Read The Law of Desire for Free Online

of muscle that made up his chest.
    “Why’d you walk away, Minnie? Did my appearance throw a wrench in your plans to try and sell your wares to Carla?”
    “Go to hell.”
    “She says she knows you and you’re her girl. But she got awfully quiet when I mentioned your relationship with known drug dealers.”
    She pursed her lips.
    “How long are you planning to stay in Paterson, Minnie? ”
    “Why? You planning on throwing me a party, Officer? ” She slanted her left eye and licked her lips, leaning over slightly so the little bit of cleavage she had made its presence known.
    She could tell he was gritting his teeth by the pull in his jaw. His lip twitched and his eyes lost their typical suspicious stare. She licked her lips again before rolling her eyes.
    “You need to stop harassing me, Detective Hightower. People might get the wrong idea and think you like me or something.”
    There was a pause before his lips curled into a snarl. “Anyone in their right mind would know you are certainly not my type of woman. I like them taller, shapelier and, most important, crime-free.”
    She felt a pain slice through her heart. No way should she have felt anything akin to hurt because the idiot cop had basically rejected her. She didn’t want him to want her. She wanted him to leave her the hell alone. She gave him a once-over and noticed the considerable bulge in his pants. She might not have a lot of experience with men, but she’d kissed and made out enough times to know when a guy was getting excited. Between his bulge and his gulping for air like a fish out of water when she licked her lips, she thought maybe, just maybe, the detective was protesting a little too much.
    She licked her lips again and watched his Adam’s apple bounce. Looking up, she found his penetrating gaze zeroed in on her lips. And glancing down she found his bulge still prominent.
    “Well, since I’m not your type, maybe you might want to send a memo to the rest of your body, because clearly parts of you haven’t been told the news.” With that she cut her eyes and walked back to the front of the Laundromat.
    She eyed Carla for a moment to ascertain if the cop had poisoned the woman’s mind against her. The older woman smiled and winked at her. So she retook her seat next to Carla and they both watched as Lawrence gave Gerald a pound before leaving. She had a feeling she hadn’t seen the last of him for the day.
    “You’re not really a drug dealer, are you?” Carla asked.
    “No.”
    Carla smiled. “I didn’t think so. An old recovering addict like me can spot a dealer a mile away. And you didn’t give off a dealer vibe.”
    “My father was a heroin addict. He died of a drug overdose, but not before infecting my mother with HIV/AIDS.” Minerva had no idea why she shared that with the older woman. She didn’t go around telling the world. But she felt sort of close to Carla and like she needed to say it, even if it brought home just how truly alone she was in the world at the moment.
    Carla pursed her lips in contemplation. “My goodness, I’m so sorry. Well, Lawrence is right even though he is being a jackass to you. You need to watch the company you keep. A lot of messed-up stuff can happen to a young girl on these streets if she’s not careful. You couldn’t have told me when I was your age that I would end up addicted to crack and letting some lowlife dealer and pimp use and abuse my body. I’m blessed to have made it out. But not everyone is able to say that. Don’t press your luck.”
    Minerva nodded. She could have gone on and on about how she wasn’t going to get caught up. But something about the advice and the way it had been given told her all that wasn’t necessary. She didn’t have to prove herself to Carla. The woman was just being helpful.
    “Whew! I’ve done my good deed for the week! That took a lot out of me. Ha! Hey, Gerald I think the clothes stopped. You need to put them in the dryer. I don’t want to be