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  Raymond collapsed on top of her, inhaling the cinnamon scent of her sweat mixed with his and the scented candles. She shifted underneath him before they both drifted off to sleep. Raymond didn’t need to dream anymore; his number one fantasy was lying in his arms.

  It was around three in the morning when Imani and Raymond realized two things—they were starved and she needed to pack and check on her flight arrangements. Still, as they lay across the bed facing the window, neither of them made a move as they watched the twinkling lights of the city.

  “How do you sleep in here every night?” she asked. “I would just stare out of the window all night.”

  “I used to do that,” Raymond replied, looking down at her. “But now, I have something better to look at.”

  Imani rolled over on her back and posed like Venus De Milo. “Just what would that be?”

  “Oh, you know exactly what I’m talking about.” Raymond drew Imani into his arms and brushed his lips across hers before devouring them in a hot kiss that made her shudder. Pulling back from her, he smiled. “I could look at you all night. But, you have a flight to catch in a few hours.”

  “I know,” she said. “And I haven’t packed a thing.”

  “Then it’s time to go to Brooklyn.”

  “Yes,” she replied. “But before we go, I need you to do me a favor.” Imani stroked his hardness, working the length of his erection. Raymond inhaled sharply as her hand moved up and down.

  “Ooh, anything baby,” he moaned.

  “Give me something to dream about on the plane.” He spread her thighs apart, rubbing the tip of his hardness against her wetness. She wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him into her wet valley. For a moment, neither of them thought about a condom as they melted—flesh to flesh—together. Imani had never felt such raw passion as every inch of Raymond filled her. She ground against him, rotating her hips and digging her nails into his shoulder as she exploded and her desire spilled down her thighs. Raymond quickly pulled out, though he wanted to remain buried in her hot body until he climaxed as she just had.

  “Damn,” he said. “I think I’m going to have those same dreams while you’re on the plane.”

  The aftershocks of her intense orgasm left Imani speechless. He kissed her neck slowly and gently. “Mmm, ooh, stop,” she exclaimed. “You’re making it so hard for me to get out of this bed.”

  “I know, but we have to get up. You have a movie to make,” he said supportively.

  After a few more moments of just lying in bed, Imani and Raymond finally got up and dressed. Before heading to Imani’s, they made a stop at Gray’s Papaya for hot dogs.

  “I’m going to make this a tradition,” she said as she squeezed mustard on her frank.

  “Packing late and rushing to the airport?” Raymond asked.

  She smacked him on the shoulder playfully. “No, silly. Eating hot dogs before I go off to film a movie. Now, if it flops, then I’ll have to come up with a new tradition.”

  “I think we have a great tradition,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Maybe when you get back from LA we should make it permanent,” he said, then swiped a bite of Imani’s hot dog.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, nearly dropping her food.

  Raymond grabbed her hand and saved her meal. “Just what I said. But right now, we need to get a cab and get you to Brooklyn before the sun comes up and you miss that flight.”

  “Wait, what do you mean by permanent? Moving in together? Marriage?”

  “Yes,” he said as he hailed a cab.

  Imani tossed her half-eaten hot dog at the side of his head. “Yes to what?”

  Raymond laughed as he wiped mustard from his ear with the edge of his shirt. “So violent,” he joked. “Imani, we can talk about it when you wrap filming in Los Angeles and then we will see what our future holds. Brooklyn or Harlem. I’m really leaning toward Harlem.”

  Before Imani could reply, a cab pulled up to the curb and they were whisked off to Imani’s home. All she could think about was returning to New York and becoming Mrs. Raymond Thomas and then winning her first Academy Award.

  Three Months Later

  Imani stared deep into Will Smith’s eyes as he held her tightly against his chest. They floated upward on a hot air balloon and in a swift motion, he untied her skirt and it fell to the ground.

  “You know I’m going to make you pay for that,” she growled. “That was Prada.”

  “Baby,” Will said, “you know I like to see you in nada!” Then he captured her lips and kissed her.

  “And cut!” the director yelled. “That’s a wrap, people!”

  The cast and the crew of Something Like the Wind exploded in applause.

  Imani and Will shook hands. “It was great working with you, Imani,” he said before leaping off the platform and joining his wife and kids near the crafts table. Imani smiled as she slowly stepped off the platform herself.

  Over the last three months, things couldn’t have gone better professionally for her. She’d gained the respect of the cast and crew of Something Like the Wind, because she’d carried herself as a professional—showing up to the set early, going over her lines and treating everyone from the boom operator to Will Smith with the same respect. Damon Cartier, the film’s director, had sung her praises in every interview he’d done about the movie, which was set to be released in the summer, as Will Smith didn’t lose in summer blockbuster battles. Imani hoped that the movie would live up to the hype and the critics who’d called her “Flop Diva,” would eat their words.

  But at night when she returned to her hotel, she’d yearned for Raymond’s touch and his kiss. Though they’d talk on the phone, with her waking him up in the middle of the night because of the time difference, she couldn’t wait until she was back in his arms.

  “Miss Imani,” Damon said as she was leaving the set, “are you heading to the airport?”

  “Unless you need me,” she said, but silently prayed that he didn’t. She’d been lucky enough to get an earlier flight.

  He handed her a check and she furrowed her brow. “What’s this?”

  “It’s for the clinic in Harlem you and Lloyd, the boom operator, were talking about. When you were on your break yesterday, I was going to ask you a question and I overheard you two talking. Marion G. Palmer, right?”

  Imani nodded. “Thank you so much.”

  “My grandmother lived in the Bronx and hated going to the doctor, but if your boyfriend has a bunch of old women coming to his defense the way you described, then he is doing something right. It’s not much, but I hope it helps.”

  Imani read the amount—$50,000—and nearly passed out, but she played it cool. “This will help Raymond and Keith a lot. Thank you, Damon.”

  “And I didn’t make this donation so you will do the sequel, but please tell me you’re thinking about it.”

  “Yes,” she said. “I’d love to. She was a great character.”

  “The next movie is going to be filmed in New York, so . . .”

  “Then I am definitely going to do it! I have to get out of here, but thank you for taking a chance on me.”

  Damon shrugged. “Thank you for being great.”

  When Imani finally arrived at her hotel, all she had to do was grab her bags. She could not wait to get back to New York.

  Raymond read over Cortina Richardson’s test results and smiled. Her cholesterol was down, her blood sugar seemed to be in control, and she’d dropped fifteen pounds. He loved it when his patients listened to him. As he closed the file, he looked at the calendar on the wall. Imani was returning today. The last three months had been hell on earth without her. Phone calls and Skype were not enough to quell his thirst for his woman. He needed her in his arms, in his bed, and more importantly, as his lawfully wedded wife.

  “Raymond,” Keith said when he popped his head into the office. “There’s a woman out here to see you. What’s up with that?”

  “Just send her b
ack,” Raymond said.

  “She’s not Imani, and I know damned well—”

  “Keith! Send her back. We have an appointment.”

  Scowling at his friend, Keith headed out front, then returned with the tall, buxom blond woman. She smiled at Keith and then turned to Raymond.

  “It is good to finally meet you, Dr. Thomas,” she purred. Raymond locked eyes with Keith, who was leaning against the wall in a stance that said he had no intention of leaving. Raymond laughed, figuring that his friend must have thought he’d lost his mind.

  “Helen Jameson,” Raymond said, “I’d like you to meet my business partner, Dr. Keith Jacobs. Keith, this is Helen, my jeweler.

  “Oh,” Keith said as he shook Helen’s hand vigorously. “I’m sorry about the third degree I gave you out there.”

  She snatched her hand away from him and offered him a plastic smile. “It’s all right. Are you married?”

  “Engaged. Why?”

  She handed him her card. “I just get the feeling that at some point you’re going to need to buy an apology piece for your future wife. My prices are pretty reasonable, but you might have to buy from the back row.”

  “That’s funny,” he said, but took the card anyway.

  “Now,” Raymond said, “can we get some privacy?”

  “Sure,” Keith said as he walked away.

  Raymond laughed at his friend as he turned his full attention to Helen. She’d come highly recommended from Mrs. Wentworth, who’d told Raymond that Imani was not an off the rack kind of girl and he needed to show up at the airport with a special engagement ring for her.

  “All right, Raymond,” Helen said as she sat across from his desk and set her briefcase on top of it. “I have some custom pieces that I think you and your future bride will love.” She opened the case and turned it toward Raymond, showing him a display of diamond engagement rings. “These rings are very rare and unique. This one,” she said as she pointed to a three-carat princess cut platinum ring, “was made for one of J.Lo’s engagements. She never got the ring because she and a certain mogul were involved in a shooting.”

  Raymond shook his head. “I don’t want that one. I want something that . . .” He stopped talking when a sparkling gem caught his eye. It was a marquis cut diamond and emerald white-gold ring. It was odd, not your typical engagement ring. His eyes were riveted to it. It was perfect. It was Imani. Raymond reached for the ring. “This is what I want.”

  The woman smiled and took the ring out of the case. “Ahh, you have great taste. This ring was designed with Dorothy Dandridge in mind. You’re fiancée is an actress, right?”

  “She is, but more than anything else, she’s just as unique as this ring,” he said as he lifted it from the case. “What if I need to get it sized?”

  “I can take care of that as well,” she replied.

  He held the ring up to the light; it sparkled like a thousand stars. Was he really ready to take this step? Yes, I’m ready, he told himself. He had never met anyone like Imani, a woman who supported him and the choices he made concerning his career. She supported him like no other woman ever had. She was the one. This was his destiny. He handed the ring back to the woman. “I want this one,” he said decisively.

  The woman pulled her card out of the side of the case and handed it to Raymond. “Just in case you have to call me again to have it sized,” she said.

  “All right,” he said as he pulled out his wallet. “How much?”

  “Twenty-five hundred,” she said as she put the ring in a velvet box. “Cash or credit?”

  Raymond pulled out his credit card and handed it to Helen. She produced a handheld credit card machine and ran the card through it. After receiving confirmation that the card was approved, Helen handed Raymond the box. “Good luck,” she said as she turned to leave the break room. When she opened the door, Keith was standing there, holding a chart and trying to pretend he hadn’t been eavesdropping on their conversation.

  Helen shook her head. “Make sure you call me. Your fiancée is going to need a lot of jewelry,” Helen said, then flounced down the hall and out the door.

  Keith turned to Raymond, who was trying to hide the ring he had just purchased, but Keith grabbed the ring. “Now, you were in Hawaii when I went out to get Celeste’s ring. I get to critique your taste,” he said as he opened the box. “Damn!”

  “Give me that,” Raymond said as he took the ring back. “You’re nosy as hell. What do you think, though?”

  Keith rolled his eyes. “You know you just messed me up, right? When Celeste sees this, I’m going to be in a world of trouble. I guess it is a good thing that your jeweler did give me this card. When does your superstar fiancée get back into town?”

  Raymond snapped the ring box shut and looked down at his watch. “I’d better get going. Her flight should be here in an hour.”

  “Raymond,” Keith called after his friend as he dashed out the door. He’d forgotten to tell him that Elize from the network had called for him. Just as he was about to head out the door to grab Raymond before he got into a cab, Karen and Maria stopped him with two files he needed to look over.

  Chapter 22

  Imani had never been so happy to get off a plane. The trip from Los Angeles seemed to take thirty hours rather than five. She had been jolted awake when she heard the pilot announce that they were about to make their descent into New York’s JFK Airport.

  “The weather is clear in the Big Apple,” he’d said over the public address system. “It’s a brisk forty-five degrees and sunny.”

  Imani had sat upright in her seat and looked out the window. She couldn’t help but smile happily as she saw the Statue of Liberty. “Home sweet home,” Imani had whispered.

  Her seatmate had cast an amused look at Imani. “You live in New York. Poor thing,” the older lady said.

  “I wouldn’t want to live anyplace else,” Imani replied.

  “If I was young, I guess I’d feel the same way,” she said. “But I’m just coming to visit my daughter. She goes to NYU and has some crazy idea about being an actress. I hope I can talk some sense into her,” the woman said.

  “Someone tried that with me once,” Imani said.

  “What happened?”

  Smiling, she said, “I just finished filming with Will Smith.”

  “Whoa. I’ve been sitting beside a superstar and didn’t even know it?” As the plane had bounced down on the landing strip, the woman had asked Imani for her autograph. Grabbing an in-flight magazine, Imani signed it for the lady: Let your daughter make her own choices. She might surprise you and make a success of this acting thing. Imani Gilliam.

  Once Imani was off the plane, she rushed through the gate like O. J. Simpson in those old school Hertz commercials. When she saw Raymond standing near the baggage claim, she thought she was seeing a mirage. She hadn’t told him that she was taking an earlier flight in.

  “Are you just going to stand there, woman, or do I get some love?” he asked as he crossed over to her. Imani leapt into his arms and kissed him so slowly and deeply that his knees shook.

  “Damn, I missed you,” she said when they broke the kiss. “Three months was too long to be away from you.”

  “You’re telling me.”

  “I’m glad you’re here, but how did you know I was taking an earlier flight?” she asked.

  “Call me Mr. Anxious,” he quipped. “I left the clinic early and traffic was light on the way over here. I had no idea you’d be early, so it must be fate.”

  “Well,” she said, “let’s get these bags and get out of here, because I have a surprise for you.”

  “Really? I have one for you too.”

  Imani tilted her head to the side. “Can I have it now?” she asked.

  “Absolutely not. Where do you want to go, Brooklyn, since I know you love that place, or uptown?”

  “I want to be wherever you are,” she said as her cell phone chimed. “Damn it,” Imani muttered as she reached into her carry
-on bag and fished out her phone. “Hello, Edward.”

  “I have some news that is going to knock your socks off,” he said.

  “Really?” she said, looking at Raymond and thinking of another way she wanted her socks knocked off.

  “You’ve been cast for the show and after the glowing reviews Damon gave you, Gina can’t wait to meet you. Kid, you’re about to blow up.”

  “Wow,” Imani said. “This is amazing.”

  “Are you ready for this?” Edward asked. “You’ve wanted to do a show on Broadway and now you have your chance. John Guare wants you in A Free Man of Color.”

  “Are you serious?!” she shrieked. “Oh my God.”

  Raymond stopped in his tracks as he picked up Imani’s bag. Turning to her, he mouthed, “What?”

  “Why don’t we get together tomorrow and talk about this?” Edward said. “I’m sure your man is at the airport waiting for you.”

  “He is and I can’t wait to talk about this with you.” Imani hung up the phone and jumped up and down as if she won the lottery.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” Raymond asked.

  “Edward told me that I have a chance to finally star in a show on Broadway. Oh my God, that’s one of my biggest dreams.”

  “One?”

  “Yes. I have another one that I believe will come true as soon as we get out of here.”

  “That sounds good. Let’s get out of here.” Imani and Raymond rushed out to their awaiting cab and headed to Harlem.

  “I was trying to wait for the perfect time to give you this,” she said as she reached into her purse, “but I can’t wait.” Imani held out the check Damon had donated to the clinic.