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

When it comes, it triggers another, more powerful climax, and Bill’s voice breaks with lust. “Fuck yeah.”


Jamal doesn’t withdraw right away. He leans heavily on Bill, exhausted, pinning Bill to the countertop and keeping him in place. His hands run up Bill’s sides, over his back, over his shoulders, then around Bill’s head to cradle it. Turning Bill’s face to one side, Jamal kisses the corner of Bill’s mouth tenderly. “Damn, I missed that.”


Bill shifts under him, unwilling to lose this moment of intimacy. He puckers his lips, enticing Jamal to kiss him again.


“I missed you.” Jamal takes the invitation and kisses Bill again, with a hint of tongue this time. His mouth feels so soft against Bill’s own. “If you had another rubber, we could do it again.”


Bill grins against Jamal’s lips. “The mall closes in an hour.”


The thought almost stops his heart. The mall.They have to get back up front.


Chapter 6