Too Hot for TV

by Cheris Hodges

  “Sounds good,” she said as she reached for a glass.

  “Slow down, woman,” he said with a laugh. “You have to try the coffee first. It’s delicious.” Raymond poured the coffee into a mug and offered it to Imani.

  “All right. I’m guessing you’re one of those people who love coffee. I bet if I ever stood behind you in Starbucks in Manhattan, I’d get pissed because you’d have fifty thousand special requests,” she said as she grabbed two packets of sugar.

  Raymond drank his coffee hot and black, savoring the robust flavor. Imani sipped, then shook her head.

  “What?” Raymond asked as he set his mug aside and picked up a strawberry.

  Imani sipped her coffee again and scowled. “That’s strong,” she exclaimed.

  Raymond handed her a glass of juice. “What are you, one of those caramel macchiato drinkers?”

  “Yeah, I like a little coffee with my cream and sugar,” she said. “And I want it all with whipped cream on top.”

  “With whipped cream on top?” Raymond asked. “The things running through my mind right now . . .”

  Imani reached for another slice of pineapple and smiled at Raymond before taking a bite of the sweet fruit. A line of juice dripped from her lip and traveled down her chin. Raymond leaned over and kissed the trail of juice. Imani shivered as his lips touched her skin. Her blood headed up like molten lava as his tongue flicked across her chin. When he wrapped his arm around her waist, her inner voice screamed for her to get away. It was too late as he brought his lips down on top of hers. His kiss tasted a lot better than the coffee, the juice, or the pineapples she’d been eating. His kiss tasted too damned good. This was not a part of the plan. Imani pressed her hand against his bare chest, counted to ten, then backed away from him.

  “Maybe I shouldn’t have done that,” he said when he saw the confused and tense look on her face. “But it damned sure tasted good to me. I’d like some whipped cream on that.”

  “Raymond, I’m glad you find me attractive, and we’ve already established how much we like kissing each other. . . .”

  “But you want to stay on script,” he finished. “What if I can’t do that?”

  Imani inhaled sharply. What if she couldn’t do that either? But despite how much she wanted him and how badly she wanted to feel those things that her girlfriends talked about after they’d had sex, she could not forget the reason why she was on this show and why she was sitting on the beach with him.

  “You know . . .” she said, trying to fall into a character. A character from what movie? Shaking her head, Imani gazed up at Raymond, getting lost in his eyes and forgetting that this moment was being filmed. “I like you and that was so unexpected. But I don’t want to be that girl on TV kissing the hot doctor and forgetting that when this is over, he has a real life and I have nothing—not even a callback for a community playhouse.”

  Raymond stroked Imani’s cheek with his index finger. “Lady, you have what it takes to be a star, even if your first movie did stink.”

  Imani tossed a grape at him. “Maybe Fearless wasn’t my best work. But I just need a chance to get my foot in the door and get a good script. It hasn’t happened yet, but I take my work seriously.”

  “What about real emotions? Could it be that you take your work so seriously that you’ve forgotten that it’s all right to have a life off stage and out of the camera’s eye?”

  She smirked. A life with no acting? That wasn’t a life, that was a mess. That was proving to her family and everyone else that she had wasted her time and money by going to Juilliard and not getting a real job. She didn’t have time to get distracted by a beautiful doctor who seemed to have a heart that was bigger than his . . . What if he was too big for her to handle? Handle? There is no way in hell that I will lose my virginity on national TV.

  “Imani?” Raymond asked as a warm breeze blew across them. The waves crashed in the distance, reminding her of a director’s clapboard. She turned away from Raymond and picked up a strawberry, then offered it to him. He took it into his mouth; his lips gently grazed her fingertips. Shivers shot up and down her spine, telling her this was not a movie scene, this was not a read through, and this was real. “Raymond, isn’t it beautiful out here?” she said, sidestepping his question.

  “It is,” he said as he cut into a waffle and fed it to her. “What happens if America wants us to get married?”

  Imani reached up and stroked his cheek. “Do you think a marriage between us would last? Marriage is supposed to be a serious matter, isn’t it?”

  Raymond shrugged his shoulders. “If it was so serious, there wouldn’t be a show like this. People just want instant gratification. Microwave relationships, five minutes to matrimony. No one believes in the lost art of courting.”

  Imani flipped over on her stomach. “And you do?” she asked, stifling a laugh. “Tell me something, Ray, how many brokenhearted women are going to see you on this show and wonder why you never popped the question to them?”

  He snorted, thinking of the one woman he had ever considered asking to marry him and the other ones who’d walked out of his life because he’d spent so much time in Harlem at the clinic. “Not a one.”

  Imani shook her head. “That I don’t believe.”

  “Oh, really? Well, let me flip the question. How many brothers are going to wonder why you turned down their diamonds and now you’re on this show?” He pulled her against his chest and Imani wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “No one ever offered me a diamond,” she replied. “My last relationship ended when I told him that there was no way I was going to be a number in his stable of women. And when he found out I wasn’t a model, he lost interest.” Imani sighed softly and snuggled closer to Raymond, silently willing herself to remember she was showing her range and to not get too comfortable in his strong arms.

  Chapter 9

  Doubts crept into Raymond’s mind as he held her. Was Imani playing the game or could she be developing real feelings for him? Raymond stroked her arm, not wanting to know the answer to his questions. Part of him wanted to just live in the moment, enjoy her snuggled against him. Imani’s hair was as soft as cotton and she felt so right in the curve of his arm. He had to stop himself from brushing his lips across her forehead.

  “You’re extremely quiet, all of a sudden,” Imani said as she looked up at him.

  Raymond forced a smile, then sighed. “I’m just thinking, and absorbing the beauty out here and in my arms.”

  She stroked his arm. “That was sweet. So, what’s on your mind? Want to share?”

  “No,” he said, holding her just a little tighter. “Let’s just enjoy the morning.” Raymond buried his nose in her hair, his nostrils filled with the sweetness of the Hawaiian air and the jasmine scent of Imani’s hair. If this was real, then it would be perfect. But Raymond couldn’t tell if she was acting or not. He still felt as if she was holding something back. Maybe he wasn’t getting to know the real Imani because she was so intent on acting on a reality show. He felt her relax and her breathing seemed to fall into sync with the ocean waves.

  “It’s beautiful here. No smog, no steaming sewers. It’s paradise,” she cooed.

  “It wouldn’t be the same without you,” he said as he looked down into her eyes. “Imani.” His voice was a husky whisper that turned Imani’s insides into liquid desire. As he brought his lips closer to hers, she trembled with the anticipation of his kiss. Damn, she enjoyed kissing him and . . .

  “Raymond, hi,” a voice called out in the distance. He and Imani turned around to see Lucy bounding toward them. She was dressed in a red bikini that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Her skin and ample breasts seemed to glow in the golden morning sun. Her hair was pulled up in a loose ponytail. “This beach is beautiful. I see why you spend so much time down here.” She smiled and tightened her bikini top. Then Lucy shot Imani a cursory look. “Oh, Imani, I didn’t notice you there,” she said snidely. “Testing out your acting skills
this morning?”

  Raymond gently stroked Imani’s arm as if he was trying to stop the brewing catfight between her and Lucy. Imani smiled at her rival as she eyed her in disgust. “You look like a video star this morning. Just letting it all hang out, huh? Should’ve hit the gym just a little harder before trying to pull this look off.”

  Lucy rolled her eyes, then turned to Raymond, deciding to ignore Imani’s taunt. “How is everything going? Those cast interviews are something, right?”

  “Everything is pretty good. I haven’t done my interview yet,” he replied. Raymond wanted this woman to disappear. She may have been sexy, but he didn’t like women who couldn’t show restraint. Didn’t she see that he was lying on the beach wrapped up with another woman? Lucy was too hungry for a man and he was not going to be her matrimonial snack.

  When she sat down as if she had been invited, Imani shifted in his arms and shot Lucy a look that was so cold it would’ve frozen lava. “We were in the middle of something,” Imani said, her voice filled with attitude and displeasure.

  “I’m sorry,” Lucy said as she picked up the last piece of pineapple and licked it seductively. “Am I blocking your spotlight?”

  “Ladies,” Raymond said. “Really?”

  Lucy smiled at Raymond as she bit into the juicy fruit. “Raymond, I sincerely apologize, but I just think it’s rude to use people as props in hopes of getting an acting career.”

  Imani wanted to shove that pineapple down Lucy’s throat. She moved Raymond’s arm from around her and rose to her feet. “Raymond,” she said, “let’s take a walk.”

  Before Raymond could stand up, Lucy grabbed his arm. “Have you ever taken a swim in the ocean?” she asked him.

  “Listen,” he snapped, moving Lucy’s manicured hand from his arm, “I’m not the gingerbread man. You two don’t like each other, but I’m not going to be the prize in your little fight. Lucy, Imani and I are going to finish our breakfast alone.”

  She hopped up as if she’d been stung by a jellyfish. Lucy glared at Imani as if she was the one who was telling her to back off. “It’s a public beach. Maybe you should have had breakfast elsewhere.”

  “Or perhaps you should,” Imani snapped, and then she stomped off from Raymond and Lucy.

  Tres smiled as she watched the dust up on screen, then she pumped her fist as if she was Tiger Woods winning the Masters. “This is better than I could have ever scripted and Raymond hasn’t even done his confessional yet,” she said as she picked up the phone and called the network in New York.

  When Elize Harrington answered, Tres said, “Elize, I just wanted to call and tell you that this show is going to be a runaway hit. The actress and the doctor steam up the cameras and there is a third party that is turning up the heat. It is like an erupting volcano!”

  Tres could imagine her boss’s demeanor in New York, could see Elize smiling and kicking her feet up on the desk. The reality dating shows were becoming trite and there was no star tied to the project. But Elize knew the right cast would make the show successful.

  “We’ve got an amazing cast. Who cares if there’s no Ray J or a Flavor Flav when there is this developing love triangle with a sexy doctor, a wanna be actress, and a J.Lo stand in?”

  “Well, well,” Elize said. “I like what I’m hearing. Send me the dailies.”

  “They are on the way,” she said. “Maybe we should release this show this summer. Or better yet, after the first episode, we should go live. Elize, if people don’t like this show, then they just have no taste.”

  “I’ll let you know after I see the dailies. That doctor is hot and I know every woman in America is going to want him. I’m not surprised that there’s a fight brewing over him on the island. Make sure there’s no violence between the women, though.”

  “Of course,” Tres said. “And, when this show is the hit that I know it will be, do I get my chance to do a scripted show?”

  “We’ll see about that. Look, I have a meeting in five minutes. Get those dailies to me as soon as possible,” she said.

  Tres hung up the phone and looked at the screen. Raymond had torn off behind Imani down the beach, leaving Lucy standing on the blanket alone. Leaning into the screen, Tres watched the unfolding drama.

  Raymond grabbed Imani’s shoulder once he’d caught up to her. “Imani,” he said.

  “What?” she asked when she whirled around. “I thought you didn’t want to be a prize in my fight with Lucy? I didn’t invite her out there and the way she’s always in your face, you must like the attention.”

  “Yeah, because I’m auditioning for a movie role, right?”

  She narrowed her eyes into tight slits. “Don’t pretend that I haven’t been clear about why I’m here.”

  Raymond cocked his head to the side. “Maybe that’s the problem.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “All you want is the fame and you’re not even—”

  “You’re just here for the money, remember,” Imani interjected.

  “You’re not letting me get to know the real you. I don’t know when you’re acting or not. When you’re being Imani and not some character that you think will get you a role in a movie.”

  She gritted her teeth, paused as if she wanted to say something to him. Instead, she glanced around as if she was looking for a cameraman.

  Tres chewed her bottom lip and said if a cameraman showed up in this shot she was going to fire his ass. This was real, real emotion. Could it be that these two were falling for each other? “Come on,” Tres muttered as Raymond closed the space between him and Imani. “Make some magic happen.”

  Raymond lifted Imani’s chin and forced her to look into his eyes. “Let me see the real you,” he whispered.

  “This is me. Deal with it or go find Lucy,” she replied.

  “All right,” he said as he dropped his hand and started to turn away.

  Imani called after him and he stopped in his tracks. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But there is just so much at stake for me right now. Back at home, I’m struggling. I don’t know how—”

  “But you’re not home now. What about the here and now?”

  “Raymond.” She stamped her foot in the sand and looked up at him with an expression in her eyes that was hard for Tres to read. “There are certain aspects of my life that I don’t want flashed on national TV.”

  “I get that. I feel the same way about that. But we knew what we were doing when we decided to come here. We signed away our privacy, me for money and you for fame.”

  Imani tugged at her hair. “And the damned show hasn’t even aired yet.”

  “So, if you want this to develop and you want to be with me, then we should leave.”

  She backed away from him and eyed him as if he’d begun speaking German. “And how is that going to help me? You’re a nice guy, very sexy, and I think we’d be great together. But how do I know that for sure? How is a relationship with you going to get my name in lights on Broadway?” Imani grimaced as her words hit her ears.

  “So, it’s like that? Everything comes second to your career?”

  She reached out to touch his shoulder but Raymond jerked away. “I didn’t mean it like that. Look, I’ve not had the best luck with love, so I avoid it. Men—at least the ones I’ve gotten involved with—always have a hidden agenda. I’m just trying to protect my heart, and maybe that’s why I’m hiding behind my career.”

  Raymond was about to respond when a production assistant ran into the scene. Tres nearly fell out of her chair. What in the blue hell? Then she looked at her watch and the production schedule. It was time for Raymond’s confessional. Damn. She scribbled a quick note never to interrupt Imani and Raymond again.

  Chapter 10

  Raymond stared into the camera, still thinking about what Imani had said to him on the beach. He was smart enough to know when to cut his losses, but there was something about that woman that had gotten under his skin and he wasn’t willing to walk away—yet.

 
; “Raymond?” Tres said.

  “What?” he asked, then offered her a half smile. “I’m sorry. What was the question again?”

  “You’re quite popular. Do you often witness breakfast catfights over you?” she asked, crossing her legs and gripping the clipboard.

  “You guys got that on tape?” Raymond asked.

  She nodded and tapped her pen against the board. “Cameras are everywhere. Why do I have to keep telling you all this? Anyway, Imani and Lucy seem to like you a lot.”

  Raymond shrugged. “How in the world can you tell that by watching us on closed circuit TV?”

  Tres laughed. “Because they were both in here before you and all they could talk about was Dr. Thomas.”

  “Who knows what either of those women want.”

  “What do you want . . . in a woman, that is?”

  Shaking his head, Raymond couldn’t be honest and say what he wanted was wrapped up in the temperamental actress he’d left on the beach. Had he been honest with himself, he could admit that Imani had the major quality he wanted in a woman—honesty. She’d told him from the beginning why she came to Hawaii, and he didn’t want to accept that now that he was falling head over heels for her. “I want a woman who knows what she wants, doesn’t want to play games, and can have a life outside of me.”

  “Very specific. Who fits those standards more, Imani or Lucy?” Tres pressed, leaning forward with the camera.

  “Who says either one of them is the woman for me?” he asked. “I honestly came here with one woman on my mind.”

  “Really?” Her nose crinkled as she looked at him. “I know you and Imani met in passing in New York, but—”

  “Not her,” he said. “Marion G. Palmer. The woman my clinic is named after.”

  Tres released a cleansing sigh, silently thanking God that this show was not going to have a stalker or murderer tied to it like some other reality shows. “That’s right, you’re a doctor with a huge heart. Do you have room in your heart to share it with a special woman?”