The Cuban

by Kim Rodriguez

  “Oh yes,” she gasped, as I continued to tease her with both hands. I cupped her breast and used the same feather-light touch on her nipple, and by the way her breathing changed I thought she might be close, but it was hard to tell without being able to feel her from the inside.

  “You’ll have a little orgasm for me now, but just to hold you over until you let me give you a deep one. The kind that comes from here.” I put my hand on her abdomen and thought about how good it would feel to finally empty myself inside her, then moved it up to her neck and squeezed just a bit, seeking to dominate her any way I could. She parted her lips and took two of my fingers in her mouth, sucking and biting, leaning forward as she whimpered.

  I knew she was close when she put her hands on the outside of my thighs and began to squeeze, digging her nails into my skin. It was inexplicable, but I loved when she bit me, and I would have never allowed any other woman to do it, but I relished it with my Amada. It made me crazy to know she wanted me that much, so I took my fingers out of her mouth, gently brought her face to mine and kissed her.

  “Amada,” I said, completely lost in her flesh. “I love you. We’re meant to be, and I knew it the second I laid eyes on you. I would do anything for you.” I don’t know if it was because of my words or our kiss, but as she looked over her shoulder and met my eyes, I knew something had changed. All her inhibitions fell away and in their place was nothing but appetite and longing.

  “Rafa, I can’t be near you and not—” She turned around and put her legs over mine. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pressed against me and kissed me softly, as only she could. I responded, our bodies in perfect sync, demanding one another with an intensity that bordered on insanity. This woman could absolutely make me mad, cause me to make terrible decisions, ruin me. I knew then that nothing had meaning unless she was there to define it. I took her by the hips and pulled her into me, no longer thinking rationally, only feeling.

  “I want you so much I’m in agony,” I said. “But I was wrong. With you, torture is better than nothing. I would stay like this forever if it was the only way to have you.”

  “Rafa—” she said, wrapping herself around me and lifting herself onto my pelvis. All of her softness was on top of me now, and it was only then that I realized that my hands had gone under her panties and pushed the scrap of fabric separating us halfway down.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” I said with a sigh, pulling her underwear back up.

  “Do it,” she said, arching so that I could slip them off.

  I knew that she had to be just as turned on as I was, if not more, but I still couldn’t help but feel that proceeding would be taking advantage of her. She’d clearly stated what she wanted earlier, and this was not it. We were as high off one another as if we’d taken a drug, and she wasn’t thinking clearly. I barely had the willpower to stop, but I wouldn’t allow her to look back on anything between us with regret.

  “No, Amada, if you want me now, you do it,” I said, finding her eyes. “You have to be comfortable.”

  She sat back and pulled her legs into her body, rising gracefully using my shoulders to steady herself. She took a step back and stood above me with a look of love in her eyes that was at once hypnotic and compelling. There was no way any man in this world could look at her and not want her desperately. It just wasn’t possible. I wanted to encourage her, but instead I leaned back on my elbows and waited patiently to see what she would do next. I really thought she was ready, but to my surprise she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and said, “I can’t. It feels so wrong to be apart from you, but something won’t let me.”

  I stood up and resolved that if it was the last thing I did, I was going to erase those terrible memories from her mind. I put my hand on her neck and worked my fingers into her hair, giving it a slight tug at the nape as she moaned with pleasure. I kissed her and whispered in her ear. “Don’t worry.”

  I took her hand and led her to the full length mirror in the bathroom, positioning her in front of myself, and as we looked at our reflection, I said, “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Amada.” I took her hands in mine and placed them on her belly, rubbing her hands and forearms as I spoke. “Your face is feminine and sweet, but you’re so sophisticated that sometimes I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing and sound like a guajiro. Do you know what that is?”

  “No, handsome,” she said, relaxing.

  “It what they call a Cuban man from the countryside. In English, you might say ‘hillbilly.’”

  “You’re a highly educated man, Rafa. You’re far from a hillbilly.”

  “Compared to you, I am. I don’t know much about the civilized world. Now that I’m in a new country, I have to relearn almost everything, but who I am and where I come from will never change.” I decided to share something very intimate, to show her that I was willing to reveal my vulnerabilities as well.

  “I know you speak to me in Spanish so I don’t feel stupid.” Her mouth dropped and she tried to turn to me, but I wouldn’t let her. “Don’t argue,” I commanded, letting go of her hands. I took a chance and slipped my own just under the waistband of her underwear, going no further. “I worship you,” I said, rubbing her hips. “I love how you look when you’re in a beautiful gown, hair up, looking at every man in the room like they’re beneath you, because they are, and trust me, they all know it. I’ve told you before that you scare men to death.” I took her hair and twisted it up off her neck.

  “Not you,” she said.

  “I was willing to risk complete humiliation. I had to try, because I knew you were special,” I said, letting her hair fall around her shoulders. I heard her breath hitch as I brought my hands to the spot just above her pubic bone and stroked her skin, softly at first, then harder.

  “When you didn’t reject me, I thought, I have to give this woman the best night of her life, because it’s all I have to offer.”

  “Oh, it was the best night ever,” she murmured. “But you’re so much more.”

  “I want you to understand your value, Amada. What he said wasn’t true, it was just a way of taking away your power, and he could have degraded you a million different ways, but that just happened to be what he chose. He made you feel badly about yourself to control you. It’s textbook narcissism, and if he ever crosses my path, I’ll make him get on his knees and apologize. I swear I will.” That got a smile out of her, and I gladly returned it. What I wouldn’t give to get my hands on that little prick.

  “I love you,” she said.

  “This body, these perfect curves, they’re every man’s dream. Look at yourself.” She did, then watched with interest as I brought my finger to my mouth, licked it, and very slowly brought it back down under her panties. If she objected, she had plenty of time to let me know, but she said nothing.

  “This is my job,” I whispered into her ear as I began to stroke her again. “I can’t let you out of the house like this.” Without the fabric between us I was able to fully manipulate her so that she was on the edge in less than a minute. “It’s too dangerous. Other men will sense you’re unsatisfied, and we can’t have that.”

  “How?” she asked breathlessly.

  “We just know,” I said rubbing harder, as she reached back to grab my hair and squirmed against my hard on. “It’s in the way a woman walks and how much she touches herself. We can sense it a mile away, and we’re drawn to it.” She sighed and trembled in my arms, and just as I was anticipating watching every detail of her face as she came under the bright lights of the bathroom mirror, a knock came at the door. Although I didn’t stop what I was doing, she went still and listened.

  “Amanda, honey bunch,” came Ken’s voice through the door, in English, which caused me to tune him out. “I’m so sorry, but the bags are in the car and we’re heading out now. You don’t have to come out, but we can’t miss that flight. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Ken, wait,” she called. “I have to say goodbye,” she whispered ap
ologetically. “I don’t know when I’ll see my brother again.”

  I arched my brows at her in the mirror, and when she nodded, I reluctantly let go. As she threw her robe on and went to door, I unzipped my shorts to give myself some much needed breathing room. “Keep in mind we won’t have a minute to ourselves until tomorrow.”

  “Are you sure we can’t finish up after they leave?” she said with a little pout as she stood in the center of the bedroom, looking every bit the seductress.

  It was difficult to say no to her when she looked at me like that, but in this case, I had to. “No, mamita, tonight of all nights we cannot be late,” I said, adjusting myself. “I also need to pick up a suit on the way.”

  “I’ll help you with that. What do you want me to wear?” she asked, her hand on the doorknob.

  “Anything you want, except tonight it can’t be black.” I reluctantly leaned against the doorway, somehow already exhausted despite the plentiful amount of sleep I’d had. Perhaps it was the tremendous sense of responsibility I felt toward Doña Delfina’s legacy, the people who worked for her and the people who needed her help. But at the core of everything was Amada and my instinctive need to keep her safe and happy no matter what.

  “Do me a favor, though,” I added. “Don’t look too good, or you might kill me.” I meant it. My love and my desire for her was so strong that I feared one day it might be my undoing.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  I called my personal shopper at Saks and had her team pull about a dozen ready to wear suits for Rafa, and when we arrived at 7:30, a wide selection of suits, shirts, ties and shoes had been laid out for us in a dressing room. By 8:15 we had Rafa in the one I liked best, plus another five suits in the back of my Ferrari.

  “I love this color on you, handsome,” I said, stroking his thigh as he drove us to the restaurant. Rafa looked good in anything, but he really could wear the hell out of a high end suit. I’d gone right for a navy blue Tom Ford, but when he went to try it on, I made him promise he wouldn’t look at the price until we made our choices. He’d stepped out of the dressing room wearing the vest, but we both agreed it looked phenomenal without it. Three piece suits, in my opinion, were for old men, and I explained to Rafa he should avoid them. Deferring to me about anything related to clothing, he allowed me to dress him however I liked. I knew he loved my taste, even if he took issue with the exorbitant cost on principle.

  It was no surprise that I caught a couple of women gawking at Rafa from across the store, and I resigned myself to the fact that this would never change, and I’d better get used to it. However, if my personal shopper Laura had similar feelings, she knew better than to make it obvious. My business was far too valuable to her bottom line to be anything less than professional, and I appreciated it. I had her put six Tom Ford suits on my account to the tune of thirty-five thousand dollars, a sum which I was able to keep from Rafa until we got in the car. I told him it would be faster to let them bill my account, and then he could reimburse me. He was so preoccupied with tonight’s event he let me handle everything and didn’t ask too many questions until we got in the car.

  I particularly liked the navy suit because it perfectly complemented his eyes as well my vintage Halston, a long sleeved, V-neck crimson gown with a tasteful front slit. I’d gone into my special closet specifically looking for something with covered shoulders, and though it was demure enough to wear to a serious event, I knew Rafa would like the color and body-conscious fabric. I put my hair up the way he liked and chose a crimson lipstick in the exact shade of the dress. Paired with my 18K gold and diamond Rolex and teardrop diamond earrings, I hoped I would make a good impression on his behalf. As usual, Rafa could barely take his eyes off me.

  “Amada, I told you not to look too good, but you didn’t listen.” His hungry eyes traveled from my gold stiletto sandals all the way up to my red lips. “I’ll spend all my time keeping the men away from you.” It wasn’t just a compliment because I could hear the trace of anxiety in his voice. He was genuinely worried about other men, oblivious to the fact that no one could ever capture my attention the way he had.

  “Don’t be silly,” I said. “Oh, I almost forgot. I brought this for you to wear tonight, until you get a chance to buy your own.” I reached in the back seat and grabbed the large black box out from under one of the bags. “It was my father’s watch.” I took it out and handed it to Rafa. “I’d love to give it to you, but I know you’d never accept it,” I said wistfully. Without a word, Rafa held out his left wrist and let me snap the 18K gold Presidential Rolex in place. It fit him perfectly, and I must have been smiling because I saw that he was beaming back.

  “I’m honored to wear your father’s watch tonight, Amada. Thank you,” he said. He stared at me a minute, then focused on the road as the city lights flickered along the angles of his face.

  “Amada, I don’t want your money to come between us. It scares me.” I waited for more, but that was it.

  “Why would it?”

  “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s obscene. The cars. The yacht. Amada, your house is a castle. If we stay there, you’re going to have to at least let me pay for the monthly expenses, but I was thinking that now I can buy a normal-sized house in Little Havana for us. I’ll miss the water, but it’d be so much more manageable. What do you think?” he asked, eyes still on the road.

  It felt like he’d overturned a cold bucket of water on me. A lump started to form in my throat, and I was about to launch into a series of questions and protests when something came over me and I went with a different tack.

  “I don’t,” I said in English, pissed.

  “What do you mean?” he asked. His blue eyes finally turned and burned into me, demanding clarification.

  “Look,” I continued in English, “you’ve got bigger things to think about, so I’ll keep this short and sweet: get over it.” I uncrossed and crossed my legs as I turned my body in the direction of the passenger window. The cityscape was alive with color and light, our home a truly unique place without equal. “This is Miami. You’re going to be dealing with very rich people, and please don’t take this the wrong way, as you say, but you’ll need to look like them to get any respect. Right or wrong, that’s how it works here. You’re not a waiter, you’re not a missionary, you’re a high-profile businessman in a world-class city. Just get off your moral high horse, buy what I tell you to buy, and then focus on your business.”

  I saw his jaw drop in the reflection of the glass and had to suppress a grin. I knew it sounded harsh, but it was for his own good. “You’ll thank me later when you walk in that restaurant and see what everyone’s wearing. A Rolex to that crowd is nothing; all those powerful Cubans and their wives have been here for years and dress like heads of state. You’ll see. By the way, our beautiful house is in a trust that pays for everything, I never see a bill, ever, so I’m not leaving, and neither are you. When you start entertaining business associates, you’ll appreciate it more.”

  “Holy shit. What in the hell has gotten into you? Why are you speaking to me like that? And in English!” He was without a doubt shocked at my brutal honesty, and I didn’t know why I had the urge to be so bitchy, but I was tired of having to apologize for my money all the time. It was becoming tiresome, and it was as unfair as expecting him to apologize for having been poor.

  “English is easier.” I shot him a look. “By the way, the suits were five thousand each,” I added, as I picked a piece of imaginary lint off my dress. “I’d like to give them to you as a gift, but I’m sure you’d just give them back like everything else, which honestly is getting a little old. As far as the car, use the Ferrari as long as you want, or if it’s more your style, go buy a used pickup truck or call an Uber. Whatever. I’m tired of all this accounting.”

  “Are you kidding me?” he said, fuming. “Spoiled rotten is not even the word. Delusional is more like it.” He turned into the parking lot of The Copper Crown, which as I predicted was full of Mercede
s and Bentleys, not to mention an army of personal security teams. “Well, if we’re going to be this blunt with each other, then I should confess that you’re making me reconsider how tolerant I’ve been of your anxieties as well. In fact, my patience has suddenly run out.” He put the car in park and turned my face toward him, his ice blue eyes on fire. “Look at me. No more bullshit. This morning when I get home, I expect to find you waiting for me naked in bed, and then I’m going to do whatever I please regardless of what’s going on under that dress.”

  “We’ll see if I feel like it,” I quipped, as the valet opened my door. The truth was that as always, I was extremely turned on, but tonight I didn’t want him to know.

  “You will,” he said under his breath, offering his arm to me like a complete gentleman and smiling for the cameras.

  Even the parking lot full of luxury cars and photographers didn’t prepare us for the opulent crowd inside. As I predicted, the most important people in Miami were in attendance and they were of course dressed to the nines. The club was now a sea of exotic flowers, luxurious textiles and shimmering lights, and in addition to the many of the people I’d already met, Rafa introduced me to an endless procession of local celebrities, athletes and politicians. One mega-famous singer had in fact taken over the VIP area, holding court behind a wall of personal security. Sandro met us at the door and followed us as we spent at least thirty minutes greeting people on our way to the back of the club for the sit-down dinner.

  “Were all of these people Doña Delfina’s personal friends?” I leaned into his ear but still had to raise my voice so that he could hear me over the crowd and orchestra.