And Then He Kissed Me

by Curtis, Melinda

  *

  “Aubrey went to Caradoc,” Nino said to Mateo in Spanish as he entered the Brighton’s lobby an hour after he’d talked to a cagey Eugene on the phone.

  “Did Dr. Summer ask for you?” Mateo snapped his fingers and a bell boy rushed forward to take Nino’s motorbike helmet and gloves.

  Mateo had once been a production manager at the motorbike plant Nino had bought. It was Nino’s first major foray into manufacturing and his first purchase of a company in which his father had shares. He’d bought back all his father’s stock and then he’d proposed changes at the renamed Cantuña Motorbikes–less slow handcrafting, more fast production line. Mateo was the only employee to stand up to Nino, pointing out that with the right tools and processes their quality and sticker price could go up without sacrificing much in the way of production time. He’d been Nino’s right-hand man ever since.

  Mateo was something of a renaissance man, knowledgeable and skilled at many things. When the Brighton had been remodeled, Mateo had claimed an office on the ground floor, saying that since Nino was living in a penthouse suite he needed to be close.

  “She saw Eugene.” Nino walked toward the elevator bank. “Has she returned?” He wanted to know what Eugene had told Aubrey. Now. Did she know Marcos and Nino were one and the same? Did she know his raw inventory was ruined?

  The bell boy hurried ahead and pressed the elevator button, keeping his back to Nino, trying to be invisible.

  “Dr. Summer has not returned.” There was no urgency in Mateo’s voice. No panic. No anger, either. “What about your father? Did she talk to him?”

  “He was there, too?” The frustration Nino had been feeling on the ride over knotted in his head, swelling like a drenched rope that pressed against his temples. “What part of ‘Do not allow on the premises’ are my employees not understanding?” He glared at Mateo, who didn’t flinch.

  “Your father used to be their boss.” Everything about Mateo’s demeanor urged Nino to calm down. His countenance, his shoulders, his tone were as relaxed as a dog in the shade on a hot summer day. “Emely told him he couldn’t stay, but he wouldn’t leave. She didn’t have the heart to call security.”

  And security might have been just as soft on Nino’s father. The urge to fire everyone on staff at Caradoc increased the pounding at his temples. But he knew if he gave the order, Mateo would only refuse to act upon it.

  Nino cursed. The elevator doors slid open and he stepped inside, taking his helmet and gloves from the bell boy. “I need to know if Aubrey knows who I am. I need to know if Eugene is loyal to me.” He needed to know if anyone was loyal to him, besides Mateo.

  Nearly an hour later, Nino had showered and changed for dinner, and was waiting in the hotel lobby for Aubrey to return when Eugene came rushing in. He spotted Nino and ran over.

  “Mr. Alfaro.” Eugene had lost some of his usual bluster. Or perhaps he was just drained from the warm weather. He looked sunburned and wilted. “I need to speak to you.”

  Not wanting Aubrey to see him talking to Eugene if she arrived, Nino led his troublesome employee to the bar and ordered two brandies from Gilberto.

  Eugene wasted no time on pleasantries. “Emely was under the impression that my behavior today was inappropriate.” Behind his round lenses, Eugene’s blue eyes darted about in panic. “Disloyal, even.”

  So the pup had finally realized he wasn’t the lead dog.

  Nino picked up his brandy snifter to hide his smile. “You mean when you talked alone to your former boss and didn’t’ tell me you’d done so on the phone?” He’d fired people for less.

  “Yes.” Eugene ignored his drink. “It was nothing but a courtesy. Dr. Summer is in town to check on her family’s harvest. She would never resort to spying on me.”

  Nino wasn’t so sure. Aubrey hadn’t told Eugene the entire truth–that she was here for a wedding. He sipped his brandy and waited Eugene out.

  The scientist swallowed nervously, a bob of a big Adam’s apple in a skinny little neck. “Dr. Summer did ask me to accompany her to Bon Bon’s plantation. Again,” he added quickly. “Only as a courtesy, since we worked on some experiments there. I have no intention of going.”

  Nino held his tongue. If only because he couldn’t decide whether he wanted Eugene to travel with Aubrey so he’d know how their experiments turned out, or if he wanted to go with her and see her work for himself.

  “I have no intention of going.” Eugene reiterated nervously. He hadn’t taken a sip of his brandy, hadn’t realized it was a slight on Nino’s hospitality to leave his drink untouched.

  Nino doubted Eugene had ever had a drink in his life. The young scientist was destined to become as much of a recluse as Aubrey.

  And then Eugene swirled his brandy as if it was fine wine, sniffed, took a tentative sip, and sighed. “Figs and citrus. An excellent vintage.”

  “Yes.” Nino sat back and stared, unable to hide his surprise that Eugene could discern the subtleties of fine brandy. What else had he gotten wrong about the odious man?

  A concierge entered the bar and hurried to Nino’s side, whispering in Spanish. “Dr. Summer is in the portico.”

  “Gracias.” Nino stood, staring at the enigma he’d hired. “Have another. On me.” He left more than enough bills for his unusual employee to have several. That ought to keep him busy and away from Aubrey.

  Chapter 6

  “Aubrey.” Nino met her at the lobby doors and kissed both her cheeks. “I see you’ve been shopping.”

  The fact that she didn’t slap him and push him away was a sign that Eugene hadn’t told her who he was.

  “I needed a distraction.” Aubrey carried a large, colorful cloth bag that bulged. She wore a short black skirt and tank top, covered by a short white shirt she didn’t have buttoned. Her cheeks were pink, but not from Nino’s attention. She accepted a glass of lemonade from a bell boy. “Before I went shopping, I stopped by Caradoc Confections.” She looked slightly bewildered. “I was only able to talk to Eugene for a few minutes.”

  “And what did he say?” Nino blurted, eager to know.

  “Nothing I expected.” She tried to smile, but it was a sad try. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to trouble you with my drama.”

  “Listening to a friend’s concerns is no trouble,” he said with empathy.

  “You are so sweet.”

  A phrase no one had ever applied to Nino. Ever.

  Her smile widened. “On a brighter note, that Caradoc place is hideous. They’ll never make chocolate on par with Bon Bon Chocolate, even with Eugene’s help.”

  Nino’s shoulders snapped back. She dared denigrate his company? Couldn’t she see beyond the façade to Caradoc’s potential?

  He scowled, half at her assessment, half at his fear that her assessment might be true.

  Noting his scowl, the lobby staff disappeared behind pillars and desks, and into back rooms.

  “If you’ll excuse me…” Aubrey sipped her lemonade, and then wiped her brow. “I need to check on my grandmother.”

  “We are still going to dinner,” Nino commanded in a voice he used with underlings.

  “Are we?” She scrutinized his features. “You don’t sound as if you’re in the mood for company. I apologize. I haven’t asked how your afternoon went.” She finished the rest of her lemonade and then looked around for a place to put her tumbler.

  “I am the one who should apologize.” Nino claimed her glass, upset with himself. “Where are my manners?” He knew exactly where they were–stuffed deep inside of him below his business priorities. “Layla is taking your grandmother to dinner. You should rest before our date.”

  “Date? But…with you?”

  “Yes. The sweet man who stands in front of you.” Something inside him rebelled at the word sweet. Nino leaned in closer, unable to resist a bit of Latin seduction. “Say the word, mi cielo, and this sweet man can be something more. I know a restaurant with a dark corner that is perfect for long, slow kisses.”


  Her lips parted. Her breath caught. Her gaze tripped upon his mouth.

  Mission accomplished. She no longer thought of him as sweet.

  Nino began to regain some of his usual confidence. “Oh, but I have misread things. I can see you just want to be friends.” He enjoyed teasing Aubrey more than he should have, given what was at risk. “After all, you want to wait to kiss a man until he loves you.”

  She sighed, but it wasn’t the kind of sigh he’d hoped to elicit. It wasn’t a sigh of regret. “I’m never going to live those words down, am I?”

  “You are not,” he agreed.

  “You intimidate me,” she said baldly.

  Nino was used to intimidating everyone, but he didn’t want to intimidate her. He wanted to sweep her off her feet.

  “Can you promise you won’t break my heart?” The earnestness in her brown eyes called to him.

  “No one can promise that, mi cielo.”

  Again, he was reminded of the goodness she represented and how that contradicted with his unscrupulous ways. He took what he wanted, regardless of the cost.

  “Then what can you promise me?” she asked.

  He almost missed her question, it was spoken so softly. He cupped her cheek. “I can promise you nights filled with passion and a beautiful view from my suite.” It wouldn’t be enough, not for her. She’d asked about love after a few simple kisses.

  Before his conscience got a grip on his chest, she answered. “I’ll have dinner with you.” Her smile still seemed weary and her acceptance tentative, almost as if she was as surprised as he was that she’d said yes. “But do you mind if we have an early dinner? I know it’s not fashionable, but Grandma Dotty will most likely be exhausted after a day of golf at this altitude and I don’t like to leave her alone for long.”

  “But, of course. Do you want to meet in an hour? That will give you time to rest and freshen up. Please dress casually.”

  “One hour, then.” Aubrey walked to the bank of elevators.

  Nino had one hour to plan how to coax Aubrey’s secrets out of her. Every woman had a weakness, and Aubrey’s seemed to be her lack of confidence, especially where her sensory skills were involved. He’d take her to a brew pub and teach her how to taste and smell the difference between beers.

  And if he succumbed to the urge to see if she tasted different after drinking a draft, so be it.

  *

  The elevator doors slid open to reveal Grandma Dotty. She wore one of Aubrey’s cocktail dresses, this one a midnight blue sleeveless sheath. It hung cockeyed on her shoulders. The hem fell inches past Dotty’s knees, far above her sensible brown leather sandals.

  “Grandma?” Aubrey nearly dropped her shopping bag. “That’s my dress.” The one she’d planned to wear to dinner.

  A tall, thin man ran at Aubrey from out of nowhere, arms widespread. He swept her inside the elevator, nearly knocking Grandma Dotty over in his haste to hide himself in the corner.

  “Eugene?” Aubrey steadied her grandmother and tried to steady her own pulse. “What are you doing here?”

  He punched the fifth floor button, eyes as wide and face as pale as if a drooling, fanged extraterrestrial was on the loose in the lobby. He punched his glasses up his sunburnt nose. “He knows.”

  Grandma Dotty gasped.

  The elevator doors closed.

  And then Grandma Dotty shook herself, stepping out of Aubrey’s protective embrace. “Who knows?”

  “You can’t go with him to dinner.” The panic in Eugene’s face was palpable.

  “Are you talking about Nino?” Aubrey was so done with Eugene. First his crush, and now this. “You’re jealous.” She punched the lobby button.