Excerpt

Donna stepped on the black top walkway leading to the visiting room like a runway model. Her new look left me speechless. I had to look twice before realizing it was her.

I was pleased to see her, but when someone came unexpectedly, it threw my day off. Luckily, I was on top of my game. My beard was trimmed and I just got a haircut. Physically, I looked fine. Mentally, I was intoxicated and afraid I would act other than myself around Donna.

The blood rushed to my head when I stood up, and I felt woozy.

“Pull yourself together,” I said, trying to hype myself up. I unconsciously looked down to see if my shirt was tucked in. I wanted to go to the men’s room to double-check my appearance but it was too late for that.

Nothing separated us now but a five-foot gate. I stood tall and confident by the entranceway watching her walk toward me grinning like a schoolgirl. My hands were shaking like a leaf.

“Calm down,” I said, taking a deep breath. “You look fine. Just act natural. She’ll never know that you’re high.”

The light July breeze blew the front of her skirt slightly open, exposing a good portion of her thigh.

“Lawd have mercy,” I whispered underneath my breath, watching Donna’s hips sway from side to side. “You have no idea how hard I would make you cum.”

Something slipped from her hand but she didn’t notice. I called to her, pointing to the place where it dropped.

“You dropped something, Donna!”

She checked her hands then looked around.

“Over there,” I pointed, “by the grass.”

I had seen enough of Donna to assume she had a nice body hidden away underneath those business suits. But nothing prepared me for this. Girlfriend had it going on.

At 5’ 7½”, she was the perfect weight and size for her height. With the exception of her dark complexion, she almost put you in the mind of Halle Berry, the actress. Only Donna had a little more butt.

She bent down to pick up whatever she dropped, and from the looks of things, she wasn’t wearing panties.

“Everything alright?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said, walking toward me clutching the front of her skirt so it wouldn’t fly open. I didn’t say a word. I allowed my eyes to say what my mouth wouldn’t.

She couldn’t possibly understand the role she now played in my life. She had become my lifeline: an emotional medium between living and dying. With Donna, I was alive. I could feel again. Anything was better than living from day to day, just existing.

Our eyes met briefly. Then I boldly lowered my gaze to her breasts, then to her hips. I wanted my intentions known.

I didn’t say anything until she was within arm’s reach.

“Come here,” the vodka demanded in a low, deep voice.

She did as I demanded. Instead of greeting her with a hug or handshake, I just looked at her with my arms folded across my chest.

The sun had kissed her soft brown complexion until it made the whites of her eyes sparkle like pearls. Because of the high humidity, her skin had a light sheen to it that made it look smooth, like velvet. She was definitely a treasure for any man capable of winning her heart. I felt like the luckiest man on earth. But I didn’t fool myself. I could never hope to mean anything to her as long as I was incarcerated.