Chapter 10
ten
I mani Bishop was a calculating woman. When she set her mind on something she wanted, she went after it. There would be nothing stopping her from obtaining the object of her desires—and what she wanted was Wilheim Rusek.
“When did this all happen?” Mykeisha screeched on the phone. Imani grinned as she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. It was the night of the formal and she was putting the finishing touches on her makeup. Apparently, Will had shared with his brother that they had been intimate, who in turn had told Kizzie, which had now resulted in a three way call with Kizzie and Mykeisha.
“I was shocked when Niko told me, but then again, I’m not. Imani is gorgeous and successful. What man could resist her?” Kizzie giggled. Imani rolled her eyes, but Kizzie was right. What kind of man would be able to hold back from her? Imani was confident in her looks and with her body. Will had certainly loved what he’d seen since the first moment they had met.
When he’d brought up the ‘no relationships,’ she’d called his bluff. . The moment she’d mentioned going back to Atlanta, something had flashed in his eyes. The way that man had fucked her afterward had left them both exhausted, and they’d fallen into a deep sleep with their limbs entangled. Imani had been late the next day to her conference. Thankfully, she hadn’t had to present anything that morning. After the conference wrapped, they spent the rest of the day together with her staying at his place again. He’d dropped her off at the hotel the following morning so she could get prepared for the formal event.
“Don’t read too much into it,” Imani said. She administered her setting spray to her face and then stepped back to admire the result. She had gone to Kizzie’s hairdresser earlier and her hair looked like a million bucks. She ran her comb through it and the long dark strands fell in waves around her shoulders. “According to Will he doesn’t do relationships.”
Imani’s eyes automatically rolled as the words fell from her lips. Will didn’t know she was stubborn and always got what she wanted—and she was going to get her man.
“Oh, boy. Niko was the same way. It has something to do with their upbringing,” Kizzie said softly. Imani froze in place. She had wondered if there was something to his past by the way his demeanor changed when she tried to ask him about certain things. “Their parents were horrible,” Kizzie continued. “Abuse, drugs, and alcohol were involved. I’m just thankful that Will was able to leave and provide a home for him and Niko. If they’d stayed, there’s no telling what would have happened to them. They were so young and shouldn’t have had a life like that. Niko is such a great father. He wants to be everything his father wasn’t for him.”
Imani’s heart softened at the thought of a young Will having to take care of his brother. She assumed the two were close. Will’s face always lit up when he spoke of Niko or his nephew Kylen. The Rusek brothers had a special bond, and now she understood what he had meant when he’d said it had just been him and his brother. They hadn’t had a choice. They had only survived through turmoil because they had each other.
This made Imani even more determined. Did he think because of his parents, he didn’t deserve happiness and love? She paused. Did she love Will? It was too soon to tell, but she certainly had feelings for him. She wanted to be around him. She wanted to learn all about him. She wanted to know what made him smile, what his favorite foods were. And she especially wanted to spend lazy Sundays in bed with him doing nothing but exploring each other's bodies.
“Did y’all see Mandy’s most recent blog?” Mykeisha asked. Imani groaned at her friend’s infatuation with this online blogger. The Lunchtime Dish with Messy Mandy was popular, but Imani didn’t follow her. “Imani’s situation fits with it so perfectly. She was just talking about how in this day in age women need to go after men they feel are worthy of their presence.”
“I saw that one,” Kizzie exclaimed. “It was a really great read. It was refreshing to see how she talked about women needing to know their worth and pursuing men who are their equals. I hate when I see all these men online talking about how high valued men need submissive women. Mandy’s take was perfect.”
“Not you, too,” Imani laughed. She hadn’t known Kizzie was a fan of the drama loving gossip columnist. Imani was always kept up to date on the gossiper’s latest posts from Mykeisha, but to know Kizzie had gotten caught up in it too? Ridiculous.
“Yeah. I was a closet fan for a long time, but I’m out now,” Kizzie laughed. Imani glanced down at her phone and saw the time. It was almost time for Will to arrive. She wanted to be dressed when he showed up. She was excited to think of her man—yes, she was claiming him—in his tuxedo.
“Well, ladies, I do have to go. I need to finish getting dressed because Will’s going to be here soon,” she said. She picked up her phone and headed into the bedroom. Her dress hung in the closet while her heels were positioned on the floor by the bed.
“You have fun tonight. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Mykeisha said. Imani snorted thinking of how her friend had ditched her and Carla at their alumni weekend for her now husband Nash. They were supposed to do it up that weekend and party it up like the old days when they were undergraduates at the Ohio State University. Instead, Mykeisha disappeared and was with Nash the entire time, leaving Carla and Imani to run wild. Not that Imani was mad at the woman. It had been a long time coming and the two were meant for each other. “Or, matter of fact, girl, do what I did. Snag your man!”
“Seriously if you want him, snag him,” Kizzie chimed in. “Will is a good guy. He’s absolutely wonderful with Kylen. My son loves his uncle. Don’t listen to him. He’s as stubborn as his brother, if not more.”
“Don’t worry, ladies. I got this.” Imani had to promise to keep them both updated with what happened between her and Will, and the big meeting she had next week before they let her off of the call. She tossed her phone on the bed and went over to the closet to retrieve her dress. It was a beautiful design that was sexy and alluring. The silky gold material would complement her very well. It had a plunging neckline that would put her girls on display. It was form fitting and would show all of the curves Imani was blessed with.
This dress was a man catcher, and by the time the night was over, Will was going to be hers.
W ill couldn’t keep his eyes and hands off of Imani. The moment he first saw her in the dress, he’d been speechless. It hugged every curve he had come to know intimately. He didn’t think she had a bra on, and that alone was driving him crazy. The straps of the dress crossed in the back, leaving her smooth brown skin exposed. Once they had arrived to the ballroom, he had taken notice of how men watched her as she moved around. Imani was hands down the most beautiful woman there.
And she was with him .
He had no problem meeting the gaze of each man she’d introduced him to. For some reason when she’d used the term ‘friend’ when referring to him, it grated on his nerves.
Will walked alongside her as she navigated her way through the hotel ballroom. Just as he figured, there were quite a few bike enthusiasts who had heard of Precision Motors and tonight may lead to new business for the shop. He and Niko were in the process of expanding to keep up with their clientele and if they played their cards right, they’d soon have a second shop up and running.
Imani’s company had spared no expense when it came to decorating for this event. The lavish decor, live band, and the open bar were a great way to end a conference. Everyone was dressed to impress and the atmosphere was entertaining and light.
“Tom, how are you?” Imani paused to speak to a few men who stood near an ice sculpture. . The man in question turned at the sound of his name. He was a few inches shorter than Will, and was a little older with gray strands at his temples. The men speaking with Tom drew silent. Tom’s eyes fell on Imani and swept over her in a way that had Will narrowing his eyes on the man. He knew the look; it was that of a man who was interested in what he saw. Will quickly observed the group and they all had the same look in their eyes. Will moved closer to Imani and rested a casual hand on her waist.
“Imani. Look at you,” Tom said. Imani shook Tom’s hand. The other man glanced over at Will. Imani quickly did the introductions between him and the other men. Apparently, they were all from the same office back in Atlanta. Will ensured he gave each of them a warning squeeze when he shook their hands. He didn’t want them getting any ideas about Imani. She was there with him. “This is some party.”
“It is. It’s actually kind of fun,” Imani said. She moved to Will’s side and took his hand. Will felt something swell in his chest at her move. He liked how she reached for him.
“I hear you’ll be staying in town a little longer. Making big moves, I see,” the one named Jeff said. Imani laughed and shook her head. From what Imani had shared with Will, this meeting she had on Tuesday was a big deal. She hadn’t seemed sure of what was going to come out of it, but she had been excited about it.
“Big moves? I have no idea,” she said. “I’m sure it’ll just be a consult for the international offices or something. I’ll be back in Atlanta soon enough,” Imani said. She wagged a finger at them. “But don’t worry. I’ll be fair in charging them for my services.”
They moved on and Imani stopped and spoke with another group of people. Will didn’t mind her networking. She was a star, and he was in awe of how she moved and spoke with the other attendees. Everyone was captivated by her.
“I can have my secretary set something up, Alisha,” Imani was speaking with an older woman. The music changed to a slow song and Will glanced toward the dance floor. There were quite a few couples there already. He wasn’t big on dancing, but he wanted to get Imani to himself for a few moments.
“Let’s dance,” he murmured in her ear. She glanced up at him with a smile on her lips. She nodded and turned back to the woman she was speaking with.
“It looks like I’m being swept away. I’ll talk to you soon,” Imani smiled. She shook the woman’s hand. Alisha’s gaze roamed over Will’s body in a way that made his skin crawl. Even if he hadn’t been with Imani, he wouldn’t have given her a second look. But that didn’t matter. Imani had his full attention tonight.
“Don’t keep a man like him waiting, my dear. He might get scooped up by someone else,” Alisha said and boldly winked at Will. He held back a scowl and tugged slightly on Imani’s hand wanting to leave the other woman’s presence as quickly as possible.
“Oh, don’t worry. He’s not going anywhere.” Imani turned toward him and he suddenly had the feeling that her words were meant for him. He reached up and caressed her face.
“Come on,” he murmured. He took her hand in his again and led her away.
“Can you believe her? Openly flirting with you while I’m standing right there,” Imani muttered. She had an unladylike scowl embedded on her face and Will tried not to laugh. When they arrived at the makeshift dance floor, he pulled her into his arms and began to sway softly to the music. He didn’t have much in the way of skill when it came to dancing, but he could manage a slow number with a sexy woman in his arms.
“Well, you did introduce me to her as your friend,” he said.
Imani didn’t say a word as she studied him. She lifted her arm and rested it on his shoulder while she pulled her other hand out of his grasp and rested it on his chest.
“Does that bother you?” she asked softly. He pulled her closer so she could feel how he truly felt about her. His cock was pushing against his pants. Her eyes widened while her lips parted slightly.
“Does this feel friendly to you?” he rasped. Will didn’t like the term at all. It didn’t fit what was between them. He didn’t know exactly what this was, but it certainly wasn’t a platonic relationship. He didn’t have sex with friends, and he certainly didn’t get jealous when other men looked at them.
Imani belonged to him.
He swallowed hard. Could he be the man she needed? His hands shook at the thought and he tightened them on her hips. What if he let her down? What if he ended up like his father? His brother was succeeding in his relationship, but was he as strong as Niko? Could he make this work between them?
“It feels like it’s something we should explore,” Imani replied. Her tongue snuck out and slid along her bottom lip drawing his attention to it. Memories of watching his cock slide into her mouth made his pants feel entirely too tight. “I understand you not wanting to be in a committed relationship, but what if we didn’t label it and just did us and see where it goes?”
A possessiveness filled him as he considered her words.
Deep down he wanted her.
Maybe it was time to toss caution to the wind and take a chance.
He wasn’t getting any younger, but his brother’s warning re-surfaced. He would never hurt Imani. He would walk away before he’d do that.
But she belonged to him. He knew it as much as he knew he needed air to breathe. How could he not label what was between them.
He would man up and make the leap.
Imani deserved that.
She deserved all the happiness in the world and if she wanted him , then he’d do everything in his power to give her what she wanted and needed.
“I want you, Imani.”
Her face lit up at his announcement. She pulled his head down to her and offered her lips to him. He wasted no time in claiming them. Her fingers entwined themselves in his hair and he had to remind himself that they were in public—at a work function. He lifted his head slightly and looked down into her beautiful face. She smiled at him and his heart stuttered.
“Then you shall have me.”