Love on the Malecon

by Aubrey Parr

  Then relief came. He saw Nicole walking up to him with two rocks glasses full of ice and an amber liquid. He wondered which drink she had poured them. She had the sweetest smile on her face, which was a good sign for the outcome of her conversation. He closed down his email as soon as he saw her coming. Work could wait.

  “A drink for my boyfriend,” she said with a laugh.

  “Did it go okay? Do you need any time to yourself?” He honestly wanted her to be happy with her decision.

  “No, I don’t want to be alone. He wasn’t happy to hear about you, but then again, I don’t blame him. You were serious competition.” She winked and took a drink. “I opened that nice bottle of whisky in your cabinet. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Our cabinet and of course I don’t mind. It was a nice choice.” He took a drink of the glass she had handed him. It tasted wonderful, smooth going down. The smell and taste of this particular brand would always remind him of when Nicole was officially his. He wanted to keep a bottle of it stocked in his apartments from now on.

  “So he heard about me?” he inquired. He wasn’t sure she’d want to talk about this, but he was curious. He couldn’t help asking.

  “Yes, he offered to finally come. I told him he wasn’t needed and that you were taking care of me in his absence.”

  “Nice response, love. Are you sure you don’t need some time? Would you like to take a nap before dinner? We could cancel that as well.”

  “There’s no need to cancel dinner. I’ve been broken up with him in my head almost as soon as we met. I just needed to officially tell him. I’m really fine but you’re sweet to ask.” She seemed like she was okay. “Want to take a walk on the beach?” she asked.

  “That sounds great.”

  He stood up and took her hand. He loved this hotel. Given that it was his first one, it had always been very close to his heart. It had been the start of everything for him and here he was, starting all over with Nicole.

  They reached the beach and aimlessly wandered in one direction. Derek took her shoes and his flip flops and hung them from the fingers of one hand, holding her hand in the other. They walked close enough so that the waves could reach up to their ankles. Nicole laughed at the shock of the cold water the first time it rushed towards them. It felt great to be there with her. Somehow, she made life feel complete for him.

  He had never really felt love before. He never loved his mother and she never loved him. He felt a sense of responsibility for her now, as a successful man, but she had never taken care of him. After experiencing the level of his feelings for Nicole, he understood what love was supposed to be like. Derek was glad that he hadn’t figured that out before this. If he had, it would have been harder to swallow. But now, it only made him that much more appreciative that Nicole was in his life.

  There was always so much to talk about with her; he wasn’t sure which topic to choose. He thought that filling her in on his ideas about Gael and the company was as good a topic as any. But then he looked at her and she was watching some children play in the sand. Maybe that was a better topic.

  “Do you see yourself with kids in the future?” He had never thought about the subject too much, so he wasn’t hoping for any particular answer. He was rather surprised that he’d be okay with whatever she answered.

  “I would like at least one with the right person,” she replied, “They haven’t been on my radar, but I also know I’m not getting any younger. I’m thirty-three; it gets harder as you get older.” She didn’t take her eyes off the kids. A smile came over her face as she watched them. “I don’t have any close friends with children yet. Everyone is focusing on careers or still just getting married. Do you want them?”

  “I’ve never thought about it, sadly. My lifestyle is not normal, which has made it hard to consider anything long term enough for children to be in the picture.” Here they were: two people in love that had not thought much about family in the future. They had barely known each other for a week. Maybe he needed to let the subject go for now. That thought brought him right back to his ideas about Gael.

  “I’ve been batting around the idea of letting Gael take on a larger role in the company.” She looked up at him, but didn’t answer. He explained a bit more, “I have always been a bit of a control freak with my company. I did the research, I chose the locations, and I only trusted myself. I was always looking for the next plot of land in the right area to keep myself busy. You can’t lounge on the beach all the time,” he smiled at her while she listened, “I do enjoy the work, but I’ve worked as much as I have to fill up my time. I can let my money work more for me now, if I choose to.”

  “You’re very lucky you can do that. Does that mean you’ll be able to visit me more?” she said slyly.

  “It definitely does.”

  He still wanted her to stay with him and travel, but with her question about visiting Chicago, he didn’t think she would be receptive to that yet.

  “Any chance you’d agree to live on the Chicago property when it’s up and running?” he asked, thinking that it was a good way of testing the waters.

  “Oh wow, I don’t know. If it was in downtown maybe I would.” Her eyes brightened at the thought. “Is it going to happen for sure?”

  “With Gael focusing on Silvia, I communicated with our client. He’s extremely serious and he trusts my judgment on this since I’ve proven myself to them in the past. They have begun the first part of the negotiations. If all goes well, it could be open in six to nine months.”

  “My friends would be so jealous,” she laughed again.

  “Let’s head back and get ready for dinner,” he suggested.

  Walking inside the apartment again with Nicole, with no Maybe Boyfriend, felt freeing. It was finally their place. He couldn’t believe how much he liked thinking of his things as theirs. He had protected his personal life for so long and now he was ready to share everything with her. If she really did want to return to Chicago, he hoped that she would agree to live on the new property. He wondered if his desire had anything to do with being able to keep eyes on her.

  It wasn’t that he wanted to make sure there weren’t men with her; he could trust her. It was a safety thing. He liked knowing that employees would have their eye on her. He would make sure everyone who worked there had extensive background checks. He didn’t want to risk another incident with Nicole’s life. Then again, there would have been no way to check for someone like Silvia. He wouldn’t be dating any women in Chicago. Hopefully that would rule out the Silvia-type problem.

  He must have looked deep in thought because Nicole walked up to him in the kitchen, wrapped her arms around his neck, and asked, “What is going on inside that handsome head?”

  “I’m thinking about us. I love this.” He nuzzled himself into her hair at the nape of her neck. “I could get used to having you around.”

  They showered, which he discovered was far more fun with Nicole than on his own. After an extra-long and enjoyable shower, she sat in front of their closet, looking at all of the choices. “Good lord, this woman can shop,” she said, “These dresses are gorgeous.” Derek simply smiled at her, fairly sure that she was talking to herself. He liked that she did that. It gave him little snippets of what was going through her mind.

  She chose a bold yellow dress that was short but loosely fitted, with three-quarter length sleeves and wide slits in the shoulders. She paired it with some strappy black heels. She looked beautiful. He walked up behind her and whispered into her ear, “Check out the top drawer of the dresser. Maria picked up some jewelry for you.”

  She turned around and made a little audible squeal and opened the drawer. She chose a thick black necklace, a great contrast to the yellow in the dress. She looked beautiful and trendy. He grabbed a pair of pants and a casual plaid shirt with light, muted colors. When they were ready, they headed for the door.

  In the elevator, Nicole noticed the music coming from a stage area where a band was playing. “After din
ner, wanna do some shots and go dancing?” she asked, “I feel like getting drunk and celebrating.”

  “Absolutely, love.” He liked the idea of seeing her dance and getting to be the man she danced with.

  There was a single table sitting at the edge of the beach, a white table cloth blowing in the breeze. A candle burned on the table and tiki torches were set up for additional light. A bottle of Brut Private Cuvee arrived at the table. Derek loved a nice bottle of champagne and wanted this one to be a bit over the top. This was a huge night for them as a couple; he wanted it to be perfect. The fact that Nicole wanted to get drunk and dance only made it better. An elegant meal on the beach to start and then ending the night on the casual side was exactly what they needed.

  While they enjoyed their dinner, Nicole asked more about where his other properties were located. He saw it as a good sign that she was interested in visiting them. He went through the list from start to finish, which included most of the vacation destination spots in Mexico, the Caribbean, and parts of Central and South America. He told her little bits about everything, from the quaint towns like Turks and Caicos to the hustle and bustle of areas like Rio.

  They both opted to skip something sweet at the table and drink their dessert instead. They made their way towards the band playing on the stage outside. There was a bar full of people listening to the music close by. Derek kept a tight hold of Nicole’s hand as he navigated his way to the one of the bartenders. He ordered them each a tequila flight with a selection of five types of tequila.

  “If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right.” He winked at her as they each picked up the first shot. He loved watching her drink. There was a party girl inside of her and he loved that she was all his. She licked the salt off the rim of the shot glass and threw her head back, a lime wedge waiting in her hand to offset the burn of the tequila. Her scrunched face was priceless, but she also looked like she enjoyed it.

  “Another?” she said just as she finished the first. He was prepared to let her get as drunk as she needed tonight. He didn’t envy the hangover she may have tomorrow, but he’d be there to take care of her. Soon after the second, she was ready for the third.

  “Let’s dance,” he suggested. After all, they’d split a bottle of champagne and taken three shots of tequila. He wanted her to have fun, not black out. He took her to the dance floor and pulled her close to him. The band was playing a salsa that allowed them to dance close. The alcohol had gone to his head and he could see that it had with her as well. Her eyes were a bit glazed over and she had a dreamy look on her face. She smiled the entire time and was almost using his body to balance as they danced. Their bodies fit perfectly on the dance floor, just as they did in bed.

  Derek enjoyed watching Nicole’s body move when she had abandoned all of her inhibitions. He grabbed onto her hips while she swayed them back and forth to the beat. He loved feeling her hands pressing against his chest. He saw men taking notice and pulled her closer when they did. He would have to get used to this with Nicole. She was sexy without trying and that made her so much more appealing to him, as well as every man that could see her.

  They returned to the bar when the dance floor got too crowded and she was ready to finish the last two shots. He could see that she needed to let loose. She leaned into him at one point and tried to whisper, “Everything is starting to spin.”

  That was his sign that they should go back. He signed for the tab and leaned her into his shoulder as they walked to the apartment. He led her straight into the bedroom and curled up in the bed with her. She immediately fell asleep on top of him. He could watch her sleep every night and it would never get old.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  When Nicole woke up, it felt like her head was going to split in half. Everything was too bright. She covered her eyes as best she could and tried to figure out the last thing she could remember. It had to be dancing with Derek. She hoped she didn’t look like an idiot. But, God, could the man move. She should have known he could dance with how good he was in bed. She peeked through her fingers to see if she could find him. He was sitting at the breakfast bar reading a paper. She wondered if he could read Spanish or if there were English newspapers here. He must have heard her move the covers because he instantly got up and brought a bottle of water with two white pills.

  “Here, love, take these for your head.” He helped sit her up like she was a child. She felt slightly embarrassed.

  “Holy hangover, Batman,” was all she could think to say.

  “That’s my girl,” he laughed.

  She wanted to roll back over and die. Her head flooded with every hangover cure she had ever heard of. She was prepared to try them all. Wasn’t there something about bananas? Maybe Derek had one of those sugary sports drinks, probably not. Should she take another shot of tequila? That thought alone made her want to throw up. She decided that first a shower and then fresh air would do her some good.

  She tried standing and everything went sideways. How could the room still be spinning the following morning? She practically stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She brushed her teeth while she walked back into the bedroom to let the shower get hot.

  Derek was still sitting on the bed watching her. “You needed that last night. The hangover will go away,” he said sweetly.

  “It doesn’t feel like it right now, but thank you. Dinner was wonderful.”

  “So was dancing with you.” He stood up and kissed her cheek in between her brushing. “Now take a shower. You’ll feel better. Can you eat when you’re hanging?”

  “Your famous toast may stay down.” She mustered a smile and walked into the shower. The hot water was just what she needed. But she also knew that she could only stay in there for a minute or the steam would start to make her stomach turn. She washed off the sweat from dancing the night before and let the water hit her face for a few minutes, waiting till her stomach told her it was time to get out. Then she shocked her system by walking straight out of the shower and standing there wet and naked for a bit before she dried herself. She threw on a pair of tan linen pants and an orange tank top. Just like the dress, they somehow fit perfectly.

  She saw the bed and couldn’t resist crawling back into it and closing her eyes. She could have stayed like that all day. But she knew they were going to head back to Puerto Vallarta, so an all-day nap was out of the question. She groaned and forced herself to get up.

  She walked out onto the balcony, hoping that the ocean air would help her feel better. She told herself she was never drinking again and almost immediately laughed at the thought. Everyone said that at least once in their life and no one ever meant it. She took a few deep breaths. Her head had started to clear; now to get the nausea to go away. Derek brought her a piece of toast with avocado and a Bloody Mary.

  “This is exactly what I need,” she said, sitting down at the tiny table, “Are all your views this gorgeous?” she asked him.

  “Yes, they all have water views,” he told her.

  She could tell that he was watching to see how she was feeling. Getting something into her stomach helped her feel better and probably the Bloody Mary did as well. She curled her legs up under her in the chair. Though she enjoyed the moment, Nicole wished she felt better. She really could get used to an ocean view. She thought of the possible hotel in Chicago and wondered what it would be like to live there. Would she have a view of Lake Michigan? What a great way to start her days, sitting on her balcony, drinking a cup of coffee. Her current apartment was in the River North area- a great view of the city but no water view. Now she wanted one.

  It would be strange to be there if Derek wasn’t. She wondered if he would still stay at other hotels for month at a time. Would she visit him on weekends? Would he come see her for extended periods in Chicago? How would this work? She really couldn’t imagine them being apart, but she had to be realistic about this as well. It had been literally a week since they had met. They both admitted to falling in love qu
ickly, but this would still be a long distance relationship and they needed to figure out the logistics of it all.

  Once she felt well enough, they went down to meet Hector waiting for them with his car. Nicole was going to miss this hotel. She hoped they’d come back soon. She couldn’t wait to wear more of the clothes stored in the closet. She secretly wished she had a bag with her; she would have brought some back to the Paraíso. She wondered if she could hire Maria as a personal shopper on occasion. She should have just asked about the clothes; Derek wouldn’t care if she brought some with her. She did pack hastily back in Chicago. She shrugged it off, remembering that they could always go shopping again on the Malecon.

  She kept her window down, hoping it would help her complete her recovery. They reached the Paraíso in no time and as she got out of the car, she couldn’t help looking over at the Playa Vallarta. She wondered if she’d ever be able to look at it the same way again. She wanted to. It was important to her because of her father and because it was where she met Derek. It was important to Derek not only because of her, but because it was where he had met Roger Long and where the idea of his company had been born.

  Derek took her hand, snapping her back into reality. She couldn’t wait to get inside, having dreamt about that bed for the entire drive back. Derek opened the door and let her in first. She smiled at the sight of the large modern décor. She really did love this place. She walked straight into the bedroom, climbed into the bed like it was her own, and let out a groan.

  “You poor thing. Please try and sleep for a bit.” He sat next to her and rubbed her head.

  In the quiet, she heard her phone vibrate in her purse. The ringer must have gotten turned off when she threw her phone yesterday. She asked Derek to grab it for her. Nicole glanced at the screen and saw a crazy amount of missed calls and text messages, all from Kate. She shot up in bed, yelling “SHIT!”

  “What is it?” Derek sounded concerned.