Aja’s
New Release Good Old Soul
Blurb:
If I were
to tell you I wrote a story about a May/December love affair between music and
a saxophone named Her, would you believe me? I didn’t think you would but it’s
true. Music has been here since the dawn of time. It’s been the melody of life,
unfettered, free, and always waiting for us to-dare I say-tame it and guide it
with our voices and with our instruments. The musician may have picked up the
sax and breathed air into Her, but it was from the music, the jazz that was
created, that love was found and where it grew.
Amina Perrin isn’t looking for love. In fact, she isn’t looking for anything.
She’s got her yoga, her massage therapy and the community she serves, keeping
her plenty busy. That is until she bumps into a stranger who may change her
free-spirited mind.
Gabriel Slade is living the good life. Financially secure, nice condo
overlooking the city, and the occasional “drink” with a beautiful woman—he has
no intention on getting caught up, especially not with one so much younger than
him, but here he is… getting all caught up and picking up a long forgotten
saxophone he calls Her.
If you’re opposed to sweltering love scenes between two passionate adults, this
book isn’t for you.
Excerpt:
I sat there
sipping my drink, listening to the music, and tried to clear my head. Maybe it
was the music, maybe it was the whiskey, I don’t know, but the longer I sat
there, the easier it became for me to find my peace. It had been a few days
since I played the sax for Amina, a few days since my heart clenched in my
chest as she walked toward me with her softness and her smile of appreciation.
It was then
that I realized that I had seriously fallen for Amina and not just in a way
that meant I just wanted to have more sex with her. I had gotten comfortable
with having her around all the time. That, in itself, is gargantuan because I
love my lifestyle. I don’t particularly like people in my space. Oh, it’s all
good for a while, a day or two at the most, but then it’s time for you to go.
And don’t try to make yourself comfortable on the low, you know, conveniently
leaving things around the house. That is not cool. I took another sip and
laughed as I remembered the days when I would check the house after my company
would leave and if they left anything, I would have it for them next time I saw
them.
But it
wasn’t like that with Amina and I wondered why?
Why was
everything different with her? Why had I allowed her to take up so much space
in my world? And why am I so happy about it?
“What’s up,
Gabe?”
I looked to
see Russell Harper, the band’s saxophone player, sliding onto the stool beside
me and that was when I realized that the band had finished and were taking a
short break before their next set.
“What’s up,
Harp?”
“Question
is, what’s up with you?”
“Nothing
much.”
Harp shook
his head and said with a chuckle, “We both know that’s a lie.”
I chose not
to comment; mainly because it made no sense and two, I had Amina on my mind.
Instead, I looked toward the door where a beautiful woman was waiting for
Valerie to greet and then seat her. She was wearing an elegant black
one-shoulder, sleeveless dress with an asymmetrical neckline that showed off
her fit body. Bottom line, the woman was fine. She was the type of woman that I
would have stepped to not too long ago.
Without
bothering to ask, Reggie, the bartender took the liberty of freshening up my
drink and putting one in front of Harp.
“Thanks,
Reggie.”
I picked up
my glass and watched as she looked around for Valerie and then her gaze settled
at the bar. We exchanged glances and then she looked around again and then back
to me. She smiled and I nodded my head to acknowledge her beauty before turning
my attention back to my drink. I picked it up and took a sip.
“Wow, who
is she, man?” Harp asked.
“How would
I know? She just walked in.”
Harp looked
at the door. “Not her. She’s in here all the time, a real man-eater, that one.
I’m talking about the one that got you sitting there looking like someone in
love,” he said cleverly including the title of the jazz classic.
I turned
and looked at Harp for a moment before looking away. And again, I remained
silent, drained my glass and signaled for Reggie to pour me another drink.
“What is
that? Is Like Someone in Love the
next song you’re going to play?”
Harp sipped
his drink. “You know, that ain’t a bad idea. Maybe an up-tempo cut of the
Blakey version,” he said nodding his head.
“The Blakey
version is the up-tempo version,” I said, all the while knowing that Harp liked
to go hard on every cut.
“You call
that up-tempo?” Harp laughed. “And stop trying to change the subject.”
“What
subject was that?” I asked, knowing full well what he was talking about.
“I asked
you what woman got you sitting here looking like someone in love. You tried to
avoid my question, unsuccessfully I might add, by referencing the Blakey
classic.”
“Everything
by Blakey is classic.”
“Stop
trying to change the subject.”
I drained
my glass and looked at Harp. “Why it got to be about a woman?”
“Because
everything is about a woman.”
I laughed.
“So, it really is all about them, huh?”
“Yes. When
a man loves a woman, yes. If he loves her, I mean, if he really loves her,”
Harp said with enthusiasm while motioning with his hands. “And he’s smart, he
makes it all about her. You wanna know why?”
“I got a
feeling that you’re about to tell me whether I want you to or not.”
“You’ve got
that right. But here is why; because when she loves her man, the right woman
makes it all about him.”
I stared at
Harp and wondered when he became the voice of experience in the arena of love?
Maybe it was because he was so scarred from the many years of battle. He and
his wife, Lisa have been in a state of war, practically from the day they met,
but he married her anyway. Before he joined the Navy, Harp had been involved
with a woman that he was so in love with. He wanted her to go with him when he
enlisted. But Carol, that was her name, refused to follow him. He left without
her and that is when he met and married Lisa. When he got out and returned to
Pittsburgh, he and Carol resumed their passionate affair and as a result, Carol
ended up pregnant with his daughter, Amara. Their love child.
Needless to
say, when lunatic Lisa found out about it, she lived up to her name and went
ballistic. She terrorized that woman unmercifully, Harp too, for that matter.
She put him on lockdown and forbade him to see the woman or their child. But I
guess it all worked out in the end. After years of being unhappy, but staying
for the sake of his children with Lisa, Harp finally left her and is getting a
divorce. I understand that he’s even developing a relationship with Amara.
But all
that history aside, my question still stood. What made Harp the guy I should
take relationship advice from?
Nothing.
But the
more I thought about his words, the more it made sense. The time that I was
spending with Amina, whether I had done it consciously or not, I had made it
all about her. And you know what? Amina made me feel that. For her, it was all
about me, and that was a great feeling. The best feeling in the world.
“I see your
point, Harp,” I said and noticed that the man-eater had taken a seat at the bar
directly across from me. She smiled and raised her glass when I made eye
contact with her.
“Looks like
you’re her prey tonight,” Harp said and finished his drink. “Be careful, I hear
her claws are sharp, but she’s worth the price of admission.” He stood up.
“Good to see you, Gabe. Maybe you should stop by and jump in on a set or two.
Bring the one who has you all in knots when you come.”
“I just
might do that,” I said, eyeing the woman across from me. She was beautiful, and
I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off of her but I soon realized it was because
her eyes reminded me of Amina’s. Exotic and intense.
I looked at
my watch. It was just after eight and Amina should be through with her client
and on her way home by now. It wasn’t like we had made any arrangement to get
together later or that it was something that was expected of me. It was just
that I wanted nothing more than to be with her. Not just having sex with her,
but just being with her.
And that
was a great feeling. The best feeling in the world.
© Aja 2018
Author Bio:
Aja is the
writer of sensually erotic women’s fiction. Her stories allow readers to
experience realistic, inspiring and soulful interactions between her characters
and intense passion between couples overcoming life’s challenges.
Raised as an only child, using her
imagination to create stories came naturally to her. Writing her first book in
the first grade encouraged her doting and supportive mother to enter her into
writing contests to help her hone her craft. Inspired by soulful music and sensual
art, she crafts her stories on a whim, using the snatches of time her
characters grace her with and stringing them together for completion. She loves
prose but has been known to be poetic which can be found, if looking, in some
of her published work.
With two published series of books
already, including the Unexpected series penned with Roy Glenn, she is working
on several projects including Love’s Required and Good Old Soul, a soulful
May/December romance.
Author Links:
