Love in the Limelight: Volume One

by Brenda Jackson, A. C. Arthur

  “Really?” It wasn’t possible. Well, it could be. She didn’t believe it. The great Akil Hutton liked the way she looked.

  He smiled. “You sound surprised.”

  “I am. I mean, most men, even ones not in the business, have a certain vision of the women they like.”

  “That’s true. And you happen to fit my vision.”

  Yeah, it was hot. Charlene was warm all over and when he took her hands in his she thought she’d just melt at his feet. He led her to the recliner where he’d been sitting and eased her down. “Mrs. Williamson would kill me if she knew I had you standing up all this time.”

  “I understand I’m no Beyoncé or Ciara. And it’s fine if you can’t market me and this CD doesn’t become a hit. I’m just glad for the opportunity to work with you and to actually live a part of a dream I’ve held close for so long.”

  He was shaking his head, holding both her hands in his. “Have you seen Beyoncé lately? She’s not all skin and bones. The public really appreciates a bootylicious figure and they’re going to love you.” He chuckled. “I don’t want you to be like anybody but Charlene Quinn. That’s the singer I’m working with and that’s the woman I’m going to market. End of story.”

  Charlene sighed with relief and sat back in the chair. “Serene’s not going to be happy to hear that.”

  “Serene’s fired so it doesn’t really matter what she likes.”

  “Oh, no. You’re firing her? Because of me? I don’t want to cause that type of trouble.”

  “You didn’t cause it. You just brought it to a head. Things have been brewing with us for a while. She’s blinded by the dollar signs and notoriety.”

  “And what are you doing? You know what the trend is now, you know what the listeners want. Why are you so sure it’ll work if you take a chance and do something different with me?”

  “Because when you sing I can feel it here.” He’d taken her hand and guided it to his chest, rested it over his heart. “No singer has affected me that way in years. What you have is true and it’s pure. It’s the soul of music and that’s what I want to record.”

  Charlene didn’t know what to say or how to react. She tried to take a deep breath, licked her lips and gave a nervous smile. “I’m flattered,” she said honestly.

  His smile was different than any she’d ever seen on him before. It touched his eyes until he looked like he could really be happy for once. “I’m honored to be working with you on this project.”

  With that he lifted her hand from his chest, brought it to his lips and kissed the tip of each one of her fingers.

  “I’m thankful to have finally met someone as honest and real as you. In this business that’s hard to find.”

  She could relate to what he was saying. She was thankful for Rachel for that very reason. True friends, sincere connections, were hard to come by when you had money, fame, prestige or all three.

  “More importantly,” he was saying, his kisses having moved to the center of her hand, where his tongue swirled over her skin until tingles of pleasure soared through her body, resting quite suddenly in her center, “I just cannot seem to get you out of my mind. And since the first time I kissed you, you’ve become like a drug. My own personal addiction. Damn, I’m dying to kiss you.” He finished with his tongue scraping over her wrist, kissing up her arm as the wide-armed material of the sleeve on her robe slid downward.

  “Oh,” was all she could manage. Had he been reading her mind? Sure, she’d come here to talk to him, to explain what had happened, but she’d wanted him. For days now she’d known she wanted Akil, and last night had only brought that need to a head.

  The aggressor in sexual encounters she was not. And so she’d resigned herself to wait until he’d made a move like he was interested in her in that way. Well, coupled with last night in the pool house and now watching the swirl of his tongue on the heated skin of her inner arm, she could safely say that he was.

  “I apologize for being so harsh and behaving like a greedy teenager last night. I can be better,” he said, giving her just the barest hint of a smile. “Can I kiss you, Charlene?”

  Hell, yeah! her mind screamed even as the slow melodic tune still blared from his speakers. Luckily she had a little bit of control left. She would not act like a desperate, horny female aching for his touch.

  However, considering she hadn’t had sex in over a year and her hormones had been racing at the simplest thought of Akil since the time he’d kissed her, that’s exactly what she was.

  “Yes, you ca—”

  Her words were cut off, her breath stolen and the world as she’d known it officially shaken as Akil’s lips descended upon hers in an action that was not soft and not slow, but was full of as much passion and energy as the first roars of thunder crackling outside his bedroom window.

  Chapter 12

  From the steady thumping water against the window she’d say the light drizzle had picked up. Winds were still blowing as Miami sat waiting to go through round one with Hurricane Viola.

  While inside Akil’s bedroom Charlene waited for something else.

  His kisses had the effect of a drug, making her limbs weak, her body compliant and her sex hot with anticipation. Her hands had gripped his taut shoulders as he’d slanted his head, deepening the kiss until it felt as if their mouths had been fused together. His tongue persistently stroked hers, his hands cupping her face with a gentle touch that didn’t match the intensity of the kiss.

  Her mind whirled as sensations poured into her. On the one hand she wanted nothing more than to continue kissing Akil. The feel of his lips, the taste of his tongue, the touch of his hands so soft on her face, all of this was pleasurable. Enough so that her knees quaked, closing as her thighs squeezed tight to tamp down on the growing pressure in her center.

  On the other hand, she wanted more than she’d ever wanted before. This need that burned inside of her was new and intense, causing her entire body to tremble, her breath to come in erratic spurts.

  “Akil,” she managed a whisper when he’d pulled back slightly to suckle her bottom lip.

  On a ragged moan, he murmured, “I can’t stop wanting you.”

  “You don’t have to stop,” she heard a voice say but wasn’t sure it was her own.

  His hands moved down her neck to cup each of her breasts. It was her turn to moan and to squirm once more against the force of need boiling inside. Her body was hot, like liquid fire ran through her veins. When he flicked his fingers over the tight nipples of her breasts she almost screamed. Between her legs her clit throbbed and her head fell back on the chair as she tried to swallow, tried to get a grip on these raging emotions.

  “No,” he said adamantly. “I want you to look at me when I touch you.”

  At his words her head snapped up, her eyes wide open. He was beautiful with his eyes half-closed, his long fingers gripping and squeezing her full breasts. Leaning forward, he breathed over one taut nipple that she felt puckering even more through the thin material of her robe and gown. As if the material weren’t there at all his tongue extended, rubbed over the nipple once, twice, until the material was damp and so were her panties.

  His name tore from her lips as she gripped his shoulders, her chest heaving, legs holding tighter together.

  “Tell me what you want,” he said, moving to the other nipple, taking it between his teeth and biting lightly.

  “Oh. My.” She couldn’t even finish the thought, let alone do what he’d asked of her.

  “Do you want me to take your clothes off?” he asked, flattening his body against her the best he could, considering she was sitting in the recliner.

  His broad chest brought a new heat against her midsection. His strength pressing into her thighs ignited the fire already brewing in that region and she felt herself pressing into him desperately.

  “Do you want to be naked?” His voice was more urgent, strained with what she could only assume was desire. “You naked? Me naked? Me touching you, tas
ting you? Tell me, Charlene. What do you want?”

  “Yes,” she almost screamed but ended with a guttural moan that sounded more animalistic than human.

  Akil didn’t waste a second after her answer. His hands worked quickly, untying the robe, pulling it from her shoulders. Then he lifted the hem of her gown and waited as she lifted slightly from the chair so he could pull it over her head. She never slept in a bra, so her panties were next to go. Feeling a wave of self-consciousness hit, she regretted her emotion-filled answer to becoming naked. The table with the lamp on it wasn’t quite four feet away. The balmy gold light poured into the room, placing her and her body on unfettered display for Akil.

  As her heart continued to pound and she wondered how she could maneuver herself to the bed, to the sheet she could use to camouflage some of her not-so-alluring body parts, she caught Akil’s gaze.

  He was standing, looking down at her as she lay sprawled naked on the recliner. Only he wasn’t looking at her body, his eyes were fastened on hers. “You’re beautiful, Charlene. Don’t ever let anybody tell you or make you feel differently.”

  Even through the heavy haze of sexual tension she felt the softness of his words, the tenderness of sincerity prick her heart. She didn’t answer because his eyes had moved from hers to venture down her torso. In the dimness she could still see the shift. His normally dark, intense eye color had darkened even more, shading with a haze of lust and something else she couldn’t decipher.

  Not knowing what else to do and unnerved by his concentrated examination, she lifted her arms to him. If he was kissing her she wouldn’t be nervous. When he touched her she felt safe, wanted. And if she could only have this moment, this night as a storm raged outside, if this was the only time she’d have Akil to herself, then she wouldn’t waste a moment.

  “Take off your clothes and come to me,” she said and knew it was the arousal talking. Never in her life had she been this open and willing with a man. Then again, she’d never been with a man like Akil before. A man whose sheer presence spoke of power and strength and at the same time compassion. Yes, there was a part of Akil that she’d seen on occasions when they were together that said he had a softer side, a side he didn’t show often. What would it be like if she were the one he chose to open up to?

  He was already doing as she’d asked. Removing his clothes in a slow and precise manner, all the while keeping his eyes on her. It was kind of erotic, especially since at that moment she remembered the music playing in the background. It had changed from the first instrumental piece to another one that didn’t sound familiar but cast an oddly sensual vibe around the room. So they had music, they had a stormy night and two almost naked adults. This was a perfect combination.

  His thumbs were on the rim of his sweatpants, his chest already bare, when he paused and asked, “What are you thinking?”

  Hmm, was this a trick question? She was definitely thinking he had one banging set of abs. Ripped didn’t quite describe him as her gaze roamed over his succulent chest. She’d known his arms were tight, probably could be considered cannons for a man of exactly six feet and medium build. His pectorals were tight, the nipples erect. Her mouth watered.

  “Um, I’m thinking what’s taking you so long?” That was an honest enough answer, she figured.

  He smiled. “Okay. Just making sure we’re on the same page here.”

  “What page is that?”

  “The one where we spend the entire night making each other feel real damn good.” As he spoke he’d pushed the pants down, simultaneously stepping out of the tennis shoes he wore.

  She swallowed hard, almost lost the little bit of courage she’d garnered from his earlier words. If she thought the top half of him looked good, then the bottom was definitely a prizewinner. Long muscled legs sprinkled with black hair. He turned to the side, kicking his clothes out of the way. His butt was absolutely to die for, tight and just handful-size. She thought of Will Smith in the early scenes of I, Robot. Akil had him beat by about a million more sweat glands reacting in her body. He turned back to face her and she heard herself gasp and wanted to crawl beneath the chair instead of sitting in it.

  The phrase “he was hung like a horse” was crass, so she chased it out of her mind. Still, he was no lightweight in the size department and her body wanted more.

  “I’m glad we both like what we see,” he said in that cocky, arrogant tone he used more often than not. Usually it rubbed her the wrong way. Tonight it massaged every horny inch of her.

  She could only lick her lips in response. Nervousness was coming back, claiming a spot right in the center of her chest. Was she in over her head with Akil? Surely he was more experienced in the sex department than she was. While both of them admitted to not just sleeping with anyone she was almost positive Akil Hutton had had more than three lovers in his whole life. His every movement spoke of sex, like he was advertising the ride of a lifetime a woman could expect from him. She wondered if she were really ready for all this.

  “You wanna know what I really like about you, Charlene?” he asked, coming closer to her, going down on his knees in front of her once more.

  “What?” Her voice seemed smaller or was the music in the background, the wind outside, louder?

  “These,” he said, his palms resting softly on her thighs.

  That wasn’t possible. The most hated part of her body was his favorite? She couldn’t even speak.

  “I knew the moment I saw you they’d be soft. I like a woman with real legs, not twigs.”

  At his words said legs quivered and his smile grew even wider. “Oh, yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.”

  With his palms sliding down to her inner thighs, he pushed her legs apart, as far as they would go within the confines of the chair. Even that was far enough as she felt air over the damp skin of her center. On display for him suddenly had a new meaning.

  “And I’ll bet you’re even softer there.” His hands moved up higher, his fingers touching her swollen lips softly. “I’ve dreamt of touching you here, tasting you here.” He looked up at her and while her eyes were dangerously close to shutting his heated glare kept them open.

  “Do you taste good, Charlene?”

  She couldn’t even think of an answer to that question. Instead her fingers clenched the arm of the chair, her teeth sinking into her lower lip as anticipation tore through her.

  Up and down his fingers stroked until she shivered. His hands were between her legs, touching her more intimately and openly than she’d ever been touched before. A fingertip grazed the tightened bud of her center and she sucked air in through her teeth. For seconds he played there, stroking her now-drenched lips, tweaking her tight and puckered clit. She squirmed and lifted her hips in request for more.

  “Yeah,” he moaned, his gaze fixed between her legs. “You’re gonna taste damn good, baby girl.”

  Charlene couldn’t think, her mind was so completely wrapped around the pleasure he was evoking. She’d thought momentarily about how wickedly wanton she must look, naked in a chair, legs gaping open, greedy hips moving incessantly. But she couldn’t stop, didn’t want to stop.

  When she thought she couldn’t take anymore, his fingers slipped into her entrance, stroked, found a particularly sensitive spot and worked there until she was panting and writhing beneath him.

  “Not yet,” he whispered, his warm breath fanning over her thighs as he kissed his way up to her center. “Not yet.”

  When he arrived, his tongue took over the steady stroking of his fingers, licking up and down her lips with an efficiency that should be patented. It wasn’t long before his tongue found the nub he’d touched with such perfection. Heat swirled through Charlene until she felt like she was outside in the twisting, surging wind of the brewing hurricane. If this continued she was going to explode, she knew it with certainty.

  And with all her sighing and moaning, Akil probably knew it, too.

  While his fingers worked her, pumped deep inside of he
r, his touch tortured the outer realm. She was delirious with pleasure.

  “Come for me, baby girl. Now,” his voice rasped over her sensitive skin, sending off a rocket-like explosion deep inside her body.

  She trembled from her head to her toes, her fingernails dug into the arms of the chair and his name tore from her throat in lyrical notes not registered on any scale.

  * * *

  She was wrapped tightly around him as Akil moved from the chair to the bed. Her arms held him unyieldingly, like he was the only one in her world. He relished that feeling, held it as close to his heart as he could.

  She sang his name and it had been the sweetest song he’d ever heard. Even the sweet taste of her orgasm, the swelling of his ego the moment she took that final plunge, none of that compared to the sweet sound of her voice, the high pitch of his name echoing throughout his bedroom. He’d kissed her then, after the last tremors of pleasure had torn through her body, after he’d felt steady enough himself to move. His lips had captured hers in a slow dance of sorts, a promise of more, an agreement of forever.

  Laying her on his bed as gently as possible, Akil took a few moments just to stare down at her. This woman who he’d known for less than a month, who’d come into his life with a powerhouse voice, a mouthwatering body and the persona of a simple, naive schoolteacher. This woman who in such a short period had turned out to be so much more.

  As he stood at the side of the bed she rolled over toward him, reached for his heavy erection and stroked him. His breath caught and not even the ever-growing storm outside could make him tell her to stop.

  The softness of her hands produced a steady heat against his shaft and soon he was moving to her rhythm. When she looked up at him, her eyes seeking permission, he knew he had to do something. Leaning over, he reached into his nightstand, pulled out a condom and passed it to her. Intelligence was something he’d immediately known she possessed. Her fingers moved swiftly, opening the packet, removing the condom then smoothing the latex down his rigid length.