Beginning of an Eclipse (SIN CITY HEAT SERIES PREQUEL) (11 page)

   
Roni's lips remained pushed out in a hurt pout. Darrell leaned down to touch his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered.
    
When he felt the tension leave her body, Darrell lifted his head. “Do you forgive me?"
    
Roni dropped her eyes for a moment before meeting his. “If this is going to work, you have to trust me the same way I trust you.” She held his eyes until he nodded, then slipped her arms around his waist before a tentative smile tried to blossom and spread over her lips. “I guess you’re forgiven. This time.”
    
Darrell returned the smile then softly kissed her and hugged her tight, thankful that all was once again right between them.
    
At least for now.

    
Rakeem hung up the phone and sat back. He thought about what he’d just discussed with the person on the other line.

    
Ceelo, his childhood friend and number one soldier, looked at him. “Rakeem, it ain't worth it, man. That shit happened a long time ago. Why bring unnecessary attention to ourselves?”
    
“I don’t give a fuck how long ago it happened. That muthafucka and that bitch was probably laughin' behind my back, had ere'body in the streets thinkin’ I was a joke. Hell, nah. It’s a matter of pride, Cee. I done already made Jade’s ass pay. Now it's his turn.”
    
Ceelo thought about Jade. By the time Rakeem had finished with her, she’d had to stay in the hospital for two months and still hadn’t fully recovered.
    
“Yo', everybody tried to warn you about that trick. Our own people told you she didn’t leave ole boy's place until early the next morning.”
    
“I don’t need you tellin’ me this shit. I didn’t take care of it then, but I’m damn sho' gon’ take care of it now. He out in Vegas livin’ large, not a care in the world…?” Rakeem shook his head.
 
“Hell nah. It’s time to put a end to pretty boy's happily ever after.”

Chapter 11

    
Roni stood back and studied the table one last time, making sure everything was in place. The “good” china which she rarely used was evenly centered in front of the two chairs sitting there. The wine goblets sparkled beside the plates. Linen napkins were neatly folded and placed in the middle of each plate, and on the table were two long stemmed white candles which flickered softly in the dim light.
 
    
Roni couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at her lips as she thought about what a special evening it would be tonight. Today made ten months to the day that she and Darrell had officially been together. Just thinking about it that way made her feel juvenile and silly, but she didn’t care.

   
Roni glanced at her watch with a small frown.
 
Darrell should be here in about fifteen minutes and had no idea about the evening she planned. All he knew was Roni told him she needed him to be home by seven o’clock. No excuses.
    
Roni studied her reflection in the mirror and ran her fingers through the silky tresses of her hair. She’d taken off early today and pampered herself with a relaxing massage and gotten a mani/pedi. She'd sat in the salon for five hours to get her hair done, and for once, had not complained about how long it had taken because the outcome was worth it. Jean-Paul always did a fantastic job. Now that she’d been letting him cut and style it, he was over the moon. He’ been telling her for years her hair was too beautiful to keep pulling it back in a bun.
    
Roni smoothed her hands over the fitted dress. The secret smile that crossed her lips conveyed how giddy she felt as she imagined the expression on Darrell’s face when he saw the result of her practically pouring herself into the tight, black dress and the way her breasts eagerly spilled out over the top. She’d added a pair of very sheer, silk stockings with garters. The sky high, red-soled, black stilettos completed the outfit.
    
Giving her hair a final pat, she turned the music down low and went back to the kitchen to check on the food warming in the oven. As a favor to her, their favorite restaurant had delivered a romantic meal for two, plus dessert. All she had to do was keep the food warm on a low temperature until they were ready to eat.
    
Good.
    
Biting her lip, she thought about the surprise she had waiting for Darrell after dinner. She pressed her hand against her stomach to quiet the butterflies. She had never done anything like this in her life, and was extremely nervous - but also excited.

     
Taking a deep breath to calm down, Roni was getting ready to take another look at the “surprise” when she heard the key turn in the door. She whipped around and stood waiting. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Darrell walk in.
He was so incredibly handsome.
    
Her eyes went to the fresh cut he must’ve gotten sometime today. Her fingers itched to run themselves over the low trimmed curls of the smooth fade. He wore a pair of tailored, gray pants and a crisp, white button down shirt. Two buttons had been left undone to give her a peek at the soft hairs on his chest.

    
He smiled as he stood there and took in her sexiness the same as she was doing to him. “Wow.”
    
The one word held a wealth of meaning. His gaze lingered at the sight of her breasts greeting him and demanding his attention, which he gladly gave. “Turn around.”
    
Roni dutifully did as he requested, smiling even more when she heard the hoarse curse he uttered as he took in the rounded curve of her ass in the dress that enhanced her enticing womanly shape.
    
“Beautiful,” he whispered.
   

    
Roni turned around and let all of the love she felt for him show in her eyes. His reaction was everything she’d hoped for and everything she’d expected. By now, she knew him almost better than she knew herself. She knew what he liked and what turned him on. Any doubts she had about the “surprise” she’d planned for him later instantly vanished.
    
“Ditto.” Her eyes hungrily ran over the body she knew those clothes hid. She was ready to say to hell with dinner and head straight to the bedroom when he pulled his arm from behind his back. She’d been so busy devouring him with her eyes that she hadn’t noticed he’d been standing there hiding something. She gasped when he presented the bouquet of flowers with a flourish. They were a gorgeous arrangement of pink French tulips, white Oriental lilies, orange snapdragons, and silver dollar eucalyptus.
    
“Oh my God! Baby, they’re exquisite.” Her eyes lit up at how unique the arrangement was then lifted her lips to his for a soft kiss.
    
“They reminded me of you. Elegant, graceful….pure beauty.” He slipped his arms around her waist and smiled down at her. “Happy ten month anniversary, sweetness.”
    
Roni’s face showed her surprise. “I didn’t think you’d even remember.”
    
“Of course. I remember every single detail, every moment, and every breath I took since I met you. This is only the beginning, Roni. Bet on that.”
    
Roni pulled her lips in and pressed them together, trying to keep the tears at bay. She loved this man so very much. And she told him just that. Darrell smiled as he thought about the small, square jewelry box practically burning a hole in his pocket.
    
“I love you too Veronica Winston.”
    
They smiled at each for a moment and shared several more tender kisses, in no hurry to pull apart and break contact with one another. Finally, Darrell lifted his head. His lids drooped as he looked down at her.
    
“Mmph. You are so damn fine.” He pushed the hardness bursting to get out of his pants between the soft V of her legs and nudged her backwards. “What say we get right to the main course. I’m fucking starving.”

    
By the lecherous look and suggestively lewd grin, Roni knew he wasn’t talking about food. She laughed and put a hand on his chest to stop him. Even though her very core was moist and throbbing with need, she refused to let him make her deviate from the carefully laid plans she’d made.
    
“Slow down, 'Eclipse'. Not so fast. All in good time….” She giggled as he groaned and dropped his head. “Good things 'cum' to those who wait,” she teased. “And I mean
very
good things. Be patient.”
    
Darrell pinned her with a scorching look. “Alright, but I’m warning you. My patience only goes so far.”
    
“It’ll be worth it.” She gave him a quick kiss and turned to sit her flowers on the table behind her. When Darrell smacked her ass and squeezed it, she looked over her shoulder and smiled.

    
“Down, boy…” The words were meant for the imprint of his dick clearly discernible through the material of his pants. Darrell laughed and picked up the wine and the corkscrew.
    
Roni went to the kitchen and brought the warming dishes out and arranged them on the serving tray set up next to the dinner table.

    
“Anything you need me to do, babe?” Darrell asked.
    
“No, just take a seat. Everything is ready.”
    
As they sat down, they reached across the table, joined hands and bowed their heads as Roni said grace. Afterwards, she began to dish up some of his favorite foods to the plates. She laughed as Darrell's eyes glowed at the feast before him.
    
“So much for being starved for my body.”
    
Darrell’s eyes met hers. “Believe me. This is substance. I’m gonna need this fuel to keep me going, because I plan on rockin’ that thang
all
night.” His eyes dropped to her breasts.
    
“Oh, really?”
    
Darrell’s eyes lifted to meet hers. “You think I ain’t?”
    
“We’ll see, won’t we?”
    
Darrel’s eyebrows rose at her challenging tone. “So you in one of
those
moods, huh? Once again, I see I gotta show you that dick rules pussy every time…” His eyes sparkled as he waited on her response. She didn’t disappoint.
    
“Sweetie. You trained me and trained me well to please your many diverse appetites and needs. I think tonight, the pupil will be surpassing the teacher.”
    
“No shit?”

    
Intrigued, Darrell suddenly became watchful as he sat back in his chair and stared at her. This is what he loved about her. She satisfied his physical cravings as well as his mental hunger. They could spar with each other all night. Darrell never once found himself becoming bored with Roni; on the contrary. When they were apart, she dominated his thoughts. He reached down to pat his pants pocket. He had no doubt whatsoever that this was right.

    
“So, honey, how was your day? Bryan told me you sat in on the meeting with the potential investors?”
    
With his mind still on the upcoming night’s activities, it took a moment for Darrell to get with the new script she flipped on him. Roni sat there with a look of innocence on her face. Little devil knew she was keeping him off balance.
 
    
Forcing himself to switch gears, he told her about the meeting, and before long they were going over the pros and cons of opening up yet a third club.
Club Ecstasy
in Vegas and
Club Fantasy
in New York were doing exceptionally well. They had attracted outside attention from investors wanting to put their money on a sure bet. If things continued to go well, they were looking to hit Atlanta next. At Bryan and Roni’s urging, Darrell was becoming more and more involved with the business aspect of the club. He discovered he actually had a knack for it and caught on quickly.
    
After the meal, Darrell poured them both another glass of wine. A lull entered the conversation as the sexual tension weaved its way back into the room. Darrell sat back and took a swallow of his wine as he watched Roni.
    
“Are you ready for dessert?” she asked.
    
“Uh-huh.” This time he definitely wasn’t talking about food.
    
Deliberately misunderstanding him, Roni stood up. “Good. I know you don’t indulge too often, so you’ll enjoy this treat even more.”
    
His eyes ran over her body, pausing as he caught sight of the garter when the short dress rode up her thigh. “I’m sure I will.”
    
The look in his eye was sizzling hot and singed every inch of Roni’s body. She gave him a smoldering look in return as she slowly backed away.
    
“Patience, baby…”
    
Darrell's eyes tracked every move she made. “You already know I’m not big on patience.”
    
“It won’t be long. I promise.”
    
Darrell’s nostrils flared as he took a deep breath and fought to control his libido. They hadn’t had sex last night nor this morning, which was a rarity for them. He had a powerful sex drive and Roni knew he wanted it when, where, and however the mood struck – like now.
    
Smiling, Roni turned and went to the kitchen. Opening the freezer, she took out the piece of sinfully, decadent ice cream cake. Darrell had fallen in love with it the moment he’d tasted it, but as health conscious as he was, he only allowed himself to eat it every once in a while. Roni could feel herself gaining five pounds just looking at it.
    
The vanilla ice cream was made in the restaurant and was like nothing they'd ever tasted. The entire concoction was three layers of the ice cream, cake, and whipped cream, all topped with sprinkles of chocolate shavings and morsels of chocolate chips.
    
As she walked back in the room with the dish, Darrell’s eyes were instantly drawn to his favorite treat. Roni laughed when his gaze never wavered.
    
“Push your chair back.”
  
    
When Darrell complied, Roni lifted her leg over to straddle him so that they were face to face. She picked up a spoon from the table and scooped up a taste.
    
“Open wide.”
    
Darrell obediently opened his mouth and closed his eyes as she fed him the dessert. Second to Roni, this was heaven.
    
“Mmmm….” Sounds of utter enjoyment rolled from his throat as he slowly savored the sweet dish which topped off an excellent meal. He shook his head from side to side. “Baby, if I didn’t already love you so much, this woulda definitely done it.”
    
Roni laughed as she continued to feed him. After about four delectable bites, guilt settled on his face when he realized she wasn’t eating any.
    
“Oh. You want some?”

    
“Mmhm. I want some.”
   
The way Roni was sitting on him, her warm center rested inches away from his semi-hard erection. She moved up a couple of inches and pressed the searing heat burning between her legs over his length. Darrell looked down to where their bodies touched and instinctively did a slow grind to push into her softness.
         
His eyes found hers as his hands grasped her hips. Roni scooped up another spoonful of the dessert and slipped it into his mouth. This time, she leaned down and gave him a slow, sensual kiss. Her tongue delved into his mouth as she tasted the creamy sweetness.
    
“Delicious,” she whispered.
    
Darrell’s eyes were a smoky gray as Roni circled her hips and slid up and down his thick meat. The spoon she was holding dripped a dollop of melted ice cream on her chest. Darrell watched the tempting trail of sticky cream slowly roll down her cleavage.
    
He took the plate out of her hand and put it on the table in front of them. Sliding his hands around to cup her ass cheeks, he firmly pressed her opening against his straining dick. Roni’s head fell back as he brought his mouth to her chest and followed the ice cream’s path with his tongue. He opened his mouth over her heated skin and sucked the top of her breasts before snaking his tongue down the valley in between.
    
When the very tip of his tongue greedily came in contact with a nipple dark and chocolaty enough to rival any of the chocolate chips he’d just tasted, Roni let out a tortured cry as she struggled to remember how to breathe. Her hands found their way to the back of his neck and pulled him closer. Darrell’s fingers slipped under the brief scrap of material that passed for a thong and groaned as he came in contact with pure, creamy fire.
    
“
Thatfeelssogood….
” The sentence came out sounding like one word. Roni forcibly lifted his head and dislodged his lips from their determined mission, which was to drive her insane, and held his face cradled between her palms as her mouth ravenously, impatiently, and
insatiably
fed the obsessive hunger she knew she would never be able to satisfy. Roni freely admitted she was like a stone cold addict when it came to Darrell, and he was her addiction, her drug of choice - and she had no desire to kick this habit.
    
“I want you, Roni. Don’t make me wait any longer.”
    
“No, baby. No more waiting…” Giving him a final hungry kiss she stood up and blew the candles out. “Give me a minute.”
    
“Roni…”
    
“Just a minute. I promise.”