LITMIR.BIZ

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a pair of matching pumps for the evening. The dress was long, with a slit for ease of movement. She tightened her gray wrap around her shoulders to shield herself from the subzero air-conditioning as she went to the front desk to sign in and obtain her paddle.

      After securing her paddle, she moved through the well-appointed corridor toward the suite where the auction would be held. The place had an aristocratic feel due to the decor; cream-colored wallpaper imprinted with a gold brocade pattern, dark maple furniture that looked more like artwork than something to sit on. The windows were covered by velvet drapes the color of eggplants, and the floors were covered with thick Berber carpet in the same shade. Side tables held dramatic floral arrangements of tall white calla lilies in gold vases, ceramic figurines and crystal dishes displaying wax fruit.

      She entered the suite and found it was decorated in the same fashion. The room had been arranged with rows of chairs much less fancy than the ones in the lobby, but still plush and cushioned. A center aisle had been created to separate the seats into two sections. All the chairs faced a raised platform in the front of the room where a podium and microphone were set up. There was no one else there, and that made her smile. As the first to arrive she had her pick of seats, so she moved toward one on the front row of the left section, bordering the aisle.

      She was just about to ease her behind onto the thick burgundy cushion when she heard a male voice.

      “Lina, is that you?”

      She recognized the deep timbre of it right away, and her eyes slid shut. She straightened and turned slowly toward the voice, all the while willing her instincts to be wrong.

      They were not.

      When she opened her eyes, she saw Rashad standing at the back of the room near the door she’d just come through.

      He looked so handsome he threatened to take her breath away. He wore a coal-black suit with a soft blue shirt and black-and-blue-striped tie. The suit was cut to fit his tall, muscular frame, and was well complemented by the black wing tips on his feet.

      Her eyes traveled up to his face, and to the thing about him that had always made her knees go weak: his hair. The impeccably maintained dreadlocks he wore were wound and bound low on his neck. But since she’d spent many a night running her hands through his hair, she knew it was long enough to reach the middle of his back. God, he was sexy.

      While she sat there on the verge of drooling, he steadily moved closer to her.

      He spoke again, his voice cutting into her fantasy. “It is you. It’s good to see you again, Lina.”

      “I...uh... It’s good to see you, too.” She stammered the response, disarmed by his striking good looks and easy manner.

      He smiled, his soft, full lips spreading to reveal his perfect pearl-white teeth. “This is so funny. I haven’t seen you in months, and this is the first place I run into you. What brings you here?”

      She blinked several times as she struggled to remember why she’d come, or even where she was. What was it about this man that made her brain function slow down to a crawl?

      He regarded her for a few silent moments as if waiting for her to answer his question.

      Realizing she would never be able to answer him while looking at all his sexiness, she shut her eyes. That seemed to kick her brain back into gear, because she was finally able to respond. “I want to buy the piano.”

      “Monk’s piano?”

      She nodded, opened her eyes. “I don’t think there are any other pianos up for sale.”

      He released a low, sexy chuckle. “Looks like we’re after the same thing, then.”

      She drew in a deep breath. She knew from her time with Rashad that he loved Thelonious Monk just as much as her mother did, if not more. She’d been so focused on getting the piano, she hadn’t even thought about the chance he might know about the auction and make an appearance.

      He strolled up the aisle, taking the seat opposite her in the right section. His manner was as maddeningly casual as always.

      Not knowing what else to do or say, she sat down. There was still a good hour or so until the auction would begin. In the meantime, she fished around in her handbag and pulled out her phone. Generally she considered it gauche to use a phone in a setting like this, but she’d do just about anything to avoid looking at the painfully handsome man seated across from her.

      She was scrolling through her Twitter feed when she sensed someone else entering the room. She looked up, swiveled her head.

      Walking up the aisle was a short, ebony-skinned elderly woman. Attired in a green pantsuit, matching flats and an abundance of shimmering gold jewelry, she leaned on a pearl-handled cane as she made her way toward the front.

      Rashad stood and offered his arm. “Let me help you to your seat, Mrs....”

      The woman offered a soft smile as she accepted his assistance. “Parker. Julianne Parker. Thank you, young man.”

      Once Mrs. Parker was seated a couple of chairs to the right of Rashad, she leaned her cane against the next seat.

      Lina kept her gaze on her phone as Mrs. Parker chatted with Rashad. She could hear snippets of their conversation, and it seemed Mrs. Parker was also there for the piano. Lina sighed under her breath. Just how many people would she be competing against to get the damn piano, anyway?

      The room began to fill with people as the start of the auction drew nearer. As seats around her began to fill, Lina set her phone to vibrate and tucked it away. Looking around the room, she took in the faces of the other bidders. She had no way of knowing how many of them would also be going after the piano.

      The sound of Rashad’s humming invaded her thoughts. Hearing that throaty sound reminded her of how well he could sing. Truth be told, the brother could blow. He had a killer tenor that reminded her of a cross between Luther Vandross and Miguel—the kind of voice that made a woman’s panties just fall off. She could clearly recall the late nights he’d serenaded her as she lay in his strong arms.

      She glanced over at him, and he flashed one of his unforgettable megawatt grins in her direction.

      She sank down into her chair.

      It was going to be a long night.

      * * *

      Rashad glanced across the aisle at Lina, who looked as if she wanted to disappear. She seemed uncomfortable with running into him; he, on the other hand, was thrilled to see her. He’d been all set to come here tonight and put all his focus on winning the bid for the piano. Having her here simply meant he could accomplish two goals at the same time.

      She was gorgeous in the figure-hugging sleeveless dress she wore. The slit up the side was parted now, allowing him a full view of her long, beautiful bronze legs. She sat demurely, legs crossed like any good belle would do. Her short-cropped hair was carefully coiffed and curled into the edgy style that framed her lovely angular face so perfectly. She wore very little makeup, and as always, his eyes were drawn to the shiny, plum-colored lip gloss she favored.

      He could clearly recall the slightly sweet flavor of that lip gloss from the last time he’d kissed her. That had been months ago. Far too long for his tastes. The longer he looked at her, the more his groin tightened with desire. There was something about the way she carried herself that drove him mad with wanting. Now that she was here, sharing the same space with him, he wanted her just as badly as he wanted Monk’s piano.

      What if he could have them both, make them both his in one night? Wouldn’t that be something?

      In his mind’s eye, he saw himself sitting on the bench, in front of the grand piano, his hands poised above the keys. On top of the polished lacquer surface of the piano’s top, he saw Lina. Dressed in a teal sequined dress that barely grazed the tops of her shapely thighs, she lay on her stomach, facing him. The swell of her breasts threatening to spill out of the dress, she fixed him with a come-hither stare that set his blood on fire. Her round hips and shapely long legs, capped

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