A Tempting Proposal (Kimani Romance) (6 page)

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

I
mani 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.

As the production assistant led her down the hallway, she heard Jimmy King tell the listeners they would go on a commercial break and return with a member of Elite Events Incorporated. Seconds later, she was being escorted into the recording room.

“Hello, Jimmy. It’s very nice to see you again,” Imani stated as she extended her hand.

“Nice to see you, too, Imani.” Jimmy returned her handshake and continued with introductions. “This is Tammy and right next to her is Monique.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Imani replied as she returned their handshakes.

“Uh, aren’t you forgetting somebody?” Tommy said in a high-pitched, yet deep voice.

“Oh, yeah, and on the end there is my best friend Tommy,” Jimmy added.

Imani laughed as she shook Tommy’s hand, thinking that the two were as funny in person as they were on the air.

“Nice to meet you, too, Tommy.”

“Likewise,” Tommy said.

Imani was prepped and ready for her interview in no time.

“All right, welcome back everybody. Here with us today is Ms. Imani Rayne from Elite Events Incorporated here in Chicago. If y’all don’t know them, you better ask somebody. Welcome to the show, Imani.”

“Thanks for having me, Jimmy. I’m very happy to be here.”

“Folks, I attended a very extravagant birthday party for Jennifer Hudson a couple months ago, and I was blown away by what these women did. Imani, why don’t you tell the listeners a little bit about yourself and your company.”

“Sure. Mya Winters, Cydney Rayne, Lexus Turner and I founded Elite Events Incorporated six years ago. Our event-planning business is among the top in the country and has earned us a recurring appearance in
Forbes Magazine
. Besides planning elaborate and elite events, we also publish a bimonthly magazine and own several Boys & Girls Clubs across the Midwest. There is a strong need for Elite Events in this society, and my partners and I will continue growing our business by taking our company to new heights.”

“Hey, now,” Tammy chimed in with excitement. “What you ladies are doing at Elite Events Incorporated is inspirational.”

“Thank you, Tammy. We couldn’t have been successful without each other, our families and friends and all of our supporters who believed in us.”

“True for us all,” Jimmy said. “What other types of parties do you plan?”

“We plan everything,” Imani responded. “Corporate events, birthdays, weddings, festivals, concerts, album-release parties, movie-release parties...you name it, we can plan it. We’ve even planned a family reunion.”

“Ah, naw,” Jimmy said. “You mean to tell me that there was a family out there who paid you to contact all their family to plan a reunion?”

“Yes,” Imani said with a laugh. “Actually, we’ve planned several.”

“Well, folks, I’ve heard it all. Paying somebody to deal with your family because you don’t want to. Imani, we wish you the best in your continued success with Elite Events Incorporated. Okay, now I would like to talk about your role in the First Annual Performance and Achievement Awards Gala this year.”

Soft music began playing indicating that they needed to take a break.

“On second thought, wait until after the break to give the listeners details on that event. Ladies and gentlemen, when we come back, we’re going to hear more from Imani, and we have another special guest here with us today.”

They were all still laughing at Jimmy’s last comment about family reunions as they went off air.

“Looks like our other guest is here,” Tommy said, interrupting the laughter and leaving the recording room. As Imani turned toward the glass window to see who Tommy was greeting, her laugh stopped short. His back was to her, but she had no doubt in her mind whom that back belonged to.

“Oh, goodness,” Imani whispered to herself. Apparently, she didn’t whisper low enough because she got the attention of Tammy and Monique.

“Hmm, who is that?” Monique asked.

“That’s Daman Barker,” Tammy answered. “I guess Tommy told Jimmy we should have him on the show.”

“We’re both planning the gala,” Imani added. “I didn’t know he was going to be on the show. Does he personally know Tommy?”

“Tommy said they met during his days of stand-up comedy,” Tammy responded.

Imani was trying to remain calm, although she was far from it. She could
not
believe his nerve. Daman knew she would be on the show and deliberately chose not to tell her that he would be there, too. Even worse, she bet he wasn’t even interested until she’d mentioned something.

“What am I missing out on over there?” Jimmy said loudly. Daman turned at the sound of Jimmy’s voice and his eyes locked to Imani’s. As Tommy and Daman walked back inside the recording room, Imani wished she could wipe that smug look off his face.

Tommy introduced him to the others before coming to her. One look at Tommy and she could tell she’d been set up. He was grinning way too hard.

“Hello, Imani,” Daman said in a husky voice.

“Hello,” Imani responded, trying to sound as casual as possible. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Tommy and I go way back,” Daman said, grasping Tommy by the shoulder. “I told him the show would be so much better if both the planners of the gala were present.”

Imani highly doubted that’s how their conversation went but chose not to say anything. The crew quickly prepped Daman for on air and just her luck, they sat him next to her.

“Okay, folks, we’re back, and I’m with Imani Rayne and our new guest, co-planner of the Black Enterprise First Annual Performance and Achievement Awards Gala, Mr. Daman Barker. Daman, we’re glad to have you on the show.”

“Thanks for having me, Jimmy.”

“Now, before the break, Imani was going to tell us about the gala, but either of you feel free to answer. Let’s start with telling the people what exactly is the gala.”

Imani took the first question. “Black Enterprise has thrown over fifteen entrepreneur conferences and expos that allowed business owners the opportunity to network with other business owners and learn the keys to owning a successful business. This year, they are throwing their First Annual Performance and Achievement Awards Gala that will be the premier destination event for business owners and entrepreneurs. The companies being honored at this event are companies that have demonstrated success in all areas and resulted in proven success in their business.”

“I’ve personally attended quite a few of their conferences and they are definitely something all business owners and entrepreneurs must go to,” Jimmy said. “Now, will this event be open to the public?”

Imani nodded for Daman to answer this question. “The gala is by invite only, however, all of our pre-events are open to the public.”

As Daman continued to explain the different workshops going on, Imani was still trying to figure out what she would do to get him back. She hated being tricked and even more, she hated surprises. Daman had been doing both ever since they met. She was so wrapped in her thoughts, she realized she’d missed a little more of the conversation than she’d planned.

“I’ve planned a lot of successful business events, but I have two full-time day jobs.”

Two? What is the second one?

“I’m vice president of Barker Architecture, and I’m the newest partner of R&W Marketing.”

Imani’s eyes grew wide in surprise. He couldn’t be talking about the company that her neighborhood friends, Taheim and Jaleen owned.

“That’s right,” Tammy said. “I remember seeing an article about the partnership last month.”

Imani couldn’t believe how out of touch she was. Not only was she an extremely detailed person but also very good at noticing a curveball before it was thrown. Apparently, she was losing her touch.

She noticed Jimmy and Tammy observing her closely and attempted to take her eyes off Daman. But the more he talked, the more she became fascinated with how little she knew about him.

“Oh, okay,” Jimmy chimed in, interrupting Daman. “I see what all that chatter was about before we went on air. Y’all got a thang going on between you, right?” Jimmy motioned his hands between Daman and Imani.

“Absolutely not,” Imani answered with an edge to her voice. Daman laughed off the comment, which irritated her even more.

“Oh, yeah, I know I’m right. What do you think, Tammy?”

“Hmmm, I hate to say it Imani, but I agree with Jimmy. I can feel the chemistry between you and Daman.”

Great. Now everyone thought they had a
thing
going on.

“Daman, my man,” Tommy said. “Y’all got something going on?”

“What Imani and I have is our business,” Daman said with a laugh. “Besides, men never kiss and tell.”

Imani gave Daman a swift punch in the arm. She couldn’t believe the audacity of him and the fact that the radio cast was laughing so hard was making the situation that much worse.

“Listeners, if looks could kill, Daman would be dead right now.”

Imani sunk a little more in her seat, thinking about how many of her friends and family members were listening to the show. Daman must have sensed her discomfort and took pity on her because he tried to clean up the situation.

“Imani is a beautiful, talented and educated woman. However, we aren’t dating. Secret or otherwise.”

“Okay, playa,” Jimmy said, dismissing Daman’s comment.

“Well, Imani and Daman, it’s been great having you on the show, and I must say that I definitely didn’t think we’d be making love connections today, but hey, on
The Jimmy King Morning Show
anything’s possible. I wish you both the best of luck with your businesses and your budding romance.”

“Jimmy! Leave them alone,” Tammy reprimanded right before the break music went on.

Imani and Daman both thanked Jimmy and the cast before leaving the recording room. When they were on the other side of the glass window, Imani grabbed Daman by the arm and led him to a corner by the door.

“You work with Taheim and Jaleen?”

Now it was Daman’s turn to look surprised. She assumed he was taken aback because she stated the names as if she knew them personally.

“Yes, they’re my partners,” he answered, leaning against the wall. “We announced our partnership last month. How do you know them?”

“Our families have been friends for decades. I grew up with both of them, but I haven’t seen them in a while. I’ve been very busy, too busy— clearly.”

She recalled the invitation she’d declined when her partners went out with Taheim and Jaleen for drinks. “Did you know about me before we met with Mr. and Mrs. Sims?”

“No, I didn’t know you. Your name was brought up during a meeting with Taheim and Jaleen days after we met, but they never mentioned knowing you personally.”

Imani looked into his eyes and could tell he was telling the truth. Apparently, they had both been misled. She was going to kill her friends for not telling her that Daman was partners with Taheim and Jaleen. As much as they kept in contact with Taheim and Jaleen, there was no way they hadn’t known.

She was trying her best to remain angry at Daman for secretly bombarding her on-air time. Yet, all she could think about was how Daman’s scent was doing crazy things to her body. Being close to him was never a good thing since she had to concentrate extremely hard to try to keep her body temperature leveled.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Daman said to Imani. “Or I’m liable to kiss you again.”

“Not here,” Imani replied. “I mean, not ever.”

“Not ever, really?”

The lower part of her body knew she was lying. “We’ll see,” she said, feeling a little bolder than usual.

Jimmy’s voice filled the room, disrupting the moment. “If y’all two are finished wooing one another, I’d like to get on with my show.” Imani glanced around trying to figure out how he could hear their conversation when he was in the recording room. More important, how could she hear him so clearly?

“Daman, would you please flip that switch that you’re leaning on so we won’t hear you and Imani in the background,” Jimmy said with a laugh. “Listeners, if you could see the way these two are looking into each other’s eyes, mark my words, we’re making love connections on
The Jimmy King Morning Show
today.”

Daman flipped the switch, but it was a little too late. Imani couldn’t recall ever being this embarrassed. She was a private person and being teased on a popular radio show about issues she hadn’t even faced yet, was not her idea of fun.

“I need to leave,” Imani said as she rushed from the room.