Beautiful Surrender

by Sherelle Green

  Not only was she still pretty damp from the rain, but the curls in her hair had fallen and her skin was flushed. After walking a mile in the rain she should be glad that the damage wasn’t worse. She reached behind her and tugged at the zipper of her dress.

  “Come on,” she said aloud as she tugged at the zipper again. She glanced at her reflection once more and scanned the bathroom to see what cosmetics they provided. Luckily the resort gave the guests a toothbrush and toothpaste in addition to the other basic amenities that most resorts had in the rooms.

  Thank goodness I packed that extra pair of panties, Mya thought to herself, although she didn’t know why she was even stressing out about how she would look tomorrow when there wasn’t much she could do at this point. Whenever she was traveling to a place that was more than an hour away, Mya had a habit of packing a pair of underwear just in case something like this happened.

  Now all she had to do before she hopped in the shower was get her dress off, wash it in the sink, and hope that it was dry by the morning or else she would have to dry it with the blow-dryer.

  After her tenth tug, she realized that the dress wasn’t coming off without some help. She sighed before walking over to the connecting doors, surprised to see both doors were cracked open.

  “Malik, are you here?” she called out into his room.

  “Yes, I’m here,” he said.

  “Great, I need your help and I noticed that the doors were still open,” she said pushing her way through them.

  “I noticed it too,” Malik replied. “But I didn’t want to close the door in case you needed me. I figured I’d let you decide if you wanted the doors completely shut.”

  “That’s nice of you,” she said as she got closer to the bathroom. “But I think...” Her words trailed off when she finally reached his bathroom. He stood near the granite sink sporting nothing more than a white towel. And she was caught off guard by the sexiest body she’d ever seen.

  “I’ll be okay,” she finally said finishing her sentence. When he turned to her, she didn’t even try to stop her eyes from studying every muscle and ab on his honey-brown body or the perfect V shape of his torso that disappeared under the fabric hanging off his waist.

  “Did you need me for anything?” Malik asked with a sly smile on his face.

  “Probably not what you think I need you for,” Mya replied as she walked into the bathroom putting on a confident facade.

  “Well your eyes were just singing a different tune a few moments ago.”

  “Yeah well, now all of me is on the same tune. I need you to help me take my dress off.”

  When the fire in his eyes began to build, she tried to cover up the choice of words she’d used. “I meant, my zipper is stuck and I need your help unzipping it.”

  “Are you sure that’s all you need help with?” Malik asked as he motioned for her to turn around so he could help her. She obeyed and turned around, anxious to avoid direct eye contact with him.

  “I’m sure,” she said self-assuredly. But when his hands began to work the zipper, lightly grazing her skin as he did so, confident was the last thing she felt.

  “It’s pretty jammed,” he said as his hand moved inside the top of her dress to try and work the zipper from another angle. She could feel the heat from his body on her back teasing her senses and causing her to react in ways she had to fight hard to control.

  “I think I have it,” he said as he wiggled the zipper once more until it finally gave. As his hands slid the zipper down her back, she found herself holding her breath. When he reached the back of her bra, she felt his hands slow down stopping right underneath the clasp before he placed a featherlike touch on the middle of her back.

  “Um, I think you’re good now,” he said as he cleared his throat. Only then did Mya release her breath and turn around to face him, making sure to hold up her dress so it didn’t fall to the floor. Oh lord. They were standing much closer than she had originally thought they were, and his chest and abs were in her direct line of vision. Her eyes took the opportunity to scan him even closer.

  Mya had never been too affected by a man with a nice body. She’d always known that it wasn’t just about how a man looked. It was about his mind as well. She had to be attracted to both to even allow herself to get carried away with a man.

  From the way she admired Malik, she was very aware that her body realized he was a man with a godlike physique and a sexy mind. Triple threat if you considered the fact that he had accomplished a lot in his career and was also a man who knew what he wanted.

  She gazed up at him trying to think of one good reason why she should turn around and walk out of the room before she did something crazy like lean in closer to him in hopes that he would kiss her.

  What are you thinking? she asked herself as she closed her eyes in a long blink. Don’t just stand there with your dress falling off. Go back to your room. Her heart and body were disagreeing with the thoughts floating around in her mind. But she decided to listen to her head and walk back to her room.

  She took one step back, only for Malik to take one step forward. Her breath caught in her throat again. She took another step back to help her along, and then another so that she was now standing right outside the bathroom.

  “If you’re trying to go back to your room to hide out, I suggest you do it a lot quicker,” he said in a raspy voice. It was obvious that he was feeling the exact same emotions as she was. She knew if she didn’t heed to his warning, they may go further than she was prepared for them to go in that moment.

  But she couldn’t get her feet to step backwards any more, especially after he looked at her like she was a decadent dessert after a three-course meal. His eyes were blazing with desire. A flame she knew she had lit by coming into his room.

  “Mya,” he said as he took a couple steps toward her. “Unless you’re ready for me to kiss you, I suggest you go back to your room before I lose my patience.”

  She studied his features watching his body tense up before her eyes. He was struggling to maintain his composure as the sexual tension continued to rise the longer she stayed.

  He stepped to her again, so close that it wouldn’t take much for her to reach out and pull him to her. Her eyes dropped down to his mouth.

  “When you look at me like that,” he said as he began bringing his mouth towards hers, “you make it hard for me to deny myself a taste.”

  “Then don’t,” she heard herself say, causing him to stop right before his lips touched hers. He searched her eyes and instead of kissing her, he moved to her neck, placing a soft kiss right behind her ear. His tongue swirled small circles on her sweet spot until Mya released a soft moan. The teasing was over as quickly as it started.

  Malik snaked one arm behind her back and pulled her into his embrace. At the same time, his other hand went behind her head. Slowly, he brought his lips down on hers in such a seductive way that Mya had barely processed what was coming next before it happened.

  She felt his kiss travel all the way to her toes, feeding her desire even more. Just as she’d predicted, lips like his were made for kissing. The gentle methodical movements of his tongue reached parts of her that no man had ever even come close to reaching before.

  Forgotten was the fact that she was supposed to be holding up her dress. And instead of caring that the material was now lying on the floor, she cared more about her wish for his towel to join her dress.

  As hands explored bodies and his lips became well acquainted with parts other than her mouth, Mya realized that it would be hard for a person nearby to tell whether or not they were kissing or having sex.

  When his groan sent a chill throughout her entire body, she broke their kiss by stepping back from the arms that had made her a willing hostage.

  Mya watched Malik fight to regain control, the result of his desire straini
ng against the white towel that she’d bet wouldn’t remain tied at his waist for much longer.

  “I should go back to my room now,” she said as she picked up her dress, not bothering to cover up her bra and panties.

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Malik said as he ran his fingers over his face before lifting his head to the ceiling.

  Mya was almost to the connecting doors when he called out to her. She stopped and looked over her left shoulder and caught him admiring her cheeky white-and-teal panties with the words If You Dare stamped across them.

  He chuckled as he shook his head. “Nice,” he said as he pointed to her panties.

  “Thanks,” she said with a slight smile.

  He brought his eyes back to her face. “I figure you’ll keep your side of the connecting doors locked and closed, which is fine. But I will leave my side cracked.”

  He held her gaze as if to make sure she got his message. She had received the message loud and clear.

  “Okay,” she said as she scattered and headed straight to the bathroom to finally take a much needed shower.

  Two hours later, after she was showered and lying in between the plush white comforter and sheets, she was still having trouble falling asleep.

  “Damn you, Malik Madden,” she muttered under her breath in sexual frustration as she punched her fists into the covers. She grabbed her phone, tapped on her Pandora app and closed her eyes as she listened to the soft R&B music in hopes that she’d finally fall asleep. If I’m lucky, I’ll have a dream or two about the man in the room next door, she thought as she drifted to sleep.

  Chapter 10

  After Malik got his food from the hot breakfast buffet, he went to the beverage station to pour a much-needed cup of coffee. He had barely got an hour worth of sleep last night, and had finally decided at 5am to face the inevitable. There would be no sleeping as long as Mya Winters was in the room next door.

  He’d already spoken to his insurance company and worked with Vero who was nice enough to have a tow truck pull him out of the grassy ditch he’d fallen into last night.

  He’d had the front desk call Mya’s room so they could eat breakfast and get on the road right away. He wasn’t so much anxious to get back to Chicago, but he did have a few meetings this afternoon. And after barely getting any sleep, he had to try and take a nap beforehand.

  There were a few people scattered around the lobby having breakfast, but for the most part, he hadn’t seen that many guests since most of the conference folks were due to arrive later. He had his choice of great seating, but he chose to sit at the table with the amazing view of the Riviera Ranch Resort and Conference Center property.

  “This is so good,” he said while tasting his coffee and savoring the sip.

  “That’s because it’s imported directly from this great coffee farm in Cuba,” said a boisterous, friendly man who looked like an older version of Vero.

  “You must be Alvero Riviera II,” Malik said as he stood to shake the man’s outreached hand.

  “That I am,” he said with a hearty laugh. “But everyone calls me Al.”

  “Nice to meet you, Al,” Malik replied. “Would you like to take a seat? I have a friend who would enjoy meeting you. She’s an event planner and she loves your ranch resort.”

  “Well, don’t mind if I do,” Al said. “Any lover of our property is someone I have to meet.”

  For the first time, Malik noticed the white cane Al was holding. Al felt around the table until he found the seat and sat down.

  “My son Vero was telling me about you earlier this morning,” Al said. “Did he help you with your car?”

  “He sure did,” Malik responded. “Luckily, there wasn’t much damage and between what I knew about cars and what your son knows, my SUV is running well enough to get us home. This place is only an hour away from the city anyway, so I’m confident we’ll be fine.”

  “That’s good to hear,” Al said. “I hope you enjoyed your stay here. Maybe next time you’ll stay for a bit longer.”

  Malik was about to respond to Al, when Mya walked into the lobby area, her brown waves bouncing around her shoulders. She didn’t look at all like they’d driven in a ditch last night and gotten caught in the rain, nor did she look like she had as restless of a night as he had.

  When she got closer to the table, Malik also noticed how fresh and clean her face looked. She wasn’t one of those women who wore a lot of makeup, but seeing her face free of it made him all hot and bothered in places that he couldn’t afford to be hot and bothered in right now.

  “Hello, gentlemen,” Mya said as she approached the table. She gave Malik a soft smile before turning to Al.

  “Hello, sir, I’m Mya Winters.” She extended her hand.

  “Hi, Mya,” Al said as he reached out his hand to feel for hers. “I’ve always loved the name Mya.”

  Malik watched Mya’s eyes follow the wavering of Al’s hand and catching on quickly, she immediately reached out and clasped her hand over Al’s. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Al continued. “I’m Alvero Riviera II, but everyone calls me Al. Your friend Malik here was just telling me how much you like the property.”

  “I do,” Mya said with excitement. “I’m one of the co-owners of Elite Events Inc. and my partners, Imani and Cyd, always gush over how great the events turn out that we plan here.”

  “Oh, yes,” Al said. “I know Elite Events. It’s always nice to hear event planners talk about our ranch resort so positively. As I told Malik, next time, you should make your stay longer.”

  Malik turned back to face Al. “I’m sorry, yes of course we will definitely stay longer next time.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Mya said pointing to the breakfast buffet. “I’m going to grab a bagel and some fruit.”

  As she walked away, Malik stole a glance in her direction, enjoying the fact that he couldn’t get caught staring.

  “You know,” Al said interrupting his observation of Mya. “Just because I’m blind doesn’t mean I can’t tell when a man and a woman are attracted to one another.”

  Malik laughed. “Naw, we’re just friends.”

  “Right,” Al said. “And I’m not really blind, I just wear these sunglasses and use this cane as a fashion statement.”

  Malik laughed a little louder this time. “Well, I may be attracted to her, but she isn’t ready to date a man like me.”

  “And why is that?” Al asked.

  Malik glanced back over to Mya who was now at the beverage station. “I’m the best man and she’s the maid of honor for our friends’ wedding. Plus, I’m helping her with a huge event and you know what they say about mixing business with pleasure.”

  “I’ve always disagreed with that saying,” Al replied. “Sometimes, we can’t help who we fall for any more than we can stop ourselves from falling.”

  “Timing is everything,” Malik said as he took a sip of his coffee. “I’m trying to wait for the right time to tell her how I feel.”

  “Ahh, I see,” Al said. “This isn’t about timing being perfect for her. It’s about timing being perfect for you. There’s something that you’re afraid to tell her.”

  Malik sat upright in his chair, surprised Al had picked up on something he had never voiced. “I just meant timing in general,” Malik responded.

  “Take it from a old man who just told his oldest son the same thing,” Al said as he lifted a finger into the air. “Time waits for no one. While you’re sitting around trying to figure out how to tell her whatever it is you don’t want her to know, the harder it will be for her to hear what it is you have to say.”

  Malik let Al’s words sink in. “That’s the same thing that my father always tells me.”

  “Us old men tend to talk from experience,” Al said with a laugh. “My wife and I have alw
ays agreed to be honest with our children so that they could learn from our mistakes.”

  Malik sighed as he thought about the things he wanted to tell Mya, but wasn’t sure he could just yet.

  “We can’t ask a woman to be open and honest with us if we aren’t willing to do the same,” Al added. “Mya’s a good woman. I can tell a lot about a person within the first few minutes of meeting them. Trust her with your thoughts and the reward will be more than you could have ever dreamed of.”

  Malik stared at Al and shook his head. “I’m great at reading people, but people are often terrible at reading me.”

  “Son, I wasn’t born blind,” Al said. “But when I lost my sight, my other senses became stronger than ever. I can’t judge a first impression off a look or a statement because I can’t see how a person looks as they speak or pick up on those social cues. So I trained myself to pick up on what’s in here,” he said pointing to his heart.

  “Seems like I missed some great conversation,” Mya said as she approached and sat beside Malik.

  “You’re right on time,” Al replied. “Malik was just about to tell me about this event you two are planning.”

  Mya’s eyes lit up the same way they did every time she talked about the date auction. “In order to raise money to fund an after-school program in Chicago, Elite Events with the help of our sponsors, including Malik, are hosting a date auction next weekend.”

  “Smart and cares for the community,” Al said. “Malik, don’t let her slip away.”

  Both Malik and Mya laughed at Al’s comment. “Thanks, Al,” Mya said. “Everything will be perfect as soon as we lock in a venue.”

  “You don’t have a venue even though it’s next weekend?”

  “Our venue fell through and there is so much going on in Chicago that all the really great places are taken. We need a place to accommodate at least 500 possible attendees. The event is nine days away so we may have to get more creative and do something outside and pray the weather cooperates.”