Eris, Demon Lover excerpt from Chapter Three
Ben turned his head right and observed a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police SUV next to his on the passenger's side. To his horror, he watched the woman wag her very long, wide tongue at the driver and flash her middle finger. She sat back in her seat, laughing and playing with the one-inch leather choker around her neck.
"What the hell's wrong with you!" Ben growled. "Are you crazy? Don't you know what can happen to a Black man pulled over by the police?" After half a minute that seemed like several, the light finally changed from red to green and both vehicles rolled forward.
The woman smiled. "Don't worry, Benji, nothing's gonna happen."
Ben watched the black and white police SUV change lanes so it followed directly behind him. His heartbeat accelerated. "We're in for it now, thanks to you. If they pull us over, let me do all the talking."
"They're not going to pull us over."
"And how do you know this?"
"Because they were just notified that there's a disturbance at a convenience store six blocks west of here."
Ben felt his spirits sink when the vehicle behind him flashed its blue and red lights. He eased his SUV to the right with the rest of the drivers doing likewise, like chickens crowding each other after being tossed a handful of feed. The police SUV raced past him silently and picked up speed. Ben breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head. He resumed his journey. "Eris," he said. "Pronounced like Paris but without the P."
"What's that?"
"That's your name," Ben said. "Eris, the Greek goddess of strife and discord."
Now named, Eris flashed Ben a crooked smile and tapped him on the arm. "Smart ass, but I like it." She mashed her full lips together for a few seconds before speaking. "Clever, well-read and handsome. You'll do."
"Thanks," Ben replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. He turned right onto a residential street. After a couple of blocks, he turned right again into a driveway. He pressed the garage door opener attached to his sun visor and eased his SUV into the middle of an uncluttered, one-and-a-half-car garage attached to a modest, single-story house. "We're home," he announced and shut off the engine.
Eris smiled. "Good." She tugged on the door handle and pushed her door open. "Let's get this party started."
