by Vella Munn
“You were that sure?”
“It’s what I’ve wanted since the day I saw you. I didn’t believe there was anything strong enough to stop it from happening.”
The something Magadan was talking about had to do with mutual secrets, but Chela wasn’t going to think about that now. She was going to arch her spine, cling to Magadan’s shoulders with iron fingers, and try to remember to breathe while he brought her body to a point it had never been before. The spot that existed deep inside Chela quickly absorbed the heat in her flesh. Flames consumed her mind, her heart, her very soul. She didn’t exist beyond the act of lovemaking. She didn’t want to.
When it was over, when they had both been satisfied, Chela tried to come to grips with how much time had passed, but it didn’t matter. They’d made love. Magadan’s body was next to hers on the boldly colored blanket. He had taken her on a journey she didn’t know existed. Whatever differences remained between them had been erased—for the moment.
“Do you want me to leave?” Magadan asked after a long time.
Chela stirred and pulled her mind back from the unthinking place it had been. Her answer came in the form of an arm around his shoulder and a slim, tanned leg draped over his.
In the morning they made love again, and then Magadan soaped her back after she’d climbed into her bathtub. “You do that very well, Magadan,” Chela sighed. She arched her spine, acknowledging the heady, sensual feeling.
He gently directed her head until she had no choice but to face his eyes. “When are you going to call me Joe?”
Chela realized she had come a long way last night in giving herself to Magadan, but she was unsure that now was the time when she would feel safe calling him by his first name. The fear of total openness held her back. “Don’t rush it, Magadan,” she warned, her eyes as unrelenting as his. “It may never happen. I can’t guarantee—”
Magadan kissed her wet face in interruption and then turned away. “I wouldn’t be here if I believed that, Chela.”
After he’d left her, Chela continued to stare at the door. She was wet from her bath, but there was another source for the moisture on her face. Chela was crying silent, wondering tears. This feeling that she wanted to share herself with someone else was too new for her to understand it fully, but not so foreign that she wasn’t aware of the loneliness that had existed before Magadan had come into her life. How she was going to resolve that feeling could require more of her than she ever thought possible.
She’d dried her hair and wrapped a large towel around her before leaving the bath. She could hear Magadan rummaging around the kitchen, grumbling to himself as he opened and closed cupboards. “Don’t you have any coffee around here?” he mumbled. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those health-food fanatics who thinks coffee is bad for them.”
“I thought you were in a good mood in the morning,” Chela quipped, relieved to throw off heavy thoughts. “No, I don’t have coffee, but it’s because it gives me the shakes, nothing more.”
Magadan frowned and then smiled as he saw what she was wearing. “I’ll have to remember to bring some over.”
“Does that mean you’ll be coming back?”
“You better believe it, lady. You’re not going to get rid of me that easily.”
Chela didn’t want to get rid of him, but she didn’t know how to respond, either. “Are you going to be late for work?” she asked instead. Then she realized her question wasn’t as innocent as it sounded. Perhaps he would drop some clue about himself.
“I’m my own boss,” he answered. “No one can bawl me out if I’m late. But you’re right.” He sighed loudly. “Much as I’d like to hang around here and see what you’re going to replace that towel with, I’ve got to leave.”
“Oh?”
“I’m expecting some deliveries. Besides, I have to stop somewhere for a cup of coffee.”
“When will I see you again?” she asked, suddenly feeling like a shy schoolgirl.
Instead of answering, Magadan grabbed the top of her towel and pulled her close to him. He kissed her long and deep before speaking. “Tonight.”
Chela could only nod. She was too shaken by his kiss to trust herself to speak. She didn’t try to stop him when he walked out the front door. She’d turned around and was heading toward her bedroom when he came back in again. “I almost forgot something,” he said, handing her the box with her peach dress in it. “Take good care of it. I want to see you in it as soon as possible.”
“Maybe I’ll wear it to work today,” she teased.
“You do and I’ll have to ravage you in the middle of the orchard.” He kissed her again, briefly. “Tonight.”
Tonight, Chela thought as she dressed in her usual outfit and climbed into her Jeep. Tonight, she thought while she was sitting in the middle of an orchard with three Mexicans leaning over the book opened on her lap. Tonight, she reminded herself after she’d convinced a teenage girl with a baby in her arms to start attending English night classes.
Chela was sweaty and tired when she stopped by the grocery store for coffee and some groceries. The air-conditioned store made her shiver, so getting back into her Jeep was a relief. She was aware that a couple of middle-aged women were staring at her, but she’d seen looks like that before and was able to dismiss them. They lived in different worlds, she thought. Chela didn’t understand theirs; they didn’t understand hers.
As she turned onto her road, Chela remembered how she’d gotten home last night. Stalking away from Magadan while he stared after her had been a reckless move, one she didn’t fully comprehend. She wasn’t one to turn away from a confrontation. Besides, a man capable of putting her at ease in the dark confines of the Blue Max deserved better than to be left to stare at an uneaten meal. As she slowed for her driveway, Chela toyed with the idea of preparing a special meal for Magadan. It was the kind of thing other women did for the men in their lives.
There was a car in her carport, but it wasn’t until Chela was turning off the road that she acknowledged its presence. In the same instant she recognized it as the glittering one Kohl drove.
Chela picked up her bag of groceries and got out of the Jeep, breathing deeply. Her tennis shoes made a dry, slapping sound as she climbed the three steps to her front door. She reached for the knob without pulling out her key. The door was unlocked.
“You’re a trusting one,” she heard Kohl challenge even before she was all the way in the room.
“I knew it would be you.” Chela walked past the figure on the couch, dropped her groceries on the kitchen table, and slowly returned to the living room. She hadn’t had enough time to get back into the role of a lovesick woman, frantic to have her lover brought to her. Would Kohl notice? “You’re back. Did you get in touch with Ortez?”
“Sit down,” he ordered. “Do you have anything to drink here?”
“No.” Chela sat down as he ordered and folded her fingers together in what she hoped was a gesture of anxiety. “Did you see him?”
“He didn’t tell you? Lovers talk to each other over the phone when they can’t be in bed together.”
“He’s hard to reach. I tried twice this week,” Chela said quickly, praying she was saying the right things. “He’s looking for work. I don’t always know where he’ll be.”
Kohl smiled the lipless smile that turned Chela’s stomach. “You’re a lush woman, Chela. What do you want with a skinny man?”
Chela paused, wondering if Kohl was trying to trick her. Magadan’s description of Ortez was of a man who loved the outdoor life but was committed to expanding his mind even if that meant sitting at a desk for long hours. Chela knew that Ortez worked at keeping his body in shape. “If you think he’s skinny, then you don’t see him the way I do,” she said warily.
“Maybe. And maybe I can’t believe anything you tell me.” Kohl cracked his knuckles loudly. “You wouldn’t do that to me, would you, Chela? You wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“We’ve been over that before.” T
he man expected her to expose her hate for him. That required no acting. “You wouldn’t be here if you thought I was lying.”
“Maybe. And maybe I’m here for another reason.”
“I don’t want to play games, Kohl,” Chela said, forcing the anger to retreat in her voice. “You saw Ortez. What happens now? Are you going to bring him to me? His problems with the government—”
“Not so fast. A businessman doesn’t succeed if he rushes into situations without sniffing things out thoroughly first. One wrong step and it’s all over. You should know that, Chela. You know what brings a man to his knees.”
Chela didn’t want to talk about that. She was supposed to be a lovesick woman. “Are you going to bring Ortez to me?” she repeated.
“Maybe. And maybe not. What’s it worth to you, Chela?”
“You know what I can pay.” Was he trying to trip her up? Chela thought she knew all the twists and turns of Kohl’s mind, but she couldn’t be sure. He was right about one thing. He wouldn’t still be free, running his despicable business if he hadn’t learned to keep one jump ahead. “I can’t afford any more.”
“Don’t be so sure about that.” Kohl laughed. “Everything can be negotiated. I’ve already made one trip to make sure you’re telling me the truth. That increases my expenses.”
So that was what he was getting at. His greed knew no bounds. He was going to feel her out, see if she would up the ante. Slowly, testing the direction the conversation was taking, Chela started. “That isn’t my fault. I didn’t ask you to go down there. I just want Ortez with me.”
“And you thought I would take what you say at face value. I’m afraid not, my wild one. Don’t take me for a fool. You and I have growled at each other too long for me to trust anything you say. You should know that. You want your precious Ortez with you, you pay for it.”
“I can’t,” Chela said with what she hoped was the right amount of hopelessness in her voice.
“I think you can. Another thousand isn’t going to kill you, Chela. Love has no limits, not even financial.”
“One thousand dollars…” Chela pretended to be weighing what Kohl had told her. She could sense his relentless eyes on her and was grateful that she wore more than a bathrobe today. “That much more?”
“That’s the way it is. There is another alternative involving your body, but I don’t like having to keep one eye open for a knife in my back.” Kohl sounded as if they were settling on the price of a dozen eggs. “I have expenses. Overhead. You want to be reunited with your lover, you come up with the money.”
“I don’t have it, not now.”
“Get it, or we’ll never discuss this matter again.”
“You’ll have to give me a little time.” God, she hated the begging tone she deliberately let enter her voice. “I don’t know where I’ll get the money. Can’t you…”
Kohl smiled and rose to his feet. “I’ll be back in two days, Chela. I want you to have all of it here waiting for me.”
She shook her head. Now she could stop playing this hated role and go back to being herself. “No,” she said firmly. “Half now, half when Ortez is here.”
Kohl’s “no” was so sharp that it was almost a physical slap. “I want all of it now or it’s no deal.”
Chela, too, rose to her feet. “Half now, half when I see Ortez. Otherwise you get nothing. It’s the only way I can ensure Ortez’s safety.”
She was ready for Kohl’s menacing step, and yet there was no way she could stop herself from leaning away from him. The man’s breath assaulted her nostrils, but her retreat was caused by more than that—she knew what he was capable of. “All. Now. You’ll have to trust me to deliver Ortez.”
Chela laughed, relieved that her voice betrayed none of her tension. “I don’t trust you any farther than I can throw you, Kohl. I know what you’ve done in the past. That’s why it has to be the way I say.”
He frowned. For a moment she thought he was going to strike her. Instead he brought himself a step closer to her rigid body and swayed over her. “You drive a hard bargain, my wild one. I think you’re going to regret it.”
“I regret everything that brings us together,” Chela said, knowing she was playing with the slimy man’s self-control but also knowing he expected her to display her hatred of him. “But you can’t threaten me.”
“You don’t think so? You’re a fool then, Chela, a fool. I’ll give you two days, and when I return you’ll understand why you can’t double-cross me.”
He wasn’t bluffing. That was what made Kohl such a formidable opponent—the man never made threats he couldn’t back up. “I’ll have half of the money ready for you in two days,” she said, clamping a lid on the emotions that threatened to ruin everything she’d worked to achieve.
“And I’ll have a surprise for you.” Another cold smile contorted Kohl’s face. “One that will bring you in line.” He took another step and came so close that Chela was forced to move away to keep him from touching her.
He took another step, a cat relishing the stalking of a mouse. Chela raged against the game but knew no way to end it. If she stood her ground, he would touch her and that she couldn’t bear. Backing away from him was her only option. She didn’t stop until he had her pressed against the wall of her living room. I hate you, Kohl. I hate you with every fiber in me, was what she was thinking. Instead she willed her voice to remain steady. “What kind of surprise?”
He laughed, revealing teeth that seldom if ever felt a toothbrush. “Wouldn’t you like to know? But that would ruin things, wouldn’t it? I want you to be aware of how far my influence reaches, to remember that there’s no way you can get away from me.” As if to emphasize his point, he placed his hands on either side of Chela and rested his palms against the wall. “Ah, my wild one, do you know what I see when I look at you? A prize. The chase would be such a challenge because the prize is worth the effort. You hate me, which makes it all the more intriguing. Do you have any idea what we could accomplish if we worked together? The Mexicans trust you. There would be no end to what we could do together.”
“Never!” Chela didn’t have to worry about letting her fury show. It was exactly what her adversary expected. “I’d never turn against my people!” She turned her head to the side so she didn’t have to feel his hot breath on her lips.
“Your people? Are you forgetting your father’s blood running through your veins? Don’t be so quick to deny that.” His mouth followed hers until they were only inches away. “There are ways of making you faithful to that part of your bloodline.”
Suddenly, surely, like a deadly premonition of one’s death, Chela saw what Kohl was driving at. “Where is he?” she whispered, wondering at her ability to speak.
“That, Chela Reola, is for me to know and for you to think about in the black of night. Don’t you want to see him? What kind of woman are you not to want to see your own loving father?”
She could tear Kohl’s eyes out, bury her nails in his face, but what would she have accomplished other than putting an end to his cruel taunts? “He doesn’t want to see me any more than I want to see him,” she said, mastering her emotions with an effort. “You’re trying to bring back the past. It won’t work.”
“Don’t be so sure.” Before Chela could stop him, Kohl had captured her mouth and was branding her with his thin, hard lips. The kiss, if it could be called that, was to establish the relationship between them, to let Chela know that he would never stand for a woman, especially her, to best him at anything.
Finally, when she thought she would lose her mind from the effort of enduring his repulsive touch, Kohl laughed and released her. “Think about it, Chela. Two days, then we’ll talk again.”
Chela didn’t move as he backed away from her, smiling all the time, and made his way to the door. Her last view of him was his smiling yellow teeth and tight lips as he closed the door between them.
For a moment Chela thought she was going to be able to endure it. He was gone.
She could hear his car pulling out of the driveway. He would be back in two days to make the contact that would, hopefully, put him out of business. That was what counted, nothing else.
“Damn!” The oath burst from her with a life of its own. She slammed her strong hand against the wall, her fist so tight that her nails dug into the palm of her hand. “Damn you, Kohl! If you—”
The phone rang. At first Chela wasn’t going to answer it because she didn’t trust herself not to rip the phone out of the wall. But it would be Magadan. He’d come here if she didn’t pick up the receiver. She wasn’t sure her greeting was loud enough for him to hear.
He said something about coming over shortly, but when she didn’t respond beyond a monosyllable, he pressed her for an explanation of her mood.
“Kohl was here when I got home.”
“He’s gone?”
“Yes.” Unexpectedly Chela’s anger and agitation escaped. “He doesn’t believe in small talk. He left as soon as we’d conducted our business.”
“What happened?” Magadan pressed. “Are you going to tell me what he said?”
“Not over the phone,” Chela answered shortly. She needed time to pull herself together, to drape a solid veil over the past Kohl dredged up.
“I’ll be right over,” Magadan said and hung up.
Chela replaced the receiver and paced to the window to look out. No, she saw with relief, Kohl hadn’t come back. She didn’t want Magadan to hurry. In fact she would have preferred he didn’t come to see her at all tonight. This wasn’t the way a woman was supposed to feel about seeing her lover, was it? But Chela wasn’t like most women. She couldn’t curl up with her man and whisper sweet nothings until they were ready to make love. Chela had secrets, dark passages in her past. Kohl had trod those passages, and she wasn’t sure she could keep that from Magadan.
But, somehow, she had to. Magadan had become special when she didn’t know that would happen. Because of him she had to keep that heavy veil over the past.
