Read Efun's Jazz Excerpt Now!
'Laja and Nicole are closer to you than you think...
Around this time in 2022, I was a hopeful writer with no single published paperback, dreaming of the day that I would become a mainstream romance author on the continent. I had a romance series running on the Pan African website and a huge dream.
Today, four years later, my dream has paid off, and it feels so good!
If you’ve been following me anywhere or you’re in the least bit interested in whatever I get up to, you must know by now that my romance series, Efun’s Jazz, has been turned into a paperback and will be released on August 11th, 2026.
As we count down to the release, I have decided to share an excerpt of the novel with you guys. I hope that you enjoy it and it even giddies you up some more ahead of the release.
Read part of the excerpt below and go on to Brittle Paper to finish it;
NICOLE
I must have dozed off, collapsed beneath the weight of three different magazines with interviews from Fortune 500 CEOs that I grabbed from Clara’s coffee table at work, when my phone rings, jolting me awake. A deep, familiar voice forces me to my feet immediately.
“Hey. I’m on your street. Where did you say your house was again?”
“What do you mean you’re on my street?”
I hurry to the kitchen window, where I can see vehicles coming into our end of the street. And just as he said, I see a red SUV driving into the street. My breath catches in my throat, my heart beats faster, and for a moment, I think I will pass out.
“I mean that I am on your street right now, trying to find your house…”
I pull the curtains shut and glance behind me. Segun is in the bedroom, but I am scared to think he could walk in at any time and overhear our conversation.
“Where are you?” Laja asks. My voice drops several decibels. “Laja, why are you here?” Even as I ask the question, I feel my heart thumping with excitement. I have never been happier with a surprise than I am right now.
“To see you. I’ve had a bad day, and being with you is the only thing that makes sense right now.”
“I’m coming.”
I shove my phone in the back pocket of my jeans. If I go to tell Segun that I am stepping out, he’ll ask questions I am unwilling to answer. So, I sneak out of the house, deciding to deal with him later.
Laja is parked on the other side of the street, next to the stall of our neighbourhood’s go-to pepper seller, Iya Tanwa. I dial his phone.
“Drive towards the end of the close. I don’t want anyone to see me.”
I walk towards the end of the close on my street and only stop when I get to the front of the last uncompleted building. As soon as Laja pulls up, I hop into his car, grateful once more for the tinted glass in case anyone gets too curious.
His sweet aftershave scent mixed with the smell of his cologne wafts in the cool air between us when I lean in for an embrace. When I try to pull away, he holds me, his hands gently stroke my back, and his breath warms my skin. I want to kiss him, but I don’t make the move.
“How was your day?” he asks, his gaze briefly lowers to my lips. I know he’s drowning in this desire for closeness as much as I am,
“Crazy. Clara finally put me on a major project.”
“Isn’t that supposed to be a good thing?”
“Yes. It would have been, if I know what I am doing.”
His features soften, the burning desire in his eyes replaced by concern. “But you know what you’re doing.”
I pull away, trying my best not to roll my eyes. “You don’t have to make me feel better.”
“I am not. You have a brilliant mind, and you love the job. Don’t let your fears get in the way.”
I sigh, stretch out my legs, letting myself ease into the cosiness of the car, and the warmth of his presence. “It’s hard. I feel like I know what to do, but when it’s time to do it, I can’t.” I look at him and realise his gaze never left me. Somehow, it makes me feel self-conscious, but good too. I love how he looks at me like I am the most important thing in the world. “Do you ever feel like that?”
“I’m sure even Beyoncé feels like that sometimes.”
“You’re a clown.”
My frustration is swept away by his gentle laughter. He reaches for my hand and squeezes it, sending heat to my core. I want to kiss him again, and this time I wouldn’t want to stop until it leads to something else.
“I’m serious, though. What I have come to realise in this life is that no matter how in charge a person is, they still have moments when they doubt themselves. You just have to overcome the doubts.”
“I’m trying.”
“Hey,” he places my hand in his and gently strokes it with his thumb. “You’re tougher than half the people I have met. Don’t let this your mind rob you of a big opportunity. I need you to wake up every day, deciding to conquer your fears. Do you hear me?”
I don’t know if it’s because of how he speaks to me, but I believe every word he utters.
“Yes. Thank you.” I smile at him. Laja continues to stroke my hand with his thumb, calming tense muscles in my body. “Your turn. Tell me about your day.”
He says he’s no closer to finding out who is stealing from his business…