by Angela Blake
Lucas groaned as he cursed under his breath in Spanish, and his eyes flew open. He let out a stream of curse words in both English and Spanish as he searched for the source of the shrill noise.
He stumbled over knickknacks all over the floor until he was finally able to reach his phone. He slid answer and all but growled into the phone.
“Of course I’m asleep. Que pasa? What time is it?”
Lucas rolled his eyes as he rubbed his head and moved sluggishly looking for his watch. He leaned over the watch and squinted at the clock. “It’s eight o’clock, man. That meeting isn’t until eleven.”
Lucas scowled. “I can get myself to that meeting,” he paused as he yawned. “Yes, I know where it is. I’ll be there.”
He hung up the phone and stared it wondering why he’d bothered to get such a perky manager. It was because she was the best in the business.
Even though he’d originally hired her because he wanted to sleep with her, she quickly put a stop to that by proving that she was not only not interested in him, but that she was head over heels for her boyfriend.
At first it stung his pride, no woman had ever turned him down before, but he quickly realized that he needed Lauren as a friend.
She had all sorts of connections, and she was able to make sure he kept his nose clean, stayed out of trouble, and not to mention she loved Spain since her boyfriend was half Spanish.
He heard a voice grumble from somewhere in the room, and he froze as he tried to rack his brain to remember if he had company last night.
Jasmine.
He smiled, a wicked smile as he made his way towards the bed and crawled on top of it. Jasmine lay on her side, her hair splayed out on the pillow, her face buried in the pillow.
Normally, he’d get up and jog before he went to go meet Lauren, but he figured this could qualify as a work out too.
He pressed himself to her side and began to nuzzle her neck. She sighed in her sleep as Lucas began to gently nibble.
He placed his hands on her stomach and lightly traced her skin. She mumbled something under her breath and pushed herself closer to him. Lucas ran his fingers lightly over her arms causing goosebumps to rise.
He brought his hands up and began to play with her breasts until they stood erect and stiff. Now he knew she was fully awake.
“What time is it?” she groaned as he pushed her hair away from her neck and began to kiss it again.
“It’s eight o’clock.”
“That early?” she asked. He could detect a hint of annoyance in her voice. Probably at being woken up this early, he was sure she was the type to sleep in until noon or something.
“I have to leave in a bit,” he murmured against her neck. He rocked his hips against hers letting her know what he wanted. She titled her head, so she was facing him and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
Lucas pulled back, opened his drawer and got two pieces of mint. He popped both of them into his mouth and climbed on top, so he was straddling her. He began to kiss her, slowly at first but then harder as he coaxed her mouth open.
Once she opened her mouth, he used his tongue to slip the mint into her mouth, and she smiled against his mouth as she moaned into the kiss.
He continued to stay still not doing anything until Jasmine began to grind her hips in impatience. Lucas chuckled against her lips as he tore his lips away.
He lay down next to her and pressed her against him, so she could feel him pressing against her back. “I want to take you from the back, I want to make you scream so hard, you’ll be seeing stars.”
Jasmine whimpered in the back of her throat and bucked her hips backwards. Lucas slowly entered her and waited until she adjusted to this new position. His hands cupped her breasts and began to knead as he thrust in and out of her.
It didn’t take long for Jasmine to begin crying out his name. He began to kiss her neck slowly until he gently sunk his teeth into it and sucked hard.
Jasmine yelped, in pain or pleasure, he couldn’t tell which, but considering that she started to rock faster, he had to assume it was in pleasure.
Her hand reached backwards and tangled itself in his hair as she played with the nape of his neck. Soon her hand traveled down as her nails dug into his flesh.
***
Lucas grunted as he moved in a flurry around the room searching for his jeans. He finally found them and slipped them on before he went to the closet and pulled out a clean shirt.
He slipped it on and gave Jasmine a smirk as she lay on the bed watching him, her eyes clouded over with lust. She was laying there, propped up on her elbows, fully naked, and she looked very enticing. Lucas had to remember that he had a meeting to get to otherwise he would’ve plowed into her until she could no longer stand.
The look she was giving him let him know that she was thinking something very similar. She bit her lips and beckoned Lucas closer.
Lucas grabbed his keys and walked over to the bed. He knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on either side of her.
“Like what you see?” he murmured huskily as he began nibbling on her ear.
“Do you like what you see?” she challenged as she let the sheet fall down in order to reveal her chest. Her breasts were already erect and staring him in the face begging him to take them in his mouth.
Lucas chuckled under his breath as he twirled a strand of hair between his thumb and forefinger. “As a matter of fact, I like it very much, but I happen to know, you like it even more.”
“What makes you think that?” she inquired huskily as she tried to push herself closer. Lucas moved backwards a fraction of an inch, and he caught the flash of disappointment in her eyes.
“Your quick intake of breath just now, the way you moved yourself closer, and if it weren’t for the fact that I have a meeting to get to, we wouldn’t be discussing this, instead I’d just be showing you.”
Jasmine pouted as she threw her arms around him and tried to push him in between her breasts. “Do you have to go? I mean, I’m sure what I have to offer you is far more interesting than what they’ll be giving you at that meeting.”
Lucas gently disentangled her hands from around his neck. “You make a very compelling argument, but-”
Jasmine interrupted him by pressing her lips against his. Lucas barely held onto his control as he felt her naked body press itself against his. He growled in impatience at the layer of clothing that lay in between them, and when she bit his bottom lip, he groaned and pushed her backwards, and climbed on top of her.
The pace of her kissing changed and became more enticing, more sensual, not as fevered but just as passionate.
As he pushed himself against her, he lifted her legs up and tossed them over his shoulder. She whimpered in pleasure, and Lucas grinded against her.
The sound of her moaning was like music to his ears, but he suddenly remembered that he was going to be late, and his manager might just skin him alive.
His eyes flew open as he removed her legs slowly and covered Jasmine with a sheet. “Believe me, I wish I could continue this, but I really do have to go.”
Jasmine stared at him through hooded eyes. “It’s your loss.”
Lucas moved off the bed and straightened out his shirt and jeans. He moved closer, so he was pressed up against her face. “If I could stay, you wouldn’t even be able to think, and you definitely wouldn’t be able to walk.”
Jasmine gave him a sly grin. “How about I come back later, and you can show me?”
Lucas grinned as he grabbed his phone and wallet. He winked at her. “Coffee is in the kitchen.”
He took the stairs instead of the elevator, so he could get some blood pumping through his veins, and so he could cool off before he got to his car. He didn’t want to have to walk into that meeting with a bulge in his pants he couldn’t hide.
He slipped into his corvette a while later and pulled the top down. He turned the music up and slipped his shades on as he cruised down the streets.
&
nbsp; ***
Lucas pulled up to the address a while later. He got out of the car and was beeping it shut when he caught a flash of brown hair in his rearview mirror. He couldn’t believe his luck!
He had finally found the brunette from the bar.
He whipped around and smiled as he caught sight of that familiar mop of brown hair.
“Hey!” he called out. He cursed himself for not remembering to ask her name. He jogged after her whipping in and out of the throngs of people as he finally caught up to her.
“Freud, hey.”
She finally stopped and turned around, confusion etched onto her features. At first, she continued to stare at him then finally recognition dawned on her face.
She looked a little wary as she took a tentative step back.
“Hey,” she said cautiously.
Lucas frowned. “What happened to you the other day?”
“Nothing, I just had to leave,” she pushed her hair behind her ears and nervously fidgeted. Obviously, something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Lucas tried to remember what it was that he did or said, but he couldn’t remember doing anything that would make her hesitant.
“Oh,” Lucas scratched the back of his neck. “Because I was looking for you after I shot the first set of balls then I looked for you again when I was finished, but you were nowhere to be found.”
She continued to stare him as she shrugged slowly.
“You really don’t remember me, do you?” she said finally softly.
Lucas stared at her in bemusement. “What do you mean? Of course, I remember you. From the bar, the other night.”
The brunette looked distressed as she bit her bottom lip. “No, I mean from before.”
“Before, why would I-"Lucas stopped as he studied her carefully. The brown hair, the gray eyes, the faintest hint of an accent he hadn’t noticed the first night. He shook his head as if he couldn’t quite believe what was being said. “It can’t be.”
“Hola, Luke,” She gave him a sad smile.
“Lorena!” he choked out. “I can’t believe it’s you. What are you doing here? You were in Madrid when I last saw you, and you couldn’t decide what major you wanted, now you’re here in America teaching?”
Lorena gave him a small smile. “Yeah, after you left, I decided on a community college close to home, and I started taking classes, mostly humanities, till I stumbled across a love for teaching, so I took English courses, got my TEFL degree, and here I am.”
“And here you are,” Lucas agreed as he really took her in. She had grown a little bit taller since he had last seen her, and she had filled out a bit, but in a voluptuous way that he was sure many men paid attention to. With her shoulder length curly hair and cloudy gray eyes, she looked exactly the same, but also far more beautiful than he remembered.
“You made your dream come true, just like you always said you would. When we were in Madrid talking about it, you said it was a pipe dream, but I always knew you had it in you.”
“You always did believe in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself,” Lorena gave him an uncomfortable smile as she nodded quickly.
“Listen, I have a meeting in a few minutes in that building over there,” he pointed behind him in the general direction of the building.
“Oh,” she lifted her handbag higher on her shoulder. “Of course. It was good running into you.”
“Wait,” she had taken a halting step forward before she paused and looked over her shoulder. “Would you like to meet up afterwards? There’s a beach close by, we can get some sun. I remember how much you love the beach.”
“Um,” she bit her bottom lip nervously.
“For old times’ sake?” he offered as he gave her a winning smile.
Lorena eyed him suspiciously before she finally relented. “Okay, for old times’ sake.”
“I’ll meet you in that coffee shop across the street in an hour,” he turned around and jogged back to the building where his meeting was being held before she could change her mind.
Chapter 4
Lorena watched him go with a certain sense of dread. Her stomach was in knots thinking of what she’d have to tell him.
Lucas Ramirez.
God, she hadn’t seen him in years, and she hadn’t been planning on seeing him ever again. Fate had a twisted sense of humor making sure they were both in that bar the night he almost got into a fight.
And why did she have to be drawn to him anyway? She should’ve just stayed in the bar and finished her drink before heading home like she had planned to do.
She couldn’t believe she hadn’t recognized him at first, but then again he looked totally different from what she remembered. He was no longer her height, he had grown taller, and he had filled out so much more since she had last seen him.
He was also so much more confident around women, clearly he had turned into a womanizer.
She remembered what he was like in high school, right before college. They used to be crazy about each other, he didn’t have eyes for anyone else, but after a year together, one of the most difficult things that could happen to a couple of teenagers happened.
Lorena got pregnant.
At first, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to keep the baby, and Lucas was just as confused, but he told her he’d support whatever decision she wanted to make although she was sure he was terrified.
In the end, they decided to keep the baby, and for the first month, they were very happy.
Until the unthinkable happened.
She lost the baby.
The doctor said that it happens sometimes during the first trimester, but Lorena couldn’t help but feel like she had done something wrong. She didn’t know what, but surely it was her fault.
Lucas withdrew into himself, unsure of how to help her.
Lorena pushed him away, spent a lot of time sleeping, and refused to do anything with him. The hole in her heart was too real, too palpable to just go on living as if nothing happened.
Breathing hurt, living hurt, so she just settled for existing.
She didn’t know how to climb back out of the hole of despair she suddenly found herself in, and all of a sudden she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Lucas stopped trying to reach out to her after all, and that hurt even more, but she knew it was because he didn’t know how to reach her. He would touch her gently as if afraid she’d break.
One day, she couldn’t stand the gentleness anymore, so she had a little too much to drink. Lucas came home after a night spent at the bar.
When he slipped into bed next to her, she reached out and hesitantly touched him. Lucas held her hand loosely between his; his brown eyes surprisingly clear despite the alcohol on his breath. “Are you sure? Lor, if you aren’t ready, we can wait.”
Lorena began to stroke his chest before she climbed on top of him and straddled him. She pushed herself up against him before she pressed her lips to his.
“I don’t want to wait anymore.”
A few weeks later, he got a letter saying that he had been accepted to a university in America on a double scholarship. He would be studying psychology and basketball.
He didn’t want to leave her, she knew that, but she also knew that this was his dream, and she’d hate herself if she got in the way of that.
He packed his bags, and she watched him move through airport security. She watched his plane take off, and she placed her hand on her stomach, knowing that there was no way that she could tell him that she was pregnant again.
If she carried to term, she would raise this child by herself, so that Lucas could have the chance to pursue his dream.
She never regretted that decision although sometimes she wondered if she had made the right choice. Lucas was the father after all, and she didn’t consult him.
But after a while, it just seemed easier to tell their daughter that her father was out there and didn’t know she existed. She thought she was protecting her.
Especi
ally after they moved to the states, and she heard all about him and his reputation.
What kind of environment would that be for a little girl?
Besides, she knew that Lucas had dreams that were too big for Madrid, that’s why he moved to America to make them work. It had gone from a pipe dream to a reality, and she was happy for him.
She bit her lip as she wondered why she had agreed to go to the beach with him. She wondered if any good would actually come out of it. She just knew that once he flashed her that smile, she couldn’t say no.
Now she would have to tell him about Elena.
She had his eyes, his beautiful chocolate brown eyes, and her heart twisted a little in her chest whenever her daughter turned her mischievous glint towards her.
Lorena loved her daughter more than anything on this Earth, and there was nothing she wouldn’t do to protect her.
But she had to at least give Lucas a chance before she wrote him off.
She finished her lunch and signaled for the check, glad that she didn’t have any classes today. She never would’ve been able to focus on teaching the kids with her brain in a million different places at once.
She gathered her scattered thoughts as she paid for her meal and made her way out of the café.
She checked her watch and realized she had about fifteen minutes left till they were supposed to meet, so she straightened her handbag and began the walk to the café.
She made it there with five minutes to spare and she leaned against the wall as she watched the people coming and going wondering what their lives were like.
Wondering if any of them had ever made a decision to protect their child. Some of them probably had, some of them probably wondered about it every day.
She bet a lot of them didn’t think twice though knowing what kind of dangers were out there in the world.
Mostly, she wondered about her own decision. What impact would integrating Lucas have on Elena’s life?
She had to hope it was for the best.
She spotted Lucas a while later strolling towards her in his washed out jeans and shirt. She noticed how women who passed by him paused to stare. Lucas just had that energy about him, and with his sinewy muscles and that sparkle in his chocolate brown eyes, women no doubt swooned over him.
