by JC Harroway
Kenzie and Antonio turned to see a small elderly woman standing at the edge of the field. How long had she been standing there watching them?
“Excuse me...who are...” Antonio began to question her, but Kenzie interrupted.
“Trudy!” Kenzie said, running over to the old lady and supporting her with an outstretched arm. The woman looked dainty, but also sturdy. She was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans with the legs rolled up. He could tell that when she was younger, she had definitely been a head-turner.
“How did you get here?” Kenzie asked. Antonio saw that her face had lit up upon seeing this woman. Her expression showed a mixture of concern and excitement.
“I took a taxi!” Trudy said, as if it was the most obvious thing to do in the world.
“Does the senior center know you’re gone?”
Trudy brushed Kenzie’s concern off with a wave of her hand. “It’s a retirement community, not jail. They’ll be fine.”
Antonio didn’t understand what connection Kenzie had with this woman, but he could tell that it was important.
“It looks like you and your husband have your work cut out for you!” Trudy said, giving Antonio a once-over. “It’s a disaster in there.”
“Oh, he’s not my...” Before Kenzie could correct her, Trudy was approaching Antonio.
“Your manager doesn’t know the first thing about distillation! He couldn’t tell a light rum from a dark!” Trudy was suddenly fired up and Antonio worried that the woman might give herself a heart attack, right there on the premises.
Antonio instinctively bowed his head. “I know,” he acknowledged. “He’s family,” he said, shrugging. Antonio looked back and forth between the two women. “I’m sorry. How do you two know each other?”
“Trudy used to work here, with my aunt Lilly,” Kenzie explained. Right. Lilly was the whole reason Kenzie had come down here in the first place.
“I was the master blender,” Trudy said proudly. “Yes, a woman!”
Antonio held up his hands in innocence. He had no doubt that Trudy would at least be more capable than his cousin.
“I’ll let Mateo know that his services are no longer needed,” said Antonio. “Do you agree, Kenzie?”
Kenzie looked astounded by what was about to transpire, but before she could voice an opinion Trudy interjected.
“That cute boy inside on the cell phone? Keep him around,” said Trudy. “I could use an assistant. Now let’s get going. I have to start by checking the barrels we didn’t lose.” Trudy wriggled loose of Kenzie and started heading into the facility at a quick clip.
Antonio watched for a moment as Trudy set off ahead of them. He shook his head, knowing in his gut that he was probably helpless to stop this strong-willed woman from doing whatever she thought was necessary. The gentleman in him wouldn’t begin to know how to say no to her. Actually, it was the same way with Kenzie. It certainly seemed like the more he tried to convince her otherwise, the more strong-willed she became in her quest to turn the distillery around according to her own plans.
“I guess I now have two women who know more than I do,” Antonio said with resignation.
“I guess you do!” said Kenzie, linking her arm through his and following Trudy inside.
CHAPTER SIX
THE NEXT MORNING was Saturday and Kenzie rose early, did yoga, grabbed breakfast on the go, and hit the streets of Miami with renewed spirit. She only had three more days until the rum mixer and the PR company she worked with back in New York on her yoga studio was helping to get the word out down south. She had Trudy working at the distillery, and Catalina Cortez was already down in Florida, visiting family, so setting up her pop-up concert had been easy. Now all she needed was some spice to add to the mix.
Walking around the streets downtown and seeing the food trucks setting up for the lunch crowds, she thought about Antonio and how he would be losing a family legacy when she won their little bet. She momentarily thought of calling him and offering to be partners, but he had made it clear—and not without a condescending tone—that she knew nothing of his business. No, she told herself, she needed to stop apologizing and just continue working hard, to the best of her abilities.
But what about Antonio? Of course, he wouldn’t be hurting for work—he had so many other, more lucrative properties—but the thought of never seeing him again after this week dampened her mood in a way she hadn’t expected. What was the solution? Her home was in New York. And although it was fun to play at being a beach bunny, she wasn’t really the South Florida type. Antonio seemed so tied to the culture here, to his family, he was basically synonymous with the city.
Why weren’t there guys like him back in New York, she lamented to herself as she stopped at one of the food trucks that looked interesting. She tried to focus on the menu but kept flashing back on the image of Antonio pleasuring her in his kitchen. Back home, dating was so gamey—a long back and forth via text that usually led nowhere, or if it did, the guy would play hot and cold, making her feel crazy, as if she had done something wrong, when in reality, he was probably just keeping his options open. Antonio wasn’t like that. She loved how straightforward he was—a real man who knew what he wanted and went for it.
She remembered a guy she had briefly dated in New York, shortly after Cole’s death at the urging of her friends to “get out there” and “get your mind off things.” She never forgot how he’d told her he was going to invite her to a Jack White concert but decided not to because it would have meant he hadn’t waited the appropriate three days before calling her again. Antonio would never subscribe to something as lame as a “three-day rule,” she was sure of it. In fact, she didn’t think he had any regard for rules whatsoever, and that was fucking sexy.
“Anything look good?”
Kenzie blinked and transported herself out of her reverie to lock eyes with a handsome young purveyor of Latin food. He was leaning over the window of his food truck and unabashedly drinking in the sight of her. He had to be early twenties, Kenzie thought, and smiled to herself. It was still nice when guys thought she was that young. Or maybe they didn’t but in any case, it was still flattering.
“Just looking,” Kenzie said with a smile, and started to walk to the next truck.
“The Latin burger is amazing,” the young guy called out, trying his best to lure her back. “Free soda with purchase!”
Kenzie laughed and continued walking, albeit with a little more pep in her step. Maybe she could get into the lifestyle down here. It was definitely more chill than New York, and that wasn’t a bad thing. Over the past few days her practice had felt much more open. Or maybe it was that she’d been getting properly fucked all week that had made the difference.
“Kenzie, what are you doing down here?” asked a male voice that she recognized immediately. It was a voice whose very timbre could start her nether regions humming with pleasure.
“Antonio?”
When Kenzie turned around she saw him—dressed in a suit, looking more professional than she’d ever seen. A tall woman with long dark hair in an expensive suit herself was standing by his side.
“You remember Elena, my associate,” Antonio said quickly, reintroducing the women.
“Of course.” Kenzie smiled. “I was just investigating some food truck options—for the rum mixer,” she explained.
“You have to try the Latin burger,” said Elena. “It’s the best,” she chimed with what Kenzie thought was a little wink.
“What are you doing in this neighborhood?” Kenzie asked, genuinely curious.
“Our offices are on the next corner,” Antonio said, pointing south. “I wish we could join you for lunch, but we have to get back for another meeting,” he said sounding truly disappointed.
“Oh, I’m just perusing,” Kenzie said. It was so weird, seeing him with Elena. With their attire and designer sunglasses an
d not to mention more compatible heights, they just seemed to go together—like a match. And what were they doing, attending meetings on a Saturday?
“Nice seeing you again,” Elena said formally. The two of them headed off and Antonio looked back at Kenzie briefly as if to apologize in some way.
Kenzie stood there in the middle of the sidewalk for some time, just watching them go, until they turned the corner and she had to gather her thoughts. Deep breath, she told herself. This is nothing. You’re spiraling. She tended to do that, especially since Cole. When things were going well it meant that the other shoe was about to drop.
He likes you. He’s never lied to you, she reminded herself, trying to reframe the negativity into positive thoughts. Except that he came to the hotel to scope you out and had sex with you, knowing full well who you were, a little voice reminded her.
Could she trust him? Kenzie didn’t know. But she was sure of one thing: If he and Elena were heading up to the office for a midday tryst, she was going to ruin it.
Rushing back to the burger truck, Kenzie pulled out her wallet.
“You changed your mind!” the young guy said, perking up. “What can I get you?”
“I’ll take one of everything,” Kenzie said, handing him a wad of bills.
“You looked really hungry when I first saw you,” the guy said teasingly. “I’ll get this out for you in a jiff.”
Ten long minutes later, Kenzie was retracing the steps she’d seen Antonio and Elena take, which led her to a glass high-rise, incongruous with the Miami architecture. Inside the cool and cavernous lobby, she noticed a directory and found the suite for Navedo Enterprises, which occupied the entire 10th floor. Giant greasy burger bag in hand, she rode the elevator up and when it stopped on the 10th floor, she hesitated before opening the glass double doors that led to reception.
Okay, so maybe this was slightly in the realm of crazy girlfriend behavior. And okay, she wasn’t even Antonio’s girlfriend. But for the first time in a long time, she knew exactly what she wanted. Kenzie felt her pulse racing as she pushed upon the doors to the office. She knew the risk she was taking, that a forward gesture like this could scare Antonio off. It broke all the rules to pursue a man—countless books, and even some of her girlfriends told her she had to wait for him to come to her. But with her emotions running high, she threw caution to the wind. It was time to go after what she wanted.
“May I help you?” asked the receptionist in between answering calls on her headset. “Excuse me,” she said to Kenzie before she could speak. “Navedo Enterprises, how can I direct your call?”
“I’m here to see Antonio Navedo,” Kenzie declared firmly, once she had the receptionist’s full attention.
“Your name?”
“MacKenzie Fox.”
Kenzie waited awkwardly until the receptionist came out from behind her desk and walked her down a long, carpeted hallway to what she presumed was the corner office. When she opened the door, revealing the large room with modern furniture including a few chairs and a conference table Antonio stood up from behind the desk.
“This is a surprise.”
Kenzie surveyed Antonio’s expression, trying to find a clue as to what he was thinking. If anything, he looked nonplussed by her sudden appearance in his office. Kenzie’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. Suddenly she was sure she had made a big mistake. Antonio wasn’t having sex with Elena on the conference table. He was alone, working.
“I hope it’s okay that I came by,” Kenzie said tentatively.
“What’s this?” Antonio questioned, and indicated the bag she was holding. Kenzie just stood there for a second, having totally forgotten her ploy for showing up.
“It’s burgers! I brought you lunch.” Please like burgers, she thought to herself.
Antonio walked past Kenzie and shut the door to his office. “I was just getting hungry,” Antonio said, going to her and taking the bag out of her hands. “Latin burger?”
Kenzie shrugged.
Antonio reached into the bag and pulled out a burger, taking a huge bite. “Mmm,” he said. “Try some,” he said, holding out the food to her.
It wasn’t Kenzie’s usual fare, but she decided to give it a go. Taking Antonio’s hand and moving the burger to her mouth, she bit in. It was messy and oh-so good indeed.
“I like watching you enjoy your food,” Antonio commented as she swallowed. He leaned over and started to plant kisses on the secret spot on her neck.
“Are you sure you didn’t have other lunch plans?” Kenzie asked tentatively, “With Elena?”
Antonio pulled back momentarily and laughed. “Elena?” he said incredulously. “Is that what this lunch delivery is about?”
“No,” Kenzie said firmly, reaching for the zipper of his trousers. “I had something I wanted in mind for lunch.” She tugged the band of his underwear down until she could see the tip of his cock. “Something firmer. More filling.”
Antonio pulled away but kept his eyes locked on Kenzie as he went to the door and turned the latch to lock it.
“Tell me more about this,” he said, dropping his pants down to reveal his package.
“Why don’t I show you instead?” she countered, dropping to her knees in front of him and beginning to lick her way from the base of his shaft all the way up to the sensitive head. Antonio’s eyes rolled back, and he sighed as she used one hand to stroke him while alternating between long licks of his length and giving attention to his balls. They were so full, so amazing and felt wonderful in her mouth.
Antonio was getting more into it now, and raking his hands into her hair he made noises that seemed to not take into consideration that they were in an office—his office.
Kenzie continued sucking, feeling powerful as she watched this big strong man melt like butter under her control.
“What are you doing to me?” he asked as she looked up at him, her mouth encircled around his member, her hands caressing his balls. She could tell how much he enjoyed it when she didn’t forget about them.
Antonio was no longer able to hold back and grabbing Kenzie’s head in his hands, he took over, fucking her mouth the same way he had fucked her pussy—deliberately and intensely. Soon she felt his balls seize up and a hot liquid rush into her mouth and she swallowed it gratefully.
“Thank you,” he gasped, steadying himself on the edge of his desk.
“No, thank you,” she said, standing up and still tasting the sweet and salty come that lingered in her mouth.
When Antonio had pulled up his trousers, he pulled Kenzie in for a kiss. It was so erotic, them sharing the taste of their passion together. Kenzie closed her eyes. As Antonio’s tongue gently probed inside her mouth, she relaxed into the warm feeling that was radiating from the top of her head down to her toes. Time seemed to stand still as they continued to kiss, until finally Antonio broke away.
“Come away for the weekend with me,” he whispered.
Kenzie laughed at the thought of it. Antonio was so serious, and the way he said it sounded like something out of a movie. Besides, she already felt like she was on vacation here in Miami.
“Where? How?” she asked, knowing that Antonio would probably have a plausible answer.
“My estate in the Virgin Islands. We’ll take my private plane and be back tomorrow.”
“But don’t we both have a lot of work to do?”
Antonio shushed her by holding a finger to her lips. “Don’t talk about work. All I’ve been doing is working.”
That, she could relate to.
“Okay,” Kenzie relented. “As long as we’re back tomorrow. Let’s go.”
* * *
Exactly one hour later, Kenzie was seated inside Antonio’s personal plane, a hastily packed overnight bag stowed above her containing only the essentials—a great dress, a bikini, and a black lace body suit with cut-outs th
at she’d grabbed from Victoria’s Secret on the way over without bothering to try it on.
“Is this your first time?” Antonio asked, raising his eyebrows at her. He was seated across from her, with a small table in between them.
“You know that it isn’t,” Kenzie said, taking off her sandal and playfully kicking him in the thigh. God, his thighs were strong. It felt like kicking a wall or solid steel. Did that come from working out, she wondered, or just from being Antonio.
“Your first time in a private aircraft,” he clarified, grabbing hold of her foot and beginning to massage it.
“Of course not! I take them all the time,” Kenzie said sarcastically. If he thought it was culture shock for her, being down in Miami, she could just imagine how he would cope with her life in New York City. In fact, she was fairly certain she’d pay good money just to see him navigate the MTA during rush hour.
“Well, I want you to enjoy yourself,” Antonio said, pushing the pad of his thumb into the center of the sole of her foot, which somehow released the tension all over her body and sent a signal straight to her nether regions.
“Mmm,” Kenzie sighed, sinking deeper into her leather seat and bringing her other foot to rest in the V of Antonio’s legs.
“If we had more time I’d ask you to join the mile-high club,” he said in a put-on lascivious tone.
“What makes you think I’m not already a member?” she said coyly.
Antonio pulled Kenzie onto his lap and she let out a surprised little yelp. He kissed her gently, which was a nice contrast to the roughness of his stubble. Just as things were starting to get heated between them, an announcement came over the loudspeaker.
“This is your captain speaking, I’ll need everyone to return to their seats as we prepare for landing.”
Kenzie blushed, wondering if they had been caught, returned to her seat and dutifully fastened her seat belt.
“Are you ready for this?” Antonio asked, lifting up the edge of the window shade. Beyond it, Kenzie could see an island. There were areas of green dotted with colorful houses. As they descended, she could make out the perfect white sandy beaches and the shimmering aquamarine water. She had the feeling that this was the start of something big—not just a travel adventure, but maybe the first step toward discovering more about Antonio and more about herself. Maybe, in a way it was like a mini-vacation.