by JC Harroway
“I know that guy,” Antonio said, wishing he would just stop talking, but his pride was getting the best of him. “He takes a different woman home from here every night of the week.”
“Are we talking about him—or you?” Kenzie asked.
“That’s not me anymore,” Antonio said quietly.
“So, is this place your regular?” Kenzie asked, turning to him.
There was something softer about her tone. She didn’t seem mad anymore. But the distance between them was still there.
“It used to be,” Antonio said. “This isn’t what I want anymore, though...”
Before he could finish explaining himself, Kenzie wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Should we go make up?” she asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Antonio exhaled and smiled for the first time since he’d gotten to the club. He was relieved that it seemed Kenzie believed him, that he had no intention of sabotaging her. It was hard, mixing work and relationships. Maybe it had been ill-advised for him to get intimate with someone so closely involved with his business. But it was too late now. He really cared about Kenzie and the thought of giving her up was unimaginable. “I’ll get the car.”
Five minutes later, the valet handed Antonio his keys and winked at him as Kenzie slid into the passenger seat. At that moment, he felt like the world’s luckiest man, leaving the club with the only woman he really wanted to be with.
As they headed toward the Fontainebleau, Antonio tried to keep his eyes on the road but kept finding himself stealing glances at Kenzie. Seeing her dance like that with another man had made him so jealous. He simultaneously wanted to throttle the guy for putting his hands on her and was also massively turned on seeing her wanted like that by someone else. Of course other men wanted her—she was amazing. But he was the one taking her back to her hotel, he reminded himself.
Antonio grumbled and stepped on the gas harder. If Kenzie had made a spectacle of herself in the club to torture him it was working. There was no way she could have known he was watching, which made it even more difficult to comprehend. He wondered if he hadn’t stepped in what she would have done. Part of him worried that she would have gone home with another man, but a bigger part of him knew that she wouldn’t. Kenzie was wild, but she was also discriminating. And he knew it was a big step for her to have opened up to him as much as she had over the past few days. That wasn’t something to take lightly.
“We’re here,” he announced, pulling into one of the parking spaces on the side of the hotel.
Kenzie and Antonio crossed the parking lot and entered the hotel together. On the elevator ride up neither of them spoke a word, and Antonio wondered what she was thinking. They walked down the hallway to her room and when she opened the door, memories of their first night together flooded back into Antonio’s mind.
“I remember this place,” he whispered, moving closer to Kenzie. She looked up at him and didn’t say anything, but he could see in her eyes that she was remembering it, too.
Without saying another word, Antonio slowly started to undress her. He watched Kenzie’s reaction as he undid the buttons of her dress. Oh yeah, this is what make-up sex feels like, he remembered. The distance between them caused everything to feel suddenly new again. Every touch was filled with meaning. When both of her breasts were exposed, Antonio kissed each of them carefully, licking her nipples like they were drenched in honey.
Antonio was simultaneously turned on and still feeling a little jealous. Or maybe he was turned on because of his jealousy, he wasn’t sure. He flicked his tongue at Kenzie’s perfect pink buds, his hand sliding down into her panties and making her gasp. With his nostrils flaring and his cock straining at the zipper of his trousers, he pushed Kenzie down onto the bed and made his way into the V of her legs.
* * *
“Yes!” Kenzie shouted as Antonio’s mouth went to work on her pussy. Not ready to let her come just yet, he moved up the bed and alternated between sensually kissing her mouth and playfully sucking on her nipples.
Kenzie sighed as Antonio paid close attention to the most sensitive parts of her body. Finally, he reached his hand down to tease her clit again. He brought her almost to her peak before weaning her down and then back up again. Part of him wanted to torture her the way he had been tortured seeing her at the club. But a bigger part of him knew how much she was enjoying this—and that was the biggest turn-on.
Finally, Kenzie erupted in one long earth-shattering orgasm that Antonio was sure had woken up the neighbors.
After her breathing normalized, Kenzie sat up in bed, her hair looking disheveled and her face looking relaxed and happy. “That was great. I guess you’d better go now,” she said teasingly.
“Excuse me?” Antonio said, pulling her back down and into the nook created by his strong arms. “Were you going to go with that guy? At the club?” Antonio asked sheepishly. He felt embarrassed for even asking.
“What, that child?” Kenzie asked incredulously. She picked up a pillow and hit Antonio with it. The two of them started to laugh.
“So, are we done fighting now?” he asked as Kenzie collapsed into his arms again.
Kenzie looked at Antonio thoughtfully and traced his lower lip with her finger. “All done.” Kenzie propped herself up on one arm and looked at Antonio suggestively. “So. What do you want from me?”
He knew the question was sexual, but for him it was now about so much more. He just didn’t know if she felt the same. “I want exactly what you won’t give to me,” he said pointedly.
Kenzie turned to him and her expression told him that she still didn’t understand.
“I want everything,” he said, looking directly in her eyes.
CHAPTER EIGHT
EARLY MONDAY MORNING, Kenzie and Antonio walked hand-in-hand through the sugar cane fields next to Baracoa. He had spent the night at her hotel, and they were out early, since Kenzie was determined to see if the rum mixer could still be pulled off, despite losing her guest of honor, Catalina Cortez.
Kenzie was still thinking about what Antonio had said in bed the night before, about him wanting everything. She assumed that meant her body, her mind, and yes, her heart. Part of her felt like she wanted to lay down her armor, to just be with Antonio, free of worry and guilt. But the awful feeling that she didn’t deserve that kept rushing back to her. Ever since she was a little girl, she had believed in one true love—that the person you gave your heart to was yours, forever. That’s what she had in mind when Cole had proposed. So if she could feel the same way about Antonio, didn’t that contradict everything she had ever believed?
She thought about Aunt Lilly, and wondered if she once had the same problems Kenzie was dealing with. Maybe if she were alive she would know what to do, and give Kenzie the advice she so desperately needed right now.
“Can you believe that my aunt and your grandfather dated?” Kenzie remarked as they strode toward the distillery.
“I don’t know if it was dating, exactly,” said Antonio with a sly smile.
“Well, it seemed like they were in love,” Kenzie said, looking around at the beautiful surroundings and trying to imagine her aunt Lilly here. She didn’t even know her when she was alive, but somehow, after this crazy week, she felt a strong connection to her.
“I think you’re going to pull this off and put me to shame,” said Antonio when they reached the distillery entrance, taking both her hands in his. Kenzie loved the way he made her feel so small, so taken care of. It was not an easy thing for such a powerful woman to admit!
“Really? I’m not so sure.” Kenzie kicked up some of the gravel with the toe of her sandal.
“I think...” he said, pulling her close to his chest and turning her chin up to face him, “you are capable of anything you set your mind to.”
Just as they were about to kiss, Trudy came running outsid
e, or her version of a run which was more like a little gallop. She was holding an official-looking paper in her hand.
“Look at this,” she said, holding the page out to Kenzie.
Kenzie read the paper, her brow furrowing as her eyes scanned the page.
“It says that we were supposed to register with the FDA and that we’ve failed to have an inspection.” She looked up at Trudy and Antonio. “We’re being shut down.”
“Who would do something like this?” Trudy asked. “Why are we suddenly on their radar?”
Kenzie shook her head but then instinctively, her eyes landed on Antonio. Was it possible? Would he sabotage the distillery to keep her from owning it, to keep it in his own family?
“I see you looking at me, Kenzie, but I am not responsible for this,” Antonio said, his voice rising. He held up a hand in a gesture of innocence.
“She’s right. Who would have reported this?” Kenzie asked, throwing her arms up in frustration and re-reading the letter.
“You have to believe me,” Antonio said, starting to pace. “Wait,” he said, stopping and pulling out his phone. “I have an idea what this might be about.”
Kenzie and Trudy waited while he scrolled through his device and watched him as he fired off a text message.
“I’m sorry, Trudy. I think this is it for me,” Kenzie said with resignation in her voice. “I’m done.”
“Hold on,” Antonio said holding up one finger. “I have an idea who’s behind this.”
Kenzie and Trudy both looked at him, their eyes intense with anticipation.
“My associate Elena was under the impression that I wanted the rum mixer to fail. Of course, that isn’t the case...”
“So, she’s behind this? She reported us?” Kenzie said, exasperated.
“She didn’t understand what was at stake, Kenzie. She took steps without my consent. For that I’m truly sorry.”
“Well, it looks like you’ve won,” Kenzie said, the pain in her voice palpable. “Please, just drive me back to my hotel.”
On the drive back, Kenzie stared out the window and didn’t say a word to Antonio. It was enough now, whatever crazy game they had been playing, it was over. And to think that she had gone from being a teetotaler to actually learning about and enjoying spirits. A big part of her was disappointed that this was the end of her adventure at the distillery. Amazingly, she had come to really appreciate rum and all of its complexities. Now all she wanted was to get back to her yoga studio. It was her comfort zone, and she had the sneaking suspicion that maybe she had traveled too far out of it, had taken a risk on something that wasn’t hers, even though the image of Aunt Lilly was so strong in her mind.
And even though she had to admit that she cared about Baracoa, she knew that her involvement came at a cost. She’d been seriously neglecting Honor Yoga while she was down here. After all, it was her business, and these days she was relying on Missy more than ever. It was time to return to life as she knew it.
Okay, well, maybe she didn’t want things to be exactly the way they had been before this trip. She had to admit, even through the loss and frustration, that the last week had been the happiest she’d been in a long time. And the thought of going back to the gray streets of the city, of bundling up in her long black parka, suddenly was not all that appealing.
But what did she have to stay for here? Clearly, she had been trying to get a foothold in a family business that had roots so deep in the community, they could shut businesses down with a phone call. There was no use trying anymore. It was time to go home.
“Thanks for the ride,” she said to Antonio, giving him a sad little smile and shutting the door. It looked like Antonio was going to say something, but she wasn’t about to give him another chance. It had been a mistake, trying to mix business and pleasure. She was certain that he would find someone else, probably before the wheels on her plane left the tarmac in Miami.
Back in her room, Kenzie was intent on doing something to make herself feel better. She changed out of her dress and into some yoga clothes and called Missy in New York, knowing that if anyone could help, it was her.
“Missy, I need you to book me on the next flight back to New York,” Kenzie said, sitting up cross-legged on her freshly made bed. Her suitcase was open, and she was simultaneously answering emails on her laptop. She needed to bring her focus back to the yoga business. Maybe they could raise the funds to stay in their current space, if she could get enough support from her loyal clients. If not, she wasn’t sure what she would do next.
“I have you on a flight back tomorrow afternoon,” Missy said, reading off the confirmation number.
“Nothing sooner?” Kenzie questioned her friend. Now that she was done with Baracoa, and Antonio, she wanted to get out of Miami and away from all of the chaos as quickly as possible. No sense hanging around a place where she wasn’t wanted or needed.
“Sorry, everything’s booked solid,” said Missy. “I’ll see you tomorrow. And Kenzie, try to take it easy, okay? You did your best.”
“Thanks Missy,” Kenzie replied sincerely. At least she had a strong support network in her corner back home. Here, she wasn’t sure who was rooting for her, or who was really on her side.
Hanging up the phone, Kenzie made a space for herself on the floor and did a few sun salutations. She put the focus back on her breath, and tried to push the image of Antonio’s sad, confused face out of her head.
He’s not your friend, she told herself, trying to bring her thoughts back to her practice.
But try as she did, part of her couldn’t stop imagining the two of them holding hands in the sugar cane fields, kissing on the beach in the Virgin Islands and the first time they made eye contact in the lobby bar—it was the moment she was shaken out of the coma she’d been living in. There was no denying that he had awakened parts of her that she didn’t want to let go back to sleep.
Putting her practice aside, Kenzie lay down on the bed and shut her laptop. Her pulse was racing, thinking of Antonio, and she didn’t want to lose that feeling. Sliding her hand down the length of her body, she touched the area between her legs that was covered by her yoga pants and felt it getting warm. Moving her hand back and forth, the pleasurable feelings started to increase, but at the same time, hot tears inexplicably began to stream down her cheeks. Trying to push the sadness aside, she imagined Antonio’s hand there, bringing her to the peak of ecstasy, in that expert way that only he knew how. Sliding her hand underneath her waistband and moving it lower down until it found the soft, sensitive area that he’d gotten to know so intimately over the past week, she closed her eyes and imagined the way he kissed her neck, his scratchy beard grazing her sensitive skin, his hot mouth enveloping her, and she quickened the pace and pressure she was applying to her clit. The thought of never feeling Antonio’s rough beard against her skin again overwhelmed her with emotion. Even though Cole could never be replaced, she was now certain that Antonio couldn’t be either. He was his own man, his own special person to her, even if logically, it made no sense.
Moving her other hand up to her breasts, she undid the front clasp of her sports bra, releasing her now-erect nipples and using her other hand to pinch them—hard—just the way Antonio did when he was priming her for a good fucking. She wanted so desperately to feel something other than regret.
Kenzie’s hands were working quickly now, and her breath was ragged, her body trying to keep pace with her frenzied thoughts. Antonio pushing her up against the wall in the bathroom, Antonio sliding her ass on the counter in his kitchen to devour her, Antonio pulling her hair back as he fucked her, just minutes after meeting her for the first time. It was a highlight reel of their “greatest hits” and boy, were they terrific. Too bad this was where the story had to end for them.
“Antonio!” Kenzie called out as she came. The utterance surprised her, but she couldn’t stop it any more than sh
e could tell her body not to seize up in pleasure. She came hard and fast against her own hand, and then rolled over onto her side, exhausted both mentally and physically.
Was she making a mistake, leaving so quickly? she wondered.
I need a drink, she thought to herself. Putting herself together, she left her room and took the elevator down to the lobby, hoping her friend Jose would be working at the bar.
Sure enough, Jose was stationed in his usual spot and greeted Kenzie enthusiastically when he saw her.
“Hey!” said Jose. “Long time no see!”
“Yeah, I’ve been busy,” she said, sitting down on a bar stool and wondering how much she actually wanted to share with Jose. He had become her de facto therapist on this trip. He certainly was a good listener, and not a bad advice-giver either.
“Don’t work too hard,” Jose advised with a wink. “So, what can I get you? Club soda with lime or...something stronger?”
Kenzie considered the question. Drinking again had felt pretty natural, which surprised her after having abstained for so long. She knew that for her it was something she could have in her life from time to time. Not everyone was able to take it or leave it.
“Something strong, but not too strong,” she said. “What do you recommend?”
“I have the perfect thing,” he said, reaching under the bar for a hurricane glass. Filling it with ice, he freely poured three different types of rum into the glass, and then some orange juice, followed by a small amount of another liquor Kenzie had never seen before. When he added a bit of maraschino cherry juice, the whole drink took on a colorful look, almost like a burnt sunset.
“It’s beautiful,” Kenzie complimented him.
“Try it,” he encouraged.
Kenzie raised the glass and tentatively took a sip. She was still a bit of a drinking virgin, so she knew she had to go easy.
“Mmm, Jose, this is incredible,” she said.
“Thanks.” He smiled. “A new creation. I’ll make it for you and Antonio the next time you’re in together.”