“I can’t do this. No, no, no.” I go to stand up, attempting to at least, yet once again I’m swooped off my feet. Santiago wraps me up until we’re chest to chest, my legs having nowhere to go besides around his waist.
“Calm down. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, not now and not anymore,” he croons into my ear. I’m pretty sure everything bad that could happen to me did, so what he means by that, I’m not entirely sure. It also doesn’t help calm down the tears. It’s like that time when people tell you to quit crying, only you do the opposite, which is what I’m doing right now. My head hits Santiago’s chest as I try to burying myself inside his warmth, using him as a comfort when I barely know him.
“That’s not helping me right now, Santiago,” I mutter through my crying jag.
“Get it all out, then we’ll talk, and I’ll see who I’m going to kill,” he says with a grumble. I’d laugh if I weren’t so upset with how things are playing out. As if he could take care of everything with a snap of his fingers. I don’t respond. Instead, I do what he said, crying to my heart’s content as he makes his way to the couch, going back to where this all started, hands cupping the cheeks of my ass. Thankfully, my dress isn’t up around my ass, or this would be really awkward. Though, the way my body is reacting to his and his to mine, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.
SIXTEEN
Cadence
I unwrapmy arms from around Santiago’s neck. “I’ll tell you everything. I mean, how many more embarrassing moments can I possibly have? Almost breaking my neck, being accused of something that I’m not, and now I can’t even leave because my phone is old and currently can’t keep a charge for longer than a night. Anyways, I work as a medical receptionist, a dead-end type of job, but there are great benefits. Pay sucks, and it’s not at all where I want to be for the rest of my life. I must have been complaining out loud to where a patient could hear because the next thing I know, she’s sliding me a business card forDates for Hirealong with Rachel’s number. I asked the right questions, and she assured me there would be no sexual encounters. I’m just a naive girl, hoping to get her own business up and running while thinking I could make a quick buck.” I take a deep breath, allowing Santiago a moment as well as myself. “I took my time before calling Rachel, not wanting to make a rash decision, but as the weirdness escalated in the office, it was one of those moments you knew something had to change.” I don’t go into the Leah and Doctor Manning situation. With the way Santiago is sitting like steel granite, no way, Jose. He looks like he’s about to blow a gasket on the Rachel factor alone, not that he’s wrong. Seriously, I’d like to waltz my ass in there, ankle un-sprained, of course, and give her a piece of my mind, money or no money. I know without a doubt after this weekend, when the stores open again, I’ll be looking for a new job.
“You mean to tell me Rachel didn’t say you’d be hired as an escort?” Santiago’s voice is low, nevertheless intimidating if you’re on the wrong side of this situation.
“That’s what I’m telling you. I thought it was a date and only a date. You know, like some stodgy old man just needed arm candy for a few hours. I’d earn enough money to keep putting up for my nest egg. A few dates, maybe five at most. I’d quit both jobs and focus on my business plan, and not have a pile of debt come along with it.” Maybe it’s a good idea not to mention the last interaction with Leah, at least for now. Though, I probably shouldn’t be spewing all of my baggage to a virtual stranger. Add that to my never-ending list of things one shouldn’t do. “Okay, the red flag should have been when I received the text for what I’d be making. Ten grand is a lot of money for a date. I get that now, but after the weird talk with Leah, the lead nurse at the doctor’s office I work at, there was no turning back.” Yep, I did it, word vomited when I shouldn’t have.
“What happened? Tell me the whole thing. Do not cut corners.” If I thought Santiago was ticked before, that’s nothing like how he is now, pissed while still maintaining that virality.
“Fine. I walked in on Leah and Doctor Manning. A memory that is engraved into my brain forever, and it’s not a good one either. Both are married, which yuck, no way would I ever think that was okay, but to each their own, or however the saying goes. That’s not the weird part. It was the fact that Leah never led on that I opened the door. There Doctor Manning was, dry humping, which was seriously gross. No one needs to see that in a workplace setting, much less from their boss. Leah stared, eyes glazing over, and that was all I could take. I ran away, knowing that there was nothing I could do or say to the officer manager. Their word versus mine. So, I ignored it, until Leah came up to me this week asking for me to join her and Doctor Manning yesterday. I bumbled through an excuse. Thankfully, or not so thankfully, receiving a text for a date with, well, you. There was something really weird. It was almost as if Leah was making an advance, and I’ve never, not once, welcomed that kind of motive or behavior. Going so far as to invite me out with the two of them, can you believe that? Well, I mean, this week has sucked, rounding it off with last night, and today is not shaping up to being much better. It’s the day before Christmas Eve, you’re upset, I’m upset.” I’m done pouring my heart out. Santiago has remained quiet the entire time. And I have nowhere else to go currently, seeing as how his hands are gripping my outer thighs, locking me tightly on his lap. I just bow my head, wanting to look anywhere except into his warm, chocolate eyes, eyes that I thought would pose a greater threat than where my gaze is now, looking at our bodies so close together, crotch to crotch, his hard length to my soft core, unable to admit to myself what Santiago does to my body. A touch, a look, a sentence, it’s too little and too much all wrapped together.
“I’m not upset with you. I’m not even angry. Not any longer, at least. Do I want to throat-punch my brother for putting both of us in this situation? Yes. I’m also thankful it was me you were sent to as a birthday present instead of someone who could have hurt you.” He cups my cheek, pulling my eyes away from where we’d be connected, flesh to flesh, if we didn’t have clothes on.
“Wait a minute. When is your birthday?” I ask. When the so-called date was set up, it didn’t state what it would be for. Obviously, not the sexual favors part or anything else.
“Today, which is why you’re staying here. I’m going to make a few phone calls while you eat breakfast, then we’re going to wrap this conversation up for good and start over.” In one swift movement, he is standing, my legs wrap around his waist, and we’re moving, well, he is, really, walking us towards the kitchen while I’m left reeling from his statement. Unsure how to respond or if I really want to. It’d be stupid to put a halt to all this, the way my body reacts to his, the way he can be hard and unpleasant at times but softens to listen to me. God help me, because I really think I might be falling for Santiago Martinez all in a matter of a day.
SEVENTEEN
Santiago
It took a lot of self-control,too much, actually, which is why I’m a live wire, ready to burn the candle at both ends to see who’s at fault for the situation Cadence is in. She may not have understood the look that bitch Leah had on her face, or the way Cadence was asked to go out with two of them. I’d bet my last billion dollars that Leah was after something more than Doctor Manning was giving her. Not only that, but this Rachel character is about to be put out of business effective immediately. I may not get my hands dirty in the under-workings of California; that doesn’t mean I don’t have any connections.
“What did the eggs ever do to you?” Cadence asks. I’m so lost in my thoughts of who I’m going to take down that I didn’t even ask her how she’d like her eggs after I sat her down on the barstool.
“Fuck, I should have asked. How do you like them cooked?” I ignore her question. Taking out violence on eggs when I’m wishing it were a few other people is better than showing Cadence my anger.
“How about I cook, drag the barstool over by the stove, then you can go do your macho man thing?” It’s not a bad idea, and it would get things taken care of quicker.
“No, you need to rest. This will give me time to calm down, too. Eggs?”
“Scrambled with cheese, please. At least let me butter the toast. All you have to do is slide a plate over. I can grab the rest from where I’m sitting.” She makes a hand gesture, showing how it’s done.
“Fine. Tell me about this business you’re starting?” I’ll make it my life’s work to make sure Rachel pays her the fee, even if we didn’t actually go out on a date. How the fuck is she supposed to know the difference? Not like Alejandro has the balls to go against me, not after the tongue-lashing our parents will surely give him tomorrow at our Christmas Eve dinner.
“It’s still early. I’m working on hiring a website designer. It’s kind of simple, honestly. Nothing like the elaborate career you have.”
“Cadence.” My tone is admonishing, annoyed that she’d think I would belittle her career. I don’t care if someone aspires to be a janitor if that’s what they want in life. A job is a job. Liking it is an added bonus. I’m not going to judge, which makes me an absolute dick because that’s exactly what I was doing with Cadence when Alejandro announced where she came from. It was purely selfish reasons, it still fucking is, but since I haven’t asked for forgiveness or apologized, she has a reason to be apprehensive. “I’m not ridiculing your up-and-coming business. I owe you an apology for my behavior. I judged when I shouldn’t have, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you believe that, okay?”
“Apology accepted. We were both put in a weird position. Can we, um, start over?” She holds her hand out to shake mine.
“Thank you, and no.” She looks defeated as I tell her no. I turn off the burner and slide the skillet to the back of the stove.
“Oh, okay, then can I please borrow your phone? There are only so many hits a woman can take to her ego before there’s not much left to give.” Cadence is off on her own little tangent, so she doesn’t realize I’m making my way towards her. My hand cups her cheek, being mindful not to hurt her even more.
“Cadence, look at me, cariño.” I get her attention. Judging by the way her breathing picks up, she’s gathering the understanding of what I’m after. “I’m not starting over because there’s no way a handshake can take place of this.” My lips touch hers, lightly, feeling the pillowy softness, allowing her a moment to get used to my presence. The soft hum in the back of her throat, the way her hands go to my waist, not pushing me away but pulling me closer, and when I feel them move, coasting up my chest, skin against skin, sinking her nails in along the way, my tongue sweeps across her lower lip. The slightest intake of breath has me moving my hand from her cheek to her hair, pulling it back, deepening the kiss while pressing closer between her spread thighs, knowing that if my other hand moved from where it’s at, on the back of the barstool, it would be between her legs, feeling the wetness that’s currently permeating the air with her intoxicating scent, or even better, loosening the ties at her upper back, allowing her tits to fall free and my hands to cup them, thumbs rasping over what I’m hoping for are sensitive nipples, mouth moving away from natural ruby-red lips.
“You see why I want us exactly the way we are, Cadence?” I pull back ever so slightly. She attempts to follow me, wanting more, eyes half-lidded with lust, body melting with just a kiss.