyota Sequoia. I love how it rides.”
    James cruised down the street, simmering again over Aruba’s words. “We need to sell that truck. We can get by with one vehicle for now.” She always thought she knew so much about money, about finances. Just cause she had a mathematics degree. So what if the creditors were calling night and day? So what if he had to hide the truck around the corner at their neighbor’s house a few nights a week just to stay two steps ahead of the finance company? Shit, you wade in the water till it calms down, right?
    â€œJames, did you hear me?”
    James decreased the volume of the music. “What? T, I didn’t hear you. I was thinking about my wife’s chemotherapy.”
    Tawatha sidled next to James after hearing this. She knew his wife would be too tired in the days to come to take care of his needs. If she couldn’t be number one, she’d at least relieve him of tension, make the days ahead easier. He’d told her the reason he’d left Hinton and Conyers was to explore entrepreneurial opportunities. James had big dreams and needed a woman like her to see them come to fruition. He never told her she would be that woman, but how long would his wife be around to help him? If she couldn’t start with his stomach—like she planned to do the next morningby preparing a big breakfast—she’d start between his legs. She cocked one leg over his and kissed his right ear.
    â€œStop, T. I’m trying to drive.”
    â€œI’m not stopping you, baby. Keep going.”
    Tawatha made small circles around James’s ear. She nibbled his lobes as she reached beneath his T-shirt, massaging his nipples. She visualized the chipping paint and buckled flooring in her apartment. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t shake the desperation of her surroundings. As she worked her way down, unzipping his pants, licking his inner thighs, Tawatha hoped this time she’d perform a trick well enough to hold on to a decent man.
    â€œT, come on now. Stop, girl.”
    â€œTell me you don’t like it, James.”
    James tilted back as Tawatha leaned over, jimmying his penis from his briefs.
    She removed