Hot & Spicy: De La Cruz Saga

by Macias, P. T.

  “That’s exactly what we believe,” said Bella smiling, flashing her dimples, nodding her cabeza.

  “We’re all waiting for the one,” said Paty looking at her older primo.

  “Yeah, y we will never become intimate with un chico if he is not the one, mi amor, mi alma” said Claudia regarding her primo with disbelief.

  “Si primo, we decided it is only when we know for certain that it is nuestro alma, amor, the one.” said Paty, regarding her primo. “Don’t you believe that Monique is the one, tu alma, tu amor?”

  “Si, I do,” said Chris, observing their reactions. I can see what they mean. If we become serious, I will want to be with her more. I want to be with her now. It will be a while until our boda. I know I will not wait. I get what they are saying. They will cover for us to be together.

  Chris looks at his hermana y primas. They are right. “I get it. Okay, it’s a pact that we will all honor. Mi concern is for you primas. I don’t want anybody playing with you. You need to be sure that you have met the one, tu alma, tu amor, okay?” asks Chris. He sits back contemplating each prima y his hermana. Well, I have sat back, I have covered already for Erica, it will be the same with each one.

  “I will cover each one of you when I know for sure that the hombre is the one. I will talk to that hombre to make sure. That is the only condition,” said Chris with an evil smile.

  “Hermano, you will be told that he is the one. We are not niñas. We are adults,” said Bella in a firm voz.

  “Si, but I also know what hombres want and do. I do not want any hombre playing with mis hermanas y primas. If el hombre is the one, he will not be disgustado with mi questions. I know,” said Chris. “Okay, I will keep in touch to see where we are at on this pact. I want to be the first one to know when the one appears, okay.”

  Chris observes each one to get their commitment. Good, they agree with mi stipulation. Now I have to be on alert to make sure that the one is the one. He smiles leaving las primas to talk to los primos.

  “Hola, hermano, primos, what’s up?” asks Chris sitting onto the stool in the middle of Tony y Alex. “Where’s Javier?”

  “Javier is dancing, and I’m just having a drink, looking at the love birds,” said Alex sighing, thinking I need to be with Carolina. What am I doing here?

  “Yeah, it looks like our group is slowly getting smaller. I wonder who is next?” said Tony peering over at Chris.

  “I have met a special chica. I think she is the one, mi amor, mi alma” said Chris with felicidad, smiling, flashing his dimples. He takes a drink, looking at his hermano y primo reactions. Yeah, they are disgustados. Oh well. I understand now.

  “You’re kidding, right?” asks Alex contemplating his hermano. “Unbelievable! The fever is hitting everybody.”

  “Primo, I don’t believe you,” said Tony with a frown, taking a deep drink. “All of our fun is going down the drain. That will leave only Alex and me. Javier is hardly ever here.”

  “Well, I think I am in enamorado, and you will meet her on Monday. She is starting to work for la familia’s company,” said Chris beaming.

  “You mean the new assistant for Jessy? Yeah, she will be working closely with Jessy and I. So that means hands off?” asks Tony with a wicked grin.

  “Si, she’s mia,” said Chris, looking at Alex y Tony. “I was talking to las primas y hermana, and they have come up with a pact for all of us. They want us to cover for Jose Enrique, Ricky, and Erica. They have arrived to the conclusion that they want to be together. Los primos are having a difficult time attempting to not hurt our padre’s y their expectations. All of them are trying hard to follow our traditions y customs. Our padres are truly old school. They especially feel that Ricky and Jacki are suffering the worse since they are married.”

  Chris looks at his hermano y primo, waiting for their reactions. I see that they are concerned. Okay, now they understand. Great, now we can all make sure las primas y hermana are not played with.

  “That’s incredible,” said Alex, taking a drink from his cerveza.

  “That can be dangerous,” said Tony, shaking his cabeza with amazement.

  “Exactly y I asked las primas y hermana to make sure to tell me first when they feel that they have met the one. I told them that I want to talk to the one,” said Chris, looking at Alex y Tony. He takes a drink from his cerveza.

  “Okay, but it’s still dangerous,” said Alex, turning to look at las primas y hermana.

  “Si, y I do see their point. Look, we are all adults. We will find the one, and we will not want to wait until la boda. I know that I will not wait,” said Chris, looking at them with a wicked smile flashing his dimples.

  “Okay, I see your point,” said Tony, nodding, taking a drink.

  “Well, I can tell you that the three couples right now have not waited. Not that they have told me, but you just can tell,” said Chris, looking at them.

  “Yeah, hermano, I think that you’re right. I understand. I will honor the pact. I also want to make sure that the hombre is serious and is for real the one,” said Alex, looking at his primas y his hermana. “I don’t want any hombre playing with our tesoros.”

  “Si, I’m with you, Alex,” said Tony observing las primas y hermanas.

  “Okay, I think that this is a real thought-out pact. I know it is needed because we are young, healthy, and en enamorado,” said Chris smiling flashing his dimples. “I know I will need it.”

  “Yeah, I can see that you’re thinking about tu chica,” said Alex with a grin shaking his cabeza.

  “Si, I had mocha with her today. Mañana, I have a date. She is mi novia,” said Chris grinning. “Yeah, she’s mi novia in the traditional way.”

  “You’re joking,” said Tony, a little amazed at his wild primo.

  “No, I’m not joking. She is officially mi novia. She is not just a date. She is mi novia, and I will marry her in a little bit. I have to give it a little time to flourish,” said Chris grinning, taking another drink.

  Si, I see that they are surprise. I’m extremely serious. I think that I’m even going to quit the Navy y start working at la familia’s company.

  “I have decided to not re-enlist. I will start working at la familia’s company. Jose Enrique asked me to think about it. I have decided that I will marry y start working,” he said smiling, flashing his dimples, looking at his shocked primo y hermano.

  “She must be real special if you feel so strongly,” said Alex looking at his hermano. “Just think that you were pissed at Gabriel on how quick they are marrying. When you know, you truly know, si, asi es?”

  “Si, I do understand now. I didn’t understand then. I’m telling you that you really just know when it is the one, tu amor, tu alma. Las primas y hermana are right,” said Chris with a real serious look on his cara. “I need you to promise not to tell mi novia that I’m a SEAL. I have not told her. She thinks that I work at la familia’s company.”

  “Why does she think you work there?” asks Tony with curiosity.

  “When I met her today, I was doing an errand that Jose Enrique wanted me to do for him. I had a report for him. We ran into each other in the hallway and all of mi papers flew out of mis manos,” he said, taking another drink. “She thinks that I work there. I don’t know where she thinks I work.”

  “Why didn’t you clear that up?” asks Alex, looking at his hermano. I wonder what he’s up to.

  “We didn’t talk about it. I really didn’t want her to know that I’m a SEAL. You never know how chicas react to that. Look at Erica,” said Chris, looking at his hermana with su novio.

  “Okay, but you need to tell her soon, and especially if you’re going to marry her,” said Tony, looking at Chris.

  “I will tell her soon. When I know that she will not freak out, okay?” said Chris, looking at them to see that they will cover him with Monique.

  “Okay, hermano,” said Alex nodding.

  “Si, primo, I will. What do I tell her if she asks where you work at?”
asks Tony, wondering how to handle it.

  “Primo, tell me novia that I work at the job sites as the construction site manager. That is the job that Jose Enrique wants me to do. He said that we have been losing materials and not getting the quality material that we have paid for. I have not told him that I will work. I just decided that after spending time with mi novia. You do understand?” asks Chris, looking at Tony y Alex.

  “I can see that will be a great job for you hermano. You will be in the office, but at the same time, you will be out on the field. Yeah, I think that will be good for you,” said Alex, looking at his hermano.

  Wow, mi hermano has changed in a matter of hours. I can see that this chica has really touched him. All he ever wanted to do is have fun. That is one of the reasons that he went into the Navy. He wanted excitement, thought Alex.

  “Si, primo, that is a perfect job for you, and we really do need you to handle the construction sites. The managers that we have had are not responsible y honest,” said Tony, taking a drink of his cerveza, nodding.

  “Si, I think it’s time for me to settle down. I have found la mujer that has filled all mi needs,” he said with a smile, looking out into space, thinking of Monique.

  Ricky y Jacki came back from dancing to talk to los primos. Ricky went to stand with his primos.

  “What’s up, primos?” he asks turning to the bar to get a cerveza.

  “Chris is in love,” said Tony with a smirk, leaning to the side before Chris’s fist connected.

  “Yeah, he is,” said Alex, smiling at Ricky, nodding.

  “Primo, I highly recommend this love business. It is very rewarding,” said Ricky winking at his primo.

  “Si, primo, I’m beginning to reap the rewards,” said Chris with a wicked grin, looking at his primo.

  “Well, Jacki, we want to tell you that we have made a pact among us,” said Paty, smiling at Jacki.

  “Yeah, hermana, we decided that we will cover for you y Ricky if you want to take off with Ricky,” said Vero grinning.

  “All of us have decided that we want and will expect to be covered when we meet the one, our amor, our alma. We will want to be able to be with our amor,” said Bella, nodding.

  “I know I will not wait to be married,” said Claudia, taking a drink of her cerveza.

  “Jessy, Erica, y Chris agreed it is a great plan,” said Paty nodding. “So you two can leave and not worry about us, okay?” said Bella, looking at Jacki.

  “Wow, what a great pact. I will tell Ricky. It is has been hard on us,” said Jacki, looking at her baby.

  “Si, we know. That’s why we thought about the pact,” said Claudia, looking at Jacki.

  Ricky sees Jacki looking at him and knows that she is ready to leave. Mi reina wants to love now, he thought, winking at her. She smiles back at him, making him feel like a teenager, getting a smile from his crush.

  “Okay, primos, I’ll talk to ya later,” he said striding to get his reina. Los primos simply look at Ricky leave.

  “Okay, primos, it’s time for us to leave,” said Jose Enrique, holding onto Jessy at his side.

  “Adios,” said todos las primas at the table, they watched them leave the club. They turned around to look for Erica y Gabriel, they have already left.

  “I think that we are the only ones left,” said Claudia, looking at the chicos that are in the club, and not noticing anyone appealing. Oh well, she thought, shaking her cabeza.

  “I’m tired, primas,” said Bella, standing up. “I’m going to sleep.”

  The entire day on Saturday is spent shopping for the furniture y appliances for their casa. “Mi vida, I’m so tired,” said Jessy. Jose Enrique pulls el carro onto the driveway.

  “Si, mi amor, I can see that you’re tired. Do you want me to pick you up a little later in the morning?” asks Jose Enrique, pulling her onto his lap.

  “Si, mi vida, how about nine or ten?” she said nibbling on his jaw. He is so sexy, thought Jessy. “I want to go to the movies mañana.”

  “Okay, we will go have a brunch and then go to the movies,” he said, kissing her deeply.

  “Mi amor, I love you,” he said, getting ready to get out. Walking to the front door, she turns and pulls him down for another beso. Hmmm, he tastes so good, she thought. She then nibbles his lower lip that she loves so much. “I will be dreaming of you, mi vida. I love you,” she said with a sigh, looking into his hermosos green ojos. “Buenas noches, mi vida,” she said, going into her casa.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  JOSE ENRIQUE IS AT HER casa at nine, anxiously waiting for her. Mi amor looked tired ayer, and I want to know how she’s feeling today, he thought.

  “Buenos dias, mi vida,” said Jessy, coming up to him to give him un beso and smiling.

  “You look rested. I was worried about you, mi amor,” said Jose Enrique, looking deeply into her hermosos golden ojos. She’s so bella, he thought, pulling her back into his brazos with an urgency, coming from his fear of losing her.

  “I feel great mi vida. I was just a little tired.” She grins. Maybe I’m pregnant, she thought. We still need to wait a little longer. I will take a pregnancy test on Friday.

  “Okay, I’m hungry,” she said, smiling, knowing that was another of the signs. I think I am, she thought after remembering how her nipples are so incredibly tender, and I thought it is from our lovemaking.

  “Okay, mi amor. I’m hungry too,” he said, taking her mano. “The day is beautiful. Do you know which movie you want to see?”

  They went to eat brunch, and Jacki didn’t eat very much. Everything smelled delicious, but she just couldn’t manage to eat. Ugh, she thought.

  They went to the movies and enjoyed a very pleasant time relaxing. “I will like to spend some time with mis padres. I know that Jacki and I have been out a lot lately. We have not spent any time with them,” she said, looking at Jose Enrique.

  “Okay, mi amor, that we can do for a few hours,” he said with a smile. I know I can survive and enjoy it, he thought.

  Jessy y Jose Enrique spent a very enjoyable time visiting with her padres. They are muy feliz to discuss the plans for their boda, and la casa that they purchased is real close to theirs, all the details made them muy feliz.

  Soon, it is time for them to leave to go to the Sunday familia dinner at Jose Enrique’s casa.

  The entire De La Cruz familia is relaxing and enjoying their gathering. In the background, you can hear the playing of romantic Mexican love songs. The night is beautiful, with bright stars and a full moon.

  Las comadres are happily cooking dinner. Los hermanos, los padres of la familia are happily chatting y drinking their cervezas.

  Todos los primos are sitting, chatting about the week and the pact that they have agreed to on Friday night at the club.

  “Si, primas, thanks for thinking up the pact. It will really make our vidas easier,” said Jose Enrique grinning looking at his novia.

  “Si, primas, I second that,” said Ricky, looking at his reina on his lap, thinking, especially me that I am married.

  “Who knows what’s happened to Chris? He’s late,” asks Tony, looking for his party primo. “We always go out after dinner.”

  Ricky looks around and he didn’t know if he should say anything. Chris might want to tell them himself. He looks at his reina who shrugs her shoulders, smiling.

  “I know that he has a novia,” said Bella smiling, thinking about Monique. She is really cute and perfect for mi hermano, she thought.

  “No way, not another one falling,” said Alex, thinking that this is even worse because it’s his hermano. “Who is she and where did he meet her?”

  “Hermano, she is really muy cute, cute, and I know that she is perfect for Chris. I saw him very excited about her,” said Bella, turning to look at Alex.

  “Oh si, yeah, I remember Chris said something about a chica on Friday at the club. Yeah, he is interested in her. He thinks that she’s the one,” said Alex grinning, remembering.

  Y
eah, he’s so excited that he married her, thought Ricky, trying not to say anything yet. I do have to tell Jose Enrique y Bella about Monique not coming into work mañana. He takes a sip of his drink and looks around. Yeah, this is real good. I don’t think that even mis tios know where he’s at, Ricky thought, smiling.

  “Si, I saw his novia, and she is really cute,” said Ricky smiling, regarding his bella reina.

  “Are we talking about Monique Acosta?” asks Paty, looking at Bella y Ricky for confirmation.

  “Si, prima,” said Bella. “He ran into Monique after the interview on Friday in the hallway, just like Ricky y Jacki. Hmm, it’s amusing to think that the hallway can be a matchmaker?”

  Todos los primos laugh, entertaining the notion and finding it is muy funny. “If it is, I will make sure to walk it every day, hoping that I run into mi amor,” said Paty giggling.

  “Si, prima, and I will join you,” said Claudia, laughing.

  “You’re both silly,” said Vero, looking at her hermana y prima, shaking her cabeza.

  “It appears that he’s not showing, and we will not see him until next weekend, if he gets off,” said Alex, looking around for Gabriel to see if he knows something.

  Gabriel y Erica are far away on another table, too busy talking about their plans. Gabriel is also a Navy SEAL, Chris’s SEAL bud. It doesn’t appear like they even know what’s up, he thought, shaking his cabeza looking at his primo Jose Enrique.

  It looks like, slowly, we are all getting married, thought Alex, taking a drink of his cerveza. He looks at his primo Tony and shrugs. “Let’s go, primo. It’s just the two of us tonight,” he said, standing up.

  “Adios, primos,” they both said, walking to say adios to their padres.

  His mama Maria asks, “Mis niños, do you know where Chris is at? He has not showed up.” Mama Maria observes their caras for any type of answers.

  “No, we don’t. I was just asking los primos, and nobody has heard from him, Mama,” answers Alex, looking at his mama with concern. “Do you think that something has happen to him?”