Today, I welcome Author Dante Jones to my blog for #MaleAuthorMondays. We have a sneak peek at his book Gemini. Welcome Dante.
Dante Jones – Bio
Maryland resident Dante Jones (also known as Cornell) is a native of Washington DC. He found his love for writing at a very young age via poetry, which helped him overcome his natural shyness and became his favorite way to communicate. Continuing to develop his writing skills, Dante debuted his first book, a poetry collection entitled Welcome to my World of Poetry in 2017. Having found his confidence in writing, Dante continued to develop his skills and released his first novel, Gemini in 2018. Along with writing, Dante loves music and all things culture. He is currently working on his second novel, A Mad World.
Gemini – Synopsis
Born under the ruling planet Mercury on the zodiac chart, and the multiracial tree of Jamaican and Greek in Washington, D.C., Gemini Michel’s beauty and anger issues brought trouble into her early life and created a chip on her shoulder. Fortunate to find refuge from the world through her loving father and comfortable middle class Georgetown neighborhood lifestyle, Gemini used the chip on her shoulder to help fuel her into a successful basketball career and to become a martial arts phenomenon. However, upon the tragic and unexpected death of her father along with the uprooting of her comfortable lifestyle, an angry Gemini became unleashed and who finds herself on a path that leads from one destructive relationship after another in her quest to find to find the unwavering love she had from her father. Through strength, family, her friends, love, loss and tragedy she will find out who she truly is and that love isn’t always what it seems. She will finally learn that some bonds will never break and learn that when true love comes with faith and salvation.
To learn more about author Dante Jones and his writing, go to www.wordsbydante.comwww.authordeelawrence.com.
Gemini
Chapter 1
Dante Jones
Gemini Chapter 1 Dante Jones
B e g i n n i n g o f t h e E n d
It is June 21, 2013. It is a hot, steamy night, and Gemini’s favorite
song “Mary Jane (All Night Long)” by Mary J. Blige is playing as
she enters the doors of The Park at 14th. Soon, she knows that
all eyes are on her, and that’s the type of shit that turns her on more than
anything. The one thing you need to know about Gemini is her core
beliefs. Her first one: she is the baddest bitch wherever and whenever she
steps into any establishment. It can be difficult at times trying not to be so
arrogant, but when your eyes changes colors from gray to green; you have
a light caramel complexion; you’re five feet nine and built like a Greek
goddess; and you’re Jamaican, Greek, and black, you kind of understand
why she feels that way. And tonight, she’s rocking a red Tom Ford dress
with her back out, and her black Marlenalta Christian Louboutin open toe
pumps on. In four words, her look says, “You don’t make enough.”
Besides, tonight is not about her; she is trying to meet up with her man.
Robert told her earlier that he wanted to see her to ask her something
and that he had a surprise for her. So, she walks to the bar with that walk
that drives men wild and sits down. The bartender comes over and asks
her, “The usual, Miss Michel?”
“Hmm, not tonight, Scott. I’m feeling a little dirty. How about a
dirty vodka martini?”
“Sure thing.”
A few minutes pass by, and she notices the men shamelessly
trying to pick up the women at the bar, like they’re some type of pickup artist.
She grins. She looks at her phone and starts drinking the rest of her
martini. She thinks, let’s see who is going to try their hand tonight. She
knows most men won’t even approach her. Not because she’s beyond
approach. But more like she’s an intimidating factor to most men. With
six-inch heels on, her height alone is a problem. And it doesn’t help
matters that she’s drop-dead gorgeous. The fact of the matter is most men
are either too timid or seem to always assume that she’s taken. However,
there are always exceptions to the Gemini rules. There’s the confident man
with swag, who can hold his own. Gemini loves a man with confidence.
Then there’s the not-so-handsome guy who may have a little bit of money,
and dresses nice to make up for his face. Who always seem to have the “I
don’t give a fuck” attitude because he’s been turned down fifty times
already, and you might be the one who says yes. Then there’s the
Napoleon-complex man, five feet six or shorter, who seems to always have
a tall woman next to him to feel better about himself. And the need to
fulfill some type of little-guy-on-a-big-ride dark sexual fantasy of some
sort. Finally, there is the player (a.k.a. the flirt, a.k.a. the baller, a.k.a. the
womanizer/thot). He’s the man who believes because he can spit game and
has an elephant trunk
in his pants and can bang a woman’s back out. That he can talk any
woman’s panties off, her jewelry off, her money out her purse, or take her
car anytime he wants. Need I say more? And please don’t let him know
you have any money, because that’s when you find out when the real
games begin. She looks at her phone again and checks the time, thinking,
where is he?
She calls Scott over again to order another vodka martini, when a
stranger comes up and sits beside her. She thinks, “Looks like Mr. Not So
Handsome won.”
He looks her up and down. “Damn, I have this beautiful.” She
replies, “Oh do you now? And what is it that you think
you have?”
“I have you, beautiful, all your wants or needs and desires will become
my responsibility.” Then he digs in his pants pocket, pulls out a titanium
MasterCard, and puts it on the table.
“Let me make sure I’m hearing you correctly. So, anything I want or
desire I may have?”
“Yes, all you have to do is just ask and it’s yours.”
“Okay so you believe I’m for sale or something like a call girl, an
escort, or trollop?”
“Don’t say that beautiful, it’s nothing like that. I would never look
at a woman like she’s a book, read the first page, turn to the back, and
presume I know what’s inside her. But I can read one thing about you
though.”
“And what’s that?”
“I know you like the finer things in life baby, especially with them
eleven hundred-dollar pair of red bottoms you’re rocking.”
“Okay this was cute, and I appreciate you taking the time out to talk
to me. I’m flattered but I must decline your offer, because I already
have a man.”
“But I insist, you know you need a real man.”
“A man like you I’m assuming?”
“You know you don’t have a man. That’s just a façade, a wall you put
up to scare the boys off. Baby I’m a man, a man who’s ready to tear down
those walls. Besides, you’re showing all the right signals, and I’m
supposed to believe your man let you out of his arms dressed like that?
Come on let’s not play games, baby, we are destined.”
She laughs. “Okay, I see you are pulling out the big guns now.” “Once
again, thank you for the compliments and the witty banter.
Again, I’m flattered, but I have a man and he’s on his way here.”
“Whatever,” he replies.
She puts her glass down. “Well, okay then. And for destiny
concerns, I’m going home with my man while you’ll be going home
with your hand.”
He gets up. “Ain’t this a bitch? What, you think you too pretty to
mess with me? You think you all that?”
A tall, dark-skinned man comes up from behind them and asks, “Is
there a problem baby?”
“Oh my bad, my bad, no problem. I didn’t know.”
She answered, “No baby, he’s just had too much to drink.”
“Are you good?” he asks her.
“Yes, but I am ready to go home; it’s been a long day.”
As she starts to get up, she asks him, “And why are you so late
anyway?”
He tries to explain while digging in his pocket. “Because I got you—”
“Robert, watch out!” Gemini yells. The man at the bar swings
on him and connects. Robert stumbles into the barstools. Before he can
get his composure and charge back at him, the man swings on Gemini
next, but she grabs his wrist and redirects his energy against him and
tosses him toward the bar. The man swings again. She smiles and ducks
under the blow, gives him a kidney shot, then a jab to the throat, then
grabs his wrist and twists his arm into a joint lock while slamming his
head on the bar. She asks him, “Do we have a problem?”
In agonizing pain, he answers, “No.”
By this time, security sees what is going down and rushes over to
finish taking care of the gentleman. She thinks, Damn, I need to hit the
gym more often. I’m getting to be a little rusty.
Gemini learned how to defend herself since she was six years old, by her
father who trained her in Aikido and boxing. She looks around and sees
everyone is staring at her in awe. She walks over to her man and reaches
out to touch his chest. “Are you good, baby?” He brushes her hand
away. “Hell no I’m not good, not by a
long shot.”
She just stands there staring at him as he walks away from her.
“I’m getting the car,” he says.
She thinks, I guess my day just got a little longer. Outside, she sees
her man pull up beside her in his new black Audi A6 sedan. She waits
and looks at him. He looks at her and turns his head back toward the
steering wheel. “You not going to open the door?” She shakes her head
and angrily says to herself, “Okay, looks like it’s going to be an allnighter.”
As he drives her back home, he notices her dozing off in the seat,
which angers him even more. Not a word is spoken, or a sound is uttered
in the car. They finally get to her sky-rise loft in downtown Silver Spring,
Maryland.
She goes in the kitchen to pour herself a glass of red wine. Robert
walks into the kitchen and asks, “Why am I here?”
Gemini looks at him with a puzzled look on her face. “What’s going
on with you?” Still puzzled, she asks, “I don’t follow your line of
questioning. What are you talking about?”
“You know damn well what I’m talking about. I’m supposed to
protect you, not the other way around. Having me looking like a fool, you
always doing shit like that. That shit was embarrassing. People staring at
me like I’m some damsel in distress and you’re the man coming to my
rescue.”
“Oh, I’m sorry is this about your little bruised ego?”
“You know damn well nothing on me is little.”
“Typical man. A woman has her man’s back, and they start
thinking she’s trying to run shit. I am supposed to be your rib.”
“What? My ribs? What in the hell are you talking about now woman?
Faínetai kaló, allá chazí os kólasi (looks good but dumb as hell).”
“There you go with that Greek shit again. Always with the fucking
Greek. I swear every time. I’m starting to think you do it just to shut me
up.”
“Nai (Yup),” He looks at her.
She takes a sip. “Hmm, I see, and I hear you but not tonight; it’s
been a long day.”
“Not tonight? Who do you think you’re talking to?”
She looks around and grins. “We are the only two here.
“Oh, you think this is funny? You been so damn independent so long
you don’t know how to be submissive to your man when you’re supposed
to be.”
On the way to her bedroom with her glass of wine, she picks up a
remote, pushes a button, and the curtains begin to open showing her
beautiful sky-rise view of the city. The song, “I’ve Been Loving You Too
Long” by Otis Redding starts to play through the walls. She laughs. “Be
submissive. Oh you’re bringing out the big words. I’m scared now.”
Robert follows her to the room. “Don’t you turn your back on me when
I’m talking to you.” He grabs her by her wrist, making her drop the glass of
wine on the carpet.
She reverses the grab and they both hit the wall, then begin to tussle.
He grabs her hands and forces her against the window. They begin to kiss
hard, uncontrollably. She rips off his shirt and slowly kisses him down his
neck to his chest, softly licking him, driving him insane with pleasure.
He stops her and pins her hands back to the window and kisses her
slowly but passionately. She slightly bites his lips. He takes his hands and
slowly traces the sides of her body till he drops to his knees. And then
slowly takes his hands from her ankles back up to her thighs, where he
feels her body pulsating faster and faster. He begins to lift her dress up. As
he watches her move her black thong to the side, it turned him on even
more. He sticks his tongue inside of her, feeling her juices flowing down
his cheeks. She begins to squeeze his bald head tighter.
She moans. “Eat that pussy baby, suck on it, just like that! Yes,
right there! Oh shit, oh shit that feels so good!”
He lifts her up, still pressed against the glass, till he is standing with
her legs wrapped around his neck, holding his head. He never missed a
beat.
She yells, “Oh shit baby! Oh shit baby, I’m about to cum! I’m
cumin, shit!”
He tosses her on the bed and drops his pants on the floor, when a small
turquoise box falls out, what looks to be from Tiffany’s. Her head raises
up. “What’s that?
He looks down. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot about your surprise. I know
our two-year anniversary isn’t until next week, but I couldn’t wait.” He
picks up the box and gives it to her.
She has the biggest smile on her face. And it is getting bigger and
bigger with anticipation. That is, until she opens the box, and you would
have thought the devil himself was inside of it. “What the fuck is this?”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked you a fucking question. What the fuck is this? Is this a
joke?”
“What are you talking about? It’s a key, baby. I want you to move in
with me.”
“I see that it’s a key. It’s a key in a fucking Tiffany’s ring box,
asshole!” She throws it at him. “Move in with you? Move in with you?
She begins to cry.
“Two fucking years I give you my soul and I get— Tell him what I
won, Alex. A fucking key. Get the fuck out!”
Robert responded, “Are you crazy? What the hell is wrong with
you? Who acts like this?”
“Get the fuck out of my house and never bring your burnt ashy
mother fucking ass back!”
He starts to grab his things. “Two years and you are going to throw
it all the way like that?”
“No, you did that, Amistad, with that whack-ass gift of yours.”
“What? I just bought you a five thousand-dollar tennis bracelet
for your birthday!”
She rips it off and throws it at him. “Fuck you and that bracelet.”
“You know what? I’m out of here, you crazy bipolar bitch.” “Call
me a bitch again and see if you make it to the door.”
The two things he knew above anything else, was her word and her
skill set. And he knew not to fuck with either of them. So, he shut it up
and kept it moving.
She gets off her bed and looks at herself in the mirror. The years of
pain flow down her face. “Why!” She looks to her ceiling. “Am I not
supposed to be happy? What have I done to deserve this? God, why have
you taken everything away from me? The harder I work the more you
take.”
She picks up a glass and throws it at the mirror and shatters it. Then
she looks around on the floor yelling, “Where the fuck is my bracelet?”
As she drops to the floor, she begins sobbing uncontrollably, repeating,
“What’s wrong with me?” until she falls asleep to Otis Redding still
playing on her stereo. She dreams for the first time since she was a
child.
Queenie's BookTalk and Reviews 