I was a bit jealous of Kayla’s Barbie doll good looks, but I couldn’t control what God gave me. I was a black woman in a white man’s world and I was making a go of it. I was meatier, and had what most people called a Latin booty. I never really concerned myself with my weight, but I did eat healthy and tried to stay away from sugars and high carbs, as much as possible. I found several cookbooks that I could dig into and find a recipe that not only tasted great, but wasn’t going to make me gain just from looking at the pages.
Thankfully, my weight was proportionate with my height and being five-foot-nine had given me a long-legged stance with the kind of breasts that defied gravity. I always took care of myself and I even meditated and did yoga in the morning. For a bigger girl, I was quite flexible and I could practically put my feet over my head.
“Just because you got burned by a guy, doesn’t mean that all of us are going to fall into that same trap, Angelica.” I’d tried to shorten my name to Angie, but it never really fit my personality.
“I’m not saying that I’m not bitter, because the guy fooled me into thinking that he was my one and only. I don’t even want to mention his name, because I have wiped him from my memory and cut him out of all of my photographs.” I never thought that I would be the type of woman that would do something like that, but I had not only done that, but I’d also changed my look drastically. Where I had long dark hair, I had chopped it off into a pixie cut that really did accentuate my long neck. I’m not saying that I hadn’t noticed the way that the guys have been appreciative with their whistles and unnecessary stares when I walk by in a pair of tight jeans.
Today, I was wearing a black leather skirt and a white blouse, plus a silver belt that went around the entire ensemble. It hooked in the front and hung there loosely and I had to admit that I looked pretty damn good.
“I think what you need is something to break the monotony. I know that you’re having a thirtieth birthday party, but I think that you should make it a blowout extravaganza. Invite everyone you know and tell them to invite everybody that they know and let’s blow the roof off of the place.” That actually didn’t sound like such a bad idea and I’ve been working long hours and needed something to blow off some steam. I was not one for one night stands and even though I could probably find a guy in a bar, it didn’t mean that I was going to.
“Let’s do it.” Before I changed my mind, I had given her the green light to make all the arrangements. I already had a very discreet evening planned with a few close friends to play some games, but this would definitely change the tone of the evening. “I would tell you to not to go overboard, but that’s like telling Michelangelo that he can’t paint.” She smiled coyly and I knew that I was in for an evening that I would never forget. She always knew just how to make a party something that would be talked about over the water cooler the next day.
“Trust me; I know what I’m doing. I’m just going to need you to pass me over your day planner.” I was reluctant to do that, but then I relented. It was just one night and I only turn thirty once, so why not prove to my friends that I am just as wild and uninhibited as I was when I was in college? I’d certainly changed from the punk rocker that I was back then. Now I am a professional with a jewelry store that was making people’s heads turn. I had one major supplier and he was located in Tunisia of all places. It’s funny—he contacted me and before I knew it, he was the next big thing.
I was lucky to have exclusive rights with him and he was getting a nice percentage of the profits in return for his continued good work. I’ve never even met him and the only photograph I’ve seen was something that he had sent on the Internet. He wasn’t much to look at, but he was kind of cute in the right light. He was very grateful for my willingness to expose him to the public eye.
I waited until the end of the day, closed up, and then made sure that the alarm was on. I then walked down the hallway and said “good night” to Benjamin, the security guard. I stepped out into the parking lot to see my black Mustang sitting there, waiting for me to turn up the volume on the speakers inside the car and then rev the motor and put those aftermarket mufflers to good use.
I felt the engine purr underneath my ample frame and it was making this slight vibration that I always found pleasing. I think I only bought the car because it gave me that unique thrill while driving down the road with the top down. It was worth every penny and it was the one thing in my life that I could guarantee would never let me down.
Chapter 2
I didn’t think that it was going to be quite like this, but I should have realized that by putting Kayla in charge that things were going to get a little out of hand. There were two kegs of beer in my pristine kitchen and there was a live band in my living room making the windows in the place shake. The speakers were pounding a drum for everybody to dance to.
“Kayla really did a bang-up job on your thirtieth birthday bash. You know which that band is?” I shrugged my shoulders, but if anybody would know, it would be Timothy. He was my best friend and we had been romantically linked for about a year in high school, but then we realized that we could be better best friends than in a relationship. That’s not to say that he hasn’t come over at the bequest of someone that was feeling that itch. I would open the door and he would have a bottle of wine or champagne and we’d finish it off and then hit the sheets.
“Angelica, that band is one of the up-and-coming local stars in the community. They’re called Dark Passage. You’d think that they would be singing some kind of song that would make you want to slit your wrist, but they are anything but the way that their name suggests.” I had to admit that these guys really did know how to put on a show. The lead singer was a carbon copy of that guy that won that contest to join INXS. He had the same gravel kind of voice, but I knew that it wasn’t him.
I had on a little black dress—not so little on me, but it certainly hugged my body like a second skin. I could even see that Timothy was casually taking glances and I had purposely not worn a bra. I felt that they were a little constricting and I only wore them when I was at work. I did have on a pair of panties, but they were a variety of naughty, but it made me feel sexy to be wearing them.
Timothy was a bit of a Generation X’er and I could see that he had not changed in the many years that I’ve known him. He was still wearing those glasses, when he could’ve easily gotten contacts and made most girls swoon at the sight of his baby blues. He wasn’t built like a linebacker, but he had a certain something with a swimmer’s frame that looked pretty good in a pair of running shorts. I’ve seen him naked and I can envision it right now and that is one of my rights as we were former and somewhat present lovers.
I was getting a little tipsy and I felt my body swaying to the music, when I saw this shadow looming over me from behind. “Don’t look around and just listen to my voice. You are a very desirable woman and you should have the world at your feet. I only came here because of one of my friends told me that this was the place to be. I was a bit bored, but when I saw you, things changed. I want to see you without that dress and I know that might sound impulsive and bold, but it’s the way that I feel. I rarely walk away without saying what I feel.” His voice was like a melody in my ear and was so soft that it was almost like a whisper in the wind.
“What makes you think that these kinds of theatrics are going to work on a woman like me? I’m not one of these floozies and I’m certainly not the run of the mill kind of girl.”
“That’s precisely the reason why I find you attractive. You have this darkness that surrounds you like a cloud, but I know that I can bring a little light into your life. I think that you and I should get intimately more acquainted, but first I would like to take you out to dinner and show you the town like you’ve never seen it before. I know all of the hidden secrets and I will reveal them to you. You won’t believe what is out there and most people hide from the truth, but I don’t see that being the case with you. You have an open mind, even if you don’t know it.” I
could’ve turned around and confronted the man, but this was a game and I intended to play.
“You’re very presumptuous and I might even call you arrogant and a little conceited. I do find your frank honesty to be quite refreshing, and I don’t sense that you’re being untruthful. You’ve been pretty upfront with your intentions and normally I would turn around and slap you across your face. I’m not going to do that, because you’ve got me curious. What exactly do you propose?” This was definitely different from any other suitor that had come to me looking to get to know me better.
“I will send a car for you tomorrow night and when it arrives, you are to get in without any questions. My man will take you to me at the restaurant of my choosing and I’ll be sitting at a table with a red rose. You’ll know me by that. In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy your party and I will see you tomorrow night, Angelica. By the way, your name flows off my lips like a ‘62 Bordeaux. I look forward to saying it more often.” I abruptly turned around, because my curiosity got the best of me. There was nobody there and I thought that it was a dream, but then I heard the door slam and ran to the window to perceive a man in a black, knee-length leather coat getting into a town car.
“I don’t know what it is, but you seem very happy all of a sudden. Could it be that you have found somebody to take the place of that man who shall remain nameless?” I couldn’t stop staring out the window, even as the car went around the corner and out of sight. “I think that he might have you wrapped around his little finger. I don’t know who it is that’s got you tied up in knots, but I would be careful.” For once in my life, I was through with being cautious and I was going to throw the glass in the fireplace and just go with the flow. I thought that he might be white, but I couldn’t be sure with the sparse lighting outside. He would be the first white guy besides Timothy that I was interested in.
“I don’t know who that was, Kayla, but I’m going to find out tomorrow night. He’s sending a car for me and he expects me to sit here and wait for it. I don’t normally like that kind of attitude on a man, but on him, it works.”
“You’ve really got it bad.” She didn’t know the half of it and not only did I not know who he was, but I also had no idea what he looked like. The only thing I had going for me was that I knew his voice and it was like it was burned into my brain. I knew his basic muscular makeup. I would say that if I were to guess that he was maybe in his early thirties, about two hundred pounds and over six feet tall. White or black was yet to be determined.
Chapter 3
The car came exactly as planned and it was the same town car that he had left in the other night. I climbed in and there were strawberries and champagne waiting for me. There was also a copy of poetry from Emily Dickinson. How he knew that that was my favorite of all time was beyond me, but he’d certainly earned some brownie points by going the extra mile.
I’d dressed for the occasion in a red, slinky dress that was made of pure silk. It was one of my best, and like the black dress I had worn to my party, it made me feel like I was a natural and desirable woman.
The restaurant was out of the way and I really didn’t know that it even existed. I couldn’t see a name and the only thing that I could see was candlelight burning in the windows. I walked in and surveyed the territory, until I narrowed my eyes on a blood red rose that was sitting on a table. I did see a pale man’s hand, but I couldn’t see the rest of him. I stepped up and looked down at this guy that had to be ten years younger than I was. I was wrong and this young handsome man couldn’t be more than in his early twenties.
“I’m glad that you could come. Maybe that will happen again in a different way later on tonight.” His sexual innuendo was not lost on me and actually made me quiver with a certain need that had not been filled in quite some time. “Please, sit down. I have taken the liberty of ordering for us. I do hope that wasn’t out of line.” He had a way of making you feel like he was not being just a callous man.
“I don’t even know why I’m here and I guess I found your approach to be interesting. I even enjoyed the little things like the strawberries and champagne in the car, along with a copy of poetry.” I decided to test him and I said a phrase and then stopped in midsentence, only to have him continue where I left off.
“She’s one of my all time favorites, Angelica. I’m glad we have that in common.” He was dressed impeccably in a black suit and a white shirt with the first couple of buttons undone. I could see this gold chain, but I couldn’t see what it was attached to. He motioned with his left hand for me to have a seat and I slid to sit across from him. His eyes were amazing and I felt like I was getting lost in them.
“I don’t even know your name.”
“Forgive my manners, Angelica. My name is Austin Graves.” He stopped right there and waited for me to respond in some way.
“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Graves.” I reached out my hand instinctively to shake hands, but he took it and then kissed the back of it. I felt these chills run up and down my spine, not to mention the feeling of desire creeping into my panties. I couldn’t help it. He had not only kissed the back of my hand, but he’d also darted his tongue out to lick at the surface. I should have walked out right then and there, but I couldn’t make my legs move in that direction.
His instructions to the chef had resulted in a meal that would’ve made anybody feel like they were in the presence of a culinary genius. The chef himself came out to present us with his culinary delicacies. The beef medallions with the mushroom cream sauce were definitely going to my hips. And what woman in their right mind wouldn’t love chocolate. That came in the form of a chocolate lava cake that almost gave me an instant orgasm sitting there across from a man that I hardly even knew.
Things began to get a lot more heated, and with a couple of more glasses of Chardonnay, I was well on my way to feeling the effects swimming in my veins. He was charming and sophisticated and not at all conceited. He was gentle and very soft-spoken and he listened without condemnation about my former relationships. I didn’t even know why I was telling him any of this, but it was like he could look into my soul and see all of my secrets laid to bare.
“I’ve really been entertained this evening, Angelica. Your company has been much appreciated, but I believe that it’s time that we go back to my place. I want to ravage your body, turn you into a puddle of your former self and leave you wanting more. I want to spread your legs, make you scream in orgasm over and over again, until you finally have to push me away. Would you like to have my cock this evening? Would you like to be speared from behind, while I slap that nice fine ass of yours and pull your hair to make you look at me in the eye?” He was being crass, but it didn’t come off that way. In fact, it came off as that he wanted to enjoy my body and would feel honored that I would allow him to treat my body like a wonderland.
“I…I…I would like that.” It seemed like a lame thing to say and then he guided me by placing his hand on the small of my back, which almost automatically made my knees buckle from underneath me. He held me firmly and brought me over to the car and placed me inside, while he climbed in after me. He didn’t try to touch me inappropriately and he kept his hands in his lap the entire time from the restaurant to his penthouse apartment overlooking the city.
I noticed something on his finger, but in my inebriated and intoxicated state, I really couldn’t understand exactly what I was looking at. I was not drunk enough not to know what I was doing, but I was drunk enough not to care.
He escorted me to the elevator and he stood right beside me with his hand around my waist, until finally the door opened and I saw this expanse of windows that just drew me to them. I stumbled forward, taking off my high heels and holding them in my hand, while I stood at the window and looked at the lights twinkling in the distance. He stood behind me and then he kissed my neck and made me close my eyes to the pleasure that he was inflicting on me.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what he had in mind, but I was here now and th
ere was no way that I was going to walk away without finding out. He suddenly lifted me up into his arms and then everything moved in a blur. Before I knew it, I was being gently laid on a white duvet that covered this four poster bed. Beside me, was another window overlooking the city, but this time there was a balcony and the doors were wide open with the curtains billowing in the breeze.
I turned my attention to Austin and he was unbuttoning his shirt and then pulling his hair free from his ponytail to let his hair flow freely around him. His shirt came off and I made this involuntary gasp of arousal that made me squirm noticeably on the bed.
“I want to bring you so much pleasure, but with pleasure comes pain. They go hand in hand, and you may not realize that now, but you will by the end of the night. Are you ready to submit and make yourself more aware of your body?”
With his shirt gone, all I could do was nod my head, because there were no words that could adequately describe what I was seeing. He was a specimen of man, a testament to what a real man should look like when they take off their shirt. There was no hair and he looked like he could step out of any GQ magazine cover.
“I like that you are speechless, Angelica, and I’ve felt this connection to you that I never felt before with anyone. I’ve been waiting for this day for so long and to be honest, I never thought that it would come.” He was saying everything that I was thinking and it was like we were joined together telepathically. His hand had strayed lazily to the button on his pants and then his zipper began to slowly move down the tracks a little at a time. He pulled them down with such grace and style that I’d forgotten that he was in the process of seducing me.
Those white streaks in his hair gave him a maturity and it appeared to me that he was trying to hide who he really was. You wouldn’t know it, unless you were standing right in front of him and you were looking right into his eyes. I was doing that now and I knew that there was experience there, but his face didn’t look any older than somebody that was in their twenties.
PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Shapeshifter Romance: The Vampire's Stolen Bride (BBW Fantasy Alpha Male Romance Books) (New Adult Vampire Fun Mature Young Adult Billionaire Steamy Love and Romance Novella) Page 6