A Tempting Proposal (Kimani Romance) Read online

  “You’re still young and have plenty of time to find the right man to settle down with.”

  Imani used to feel like a loving marriage was in her future, but over the past few years, her life had been an emotional roller coaster. Building a lasting relationship with someone was the last thing on her mind.

  “I once thought that I would find the kind of love that inspired authors to write books but I don’t think a love like that is in my future anymore.”

  “Well, my dear, you may be saying love isn’t in your future, but your eyes seem to crave a special love that will last forever. No one knows what their future holds, Imani.”

  She understood what Vicky was trying to imply. “You sound like my mother.”

  Vicky winked. “Must be a smart woman.”

  Just as their conversation was ending, the rest of the group joined them.

  “Let’s continue with the tour,” Vicky said to the group. “Then we can sit down and go over what needs to be done first. Much of the planning is already in the works.”

  As the tour continued, Vicky’s words lingered in the air. Imani knew that Vicky was right. She didn’t know what her future held. What she did know was that she gave up on her romantic, girlish wishes years ago when she decided to devote her time to her family and her company. Those were her two main loves and all she really needed in life. Not an even trade-off, but she was satisfied...or so she kept telling herself.

  Chapter 8

  Later that evening, Daman and Imani were still at the Georgia World Congress Center, working hard on plans for the gala. They’d met with members of Black Enterprise that afternoon and were anxious to get down to business.

  Although there were plenty of volunteers bustling around the office in the center, Daman was aware of every move Imani made. She was wearing a cream dress that was extremely flattering on her figure and her hair was in an updo, which showed off her high cheekbones and flawless makeup. He couldn’t hide his appreciation for her style and was pretty sure others had noticed, as well.

  It was almost 8:00 p.m. and the volunteers were finally wrapping up the day.

  “I’m going to walk out the volunteers,” Vicky said to Daman and Imani. “Then I have some last-minute paperwork to finish in my office. Are you both ready to leave?”

  Daman was ready to leave, but Imani appeared to be in the middle of a project. “Daman, would you mind if we stay for fifteen more minutes?” Imani asked.

  “No, I don’t mind,” Daman said as he took his laptop out of his bag and sat down at a nearby desk.

  After Vicky and the volunteers left, Daman was alone with Imani. She floated around the room with an armful of papers, reviewing large to-do charts that hung on the walls and occasionally cross-referencing the information with the papers in her stack. Daman noticed her rub the back of her neck several times as if she were trying to get out a knot. He was pretending to do research, but in reality, Imani interested him more than doing any planning at the moment.

  Imani stopped at the desk right across from Daman and plopped down her stack of papers. “I think I underestimated how tired I am,” she said as she rested her head on the desk. “When Vicky returns, I’ll be ready to leave.”

  Imani lifted her head and rolled her neck in a circular motion as she placed her hand on the back of her neck once more.

  “Would you like me to massage that knot out of your neck?” Daman asked as he placed his laptop back in his bag.

  Imani hadn’t responded and continued rubbing her neck. When her eyes finally connected with his, her slight nod gave him the confirmation he was waiting for. When Daman reached Imani, he pulled her chair away from the desk so he could have better access to her neck.

  When his hands initially touched her, she tensed under his grip. After a couple minutes of kneading the knot, Imani loosened up and relaxed. Her skin was as smooth as velvet and the soft moans escaping her lips sounded heavenly to his ears. He wished he was making her moan for another reason, but he’d take what he could get.

  “Right there, Daman, don’t stop,” Imani whispered. Daman shifted his weight and wondered if she was purposely saying things that would remind him of sex. Her voice was sensual and the deeper he kneaded the knot, the more she leaned into him.

  He wondered if she would make him stop if she realized he could see her lace bra peeking out of her dress. The dress wasn’t low cut, but as he towered over her while massaging her neck, he couldn’t help but look.

  Daman’s hands left her neck and ventured to her shoulders, performing a massage method that he usually saved for the bedroom. He’d been told by women that his hands were lethal, so naturally he began using this information to his advantage. He wondered how far Imani would let him go.

  “Thank you,” Imani said, breaking the direction of his thoughts. “I really appreciate it.” She pushed the chair even farther from the desk so she could stand.

  “My pleasure,” Daman replied as he held out his hand to assist her. Taking his hand, Imani pushed from the seat and lost her footing. Daman caught her by the elbow and pulled her into his embrace.

  He expected Imani to break from his grasp after she regained her balance. After several seconds, she remained in his arms...their faces mere inches from each other. His eyes ventured to her glossy, pink lips. He never noticed how great lip gloss looked on a woman before. Although he liked how it looked, he wanted to kiss her lips until there was no shine left. There was nothing sexier than a thoroughly kissed woman, and he could imagine Imani’s lips looked even better after being kissed.

  Her felt her breath quicken as her eyes darted from his eyes to his mouth, as if mirroring his own thoughts. He wanted to kiss her, nibble on her lips. All he needed was one taste to feed his curiosity. He slowly eased her onto the desk so she could maintain her balance. He kissed her neck, softly at first and then with a little tongue. She moaned in pleasure, grasping his head to keep him in place. But he didn’t want to kiss only her neck. He wanted more.

  Tilting his head, he eased his lips closer to hers and was rewarded by her tilting her head in the opposite direction to accommodate his request.

  Just as he was closing in on the lips he’d been thinking about all day, he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Daman wasn’t ready for Vicky to return, and he didn’t want to let Imani up from the desk. But the mood was over. Her eyes said as much.

  Pushing from the desk, he stood and helped her stand, as well.

  “That didn’t take long, did it?” Vicky asked as she walked into the office.

  “No,” Daman said rather quickly. Imani just nodded her head in agreement.

  Vicky stopped in her tracks and looked back and forth from Daman to Imani, understandably curious about the difference in their demeanors.

  “Are you two okay?” Vicky asked.

  “We’re fine,” Imani answered as she went back to gather her belongings.

  “Mmm, hmm. I wasn’t born yesterday, you know,” Vicky said, pointing her finger and eyeing them both. “But I’m good at pretending so I’ll act like I didn’t walk in on anything.”

  Imani smiled at Vicky’s comment as she picked up her things. Daman followed suit, choosing not to say anything, either.

  * * *

  The drive back to the hotel was quiet. Imani knew they were each caught up in their thoughts about the kiss they almost shared. As Daman accompanied her to her hotel room door, she fumbled with the key card. Positioning himself directly behind her, he placed his hand over hers to help guide the card slowly into the slot. The act was incredibly erotic.

  “Thank you,” she said as she opened her door.

  “You’re welcome.”

  As they stared deeply into each other’s eyes, Imani decided she had to make a move before he did. When they had been planning the gala, it was so easy being around him that she almost forgot she was on a mission to get the estate. But men like Daman always wanted to control the situation, and she needed to gain some ground.

 
“Would you like me to come in?”

  “Yes.”

  Imani walked into the room, kicking off her heels while taking the pins out of her hair. As she leaned down to open the bottom dresser drawer, she stopped. She’d thought Daman would make himself comfortable on the sofa. Instead, he was standing a couple feet away from her, his eyes watching her every move. He was giving her that half smirk again—the one she found so sexy—and the temperature in the room rose fifty degrees.

  “What are you thinking?”

  He looked her up and down, and she wondered if he was ever going to answer. Then he zoned in on her feet. “This is my first time seeing your bare feet.”

  Imani glanced down at her feet, not understanding why that mattered. “Okay, what’s your point?”

  “Well, your feet are perfectly pedicured. They look very...suckable.”

  He licked his lips as he spoke, and she felt her breath leave her chest.

  “I never took you for a foot man.”

  “There’s a lot you still don’t know about me. But we can fix that.”

  His statement caused her to blush, and she couldn’t think of a comeback soon enough. He must have sensed her discomfort, and to her relief, he changed the subject.

  “I admire your dedication and drive. You can tell that the student volunteers really admire all the advice you were giving them on planning events.”

  “Thanks. I admire your work ethic, too. I know you’ve planned events before, but considering it’s not your main source of business, I was very impressed with how much you know.”

  For a brief moment, neither said anything. Imani was assessing Daman and she was pretty sure he was doing the same to her.

  “Well, Miss Prim and Proper, I guess that means we have more in common than you thought. Imagine that.”

  His tone was cocky, and her face went from genuine to defensive in a matter of seconds.

  “I never thought that we didn’t have anything in common, but we do have different points of view on certain issues. You like to do things in your own time, and I like to get things done that need to get done. Our philosophies on life are different. Having a few similarities is to be expected. However, that doesn’t discount the number of differences we obviously have.”

  Imani hated how he loved to rattle her nerves, and how easy she was making it for him to do that.

  “We have plenty of similarities. But you put up a front with people you don’t know. With me, what you see is what you get.”

  She crinkled her nose at him.

  “Baby girl, the more you do that, the more turned on I get.”

  “I’m not your baby or your girl. And another thing, you use your bluntness to hide who you really are. You claim to be direct, yet you only say what you think people want to hear, not how you really feel. There’s a distinct difference.”

  He looked a little taken aback with her statement, which let her know she was close to the truth.

  “So you think you have me all figured out?”

  She thought about his sarcastic question. She didn’t think she had him all figured out, but she’d never admit that to him. When dealing with women, a man like Daman always had an agenda and in this case, he was baiting her.

  “Yes, I do. You aren’t as complicated as you’d like to think you are. There are many little things that I’m beginning to understand about your character, and sometimes your nonchalant attitude is misplaced.”

  She watched the amused expression leave his face and return in the same second.

  “So let me get this straight. You’re beginning to notice many little things about me. Your words, correct?”

  “Yes. Your point?”

  “Well, my point is that usually when a woman notices little things about a man, it’s because she’s interested in him. And every time I hint at you and I getting better acquainted, you make a face or frown.”

  “That’s because you’re irritating. When something irritates me, I can’t help but notice it, or in this case, notice you, every time some annoying comment comes out of your mouth.”

  “So you don’t deny being interested in me? Someone as arrogant and self-centered as myself?”

  She didn’t like where this conversation was headed. He worked her last nerve, and she couldn’t understand why she even let him get to her. Truth be told, she did like him. Any woman would be crazy not to notice how sexy he was, and she knew he found her attractive. She even liked their bickering at times, but Daman always wanted to be the winner, and Imani was never the type to lose easily. She thought he had learned that two could play this game, but apparently he needed a reminder—a reminder he wouldn’t forget.

  “Honestly, I was attracted to you the first day we met. You were sitting in that conference room looking every bit of sexy in that suit. When our eyes locked, I felt it instantly. You know, that strain of unreleased passion...that seductive pull...that pure animal lust...” she said in a soft purr.

  She could see he was trying hard to keep a straight face as she spoke. She felt the tension in his body even though she hadn’t touched him yet. She was slowly backing him into a corner of the hotel room, staring deep into his eyes as she did so. She’d always been told that she should never play poker because all of her emotions were written in her eyes. This time, she’d use it to her advantage. She decided to think about everything wet dreams were made of, which was easy considering Daman was her target. She knew that he realized it was a game because with them, it had been that way since the beginning. Yet she continued to draw him into her web, and when he hit the corner table, she knew his cards were up. Now all he could do was play by her rules.

  “Every time we are within ten feet of each other, I can’t help but imagine your lips kissing, licking and sucking on every inch of me, and in return, you letting me have my way with you to do any and everything I please. I don’t know what it is about you that makes me lose my damn mind with lust, but I can’t resist the craving to have you buried deep, deep inside of me any longer.”

  Imani was playing with fire, but she didn’t care. Seduction was all part of the game they had started, and she planned on finishing this round on top. Literally.

  By now, Daman was sitting on the table for support. Imani slowly hiked up her dress, revealing her shapely thighs, as she straddled him on the table. She loved how utterly defenseless he was now that she had taken charge. If she hadn’t been attracted to him, this side of her would have never come out. Imani hoped her next move would leave him speechless. She had to break his self-assurance.

  She inched closer and closer to his face. She slowly kissed his neck, then traced the outline of his ear with her tongue, making sure her touch was light and soft. She pulled his earlobe into her mouth and softly rolled the lobe with her tongue. She was rewarded by a shudder from Daman and repeated the same sweet torture to his other side. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she glanced at his lips. They looked ripe for the picking.

  The moment her lips touched his, she knew her suspicions were correct. He really did have a sexual hold on her that no man ever had before. Daman quickly took control of the kiss and slowly began to probe her lips apart. His tongue darted in and out like it was making love to her mouth. She met him stroke for stroke and ground herself on his manhood.

  Daman’s hands roamed everywhere as her hips increased in tempo. A soft moan escaped her lips, and Daman’s hands moved to grip her thighs so she wouldn’t fall off the table. Their tongues were playing a game of hide and seek, neither staying hidden for long. With each stroke of his tongue, she matched his movements, the butterflies in her stomach growing stronger than ever. Finally, his hands made their way to her behind. When she heard him moan in satisfaction, she knew she had to stop the kiss before it went any further.

  Looking into his eyes, she couldn’t believe a simple game had turned into one of the most passionate first kisses of her life. She could tell that neither one of them could really process how overwhelming that kiss was, which had
her wondering: who was seducing whom?

  She slid off Daman’s lap and attempted to compose herself. No such luck. Her dress was twisted, she knew her hair was a mess and her face felt flushed.

  Clearing his throat, Daman stood and adjusted his pants. She tried to will her eyes to look away from his aroused state, but she couldn’t. He was trying to hide it, but she wanted to tell him not to bother. She’d felt the effect she had on him, and she was sure neither of them would forget how good it felt anytime soon.

  “It’s been a pleasure, but I think I should be heading out.”

  Although his desire to depart was sudden, she was ultimately relieved because they both needed time to think about that kiss. Neither of them was in the right state of mind to deal with it at that moment.

  “Let me walk you out.”

  Daman hesitated when he reached the door, and Imani wondered if he would decide to turn the tables on her.

  Instead, he bent down to kiss her forehead and walked out the door.

  Chapter 9

  Imani arrived at the home of Z105 thirty minutes before she was due to go on air. Before she walked into the building, she smoothed out her black pencil skirt and checked the first buttons of her silk blouse, satisfied that she wasn’t showing too much cleavage. Once inside, she gave her name to the receptionist, who called to inform the production team that she had arrived.

  Imani was excited to be on The Jimmy King Morning Show and had been an avid listener for years. Elite Events had been lucky enough to throw a private birthday party for Jennifer Hudson after the company she originally hired failed to be responsive to her ideas. When Jimmy King expressed his appreciation for her work, she jumped at the opportunity to sarcastically suggest he have her on his show.