A Tempting Proposal
Hmmm...she doesn’t intimidate easily. I like that. “By my estate, I hope you’re talking about the smaller one.”
Imani took another sip of her wine and adjusted the sleeves of her soft coral blouse. Leaning over the table, she stated in a clear voice, “No, I’m talking about the larger estate that you will agree to let me have after we plan this gala.”
He laughed at Imani’s bold statement. He had no intentions of letting her have the larger estate. “You know something, you seem very confident. Maybe too confident.”
“I don’t seem confident, Daman. I know the estate will be mine.”
He winked at her and laughed when she rolled her eyes. He was sure she was usually very professional, but he was throwing her off her game. She obviously didn’t like the look he was giving her, or probably any of the other looks he’d been giving her all evening.
“Daman, when I set my mind to something, I usually get what I want. And in this case, I want that estate, even if it means working long and excruciating hours with someone as arrogant as you.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d been called arrogant, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. He was only arrogant when backed into a corner. Imani hadn’t done much, but he felt a growing need to push her buttons.
“You’re clearly used to winning competitions. Well, I guarantee you that this is a competition you’ll lose. Besides, you can’t help that you’re attracted to me. Most women are.”
With a laugh, she looked him dead in the eye. “Daman, from what I’ve read about you on the internet, I know I’m not your type. Your name has been linked to the ditzy type—you know, women who can barely think for themselves. You’re handsome and all, but you’re definitely not my type. And I’m calling you on your crap because yesterday you were so into me that you could barely listen to the Simses. I saw it in your eyes—looking me up and down as if I were a plate of meat. You see me as a challenge, but trust me when I say that you can’t handle a woman like me. So do us both a favor and get off your high horse.”
He could hardly contain his smile at seeing Imani’s look of satisfaction. She was right about one thing. Even today, she looked good enough to eat. But he refused to let her get the upper hand.
“You’re right. At one point you had my complete attention yesterday.” He dropped his voice even lower before continuing. “But it’s only fair that I call you on your crap, too. You’re attracted to me. You know it. I know it. I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Sims know it. The difference is that you are playing with fire, Imani. You’re definitely not too much for me to handle and I’m not afraid to act on the attraction. No matter how confident you seem today, I remember how our chemistry caught you off guard before. If you want to play this game, then be prepared to be eating out of my hands. I’m good at what I do.”
He was forgetting his manners, and for a minute, he regretted what he’d said because he knew it could be taken more than one way. Then he remembered that anything he could do to throw her off her game was a plus, since he really needed to get the estate.
“Well, I have to go,” Imani said, clearly appalled by his egotistical comments. But like the pro he could tell she was, she quickly recovered and continued their conversation. “I’ll be busy rearranging my schedule, so it won’t conflict with planning the gala. How about we meet Friday?”
Daman needed to make arrangements at work, too. “I’ll call you and work out the details for Friday.”
Imani stood to leave and placed the schedule in her purse. “I look forward to it. And hopefully, you’ll check your arrogance at the door next time we meet,” she stated in a sharp tone.
As Daman watched her walk out of the restaurant, he couldn’t help but admire how gracefully her juicy behind swayed in her suit. Her thickness should not be hidden under clothes.
When he’d promised his father he would buy the estate with the lake view when the Simses were ready to sell, he didn’t think he’d be going up against such a beautiful woman. He settled the check and left the restaurant, knowing his body wouldn’t let him get any sleep tonight.
Chapter 3
“So Mr. and Mrs. Sims want you to plan one of the biggest galas of the year with one of the most sought-after bachelors in Detroit?” Mya Winters, one of Imani’s business partners and best friends walked into Imani’s office and sat in a chair near the desk. At twenty-nine, they were proud owners of Elite Events Incorporated, along with Imani’s twenty-seven-year-old sister, Cydney Rayne, and cousin, Lexus Turner.
“You know Daman Barker?” Imani asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
“I’ve heard his name around.”
“And we’ve seen a picture or two,” Cyd added, as she and Lex walked into Imani’s office and took a seat on her sofa. “We also presented him with an offer to be featured in the most-eligible bachelors’ edition of our magazine in a few months. Didn’t you read the documents I placed on your desk?”
“No, I didn’t. Sorry.”
“That’s okay. I know you’ve been busy.”
Truthfully, they’d all been busy, and Imani wished she hadn’t taken on so many additional projects. Although each woman ran their respective divisions, Imani knew that she sometimes took on more than she could handle in her own division. The same could be said for her involvement with her family.
“So what are you going to do?” Lex asked the question, but all three women appeared to be listening intently.
“I told the Simses and Daman that I accepted the proposal, but I don’t like feeling obligated to work with anyone. Regardless, I know I need to suck it up and play nice. Although Gamine never told me why she needed me to purchase the estate, she did say it would hold the answers I’ve been searching for. The estate is finally in my reach to purchase, and I’ve been waiting five years to see what answers may lie inside. Whether it be a box or a letter, I need to know.”
The look between Cyd and Lex didn’t go unseen by Imani so she decided to divert from talking about Gamine.
“Plus, my initial meeting with Daman didn’t go so well.”
“Why not?” Mya asked.
“He’s arrogant, cocky and thinks he’s God’s gift to women.”
“Seems like most of the men we know,” Mya said with a laugh.
“That may be true, but something about him gets under my skin. If last night was any indication of how working with him will be, then I need to really think about this.”
“Hmmm...usually you’re so good with words that even the cocky guys eventually quit with that nonsense,” Cyd stated. “Could it be that your attraction to him is what’s really aggravating you?”
Imani looked at Cyd in disbelief. “What makes you think I’m attracted to him?”
“Oh, come on, girl,” Mya chimed in. “We’ve all seen his picture. Daman’s your type. Simple as that.”
Imani sighed as she stood and glanced out her office window before turning her attention back toward the women. “That’s the other problem. When the Simses first introduced us, the attraction between us was obvious, and you all know my policy about fraternizing with men I work with.”
The three women shook their heads at Imani’s comment.
“You can’t constantly work hard and never allow yourself time to relax,” Lex said. “I can’t even remember the last time you were attracted to a man.”
“That’s because I don’t have time for them.”
Cyd walked over to Imani. “Last time I checked, you didn’t need a lot of time to enjoy a man’s company. Plus,” Cyd continued while nudging Imani’s shoulder, “you and Daman will only be partners for a short time.”
“I know, but I need to stay focused. No one thought that four women as young as us could have built such a successful company so fast. That’s part of why you all don’t date, either, because deep down we know men equal trouble. And trouble makes us lose focus of our goals.”
“I disagree,” Mya said. “At least we choose to date every now and then. But you haven’t let loose in a while, which is crazy considering how you used to be. Don’t you miss it?”
Imani glanced up at her friends and business partners because she knew there were words left unspoken. Since Gamine’s death, Imani was far from the person she once was. She used to be more carefree and had no problem enjoying a man’s company or living in the moment. Gamine had always encouraged her to follow her dreams and start her own event-planning business. The fact that her best friend since college, sister and cousin all shared a similar dream was a huge plus. Each of them had talents in different areas, and their business took off like wildfire. Besides being founders of a successful business, they also owned several Boys & Girls Clubs and published their own bimonthly magazine. Each alternated as head planner per event and actively managed a different part of the company. Imani’s focus was on business management and sales; Cyd did marketing and advertising; Lex handled communications and public relations, and Mya worked on educational training and sponsorships. They were a force to be reckoned with, each having accomplished so much before the age of thirty.
Coming out of her trance, Imani noticed that they were still waiting on her response to Mya’s question.
“Yes, I do miss having male company, and you’re right, I haven’t let loose in a while. I know it’s time for me to try to make some changes to get out of this funk I’m in, but unfortunately, that’s easier said than done.” Sitting down at her desk, she took a sip of her coffee, thinking she’d added just enough cream to make her coffee almost the exact color of Daman’s velvety, chocolate skin.
“Enough with all the serious talk,” Cyd said in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Let’s get down to the real business. Just how sexy is Daman in person?”
Imani shook her head as she thought about the right way to describe her first encounter with Daman. “Honestly, besides being arrogant and cocky, all I can tell is that he’s confident and successful.”
“Seriously?” Cyd asked, with a look of disbelief. “That’s all you got?”
Imani exhaled. “No, that’s not all. He’s also tall, nicely groomed and has smooth, chocolate skin, which I definitely like. His eyes remind me of dark chestnuts and his smile is so sexy. And goodness, what a body. If you could have seen how he looked in that suit...” Her voice trailed off when she noticed how quiet her friends were. The knowing looks on their faces proved that she’d said too much already.
“But that won’t change anything,” she quickly added.
All the women laughed. “Oh, yes, it will,” Lex said. “There is only so much a woman can handle. You’ve always been a sucker for Daman’s type, so I don’t see why this situation will be any different.”
“Lex has a point. The sooner you admit that we’re right, the easier he will be for you to handle,” Mya added. “We already know how the corporate world works and Daman wants the estate, too, so he’ll pull out all the stops to get it. You don’t need to suck it up and play nice. You need to get your head in the game and go out balls blazing. The two most important things are to help plan one of the biggest events that Elite Events has ever been a part of and win the estate.”
“You’re right,” Imani replied, allowing Mya’s positive energy to rub off on her. “Organizing such a grand event will be amazing and beneficial. Besides, I can work on convincing Daman that I should get the lake-view estate. Y’all know how convincing I can be when I want something.”
“Hell, yeah! Now you need to keep that attitude,” Cyd stated.
“And pull out all the tricks because you know he will, too,” Mya added.
“Cyd and Mya are right. But please don’t stress about your attraction to Daman,” Lex said with a smile.
Imani wondered if there was anything they didn’t know about her. She was still apprehensive because she usually liked to plan ahead before diving into things, but she would never have turned down such an important proposal as the one from Mr. and Mrs. Sims.
“You’re all right,” Imani replied.
“Then it’s settled?” Mya asked. “You already said yes to the Simses’ proposal. Give Daman a run for his money. Even if that means seducing him, like he probably will try to do to you.”
The situation really didn’t seem settled at all, but Imani always prided herself on seeing the bright side. Fidgeting with the nameplate on her desk, she tried to hide her apprehension. But she never backed down from a challenge, and Daman Barker was definitely a challenge. “Yes, it’s settled.” Let the games begin!
Chapter 4
When Daman walked into R&W Marketing Tuesday morning, he immediately felt at ease. Every time he walked into the firm that his boys, Taheim Reed and Jaleen Walker, had successfully established, he felt a sense of accomplishment. Two months ago, he decided to partner with his best friends full time to bring R&W to the next level. If Taheim and Jaleen could run a successful business and also be junior partners in their family businesses, he didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t, too. Daman had been traveling between his Detroit hometown and the windy city of Chicago almost every week by plane or car, but planned on making Chicago his permanent home by the end of the year. At thirty, he was proud of what he’d accomplished so far. Although Daman’s career was thriving with R&W, he couldn’t say the same for his feelings about Barker Architecture.
His father, Stan, and uncle Frank had opened Barker Architecture when they were in their early twenties. Now, Barker Architecture had grown to an astounding fifteen offices. They were responsible for much of the beautiful architecture and amazing landmarks throughout the Midwest. When Daman’s father passed away eight years ago, his uncle took over as president and chief executive officer of the company. His uncle had never had children of his own, so he treated Daman like the son he never had. Daman had just graduated from college and was working on his master’s, but his uncle picked up where Daman’s father had left off and began showing him all the ins and outs of the company. When Daman became vice president of Barker Architecture, he began noticing inconsistencies with some of the accounting documentation. Barker Architecture was one of the companies affected by the 2008 economic crisis.
In order to keep the company afloat, Barker Architecture reached out to several investors, many of whom were old friends of Daman’s father. When Daman became vice president in 2011, he wanted to focus all his energy into ensuring Barker Architecture would never be a victim of another economic crisis, so he began looking into the company’s accounting files. His uncle was quick to try and divert Daman away from his personal investigation, but Daman continued to question his uncle about certain accounts and customers. Was Barker Architecture really in trouble in 2008? Or was his uncle hiding something? A few months ago, Daman decided it was finally time for him to step away from the office to figure out what was really going on. Since their second largest office was in Chicago, Daman told his uncle he would work out of that office and return to Detroit weekly or biweekly as needed. His uncle agreed, considering he was also aware of Daman’s new partnership with R&W.
As Daman walked into R&W, he tried to put Barker Architecture out of his mind for the moment, but a phone call earlier that morning had been filled with disappointing news concerning just that.
“Hello, Mr. Barker!” the perky front-desk receptionist said, breaking his thoughts.
“Hi, Sherry. Are there any messages for me?”
Flipping her auburn hair behind her ear, she shuffled through a stack of papers. “Yes, you have several. Mr. Kingsberg called to recap last week’s meeting, and Mrs. Remmy called about her upcoming meeting. Also, Glamour Cosmetics, Franko Industries and William’s Whole Foods are all interested in starting an account with R&W. Mr. Reed and Mr. Walker would like you to begin working on those accounts.”
“Thanks, Sherry.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Barker.” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, and I almost forgot! Imani Rayne from Elite Events Incorporated called your connected line and asked if you could call her back when you got a chance.”
Daman smiled. He’d wondered if she would call. His connected line was the private line displayed on his business card for Barker Architecture. That was the only line connected to both Barker Architecture and R&W Marketing.
“Is that all she said?”
“Yes, Mr. Barker. She left her work number for you to call back.”
“Thanks again, Sherry.”
Daman looked at the clock sitting on Sherry’s desk to see how much time he had before his meeting with Taheim and Jaleen. Noticing he only had three minutes to spare, he placed the paper displaying his messages in his suit jacket and headed down the hall.
He walked into the large conference room and was immediately greeted by both men.
Taheim was the first to speak. “Man, Jaleen told me about the proposal to plan the gala. That would be great exposure for R&W. You agreed, right?”
“Of course.”
“Great. Did you decide when you want to announce your partnership with R&W?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. I’m still trying to tie up a few things at Barker Architecture before making the announcement, but I will definitely do it before the gala.”
Taheim and Jaleen nodded in agreement.
“Who are you planning the gala with?” Jaleen asked. “I don’t remember you telling me on the phone the other day.”
Daman wished he’d been able to stop thinking about Imani.
“A woman, and a very attractive woman at that. We didn’t get off to the best start. She thinks I’m arrogant and cocky. But you know me. I’m determined to show her my softer side.” He gave his best “all-American boy” look and placed his hands over his heart in exaggeration.
Taheim laughed. “Already on the prowl, huh?”
“Well, yeah, but there’s something about her. She’s educated, successful and confident, and I know she wants the gala to be a success, too.”
“D, no offense, but the women you mess with are never educated, successful, or confident. Well, a couple have been, but not many.”
“I know. She’s different.”
“What’s her name?” Jaleen asked.
“Imani Rayne.” No sooner than her name left his mouth, did Taheim spill his coffee on the table.
“Is everything okay, man?” Daman asked.
Taheim and Jaleen shared a look that didn’t go unseen by Daman. Taheim cleaned up the spilled coffee.
“Yeah, man. I’m good. Have the two of you met yet?”
Daman didn’t like not knowing what was up with his boys. He tried to squash the tinge of jealousy he felt. “Yeah, we met. Why? Did one of you date her or something?”
“No,” both men replied in unison. They didn’t date each other’s exes, and he didn’t even know why he cared. It’s not like he wanted to date her. Daman Barker didn’t date; he entertained.
Jaleen began to speak, but he was cut off by Taheim.
“The truth is that we’ve heard of her and her family. Not much happens in Chicago that her family isn’t involved with socially or politically.”
Jaleen nodded in agreement. “Not to mention she’s attractive, and so are all the women in her circle.”
Daman felt like there was more to the story than either man was telling him, but he chose to ignore it.
“Okay, well, she called me about the gala, and I was going to return her call right after this meeting. Could we talk more after I finish the call?”
“Sure, man. We’ll talk at lunch or something.”
* * *
Daman walked into his tastefully decorated office, sat down at his desk and began dialing the number Imani had left in her message.
“Thank you for calling Elite Events Incorporated. How may I direct your call?”
“Hello. May I please speak with Imani Rayne?”
“May I ask who’s calling?”
“Daman Barker.”
“One moment, Mr. Barker.”
Daman enjoyed the upbeat R&B music that played in the background. It was much better than the dreadful elevator music most companies played when they put you on hold.
Imani’s voice suddenly filled the line. “Hello, Daman. Thanks for returning my call so promptly.”
“You’re welcome. I assume your call has something to do with the gala?”Although I wouldn’t mind if it were about something more personal.
“Yes. I was wondering if we could meet tomorrow instead of Friday to discuss the plans. I’m going to make an appearance in Atlanta next week. So I figured I could introduce myself to the team when I get there.”
“Okay, that sounds good. One of us should go to make sure we know the people we’re working with. Where do you want to meet?”
“How about 6:00 p.m. at my place?”
Daman was shocked. After dinner the other day, he figured most of their meetings would be in public places. “Your place?”
“Yes, my place. Is that okay with you?”
“Oh, yeah, that’s fine. I’ll be there. What’s your address?”
After Daman hung up the phone, he thought about what tomorrow had in store. He knew Imani would try her best to remain collected around him, but he enjoyed making her nervous. She probably thought she hid it well, but she didn’t. He would use their mutual attraction to his advantage, and persuade her to give him the estate. One thing was on his side: women could be just as cutthroat as men, but they had more difficulty separating business from pleasure. Daman knew better. He played the game with his mind. Emotions only stood in the way and made you lose touch with reality. A woman didn’t stand a chance against a determined man, and after only two meetings, seducing Imani was at the top of his to-do list.
Chapter 5
Imani spent a full two hours trying to get ready for her meeting with Daman. She didn’t know why she was making such a big deal about seeing him. She kept reminding herself that it was strictly business and to ignore the discomfort she always felt in his presence. He was due to arrive in ten minutes, and she still felt mentally unprepared for his visit. She looked at herself in the mirror for the twentieth time.
Man, I look good! She had chosen to dress casually. A clingy mahogany maxi dress softly hugged her curves and complemented her flawless complexion. The dress was sure to make his mouth water, putting her at a great advantage.
The buzzer to the condo’s security desk rang.
“Yes, Bernard?”
“There’s a Mr. Barker here to see you.”
“Thank you, Bernard. Please send him up.”
With one more glance in the mirror, Imani took a deep breath and made her way to the door. Here goes nothing.... Opening her door, she was greeted by Daman’s seductive smile.
“Hello, Imani. Nice to see you again.”
“Likewise, Daman. Please come in.”
As he made his way into her condo, she heard him take a deep breath. His eyes were burning a hole in her dress, causing her stomach to flutter. She moved to the couch and bent over, pretending to fluff the pillows as she motioned for him to take a seat. She was fully aware that he was watching her every move. She knew what she was doing, and even though this was only their third meeting, she could tell he appreciated a woman with a nice butt.
“Did you get here all right?”
Daman cleared his throat before answering. “Yes, your building was easy to find.”
“Great. Would you like anything to drink?”
“Yes, a Coke would be fine.”
“Coming right up.”
Imani made her way to the kitchen, making sure she swayed extra hard while she had his undivided attention. She heard him mumble something under his breath that sounded a lot like damn. She had to admit, he definitely looked handsome in his blue sweater and dark jeans, but she felt a sense of power in seeing his reaction to her seductive dress.
“One point for me,” she said to herself when she reached the kitchen, licking the tip of her finger and swiping an imaginary number one in the air.
When she returned, she noticed her short trip to the kitchen had allowed Daman enough time to regain his cool.