Night of Seduction (19 page)

“Alright,
let
’
s meet tomorrow; let
’
s say around one at
the Rendezvous Restaurant on Broad.
”

Writing down
the information, Siri agreed,
“
Okay,
I
’
ll see you then.
”

“I look forward
to meeting you Siri.
”

“Same here.
Bye.
”

She
wasn
’
t sure how long, but Siri stood there bewildered, and
then looked at the names on the board. Picking up her briefcase,
she pulled out her laptop and immediately checked Crimson
publishing site for the name of Maxine Long. There she was, listed
as Senior Editor.
“
Oh my
God
…
..
”
She sat mindlessly on the stool at
the breakfast bar in awe. A publishing company wants my book. She
reached for her purse to get her cell phone out to call her mother,
but the tune played indicating a call was coming through.
“
Hello.
”

“Hello Siri.
Since your mother and sister are in Atlanta I thought
I
’
d come to Richmond to spend some time with you. Do you
have any plans for the weekend?
”

“Eric, you will
never believe what just happened.
”
She told him step by
step what just had happened.

He could hear
the excitement in her voice.
“
Then,
I
’
m right on time for a celebration dinner.

As ecstatic as
she was, she knew she could not go out in public with Eric. Nor was
it a good idea to be in the house alone with him.
“
I don
’
t know
Eric.
”

“I promise to
be on my best behavior. Besides you are going to need advice on how
to handle an agent and an editor.
”
The line was
silent.
“
Siri, I
’
m already in Richmond
at the airport. Are you going to leave a brother hanging out here
all alone, not knowing anyone here to call except
you?
”
There was no need to tell her he was there to check
out the condominium on the top floor of the James River
building.

“That was a low
guilt trip.
”

“I know. Did it
work?
”

“Yeah, it
worked.
”
She replied slowly,
“
Why
don
’
t you come over here for dinner? Just dinner, nothing
more.
”

“I
’
ll take whatever I
can get. See you around six,
”
he replied, then
hung up before she could change her mind.

Siri looked at
the clock on the wall in the kitchen, it was a little after four.
That gave her time to shower and change before starting dinner. As
she walked towards the steps she kept reminding herself this is
just going to be dinner, no dessert or anything else is going to be
happening in this house. The doorbell rang as she reached the
second step. Then she remembered, a courier was dropping off the
offer. Excited, she signed for the package, placed it on the stand
near the door, ran to her purse and then tipped the runner. After
closing the door, both hands went to her mouth as her eyes widened
on the package. It wasn
’
t just a simple white
envelope that a rejection letter would be in
—
it was a
brown envelope. It resembled the acceptance package she received
from Spelman. She opened the package and tears sprang to her eyes
as she read the letter from Maxine Long. Behind the letter were
legal looking documents that she was not interested in reading. She
placed the legal documents on the stand and just held the letter to
her heart and closed her eyes. She looked at the letter and read it
again, just to make sure nothing had changed from a moment ago. She
sat down in the chair next to the stand and read it again. Her
novel was going to be published. How cool is that? She thought.
Then she let it out with a scream!

An hour later,
Siri was in the kitchen dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a
pair of flip flops; checking the baked sweet potatoes
she
’
d put in the oven. She was in the process of
saut
é
ing green peppers and onions for the steaks she
planned to grill, when the door bell chimed again.
“
Eric
’
s
early,
”
she said as she looked at the clock.

Walking, almost
running to the door, she was giddy with excitement. She slowed her
pace as she tried to determine why. Was it because of the news
about her book or was it the man standing on the other side of the
door. It
’
s the book, she reasoned in her mind. Shaking the
thought from her mind, she opened the door and knew immediately she
had lied
—
it was the man.

Leaning against the doorframe stood the
sexiest, most sensuous man she had ever laid eyes on, wearing a
simple pair of jeans and an open collar shirt. Nothing about the
outfit was outstanding; it was purely the essence of the man
wearing it. She exhaled, knowing it was going to be hell resisting
him.

“Are you going
to let me in?
”

Eric
’
s smile was
electrifying to her senses, as was the look of appreciation that
shown through his eyes. Looking into them made her see herself
differently. His eyes always seemed to gently caress
her.

“You
’
re
early,
”
she replied, still unable to move.

“I
couldn
’
t wait to see you.
”
He walked into the
house as she took a step back.
“
I brought wine and
flowers to celebrate. Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek.
“
Congratulations on the book deal.
”

She took the
flowers and savored the kiss.
“
Thank
you,
”
she exhaled with a smile. Looking away, she pointed to
the kitchen.
“
There
’
s a wonderful breeze
this evening, so I thought we would eat on the patio. Come on back,
while I find a vase to put these in.
”

Following her
into the kitchen was not making his promise to behave easy. The
jeans Siri was wearing revealed the luscious curve of her behind
and the tiny waist that he remembered circling with his hands. Her
walk was slow, sensuous, and tempting. All he could think about was
holding the two globes in his hands. He stopped at the breakfast
bar and watched as she continued to the cabinet under the sink,
bent over and pulled out a vase. She stood slowly, stretching her
body out lazily like a cat, joint by joint until she reached her
full height. Reaching across the sink, she turned on the faucet and
filled the vase with water. On anyone else, the movements would
have had no effect on him whatsoever; however, with Siri the
movement caused a rise in his already strained libido.
“
Siri.
”

She
didn
’
t have to look at him. The sound of her name on his
lips was all the indication she needed to know his intent.
“
You promised,
”
she said as she turned the faucet off
and placed the flowers in the vase.

He walked up
behind her and reached around her body, taking the vase from her
hands with one hand and wrapping his other around her waist pulling
her back against him. He set the vase on the cabinet, wrapped his
other arm around her, and whispered in her ear.
“
Don
’
t you feel it Siri?
Don
’
t you feel how thick the air is around
us?
”
He kissed the area right below her right ear.
“
I feel it every time I
’
m within arms reach
of you.
”
He ran his hand down the front of her stomach to
the top opening of her jeans and pressed his groin against her
behind. His hand felt it when her abdomen contracted from his
touch.
“
You can
’
t fight it Siri and
neither can I.
”

Siri held on
tight to the edge of the cabinet, trying desperately not to sink
into the warmth of his arms. But her body betrayed her as her head
laid back against his chest, giving him more access to her neck. He
kissed the crook of her neck and used his other hand to ease under
her shirt and caress her nipples. Another contraction came in
anticipation of more.
“
We
’
re
supposed to be celebrating,
”
she whispered
breathlessly.

“I
can
’
t think of a better way than to hold you and tell you
how very proud I am of you accomplishing your
dream.
”
He turned her around in his arms and kissed her
deeply, slowly, and passionately. Her body was trapped between him
and the cabinet; there was no room for escape. She wrapped her arms
around his neck, fleeing was the last thing on her mind. His hands
traveled up her waistline to the side of her breast where his
thumbs lingered and played with her nipples until she
couldn
’
t take any more. Suddenly he pulled away and
literally crawled down her body with his tongue, dropping to his
knees, and began kissing her navel. He pulled back, sat on his
heels, and looked up into her eyes.
“
Let me make love to
you Siri. No rushing, no hiding in the back yard, just you, knowing
it
’
s me, Eric, making love to you and you, Siri making
love to me.
”

Her hands were braced on his shoulders and
they tightened as he spoke. She wanted to do exactly what he asked,
but she knew every other time they made love; he took a small piece
of her heart. This was not a man she could be in a lasting
relationship with. The publicity was not something she could go
through again, if things did not work out. The only way to protect
herself from public humiliation again was to stay away from men
with a public persona to uphold. Could she make love to him this
one last time, knowing self-preservation dictated she walk
away?

“Look at me
Siri.
”
He saw the look of caution enter her eyes.
“
Don
’
t think about
anything else, but what you are feeling at this moment. I need you
to make love to me.
”

The sincerity
in his eyes touched her somewhere deep and she knew she could not
deny him.
“
The food is going to
get cold,
”
she said so innocently.

He stood,
looking down into her eyes and smiled as he ran a finger down her
cheek.
“
We can always reheat the food.
”

She turned off the oven, took his hand in
hers, walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. They walked to
her bedroom as she pulled her blouse over her head. With her back
still to him, she slipped out of her jeans and panties then removed
the hair band allowing it to flow around her shoulders.

Turing to face him, she witnessed the affect
her naked body had on him, for he had disrobed completely and stood
there with his need protruding extensively from his body.
Mesmerized, she stepped closer, dropped to her knees and captured
him in her hands, then gently kissed the tip of his manhood. Using
her tongue, she circled him as if performing a taste test. Then her
lips closed around him.

The moment she
touched him, his body wanted to explode. This woman wreaked havoc
on his senses in a way he could never explain to anyone for fear of
being placed in an insane asylum.
“
Siri,
”
escaped his lips. He pulled her up to
him and carried her to the bed, for fear of losing all control.
Lying beside each other, he ran his fingers through her hair, while
exploring every inch of her face with his eyes. After covering
himself with protection, he brought her lips close to his.
“
You are my heaven right here on earth.
”
He kissed
her with an intensity that literally made her toes curl. Without
guidance from him, his manhood entered her. She welcomed him by
wrapping her legs around his waist holding him securely in place.
There were no further words spoken, but music played in his mind
the same as it had the other times they were together. And she must
have heard it too, for their bodies moved together in a rhythm of
its own, neither missing a beat until the explosion that merged
their souls together. Soon, they both fell peacefully
asleep.