Too Hot for TV

by Cheris Hodges

  “Yes?” Raymond asked, his warm breath tickling her earlobe and causing a tingling in her spine. Imani’s knees buckled and she nearly fell backward. He wrapped his arms around her, bracing her fall. “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “What are you doing sneaking up on me?” Imani demanded, masking her desire with anger.

  Raymond loosened his grip on Imani and nearly allowed her to tumble to the balcony’s floor. “Would you have preferred that I just let you fall? Besides, I heard you call my name.”

  “I didn’t call your name,” she said, though she knew it was a lie. “Are you delusional?”

  He winked at her as he lifted her in his arms and placed her in a chair. “Seems as if you have the market covered on that. I was going to order dinner, then I realized I had no idea what an actress eats.”

  What Raymond didn’t tell her was that he’d been standing in the doorway of the balcony, watching her hips sway to and fro, wondering if the moon was not only controlling the ocean’s waves but Imani’s hips as well. Then he heard her moan, as if she was in the midst of a passionate encounter, and when he slowly advanced toward her, ready to wrap his arms around Imani’s waist, he heard her moan his name. So, he couldn’t help but answer her call. She was a vision in the moonlight and his ultimate wish had been to rip her clothes off and make love to her against the railing. But when she saw that he was standing there behind her, he noticed something in her eyes—an innocence that didn’t match the sexpot image that she was portraying. “Well,” he said, finally able to speak again, “what do actresses eat?”

  “Food. Please stop acting like I’m some sort of mythical beast. I’m a woman and I’m hungry,” she said.

  “For?”

  Imani shrugged. She really was hungry, hungry for his kiss, his touch, and so much more. “Any kind of seafood would be nice,” she replied after catching her breath.

  “All right. I’m going to place the order and you can keep not calling my name.”

  She glared at him but didn’t say anything. However, she did turn away from the ocean and sat down on one of the chairs near the table in the center of the balcony. Imani noticed a bottle of wine and two cups surrounding it. I guess he’s been entertaining. Wait, why do I care what Dr. Raymond does? This is an audition. I want a lead role in a romantic comedy and I just need him to be kind of mindless, pretend he’s into me and stop looking at me as if he wants to rip my clothes off, she thought as she glanced over her shoulder and locked eyes with Raymond as he talked on the phone. He’s going to be really disappointed when he finds out that I’m not giving him a chance to do what any woman would love to do at the drop of a hat. I wonder if Lucy has already given him a sample. Slut.

  “Imani?” Raymond said, breaking into her thoughts. She hadn’t even realized that she’d picked up the half-empty wine bottle until she nearly dropped it and spilled some of it on her lap.

  “Hmm, what?” she asked as she tried to blot the wet spot from her dress. Raymond walked over to her and smiled. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Imani. “Are you all right?” he asked. “Missed your mouth with the wine?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Like I would drink from the bottle. Who knows where it’s been or where it came from.”

  “You have a smart mouth, but I’m sure you’ve heard that before,” he said.

  “What are we eating?” she asked, ignoring his comment.

  “I ordered coconut shrimp and pasta salads. A chardonnay will go nicely with that,” he said. “Not this.” He held up the bottle of old wine. “Room service is bringing us something fresh.”

  Imani stood up and gathered the cups. “Then I’d better freshen up the table. Do you mind if I grab a towel and clean up my mess?”

  “Have at it,” he said with a smile. As Imani walked into the room, he watched her hips sway and forced himself not to get aroused. It was an epic failure.

  When she returned with the towel, he took if from her hands. “I’ll clean this up. I wouldn’t want you to get that beautiful dress wetter.”

  He would talk about wetness, she thought as his fingers grazed hers when he took the towel. “Okay, and I’ll go inside and wait for the food.” Imani just needed to get away from him, needed a moment to collect her thoughts and get back into the scene she’d been writing in her mind. No, not that scene, because it ended with her in the middle of his king-sized bed. She glanced over her shoulder, looking at the made bed, and was glad there was a knock on the door before her wanton thoughts could develop.

  “Yes?” she said as she looked out of the peephole.

  “Room service,” a muffled voice replied. Imani opened the door and smiled at the man as he wheeled the cart holding dinner into the room.

  “Do you need me to open the wine?” he asked, smiling brightly at Imani.

  “I can handle that,” Raymond said as he walked inside from the balcony. “As a matter of fact, I’ll take it from here.” He crossed over to the attendant, handed him a five-dollar bill, and promptly ushered him out of the room.

  “Wow,” Imani said. “That was kind of rude. The man was just doing his job.”

  Yeah, while staring at your breasts and probably thinking exactly what I’m thinking right now, he thought as he looked at her. “Want to head outside?” he asked as he stood behind the cart, hiding his erection from her as they headed back to the balcony.

  The ocean breeze had cooled the evening and as it blew across the balcony, the wind briefly lifted her dress, showing off a pair of panties that were all lace. She tugged at the tail of her dress and tried to cover up what Raymond had already seen.

  “Cute,” he said.

  “What?”

  “The lace.”

  “Perv. A gentleman would’ve turned his head the other way,” she said, then laughed.

  “Imani, you seem like a nice girl. How is it that we’ve never met in New York before?”

  She shrugged and plucked a juicy shrimp from the dishes Raymond uncovered. “Probably because you hang out in doctor spots and seek out women with letters behind their names.”

  “That’s not true. I like all kinds of women and I appreciate the letters behind their names and not in front of them,” he said. “What about you? Are you one of those high-maintenance women who assume that all doctors are rolling in big dough? Let me guess, you live somewhere in Manhattan?”

  Imani rolled her eyes again as she polished off her piece of shrimp. “First of all,” she said after chewing, “I live in Brooklyn. Thank you very much. Second of all, I don’t look at a man and see a bank account, because when things start going my way and I’m a star, I won’t need anyone else’s money.”

  Raymond sat down, opened the chardonnay, and set it in the middle of the table to allow it to breathe. “That’s refreshing,” he said.

  Imani cocked up her right eyebrow. “What’s that?”

  “A woman wanting her own and no one else’s. I see why we’ve never met in New York. You’re too good to be true.”

  She smiled as she reached for her pasta salad. “I’m not too good to be true, but I didn’t go to Juilliard to wait tables and not put my skills to use. And I am not anybody’s trophy wife.”

  “And doing this show was the only way to translate your talent into something big?” he asked. “I mean, Juilliard is nothing to sneeze at.”

  “I wish you were a movie producer or the head of a studio,” she said after swallowing her bite of food. “These days, talent doesn’t seem to mean much. That’s why you have rappers starring in movies—movies that I might add are worse than Fearless Diva. And I know Halle Berry is an established actress, but she still got work after Catwoman without having to appear on a reality show.” Imani took a big swig of wine.

  Raymond raised his eyebrow at her as he took a bite of his shrimp. “So, it’s all about the business, huh?”

  Imani nodded. “I’ve had so many people tell me that acting is a waste of time and that what I’m doing is just a pipe dream.
I want to make them eat those words when I get an Academy Award. But everyone is judging me on one bad movie. Even you did it.” She pointed a half-eaten shrimp on a fork at him. “That’s why this god-awful show is so important.”

  “What would happen if you made a connection with someone on the show?” he asked, then took a slow sip of wine.

  Imani watched his lips on the rim of the glass and sighed. “Really, Raymond? Can I call you Ray? Raymond just sounds so formal.”

  “Depends on how you answer my question,” he replied.

  “I’m really not here to make a connection with anyone,” she said. “This is my audition tape, you know?”

  Raymond didn’t respond. On the one hand, he could respect and appreciate her honesty. But damn, what was he supposed to do with the desire building in him toward her? “So, how do I help you live your dream?”

  Imani smiled. “Can I call you Ray?” she asked again.

  “Sure.”

  “All right, Ray, you help me by being the cute Bradley Cooper type.”

  “What? The dude from The Hangover? I know I’m not an actor, but I need better inspiration than that,” he replied with a laugh.

  “Well, you can’t be Denzel from Mo’ Better Blues, though I’m sure Lucy might enjoy that. But I need all of the camera time I can get and she needs to stay away from you.”

  If Raymond hadn’t listened to Imani say that she wasn’t trying to make a romantic connection with him or anyone else on the show, he would’ve sworn that she was jealous of the interest Lucy had shown in him. Especially as he watched her drop her head after telling him that Lucy needed to stay away from him.

  “More wine?” he asked rather than getting into what she really meant by Lucy staying away. Leave it alone. Imani has made her intentions clear. Besides, you didn’t come here to fall in love with any of these women. Still, if I’m going to help Imani blaze her path to stardom, I should get something out of it.

  “I think I’ve had enough wine,” she said, then turned toward the ocean. “Want to take a walk?”

  “Sure,” he said. “What is it with you and the ocean? I’ve noticed that you’ve been looking at it all night. For a Brooklynite, I find that odd.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? Because I’m from Brooklyn, I can’t enjoy nature?”

  Raymond liked the way Imani’s nose crinkled when she was on the verge of getting angry. Maybe she had an expressive face because she was an actress. Or maybe she just happened to be the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen and she could cross her eyes and stick her tongue out and he’d still be impressed.

  “I’m not saying that at all,” he said as he stroked her smooth cheek. “You know something? You’re a beautiful woman and even though we just met, I believe you are going to get that Oscar, those prime movie roles, and anything else you want. Because I see Miss Imani doesn’t believe in accepting no for an answer.”

  She smiled and his heart skipped four beats. “Thank you,” she said, then slipped out of her shoes. “And when I get my Oscar, you’re going to be one of the first people I thank.”

  As they headed for the door, there was another knock. “What now?” Raymond muttered. He looked out of the peephole and saw a man standing there with a pair of black-rimmed glasses on and a headset around his neck. “Yes?”

  “I’m Elliot Reynolds, a producer from the show. I need to talk to you.”

  Raymond opened the door and the man smiled when he saw Imani leaning on the dresser. “Great, this saves me a trip. Like I told Raymond, I’m a producer with the show and we’re doing cast confessionals with a few contestants in the morning. You two are at the top of the list.”

  “Why?” Imani asked.

  “I’m just following orders from the EP—executive producer,” Elliot said. “Imani, you’re scheduled for eight, Raymond, you’re scheduled for ten. We’ve set wake-up calls for your rooms. Or should we set them for just one room?”

  Imani smacked her lips. “What kind of woman do you think I am? Of course you need to set them for each room. I’m a lady, thank you very much.”

  Elliot nodded. “Right. See you two in the morning. Lady, Doctor,” he said, then left the room.

  Raymond turned to Imani, who was laughing hard now. “Let me guess, that was acting?”

  She nodded. “Kind of. I mean, I am a lady, but I didn’t have to get so indignant with him. I just wanted to try a new emotion. Ready for that walk?”

  Raymond offered her a blank stare. He wondered how often she brought acting into her real life. Did she act in bed too? “Yeah, let’s go,” he said.

  Moments later, they were walking along the beach, underneath a sky filled with sparkling stars that looked like diamonds against black velvet. Imani looked up at the sky and smiled. “It is so beautiful out here. I’ve never been to Hawaii before and I see why all of my friends who’ve been here gushed about it for years and years.”

  Raymond took her hand in his after they took a few more steps and she squeezed her fingers around his. Was this real, he wondered, as she continued looking at the sky and talking about its beauty? Or, was she trying a new emotion?

  “Am I talking too much?” Imani asked when she noticed his silence.

  “No, not at all. I’m just admiring the beauty along with you,” he replied, looking directly at her. What he didn’t say was she was the most beautiful thing he saw on the beach. He didn’t care about the stars, the sky, or the ocean. “It’s too bad we didn’t bring a blanket. We could’ve laid it out and gotten a really great view of the stars.” And your breasts, your lips, and those lovely legs, he added silently.

  “Umm, I don’t believe that. You wanted a blanket out here in the dark so you could look at the stars with me?”

  “Maybe not. Maybe I just want to kiss you underneath the stars.”

  She turned her head upward and looked him square in the eye. “So, what’s stopping you?”

  “You do realize there are no cameras out here,” he said. “This isn’t a made for television kiss.”

  She stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his. “If I wanted a made for TV kiss, I would’ve looked for the cameras first,” she said, then grabbed the back of his neck. He brought his lips down on top of hers and kissed her slowly and gently. That just wasn’t good enough for Imani as she slipped her tongue between his parted lips. Raymond responded to her hot tongue by sucking on it until she gasped. He slipped his hand underneath her dress and stroked her smooth thighs.

  A soft moan escaped Imani’s throat as Raymond ran his finger down the valley of her breasts. She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back.

  “What’s wrong?” Raymond asked, taken aback by her quick change in attitude. She was the one who’d deepened their kiss. Did she expect that he wasn’t going to respond to the signals she was sending out?

  “I don’t think this is the right time for this. We’re just moving too fast and I don’t know what I was thinking when I kissed you,” she whispered. Imani drew in a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts and return her breathing to normal.

  “The right time for what?” Raymond asked. “This walk was your idea and you kissed me. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  “I didn’t say you did,” she replied. “We should head back, we have an early morning.”

  Raymond nodded. “All right,” he said. “But can I tell you something?”

  “What?”

  “I like kissing you and unless you tell me to, I’m not going to stop,” he said.

  “Raymond—I, um, really don’t want you to stop, but that’s not part of the plan.”

  “I keep forgetting, this is just a game for you,” he said. “One long audition.”

  “That’s right. And even though I like kissing you too, I can’t get confused as to why I’m here.” Imani tore away from him and ran back to the hotel.

  So, she liked kissing him? Then what was she fighting? Why couldn’t they connect on camera
and in the bed? She wanted him and he definitely wanted her. Wanting didn’t even begin to describe the animalistic need that he felt for Imani. But he wasn’t going to chase her. She was right, they needed this show as a means to an end and nothing could stand in the way of that. Especially his libido. Closing his eyes and groaning, Raymond headed back to the hotel. He was surprised to see Imani sitting at the bar. Just as he started in her direction, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

  “My man Mets,” Harvey said. “Man, there are some fine women on this cast. But I still want that one.”

  Raymond followed his lecherous gaze to Imani’s frame. “I don’t know why she’s playing hard to get. Been hiding out all day. She knows she wants me.”

  “Why don’t you leave her alone? She’s not interested.”

  “How in the hell do you know?” he demanded hotly. “She’s just playing hard to get. I know just what she needs.”

  “Leave Imani alone,” Raymond said harshly as he grabbed Harvey by the neck.

  Harvey pushed Raymond’s hand away, then stroked his neck. “What the hell is wrong with you? Trying to write your name on that? Afraid of a little competition?”

  Raymond smirked at Harvey. “You’re hardly competition. But the lady doesn’t want you.”

  “I’m going to let her decide that,” he said as he stomped off toward Imani.

  Raymond started to follow him, but stopped when he saw Imani toss her drink in Harvey’s face. He chuckled, thinking that she was one feisty woman who knew how to take care of herself. He liked that. But what he didn’t like was the scowl on Harvey’s face as he reached for Imani’s arm. Raymond dashed over and grabbed Harvey’s hand.

  “I think she’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to be bothered with you. There are eleven other women you can harass.”

  “What are you, Captain Save a . . .”

  “Your mother isn’t here for him to save,” Imani snapped, then looked up at Raymond.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Raymond said as he extended his hand to Imani. “I’ll see you to your room.”