Singing a Song...

by Crystal V. Rhodes

  She had received flowers from him in her dressing room earlier, as she had from Duncan Whittaker. She took this opportunity to thank him and to inform him that she had been following his accomplishments in Congress and was well versed on the work he pursued. He seemed flattered and impressed. If she had not been so exhausted, she might have noticed the light of interest in his eyes, the slight tremor in his hand when he touched her, or the rapid rise and fall of his chest. She didn’t notice. Her thoughts were elsewhere.

  She tried to listen. She wanted to focus on what was being said, and eventually, when she did comprehend what he was asking, she declined the invitation he was extending to attend his after-set party. She gave fatigue as the legitimate reason. His expression of genuine concern for her health almost caused her to waver on her decision—almost.

  It was the congressman who was the first to see Thad approaching. Initially, he had been so enthralled by the woman before him that he was unaware of anything else. Everything about her fascinated him—the sensuous movement of her lips, the exciting sweep of her lashes beneath those fabulous eyes. Like an adolescent schoolboy, he had harbored a crush on Darnell Cameron for years. He had tried in every way possible to meet her, but the opportunity had never seemed to present itself until tonight. Since her arrival, he had pulled no punches in getting to meet her. He had read of her involvement with some doctor, and also read about his recent marriage. It gave him hope. Like everyone else in the room, he had wanted the last love song she sang to be for him. He harbored the desire that one day it would be. Until then—

  Glancing over her shoulder, he became curious as to why the women behind Darnell were whispering excitedly. Then he saw Thad Stewart approaching. He recognized him immediately. He also recognized Thad’s purposeful stride and where his attention was focused. His eyes were trained on the woman in the yellow dress standing before him.

  The dress Darnell wore was simple, a silk A-line slip dress that caressed every curve of her voluptuous body. It swayed seductively whenever she moved. The hemline stopped just above her shapely legs, which were covered in hose so sheer that her legs looked bare, except for the hint of gold glitter teasing the naked eye. Yellow high-heel pumps elevated her height. A sexy gold ankle bracelet rested comfortably on one ankle. She was breathtaking.

  Darnell had taken her hair out of its chignon. It now cascaded over her shoulders in reckless abandon. A twist of yellow silk matching her dress held it back from her face. Every male in the room openly appreciated her beauty, and as Thad reached the cluster of people around her, the congressman saw the sweep of approval in his eyes as well.

  He didn’t blink as Thad’s open palm pressed ever so gently against the small of Darnell’s back, replacing his own. There was no change of expression on his face as he noticed the quick intake of breath from Darnell. All went unnoticed by the others in attendance around her. They were too excited by the sudden appearance of Thad Stewart.

  Mrs. Presser was flustered with delight. She didn’t notice the quickening of Darnell’s breathing or the color that crept into her brown face. The congressman did.

  “Oh, my goodness! Mr. Stewart! I was hoping that I’d get to meet you. My daughter, Brooke…” She looked around frantically for the young girl. “Well, she was supposed to be your hostess for the evening. I’m Elinor Presser.”

  As he stood with his hand against Darnell’s back, time stopped for Thad. All he could feel was her closeness. The blood pumped through his body at accelerated speed, rushing from his heart to his head, leaving both throbbing with excitement. He had to work hard to control his lower body. He tossed a dimpled grin at Mrs. Presser that captivated her thoroughly. With his free hand he shook her hand.

  “Mrs. Presser, your daughter has told me so much about you that I feel I know you. She was very complimentary, and she’s also a very nice young lady.”

  The woman giggled like a schoolgirl. “Oh, thank you. Where is she anyway?”

  Darnell didn’t hear Thad. She couldn’t hear a thing. She felt as if she were standing in a wind tunnel as garbled sounds rushed through her head. She kept her eyes on Mrs. Presser, not daring to look at Thad. But, her mind screamed out in ecstasy, He’s here! He’s here!

  Thad’s eyes shifted from Mrs. Presser momentarily as if searching the room for her daughter. His gaze took in Darnell’s profile, drinking in the sight of her. His thumb made a semicircle on her back. With a flick of her tongue Darnell moistened her lips as heat infused her very core. The congressman drained his wineglass in one gulp.

  “Oh, your daughter is around here someplace,” Thad assured the woman as his gaze returned to her. “We were separated during the concert. I just wanted to come over and introduce myself.”

  Mrs. Presser blushed. “Oh, I’m so glad that you did, and I’d like for you to meet…” She turned to Darnell to introduce her to Thad. It was then that she noticed the placement of his hand. She became flustered at the intimacy of the gesture. “W…well, I see that you know…”

  Deliberately pretending to misunderstand what Mrs. Presser was about to say, Thad thrust his hand out to the man nearest him, a senator, as he pressed Darnell closer to him. “It’s not necessary to introduce this distinguished gentleman. I’ve seen him on television many times. Sir, I’m Thad Stewart.”

  With a practiced smile, Darnell watched as Thad worked his way around the group of men near her, shaking the hands of each while still managing to cling to her possessively. The devil. He was putting on the performance of his life.

  The congressman was the last to receive a handshake from him. Their eyes locked briefly as the men firmly clasped hands. Thad’s eyes and smile swept each one around him once again, then settled on Mrs. Presser. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, gentlemen, Mrs. Presser.” With that, Thad took Darnell’s hand and led her toward the reception hall’s dance floor.

  Darnell’s mind was reeling as she stumbled along, trying to keep pace with his long-legged stride. What was it about this man that had him embedded so deeply in her heart? She felt euphoric.

  This was unreal. The connection between them was so strong that she had actually felt his presence from the stage. Her mind could hardly grasp the power of such emotions.

  As the two superstars walked away, the congressman watched them with an air of resignation. There would be no further opportunities to get to know Darnell. Thad Stewart had made that clear. While his dazzling smile and pleasant manner had remained friendly and open, the congressman, a former child of the streets, had watched the man’s eyes—the windows to the soul. The dimpled smile might have been reassuring, but the glint in Thad’s eyes when the two men shook hands had been deadly. Darnell was his, and he was ready to challenge any man who dared get in his way.

  The crowd in the reception hall seemed to part like the Red Sea as Thad and Darnell headed toward the dance floor, leaving a trail of electrical current behind in their wake. Out of the corner of his eye, Thad spotted an opened-mouthed Duncan Whittaker and nodded in passing. Reaching his destination, Thad claimed a spot and swung Darnell around smoothly to fit in his arms.

  Breathless, Darnell started to speak, “Thad, I…”

  She was startled into silence as he took her face in the palm of his hand and brought his lips to hers. Probing her mouth open with his tongue, he gave her a slow, deep, drugging kiss that brought moans of longing from deep within her.

  Thad broke the kiss and crushed her to him. He buried his lips in the softness of her hair, inhaling deeply in an attempt to calm the trembling of his body. “I don’t want to hear anything but three words.”

  Darnell’s smile radiated sunshine. “I love you.”

  He rewarded her with a sweet kiss on her lips. “Say what?”

  She kissed the curve of his neck, then whispered in his ear hotly, “I am in love with Thad Stewart, alias Art Waetsdaht, writer, producer, and soon to be co-star…”

  “Co-star?”

  “Yes, co-star of the movie Sensuous.”

&nbs
p; Thad laughed and hugged her to him. “God, I’ve wanted to feel you, touch you, and kiss you like this for so long. It feels like we’ve been apart forever.”

  Darnell leaned into his embrace, trying in vain to remember where she was and her purpose for being here. She was lost in a fog. The only reality at the moment was the feel of his body against her body, the beat of his heart against her heart. He was right. They had been apart too long. “I missed you so much. More than you will ever know, and when we get married, let’s make a vow to never be apart. ”

  Thad’s smile was enormous. “Is that a proposal?”

  “Yep.”

  The long, deep kiss he gave her was his unmistakable reply. It was the splatter of applause from the audience they had attracted on the dance floor that brought them out of their embrace. Peering sheepishly at the well-heeled crowd, Thad flashed his famous smile. With one arm still around Darnell, he gave a dramatic bow, taking her with him as he did so.

  “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

  The crowd loved it, laughing and clapping appreciatively as he swept a surprised Darnell around in a semi-circle and announced, “And now we dance.” With that, they began to move smoothly to the beat of the band.

  “You go, girl!” someone shouted from the crowd.

  “I guess I’ll have to get used to this craziness,” Darnell groaned.

  Thad looked down into the face of the woman who had changed his life. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do when you’re with me, Doe Eyes. If you don’t like the attention, I’ll tone it down. For you, I’d do anything.”

  Darnell smiled up at him, touched by the comment. “It’s a noble gesture, but then you wouldn’t be you. And although I can hardly believe it, I love you the way you are.” She kissed his cheek. Thad gave her a boyish grin.

  “Do you want to know something?”

  She returned his grin with one of her own. “What?”

  “You’re quite a woman, Darnell Cameron, and what a journey we’re going to be taking together.”

  EPILOGUE

  One Year Later

  —PRESS RELEASE—

  Hollywood is abuzz with the announcement of the secret wedding ceremony of two of the entertainment industry’s biggest superstars. Actor, writer, and producer Thad Stewart and singer, actress, and producer Darnell Cameron were wed today at an undisclosed location. Family and close friends attended the ceremony. The wedding culminated a courtship that saw the couple sizzling on the big screen in the blockbuster movie Sensuous. The film, written by Stewart and produced by their joint production company, has garnered twelve Oscar nominations, including Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Picture. The multi-platinum soundtrack for Sensuous, written by Cameron, has generated five number-one singles and swept the Grammy Awards earlier this year, earning ten coveted statuettes, including Album of the Year.

  Reportedly, the powerhouse couple was wed in a romantic affair held at sunset on the beach on an undisclosed island. The bride and groom were said to have both shed tears as she walked down the aisle to her future husband. Prior to her walk, in a surprise move, Stewart sang a stirring rendition of “A Song for You” to his bride-to-be. Her mother, Beverly Cameron, gave her daughter away. The bride’s father is deceased.

  About the Author

  Crystal V. Rhodes is an author and an award-winning playwright. Her first novel, Sin, received critical acclaim and her second novel, Sweet Sacrifice, was nominated for the Romance in Color Reviewer’s Choice Award as Romance Suspense Book of the Year. Her third novel, Grandmothers, Incorporated, co-written with L. Barnett Evans, was selected Best Book of the Year by two online websites, and her fourth novel, Sinful Intentions, was received by the BlackRefer.com Annual Reviewer’s Choice Award as Best Romance Novel. The Written Word Magazine has named Ms. Rhodes as one of the Ten Up and Coming Authors in the Midwest. As a playwright she and her work have been nominated for a Los Angeles Dramalogue Award, a Jefferson Award, and she has been the recipient of the Black Theatre Alliance Award for Best Original Writing for her play Stoops. Rhodes has a Masters degree in Sociology and has written for newspapers, magazines, radio and T.V. Visit her web site at www.crystalrhodes.com.