Full Figured 16

by La Jill Hunt, Kamaryn Hunt

Genres: African American Urban

Synopsis

La Jill Hunt teams up with her daughter Kamaryn for two stories about beloved characters, Sonya Duncan and CoCo Brown, from some of Carl Weber’s most popular novels—and these two big, beautiful women are not afraid to live life to the fullest.
Married to a Duncan by La Jill Hunt: Sassy and full figured, Sonya Duncan has been living a fantasy since the day she met her lovable husband, Junior Duncan. But being married to a Duncan is a blessing and a curse. She’s living the life of luxury
that she’s always dreamed of, but it also means being part of a family whose line of business puts them in danger almost every day. Sonya has to face that reality when Junior’s work ends up following him home, and she finds out what it means to be part of the family business.
Girl Like Me by Kamaryn Hunt: When Sierra Boyd’s long-time boyfriend suggests they take a break, she sets out to win him back. Her efforts seem to be working, until she finds out there’s a new “Insta-thot” on his arm. Frustrated with always
being the “good girl,” Sierra embarks on a new transformation and decides it time to date on her own terms and live her best life: Hot Girl Summer, here we come!
After a casual meetup gone wrong suddenly goes right, she finds herself in bed with the last guy she’d ever consider speaking to, let alone sleeping with. Is he more than she bargained for, or is he exactly what a girl like her needs?

Release date: January 25, 2022

Publisher: Urban Books

Print pages: 288

Sample

“You all have full access to the community amenities: pool, clubhouse, and fitness center. Everything you need is in this folder, and you have my number if you need me,” Charlene Bivins said as she extended the manila folder.

I smiled at the pleasant Realtor we’d spent most of the morning with. She was a nice-looking woman in her mid-forties who spoke with a heavy Southern accent. That accent was something I realized I’d have to get used to because it seemed that everyone we’d encountered since arriving in Houston two days ago had the same one. I was sure our New York accents sounded just as foreign to the native Texans as theirs did to me.

“Thank you so much, Charlene. We appreciate everything you’ve done for us.” Junior, my husband, took the folder and shook Charlene’s hand.

“It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Duncan. Here are your keys. Oh, and the security company should be here shortly to make sure the alarm system is in place.” Charlene held up two sets of keys.

“Actually, that won’t be necessary. My family has a preferred company we deal with that we’ll be using,” Junior told her as he took the keys.

“Are you sure? The service is already included in your builder’s contract, and the monthly service is free for the first six months.” Charlene sounded confused by Junior’s rejection. I was sure she thought she was doing us a favor, but little did she know, one thing my husband’s family did not take lightly was their security. Even before marrying into the family, I’d quickly learned that being a Duncan meant being safe. And being safe meant having the right kind of protection.

“I’m positive,” Junior assured her.

“Well, okay then. If you change your mind, just let me know.” Charlene smiled as we walked her to the front door.

“You’ve been great, Charlene. Thank you so much,” Junior told her.

“You’ve been a great client, Mr. Duncan. I gotta say, this is probably the easiest sale I’ve ever made.” She looked over at me. “Congratulations again on your recent nuptials, and welcome to Texas.”

I suppressed my initial reaction and instead gave a pleasant smile. “Thank you.”

Charlene walked down the driveway and got into the Volvo station wagon with her photo and contact information displayed on the door. When she drove off, I turned to Junior.

“Sale?”

Junior shrugged. “Welcome home, baby.”

I threw my arms around Junior’s thick torso as he leaned down to kiss me. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve a man who loved me the way he did, but I was grateful. From the moment we met, the love between us was real. It was the thing that had allowed us to endure everything we’d had to in such a short period of time. I’d sworn off love forever after my first marriage to Charles, who changed his name to Brother X after converting to Islam. Eventually, Brother X became the leader of the Brotherhood, a murderous gang who specialized in street assassinations. His criminal activity landed him in jail, but he continued tormenting me from behind bars, especially after I tried to divorce him. It was Junior and his family who finally helped me become free.

“Junior, I can’t believe you bought us a house,” I gushed when our passionate kiss finally ended. “You don’t think it’s too soon though? I mean, what if we don’t like it here?”

Junior shrugged. “We sell it and go back home or wherever you wanna go.”

“You are amazing, do you know that?” I said, still in disbelief.

“You don’t understand how hard I was praying during the walk-through. I was so focused on surprising you that it didn’t dawn on me that there was a chance that you might not like it until we got here.”

“I mean, I don’t like it.” I sighed.

“You don’t?” He frowned.

“I love it. It’s absolutely perfect, baby.” I smiled and grabbed his hand.

The house was absolutely gorgeous. Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, with a game room, which Junior already claimed as his “mancave,” and a state-of-the-art kitchen that I already imagined enjoying as I whipped up some of my favorite dishes and desserts. It wasn’t too big, nor too small, especially since we’d already started talking about starting a family.

“Are you sure? Because, you know, we don’t have to keep it. If you don’t love it, we can find another one you want,” Junior told me. “I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy, Junior. I’ve been happy since the day we met, and it has nothing to do with a house. You make me happy no matter where we are. You already know that.” I sighed.

“You’re right. We’re happy as long as we’re together.” He nodded and pulled me close. “But don’t act like you haven’t been dropping hints about being ready to move.”

I couldn’t help laughing. For the past two weeks, since moving to our new state of residence, we’d been staying at The St. Regis hotel in downtown Houston. As much as I loved the superior five-star accommodations of the governor’s suite, including our butler service, there was only so much afternoon tea and eating in restaurants I could take. I was ready to enjoy our own space, not to mention that you could only be so loud while having hotel sex. I was ready to be loud.

“I haven’t been that bad, have I?”

“You’ve definitely been dropping hints, that’s for sure. The comment you made to the waiter the other night at dinner was quite obvious.” He raised an eyebrow at me.

“What? My bread pudding is better,” I said. “And I meant what I said—whenever I get into my own kitchen and make it, I’m gonna bring him some so he can taste it.”

“Well, we got something else to make before you make that.” Junior grinned.

“What’s that?” I peered at him.

“A baby to put into one of those extra bedrooms.” He playfully grabbed my ass.

I allowed him the feel, enjoying it myself, then swatted him away. “Aren’t you putting the cart before the horse, sir?”

“How’s that? I put a ring on it already.” He lifted my left hand, which held my five-carat Asscher-cut diamond wedding ring.

“We gonna make our baby on the floor?” I asked.

“Of course not, unless that’s where you wanna make it,” he said, then pointed to the large moving truck heading toward us.

I watched as it turned into the driveway of our new home. “Wait, you already bought furniture?”

“Just a bed. Don’t worry. Ma sent me pictures of the one you liked from your Pinterest, and I got it. The rest of the home is yours to do with as you wish, but I wanted to make sure we were prepared in case you were satisfied with the house,” he said. “I figured you might wanna go ahead and christen our bedroom.”

I took his hand and pulled him toward the door. “Junior Duncan, you have no idea.”

We didn’t waste any time moving out of the hotel, but not before the high-tech smart-security system was in place and up to Junior’s standard. He made sure there was full video surveillance of the entire house, inside and out, and motion sensors for all the doors and windows. The comprehensive system gave us access to everything—locks, garage door opener, lights, sirens, even the sprinkler system—from our phones via Wi-Fi.

“Baby, don’t you think this is a bit much?” I asked as he showed me how to access everything from my phone.

“Nope, it’s not.” He shook his head.

“But isn’t part of the reason we moved out here was so that you didn’t have to live like this anymore?” I referred to the Duncan compound we’d left behind in New York where we lived with the rest of his family. They even had their own security detail.

“Well, technically, we moved so I could get a fresh start and start my own business,” Junior reminded her. “But I’m still a Duncan, and now so are you.”

Junior’s parents, LC and Chippy Duncan, had done well for themselves with their car dealership, Duncan Motors. Secretly being one of the largest international narcotics dealers added to their fortune and was also the cause for the extreme security measures. Each of the Duncan siblings had a position within the business. Orlando was a brilliant scientist who created new products for distribution. London, the older of Junior’s two sisters, was married with children but recently began her own business ventures. Youngest brother Rio owned an upscale nightclub. Paris, Rio’s twin, was the troublemaker of the family who did more damage than good. The one who was most like his father was his brother Vegas, groomed to take over the Duncan family dynasty but unable to do so because he was currently behind bars and looked like he would be there for a while. For years, Junior had been relegated to be the “muscle” of the family. At six foot five and nearly 300 pounds, his size played a major part in his role in the Duncan empire. Now that he was married, he desired more. I had no problem supporting my husband, and I encouraged him to follow his dreams. So when he decided to use his love of cars and experience as a mechanic to start his own racing team, I encouraged him. Moving across the country was a new adventure for us, and I welcomed the opportunity for a fresh start for just the two of us.

“Okay, baby, if you think all of this is necessary, then better safe than sorry.” I shrugged.

“Exactly.” He winked. “Plus, I can see what your fine ass is doing when I’m not home.”

“Two can play that game, sir. If you stalking me, I can stalk you too.” I laughed.

“You already know the only thing you gonna catch me doing is either sleeping or watching SportsCenter. The same thing I do when you’re here with me.” Junior grinned.

He was right. My husband was crazy about me, and I was confident that spying on him was something I wouldn’t have to do. Not only did he constantly affirm me verbally, but his actions were proof that he loved me. I made sure to reciprocate and that he knew where home was. Junior Duncan wasn’t going anywhere.

“I am glad we got everything done and most of the house furnished. You know tomorrow is my big day.” I snuggled beside him on the comfortable leather sofa that had been delivered a couple of days prior.

“You aren’t nervous, are you?” He looked down at me. “You don’t have to do this. Honestly, you know I prefer that you didn’t.”

“Junior, we’ve talked about this. I enjoy working, and I plan to do so until I have a reason not to. My job is fulfilling for me.” I sighed. “And to answer your question, no, I’m not nervous. I’m excited more than anything. I’ve already met the doctors and other staff of the practice, and everyone seems cool. Already knowing Isis does make it a little easier for me. She’s just as crazy as her sister.”

Isis, my soon-to-be new coworker, was the sister of my best friend, Jasmine. Once she found out I was moving to Texas, she called and let me know that the office she worked for had an opening that she knew I’d be perfect for. One application and a single Zoom interview, and before we’d made it to the state, I was the new triage nurse at Houston Women’s Wellness, one of the busiest OB-GYN clinics in the city. I was grateful not only to have a new job but also a friend in the area.

“I can’t imagine anybody crazier than Jazz. I hope she ain’t as man-hungry,” Junior teased.

“My bestie is not man-hungry. She’s just ready to love.”

“She’s ready to lust, that’s what she is.”

I playfully slapped Junior on the chest. He grabbed my hand and began kissing my fingers. It was a small gesture, but I found myself turned on. In one swift movement, I straddled him, enjoying the feel of his lips as they made their way along my wrist, up my arm, and finally to my collarbone.

“Mmmmm.” A slight moan escaped me as I slipped my hand into his sweatpants and found what I was looking for. “Seems like you’re the one ready for some lust.”

“Damn right I am.” He slipped my shirt over my head and proceeded to taste each and every inch of my body before making love to me on the floor. It felt good to be able to enjoy moments like this with no one else around. Having our own space was something I planned to enjoy for a long time. And I was looking forward to christening each and every room of our new home.

“You should just call and tell them you’ll start tomorrow instead of today,” Junior said the next morning as we both got dressed for work.

“I’m not doing that.” I shook my head.

“I know you’re tired. It’s not like either one of us got any sleep last night.”

“That wasn’t my fault.” I looked at him from the corner of my eye. “You’re the one who wanted to live in Fort Knox, not me.”

Most of our sleep the night before had been interrupted by the security system going off. It was so sensitive that the slightest movement would set it off: the AC unit turning on, a pillow falling off the bed, a raccoon in the backyard. At one point I told him to just disconnect the thing, but he refused.

“I promise I’ll have it fixed today. As a matter of fact, I already texted the owner of the company, and they’re sending someone out this morning.” He added, “But I still plan on dropping you off.”

“No, you don’t have to do that, Junior. I can drive myself. B. . .