Laughing loudly, Storm and Tyrone entered the hotel arm in arm. Oblivious to everyone else, they made jokes and reveled in their newfound friendship. Immersed in one another they didn’t see anyone watching them.
“I see you’ve had a good time.” Cairo’s words sounded harsh.
Tyrone took one look at his cousin and seemed to recognize his mood. Unfortunately, Storm didn’t read the signs.
“Yes, we had a great time. She said playfully hugging Tyrone. “Your cousin is amazing. If I ever go back to the States, I’m taking him with me.”
Beside her, Tyrone groaned.
“Is that so?” Cairo asked softly.
“Yes, I mean it, Cairo. Your cousin is wonderful.” She went on with enthusiasm.
“He is wonderful, isn’t he?” Cairo agreed his eyes narrowing on Tyrone.
Reading some hidden meaning in the words that Storm couldn’t decipher, Tyrone tried to politely remove her arm from his but Storm held on for dear life.
“Oh no, you don’t, Tyrone.” She laughed looping her arms back through his. “You’re not getting away from me. You’re staying right here. There are still a million questions I want to ask you.”
Mumbling a quiet prayer, Tyrone stood where he was.
Cairo’s searing gaze rested on their entwined arms. Before she knew what was happening, he pulled her from Tyrone’s side, startling her. “What’s wrong with you?” She demanded snatching her arm away.
“I will not stand by and watch you try to seduce my cousin.”
Storm’s mouth fell open in surprise. She was about to laugh until it dawned on her that he was actually serious.
“Are you mad?” She said incredulously, appalled at his accusation.
Cairo was undeterred. “Look at him!” He said pointing at Tyrone. “He’s already half in love with you. He told me himself that he thought you were beautiful. Are you trying to exploit his emotions?”
Storm looked in Tyrone’s direction and was amazed to see the usually unflappable Tyrone blushing.
Storm felt sorry for him. Tyrone had no such designs on her; he loved his cousin too much. But Cairo, in his anger had embarrassed him. Storm was angry on his behalf. She turned on Cairo in a temper.
“Look at what you’ve done.” She said angrily. “You’ve embarrassed Tyrone. He’s always watching out for you, always doing his best to make sure that you’re happy and you just humiliated him. Forget what you have accused me of, how could you do this to him?”
At the truth in her words Cairo’s temper seemed to fizzle out to nothing. Looking apologetically at Tyrone he crossed the room to his side. He hugged his cousin fiercely.
“Forgive me.” Cairo whispered, shame coloring his words. “She drives me crazy.”
Tyrone was magnanimous as always. “It’s already forgotten cuz. Can I go now?” he asked hopefully.
Cairo waved him away. Tyrone left as fast as his feet could carry him.
The minute he was gone, Cairo turned to look at Storm; his anger appeared to rekindle in moments.
“Look at what you’ve done. I’ve never had harsh words with Tyrone!” She couldn’t believe her ears; he was actually blaming her.
Storm planted her hand on her hips. “This is not my fault.” She declared angrily. “It was you who jumped to conclusions.”
Cairo’s grabbed her arm and dragged her to him. “It’s because you’re driving me crazy. I can’t think straight around you. I can’t even concentrate on my work. What are you doing to me?”
“I’m not doing anything; I’m simply existing. For you, that seems to be enough.”
Cairo looked at her and drew in a deep sharp breath.
“When was the last time I kissed you?” He asked his face serious. “Maybe that’s what’s driving me senseless.”
Storm glided into his arms. “It’s been far too long.”
Their lips touched and in that moment nothing else mattered. Then Cairo roughly pulled away and dragged a frustrated hand through his hair. “This isn’t enough. I want more. I want all of you. I don’t care about the state of your marriage. I want to wake up and see your hair spread out across my pillow. I want to feel your body pressed tightly to mine. I want to touch you in places that will drive you wild. I’ve tried to deny myself the pleasure, but I can’t. Tell me you want me too?”
Storm almost forgot to breathe. She felt her blood slow down in her veins. Yes! Yes! She thought; it was all she had ever wanted, to have him, finally! The look in his eyes promised ecstasy. Oddly, now that the moment was at hand, Storm didn’t know what to do. So she simply stood motionless in front of him.
Cairo ran a hand down the side of her cheek. “Come to the summit with me.”
It was an invitation. Cairo was inviting her to his place, the place that meant everything to him. Suddenly shy, she looked at him from under lowered lashes.
“When?” The one word was forced.
Cairo smiled mischievously. “I would like to say now. But I can’t. As much as I want you, I have to wait. I want it to be special. When you come to me, I want to be able to take my time so I can love you the way you deserve to be loved. Come to the summit tonight, Jessica. I’ll be waiting.”
Storm finally exhaled. It felt like she’d been waiting a lifetime to hear those words.
That night Storm took her time preparing for her evening with the man she loved. She had waited six long years for this. She recalled how many times over the years she sat alone in her bedroom leveled by the memory of the one night they’d spent together. She remembered each touch, remembered the feel and the taste of him so vividly that it played like an X-rated movie in her mind. It was the thought of him and how he had made her feel that helped her through the long lonely nights without him. But the famine was coming to an end. Storm stood up from her dressing table mirror and dropped the robe she was wearing on the floor. Standing partially dressed in a fuchsia bra and panty set, she studied her reflection. One thing was for certain, she wasn’t eighteen anymore. The last time Cairo had seen her naked, she was a mere girl. She was now a woman. She ran her hands down the flat planes of her stomach, still unmarred by childbirth. She slid her palms down the side of her thighs. She felt the subtle strength that running three miles a day had blessedly preserved. She then trailed her fingertips up between the valley of her breasts. She grew warm and wet at the thought that tonight everywhere her fingers caressed; Cairo’s lips would also caress. The mere thought made her shudder in anticipation.
How she got to the top of the summit, she would never know. She didn’t walk. She glided. Her feet never once seemed to touch the ground. She floated to the top with a delicious expectancy that kept her body in a warm silken heat. Excitement made her feet fly over the rough terrain as she skipped lightly over rocks and shrubbery. She expected Cairo to be there when she arrived, what she didn’t expect was to find a romantic spectacle planned just for her. High above ground level, what seemed like a million bottle torches flickered in the night casting a warm rosy glow over the clearing. Expensive champagne sat chilling in a silver bucket, sultry reggae music floated on the night air and sumptuous food sat covered in silver platters on a lace-covered table. Thick downy blankets and silk sheets were spread out making a bed of the ground. Amidst the splendor was Cairo: her man. He stood with his back to her, his hands stuffed deeply in his pockets as he looked down over the cliff to the beach below.
On silent feet, Storm crept over to him and laced her fingers around his waist. Under her hands, she felt his stomach clench and tighten at her touch. Storm rested her head against the broad expanse of his back as they listened to the waves crashing below.
For long moments neither of them spoke.
Cairo was the first to break the silence. He gently pulled her to his side and pointed down to the foot of the cliff to the waves of the sea crashi
ng on the beach of The Victory Hotel of which he was so proud.
“Besides my grandfather and Tyrone, that is everything I have let myself care about for the last six years.” He gestured to the land around him. “Jamaica rescued me, saved my life when I was sure I couldn’t go on. The summit was my place of peace, the place I came to forget.”
He turned around to her and pulled her into his arms. “What happened in the past shouldn’t have happened. I swore to hate you forever and I did hate you, for a very long time. But the minute I saw you again I knew that was not all I felt. I tried to fight my feelings but they were stronger than I. It took my foolish jealousy of my own cousin for me to realize that I want you. I can’t live with the thought of you with another man. That’s why we’re here, to start again. If that’s what you want.” He finished softly.
Storm’s green eyes told him what he needed to know.
Lies and betrayal separated us; I don’t want that to happen again.” Cairo said his face hard. “From now on there must be trust and honesty between us in spite of the consequences. If we are to stay together, we must vow to always be honest. What do you say?”
Her throat choked with emotion, Storm could only nod.
Ignoring the food, Cairo urged her down onto the downy blankets. Holding her close, he looked deeply into her eyes.
“Having agreed to be honest, let me be the first to begin.”
Storm tensed, waiting.
“The Victory is not a place I manage. It’s my salvation, my savior; it is everything and all to me because I built it because of you. I built it just to see if I could. The Victory is mine, Jessica. I own it. All of it and all the land that it sits on.”
Storm’s mouth fell open.
Cairo laughed at her expression.
“At this moment there is a Victory in almost every major Caribbean island in the world. My grandfather was a very frugal man. He worked in your parents manufacturing plant for over twenty years. It takes a rare man to accumulate a small fortune earning a little over minimum wage but Papa Joseph managed it. By the time we moved to Jamaica, he had already saved over two hundred thousand dollars. It was everything he had—his entire life savings and he gave it all to me Jessica, every last cent and every last dime. When I told him I wanted to do this, he totally and completely supported me. I started small with a little bed and breakfast in the worst part of downtown Kingston and we grew from there. From the proceeds of one hotel, I built another, and then another and through hard work, sweat and tears, I made them all succeed. Even without further expansion, this hotel, my first, has made me wealthy beyond my wildest dreams.”
“But that can’t be!” Storm finally found her voice.
“Why?” He challenged.
“Why? Why?” Storm repeated in disbelief. “Because you act and behave as you always have. You live in a dilapidated house and you treat everyone around you as equals. This is not the behavior of a man who can buy and sell everyone, including me.”
Cairo gave Storm a half-smile.
Taking her chin in his hands, he watched her intently. “I live in that house because it’s the house Papa Joseph left me. I promised to build him a house on the hills but he didn’t live long enough to see it. That house sits empty, all six bedrooms and five bathrooms. I will bring you there if you want me to. But tell me one thing. Does knowing that I’m rich make you feel differently about me? Does that make me worthy suddenly?” Am I good enough at last?
“Of course not!” Storm said wrenching her chin out of his grasp.
Cairo smiled reading the truth in her eyes. Lying back against the comfort of the makeshift bed, he gazed up at the stars. Storm glared at him for a second longer before she relented and rested her head against his chest.
“If there is one thing I learned from your parents, Jessica, it’s that money means nothing. I’m the same with or without money because I have refused to change, I know how it feels to have both. The man makes the money. Money does not make the man.”
“Amen to that.” Storm agreed.
Cairo grinned in the darkness and then moved around so that Storm’s body fit snugly against his.
“Now tell me; what are your secrets? The things you haven’t told me that I should know about?” Why did you stop loving me?
He felt Storm tense next to him.
“Don’t be afraid, Jessica. Whatever has happened in your past, I won’t hold it against you. Tell me everything. There is no room for secrets or regrets.”
Storm took a deep breath, while she gathered her thoughts. “Cairo, I never wanted to marry James. I promised my parents that I would marry him because that is what they so desperately wanted to hear. I would never have married you with the intention to marry him. I loved you, Cairo and it hurt me that you never gave me a chance to explain.”
Cairo sighed; saddened by all the time they had wasted. Kissing her gently, he brushed his hand down the side of her cheek. “I believe you, Jessica. I believe you when you say you love me. I believe you when you say that you never wanted James. I’m sorry for all the pain we’ve had to endure these last six years. We were so young, you and I. Neither of us knew how treacherous your parents could be. Forgive me.”
Forgive me! Storm wanted to cry because she hadn’t told him the worst of her secrets. She hadn’t told him the one thing that could turn him away from her forever. Maybe she would have bared her soul and risked everything with the truth if he’d told her that he loved her. But he had spoken of want, not once had he mentioned love!
Tears sparkled in her eyes. Seeing it, he gifted her with a kiss that was so achingly tender that it melted her resolve. Desperate suddenly, Storm pressed herself against him. No longer an inexperienced teenager, she threw herself passionately into their lovemaking.
Cairo groaned deep in his throat as she became soft and yielding against him. There was so much left for them to talk about, so many things left unsaid; they would have to wait. They were finally together and neither of them planned to ever let go.
Cairo slipped out of his clothes then he undressed Storm. Her hair tangled around his naked limbs as he gathered her up in his arms. He looked down at her and his jaw tightened with the need to control his desire as he ran his shaking hands over her body. Around them the bottle torches blazed brightly illuminating the stark harshness of Cairo’s features.
Slipping out of his embrace Storm knelt in front of him unconcerned about her nakedness. The look in his eyes told her without words that she was beautiful. She gently touched his arms, his belly and his shoulders, first with her hands and then with her lips. By the time she was finished, there wasn’t a part of him that was untouched. He was hers and she stamped her possession on him so that he would always know it.
Cairo’s dark eyes blazed almost a fierce onyx. Pushing her back against the warmth of the bedding, he hovered above her, his face intent on his mission.
“Should I be gentle?” He asked through clenched teeth his voice harsh with need.
Storm opened her arms to him in complete surrender and writhed impatiently against the sheets. Brazenly, she found and caressed the most intimate part of him.
“Gentle, Cairo? Between us there is no room for gentleness?”
Despite her bravado, when Cairo entered her, gently at first, then more roughly and urgently as his passion grew, Storm cried out, first in pain and then in pleasure.
It had been six years.
Cairo slowed his urgent rhythm almost to a stop, but Storm thrust her hips up toward him in invitation and then she wrapped her long legs around his back.
Cairo took the sensual hint. He pleasured her and himself until the night sky was awash with the glorious splendor of an orange and yellow dawn. They made love to each other until their bodies were spent from exhaustion. Then they lay in each other’s arms until a rooster crowed loudly signaling a n
ew day.
Running at full speed, Shane launched himself into his mother’s waiting arms. Accustomed to her son’s exuberance, Storm braced herself as she accepted the fierce bear hug he gave her.
“I heard all about it, mommy. Tyrone told me but I want you tell me. Is it true? Well is it?” He asked excitedly. “Have you and Cairo made up?”
Before Storm could respond, Cairo stepped forward and gently removed Shane from her arms. It was only when he held the child in his own strong embrace that he answered his question.
“If you’ve heard that your mother and I have decided to try again, then yes, you’ve heard right.”
Shane bounced happily in his arms at the declaration, but Cairo’s next words stilled him. “There’s only one problem.”
Cairo took the time to study the boy’s face in an attempt to gauge his true emotions.
Shane in turn studied Cairo’s expression just as solemnly.
He set the child down on his feet before squatting down until they were at eye level.
“You’re the man of this family,” he said gravely. “As such, I would like to ask you for permission to see your mother. I wouldn’t dream of pursuing any kind of relationship with her without your consent, Shane. So tell me little one, do I have your blessing?”
Aware of the great responsibility he’d just been given, Shane’s chest puffed out in pride. His response was to look at Cairo thoroughly before taking his hand and placing it in his mother’s.
“I want you to be my daddy, Cairo. Mommy and I will be very happy if we get to keep you. We’ve waited for you for a long time to be a part of our family.”
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