by Randi Ocean
He accepted that. “Okay, if you say so. By the way, thanks for making the point that the proposed schedule is about having time to be creative. I’m not going to let that catfight going on in the other room drive this thing. I want this book to be stunning for everyone’s benefit. You know, it could really put me on the map.”
“I know, and I‘ll do everything in my power to make that happen,” I said, smiling at Dane. I really wanted him to shine with this project. He had given me an opportunity to start a new life, and I wanted him to have all the fame and fortune he deserved.
I rejoined the girls and poured fresh coffee for everyone. They were marking up their calendars and making shopping lists of food and props that would be needed for the still-life shots and recipes. Nicole said she could bring some bulk items from the restaurant that they purchased at deep discounts to help the budget. Valerie had a great contact at the international market that could even get out-of-season ingredients from reliable sources at a reasonable cost. These two had it down. It already seemed like they were getting along better, but then again, the real work hadn’t begun.
They worked through lunch and finally wrapped up around four-thirty. Nicole took a quick tour of the space she would inhabit every day for a couple of months. With a little attitude creeping back in, she said it was “adequate.” I could see Valerie clenching her teeth. She’d worked very hard to outfit that prep kitchen, and she turned out some exquisite food from within those counters. I suspected Nicole’s comment was her way of exercising control over the situation.
Valerie and I saw her out, and returned to the kitchen to talk.
“Man, she can be one arrogant bitch,” Valerie said.
“Don’t let her get to you. She’s going to have to work in your space for this project, so she probably feels like she has to puff herself up a bit to be in control. I know it’ll take some getting used to for both of you.”
“You’re probably right. It just shouldn’t have to be this hard.”
Dane joined us. “How’re my two best girls doing?”
“Valerie was just telling me about how much she’s already learning from Nicole. Isn’t that right?” I said, joking with them.
She rolled her eyes and said, “It’s going to be fine. It’s just weird having someone else running my kitchen. You know how protective I am of my space.” She put her hands on her hips and pushed her nose in the air, teasing that she was out of joint about Nicole’s attitude.
Dane laughed. “Valerie, you’re a star. No one can out-style you in this kitchen, but we’ll both have to make some space for Nicole to do her thing.” He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine to toast to a productive day. He was in a great mood after a successful meeting, and Steve was on his way to pick him up to go to Buena Comida as Sergio’s guests for dinner. He was totally jazzed about it. “Bridget, what did you have when you went to dinner with Sergio? I’ll bet he picked all the best dishes.”
“I highly recommend the raw oysters with chipotle salsa as an appetizer and the wild prawns in lobster sauce for dinner. That’s the best seafood I think I’ve ever eaten.”
“Sounds delish. And raw oysters? Maybe I’ll get lucky,” he said, winking at us and laughing.
We laughed with him as my mind flashed back to that amazing dinner with Sergio. He was right; the heat from the chipotle definitely turned up our heat that night.
Chapter 11
Pratt Photography was technically closed for the holidays for nine days, since Christmas and New Years were both on Thursdays. Valerie had her work cut out for her, though. She would be working solidly through the holiday, including New Year’s Day. We would have one final meeting on Friday, January 2nd to review all the props and the schedule before shooting would begin the following Monday. Valerie was hyper-sensitive about getting everything prepped exactly the way it needed to be and in line with the way Nicole had asked for it to be done. She was not going to be accused of being the weak link in this production.
I stayed close by because I was afraid if left alone through the prep process, Valerie’s animosity toward Nicole could escalate in her mind and be insurmountable by the time she had to work directly with her. I hung out with her at the studio, and kept the coffee flowing and the music blasting while she meticulously organized the props and the kitchen tools for the first week of recipes. Valerie and I had planned to go to the North Coast and chill for New Year’s, but there was no way she could make the trip and have everything prepped the way she wanted to. I debated going anyway. We had paid for the cottage for three days and couldn’t get our money back. I’d been dreaming about relaxing and walking on the beach to rejuvenate myself before the shoot started. It would take every ounce of energy I could muster to get through the next couple of months.
“You should go,” Valerie said. “You need a break, and there’s no reason for you to stay here just to keep me company. Besides, Nicole said she would come in after I’d done the food shopping to help me on the prep. I’m actually beginning to feel better about the whole assistant thing. Being in charge of this much of the prep myself makes me feel a little more in control. It’ll be fine.”
“Well, a change of scenery for a couple of days would be nice. I know the next few months will be nonstop, but I really don’t mind being here to support you, particularly if Nicole’s coming in.”
“I’m a big girl. I can handle her, and I promise I won’t cause any trouble before we even get started. I know my place, and I’ll behave. Just go and relax a little for both of us. No reason to completely waste the rental.”
“If you really feel that way, I think I will head out there.”
“Go for it!” she said.
That afternoon, I packed a small suitcase and a cooler with almost everything from my fridge. I planned to do very little away from the cottage other than walking on the beach. I’d been looking forward to hanging out with Valerie for a few days like we did Thanksgiving weekend. Maybe this was better, though. We’d be working so closely on the shoot; it was probably a good thing to have a break from each other before it started.
I arrived out at the cottage around four o’clock. There was just enough time to get settled, pour a glass of wine, and head down to the beach to watch the sunset. I bundled up, grabbed a beach chair from the back porch, and headed for the water. It wasn’t even New Year’s Eve yet, but I could hear fireworks popping in the distance.
When I got out on the beach, it was much warmer than I’d expected. I shed a layer, leaving my jacket on my chair, and decided to take a walk while there was still daylight. There were only a half-dozen people visible as I scanned both directions, determining which way to start. I headed north first so I would be walking back toward the sunset. The first sip of wine gave me a mental cue that it was okay to finally relax. The surf was gentle and very calming. I was glad I had made the trip. Even a couple of days of this kind of R & R would be invigorating. I’d be ready for just about anything when I got back.
About ten minutes into my walk, a man came out to the beach from an oceanfront house. His gate was quick, as if he was walking with a purpose, heading directly toward the water. There was something familiar about him, although he was mostly bundled up, so I couldn’t see his face. He must have realized, as I did, that it was warmer than he expected, and he shed his scarf and jacket. I stopped in my tracks in disbelief.
He looked at me in shock as well. “My sweet Bridget! What on earth are you doing here?”
“I…I’m….” I stammered, totally overwhelmed. “I’ve rented a cottage down the beach. What’re you doing here?”
“I had to get away for a couple of days. Adele and I had a huge blowout, and I needed some space. This house has been in our family for years, so I came up here to decompress. I just can’t believe you’re here, of all places.”
“Isn’t New Year’s Eve a big night for you at the restaurants? How did you manage to get away?”
“There are parties at all the restau
rants, but there’s only one seating at each. We’ve done it that way for the last couple of years because we’re so burned out after all the Christmas parties. It’s well planned, and they don’t need me or Cy there to manage it. That way, we can give ourselves a break for New Year’s. I usually crash at home for a couple of days, but I needed to be farther away from the office, away from Adele.”
“What’s going on?”
“Well, she….” He stopped and held out his hand. “Why don’t you come inside, and I’ll tell you about the whole situation.”
I took his hand, and he pulled me close. He held my cheek and gave me a warm wet kiss. “I really can’t believe you’re here. This is so wonderful,” he said, kissing me again.
“I can’t believe it either.” I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him.
We started walking back toward the house, and I realized I’d left the cottage open and my chair on the beach. “I’d better go back and lock up the house. I’ll be toast if anything happens from leaving the door unlocked.”
“Okay. I’ll go with you.”
We walked down the beach, hand in hand. I asked him again, “So tell me, what’s going on?”
“You know, the night after our meeting, Dane and his friend came to Buena Comida for dinner. Dane was joking with me about how little photography there was relative to the number of recipes and printed pages. I started thinking about it, and he was right. Dane’s work and his concepts for the art direction were so magnificent I thought maybe there should be fewer recipes so the photography could really shine. It would mean cutting almost half the recipes to make that happen. The work wouldn’t be wasted, though, because we could start planning the next book and be well on our way to getting it done. You know what they say in self-publishing -- it’s best to turn out multiple volumes fairly close together so if people like the first one, they’re already looking for the next one. This would give us a big leg up on a second book. My publicist called me Monday morning just to wish me a happy holiday, and I casually ran it by her. She thought it was a fabulous idea. I had every intention of discussing it with Adele. I just hadn’t had a chance to talk to her. She was furious that I would consider pulling that many recipes that she’d slaved over and even angrier that I had talked with anyone about it before discussing it with her. I tried to explain that it had been a casual conversation and nothing had been decided. I just wanted to produce the best book possible, and that by breaking it up we would have the opportunity to produce two or even three beautiful books and boost potential sales. She felt I was being, as she put it, ‘selfish as usual.’ I feel she’s the one being selfish. She wants all the glory for the volume of recipes in one book.”
“Wow, that sounds like a mess,” I said sympathetically.
“It is. I just needed to come up here and sort it out in my head. I’m trying to be objective about it and figure out if I really was being selfish, or if I’m overlooking something. I’ve scheduled a meeting with her Thursday to give each of us time to calm down before we talk about it further.” He was obviously upset.
We’d reached my beach chair just as the sun was kissing the horizon. The sky was a brilliant turquoise with ribbons of wispy pink clouds. The only sounds were the cackles of the seagulls and the lapping of the waves on the shore. I turned to Sergio and put my hand on his cheek. “I’ll try to help you sort through it if you’d like.”
“Oh, my sweet Bridget, I feel so much better already just talking about it with you.” I could see some of the tension leaving his face as he spoke. He put his hand over mine and kissed my palm.
The wind was picking up, and the temperature started dropping as soon as the sun disappeared on the horizon. “Let’s go inside where it’s warm,” I said, gathering up my jacket and chair.
He walked in behind me and sat down in the living room while I continued on to the kitchen to get the wine and a glass for him. When I came back, he was lighting the fire. It felt very cozy and comfortable.
I poured the wine and took a seat on the floor in front of the fire. Sergio slid off his chair and joined me on the floor, pulling all the big pillows around us. “It’s a miracle that you’re here,” he said, and kissed me tenderly. “I wanted to ask you to spend New Year’s Eve with me, but when you said you wanted to put distance between us….”
“Shh….” I pushed him back on the pillows and climbed on top of him. He pulled me close, wrapping his strong arms around me. He grabbed my ass and urged me closer. He pressed his hips into mine, and I felt his unmistakable arousal growing between us As we peeled away the layers of clothes, it felt as if we were shedding the weight of the world and all our troubles. The heat of our passion rivaled the flames of the fire. Every kiss, every touch from Sergio’s tender lips and soft hands sent shock waves through me. My skin was on fire, tingling with every stroke of his fingertips.
His breath quickened. He rolled over on top of me and spread my legs with his. Our faces were inches apart. His penetrating eyes met mine, reaching for my soul. His tongue wet my lips, then he slid down, nipping at my shoulder and dappling my torso with kisses until his tongue began its erotic dance. He licked at each thigh while his fingers pushed in and out of me and connected with my most sensitive erogenous zones. I clutched the pillows and held on as waves of pleasure pushed through me. My core tightened at the pinnacle of excitement, and I writhed in pleasure, pushing into all the pillows around me. I could hardly breathe. “Oh, Sergio! Ahhh!” I wailed, not even trying to muffle my cries.
He slid up next to me and engulfed my mouth with his. Propping up on one elbow, he whispered, “I’m sorry I hadn’t planned on finding you here, so I’m not prepared with protection to make love to you.”
Gradually catching my breath, I smiled at him and took control. “Your turn to relax,” I purred, stroking his hard shaft and pushing him back into the pillows. I rolled onto my knees next to him and circled his crown with my tongue, still massaging his length with one hand and fondling his balls in the other. I slid my lips down taking all of him into my mouth and worked up and down. A guttural groan escaped from him as he braced against the pillows. He was so hot and hard, and tasted so sweet. I sucked and licked, and continued bobbing on him as I felt his muscles tighten.
“Oh, Bridget…oh, God! You feel so good.” He squeezed my shoulder as he exploded into my mouth. I continued sucking and swallowing but slowing my movements as he trembled from the orgasm. I loved giving him this much pleasure.
I licked his crown as the last of the warm fluids escaped, then slid up next to him so I was under his arm with my head on his shoulder. We held each other tightly, lying quietly for a few moments until our heartbeats began to resume a normal rhythm.
“This feels like a dream. I still can’t believe you’re here,” he said, almost in a whisper.
“It’s pretty wild that we ended up a few houses away from each other by sheer coincidence. What’re the chances of that? Maybe we should go buy a lottery ticket,” I said, smiling up at him. We both laughed and held each other, legs entwined like the roots of a tree that had been growing together in harmony for decades. I didn’t want to let go.
**
I hadn’t planned on feeding anyone but myself for a few days, so when it came to dinner, it was going to be a stretch to produce a meal. Sergio chuckled and shook his head at the odd assortment of food I had packed.
“I think we have a few more provisions at the Ramirez compound. Why don’t we go over there and make dinner?”
“That’s probably a good idea if you want real food,” I said.
He perched on a kitchen stool and kissed the back of my hand. “Will you stay for breakfast?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant about asking me to spend the night with him.
I looked deeply into his eyes and knew that we were destined to be together… at least for the night. “Breakfast sounds delightful but dessert sounds even better,” I responded with a sly smile, biting his lip.
“Well, I think all of the abov
e can be arranged,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
I stowed the few things I had unpacked back in my suitcase and filled the cooler with my measly offerings while Sergio broke up the fire.
The Ramirez compound consisted of three buildings including two guest cottages that flanked the main house. It had obviously been there for a very long time, what with the weathered shingles and cobblestone driveway. Inside, everything was perfectly appointed for comfortable beach living without being pretentious. The main living space was one large open room, with the kitchen, dining, and living areas only separated by the furnishings that defined them.
“This is fantastic,” I said.
“It has been in our family for three generations. We did a fairly major renovation a few years ago to bring it into the twenty-first century, but we kept the integrity of the structure.”
I stowed my cooler items in the refrigerator while Sergio turned on some soft music and built another fire. I poured the wine as he rolled up his sleeves to cook dinner.
“What can I do to help you?” I asked.
“You can sit with me and help me sort through this mess with Adele while I make us something to eat.”
“Why don’t you start again from the beginning?”
Sergio talked and cooked. I listened. He got very emotional as he described how the events had unfolded. Despite the distraction of rehashing the conflict with Adele, Sergio produced a beautiful meal in no time. I set the table facing the fire. Sergio seemed completely drained and introspective as he carried our plates to the couch.
“Let it go for tonight. You need some rest to give you some perspective.” He was very solemn. I put my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “Let’s just relax and enjoy finding each other here.”
I could feel his spirits lighten, and a soft smile came over his face. “You’re right, my sweet Bridget,” he said, lifting his glass in my direction. “You’re a blessing that I shall savor all night.” He leaned over and kissed me tenderly.
