Anywhere (BBW Romance) (9 page)

“You ready?” I watched as Stella stuffed the same items, minus the hair supplies, into a blue leather clutch a couple inches larger than mine.

“Yup. Let’s go get our drink on and find us some sexy
papi chulos
.”

“Oh, that you know how to pronounce?” I shook my head as I walked out the door.

Chapter Two

Old San Juan reminded me of a cross between Miami and San Francisco. The streets were narrow and mostly one-way; they were laid up and down steep hills with cars crammed along their edges. The eclectic mix of shops, restaurants and bakeries were dotted amongst government offices and houses worth at least half a million dollars. The people danced along the sidewalks, laughing loudly as they celebrated life.

Every shape and size woman was dressed in skintight clothes that left nothing to the imagination; the bright hues of their ensembles made me cringe as they highlighted rolls that should be concealed. Even thin women had the appearance of a beer-belly caused by the taut apparel and their shorts were so tight I was surprised they could even breathe. The men didn’t seem to mind though with their arms slung possessively around the shoulders of their dates as they strolled along the streets.

“Ooh. I’ve seen some pretty fine pieces of sexy here but if I see one more damn rat-tail mohawk, I’m going to pull my hair out. And don’t even get me started on the muffin tops these women think are attractive.”

I choked on my laugh as we walked towards the harbor where the cruise ships docked. The closer we got to the water, the better it felt. A faint breeze actually attempted to cool me; too bad it fanned as well as using a thin, flimsy sheet of tissue paper would. At least I still smelled good. I’d covered every part of me with my favorite gardenia lotion so when I sweat I wouldn’t smell like a wet dog.

Coming up to the corner, we approached a hostess stand. The woman smiled and greeted us in Spanish.

“
Un mesa por dos
.” My tongue wasn’t grasping the fluency these people spoke with, but it had enough accuracy to get us by.

The hostess nodded once, grabbed two menus and escorted us to an outdoor table. The covered patio was packed, conversations blurring into a jumbled hum that carried beyond the establishment’s borders.

“I’m starving,” Stella said, picking up the menu off the table.

“You must be to not complain about eating in the heat.” They did have overhead fans, which cooled the space a couple degrees.

“
Buenos dias
-“ the young woman started.

Stella held up a finger immediately. “We need an English speaking server please.”

“I speak English,” she said, her brows pulling together despite her smile. She was petite and youthful; her long, dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, which highlighted her model features. She wore a black polo shirt, embroidered with the restaurant’s logo, tucked into black shorts that showcased her slim, tan legs; I would kill for legs like hers.

“Then you’ll work just fine.” Stella glanced over the menu. “What do you recommend for an alcoholic beverage?”

“Anything with rum. All the rums we serve were brewed here locally.”

“I’ll have a strawberry daiquiri,” Stella stated.

“I’ll have a rum and coke with lime, please.”

An hour later, Stella and I were more relaxed, sipping our third drink of the evening after chowing down on plantains, rice with black beans and grilled chicken. The portion sizes were huge here. We were forced to discard over half our plates because we knew our night was far from over and carrying around a to-go box would only be a nuisance.

“Ooh, girl. Hot, Latin hunk at ten o’clock has been looking our way all evening.” I laughed when Stella tried to discreetly adjust her “girls.”

“Go talk to him. I’ll be okay by myself for a while,” I encouraged. I’d yet to look towards the table her eyes were glued to, afraid of being too obvious.

“Tempting. He’s got muscles galore and a five o’clock shadow that’s already got my pussy weeping.”

“Stella!” I felt my cheeks heat up as I threw my hands over my face. I peeked through my fingers at her. “I cannot believe you just said that.”

“If you would stop acting like a child and look at him, you’d understand why I said it.”

I dropped my hands and turned my head slightly towards the right.

“Plain white shirt, hugging his sexy chest, cargo shorts and Nike tennis shoes. Damn, even his calves are sexy. It’s the guy with the kinda longish, dark brown hair and bedroom eyes,” she said.

“Someone’s been staring a while to give that description.” I leaned my body more, honing in on the target. The second I did, his eyes locked dead on me.

My breath hitched, my center heating as his eyes glittered with amusement and desire. I quickly looked away, flushing with embarrassment. I’d never reacted to a guy like that before. I didn’t get those physical reactions that every hero and heroine did in erotic romance novels. I reached out and barely avoided spilling my drink as I quickly raised the glass to my lips and downed the entire beverage; I needed to be cooled off, fast!

“Told you.” Stella smirked, her eyes sparkling with humor and mischief as she watched me struggle to control my reaction.

I swallowed hard, biting my lower lip as the alcohol hit my system. Instead of helping though, it only warmed my pussy more, which encouraged my wandering mind.

“Damn, girl. I’ve never seen you react like that before. I was gonna call dibs on him, but I’ll play fair and let him choose. He’s heading our way.”

“What?” My eyes shot open as I leaned forward.

“
Buenos noches
.” He smiled lazily. His dark eyes regarded me with restraint; he was a blank cloud showing no emotion.

“Habbla English?” Stella stumbled over the Spanish word. I swear one of these times she was going to mean one thing but accidentally pronounce it wrong and get us in trouble.

“
Si. Habla Espanol
?” he countered, turning the wooden chair so he could straddle the back as he sat between us.

“No, but you could teach me.” She lifted her chin slightly, confidence radiating off her. I hated to admit I was envious of her assurance, especially when she casually leaned into him and ran her fingers along his copper forearm.

“
Donde tu eres
? Where are you from?” he asked. He asked Stella but then looked at me. I stiffened, awkwardly shifting in my seat. He watched my every move, giving no hint as to what he was thinking.

Stella boldly grabbed his hand, pulling his attention back to her. “I’m a Georgia peach; sweet and juicy.”

I barely managed to stifle my laugh, which probably made me look like I was having convulsions based off the raised brow Stella’s Latin lover threw my way.

“Where in Georgia?” Again, he asked Stella but looked at me.

I sucked my bottom lip between my teeth. I looked down at the brushed metal table, trying to avoid his gaze. It was as if he was trying to stare into me, get beyond what everyone saw to the raw layers within me. It unnerved me. My stomach was in knots and my sex began to pulse with my racing heart.

“Enough about me. Tell me about yourself, sexy.” Stella’s voice took on a husky quality.

“
Que quieres saber
? What do you want to know?”

“I love how you’re teaching me as we go along. Shows that you listen to what a woman wants.” She scooted her chair closer to his, sidling up to him.

“
Aqui, el placer de una mujer es lo mas importante
. Here, a woman’s pleasure is the most important thing.” His eyes landed on me as he placed emphasis on the last few words.

“Uh, I’m going to find our server and get another drink. You two, um… Well… Oh, hell. I’ll be back.” I slid my chair back, the wooden legs scraping along the concrete floor.

I turned to walk away but immediately halted when a pair of muscular arms anchored me in place. A shiver ran down my spine, sending a flutter through my womb, as he stood behind me. How did he move so quickly? He struck fast and silent like a cobra.

I barely stifled a moan as he slid my hair away from my neck, sliding a finger along my pulse point. My skin tingled in the wake of his touch.

He leaned in close, pressing his wall of muscles to my back. “I said a woman’s pleasure is the most important thing. If a drink will make you happy, I will go get it.”

My eyes widened as my knees suddenly struggled not to give out. Was I supposed to read between those lines? I looked to Stella. At first she appeared slightly disappointed but quickly slipped a smile back on her face and winked at me.

“Uh, that’s okay.” I cringed. Why was I clamming up now of all times? Not that I was ever talented in the dating department, but I’d never fumbled around like a fool before either. Okay, so most of the time…

“You need to loosen up,
nena
.”

Nen-nuh?
As he stepped back my lungs refilled with air. I hadn’t even realized I wasn’t breathing, probably because my body was humming with awareness. I was hypersensitive in his presence; he made me hot in every sense of the sexual reference. I squirmed as he threw me off-kilter.

His full lips lifted slightly at the corners, his eyes raking over me. “I know what you need.”

My mouth went dry in response to his naughty, sexual innuendo. My nipples hardened despite the hundred-degree temperature outside. Oh God. This was bad. I had never wanted to rip a guy’s clothes off like I did right now. I certainly had never wanted to rub my swollen clit against anything so bad. I needed to get away from him.

“Those your friends over there?” Stella asked, nodding her head towards the table he’d been sitting at. Two males sat back casually sipping beers, but their eyes were glued to us, intensely watching the scene we were creating.

I suddenly realized I didn’t even know his name. Nonetheless, he jerked his head, motioning for his friends to come over. They dropped a couple bills on their table and walked towards us.

His friends weren’t as muscular as he was. One was tall and thin, with lean muscle that showed slight definition, his left bicep barely protruded under his half sleeve of tattoos. His hair was gelled upwards, showing off a mohawk, thankfully without a rat-tail. His other friend was a couple inches shorter and appeared far more bulky standing next to his skinny friend. He wasn’t overweight, merely beefy in comparison. Even his hair seemed overgrown and puffy compared to the other guy.

“This is Ramon,” he said pointing to the lankier male. “This is Jaffi, and I’m Cruz.”

“I’m Stella, and that’s Summer. Now cut the crap and tell me your real name.” Stella crossed her arms in front of her and stood tall, not wanting to be dwindled by our new friends. She stood five foot seven inches without heels compared to my micro stance of five feet two inches.

“It’s not, but if you call him by his first name, he’ll shoot you.” Ramon’s brows wagged as he playfully pursed his lips.

“He won’t shoot me, but I can already hear some Spanish curse words floating my way. Would you be so kind as to tell me his first name, Ramon? After all, he is trying to shack up with my friend, and just in case he tries to pull anything, I need to know what name to give the police.”

“Stella!” Half the heat flooding my core shot to my cheeks. She was my best friend, but she definitely kept me on my toes and out of my comfort zone. I loved and hated her for it.

Ramon bent down, cupping his hand around his mouth and Stella’s ear. A moment later he stood up straight; Stella was grinning from ear to ear. He laughed at the stern disapproval painted on Cruz’s face. “Lighten up, bro. It’s not the end of the world.”

“
Por yo, no; por tu, si
.”

“
Ay
! Let’s get our salsa on,” Jaffi exclaimed in his accent thick. He sashayed his hips for effect.

“
Vamados
.” Cruz jutted his chin out towards the exit. I grabbed my clutch. Just as I was about to pull out my wallet, he threw down a hundred-dollar bill.

“I was-“

“Let’s go,” he clipped. His hands landed on my hips as he pushed me towards the opening in the gate surrounding the patio.

His hands were firm, assured. He knew what he was doing. Nerves shot through me; my insides churned with excitement and fear. Stella and I had talked about a vacation fling, but girls always daydreamed about that stuff, though it never actually happened.

Chapter Three

The guys led us a few blocks over to a white Lexus SUV. Hundred-dollar bill for dinner, like it was nothing and a luxury SUV… Clearly these guys had money, or at least Cruz did, since he was the one with the keys and the cash.

I smiled when Ramon copped a feel as he helped Stella into the back seat, his hands slid down from her waist to her ass as she moved forward. I laughed out loud when she swatted at him. My laughter quickly faded as I considered the situation. We were getting into a vehicle where we were outnumbered. Walking to another location was one thing, but driving amped-up the danger. They could lock the doors and take us anywhere they wanted.