After a few moments, he leans back. “Sadly, this voyage, like all good things, must come to an end. We have to get back to the house so my papa can give you your assignment, and Elian can get you home in time to babysit.”
“Hey speaking of your detailed knowledge of my calendar… how detailed are we talking about?”
“Oh, Elian has you all figured out. You apparently rambled quite a bit on your date. He said it was very boring.”
I swat his arm. “Shut it, jerk. I happen to know I was adorable and charming.”
Sandro stands and offers both hands to pull me up. “Of course you were, gorgeous. Regardless, we know what nights you babysit, and we certainly don’t want your mommy upset. So let’s go.”
The cruise back to the Vargas home was relaxed. Sandro kept his hand on my knee, and tension coiled in my belly when I gazed at him, thinking over our escapades. I’d never had sex on a boat before, but now that memory would always be tied to him.
I help Sandro park the boat, throwing out the bumpers on his instruction and then allowing him to help me off the boat like some kind of delicate flower I decidedly am not. He claims my hand, twining our fingers together, and we walk happily back to the house with the warmth of the sun still on our skin. My heart is full, my head a little dreamy after such a weekend.
When Sandro pushes open the sliding door, my head straightens up at lightning speed.
Lounging on the buttery white leather sectional is the rest of Sandro’s family, and Emiliano and Manuel.
Chapter20
“So, all I have to do is deliver a package?”
“Pretty much.”
“And it’s not a gun, or a brick of drugs, or like, a severed head, right?”
Elian laughs. “No, none of the above.”
“Okay…” my heart is racing. We just left the house with the excuse that I have to be home to babysit. After Vincente Sr. told me I’d be helping thecousinswith a minor job, my ears seemed to be stuffed with cotton and I didn’t really hear much more. “Run it by me one more time?”
“Miguel and Diego are hosting a party. That’s what they do. They are sort of a one-stop shop for catering, parties, you know. So they have a party. It’s being thrown by a politician, who is concerned about his safety, so he’s going to be checking the guests thoroughly. You will have the package because Emiliano and Manuel can’t bring it in.”
“Won’t I get checked?”
“You won’t be bringing in anything dangerous or obvious, so you don’t have to worry about it. You’ll be coming in as entertainment, vouched for by Diego and Miguel.”
“What kind of entertainment? I don’t know if you know this about me, but I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”
“Not that kind of entertainment, mama. These parties… they like to have a lot of pretty women around. They pay top dollar for them.”
I try, but I’m drawing a blank. “I don’t get it.”
“They pay for escorts.”
“Escorts? Like prostitutes? You don’t seriously expect me to-”
“No, Mama,escorts, not prostitutes. My cousins are very careful. All that they broker is the presence at the party of a certain number of glamorous women. What those women do, on their own time, after the party, is their business. For my cousins, it’s just about providing beautiful women to fill a room.”
“Okay…”
“So all you have to do is turn up, bring the package with you, and hang around until Emiliano and Manuel ask you for it. You will deliver the package to the person they indicate, and then you’ll go home.”
“Seems simple enough.” I chew my lip.
“It really is, mama. You’re going to spend more time getting ready than you will be doing the actual job, I promise.”
“So, what is the package?”
Elian laughs. “You really didn’t pay attention at all?”