Saving A Good Girl: A Detroit Love Story

By Abiegail Rose

Some f-ckboys just can’t leave well enough alone… 
 Amaya Adler is a bona fide boss chick, and after being hurt in her last relationship, she is completely focused on being the best mother that she can be to her son, expanding her skills, and taking her fashion design business to the next level. Even though she is determined to do her, when she meets Lucas, she is drawn into his confidence and hyper-masculinity. Being an only child, Maya has grown up getting her way and has developed a fierce stubbornness, which most people can’t handle, but Lucas, a force of nature in his own right, is turning all of that on its head. 
 Lucas, a successful businessman and dope boy, decided to go out on whim and let his friend fix him up. Not expecting to fall in love with Amaya, he is caught off guard when he does and sets on a course to break through her strong-willed attitude and show her what a real man can do to and for his woman. 
Lucas is finally able to burst through Amaya’s emotional wall, and they think they’re on the road to happily ever after. With everything smooth sailing, their lives are turned upside down on one fateful night that makes Lucas revert to his past and Amaya turn tail and run. 
 The douchebag who broke Amaya’s heart has decided that he wants Amaya back. When he finds out that Lucas is the person she has moved on with, he has one goal in mind, and that’s to destroy her reputation so that Lucas—or any other man, for that matter—will no longer want her. 
 Is Lucas that one person who can truly change Amaya and help her to heal and trust again, or will giving him a chance end up being the worst mistake of her life?


• Language: English
• Publisher: Royalty Publishing House
• Release date: Jul 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781648404719

Book preview

1

Amaya

Five Years Ago

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Oh fuck! Amaya yelled out in pleasure. Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh my God, Yesssss!

She was in the throes of an ecstasy that was normally unattainable at these heights. Looking at the piece of fine linen paper held firmly within her grasp, Amaya Adler squealed in delight and started to jump up and down like a kid who had just won the big prize at the local summer carnival.

I can’t believe it! Oh my God! Yes, I can! This is for real! Dancing around her bedroom, she stopped as she came face to face with herself in the full-length mirror leaning against her bedroom wall.

Staring at herself, she pointed her hand in the air, striking the same pose as a heavyweight boxer who had just claimed the title belt and started to geek herself up as she and her reflection danced the Milly Rock.

Hell yeah! You did that shit, Amaya! Yes, you did! Pointing at herself, she struck a bashful pose and giggled. Who me?

Oh my God! I’ve got to call Lexi! Amaya thought as her heart calmed down to its normal pace. Racing around her room, she jumped onto her bed and grabbed her phone off the nightstand so she could call her best friend and share the best news. As she held the paper tightly to her chest, her hand trembled in excitement as she waited for Lexi to pick up the line before screaming, Hey, bestie!

Amaya loved Lexi like a sister, and as an only child, that was something she had always craved. Lexi was her son William’s godmother, and she kept Amaya from staying in the house and becoming a hermit. Amaya knew that once she shared this news, Lexi would be over the moon because that meant she could finally join the real world again, go out, and have fun.

Amaya had recently shut herself away; she had been so exhausted from everything she had going on that she just wanted to lay low until her goal was finally reached, and today was the day. Lexi would get her wish, and Amaya would be able to divide the laser focus attention she had been putting on her business and get back to having at least a little fun.

Pulling the phone back from her ear, Lexi winced in slight pain at the shrillness of her friend’s voice. Hey, Amaya, what has you so excited? she questioned. Wait, are you coming down to Detroit tonight?

So used to Amaya saying no every time she asked over the past few months, Lexi didn’t get her hopes up, knowing that Amaya was exhausted from all of the hard work she had putting in. Plus, she normally reserved the weekends to spend with her son, William, and rewatch their favorite Disney movies.

Smacking her lips, Amaya rolled her eyes. Girl, that is not what I’m calling you about! she whined before yelling out. Guess who’s fashion line is going straight from the ‘Gram to Macy’s worldwide!

Oh my God! Lexi exclaimed, truly happy for her friend. I knew you would do it! I just knew it! I’m so proud of you, girl. Now you really have to come down tonight so that we can go out and celebrate, and there’s something else too—

Cutting her friend off, Amaya was very adamant. No, not today. How about tomorrow? I just want to lay back and relax tonight. I’m not even trying to make that drive down to the D anyway as tired as I am.

Girl, you haven’t come down to party in weeks! And this is something we all need to celebrate. I’ma go call the girls, and we’re gonna show out tonight. Now, if you don’t get yo’ ass in the shower and put something cute on, I will hate you forever! You have got to come down here. Taking a quick breath, she continued before Amaya could even get a word in. Plus, remember I told you about Stuart’s cousin Lucas, the funny guy? Well, they are coming over later to chill, and I really want you to meet him. I think you guys would be so cute together, but since I know you’re still in your ‘She-Woman Man-Hating’ phase, then you guys would make great fuck buddies. I can just feel it! she pleaded with her friend. Afterward, we can all go out to dance and celebrate you getting your bomb ass designs placed in Macy’s. Come on! Pleeeease, Mayaaaa.

Thinking it over for a minute, Amaya replied to her friend’s overture. Damn, girl. OK, I’ll come down, but don’t be rushing me. I need to take a nap. She chuckled as she thought about how going out to dance could really help her relieve some stress. Plus, she had been blocking dudes left and right lately, so it would be nice to get back into the night life, and she deserved a celebration, as she had been in self-imposed hiding and out of the saddle too long where men were concerned—pun intended.

"Yay! OK, I will see you soon, and remember to look cute. We’re going out to celebrate good times, come on!" Lexi sang.

Amaya knew by the tone in her friend’s voice that she was definitely up to something, but she was too high from her excitement and too tired to even care at the moment. After getting in a quick nap and spending time with her son, William, Amaya dropped him off to her parents, who she then shared the good news. As their only child, they never doubted her and knew that her designs would have blown up regardless.

After an hour drive, Amaya arrived at Lexi’s house that afternoon and pulled up in her custom, royal-blue Mustang into the only available parking spot at the end of the block, with the intent on completing two tasks—meeting the mystery guy her best friend would not stop raving about and celebrating the major milestone that she had accomplished. Amaya whipped down the overhead visor and flipped open the latch to reveal the mirror inside so she could check her appearance once more. Pulling off the scarf that covered her voluptuous mane of dark-brown and gold-highlighted curls, she arranged them to frame her mahogany, heart-shaped face, making sure her appearance was on point when she met the strange man her best friend and her boyfriend, Stuart, had been trying to hook her up with for months on end.

Flipping up her visor, Amaya was caught off guard by a vision of sheer sexiness as her breath hitched in her throat, and she gazed at one the finest men she had ever had the pleasure to see in person. This brotha was so fine that she started to salivate above and below. He was casually leaning against one of the columns holding up Lexi’s porch. Amaya guessed that he had to be over six feet.

She let her eyes travel his frame, which was built like a football player and tatted up just the way she liked. As he talked on his cell phone, every time he laughed at whatever the other person said, the red lip print tatted on his neck moved as if he were being kissed by an invisible woman.

Squeezing her thighs together to alleviate the pressure that had started to grow there, Amaya snatched off her prescription sunglasses and traded them for her regular cat-eye frames to make sure that her vision was not failing her. She whispered to herself, What in da fuck did his Momma feed him? Because homie is full grown and fine as hell…

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves and get a handle on the attraction she felt, she did another doubletake then sat back in her seat so she could take another moment and really appreciate the sight of him while he talked on his phone.

He looked so stylish in his tailored jeans, pressed shirt rolled up to his arms, and black shoes polished and gleaming as if he were a model or an actor. He had thick, dark-brown, curly hair that was cut low in the back and long on the top. Leaning forward in her seat and thanking God for her corrected vision, she peeped that, from her distance, even his facial features seemed strong and defined as if they were molded from granite.

He had thick, naturally arched eyebrows. One of them was tilted upward, giving him a playful expression. She let her eyes continue their journey down his face, also appreciative of the fact that his lips were full and looked ripe for the kissing.

Clearing her throat to bring herself back to reality and to put an end to her high school daydream, Amaya got out of the car, noticing even from the space between them that she had his attention as his eyes seemed to be focused directly on her. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she sashayed up the sidewalk like she was hired to do so on a fashion week runway.

2

Lucas

Lucas had only allowed Stuart to talk him into this blind date because he trusted him. They had been knowing each other since birth; they were cousins, best friends, line brothers, and Stuart was his second in command. Thinking about the woman he was going to meet, Lucas was glad his boy would finally have to shut up about her because every time he came around him and his girlfriend, Lexi, they were always bringing her up.

The last time, Lexi had even gone so far as to whip out her Instagram account to show him pictures of the woman, and he had to admit that he found her uncommonly attractive. She seemed to be everything he craved wrapped up in one woman from the outside, which was unreal to him. He believed that there was just no way that she was naturally that pretty. He just knew that Lexi’s friend must have been using some kind of advanced filters on her pictures, and he was on this semi-blind date simply to prove himself right and his friends wrong.

Stuart knew the moves they could be making and that he rarely took time for women unless it was just to fuck. Right now, he was on a mission to stack this bread and make his way out of the game. Lucas was a businessman first and foremost, but even though he had legit businesses and stayed up on stage with the jokes rolling out and laughter rolling in, he was a kingpin in the Detroit underworld, and he was making moves that would, within a year, allow him to be out the game for good.

Standing on Lexi’s front porch, finishing up a business call regarding one of his clubs, Lucas was on high alert as usual, and when he peeped the blue Mustang that slowly circled the corner and then came back around and take a spot at the corner, he was ready for anything. While he carried on his conversation, he mentally noted where he had his piece tucked into the back holster of his slacks and changed his stance for ease of pulling it out if need be.

The vision of loveliness that greeted him once the Amazon of a woman got out of the vehicle made him clear his throat and then abruptly end his conversation. Hey, man, let me hit you back later, he said to the person on the other end of the phone, disconnecting his call.

Lucas watched her and the long legs she was gifted with as she made her way toward him, strutting slowly down the sidewalk as if she were a model on the catwalk. She was beautiful with chocolate skin that gleamed in the sunlight and pretty hair with multi-colored curls so big they framed her face and hung down her back. She was a tall woman, and she owned it with her black strappy heels that made her toned calves and thick thighs look even more sumptuous. Lucas’s eye followed the curves of her body upward, and he noticed she had on black bandage dress that showed every luscious curve a woman should have, but as his eyes landed on her face, he was speechless.

‘Damn, shorty is even finer in real life. Get the fuck outta here,’ he thought to himself.

As she got closer to the front porch, to his own surprise, Lucas had started to move down the steps in her direction and stood there in front the house, as if he were waiting for her arrival, with his hand out for her to shake as he greeted her.

Hello, I’m Lucas. How are you doing?

When she tilted her head back to look up at him, he was swallowed into her eyes, eyes that were so dark-brown they appeared to be black, and they both just stood there and stared at each other in silence. Luckily for them, Lexi opened the front door, breaking their trance, and they both turned toward her as she squealed. Oh my gosh! Finally, Amaya, you’re here! I missed you, Bookie!

As Lexi jumped around on the porch like a little kid, Lucas rolled his eyes, but he could tell that her over-the-top demeanor put Amaya at ease. She gave the cutest giggle he ever heard a woman have. Wiggling her eyebrows at them, Lexi gushed before turning to go back into the house. Well, I see you guys have already met. Nice!

3

Amaya

Ah! So you’re the infamous Amaya I’ve heard so much about, Lucas’s deep baritone washed over Amaya, making her skin heat up more than the radiant sun, which was beating down upon them. He stared down at her, and his golden eyes glowed with desire that he was not ashamed to hide, and he allowed a sexy smile to etch its way onto bearded his face.

Taking a step forward, he filled her personal space and brought their bodies into contact so that she could feel his warmth and the muscles of his chest and back as he wrapped his arms around her to enclose her in a gentle hug. Amaya breathed in deeply, and her legs almost went weak, as she caught up