The Back Nine

by Gia Stone

  “Don’t let them bother you, mija. You know his peepee is muy pequeno. That’s why he always pays you extra. He can’t afford to have someone like you for real.” Rosa handed Brooke a salt-rimmed tequila shot. Brooke sighed and slammed it back. She knew Rosa was trying to be comforting, but what she was insinuating was that she was in fact a prostitute, which is what Marshall had called her, or wrote to her. She still needed to burn that damn letter. She hadn’t had enough courage to drag it out of her bag to even touch it again. It just sat squashed in the bottom with old pieces of unopened gum and random pens.

  The tequila was strong. Brooke grabbed for a lime and squeezed it in between her teeth. The citrus juice cooled off her mouth.

  “Good, mija. See doesn’t the world seem better now?” Rosa asked as she passed over another tray of shots.

  Brooke nodded. The buzzing effects were beginning to take charge. The tray of tequila in front of her meant one thing. A bachelor party. Great. She picked up the tray and sashayed over to the table of fourteen guys.

  “Hey guys, somebody getting married?” Brooke asked as she began to hand out the shots.

  “I am to you. Will you marry me?” a dark-haired frat-looking guy asked.

  Brooke laughed. “Oh I don’t think your girlfriend would like that.” Brooke moved on to the next guy and delivered all the shots as fast as she could, she knew they would be ready for the next round before her tray was empty.

  “Another round baby,” The somewhat leader of the group shouted as she handed the last glass to a big burly guy that was eyeing her like the last piece of chicken.

  “Sure thing. Give me one second.” Brooke turned halfway, until she was being forced down into burly guy’s lap.

  “Hey there, you’re too pretty to work in a place like this,” Burly guy said.

  Brooke nervously laughed. “Oh, but I do.” She scrambled to stand and was happy to see that he wasn’t holding her down. Brooke raced back to the bar. Rosa was shaking her head.

  “That guy is no good, mija. Stay away from him. Devil look in his eyes.” Rosa pushed the tray of shots forward. Brooke was semi-surprised that she didn’t have to tell Rosa what they wanted, but then again, Rosa knew how to read people. Especially people that wanted a drink.

  Brooke carried the tray back over to the already buzzed group. She opted to give burly guy his first. There was no way the rest of the guys would let him hold her down when she still needed to deliver their drinks. Burly guy shook his head when she proceeded to pass to the next guy and move through the crowd.

  Of course the leader of the group was already calling out another round before she had dispersed all of the shots.

  “Sure thing, honey,” Brooke said, her voice dripping with false enthusiasm as she made her way back to the counter. A hand grabbed at her waist pulling her into yet another lap. This was getting ridiculous. Maybe she could get a set of spikey belts to thwart off unwanted advances from this shift.

  “Nice skirt. Brooke you always had a nice set of legs.” Marshall looked up at her and smiled. It was a mean smile the kind of smile that killers give right before pulling the trigger. It was a scary smile. A smile she didn’t want to see. Ever.

  She shook herself out of his lap and retreated to the counter. Rosa did not look happy.

  “Mija what’s going on with you tonight? Too many horny men. You wearing new perfume or something?” Rosa shook her head and pushed the tray of shots toward Brooke.

  “It’s not me. It’s this place filled with vile men. Especially that one. I will not wait on him. I don’t care if he sits there all night.” Brooke took off toward the fraternity guys. Even the burly guy seemed more appealing to her than Marshall. She wanted to dump all of her shots on him, but that would be a waste of tequila.

  Brooke nodded to the leader of the group before he could shout out another round to her. On her way back she forgot about damn Marshall sitting with his group of businesslike friends. When he grabbed her again, she almost fell.

  “Hey careful now. Brooke you can’t be making much money serving drinks here,” Marshall said, grinning the worst grin. His teeth though whiter than white looked like pure evil hanging from his fleshy gums. How could she ever have worked for him?

  “Let go of me, Marshall,” Brooke demanded.

  “Hey now, honey listen. I was just going to say if you want to make better money at serving, then I’ll give you another five hundred dollars for serving me and my friends here. You know what I mean, right, Brooke? On your knees.” Marshall grinned to his friends. Some looked away but one smiled, which was even creepier.

  “Go fuck yourself, Marshall.” Brooke yanked her arm away and stormed toward the bar. She grabbed the nearest bottle, which just happened to be the daiquiri mix and strode back to Marshall’s table. Without any hesitation she proceeded to pour all of the mix over Marshall’s head and threw the bottle at the smiling friend’s protruding stomach.

  “I’m sorry, Rosa. I had to.” Brooke tossed her apron over the counter and ran down the beach. The breeze hit her face hard, which was good because only a strong amount of air could help to silence her tears that came anyway. Shit. Impulse control was always difficult for her. Obviously she went for things and didn’t think beyond the moment. But, she didn’t deserve to be treated like that.

  Fuck. She didn’t care. Even though she really liked Rosa, she could find another waitressing job. They were a dime a dozen on Cozumel. People were always dropping like flies or disappearing, no shows or hobos. Brooke wiped some of the tears from her face. She had stopped running. The sand whipped around her and she became aware that she wasn’t alone on the beach.

  Chapter Four

  Alec was running toward her. But not really. His pectorals flexed with each movement from his arms. His strides were smooth and full of control, each fist alternating front and back. His chest was glistening in the sun as his black workout shorts swayed every time his foot hit the sand. He was totally oblivious to Brooke. Her chest tightened. She wanted to leap up from the soft sand and rush to him and crash into his arms. With each stride she sensed a security that his arms could provide. But she couldn’t rush to him. It had been two weeks since she had raced out of the golf shop. The idea of explaining why she had bolted would be an embarrassment Brooke didn’t want to experience. And especially not the note she received.

  Alec was about twenty feet away when she needed to make her decision to turn and run up the beach or sit and hunch over, pretending to hide. Could she bury herself in the sand before he got near her? Or rush into the ocean and dive into the waves. Time was escaping her. Each step brought him closer. She was trapped in her divot in the sand. Like she was sinking in, unable to move and in full view.

  Brooke was stunned by the sight of him. She was caught off guard when she glanced back at him. The visual of his sweaty body moving closer to her. She was so close she could almost smell him. The desire to be with him was strong. Brooke didn’t want to run in the opposite direction. The two weeks apart from him had been difficult. Not just the handsy guys at the bar. She had missed him. Brooke didn’t understand why and assumed it was just the amazing sex. Whether it was the passion she craved or something else, she couldn’t stop thinking about him and the possibilities. Brooke had contemplated what would have happened if she had gone back to the golf shop and told Alec her predicament. Pride stood in her way. She was not a weak woman who needed to be rescued. She couldn’t bring herself to get within a hundred feet of the resort.

  She was torn inside. Broken. She had lost all the self-esteem she had regained in one small encounter with Marshall and his friends. How could she face Alec at this point? Brooke couldn’t pretend that she was fine. She couldn’t hop up from her spot in the sand and act as if she was admiring the waves. As if she just happened to be on the beach alone for the sole purpose of appreciating the view. Or could she?

  Could she jump to her feet and rush toward him? Or stand up and play coy when he reached her? His body was drippin
g with sweat as he neared. Brooke swallowed. From their previous encounters, she had run her hands all along his body. Brooke knew he was muscular. Her fingers had traced his entire torso. But she hadn’t actually seen him, his bare chest. Now she couldn’t look away.

  It seemed that he couldn’t either. His gaze was so full of concern and care. Brooke hadn’t seen this type of concern from anyone in a long time. It was so warm, like the rays of the sun were casting down on her and hugging her under the golden light. Brooke flitted her eyelashes, trying to flick off the extra fluid that had not stopped flowing from her eyes. The tears were a confirmation of her sadness. Her embarrassment. She didn’t want to see Alec right now. Not this way, not this vulnerable. Besides, he was a reminder of making a bad decision. She could have quit working for Marshall with dignity. Instead of being called a prostitute. It was a horrible feeling, and the hours of gropes and advances from every other guy in the bar just added to her disgust. It was all too much to take. Too much to bear, and now she was baring it all. Her emotions were falling out of her eyes in tears, and she couldn’t get them to dry up. After Marshall’s continued insinuation that she was a prostitute, she couldn’t even consider discussing this with anyone, especially not Alec. She couldn’t imagine what he would or did think of her.

  * * * *

  Alec was beyond surprised to see Brooke. When she rushed out of the golf shop, he had no idea what had caused her to bolt. They had both climaxed. It was obvious. She had let out a moan of satisfaction, and then she had dropped to the ground throwing her clothes on like the building was on fire. That was the last Alec had heard or seen from her. After his appointment he checked on her room and found she had checked out of the hotel. He had no way of getting in contact with her. He wasn’t even sure if he should after the way she bolted from the golf shop. Alec did everything possible to get her out of his head and to forget about Brooke. He needed to move on. What could have been something had disappeared, and he couldn’t stay in the constant state of questioning if they could have been something. Alec had to focus on his business. The timing was off for a relationship anyway. Being in one right now would only be a distraction for him. Even though Brooke was the kind of distraction Alec would have welcomed with open arms if she had shown back up in his golf shop. Fourteen days and nothing. Not even a phone call. He had given up on any possibilities of being with Brooke. He never thought he would see her again.

  Until now. Now she was on his beach, looking hotter than ever except as he got closer he realized there was something different about her face. Her eyes were filled with water, and her cheeks had little red blotch marks.

  “Brooke, are you okay?” Alec rushed closer to her and pulled her into his arms. It only seemed like the natural response, even though it shouldn’t have been, given he hadn’t heard from her in two weeks. Yet, he couldn’t resist wanting to comfort her. As if it didn’t matter that she had left without a trace and had gone back to wherever she lived with the old guy. The sorrow in her eyes tugged at his heart.

  “Hi, yes.” Brooke stared down at the sand. Swinging her hair over her eyes, it was almost as if she was trying to cover her face.

  “You don’t seem all right. What’s wrong, did someone hurt you?” A vein pulsed from Alec’s throat. Brooke met his eyes with her own chocolate filled sadness. His clenched his fists. Someone had caused her to cry. It took every inch of self-control not to sweep her up in his arms and carry her back to his condo and make sure she never experienced a day of heartache again. Those sweet, sexy chocolate eyes were sad, and this made him enraged. Alec stared down at her. She broke their connection and focused on the sand. Alec wiped some sweat off his brow.

  If someone hurt Brooke, emotionally or, hell, he couldn’t even ponder the idea of physically, the rage that burned inside him was making his already hot body flow beads of sweat from his hairline. He would pummel them. He would make them feel pain, the kind of pain that might require a hospital visit. Alec shook his head. Why did she cause such a strong reaction from him? They weren’t dating, and he hadn’t seen her in over two weeks. Here she was sitting in front of him, and all he wanted to do was wrap her up in his arms and never let her go. Ever.

  * * * *

  Alec’s stare was so intense Brooke couldn’t let her eyes linger on his. Why did he seem so concerned? Was it because he could tell she had been crying? Her chest tightened and her stomach clenched.

  “No, I’m fine. What are you up to?” Brooke wiped the tears from her eyes. She definitely was not fine. Her mouth was dry and her insides burned. Alec standing in front of her made her heart swell. She wanted to crash into his arms and shut out the rest of the world. But she didn’t know him. Not beyond their sexual chemistry. She couldn’t be so vulnerable with her emotions around him. Her heart would shatter, she was sure of it. Brooke needed to distract herself from her emotions and focus on her physical desires. Being with Alec was incredible. Surely, spending another moment with him would avert any sadness from her mind. Brooke cocked her head to the right, as if she was snapping away her sadness and raised an eyebrow of seduction at Alec.

  “Daily run, I’ve got twenty more miles, and then I’m finished.” Alec smirked a confident grin. Brooke’s eyes widened at the number.

  “Twenty more miles?” Brooke’s head leaned backward. Alec smiled, flashing his white teeth that were heightened by his tan skin. His grin was like a welcome-home sign. Immediately she was comforted. Was there something more to Alec than just an amazing lover?

  “Yea, wanna run with me?” Alec glanced up and down Brooke’s body. She wasn’t exactly in running attire. His eyes flickered like he was thinking of other ways to get in a good workout with her minus her clothes. He was probably deciding whether or not to leave on her miniskirt, like he had in the golf shop. So easily he had pushed it up over hips. She wanted him to grab on to them and reenact the last time they were together. Or even better something different. She was always up for an adventure.

  “Twenty miles, you must be joking.” Brooke’s eyebrows furrowed.

  “Maybe, I am, but I bet you could help me with a different kind of workout,” Alec said as he rubbed his lips together.

  Those solid lips. Brooke remembered having those sensuous lips on her body. She wondered if he cared about anything other than that with her. She wasn’t exactly scoring in finding good people right now. But she could use some good feelings, the kind that can make you tingle all over.

  “What do you have in mind?” Brooke asked. She liked being forward with him. His eyes blinked for a mere second, just enough indication to prove that he wasn’t ready for her response.

  “Come with me, and I’ll show you.” Alec grabbed her hand and gripped it securely, rubbing his thumb over her palm as they turned and headed in the opposite direction of Alec’s run.

  * * * *

  The one-story terracotta condo was situated right on the beach with a deck set featuring a blue iron patio table and a couple of matching chairs. At the entrance a doormat read “Marino.” Alec bent down and untied his shoelaces and pulled the key from the string. He stuck the key in the door and pulled Brooke in behind him.

  It only took a second for him to push the door shut, lock it, and embrace Brooke in his arms. His mouth was hard against hers, forcing his tongue in. Her tongue was sweet, and her lips were salty, obviously from the tears. Alec pulled back. “Where did you disappear to?” He brushed her hair down with his hands and framed her face. Her face softened like she wanted to tell him what had caused her pain. And then she cast her direction to the ground.

  * * * *

  His stare was intense, full of so much concern. Concern that Brooke hadn’t experienced in a long time. God, having someone care was such a foreign concept. Marshall obviously didn’t care about her, and she really hadn’t kept in touch with her family over the past three years. She had no intention to contact them now. Not as a failure. If she had made something of herself then she would consider it, but until then no way. B
rooke rubbed her lips together as she tried to formulate what she wanted to tell him. How much she wanted to say without being too dramatic. She didn’t want him to know the depths of Marshall’s insults, but she did want him to know that she was no longer working for him.

  “What do you mean?” Brooke asked.

  “Question for a question. I don’t think so. You know what I mean. The last time I saw you was when you rushed out of the golf store throwing your blouse over your head as the door closed behind you.” Alec let go of her face and stepped back. He bent down and began untying his other shoe and took both of them off. He placed them on a shoe mat at the front door and raised an eyebrow at Brooke.

  Brooke glanced at the floor. It was a gray tile with white grout. She wished she could disappear into those lines instead of dealing with speaking lines of her own. The golf shop ending scene had been rather embarrassing. She didn’t want Alec to know that Marshall had seen them.

  “I had forgotten about an appointment and I had to leave.” Brooke glanced back up into Alec’s police office blues. It was like she was being interrogated and the room was closing in. She let out a deep breath and wiped the beads of sweat that had formed along her hairline.

  “What kind of appointment?” He obviously wasn’t going to let this go.

  “Um, for Marshall Masterson, my former boss.” Brooke jutted her jaw upward with confidence. There, that should satisfy any of his questions. She bit her lip, waiting for his next question or to see if they could continue on with their passionate kissing, which hopefully would lead to something else. She wanted to be wrapped up in his arms. Being near him was such a different sensation than she had ever experienced. He made her feel safe and needed. The way his eyes tugged on her heart. It was something more than just a hook-up, something deeper. Alec appealed to more emotions than she could even contemplate. Could this be something more than amazing sexual chemistry?