Page 55 of Sin and Seduction

“Where’s Dante?” I ask.

“Should be coming up from his office now,” says Gabriela, and I have to physically stop myself from rolling my eyes.

We grab our things and head out of the front door. Dante walks up behind us and rushes to my side. He’s wearing a dark grey, three-piece suit, and if I wasn’t so mad at him, I’d tell him how fantastic he looks.

“You look amazing, mi ciela,” he says in a low voice, kissing my shoulder and resting his hand on my bare back.

We walk up to the jet and step inside, taking our seats and putting our bags away.

“Where’s Sergio?” I ask, noticing that only Ben and the new guards are in the jet with us.

“He’s staying at the house with the rest of our team. He sends his congratulations,” says Dante, his eyes never leaving my breasts.

Think again, buddy.

The plane ride is short, and when we land in LA, Michele and George are there to greet us with wide smiles and warm hugs. We go to one of Dante’s bars and sip our drinks before a car takes us to our university. As soon as we pull up, tears fill my eyes at the graduation stage and set up outside. It feels like it has been a lifetime since I have been here, my former life feeling so distant and so close all at once.

Ricky and I say our goodbyes to everyone, walking away hand in hand in our cap and gowns.

“I can’t believe it’s actually happening,” he whispers to me, tears in his eyes as well.

We have worked so hard for this. We’ve starved and cried and laughed and lost sleep, but here we are finally. He stops me before we get to the gate. I can see our loved ones taking their seats a few rows away from where our graduating class sits. Dante smiles and waves at me, and even though I am still frustrated with him, I return the smile as well.

“I want you to know that I love you and that no matter how many miles get put between us or whatever our future brings us, you will always be my ride or die, Em,” Ricky says as he hugs me.

I wipe my tears and hold his face in my hands. This man, my best friend and brother, has been here for every milestone in my life, and I owe him everything. We say our goodbyes and take our seats as the speeches begin. I watch people walk across the stage and grab their diplomas, fidgeting with my hands as my name group comes up.

“Esmeralda May Moreno, graduating with a Bachelors of Business Management. She plans to open a restaurant after this, and we wish her all the best success,” the announcer calls, and I get up as the crowd cheers, walking across the stage and shaking hands with all of the professors before grabbing my diploma and walking back to my seat.

I hold the paper in my hands, wiping tears from my eyes as I think of my mom. I imagine her healthy and smiling, hugging me close as I breathe in her scent. After Ricky is called and I cheer for him, I turn to look at Dante in the crowd. He smiles widely at me and mouths the words,I’m so proud of you.

I blow him a kiss and smile, turning back around when the announcers tell us to throw our caps in the air. I see the colors fly and look at the contrast in the blue California sky, smiling through my tears as they all fall back down.

I finally did it.

22

Esmeralda

We leavegraduation and say our goodbyes before boarding the jet back home.

Michele and George pack for their flight and tell us that they will be arriving tomorrow morning to help set up for the party, even though I told them countless times that Gabriela and I hired people to do that for us. The jet back home is short and I must admit, after today and countless semesters, I am exhausted. I know everyone wants to celebrate, but all I can think about is a warm bath and snuggling in my bed.

We touch down at the house, and everyone walks out of the jet. I grab my purse and stand, leaving the jet with Dante behind me. As soon as I start to walk toward the front door, he stops me.

“Ben has a car waiting for us. We’re going to go somewhere before we celebrate tonight.”

“Where are we going?” I ask, and he winks at me before walking me to the car and buckling me in.

“A surprise,” he says as he gets in beside me.

“Always a surprise with you,” I say, and he chuckles.

Wherever we’re going, the drive there is short. It is almost evening, and the sunset on the ocean horizon is breathtaking. The car comes to a stop somewhere along the coast, and I know we are on one of the main strips along the beach downtown. Dante gets out and walks to my side, spinning me around to face a really modern and nice building that’s much bigger than the rest of the neighboring business. There are tons of shops and cafe’s and people walk up and down the strip laughing and holding hands.

“Surprise,” he says, holding me close.

“My surprise is an empty building?” I ask, confused.

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