Carmen's jealousy rages out of control when she sees their pimp falling for her sister and sets off a chain of events that land Cashmere in jail.

    Original. 15,000 first printing.

    He has a father he looks up to and an older brother who keeps him under his wing--until the day his father crosses a line that changes everything. Tone is forced to enter a world he knew nothing about. Detective Abraham is obsessed with power and money, so he has figured out a way to play on both sides of the tracks when it comes to organized crime. The only thing stopping him from making it to the top spot is Santiago, one of the most feared suppliers in the country. Santiago's only weakness is his daughter, Serena. Detective Abraham develops a plan that involves his son, Tone, getting close to Serena.Against his better judgment, Tone goes along with his father's plan and sets out to win Serena over with his charm. What he hasn't planned on is Serena turning the tables and stealing his heart. Now Tone is faced with choices that leave him questioning his loyalty to his family.

    As a result, she considers herself to be unattractive and condones the misuse of her body. Sky Taylor is beautiful, fly and wanted, and loves reminding Parade of her imperfections especially after suspecting that she may be sleeping with her man, Jay Hernandez. Miss Wayne is hilarious and a self-proclaimed girlfriend who enjoys the attention his friends bring. If you let Miss Wayne tell it, he's not a gay, he s just one of the girls. Daffany Stans uses her body for profit and hides a health secret so serious that it could endanger the lives of her friends, considering their sex partners are so closely related. Black & Ugly is a tale of four totally different friends from the same block, whose friendship is tested during a seemingly innocent game of Truth or Dare. When fatal secrets begin to surface, will Parade give up the friend whose shadow she has walked in all her life? And will Miss Wayne and Daphne abandon their friends to save themselves?

    She has more game in the streets than a basketball player does on the court, and her boyfriend, Fame, loves every single inch of her. But unlike her mother, who has been in one bad relationship after another, Desember is not going to wait on a knight in shining armor to save her, and even her love for Fame can’t stand in the way of Desember selling anything and everything—legal or illegal—that can turn a profit, so that she never has to depend on a man. The only thing Desember feels she’s lacking is a father to call her own. And her mother refuses to tell Desember who he is.When Fame finds himself at the wrong end of a gun, fighting for his life, Desember wants nothing more than to stand by her man, but Fame warns her from his hospital bed that she isn’t safe. Desember wonders if she was the real target. Her mother, concerned for Desember’s safety, arranges for her daughter to travel to Richmond, Virginia, to live with Desember’s father and his wife.And when her father’s identity is finally revealed, Desember learns that she is a Natural Born Hustler.But are her troubles really over? Or is the worst yet to come?

    For a 17-year-old, Amina has a decent life. But after meeting her father and 23-year-old brother for the first time, things take a turn for the worse. Amina ends up alone, trying to fend for herself and save her boyfriend, Kayne, from 3 years in jail. Amina must prove her loyalty to Kayne, but can you be a Down Chick without being locked down yourself? This is a question that never crosses Amina’s mind, leading her to make the ultimate mistake of her life. Author Mallori McNeal began writing Down Chick at age 14, during the summer before she began her first year in high school. She completed Down Chick and was accepted for publishing at age 16. Mallori currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    On one hand, she has found happiness with the love of her life, Raheem "Rah-Lo" Henderson. He is unhappily married with children, and Celeste is his well-kept secret. He loves Celeste without question, proving his affection for her by financing her dream- a beauty salon called Dime Piece. But when Rah-Lo is incarcerated for his part in a brutal crime, his right hand man Ishmael Wright is left to hold down the fort. This causes him to come face to face with the feelings he has secretly harbored for Celeste for far too long. While Rah-Lo's away, will Celeste and Ishmael give into their passion for each other, or will their loyalty to Rah-Lo stand in their way? Meanwhile, Dime Piece is the setting for tons of drama between hairstylists Charly, Nina and Robin. The ladies vie for one man's attention and the fireworks begin. Dime Piece is packed with drama, love triangles and passionate encounters. The question is, which of the ladies will ultimately be the one and only Dime Piece?

    Unfortunately that man is married, and she once again crosses paths with controlling T-Roc. When Tyler thinks her life can't get any more complicated, she falls in love with Andre Jackson. He has it all--money, fame, movie star looks, and the bad boy reputation that Tyler vowed to avoid. But more than that Andre has Chantal Morgan, long term girlfriend and mother of his child, who is determined to go from hooker to housewife. Has Tyler finally met her match?

    After Tamar damn near killed Rozalyn a little over a year ago; the couple decided to cut their losses and move on. Rozalyn does her best to become a better, independent woman being she no longer has Tamar to depend on. She goes to school, opens her own beauty shop, and is even thinking of starting her own clothing line. Everything is going good especially when she meets Messiah; he sweeps her off her feet and shows her what true love is. Tamar feels since he's gotten rid of all of his enemies he's ready to jump back in the game. With a new lady on his arm, things are looking up and of course the cash is flowing nicely. That is until Messiah comes home and looks to reclaim his spot as the King of Miami. Messiah is messing with Tamar's paper and his woman. With the two men fighting for the crown and the girl; things will get rather ugly. Who will Rozalyn choose in the end? The guy that she bared three kids with and has gone through hell and back with, or the guy that treats her better than royalty? A choice must be made, but will that choice be a deadly one? This is the end and endings aren't always happily ever after.

    She's also babelicious, with ginger-colored skin and more curves than the Liberty Bell. But if Kayla's all that, how come she can't find the one thing she's gotta have: "The One. Someone jonezing for me… someone to chill with, lay up under, and be around."When Kayla sets off on a manhunt for Mr. Right, she finds herself hooking up with every hustler, nut, and fast-talking player in Philadelphia. There's Emar, the basketball hotshot who makes his best moves off-court; good-looking Terry, who gets downright scary during a weekend in Jersey; and Reese, who'd be da bomb if he'd only drop his white girlfriend. But it's Kayla's relationship with smooth and sexy Wil that really rocks her world and teaches her how to fight for a man—and for her own independence. For love doesn't get truly crazy until it's the real thing… and the only people who don't get played are the ones who stay out of the game.Featuring the frank and feisty viewpoint of a modern, streetwise young woman, Yo Yo Love is edgy, uncensored, and wildly entertaining. It's a tour de force that tells it like it is… and tells it all.

    Rock's a reclusive hitman and "cleaner" who's been in service to Candy's father for years. He takes her in, and together they vow to avenge the murders. When she turns eighteen, her plans go into effect as she knocks off all her father's enemies, one by one, going up against some of the most dangerous killers in the game. But has she put her trust in the right hands? Or is she destined to face the same grisly fate as the rest of her family?

    Beneath Simone’s long fake hair, phony smile, and saline booty is a web of trickery, lies, and murder. After being attacked by Jimmy, Simone’s web of lies begins to violently unravel. One by one, her skeletons are falling out of the closet and revealing her true colors. While Simone fights to keep the man and life that she stole, Chance is fighting desperately to keep his life with Gia. Amidst the hot and steamy passion, which builds between Gia and Chance like a scorching inferno, is the fear of Chance being locked away for the rest of his life. After a visit from the new detective assigned to Aeysha’s murder case, Eboni is intent on making Omari see the truth about Simone and her wicked ways. In Secrets of a Side Bitch 3, everyone is forced to come clean and admit their true involvement in Aeysha Walker’s murder. And finally Simone is forced to make a decision ‒ either face the aftermath of her destruction or run away from the man that she fought so hard to get.

    At 15, Cartier formed her own crew aptly named the Cartier Cartel. The main and only vision of the crew; Cartier, Monya, Bam, Lil Momma, and Shanine was to do petty crimes in order to wear the flyest gear. While Monya loves boys, clothes, and money (in that order), Cartier is tired of petty boosting to keep a few dollars in her pockets. Always wise beyond her years, Cartier observes how the corner boys hustle drugs and figures her crew could do the same. She's forced to make a life-altering decision.

    For Unique a.k.a. Nique, Kiara, Kay Kay and Zoe, tomorrow isn't promised, love doesn't exist and men ain't shit. Stealing cars is their hustle and their way of doing it is Simply Unique. But jealousy, greed, love and envy are lurking in the shadows. For only the strong will survive and the weak shall fall. Unique knows this but the game of love has won her over. Once she decides to leave the only hustle she knows for the man she loves, her drama begins. When loyalty amongst family is questioned and their fate is unanswered, who will hold who down?

    Later that night, Kennedy gets a call that Nina is being beaten up by her boyfriend- again. Kennedy rushes over to help, but it's too late: Nina dies in Kennedy's arms after making her promise to take care of her children.Stepping up to the plate, Kennedy becomes the mother of three more kids and moves them into a Harlem brownstone. She knows she needs to refocus her life, and gets her chance when she meets Chaz, a successful hip-hop artist who sees star quality written all over her. She's offered the chance to become a rapper and leave the streets behind- or at least shift to another kind of grind. But once in the music world, Kennedy realizes that the setting may have changed, but the hustle remains the same.