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  “Yes,” she moaned, “I like you washing my front.” He lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist and backed her against the wall of the shower.

  “Then, you’re going to love this,” he said as he entered her awaiting valley and slowly ground against her. “Oh, you feel so good, baby.”

  “So do you,” she groaned as he pumped in and out touching every sensitive spot inside her. Imani clamped her arms around his neck, bouncing up and down as she felt the waves of an orgasm coming down on her.

  She licked the side of his neck and Raymond nearly exploded as she brushed her lips across his. She ground against him, gyrating faster and faster as she felt herself coming with a high intensity that she’d never felt before. Maybe it was because she knew that she was going to be without him for the next two days when she’d gotten so used to falling asleep in his arms, making love to him every night and sometimes in the mornings. And lunchtime, before she headed to Edward’s office or rehearsal for her role on Broadway, to have a quickie in the break room while the rest of the staff was out of the office.

  Sure, it was only two days, but still . . . Imani cried out in pleasure as he lifted her hands above her head and ground against her as he held her on the wall. The shower spray may have gone cold, but Imani and Raymond kept it hot in the shower as they reached an explosive climax. The couple slid down into the tub, holding each other tightly as they shivered.

  “Baby,” Raymond said. “I hate to let you go, but I have a plane to catch.”

  Imani sighed and nodded, though if she had her way, they wouldn’t move from that spot ever. But she couldn’t complain about her man being gone for two days when she’d be gone for months and months at a time because of a movie shoot. “All right,” she said as he stood up and held his hand out to Imani. The melancholy look in her eyes killed him as he hugged her. “We’ll be together sooner than you know,” he said, then kissed her forehead.

  “All right,” she said. “I don’t know why I’m tripping. You seemed to do fine for the three months I was in LA.”

  “No, I didn’t. I was miserable. Just had a lot of work to keep me busy. As will you,” he said. “I’m sure Edward will have scripts for you to read.”

  Imani nodded and stepped out of the tub and into the awaiting towel that Raymond held out for her. “Yes, he’s been talking about something in Jamaica. But he’s been sketchy on the details.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded as he stroked her shoulders with the towel. “That sounds exciting,” he said, then kissed her dry shoulder.

  “Do you want me to make you some coffee? I’ve been practicing and Dana said my brew is much better,” she said with a laugh.

  “All right,” he said. “But do me one favor.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Put some clothes on or I will never make my flight.”

  Imani smiled as she sauntered out of the bathroom not wearing a stitch of clothing.

  “Whoa,” he whispered. “Tomorrow, she’s going to be my wife.” Raymond rushed to get dressed and headed for the kitchen hoping Imani was telling the truth about her coffee-brewing skills.

  Imani stood at the coffee maker, wrapped in her robe, sipping her coffee slowly.

  “I will say it smells good,” he said as he poured himself a cup. After he filled his cup with sugar and cream, he took a big sip and was pleasantly surprised that it had a decent taste to it. “That’s it, I’m marrying you. This is pretty good.”

  “I told you I was getting better,” she said, then kissed him on the cheek.

  Raymond looked down at his watch, drained the majority of his coffee, and kissed Imani. “I’ve got to go,” he said. “The car should be here shortly.”

  She walked him to the door as he rolled his luggage with him. “Have a safe trip,” she said, and hugged him tightly.

  When Imani closed the door behind her, she decided to get back in the bed, but her cell phone rang, interrupting the rest that she thought she was going to get.

  “Yes,” she said when she answered the phone.

  “Imani, it’s Edward,” he said. “Remember that show in Negril I was telling you about?”

  “Yes, the show that you won’t give me the full details on? I don’t think I want to do it.”

  “You have to do it,” he said, his voice rising slightly. “Imani, I’m telling you that this is going to be the best thing that you’ve ever done. You have to do this.”

  “Why?” she asked. “You haven’t given me one good reason to take a break from rehearsals of A Free Man of Color, and let’s not forget that I have an upcoming appearance on that soap opera. Going to Negril to talk about a role that I may or may not want seems ridiculous.”

  “You’re going to want this role, it has Imani written all over it,” Edward said. “And Dana’s going to go with you.”

  “Why?”

  “Ask her. I just know that I promised the producer you’d be down there today. Tickets are at the office.”

  “Edward.”

  “Have I ever steered you wrong?”

  Sighing, Imani had to admit that Edward had her back and he’d been dead-on when it came to roles lately. “All right,” she said. “I’ll do it.”

  “Good. Then get your butt in gear and get over here so that you can get this ticket and get moving,” he said.

  “All right, I’m getting dressed,” she said as she pulled herself off the bed.

  “Make sure you pack a bag because you’re leaving today. I’ll have your travel details when you get here.”

  Imani hastily packed and headed to Edward’s office. Whatever this role was, it had better be worth it. As she dashed outside and hailed a cab, she dialed Raymond’s number, but hung up quickly. He was probably still in midair, so he wouldn’t even get the call.

  Her next call was to Dana. “Hello?”

  “Dana, what do you know about Negril?” Imani asked. “And why are you going down there?”

  “I have a fashion shoot.”

  “A what?” Imani laughed. “I thought you hated those fashion shoots.”

  “I do, but it’s getting colder in New York and I want to go to Jamaica.”

  “All right,” Imani said. “Well, at least we can laugh on the plane.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “I’ll see you at Edward’s office.”

  A taxi stopped in front of Imani and she hopped in. Turning to the driver, she rattled off the address to Edward’s office and leaned back in the seat, thinking about how weird this trip seemed. Dana never took trips with her, and Edward didn’t book her for things with this limited information.

  Just roll with it, she thought as the driver made his way through stop and go traffic. The only thing she knew for sure was that she would be back in New York by the time Raymond’s conference was over. That would be nonnegotiable. Imani wanted a Valentine’s Day wedding in Central Park. That was a lot to ask for in New York in the winter. She had to hope for no snow, an unseasonably warm day, and the right horse and carriage to whisk her and Raymond away after they said “I do.”

  “A girl can dream,” she mumbled as visions of her perfect wedding flashed in her head. The last thing Imani wanted to be was one of those Bridezillas who freaked out when things didn’t go her way. But she did want her day to be as perfect as possible.

  “Lady,” the surly driver said, “if you can stop talking to yourself, we’re here.”

  She flashed him a sarcastic smile and handed him the cab fare and a tip. Imani hopped out of the cab, dragging her luggage behind her. When she walked into Edward’s office, Dana and her agent quickly ended their conversation.

  “What are you two up to?” she asked, looking from Edward to Dana.

  “Nothing. Why are you so suspicious?” Dana asked.

  “Because you all are acting funny.”

  “Well,” Dana said, glancing at Edward, “I don’t want to abuse our friendship and I was kind of scared to ask, but the reason we’re going to Negril is because I
’m shooting a spread for Ebony Bride and I didn’t tell the editor that you were engaged, but they want you to be the model.”

  Imani smiled at Dana. “You know I wouldn’t have turned you down. This is going to be fun.” Imani clasped her hands together.

  Edward nodded. “I love it when my clients work together. Here are the tickets and you two better get out of here. I’ll call for a car.”

  Celeste walked through the grounds of the Negril Lighthouse. “This is beautiful. I can’t believe you two pulled this off.”

  Raymond glanced at the grounds. The pathway leading up to the lighthouse where the minister would marry them was lined with pink, yellow, and purple roses. A red carpet was stretched out on the concrete walkway and an archway made of white roses and lilies covered where Imani and Raymond would exchange their vows.

  “It’s easy to do things when you love someone enough. Imani and I wanted this wedding to be about us, close friends, and family.”

  Keith nodded. “And there was no way in hell that was going to happen in New York. The photographers and reporters staked out the clinic like we had the cure for cancer,” he said.

  Raymond laughed when he thought about how he fought not to do Let’s Get Married. His life would be totally different had he not gone on that show. Turning to Celeste, he asked, “What’s the word on the dress?”

  “In her hotel waiting for her when she and Dana get here. I hope she likes it, because it is not your traditional wedding dress and she didn’t pick it out herself.”

  “What does it look like?” Raymond asked.

  “You’ll see tomorrow. Can we keep some semblance of tradition going on here?” Celeste quipped. “And, Keith, this just raised the stakes on our New Year’s Eve wedding.”

  Keith rolled his eyes and sighed. “Somehow, I knew that was going to happen.”

  Celeste sauntered away, smiling. “You shouldn’t have showed me how capable you are, darling.”

  Once he was alone, Raymond stood in the middle of the walkway and smiled. This was the right thing, the wedding that Imani deserved. He didn’t mind going all out for her because this would be their first and last wedding. At sunset tomorrow, they would take vows to spend the rest of their lives together.

  Chapter 25

  Imani and Dana landed in Negril at sunset after the most annoying flight in history. First, they were delayed for two hours because of a flock of geese on the runway. Once they were seated on the plane, one of the passengers, who’d spent at least two hours in the airport bar, was so unruly that they sat on the tarmac until security removed him from the plane.

  Finally, once they were up in the air, the flight was hit by so much turbulence that Imani thought they were going to crash.

  “This magazine shoot had better be worth it,” Imani had said to Dana as she squeezed her hand.

  “Ouch! It will be, but if you squeeze my hand again, then I’m not going to be able to shoot again.”

  Finally on the ground, they dashed through the airport and took the shuttle to the Xtabi Resort. Imani leaned back on the seat and closed her eyes.

  “You’re missing the sights,” Dana said. “It is really beautiful out there.”

  “The only sight I want to see right now is the other side of my eyelids. I am drained and if you want me to look like something other than a beast for the shoot tomorrow, you’re going to let me sleep,” Imani said.

  “I forgot how irritated you get when you’re not properly rested,” Dana said with an eye roll. “While you sleep, I have to go meet with the editorial director.”

  “Want me to go with you?”

  “Absolutely not. I just want you to sleep and do something with your face,” Dana said.

  Imani squeezed her friend’s arm. “My face is perfect,” she said. “But I hope there is a nice hot tub in the room that I can soak in while you’re working.”

  “Just rub it in,” Dana said. “I think our room overlooks one of the cliffs. If you’re up to it, we can jump later.”

  “Not on your life,” she said. “Oh, I’d better call Raymond and let him know where I am. Shit, I don’t even know if my cell phone will work over here. Can’t you call internationally on your phone?”

  Dana nodded but didn’t immediately hand her phone over to her friend. “Let me call the editorial director first,” she said. Imani shrugged and waited for Dana to finish her call.

  “Here you go,” Dana said as she handed her the phone.

  Imani dialed Raymond’s number and was excited to hear his voice even though he’d only been gone for half a day.

  “Hello?”

  “Baby, it’s Imani,” she said. “I was just calling to tell you that I’m in Jamaica.”

  “Really? What are you doing there?”

  “A shoot with Dana. I should be back in New York around the same time you get back, but I wanted to let you know where I was just in case you called home and I wasn’t there.”

  “Thanks for calling.”

  “How is New Orleans?”

  Raymond sighed. “Without you here, very boring. I’ve been in meeting after meeting. Listening to doctors talk isn’t that much fun when all I can think about is this hot fiancée that I can’t wait to see.”

  Imani grinned from ear to ear. “And when you see said fiancée, just what are you going to do?”

  “Mmm, hold that thought. My next session is about to start and I can’t get into it. Love you.”

  “But—but.” He’d hung up. She handed the phone back to Dana, saying, “He’s busy.”

  “What did you expect that he would be doing?”

  Imani tapped Dana on the knee. “Well, when we get back, I want to tell him about my plans for our Valentine’s Day wedding.”

  “When? Four years from now? Not even with your newfound fame could you pull off a Valentine’s Day wedding this late in the game,” Dana said.

  Imani sucked her teeth. “I can make it happen if I put my mind to it,” she said. “But Raymond has a say in this as well. I don’t want to be one of those brides who focuses more on the wedding and forgets about the marriage.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Dana said.

  After arriving at the resort, Dana rushed off to her meeting and Imani was so mesmerized by the view from the room that she forgot all about soaking in the hot tub.

  Raymond rushed Dana into the room dubbed “wedding central.” “Imani didn’t follow you, did she?” he asked.

  “Your fiancée is probably soaking her cares away in the tub. So, what time tomorrow do I need to have her walking down the aisle?” Dana asked.

  “Sunset,” Raymond said as Celeste walked into the room. She motioned for Dana to follow her.

  “She gets to see the dress?” Raymond asked. “That isn’t right.”

  “Hush up, Raymond,” Celeste said as she and Dana headed into the adjoining room.

  “She’s going to love it,” he heard Dana exclaim. Raymond couldn’t help but smile. He only hoped that Imani would be as excited about the dress as her friend was.

  Keith walked into the room with dinner. “Have Imani and Dana gotten here yet?”

  “Yes. Imani called and I was almost busted when the steel drum band started playing. I damn near had to hang up on her in midconversation.” Raymond and his partner laughed.

  Dana and Celeste walked back into the room. “And our girl was not happy about that,” Dana said. “I’m just glad I was able to call you and give you a heads-up that she was going to be calling on my phone.”

  “That was close because I would’ve ruined everything,” he said with a laugh. “Now, how are you going to keep her busy all day tomorrow?”

  “We’re going to go to the lighthouse around four and take some shots. Celeste, I need the dress so that I can make sure it fits her and then we can get the accessories to go along with it.”

  “All right, but let me get the garment bag so that Raymond will be surprised by at least one thing on his wedding day,” Celeste sa
id as she headed back to get the dress.

  “Dana, would you like to join us for dinner before you leave?” Keith asked.

  “No, I’d better get back to Imani before she starts asking questions or comes looking for me. You know she’s a very impatient woman when she wants to be.” Dana laughed.

  The warm air of Negril filled Imani’s nostrils as she walked along the resort’s grounds. She marveled at how close she was to the edge of a cliff, but at how safe she felt. One day she and Raymond would have to come here, maybe for their honeymoon. Looking down at her watch, she wondered what was taking Dana so long. She was starving and wanted to try some of the local cuisine. Of course they had Jamaican restaurants in New York, but the real thing here was going to be so much better, Imani imagined. She turned back toward the entrance of the building and headed inside. Dana, who was walking in from the other side, waved a garment bag at her.

  “It’s about time you made it back,” Imani said. “What’s in the bag?”

  “The dress for the shoot. Let’s order some curried jerk chicken and rum punch for dinner.”

  “Glad you know that I’m starving,” Imani said. “That’s a small bag for a wedding dress.”

  “It is, but you’re going to love the dress.”

  “Not if I don’t eat first,” Imani said as they headed up to their room. Dana talked her friend into ordering room service and trying on the dress while they waited. Imani reluctantly agreed. She’d hoped to see more of Negril before she started working, but Dana made it seem as if trying on that dress was the most important thing in the world. But when Imani unzipped the white garment bag and saw the goldenrod halter dress with the fishtail and the matching lace wrap, she excitedly yelped. “This is beautiful. Who’s the designer?”

  Dana shrugged. “I have it in my notes. Try it on.”

  Imani carefully removed the dress from the bag and held it against her body. “It looks as if it was made for me.”

  “Can you try it on and make sure that it fits, please? I would like to eat sometime tonight,” Dana said, smiling because she knew Imani would love the dress.