by Lym Cruz
“The minority.”
“And there are books out there that are considered junk and not worthwhile, but there is always someone who will give it a five-star review.”
“Friends and family.”
“Without a doubt. But, I’m sure that amongst those reviews there is at least one that is true. So, see, no matter how good or bad something is there will always be positive and negative opinions. You have to find that one five-star review, hold on to it, and use it as motivation to keep going. What the majority says may not always be true to you.”
Such double meaning to his words. I leaned towards him and rested my head on his chest.
“In that case, you’re my five-star reviewer.”
He kissed my temple and we remained rooted in place staring at the painting. It didn’t get any better.
Later, a suited man popped out from nowhere and cleared his throat. “Sir,” he said, “dinner is served.” He then backed away, disappearing amongst the art.
Ezra led me to a balcony on the east end of the gallery and again I was knocked off my feet. The set up was exquisite. The exterior walls were covered with a shimmering gold paper and there were flowers everywhere in soft shades of purple and white. And the delightful fragrance of lavender overpowered all else.
Ezra held out my seat for me and I thanked him after sitting down at the all-white and silver table setting. At the center stood two lit candles and past the flames, I watched Ezra taking off his jacket and draping it behind his chair. I couldn’t help but smile at how handsome he was.
The man who announced dinner, returned with two glasses of red wine.
Ezra held up his glass. “To a fantastic night.”
“To a fantastic night.” I tapped his glass then took a sip and licked my lips. The bouquet of flavors was lush, supple and velvety on the tongue. The best wine I’d ever had. He went out of his way to impress.
The waiter returned minutes later, balancing two plates and set them down before us. Grilled sea bass was beautifully arranged on my plate with a salad on the side. While Ezra’s plate held a steak and fries.
“I have to ask,” I said, picking up my cutlery. “How do you know all my favorite things? My favorite flowers. My favorite meal. My favorite colors. How?”
“I had an accomplice.” He took a sip of his drink. “I called Erica and asked her what your dream date would consist of. She said: music, seafood, and flowers. I made it happen.”
“That’s her version of a dream date,” I teased.
“Seriously?”
Nodding, I took a bite of my salad. Perfection.
“Then what would your perfect date be like?”
“Exactly the way this is.” I was honest. Erica knew me well. “What about you? How would you describe a perfect date?”
“Anything, as long as you’re there.”
The fucker was making me blush. Again. I threw him the white napkin and he caught it with a laugh.
“Since you know so much about me.” I stopped to swallow. “It’s only fair you tell me about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?”
“I wanna know the inner Ezra. You’ve seen the inner me, it’s only fair.”
His fork paused halfway to his mouth then slowly he set it down. His eyes shifted to the side and became glazed with a film of sadness. His shoulders dropped, painting a picture of the state of his heart. From his eyes I saw how he had built a wall, blocking me from a certain portion of his life.
It disappointing that he wouldn’t let me in when he practically forced his way into my heart.
With a blink, he concealed all emotions and with a harsh exhale he raised his shoulders. “I’m not perfect.” His tone was stern.
“You said that already, but it’s kinda hard to believe that right now.” I motioned around the room with a lightness to my voice.
“I’ve done things that I’m not proud of, but I’ve never lied to you. Sure, there are things about me you don’t know and when the time is right, I will tell you everything. Promise.” He reached for my hand from across the table. “I hope that when the time comes, you’ll give me the benefit of the doubt.”
I held his gaze, seizing his hand tighter. “As long as it doesn’t include dead bodies ‘cause that’s where I draw the line.”
His lips twitched upward wryly. “I’m serious, Christina.”
“Of course, I will.”
The rest of the night was as perfect as the start but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and our dinner was no different. It would be a day I’d never forget no matter what the future held. And I couldn’t lie that the future seemed quite uncertain. I was almost convinced that whatever he was hiding had the power to break us apart, or perhaps the pessimist in me couldn’t believe Ezra and I would work out. Only time would tell.
On our way to my apartment, we talked and I was able to find out the smaller things about him like his favorite color—black. His favorite book—he didn’t have one. The tiny aspects that made Ezra who he was.
After parking, Ezra rounded the car, opened his trunk and removed a square frame. He flipped it around so I couldn’t see. The elevator ride was possibly the longest ever. As soon as we reached my floor, I dashed to open the door and let us both in. Ezra placed the frame face down on the coffee table. I kicked off my shoes and shifted eagerly on my feet waiting.
He slumped on the couch and said, “Go ahead.”
I turned it over. It was a black and white sketch with the image of a girl. Her face was shadowed by the locks of hair blowing over her. She sat cross-legged gazing into the ocean. There was a certain gloominess to the canvas but the longer I stared at the girl, she dissipated the darkness bringing life to the drawing. She was stunning. It was mesmerizing how all that could be achieved with art.
The lines of the drawing were mesmerizing. He used some sort of pencil that had a charcoal effect. Blinking, I took a closer look and recognized the setting and the girl.
It was me.
I gasped, acknowledging that I’d thought of myself as beautiful formed a lump in my throat.
The image was shielded by glass, even so, I refrained from my urge to run my hands over it, afraid to smear or ruin it. In the bottom-right corner, he wrote: When it began. Followed by the date we took our first road trip.
“When, what began?”
“The bond between us.” He smiled. “You basically admitted that your hobby was puking and self-deprecation. Instead of running for the hills, I wanted to stay.”
I didn't have the energy to think of a comeback. I couldn’t even contain the bundle of emotions gripping my chest. It was too much for one night. The feeling engulfed me and when he stood to touch my hand, I knew.
I was ready to be seen.
I intertwined our fingers and led him to my room and sat him on my bed.
Sucking in a breath, digging deep for courage, I stood facing him, raised my left arm and pulled down the zipper of my dress. I glided its straps down both my shoulders and wiggled out of it, allowing the material to fall to my feet. I reached for my back and unclasped my bra, dropping it down. Lastly, I shimmied out of my underwear and it joined the rest of the clothes.
I was naked with the bright bedroom lights on. And although I wanted to be brave, I also wanted to run into a corner and hide. He was looking at my ugliness and a part of me waited for the disappointment to show on his features.
It never came.
Instead, Ezra smiled. He stood and stroked the side of my face, his eyes looking down at me with such tenderness.
My unsteady fingers worked on the buttons of his shirt, I stood on my heels to push it off his shoulders and then reached for his belt. I unbuckled it, opened his pants and brought them down to his feet. Then I did the same with his briefs.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, his low gruff tone forced a riot in my belly. “I can’t believe this moment is finally here.”
My eyes never left his face.
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nbsp; The heat in his eyes, combined with the desire coursing through me caused my breath to hitch. I watched as his face lowered to mine to capture my mouth. He groaned, pulling our bodies together. I closed my eyes, feeling the heat of his body, and the pressure of his erection, as I gave into the kiss. An unfamiliar warm sensation centered in my chest and I allowed the feeling to encompass me to a point that it was overwhelming. I wanted to cry because I’d never felt as desired or as loved as I did under his tender gaze. A single tear flowed from the corner of my clenched eyes.
Snaking my arms around his back. He swept me off my feet, I felt minuscule and safe in his arms, and lowered me to the bed. He sat back on his heels gazing at me.
With his hands, he traced the outline of my body, from my neck down to my legs. Then, in an instant his body covered mine, he dipped his mouth to my neck, nipping a burning trail down my neck towards my chest. He bit lightly on each of my nipples and I cried out from the buzz of desire. He kissed my stomach, my navel and parted my legs. With one long and warm stroke, he licked from my clit all the way to my center.
Fisting the sheets, I gasped. “Again, please,” I begged and he obeyed.
I squirmed and fidgeted unable to stay still with the intensity building between my legs. Too soon he stopped and his mouth was back on my breast.
“Ezra,” I breathed out with a gasp as he sucked my nipple and swirled his tongue around it. One of his hands found its way back between my legs. He removed his mouth and slipped to the other breast, giving each equal attention.
I was climbing to a new level of arousal I’d never thought possible. I was seconds away from climaxing and unable to control my breathing. The sensation was better than what I’d imagined. Unable to hold back any longer, I shattered, sinking my nails into his back. When I blinked and resurfaced, he was staring into my eyes with a knowing grin.
“I don’t have a condom,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting this tonight.”
“I’m on the pill,” I affirmed. His eyes voiced the question his mouth didn’t. “Yes, I’m sure,” I stated firmly.
No further persuasion was needed. My breath caught in my chest as he slipped into me as deep as he could.
“You’re fucking perfect.”
A sound erupted from deep within him. Ezra linked our hands and pinned them above my head then he withdrew and thrust into me, tightening his grip on my palms. I swayed my hips ebbing and flowing with his rhythm. His tongue assaulted mine, overpowering my senses. The scent of my arousal on his lips, the smoothness of his skin, the way our bodies moved in perfect sync swathed me in a bliss of lust. I closed my eyes, burying my soul in his.
Nothing was new, yet it all felt renewed like I’d never been touched before.
I curled my toes in response to the shockwave rippling to an unbearable level. He twitched against my walls and stiffened. The veins on his neck pulsed, then he looked down at me, his eyes locked with mine. I was unable to look away as we both were taken captive by the torrent of pleasure.
There was a lot invested in that moment, and not only my body, but also my soul. It was full and felt unlike anything that I’d experienced with the men who came before Ezra. It was incredible how different sex was, compared to intimacy. I gave all of myself to Ezra, and not just my body. I was falling into him. Falling with him. I was falling for all of him and didn’t want to be caught.
Coming down from the most intense orgasm of my life, I could barely keep my eyes open. However, I didn’t want to close them. I didn’t want to wake-up in the morning to discover everything had only been a beautiful, perfect dream.
Shifting closer to him, I asked, “Why couldn’t you see me before?”
He frowned slightly.
“All these years we’ve known each other, but you never saw me.”
“I had my eyes fixed in the wrong direction.” Tenderly, he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “But I won’t ever take my eyes away from you. I’ve found my north star.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Ezra
“Ihave to go,” I whispered, spreading kisses all over her face. “I’ll see you at the office.”
“It’s so early,” she protested in a husky voice. “Stay a little longer.”
“I wish I could, but I can’t. I have to take care of something.”
There was sadness in her eyes. I wanted to tell her the truth about everything that was going on, but the time wasn’t right. Or perhaps, I was afraid she would walk away from me once she knew.
“Okay,” she said quietly and it tore my heart. “I’ll see you at the office.”
I pressed one last kiss on her forehead before leaving.
Without even a chance to stop and change clothes, I drove straight to the address Rowan texted me. It was odd that we were meeting before the crack of dawn, but what had my skin burning with curiosity was why I was summoned.
The only person I ever interacted with was Rowan. He met with whoever was in charge and relayed the information. But apparently the people from upstairs had requested my presence.
I parked next to an uneven rubble of an abandoned industrial unit. The sun was still below the horizon and my surroundings were silent. So quiet I heard my heart pounding in my chest, but the calmness was deceptive.
Was it actually a meeting or had they figured out that I was feeding information to Detective Nunes?
A part of me wanted to turn my car around and hit the gas, yet another was tranquil, keen to find out what these people wanted.
I took a deep breath and left the car.
I stepped into a wide spaced room covered in every shade of gray, from washed-out concrete to almost steel-blue. Every line was straight, every corner sharp and there were chairs lined up in two rows. Seven chairs were filled and no one turned when I walked in. I strode forward, focused on keeping my gait natural and my palms dry. I sat on a chair in the last row. I couldn’t spot Rowan anywhere and the silence was nerve-wracking. Then my eyes flickered to the left as a group of four people entered from a back door. Rowan was one of them. The other was a well put together blonde in heels that clicked on the dusty floors. The other two dressed in all black appeared to be bodyguards.
“I’m sorry to have woken you up this early,” the woman spoke loudly and authoritatively. Her words echoed throughout the space. I inspected her face sensing a familiarity. I felt as though I’d seen her before. I just couldn’t remember where. “As you know you’ll be driving the cars to Mexico through our secured entry. And once there, you’ll receive the cargo, and return in the same manner. Collectively, you’ll be transporting close to a quarter of a million dollars in heroin and cocaine. Needless to say, your discretion is very important.”
I looked at Rowan confused; I had no idea what she was talking about. With a hand gesture, Rowan told me to calm down and wait.
“You will leave now. The cars are already outside, but I wanted to remind you that what you are doing is not a bad thing. You’re doing what you have to in order to survive and feed your children. Speaking of family, I also want to remind every single one of you that I know where you live. I know where your children go to school. I know where your wives, sisters and mothers go grocery shopping. If any of you dare cross me, I won’t hesitate exercising my wrath on any or all of them.” She clasped her hands together and smiled as if she hadn’t threatened all the men staring at her. “Any questions?” Before anyone could say a word, she added, “Excellent. Let’s get moving people.”
The five men in the front row stood and headed towards the exit with Rowan on their heels.
“Ezra,” the woman crooned. “Come here.”
Reluctantly I went to her.
She wrapped her arms around me and pressed me in a tight hug. I didn’t react. She pulled back and her lips held the form of a warm and welcoming grin.
“It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Chichi.” Upon sensing my indifference, she let me go and stepped back. “You must be wondering why you are here, right?”
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sp; “Yes.”
“I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about you and how you’ve helped my business. I believe you have a future here and I have plans for you.”
My eyebrows drew apart. I had no interest in what she was proposing or rather informing me. In this line of business choices were a luxury. “I’m not interested.”
“Sure you are.” She stepped forward with a smirk on her face and a gleam in her eyes. “Do you want me to repeat the speech I gave those men?”
I inhaled containing my temper. “What the hell do you want from me?”
“What is this attitude? Rowan said you were compliant.”
“Compliant?” I scoffed. “You just threatened my family.”
“Nonsense.” She rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t a threat. It was a friendly reminder. You Americans are so dramatic.”
She spun on her heels and motioned for me to follow. I trailed behind. The shadow of the two bodyguards loomed over my shoulders.
Hidden amongst the rust, dust and stale smell of beer was a metal door beneath a staircase. Chichi punched in a code and the door unlocked. I tried my hardest to grasp the code. There were four digits. I only saw the first. It was eight.
“This is where we keep some of our stock.”
The strong chemical odor coming from behind the door hit my lungs and made me cough.
“Here.” Chichi offered me a handkerchief that was tucked into her waistband. “Put it over your mouth and nose.”
Quickly we entered and took the stairs leading to a basement, bypassing a group of men and women in air masks cooking meth. The stench was so strong my eyes watered. Once we were underground, I could breathe normally again. Another door was opened but this time we entered an office. Chichi asked the bodyguards to wait outside.
Once again, I was stunned by the amount of cocaine, heroin and meth stacked up against a wall. They had been separated into piles and labeled. I was able to read a few tags before Chichi got my attention.
“Beautiful isn’t it?”
“It’s not beautiful. It’s lives that are going to be ruined.”
