Red Ink Rendezvous~ Max & Kendali: Red Ink Rendezvous

By Butterfly Brooks

THIS BOOK IS A STANDALONE from The Red Ink Rendezvous Collection.

Kendali Grace the best selling, number one author of Dominion Publishing is writing novel after novel of the wildly successful The Vixen Notebook series, a collection of stories that showcases her experiences as a video vixen in the hip hop and R&B music industry. Her star power is responsible for more than a third of Dominion's revenue, the most powerful publisher of Black urban books. Maxmillian Gray, Dominion's Director of Technology and author of several cyber espionage bestsellers, is dedicated to his technical duties, which means many late nights at publishing headquarters.

In an effort to meet her deadlines, Kendali stays at the office until the wee hours to focus on finishing her books. Commitment to craft brings these two unsuspecting soul mates together, discovering that their obvious differences are the gateway to their sensuous similarities. Kendali, devoted to her live-in lover and steadfast companion Dre Walker, is most loyal to him but not necessarily faithful, especially since he leaves her smoldering, in heat, while he builds his fortune. Maxmillian to the rescue! He is ready, willing and more than able to extinguish the fire of her desires

But what happens as their lust turns to love and Hiram Rivers, Dominion's CEO and everybody's boss, turns up his own heat in pursuit of Kendali Grace? How will Kendali maintain balance amongst the men in her life and satisfy her need to feed her passions? Will Hiram draw her unto him with his power and masculine prowess, for he is the manifestor of all her dreams come true? Or does Max have the code to crack her heart and keep her inside his world?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Platinum Quill Publications
• Release date: Oct 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9798223703822

Butterfly Brooks

I write stories with My husband/My Qo~pilot in this Qosmic Qonspiracy Thaddeus Kane. He is The Spinner. I am The Weaver. We are The GenreBenders. I weave tales with Love, Light, Passion, Pain, Triumph, and Magic! I wrote my first story and my first poem at age seven and I was hooked! I am daughter, woman, wife, lover, mamma, writer, author, dilettante Black music historian, Spirit Woman guide, star reader gypsy, student, Lianesss, Butterfly, and emoticon addict, currently not enrolled in a 12 step program. I love poetry, parks, overcast days, autumn sunshine, yoga, sunsets, my Loving Ones, good movies, and good books. Subscribe to my website: ButterflyBrooks.com for the divine best of gift books, giveaways, sneak peeks, and online literary events. Swirl with Us: #ButterflyBrooks #BFlyB #ThaddeusKane #PlatinumQuill #GiftBooksGalore #TheWeaver #TheSpinner #TheGenreBenders #Pen2Pen #PensEquallyYoked

Book preview

Copyright 2021 Platinum Quill Publications

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any unauthorized reprint or use of the material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage without express permission by the publisher. This is an original work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

About the Author

Butterfly Brooks is an author, SpiritWoman, Flyin Lianesss, Love Warrior.

Dedication

This work is dedicated to all of those that are learning Love’s lessons.

Cover Design

Jess Purmeswar, SkyChild Graphic Studios

Acknowledgements

Eternal love and gratitude to all of those that love, support, and encourage creative fire. All of my mothers, fathers, children, family, and friends, especially Dora Louise, Verta Elizabeth, and Brenda Faye~ I love you, forever, for always.

Helen D. Clark-Speedy, Tera Kirksey, Rise Bullard, Sharon Armalin, Shavonna Futrell and all the Butterflies in The Kaleidoscope~ I Love you! Divine gratitude to the best artist, creative visionary, fairy of graphic design, the Galactically Gifted One, Jess The Supreme Best Purmeswar~ you are such a beautiful, powerful, extraordinary soul!

Chapter One

Basic Maxims

Having lived in the noisiest metro areas amongst the hustle and bustle of the hip hop video vixen world, Seminole City's hushed serenity proved unsettling when Dre was away. Kendali loved everything about the urban oasis but when her man was on the road, it was too quiet. As sole proprietor of a commercial landscaping service, he was collecting big stacks on an extended gig a few hundred miles away in Tubman City, leaving her longing. An iota of sweet relief came from his handsome mug on facetime twice daily, early morning and late night; two good fingers; and a fantastic imagination. And that was the thing. Imagination. Kendali Grace was in desperate need of inspiration for her imagination. A little more distraction would help tremendously with meeting her deadline.

That was the other thing. Deadline. She hated that word. Dead line. Why did the line have to be dead? The King's English, sometimes, too many times, was the bane of her existence. Writing used to be fun. Kendali had enjoyed tinkering on her keyboard the memories of long days and nights in front of the camera, starring in the most popular urban music videos. The resulting compilation of these memories entitled, The Vixen Notebook, skyrocketed straight to the top of Muse.com's book charts. Subsequent installments of The Vixen Notebook had the audacity to show up on Mahogany, Essence, USA Today and New York Times bestsellers lists, but writing the recollections wasn't so fun anymore. Hiram Rivers, her boss, and CEO of Dominion Publishing, strategized daily, making it rain, storm, sleet, and hail nothing but money from The Vixen Notebook. His greenback weather forecasts exhausted her creativity.

Rarely visiting Dominion’s headquarters for anything other than a meeting with her editor, AJ; a top-author booster squad style pep talk hosted by Hiram; or a chit-chat with Amber Alise, another Dominion princess of the pen, Kendali didn't frequent the office. Truly, the HQ was for the nuts-and-bolts folks, not for authors, but Hiram arranged a section of the Cartwright building's 13th floor as Authors Row, where his roster could write, talk shop, and share ideas.

The quiet of another lonely night and the looming deadline inspired a venture, to go see what she could see. She jumped into a pair of sweats, a t-shirt, and some Chuck wedges, tied a bandana on her auburn locks, tossed her laptop into an oversized handbag and bolted to her truck.

She sat at the wheel for a few minutes scrolling the shenanigans on Zing, the most popular social media platform, especially for published writers. The first post she saw in her feed was from LaToya, her bestie, a friendship formed on video shoots where Toya served as photographer and creative director. LaToya was the administrator of her own Zing group, LaToya's Tea Thyme. Toya and her rival, Shante Turner's The Turner Pages, were always in a heated debate about something, everything and nothing. LaToya's biased promotion of Kendali's books was the main source of contention, especially since Shante loved Bree McDee, Kendali's nemesis and princess of Gutta Butta Books helmed by Maceo Grant, Hiram's archrival. Yes. All of this in the fiction book business. The level of madness was nowhere near the griminess of her vixen experiences, but the urban fiction world had its own unique brand of dirt.

Zing Post- LaToya's Tea Thyme

LaToya Tea Mitchell (post): Y'all act like Kayla Jane is the second coming. I mean the book is good, her pen is nice, but it ain't all that.

Maria Robbins: I liked the book

Shanika J: Oh so you mean the same way you act about Kendali Grace. Whole career made on being a video hoe. Girl bye

Felicia Stewart: Why she gotta be a video hoe?

Shanika J: She said so herself. That's why.

Kendali Grace: Yeah I gotcha hoe

Geneen Matthews: What's up Kendali!! Glad to see you came thru. Now buss these bitches in the head

Heather Dunwoody: I don't understand why there is so much to say about Kayla Jane. Book was good. Let's move on.

LaToya Tea Mitchell: My group. I say what I want. I say y'all standards are low. The book is good. It's decent, it just ain't the Messiah. Let me tag @Lesli Lyn. Butterfly, back me up.

Lesli Lyn: Hey, Tea Thyme. You know you telling the truth! I blogged about it two weeks ago.

LaToya Tea Mitchell: @Lesli Lyn BFly! Yes I saw the blog. So on point about the mediocrity

Lesli Lyn: Thx for checking me out

Paula Lelani: There is so much to say because I see all these so-called avid readers constantly passing over outstanding authors with awesome stories and celebrating this mediocre crap. Kayla wrote a typical good girl bad