A Taste Of Brazil_An Interracial Billionaire Romance

by Kendra Riley

  “Well done, Mr. Carson. You’ve obviously matured a lot more than me over the years. Now come back to me. I’m going quite crazy without you.”

  He moved back into her. And he knew that he never wanted to be anywhere else. His movements got faster as she dug deeper into his back with her fingers.

  “I love you,” he said as soon as they were finished and he fell back on top of her, kissing her forehead, her head, her nose, her cheeks, her mouth. She couldn’t stop giggling.

  “I love you, too.”

  They showered and got changed. Damien didn’t bring any clothes with him so he put on the same outfit from the day before. Just as they were sitting down to make some coffee he saw Hazel’s phone ringing and he rushed to hand it to her. He saw the word DAD come up on the screen.

  “Hello? Dad? What’s wrong?” she asked.

  Damien tried to figure out what was going on but he couldn’t quite make out what her father was telling her. It was obvious that it was not good news though, not good news at all. The moment she put the phone down she looked at him.

  “Hazel? What’s wrong?”

  “Tom. He robbed Curious Corner.”

  “What? Are we sure it was Tom?” Stupid question – who else would it be.

  “What did your father say? Is Charles okay? Oh no, please don’t tell me they hurt Charles.” Damien didn’t think he would be able to handle that. Charles had been so good to him and all of this was Damien’s fault.

  “He’s fine. He’s fine. Well, Charles phoned the police. And my father recognized the name of the shop from when you told him about your job there. He’s meeting Charles in about half an hour and he wants us to come with him. He told Charles that he knew you and that he knew about what had happened to you so Charles knows that it is all related. Charles said he wanted to call you but of course your phone got stolen. Anyway, we need to meet my father there. Oh Damien… this is awful. These men are horrible.”

  “I know. They’re idiots. There is only one reason that Tom is doing this. He hates to see that I’m doing so well. It’s a sharp reminder that he isn’t. He wants me to fail. But I’m not going to fail.”

  “I know you’re not. Oh poor Charles!”

  They were just about to head out when they received a message from Hazel’s father to say he was on his way and would fetch them first before going to the shop. Damien was sure it was because he was worried about them walking on the streets now and he liked that her father was so protective over her. They waited until they heard his car pull up outside and then they quickly ran out. Robert had gotten out of the car and hugged Hazel the moment he saw her, then he reached over and shook Damien’s hand.

  “Come on, let’s go see what we can do about this Tom guy. I’ve already been on his case since yesterday so I think we can find him without Charles but any extra information is always good. Also, I think Charles needs to see a friendly face. He sounded a bit shaken up on the phone. He speaks very highly of you Damien.”

  “And yet it’s because of me that this happened to him. I hate that thought. He’s such a good man. He doesn’t deserve this.”

  Damien was angry at himself. First Hazel and then Charles. Maybe he really was bad news.

  “It’s not because of you, Damien. You’re doing the best that you can. This Tom guy sounds like a real piece of work.”

  And Damien felt sad at that moment. Sad and angry all at once. Sad because of the man that Tom used to be. Angry because of the man he had turned out to be. And had Damien carried on in that business, he might have turned out just the same. He’d be badgering old men and threatening women in their homes. He thought of Hazel and he felt sick to his stomach at the thought of it.

  When they arrived, Charles quickly ushered them in and then sat them inside.

  “Can I make you some coffee?” he asked once all the introductions were made. It was incredibly endearing that even after what had happened to him, he was still polite enough to offer them a drink.

  “No, no. Don’t worry at all,” Robert said to him.

  “Oh it will give me something to do. Also, this machine makes amazing coffee.”

  “It really does. Come on Charles, I’ll help you.” Damien walked with Charles to the back room and helped him make the coffees. The two of them never said a word to each other. Damien felt too choked up to talk. But then, just as they were about to go out he looked and Charles and said, “I’m so sorry.”

  Charles swung around to look at him, making sure to look him in the eye. “Damien. Listen to me, boy. This has nothing to do with you. You’re a good man. You got out of this a long time ago. They’re just jealous of you. So really, you should actually be quite proud of yourself. And don’t worry about me – I’ve seen my share of bullies before. Come on, let’s enjoy our coffee together and I’ll tell you all about that idiot.”

  Damien chuckled at that and the two of them walked out.

  “Thank you, Charles. Oh wow, this really is good coffee. I wish they had some of this down at the station,” Robert said and leaned back in his chair.

  The statement made Charles happy and he patted his mug happily.

  “Yes, this stuff is magical. If that boy that came in had any sense at all he would’ve stolen that.”

  “So tell me, Charles, tell me exactly what happened. And don’t leave anything out. Remember that the more we know, the better our chances are at finding him. To be honest, thanks to Damien and Hazel, we already have a good lead on him. But the sooner we get him the better.”

  “Sure. And can I please just first say that it is a pleasure to meet you, Hazel. I can see why Damien is so smitten over you. He’s told me a lot about you and now that I have met you, too, I definitely approve. You’ll have to come visit me sometime when I’m working in the shop.”

  Damien saw Hazel blush with pride at the compliment. “Oh, I will definitely come and visit you. You can tell me all the things about Damien that I don’t know about. And I’ll tell you all the things that I know. We can have a good old gossip session.”

  “Uh… you do know that I’m sitting right here,” Damien said and they all laughed.

  “Right,” Charles said, clapping his hand, “let’s get down to business. So, this man came into the shop, like I said. He had these shady dark eyes that kept jumping all over the place like he was nervous. I knew he was trouble the moment I laid my eyes on him. I have a panic button but it hasn’t been working for a while and I haven’t gotten around to fixing it. That’s obviously on my agenda for tomorrow.

  "Anyway, he came in here laughing and telling me what a stupid place it was to work at. Then he threw some of the books down. I tried not to act too alarmed, especially since he was throwing around some of my most precious books – but I knew that he would only enjoy it more if he could see that I was panicked. Also, at the end of the day, they are just books and I needed to stay safe. Then he came to the till and stole some of the money. It wasn’t much as I try not to leave too much in there at a time, thank goodness.

  "He was muttering all kinds of things and then he told me that he’s been waiting to come and see me for some time now, ever since he knew that Damien worked here. And then he said he couldn’t wait to tell everyone over in East Street about how he just robbed some crazy old man. And I didn’t say anything then. I just let him carry on and watched as he walked out before I called you. But all I could think about was how he had just told me some vital information about where his ‘gang’ hung out. That guy did not seem like he had any brain cells left really.”

  Damien saw that Robert was grinning. “Well, Charles, you should join our team. I’m telling you now that most people wouldn’t have remembered that. Either they wouldn’t know any details because of the whole trauma of the event or they would just assume that the information wasn’t as important as what the person stole. You have just made my job a lot easier. I’m actually going to go now because I have a feeling we can sort this out a lot quicker than I hoped. Now, Charles you go hom
e and take it easy. Damien, Hazel – you go home and do the same. Make sure Ben stays away for another day at least. I’ll call you all with some news as soon as I have any.”

  “Bye, Dad. Thanks for everything,” Hazel said, hugging her father.

  “Yeah, thank you so much, Robert. I cannot tell you how much this means to us.”

  They said their goodbyes and then Damien and Hazel waited for Charles to lock up and walked him home. Damien kept waiting for him to insist that he could walk home fine by himself but he didn’t. At the door, he gave them both a hug and told that everything was going to be fine.

  The Final Chapter

  Hazel

  “Dad, is everything okay?”

  Two days had passed since the Tom and Charles incident. Ben was still at Rachel’s and Hazel had phoned to tell her everything that had happened. Damien was at work but he kept phoning to make sure that she was okay. Charles had said that he was fine with going back but Damien refused and said he was more than happy to work that day.

  “I’ve got good news, Haze.”

  “Yeah?”

  “We got Tom. And not just Tom, but his entire gang. And we’ve managed to uncover a lot more information about them then just what they’ve done to you, Damien and Charles.”

  “What do you mean, Dad?”

  “I mean, they were involved in more things than we realized. And because of that we were able to arrest them for more than just a robbery. They may all be given ten years in jail.”

  “TEN!” Hazel couldn’t believe it.

  “Yeah. It might even be more if we get more information – which is very possible. And they’ve all been given restraining orders so even when they come out, they are not allowed near any of you.”

  Hazel felt relief washing through her body. She hadn’t realized just how tense she was until that moment. “Oh, Dad, thank you so much. This is such good news.”

  “It is. Will you tell Damien? I was going to call him but I think it will be good coming from you. And get him to phone Charles with the news.”

  “I will, Daddy. Thank you. Seriously, I cannot thank you enough. I’m sorry I didn’t come to you sooner. Thank you for helping us like this.”

  “Oh, Hazel, I would never let anything happen to you. And Damien… he’s a good guy, despite all the things he has done. I have always thought that. Now that Tom and his gang are away, the two of you can concentrate on finally moving forward. And you can stop looking over your shoulder whenever you go anyway. Now, before I go… your mom will kill me if I forget to mention that we’re having a lunch on Sunday again. Please come, and invite Damien, too.”

  “We’ll be there, Dad.”

  Hazel immediately called Damien to tell him the news.

  “That’s the best news ever. Ah, your father is awesome.”

  “He certainly is.”

  “It must run in the family.”

  “Are you flirting with me, Mr. Carson?”

  “Always. So, what are you up to today then? While I slave away at work.”

  Hazel scoffed. “You mean, while you read books?”

  “Hmm… maybe.”

  “Well, I think I’m going to treat myself to a nice bubble bath this morning. And then I’m going to fetch Ben and spend the rest of the day with him. This is the longest I’ve been without him and he must be wondering where I am. Oh, and before I forget – we’re invited to Sunday lunch.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Hazel spent the next few days in a sort of happy bliss. Ben thankfully didn’t ask any questions and seemed happy to have spent so much time with Rachel who more than likely spoiled him like crazy. Hazel promised that the next time she would take Willow and give them time to themselves.

  On the day of the Sunday lunch, Hazel was excited because it was the first time the whole family would be reunited with Damien around and she knew that it must be quite a big deal for him, too.

  “Hey, you,” he said when she opened the door. “You look beautiful.”

  Hazel was amazed that he still managed to make her blush. She was only wearing black jeans, a white shirt and black and white Converse sneakers, but he was looking at her as if she was wearing a ball gown. She called for Ben who came running out to greet him.

  “Ben, I like what you’re wearing.”

  Again, he was wearing pajamas. It didn’t help that he looked so cute so everyone kept buying him more. This time there were monsters all over.

  “Thank you. Monsters. Look.”

  “Scary!” Damien said.

  “No!” Ben laughed because the monsters were so comical and not scary at all.

  “Well, come on then guys, I’m taking you today.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I have a set of wheels now. Come on, let me show you.” Damien took her to a blue Ford Fiesta parked outside. It wasn’t new but it looked to be in good condition. She looked quizzically at Damien.

  “Charles sold it to me. I mean, I couldn’t really pay him just yet but I’m paying it off monthly. It runs really well.”

  “Wow, Damien. It’s perfect.”

  “And the good news doesn’t end there. I found a place to stay. It’s not far from here. On Porter Street. It’s an apartment block called La Villa. It’s small but it’s good for now.”

  “I know La Villa. I had a friend that lived there once. It’s a cool place. Damien… this is amazing. I’m just loving all this good news. I hereby declare this ‘Good News Sunday’ – what do you think, Ben?”

  “Monsters!”

  They all laughed. He was still transfixed with his pajamas.

  When they arrived at the house, Hazel noticed quite a few cars parked in the area, which was odd because it was normally such a quiet street.

  “Wow, someone here must be having a party,” she said to Damien.

  “PARTY!” Ben exclaimed.

  “Oh dear, I shouldn’t have said the P word. Ben loves parties.”

  They knocked on the door and Hazel’s mom opened the door with flushed cheeks and a wide grin.

  “Hi, Mom. You look happy today. Or have you been hitting the wine already?”

  “A bit of both really. Good to see you all. Come on in.”

  Hazel noticed that her mother was beaming at Damien. She wondered then how much wine she had consumed already because she wasn’t acting completely like herself. Her voice was a bit high pitched like she was about to sing a song. Hazel looked at Damien and shrugged.

  “Whatever she’s on – I want some,” she whispered to him.

  He took her hand as they walked and she wasn’t sure if it was because he was nervous at seeing the whole family again. That’s when Hazel noticed that the house was strangely quiet. The house was never quiet.

  “What’s going on? Mark and Theresa not here yet? I could have sworn I saw the car. Ha! Maybe they’ve gone to the other party down the road. How funny would that be?”

  Her mother didn’t say a word. Just kept on walking. Hazel was starting to get a little confused.

  “Mom? Earth to Mom.”

  They turned the corner and entered the living room. Nobody. Not a soul. Her mother was still walking and not saying a word. Then she signaled for them to follow her outside. Hazel turned to look at Damien who was grinning from ear to ear. What was going on? Then, as they stepped outside she almost screamed in fright as a huge bunch of people jumped out and screamed “SURPRISE!”

  Hazel looked around. She was suddenly so completely overwhelmed. Everyone was there. Her father, her brother, Theresa, their kids, Charles, Rachel, Leo, Willow and a man and a woman with two kids that she didn’t know.

  “What? What is going on? It’s not my birthday? Is it?”

  She looked around at everyone and then at Damien. She was confused. Had she entered some weird time warp where it really was her birthday? Damien took her hand.

  “Nope. It’s not your birthday. Although, I’m a little worried that you don’t know that yet. I think you need some wine. But�
� with everything that you’ve been going through we thought it would be nice to put a little something together for you. With all the people that love you. And to tell you that we’ll always be here for you.”

  “What? You were in on this?” Hazel punched him and everyone laughed.

  “Of course! Your mother and I have been planning it for the last few days.”

  “Whoa! I had no idea.”

  “Finally!” her mother exclaimed. “Damien, you have no idea how many times we have tried to surprise this girl over the years. She always finds out. Great teamwork. And thanks to everyone for not saying a word.”

  Hazel could not believe it. She felt the tears streaming down her face with happiness.

  “Mommy, why are you crying?” Ben asked, tugging at her leg.

  She reached down and picked him up, hugging him tightly. “These are happy tears. I have so much happiness inside of me so there is no more space for the tears. So they’re all just coming out of me.”

  His eyes widened and he touched a tear falling down. “Wow.”

  Hazel went around and hugged every person that was there. When she got to the people that she didn’t know she wasn’t sure what to do.

  “So you’re the lovely Hazel,” the man said.

  And as he spoke she knew he was. She could see it now. “Wesley?”

  “The one and only. We’ve been dying to meet you. This is my wife, Christie. And these are our two kids, Ashley and Sarah.”

  “Oh, they’re beautiful. I’m sorry, I’m so overwhelmed at the moment. I don’t even know what to say. I’m normally a lot more talkative.”

  “This will help.” Christie handed her a glass of wine.

  “Oh, thank you. Judging by this I think we’ll be great friends.”

  Hazel spent a bit of time talking to Wesley and Christie and she took an immediate liking to them. Wesley was like Damien in a lot of ways and completely different in others. But it was obvious to see how happy he was that his brother was back in his life. Their parents had died when they were young and they were the only family they had left. She was delighted when she discovered that they were also teachers. They seemed to have a lot in common with her.