“Hello,” Mercedes answered, picking up her apartment phone.
Silence.
“Hello!” Mercedes said, a little more forcefully.
Silence.
A chill ran down Mercedes’ spine. This was the third hang up call she had gotten that week. It was beginning to make her feel uneasy.
“Look, either you have something to say to me or not.” Mercedes’ anger was beginning to grow at the thought of someone intentionally trying to scare her.
Click.
Mercedes looked at the telephone receiver in her hand and felt the tension grow in her stomach. She looked at the caller ID as she’d done with the previous hang-up calls, and just like before, the number came up “Unknown.”
Sighing, she hung the phone up, just before hearing the buzz of her cell phone. It was a text from Devyn.
Hey, what time do you think you’ll be here?
Mercedes paused before responding, thinking of the errands she needed to run, which included picking up the gifts she’d ordered for the boys.
Probably around 1pm. I woke up late and need to run a few errands first.
She waited a few minutes for Devyn’s response.
Alright. No problem. We’ll see you then.
Hey, you didn’t just try to call me on my home phone did you? Mercedes knew it was a long shot, but she silently hoped it was Devyn who called and hung up due to a bad connection or something.
No. Why? Devyn responded.
No reason. I’ll see you later. Give the boys a kiss for me.
Once the conversation ended, Mercedes went to finish getting dressed. She styled her naturally kinky hair in a loose chignon and left a few curls hanging down the sides. She opted to wear a white chiffon relaxed mini long-sleeved dress. The slits extended the length of the sleeve, allowing the wearer to feel comfortable wearing the dress in warm weather, while also allowing Mercedes to show off her toned arms. She paired the dress with a pair of three inch strappy sandals. Checking the mirror once again, she looked over her light summer makeup, which usually consisted of a bit of concealer, some powder, eye shadow, and a bright lipstick. Today, however, she opted to wear a shimmery pink lipstick. The bright colors against her dark skin made her skin glow even more. Mercedes smiled, knowing she looked good.
Stepping out of her front door and walking to her car, Mercedes wondered if she would see Raul at the birthday party. For the past year and a half she’d seen him only a handful of times. Mercedes knew from Devyn that he often traveled for work and to visit his family in Brazil. The only times she’d seen him were when they both were christened as the twins’ Godparents, another time when Devyn and Nikola hosted a holiday party this past December, and a few times in passing when Raul and Mercedes had been visiting their friends’ home. She’d done her best to keep conversation to a minimal. At both the christening and the holiday party, Raul had a different date on his arm. She knew he wasn’t hurting for female attention. Mercedes went out of her way to maintain her physical and emotional distance whenever he was around. Despite the emotional boundaries she tried to set, she’d often find her eyes wandering and landing on his perfectly sculpted body. She couldn’t help but notice the lingering stares he would send her way whenever they were in the same room. The same combustible chemistry that pulled them together on the night of Devyn and Nikola’s wedding, was still there. Mercedes often told herself it was simply because they’d never had the chance to finish what they started that night, but even after all this time she’d begun to wonder if it wasn’t something more.
Getting into her car, Mercedes closed her eyes to purge herself of thoughts of Raul Santiago, instead she found herself picturing a set of big twinkling light brown eyes.
She sighed.
Of course Raul would be there, he was the twins’ Godfather and she was their Godmother. She was not going to give him an opportunity to explain away his behavior or make her believe he was something other than what he was…a rich, incredibly sexy playboy. Devyn still questioned Mercedes about what happened the night of her wedding with Raul, but she refused to tell her. She just admitted that things didn’t work out between them and that was all. She knew Devyn didn’t believe her, but she was not up for sharing anymore details than necessary.
****
Devyn greeted Mercedes at the front door “Hey gorgeous.” Devyn and Nikola lived in a huge mansion in the exclusive community of Buckhead.
“Thank you. You’re not looking too bad yourself, Mrs. Collins, mother of one year old twins.” Mercedes eyed Devyn in her coral sleeveless romper, paired with white sandals. What made Devyn’s look complete was the stunning smile and glow on her face.
“Thank you. How was the traffic?” Devyn asked as she pulled Mercedes into the house.
“Hell on Earth. You know how traffic is out here,” Mercedes answered.
Mercedes lifted the package she had tucked under her arm for the boys. “Where do I put these?” She’d gotten each twin a specialized baby book with all the pictures she’d taken over the last year, from the first day of their birth until now, and a number of specially made clothing items with their names embroidered on it, along with books and other smaller toys. She loved spoiling her Godsons.
“I told you not to go all out.” Devyn tried to pin Mercedes with a serious look, but Mercedes waved her off.
“Girl please. You know it’s my job to spoil the hell out of my Godchildren and then send them home to you and Nikola when they start crying.” She laughed as Devyn rolled her eyes.
“Whatever,” she said, with her hands out. “I’ll take those and put them with the rest of the gifts. You can head out back. Mostly everyone’s already here.” Devyn took the gifts and walked towards the back of the house where there was a room for the children’s gifts and toys.
Stepping outside into the backyard, Mercedes surveyed the entire scene in front of her. It was huge, with a custom-made outdoor grill, bar and patio on one end, and a large in ground swimming pool on the other end. Mercedes could see a number of Nikola and Devyn’s family members and friends laying around or in the pool, while others sat at the tables that had been set up to accommodate the guests. Not far from the grill she spotted Nikola holding one of the twins, while Raul held the other.
Mercedes was once again caught up in the sheer beauty of this man. No matter how many times she’d seen him in the last year and a half, or how many times she’d remind herself that he was probably a no-good cheater, she couldn’t help but stare. Her lips began to tingle as memories of their explosive kisses danced in her mind. He wore light-colored linen pants, and a light grey Polo shirt that was tucked in at the waist. The shirt’s short-sleeves showed off his rippling biceps. Mercedes bit her lip, as her eyes moved up to the big smile he wore, as he tickled the chin of the twin he was holding. When the twin laughed, his smile was filled with almost as much pride as Nikola’s. Her heart rate sped up as she took in the picture he made before her. One of pure masculinity and strength, but just enough vulnerability to play and laugh at the antics of the one-year-old child in his arms.
“Cute aren’t they?”
Mercedes jumped at hearing Devyn’s voice behind her.
“Dammit girl, you know I’ve got high blood pressure. Why are sneaking up on me like that?” She tried to play off her surprise at once again being caught staring at Raul, but Devyn wasn’t buying it.
“You have high blood pressure? Yeah right.” Devyn laughed at Mercedes’ incredulous face. “Or maybe you’re just trying to play off getting caught once again staring at the Godfather of my babies. One day you’re going to tell me what went down between you two.”
“Don’t count on it,” Mercedes mumbled, as Devyn pulled her over to say hello to Nikola, Raul and the boys.
Mercedes greeted Nikola with a hug and placed a kiss on Theodore’s cheek before turning to Raul.
She greeted him coolly. “Mr. Santiago.”
Raul raised an eyebrow. “Killer, why must your friend insist on
calling me Mr. Santiago?” Raul directed the question at Devyn, but kept his attention on Mercedes. Raul continued to call Devyn “Killer” ever since the night he and Nikola walked in on Devyn kicking the shit out of her ex-boyfriend. He’d jokingly offered her a job with his security firm, but Nikola quickly nixed that idea.
“I don’t know, and since neither one of you will tell us what happened between you, I can only speculate,” Devyn retorted, as she looked from Mercedes to Raul and back again.
“Well Santiago is your last name, isn’t it?” Mercedes asked mockingly.
Raul sighed, before passing Jacques to Devyn since he began squirming for his mother.
“We’ll let you two have a moment,” Devyn said eyeing Nikola, who’d silently been watching the exchange between Raul and Mercedes.
As Devyn and Nikola walked off with the boys, Raul allowed his gaze to slowly drift down Mercedes’ body. She saw appreciation and a hint of lust in his eyes, when they stopped on her pink colored lips. Her breath caught as she saw the look of lust grow, right before he blinked and it was gone.
“You’re looking lovely, Mercedes. How have you been?” Raul asked.
“I’m great, Mr. Santiago.” Mercedes made it a point to emphasis the last two words.
Just as Raul was about to respond, a blond-haired woman walked over. She was dressed in a pair of light blue shorts that showed off her perfectly tanned long legs and a white peasant top.
“Raul, sweetie, I’m getting hungry are you ready to eat?” she asked.
Mercedes found the woman’s voice rather annoying. And did she just call him sweetie? Mercedes wondered if this was Cindy’s replacement or if he had been so bold as to step out on Cindy with this woman. Raul didn’t even bother to look ashamed at Mercedes seeing him with the woman he obviously came there with.
“Yvette, this is Mercedes. Devyn’s best friend and Godmother of the twins.” He had the nerve to introduce Mercedes to his date not thirty seconds after he’d just eyed her like she was a tall glass of water, on a hot summer day and that he was ready to drink.
Men.
Mercedes shook her head. She greeted Yvette, and excused herself to allow the couple some privacy. She spent the rest of the party playing with her Godsons--that is when the boys’ grandmothers allowed them out of their sight long enough to play with someone else. Mercedes secretly envied the way Devyn and Nikola’s mothers gushed over their grandsons and their children in general. Both families had developed a special bond in the year and a half since their children married, and they would undoubtedly pass that closeness down to Theodore and Jacques. Mercedes thought about her own family, and felt a pang in her chest at the yearning for the closeness she saw in front of her. Not wanting to dwell on thoughts of her own family, Mercedes went over to ask Devyn about bringing the gifts out to let the boys open.
Fifteen minutes later, most of the guests sat around the patio as Jacques and Theodore sat on their parents’ laps, while ripping open their gifts. Mercedes laughed at the antics of the twins, who often seemed more interested in the wrapping paper than the actual gifts. It took nearly an hour to get through all of the presents that had been brought out. More gifts remained in the boys’ playroom, but Devyn opted to leave the rest until later. When all was said and done, Theodore and Jacques had enough clothes to last them until their second birthday. They also had an assortment of toys, books, purchases of all sorts of baby classes, and enough in the way of savings bonds that would pay for each boy’s college fund, twice over - not that they needed it anyway. As a Collins, each child had been born into a financial empire, and would want for anything. As the party began to wind down, Mercedes helped Devyn clean up the discarded wrapping paper, before heading out.
“You know if traffic’s too crazy, you’re more than welcome to stay the night,” Devyn offered.
“I don’t want to impose. I know your mom and sister’s family is here,” Mercedes countered.
Devyn waved her off. “Please, there’s plenty of room.”
“It’s okay. I’ll be all right getting home,” Mercedes said, as they made their way through the house. She gave one last look at the boys.
“God, I can’t believe they’re a year already. Time flies,” she said, with a hint of nostalgia in her voice.
“It sure does. I have toddlers already.”
“Yeah, and I can’t believe that’s all you have with the way you and your husband go at it,” Mercedes teased. She saw the loving kisses Nikola constantly snuck throughout the afternoon. She even noticed there was about a thirty minute window, in which no one could find Nikola or Devyn. Mercedes knew the two had probably snuck off to get busy.
“We don’t have more kids yet because I perfected my swallowing technique.” Mercedes choked on the water she was drinking as she laughed at Devyn’s statement.
“You’re a trip. That husband of yours is rubbing off on you. I like it,” Mercedes laughed again.
“Me too,” Devyn said, as she hugged Mercedes.
“Leaving so soon?” Devyn and Mercedes turned to see Raul approach.
“Yeah, I couldn’t convince her to stay the night,” Devyn answered.
“Uh, yeah. I’ve got some things I need to do tomorrow.” Mercedes tightened her lips wondering why she felt the need to explain herself to him.
“Let me walk you to your car.” Devyn’s eyebrow rose, but she remained silent, as Raul grabbed Mercedes around the waist before she could protest.
Mercedes felt a sensation of warmth through her dress, where Raul’s hand pressed into her lower back, as he opened the door, and Mercedes had to force herself not to lean into him.
“This wasn’t necessary. I’m sure Yvette is wondering where you are,” Mercedes said, in an attempt to remind herself, and him, that he was there with another woman. Other than a small tick in his jaw, Raul continued walking towards her pine green Kia, without response. As they walked, Mercedes inhaled his masculine scent; she knew it was a mix of some type of expensive cologne and a scent that was all Raul Santiago.
“This is it. Thank you,” she said, as they arrived at her car. When she felt his hand still pressing on the small of her back, she turned to look up at him.
Raul nodded. “You’re welcome, Querida.”
Mercedes didn’t know what the last word meant, but she remembered he’d repeated it over and over when they kissed outside his hotel room that night of the reception. She shivered just thinking of the way his lips felt as they moved over hers. She unconsciously stared at his lips and licked her own. She didn’t even notice until she saw Raul’s lips turn up into a smile.
“See something you like?” he asked, in that wicked tone that shot straight to her core.
“You wish,” she said defiantly, pulling her gaze off his lips and up to his eyes. And that was even worse because his eyes held a sinful look. He knew she wanted him.
“I do,” he said, still smiling.
Mercedes placed her hands on her hips. “I don’t think Yvette would appreciate you talking to me like this. And for that matter neither would Cindy. Or did you finally break up with her instead of just cheating on her?” Mercedes heard the anger in her own voice but didn’t care.
However, Raul didn’t rise to the bait; instead telling her, “I already told you I don’t even know Cindy and I have not seen her since that night. As for Yvette, she’s just a friend.” Mercedes eyed him closely. For some reason she believed him about Cindy, and maybe even Yvette. She couldn’t blame the man for women coming on to him or being attracted to him. He was deliciously attractive, successful in his career, and very wealthy. She looked into his eyes and knew that if given the chance he could make her fall hard for him. She couldn’t allow that.
“If you say so. That’s none of my damn business,” she said, stepping back to unlock her car door.
“What if I wanted to make it your business?” he asked, flirtatiously. Mercedes tried hard not to smile, but his was infectious. She smiled as the butterflies in her sto
mach rose.
“I’m leaving now. Goodbye, Mr. Santiago,” she said, using his last name, attempting to assert some emotional distance.
“Raul,” he stated in a low, but firm voice.
“What?” she asked, caught off guard.
“My name is Raul. Say it,” he commanded.
“Mr. Sa--”
“Raul,” he commanded more sternly stepping closer to tower over her. Mercedes felt the butterflies in her stomach turn into a full on jackhammer as her insides hummed with desire under his watchful gaze. She wanted to be her usual defiant self and let him know she wasn’t the least bit turned on. But, they both knew that would be a lie.
“Raul,” she said, just above a whisper.
Those sexy lips of his, again, turned up into a devil’s grin. He’d won this round.
“That’s more like it,” he said, placing a kiss right at the corner of her lips.
“Drive safely,” he said, stepping back to allow her space to get into her car, and closing her car door.
Driving off, Mercedes peeked at her rearview mirror to see Raul still standing in the center of the driveway watching her car. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.
Chapter 2
Raul stood at the end of the driveway, and watched Mercedes’ car disappear around the corner. He didn’t know why he felt the sense of longing grow the further away the car drove. Since the night of Devyn and Nikola’s wedding, he’d wanted Mercedes. Bad. To say he was pissed when he opened the door to find Cindy naked in his suite, would be an understatement. He was truthful when he said he didn’t know Cindy. She was actually a former fling of Nikola’s. She had tried to sneak into Nikola’s wedding reception with a date, but Raul personally escorted her out of the hotel, or so he thought. Apparently, Cindy had other plans, and that night instead of leaving altogether, she decided to turn her attention on Raul. He later found out that she bribed one of the hotel workers to find out what hotel suite he was staying in and to let her in. But, Raul didn’t find that out until after Mercedes stormed off. After he had Cindy escorted out, he went and found out that the assistant manager on duty fell for her bullshit and let her in. He’d personally made sure the man was fired as a security specialist; Raul took that type of responsibility seriously. Any manager allowing random women into a guest's hotel suite didn’t deserve his job, as far as Raul was concerned.
Black Dahlia: Book 2 of the Black Burlesque Series, BBW, BWWM romance Page 2