Paper Dolls

by Sienna Mynx

  She turned his chin so he could look into her eyes. “Will you love me when I get fat again?”

  “So you want to try for another baby?” he asked.

  “No! I mean yes! I want to reconcile. I want us to start again, but I don’t want to try for another baby.”

  Alexander chuckled. “Raven? I understand. Of course we’ll wait as long as you need us to.”

  “Why try for another, Alex, when I’m already pregnant,” she placed his hand on her stomach. At first he had no reaction. She wasn’t certain that he heard her. His gaze narrowed on his hand pressed to her stomach, and then slowly returned to hers. Deep frown lines creased his brow, and then his eyes lit up with understanding.

  “You are? Are you sure?”

  “See, sometimes dreams do come true, honey,” she grinned. “We’re going to be parents again!”

  Alexander put aside the book and touched her face, her breasts, and then her tummy once more. “You’re pregnant?”

  “We’re pregnant. HaShem has blessed us once more. Let me go on record right now, Mr. Katz, this time and say I will forsake nothing. With my husband, with my child, with my faith I am forever one. I promise this to you.”

  She loved the smile on his face. She loved seeing him as happy as she felt. Their lips met and it was magic for her. With both hands placed on the sides of his face she drew him down to her. Loving Alex from the first day to this one was a spiritual journey for her. Every moment of strife was a lesson. She earned her happiness. She’d never let it slip from her again. She thought it was her inability to let go of her bitterness that kept her from moving on. She was so wrong. It was her inability to accept the true meaning of love and commitment, to believe in her husband, to have faith.

  Alex kissed her brow. When his hand caressed up her thigh it inched underneath her skirt. Raven suffered the nervous jitters she remembered on her wedding night. He was so gentle and attentive. Alex was a passionate man. She had no regrets over him being her first and only lover. With him she was introduced to pleasures no woman should ever live without. Her body had craved him so often and deeply, the mere prospect of making love left her breathless and moist between her thighs. And Alex loved to touch her between her thighs. Two of his long fingers stroked her kitty. She knew he felt how wet and hot she was for him. When her lashes parted and she was able to gaze into his eyes she could tell he wanted her. She hooked her left leg around his waist.

  “You are so beautiful. Happy birthday,” he whispered against her ear. His tongue then went slowly across the crease of her lips. Raven sighed. She laid still. There was no rushing passion. She savored every moment. Alexander’s fingers caressed up and down the slippery lips of her sex before one, then the other, dipped in.

  “I want you to undress for me,” he said.

  Raven lowered her leg and moved out from under him. She made sure to turn and face him. Peeling down the tab of her side zipper, she dropped the dress with ease. She smiled over the way his eyes went from her breasts to her tummy and then lower, before he moistened his lips. When they were married foreplay consisted of him eye fucking her half the evening, whether in shared business meetings, or while she heated the dinner servants prepared for him. She missed the chase.

  Alexander removed his shirt. Raven stepped out of the one shoe she had on her foot. Somewhere along the way she lost the other. Bare-chested in his trousers he approached her. She rolled down her panties, before he reached her and stepped out of them.

  Raven put her hands in his and pressed her body up against his. She loved on him with kisses of adoration over his broad chest, and felt her arousal spike the hard press of his erection against her. Their mouths found each other. The kiss that started soft and sweet turned passionate, filled with need, and then doubled in intensity. His hands slid down her back to cup her left and right butt cheeks. He lifted her up against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. And then she eased back down him to reach for his belt buckle. Alex was unzipped. Her hand slipped inside his boxers. She combed her fingers through the silky pubes as she sought his penis. She stroked his shaft and brought forth a deep groan from the base of his throat.

  Thick and hard, every inch of him was in her hand, and she grinned up at him when their lips parted. “You feel good, baby,” Raven said. She pulled her hand out to push his trousers off his narrow hips, and they dropped away along with his boxers.

  Alexander took hold of her hips and lifted her. For a man of his stature it took little effort to deliver her to the bed gently. He covered her from head to toe and still his feet reached over the bed. “I can’t believe you’re mine again,” he said between kisses. It felt as if he wanted to reunite with every inch of her. His lips caressed her skin, his mouth travelled from her neck down the valley between her breasts to her navel. He turned her over and kissed her ass, literally. First he kissed the left cheek and then the right. His tongue slipped between the globes and teased her there. Raven melted.

  Alex flipped her. He forced her thighs apart and she bent her knees, with the heels of her feet resting on his shoulders. She worked her ass and hips to continuously thrust her pussy up against his reaching tongue. Her lids kept fluttering shut, but she could see him watching her, wanting to witness every emotion he drove through and out of her. Using his tongue to continue to torment her sopping wet center, he slid his thumb into her ass. Her mouth stretched wide in a gaping cry of sheer ecstasy. She was driven near the edge and pulled back repeatedly by the stroke as it pushed in and withdrew repeatedly.

  “I’ve just started, baby,” he said.

  “Yes, yes… oh yes,” she replied. She worked her hips and his thumb plunged deeper.

  He moved up over her, and her legs dropped to the crease of his arms. He pulled her by the waist closer to him. The fat head of his dick pushed in. Her back bowed from the mattress and he smiled down at her. Entry was only the start. He went deeper and Raven received every inch with the roll of her hips. When he came down on her, he forced her legs back to her arms. She lifted her ass to match his powerful hip thrusts and cock plunges. Alexander moved with mastery. He tongued the side of her face, dipping into her ear as he fucked her relentlessly with hard strokes. He pumped in and out of her with targeted strikes

  “Wrap your legs around me, yeah,” he said. He released her thighs and panted. “Yes, like that.” He instructed as she did. Alexander balanced on one hand and pressed down on her clit, with the other. Thrusting in her harder and harder he kept going until he felt her inner pussy walls quiver, and the tremors quake in her thighs. Raven arched her back and cried out, now having reached her limit. His mouth covered hers as he swallowed her cries with a passionate kiss and joined her in the climax. His seed released and spurted deep inside her, coating her womb. He gritted his teeth and pumped faster as he expelled every drop.

  Exhausted, Alexander collapsed on top of her. He didn’t want to pull out. His dick jumped deep within, trying to wake for a second round. She rubbed her hand down his back. And it felt heavenly. He wasn’t always truthful with her. He’d been watching and keeping up with his wife every day since she signed the divorce papers. And the night he returned to her bed and her arms he prayed hard for a pregnancy. Another chance at being a father with the woman he loved.

  When his shaven head finally lifted from her shoulder she rubbed the top. “Welcome home, baby,” she laughed in that sweet voice of hers. He eased out of her and rolled over. He pulled her to him. He wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her face. “I’m never leaving again.”

  Valentina

  The beginning…

  February 2010 –

  “I’m telling you, man, hear me out on this. Katz Records is prime to make a deal,” Ashton said.

  Mattel chewed on ice. He looked down in his now empty glass, and then up again in search of the cute little hostess with the chocolate brown skin and thick thighs.

  Ashton leaned forward. “I know this is not how you do business. Look, bro, we’ve
been friends for a long time. I need this deal. I need it.”

  He glanced in the general direction of the hostess. He caught her stare and raised his empty glass in salute. She gave him a sly smile and winked. He stared at her round ass when she turned and went to the bar.

  “You hear me, man? It’s important.”

  The question rang in his ears. Did he hear him? Ashton had the kind of nasal whine to his voice that when anxious, could ring out louder than a siren. Oh yes, he heard him. And it was only because of their childhood friendship that he was entertaining this bullshit. Katz Records was cutthroat in cutting producers out of royalties with fancy contracts and hidden clauses. There was no fucking way he’d work with them. But he figured it best not to tell Ashton.

  Instead he was one of a select few chosen to attend a private listening party for the latest R&B act climbing the charts. He swallowed the last of the ice in the glass and slammed it down on the wood surface of the table. Mattel reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He rubbed his thumb over the LCD.

  She hadn’t called.

  Fuck.

  It was over.

  “Have you ever seen her?” Ashton asked.

  “Seen who?” Mattel mumbled. Quanesha was Mattel’s girlfriend of three years. He loved her. At one point he knew she loved him. But things changed. This fucking town, the fucking business, all of it changed them both. And now she was gone.

  “Valentina Diamond. Shit! That’s who we’re here for. Have you seen her?”

  Mattel sighed. The hostess put a fresh bourbon and coke in front of him. He nodded again but she leaned in to whisper in his ear.

  “Need anything else let me know,” she said.

  Mattel glanced up into golden brown eyes ringed by dark lashes. She had a round face, high cheekbones, a full nose, and suck-able lips. It was her copper glossed lips that reminded him of Quanesha. So much so he lowered his gaze. The hostess smiled and went away.

  “No. I’ve seen her from afar once or twice, but never seen her perform,” Mattel said.

  “She’s not like them, she’s far better,” Ashton nodded to the stage. Mattel glanced to the act singing on the stage. Three girls out of a four-girl group were performing with a live band. Everyone knew who Valentina Diamond was, knew that she was the lead singer of the Diamond quartet. The babe had pipes on her, and presence. Mattel may not have met her in person, but he’d seen enough of her music videos to wish he had.

  Another reason why he agreed to come to the meeting with Katz. He had to see if all the buzz about Valentina was real or hype.

  “Where’s the song bird?” he asked.

  “Uh, see, uh,” Ashton glanced to the stage and then back to Mattel. He gave him a sheepish grin. “Drama. You know how they are. Especially these new stars.”

  “What kind of drama?” he asked.

  “Valentina’s very temperamental. This happens sometimes. It’s not a problem though.”

  “I heard she fired two of her last producers,” Mattel said.

  “Three. She fired three. But look at you. Not too many white boys on this side of the business working with big names. Some of the best in hip-hop are on your speed dial. You could easily handle her.”

  “So that’s what this is about. You want to come in and save the day?” Mattel asked.

  “Sorta. Look the boss’ wife, Raven Katz. She’s defusing the latest crisis. Valentina will be on stage soon. See her for yourself and then decide. It’s all I ask.”

  Mattel checked his watch. “You got an hour…” He gestured toward the girls harmonizing and rolling their hips in black sequenced mini dresses. “If you can’t get her on stage to perform her new single with her band at a listening party, then you’ve got bigger problems than finding a new producer.”

  Before Ashton could answer a heavenly voice rose from the background. The singers on stage exchanged glances and stopped the chorus. The small gathering applauded and a goddess walked across the stage. Mattel watched her walk onto the stage from the side curtain. The lights flashed as if exploding and sparks shot up from the stage. The band switched tempo and grooved.

  Valentina Diamond reminded Mattel of a black Pocahontas. She had long straight black shiny hair that cascaded down the sides of her face, and to the middle of her back from a center part. She wore a thin rhinestone headband that went across the center of her forehead. Instead of a black sequined dress like her band mates, she wore very tightly fitted shiny black leather pants, and a black sequined top that was a crossover at her breasts, revealing her tummy and back.

  The girls in the group exchanged confused looks and parted so she stood in the middle of them and delivered on the song.

  Nothing he’d seen of her so far prepared him for the vision before him. Mattel sat forward. Valentina sang and moved her body in time with the music. Her hips swayed in time with the other singers, and the girls all sang their lead in, but nothing compared. Valentina owned the show. And in that moment she owned Mattel.

  “Raven! Over here!” Ashton yelled.

  The spell was broken. A woman approached the table. She smiled prettily at Mattel then Ashton. Both men stood.

  “Mattel this is Raven Katz, Raven, please meet Mat—”

  “Mattel Cutter, nice to finally meet you,” Raven shook his hand.

  Ashton made sure to pull out her chair. She sat. She was quite striking. And recently married to one of the most powerful men in the music industry. The song switched and another singer in the group took lead. Valentina fell in step with her group and seemed to really be into the performance.

  “Unfortunately there will be no meeting,” Raven said.

  “What?” Ashton gasped. “I spoke to Valentina this morning. She said she would be willing to sit down with us.”

  Raven cast her gaze to the stage. “Tonight’s not a good night. I hope you understand, Mr. Cutter.”

  “Call me Matt,” he said. He glanced to the starlet. “Maybe I can speak with the rest of the group? Get an idea of what they are looking to do for the next project?”

  Raven exchanged a look with Ashton. Neither spoke at first. Asthon was the one to deliver the news. “If Valentina doesn’t want to take a meeting, then the band won’t either. It’s kind of how it works, bro.”

  Mattel nodded. His gaze turned to the stage. Everyone fell to the shadows in his vision. All he saw was Valentina. He was surprised by the pang of disappointment at not being able to meet her in person. Who knew she would inspire that kind of interest.

  “Well, thanks for seeing me,” Mattel said and pushed back from the chair. Ashton stood and they gave each other the familiar hug. He glanced to Raven who gave a sweet apologetic smile. He pulled out his card and handed it to her. “If Valentina Diamond ever wants to try something new, keep me in mind,” he said.

  “Absolutely.”

  From the stage Valentina could see Raven with two men. But the stage lights blocked out much of them. She kept in step with her band and sang. Who was he? Another bloodsucking producer probably. She was so sick of everyone telling her which direction the Diamonds should go. It was her damn group. She didn’t need anyone.

  Chapter Eleven

  The Producer and his Muse

  It was all about the bass. The rhythmic beat blended with the guitar track. She sat on the stool in the isolation booth boxed in by padded walls. The large cuff headphones were locked tight on her head and covered her ears. Valentina bobbed her head, feeling the beat rather than hearing it. Before her lips was the large silver microphone suspended by a black moveable arm attachment. The green light switched on. Valentina matched the flow as she delivered the background vocals he wanted. When he smiled at her, her confidence peaked. She delivered with the timing of the music, the lyrics poured out of her. She carried the chorus, but after a couple of chords in, her voice pitched too high on the wrong key. When she held her breath, to change direction of her singing and mask her mistake, she ruined the cut. Her eyes lifted from the podium holding her lyri
cs. He shook his head no and cut the music.

  Damn. He had heard her.

  “I got it, Matt. Give me the track again. We can start from the second verse.”

  “Out, Valentina,” he said. His voice echoed in her ear.

  “Shit!” she snatched off her headset and tossed it. She threw the door open. It was her throat again. She was straining, pushing too hard. She just needed some tea with honey and a lemon to suck on then, she’d be set. There was no need to wrap their session.

  Matt liked the change in her. Valentina had completely changed her style. She wore large copper, banana hoop earrings, and matching bangles that carried a tune with each step she took. Her long patterned skirt dropped from her waist, and was low enough to reveal her pierced navel. The hem covered her thong sandaled feet. And her hair was different. She wore corded locs, thick with the texture of velvet, and blonde on the tips.

  For days he watched her. She came and went like some earth goddess with cowrie shell anklets, and toe rings adorning her feet. The crossover halter-tops she wore revealed the radiance of her dark skin.

  Her new sound matched her look. Gone was the pop diva with hair extensions and designer clothes. Before him stood someone real.

  “Matt! I can do it.”

  “You’re straining your voice. Just chill for a while,” he said. He refused to debate it further. “Key up that dub, let me hear the overlay.” He told his tech. He ignored her pouting. Valentina folded her arms and glared when angry. From the heated stare she was giving, he knew she was close to a meltdown.

  “Stevie, can you excuse us for a minute? Matt and I need to talk,” Valentina said.

  Stevie looked up. He swept his eyes from Valentina to his boss. Matt gave him a slight nod that it would be okay.

  “Oh yeah, okay, whatever. I’ll take a smoke break,” Stevie said.

  “You need to cool off,” he warned her before she spoke.