Beginning of an Eclipse (SIN CITY HEAT SERIES PREQUEL)

by K, S

  His eyes went to the back of her upper thighs where the dress stopped and remembered how smooth they were to the touch. The sexy high heeled shoes only enhanced her delicately contoured calves. Looking at her arms which were left bare, he noticed her muscle tone was ridiculous. His eyes dropped to her ass again and had just started a fantasy of what he was going to do to it when someone stepped in front of him and blocked his view. Darrell quickly frowned when he saw it was Luther Thorpe.

  Luther had been with Roni the first night Darrell saw her at the restaurant he’d been working in. Darrell found out later that he was the business manager for the club.

  There was no love lost between the two men. Lately, Roni couldn’t go anywhere without Luther being right beside her. Darrell guessed some women might find Luther attractive, but Darrell wasn’t threatened by him in the least. Luther was no competition, but it drove Darrell crazy wondering whether or not Roni was sleeping with him. Just the possibility made Darrell want to go postal on Luther's ass.

  Well, whatever the nature of their relationship, Luther would have to find something else to occupy his time, because it wouldn’t be spent with Roni. Not tonight or any other night.

  The look Luther aimed towards Darrell was full of disdain. “You wanna show a little respect?”

  Darrell looked Luther up and down. “Maybe when you earn it.”

  “Not for me, for Veronica, asshole. I don’t appreciate you looking at her like she’s one of your little groupie bitches. You need to keep it moving.”

  Darrell was trying hard to hold on to his temper. It instantly ticked him off that Thorpe was warning him away as if Roni was his woman. Any other time and on any given day, Luther would’ve found himself flat on his back, but Darrell didn’t want to ruin Roni‘s night, so he took a deep breath and calmly smoothed a hand down the back of his hair. When he made a move to step around Luther, Luther blocked his way. Darrell’s eyes narrowed. This sonovabitch was bold as hell tonight. He normally contented himself to glower at Darrell from a safe distance, but apparently, he was feelin’ froggy tonight. If so - Darrell’s eyes told him to jump.

  “You wanna move outta my way, Thorpe?”

  “You need to stay away from Veronica, pretty boy. She is way outta your league,” he taunted. “What makes you think a woman like her would want a stripper anyway?” Luther’s sneer was deliberately insulting.

  Darrell’s eyes became a cloudy gray as Luther unerringly hit the nail on the head. That was Darrell’s main insecurity regarding Roni. Exactly what could he offer her? When it came down to it, all he had going for him was taking his clothes off in front of a bunch of women. Seeing Luther laughing at even the thought of it, he took a step towards him, but at that exact moment, Bryan appeared and separated the two men. He’d seen the exchange from across the room and knew it wouldn’t be long before there was trouble.

  “This isn’t the time or the place, so settle down….” He sent Luther a hard look. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Luther hesitated, not wanting to leave Darrell alone with Roni, but had no choice but to follow Bryan. He sent Darrell a look that Darrell guessed was supposed to be a warning. He smirked at him then made sure Luther saw him go directly to Roni’s side.

  “Punk ass…” he muttered under his breath.

  Roni’s face lit up when she turned and saw Darrell standing there. “Well, hello! I was wondering where you and Marcus were. Thought you’d stood me up.”

  Darrell’s sour mood instantly vanished. He returned the smile and leaned down to accept the hug she offered. “Happy birthday, baby.”

  “Thank you.”

  When they parted, Darrell kept his hands at her waist. His eyes lingered on her breasts. “You look good, Roni. Beautiful as always.”

  Roni’s eyes dropped before she brought them up to meet Darrell’s. She made an effort to slow her rapid breathing. Her pulse escalated and started thumping at an alarming rate; she felt the heat radiating off his body like a toasty heater in the dead of winter and she was getting hotter by the minute.

  “Thank you again.” Roni knew not to apply too much meaning to his words. Darrell had more women than he knew what to do with, but it still flattered her to hear him say she looked good because she did her best to stay in shape. Knowing age was not her friend she diligently worked out and ate right. From the way Darrell’s eyes devoured her, the regimen was working.

  “Are you enjoying yourself?”

  “Yes, this is great. It was so sweet of Bryan and Sylvia to do this for me.”

  “A lot of people care for you, Roni.” They both heard the intimacy and underlying meaning in his voice, but neither acknowledged what it implied. Ronnie refused to allow herself to fall for Darrell’s charm.

  “Well this is the last birthday I’m claiming. I’m officially not getting any older after today,” she joked.

  “What does it matter when you look better than any woman here.” His eyes went over her body. “You damn sure wearing the hell outta that dress.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

  “Oh, I hope so. Because there’s definitely somewhere I plan on being tonight.”

  “Really. And where might that be, Mr. Monroe?”

  Darrell’s brows lifted in surprise. He knew she was only flirting with him like this because she was in a room full of people and felt safe. Usually, the conversation was light and casual. Okay. He was going to see if she really had her big girl panties on tonight or if she was the one playing games.

  “Where do I plan on being tonight? Someplace tight, hot, and wet.”

  Roni didn’t back down. “Sounds interesting. I hope you enjoy the experience.”

  “Believe me. I intend to.” Their eyes were having a silent conversation when they were interrupted by a demanding and slightly outraged whine.

  “Roni…!”

  Darrell released an impatient puff of air as he turned around and saw Luther Thorpe hurrying up to them. Luther’s eyes suspiciously went from Darrell to Roni.

  “We’re in the middle of a conversation, Thorpe.”

  “Well that’s just too damned -”

  “Here.”

  Before Luther knew what was happening, Darrell had taken Roni’s glass of wine from her hand and thrust it towards Luther who automatically reached out for it.

  “Come on. Let’s dance.” Leaving Luther sputtering like an idiot, Darrell grabbed Roni’s hand and led her behind him to the dance area. When Darrell turned around and wrapped his arms around Roni, he saw her desperately trying to keep her laughter inside.

  Darrell grinned. “What?”

  “That wasn’t nice that’s what,” she admonished. However, the effect was ruined when she snuck a peek over her shoulder. She couldn’t keep the quiet giggle inside when she saw Luther standing there with smoke practically blowing from his ears. She briefly rested her forehead on Darrell’s chest as her shoulders shook from laughter. “You are so bad.”

  Darrell laughed with her. “I never claimed to be anything but. Luther can kiss my ass. His best bet is to go and try that shit with somebody else.”

  The smile stayed on Roni’s face as they slowly moved to the music. When she looked up, their eyes locked. The amusement slowly died away and awareness of each other took its place. When Darrell slid his hands down to rest right above the rise of her backside, she didn’t protest or tell him to move his hands. Darrell pulled her closer until it was hard to decipher where he ended and she began.

  More content than he’d been in a long time, Darrell closed his eyes when she laid her head on his chest. As one song faded into the next, they continued dancing. He was aware of people watching them with undisguised interest, but if Roni didn’t mind then he damned sure didn’t. He knew she felt his excitement; as close as their bodies were she couldn’t help but feel how aroused he was. When she subtly rolled her hips forward, Darrell’s chest rumbled in a low moan.

  “Roni, you’re about to get yourself into trouble. This
is gonna be your only warning."

  Roni wanted to blame her actions on the wine she’d had, but she’d only drank one glass. This - thing - between them had been building up for a long time, and she couldn’t fight it any longer. She didn’t even want to try. Roni lifted her head, wanting him to understand exactly what she was saying.

  “I’m not afraid of trouble. Are you?”

  “Baby, I’ve had to fight trouble for as long as I can remember.” His eyes became thin slits. “Are you sure? Once we start there won't be no stoppin' this time. I want everything...every single sexy inch of you.”

  Roni’s eyes wavered but she determinedly didn’t look away. She pressed her center against his erection again. “Is that my birthday present?”

  “If you want it to be.”

  Without hesitation, she stepped back and took his hand. “Let’s go.”

  The words were barely out of her mouth before Darrell turned and pulled her behind him as he took long strides and made a way to the front door through the crowd. Several people tried to stop and talk to them on the way, but Darrell kept it moving. Roni ignored the knowing looks being sent their way. She was tired of worrying about what other people would say or think.

  She was a grown ass woman. Darrell was a grown ass man. And she was ready to get some grown ass loving.

  Chapter 6

  Darrell sped down the busy streets, switching in and out of lanes, eager to get to Roni’s place. He cursed the fact that Bryan lived so far out. He and Sylvia had built their house on the outskirts of Vegas, away from the craziness of the city, Bryan said. Darrell could appreciate that, but the roughly forty-five minute drive from his house to Roni’s seemed like a lifetime.

  He and Roni had yet to speak, but the sexual energy all but consumed the air between them and heightened their senses. Darrell’s nostrils flared as he inhaled the erotically seductive scent of Roni’s perfume. He had never smelled anything like it on anyone else, so he knew the fragrance had been specially made for her. Working with her body’s natural chemistry, it was driving him insane and made him want to kiss every part of her body in order to discover every secret spot she’d placed the scent.

  Although she sat still and tense, Roni couldn’t help but notice the way the muscles in Darrell’s thighs tightened and bunched up whenever he switched the gears of the SUV. It made her think about the way he would use them to push and bury himself deep between her thighs.

  When they came to a stoplight, Darrell impatiently sat there waiting. He drummed his fingertips on the steering wheel and glanced over at Roni who nervously licked her lips. Darrell's eyes followed the path of her tongue when it glided over her bottom lip, watching as if it were a science to be studied. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and adjusted his pants to try to find a comfortable position for his erection. Seeing the restless movement, Roni caught them both off guard when she slipped her hand over the hard muscles of his thigh and moved it up to cup his throbbing manhood in her palm. Darrell cursed under his breath at her touch, and the second the light changed, he floored the accelerator and didn’t stop until they were in front of her house.

  Following behind her, Darrell watched as her trembling fingers tried to unlock the door with little success. He reached around her and placed his hand over hers to help her insert the key. The moment the door closed behind them, he pushed her up against it. His lips found hers and sipped from her mouth, tasting the Cristal she’d been drinking at the party. He immediately thought about a description he’d read about the pricey champagne: layers of citrus, vanilla, pear and nutmeg.

  Delicious. The kiss was wet and wild and hungry. Darrell’s mouth dominated while his tongue caressed every sweet inch of hers as he expertly plucked the pins from her hair that kept it in place. The moment the thick strands were free, he quietly moaned in appreciation when her hair fell past her shoulders in soft, lustrous waves.

  “You know how bad I want it?” His tongue softly outlined the shell of her ear.

  “Do you?” Roni nodded in jerky movements. “I wanted you from the moment I saw you. It was different from anything I’d ever felt. I fuckin’ crave you Roni. I ain’t been able to satisfy that craving with any other woman.”

  He unzipped her dress and pushed it down to her waist. He stared at them for so long that Roni started getting self-conscious.

  “I guess I won’t ever be anyone’s centerfold.”

  He frowned in confusion. “What?”

  “My breasts. I…I just don’t want you to be disappointed. I mean, I know you’re probably used to women who turn flips in bed and….”

  Finally realizing what she was getting at, Darrell covered her mouth with his to shut her up before placing his hands on either side of her face.

  “Did you hear what I just said?” He looked deep into her eyes. “It don't matter who or how many women I been with. You the only woman I want. Do you understand what I’m tellin' you?”

  Roni’s teeth nibbled on her bottom lip and nodded. Darrell’s sigh was heavy when the uncertainty still shadowed her eyes. “Nah, you don’t….” The look he gave her was scorching hot in its intensity. “But you will….”

  His lips moved down to her breasts and proceeded to worship them with an eager mouth. When he discovered her nipples were ultra-sensitive, he teased and sucked and licked until she begged him to stop. While he continued the sweet torturous assault, he slid a hand along the inside of her thigh and made his way to her center. He could feel the damp heat greeting his fingertips moments before he actually touched her.

  Darrell drew out her torment as he grazed the top of the silky material with the back of his knuckles before lightly rubbing and caressing her through the thong.

  Roni's legs parted, wordlessly begging him to touch the part of her that was aching and on fire, but Darrell wanted to hear her say the words. She was holding back and as he told her before they left the party, he wanted everything.

  “Tell me what you want Roni.” Darrell kneeled in front of her and kissed the taunt, smooth skin of her stomach.

  Roni was grateful that she was leaning back against the wall, because she knew there was no way she could stand up on her own. “Darrell please….”

  “Please what…” Roni shivered when he circled his tongue around her navel then softly blew on the dampness he left there. Slipping a finger under the leg of her thong, Darrell let his finger barely skim over the lips of her pussy.

  Roni brought her hands up and clenched her fingers in her hair. They hadn’t even started, and she was ready to explode. She placed her hand on top of his head and tried to push him further down south, but he resisted.

  “Darrell….”

  His laugh was quiet and teasing when she practically growled his name. “Yeah, baby…?”

  “I need your mouth….on me.”

  Darrell wasn’t in the mood to be rushed. He nipped and at the inside of her thigh before soothingly licking it to take the sting away. “Say it, Roni. Tell me what you want.”

  “Taste me….I want your mouth….your tongue…on me.” Roni swallowed hard when he got closer to her heat. “I-I need you inside of me... tasting me….licking me….fucking me.”

  “Yesss…..” Darrell groaned as he pulled her dress and thong off in one swift movement. “That’s what I wanna hear…..”

  He lifted her leg and placed it on his shoulder. Cupping her ass in his palms, he finally brought her pussy to his mouth. Roni screamed at the first contact of his tongue as he tasted her creamy flavor. He moaned as he feasted on the thickness of her honey flowing slow and steady from her core.

  Roni watched as he dipped his head and twirled his tongue as far as it would go, tasting the sugary sweetness of her walls. She clenched her eyes tight and threw her head back as she moved against his tongue. Nothing had ever felt so good in her life. Her hips took on a life of their own. No that wasn't true. They followed the rhythm Darrell set and demanded she adhere to as his tongue spanked and thrashed her engorged clitoris. He w
as making it known once and for all that she was his and his alone.

  Roni couldn’t take anymore. The feeling was too intense. She tried to push his head away and shrink back, but she was literally caught between a rock and a hard place. The wall wasn’t yielding, and neither was Darrell. Her legs started shaking and trembling as the first spasms approached.

  “D-Darrell….wait!”

  Instead of easing up, Darrell quickened his pace, massaging her clit with his tongue and working the kinks out. Roni's body tensed and stiffened moments before she exploded in his mouth.

  “Mmmmmm…..” Darrell hummed his enjoyment of her taste; the vibrations against her sensitive flesh took the orgasm to a whole 'nother level of pleasure. Darrell’s tongue continued to snake in, out, and around her center until she collapsed against the wall. With a final lick, he slowly lowered her leg back to the floor and stood up.

  “Damn, you taste good…..” He grabbed her bare ass and pulled her to him, sharing the taste of her body’s cream in a kiss which she eagerly accepted. It took several moments for her to realize that while she was completely naked except for her pumps, he was still fully clothed.

  Roni quickly rectified that minor problem. Not bothering to unbutton his shirt, she grasped the material in her hands and ripped it apart, sending buttons bouncing all over the dark, hardwood floors.

  Darrell laughed as she pulled his shirt off, but the laughter died away when she opened his pants and reached down in his underwear to grab his wood. A second later she was on her knees and taking him in her mouth.

  “Fuck…!” This time the wall was his safety net as he leaned forward and rested his palms against its surface. Looking down to watch while Roni’s lips slid back and forth over him, the moment was almost surreal. He’d wanted this for so long, had pictured her on her knees performing this very act, but his fantasies didn’t even come close to the real thing.