“I didn’t swing anything. Brock called me last night and I tried to reach you. What is the use of you having a cell phone if you’re not going to answer it? But I digress. He’s a fan of reality TV and when he saw you leave the show with the doctor, that touched him, he said. So, he’s about to start the casting process for Will Smith’s new project and he thinks you have what it takes to play Smith’s leading lady.”
“Stop!”
“So, whatever you’re doing uptown, wrap it up and meet me in my office by twelve-thirty,” Edward ordered. “Don’t be late.”
“Got it!” Imani hung up with her agent, scribbled a quick note for Raymond, and then put on her dress, leaving his shirt on the sofa and dashing out the door. She couldn’t believe that this opportunity had fallen in her lap like this. Dear God, she thought as she headed down the subway entrance, please let me win this role.
“Superstar,” Maria said when Raymond walked into the empty clinic. “Welcome back.”
He smiled slightly as he looked around the clinic. “What’s going on here? Where are our patients?”
“Well,” she said, “it’s hard to treat people when the doctors aren’t here. But if you go into the break room, there are several pies and cakes for Keith and his speedy recovery. I saw him yesterday and he looks a lot better than I expected.” She shook her head. “I was so scared for him and Celeste.”
“I know. I guess it is a good thing that I won a little money on that show. Where’s the appointment book? I need to make some calls and let our patients know I’m back. Especially Mrs. Hanover. We need to schedule her A1C test because her sugar levels were high before I left.”
Maria picked up the book and clutched it to her chest. “I hope you didn’t think you were going to come in here and just get back to work without telling me all about Imani. Did you two get married yet? Oh, and you made the blogs. Perez Hilton!”
“Who?”
Maria motioned for him to come behind the desk, and she pointed to an image on her computer screen. It was of Imani and Raymond kissing outside the Red Bamboo.
“‘Love from a reality show? Doubt it,’” Raymond read. “Who the hell is Perez Hilton?”
“A gossip blogger and when you make it on his site, you’re pretty much famous. Although, it may benefit Imani more than you, Dr. Hot-Body Thomas of Harlem,” Maria said, quoting the Web site. “So, is what you two have real or is this part of her act?”
Raymond tried to downplay the smile spreading across his face. “Give me the appointment book.”
“Oooh,” Maria said. “Both of my doctors are in love. So, when is Ms. Fearless Flop Diva going to come see what you do?”
“Hey, don’t ever call her that,” Raymond said.
“Perez’s words, not mine. I actually liked that movie.”
Raymond laughed as he flipped through the book, checking which patients he needed to call immediately. “Make sure you share that with Imani,” he said. As Raymond began to make his calls to the patients, a camera crew and three reporters burst through the door.
“Dr. Thomas,” a woman called out, “since you’ve become a reality TV star, are you going to continue practicing medicine here?”
“Do you and Imani Gilliam have a real relationship?” another reporter asked.
“Hey,” Maria bellowed, standing up behind her desk. “This is a doctor’s office. Now I need you to get the hell out of here and call his publicist.”
“Why do you need a publicist?” the last reporter asked.
“Enough, people,” Raymond said. “I have a clinic to run and patients to see. I need you to get out before you scare them off.”
“Can we get a statement, just one?” the first reporter asked.
“All right,” Raymond said. “My relationship with Imani is real and private. That’s it, good-bye.”
As he ushered the reporters out, they continued asking questions. “Will you two get married?”
“How will her acting career and your medical career impact the relationship?”
“Good-bye,” he said as he closed the door behind them. Raymond turned to Maria and shook his head.
“They’ve been coming around here for a week,” she said exasperatedly. “Keith ate up the attention.”
Raymond chuckled under his breath. “Of course he would. All right, I’m getting to these calls. Keep the reporters out.” Back in the office he and Keith shared, Raymond felt empty, missing his friend and partner. But he was happy to see that all of the clinic’s bills were paid for the month and they had enough money in the account to take care of things for at least a year. Things were finally looking up and Raymond couldn’t help but smile as he dove into his work.
Imani hated cabs because every time she took one, she got stuck in traffic, just like today. She looked at the street sign and decided even in three-inch red pumps, she’d have a better chance on foot of making it to Edward’s office on time for her meeting.
“Just let me out here,” she said, stuffing two twenty-dollar bills in the driver’s hand and jumping out of the car. Imani knew she overpaid for her cab ride and it actually felt good to be able to do that. She ran down the sidewalk, sidestepping Starbuckssipping stockbrokers, tourists who were gawking at the sites, and New Yorkers who were just in a hurry to get to the subway. She loved this city. But what she loved more than anything else was the way Raymond made her feel, not just in bed, but when he’d told her how beautiful she looked with her hair matted to her head and dressed in his shirt. She never knew that love was this easy, this blissful and dynamic.
Now, if she could get her career going. It was funny to her that now she didn’t just want success in her career, she wanted to make things work with Raymond. Maybe she could do something to have a fund-raiser for his clinic. As she walked into Edward’s office building, she decided that she would suggest that some of his more successful clients could take part in a telethon or some kind of benefit for the Marion G. Palmer Clinic.
Knocking on his office door, Imani was all smiles when she entered. “Here I am,” she said, looking from him to Brock.
“Well, hello,” Brock said as he rose from his seat and shook Imani’s hand, then kissed it. “You’re even more stunning in person than you are on TV or in Times Square.”
“Right on time,” Edward said, then muttered under his breath, “Thank God.”
“Mr. Harrison, it is a great honor to meet you,” she said after taking her hand out of his grasp. Imani prayed that he was serious about casting her for this role and not just angling to get her on the casting couch. She’d been here before and wasn’t ever going to deal with sleazy types again. But with the reputation Brock Harrison had, Imani should’ve been more confident. However, she didn’t want to get her hopes up.
“I have to tell you, you have screen presence and I want you to screen test with Will Smith in Los Angeles.”
“Really?” she asked, urging herself to calm down, but she smiled widely. “When?”
“I’m leaving for the Left Coast in three days and I can fly you out there. We’ve been looking for the right actress to play Will’s leading lady. Even though Fearless Diva was the worst piece of cinema I’ve seen in years, you have the physical ability that role requires.” He reached into his messenger bag and pulled out the script. “I think you will be perfect for LeAnna. Read the script and if you like it, the ticket to LA is there for you to use.” Imani saw the first-class ticket and smiled. This was for real.
“Wow,” she said quietly.
“My card is in there and I need you to call me tomorrow and let me know if you’re interested in the role. I think you’re going to love her. She’s sexy, strong, and she has a heart. It’s going to be almost like playing yourself,” Brock said. “You were the highlight of that show. It was hard to tell when you were acting and when you were being serious. I just want to know, what was the secret you told the doctor?”
Imani folded her arms across her chest and smirked at Brock. “Now, if I tel
l you that, then it won’t be a secret.”
He clasped his hands together. “I love it! You are LeAnna. That was something she would say.”
Edward cleared his throat. “You’re taking care of travel, but what about accommodations for my client? Willing to pay for loss of wages?”
Brock faced Edward and folded his arms across his chest. “Accommodations, sure. But you’re asking too much with the lost wages, especially since I think Ms. Imani is going to win the role.”
Imani beamed, as she’d never seen Edward work before. She had definitely underestimated her agent and she owed him a huge apology.
“We’re going to go over the script and you should hear from us tomorrow, Brock,” Edward said as he shook hands with the casting director. “I’ve heard that this project is a star maker, and I’m certain Imani is the next big star.”
Brock winked at her as he and Edward headed for the door. “I’m with you there.”
When Imani heard the elevator chime, she broke out into her version of the happy dance.
“Whatever you do, don’t do that at the screen test,” Edward said with a laugh when he returned to his office.
Imani rushed into his arms and hugged him. “Can you believe this?”
“Actually,” he said, “I can. I knew you had this level of talent. Now admit that I was right about doing the reality show.”
She closed her eyes as images of naked Raymond danced in her head. “Yes,” she said when she opened her eyes. “You were right.”
“How’s the good doctor and what do you think his reaction to your movie role will be? And don’t be one of those women who gives up on acting because she’s in love.”
“First of all, I’ve worked too hard to get here. And Raymond has already given me his support. He knows what acting means to me.”
“So, is this the real deal between you two?” Edward asked.
Imani smiled. “Yes.”
“I’m happy for you,” he said. “But don’t get distracted. Read that script and get back to me. Brock likes you and since you already think you’re a star, I know you won’t be tongue-tied when you read with Will Smith.”
“Not at all. He should be in awe of me,” Imani said as she turned toward the door. She looked back at Edward. “What about the Gina Prince-Bythewood movie?”
He shook his head. “Haven’t heard back yet, but you do realize this is bigger, right?”
“It’s not always about bigger,” she said. “I just want options.”
“You will have plenty.”
Imani waved to him and headed out the door. She called Raymond and told him she was on her way to the clinic. Rather than waste more money on a cab, she hopped on the subway and headed to the clinic. As she rode the train, Imani found herself taken in by the script. Brock was right, LeAnna was her kind of character. Tough, chic, and more than anything else, smart. When the train stopped at 125th Street, Imani had finished reading the script and couldn’t wait to land this part. She smiled all the way across the platform, ready to share her good news with Raymond.
Chapter 20
Finding the clinic had been easy, after the way Raymond had talked about how the community depended on it. The building, on 125th Street, was unassuming, but the artwork on the door captured what Imani imagined was the spirit of Marion Palmer. A tall brown-skinned woman with a thick black afro and a halo was painted on the front of the office building. When Imani walked in, all eyes focused on her.
“Oh my gosh,” one of the little old ladies at the desk said. “It’s her.” A murmur rippled through the waiting room and the nurse behind the desk crossed over to Imani with a smile on her face.
“Hi. Dr. Thomas is in with a patient, but you can either wait for him in the waiting room,” she said while shaking her head, “or I can take you to the break room and let him know you’re here.”
“I’ll wait out here,” Imani said.
The nurse shook her head again. “I don’t think you want to do that. Those old ladies are going to grill you. I know two of them have tried to set him up with a granddaughter or a daughter.”
“Good thing they failed,” Imani quipped.
“By the way, I’m Maria Emerson and I loved Fearless Diva.”
“That’s sweet, but you don’t have to say that,” Imani said, still finding it hard to believe that people actually liked that movie.
“Oh, if I didn’t like it, I would’ve—”
“All right, Maria, who’s . . .” Raymond stopped talking when he saw his nurse and his woman laughing. “Imani.” He crossed over to her and kissed her cheek. The women in the waiting room watched them intently, as if they were still viewing the couple on TV. “Hold up one second,” Raymond said as he headed into the waiting room. “Now, ladies,” he said to his group of patients, “why is it that when you have appointments with me, I can’t get you here. But today, none of you have appointments and here you are.”
One older lady stood up and walked over to Raymond. “Well, maybe we missed you,” she said.
Raymond gave the woman a hug. “I missed you too, Mrs. Wentworth,” he said.
“And,” Mrs. Wentworth said, “we wanted to see if you two were still together. Because if she had broken your heart, we were going to get her.”
“That’s right,” another lady called out. “Because Leslie is still available.”
Imani looked from Raymond to his patients trying to decide how she felt about the little old ladies.
He held his hands up. “Imani and I are together and she’s the best thing—other than you ladies—that has ever happened to me.”
Imani beamed and said, “And he’s the best man I’ve ever met.”
The women clapped and then Mrs. Wentworth turned to Imani and pointed her finger at her. “Don’t make us come get you. We love this man like he’s our son. He takes such good care of us and you’re going to have to take care of him.”
“I plan on taking very good care of him,” Imani said. Raymond winked at her.
Mrs. Wentworth nodded and gave Imani a slight smile. “Got my eye on you, girl.”
“Ladies,” Raymond said. “Since none of you has an appointment, serious illnesses, or needs refills on your prescriptions”—he reached into his pocket and handed Mrs. Wentworth a prescription for cholesterol medicine—“I’m going to take my lady to lunch.”
“You just make sure we all get invitations to the wedding,” Mrs. Wentworth said. “Come on, ladies, let’s go.”
The women left the clinic and Imani turned to Raymond. “Okay, I see why you love your job. You have ten grandmothers,” she joked.
“Yes. But they’re hardheaded when they want to be,” he said.
“They love you, though, and that’s special. Where are we going for lunch because I have some news?”
“Let’s go see Keith and then we can go eat,” Raymond said. “You can tell me your news on the way.”
“All right,” Imani said, smiling happily.
Raymond cupped her face and kissed her petalsoft lips. “I don’t know what’s putting this smile on your face, but I’m about to be jealous,” he said.
“I have a chance to screen test for a role in Will Smith’s new movie,” she said as they walked to the curb to hail a cab.
“Congratulations, baby,” he said excitedly. “When did this happen?”
“Today, right after you left, Edward called me and told me that Brock Harrison wanted to meet me.Me! ”
“Okay,” Raymond said. “Who is Brock Harrison?”
“One of Hollywood’s premiere casting directors,” she said. “And the script he gave me was wonderful. LeAnna is the right fit for me. She’s smart, she kicks ass and she gets to go toe to toe with Will Smith!”
“That’s great, baby.”
“I’m going to LA to do a screen test this week.”
“What? Wow, this moves fast. So, what happens after the screen test?”
Imani shrugged. “Hopefully I will blow them away and they
will offer me the role and I’ll be on my way to being the leading lady that I deserve to be.”
“Then we celebrate tonight. My lady, the superstar.” Although Raymond was happy for Imani’s chance to star in a movie, he didn’t want her across the country. Not when he was getting used to having her in his arms when he went to sleep and woke up.
“I’ve been waiting for a role like this since Fearless Diva wrapped.” Imani tilted her head to the side. “I guess I have to thank you for this.”
Raymond raised his eyebrow. “How so?”
“Because you tested the full range of my emotions when we first met on the show and then you accepted me for who I am and I got to be real with you. Who really knew that someone like Brock Harrison was watching? But more than anything else, you have my back and you’re rooting for me.”
“You’re right about that,” he replied as he kissed her on the cheek. A cab finally stopped for them. “When are you going to Los Angeles?”
Imani slipped in the car as Raymond held the door for her. “Possibly, in two days.” He nodded as he climbed into the car. “Come on,” she said. “You still have to be excited for me.”
“I am, but it doesn’t mean that I have to like not having you in my arms when I go to sleep in three days.”
Imani leaned against his shoulder. “I’m going to miss that as well.”
“Then we’re going to have to make some great memories tonight,” he said, then told the driver to take them to Beth Israel Medical Center. They rode to the hospital in a comfortable silence, holding each other close. She felt so right in his arms and so blessed to have Raymond in her life.
When they arrived at the hospital, they headed straight for the fourth floor. “Keith is doing a lot better, but he looks a lot worse for the wear,” Raymond said as they stepped off the elevator.
Raymond slowly opened the door to Keith’s room and saw Celeste sitting in the chair beside the bed with her head resting on the edge of the bed. Raymond looked at Keith, happy to see that the bandages had been removed from his head and some of the machines that had been helping him breathe were gone.
Too Hot for TV Page 20
