Naughty Before Christmas (Decadent Delight Series #3) (2 page)

She gave an exaggerated eye roll then giggled as she
climbed into his Escalade and fastened her seat belt. Reggie shut the door and as he walked around the front of the vehicle, Berlin admired every ounce of dark flesh strutting proudly. The man had swag out of this world. Just thinking about all two-hundred and fifty pounds stroking steadily between her thighs had her squirming on the leather seat.

Reggie hopped in
side then leaned across the seat and pressed his lips to hers again then pulled back slightly and stared at her with love brimming his eyes.

“
I thought you said you had enough to tide you over?” Berlin breathed against his lips.

“
I lied,” Reggie admitted and she chuckled along with him.

He
stuck the key in the ignition and pulled away from the circle driveway as music filled the car. Like clockwork, Berlin leaned forward and turned down the volume.

“
My bad.” Reggie chuckled, knowing good and well rap music irritated her. She tried to be flexible but there were some things that were too hard to get used to. “How’s this?” He pressed a button changing the satellite station to old skool R&B.

“
Now
that’s
what I’m talking about,” she replied with a saucy grin while an old familiar tune came blazing from the speakers.

“What you know ’
bout some James Brown?” he teased.

Berlin
turned her head and glared in good fun. “I’ll have you know, Mom used to play old skool every morning on the way to school. Gladys Knight, Marvin Gaye, you name it.” They’d had the same debate many times before.

As he headed toward the interstate, they laced their fingers together
and sang along. And when the Temptations came on singing, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” the two were rocking the front seat.

Smiling, Berlin gazed out the window.
There were still leftovers from Thanksgiving in her refrigerator yet the city was already dotted with festive touches of the pending holiday season.

When
Reggie pulled off the highway near the airport, Berlin turned to him and smiled. “We’re going to 20/20 Martini, aren’t we?” she asked referring to the upscale thirty-and-over club close to the Renaissance Hotel.

He
nodded then smiled. “Yep, I thought we both could use a night of dancing.”

Berlin
grinned. “I agree.” She had a long last few weeks. They’d had a team in from the state, reviewing medical records at the Dellwood Pediatric Clinic for compliance. Since she was the Business Manager, it was her job to make sure everything had been up to code. To her relief, the clinic had passed with flying colors.

“
A couple of the boys are gonna join us.”

Berlin’s head whipped around.
“I hope Trey doesn’t show up with that hood rat.” She didn’t bother to hide a frown.

Reggie chuckled.
“Nah boo. Them two are over and done with.”

“
Good,” she said with a sigh of relief. The one thing she couldn’t stand was a woman with no class. That chick had spent the entire time on her cell phone talking and texting all through dinner.

He pulled his
cream-colored Escalade up to the main entrance then climbed out and came around and opened the door for her. “Go on inside while I find a place to park,” Reggie instructed as he helped Berlin down onto the sidewalk.

“
Park under the lighting over there,” she suggested as her eyes surveyed the parking lot. It wasn’t in the best of neighborhoods and the crime in the area was so unpredictable.

“
Slow yo roll. You let me worry ’bout that. Go on inside and see if the others are here. I reserved a table.” She gave him a stubborn look that Reggie chose to ignore. “I got this.” Leaning forward he kissed her lips and waited for her to step safely inside the club before he hopped back into his vehicle and pulled away.

Berlin moved through the door
and stopped while a security guard checked inside her purse for weapons. She rolled her eyes even though she had done it dozens of times before.

Stepping inside, she scanned the
small nightclub with its dim lighting and casual ambiance and smiled when she spotted their friends—Reggie’s boys—at a long table in the middle of the room. Trey, Braxton, Maximilian, and Dereon with his fiancée Christina. Together the men flipped homes on weekends when they weren’t doing other things. Over the years they had become like brothers to her. As Berlin drew closer, her eyes traveled over all their faces. Each man was handsome in his own right. They were all tall, physically fit, and ranged from gorgeous to downright sexy.

“
Where yo man at?” Dereon shouted over the music when he noticed Berlin move toward the table alone.

She waved at the group as she said,
“You know how he is. He’s parking his ride all the way over on the other side of the parking lot.”

Rich mahogany skin stretched over
chiseled cheekbones as Trey smiled and said, “I don’t blame him. His whip is brand spanking new.”

“
I know. That man treats that vehicle better than me,” Berlin said with a playful pout.

“
Yeah right!” Maximilian said then the large man roared with laughter.

“
Berlin, please come over here and sit next to me! I don’t know how much more I can take with all this testosterone bouncing around the table,” Christina teased and pulled out the chair beside her.

“
Hey girl, it’s so good to see you.” Leaning forward, Berlin dropped a kiss to her cheek.

“
You too,” she said eyes sparkling. “Look at your little belly!” Christina cooed.

“
Yes, I know,” Berlin said with a heavy breath as she flopped down onto the chair. “If it wasn’t for the elastic waist, I wouldn’t have any pants to wear.”

Christina
lifted dark curious eyes to Berlin’s face. “Sounds like you need to go shopping?”

“
Yep, as you can see, I can’t put it off any longer,” she admitted while showing off her baby bump.

“
Call me. I’d love to go with you,” Christina offered with a shake of her head, sending her shoulder length dark hair swinging around her shoulders.

Grinning, Berlin clapped her hands together.
“That would be wonderful!” She enjoyed their friendship. Christina and Dereon had been dating less than four months when he proposed to the popular caterer. The two had been living together ever since.

While
they talked, Berlin studied Christina’s exquisite beauty, flawless milk-chocolate skin, small nose, and pouty lips. Her hair was long and dark but she confessed that since it was so thin, she regularly wore weave to give her the fullness she desired. The style was so professional Berlin never would have guessed if Christina hadn’t told her. The beauty was classy, smart and they had become great friends. She wished she could say the same about some of the other girlfriends she’d met.

Her eyes traveled
over to Maximilian. His pained expression made her ask, “Hey Max, has Parker agreed yet?”

Instead of answering,
Maximilian flicked his wrist and brought the glass bottle to his lips.

“
Hell no, she ain’t agreed!” Trey barked and the other guys glared at him.

C
hristina leaned over and whispered near her ear, “Girl, don’t even go there. That is still a sad situation.”

“
Are you serious?” Berlin shook her head and Christina waved in response with a manicured hand.

Two months ago, his
suspect
baby mama had given birth to Maximilian Jr. yet she refused to take a blood test. All Max wanted was to prove if the child was really his so he could not only provide for his son, but give him his last name.

Berlin
looked over at the large man with nutty brown skin and piercing dark eyes. Max was sexier than sin with a southern drawl that was just as electrifying as the rest of him, and he always had Reggie’s back. He was one of the good guys. No wonder he had several stalkers.

“
Here that knucklehead comes,” Braxton said and a grin spread across his butter pecan-colored face.

Berlin looked up to find her husband heading over to the
group and her stomach did a slow roll.
Yeah, sweetie, that’s your daddy
. He was six-three, powerful, and fine as hell. Berlin noticed a table filled with women drooling as he walked by. Reggie simply acknowledged them with a nod of the head as he strolled past their table. He has never been a stranger to female attention. In fact, Reggie made her the envy of countless women.

And
Berlin enjoyed every moment.

With broad shoulders
beneath a green turtleneck sweater and long legs in dark jeans that topped his tan Timberland boots, her husband was a force to be reckoned with.

“
Whassup?” he said and gave Dereon a fist bump before moving to the chair beside his wife. He shrugged out of his black leather jacket and draped it over the back of the chair then took a seat.

Reaching under the table,
Berlin put her hand on Reggie’s jeaned thigh. It was hard and muscles tightened beneath her hand. He had one helluva body. Reggie slipped his hand over hers with his thumb caressing her palm. Berlin looked up and their eyes locked for several sexually charged moments before he winked and she forced herself to breathe.

They
ordered wings and fries and while the men drank beers, Berlin sipped a soda and eyed Christina’s apple martini with envy.

“Y’all ready to get that money?” Dereon said, his golden brown eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Every day, all day,” Max
replied between sips.

Berlin glanced around the table curiously. “What money?”

“A new project. You know how we do.” Braxton slapped his palms together.

Trey nodded in agreement. “
I’m ready to make that thang happen.”

Christina groaned loudly.
“Uh-uh, we’re not talking about work tonight.”

Berlin laughed.
“I agree.” She then looked up at Reggie and shook her head once, giving a silent terse warning.

“
What else is there?” His question drew an appreciative chuckle.

“
Women.”

Christina
’s head whipped around to glare at Trey. Berlin opened her mouth with a snappy retort, but decided against it and clamped her lips shut.

Max
gave a hearty chuckle. “How about sports? Did you see the Rams get their ass spanked last night?” The men all jumped in. Berlin looked at Christina and did an exaggerated eye roll and the two women laughed.

Berlin turned on her seat so she could be heard.
“Have you scheduled a wedding date yet?”

Christina shook her head.

Her brow quirked. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

S
lumping back against the chair, she replied, “No. I’m thinking the spring, but Claudia and I have so many catering events booked, I’m not sure where I’ll be able to squeeze in a weekend.” She ended in a grumble.

“
You plan events but you can’t even plan your own wedding?” Berlin voiced with an amused murmur and a shake of her head.

“
I know, right!” Christina chimed in with a laugh.

The subject bouncing around the table finally changed to basketball
, and Berlin and Christine joined in. They all laughed, ate, and debated NBA players.

Reaching under the table
again, Berlin rubbed her hand slowly up and down her husband’s thigh. Reggie leaned in close and whispered a warning, “You better stop that.”

Tilting her head, she smiled up at him adoringly. He leaned in and kissed her lips.

“C’mon boo. Let’s dance.” Extending his hand, Reggie helped her out of the seat and then his large, callused fingers engulfed hers. They started for the dance floor followed by Dereon and Christina.

Reggie pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to her forehead.
Berlin rested her head against his chest as they swayed to the beat of the music. To her right, she spotted Braxton and Trey, they had moved to join a table surrounded by females. Maximilian was still sitting at their reserved table looking unapproachable with a frown on his face. She’d have to remember to ask Reggie about that later.

Speaking of husbands…
His hands skimmed up her legs then he reached up and palmed her ass. Berlin lifted her face from his chest and found his dark eyes already fixed on her. “Keep it up and my
husband
is going to see that.” She tilted her head in the direction of Max.

“
Good. Then maybe he might learn something,” Reggie growled while they leaned into the dance move. “It’s all about the foreplay.”

“
Really? I’ll have to remember to tell him that,” she teased.