“Okay,” she finally said. “Let’s do it. Fine.” He was watching her face like a hawk while she deliberated. He blinked. “Are you sure about this?”“Yes,” was her soft answer.“Shall we kiss to make it official?”She gave him a look that could have hurt him, but she couldn't run away when he bent down to kiss her lips like he was punishing her for it. When he pulled her closer to him, she couldn't even say any-thing. She just closed her eyes and thought that, from the outside, he was being kind and thoughtful to his ‘girlfriend’ whose mother had just had a very terrifying stroke, right on the day she left the hospital after passing her medical exams. And that was what was needed for the charade. Except he’d always kissed her like this. Like he was always hungry. Like he truly thirsted for her lips.Then he lifted his head and hugged her close to his chest. For a moment, it felt like they were in their own world. Or maybe because the nurses were now very quiet. She could feel the wav
Arianna knew exactly who’d arrived just by the kind of noise she could hear from outside the house. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself, and then she stepped out the front door.And she sighed again when she saw her ‘boyfriend’ standing there, with a smile on his handsome face, talking to Chairman Castro in his soft, modulated, and manly voice that seemed always private and intimate to her ears, his eyes focused on the door where she just came out.Even if she knew it was all an act, her heart still melted at the way his aristocratic face seemed to light up when he saw her. As if she was a favorite sight those eyes wanted to see. As if all his worries and problems melted away. And he was so convincing.The workers were grinning at their lunch plates while they sat at the two long tables set up under the shade of the trees that protected them from the direct hit of the midday sun. Meanwhile, her servers (the neighbors) were giggling their delight as they
Many attested that since he’d been with her, he smiled more and had become more approachable.There was no doubt that he was in love with her, they said, because of the change in his behavior. People who were supposedly in love were happy people. He had never looked so cheerful and he was always laughing these days, they said.Even though she could detect surprise at this development from the hacienda staff telling her about this, she could see that Eric also had them convinced.But some praises were veiled envy.The condescension at being told she would eventually give in to the easy life Señorito Enrique was offering irritated her.But the first and only time someone mentioned this while her mother could hear received a tongue-lashing from her usually mild-mannered parent.“Have you ever seen us asking for or accepting anything we couldn’t get our own way? Have we complained while we lived alone and my children worked like horses so we could eat decently all those years since my husb
It was the second day that Eric was in the hacienda.Again, he came for the lunch and ate there while chatting casually with the workers. He had a denim shirt on and ripped jeans, boots for mud on his feet, and a farmer’s hat on his head. He had dirt on his arm when he arrived with some of the men and a bit of dried mud on one cheek.And he never looked more handsome.She was told they repaired one of the water canals that came out of a spring brook inside one of the woody parts of the hacienda. It was at the foot of one of the hills dotting the north side of the land and the señorito helped with his own hands.This seemed to make the workers feel good about it because even though they remained polite, there was no shortage of smiles and laughter since they arrived as they teased the younger man about a few misconceptions and mistakes he did as they ate.After serving the dessert, which was just plain gelatin with raisins and milk, she went back inside the house. She was going to wash
Of the wealthy friends, Señorito Brad was the extrovert. He was the one on society pages, hobnobbing with other elites. They knew this in the hacienda, too. Eric was known to be extremely private, like at the end of the spectrum from his friend. And those same society pages also included the beautiful Helene Smith-Cardam, Señorito Enrique’s ex-fiancée.Arianna had seen some of those society gossip articles because Tommy ‘borrowed’ them from newspapers and magazines in the office and brought them home for her to see.And from the last one she had read, it said that the woman had just broken up with the wealthy businessman she’d replaced Enrique Quiroz with, and there were rumors she wanted to get back with her ex, who was noted to be keeping to himself in his father’s hacienda for many weeks now.The truth was that Yna was expecting a ‘break up’ shortly because of that article. Wasn’t Eric’s reason for pretending to be in love with her was to make his ex jealous? That was why she was
The Señor stayed for almost an hour and had an enjoyable conversation with them about so many things while drinking coffee that came from sachets. When he left, Eric asked for her mother’s permission to take her for a ride. Her poor mother nodded before he even finished talking. She looked satisfied but tired and needed a nap.Tommy, too, looked dazed as he left for the fish ponds. He only stayed because of the visitors, of course.So, no one really cared what she did for her afternoon as the two members of her family were both overwhelmingly occupied. All of her neighbors had left after dishwashing and cleaning up were done for their siesta, but they would surely be back in the afternoon to gossip with their mother about the visit and whatever was talked about. It was good, she thought, that her mother would have her long-time friends as a sounding board.She felt a little faint as they walked towards Eric’s jeep. “Where are we going?” she asked. “You look like you needed a break y
Yna felt as if a part of her heart melted at the tenderness of his voice. “Oh no, he’s using my full name.”He smiled, then he cupped her face and turned it up so they could look at each other, then he repeated her name.“Arianna, I love you. I can’t say if I felt it first that night, but I do know and was sure that the moment I woke up, I looked for you. I was so disappointed to find that you were gone. Before I even saw the blood on the sheets I was already excited about looking for you. I was… I was so ready to offer you anything so you will only be with me. If I have to buy you from the bar, I would have, just to make sure you are mine alone.”He paused, his eyes a whirlpool of dark emotions.“When I saw the blood and realized it was your first time, I went batshit crazy. I knew who you were before the day was even over. I had Brad go back to the bar and I threatened to file a case against your Madame Venus and shut the whole place down if she didn’t give us your identity.”“Really
“If I kiss you now, I’ll take you here and now, so I’ll continue to talk,” he said in a crooning voice. “I know.” Her thumb and forefinger played with his chin as she noted, again, how strong and sexy he was. Why was everything in him so sexy?“I still have to tell you everything I went through after I promised myself I will never approach you until I feel you can deal with me. I mean—before I saw you with that ugly prick by the side of the road and all good intentions left me.”She giggled again, knowing already that he got jealous of Ruel. “Ugly? Ruel’s not ugly.”“So you think he’s handsome, huh?” he asked in a highly threatening voice that made her giggle all the more.“Not as handsome as you, but passable,” she managed to answer when she recovered. “C’mon, Eric. He made an effort. He serenaded me, visited me even if he was tired minding his family’s store in town during the day, and even found a way to see me after you’ve imposed that curfew.”“Is that all?” His voice was suddenl