by K. T. Bishop
Starting Over
by K.T. Bishop
Red Rose Publishing
www.redrosepublishing.com
Copyright ©2011 by K.T. Bishop
First published in 2011
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Starting Over
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CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
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Starting Over
By
K. T. Bishop
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Christmas Blues by K.T. Bishop
Red RoseTM Publishing
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The symbol of the Red Rose and Red Rose is a trademark of Red RoseTM Publishing
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Copyright(C) 2011 K.T. Bishop
ISBN: 978-1-4543-0143-1
Cover Artist: Shirley Burnett
Editor: Pam
Line Editor: Wendi
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you cannot trade, sell or give any ebooks away.
This is a work of fiction. All references to real places, people, or events are coincidental, and if not coincidental, are used fictitiously. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.
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Thank you for purchasing a book from Red RoseTM
Publishing where publishing
comes with a touch of Class!
* * * *
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Chapter One
For the past two years, Cassius Wynn spent New Year's Eve alone. He grew tired of bringing in another year with Dick Clark on the television screen and hit the sack minutes after midnight.
Sorry Dickie boy, you and I won't spend this New Year together.
This year, he vowed things would be different. The location and price did not matter to the thirty-year-old accountant who had been in a rut since his divorce. He lived a hum-drum life: go to work and come home, with nothing else in-between.
From his condo in Waynesboro, Miss., he surfed the web for entertainment on the last day of December. He found the Grand Casino in Gulfport re-opened on New Year's Eve with the Time's reunion.
Cassius' eyes lit up and a rush of adrenalin pumped through his body.
The legendary R&B group was his favorite. Especially the original lineup of Morris Day, Jerome Benton, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Jesse Johnson, who reunited on the Coast.
Images of Day's hand ruffling through his curly locks while Benton held the mirror danced inside Cassius' head and brought back memories of his high school days.
A smile filled the corner of his mouth during the brief visit into the past. Those guys were cool.
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Cassius excitedly punched letters and numbers on the keyboard to make his hotel and ticket reservation at the Grand Casino. He also checked the weather forecast, which called for mild seventy-five degree temperatures on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
He pulled out black slacks, blue turtleneck, khaki shorts and pink izod shirt from his closet, and loaded them in a duffel bug and into the trunk of his tan Nissan Sentra.
As Cassius drove down Interstate Fifty-nine, he felt things were about to change for the better. The two-hour drive into South Mississippi was the jolt he needed to restart his life on New Year's Day weekend.
For the past two years, Cassius Wynn spent New Year's Eve alone. He grew tired of bringing in another year with Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest on his television screen and hitting the sack minutes after midnight. Sorry guys, the three of us won't spend this New Year together.
This year, he vowed things would be different. The location and price did not matter to the thirty-year-old accountant who had been in a rut since his bitter divorce. He lived a hum-drum life: go to work and come home, with nothing else in-between.
From his condo in Waynesboro, Mississippi, he surfed the web for entertainment on the last day of December. He discovered the Grand Casino in Gulfport was re-opening on New Year's Eve with The Time's reunion.
Cassius' eyes lit up and a rush of adrenalin pumped through his body.
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The legendary R&B group was his favorite. Especially the original lineup of Morris Day, Jerome Benton, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Jesse Johnson, who reunited on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Images of Day's hand ruffling through his curly locks while Benton held the mirror danced inside Cassius' head and brought back memories of his high school days.
A smile filled the corner of his mouth during the brief visit into the past. Those guys were cool.
Cassius excitedly punched letters and numbers on the keyboard to make his hotel and ticket reservation at the Grand Casino. He also checked the weather forecast, which called for mild seventy-five degree temperatures on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
He pulled out black slacks, blue turtleneck, khaki shorts and pink Izod shirt from his closet, and loaded them in a duffel bag and into the trunk of his tan Nissan Sentra.
As Cassius drove down Interstate 59, he felt things were about to change for the better. The two-hour drive into South Mississippi was the jolt he needed to restart his life on New Year's Day weekend.
* * * *
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Cassius ran into a long traffic jam on Highway 49 ten miles outside Hattiesburg. He frowned and slapped his right hand across the steering wheel, uttering a few profanities.
Damn it, doesn't anyone stay at home anymore on New Year's Eve?
He turned on the radio for a little diversion away from the pile of assorted vehicles. He twisted the knob with his right thumb and index finger until something suitable was found.
WSTO 106.5 FM aired a tribute to The Time for its appearance on the Gulf Coast. The frown vanished, as Cassius bounced his ass up and down on the seat to the dance track
"Cool." "Gigolos Get Lonely Too" followed, and Cassius twisted his shoulders around.
That's what I am talking about.
His dancing caught the attention of a family in a minivan beside him. He heard an old white-haired lady scream from the backseat. "Are you having some kind of fit?"
Cassius pushed the window down and fired back. "No."
He rolled his eyes at the woman and pulled the window back up. His party mood was dampened.
Damn, can't a guy just dance without people making a big deal out of everything?
The traffic eventually moved, and put Cassius an hour away from his destination.
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[Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Two
Anastasia Hiney's heart trembled as she crossed the Louisiana state line. Once Anastasia saw the huge multi-colored billboard with a pelican, she realized she wasn't in Texas anymore.
She stood hours away from her first day as a staff photographer at The Times Picayune on New Year's Eve.
Her job as editor at The Prairie View Times provided a perfect comfort zone, but the small-town publication wasn't The Times Picayune, her dream job. She could do without the heavy duty bumper to bumper traffic and dirty Crescent City pollution that filled her lungs, but she was about to live a lifelong dream.
When Anastasia pulled into the real estate office in East New Orleans, her nervousness remained. The insides of her stomach growled louder than a race car engine.
She dropped off the thousand dollar check amid a pre-New Year's Eve party. A stout redhead receptionist took Anastasia's banknote and handed her a glass of champagne and a set of house keys. "Happy New Year, have some."
"No thanks, Happy New Year," Anastasia said, flashing a half-smile
She headed out the door and chuckled over the heavy consumption of alcohol and food from her realty company. All New Orleans does in this town is party, party, party. No wonder people love coming here.
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The delivery truck awaited Anastasia in her driveway. She had purchased the sofa, TV and king-sized bed after accepting the job during the Thanksgiving Holidays. Ah shit, I forgot about those guys.
Anastasia closed her eyes for a few seconds and released a huge sigh. "I can do this, I can do this."
The two workers placed the huge black sofa into the living room with the pair of charcoal coffee tables. They dropped the maple-oak dresser and vibrating water bed into her bedroom. The flat screen TV went on the honey mustard colored wall in the living room.
A three-hour trek into the Crescent City drained Anastasia's energy level. She had enough energy to spread a sheet and blanket onto the bed. Her eyes constantly blinked.
She fell face-first onto the bed and rolled on her back. It was time to rest, and dream about a handsome, muscular man coming to her rescue. A man would provide stability to her life. "I'm tired of momma and Aunt Pearl trying to hook me up with a man."
* * * *
* * * *
Anastasia arrived at The Times Picayune's main office in East New Orleans with widened eyes. She was greeted with a handshake from Photo Editor Skip Burns. "Welcome aboard."
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A smile filled the corners of her face. "Thank you, I'm glad to be here."
Burns handed her an itinerary for the Sugar Bowl between Florida State and LSU on Jan. 3 at the Louisiana Superdome.
"You need to go downtown to the Marriott and get your photo taken sometime today."
Her jaw fell to the floor over the huge assignment and rendered speechless. Football was her favorite sport and she always loved to shoot the high school and small college football games. But the Sugar Bowl was the big time, dwarfing all those other gridiron events.
"Is there something wrong," Burns asked.
Anastasia finally opened her mouth, which suddenly tilted upward. "No, there's nothing wrong. I am just surprised you've given me something so important."
He nodded. "We wanted to give the new person something great to do, rather than some dog show and people getting drunk at parties."
She rubbed her hands together as the excitement raced through her soul. "Okay, you've sold me."
* * * *
* * * *
Anastasia flashed all thirty-two of her teeth for her credential at the Sugar Bowl headquarters. She received a gift 13
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bag, which included a watch and ticket for The Time's concert at the Grand Casino of Gulfport at 8:00 p.m. tonight.
The last time she saw The Time was at the Houston Astrodome in 2000, but with only Day and Benton. She stamped her plump and rosy lips onto the front row ticket, and flapped both hands out as if she were a bird.
I get to spend New Year's Eve with Morris Day and the Motorfucking Time.
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[Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Three
Anastasia looked forward to a wonderful evening. She transmitted her photos from the Florida State press conference and roared down the jam-packed Mississippi Interstate. Listening to The Time was the perfect remedy to loosen her uptight muscles. It was six p.m., two hours before the concert.
As she stood inside the Grand Casino elevator and disaster unexpectedly struck a few seconds later.
Just as the doors were about to close, a man placed his hands between the doors. He did not want to wait until the elevators returned to the ground level. He stumbled backward and his left elbow accidentally hit the emergency button. The alarm sounded off and the elevator got stuck on the second floor.
"I'm so sorry," he said humbly.
Her body trembled from being trapped alone inside an elevator with a strange man, triggering her claustrophobia.
She slowly counted to ten before a scared growl was released from her lips. "This can't be happening."
"Are you okay?" the man asked.
As Anastasia was about to answer, a voice came through the speakers. "Is there anyone in the elevator?"
The man revealed himself to the woman and person on the intercom in a hoarse voice. "Yes there are two of us in here.
I'm Cassius Wynn, here with a woman."
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By the time, Anastasia gave her name, her breathing became more controlled. "I'm Anastasia Hiney."
"We'll try to get you out of there quickly; our service man is on vacation this week. Sorry for the problem."
Anastasia rolled up her right fist and punched the wall.
"I've got the worst luck in the world."
She glanced at her gold-plated watch, it was 7:10 p.m.
Fifty minutes away from show time. She reluctantly struck a conversation with Cassius. "Guess I'll miss seeing The Time."
Cassius asked her. "You like The Time."
"Oh yeah, they are my boys," she smiled. Before Anastasia went deeper in conversation, she was quickly reminded of the time. "We may miss part of the concert."
Cassius shook his head. "I'm not upset if you blame me, it's all my fault."
Anastasia smiled and wiped sweat from her forehead. "It's not your fault."
He was optimistic over the elevator debacle. "We'll get there in time, I know we will."
Anastasia, who walked into a corner mumbling under her breath. "He must be a preacher or something."
Their chat was interrupted by the constant blinking lights in the closed transport vehicle.
"Hey what's going on," she asked.
Cassius shrugged his shoulders. "Don't look at me."
All of a sudden, the elevator moved down to the ground level and a man followed via the speaker in a deep baritone.
"The elevator's now working; you can hit the button to which floor you want to reach. Again, sorry for the inconvenience."
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She stared at her watch, which now read 7:59 p.m. They had one minute to reach The Time concert. She hit the C
button for the casino to reach their destination.
"Everything worked out," she smiled. "We won't miss a moment."
"I'm always right." Cassius shook his head over her sudden bubbly demeanor. He walked briskly down the hall laughing at her.
With each step he took, she was mesmerized by his slender frame, silk hair and smooth caramel skin. For the first time, she saw his physical makeup. He's not bad looking.
Anastasia, found another bright spot: her date with The Time was still intact.
* * * *
[Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Four
Cassius raced down to the Grande Auditorium as if he were a criminal being chased by the police. He slid and ducked past several casino guests en-route to the entertainment center.
By the time Cassius arrived at 8:10 p.m., there was no one on the stage. With sweat dripping from his forehead, he asked the security guard at the door. "Where's The Time?"
"The show is moved back to nine, because they did not get here until five o'clock this evening."
He stomped his feet onto the carpeted floor. "Ain't that a bitch. For all of the stuff I went through and it's not on time."
His exit prompted a query from Anastasia, who stood in the lights. "You're going to miss Morris and Jerome."
"The show starts at nine."
As Cassius stared out the window to view the Gulf of Mexico under bright multi-colored lights, he felt a tap on his right shoulder. "Let me buy you a drink until the show starts."
His left eyebrow rose with a dose of pessimism. "No thank you."
Anastasia giggled, and she regretted her freaking out in the elevator. "Please let me do that. I'm sorry for freaking out in the elevator. Give me another chance."
