Three
“It’s nice to know up front that I’m being used,” Raven said, smiling at her good friend Erica Sanders.
The waiter had just shown them to their table at Leo’s. The soft lighting and the upbeat sound of reggae music playing in the background helped set the atmosphere of what was expected tonight. One Wednesday a month was Amateur/Open Mike Night, to showcase new and upcoming talent. Raven and Erica had arrived early to get a good table near the stage. It was also the night that one of the owners in particular, Tyrone Hardcastle, usually put in an appearance, since he was responsible for anything having to do with music and entertainment at the supper club. It was no secret that Tyrone was Erica’s current love interest.
“Serves you right,” Erica said in a huff as she opened her menu. “You should have told me that you knew the Hardcastle twins personally. Instead, I had to find out just how well you knew them this morning at the staff meeting when John mentioned the article you’ll be doing about this place and the inside connections you had.”
Raven gave Erica a smile before saying, “You fall in and out of love at least once a month. How was I to know that your infatuation with Tyrone would last a little longer than the others?”
“I’d like you to know that this is the real thing,” Erica said, grinning, as she leaned forward.
“Yeah, that’s what you said last month about Paul Weston,” Raven pointed out with a small, faint laugh.
Erica smiled when she glared at Raven for reminding her of that fact. “Let’s forget about Paul, shall we?”
Raven shook her head as she looked at her own menu. She and Erica had become good friends after Erica had begun working for Augustan Publishers the same day that she had. Erica was such a likable person and the two of them had hit it off immediately. The thing Raven liked most about her, besides her heart of gold, was that she was a fun person to be around. The thing she disliked most was Erica’s constant badgering of Raven for her nonexistent social life.
Like her, Erica was twenty-six years old and not seriously involved with anyone. However, unlike her, Erica dated on a pretty regular basis. Raven much preferred spending her nights at home alone curled up in bed with a good book.
“So, when are you going to start writing the article?”
“In a few days,” Raven answered, glancing up only briefly from her close study of the menu. “So I guess I’ll be seeing a lot of this place for a while.”
“I hope it won’t be obvious what you’re doing here. Some people may not appreciate being spied on while they’re here enjoying themselves.”
Raven lifted her head to look at Erica again, this time thoughtfully. “I won’t be spying on them, but I can see how some people might think so. I guess I’ll have to make it seem like I’m just one of the customers.”
“That’s not a bad idea. What you need is a man to bring along.”
Raven shook her head, grinning. “I don’t have a man to bring along.”
“You could if you wanted one.”
Raven studied Erica for a few moments as she tried to decide whether to respond to her comment. What the heck, she thought, she might as well let Erica give her habitual spiel about having a good man versus having a good job. She reached for her glass of wine and took a sip before casually saying, “I don’t want one.”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot. You think a good job is more important than a good man.”
Raven inhaled sharply, deeply. “I’ve never said that I thought a good job was more important than a good man. What I have said, on several occasions I might add, is that I’m a firm believer that a woman should not sacrifice her dreams just to be with a man. I have every intention of one day settling down, getting married, and having a family. But only after I’ve fulfilled all my dreams.”
Erica stroked her lip with her finger thoughtfully. “Hey, I’d love to fulfill all my dreams, too, especially the ones I have at night,” she said, smiling wickedly. “All of them involve a man. Some good man. As far as I’m concerned, anything else can come later. I came to this city looking for a good job, and if things don’t work out for me at Augustan Publishers, I’ll leave, looking for another good job. But a good man, Raven, a real good man, isn’t easy to come by. I’ve been looking for a good man for years and they are getting snapped up fast. So I still say, give me a good man over a good job any day.”
Raven knew Erica just didn’t understand. The only people who fully understood her reasons for feeling the way she did were her sisters. “We’re different, Erica, with different ideas about things. Our agendas and priorities are different. I like my life just fine and I’m sure you’re happy with yours. How’s that article you’re doing on Smokey Robinson coming along?”
“Don’t you ever get lonely?”
Raven exhaled a long breath. So much for trying to change the subject. “I’m too busy to get lonely.”
“What you need is more of a social life and a good man in it. When was the last time you had some honest-to-goodness fun with a man? When was the last time you spent some time with a man and truly enjoyed doing so?”
Raven was grateful when the waiter appeared. She was spared from answering Erica’s questions, although she knew what her response would have been. The last time she had had fun with a man and totally enjoyed it had been the time she had spent with Linc during spring break.
After the waiter had taken Raven’s order he turned his attention to Erica. “And what would you like tonight?” he asked.
Erica smiled as she considered his question, for all of two seconds. “I’d just love to have Tyrone Hardcastle given to me on a silver platter.”
Benjamin Goodman plucked the cherry from his daiquiri and popped it into his mouth before turning surprised raised brows to Linc. “You mean you actually saw Raven? Your Raven? Here?”
Linc leaned back against his stool at the bar. “Yes, I ran into her here one night last week.” He knew that although Ben had never met Raven, he had heard enough about her from him. He and Ben had attended college together at Morehouse and then had attended law school at Southern University in Louisiana. Neither of them had ever ventured to Daytona during a spring break; however, since it was their final year of law school and they had a reason to celebrate, they’d decided to do so. They were going to share a hotel room, but because of a family emergency Ben had not gone to Daytona Beach with Linc after all. Things had worked out just fine, since he met Raven that week and she had been the one who ended up sharing the hotel room with him most of the time.
After law school Ben had accepted a job with the state attorney’s office in Atlanta and Linc had returned home to work in his family’s law practice. Two years ago Ben had moved to D.C. as a federal prosecutor, and since then he had often encouraged Linc to join him there. It was only after things had died down from the scandal involving his father that Linc made the decision to leave Tennessee for the nation’s capital.
“So, how did she look, man?” Ben wanted to know.
Linc took a deep breath, thinking of the words he could use to describe how Raven had looked the night he had seen her. Beautiful? Yes, she was that with her perfect oval face of sable brown; her lips, full and rounded over even teeth; her straight nose; and her square chin. Yes, she did look beautiful. But still there had been more. She had looked enchanting, exquisite, and totally feminine.
“Well?” Ben asked impatiently, leaning closer.
Linc moved his shoulders in a shrug. “She looked exactly like the person I fell hard for four years ago, even better. She looked older, more mature, and more sophisticated.”
Ben nodded before taking another sip of his drink. Linc knew he really didn’t have to explain things to his friend. Ben knew the same thing now that he had concluded four years ago: Raven Anderson must have been one hell of a woman to make such an impact on Lincoln Corbain.
“Did seeing her again bring back memories?”
Linc thought about Ben’s question. “Yeah, man, seeing her again brought
back memories.” He had never been one to kiss and tell, so Ben didn’t know everything that had happened between him and Raven that week, although Linc was sure Ben had pretty much reached his own conclusions. After Linc had returned to school after spring break it had been apparent to everyone who knew him, especially Ben, that something monumental had happened to Linc in Daytona.
“Did you get a chance to talk to her?”
Linc looked down in his drink as if studying it. “She was with someone.”
A slow smile came to Ben’s lips. “So she was with someone. That didn’t stop you from making your presence known, did it?”
Linc’s dark head came up. He met Ben’s gaze and couldn’t help grinning. “No, it didn’t.”
Ben raised his drink in a toast. “Spoken like a true, fearless Alpha man.” He then glanced around the room. “Looks like the show is starting. Come on. Let’s find a vacant table someplace before it gets too crowded in here.”
The two men got up from the bar and headed toward the area where the night’s activities were about to get under way.
For this month, Open Mike Night was being held once a week instead of once a month. Raven’s eyes had been glued to the raised stage as she enjoyed the first act, a Billie Holiday reincarnation, when something—an instinct, an uncanny force, a powerful soul connection—pulled at her. She swept her gaze from the performer onstage to across the room.
She saw Linc at the same exact moment that he saw her.
Raven felt her heart speed up, her palms go warm, and her breath catch deep in her throat. He was with someone, another man, and upon seeing her he touched the man’s shoulder, whispered something to him, and then the two of them began walking her way.
All the sights and sounds around Raven faded into oblivion as her mind and gaze held the two tall men moving in her direction. Both men were good-looking, but her eyes were focused on the one dressed in gray slacks and a nice dark-colored knit suit. Everything about him was potent and sexy. She was in awe that her attraction for him was as strong as it had been the first time she had laid eyes on him four years ago, and as powerful as it had been last week when she’d seen him in this very same place. Nothing about the magnetism she felt toward him had changed.
Four years ago on the day they had met, she had not understood why her inner thighs clenched when he smiled at her, or why her breath got caught in her throat when she took the hand he offered when he introduced himself to her. Then later that night, when they had shared their first kiss, she had not understood the intensity of it. It had been a kiss that had transcended into a language that was only communicated and understood by the two of them. It had been a kiss that deciphered their thoughts, feelings, and emotions into a gigantic ball of fire. That fire had translated itself into particular tongue movements as their mouths mated. Uncanny as it seemed, it was as if each knew and understood what the other was thinking whenever they kissed. A soul connection. Even now she could remember the delicious taste of him, the feel of the interior of his mouth—warm, sleek, moist. She had felt his expertise, had been the recipient of his artistry, and had benefited from his skill in knowing how to pleasure a woman.
She would forever be grateful to him for his unlimited patience and for being an expert teacher and a considerate lover. He had introduced her to her very own body, a body she’d had all her life but a body she’d been unaware could feel such things and could do such things. It was a body that had certain erogenous points and a body that could drive a man to distraction.
If there were such a thing as two individuals having kindred spirits, then she and Linc would definitely qualify. She had left Daytona Beach believing it had been destined for them to meet, just as much as she believed it had been destined for them to go their separate ways in the end with no regrets.
That was the main reason she believed seeing him again now was an unkind turn of events, one she would have to deal with. Carefully. Cautiously.
“Who on earth are you staring at?”
Erica’s question cut into Raven’s thoughts. Curious, Erica glanced over her shoulder and saw the two good-looking brothers weaving around tables as they moved in their direction. “Do you know them?” she asked Raven in whispered awe.
With her gaze still holding Linc’s, Raven inhaled a slow breath and answered, “I know the one with the clean-shaven head.”
“Wow! He’s good-looking. Both of them are. Who is he?”
My first and only lover. The man who gave me a week of blazing passion four years ago. The man who could get next to me if I were to let my guard down. Instead she answered, “Lincoln Corbain. We met over spring break four years ago during my last year of college.”
Erica, Raven knew, wanted to ask more questions. She wanted more details, but time wouldn’t allow it. Linc and his friend were now only a few feet away. But if Raven knew Erica, the subject of Lincoln Corbain was far from over.
“Good evening.”
His voice, as Raven had known it would, had an underlying sensuality that captivated, then soothed. He smiled and automatically her thighs clenched, her heart rate increased, and her breath caught. She was barely able to respond to his greeting. “Hi, Linc. Seems you like this place.”
His smile widened easily and when it did a warming sensation moved from the center of Raven’s clenched thighs upward to her stomach. “Seems you do as well,” was his smooth reply.
Erica cleared her throat, reminding Raven that she and Linc were not the only persons present. “Linc Corbain, I’d like you to meet Erica Sanders, a good friend of mine.”
Linc broke eye contact with Raven and shifted his dark gaze to Erica. He extended his hand to her. “Nice meeting you, Erica.”
Erica returned Linc’s smile as she accepted his handshake, all the while holding him in her ever-observant gaze. “Likewise, Linc.”
Glancing at the man by his side, Linc said, “And this is my friend Ben Goodman. Ben, this is Raven Anderson and Erica Sanders.”
Ben stepped closer, giving both Raven and Erica warm handshakes. “I’m honored to meet two such beautiful ladies.”
“Would the two of you like to join us?” Erica asked quickly, not really surprising Raven with the invitation.
“We wouldn’t want to intrude,” Linc was saying.
“You won’t be,” Erica replied.
Linc’s gaze moved to Raven. “Raven?” he asked, seeking her consent also.
“Yes, please join us.”
With those words Linc took the chair next to her and Ben took the seat next to Erica. Raven knew all the reasons she should not want Linc and his friend sitting at their table. One was the very obvious sexual vibes radiating between her and Linc. You would have to be a dead person not to have picked up on it. There was no doubt in her mind that both Erica and Ben had noticed it. Then again, she thought glancing at Erica and Ben, maybe they had not picked up on it. It seemed the only thing capturing Erica’s and Ben’s attention was each other. Raven smiled inwardly. Evidently Erica’s love interest of the month, Tyrone Hardcastle, had gotten kicked to the curb.
The waiter came over and took the new drink orders. When that was out of the way Raven knew she could always count on Erica to get the conversation going.
“Before the two of you arrived, Raven and I were having an interesting conversation about the availability of good men. Are either of you married?”
Four
“Ben and Erica seem to be hitting it off,” Linc said after taking a sip of his drink, then setting it down.
Raven glanced across the room at the couple who had moved away from their table and were now seated together at the bar. They were leaning close with their heads together, laughing and talking like they were two old friends and not two people who had been introduced to each other less than an hour ago. But then, Raven thought, that’s how things had been for her and Linc when they first met. They had quickly and easily connected. Their conversations had been comfortable and relaxed, not at all tense and strained
like the one they were sharing now.
“Yes, it seems they are” was Raven’s stilted response. She shifted in her seat under Linc’s quiet, intense gaze, wondering how she could effectively bring the evening to an end before he could bring up anything about the time they had spent together in Daytona. She didn’t think she’d be able to handle it if he did. For the first time in her life she was unsure as to how to pull herself out of a situation with a man she was determined would not progress anywhere.
She cleared her throat. “So, you aren’t married?”
“No.”
“Ever been?” Raven could have bit off her tongue for wanting to know.
“No. What about you?”
“Umm, no, I’m still single.” And I don’t even have a lover. The last time I experienced deep-hot passion was in your arms, she thought as her thighs instinctively tightened in response to the sudden jolt of heat that vibrated between them. She swallowed as his eyes held hers for a moment before moving down to her neck. She wondered if he could see the rapid throb of her pulse in her throat. His gaze then drifted back to her eyes.
“So how do you like publishing books?” he asked her quietly.
She was so held by his magnificent dark eyes that it took her a moment to realize he’d asked her a question. Tiny lines of a frown drew over her forehead. “I’m sorry; what did you ask?”
He smiled as he repeated his question. “I asked how you like publishing books.”
“What makes you think I publish books?” she asked, bemused.
Linc’s brows lifted and his gaze lingered before he replied, “The other night when I saw you here you were having dinner with your boss from Augustan Publishers. I understand they are a huge book-publishing company.”
Raven nodded, understanding how he could have been misled. “Augustan not only publishes books; they also publish a monthly magazine called The Black Pearl. I’m one of their reporters.”
Some Like It Hot Page 3