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  “Better than Brooklyn?” he asked.

  “Never,” she replied. “But almost.”

  “Come on. You feel the history here, the soul of Zora, the creativity of Richard Wright and jazz.” Raymond hopped out of the car and extended his hand for Imani. She slowly climbed out of the car and allowed Raymond to spin her around as if they could hear Duke Ellington playing. She wrapped her arms around Raymond’s waist as they swayed to their own tune. “Let’s go inside before someone shows up with a camera,” Imani said.

  Raymond didn’t have to be told twice as he turned toward his brownstone with Imani wrapped around him. Once they entered his home, Imani drank in the rich earth tones and supple leather furniture in the living room. He had a breathtaking view of the East Harlem River. She stood in the center of the room and marveled at the view. But she was fully aware of Raymond’s presence behind her. His hands roamed underneath her dress, kneading her shoulders, sliding down her back and finally resting on her bottom. A feeling of anticipation, fear, and excitement rushed through her system as his lips brushed her neck.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered.

  Imani turned around and faced him. They locked hands and she sighed. She was ready to give him every part of herself, ready to allow him to make love to her. But she was still afraid. Would she be able to handle making love to Raymond? What if she couldn’t satisfy him? If she disappointed him, would that be the end for their relationship? What we have is deeper than sex, isn’t it?

  Raymond stroked her cheek. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” she said breathlessly.

  “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for,” he said as he held her face and stared into her eyes.

  “I want you, but . . .”

  “No buts. I want you and I want you to feel good about what we’re going to do. Anytime you want me to stop, say so and I will. No questions.”

  Imani nodded, slowly feeling the tension easing from her shoulders. Raymond pushed the straps of her dress down her shoulders, kissing the skin he exposed. Imani shivered with desire as his tongue eased down the back of her neck. With his free hand, he unzipped her dress and it fell off her body, pooling at her feet. Raymond spun her around and drank in her image. She was clad in a pink lace strapless bra that held her breasts the way he wanted to and a pair of matching lace panties that clung to her hips and behind. Raymond ran his hand down the center of her chest, stopping at the waistband of her panties.

  “May I?” he asked.

  She nodded nervously. He pulled her panties around her ankles, then slipped his hand between her thighs. Imani was wet, hot, and waiting. “I want to taste you,” he said, salivating at the thought of wrapping his lips around her bud. Raymond scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He could feel Imani’s heart beating in overdrive. “Are you all right?” he asked again.

  “I can’t lie, I’m a little nervous,” she said as he laid her in the center of his king-sized bed.

  “We can stop.”

  “We haven’t even started,” she said.

  “If you’re ready, I know how I want to start,” he said as he slowly spread her thighs apart. With the palm of his hand, he stroked her wetness back and forth. Imani squirmed under his touch. Her body seemed to take on a life of its own, responding to Raymond’s touch in ways she never imagined that it could. Easing between her thighs, he parted her wet lips with his fingertips, then gently licked the folds of flesh until Imani’s moans turned into screams of passion. “Raymond, Raymond,” she cried as he sucked her throbbing bud of desire. She was so sweet, so delicious. Better than he’d dreamed she would be. He licked and sucked until she trembled and exploded in his mouth. Propping up on his elbows, he looked into Imani’s sated face. “How do you feel?” he asked.

  “Amazing,” she breathlessly replied. Raymond massaged her thighs gently. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

  “There’s more where that came from. When you’re ready. But first you need something to eat because you’re going to need all of your energy this evening.”

  “All right,” she said, her body still buzzing from her first full-on orgasm. Imani couldn’t wait for what came next. She was about to get out of bed, but Raymond stopped her.

  “Don’t move. Let me cater to your every need, including bringing you dinner in bed. Because if I recall, someone told me that she liked this kind of thing.”

  “Ha, ha,” she said. “But if you want to give me the star treatment, I’m not going to stop you.” Imani locked her hands behind her head and crossed her legs. Raymond let out a low whistle as he took in the sexiness on his bed.

  “Chinese good for you?” he asked once he found his voice.

  “That’s fine.”

  Raymond called in their dinner order and then he sat on the edge of the bed, kissing Imani and stroking her breasts because he just couldn’t get enough of her, couldn’t resist touching her supple body, tasting her lips, and for the first time, taking her diamond hard nipples into his mouth. Imani held the back of his head as he sucked her nipples. “Ooh,” she cried out as his tongue flicked across one nipple and his finger teased the other. As he was about to slip his hand between her thighs to stroke her clitoris, the doorbell rang.

  “Forget it,” she moaned. “I need you.”

  “That’s dinner and we have to eat, even though I could feast on this body for the rest of my life,” he said as he reluctantly pulled himself away from her. When Raymond headed for the door to get their meal, Imani released a sigh. She’d never felt so sexy, so wanted, and so cared for. She couldn’t wait to make love to Raymond. She felt safe enough to push thoughts about satisfying him out of her head because she could’ve sworn that he enjoyed bringing her to climax as much as she enjoyed reaching it.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Raymond said from the doorway.

  “I was thinking about everything you did to me,” she said with a smile. “And how much I liked it.”

  “I aim to please,” he said as he set the bags of fried rice, shrimp and broccoli, and egg rolls on the nightstand beside the bed. She smiled at him as he pulled his shirt off and stripped down to his boxers. When Imani saw the size of his erection, she froze in place. Though she didn’t have anything to compare him to, she wondered if she’d be able to handle what Raymond had to offer. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his manhood.

  “Imani?” he asked as he slipped into bed with her. “Did you hear me?”

  “What? I didn’t hear you.”

  “I said open your mouth.” He held out a fork full of fried rice. Imani accepted the food, telling herself to relax. After they ate their fill of dinner, the couple lay in each other’s arms, quietly watching the stars twinkle.

  “This feels so right,” Imani whispered.

  “That’s because it is. I love you, Imani,” he said. “I could see us spending many nights and mornings this way.”

  She turned over on her stomach and faced him. “Seriously?”

  “Yes. What about you? What do you want from this? Where do you see us?”

  “Walking down the red carpet together at the Oscars,” she said. “And once we get inside, you kissing me when they announce my name for the best actress award.”

  “I like that,” he said, then he kissed her deeply, his tongue dancing with hers. Instinctively, Imani spread her legs, and Raymond eased between them, never breaking off the kiss. She locked her legs around his waist as the kiss deepened and Imani felt a now familiar feeling between her thighs. She was wet, and she wanted to take that next step and feel him deep inside her valley. Breaking the kiss, Imani moaned, “Make love to me.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready?” he asked. She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. Imani drank in his lean and beautiful body as he ground against her without entering her wetness. Though she’d seen his body several times in Hawaii, she hadn’t felt it like this. Flesh against flesh, nerves on end and a surreal anti
cipation.

  “I have to protect us,” he said as he pulled back and reached into the nightstand drawer, pulling out a gold condom package. He ripped it open and slid the sheath in place after kicking out of his boxers. Imani watched him intently, her eyes focused on his dangling erection as he turned to her.

  “We’re going to take it slow,” he said as he pulled her into his arms. Imani kissed him slow and deep. Raymond eased her back against the pillows and lowered himself on top of her. Imani eased down his body until she felt the tip of his manhood against her wetness. She quivered as he held her hips and gently pressed into her. Her body tingled; the sensation was new and exciting and different from feeling his lips and tongue down there.

  Raymond planted himself inside her, diving in slowly to her tight valley. Imani shuddered in a brief moment of pain, then she felt bliss like nothing she’d ever imagined or felt in her life. He ground against her at a pace that took into account her inexperience. The slower he pressed against her, the wetter and hotter she grew, catching the natural rhythm of his hips.

  Imani felt comfortable enough after a few more strokes from Raymond to match his moves and intensity. She shifted her hips, taking him deeper and deeper inside her untouched femininity. “Oh, Raymond,” she groaned as she felt the waves of an orgasm wash over her body. “Thi-this feels so good. Don’t stop.”

  “I have no plans to. You feel so damned good, baby,” he moaned as he felt her coming.

  Raymond gripped her hips, flipping her over so that she could be on top of him. Imani ground slowly against him as he held on to her waist. What she felt was indescribable. He filled her womanhood and touched places that she didn’t even know existed. And when he took her breasts into his mouth, alternating between licking and gently biting her erect nipples, Imani howled in delight. She shivered and inadvertently tightened herself around him, making Raymond call out her name as he began to climax. He hugged her against his chest as he exploded inside her hot and tight valley. She shivered and quivered as she experienced her third orgasm.

  “You feel so good,” he whispered in her ear. The heat from his breath sent chills down her spine. Imani gently kissed his collarbone and held him tightly, pressing her breasts against him. “Are you all right?” he asked her as she snuggled against him.

  She nodded. “So this is what it feels like. I never in my wildest dreams thought making love would feel like this.”

  “Me either,” Raymond said.

  Imani pushed off his chest and looked at him. “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “I love you and this was the best feeling I’ve ever had. It’s like we connected, mind, body, and soul. It doesn’t get any better than that.” What he didn’t tell her was that he could never allow another man to ever touch what was his and she would be his forever.

  Chapter 19

  Imani woke up with a start and a slight soreness between her legs. Raymond’s strong arms held her this morning just as they had last night. After they’d made love for the third time, Raymond had told Imani that they needed to stop and she should soak in his garden tub. At the time, she hadn’t wanted to do anything but make love to him again. She’d wanted to test out her new skills of riding. Imani and Raymond had discovered that she enjoyed being on top. Which had been why Raymond suggested a soak in the bathtub. Raymond had enjoyed watching Imani ride him as well. What she’d lacked in experience, she’d definitely made up for in enthusiasm. Her strokes had been long, deep, and slow. Raymond had matched her pace, allowing Imani to explore her burgeoning sexuality and find out what she liked and what worked for her to get pleasure. By the time they’d had their fill of desire, the sun was coming up over the horizon.

  She brushed her lips against his. “Good morning, darling,” she said.

  “Morning, babe,” he replied. Imani loved the deep and gruff sound of his voice when he first woke up. It turned her on and now that she knew what to do with that feeling, she pressed her hand against his chest and mounted him. Smiling, Raymond said, “You’re insatiable.”

  “That’s only because you make me feel so good. But I can move,” she said.

  Raymond held her thigh with one hand and reached for a condom with the other. “Don’t you move yet,” he said.

  Imani took the condom from his hand. “Can I give it a try?” she asked. Imani already felt his erection and knew he was ready. Raymond nodded as Imani slid down his legs and opened the condom wrapper. Before she slid the sheath in place, she stroked his hardness back and forth making him groan low and long as her hand moved faster and faster. “Oh, damn, baby. You’re killing me. Need. You. To. Stop.”

  Smiling, she did what he’d asked, then slipped the condom on, silently hoping that she’d done it right. Raymond guided her to his erection, slipping inside her wetness and grinding inside her as she gyrated against him. Easing into a seated position, Raymond held her against his chest, diving deeper inside her. He covered her neck with his mouth and immediately felt her shiver and shake. She was about to come and so was he. Their bodies were in tune, moving with one purpose, one need, one desire. Their mutual explosion caused them to scream out in pleasure and satisfaction.

  Sweaty, happy, and a bit drowsy, Raymond wished he could spend his morning buried inside his woman, but he had to go to the clinic, visit Keith and . . . Looking at Imani, he thought, I can wait another hour. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck, knowing that it would drive her wild.

  “Umm,” she moaned. “I know we can’t do this all day. Don’t you have to go to the hospital to see your friend?”

  His reply was to run his tongue down the length of her neck. “Oh, Raymond,” she groaned as he reversed his position. “What about you—your clinic?”

  “Just another few minutes and then we will return to the real world. But right now,” he said as he gently turned her over on her stomach and spread her legs from behind, “I want to make love to my woman again.”

  And for the next three hours, Raymond introduced Imani to untold pleasures, showed her different positions that gave him direct access to her throbbing bud of desire. By the time Raymond got up to shower and get ready for work, Imani could barely move, but she’d never hurt so good before in her life.

  What comes next? she wondered as she listened to Raymond in the shower. Is this where I get cab fare back to Brooklyn and wait for his call by the phone? Is he really happy with what has happened? Did I satisfy him? Imani was so deep in thought that she hadn’t noticed Raymond standing by the bed, damp with a towel wrapped around his waist.

  “Imani?” he asked, his voice dripping with concern. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I was just thinking.”

  “About?”

  “Us, everything that happened, and what comes next.” She sat up and brought her knees to her chest.

  “Let me tell you what comes next. After I go and check on the clinic, we’re going to Brooklyn so that you can change your clothes. After that, we’re going to see Keith. Hopefully, you’re going to have an overnight bag so that we won’t have to go back to Brooklyn tomorrow morning.”

  She smiled and fingered her hair. “Raymond.”

  He brought his finger to her lips. “Don’t tell me you were sitting in here thinking that we were done or that this was about sex. Imani, I didn’t say I loved you to get you into my bed. I said it because I mean it.”

  She leapt forward and kissed him with a relieved passion because he’d erased all the fears and doubts that had been floating in her head.

  When they broke their kiss, Imani said, “Why don’t I fix you a quick breakfast before you leave?”

  “Can you cook, woman?” he quipped. “If you can, I may never allow you to return to Brooklyn.”

  “Well, if toasting a bagel and spreading cream cheese or lox on it counts as cooking, then I’m a regular Rachael Ray,” Imani joked.

  “We’re going to have to work on that, because I don’t like my bagels toasted.”

  “That’s w
hy Brooklyn is so much better. Everybody likes their bagels toasted,” she replied. Raymond pulled his polo shirt over his head and then leaned in to kiss Imani.

  “I don’t know if the bagels in the cupboard are any good, but there is coffee,” he said as he reached for a pair of boxers and navy blue slacks. Imani rose from the bed, walked over to his closet and pulled out a white dress shirt. Raymond turned around and watched her cover her body in his shirt. She’d never looked sexier, with her bed hair, skin glowing from satisfaction, and the way the sunlight lit her brown eyes. The only thing Raymond wanted to do with the slacks he’d just slipped into was kick them off and take his woman back to bed.

  “What?” Imani asked as she caught his eye. “Should I have asked first?”

  Raymond crossed over to her and pressed her against his body. “You’re making it so hard for me to go to work right now. That shirt has never looked better. Tonight, wear this to bed so I can show you just what you did to me.” He glanced at his watch, groaned, and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “I have to go.”

  “Have a great day,” she said, hating to see him go to work. But Imani knew how important that clinic was to Raymond and she would never stand in the way of his work, no matter how badly she wanted to make love to him again. What had he called her—insatiable? Up until he awakened desire and passion in her, she’d thought it was just a song by Prince.

  Before she got to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee, her cell phone rang. She sprinted to her purse in the living room and grabbed the phone.

  “This is Imani,” she said.

  “Imani, where are you?” Edward asked frantically.

  “In Harlem. What’s wrong?”

  “You will not believe who wants to meet you in an hour,” he said.

  “Who?” she asked.

  “Brock Harrison.”

  Imani’s knees went weak and she nearly dropped the phone before screaming at the top of her lungs. Once she realized that she wasn’t dancing around her place in Brooklyn, where her neighbors had grown accustomed to her outbursts, she calmed down. “Edward, how did you swing that?”