Andre nodded, a twinge of a smile tugging at his lips. “Ready to go?” he finally asked, words low and husky. “I sure don’t want to spend one more minute of my last night with you sitting in this room.”
“Yeah,” she told him, pulling her purse strap over her shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”
The best feature of Andre’s cramped studio apartment was the oversized Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, which he had filled with strawberry-scented water. He climbed in first, settled down among the frothy bubbles, and then extended a hand to help Riana in. Muted candlelight bathed the room with a golden glow, highlighting Riana’s perfect figure while teasing it with flickering shadows. Andre’s gaze swept from her long, bronze legs, to the curve of her hips, to her heart-shaped face framed in light-brown hair, worn parted on the side, swinging against her cheek.
Andre kept his eyes on Riana as she slipped down in front of him and settled on her knees, the fluffy bubbles reaching only to her waist. Dipping one hand into the water, he scooped up a handful of the sweet-smelling foam and lathered it over her shoulders, her neck, her firm round breasts, pausing to rotate his thumbs over her dark, pointed nipples. Riana moaned and edged closer, bringing her own sexy scent to him.
Andre inhaled sharply, and then ducked his head and feathered his tongue over her shoulder, licking away the strawberry-scented bubbles clinging to her skin, while his hands made their way around to her back to bring her flush against his chest.
The feel of her body pressed to his, so wet and slick and smelling so good made Andre grow hard in an instant. He covered her lips with his in a bold, demanding kiss while he worked one hand down her spine, onto her thighs, and into the tangle of curly hair between her legs. Her gasp of pleasure broke off their kiss, forcing Andre to lean back and gaze at her for a short, sweet moment, entranced by her golden-brown eyes. She smiled at him. He crushed his mouth to her neck and held his breath in his lungs, clinging to her for one last time, fearing what the next day would bring.
When Riana shifted and parted her legs, Andre rose on his knees and cradled her hips with both hands, his fingers locked as he pulled her to him. Inch by inch she moved closer, slick with soap, radiating her own sugary heat.
With a gentle lift, he easily slipped inside her, moaning aloud, and not caring that tears had sprung unexpectedly into his eyes. A swirl of emotions inundated him, cascading through his body: sadness, regret, longing and fear.
She’s leaving tomorrow and I have to let her go, he told himself. Maybe I can’t hold on to her forever, but I can make love to her tonight in a way that she will never forget, sending her off with the knowledge that I’ve given her all I have.
Determined to savor this final night in her arms, he knew he’d have to use a great deal of restraint to make sure that he satisfied Riana completely before he lost all control. With their bodies joined, Andre felt the burn of his need for Riana trace through his veins. She rocked with him, gripping his shoulders, arching her back, her legs around his waist, holding nothing back. It excited him to feel the raw sensuousness of her passion, to know that she was in total surrender as their soul-searing rhythm churned the sparkling bubbles. For as long as he could hold her, he tasted and teased and explored her bronze body, moving deeper and deeper into their own erotic world until they climaxed together and collapsed.
Later, lying in bed with Riana’s damp hair pressed into his chest, Andre cradled her tenderly. He felt strangely agitated, yet content. A shiver of sorrow descended as he mentally surrendered to Riana’s decision. He loved her. He craved her. But he’d have to learn to live without her.
She was right. There was no way they could make plans for a future. What did he have to offer a successful, smart woman like Riana? He was still a struggling student while she had her master’s degree, a secure career and would soon be a VP with a major financial institution. He was a construction worker with rough hands, a paycheck that barely covered his living expenses, and a wardrobe that consisted of jeans, work boots and a few dress shirts, while she wore chic designer clothes and thought nothing of dropping a few hundred dollars for dinner in a fine restaurant.
Her life was on a fast track to success, while his was tentative, unstable and shrouded in past mistakes. It hurt so much to admit that she was right, they didn’t belong together, and it would be selfish of him to pressure her about it. She deserved more than he could offer, and until he accomplished what he planned to do, he didn’t deserve her love.
Chapter 1
San Antonio, Texas, four years later
After the producer’s assistant attached a small black microphone to the lapel of Riana’s burgundy suit, he gave her a thumbs-up and disappeared into the dark shadows surrounding the brightly lit set. Riana stared at the television camera that was positioned directly in front of the sofa where she was sitting and took a deep breath, eager to get the interview started. She crossed her hands and placed them in her lap, making sure that her silver watch, her Tiffany charm bracelet and the diamond-and-ruby ring on her right hand were angled toward the camera.
Her mind clicked through the short list of talking points that she wanted to address, hoping that Sheri Sherman, the host of Community Business Focus, would not hog the interview, as she was known to do. Sheri was a gregarious, energetic television personality who conducted extensive research on the major players in the local business community and loved to pass along her knowledge in a chatty, informal style. It was well known that her guests had to seize control of the interview from the beginning. However, an appearance on Sheri’s half-hour show could be more valuable than a sixty-second prime-time commercial, and every businessperson in San Antonio coveted an invitation to sit down and talk with her.
“Let’s do it,” Sheri called out to the floor director as she swept onto the set and sat down in the fake Louis xv armchair next to the sofa. She was dressed in a bold red pantsuit with black satin lapels. The ruby and silver beads around her neck were oversized, dramatic and genuine; as were the rings she was wearing on each finger. With a flip of her long thin braids, she turned to Riana and blessed her with a wide grin. “You ready, girlfriend?”
“Absolutely,” Riana replied, licking her lips and praying that she didn’t have lipstick on her teeth. Too late now, she told herself as the director counted down from five and then leveled a pointed finger in Sheri’s direction.
“Hello, everyone,” Sheri began. “Welcome to Community Business Focus, where you get to meet the up-and-coming business leaders of our city. My guest today is Riana Cole, CEO of Executive Suites, Inc., an executive search firm based here in San Antonio.” Sheri shifted slightly and turned her attention to Riana, flashing another TV-perfect smile. “I’m so happy to have you here with me today, Riana.”
“My pleasure,” Riana replied in her most professional tone.
“How about a little background. You’re a native of San Antonio, aren’t you?”
“Correct. Born and raised right here, though I did leave to attend the University of Texas at Austin, and after getting my undergraduate and my master’s degree in Economics there, I came back home. I love this city and wouldn’t think of living anywhere else.”
“I know what you mean. You still have family here?”
“Only a sister. My parents retired and moved to San Marcos in the Hill Country a few years ago, but they come back to the city quite often. It’s hard to leave San Antonio completely.”
“So true, so true. But San Marcos is just up the road. I know it means a lot to have family nearby.”
