by Mimi Tulane
Thinking about her sister getting married put a smile back on her face. Imani’s wedding was in a few weeks and she hoped for her sister’s sake the weather officially cooperated. Her sister had booked the enclosed courtyard at the Mayflower Resort in St. Charles, a smart move given how wishy washy the weather in Missouri could be. With as many family members flying in for the impending nuptials, they damn near had booked every room and suite in the place! Not to mention the Mackenzies had umpteen family members themselves. With any luck she’d be able to drop a few pounds to ensure she’d fit into that slinky ensemble Imani had planned for her and the others to wear—not that she was worried.
Checking the time once more, she sighed then began to get ready. As for tonight’s dinner, Ebony would be polite, smile, make small talk, and hope that the evening would pass rather quickly. If she had a flat tire along the way, that would be even better.
* * * *
Rasheed pulled up to the circular drive of Mac’s home and parked. He had brought a few books with him, hoping Imani’s sister would sign them. He had a little known fetish of his own—at least that’s what his cousins called it. He was a sucker for hot steamy romance books. Yeah, real manly, but it was what it was. Then to find out that his favorite author, Heavenleigh Skye, was in fact Imani’s younger sister Ebony Stuart—well to say he all but begged them to hook him up with a meet and greet was putting it mildly. However that wasn’t the only reason he wanted a formal introduction.
The other was that after meeting her briefly at Imani’s bachelorette party, he’d been captivated by her ever since. He’d wanted to ask her out but timing had been off. He’d been so busy with work that he hadn’t had time to dwell on it, but Ebony had never been far from his mind. She had made just that much of an impression upon him. Despite the pride he had felt for the good job he’d done with Erotique Fest, he was very glad that it was behind him. He wanted—needed—time to cultivate something with Ebony. He secretly hoped that after a formal introduction she might feel the same.
Imani and Ebony shared a family resemblance, the eyes, the cheekbones, both had pretty soft curls that brushed their shoulders and were about the same height. Ebony, however, had a richer coffee complexion and she had the kind of curves that made him want to get hands-on. She wasn’t a waif. She had curves that begged to be sampled. Was buxom the word for it? Shit, he didn’t need a label. To him, she was all woman and if she even remotely acted as if she was interested in him, he’d spend a fair amount of time putting in work to gain her affections.
He would have surely pegged her for a full-figured model. In his eyes, she was better than a model. She was a highly imaginative writer that wrote some of the steamiest love scenes he’d ever read. He could say that without a doubt because he’d read all her books. Jocelyn used to tease him about his romance book habit until she’d read one of Ebony’s books. She stopped teasing him then. As fast as he could pick one up, Jocie would request to read it the minute he was finished! Rasheed really wanted to get to know Ebony and hoped they’d connect beyond a nice family friendship.
Climbing out of his vehicle, he leaned in to snag the books he’d brought along before closing the door, then jogged up the walkway. Both Mac and Imani had assured him Ebony would be there, and maybe, if he was lucky, she’d sign his books. Ringing the doorbell, he waited impatiently. Imani singsonged behind the closed door, “Who is it?” As if she really didn’t know. Rasheed groaned. His future cousin-in-law was a playful imp.
“Girl, you know who it is. C’mon, Mani, open up!” Rasheed could hear her giggling on the other side of the door.
Flinging it open, she greeted him warmly. “Good evening to you, Master Rasheed Mackenzie of the House Mackenzie!”
“You been on that Game of Thrones again, huh?”
Laughing, she yanked him inside by his arm, closing the door behind them.
Sniffing the air, he walked with her, inhaling the aroma of food toward the kitchen. “Damn, all this for little ole’ me?”
Mac was shaking his head as they entered. “No, this isn’t just for you. It’s sort of a surprise to help Ebony celebrate her latest book release,” responded Mac.
“Hey, long as I get to grub. So uh, where is Ebony?” Damn could he sound any more eager than he did? He felt like a kid about to sit on Santa’s lap.
“She’s on her way, Rasheed, but I should warn you she’s not quite as vocal as I am so don’t take that personally. Ebony is more comfortable with a laptop at her fingers or a book in her hand,” said Imani.
“Oh no worries, I can appreciate that.” He laid his books on the counter and washed his hands before snagging a couple of cucumbers from a nearby veggie tray. Okay, so she was quiet. Maybe she was a deep thinker? He hoped she wasn’t going to be put off by his fanboy demeanor. Rasheed then noticed Mac and Imani’s attire and inwardly cringed. Mac had on slacks and nice a dress shirt. For that matter Imani had on a pretty blouse and skirt. Oh shit was I supposed to be dressed up? Maybe he should have dressed a little better. He had on a pair of jeans and T-shirt with his Tims.
The doorbell ringing and Mac leaving to answer it snapped him out of his insecure mind rantings. A few minutes later the soft greeting and appearance of the honoree damn near made him choke on the last slice of cucumber he had popped in his mouth. Turning hastily away, he began chewing.
“Sorry for being late, guys. What’s all this?” Ebony had arrived.
The sound of her voice stroked him in ways that he wouldn’t have believed possible. Rasheed quickly swallowed before turning to face her again, not wanting to look any more foolish than he felt caught with a mouth full of veggies. From the moment he laid eyes on her he was lost. Fuck me she’s fine…
“It’s OK, Rasheed only got here a moment ago. Ebony, you remember Rasheed, don’t you? You met him at my party at the club.” Imani had walked over to embrace her sister.
“Yes, I do, he’s one of the Dominants there. Please to see you again, Rasheed.”
Now she had directly addressed him…and he couldn’t open his mouth—at least for a few seconds.
Ebony looked down at the floor and turned her head away. Mac shoulder-checked him out of his stupor and at Imani’s insistence—she was gesturing to him with her hand out of sight to say something—his mouth got in gear.
“I’m sorry, Ebony, it’s just that I’m standing in front of my favorite author and I don’t quite know what to say. I’m very pleased to meet you.” Imani gave him the OK sign and he slowly began to breathe again. Crisis averted—he hoped.
Ebony however looked at him rather dubiously, as if she wasn’t sure if he was being sincere. So he quickly turned and grabbed from behind him on the counter the three paperback books he had brought with him, the covers on each of them slightly worn. Okay, so he might have read them a few times. Walking over to her, he held them out and as she took them, he was rewarded with a smile. Now that he was closer, he could smell the soft perfume she had on. He had the sudden urge to lean down and kiss her—which would be a totally inappropriate response. But that’s just what he wanted to do, cup her chin and press his lips against hers, then lean her back against the wall and go exploring. She’d probably slap the shit out of him, too.
Damn, he was out of his element with a classy woman like her that was for sure. The women he came across were of two categories—brazen or lifers. The brazen ones wanted to get at him like he was a side of beef. The lifers, on the other hand, understood him a bit more but he hadn’t developed any romantic ties with anyone that shared his lifestyle and he made it a rule not to date any of the females at the club. Ebony Stuart was in a class all her own.
He understood now what Imani had been trying to explain to him about her sister. A female like Ebony might be more comfortable cuddling on the couch with a good movie. Heaven knows she was sexy as hell but he got the impression she didn’t know it. Imani did say she was a bit shy. Perhaps she was introverted? Maybe being around a crowd of folks just wasn’t her thing.
/>
He wondered if she was curious about his lifestyle choice. Mac had recounted his own story of how he’d fallen in love with Imani. Shit, she’d been working for him for three years and he’d never tried to make a move on her. It wasn’t until he discovered she had been curious about BDSM that the door had been opened for him to pursue her. It didn’t hurt that she was Jocelyn’s bestie either, so Mac had received a little inside help. Maybe he could enlist Mac and Imani’s help with gaining insight into Ebony. He was certainly interested. Now if he could just manage not to act like a lame ass.
“Oh wow, you’re a fan? I mean, you’ve read my work?” The incredulous expression upon her face threw him off-kilter and he wanted nothing more in that moment to make sure she knew just how big of a fan he really was…of her.
“Yeah, I have the complete series at home. I only brought these three because I didn’t want to look like a total idiot bringing the entire lot—even though I wanted to ask you to sign them all.” Over his shoulder, Mac had begun to help Imani carry out the food toward the dining room. In a blink, he found himself alone in the kitchen with Ebony.
“I didn’t know you even knew I was a writer.” She spoke softly and hesitantly, her large brown eyes searching his.
As she held his books in her hands, he found himself wondering what those rich brown fingers would feel like upon his bare skin. “It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. I like romance novels. I’ve been a fan of Heavenleigh Skye’s Rodeo series since it debuted, as well as the Rocky Mountain King series. When Imani told me that her sister was you, I mean, that you wrote as Heavenleigh Skye…well, I just had to meet you.” She rewarded him with another slight smile and again he was seized with the desire to pull her into his arms and lavish attention on her lips and a few other places. His wayward thoughts irked him. He was far better than that but being near her was addling his brain.
“I hear you have a new release out?” He was only remotely aware of the others as they took out the last of the food because his eyes never left Ebony for a second.
“Yes, it’s a standalone book called Conquered Love. The heroine is…full figured.” He noted she said that as if she expected him to reject the book on that tidbit alone.
Rasheed smiled warmly and nodded his head. “I’ll be sure to get that one as well.”
With the kitchen now cleared of people and food, their brief conversation lulled. Rasheed couldn’t get over that he was standing there with the woman that had written stories that on several occasions had kept his nights from being a total downer. It would probably surprise a lot of folks that knew him how little he actually dated. He liked hanging out with his family and the few friends that he had. Most free nights, however, he was at home doing one of two things: gaming or reading. His colleagues liked to call him the “playful” Dom, but Rasheed thought Geeky Dom was more apt. He really hoped she could look past his own quirky behavior—not a lot of men would admit to reading girlie books. Rasheed was hoping Ebony would take the chance and get to know him. He also hoped that he wasn’t coming across like a total spastic dingbat.
It took him a minute to realize they’d been standing in the kitchen for quite a while. That was how caught up he’d been within her presence. Reluctantly, he said, “Are you ready to go join the others? I mean I could stand here all night and just talk with you about your work, but I’m pretty sure my cousin and your sister are already sitting at the table waiting for us.”
“Oh…okay, I guess we are holding things up.” She tittered nervously and then smiled at him. Rasheed found he wanted to always be on the receiving end of her smiles. “Rasheed, I’ll be happy to sign your books. I can actually get you an advance copy of Conquered Love…if you want?”
Rasheed began to slowly smile. “Really? That would be…awesome. Thank you.”
Hell yeah he wanted. He’d also like a copy of the book, too.
* * * *
Ebony was acutely aware of the man standing in front of her and even more so as they made their way toward the dining room. He’d placed his hand in the small of her back and she felt like his touch was scorching her. Not to mention he smelled good. He smelled like she wanted to rub against him and just inhale—as if that would ever happen. At first she thought he was going to pull the polite thing, sizing her up next to Imani, then look for a way out. Then he started talking about her books. He’d actually read them and was a real fan. And to top that off he was nice—extremely nice. If she hadn’t known that he was a practicing Dominant he might just be another “regular guy.”
She hadn’t even noticed that the others had left the kitchen! All she could focus on was his voice, his smell, and his eyes whenever she actually looked into them. Oh why did he have to be so damn handsome? He pulled her chair out for her and she took her seat with a polite thank-you. Her sister was snuggled up next to Mac, his arm casually slung about her shoulders on the other side of the table. When Rasheed sat down next to her she was once again totally aware of him. He and Mac didn’t really look that much alike but then they were cousins. In her opinion she and Imani had only a passing resemblance but Ebony readily conceded part of her image issues stemmed from the comparisons made from others between she and her sister during their teen years.
Growing up, she’d been plump. Imani never seemed to have any issues with what she ate. Subsequently Ebony tended to view food as “the enemy.” Surreptitiously she viewed the food choices and saw that her sister had gone out of her way to make sure there wasn’t anything being served that she might pass on. Imani hated when Ebony skipped meals or ate sparingly. Yet Ebony found some old habits hard to break and religiously monitored everything she ate.
“Thank you, sis, everything looks wonderful but you didn’t have to go to this much trouble.”
Imani reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “This wasn’t trouble. All the fuss lately has been about me and the wedding. I wanted you to enjoy the night and maybe tell us a bit more about this new book!” Her sister was and always had been her biggest supporter. Ebony figured her latest bout of insecurity was the fact she was sitting next to a demigod. Rasheed and all his sexiness was messing with her just a bit.
Mac began dishing up the meal sitting first one plate in front of Imani and the next he placed in front of her. The look he gave that followed, she didn’t miss. It said, “Eat and don’t worry about it.” Yeah, he was Dominant all right and she wasn’t going to try to hedge around his unspoken command either. He then spoke to Rasheed. “Not serving you, Cub, so you might as well get to fixin’.”
When he addressed Rasheed as Cub she was surprised. She assumed that when Dominants were together they call each other by, well, more formal names—apparently not. She was definitely not versed in the BDSM culture if that was even politically correct!
“Man, I don’t need your help, besides you’d try to skimp out on the fixins’ anyways!” he retorted. She watched as Rasheed made a plate that could have been the sum total of all of theirs.
When she still hadn’t made a move to try the food, Mac addressed her directly. “Hey little sis, you better eat something cause that nut sitting next to you eats like it’s going out of style.” Mac and Imani both smiled at her. Seeing how hard they were trying to put her at ease, she picked up her fork, hoping to quell their trepidation somewhat. Sampling her plate, she nibbled quietly and continued to observed the cousins. She could tell Mac saw Rasheed more like a younger brother. Imani had remarked to her before how close Mac, Rasheed, and Jocelyn were. They shared a common lifestyle but Ebony suspected that it went deeper than just that. She and Imani were also that close, so she ascribed that to being family and no one could accuse the Mackenzies of not being a caring, loving family. The easygoing banter and occasional verbal sparring between the two men suggested this was normal for them. She continued to nibble from her plate and tried not to be so self-conscious.
She began to wonder about the man next to her and figured he probably didn’t have anything to be insecure about, not
being a Dom and all. And he probably had a submissive or two. Maybe he had a girlfriend that was a submissive? For that matter, maybe he was into poly. She’d done a bit of research on that subject. BDSM as a lifestyle wasn’t anything she was interested in, which underscored the point that beyond maybe being friendly in-laws, she and Rasheed probably didn’t have much in common and certainly not enough for them to become an item.
“Okay, Ebony, the suspense is killing me, what is this new book about?” Imani leaned forward ready to hear the details. Ebony put her musings on hold. When it came to speaking about her books she lost some of her inhibitions. Writing wasn’t just a career but a joy for her. It was the way she escaped the humdrum of her life. Even when she wasn’t writing fiction, she kept journals.
“Well, my book is a classic take on love at first sight. The hero meets his would-be lady, in of all places a laundromat.” From the moment she began outlining the plot, Rasheed had turned to face her and his rapt attention unsettled her. Granted, a woman liked it when a man actually listened to what she had to say. Having Rasheed’s focus on her, however, unnerved her. She couldn’t peg exactly what it was about him that made her so flustered. His intent gaze seemed to peer right into the marrow of her. Her eyes swept over the cleft in his chin, so she chided herself for paying a bit too much attention to his face. Even still, the T-shirt he had on was hugging pecs that had to be implants and his arms looked like he could bench press a tank! She was definitely paying a bit too much attention to his physical charms but try as she might she couldn’t stop. He was beyond gorgeous!
