He had waited six months for this moment. He wasn’t even supposed to be here, but he’d wangled an exchange of venue with a co-worker. He knew Sarona would be here because he’d made the necessary checks and inquiries to make certain of it. This five-day conference was going to be his ticket to getting closer to her and getting to know her — intimately. He was limited in what he could do in only five days. The short amount of time would be a stretch even for his abilities to charm and persuade, but he was optimistic. He had confidence on his side. He’d worked his magic and gotten what he wanted in far less time, so this situation should be no different. He’d spent the last six months immersed in total fantasy. He had tortured his poor mind and body beyond endurance with vivid dreams and visions of her beautiful face contorted in sexual ecstasy, her imaginary soft moans of pleasure echoing in his head. He’d made up his mind six months ago. There would be no escape for her this time; she would not be allowed to ignore him or brush him aside as she had done repeatedly in the past. This time she was going to have to deal with him face-to-face, one on one. He had plans for her, plans he’d already taken the necessary steps to put into motion. Somewhere along the way she had become his obsession, and he was going to have her, seduce her into bed, his or hers — it didn’t matter.
David knew he had a certain, perhaps unsavory, reputation and that it preceded him wherever he went. Tales told and spread among the women he had been intimate with over time had seen to that. He’d learned at an early age that there was something about him, something to do with his biological chemical makeup along with his striking good looks that attracted the opposite sex in droves. As a young boy, he had thought it was a curse and hated the uncomfortable situations he had suffered through with little girls practically chasing him everywhere he went. But, by the time he’d hit puberty, he’d discovered the true advantage he had in the hand he’d been dealt, and well … the rest was history. Women were drawn to him like moths to a flame, vying for his attention and affection, and he willingly obliged, for he was, after all, merely a man.
He admitted he liked the attention, but over the last year or so he’d grown tired of the role. Everything was too easy. There was no challenge and no excitement, and the outcome was always the same, at least until he’d met Sarona Maxwell. Sarona was elusive, unobtainable, her manner remote, mysterious, and she seemed always just out of reach. Her elusive ways intrigued and challenged him, and were all the more reason why he had to have her. He believed Sarona was just what he needed to revive his interest in the pursuit of a beautiful woman, because this woman certainly didn’t make anything easy. Her avoidance of him approached to the point of snobbery, and he refused to be snubbed.
He continued to watch her undetected, studying her from his concealed position.
No, she wasn’t the type he was normally attracted to, but to tell the truth, he’d become pretty damned bored with the type he was normally attracted to. Sarona was black — or was that African American? He was never sure which term was politically correct. He guessed she was probably in her early to mid-thirties, but not much younger than his thirty-six years. She was above average height — tall for a woman and only a few inches shorter than his height of six feet three inches. She had a full figure with large breasts and luscious curves, perfectly proportioned in an hourglass shape reminiscent of those old Marilyn Monroe films his dad used to watch on late night TV. Her skin was the color of caramel, the kind you see drizzled over vanilla ice cream, and it looked just as rich, just as creamy. Her hair was a rich, dark brown with streaks of mahogany and fell long, wild and thick in layers down her back to just below her shoulders. She had a warm, beautiful smile and intelligent, dark brown eyes, deep enough for a man to swim in … or drown trying. He was drawn to, aroused by and turned on by her dark skin, dark eyes and dark hair.
He shuddered and hardened at an unexpected visual: the two of them with their limbs intertwined against a backdrop of soft candlelight, champagne, and satin sheets; his lips locked against the softness of hers, his tongue delving deep, seeking to taste the sweetness of her mouth; his hand cupping the fullness of her breast, stroking her dark nipple with his thumb, pressing his hard arousal firmly against her, maneuvering and thrusting to get deep inside her waiting, wet … .
“There you are!” The familiar sound of Shelia Preston’s voice startled him and brought him reluctantly out of his fantasy. “Everyone’s been looking all over for you and lucky me, I’m the one who’s found you.” She all but purred her satisfaction.
Of all people, David thought with bitter resentment that he miraculously managed to keep from registering on his face. Shelia was a former lover who refused to be relegated to the classification of “former.” She constantly sought him out with the intent to lure him back, but there wasn’t a chance in hell of that ever happening. That time was long past. He conceded she was a beautiful woman; that’s what had attracted him. She was ultra-feminine, blonde-haired and green-eyed with a willow thin body envied by the world’s average woman, topped with today’s must-have accessory, 34 DD silicone breasts. Although she was great to look at and an ornamental showpiece for any man’s arm, her personality was about as interesting as sitting around and watching paint dry. Thinking back, he wondered what in the world he could have seen in her in the first place. Of course, thinking back, he had to admit personality hadn’t been his primary consideration. He probably hadn’t bothered to raise his eyes above her neckline.
“Hey, anybody home in there?” Shelia yelled as she shook his arm, once again bringing him back to the here and now. “Come on.” She dragged him forward. “I want to show everybody I found you.” Looping her arm into the crook of his, she led him out into the crowded room, preening and strutting like she’d just won a blue ribbon for the prize bull at the County Fair — a role David suddenly realized he was becoming all too familiar with, and one that left him feeling more like a prize than a person.
• • •
Sarona stood off to the side of the large room watching the crowd mill about, the mass of people conversing and networking with one another. She’d already met a few individuals she was marginally acquainted with earlier in the day, but so far she hadn’t seen even one of them here. That made her wonder why she’d bothered making an appearance.
As she sipped wine and surveyed the room and considered whether she should call it a night, her gaze suddenly fell upon a familiar figure on the far side of the room. She knew who he was instantly, even though all she could see was his backside. She’d recognize that backside anywhere.
“Damn,” she muttered. The “he” who had caught her attention was none other than David Broussard. David was an extremely attractive man who stood about six foot three with piercing whisky brown eyes that shimmered like a mixture of bourbon and honey, rimmed by sinfully long dark lashes that had no business being on a man. His hair was a cap of coffee-brown curls, full and springy yet perfectly styled, trimmed and tapered to the nape of his neck. His facial features were strong and squared with lush, full lips and a straight, patrician nose, giving an impression of chiseled perfection equal to that of the Greek god Adonis himself. Flawless, golden-bronze skin, a lean muscular frame with broad shoulders and a narrow waist that tapered into the nicest ass she’d ever seen, rounded out what could only be described as a perfect living example of God’s gift to women. The man personified satin and silk, fire and ice, sex and sensuality, and the wine and candlelight she so wantonly desired. All told, he was a damn fine white man.
It was a well-known fact that Mr. Broussard was a highly sought after, bona fide, honest-to-God ladies’ man; his looks alone would lend credence to such a claim, but it wasn’t his looks alone that turned women’s heads. There was something else about the man that could set a woman’s senses on fire. He had a scent like no other, an actual natural scent that wafted into the air and drove women to nearly stampede like a herd of cattle.
The man’s scent was to women like catnip was to cats — overpowering a
nd irresistible. He could have any woman he wanted, and unfortunately, Sarona was no more immune to the natural power he wielded than any other member of the female sex. Knowing she was as susceptible as all the others, she did everything she could to stay off his radar and out of sight, but for some reason she couldn’t fathom, every time she turned around, there he was.
The two of them had crossed paths off and on over the last year at venues like this, but had rarely engaged in what could be considered real conversation. They’d exchanged friendly flirtatious bantering, she teasing him about his reputation, he inviting her to explore the truth or myth of it for herself, but nothing more. She knew it was all just talk between them. She had no real concern he was actually interested in her, considering the obvious. She was black. She didn’t fit his preferable parameters of attraction, with her brown skin, full lips, big bust, and large, rounded bottom all packaged in a daunting five-foot ten-inch frame. She was certain she had far too many curves for his taste. He’d once commented on her height and size and had referred to her as an Amazon Queen. She silently chuckled, remembering the words they’d exchanged.
“That’s right; I’m a real woman, so I suggest you save those Disneyland tactics you use for those anorexic, skin and bone-thin women you seem so fond of. If you step to me, you’d better bring it from the Wild Kingdom.”
His eyes had grown wide with obvious surprise before he burst into a loud, boisterous laugh. She joined in, relieved that for once her habit of speaking first and thinking later hadn’t landed her in hot water. Once the laughter died, he’d given her a curious look and responded in a much too intimate voice, “You know, Sarona, I’d be more than happy to go on safari with you any time. Just say the word.”
She’d ignored his hint of implied interest because, for all her talk and bravado, there was no way in hell she was following him down that path. She’d told herself that if there was any real interest, it was probably to satisfy the usual white man/black woman curiosity, and she’d be damned if she’d be seduced for the sake of curiosity. She’d seen and heard enough with her own eyes and ears to know, any woman with half a brain and an ounce of self-preservation would steer clear of a man like him. She had no intention of getting mixed up in the games he liked to play.
She’d been around long enough to know that was all sex was to David — simply a game of stalk, capture, and conquer. “But damn.” She sighed. “It sure is tempting to play.”
She recognized the usual throng of women surrounding him, particularly the leader of the pack, Shelia Preston. Gossip had it that David had recently dumped her after a brief fling, but the silly bitch didn’t have sense enough to let go. Shelia mistakenly thought that her good looks, fake boobs, and Daddy’s money could get her any man she wanted. She thought material things entitled her to treat people with disrespect and allowed her the luxury of commanding the attention of any man, including David Broussard. Ordinarily that might have held true, but David Broussard wasn’t just any man.
She had to admit, he was quite good at the hunt. Even now, while charming the women in front of him, he was scanning the room looking for his next target. By the look of determination on his face, he would have his next victim bagged and tagged in well under the five-day deadline. The man was lethal, and he looked every bit the predator he was.
She was not happy he was there, and her dismay at seeing him was testament to how she too was affected by his seductive persona. God, the man’s one big, walking pheromone, she thought, disgusted with her irrepressible response to his presence.
Chapter 2
“So, David, I haven’t seen you around lately. Where have you been keeping yourself?” Ellen Matthews inquired.
He remembered Ellen from events he’d attended in the past. He liked her. She was friendly, intelligent and down to earth. He was surprised to see her with Sheila. Most of the women in her circle of friends were a lot like her — vain, materialistic and totally unaware of the world outside their own personal social sphere.
“I’ve been busy starting up a new business venture.”
“That sounds exciting. What kind of business is it?”
“It’s software development with an emphasis on communications security. My partner and I have developed organizational software directed at major corporate businesses in need of standardizing their operations.”
“Wow! That sounds like a lucrative venture.”
“Yes, you’re right. It’s lucky for us there’s a demand for what we offer. In this business, there are a lot of companies that compete and offer similar services, but fortunately we’ve developed something that’s unique, smarter and simpler, at least for now.”
“What corporate clients have you acquired? Anyone I may have heard of?”
“We’ve built up a modest clientele, but mainly work by referral since we have such a small staff. It keeps us busy, but as you can see, I haven’t given up my day job yet. David chuckled as he took a sip from his drink.
“Oh, he’s just being modest,” Shelia interrupted. “Go ahead, David, tell her who you’ve done consulting work for.”
“It’s not important,” he said, clearly uncomfortable with Shelia’s entering into the conversation. “I don’t want to bore Ellen with a laundry list of names that don’t mean much.”
“How can you say that?” she chuckled. “Of course they do. They’re only some of the most recognizable names in the corporate world — names like Disney, Hilton, Jack in the Box … and those are just the ones I know about. With a list like that, his company could be on the Fortune 500 list in no time.” Shelia blurted, obviously happy to tell such noteworthy news.
“Impressive,” Ellen murmured.
Growing impatient with the company and the conversation around him, David took to searching the crowd again for Sarona. God, he hoped she hadn’t left yet. He had to see her; he had talk to her. He was afraid being distracted by Shelia might have cost him his chance for the evening. Time was short — much too short. There were only a few days to get his plan to work, and he couldn’t afford to miss one opportunity to corner her and make her notice him.
As luck would have it, he spotted her across the room at a tall, freestanding bar table, with a guy who looked totally absorbed in discussion with her. Seeing an opportunity in the making, he interrupted Shelia and her friends and politely excused himself, saying he’d just seen someone he wanted to chat with.
Shelia pouted her disappointment and tried to entice him to stay, shamelessly boosting the cleavage of her silicone breasts to their best advantage. David smiled distractedly and gave her a quick pat on the back, assuring her they’d talk later, and hurriedly walked away. She watched him leave and tried to follow his progress through the crowd, seething with anger. How dare he embarrass her in front of her friends? She knew he had some silly notion that they were suddenly just friends since he decided to call it quits, but if he thought he could drop her like all the others and just walk away, he was in for a rude awakening. He needed to be reminded they were two of a kind, and they belonged together.
David stopped at the bar to pick up a white wine and a shot of bourbon, neat. He’d noticed Sarona’s glass was nearly empty. Though his objective was to show his good intentions and consideration, his good intentions were prompted by something more self-serving in nature. He was going to postpone her escape and charm his way into spending time with her for the evening. He was on a tight schedule, and he wouldn’t let an empty glass be an excuse to call it a night, not yet. While waiting for the drinks and watching the interplay of conversation between her and her table mate, he tried to determine if she had any interest in the man in front of her.
Sarona was a remarkable woman when it came to intelligence, good looks, and charm, and he wasn’t the only man enchanted by the seductive combination. He’d seen for himself the evidence of that as heads turned and bodies swiveled in unison when she walked by. Though she was a beautiful woman like Shelia, unlike Shelia, she didn’t treat people as if compl
iments and admiration were her due. On the contrary, she didn’t appear to even notice the attention she garnered by simply passing through. She exuded a certain sophistication, charm, and sexual attraction that were as natural as breathing, and she seemed totally unaware of it.
Even now he was captured by what he saw. She looked sexy as hell dressed in a colorful green, brown, and gold sleeveless, low-cut blouse that showed off her toned arms and ample cleavage. Camel brown slacks hugged her shapely behind and draped her long legs. Her toenails were polished, and her soft, elegant feet were sheathed in golden sandals. It was a given that the woman looked sexy in anything she wore, but at this moment, he literally ached for the opportunity to see her in absolutely nothing at all.
A sudden vision of her fully nude body stretched out like a sacrificial offering for his personal pleasure sent a rush of fire straight to his already throbbing cock, triggering his entire body to pulsate with intense desire. He imagined her chocolate-brown nipples standing taut, erect, begging to be stroked by his tongue, suckled and pulled into the warmth of his hot, eager mouth. He saw his hands skimming over her skin, the contrast of her creamy caramel and his sun-kissed bronze merging and blending, intermingling as he reached to cup her luscious hips and his fingers poised to stroke, probe, and explore the warmth of her mysterious depths … .
The sound of her husky laughter brought David out of his daydream and replaced his dazed look with one of determination. With both glasses in hand, he made his way across the distance. He’d instantly decided two things — one, he didn’t like the sound of Sarona’s throaty laughter resonating with pleasure for someone else, and two, he didn’t care who the man was, whoever he was, his time was up.
• • •
Sarona’s planned retreat to her suite had been delayed by Bruce Carter, one of the regulars she vaguely knew. Uninvited, he had taken up residence at her table and was attempting to convince her tonight could be her lucky night. Bruce was just another married man away from home trying to score before going back to the wife and kids. She had no idea how she’d gotten his attention, but she had neither the interest nor the patience for his solicitation, and she hadn’t been able to politely persuade him to move on.
Prelude to a Seduction Page 2