“Whatever you got me is sweet,” Grace said. She drained it quickly. “Would you mind getting me another one?”
Antonio motioned for the server to refill their drinks. They were quickly refilled. The two began talking, and the server kept refilling their drinks. Grace eventually had to say that she couldn’t take anymore. She was starting to feel tipsy.
“Do you want to dance?” Antonio asked.
“So you wait until I’m drunk to ask me?”
“Hey, you said I couldn’t get drunk, so I assumed you had the same rules for yourself.”
Antonio cocked his eye. Grace just smiled. “I’m not drunk. I was just exaggerating. I haven’t had that much.”
“Good, then you’ll dance,” Antonio stood and offered his hand to Grace.
“Yes, I guess I will.” Grace stood to her feet and took a moment to gain her balance. “Ready,” she said, as Antonio led her over to the dance floor. The music was playing pretty loudly, and Grace felt a little looser now that she had been drinking. She started dancing with Antonio. He was smiling at her, then he turned her around so her back was to him.
He started whispering in her ear. “Everyone’s staring, because you’re the best looking woman here. I’m lucky to be the one dancing with you.” Grace laughed, dancing against him. He had one hand on her hip, and he put the other behind. When he touched her butt, Grace leaned into his touch. She missed that feeling of being wanted. She turned, and her eyes met his.
“So you like dancing?” he asked.
Grace nodded. “It’s not so bad.”
“Not so bad. That’s a C. I was hoping for an A.”
“Sorry,” Grace shook her head.
“I guess I’m not trying hard enough.” Antonio leaned down and kissed her neck. “Can I?” he whispered, his voice loud in her ear.
Grace gave a slightly perceptible nod of her head. He kissed her neck then from her ear along her jawline. Grace turned her mouth up to him and closed her eyes. When he kissed her, his mouth was warm. She kissed him back, her tongue reaching inside his mouth for more. They kissed and kissed, sending shivers up and down her spine. When they finally pulled away, Grace was breathing heavily. She swallowed and looked up at Antonio.
He was smiling down at her. Grace suddenly felt extremely tired. “I think I need to sit down,” she said.
“Now, I know you’re drunk,” he said.
At those words, Grace suddenly connected the dots. She was pregnant! She shouldn’t be drinking! What if she hurt the baby? She would never forgive herself. Grace wanted to make herself throw up all the liquid sloshing around in her stomach. How could she have been so stupid and forgetful?
“I think I’m ready to go back to the penthouse.”
Antonio didn’t put up a fight but agreed, and the two got in the limo and went back.
In the morning, Grace felt the same nauseous feeling she had had the day before. By now, she knew it was coming from the baby inside her, but she didn’t know how to explain it to Antonio, so she just stayed in bed until the feelings passed.
She drifted off to sleep, but she could not sleep very well for feeling so sick. Mid-morning, there came a knock at her door. “Come in,” Grace said sleepily, pulling the covers up so only her head showed.
She found Antonio looking closely at her. “You don’t look very well,” he said, sitting cautiously on the side of the bed. He placed his hand on her head. “You are not hot.”
“No,” Grace said, pushing his hand away. “I just don’t feel well. I’m not used to drinking so much alcohol.”
Antonio grinned. “So you were drunk. You do not want to admit it, but it is true.” He laughed a little, and it only annoyed Grace.
“When I am sick,” she said, throwing him a dirty look. “I do not enjoy people coming in my room and laughing at me.”
“I am sorry,” Antonio said. “I know you do not feel well. What can I do to make you better?”
“I think I need some lemonade,” Grace said, the idea suddenly popping into her mind. The thought of freshly squeezed lemonade with just a little sugar to counteract the acid… Grace was almost dreaming when Antonio answered.
“Of course, give me just a few minutes, and I will bring you some.” Antonio left her room, and he left Grace feeling better than she had in a long time. Antonio looked almost eager to help her.
Chapter 10
“Good!” Antonio said, offering Grace a high five. “Your pronunciation was on key!”
“Danki,” Grace replied, feeling quite proud of herself. “You’re a good teacher.”
“It’s actually amazing how quickly you are learning,” Antonio said. “if I hadn’t learned when I was little, I don’t think I ever would have. It’s a lot of work.”
“I have to learn somehow,” Grace shrugged. “It’s going to be my life, you know.”
Antonio nodded. “About half the people you meet in Aruba will speak English, but for the other half, it is good to be prepared. Now, here is a really important phrase. Mi ta stima bo.”
“Wait, can you say that again? I got completely lost after the “me” part.”
“Mi ta stima bo.” Antonio repeated.
“Mi ta. . .stima bo,” Grace fumbled through the words.
“I’ve been wanting to hear you say that,” Antonio said, smiling at her.
“Why?” Grace asked. “What does it mean?”
“I love you,” Antonio repeated.
Grace’s mouth gaped open for a few moments. “You little jerk,” she said, pushing Antonio’s arm off the table.
“What is that?” Antonio asked. “Jerk? Or do I not want to know?”
“It means the kind of person that tricks you into saying something you don’t want to say,” Grace said, giving Antonio a precocious look.
“Oh, you do not want to say it?” Antonio asked, mocking hurt. “That’s alright. I won’t make you repeat it any more. Next!” They moved onto another phrase, but Grace’s mind still lingered on that one. “Mi ta stima bo.” She wondered what she did feel for Antonio. It certainly wasn’t love, but then Grace began questioning her old relationship with Dylan. Had she loved him as a woman loves a man or as a child loves their idol?
Grace shook her head and tried to focus on what Antonio was saying. “I’m tired of sitting down,” he said. “I think I need to stretch my legs. Do you want to take a walk around the city?”
Grace shook her head as she stood and stretched. “No, but go ahead if you like.”
Antonio smiled mischievously. “How about I give you a lesson then in the native dance? Most girls learn the steps in school when they are eight or nine years old, but it’s never too late to learn, huh?”
Grace shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
Antonio began showing her the position and the basic steps. Grace smiled. “No wonder they teach this to little girls. It’s not so hard.”
Antonio laughed. “I am sorry, but you are dancing like a robot. It’s like each step is mechanical. You’re supposed to be having fun, not be making sure you hit each mark exactly on target.”
Grace blushed, embarrassed at her lack of dancing ability. “Give me some time to get the steps first, then I can be looser,” Grace said.
“Look,” Antonio said. He began dancing the piece himself, moving his hips and gliding around the room.
Grace couldn’t help but laugh in delight. He looked so free and loose when he danced, and Grace felt the difference in her way of dancing. She was so worried about getting the steps right, that she couldn’t go with the beat.
“Let’s do it together,” Antonio said, taking her in his arms. “Step to the side. Roll with it.” Grace did the steps, but Antonio performed. As Grace watched his hips move, she couldn’t help but wish he was moving his hips in that way against her body. She felt unable to speak as she watched him move. Her heart started beating faster, and she looked up at him. How could she tell him what she was thinking?
She couldn’t. That much was clear. Grace
continued to do her moves, but she was no longer focusing on herself.
“Chin up,” Antonio said, as though he was not noticing how much he was tempting Grace. “I know you are watching my feet, but try to do the steps without watching me.”
Grace swallowed hard and looked up, moving her feet along the same pattern. Her eyes slowly dropped to Antonio’s hips again, and she wasn’t sure, but she thought she could detect a bulge. Grace stopped herself just short of moaning.
She looked back up at Antonio, and he seemed all in tune to her thoughts right then. He looked right into her eyes, then she felt him press his hips up against her. He was most definitely hard. Grace gasped, and her eyes flew back to meet his.
“Oh, Grace,” Antonio said, leaning down. Grace thought he was going to kiss her, but his mouth went straight to her ear. “You are so tempting right now. I want to have you.”
Grace couldn’t control her moan then. “Okay,” she said in the most unromantic way possible. She didn’t care how she sounded, she just wanted to feel his hands on her body. The music droned on in the background as she kissed him. She allowed her hands to wander down his sides. She felt down the front of his pants and gripped him hard. When he moaned, Grace nearly collapsed.
“Harder,” he said in her ear. Then before Grace had the chance to do anything, he swept her off her feet and into his bedroom. He closed the door behind him, and she lay on the bed looking up at him. He carefully looked her over, and Grace slowly peeled off her shirt. His mouth came down and began alternatively kissing and biting her from her neck down. Grace pushed up to feel him against her, his skin smooth. She felt his tongue in her ear, and it made her shiver. Grace was in heaven.
She lay on the bed, breathing heavily. Slowly, she turned to look at the naked man next to her. He was smiling. Then he opened his arms to her, and she snuggled into them, feeling them wrap around her. Her mind scrambled to recover the words in Papiamento, but her thinking was still too fragmented to think straight. Grace wasn’t even sure if she was ready to say them anyway.
Antonio kissed her neck once then laid his head back on the pillow. Grace turned to look at him. “What are you thinking?” she asked.
“Now, I’m ready for a nap,” he said.
Grace laughed. “I could use one myself.”
“Good night,” Antonio said.
When she awoke, Grace wasn’t sure how she felt. She slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen in search of something to eat.
“I have made one of Antonio’s favorite dishes,” Estefan said from the stove. “They do not serve it here, and I know he must be missing our Aruban food.”
Grace came closer and peered at the dish. It looked spicy, but she was willing to try it. “Maybe I should go wake him up then, so he can eat it while it’s hot.”
Estefan nodded. “If you dare enter the sleeping bear’s cave,” Estefan smiled. Grace shook her head and entered the room again. Although she could not forget the experience she had just shared with this man, she felt as though she were on a different planet as she stepped into the room again.
“Antonio,” she said, standing in the doorway. He rolled over and looked at her.
“I wondered where you had gone,” he said.
“Looks like Estefan has made you something to eat. He thought you might want it while it was hot.”
“Okay, I’ll be in there soon.”
Grace sat down, and Estefan served her a plate. “Do you feel as though you are ready to make the journey to Aruba?” he asked as he served another plate, presumably for Antonio.
“We still have over three weeks, right?” Grace asked, suddenly worried that their time was going to be changed or lessened.
Estefan smiled. “I take it by your answer that you are not quite ready. That’s alright. You still have a few weeks to adjust to the idea.”
Grace nodded and began to eat the food. “Is this the type of food I will be eating in Aruba?” Grace asked.
“Yes, we eat rice almost every day,” Estefan said. “It is a strange day indeed when we do not.”
Grace nodded. “But if I want something else, there will be other options, right?”
Estefan seemed to be considering her options. “Perhaps. But, you will be expected to fit into the customs, not force your own customs upon palace life.”
Grace kept her face down, but she felt upset. Here she was being told she should not force her way of life upon anyone when this whole setup had been forced upon her. The irony life was bringing held no amusement for her.
When Antonio came out of his room, Grace tried to avoid him. She didn’t know how she had felt being with him. Physically, it had felt amazing, but she was not sure how she felt about it other than that. Would Antonio just think that she would sleep with him whenever he wanted now? Grace wasn’t sure she liked the idea.
“I’ll be in my room,” Grace said, placing her dirty dishes in the sink. She quickly exited, turned on the television in her room, and distracted herself from her current situation.
Chapter 11
“Can we just focus on the language?” Grace asked. “I think that’s more important than anything cultural. Don’t get me wrong. I know that’s important too, but I will want to communicate.” Antonio nodded and sat down to give her yet another lesson in the language.
Grace suddenly interrupted Antonio as he was pronouncing a word she was struggling with. “What language do you dream in?” Grace asked, suddenly curious about how the languages floated about in his head.
Antonio laughed. “I don’t dream,” he answered simply.
“Everyone dreams. Come on, I’m just curious,” Grace said, placing her hand across the table on his. As soon as she touched him, the first time since they had made love, she felt something spark in her body.
“I prefer to dream while I am awake so that I can remember my dreams for much longer,” Antonio said, his thumb stroking the back of her hand.
Grace nodded numbly. Did he feel the same charge she was feeling?
“What kind of things do you dream about?” she asked, looking up at him before returning her gaze to their hands.
“I like to dream about you,” Antonio said. His words touched Grace’s heart. While she knew that he was flirting with her, she felt as though his words held a drop of genuine feeling.
“What do we do in your dreams?” Grace asked, probing further into his statement.
“We are in Aruba,” Antonio smiled. “And I am teaching you my mischievous ways of sneaking around the city without security knowing.”
Grace laughed. “I feel as though that might very well happen… and all too soon.”
“My favorite part is when we get back to the palace,” Antonio said. “when I take you to our royal chamber.”
Grace shivered. She wanted to ask another question, but her lips couldn’t form the words. She wanted what she had shared with Antonio only two days before. She wanted him again. “Antonio,” she said, standing and going behind him. “I like your dreams. Maybe you can show me your favorite part.”
Antonio stood and pressed himself against Grace. His kisses made her body yearn for more. She wanted him all of him right then. They started kissing, and Antonio removed her clothing. She felt no embarrassment standing before him, and she urgently tugged at his clothing, wanting to touch him.
Antonio smiled and started teasing her senses with his tongue, then he slowly removed his clothing. The both stood naked, and Grace took him in her mouth with the kind of urgency she had not felt before. She wanted him to know that she felt strongly for him, that she wanted to give him pleasure, not just take it all for herself. She moved up and down, and she felt Antonio’s hands playing with her hair. She couldn’t help but smile. His groan told her that he was enjoying it, and Grace moved faster. Suddenly, Antonio pulled her head up and pressed her against the wall. Grace wrapped her legs around his waist.
When Antonio was inside her, Grace couldn’t help smiling up into his face. “Oh, that’s perfe
ct, harder,” she directed. “Harder.” He pushed in even harder. When he finished inside her, Grace laughed aloud. He lay on her, his head resting between her breasts. She slowly stroked his hair, feeling completely confident after the pleasured look he had while he had come. The seriousness of their situation settled upon Grace. She had to tell him her secret. And now, as she felt his weight upon her and his arms around her, she felt as though he would understand her. How could he not?
“Antonio,” she started. He lifted his head to look her in the eyes, perhaps sensing her seriousness. “I need to tell you something. I don’t want you to freak out.”
“I don’t know those words: ‘freak out’.”
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Grace said, brushing past her wording. “But, I need to tell you that I’m… pregnant.”
As soon as Antonio heard the words, he jerked up. He slid himself out of her and sat on the bed. “That’s not possible,” he said. “We only made love one time before. You cannot know you are pregnant that soon. Are you not on birth control? Unless…”
“It’s not your baby,” Grace said softly. She sat up, the sheet around her. She suddenly felt cold.
“You are pregnant with another man’s baby?!” Antonio yelled. Grace shrank back from him. “How long have you known?”
“O-only a few days,” Grace stammered. “I just found out.” She already felt the tears rolling down her face. She fought against them to continue speaking. “I was with the same guy all summer. I thought we were going to get married. I was careful, but it is not 100% safe.”
Antonio shook his head and started pacing the room. “How am I supposed to enter the country with my new bride who’s pregnant from another man? How do you think that makes me look?!”
Grace just cried, not able to answer.
“I asked you a question,” Antonio said. “I expect you to answer!”
“I don’t know,” Grace said. “I don’t know what to say. It’s not like I tried to do it.”
Double Obsessions Page 33
