Come With Me, Sheba

by Preston L. Allen

Sheba Mathis seems to have it all. A handsome fiance and a successful business in an upscale Miami mall. But all is not as it seems. Sheba's fiance is anything but faithful. Worse yet, he scarcely conceals his contempt for her poetry (in her notebooks and in her heart). Along comes the lowly Sol, who dares to woo the beautiful but sad businesswoman by reciting her own poetry to her. When her fiance finds out, he uses his influence to get Sol fired from his job as a mall security guard.

Much to everyone's surprise, Sol returns the next day as the manager of the shoe store across from Sheba's shop and begins to charm her again. And again, her fiance gets him fired.

When Sol returns a few days later, as manager of the blue jeans store, Sheba is definitely intrigued. He is handsome, intelligent, and persistent. But the mysterious air around him makes her cautious.

What is his connection to the rich entrepreneur Michael Montel? To the street thug Lethal Coon? How does he know so much about her? How can he recite poems she has never shown him--poems she has never shown anyone?

""Come with me, Sheba,"" Sol invites. "Come to my world for just one night, and you shall have all your answers."

Sheba accepts. And the trouble begins.

Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Preston L. Allen is the author of the new novel, I DISAPPEARED THEM (Akashic 2024)

Preston L. Allen, a graduate of the University of Florida (BA '87) and Florida International University (MFA '94), is a recipient of a State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship and a recipient of the Sonja H. Stone Prize in Fiction. His work has been published in the Seattle Review and the Crab Orchard Review and has been anthologized in Las Vegas Noir, Miami Noir, Brown Sugar, Making the Hook-Up, and Here We Are: a Collection of South Florida Writers. His short story collection CHURCHBOYS AND OTHER SINNERS (Carolina Wren Press 2003) is the winner of the Sonja H. Stone Prize in Fiction, and his novels ALL OR NOTHING, JESUS BOY, and EVERY BOY SHOULD HAVE A MAN have received rave reviews from the New York Times Book Review, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, The Kirkus Review, Florida Book Review, The Feminist Review, and Foreword Magazine.

His latest novel is I DISAPPEARED THEM (Akashic, 2024).

https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/....

He teaches creative writing in Miami, Florida. You can find him on Facebook or on his blog, PrestonLaLLen.blogspot.com. email: pallenagogy@aol.com