Excerpt from If Only For One Night by Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Blu Logan
There were three reasons why I couldn ’ t jump up and give myself a high-five the way I wanted to over those one-hundred-and-forty points I just scored . First , I was already in bed , second , I was lying butt-naked in the dark , and third …
“ Ugh ! Will you get off that game ?”
And reason number three : I was in my bed , butt-naked … next to my wife .
“ Please ,” Monica whined .
The end of my lips turned down just a little , but I wasn ’ t going to let Monica steal my joy . Because Lord knows , she wasn ’ t the one who ’ d given it to me . All of this joy that filled me right now was because of DivineDiva . Damn , she was a challenge .
“ That light is too much .”
And then , there was the woman next to me who didn ’ t challenge me at all . Although , Monica had once — six years ago .
I turned my attention back to the game , so wanting to stay in this place . It wasn ’ t often that I got a chance to one-up DivineDiva . Two weeks , and I hadn ’ t beaten her once . But this move right here , it had been calculated , it had been strategic , and there wasn ’ t anything that she could do .
“ Did you hear what I said ?” Monica said .
Monica was that thief in the night . Because all of my joy — stolen ! “ How is the light from my phone bothering you ?”
She pushed herself up in the bed , and leaned back on her elbows . The light from the television was what made the room so bright and I easily saw her glare .
She said , “ You have a six-plus . That thing is dang-near the size of an iPad . And I ’ m trying to sleep .” Then , she sat up and adjusted the pink hair roller that was falling into her face .
I sighed , remembering the days when she would have never worn those things to bed . Remembering the days when she told me that she wanted to be sexy
66 | NKLC Magazine