Page 35 of His to Bedevil

I watch the two of them exchanging pleasantries in Spanish. Juanita explains to Irma that she’s been with us for over thirty years, and that if she needs anything at all, to make sure to come to her. Irma politely thanks her, and when Juanita asks if she can get her something to eat, she says yes.

Juanita then turns to me. “Señor Martinez?Tienes hambre?”Are you hungry?

I nod. “Un pequeño.”A little.

“Bien.I will have some food sent uprápido.” She spins and quickly exits the room, closing the door behind her.

Irma stands there staring at me, and I’m staring right back at her. I know this may seem wrong to her and to the outside world, but having her right here in my home and inside my bedroom, everything about it feels so right. She’s exactly where she’s supposed to be.

“Make yourself at home, my love.” She takes her eyes from me and looks around, but she still stays rooted to her spot. “It’s dark out, but would you like to see the ocean?”

She gives me the hint of a smile. “Sure.”

I walk over to her and place my hand on her lower back, leading her toward a pair of French doors. I don’t have the large windows here, but there are three sets of French doors leading to the terrace. When I open a set of them, the breeze hits us immediately, and it smells like home. Irma steps past me, her eyes glued to the scenery, heading for the edge straightaway. I watch her, and my heart pounds inside my chest. I can picture her standing there in the sunlight, wearing only my T-shirt with her hair down, blowing in the breeze. I imagine her turning her head with a bright smile on her face as I approach her, and she stretches up onto her tiptoes to kiss me. I’d wrap my arms around her and deepen the kiss.

Shaking the fantasy from my head, I adjust the growing erection in my pants and approach her. With my hands in my pockets, I stand next to her. “Did your mother ever talk about Cuba?”

“I don’t remember, but she would play salsa music a lot and always be dancing.” She pauses, and I pray for her to continue. “I remember the last time she took me to the festival in Little Havana. All I wanted to do was watch the salsa dancers, but when we saw them, it was her I couldn’t take my eyes off of.” Her mind seems miles away right now.

“When did your mother move to the States?” I know that her mother was born in Cuba from her birth certificate.

“She was twenty. She met my father when he and some friends were vacationing here. Against her parents’ will, she left Cuba with him.” She snorts. “She’s always been crazy.”

“Some would say free-spirited.”

She shakes her head. “She left her family and her country with a man she just met. And he wasn’t even a good man. He was a lazy drunk that treated her like shit,” she says coolly as if stating facts, not reminiscing about the painful past.

From what I learned about her father, he drank himself to death. He was only in his late thirties. Judging by when Irma was born and his death certificate, Irma was only six years old. “What happened after your father died?” I reach up and stroke a piece of hair that has fallen into her beautiful face.

I don’t know if it was my question or the fact that I just touched her, but her body tenses and her face hardens. “I’m not doing this with you, Alejandro.” She turns and looks up at me. “I promised to behave and be polite so that you won’t hurt Matches, but I’m not going to sit here and bond with you.”

Stepping forward, I diminish the gap between us. We were having a nice chat, and she began to open up to me again, and just like that, she shuts down and rejects me. She’s fighting what we have, what wecouldhave. I’m not going to make it easy for her. If she wants to fight, I’ll make it impossibly arduous for her.

Lifting her chin up with my fingers, I lean in slowly, drinking in her wide eyes as I get closer. Her breathing picks up, and her body begins to tremble, just like it always does when we’re this close. I slide my arm around her waist and yank her into me. Her lips part, and her eyelids droop as her body molds to mine.

“Don’t let your pride stand in the way of your happiness,mi amor,” I whisper just a hairbreadth away from her pink lips.

“How could you possibly think you can make me happy? You’ve stolen my freedom. You’re threatening my only friend,” she rasps, but there’s no bite to her words. It’s as if she’s reminding herself of her aversion more than she is telling me. If those are her only reasons for holding back, then this won’t be as strenuous as I thought.

Pressing my lips to hers, I squeeze her in tight, now crushing her body against me. I don’t even try to hide my erection as her lips hesitantly move with mine. After a few seconds, I demand entry into her mouth, and it’s as if her body is in tune with mine. Her tongue clashes with my tongue, meeting me in the middle, stroke for stroke. Deepening the kiss even more, I lift her up with her feet dangling in the air. Our lips and tongues continue our slow and sensual dance until a knock at the door breaks us both from the trance. I might kill the person who interrupted this rare moment. There’ll be more, and I can’t push her too fast too soon.

Setting her back on her feet, I finally tear my mouth away from hers. Her eyes are glossy, and she’s staring up at me in a daze. Yes, I will have her everything. She will willingly give me everything someday. And I will give her my everything in return. Starting with my last name.

Irma

Humming in pleasure, I succumb to the soothing strokes I feel on my face and the gentle strokes of my hair. If I could, I would purr like a kitten right now. Stretch out and beg for more. It’s tranquilizing, and I could lie here forever.

“My love.”Hmm, that voice is like another soft stroke to my head.“Wake up,mi amor.”Mi amor…It’s all the incitement I need to open my eyes and wake up to reality.

Instantly, I remember where I am and who the man is perched on the side of the bed next to me. He’s smiling down at me with his hands resting on his powerful thighs. Hands that I’m almost positive were just petting me. “Good morning, my love. I didn’t want to wake you, but I have to leave you for a while. I wouldn’t want you to wake up alone.”

I chuckle inside. I always wake up alone. It’s weird not to. I start to sit up, and he frowns. “Go back to sleep, my love. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be gone for most of the day.”

I sit up all the way now, not as tired anymore. “So, what will I do all day?”

“What would you like to do?” He watches me patiently, and I realize he’s in a nice suit that fits him deliciously well.

Leave?But I know that’s not an option. “What are my options? Does it have to be in this room, or am I allowed to venture out of it?”

---