Some Like It Hot (23 page)

Sydney tapped lightly upon the glossy surface of her table at the Cotton Club. Several groups had performed, but the one Tyrone was a part of had yet to come on stage.

She glanced at her watch. She’d been here an hour already but couldn’t complain, as she was enjoying herself. She had felt joyful all day. After Tyrone had left that morning she had gone back to sleep. When she woke up she felt rejuvenated and energized. A day and night spent making love with Tyrone had certainly been the thing she needed.

The lights in the club dimmed, signaling that the matinee was over and the next show was about to begin. She took a sip of her drink, leaned back in her chair, and waited. Her heart raced when four men and a woman appeared on stage. Everyone gave them a big applause, and moments later the emcee introduced them.

“Most of you will remember this group of dedicated musicians,” he said. “Years ago, while students at Juilliard, they used to come play for free each week to benefit the Harlem Youth Choir and other charitable events. Tonight they have returned on behalf of the Harlem Music Festival that will be held this summer. Let’s give them another round of applause.”

And the audience did just that. Sydney joined them, proud of the dedication of Tyrone and his friends on behalf of the Harlem community.

The lone female in the group went to the drums. Sydney lifted a brow when Tyrone went to the piano instead of the saxophone. Their first number was “A Fifth of Beethoven,” Walter Murphy’s upbeat jazzy style.

She tried ignoring a group of women sitting at the table behind her who were whispering loudly about Tyrone. They all agreed that he was the best-looking man on stage. “Look at that great body.” One of the women crooned. “I bet he knows just how to use it in bed.”

Sydney tried to force the woman’s words from her mind but couldn’t, especially since she knew firsthand how Tyrone could use his body to pleasure a woman. Just thinking about what they had shared yesterday and this morning sent sharp sexual awareness through her.

Then the music took over and she joined the audience that was rocking to the beat. She caught Tyrone’s eye and her heart fluttered when he smiled at her. The women behind her squealed, thinking his look had been directed at them. Sydney smiled back at him, enjoying the moment, confident that she had been the recipient of that smile. After a few other numbers, most of them soft jazz, they turned the heat up again with a fast-paced number.

The emcee called for a break and the group left the stage to prepare for their final two numbers. Sydney raised her hand to get a waiter’s attention for another drink, and he had just left her table when she heard the women burst into excited chatter behind her. Tyrone was heading in their direction. She couldn’t help but admire his looks as she watched him walk toward her. Her smile widened when she heard the women’s disappointed sighs when he stopped at her table. She could just imagine the envious looks they were probably giving her.

“Hi. Enjoying yourself?” he asked, snagging the empty chair at her table.

“Yes,” she said, beaming, the luckiest woman in the place. “I’m impressed. Just how many instruments do you know how to play?” she asked. “You played just about every one on stage. I’ve heard you play the sax, but it’s incredible how you handle the piano
and
the guitar. You’re really gifted, Tyrone.”

He grinned. “I can play just about any instrument that’s put in front of me. I love music.”

Sydney nodded, believing him. She could tell from the expression on his face while performing.

“Are you hungry?” he asked her. “If you are, we can grab something when we leave here.”

“I ate before I came but if you’re hungry we can certainly go somewhere later.”

“I’d like that. There’s an all-night restaurant in my hotel.” He lowered his voice and leaned over and whispered seductively, “And if you stay with me tonight, I promise to have you back in the morning to take care of Denzel’s needs.”

She agreed quickly since there was no way she could resist his invitation.

He leaned across the table and kissed the tip of her nose, then leaned in closer to kiss her lips as the women behind her sighed in unison. “I have to get back.”

She watched him walk away, astonished once again at how anytime he came within two feet of her, her body came alive with wanting. She took a deep breath, knowing she was in trouble by letting herself be drawn to a man who had made it clear from the beginning that he couldn’t commit to any woman. But, for her, what had started as merely a short fling was no longer casual in her mind, which proved that she was a woman who could only sleep with a man if her heart was in it. And her heart was in this so deep that it was beginning to get downright scary.

After leaving the club they had stopped at the restaurant in his hotel. She drank coffee while he ate a hearty meal of steak and potatoes. Then, barely keeping their hands off each other, they rode up in the elevator to his hotel room.

Once inside his suite, he had begun taking her clothes off. Then, not bothering to take off his own, he had picked her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, kissing her with a passion that had taken her breath away and had sent sensation after sensation rippling through her. After placing her on the bed, he removed his clothes.

She would never forget the look in his eyes just moments before he had entered her. For long moments they remained perfectly still, caressing each other with their eyes. Then he had slowly pressed himself inside of her, joining their bodies.

A look of satisfaction had spread across his face as he entered her to the hilt, and then the action began. He had literally rocked her world—her body, the bed, her mind—as he established a rhythm that was destined to drive them both to the edge. However, before the inevitable free-fall, he would slow down to extend the agony.

She begged him to give her what she craved, but he kept prolonging the moment until his control broke and he growled her name through clenched teeth, taking one final, hard and deep thrust inside of her, letting them explode in mutual ecstasy as they toppled over the edge together, yet another heightened pleasure she experienced for the first time with Tyrone.

“Tyrone!”

His name came out as a whispered gasp on Sydney’s lips as he pushed deeper into her. She felt as if she were on fire.

They had fallen asleep in each other’s arms. The next morning, she opened her eyes to the sight of his sleeping features. She drew in a deep breath, not regretting what they had shared the last two days.

He opened his eyes, as if he could read her mind, and pulled her closer into his arms. Leaning over, he kissed her lips. “You’re something else, Sydney.”

She shook her head. “No, Tyrone, you’re the one who’s something else. I’m just glad we’re both here. In this place and at this time.”

He gently pushed a strand of hair away from her face. “No regrets?”

She shook her head. “No regrets.”

Sydney knew that the odds were that when she left New York she wouldn’t be seeing him again, as Linc and Raven were moving to Memphis. That meant she would have no reason to visit the nation’s capital. It also meant that this New York trip was the only time the two of them would share such intimacies like this.

When she felt Tyrone shift in bed, she noted that all signs of sleep had suddenly disappeared from his face. Instinctively she went into his arms when he reached for her. As his mouth covered hers she knew she had meant just what she’d said. For her there would be no regrets.

Over the next two weeks Tyrone and Sydney settled into a satisfying and pleasurable routine. On the days he taught classes, Sydney kept busy touring Harlem or catching the subway into Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. There was so much to see and do. She shopped at some of her favorite stores and went to museums. On the days Tyrone didn’t have a class, he would join her. As he had lived in New York, he became her personal tour guide.

In the afternoon they would attend a play, go to some hot entertainment spot, or just enjoy a nice cozy dinner at a restaurant. Better yet were those evenings when they didn’t make any plans but stayed in at his place or hers and talked. Then at night, they enjoyed each other. They had taken their intimacy to a new level, and it became the norm for them to wake up every morning cuddled in each other’s arms. Neither discussed what would happen when the fling was over since it was understood that in the end, she would go her way and he would go his. But Tyrone knew that the degree of intimacy they shared would stay with him forever. A culmination of three weeks of mindless, earth-shattering pleasure guaranteed that.

Tyrone heard Denzel scratching against the door. Deciding that Sydney needed her rest, he silently closed the door behind him as memories of the intensity of their lovemaking the night before flooded his mind. After making unforgettable love, they hadn’t had energy to do more than fall asleep in each other’s arms.

As he slipped into the clothes he had hastily tossed on the sofa the night before, he tried not to think about how he and Sydney had only two more days together. Her friend Donna was due back tomorrow and Sydney would be leaving for Memphis the following day. He had planned something special for her final night in New York, but now, as he thought about it, he decided it would not be enough.

What could you do for a woman who in three weeks had shown you a side of passion you’d never seen before? What did you give a woman who made you appreciate the fact that you were born a man? A woman who made multiple orgasms appear like a common achievement?

Tyrone sighed deeply, not believing he was that much into a woman. Since he had discovered there was a difference between the sexes, he had taken pleasure in dodging every beautiful woman who’d been intent on finding some definite place in his life. He always figured it must have been a “twin thing” because Tyrell was of the same mind, dodging them right along with him. Both saw a serious commitment as something to avoid. And he couldn’t leave out his older brother Noah, who had been such a good role model for him and Tyrell. For years they’d watched Noah enjoy his life as a bachelor, much to the chagrin of their mother. She complained that it seemed her three sons would never settle down with wives, which was robbing her of grandchildren. Her complaints had fallen on deaf ears since none of them were serious enough about a woman to contemplate marriage.

His mother’s obsession with grandchildren suddenly made him think of the two times he’d almost slipped in the protection department with Sydney on the first night they’d made love. Somehow the magnitude of what they’d shared hit him on an emotional level.

Tyrone shook his head. This can’t be happening, he told himself. The two of them were having a fling, nothing more. He’d had flings with women before, although he’d be the first to admit this one with Sydney was different. However, he couldn’t lose sight of what was between them, which was nothing more than satisfying overactive hormones and an attraction that was more irresistible than any he’d ever known.

But even with all the intensity they shared, he was convinced that he was getting her out of his system, and confident that all the time they had spent together would do the trick. When she left for Memphis, he would remain in New York an additional week before heading back to D.C. to resume his daily routine. Their time together here would soon be fond memories.

He rubbed his hand across his face. Then why in the hell was he feeling so damn bad at the thought that in two days she would be leaving? Why did the possibility of not seeing her again once Linc and Raven moved to Memphis bother him?

He frowned, refusing to get emotional again. That wasn’t his way. He buttoned up his coat while Denzel danced impatiently around his feet, reassured himself that he would make their last night together special, and when he watched her board that plane to go back to Tennessee, he would be okay with it. There was no reason for him not to be.

“Well, what do you think?”

Tyrone’s slow, hot gaze traveled down the length of Sydney’s body, as he gave her his hand to assist her out of the car. He took in the way the short, clingy dress hugged every curve on her body and how well it showed off her gorgeous legs. “I think you’re tantalizing, Miss Corbain.”

Sydney chuckled. “Thanks, but that’s not what I was asking you. I meant what did you think of Donna.”

“Oh.” He shrugged. “She’s nice, but then I figured she would be since she’s such a good friend of yours.”

Tyrone had met Donna when he picked her up at five o’clock.

She had raised a curious brow when Sydney announced that she would not be returning that night and would see her tomorrow. Donna knew better than anyone that a casual relationship with a man was not the norm for Sydney.

The plans were that Tyrone would return her to Donna’s place to pack in the morning and around noontime, when his class was over, he would take her to the airport. From the look on Donna’s face Sydney knew that she and her best friend had a lot to talk about tomorrow while she packed.

After sitting and chatting with Donna for more than an hour, they had left for dinner.

Sydney smiled, thinking of their time together. For some reason she was glad Tyrone liked her friend. “So, are you going to tell me where we’re going tonight?”

“No, I thought I’d let it be a surprise.” Since his hotel was located in the heart of Manhattan, he left the car in the parking garage so they could walk the few blocks to their destination. He had made special plans for them to dine at one of the most elegant restaurants in the city, located on the sixty-fifth floor of Rockefeller Center, the Rainbow Room.

They entered the beautiful lobby of Rockefeller Center and caught an elevator to the sixty-fifth floor. She leaned back against a paneled wall on the long ride up and considered everything she now knew about Tyrone Hardcastle. Over the past three weeks they had made love plenty of times, but he had also shared a side of him that she had appreciated getting to know. The term “the man and his music” suited him. She had also discovered that he was a warm and caring person who spent time giving free music lessons to underprivileged kids at a couple of the youth centers in the D.C. and Maryland areas. She also found out that he had played at the White House when President and Mrs. Clinton had been in residence, and he had been part of a group that had performed for President Bush’s inauguration. What she had discovered most of all was just how giving he was. No matter how many times they had made love, and no matter how fierce a sexual hunger had raged within him, he had withheld his pleasure until he was sure she had gotten hers.

“Here we are.”

Tyrone’s words broke into Sydney’s thoughts and she noted they were at the entrance of a very elegant restaurant. They stepped out of the elevator and her breath caught in her throat, in awe over how posh the place was. The walls were made of glass.

“Oh, Tyrone, this place is simply beautiful and the view of New York City at night from up here is incredible.”

He smiled warmly, taking her hand in his. “I wanted to make our last night together special,” he said, pleased with the unabashed look of happiness on her face.

“And you have.” For Sydney, not only tonight, but the past three weeks she had spent with Tyrone were already special, a time she would not forget.

Dining with him at the Rainbow Room was nothing short of a dream. The food was excellent, the atmosphere elegant, but nothing could compare to the company she kept.

Tyrone was the most gracious of dinner companions. She sat across from him and marveled at just how sinfully, incredibly sexy he looked dressed in his dark suit.

A few hours later, Sydney sighed as she entered Tyrone’s hotel room. When he closed the door behind them, he would be hers alone, their final night together. Since he had made dinner special for her, she wanted to make this part of their night special for him.

“I want to thank you again for tonight, Tyrone. Everything was wonderful.”

“Like I said earlier, I wanted it to be special.” His voice was a deep, soft rumble of sound that immediately made Sydney’s entire body tingle from the irresistible attraction they had given into for three weeks, and despite the hunger they had continually fed over those weeks, it was now at its sharpest.

“If I live to be over a hundred years old, I’ll never come to understand this sexual chemistry that exists between us, Sydney,” he said, placing his hands at her waist. “I’ve never experienced anything like it in all my days.”

She met his gaze while red-hot desire pooled in her body, and knew that she would never love another man the way she loved him. It would be a love she would take to her grave.

She moistened her bottom lip with her tongue as she eased her short leather jacket off her shoulders, then slid the thin straps of the little slinky black dress she was wearing, and within seconds it had slithered down her body to join her leather jacket on the floor. She then stepped out of her high-heeled shoes and stood before him wearing nothing but a black lacy bra-and-panty set and silky black thigh-high stockings with a lacy top.

Tyrone’s breath caught in his throat as he gazed at Sydney. During the past three weeks, he had come to expect that what she wore underneath her clothes was just as sexy as what she wore on the outside, which only made him anticipate what was to come. He had gotten more than a glimpse of her passion for sexy, skimpy, and revealing underthings, and her curvaceous body was made for them.

Like his body was made just for hers. She constantly made him remember what a hot-blooded male he was, a man who appreciated the sight of a gorgeous woman.

“Strip for me,” he said silkily, hoping that she would. All the other times he had been the one to undress her, but now, tonight, he wanted to see her bare it all for him. Her breath rushed from her lungs and she flushed. Although over the past weeks the two of them had shared one wild sexual fling, in essence there was an innocence about Sydney that always touched him. He was well aware that having casual sex wasn’t anything she normally did, and a part of him was grateful to be the man she felt comfortable enough with to have this onetime liaison. For some reason, the idea bothered him that she might one day decide to engage in this sort of activity with someone else. His heart thundered in his chest at the mere thought that some other man would one day share the same pleasures.

He pushed that idea to the back of his mind, and when Sydney began to slowly unfasten the front hook of her bra and her lush breasts spilled from their confinement, he became excited beyond reason. His tongue tingled in anticipation of devouring the generous swell of flesh exposed before him.

He tensed and his breathing became labored as he watched her hand move slowly down her belly toward the waistband of her panties. She was wearing a pair of the sexiest, most provocative pair he had ever seen on a woman, and the flimsy, itty-bitty garment was contoured just for her shape. It teased more than it covered.

His erection hardened at the thought of what was beneath that scrap of material and just how much he wanted it. He lifted his gaze to meet her eyes and without speaking a word, he told her blatantly what he wanted to do to her. He silently told her how he wanted to use his mouth on her, and how he wanted to get between those long, gorgeous legs of hers.

He saw her flush of excitement as she slowly began easing the panties over her hips and down her legs. He gritted his teeth at the sight of the bounty she was uncovering and his body ached to touch it, taste it, and get connected with it in the most primal way. When she had finally stepped out of her panties and kicked them aside, she stood before him completely nude and completely gorgeous.

A satisfied smile touched his lips and his nostrils flared at the womanly scent she emitted. His gaze dropped to that part of her and his vision caressed it as intimately as his tongue soon would.

He began removing his clothes, giving her the same strip show she had given him, although he took off his clothing a little more hurriedly.

He heard her huge sigh of anticipation when he began removing his briefs. Her reaction to seeing his erection was sensuous and he knew he wanted her with a passion that overrode any common sense he had left.

Tyrone felt a compelling need to take her now, to sink his body into hers, as a hunger more fierce than he’d ever experienced before tore through him.

His control snapped when a desperate need to brand her as his own filled his head. He lifted her into his arms, carried her into the bedroom, placed her in the middle of the bed, and immediately joined her there.

“I have to get inside of you,” he groaned against her ear, too filled with emotions he had never felt before and too out of control to think straight. Hunger for her gripped him. Intense. Enthralling. Wild.

Automatically she spread her legs open for him and when she took her soft fingers and wrapped around his throbbing erection, his entire body shook. He knew if he waited even a second longer before possessing her, he would go mad.

As soon as the velvety tip of him touched her wet opening, he thrust deeply inside of her while her moans of pleasure filled his head. Her inner muscles had him in a tight grip and she did some branding of her own when her fingertips raked his back, urging him to move.

And he did.

The thought that this would be the last time he experienced passion this rich, mind-boggling, and provocative made him move faster and thrust deeper. Never before had he been filled with such raw desire for a woman, and with a growl of need that rumbled through his clenched teeth, he relentlessly pumped his body into hers.