Renaissance: A Contemporary Erotic Romance (Iris Series Book 5)

by Rebecca Lynn

  “But I say we’re up for the challenge. You’ve been invited tonight, because I know you’re all up for the challenge. Because ‘to whom much is given, much is required.’ We’ve all been given so much, some from our families, some from circumstances beyond our control, some from government programs and opportunities to help get us to where we are today. But whatever we’ve been given, it’s so much more than these girls have ever had. So, I encourage you to think about how you can give. How can you give so we can make this world a better place for our kids?

  “The auction is about to begin. Tabitha Lowe, an incredible friend to so many of us, has given one of her paintings to raise money for this foundation. She gave of her talent so that we could raise a treasure for these girls. Every cent of the donations you give will go towards these girls through the running of this day to day operation. So give generously. Give joyously. And above all, give knowing that no matter how big the cost may be to you, it won’t even come close to how big the benefit will be to these little girls. What you give will only make better the lives in this community and those whom they touch. Thank you.”

  Cheers and applause were deafening as Tiffany stepped out of the limelight and walked off to the side where Drew, her friends, and her parents all stood. She saw her mom begin to walk toward her, but her father placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her. Tiffany met his shining eyes and knew what he was doing. Drew walked toward her as well, and her dad was showing her that they were letting her go again, but this time to someone they already trusted.

  Drew pulled her into his arms, just as she heard the auctioneer calling people over to the painting. She looked up into Drew’s eyes and a frown was creasing his forehead.

  “You look like you have something on your mind,” she whispered.

  Lowering his voice, with his eyes on her mouth, he murmured, “You’re incredible. And I’m just thinking about tonight.”

  They’d had yet to debrief their declarations from outside.

  “You don’t look very happy,” she smirked.

  “Impatient,” was all he said. “I’m thinking about that conversation we’re going to have, and what I desperately want to do to you when we’re finally alone.” He waited a beat, his eyes meeting hers briefly with a warm, sexy look. “But until then, enjoy this moment. You deserve it. People are waiting for you, baby.”

  He released her, just as she was engulfed by guests around her. Her parents, her brother, her friends, the guests. It went on for another twenty minutes until she finally saw Emily.

  While hugging each other, Emily whispered in her ear, “It’s done. Sent it to his lawyer before the speech.”

  “Wow, you’re fast, Em.”

  “It was easy. All I had to say was ‘your ass of a client just publicly agreed to give Renaissance Girls a million dollars over the next five years.’ I’m glad you remembered the attorney’s name.”

  “How could I forget it? The man wasn’t too happy with me when I milked his client out of the first million. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in that meeting,” Tiffany chuckled.

  “What a night it’s been, huh?”

  Tiffany nodded. She looked over to see Drew in the auction area. “I told him,” she said with a smile.

  “What? You told him? Told him what? You mean like the ‘what’? When?” Emily threw questions at her.

  “After Richard’s little fall from grace outside. It seemed the appropriate time.”

  Emily guffawed.

  “We haven’t talked about it yet. But tonight, we will.”

  “Sweetheart, I hope you don’t like that dress. Because it may be in tatters once he’s done with you.”

  Tiffany laughed, a kindling of excitement burning sweetly between her legs.

  “Well,” Em said, “it looks like love is in the air tonight.”

  “Yeah? Who else is in love, other than our usual suspects?” Tiffany asked.

  “I got a call from Taylor before we came tonight. You know how she and Mark have been circling each other for a while?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Looks like they’ve finally stopped circling and moved it to the next level,” Emily said happily about her best friend and her cousin’s relationship.

  “Oh, that’s wonderful,” Tiffany clapped her hands. “I’m so happy for them.”

  “We all are. Shit, it’s taken them forever to get it going. Thank God that’s over.”

  “Over? It’s just beginning.” They laughed and meandered over to the auction, where there appeared to be a battle between Jem and another gentleman in the crowd. “What are we up to so far?” Tiffany whispered to Jonathan who was standing nearby.

  “Looks like the girls of Harlem will be getting a little more money tonight, Tiffany Daniels,” Jonathan smiled. “Jem is already up to $47,000.”

  “What?!” she yelled in a whisper.

  Jon shrugged and laughed. “He wants that painting.”

  “It’s his mother’s! He could have gotten it for nothing.”

  “And let his ‘memory’ of when he and Ryann first met be taken away from him? I think he’s decided he’s not going down without a fight,” Ayanna said, relishing the scene before her.

  Tiffany excused herself to walk over to where Ryann and Tabitha stood. Ryann had happy tears falling down her cheeks.

  “I can’t believe he’s doing this,” she said, wiping at her face.

  Tabitha just stood there watching her son, beaming from ear to ear and nodding her head. “I can.”

  Tiffany put her arm around Ryann and watched as her childhood friend bought his mother’s painting for a whopping $53,000, knowing that every penny would go to her foundation, and knowing he would be able to give the memorable painting to his future bride. Everyone had won. She stepped back as Ryann and Jem hugged, with him speaking quietly in her ear the whole time.

  Tiffany turned away to give them their moment, but stopped when she felt another set of arms wrap around her from behind.

  “You’ve done a hell of job, Ms. Daniels,” Drew said into her ear. “I think single handedly raising a million dollars tonight, not to mention the auction and all of the checks that will be pouring in, will get you into the record books for sure.”

  “It wasn’t too bad, was it?” she said, leaning back into him.

  He smiled into her neck. “Nope. Not too shabby at all.” He inhaled her scent and her knees began to weaken. “I love watching you. You’re so good at what you do, Tiff. You should be so damn proud tonight. Really.”

  She turned her face into his, feeling so unbelievably good. Other than the men in her family, when had she ever heard words so precious from a significant man in her life? Never. Which goes to show she’d been hanging out with the wrong man.

  “Thank you.” They stood like that for a moment, simply enjoying each other. They looked around at the noise, the cleanup by wait staff, the celebratory mood surrounding everyone, and it made their own quiet moment that much sweeter. “I should start saying goodbye,” she said contentedly while they rocked slowly.

  “Okay.”

  Neither of them moved until they started chuckling at the fact that neither of them was, well, moving. Then they broke away and started giving hugs to old friends, new acquaintances, generous donors, and recent converts to the cause of Renaissance Girls.

  “Drew, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you,” Tiffany’s mom said to him then grabbed him for a hug. “You’ll come for dinner soon. I’ll set up a time with Tiffany.”

  “That sounds great.”

  “We look forward to getting to know you, Drew,” Tiffany’s dad smiled and shook his hand.

  “Likewise, sir.”

  “Please, call me Matthew. I don’t think there’s going to be a need for formality, do you?” he joked and looked at Tiffany.

  Drew nodded. “Thank you. We’ll see you both soon.”

  “Absolutely,” Tiffany’s mom said, and hugged her. “I find I can’t put into words how I’m feeling, mija. And tha
t’s saying something,” she joked. Her mom had been in Communications for years. “What a night. I’m just so proud of what you’ve done and I can’t wait to see where it goes.” She leaned up and kissed her cheek. “Y el otro logro no es tan malo,” she said under her breath. Tiffany smiled and kissed her back.

  “Gracias, Mami. De acuerdo.”

  They finished their goodbyes then Drew said, “I’m realizing I need to brush up on my Spanish.”

  Playfully, she said, “Then I won’t be able to talk about you in front of your back.”

  He gave her a heated look. “Are you going to tell me what she said?”

  Tiffany just bit her smiling lip and shook her head slowly. Then, “You and Janie will have a lot to talk about. She and ‘Google Translate’ have become very good friends.”

  He took a step closer. “You’re enjoying yourself a little too much, Ms. Daniels.”

  “Very much,” she beamed. The only bit of news he was missing out on was the fact that her mom thought he was another one of her great accomplishments for that evening. But it was so much more fun to tease him.

  He pulled her against him and whispered, “How much longer do you need to work this shindig?”

  Her breath nearly stopped at the look in his eyes. “Did you have someplace you needed to get to?”

  “I have a lot of places I need to get to, actually,” he said, his voice dripping with promise while he pointedly looked her up and down.

  “It shouldn’t be much longer.” Her words came out breathy.

  “I’ll patiently wait here until I can be impatient, then.”

  She smiled and half ran to talk with Lillian, making sure she didn’t need anything.

  “Well, I must say, you sure do know how to give the press a story.”

  Tiffany put up her hand. “Hey, I didn’t have anything to do with this one. Come to think of it, I didn’t have anything to do with the last one either,” she said dryly. “But I sure did make out better this time around, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, you did,” Lillian said sincerely. “Should I even tell you what they’re saying on Twitter?”

  “Nah. As long as it’s good.”

  “Trust me. It’s better than good, and what’s even better is everyone knows that you played him beautifully. The Congressman has finally gotten his comeuppance.”

  “It’s his own fault. He should’ve stayed home tonight.”

  “Yes, indeed. But it was a lot more fun this way.”

  “Yes, that’s definitely the phrase of the night,” Tiffany said under her breath. “Thank you for everything, Lillian. You’re my go-to gal.”

  “Call me anytime. And congratulations. You deserve every good thing that comes your way, Daniels.”

  Tiffany smiled, they said their goodbyes, and then she headed over to the crew of friends who were still standing by the painting, which was now being wrapped up carefully for its new owner.

  “So, now that you two are a thing, I guess my work here is done, and Em and I can get going,” Mike said, his cocky smile on his mouth.

  “Oh? Did you have something to do with this?” Drew asked, pulling Tiffany in for a hug.

  “Yeah, dude. Didn’t she tell you how I worked the whole situation?”

  They groaned, all yelling at Mike at the same time. Minutes later, while laughing and hugging, they all said their goodbyes, agreeing to all have dinner at a later date.

  Finally, the only people who were left in the space were Drew, Tiffany, and the security guards.

  “Thank you for everything, guys. Especially with the congressman. Nothing like a little excitement to keep us entertained, right?” Tiffany said, smiling at Alfonso.

  “I’m just glad it all worked out. Looks like you made out in that deal, huh?” Alfonso chuckled, appearing to have enjoyed the outcome.

  “The girls made out for sure, but how it happened certainly put a smile on my face.”

  “Agreed. Well, we’ve done the final sweep. You ready to lock up?”

  “Yeah. I just need to grab my things.” She went into the lounge area and got her hanging bag and purse, then rushed back out, already brimming with anticipation of the night to come.

  Apparently, she wasn’t the only one. She’d already begun to recognize that look in Drew’s eyes. He was forever the professional, always the gentleman, but watching him talk with the guards while staring at her coming from the lounge told her he was on the brink too.

  “Ready,” she said, sounding out of breath.

  “Great,” Alfonso said. “There was a pretty good stream of cabs out there earlier. You lock up and I’ll see if I can grab one for you guys.”

  They did just that and within minutes she and Drew were in the cab heading to her place. She couldn’t believe they were finally leaving and images of an impatient and crazy Drew floated through her head. She wanted them to talk about their admissions earlier, but she wanted his impatience even more. The air crackled around them while they sat silently in the back seat, glancing at each other occasionally, their legs or hands bumping into each other whenever the car swayed.

  The fifteen minutes in the car felt like an eternity, and Tiffany noted her heavy breathing. She was in a state of near hyperventilation by the time they pulled up in front of her building. They hopped out with Drew paying the tab, grabbing her bags, then following her in. After saying hello to the doorman, they entered the empty elevator and turned back around to face the doors as they closed. Tiffany pushed the button, and the box began moving upward.

  The air was stirring around them from their breathing. She glanced over to him and his jaw was tight.

  “Drew?” she whispered.

  He turned to look at her and she nearly melted into the floor. His eyes looked a little crazed, if she was going to be honest, and seeing that look provoked an intake of breath and a warm moisture to pool between her legs. She was so wet, so ready.

  He still hadn’t spoken, just looked at her lips. He licked his own, then his eyes met hers. “If I touch you right now, we’re going to end up fucking in this elevator. And I’d much rather do it against the wall of your foyer.” The muscle in his jaw twitched.

  God, she loved seeing him this way. She put her hand out and touched the wall next to her, as if testing it. “I imagine the walls of the elevator will be just as comfortable as the walls of the foyer,” she said with a tempting look.

  His eyes widened and his nostrils flared. However the dinging of the arrival to her floor made the decision for them as the doors opened. She practically stumbled out into the hallway with him crowding behind her, moving her quickly toward her door. She fumbled for the key and began giggling, so turned on she couldn’t see straight.

  He rubbed his erection into her ass just as the door flew open. They propelled themselves into her foyer, and he slammed the door closed with his foot, dropping the bags.

  She backed up coyly until she bumped into the small table that usually held her keys.

  “That’s a beautiful dress you have on,” he said as he tore off his jacket. “You might want to take it off before it gets damaged.” His hands went to his necktie, unraveling it quickly.

  She couldn’t help but watch him strip. Even if it was in the dark, it was hot as hell seeing what his shadow was doing.

  “You’re not moving fast enough, Tiff.” He’d finally reached his shirt. Apparently he didn’t mind damaging his own clothes, because he literally ripped the shirt open as if it didn’t have any buttons. They flew everywhere, pinging on the floor.

  She reached back for the surface of the table for fear of falling over. He’d said he would be fierce when he was impatient. He wasn’t exaggerating.

  “I can’t reach my zipper,” she finally said just as he pulled off the undershirt he’d had on under his destroyed dress shirt. She could see the darkness of his chest, his nipples. She reached back behind her neck and unhooked the beaded button holding the mesh top part in place.

  He was on her within a second, his h
ands shaking as they found the zipper in the back. “Turn around.”

  She did, putting her hands on the wall while his own tore at the zipper to yank it down her back. She shuddered from the sensation, and when the corset began to fall forward he reached his hands around and placed them over her naked breasts.

  “God,” he growled slightly and hurriedly pushed the fabric down her hips until it pooled on the floor. Once the rustling of the fabric stopped at her feet, and she stood only in her thong and slippers, she knew the frenzy would only become more frantic.

  She was right.

  She heard his belt buckle and pants hit the floor along with the clunk of his shoes, then he turned her quickly and pushed into her until her back was against the wall, her tiny table crashing to its side.

  He didn’t stop, his hands now on her breasts, his mouth sucking and biting her lower lip. His erection rubbed forcefully into her and she let out a noise as her hands cupped his head so she could hang on for what was next.

  What was next was the unexpected sound of her thong being ripped from her body. His mouth was still on hers, latched there permanently it seemed as he tongued and bit into her, devouring her. Overcome by her senses, she could feel herself losing balance, but his large body kept her upright and sealed her back to the wall just as his fingers found her wet and waiting. He thrust them into her.

  She gasped at the welcome intrusion and pumped wildly against his palm, the friction of it hitting her clit at various intervals and forcing a groan from deep in her throat. His other hand went to her hair and wrapped itself in her strands to hold her still. He wouldn’t stop kissing her, as if afraid she’d disappear if his mouth moved away for even a second. Over and over, his tongue lapped into her mouth, matching the rhythm of his fingers which strummed her to perfection. The fingers in her hair gripped harder, and then...