A late bloomer thought a visit to a sex club might jump start her love life, but instead makes an instant connection that turns her whole world upside down, in this adult debut from author Zakiya N. Jamal.
Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Zakiya N. Jamal’s Sparks Fly, which is out now.
When Stella Renee Johnson’s roommate invites her to a sex club party but bails at the last minute, Stella decides to use the opportunity to finally cash in her V-card. But just when things are heating up between Stella and a sexy stranger, they realize they don’t have protection and Stella, taking it as a sign this wasn’t meant to be, flees.
Frustrated in more ways than one, Stella is shocked to learn that the digital media website where she works is partnering with an AI company. She’s even more shocked when the alluring man from the previous night walks in. Max Williams is the CEO’s brother and the creator of the AI program now threatening her job.
Despite the conflict of interest, Stella and Max can’t resist their magnetic attraction toward each other, and agree to keep their personal lives separate from what’s happening at work. But the more similarities they discover at home—both Black, book smart, and bisexual—the more they butt heads at work. Stella and Max must decide whether to think with their heads and walk away from their budding relationship, or follow their hearts and take a chance on love, no matter the cost.
At first glance, Red as Sin looked like any other club. Not that Stella had been to many, but still.
The door at the bottom of the stairs pushed open, and she had to blink a few times for her eyes to adjust to the dark space. It was bigger than she expected, and loud. A mix of pop and alternative rock was spilling out of speakers somewhere, and there was a circular bar set in the middle of the room, with people filling out the space all around it, trying to get a drink or just trying to pass through. The bartenders were all wearing black halter bralettes and skirts that barely covered anything or tight black shorts that left nothing to the imagination.
On Stella’s left, there was a little window for a coat check, and Stella quickly shrugged out of her coat and handed it over, along with her purse. In exchange, she received a blue numbered ticket.
Stella securely tucked it away in her strapless bra, then proceeded to walk farther into the club, making her way around the place. She saw couples canoodling on pleather couches in various corners of the room, but most people were on the dance floor, grinding and pawing at each other. She accidentally made eye contact with a few people, but she quickly kept moving, unsure if she was ready to be propositioned just yet.
Eventually she found her way to a corridor that had a smidge more lighting than everywhere else. It looked like people were crowding around something, and at first Stella thought it was a line to the bathroom, but no one was moving. Curious, she stepped closer until she could see over one woman’s shoulder and then she gasped.
Multiple people turned to look at her, and she thanked God her dark skin protected her from flushing red.
“Someone stepped on my foot,” she explained to no one because they’d already forgotten about her. Their focus was back on the scene that was playing out in front of them. Through a plexiglass window, she could see that two women were currently using a double-sided dildo. Stella leaned for- ward, tilting her head to the side as the women shifted positions. She couldn’t understand how they could possibly be comfortable like that, but by the way one was throwing her head back in ecstasy, Stella imagined she was enjoying it, al- though over the music (and maybe the walls of the room were soundproof?), she couldn’t actually hear anything, which was weird. Did people like to just watch with no sound? It was like watching porn on mute, and that was something Stella could do at home.
She broke away from the crowd, turning on her heel too quickly to stop her body from colliding directly with the tall and broad-shouldered man who was standing right behind her. Stella also couldn’t prevent her boobs, which often had a mind of their own, from pressing directly into the glass in his hand, tipping it over, and spilling his drink down the front of his white pressed shirt.
“Fuck me,” Stella muttered.
The man, who’d been staring down at the stain now spreading on his shirt, looked up at her then and his lips twitched.
“If that’s what you wanted, all you had to do was ask.
Excerpted from Sparks Fly by Zakiya N. Jamal, published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2025
