She stepped back to study the effect of the semiformal dress she had purchased to wear. Made of red velvet, it looked sophisticated, chic, tailored to fit. Matte sequins dotted the v-neck that emphasized her high, full breasts, accentuated even more by delicate spaghetti straps. The soft fluttery hemline stopped just above her knees.
The way the dress flowed over her body elegantly displayed every feminine curve she possessed, and the glamorous matching red velvet cape, lined with white satin, was a plus to keep the tonight’s chill at bay. She wished that her friend Debbie were here to give her a thumbs-up, but Debbie wouldn’t be back in New York until Saturday.
When the doorbell sounded, Renee’s pulse jumped before she took a quick glance at her watch. It was precisely seven o’clock.
The lady in red…
Tag’s gaze moved with deep male appreciation over Renee’s stunning features. In the gorgeous gown she was wearing, she was definitely making a statement tonight, and he was glad he was the man whose arm she would be on.
“You are beautiful,” he said, stepping inside her apartment and handing her a single red rose.
“Thank you.” Renee brought the rose to her nose and inhaled softly. She then took in the man standing in front of her. There was just something about a good-looking man in formal attire. Tag was elegantly dressed in a black tux that fit his tall, muscular frame as if it had been specifically tailored just for him. She smiled thinking that it probably had been. The white shirt and formal black bow tie added the finishing touches. “I think you are beautiful, too,” she said, meaning every word of it.
A slow smile spread across his features. “I don’t think I’ve ever been told that I’m beautiful.”
“Well, I’m telling you,” she said, bringing the rose to her nose once again. The blue eyes holding hers were igniting a slow burn inside of her. She had a feeling if they didn’t leave now they would arrive at the ball inappropriately late.
“Ready to leave?” she decided to ask.
A grin touched the corners of his mouth and she had a feeling he had read her every thought. “Yes, I think we’d better.”
The first thing Renee noted when they arrived at the Rockefeller Center was that the main entrance was surrounded by the media. Television cameras, newspaper reporters and photographers were positioned close to the main entrance, which was lined with red carpet.
“Because of the importance of this event, a number of celebrities will be in attendance,” Tag whispered in her ear just moments before she saw John Travolta and his wife entering the establishment as flashbulbs exploded everywhere.
Renee nodded, already feeling nervous. She had never been to a ball before, nor could she recall ever having been in a limo. Tag had surprised her when he’d shown up at her apartment in a limousine, giving her neighbors a reason to raise their blinds in the evening.
When the limo came to a stop in front of Rockefeller Center, a uniformed doorman stepped forward and opened the door for them. The moment they exited the vehicle, flashbulbs went off. Evidently, someone had assumed they were celebrities. Renee felt good knowing that once it was discovered they weren’t anyone famous, the photos would be disposed of. She smiled up at Tag when he took her arm, and together they walked into the building.
The first people she recognized upon entering the ballroom were Gannon and Erika. For some reason, the couple didn’t appear surprised that she was Tag’s date tonight.
“Doesn’t this place look fabulous?” Erika said. “Whoever was responsible for the decorating did a wonderful job.”
Renee nodded. She had to agree. With Valentine colors of red and white, everything was reminiscent of love and romance. It was there in the red and white carnations that seemed to be practically everywhere and in the red heart-shaped ceramic centerpieces that adorned the tables that were draped in red and white linen tablecloths. Then there were the bright chandeliers overhead as well as the love song being played by the live orchestra. There was no doubt in her mind there would be dancing later, and a part of her was looking forward to dancing with Tag.
For the next hour or so Renee and Tag walked around, socializing. He kept a hand on her arm, keeping her close by his side as they moved around the room, while introducing her to people he knew. And it seemed that just about everyone knew him as an Elliott and immediately inquired about his mother’s health and his grandparents’ whereabouts. He answered by saying his mother was recuperating nicely and his grandparents hadn’t returned yet from their trip to South Florida.
Dinner was extravagant as well as delicious and Renee was extremely grateful they had been seated at the table with Gannon and Erika as well as with Tag’s cousin Cullen and his date. When they had spent the weekend together, Tag had told her a little bit about each of his siblings and cousins and she distinctively remembered him saying that Cullen, at twenty-seven, was the playboy in the family. With his dark, good looks she could tell why. But then, she thought, glancing over at her date, no one was more handsome than Tag.
“Dance with me,” Tag whispered in her ear once the dance floor opened. She nodded, and without any hesitation she let him lead her to the dance floor.
He slid his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to the fit of him, and she went willingly, deciding that so far tonight everything had been perfect. There were even enough celebrities in attendance to take everyone’s attention off her and Tag.
“Thanks for coming with me tonight,” he said softly, leaning down as his warm lips gently touched her ear.
His amorous caress sent chills of desire escalating through her body. “Thank you for inviting me.”
He chuckled quietly. “There we go again, thanking each other like broken records. If we were alone I would take the time to thank you properly.”
She glanced up at him and gave him a jaunty grin. “And which way is that?”
He leaned closer and whispered, telling her of his fondest desire for later. Renee chuckled softly and said, “It’s a good thing I don’t embarrass easily.”
“Yes, it is a good thing.”
After the dance was over he was leading her back to their table when someone called out his name.
They turned just in time for a woman to fling herself into Tag’s arms and kiss him on the mouth with a familiarity that made Renee blink. “Where on earth have you been keeping yourself, Tag? I haven’t seen you for months.”
“Hello, Pamela,” he said with a dry smile. Reaching out, he pulled Renee closer to his side. “Renee, I’d like you to meet Pamela Hoover, an old friend,” Tag said as a way of introduction.
“Hello,” the woman said coldly, then turned her full attention back to Tag. Dismissing Renee completely, she said, “What are you doing Friday night? I have tickets to—”
Tag interrupted her. “Sorry, but Renee and I have plans for Friday night.”
Although Renee knew that she and Tag really didn’t have a date Friday night, she decided not to mention that fact.
“Oh.” The woman then gave Renee an unfriendly glance before turning back to Tag. “Then perhaps we can get together another day, for old times’ sake. You know my number.” She then walked off.
Evidently, Tag felt the need to explain. “Pamela and I dated over a year ago. When she didn’t like competing against my work, we decided things weren’t working out and went our separate ways.”
“Oh, I see.” Renee decided not to tell him that what she saw was someone very much interested in rekindling what they once had.
“There’re a few people I know over there. Let’s go over and say hello,” Tag said, leading her across the room.
Moments later Renee found herself surrounded by a number of famous people, most of whose movies she enjoyed watching on the big screen. And Tag was on a first-name basis with each and every one of them. She ignored the feeling of being way out of her league since everyone appeared to be genuinely friendly.
“I figured I would see you here tonight,” said a man who walked up beh
ind Tag.
Tag turned at the sound of the voice and smiled. “And I was hoping I’d see you.” He pulled Renee closer to his side to make introductions. “Renee, this is a good friend of mine, Alton Malone.”
Renee smiled as she presented the man her hand. “Mr. Malone, Tag never mentioned that you were a good friend of his.”
Alton laughed, shaking his head. “Then I will definitely take him to task for that, Renee. I understand you like my work.”
“Yes, I do, and I was happy to receive a special painting of yours today as a gift.”
“Then I hope you can come to the private art exhibit I have planned this Friday night at a museum in Harlem.”
Renee glanced over at Tag, wondering if this was the date he’d earlier insinuated they had. His mischievous smile let her know it was. She nodded her head, grinning. “Thanks, Alton, and I think I will.”
A half hour later Renee excused herself from Tag’s side to go to the ladies’ room. She was about to enter when a very distinct voice from the inside stopped her.
“Can you believe the nerve of Tag coming here with her?” Pamela asked her unseen companion. “What on earth could he be thinking?”
Another woman laughed. “Yes, I saw them the moment they walked in together. I couldn’t believe it.”
“Me neither,” Pamela tacked on. “I looked for Tag’s grandfather to see his reaction and someone mentioned that he’s out of town. He’s going to croak when he finds out that Tag is dating a black woman. Just think of the talk it’s going to cause. The one thing Patrick Elliott detests is his family name being connected to any type of scandal.”
Renee stiffened and backed slowly away from the door. Deciding she didn’t have an urgent need to use the bathroom after all, she returned to the ballroom.
It didn’t take long to find Tag. His tall, elegantly attired form was standing across the room talking to his brother and his cousin, Cullen. And then, as if he were in tune with her very presence, he glanced up and met her eyes.
He made the mistake of letting his gaze linger on her too long. The longer he looked at her, the more she could feel the wanting and desire radiating from the very depths of him. Love for him took over her mind, erasing Pamela Hoover’s cutting and spiteful words, and filling Renee’s mind with one thought: just how much she loved him.
She watched as he excused himself from the group and without looking around and making conversation with anyone, he strolled over to her as if she was the only person who had his complete attention. She wondered if he was aware of how he stood out—tall, dashing, handsome—and she continued to stare at him. Out of breath. Out of her mind.
When he came to a stop in front of her, she wet her lips, knowing the provocative and sensuous gesture would send him a silent message.
It did.
He slid his arms around her waist and leaned closer, and, not caring who was looking, he placed an affectionate kiss on her lips. “Are you ready to leave now?” he whispered.
She liked the feel of being in his arms, being pressed so close to him. She liked having his attention. “Only if you are.”
“I am.”
And without any more words, he took her hand and led her toward the coat check to get her cape.
Renee remembered very little of the limo ride back to her apartment. Nor could she recall the moments she and Tag shared as they walked hand in hand to her door. But she did remember when that same door closed behind them and he whispered her name just moments before pulling her into his arms.
And she did commit to memory how he had gently carried her to her bedroom, placed her on the bed and tenderly undressed her before turning his attention to himself.
She would never forget how she watched as he shoved his pants to the floor and stepped out of them, confident in his sexuality. And when he got in the bed with her, knelt before her, spread her legs, lowered his head and flicked his tongue across her womanly core, she thought that she had died and gone to heaven.
By the time he had raised his head, she had had not one orgasm but two and he’d given her a look that let her know that before the night was over there would be a third and a fourth.
“Careful,” she whispered, after he sheathed a condom in place and moved his body into position over hers. “You’re becoming habit-forming.”
He smiled down at her. “I’m glad. I want to get into your system, Renee. I want to get into it real bad.”
She reached out and caressed the side of his face. “Why?” she asked, desperately needing to know.
“Because,” he said, as he slowly entered her, “you’re already in mine.”
“Maybe. But not enough.”
At that moment she didn’t know what was driving her but she wanted to be the only woman Tag thought about tonight, tomorrow, possibly for the rest of his life. Maybe it had something to do with the words Pamela Hoover had spoken, suggesting that once Patrick Elliott got wind of her and Tag’s relationship it would all be over. Renee wouldn’t subject him to any sort of rift with his family and she knew what she had to do if that became a possibility. But tonight, tomorrow, just for a little while longer, she wanted this. She needed him.
She wrapped her legs securely around him and then she began trailing her fingers down his chest, initiating a slow, seductive massage before coming to a stop on one taut nipple.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice hitched to a feverous pitch from her touch.
“I’m trying to see just how deep into your system I can get,” she said, stroking the nipple slowly, sensuously.
“Take my word,” he said through clenched teeth. “You’re already in there pretty good.”
“But I want to make sure.”
“You know what they say about payback,” he said, sucking in a deep breath.
“No, I don’t know what they say, but tonight I’ve decided that I’m not going to worry about what anyone says. The only thing I want on my mind is us and what we’re doing right now.”
Laughing, she shifted her body and after a quick maneuver Tag found himself on his back with her straddling him.
He looked up at her through deeply glazed eyes. “Oh, you’re asking for it.”
“From the feel of things it seems like you’re the one asking for it, Mr. Elliott, and I intend to give you everything you want.”
And then she began to move on top of him.
It suddenly happened, as soon as she felt his body explode beneath her. With his last hard thrust she screamed his name and shattered into a thousand pieces before collapsing on him, burying her head in the hollow of his shoulder.
Moments later, he kissed her deeply, thoroughly and completely, and at that moment Renee knew that instead of her getting deeper into his system he had gotten totally entrenched into hers.
Contentment surged through every part of Tag’s body as he stood at the foot of the bed and drank in the sight of Renee lying there asleep atop the covers. Even now, aftershocks of pleasure rushed through his veins, keeping him hard. The intimacy they always shared was unlike anything he’d ever known. She brought out the sexual hunger in him, his wanting and desire were driven to extreme points, and unleashed within him was something so elemental and profound that it took his breath away just thinking about it.
He started to get dressed as he continued to look at her. The woman was something else—stubborn, proud, beautiful and sexy all rolled into one. She matched him on every level. Surpassed him on some. And pleased him with a magnitude that could leave him gasping.
He sighed deeply as he buttoned his shirt. More than anything he wanted to get back in bed and be there when Renee woke up in the morning, but he couldn’t. Pulse’s special edition would hit the stands tomorrow morning and there was a lot to do. For the next forty-eight hours the majority of his time would be spent at the office. Once the magazine hit the street he would then have to be on hand to field inquiries from those questioning the story’s legitimacy.
Wanting to clear his mi
nd of work, he looked back at Renee and did something he had never done before. He began imagining. How would it feel to have this every day, the chance to sleep with her, wake up with her, spend all the time that he wanted with her?
An emotion he had never felt before suddenly gripped him and the one thing he could not imagine was a life without her. He sucked in a sharp breath when he was filled with a deep longing, a profound sense of need. He’d known that he cared, but until now he hadn’t realized how much.
He was in love with Renee.
The thought, the blatant realization didn’t make him feel uncomfortable. It sent a warmth through all parts of his body, swelling his heart with love even more. Now he imagined other things. Sharing his entire life with her. Marrying her and making her his wife. The mother of his children.
He wanted to wake her up and tell her how he felt but knew that he couldn’t. There were still issues they were working out and although she had agreed to give them a chance, he could still sense her wariness, her uncertainty. The best thing for him to do would be to continue on their present path. He had to prove to her that things between them could work out and there was nothing that existed in this world that could keep them apart.
After getting completely dressed he returned to her, leaned down and nibbled her neck. He couldn’t leave without telling her goodbye. “I’m getting ready to leave, sweetheart.”
She slowly opened her eyes and drew a long, heavy breath before saying, “How? The limo is—”
“I called for a car.” EPH had its own private transportation. “It’ll be here in a few moments.” As he continued to look at her, he realized this woman held his heart and she didn’t even know it. He leaned down and kissed her, tenderly yet thoroughly.
With his lips still locked to hers he slipped his hand beneath her knees and picked her up. He then sat on the edge of the bed with her in his lap. He needed the connection. He needed this. The exquisite sensations that only she could force through his body, an unrestrained surrender that only she had been able to seize.
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