Strategic Seduction

by Cheris Hodges

  “Alicia, Alicia, Alicia,” he moaned like a prayer as she rode him fast, then slow, then faster, and then slower. She leaned forward and nibbled on his earlobe and Richmond lost it. He climaxed and gripped her hips tightly as he spent himself. She fell into his embrace and they drifted off to sleep.

  Hours later when they woke up, Alicia and Richmond headed to the kitchen in their underwear to eat chicken, cornbread, and cabbage. “You’re lucky that they ran out of coleslaw,” she quipped as she broke off a piece of his cornbread. She nibbled on it and realized that she still wasn’t a huge fan.

  “How are you going to ruin the mood like that?” he asked as he snatched a wing off her plate.

  “Really?”

  “Every time you say the C word, I’m taking prime pieces of chicken from you.”

  “I will fight you if you take another wing from me,” she said with a wink.

  “I tell you what, dessert was delicious and I want a second helping. This time with whipped cream on top.”

  She smirked at him. “Should we take it back to the bedroom or in the kitchen on the tabletop?”

  “Let’s start down here on the tabletop. I believe there’s some chocolate sauce to go along with that cream.”

  Alicia pushed their empty paper plates on the floor and lay across the table, ready to give him another taste.

  Chapter 23

  The next morning, Alicia and Richmond woke up to the persistent ringing of the doorbell. Richmond wanted to ignore it since he had naked Alicia in his arms and was loving it. But when the ringing turned to banging, Richmond grabbed his robe and went downstairs to open the door. And if it wasn’t a police officer or a firefighter telling him that there was a mandatory evacuation, there was going to be hell to pay.

  When he pulled the curtain back and saw Solomon standing on his front step, he started to leave him there. But he knew he couldn’t leave Kandace outside in the sweltering Georgia heat.

  “Really?” Richmond said when he opened the door. “You couldn’t call first?”

  Kandace elbowed her husband in the side. “I told him to do that,” she said. “Guessing Alicia’s around here somewhere?”

  “I cannot believe my brother isn’t happy to see me,” Solomon said. “And I brought breakfast.”

  “I have breakfast upstairs.”

  “Eww,” Kandace said. “Walking away. That’s my friend you’re talking about. Or it better be.”

  “Why don’t you take the breakfast you brought into the kitchen and I’ll get Alicia,” Richmond said after he ushered his brother and sister-in-law inside. Solomon looked at the discarded paper plates on the floor and a spot of chocolate on the table.

  “Do I even want to know?” Solomon asked.

  “Had some dessert last night, it got a little out of hand.”

  Kandace shook her head. “How old are y’all?”

  Richmond dashed upstairs and heard the shower going. Stepping in the bathroom, he tapped on the shower door. “Guess you know we have company,” he said.

  “Yes, and I hope you at least picked up the plates from the kitchen floor.”

  Richmond dropped his robe and stepped in the shower with her. “Nope. And they brought us breakfast.”

  “Then we shouldn’t take all day in the shower,” she said, then splashed a bit of water on him.

  Richmond wrapped his arms around her waist. “But I already know what I want to eat for breakfast.”

  Alicia didn’t have a chance to protest before Richmond dropped to his knees and began to suck the hot wetness between her thighs. Her knees went weak as his tongue danced across her throbbing bud and his fingers played deep in her wetness. As much as she wanted to scream out his name in delight, the last thing she wanted to do was alert her friends to what they were doing upstairs. But Richmond wasn’t going to stop until she gave him a bit of a scream.

  “Umm,” she moaned. “You’re so-so bad.”

  He tore his mouth from her and smiled. “And you taste so good.”

  “If we don’t get out of here soon, they’re going to know what we’re doing,” she said, then shut the water off.

  “I guess you’re right,” he said. “And knowing my brother, half of the food is already gone. So, if you want something to eat, we better get a move on.”

  The couple dried off quickly and dressed, then headed downstairs. Just like Richmond had predicted, most of the biscuits and eggs were gone by the time he and Alicia made it downstairs.

  “Well, well,” Solomon said as he watched Richmond and Alicia walk into the kitchen. “Nice of you to join us.”

  “Hey, Solomon,” Alicia said. “Kandace! Please tell me you’re in the kitchen making coffee.”

  “Yes, I am,” she said. Alicia turned the corner and gave her friend a hug.

  “You and Richmond are nasty,” Kandace whispered. “On the kitchen table, really?”

  “You have no proof,” Alicia said with a laugh.

  Kandace raised her right eyebrow. “You just told on yourself. Y’all are so cute together. Jade and Serena are coming this afternoon too, and I can’t wait to tell them about this.”

  “You better not.”

  “How much is it worth to you, doll face?” Kandace asked as she reached for the coffee mugs above the coffeemaker.

  “Careful, you’re starting to sound like a real New Yorker these days,” Alicia said.

  “I guess this is what happens when you live with the king of New York.” Kandace poured the coffee and Alicia added sugar and cream, though she left hers black.

  “So,” Kandace asked. “What’s going on with Vivian these days?”

  Alicia shrugged, then told her about the meeting Vivian and Richmond had with a police officer. “Why would Richmond help her with that?” Kandace asked.

  “Because Felix Thompson is blackmailing her with a sex tape.”

  Kandace covered her mouth with her hand. “I-I . . . What?”

  “I can’t believe he’s out here victimizing women like that and working with children. I hope she sticks to her guns and goes after him.” Alicia shivered. “He should’ve been in jail and on a sex offenders list years ago.”

  “Yeah, I heard,” Kandace said. “I wish we had been able to help you out back then, because you shouldn’t have had to suffer alone all this time.”

  “It wasn’t easy to talk about,” Alicia said. “But that’s the past. Let’s drink this coffee with our men and look forward to the future.”

  * * *

  Solomon passed Richmond a biscuit and gave his brother a smirk. “Good to see you’re happy and you haven’t even had coffee yet,” Solomon said.

  “Don’t need that much coffee when I have Alicia. I’m glad I listened to you and told her how I felt, because this woman is magical.”

  “And you’re sure this is your future and you want to make Atlanta home. Nice house, by the way. There are some beautiful houses out here, for sure.”

  “What are you trying to do, sell houses now?”

  “Hell. No. But if I was going to move down South, I’d go Atlanta over Charlotte.”

  Alicia and Kandace walked in with the coffee mugs. “And what’s wrong with Charlotte?” Kandace asked.

  “No history,” Solomon replied as he took his coffee from his wife’s hand and gave her a playful smack on the bottom. “But don’t worry, I’m going to leave the South to Richmond and just come visit.”

  Kandace sat on his lap. “But what if I want to be closer to my business and my friends?” She batted her eyelashes at her husband and stroked his cheek.

  “I’m in trouble,” Solomon said.

  “Luckily, I love New York almost as much as I love you.”

  Alicia looked at Richmond and shook her head. “I will never feel that way about New York.”

  “Then I guess it’s a good thing that I have fallen in love with you and Atlanta.”

  Kandace’s mouth fell open and Alicia kissed Richmond’s cheek. “I think it was the Dancing Goats that di
d that,” Alicia said.

  “Not just the coffee,” he said as he kissed Alicia’s cheek.

  “At the risk of sounding like a cornball,” Kandace said, “I have to say that this is the best breakfast that I’ve had with my family since Solomon and I got married. And I’m so happy to see all of this love.”

  Solomon wiped a stray tear from her eye. “Baby, that was incredibly corny.”

  “Shut up,” Kandace said as she elbowed him in the stomach.

  As Alicia watched her friends ribbing each other, she couldn’t help but realize that she and Richmond were well on their way to that kind of love.

  “So,” Richmond said. “How are Adrian and Dana doing?”

  “They’re in Los Angeles for the month. I think he’s trying to make the family bicoastal for as long as he can.”

  “I was hoping they could be here for the groundbreaking. That way we show the media a true united front.”

  “Oh!” Alicia exclaimed. “Your interview with Atlanta Scene is going to be this afternoon. The pictures will start at the office and the groundbreaking. Then a shoot at the house.” She hopped up and started looking for her cell phone. “I better call the cleaning service.”

  “Nah, let the cameras catch all of this freakiness,” Solomon quipped. “Plates on the floor, empty whipped cream cans.”

  “Shut up,” Alicia said. “I bet back in the day, a morning after with Solomon was much worse.”

  “Back in the day? Have you seen my wife?”

  “Keep me out of your locker room talk,” Kandace said before she downed her coffee. Then she winked at Alicia and mouthed, Amateurs.

  Alicia found her phone, called the cleaning service, and then took Kandace upstairs to show her the dress she was wearing to the groundbreaking, while Richmond and Solomon started talking business.

  “Oh my, this dress is sexy and classy. Is this a Royal?”

  “Brand-new, not even online. He loved how the online launch went and gave me a dress. He is about to be the next great thing in fashion.”

  “I know, I went online during the launch and everything I wanted was sold out. Look at you doing the damned thing out here.”

  Alicia shrugged. “Well, this is how I do it,” she said, then shimmied her shoulders.

  “I can’t believe it, we finally have it all.” Kandace smiled and ran her hand across the dress. “Well, you have it all, because I don’t have a Royal dress.”

  “We’d better get ready for the groundbreaking. I know Richmond is excited about everything and how he broke into the culture here.”

  “He had help,” she replied. “And I’m glad I was wrong. You two are perfect for each other.”

  Alicia hugged her friend tightly. “I think I love him.”

  “Girl, bye. You do love him and he is crazy about you. And when Crawford men fall in love, they don’t let go.”

  “So you think he never loved his ex-wife?”

  Kandace shrugged. “Maybe on their wedding day. Hell, you’ve had more interaction with her than I’ve ever had. And it seems as though her heart has always been with the money.”

  “And now she’s here, wrapped up in a sex tape scheme. I just don’t want this to hurt Richmond.”

  “She’s in love,” Kandace sang. “’Cause that don’t sound like business to me.”

  Alicia tossed a pillow at her friend. Kandace ducked, then asked, “So, where are you staying?”

  Alicia hid her smile. “Here. I mean, I hit the ground running, stayed in the hotel longer than I meant to, and Richmond has the best wine ever.”

  “You’re blaming it on wine? Girl, stop! I guess I better check and see if my husband is ready to go check into our hotel so we can get dressed.”

  “Why don’t you guys stay here?” Alicia asked. “There’s plenty of room.”

  “Well, umm, this is the first trip in a long time without Kiana, so we need a little more privacy.” Kandace winked at her friend as she headed for the stairs. “And someone else can clean up our sensual aftermath.”

  “Get out of here, nasty.”

  About an hour later, the Crawford clan and what seemed liked every camera in the city of Atlanta was at the future sight of the boutique hotel. Alicia and Kandace stood in the background as Richmond spoke to the media. Solomon looked on proudly.

  “Atlanta is one of the most vibrant cities in the country. Hollywood of the South. And Crawford Hotels is happy to be a part of the Atlanta community. From the history of this beautiful city, to her bright future, Atlanta is the place to be. What we’re bringing to the city is a vibrant hotel that will give visitors a unique place to stay and a restaurant that will become one of the favorites of the residents of this great city. Superstar Chef Devon Harris is going to create the menu for the restaurant.”

  Cheers erupted from the press corps. “Now we don’t have to go to Paris or Charlotte for that cake,” a photographer exclaimed.

  Richmond and Solomon laughed. “But,” Solomon said, “until the hotel is built, keep in mind that Charlotte is a short trip away and my wife owns that restaurant in Charlotte.”

  “Master marketer,” Richmond quipped.

  Kandace shook her head as if she could feel all the cameras now focusing on her. Alicia nudged her friend and told her to smile.

  After the cameras focused back on Richmond, Kandace whispered to Alicia, “Now we’re going to see stories about Carmen’s death and the restaurant again.”

  “Maybe not. The way Richmond is charming everyone out there, maybe they will cut Solomon’s advertisement for the restaurant out of their reporting. But you have to give the man an A for effort.”

  Kandace shrugged. “There are things that you never live down, and that’s my little red wagon.”

  “Are you all right?” Alicia asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I just get tired of my past cropping up so much.”

  Alicia nodded. And wondered if you could ever give up the past or if that was something that would always haunt you. Had she dealt with her past, and would she be able to move forward with Richmond with it lingering over her head?

  Then the craziest idea popped into her mind. She was going to have to help Vivian bring Felix Thompson down. She just wondered if Richmond would be okay with that. He was trying to get that woman out of his life, and Alicia was about to pull her right back into their lives.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming, and we look forward to seeing you when the hotel opens.” Richmond’s voice snapped Alicia out of her thoughts. When he reached for her hand, Alicia smiled and joined him in front of the cameras. “I have to thank one of the brightest minds in the city for helping me learn about Atlanta. Alicia Michaels, thank you for all of the work that you’ve done to help Crawford Hotels get here. You’ve also helped me understand that Southerners don’t know how to make hot dogs, but I digress. Alicia, I love you.”

  “Richmond?” She locked eyes with him.

  “Will you make me the happiest man in Atlanta and be my wife? Will you marry me?”

  “I-I,” she stammered, then swayed from side to side. Next thing she knew, everything was black.

  * * *

  Richmond had anticipated a few different reactions to his marriage proposal, but Alicia collapsing in his arms hadn’t been one of them. He rushed her to the car and allowed Kandace to drive to the closest hospital. Solomon closed out the press conference and then took an Uber to meet his family at the hospital.

  With Alicia in his arms, Richmond rushed into the emergency room of Piedmont West. “We need help. She passed out.”

  The charge nurse helped Richmond lay Alicia on a gurney that an orderly brought over. “And what’s her name?”

  “Alicia Michaels,” Richmond said.

  “Any known allergies?”

  Richmond turned to Kandace. “Allergies?”

  “Penicillin and ibuprofen,” she said.

  “Okay,” the nurse said as they rushed Alicia back to an examination room. Richmond wanted to
follow them back, but Kandace grabbed his arm.

  “What the hell is going on? Has she been feeling all right? Has this happened before?”

  “No. As far as I know she’s been fine. I got to get back there and be with her.”

  * * *

  Alicia’s eyes fluttered open when she heard all the beeps. Wasn’t she just standing outside listening to Richmond propose to her? Wait, he asked me to marry him and I fainted. In. Front. Of. The. Press.

  “You scared us,” Richmond said.

  Alicia looked around the room and saw Kandace and Solomon standing there as well.

  “What happened?” Alicia asked.

  “This one scared the hell out of you, asking you to be his wife,” Solomon said with a laugh.

  Before Alicia could reply, the doctor walked in with a smile on her face. “Ms. Michaels, glad to see that you’re awake. Your family was really worried. Now, I’m going to need to do an exam and go over some test results with Ms. Michaels. And I need some space.”

  “We’ll be outside,” Kandace said as she, Solomon, and Richmond started for the door.

  “Mr. Michaels, you can stay,” the doctor said. Alicia hid her laughter.

  Richmond crossed over to her bed and held her hand as the doctor opened Alicia’s file.

  “Well,” she began, “congratulations are in order. It looks as if you’re pregnant.”

  “What?”

  Richmond brought his hand to his mouth.

  The doctor nodded. “And you got a little dehydrated, so we’re going to keep you here for a little while and get you hydrated. You’re going to have to leave the coffee alone.”