by Vera Roberts
Book II
One
Erica Toure simply knew better.
As an ER doctor, she really didn’t have much time to do anything other than sleep. Not that was a bad thing. She didn’t keep up with too many current shows and was too tired to care about any hot off the press gossip.
The only show she was remotely interested in was Madre’s but unlike her other female (and some gay) colleagues who watched it for the brothers, Erica was more interested in Eli’s designs and how he custom made everything specifically to the client. Not one design looked remotely close to the others. There weren’t any similarities at all. They were beautiful. They were extravagant. They were expensive. They were completely Eli.
And that Eli…he was just so darn charming. He loved his children, practically worshipped his mother, and had a great relationship with his brothers. The Madre’s employees adored him. Despite the sleeve tattoos, he was a classic gentleman underneath. What woman on earth would find that uninteresting?
Now the same Eli asked her out on a date.
Okay, so technically they were separated and Faith surely didn’t introduce Eli as her husband when they met earlier that evening. In fact, neither of them were wearing wedding bands. While the two of them were cordial at the hospital, Erica couldn’t help but to notice a slightly cold front between them. There was a lot of hurt and the fresh wounds still ran deep.
It was all the more reason to stay away.
Besides, her residency wouldn’t allow time for a social date. Sleep was her best friend, confidante, and soul mate. She didn’t have the time nor the want to entertain anything Eli D’Amato had to offer.
She would just simply dream about it.
****
“Dr. Toure,” Erica’s colleague and best friend, Sylvia, approached her. She was a Puerto Rican woman with short dark hair, medium build, and soft brown eyes. “You have a delivery.”
“A delivery?” Erica yawned. She had been on her shift for the past 12 hours and she had about too-many-to-count-or-she’ll-get-really-depressed-about-it to go. “From who?”
“From…” Sylvia led to her to the locker room where a huge bouquet of flowers greeted them both. “….Madre’s.”
“What?” Erica removed the card and smiled.
Let me know when you’re free since you’re busy saving lives and all. –E.
“How about that?” Erica smiled.
“Yeah, how about that?” Sylvia prodded. “What man can afford you Madre’s and asking you out?”
“You read my card before I did?” Erica asked.
“I had to. I’m nosy!” Sylvia replied. “Now who is it?”
“The owner,” Erica replied.
“Owner? Owner of what?”
“Owner of Madre’s,” Erica put the card away. She already knew no matter what happened between her and Eli, she was going to keep the card forever.
Sylvia’s mouth dropped and she made Erica sit down. “What? Tell me everything!”
“Nothing, really,” Erica shrugged. “His son came in with a high fever and he thanked me for taking care of him. He then asked me out.”
“You’re kidding!” Sylvia playfully slapped her friend. “So are you?”
“He’s married,” Erica reminded.
“He’s separated.” Sylvia insisted.
“Which is still married,” Erica once again confirmed.
“Look, if you don’t want to go out with the dude, that’s understandable. But at least let him buy you a nice dinner and then you can tell him to fuck off then.”
“Potty mouth!” Erica admonished.
“Whatever Jane the Virgin,” Sylvia rolled her eyes. “Just go out with him once. Please? For me?”
“For you?” Erica chuckled. “I love it how it went from I shouldn’t care that he’s still married to I have to date him because you want to live vicariously through me.”
“So what’s wrong with that?” Sylvia received a text and had to leave. “I need to go. Just think about it!” She left.
Erica sat back and admired the enormous bouquet of three-dozen multicolored roses. She didn’t know when she would ever receive such a generous gift again. Probably never.
She could admit she had a small crush on him and that he was hotter than August heat. Maybe she would go out with Eli. Just dinner. Only once. No cameras. And definitely no sex.
Erica quickly scanned in her brain how many Freakum dresses she owned. The number was negative. It was time to go shopping. She yawned again. “After I have a nap.”
****
Darren knew his luck was about to run out.
As he watched Simone tuck Elena into bed, a flurry of emotions ran through his brain. Eli D’Amato. The man, who had left his wife and son to chase a fantasy, was back in his life. That fantasy ended up becoming Darren’s woman of his dreams.
God surely had a funny sense of humor.
Taking a second glance at Elena, Darren could see some resemblance to Eli in her. The light eyes, curly brown hair, and soft dimples. Darren remembered Eli had dimples.
A small rage burned inside Darren. Eli was a piece of work. He abandoned Faith and Nathan and now he was doing the same thing to Simone and Elena. It didn’t take long to figure out Elena was named after her absent father.
Simone closed the door behind her and walked into Darren’s bedroom as he followed behind her. She sat down on the bed and rested her hands on her lap. “That’s pretty much it.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” He sat beside her.
Simone shrugged and shook her head. “There’s nothing to say, really. We had an affair, I was his girlfriend, he dumped me before I found out I was pregnant, and I left town.” She lifted her arms in a faux celebration. “Ta-da!”
“Does he know about Elena at all? About your pregnancy?” He asked and Simone shook her head. “Why not?”
“What am I supposed to say?” Simone defended. “He’s still married to his wife and they have a family unit going on.”
“Elena deserves to know who her father is. You shouldn’t do this alone.” Darren insisted. “You need to tell him about Elena.”
“I don’t know when’s a good time,” she sighed, “I just don’t know when.”
“It has to be soon, Simone.” Darren grabbed her hand again and kissed it. “I’ll be here no matter what. Would you like me to talk to Eli?”
“No!” Simone was emphatic. “I need to handle this on my own. Just me, Eli, and not interference from anyone else.”
“I understand,” he nodded. “I’m sure everything will be okay. Faith might have an issue with it but I’m sure once everyone realizes a child is involved, I think everything will work out.”
Simone turned to her fiancé. “How do you know about Faith?”
Darren chuckled. “Funny thing…while you were dating Eli, I was dating Faith.”
Disneyland was right – it really was a small world, after all. Simone chuckled as she thought about chaste and pure Faith willingly dating someone else to get back at her husband. “That must’ve been something,” she muttered.
“I fell hard for her but the feelings weren’t the same,” he shrugged, “it was for the best. Had we continued, it would’ve been ugly and nasty for everyone.”
Two
“Okay, so where’s a good spot to take her?” Eli asked his employees about his date.
“You want to impress her?” A Madre’s employee, Isabel, asked.
“Well, yeah. She’s a doctor.” Eli replied.
“Take her to the Rainbow Room!” Isabel commented.
“Nah, Masa. Masa is where it’s at!” Another employee, Mike, commented.
“If you want the panties,” Another employee, Harold, replied, “you need to drop something on Eleven Madison Park.”
“You men are such dogs,” Isabel shook her head. “He’s trying to impress a doctor and y’all just worried about getting him laid.”
After a week of phone chatting and flirty text mess
ages, Erica agreed to go on a date with Eli. He promised her no cameras and no publicity and would take her somewhere that guaranteed privacy and seclusion. It was his first official date in years and he was sweating bullets. He still knew how to open doors and made a custom bouquet for her. He kept up with current events and knew to stay away from the Big Three: religion, politics, and sex. He also knew reality was very different from fantasy.
“Yo, if he finally gets some, maybe we’ll work less,” Mike chuckled.
“He’s been working my ass off since the separation,” Harold replied.
“Okay, you do know I’m still right here?” Eli asked around. “Get back to work.” He put the final additions on Erica’s bouquet and sniffed the flowers. He didn’t have any expectations for her and honestly just hoped they would have a good time. Just in case he might get lucky, he was going to pack a couple of condoms.
****
Erica stood in front of her mirror, scrutinizing her choice of a cream tea-length dress. She looked like she was about to go an outdoor wedding and wondered if her ultimate goal was to turn Eli off. Here she was, about to go out on a date with one of the country’s most eligible bachelors, and she looked like someone’s auntie who getting out of the house for the first time in forever.
Forget this.
She removed the dress and chose something a bit sexier – a low-cut halter that showed just the right amount of décolletage without looking like a hussy. She was going to wear her hair up and put just the right perfume and jewelry on. Nothing overpowering but just enough to have him always remember her.
She was going to knock Eli’s socks off!
****
“This is very nice,” Erica glanced around as they were seated at Per Se, “I heard the wait list for this is incredible.”
“It is,” Eli nodded, “but there are exceptions to it when you’re friends with the owner.”
Eli hired a driver to pick up Erica from her brownstone and dropped her off at the restaurant, where Eli greeted her inside. When she walked inside the restaurant, he could’ve sworn she had a golden aura that surrounded her. She seemed to move in slow motion and they were the only two people in the universe.
And that dress she had on, Good Lord! His mouth became dry and he felt a familiar twitch in his slacks that reminded him of the condoms in his wallet. He handed her a small-personalized rose. “There’s more for you when you get home,” he promised.
Erica felt flushed. Eli tried very hard to impress her and she wasn’t one to be easily impressed. She silently wondered how many other women he was doing the same thing for. “You didn’t have to go out of your way, you know?”
“I know,” he answered before a server came by and took their orders, “I don’t get to do this often so I wanted to do something different.”
“Do this?” Erica asked. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t have a harem to choose from and I don’t take other women out,” Eli knew what Erica meant. “I’m also doing this because you saved my son’s life.”
“I merely treated your son, Eli. I didn’t save his life.” She replied.
“You did,” he softly licked his lips, “and if you don’t want to consider this a date, at least consider this as a token of appreciation from me.”
The way Eli licked his lips made Erica hope he would put them to use on her later. Her eyes widened at her impure thoughts. She never considered giving it up to a guy on the first date and now Eli was making her lose her religion. “You’re welcome, Eli.”
Eli reached over and placed his hand on hers. An electric current passed between them. “Thank you.”
****
Dinner was superb at Per Se. They fed each other off their plates while they had light conversation. Erica was a fourth year resident and hoped to go into pediatric medicine. Eli was a closet fan of European football. They shared a love for classic soul music and Eli surprised Erica with his knowledge of old funk bands. “I watch Unsung,” he told her, “I know my music.”
After dinner, the driver took them to the Smoke Jazz and Supper Club, where one of Eli’s friends was performing that night. In the club, they snuggled against each other as they watch the band play. The entire night Eli was a perfect gentleman and never tried to make a move on Erica. While she appreciated the kind and respectful gesture, she felt silly in wearing such a provocative outfit.
It was then Erica realized the Eli on camera wasn’t necessarily the same one in person.
It was a great surprise and she actually liked him more because of it. She just wondered if he was going to play the respectful type throughout their relationship. Relationship? Erica softly whispered. Now she was sounding like a bird. One date with a man and all of a sudden, she’s planning their honeymoon.
“Let me know when you’re ready to leave and I’ll have the driver drop you off at home,” he lips feathered against her ear.
Erica felt a yearning sensation between her thighs that was long forgotten and reminded her she full-bodied woman who needed love and affection, and not just sleep. “I’m ready to go home.”
****
“This is it,” Erica stepped out of the car and Eli followed her to the front door. “Thank you for a lovely night out.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you had a great time.” Eli replied.
Erica glanced up at her brownstone and back at Eli. “Um, I normally wouldn’t invite you up…”
“I wasn’t expecting you to,” he assured her, “I just wanted to see if you had a good time.”
“I want you to come…” Her admission surprised Eli. “…up. I want you to come up, I mean.”
Eli chuckled. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Erica stepped closer to Eli and pressed her body into him. “Maybe I want you to?”
Without looking at the driver, Eli snapped his fingers and the driver left. “Let’s go.”
He followed her upstairs to her apartment and curiously waited behind. “I have to admit, I just cleaned my place right before I left so if it’s a bit…OH MY GOD!”
Eli walked up behind Erica and snaked his hands around her waist. “Like it?”
In front of Erica was one of the most extravagant flower designs she’d ever seen. She recognized the hydrangeas, roses, and peonies. There were a host of other flowers she didn’t recognize. Included in the arrangement were small personal effects –miniature versions of Louboutins, a cell phone, tablet, and a Doc McStuffins character. “It was the closest thing we had in the shop of a Black doctor so we’re working on that,” he snuggled against her neck, “so I hope it’s not too cheesy for you.”
Erica turned around with tears in her eyes. Eli wasn’t sure if they were of excitement or frustration. With women, it was always hard to tell. “I fucking love it! I normally wouldn’t say the ‘f word’ but I really do love this!”
“I’m glad,” he smiled. “I’m really glad to hear that.”
Erica stepped back and undid her halter. With a quick movement, the dress fell to the floor. She wore her finest V-string and high heels. “Can I thank you now?”
She was a goddess. Her supple skin shimmered in the light and Eli felt the heat emitting from her body. A yearning stirred inside him again and this time, it was louder and deafening. She made him realize something he’d long buried and didn’t want to remember. Eli picked her up and carried her to her bedroom. “Oh, yes you can.”
They fell on the bed and Eli took a moment to just look at the beauty of Erica. Her breasts reminded him dark chocolate teardrops. He caressed her taut stomach and she shivered at the touch. He kept one hand on her midsection while slowly tracing her white lace panties with his free hand. “Exquisite,” he murmured.
Erica squirmed beneath him, frustrated she had to keep still but secretly liked the torture. “Eli…”
“Shh…” He closed his mouth on hers. Slowly, he tasted her, pushing his tongue inside to explore more. She tasted of wine, sugar, and coffee
. She reminded him of old feelings and took him back to when he was young and free of responsibilities and commitments. He felt lost within her and he’d barely touched her.
His hands caressed her thighs, moving down to the balls of her feet and slid his hands back up to her waist. She felt comforting and her body responded with every caress and exploration.
Erica closed her eyes and felt she was sent to a long fantasy, somewhere far away. Eli’s hands were magical and surprisingly gentle. She felt every emotion as it entered her body and soul – need, impatience, lust, and desire. Her skin was hot to the touch and she felt She briefly wondered how it would be when he was finally inside her.
Eli suddenly pulled her up and he quickly undressed in front of her; his eyes never left hers. Erica almost gasped at the beauty of him – a muscular build complemented with strong arms and a six-pack she’d already imagined tracing her tongue over it. His abs led to strong legs and a very impressive and hardened cock between them.
“On the bed,” he demanded, and Erica quickly climbed back on it. Eli joined her again, placing a series of small kisses all over her body before meeting her lips once again. His hands traveled down to her heated, wet slit. He heard an audible gasp and soft moan as he began to play with her.
His mouth captured one of her breasts, tracing her nipple with his tongue before he gently nipped at it. “So beautiful,” he moaned as his fingers kept stroking her sex, “so damn beautiful.”
“Don’t stop, Eli...” She moaned. Her skin was hot to the touch and her normally calm, collected, and cool personality flew out of the window. She was always a good girl and did everything by the letter and by the book.
Then Eli…he didn’t even say a word to her. He didn’t force himself or made any snide remarks and Erica gave up the panties without a request. She could finally see what every woman in world did.
She breathed in short pants before the orgasm washed over her body. “That’s it,” his deep voice whispered as she moaned into his mouth, “that’s it.” He withdrew from her and got off the bed. He retrieved the condoms he brought with him and sheathed one on.