A Little Sumthin’ Sumthin’ By Imani True

How do you start over when you never thought you’d have to?
Fatimah is tired. Tired of the games, tired of the lies, tired of her husband. Malcolm has spent his entire marriage thinking of only himself and getting “a little sumthin sumthin” on the side. Plus, when he’s angry, he lashes out at the one person who’s always believed in him, even when it tore her heart to pieces.
But after one confrontation too many, Fatimah decides that enough is enough. When her bruises heal, she refuses to return home, choosing to start a new life without Malcolm.
Enter Xiomara, the badass CEO of Stallworth Global who always gets what she wants. And what she wants is Malcolm’s ex.
That’s when Fatimah has to face some truths of her own, and finally take charge of her life.
But while Xiomara is impressed, and she has Fatimah feeling things she hasn’t felt in a long time, more than a few people aren’t going to like the new and improved Fatimah.
ALSS is a story about starting over, and finding strength when you thought you had none. It’s a tale of karma, truth, love, and ultimately survival because sometimes, what goes around really does come around.
For Fatimah, the trick will be staying alive long enough to see it happen.

Excerpt:
“This is my favorite place. You’ll like it.”
A young man escorted us to a private table in the back. As we walked, I couldn’t
help but notice how Xiomara’s suit from the new ‘Lady Boss’ collection really showed off her best assets. I shook it off and tried not to stare too hard.
“I’m here so much, I have my own table,” Xiomara joked.
We both laughed. Then we sat down across from each other.
“Can we get two waters with lemon?” Xiomara asked the waiter. “I try to start every meal with water,” she told me. “That way, I eat less.” She was whispering.
I nodded at her small talk, taking time to admire the restaurant’s interior.
“This is a really nice place.”
“So Ms. Briggs, you graduated from Harvard, huh? Top in your class and editor of The Law Review?”
I had to give it up to her; the woman had done her homework.
“Yeah, I was hired by Kittman, Marshall, and Michaels right after graduation. Got my feet wet with the Bank of New York merger last year.”
“I read about that deal. Quite an accomplishment. You know, those of us in the industry really held our breaths over that one, but you brought it home. And it really increased the bottom line for KMM, made them one of the big boys. Fantastic work, Ms. Briggs.”
“Thank you. Please call me Fatimah.”
“You know, Fatimah, I could really use a closer like you on my team.”
Xiomara was the CEO of Stallworth Global Holdings, one of the top two financial investment companies on the West Coast. They’re respected worldwide, and working for her would really do wonders for my resume, not to mention my bottom line.
Finally, our waters came. As we both reached for the same glass, her hand brushed against mine. I was caught off guard and tried to play it off.
She didn’t.
“I’m sorry,” she said, handing me her glass. “You first.”
I took it. We raised our drinks.
“Let’s toast to a future with you as my new counsel.”
“Huh? Didn’t know I was interviewing for a job with Stallworth.”
“Ms. Briggs, you’re an educated professional, so you understand we’re always being watched, even when we don’t know it. I’ve certainly been following your career.”
“I’m flattered,” I said to her. “So you’re offering me a position in your company? We haven’t even talked terms yet.”
“Just tell me what it would take to steal you away from Jack Kittman. Name your price.”
Before I could say anything, she wrote a number on a napkin and slid it across the table. It was in the low six figures! My eyes widened as I thought, Girl, that’s twice what Mr. Kittman pays me!
“Am I in the ballpark?” Xiomara asked.
In the ballpark? You just hit a grand slam! I mumbled to myself. I tried to play it cool, act disinterested.
I was doing a bad job at it.
Bad move to give in too easily, I thought.
“I’ll need some time to think about it,” I told her. “And of course, to resign with proper notice. If I decide to take the job.”
“Well, the position is yours to refuse. I won’t consider any other candidates until I hear from you. Your qualifications are outstanding, and we’d love to have you here. You’re just what we need at Stallworth.”
“I’ll consider it.”
“Great. Here’s my cell number. Call anytime.”
She slipped a piece of paper into my palm. Her perfectly-manicured nails lingered an extra moment, grazing my nervous fingers lightly as she pulled them away.
I looked around the restaurant to see if anyone else there knew me. The last thing I needed was someone telling KMM that I was having lunch with another firm.
I knew it was an amazing opportunity, but I had to be careful. For all I know, Xiomara might have known exactly what Kittman paid me. Maybe she had even talked to him. I had to see where she was going with this. I knew I was worth the money -- after all, I did pull off that merger! And while I felt I was off my game some because of all the drama with Malcolm, I knew that was only temporary.
Yeah, Xiomara ran SGH and her game was definitely on point, but I was a bad chick in my own right, and I wasn’t going out like that! I knew I was the right person for the job, but that wasn’t the issue.
Xiomara broke the silence with a request. “And Fatimah?” she said.
“Yes?”
“You’re a lawyer. Draw something up and call me.” She winked.
“It may take me a few weeks to get back to you,” I told her. “I want to check out a few things before I make a decision about your extremely generous offer. I need to do some research, see what other attorneys with my experience and credentials are getting.”
Sounds good, I thought to myself.
I’m sure she could tell that I was lying.
Bad chick or not, I wasn’t fooling Xiomara. She knew that I wanted her!


Imani has been writing since she could hold a pencil. Her early works consisted of poetry and short stories written under the name C. Highsmith-Hooks. Her first book, “The Soul of a Black Woman: From a Whisper to a Shout,” was published in 2002. The collection of reflective poetry earned her a spot in Literary Divas: The Top 100+ Most Admired African-American Women in Literature, a 2006 Amber Books Publication.
Her first collaboration with Ms. Dreama Skye produced Strawberries, Stilettos, and Steam, a collection of erotic stories published by NCM Publishing in the summer of 2010. That same year, one of Imani’s stories was published in Delphine Publications’ Between the Sheets anthology. Both books won Literary Awards.
A native New Yorker at heart, Imani currently resides in Las Vegas, where she works a traditional 9 to 5 until the pen pays her bills. When she’s not writing, she enjoys watching crime thrillers, traveling, and taking pictures. She is the mother of one grown son.
In addition to working on several e-books, another short story collection, a few anthologies, and four screenplays, Imani is gearing up for the release of several novels in the genre of erotic crime thrillers.
A Little Sumthin’ Sumthin’ is the first of these works.

Get to Know Imani:
When did you start writing? I started writing at the age of six. I was in 1st grade, and the story was called “My Shadow and I.”

How did you come up with the ideas for this book? I pieced this story together from various life experiences of myself, friends, and family.

In general, how do you get started with writing a story? My stories could begin as an idea, a sentence, a quote I hear, or a title that jumps into my mind. Even someone I see who I think I can base one of my characters on.

How do you handle writer’s block? I step back from the work and let it breathe. I generally work on something else until I’m unblocked.

What genres of books do you like to read? Inspirational, Urban, Erotica, Drama. I don’t limit myself to just the genres I write. The only genres I don’t read are fantasy and vampire stuff because I don’t really enjoy those, but other than that, I’ll read almost anything else.

Who are your favorite authors? Sistah Souljah, Ernest Gaines, James Baldwin, James Patterson, Nathan McCall. My favorite contemporary writers are Queen B.G., Monique Mensah, Terry B., and Ni’cola Mitchell, who happens to be my publisher.
What’s next? I have several crime novels that will go straight to e-book, as well as some stories in upcoming anthologies.

Web-links:
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorImaniTrue
Facebook Fan Page for Book: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Little-Sumthin-Sumthin-by-True/175456342555533
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/authorimanitrue
Author Site: http://www.chighsmithhooks.webs.com
Blog: http://truerotica.blogspot.com

E-mail: imanitrue@hotmail.com or thewritertrue@ymail.com

Purchase link for Book: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Sumthin-Imani-True/dp/0983346127/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327629360&sr=1-1

Book Trailer Link: http://youtu.be/nGsiBiPMpPU