It’s Friday night and the only music store in the mall, Da Hot Spot, is the place to be. Crammed with a young, rowdy crowd, the Spot pounds with a steady hip-hop beat that draws in the customers and keeps them milling in the aisles. When an employee sees two guys casing the store, she advises manager Bill Jackson to call security. But the last thing Bill wants is to cause a scene, particularly one that might incite racial tension. In the hopes of settling things quietly, he asks the alleged shoplifters to empty their pockets. Jamal Bey and his cousin Tyrece have long been regular customers at the Spot. Jamal knows Bill, but neither Tyrece nor Bill’s employees know just how well. When he’s asked, Jamal agrees to show Bill what’s in his pants ... but only in private. So the two head for the back room, where Bill discovers just how hot Jamal’s merchandise is.

Hot Merchandise

Bill sighs. Not tonight. “I’ll do something,” he promises. With a final look at the two—the taller guy is watching him again, a faint smile playing over a pair of full, dark lips—Bill turns back to his notebook, mind racing. “Just…keep an eye on them and let me know when they’re heading out.”


“Um…” At the hesitation in Angie’s voice, he looks up. “I think they’re heading out now.”


Chapter 2