Read Primal: Part One for Free Online

such good care of you, why do you want to take it any further?  Sounds like you got a good thing going.”
    “I went to Vegas.”
    She brought a hand up to smother her laughter.
    His eyes twinkled.  “I love to see you laugh.  I miss that.  I miss you.”
    Her face heated.  “I miss you too, Jovan – even though you’re a lot different now.”
    “I’ve changed for the better,” he assured her.
    “We’ll see.  Tell me what happened in Vegas.”
    He raised one eyebrow.  It was a small, sexy gesture.  “Now, you know they say:  What happens in Vegas–”
    “Bullshit.  Don’t get shy on me now.”
    He studied her soft features, wondering why she never gave it up in high school.  Back then, Monica was not like the others.  But if he’d given it his all…
    He said, “I met a lot of prostitutes in Vegas.  They were… inspirational.”

 
    CHAPTER FIVE
    LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
     
    Flesh of my flesh
    Bone of my bone
    God gave me a rib
    So why should I roam?
    Why should I disappear
    And not answer the phone
    And forget I have children?
    Like a dog with a bone
    Sniffing for some new tail
    Gotta have it
    I’m gone
     
    The trip to Vegas was to celebrate Morris Glover’s upcoming nuptials.  Jovan had known Morris since the sixth grade.  They grew up in the same neighborhood and attended school together until Jovan graduated two years ahead of him.  Jovan’s younger brother Luke was Morris’ age, so they were closer childhood friends.  As adults the threesome was as thick as thieves.  For the Vegas trip, Morris invited another homey, Jesse, who was a friend from work.
    The guys gave Morris a hard time about willingly giving up his player card and agreeing to have sex with only one woman for the rest of his life, but it was all in good fun.  Jovan knew Morris’ fiancé personally, and he thought his buddy had made an excellent pick.
    Vivian was smart and focused; a homicide detective for Overbrook Meadows PD.  Not only could she cook a mean casserole, but she could hold her own in a room full of surly men.  Plus she had given Morris two sweet, baby girls; one of which was about to start Pre-K.  Stepping up to the plate and marrying her was not only Morris’ best move, but it was long overdue.
    But that didn’t stop his buddies from giving him a hard time as they sat near the bar at the extravagant Palazzo Hotel.   It was after midnight on a warm, moonlit night.  The sights and sounds from the casino were electrifying.  Morris’ crew was liquored-up and boisterous.  Friday was the first of two nights they’d be in town.  They all looked forward to his official bachelor party on Saturday.
    “Tell me you’re gonna get some ass while we’re down here,” Luke said.
    “Man, you tripping,” Morris replied.  He was a tall man with an okay build.  Anyone who saw his gut could tell that he had a woman at home taking care of him.
    “Naw, for real, though,” Luke pressed.  “We in Vegas now, where anything goes.  It wouldn’t even be considered cheating.”
    Jovan’s brother was nearly as handsome as he was and almost as buff.  When Jovan made weight training a priority in college, his little brother was his favorite and most reliable workout buddy.  Luke was able to achieve a well-toned, muscular physique, but he was five inches shorter than Jovan and couldn’t reach his brother’s massive size.  In his heyday, Jovan tipped the scale at 240 pounds of mostly hulkish muscles, while his brother felt more comfortable at 210.
    “Just because we’re in Vegas don’t mean I got a green light to cheat,” Morris told him.  “Viv was cool enough to let me come.  I don’t wanna do anything to ruin it when I get back.”
    “Did she tell you specifically not to cheat?” Luke wondered.
    Morris shook his head.  “She told me not to do anything that would make it hard for me to look her in the eyes when I get back.”
    “Shit, sounds like a green light to me!”  Luke laughed and