Promises We Make. Pamela Yaye

looked in his tailored suit. Desire surged through her. She was ending the year off on a bang, and as she crossed the room toward her table, she could see the stunned expressions on her girlfriends’ faces. Smiling like a beauty pageant winner, she lifted her chin and added more bounce to her step. For the first time ever, she was leaving a party with the hottest man in the room. It was a heady, intoxicating feeling.

      “Welcome back, Dirty Diana!” Roxi joked.

      Jeanette pointed at Niveah’s empty cocktail glass. “Blame it on the alcohol is right! Exactly how many mai tais did you have?”

      “I’m not drunk. That’s not what this is about. We … we really connected.”

      “I know, we saw. Saw his hands connect with your breast, your ass and—”

      Niveah cut Roxi off. “I’m going up to Damien’s room,” she explained, collecting her things. “I just wanted you guys to know where I was going so you wouldn’t be worried.”

      “Slow down, Miss Thang. Before you rush off, let me lay down the ground rules for you.”

      “What ground rules?”

      “For having a one-night stand,” Roxi explained, sticking out her right thumb. “Don’t share any personal information, use protection and the most important rule of all …”

      Niveah was surprised to find herself hanging on to Roxi’s every word. “Okay, okay, I got it. If it’s not too late, I’ll give you guys a ring when I get home.”

      “I don’t care what time you get in. Call me. I want to hear all the scandalous details!”

      Niveah hugged her girlfriends, grabbed her purse and marched off.

      “She’ll have second thoughts before she reaches the elevator.”

      “You don’t think she’ll go through with it?” Jeanette asked, watching their friend depart.

      Roxi snickered. “There’s no way in hell!”

       Chapter 2

      Damien studied his gold Concord watch. He’d been waiting in the lobby for fifteen minutes, but there was still no sign of Niveah. Where was she? Had she changed her mind? The curvy, fresh-faced beauty could have any man she wanted in the grand ballroom, and there was a very good chance she’d hooked up with someone else.

      He raked a hand over his head, trying to decide what to do next. In an effort to regroup, Damien breathed in deeply through his nose. He considered returning to the party to scope out another playmate lookalike, but decided against it. The truth was, he didn’t want anyone else. He wanted the sister with the curly hair, caramel complexion, and smokin’ hot body.

      To block out the images of Niveah flashing in his mind, Damien shut his eyes. It didn’t help. He saw them kissing, fondling, tearing at each other’s clothes. Just as he was about to hit the climax of his X-rated dream, he heard someone call his name. Damien turned in time to see Niveah sail through the ballroom doors.

      Desire zipped up his spine.

      Hotter than the lead girl in a rap music video, she stared right at him, oblivious to the googly-eyed expressions on the faces of the other men in the lobby. Damien had always been a sucker for a big butt and a smile, and the sister sauntering toward him had both. Her high heels gave her legs incredible definition, and he imagined himself running his hands up her smooth, toned calves. Sexy wasn’t how a woman looked or what she wore, it was her attitude; and he could tell by the way Niveah moved that she was in a sexy state of mind. Perfect. Maybe they could skip the useless chitchat, and get right down to business.

      “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

      On the outside, Damien was as calm as the Rock of Gibraltar, but when Niveah placed a hand on his forearm, he felt himself unraveling. It took everything he had not to crush his mouth against her pretty pink lips. “It’s no sweat. I used the time to check the messages on my cell.”

      Niveah gestured to the grand ballroom. “They’re doing the electric slide in there and it was crazy getting through the crowd. I thought I was going to get swept away.”

      “No worries, beautiful. You’re definitely worth the wait.”

      Her smile widened. “You certainly have a way with words.”

      “I’ve heard that a time or two before.”

      “I bet you have.”

      They shared a laugh.

      Damien jabbed the elevator button and almost cheered when the doors immediately slid open. The sooner they got to his room, the sooner he could see her naked. Allowing her to go first, he examined her pear-shaped figure with wide eyes and a dry mouth. The clingy dress material swished over her hips, outlining her round, juicy butt. Damien hoped she was wearing a thong. That was his favorite piece of lingerie and just thinking about squeezing, and smacking her ass made his pulse hammer in his chest. “Are you hungry?’ he asked, wanting to fill the awkward silence. “I could order something up from room service if you’d like.”

      “I’ve never done this sort of thing before.” The words seemed to burst out of her mouth, and for the first time since meeting her she seemed shy, scared. “I’ve dated some over the years, but I’ve never had … a one-night stand.”

      Amused, he pressed the button for the twentieth floor. If he had a dime for every time a woman had fed him that line he could buy the car of his dreams—a black Rolls Royce Phantom.

      “I don’t want to give you the wrong impression of me. I’m not the kind of girl who …”

      Why did women always do this? he wondered, concealing a grin. Did they think pretending they were actually good girls gone bad for the night would improve his opinion of them? The muscles in his jaw tightened. Right, like that was ever going to happen. If there was one thing he’d learned through traveling the globe, it was that women enjoyed sex. As much, if not more, than men did. And those with sexual hang-ups had been programmed by their parents and wellmeaning Sunday school teachers into believing only whores liked doing the nasty. But Damien was here to tell Niveah that it was okay to embrace her sexuality. She was a freak, a woman who loved casual sex, and there was nothing wrong with that. “Tonight’s about being in the moment, about being free without restrictions.”

      “I think I made a mistake.” Niveah rubbed a hand along her forehead, then dragged it through her hair. “My friends were ganging up on me, and I let what they said get to me. I approached you at the bar to prove to them that I can be fun and spontaneous, but the truth is I’m not. I’m really sorry about all this, but I have to go back downstairs to the …”

      Damien blinked, sure the cognac he’d downed earlier was blurring his vision. The sexy, flirtatious woman he’d met at the bar less than an hour ago was crumbling right before his eyes. And if he didn’t do something quick, their night of passionate lovemaking would be ruined. Realizing their evening was in jeopardy, Damien sprang to action. He stepped forward, pulled her to his chest and planted one on her. A kiss so fierce their bodies slammed together.

      Niveah fought against him, trying to escape, but gave up the fight when he inclined his head toward her, deepening the kiss. Bolts of electricity shot between them. He’d initiated contact, but feeling her lips against his sent Damien stumbling back into the mirrored wall. Had he ever tasted a mouth so soft? So wickedly sweet and enticing?

      Unsteady on his feet, he clutched her waist. They grunted and groaned, caressed and squeezed until it became unbearable. Damien stuck a hand up her dress, and cursed fashion designers for ever inventing such a tight, restrictive material. A little piece of fabric wasn’t going to prevent him from copping a feel, he decided, using his hands to yank down the sheer barrier.

      Palming her butt cheeks, he ground his erection into her, loving how soft she felt against his body. Damien slid a hand inside her panties, and Niveah purred in his ear. He played in her hair, twirling