by Lily Harlem
“I had a plan.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.” He grinned.
“What?”
He swept his lips over hers then placed them by her ear. “I guess you’ll never know.”
“Hey, unfair.” She looked up into his twinkling eyes.
He chuckled. “Life isn’t always fair.”
The elevator whizzed downward, making Olivia’s stomach rise. She held in a giggle as the strange sensation was heightened by her already buzzing senses.
When they stepped back onto the sidewalk, reality rushed to meet her.
“Sorry, sorry,” she said as two people bumped her shoulders, first the left, then the right. The heat rose up from the ground as well as down from the sun. It was hard to breathe.
“Come on.” Evan wrapped his arm around her waist. “Let’s grab a ride back to the penthouse.”
“But we haven’t any—”
“I found this.” He held up a twenty dollar bill. “In my other pocket.”
For a moment she warred with herself, then she was bashed into again by a tall man in a suit.
“I won’t tell if you won’t,” he said, steadying her. “I can’t stand this.”
“Me neither.” She steeled herself as three more people nudged them as if they were bowling pins. “Let’s get out of here.”
He hailed a passing cab and within seconds he’d ushered her in and dropped down next to her. It wasn’t particularly cool but it was out of the crowds.
“This place is crazy,” Evan said after he’d given the address to the driver.
“Yeah, tell me about it. I couldn’t live here.”
“Hell no. I need space around me, nature, more than a thin strip of smog-coated sky.”
She laughed. “I guess you won’t be racing back to The Big Apple then.”
“Fair play to all those who like it here, but it isn’t for me.” He pushed his hair from his face and blew out a breath.
“I’m looking forward to getting on the open road tomorrow. I’ve always wanted to ride a Harley.”
“Yeah, me too. Had a few goes on my mate’s bike back home, but it wasn’t anything fancy.”
“I’ve got a Kawasaki, a ZX.”
“You have?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, it’s seriously quick. Cool too.”
“Yeah, I know they are.” He studied her.
“What?”
“You constantly surprise me.”
“Why? You know I’m into my engines, why not bike engines?”
“I guess.” He drifted his gaze to her bare legs. “And now you’ve got me thinking about you in black leather.”
She laughed and crossed her legs. “I could say the same about you.”
“Nah, you’ll look way better.” He set his hand on her knee.
As they navigated back along Fifth Avenue she enjoyed the sensation of his palm on her skin. Riley had said they’d get leathers. She hoped they were decent quality and the right size. If she’d known this was on the agenda she’d have brought her own, her helmet too.
They arrived back at the block where the Vidal’s penthouse was housed and alighted the cab.
“Hola.” Raul strolled up to them. He was clutching two brown paper bags against his chest and they appeared stuffed full of produce.
“Hey.” Evan quickly grabbed one from him. “I’ll take that, mate.”
“Thank you.” Raul shook out his arm. It had a new bandage on it. “I found a place that took my euros. I bought us dinner.”
“You did?” Olivia was surprised.
“Si, an Italian shop, he said he would send the money home to his sister, so I spent all I had on me.” He grinned. “Wonderful fresh ingredients. I make gourmet meal to fuel us before our long journey.”
“Good man.” Evan slapped him on the back then pulled open the door to the lobby.
The cool air was blissful and Olivia wiped her hand over her brow. “It’s so bloody hot out there.”
“But we will be glad of warm weather in our tents,” Raul said. “So let us not complain.”
“That’s true.” They stepped into the private elevator and she keyed in the code Harry had told her earlier. “Are you looking forward to the journey, Raul?”
“Si, very much. I like to ride. I want to see America and it could not be better because I’ll be with you all, my crew. We will have many adventures.” He shifted from foot to foot. “And.” His grin widened. “We will stop in Las Vegas. I have always wanted to go. It will be a dream come true. Poker, black jack, roulette. I can play them all in such style and I will win.”
“I didn’t know that was your thing?” Sure, he’d seemed to enjoy poker when they’d played on the boat, but Olivia hadn’t realized it was a passion of his.
“Don’t get too excited,” Evan said. “We won’t have any cash to spare for gambling. Sounds like we’ll be scraping the bottom of the barrel to eat.”
“I do not know what that is, scraping the barrel.” Raul shook his head.
“It means we won’t have much.” Evan downturned his mouth.
“Ah, mi amigo, we will have plenty of everything. Just you wait and see. I will work it out.”
The elevator pinged, signaling they’d arrived back in the penthouse. Olivia thought about what Raul had said. He was so confident it would all be okay. That they’d have plenty of what they needed. If she didn’t know him she’d have said he was being overly optimistic, excitable too. But when they’d been castaways on Elysium it was Raul who’d picked up all their shoes and the stash of knives and fishing lines from the boat. These things had proven to be essential to their survival.
She’d be foolish to underestimate his ability. Raul was more than a pretty face and a brilliant chef. He was also a man who found solutions to problems before they’d even happened.
Chapter Four
Olivia stood in Vidal’s state-of-the-art kitchen with her sleeves rolled up and wearing a smart Russ & Daughters blue striped apron.
She’d volunteered to help Raul with the evening meal and was now feeling clueless as she stood by the huge island surrounded by sleek gadgets.
The surface before her was shiny white granite with dark-gray flecks. Five white leather stools with chrome legs were slotted on the other side of the counter. Three round white lights hung down from the ceiling and despite the fact twilight was only just taking hold they were on and spread diamond-white light over the whole kitchen.
“So, mi niña hermosa,” Raul said, pulling open the refrigerator door, which was the same bright white as the rest of the kitchen. “You want to chop?”
“I’ll do whatever you tell me, Raul. Tonight I’m your commis chef.”
He laughed as he plucked out a pack of chicken and a long, powdery chorizo on a string. “I can think of other things I’d rather you were but my commis is a good start.”
He plonked the food on the counter. “But first we have a drink, no?”
“Sure.”
He grinned and popped the lid on two bottles of beer.
“Mmm, thanks.” She sipped and enjoyed the sweet, malty flavor flooding her mouth. “That’s good.”
“Better than rum?” he asked.
“I tried very hard to like rum, but it’s not for me.”
He laughed. “You will never make a pirate.”
“I guess not.” She placed aside her drink and set her palms over the wooden chopping board Raul handed her.
“You will chop the shallots and the parsley.” He put both ingredients in front of her. “With this.” He slid a large silver knife from a rack. “But be careful.”
“I can manage that.” She took the knife and began peeling the thin skins from the shallots. “What are we making?”
“Chorizo stuffed chicken. It will be delicious.”
“I’m sure it will be.”
As Raul cracked eggs into a bowl then added breadcrumbs, she worked listening to the distant chatter of Harry and Evan. They were i
n the living area. She couldn’t quite hear what they were talking about but imagined it would be the journey ahead.
Every time she thought of the Harley a little pop of excitement burst in her belly. She could hardly wait to see hers.
“Do you think the twins will be back soon?” she asked Raul.
“Si, they will be hungry and they have no food or money.”
“True.” She started chopping the shallots, slicing and dicing and hoping her eyes wouldn’t sting.
“Mierda, what are you doing?” Raul asked. He set aside the potatoes he was now peeling.
“Chopping, like you told me to.”
“No, no, not like that. You will ruin good knife, and all shallot is different sizes.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Fine yes, but not perfect.” He moved behind her and wound his arms around her body so his hands were on hers.
She enjoyed his closeness, his warmth and the faded scent of his spiced aftershave.
“Like this,” he said quietly, his breath heating her temple. “As if you were shaking hands with the knife handle.”
His long fingers wrapped around the metal, pressing hers to it. He took a shallot and positioned the tip of the blade on the board. “You have to maintain contact with board, work the knife in a rolling motion.” He drew the knife downward, slicing through the shallot. “You see, it is rolling chop, you push the knife down and forward.”
He did it again, and again, getting faster as he did so.
“I understand,” she said.
“Now you try.” He released her but set his hands on the side of the worktop and stayed pressed in close. “But not too fast, you must always keep fingers on your hands.”
She grinned. “That’s my plan.”
Copying his technique, she started on the next shallot.
“Very good.” He moved her hair from her neck then kissed her cheek. “Top marks.”
A pleasant tingle spread to her neck then over her scalp and down her back. Raul’s touch was always gentle and sweet.
“Maybe you have natural talent,” he said, slipping his hand around her waist and drawing her back a fraction. “And will make brilliant chef.”
“I doubt it.” She paused as the length of his body came into contact with hers. She adored his long, elegant limbs, and the way he moved with both speed and grace.
“I was thinking of our night on the beach,” he whispered hotly into her ear. “How I touched you. How the pleasure took over you.”
“Yes.” Damn, just mentioning that moment created a tremble between her legs. “It did.”
“I wanted more,” he said. “But beach sex has drawbacks.”
“It does?”
“Yes. Sand. It goes everywhere. In places sand should never go.”
“Ah, I see.” She paused as he ran his hand from one side of her waist to the other. “And you know this how, Raul?”
“The first time I made love to a woman was on a beach. It was not good.”
“I’m sorry.” She stared at the motionless knife. She didn’t trust herself to use it with Raul pressed so close and whispering things about sex into her ear. Her concentration had slipped. “That it wasn’t…good.”
“Which is why I restrained myself with you.” He kissed her cheek again. “I want it to be perfecto between us the first time we make love.”
“Yes. I want that too.”
“But for now,” he said, suddenly stepping away, “we need to feed the crew.”
Her back and butt felt cold without him there and she suppressed a shiver that was part desire, part chill. There was no doubt about it, Raul’s caresses held something of the exotic. He was smooth, sexy and she knew full well he could hit the spot. Hell, he’d made her feel so good, just with his fingers, so surely if they were both naked, giving in to their lust, she’d need peeling from the ceiling afterward.
The elevator suddenly pinged and the doors slid open.
Mason and Lucas stepped out. Each had slightly pink cheeks as if they’d been working hard and using up energy.
“Have fun?” she asked as they made their way to the kitchen area.
“Not sure if you’d call it fun, but yeah, a good session.” Mason grinned.
She looked at Lucas. “You okay?”
He nodded then went to the refrigerator. He pulled it open and plucked out a couple of beers, passing one to Mason.
“Might as well,” Mason said. “Guess we’ll be on gruel for the next week or so.”
“Ah it won’t come to that.” Harry wandered into the kitchen area, Evan close behind him. “We’ll think of something.”
“Yeah,” Evan said, draining the beer he was holding. “Something always turns up.”
“And we’re all fit, strong, and capable of work.” Olivia resumed careful chopping of the shallot, just the way Raul had taught her. “No reason why we can’t do some casual labor. Might even be fun.”
“Fun?” Harry said.
“Yes.” She winked at him. “A day’s work and all that.”
He reached for another beer. “I can handle that.”
No one said anything. Mason and Lucas glanced at each other.
“I can.” He frowned. “I’ll be the same as you guys. No money, just a bike and the open road. Well…” He flipped the lid on his beer, then pulled out several bags of chips from the cupboard. “Starting tomorrow anyway. Right now, we should fill up on food and it seems there’s plenty here to be going on with.”
“Yes, we will eat.” Raul flicked his hand at the food he was preparing. “It will soon be ready. One hour.”
“In that case we’ll need more snacks.” Harry opened the fridge again and set olives, crumbed ham and smoked salmon on the counter. “Let’s dig in.” He pulled out a stool and sat.
Evan, Mason and Lucas did the same.
Within minutes everyone was snacking, drinking, and chatting about the trip.
Lucas was also keen to get on a Harley, having had an obsession with them since he was a kid. Mason made him blush by mentioning a toy one he used to ride on.
Olivia smiled at him. “I wish I could see a photograph of that.”
“Ah, yes, maybe…” Mason grinned and patted his jeans pocket. “Damn no phone. I keep forgetting.”
“It’s quite nice though, isn’t it,” she said. “Not having the constant pull of Facebook, Twitter and all that.”
“Yeah, I’m loving it,” Harry said. “Thought I’d hate it, but no, if I never went on Twitter again I wouldn’t care.” He huffed. “To think how many hours of my life I’ve wasted on it. Doesn’t bear thinking about.”
“So delete your account,” Evan said, popping a sliver of salmon into his mouth.
“Sure, when I get my phone back, I’ll do that.”
“And just wipe out your million Twitter followers?” Mason asked.
Harry paused. “Why not?” He looked around the kitchen. “I’d rather have real, face-to-face conversations with people I care about.”
“Ah, you say the sweetest things.” Evan laughed and whacked him on the shoulder.
“It’s true.” Harry frowned. “But the trouble is, social media won’t leave me alone. I’ll still be on it, just not on my own account.”
“And you care about that because?” Evan raised his eyebrows.
“I guess it’s a control thing. If I’m on it I can fight my corner.”
“Best to never engage in it.” Mason shook his head. “People hide behind computers and say evil stuff; standing in front of you, they’d shake your hand and smile.”
“You sound like you’re talking from experience.” Olivia paused in chopping the parsley.
Mason glanced at Lucas, then, “Bullying experience, yes.”
“Bullying. That’s not nice.” Olivia had the horrible sense of her hackles rising. Just the word ‘bullying’ did that. Her niece had been picked on so badly she’d had to change schools. “I hate bullies.”
Lucas shook h
is head. “Me too.”
She studied him and tipped her head, urging him to go on.
He didn’t.
“It’s one of the reasons we took up karate,” Mason said. “Some trouble at senior school. Just ‘cause Lucas is quiet, a few guys thought he was an easy target.”
“I guess they didn’t count on there being two of you,” Evan said.
“Actually there’s three—older brother Paul, remember?” Mason replied.
“Oh yeah, course.” Harry nodded. “Paul.”
“Or that we’d decided to equip ourselves with the necessary skills to put a stop to it,” Lucas said. He breathed in deep, expanding his chest so much his t-shirt stretched taut over his pecs.
It was clearly a hard subject for him to talk about.
“And did you?” Raul asked. “Put a stop to it?”
“What do you think?” Mason slugged his beer.
“I think si, you did.”
“You’d be right.” Lucas nodded.
“And it really gave us the bug, for karate,” Mason said. “We loved it as much as we did sailing. The discipline, the structure, the absolute physical control required to do it. To say we were hooked is an understatement.”
“I think it’s cool,” Harry said. “To be black belts.”
“It’s not cool,” Lucas said, making eye contact with Harry. “It’s an honor.”
Harry held his hand up. “Yeah, that too. I’m in awe, really, not something I can do.”
“You could,” Mason said. “If you put your mind to it.”
Harry was silent, as if thinking about it.
“You have the right qualities,” Lucas said.
Everyone turned to him.
Harry raised his eyebrows. “I have?”
“Aye.” Lucas nodded.
“And they are?” Evan asked.
“Strong in body and mind and not afraid of stepping up to a challenge.” Lucas swung his attention to Evan, Raul and Olivia. “Which goes for all of you. With a good sensei and the time to work through the belts, you’d all be black belts within three years.”
“Jeez,” Harry said. “Now that would be something.”
“There you go, mate.” Evan mock punched Harry in the arm. “Something for you to do when you’ve finished riding across America.”