WHERE FRIENDSHIP LIES

        by Raquel Eldridge and Shawnte' Henderson

 

 

                  

 

       

       Book Jacket Synopsis

 

Ramona Shaw moves to Chicago to aide her husband, Darius, in realizing his dream of opening a medical center with his best friend, Keith Lewis.  In a new place and in a new house, she doesn’t have any friends and she grows bored when Darius’ workload begins to monopolize a lot of his time.  Eager for something to keep busy, she dedicates herself to fixing up their home.  Enter Cheyenne Morris, a beautiful and wildly successful interior decorator.

      

Cheyenne’s down-to-earth and friendly nature makes it easy for them to become fast friends. 

Cheyenne is battling with the troubling times in her relationship with her fiancé, Chad, while

Ramona battles with the loneliness in her marriage.

 

Ramona and Cheyenne eventually come to share a friendship and a secret so deep, it

completely changes their priorities.  It’s a secret that can never be allowed to come to light. 

If it does, love, marriage and their once predictable lives could be forever changed.  Find out

what happens when everything done in the dark threatens to come from behind closed doors…

and if anything can ever go back to “normal”.

 

       Free Preview

 

 

Once we started walking around in Eclectic Environment, I was in love with the place.  The vibrant colors and textures of the store gave me an intensely excited feeling.  Darius and I had lived in a naked house for so long, the mere thought of the assortment of colors available made me weak at the knees.

Since Cheyenne wanted to start on the master bedroom and bath first, I headed in the direction of flooring and immediately spotted the perfect tile for the floor of the bathroom.  It was a stunning Italian tile in a warm olive green with flecks of gold.  We decided to bring the warmth of the golden shade out by using accessories that would lift them out, yet still keep in harmony with the green.  I knew in my gut, and Cheyenne agreed, that as soon as everything was in place, I would practically be living in my bathroom. 

As the two of us shopped and browsed around, I really got to know Cheyenne as a person, not just someone who I’d hired to do a job and would never see again, or someone who I might run into from time to time in passing.  Cheyenne was someone I could feel myself getting really close to for some reason.  I’m not sure if I was trying to create an instant bond with her because most of my friends were hundreds of miles away in Detroit, or if the instant connection I was feeling with her was genuine after all. 

 

It was near six thirty when I pulled my burgundy Chrysler Sebring into our circular driveway.  I was very happy to see Darius’ Cadillac Escalade because it meant my baby was home.  Soon after I unloaded all of the shopping bags from the car and put the things away, I straightened up the kitchen since he’d taken the liberty to fry pork chops and French fries, which left a mess all over the place, returned my friend Rita’s call from Detroit, and went to the bedroom to change my clothes, I began telling Darius about our day. 

I talked in depth about the color scheme we’d chosen for the bathroom and how we planned on going furniture shopping on Monday.  He mumbled something about that being nice, but he showed no real enthusiasm whatsoever.  In fact, he was so engrossed in the work he had spread across the bed, I think I could have told him that I was growing a third leg out of my forehead and he wouldn’t have blinked an eye.

 

I loved that Darius strived hard to be the best doctor he could be, but I was under the impression this move to Chicago and his being a co-owner of a medical center, would give Darius more time to spend with me instead of less.  One of the best things about being the boss was that you could delegate all of your responsibilities to your subordinates.  At least that was the way it was supposed to be.  He’d told me the other day that the clinic was almost completely at full staff.  So why in the hell was he working so hard and why was he always doing so much damn work at home?  Maybe I was just being silly, or maybe the fact I was lonely deep down within and starving for attention was really starting to come to the surface. 

 

It was almost two hours later when Darius finally put away his work and showed some interest in me.  His laptop was still in the bed on top of the comforter.  I was lying across the bed channel surfing but having no luck finding anything to watch long enough to hold my concentration.  Even with my fine, smart, witty and talented husband right next to me, I was bored.  This whole bored feeling was beginning to be too much for me emotionally.  Everyday the feeling became more and more overwhelming.  I was trying my best not to make a big fuss about it because I knew it wasn’t necessarily Darius’ fault.  On the other hand, he had to know something was bothering me, right?

“Now, sweetheart,” he said as he slid his arm around me and pulled me closer to him, “Tell me all about the colors you and Cheyenne chose for the house.  You did say you picked the colors for the kitchen, right?”

Okay, did he not hear a single word I said?  In an effort to be nice, and not start an unnecessary fight with him, I said, “Olive green and gold.  I think you’ll like it.”  I was using my pleasant voice because obviously he was oblivious to what my inner tension was all about.

“Well, baby, you know I’m all for whatever you choose.  I mean as long as it isn’t anything too drastic.”  All of a sudden, Darius slid his warm, large hand up my thigh.  The direct stroke almost scared me, though I always welcomed his touch.

“It won’t be, I promise.”

“So, are you and Cheyenne hitting it off well? I know how you women get when it comes to shopping.  It must be something in the air they blow out the vents that makes y’all lose your minds.” He chuckled after I gave him a look.  “No, but really, is she someone you think you could be friends with?”

“Oh, yes…most definitely.  I think she’s very nice.”

“Keith seems to think the same thing.  Man, he sounds like he’s got it bad for the woman.  All that and he hasn’t been on one date.  She looks good and everything, but she ain’t as pretty as you are so I don’t see why his nose all wide open.”  The whole time he’s talking, his hand kept creeping further and further up my thigh.

“Well, Keith thinks anything with tits is nice.  Besides…Cheyenne has a man.”

“Oh, yeah.  Well, hmm…what about yours?”  He asked teasingly.  I liked it when he was feeling playful.

“Mine?”  I asked turning over and looking at him.

“Yeah, your man; what about him?  I bet you’ve got his nose all wide open wit’ your sexy self.”

“Well…I don’t know much about what his nose is doing nowadays.  Lately, I haven’t seen that much of him.  Maybe his nose is too deep in those books he reads to be wide open for me.”  I said, half-joking, half-serious.

“He’d be the biggest fool in the world to not be sprung with someone as beautiful as you at home.  I know I most certainly find you desirable.”

 “Really?” I asked.

 “See, take these sexy thighs, for example.  Any man in his right mind would take one look at these smooth, caramel thighs and want to do nothing but lick them.”

“Lick them?”  Oh, yeah, this was turning me on immensely. 

“Yeah, let me show you what I am talking about.”  Like bees to honey, Darius’s tongue bonded to my skin.  After a few short, but very intimate kisses planted on both my thighs, he soon found his way up and centered.  The warm flickers of his tongue to my moist mound were indeed just what the doctor ordered.

‘Bout damn time I get some attention around here.

 

 The following morning I got up early.  The way Darius had put the loving on me last night knocked me right out.  In all actuality, both of us were asleep shortly afterwards.  The sex hadn’t been that good in a while.  You know, now that I think about it, maybe that was another reason why I was so moody.  Lack of good dick can do that to a sister sometimes.  If you’ve ever had any good dick, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

 

Prancing around the kitchen, wearing nothing but my wine colored Victoria Secret’s robe, I started cooking breakfast.  It had been some time since I went all out and made my specialty omelets, which I stuffed with sausage, diced onions, green peppers, tomatoes, shredded Colby cheese, and topped with salsa and just a hint of cilantro.  Of course, breakfast wouldn’t be complete without my southern style home fries and freshly squeezed orange juice. 

The first time I made this breakfast for him was the morning following the first time we’d made love.  Oh, he felt so good.  We made love all night long.  We’d only been dating for two months at the time, and Darius used to joke around with me saying that if it weren’t for my omelets, he wouldn’t have called me the next day.  He can joke all he wants to, but I know that between my sensational coochie and my award-winning omelets, the Negro was hooked.

 

While cooking, I started thinking of some changes I wanted to make to the kitchen.  Since I really loved to cook and try new dishes all the time, I wanted to have more counter space.  I would also love to have an island in the middle of the kitchen and one of those hanging pot racks that all the exclusive kitchens in the magazines showcased.  And I would love to have a bar stool counter top at the end of the stove. 

Maybe Cheyenne could come up with some great design that would make the kitchen more functional.  The ideas were running through my head so rapidly, I almost picked up the phone to call Cheyenne, but I realized it was only seven twenty on a Sunday morning, and it’d be rude to call her, as a client or as a friend.  So, instead, I decided to jot down my ideas after breakfast and wait to tell her about them at our next meeting.

 

       About the Co-Authors

 

       SHAWNTE HENDERSON:

 

Shawnte Henderson resides in Toledo, Ohio where she is a secretary for Toledo Public Schools.  She is the former Chief Columnist for Toledo’s African-American based magazine Insight and the editor of the WBW Newsletter for the Women Blessing Women Center. 

 

Her literary works have been featured in various websites and publications abroad, including her initial publicized work on Timbooktu.com and MyHiddenTalent.com where her short, Praises, reached the number one spot.

 

She is the Founder and President of the The PageTurnerz Book Club of Toledo, Ohio.

In addition to Where Friendship Lies, Ms. Henderson is also the author of Love Gone Wrong and The Glass City Sleuth, both soon to be released.

 

She can be contacted at: tay-wherefriendshiplies@hotmail.com.

 

 

       RAQUEL ELDRIDGE:

 

        Raquel lives in Houston, Texas where she is the owner/CEO of Prose Pros Publishing Company

        under which she’s released all four novels.

  

        She’s been interviewed individually and as part of the writing team that includes the co-author

        of the Where Friendship Lies series, Shawnte’ Henderson.  Most are intrigued by the unique nature

        of their business and personal relationship as collaborators who, to this day, have never physically

        met.

 

        A member of many organizations including the NAACP YAC, NAWW, PWNH, and HELP Sister

        Connect (www.helpsister.com), she’s an active community member who partners with initiatives

        that enforce women’s empowerment and is passionate about mentoring young women and girls.

        Her literary affiliations have included Gospel Xpress Magazine, UrbanThang.com, The

        ReMain Company, U B Trippin’, Comedy Salad and will soon include a new column on the singles

        web group, Dateless in Houston.

 

        She’s currently busy completing future releases, Tainted Relations and The Best Revenge.

 

 

**************************