Title: Betting on Love
Author: Kani Sey
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Tropes: First love, second chance, friends to lovers
Release Date: February 12, 2021
BLURB
Despised and constantly degraded, Binta can’t wait to leave home when she discovers her family never wanted her. She is determined to cut a path and succeed in her life without love and emotional connections. Until she bumps into her former best friend, Bass.
Once upon a time, Bass was head-over-heels in love with Binta. But she shattered his heart, and he had to move on without her. A chance encounter with her five years later brings back all the buried emotions.
However, it seems Binta hasn’t overcome her trust issues. This time, though, Bass is not willing to walk away so readily. Can he convince her to bet on their love?
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EXCERPT
The sound of her office door opening made Binta look upwards.
Aminata stood at the entrance, her pretty face split into a huge grin. She wore a beautiful burgundy skirt-suit, matching peep-toe suede heels and held a flask of steaming hot coffee in her right hand.
“Well, somebody woke on the right side of the bed this morning,” Binta said to the smiling senior customer service officer, one of the few bank employees she got along with. “What has you in such a happy mood?”
“Remember the client I told you I might bring in?” Aminata replied, stepping further into the office.
“How can I forget? You kept talking about what a big score it will be for us if he set up his account here.” Binta smiled.
Her colleague nodded excitedly. “He’s arrived, and he wants to speak to the manager.”
“Why isn’t he already in my office then?” Binta admonished lightly, her mood already brightening considerably with this news. “Show him in.”
She planted her left hand on the desk, leaned in with a mischievous smile and said in a near whisper. “I just wanted to confirm that the account wouldn’t be given to anyone else but me.”
“Bul worry, Natta. I wouldn’t dream of giving it to someone else. Now bring him in before he changes his mind, and there will be no account to give to anyone.”
“Right away,” she chirped, exiting with a flourish.
Seconds later, Aminata returned followed by a tall, light-skinned young man clad in a starched white shirt and black cotton trousers.
The smile froze on Binta’s face when she saw who it was, her body stiffening in shock. Unbidden, his name fell from her lips.
“Bass.”
His facial expression transformed from genuine surprise into cool indifference.
“I guess it was too much to hope that our paths will never cross again,” he muttered low, seemingly for her ears only.
“Do you know each other?” Aminata asked, looking from one to the other.
Bass nodded. “We were friends, once upon a time.”
“Then I’ll leave you two to get reacquainted,” she said and left the office, closing the door behind her.
“Please have a seat,” Binta said.
He pulled out a chair and sat opposite her. His gaze was still fixed on her, unmoving, unwavering, as if like her, he wanted to wake up and discover that this was only a nightmare.
“So, you’re a manager,” he murmured with the ghost of a smile. “You’re really doing well.”
Binta felt like a lab specimen trapped under a microscope with the intensity of his stare. She nervously brushed away the escaped tendrils of hair from her face, willing her hands to stop trembling.
He was absolutely the last person she expected to just walk into her office.
Yet, there he was, looking hauntingly familiar and strange all at once.
He appeared as uncomfortable as she was.
She needed to get herself together and make sure he didn’t bolt.
It had only been three months since she began working in this bank. Driving clients away wasn’t a practice she should engender if she wanted to keep her job.
She fortified herself with this thought and said in her most charming voice. “So, what can we do for you, Bass?”
“My mother set up a trust fund for me in a bank in England called Lexington,” he replied, his tone matter of fact, his demeanour still aloof. “I want to open a fixed deposit account here and have the funds transferred into it. Aminata already told me she will be the one handling it.”
“Yes, she is quite competent. However, let me reassure you that I will oversee the transactions to ensure everything is done accordingly. Are you familiar with the process?”
“Not really and I know we have to talk about it at length, but I really need to get going now to avoid being late for work,” he explained as he rose from his seat. “We can discuss the details when I come back.”
“We can have the discussion over a meal if you like,” she suggested, standing too. Being in an informal place might ease the tension between them and get him to relax in her presence. “There’s a restaurant opposite the bank where we can meet after work.”
“Are you sure?” he said quietly.
She was far from sure. Her first instinct was to scream no and run as far away from Bass as possible. But where to? And what would that accomplish?
Yet panic flooded her heart, a clear indication that dealing with Basiru Fall was the last thing she should do.
Had her life ever been a bed of roses though?
She had to do her best to make sure the bank's clients were satisfied, and right now, this was the only way she knew how.
She nodded and smiled. “I’m absolutely sure.”
He gave her a once over, eyes narrowing slightly before he replied. “Okay, I’ll meet you there at 3 p.m.”
She slumped back on her seat, sighing heavily as she watched him walk out of her office.
What the hell had she just gotten herself into?
AUTHOR BIO:
Kani Sey is the penname of a young Gambian woman living and studying in Morocco. She’s always loved reading and began writing at an early age. She’s passionate about books, movies, and music. Her one true dream is to become a successful, prolific writer.
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