Free Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young

Dre said, walking up to her. “You kept up for almost the whole class.”
    Angela pressed the towel to her face again. “Let’s just hope I’ve lost a pound or two.”
    “Exactly how much you tryin’ to lose?”
    “Twenty pounds would about do it.”
    “That’s way too much. I like women with—” Dre stopped, then smiled. “A woman needs to have a little meat on her bones.”
    Dre’s slip of the tongue intrigued her. Maybe he was feeling the same attraction she was trying to deny. When she’d pulled into the parking structure earlier, she’d found herself excited about the prospect of seeing him.
    Angela chuckled and slapped the side of her thigh. “I assure you, there will still be plenty of meat left to spare.”
    They both headed into the workout room next door and grabbed floor mats to stretch. As she crouched next to him, Angela noticed a horseshoe symbol branded on his upper right arm.
    “So you’re a Q-dog?” she asked, referring to the fraternity, Omega Psi Phi.
    Dre glanced down at his arm. “Yep.”
    “Where’d you pledge?”
    “Long Beach State,” Dre replied. “What about you? Delta or AKA?”
    “Neither. Too busy studying. I regret not pledging, though.”
    Dre leaned forward, grabbed his toes and held the pose for way longer than Angela could have. “Where’d you go to college?” he asked.
    “Stanford.”
    Dre arched a brow, obviously impressed.
    “So what do you do for fun?” Angela asked.
    “I read a lot, work out, hang out with my son. He’s seven. That’s about it. My regular gig is fixin’ up foreclosures and flippin’ ’em.
    So he had a son. Angela wondered if that also meant he had a wife. A lot of men didn’t wear wedding rings.
    “And what’s your gig?” Dre asked.
    “I’m a government lawyer,” she said, trying to sound matter of fact. Many men wilted with intimidation the minute they heard the word lawyer. She saw no need to add that she was a federal prosecutor.
    “That’s tight,” he said.
    “What do you like to read?” Angela asked.
    “Mostly business books, biographies and political stuff. If I read any fiction, it’s usually street lit. Lately, I’ve been readin’ some interesting psychology books.”
    “Yeah, right,” Angela said teasingly. “Name the last psychology book you read.”
    Dre cocked his head and stroked his goatee. “I can’t believe you’re dissin’ me. I just finished Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. You read it?”
    “No, I haven’t.”
    “You should check it out. He talks about how people make decisions and judgments in the blink of an eye. It’s pretty heavy.”
    “How long have you been married?” The question was out before Angela could assess the propriety of asking it.
    “Who said I was married?” Dre stroked his goatee again.
    He had the cutest dimples. “Well, are you?”
    “You must be pretty good in court ’cuz you sure know how to jam a brother up. No, I’m not married.” Dre leaned forward for a final stretch, then stood.
    He extended his hand and helped Angela to her feet. They walked downstairs and just as they were about to part, Dre slowed. “Since you’ve been all up in my Kool-Aid, can I ask you something?”
    “Sure,” Angela said.
    “Where’s the dude who gave you that big ass rock? Why don’t he ever work out with you?”
    Angela made an exaggerated show of glancing at the clock on the wall behind them. “Let’s see, eight-thirty on a weeknight? Unfortunately, my fiancé is probably still at work. And he doesn’t like gyms. Too many germs.”
    “Tell him I said he needs to keep closer tabs on his woman.” Dre treated her to his killer smile. “Somebody might move in on him.”
    Angela smiled back. “I’ll be sure to give him the message.”
     
     
    The next morning, Dre stood shirtless in front of his bathroom mirror, his head lathered with foam, carefully shaving his scalp with a razor. The daily task was a hassle, but the look worked