by K. T. Tomb
Chapter Two
La Mercedes Sector,
Caracas, Venezuela
In spite of the fact that he had seen beautiful females all over the world and grown up with elegant, high society women, the moment Robin met Claudia Natalia Ortiz Arboleda, Robin was rendered nearly speechless. Just like the woman that he’d seen on the street, her penetrating eyes searched his soul and made him tremble a little bit.
She too had the round, full lines like the woman on the street, but clothed in the elegant yet simple dress and high heels, she went well beyond beauty in his eyes and onto another level. All of the comments that he had made about Aurora and people not being on his family’s level went out the window as he touched her hand and they exchanged their first words together. In fact, most of the intelligent things that he had ever said or thought went right out the window entirely.
“Hola,” he said, taking her hand and attempting to impress her with his smattering of Spanish. Why hadn’t he paid better attention in class? “Mucho gusto.”
“It is very nice to meet you, too.” The beaming smile on her face melted what little of him was still left, but the thick accent did him in completely.
“Oh, um, yes, please, join me.” He spoke slowly and a bit louder than normal as he motioned her toward a chair at the table where he was enjoying a cocktail. “Would you like something to drink?” He made the motion and spoke loudly again.
“Señor Thorn, I am not deaf.” She giggled.
The comment was meant to lighten the mood, but Robin had already been on edge and it only made him realize that he wasn’t starting off very well. Rather than relaxing, he became tenser. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I meant no disrespect. It’s just that you’re so beautiful and I’m not used to… I’m sorry, I’m babbling.” He couldn’t remember a single word of Spanish.
She ordered a drink in rapid Spanish, adding several instructions in the mix, but Robin did not follow a single word of what she said in spite of concentrating on her words. He was in trouble. He had worked himself up for this moment and obsessed over it for so long that he could hardly find his normally calm, in-control character within the mix.
In reality, Robin had always been the most uncomfortable around women of all of the Thorn men. He wasn’t necessarily anti-social, he just tended to be more introverted and serious. He was a numbers man, an accountant; he had been put in that position for a reason. He was also beginning to understand why he hadn’t been entrusted with leadership of Thorn Industries like Will had. With those thoughts rushing through his head, his confidence sank further in spite of the fact that he tried to rescue it on several occasions.
“What is it that you do, Señor Thorn?” Natalia asked him after ordering her drink and settling in across the table from him. Her teeth were perfectly straight and dazzling white behind full, cherry red lips. He watched them carefully as she spoke.
“I am the CFO of an international company that my family owns.” He hadn’t wanted to throw that out right up front. He had hoped to play the role of a regular guy.
“What means CFO?”
“Oh, yes, I’m sorry. That means Chief Financial Officer. It is a fancy name for the person in charge of accounting.” He began to feel himself relaxing a little bit as he started to talk about his job. What was the Spanish word for accountant? Encuentador? Was that it? He wasn’t sure. He tried it out anyway. “Encuentador?”
Her wrinkled brow let him know that he’d blown it.
“Encantador?”
She started to giggle and he realized that he must not have even come close with his second attempt at pronunciation. “Señor Thorn, I understood accountant, there’s no need to explain. I think it is better if you let me do the speaking in Spanish and you stick to English.”
“Oh God. What did I say? I hope I didn’t insult you.” He was so afraid of failure that he sunk further rather than grasping the rope that she had tossed to him.
“The first word doesn’t really exist,” she giggled. “The second means ‘lovely.’”
“Uhm.” He frowned. “I certainly blew that, didn’t I?”
“Blew?” Again she wrinkled her brow, trying to understand.
“Messed up?” He could tell that she still didn’t understand. “Ruined?”
“Ah, yes, ruined.”
Just like I’m doing with this date. She was dazzling. Her face, her eyes, her lips, her hair, the smooth, caramel skin behind the plunging neckline of her dress and the valley and curvature hinted at below, all drew him to her, but the way that she looked through him with her dark eyes, so full of mystery, had cast a speechless spell upon him against which he was helpless.
The awkward stretch of silence was interrupted, mercifully, by the waiter bringing her drink. After taking a long sip through the straw, she looked up at him.
“Tell me more about yourself.”
“Well, let’s see, I grew up living in Stone Mountain, Georgia and went to Princeton University where I earned my MBA. Oh, that’s a Master of Business Administration. I’ve never been married unless you consider my job; I’ve mostly been married to my job.” He realized that he was speaking too quickly and she was struggling to understand. How are we ever going to be able to communicate?
“I see.” She smiled. “And your family has business in Venezuela?”
“Yes, we broker commodities for your government.” How was she possibly going to understand the word broker? He suddenly realized that there were so many idiomatic phrases in English that couldn’t be translated literally and he began to struggle with choosing his words more carefully. “We supply things to your government.”
“You supply these things for other countries too?”
Not exactly, but how do I explain it? He frowned. He was growing very frustrated with himself. “Yes,” he finally answered.
“How long have you been in Venezuela?”
“Our company or me personally?” That was a stupid question. Of course she was asking about you. She was trying to keep the conversation going and being extremely patient with him, but he could tell that she was getting frustrated and bored. “Duh! Of course you were talking about me. I’ve been here about three weeks.”
“That explains your difficulties.” She laughed. Again, she was giving him the opportunity to crawl out of the hole that he’d dug for himself. “Do you like it here?”
“I do, it’s pretty. It takes some getting used to. I have to have someone drive me around. I’m used to driving my own car.”
“You have your own car?” She brightened up at the prospect. In Caracas, a man with a car was somebody.
“We have forty cars and five planes.” So much for the regular guy act. You’ve blown it completely Robin. Even if she doesn’t like you at all, she’ll certainly be interested in your money. I’ve got to change the subject. “How long have you been in Caracas?”
“All of my life.” She laughed. “I was born here.”
“Yes, of course, sorry.”
“No need to be sorry, it was a funny question. And I could have been born somewhere else and moved here, right?”
“I suppose you’re right.”
They finished their drinks and moved on to dinner. Robin was still becoming accustomed to the local cuisine. It was okay, but he was something of a picky eater and had a number of his Southern favorites. He didn’t have to worry about that at the estate in Altamira; his cooks knew exactly what to fix for him.
The conversation fell off drastically as they ate. Between attempts at polite conversation to ease the awkward pauses of silence, Robin continued to sink deeper into the trap that he’d already set for himself. He was failing miserably. He wanted her badly. He didn’t just want the incredible body that was certainly an attraction, but he wanted to know the answer to the mystery behind her eyes. Try as he might, however, he could not bring himself to relax and enjoy the moment and therefore, parting was extremely awkward for them both.
After dinner, they strolled outside into the
garden that was one of the main draws to that particular restaurant. They walked mostly in silence, though they attempted a few short conversations about things; however, Robin finally realized he was continuing to lose more ground and finally suggested that they go their separate ways.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Arboleda.” He extended his hand and grasped her small, brown soft one. He had hoped for something more than a handshake; something that indicated more of a connection.
“The pleasure was mine.” She smiled politely, pulling him in for the customary kiss on the cheek that is common in South American countries.
The scent of her was intoxicating and he wanted to linger, but refrained from temptation and drew back with a smile. “Can I have my driver take you somewhere?” Even a few more minutes with a woman that he was never going to see again were precious.
“It’s okay,” she replied. “I have other arrangements.”
“You are sure?”
“I am sure,” she said. She turned away from him and walked down the sidewalk.
He watched her until she disappeared around the corner, wishing that he could catch up with her and start all over again. Her scent was still in his nostrils and the vision of her eyes and her smile still lingered in his memory as his car pulled up and he slipped into the back seat not bothering to wait for the driver to open the door for him.
Chapter Three
Thorn Industries Private Yacht,
Near Long Island, Antigua
The fact that Natalia was in a very scanty bikini beside him on the deck of the yacht was still far beyond belief for Robin. He had blown it so badly when they had first met that he was certain that he would never hear her voice again, let alone be watching the sun dipping into the sea with her on a private Caribbean cruise.
Certain that she would not call him, he had been nearly speechless once more when the call from the agency requesting permission to pass on his number to Natalia came in. Vanessa was a bit confused as to why Robin hadn’t taken care of that himself when they met, but assumed that maybe he had wished to remain discreet.
“Certainly, pass it along to her,” he’d said. It was a little bit strange for him to be waiting on a call from a woman. He was used to being the one who initiated telephone conversations, but under the circumstances, he was thrilled at the prospect. It had been less than thirty minutes from hanging up with Vanessa that the call came through.
“Señor Thorn?” Natalia’s thickly accented voice was unmistakable.
“Yes,” he replied. A thrill went through him and he worked on maintaining control.
“I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. It was very rude of me. I apologize.”
“No. Not rude at all. I just thought…” He let the response trail off.
“That our date didn’t go well?”
Had she just finished his thought?
“Exactly. I was a blundering fool.”
“Not hardly. You were charming.”
He knew she was lying, but he accepted the compliment and passed along one of his own. “You, my dear, were beyond charming.”
“I was hoping that we might try again. Perhaps we can both be more relaxed this time, yes?”
“That is a splendid idea.” He nearly jumped out of his skin. He felt like a teenage boy who had just hit the ball over the fence and drove in three runners ahead of him. The feeling did not fade as they enjoyed several more relaxed outings together. As they became more relaxed and comfortable together, they were better able to communicate. Robin discovered that when he wasn’t trying so hard, he could actually remember a little bit more of his Spanish and discovered that as long as he kept things simple, they could converse fairly well in English.
As he got to know her better and they became more comfortable, he had decided to invite her for a weeklong, private cruise aboard one of Thorn’s yachts. The thrill of having her accept his invitation hadn’t left him, even after they had been aboard for several days.
Insisting that they take things slow, they had separate cabins on the yacht and enjoyed the sweet parting every night, as well as the equally sweet greeting the following morning. They dined on the best food that could be had in the Caribbean from fresh fruits to the bounty of the sea. They also smiled, laughed and played in the water together.
In the quiet moments when they were lying in the sun, Robin had wondered if it had all been real. As he looked over at her and then reached out to take hold of her soft hand, it was still difficult to believe, even while actually touching her. She had been much more than he had ever expected. Though the mystery behind her dark eyes still evaded him, he had been taken even more by the way that they glistened when she smiled at him.
“Isn’t it beautiful, Robin?”
He loved the way his name sounded coming from her full lips. “It is.” He hated to ruin the moment with too many words. Though they had watched the sunset every night on their cruise, that particular night, because of the varying thicknesses of the clouds hanging above the horizon, the display of colors was extremely extravagant. Every hue was represented in varying shades as the last light of the day cast its brilliance in the sky before them.
With his eyes fixed upon the brilliant spectacle in front of him, he felt her pull him to his feet and lead him to the railing. The only thing more amazing than the colorful display before them was the scent of her hair and the feel of her warm body pressing into him as they stood at the rail watching the last tiny sliver of color fade from the sky and be overtaken by the shroud of night.
She turned deftly inside of his arms and leaned against the rail, looking up at him with a sparkle in her eyes that went beyond any he had seen up to that point. Parting her lips slightly, she stood on tiptoe and pushed them up toward his mouth.
He would never tire of the feel of her soft lips as he felt them pressed against his own, nor of the hungry way that she seemed to devour him. Her tongue sent tingles through his entire body as she used it to probe the inside of his mouth. It took little encouragement for him to begin to return the favor.
They had kissed passionately before, but leaning against the rail of the yacht with a soft breeze ruffling her long strands of jet-black hair, caressing his face, he felt that a change had come over them both. Just as the setting sun changed day to night, that moment, that kiss was the end of one thing and the beginning of something new.
Lost in the feel of her, he was disappointed when she pulled away from him, worked her way out of his embrace and pulled him along behind her. “I want to show you something.” Her smile and the way her eyes danced in the soft deck lights had a near devilish look to them. He followed along, entirely under her spell.
He was a bit confused when she stopped in front of her cabin door. They had been enjoying a very pleasant evening; was she already ending the night? Why so soon? His question had barely finished presenting itself in his mind before it was answered.
Sensing his hesitation as she opened the door, she pulled a bit harder until he stepped over the threshold. “Come in, please.” When he was clear of the doorway, she pushed it closed behind them.
Though the light of the cabin was dim, the sight of her sweeping her hair to one side so that she could reach behind her and untie the strings of her top would be brilliantly burned upon his memory forever. As the two small triangles that had covered the most intimate part of her breasts fell away, he caught his breath. The large round nipples that stood out erect before him were the color of dark chocolate. His mouth was suddenly dry and he moistened his lips, glancing up at her smile and her sparkling eyes, even more dazzling than before.
His eyes did not linger there long as he heard the sound of her fingers working on the strings of the bikini bottoms and they moved past her full breasts across her trim stomach and watched as the soft, smooth mound between her thighs slowly began to reveal itself.
Frozen in place by something that was completely unexpected, he felt his heart begin to pound and his breathing
change. He also felt his erection growing inside of his swim trunks. Giggling softly, she glanced down and then stepped forward to help slide the suddenly confining cloth over his hips. They dropped to the floor and he stepped out of them automatically.
His eyes never left hers as she moved in toward him and began kissing his neck, his shoulders and his chest. She lingered for a moment, teasing each of his nipples with her tongue and he felt his erection bounce several times at the thrill that coursed through him.
Her kisses continued down his stomach and she then worked on either side of his thighs, sending sensation rushing all through his body.
“Mmmmm. Que rico.” The purring sound that escaped her voice as she spoke was even more thrilling than any other words that she had spoken, but not nearly as delicious as feeling her mouth close over his cock. She bounced several times in place and then took him deep into her throat.
Though it had all seemed to be an impossible fantasy up until that point, the moment she began to prove her oral talent, it was impossible for him not to respond. Threading his fingers through her silky black hair and helping her to move her head back and forth, his heart began thundering out of control and he was gasping for each pleasurable breath. That was only the beginning of a long night of pleasure that left him in exhausted sleep as dawn broke over the Caribbean.
Chapter Four
Thorn Industries,
Alpharetta, Georgia
It was the only time Robin Thorn had ever felt the tingling sensation of nerves in his stomach as he entered the Thorn Industries building with Natalia on his arm. After their Caribbean cruise, things had begun to take a much more serious turn for the two of them and along with it came the feeling that he needed to make some apologies and set some things right with Will. He was also dying to introduce Natalia to anyone and everyone that he came in contact with.
As they rode the elevator to the floor where the executive offices of Thorn Industries were located, he kept the nerves in check and rehearsed what he wanted to say to his brother. They had parted on amiable terms, but there was a strained mistrust lingering behind the smiles, hugs and handshakes. In spite of the fact that it was normal practice for the brothers to be somewhat at odds with each other on various occasions, he felt like the changes that had already taken place thanks to Natalia warranted giving Will a look at his progress.
