Heat Wave: A Summer Loving Anthology

by Anthology

  His eyes met mine, forcing my breathing to become even more labored. Most eyes followed him as he walked toward me. It felt like hours before he finally reached where I stood rooted to the ground.

  “Rebecca,” he said my name with so much emotion, it unleashed my tears.

  “Were you going to say good-bye?” I asked in a voice I didn’t recognize.

  “I was hoping I’d see you.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  His professionalism suddenly eclipsed the emotion he fought back. Only when looking into his dark brown eyes could I see all the hurt he was feeling deep inside. I stepped closer, and he stepped back. “He’s protecting me,” my heart reminded as insecurities rushed to the surface. I had no idea what to do or say. With his back to his staff, he looked directly into my eyes and whispered, “I’m not sorry.”

  I watched as he raised his hand slightly, only to bring it back down to his side. I ached to hold him, wrap my arms around him, and cry for him. Instead, I stood tall and nodded in agreement to his statement.

  Without a backward glance, he walked past me and out toward the exit. People continued to mill around the main lobby as passengers boarded the ship. The rest of our team dispersed to start their departure duties. Through the crowd of bodies, a pair of eyes was trained on me.

  Ricky.

  He rushed to where I remained frozen in despair and wrapped his arms around me. When my body began to shake from the sobs I could no longer contain, he took my hand and led me away from inquisitive eyes.

  I never spoke as I allowed Ricky to drag me directly to Marco’s office. Once there, he pulled me inside and shut the door.

  “I can’t believe he’s gone. Ricky, I should have done something.”

  “What, sweetie? What could you have done?” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope. “He made me promise to hand-deliver this to you.”

  My hand shook as I took the envelope and clutched it to my chest. Knowing Marco’s hands had been on it made me desperate to read what was inside. Ricky nodded, understanding my desire. “Go. Go to your cabin and read it. The emergency staff meeting starts in an hour. I’ll cover for you until then.”

  Tears continued to roll down my cheeks when I agreed to his command. As I stepped toward the door, Ricky said, “Wait. One more thing.” For a second time, he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. “Don’t be mad, but I bought you a ticket.” I opened it to reveal a flight confirmation from Fort Lauderdale to Rome.

  “Ricky...”

  “Quiet, it leaves tonight. I have no idea what flight he’ll be on since I wasn’t allowed to assist him. But it’s worth a shot.”

  “Ricky, I can’t just…”

  “Listen to me.” He stopped me with a pointed look. “I know you two better than you know yourselves. Please, don’t do something you’ll forever regret.”

  He kissed my cheek and pushed me out the door. All I wanted was to get to my cabin to read Marco’s letter. Avoiding public areas, I made my way and frantically opened my door to get some privacy.

  I sat on my bed, ripped open the envelope, and began reading his words.

  Bella,

  I wasn’t prepared for what occurred today. I don’t have much time to organize my thoughts, so forgive me if my words are scattered. The most important thing I need to say is that I do love you. I never wanted this to hurt you, yet I led you directly into harm’s way. I can’t apologize for loving you, or for giving in to my need to have you. All I can apologize for is getting caught.

  Call it denial, or simply not caring about the consequences, but now that we are facing them, I feel like I should have done more to protect you. I failed you in that respect, and I’m so sorry. You finally found yourself here, and maybe it was unfortunate for you to have found me as well. I can only consider myself lucky to have met you and loved you. These past few months have been the best of my life.

  For the first time, I pictured a future. I’ve never looked past the end of the current itinerary we sailed on. The future was always an unknown mystery that I had no desire to mold, shape, or change in my favor. That is, until I met you.

  I will not ask you to give up your job, life, or even aspirations for me. If you choose to follow me, I’ll be waiting. If you choose to follow your professional dream, I understand. Either way, I love you very much, and I support you no matter what you decide.

  Marco x

  I read it over and over and over. An excruciating pain settled in my chest, forcing even more tears to flow. Why couldn’t he just tell me what to do? What if he had? If he had asked me, or even demanded for me to follow, would I?

  My job and Marco were so entwined, I felt like I was caught in a web. How could I be happy here without him? How could I pick up and leave everything for a man I barely knew?

  I wasn’t a stranger to making reckless choices in my life. Those that I had made in the past paled in comparison to the options I was forced to decide between now. Ricky’s words kept smacking me in the face. “It’s just a job. You’ll get another. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

  Yet, giving up my life for Marco scared me to death. I couldn’t expect him to stay here with me. I had nothing to offer him but a mountain of college loans. And if I were to give everything up for him, would my family ever forgive me? My splintered relationship with my brother could crack beyond repair.

  I wanted to escape the sadness that engulfed me, but I had no idea which path to choose. My head said my job and security. My heart said Marco and the unknown.

  ***

  I WASN’T QUITE SURE how I made it to that fucking staff meeting. The new acting CD was a sleazy character who made my skin crawl. I knew it wasn’t fair to judge him so harshly and so quickly in my current frame of mind, but the thought of working for him made me nauseous. Inquisitive eyes focused on me when he mentioned Marco and the unfortunate chain of events. Of course, my name wasn’t brought up, but there wasn’t a doubt the rumors were running rampant. Sunset simply said that Mr. Puglia decided to leave the company for personal reasons.

  Wasn’t that rich?

  On several occasions, I had to bite my tongue to refrain from blurting out the truth and that it wasn’t a fucking crime to fall in love!

  He didn’t keep us long, but it felt like we were in that room for hours. He asked for our cooperation during this transition. That it would be difficult to fill such big shoes, but he was committed to doing the best he could until Sunset determined Marco’s permanent replacement. It wouldn’t be hard for my boss to read my thoughts because they were clearly written all over my face. He avoided my gaze, confirming he knew the truth.

  When he ended the meeting after a nauseating pep talk, everyone dashed out of the room behind him except for Dina. She remained seated, smiling like the cat that swallowed the canary.

  “What the fuck do you want?” Ricky asked through clenched teeth. He crossed his arms and waited for her to speak. I clenched my fists, wanting nothing more than to punch her in the face.

  “Do I detect a problem here?” she asked, looking directly at me.

  I refused to respond. Ricky had no problem saying, “Yes, you do. Watch your back, Dina.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “A promise.” He sat back, casually putting his hands into his pockets while smirking arrogantly.

  She turned her gaze back to me. “If you have a problem with my job performance, maybe we should take it to Human Resources.”

  “Because you’re so chummy with them?”

  “Ricky.” I couldn’t handle him getting fired as well. This bitch would have no problem focusing her evil on him. His loyalty to Marco and his friendship with me put a big-ass target on his back.

  “Dina, no one has an issue with your job performance.” I tried to appease her. When she smirked obnoxiously, I added, “It’s your attitude that needs adjusting.” I couldn’t help myself. She was poking a
dragon.

  “Attitude?” she asked with a sarcastic laugh. “How would you know? You’ve been too busy to assess my attitude or my job performance. Let me ask you, Rebecca, now that Marco is gone, who will get you to your next promotion?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  She let out an evil laugh. “You strolled in here with enough experience to fill a fucking thimble, yet you got the job, no problem. Your skills must be very convincing.”

  “What are you insinuating, Dina?” Ricky asked what I was thinking.

  “That job was mine. He was mine! You came in here and seduced him to get it. Marco was always a sucker for big tits.”

  “You bitch.” Ricky stood so fast, his chair flew backward behind him. “You crazy bitch!”

  Dina stood and tilted her chin up with purpose. “Brilliant, not crazy. He needed to go, and she needed to be stopped. It’s only a matter of time before she digs her own grave.”

  The most dazzling smile spread over Ricky’s face. For a moment I thought he was going to snap. He calmly reached into his pocket, retrieved his cell phone, and said, “Or for you to.” With a touch of a button, our entire conversation filled the air in the conference room.

  Dina’s eyes bulged before she went pale.

  ***

  I GRABBED EVERYTHING my scattered brain thought of. Passport, cash, and my identification were the only things besides the clothes on my back that I truly needed. Ricky spent what little time we had shoving my clothes into my single suitcase.

  When the ship’s horn blasted, announcing we were departing soon, I panicked. “Ricky, I’m not going to make it.”

  He didn’t respond. He worked faster and took control as I stood frozen from fear. Once I had everything I needed, he snatched my hand and dragged me out of my cabin.

  “You need to snap out of this,” he barked while pulling me down the hall to the elevator. My stumble caused him to yell, “Move it!”

  I couldn’t even find it in me to respond. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Once Dina flew out of the conference room, a switch flipped in my head.

  I needed Marco.

  Nothing else mattered. I needed to find him and be with him. When I admitted that to Ricky, he hugged me and dragged my ass through the ship, taking complete control. Thankfully he did, because I wasn’t in any condition to think clearly.

  As we ran, he spoke. “I wrote down his address, phone number, mother’s name, even his favorite hotel. I also gave you my cell phone number. I put it all in your wallet.”

  “Ricky, I can’t afford to comb Italy until I find him.”

  “I also put my credit card in there. Pick up a phone at the airport. You’ll need it. Once you do, you’ll be good to go.”

  “You can’t fund this craziness either. I won’t let you.”

  When the elevator didn’t appear quickly enough, he ran for the stairs and glared at me to follow. “Don’t argue with me,” he said as we pounded down flight by flight to get to the gangway. “I’m rich.”

  “Stop it.”

  “I am.”

  Leslie and Hirrod stood shocked when Ricky and I came barreling toward them.

  “What’s going on?” Leslie asked.

  “Rebecca’s leaving.” Ricky gripped my arms and said, “Go! Call my cell once you land. You’ll find him.” He kissed my cheek and pushed me out the door. The men working the gangway watched in confusion as I ran off The Horizon toward the unknown.

  Epilogue – Marco

  I STOOD BEFORE MY favorite fountain, watching the dancing waters that always calmed me. This time, they weren’t succeeding. Besides, exhaustion, fear, doubt, regret, and mostly sorrow were controlling every cell in my body. I felt lost, adrift in a sea of despair.

  It felt like I had walked off The Horizon weeks ago. Less than a day had passed without her, and I wasn’t sure how I’d survive even one more day.

  The only definite I knew when I boarded my plane was to come to my favorite place. A place that always held so much hope and so much magic, I decided that I needed its powers more than ever. It was ridiculous that I helplessly clung to fantasy and wishful thinking to bring her back to me, yet there I stood, formulating my wish in my mind.

  For hours I stood, afraid to make the wrong decision. Here I was, a grown man, believing in fairy tales. I couldn’t wish for her to be with me if that’s not what she wanted. Above all else, I just wanted her to be happy.

  Over and over I rubbed the coin between my fingers, both wanting to and afraid to make my wish. I stepped closer to the fountain and closed my eyes. I could see her smiling face. I could smell her perfume. I could hear her laugh. Rebecca controlled my thoughts as well as my heart.

  At the fountain, I turned around, closed my eyes, and raised my hand to throw my coin over my shoulder into the swirling waters.

  “What did you wish for?” a female voice asked to my side.

  When I turned toward her, my heart exploded in my chest.

  “My Rebecca.” With a dazzling smile, she stepped beside me and threw her coin in over her shoulder before turning to face me. “And you?”

  “My Marco.”

  Fractured

  Volume One

  By: Alexis Noelle

  Chapter One

  AS I AM WALKING UP to our house, the place where we will spend the rest of our lives, I can’t help but smile. The house isn’t too extravagant, but it is the exact picture I had in my mind. A two-story brick house with a huge front porch and a white fence surrounding the front yard.

  Cameron is the person I have fantasized about my entire life, and now I can finally live my dream. Growing up and seeing the love between my parents made me realize the true meaning of love. The fairy tale my parents live, I want that. I yelp as I’m scooped off my feet and cradled in my husband’s arms. “Cam! What are you doing?” I wrap my arms around his neck as he walks us toward the house.

  “I have to carry my beautiful wife over the threshold.” As he walks us toward the door, I can’t help but stare at him.

  Cam has always been hot, and in high school I couldn’t believe my friends when they said he was going to ask me to homecoming. I mean I’m not a troll but I certainly wasn’t head cheerleader material. Cam was the quarterback of the football team, and most people just expected him to follow the generally accepted rule of dating the blonde bimbo. I think everyone else was just as shocked as I was when he asked me out.

  My fingers thread through his semi-short brown hair and I give it a little tug.

  “Mmm, you want it rough, huh?” he asks and smiles before flipping me around and dropping me over his shoulder. I can’t say the view from this point is bad, and I take advantage of the situation giving his butt a hard smack. He walks us up the steps and opens the door carrying me into our new home. As soon as the door closes, Cam pulls me off his shoulder and backs me against the wall. His lips are right next to my ear and his warm breaths send shivers down my body. “I am going to christen every inch of this house with you, my beautiful sexy wife.”

  His mouth is on me before I can respond and I’m lost in him, in us. His large hands roam up and down my sides before settling on my butt, and squeezing it hard. I let out a moan and kiss him even deeper. His lips begin to slowly travel down my neck. “You always taste so fucking good, babe.” Cam grips my butt and lifts me off the floor. I instinctively wrap my legs around him and he begins to move toward the stairs. I love when he is this aggressive. “While I want to have you everywhere I want to make love to you in our bed for the first time.”

  Cam is more romantic than anything else, he says and does that I used to swear only happen in books. I love that side of him, he is always so kind and caring. Cam is the type of man that you think doesn’t exist; he is everything I have ever dreamed of. We reach the top of the stairs and he makes the turn to step into our bedroom. His arms tighten around me and he lowers me to the bed.

  “Shay Wilson, the fact that you now have my last name and are officially mi
ne is so damn sexy.” I smile as he says my new name. My hands grip the bottom of his t-shirt and tug at it, he helps me and pulls it over his head before lowering himself down to hover over me. Cam slowly unbuttons my shirt and kisses each new area of skin he unveils. My body is humming and I start to squirm with impatience. When he reaches my jeans, he places slow deliberate kisses across my waistline, causing me to arch my hips toward him letting him know what I want.

  “You’re so eager, baby, but I want to take this slow.” I swear to God this man might actually kill me. His fingers pop the button on my jeans and ease the zipper down. I hold my breath hoping he will touch me and ease this unbearable ache, but he doesn’t. He stands up and looks down at me slowing dragging his eyes over every inch of my body. I squirm under his gaze wanting his hands on me instead of his eyes. At the same time his stare is setting every nerve in my body on high alert. Not able to take much more of this slow torture, I sit up and take my shirt off. As I reach behind my back to undo my bra, Cam grabs my hands.

  He gently reaches behind me and unclasps my bra, before lowering me back down to the bed. After he throws the bra on the floor his body is once again hovering over me. When he lowers his mouth and captures my nipple in it I cry out. Even this little bit of satisfaction he has given me is rocking my body to the core. The anticipation makes me more eager than a damn dog in heat. Cam trails his other hand up my body using it to gently massage my breast. My hips arch once again and he begins to trail kisses once more down my body.

  This time his fingers slip under the waistline of my jeans and gently begin to ease them down my legs. One of Cam’s fingers teases the edge of my panties as his other is slowly dragging along my inner thigh making my entire body squirm underneath him. His hand grips my panties and in one swift motion yanks them off. As I lay there bare before him my need for him is overwhelming. I can’t move slowly anymore. I can’t wait. I reach for his jeans making quick work of his belt and pulling them down taking his underwear with them. I can tell he is about to say something but I grip his hips to take him in my mouth.