An Interracial Romance

Chapter One

Kristina Roberts took a deep breath as her best friend Lissy's late model Mercedes pulled up in front of the Stafford highrise. Her pulse was pounding a mile a minute, and she was having a hard time gaining control of its rapid staccato beat.

For what seemed the one-hundredth time since allowing Lissy to talk her into doing such a harebrained thing, Kristina looked down at her wedding and engagement ring, spinning them around her finger as if trying to remind herself that she was only doing a favor for a friend, her best friend in the world.

No, her husband wouldn't be happy about it if he ever found out. But that was just Scott. And besides, nothing else Kristina did seemed to make him happy these days anyway.

This was nothing more than an intimate party where she was expected to entertain one of the guests. Kristina didn't have to do anything salacious or immoral; she simply had to be her cordial and friendly self for a few hours, nothing more.

But if she really believed that so strongly, why did she feel so much guilt about being here? And why was her heart beating like she was on the last leg of a mile sprint?

The passenger door opened, startling Kristina out of her reverie. The doorman smiled back at her as he offered her a hand to help her from the car.

"Thank you," she managed to say, getting out of the luxury vehicle without making eye contact with the gentleman. Then, staring up at the massive building and thinking about what it held inside, she was only tangentially aware of Lissy's car being driven away by the valet behind her.

"Relax, girl," Lissy said, taking her hand and leading her into the front foyer of the upscale highrise. "You need to take a deep breath and calm down. This isn't that big a deal, and besides, if you went straight home tonight it would have just been to an empty house with Mr. Personality being on duty."

Kristina cut her eyes over at her friend. Lissy's complete disdain for her husband Scott, and vice-versa, was a long-time burden for the twenty-eight-year-old sous-chef. So much so that Kristina did her best to compartmentalize her relationships with the pair. When she was with Scott, she did her best not to bring Lissy up, and she did the same with her best friend regarding her husband.

From the moment she'd introduced the two at a lakeside cookout, they'd fought like cats and dogs. Lissy claimed she couldn't stand how dismissive Scott was of any of Kristina's desires. She claimed he was like something straight out of the nineteen fifties.

To make matters worse, Lissy had started referring to Scott as the alpha-male with a beta dick after Kristina had made the mistake of mentioning that her husband had a short-fuse when it came to sex.

And Scott was no easier on Lissy. He constantly berated her in Kristina's presence, calling her "the whore of Babylon" and other less friendly names.

Yes, even in her late twenties, Lissy was still a party girl. The girl just seemed to have an insatiable amount of energy for the nightlife, men, and sex. She swore that by the time she hit her thirties, she'd be ready to give all that up, but Kristina would believe it when that day came.

There was a time when Kristina was right there at her side, partying as hard as the lanky and lithe blonde beauty. The pair had shared booze, drugs, and even men in their late teens and early twenties, but Kristina had given all that up when she met Scott. She'd yearned for something more fulfilling.

Kristina wanted to be a mom.

"If Scott finds out where I am, he'll kill me, and you too for that matter," Kristina said, meaning every word literally. As strained as things had been between them lately, if her husband found out what she was up to tonight, it was likely that he'd become violent. It had happened before. Scott Roberts had a very jealous nature.

No, he'd never become physical with Kristina. But he had physically accosted more than one man who'd had the unmitigated gall to flirt with his wife. His jealousy had become such an embarrassment that Kristina rarely left his side now at social functions.

Kristina's threatening words had little effect on Lissy, who had already slipped into what she affectionately referred to as her horny frame of mind. The blonde had seemed perpetually stuck in that mode since making the acquaintance of her new beau Reggie.

Kristina had seen Allison Grace Gardner date hundreds of men over the lifetime of their friendship. However, her relationship with Reggie had proven markedly different from the countless men before him for two reasons.

For one, Reggie had kept the leggy blonde's attention and had her singing his praises for over two months now. And that, folks, was a lifetime when it came to Lissy's ordinarily short attention span with men.

Secondly, Reggie was black.

Not that it made a difference to Kristina, but she'd never known her friend to give a black man the time of day. During her dating years, the sexy blonde had gone through an ocean liner full of white men and found them all wanting. But she couldn't stop singing the praises of Mr. Reggie Worth.

And Kristina had heard it all. She'd heard in intricate and excruciating detail how sweet and caring he could be and how he treated Lissy like a princess and met her every need. But most of all, she'd had to listen to her best friend go on song and verse about her sex life. Lissy was fond these days of telling Kristina how the wife of three years was technically still a virgin because she'd never before been fucked by a big black cock.

Lissy called and asked Kristina to meet her for coffee the weekend after she'd first gotten together with Reggie. The blonde had barely let her get seated inside the booth at the coffee shop before sharing the most intimate details about the new man in her life. She'd had Kristina blushing and begging her to keep her voice down within the first five minutes.

To hear Lissy tell things, Reggie had fucked her all night long their first night together, and it wasn't just his sexual endurance she was eager to praise. No, her friend had gone on for the next hour about the wonder that was his black cock. Lissy swore it was every bit of nine inches long and as thick as her wrist. She'd even held out her arm, wanting Kristina to wrap her fingers around her wrist so she could better grasp just how large it was.

Since that night, Kristina had heard countless tales of how Reggie stretched her pussy so deliciously each time he fucked her, which was apparently a lot to listen to Lissy talk about it.

Lissy had even started not so subtly hinting to Kristina that she needed to dump her three-pump chump and find herself a black man with a real cock, and not in a joking manner.

Still, when her best friend had approached her earlier after work and begged her for a favor, Kristina hadn't thought anything of it. It was only when she found out what Lissy wanted that her bullshit detector had started pinging loudly.

Reggie, it seems, had a roommate that had recently gone through a bad breakup, and Lissy's boyfriend didn't want to leave him alone. So he'd asked the sexy blonde to bring a friend over so they could all enjoy a night in--just a few drinks, some music, and maybe a movie, nothing more.

"No, Lissy," Kristina had said immediately, "absolutely not."

Her friend had quickly brought her hands together in supplication and said, "Wait, Kris, just hear what I have to say. Please!"

So Kristina had listened. Apparently, Lissy had arranged to have Heather join her, one of the restaurant's other waitresses. But Heather had been forced to leave work earlier for a family emergency.

"I've asked all the other girls, Kris, and they either can't do it or are too racist to do a friend a favor, so you're my last resort."

"I'm a married woman," Kristina had replied; she then held up her left hand, flashing her wedding and engagement bands to reiterate her point.

"I'm not asking you to fuck him, Kris," Lissy said crassly with a roll of her eyes. "Just be your usual sweet self and talk to him while watching a movie, maybe distract him long enough for me to get my fuck on with Reggie. Please! I beg you, girl. It's been four days since I've had any of that magnificent chocolate cock and momma needs it bad."

Kristina had said no three more times, but eventually, as she was almost always successful at doing, Lissy had worn her down.

As a result, here she was being dragged along behind her best friend as the pair walked up to the Stafford building's front desk. A bald security guard who appeared to be in his mid-forties stood and smiled at the two as they approached.

"Ms. Gardner, it's so good to see you again. Should I ring Mr. Worth?"

"Could you do that, Joe?" Lissy said as if the two were old friends. "Let him know that we're on our way up."

"Come on, bestie," Lissy said, turning to give Kristina a wink that once again made her wish she was already in her most comfortable nightgown and binging something on Netflix in the safety of her own home.

When the two were alone inside the elevator car, Kristina made one last attempt to assure herself that her best friend wasn't up to anything mischievous.

"Look at me, Lissy. Promise me this isn't some lame attempt to set me up with some black guy. Because if it is, I swear I will never forgive you."

Kristina didn't know if she really meant that, but she wanted her friend to believe it was true.

"Aghhh, Kris. For like the one thousandth time tonight, I know that you are married, and I'm not trying anything underhanded. If Heather hadn't gotten called away from work, I would have never approached you."

Kristina thought Lissy at least sounded sincere, but she knew how her friend felt about Scott, and she'd made it plain about how desperate she was to see Kristina free of him.

"You promise, right?"

Lissy sighed deeply and put her hands on Kristina's shoulders. "If you're dead set on ruining your life with Mr. Wonderful, then far be it from me to get in your way. I promise this isn't a set up, but I do want you to be nice to Darius."

"I just know how much you hate Scott," Kristina said with a pout.

Lissy rolled her eyes as she usually did when Kristina mentioned her husband. Her very pores seemed to ooze contempt at the mention of his name.

"I don't hate him, Kris. I just wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire."

Kristina could only shake her head at her best friend. She was tempted to laugh at Lissy's over-the-top reply, but she knew the girl was serious.

"Whatever, just remember, after tonight, this never gets mentioned again. And you owe me big time."

"Scouts honor," Lissy said, holding up two fingers.

"Yeah, right. Like they'd ever let a slut like you into scouts,"

And just like that, Kristina found herself standing in front of a door alongside her best friend. And again, despite knowing that her intentions were purely innocent, Kristina could hear that little voice in the back of her head screaming that nothing good could lie behind that door.

But just like that, the door opened, and it was too late to listen.

Chapter Two

"Hey, baby," Lissy cooed as she threw her arms around her lover's neck, practically launching herself into his arms. But, typical of Lissy, she didn't give the tall and handsome black man time to respond, her mouth instantly seizing his as if she'd been starved for a kiss.

And for his part, Reggie seemed just as eager to see her, his hands brazenly cupping Lissy's backside as he lifted her off the floor, causing her to squeal into their kiss.

As uncomfortable as the scene before her might have been for Kristina, she had to admire their passion. Her own marriage was destitute of any in the last year, so it was nice to see that at least Lissy's relationship had a little ardor to it.

Kristina couldn't help but clear her throat in an attempt to remind her friend she was there. She heard Lissy giggle in response, finally breaking the intense liplock she was sharing with her boyfriend.

"Sorry, Kris," Lissy said, looking back at her friend and giving her a wink, "but just look at this gorgeous hunk of chocolate. I just had to have a taste."

Kristina blushed as Reggie looked her way. She was used to her friend's lewd displays of affection, having seen her perform them before with countless guys, but this somehow felt different.

"Hi, I'm Kristina," she said, holding her hand out to Lissy's boyfriend. She'd seen Reggie come into the restaurant but had never had the chance to meet him before now.

"Nice to finally meet you, Kristina," Reggie said with a brilliant smile. "Lissy talks about you so much I feel like I already know you."

Kristina gave her friend a look, wondering what kind of tales she'd been spinning. Hopefully, it had been nothing too personal.

"Same here," Kristina said before adding, "and sometimes in very graphic detail."

That made Lissy giggle and bury her head against Reggie's chest as her hand boldly slid down over his abdomen and to his crotch.

"I like to tell her about your big black cock, baby."

"Lissy!" Kristina complained, her face turning a darker shade of red.

Reggie popped the sexy blonde on her bottom and told her to behave as he stepped aside, waving Kristina into the condo. Her friend's bubbly personality and slutty display had disarmed the nerves she was feeling momentarily, but stepping through that doorway brought them back with a vengeance. It was as if Kristina had crossed some type of taboo barrier that was forbidden to her. Again she fingered her wedding and engagement bands, and though she knew it had to be in her head, they almost burned on her finger.

Once past the entryway, they came into a large living area decorated in black and white, the furniture decidedly masculine. Off to the left was a large island, and on the other side of it obviously was the kitchen. Standing beyond the island was the man Kristina had clearly been brought here to entertain.

He was tall, at least an inch or two taller than her husband, who stood at six feet and two inches. And while Reggie had a head full of hair, this man was slick bald with a perfectly shaped head complimented by a handsome face and square chin. His broad shoulders and chest tapered down to a narrow waist. His build wasn't bulky and muscular like her husband; it was slim and lean, like a swimmer. And while Reggie's skin tone could best be described as milk chocolate, this Darius, if Kristina remembered his name right, was most definitely dark chocolate.

As guilty as it made her feel, Kristina had to admit that he was a tasty sight.

"Darius Slater, meet my best friend Kristina Roberts. Kris, this is Darius."

Kristina tried to control her breathing as the black Adonis made his way across the room and held his hand out. There was nothing she could do about her pounding heart, but she could at least keep from making herself look like a fool by panting.

"Pleased to meet you," Darius said, his hand held out in greeting. "Is it Kristina or Kris? I've heard Lissy refer to you both ways."

"Kris is fine," Kristina said, almost instantly wanting to kick herself. Only Scott and Lissy called her Kris; she insisted that everyone use her full name.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Darius," Kristina added as his warm hand enveloped hers, its strength and size evident without being overwhelming. She couldn't help but think about how his dark friendly eyes and disarming smile could go a long way towards calming her fears about tonight.

If only it weren't for the tingles that his touch was sending up her arm.

The quartet spent the next half hour standing around the kitchen island. Darius had prepared a plate of different cheeses and crackers and poured each of them a glass of wine. Kristina quickly downed her first glass needing the alcohol to calm her jagged nerves but promising herself that she would regulate her consumption for the rest of the night. The married woman couldn't risk getting drunk and doing something she'd later regret. It wasn't as if Kristina would be able to depend on Lissy to stop her.

They moved on to the living area, where Kristina finished her second glass of wine, finally feeling herself start to relax a bit. As Lissy poured her another drink, Kristina began to regale the two men with stories from the sexy blondes past, mainly chosen to embarrass the party girl.

The men's laughter and Lissy's blushing were a reward well earned when Kristina had finally finished her tale. Her friend could only stick out her tongue in return before snuggling in against Reggie, her head nestling in against his broad shoulder.

It was the first time it occurred to Kristina that her best friend was maybe falling in love with her handsome suitor.

When the two men retreated into the kitchen for another bottle of wine and more snacks, Lissy slid over beside her best friend.

"So, what do you think?"

Kristina knew immediately what her friend was referring to but decided to play dumb. If Lissy really had brought her here to play matchmaker, and she really wanted to believe she hadn't, Kristina had no intention of making it easy.

"Reggie seems really nice. I like him."

Her response brought a raised eyebrow from Lissy, who seemed to know exactly what she was doing.

"Bitch, I know that my man is sexy. But, I want to know what you think of Darius?"

Kristina could only sigh. If it wasn't for the three glasses of wine she'd consumed, she'd likely have gotten upset at the question. But feeling calmer since arriving and more relaxed thanks to the drinks, Kristina merely shrugged off her friend's blatant attempt to subvert her marriage.

"He seems sweet and he's very handsome,"

That seemed a harmless enough reply to Kristina. But, of course, Lissy was more than welcome to make of it whatever she wanted.

"Shit, he's sexy as fuck and you know it."

Kristina fought to hold her friend's gaze. She knew that to divert her eyes now would only feed Lissy's desire to fan any spark she found. The problem was, her friend was right. Darius Slater was sexy as fuck, and then some. And just admitting that to herself brought a flush to Kristina's cheeks. Kristina had never really found herself attracted to a black man before other than a few movie actors, but Darius had really broken that trend tonight.

"Ooooh, I see you think so too," Lissy squealed quietly.

"Shhhh," Kristina said, her eyes going big before whispering, "Okay, he's very sexy, but that still doesn't change the fact that I'm married, Lissy."

"Fine," Lissy replied with a groan, her eyes giving their obligatory roll at the mention of Kristina's marriage. "Well, if you're not going to give in to common sense and sample a little of his big chocolate cock, can you at least keep Mr. Sexy entertained while Reggie and I go and get our fuck on?"

Kristina sighed, trying to show her displeasure at the prospects of being left alone with the handsome black man, though in truth, she didn't find the thought all that daunting anymore. She knew that fact should have bothered her, but it didn't.

"Will you at least make it a quickie?"

"There's no such thing with a black man, honey. That big black cock just goes on and on."

It was Kristina's turn to roll her eyes. She'd heard the wonderous tales of black cock and all its benefits for two months now and was still skeptical. Still, there was something that was keeping the usually nomadic Lissy around.

"You have one hour to act the part of a slut, and then I'm pulling the fire alarm."

Lissy looked back at her friend, and with a sly grin, said, "Great, that gives you another hour to spend with a real man and compare him to that alpha male with a beta dick you're married to."

Kristina blushed, wishing for what she was sure wouldn't be the last time that she hadn't confided in Lissy about her husband's sexual shortcomings. It wasn't that Scott's cock was small; it wasn't. On the contrary, it was more than a capable tool at just a shade under seven inches in length, even if it was a good bit thinner than Kristina usually preferred.