by Aubrey Parr
He didn’t get into any of that with Nicole, not tonight. He always figured that if he did end up with a wife, she would know everything about it and that taking care of his mother was a necessary evil. He couldn’t leave her to live on the streets or sell her body. She may have been a horrible mother, but she was still just that, his mother.
They each finished their plates. Nicole suggested they have some dessert at the bar with their drinks, so he suggested an apple dessert that he knew she would love. He took her hand and led her up to the bar. She stopped just shy of walking into the restaurant and turned to look at the view. She leaned into the crook of his shoulder and was still for a moment. He figured she was thinking of her father. He rubbed the bare skin on her back and let her tell him when she was ready. Time would stand still for as long as she needed.
In that moment, he had a longing that he thought he’d squashed in the ring- a wish that he had a father. He didn’t like thinking that, didn’t like needing him. He hated the universe for taking Nicole’s from her. Why couldn’t his waste of a father die in a car accident instead? Maybe he had, Derek thought. He had no idea if the man was alive or dead.
Nicole leaned up and kissed his cheek; it had become the cutest little habit. Wordlessly, they walked up to the bar. Just as he was about to order, he received a text message. He checked his phone to see if it was Gael. It was from Silvia: “I see you took your blond out again tonight. I’ll miss seeing you leave her hotel shirtless again tomorrow.’” Derek did not reply. This was just what he was worried would happen. He still planned on having her job if she dared approach Nicole, especially without him there. But he would deal with Silvia another time. He was determined not to let this ruin their time tonight.
He ordered the apple tartlet and another bottle of the same red wine; if they didn’t finish it at the bar, they could take it back to the hotel. As he had that thought, he realized he was picturing his apartment at the Paraíso. He thought about the day he met Nicole and it felt like it might be his fourth life-changing moment. It wasn’t very clear to him now if it was when he was sitting at the bar at the Playa Vallarta and first saw her or if it was now, in this moment, at the bar in this restaurant. But he knew it was life changing. He wanted to take her to his apartment at the hotel and let her see the personal life he had created. He wanted to tell her everything.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The apple dessert arrived and it was divine, just like everything that night. She sat at the bar, eating and looking over at Derek as he spoke to the restaurant manager. He really did know everyone in this town. Who was he?
She had discovered more about his past tonight. This man had overcome so much since he had been the poor little boy who had no father and a mother that sounded too selfish to put her needs aside to take care of a helpless child. And look at him now. She wasn’t quite sure of his success at the moment, but any amount was amazing, given his circumstances. This man was the one that needed a lotus flower tattooed on his skin, not her. She smiled at the thought of a flower, even a simple drawing like hers, mixed in with all those masculine designs.
How successful was he? Who exactly did he work for? She hadn’t noticed until now that he had been rather vague about why he was here. It wasn’t because she was disinterested. She supposed it was because they had so much to learn about each other. Somehow they always got onto another topic. Was that on purpose? She inspected him again wondering if he was some type of undercover agent. As far-fetched as it seemed, she wouldn’t be surprised at all if that’s who he really was. Would she ever know?
Nicole hadn’t noticed that while she was pondering all of this, she had slowly eaten far more than her half of the dessert. It was so good, she couldn’t stop herself. She set down her fork and let Derek finish his conversation. He must have been waiting for her to do so because as soon as she did, he introduced her to the man with whom he was talking.
“Manuel, this is mi amor, Nicole.” She didn’t miss his reference. She liked it.
“Hola, Señorita Nicole, are you enjoying yourself this evening?” He lifted her hand and kissed it quickly.
“Thank you, yes. Your place is wonderful,” she said and leaned in toward Derek slightly. She had been able to tell over the few short days that he had a protective side. She guessed that even with a simple hello kiss on the hand, she should let Manuel see that she was his. Derek’s way never came across controlling or domineering, just protective. As she leaned, he put his arm around her to show that he appreciated the gesture.
“I will leave you two to enjoy your evening. We will talk again, Derek, and I hope to see you soon, Señorita Nicole,” Manuel said politely. They both said their goodbyes and he was off to check on other guests.
Nicole saw Derek raise his eyebrow at her when he noticed the remaining dessert. “I tried to leave you some,” Nicole said with a laugh.
“It is quite all right,” he said as they each picked up their forks and continued eating.
“Do you come here often?” she asked. She was determined to find out a little bit more about his travels, but she had a feeling she couldn’t be too pushy about it. There may be a reason he had been vague.
“I usually come up for dinner at least a couple of times while I am here. Vallarta is rather small, so it’s very easy to become a regular and be recognized. Tourism is this city’s life line so the locals make sure to remember those that return.” Again she noticed that he was talking more about Vallarta than himself. He might be very skilled at avoiding these questions, but why? She wondered if she should come right out and ask if he was some super-secret spy. She would never tell anyone. Well, probably Kate. Hmmm, maybe he shouldn’t tell her anything. What in the world was wrong with her? She had fallen for a guy practically the second she saw him and now she was turning him into James Bond.
“Would you like see any more of downtown this evening?” he asked her, “There are some beautiful rooftop bars along the Malecon.” Nicole was somewhat of night owl to an extent, but she didn’t really enjoy staying out till all hours of the morning like she had in her twenties. Once she turned thirty, things changed and she enjoyed getting to bed by midnight. She wondered if Derek was the type that was at after hour clubs all the time.
“It’s after ten and we still have the drive back,” she said after checking her watch, “Could we go tomorrow night? Maybe get an earlier start?”
“Of course.” Luckily, he didn’t seem to be disappointed.
“How will we get back?” she said, remembering that they were in the middle of nowhere.
“Hector is still outside,” he told her.
Poor Hector, he had been waiting this entire time. “What?!” She hadn’t realized how loudly she said that and consciously lowered her voice. “Should we invite him in or order him food?” She knew she sounded worried.
“You are very sweet,” he replied, “It’s what drivers do for this restaurant. It’s more time and gas to go back and then return. When we go outside, you’ll see a line of cars and taxis along the side of the place. The drivers hang out and usually bet on cards or dice while they wait. From what I can gather from Hector, he is very good and makes more money playing than I pay him to drive us.” That made her feel better, but she was still concerned he’d be hungry. Before she could ask about ordering him food again, Derek continued. “You do not need to worry about food. The restaurant is very nice about bringing out some food for the drivers while they wait. When I come, I order them all something more exciting from the menu. Manuel will have plenty boxed up for them.”
“That’s very nice. Do you try and expense that?” she laughed, half kidding, knowing there was no way he could turn in a receipt for numerous specials on top of what he ordered.
With a chuckle, he responded, “No, I don’t expense these types of dinners.” Still a rather elusive answer, she thought.
“What does your company do here? You said their life line was tourism,” she mentioned. She hoped he didn’t think she was b
eing too nosy. If he was in fact James Bond, she was sure he’d have a cover story anyway.
“It’s in the hotel industry actually. Similar to your father, I visit the locations. But I’m not on the computer or technology side of things.” She decided not to pry any further into what the company did. He had given her something.
“How long will you be here in Vallarta?” That was a reasonable question, she thought.
“As long as I feel the need to stay or if I decide I’d like to see another location,” he replied, rather reluctantly. She was ready to change the subject for his sake, but he continued, “It is going to be rather dull here once you return to Chicago.” He looked genuinely disappointed at that thought.
“Didn’t you say there was a chance you might be able to come to Chicago?” she asked hopefully. The idea of not seeing Derek again would kill her.
“Yes, my meeting this morning was regarding that exact topic. It’s going very well,” he told her and kissed her lips. This man could unnerve her with one touch.
“Whew, so we can see each other when you come?” she said, trying not to sound needy. The idea of him sometimes being in Chicago made this all seem more possible. She could visit him in Detroit when he was there. Or maybe one of his other vacation spots. Could they really make this work?
“I will find any reason I can to be in Chicago. Or maybe I’ll take you with me around the world,” he snuck that last part in and she wondered if he was testing the waters to see her response.
“I’ve been meaning to do that one day, travel the world,” she said jokingly. The mention of Venice just hours ago did seem soon.
Nicole looked around the restaurant. There were only two tables still occupied by guests. One was a large table in the corner that looked like a family traveling together. The other was a couple that could easily be on their honeymoon. All of the other bar guests had left. Deciding to be bold again, she stood up and put her arms around Derek’s neck. He spread his legs and allowed her to lean the weight of her body into him. She looked straight into his eyes and, before she kissed him, told him to take her to her hotel room. She chose not to use the words “make love”, just in case. She left what they would do up to his imagination.
She took the lead on this kiss and he seemed to savor it. She started slowly, kissing on his lower lip and slowly searching his mouth with her tongue. The kiss deepened, as if it were out of their control, and when it did, he was in power again. He pushed his body toward her and her back arched back slightly. She matched his hunger with her own. The feeling of his hands on her back was all she could bear. She reached up and rubbed her hands along his extremely short hair. It felt like her hands were touching velvet. She was worried that with the twenty-minute drive back to her hotel, Hector would be getting quite the show. She slowed them down as best she could. They were still in a restaurant, for goodness’ sake.
“I want to take you to my hotel,” he said after the break in their kiss.
“Take me now,” she answered breathlessly.
“I want to make love to you in their rooftop pool under the moonlight.” It was so romantic. Andrew didn’t know how to say things like that. She couldn’t really remember anyone saying such things and she was surprised at how much it affected her. Her body began to melt in his arms as he kissed her again. He kissed her cheeks, her ears, her neck, continuing to talk through the kisses. “Let me show you my life,” he whispered. She didn’t really understand what he meant, but then again, everything was hazy from his touch.
Without a thought about whether the bill had been paid, she grabbed her little purse and pulled him up off the chair toward the front door. She felt empowered by him; she wasn’t at all self-conscious about her dress or kissing him in public. She wanted him to see how much she desired him.
Hector was leaning against his car, chatting with the last two drivers outside. He saw them coming out the door, hand-in-hand, and jumped into the car, circling it around to the front door. She could never get over how quickly he could move his little body. Next thing she knew, he was opening the back door for them. When they were all settled, he pulled onto the road and headed toward the Romantic Zone. He didn’t say a word to them. He must have felt their need for each other and was giving them their moment.
“Thank you, Hector,” she said finally, “We’ll do our best to keep it clean back here.” She laughed and leaned into Derek for another kiss.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Derek led Nicole down the hall to his apartment at the Paraíso. Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. He was trying to grasp the enormity of this moment for him. After all these years, he had finally found someone he was willing to share this part of himself with. No woman had ever been in one of his apartments.
When they arrived at the door, he took Nicole’s face in his hands. He wasn’t sure how to articulate to her what this moment meant but he tried with, “I have never brought a woman to this room.” He could tell that she wasn’t exactly sure why he had told her that, so he continued, “For the past ten years, this has been my room whenever I’ve come here.” With that, he opened the door and let her walk in.
She hadn’t seen a regular room at The Paraíso, but she would immediately know it was different. The rest of the hotel, like most of Vallarta, was very colorful and traditional. Walls and tiles were decorated with vibrant colors. Derek’s personal apartment was the complete opposite. Everything was clean and white. It was the size of two rooms that were combined to one larger apartment style space. There was a small but modern eat-in kitchen and a living room with floor-to-ceiling windows that opened up to large patio running the length of the apartment. The floor tiles were almost white with grey lines marbled throughout. There was a sleek charcoal-colored contemporary styled couch that looked like one big rectangle, white marble coffee table with a big black bowl that held the remote control and, hanging on the wall, an enormous television, far bigger than what was standard for most hotels. Above the couch was a contemporary painting of the ocean. The bedroom had the same floor-to-ceiling wall of windows. His bed was an oversized California king with stark white bedding and a mountain of pillows. The bathroom was updated with all of the amenities. It was his little hidden treasure in the middle of an ancient Mexican town. And he was ready to share it all with her.
He kept a close eye on Nicole as she slowly walked in and looked around.
“What’s going on Derek? Do you live here?” She gave him a questioning look.
“I do, occasionally.” He hadn’t really thought about how to explain everything. “I started a company about fifteen years ago. I came up with the idea when I was sitting on the exact barstool where I met you,” he smiled, “We buy properties in expanding vacation spots and hang on to them until we sell at a premium. One of my stipulations is an apartment at my disposal at each location. So you could say I live a lot of places.”
Nicole stood in the living room and slowly spun around to see everything from that one spot. Derek couldn’t quite get a read on what she was thinking. She looked like she wasn’t sure either. She was probably trying to take it all in.
“Why have you never brought anyone here?” she asked quietly.
“I have no interest in women that want me for my money,” he said plainly, “I learned quickly with the UFC fighting that there are lots of women that will want you for your power and money. This world is far from that life, but I was fortunate enough to find success again. With fighting, I couldn’t keep my success to myself. With this, I can.” He hoped that made sense to her. He walked over and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” was all she said and then they quietly stood in his apartment. Derek’s shoulders and back relaxed immediately as he felt an overwhelming sense of relief. He hadn’t even noticed how tense his body had been.
“Come see my view,” he told her, “The only person who’s seen it, besides the staff, is Gael. He’s not nearly as fun as you.” He kissed her
lips quickly and led her to the door. He opened it and continued to slide it into the next window panel, moving them over until the entire wall of windows was gone. The living room now grew to twice its size as it continued out to the balcony. He had the same contemporary style furniture out there: a table, chairs, and a large wicker chaise lounge big enough for them both to sunbath on during the day. He imagined sunbathing on it with Nicole and then, looking over at her, realized how much he wanted to make love on it as well.
She walked over to the railing, taking in the full view. She looked at home there and he wanted to commission someone to paint the scene and hang it on his wall. He already knew of the perfect gallery on the Malecon, with local artists. She was standing there in the first of many beautiful dresses he would buy her, her long hair blowing softly in the wind while she looked out, with the black sky and the moon with millions of stars behind her. It was a perfect moment.
“It’s kind of sad thinking of you up here alone all these years,” she said. Most women would be happy to know he hadn’t shared that bed with another woman. Nicole was different; she was able to take herself out of the situation and see that he had been lonely. What was he going to do when she was gone? He may never return to Puerto Vallarta again without her. He couldn’t imagine walking back out onto this balcony and not seeing her there.
“It won’t be lonely up here anymore.” He walked up to her and put her face in his hands again. He kissed her lips slowly. He wanted to savor this moment. He wanted to make love to her all over his apartment. He saw her look up out of the corner of her eyes.
“Don’t worry. No one can see from their balconies. I insisted on privacy.” He grabbed the hair at the back of her neck again and pulled. The sound she made in the water that day had been burned in his brain. He wanted to hear that moan again and he wanted to make her moan louder. When he kissed her neck, he heard that sound and he was instantly hard. He slipped the thin strap of her dress over her shoulder and it fell to the ground around her feet. She stood there naked with only her long blond hair and her strappy little heels for company. She smiled at him and he realized this could be a cover photo for an issue of Playboy. She began to unbutton his shirt, letting it slip off his shoulders. She undid his pants and they dropped to his feet. He immediately kicked off his shoes, knowing there was no way that he could look as sexy as she did with nothing on but high heels.
