Miami Spice (10 page)

“He’s an incredibly perceptive and generous
man, plus talented and interesting over all.”
Something you’ll
never be, buster!

“Well, just be careful. Nico might surprise you
yet.”

About to walk out the door, Erica turned around and
glanced at her client. Gianni gave her a smile, thin-lipped and
etched with veiled cynicism, while his eyes played up a sly glint.
“I’m just looking out for you. Guys aren’t always who they make out
to be, including my brother. The package might come nicely wrapped,
but you might not like what’s inside once you open it.”

Well, you should know! Any girl who tears
aside your flashy wrapping will be in for one big let down when she
finds a dud inside!
“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Erica announced
in a superior tone. “I’m a big girl now and can take care of
myself. Unless your brother is a closeted ax murderer, I’m going to
see him as much as possible while he’s here. Plus, I plan to make
sure our weekend together will be truly memorable.”

With that, she pivoted on her heels and
flounced down the hall. Erica didn’t have to turn around again to
know that Gianni regarded her from his apartment door. She could
almost feel his lecherous stare burn through her floral sundress
and scorch her soft derrière. Just for the hell of it, she produced
an exaggerated sashay of her hips.

Take a good look, buster, ‘cause you ain’t
never gonna get any of this!

* * *

Even as Erica offered her own Hyundai Elantra
for the trip, Nico decided to borrow his twin’s Jag. The weather,
he told her over the phone, remained too nice not to drive with the
top down and enjoy nature. She couldn’t agree more. Now, as she
packed for the trip, Erica tried to keep romance in mind as far as
wardrobe was concerned. Once they hit the B&B, she didn’t plan
to experience all that much of nature except to drink champagne
with a toast to an inspiring sunset.

Working at her drawing board at home, she was
already steeped in colors and fabrics for her neighbor’s apartment
when Mari phoned. Erica, of course, had nothing to offer when she
heard her sister’s lament. Gianni the Romeo, it seemed, had been
called out of town yet again.

“All I can suggest,” Erica cautioned, “is to
ask him directly. If he is seeing someone else, maybe out of town,
he’ll either be honest and up front, or lie to you. Then,
cariña
, it’s up to you if you wish to continue seeing him or
not.”

She heard her sister sigh on the other end. “But how
do I know if he’s lying? Men are good at it, even better than women
sometimes. My ex Ricky is a prime example of a lying SOB.”

“Take note of his habits. How many times does he go
away? Does he break dates with you? Does he have telltale lipstick
marks on his collar or reek of another woman’s perfume?”

“You know,
tesora
, you’re not very
encouraging.”

“Sorry, sweetie, but I’m the last person you
should talk to about this stuff. My experiences with men haven’t
been topnotch.”

“So, what are you doing this weekend?” Mari asked
with an expectant lilt in her voice. “I thought maybe we could do
some sisterly-girlfriend bonding. You know, take in a movie, eat
pasta and do each other’s hair.”

Erica gulped as she tried to frame her answer
without giving out specifics. “Oh, I’m sorry,
amor,
but I’m
going on a buying trip this weekend, to an estate sale out of
town.”

“That makes the two of you,” her sister
chuckled wryly. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re
Gianni’s other woman.”

Erica laughed along, though she knew Mari
wasn’t that off the mark. Yet why did she hesitate to tell her own
sibling about the other Sloan brother?

Because if I start advertising my romance with Nico,
the whole relationship will be over before it even starts.

Instead, she scrambled for a tried-and-true,
if not inane, answer. “Just hang in there. You’ll know soon
enough.”

Releasing her silk scarf, Erica allowed her hair to
tumble in the wind. “I’d like to visit your gallery and see some
more of your work. In fact, we might be able to work out an
agreement where I can include your paintings in my inventory of
design decor.”

“Wow, that’s quite a compliment, but I’m not
sure I can live up to your standards.” As he spoke, Nico gave her a
quick glance and a smile before he returned his focus on the road
ahead.

“Oh, your work is wonderful, no doubt about
that. You utilize such vivid colors and brush strokes. I already
envision several rooms in your brother’s place with your paintings
as focal points.”

Tilting his head, Nico chuckled lightly. “You
know, Ms. Rael, if you keep up this ego-stroking, I’ll be putty in
your hands.”

Erica’s lips crept upwards in a giddy smile. “That’s
quite all right. I love to work in clay. There’s something very
sensual about molding and smoothing and caressing it before the
masterpiece hardens.”

Nico grinned. “Oh, oh! You’re going to get me
too excited, and we have another fifty miles to go.”

I could offer to give you a blow job right
now,
she thought with a sly smile.
But I’d hate to have a
life-threatening accident in the middle of the Everglades. Worse,
end up biting off that gorgeous cock!

In deference to the dangers of causing an
arousal, the couple decided to stick to innocuous subjects until
their arrival at Calypso Bay and the Bed & Breakfast called La
Masón del Mar.

According to Nico, the weathered Victorian
rated four stars on his Internet search, and since his own parents
had stayed there once and raved about the service, he felt
confident his date for the weekend would love it as well.

The minute Erica walked into the foyer/lobby,
she fell in love with the place—and not just from a decorator’s
standpoint. The owners, the husband and wife team of David Hughes
and Patsy Cargill, had put much thought into ambiance and decor
with slate-blue walls and overhead fan lights. Hurricane bowls
contained sweet-smelling potpourri, while wicker and distressed
wood furniture offered tweed pillows and brass accents.

Nico had booked them a room with its own bath
and French doors opening onto a balcony. As she walked in, Erica
immediately noticed the sweet aroma of hibiscus and mimosa, and the
island-inspired fabric prints in sea foam green and ocean blue.

“Oh, this is spectacular! It’s as if we’re in
Tahiti!” Opening wide the louvered doors, Erica breathed in the
tangy scent of the sea.

Nico’s arms soon circled her waist, and he
nuzzled her ear. “You’re much more spectacular, my dear.”

She gave him a provocative brush along his
groin. “Flatterer!”

“Teaser!”

“Strip or cock?” She laughed.

“You tell me.”

After turning her around, he pulled Erica
against him and sought her mouth for a long, intoxicating kiss.
This time she didn’t need to do a provocative rub to produce the
desired effects. His cock strained mightily against the fly of his
khaki shorts. In order to help the poor man out, she quickly
unzipped and released him. The feel of smooth flesh over the hard
core of his cock only served to inflame her more, while her own
pelvis burned with an intensity to rival the midday sun.

Soon their hands clawed at fabric until Nico
had Erica’s dress bunched up to her hips and he pulled his pants
down and flipped them away. Suddenly, their need became too great
to take to the bed. Instead, he hiked her against one of the
louvered doors and allowed her to ring her bare legs around his
waist before he plunged inside. While Nico thrust and parried with
quick strokes, their mouths dueled in a frenzied give and take.

The trade winds caressed their bodies as they
continued to stoke their arousal. When Erica moaned with growing
excitement, Nico began to drill with deeper thrusts. To increase
his pleasure, she ran her tongue along his neck and sucked at his
warm, silky skin. She felt him shiver with her efforts; and, in
turn, he placed his cheek to hers and nibbled at her ear. She
tightened her arms around his neck and rode him with her own fury
as she worked her way to climax. His arms, back, and thighs became
a mass of terse muscles as he, too, sought fulfillment.

“Oh, baby,” he groaned. “I’m going to jack
right now and take you with me. I want you to come all over my cock
with your hot, hot juices.”

“Yes, yes,” Erica murmured as Nico gave one
last thrust, forceful enough to knock her and the door against a
nearby accent table. As the vase of flowers clattered to the floor
with a tinkle of glass, they came together in a shuddering, mutual
explosion.

“Oh, oh,” she finally gasped, “I think we
might have broken something.”

“Besides my back,” he chuckled. “That’s okay,
we’ll put it on our tab.”

With Erica still wrapped around him, Nico
took them the queen-sized bed and laid her gently along the batik
spread. Yet before he could pull away, she grabbed him by the shirt
lapels and pulled him across her prone body. Mouths sought and
found each other once more, this time in a slow, enduring embrace
of lips and tongues until they both came up for air.

Nico peered into her eyes. “Well, now that
we’ve taken care of those preliminary lusts, how about starting our
little holiday?”

Jumping up, he went to his canvas travel bag,
delved inside, and brought over a shirt box. “For you, my dear,” he
announced as his eyes gleamed with anticipation. “A little present
to start the weekend off just right.”

Coming to the edge of the bed, Erica eagerly
accepted her gift and opened the box. The silken folds of a short,
rose-hued negligee with antique lace caught more than her attention
as she draped it up and across her breasts. She couldn’t believe
her lover’s generous and romantic gift.

Now she tried to blink back her tears of joy.
“Oh, thank you, Nico, it’s absolutely beautiful!”

A slight blush worked up his neck as he
accepted her hug and kiss of gratitude. “Oh,
querida
,” he
murmured as he gently pulled away. “I’m glad you like it, but if we
keep this up, we’ll never leave the room.”

“Is that so bad?” she countered playfully, anxious to
try on her new teddy.

Nico patted his stomach. “Let’s eat first. I
need to regain my strength if I’m going to keep up with your
libido.”

Erica’s joy translated to a wide smile. “Well
then, lead on, oh kindred
cachondoro
, lead on!”

Grinning, he took her by the hand. “Horny
one, huh? We’ll see about that later, after we get our collective
strengths back.”

Glorious, fabulous, magical, ethereal. Erica used
most of her superlative repertoire to describe those three
wonderful, stunning days of bliss. They dined on seafood and drank
wine, usually at candlelit tables for two. Mornings found them
strolling the beach, swimming in the waves, or visiting the art
galleries and antique shops. In the afternoons, Erica and Nico lay
entwined in the B& B’s backyard hammock, either napping or
swinging lazily between the palmetto trees. Of course, they made
love as circumstances and stamina allowed.

By Sunday evening, as they traveled the
coastal highway on their return to Miami, Erica gave a sigh of
regret. She regretted they couldn’t stay longer or relive this
special time together. Perhaps, some things just weren’t meant to
be duplicated. Instead, those memories remained an intrinsic part
of a person’s future happiness. At least, she hoped so. Now, as she
sat quietly in the passenger’s seat, Erica idly fingered the
Tahitian-patterned scarf around her neck, another sweet gift from
Nico.

“Say, is there any more of that fudge left?”
he asked as he drove. On a whim, they had bought a box of the
decadent homemade stuff at a gift shop, half praline silk, the
other marbled mocha.

“Sure, which one?”

He flicked his eyes her way. “Surprise
me.”

After she pulled out a praline square and
handed it over, Nico took a bite before he spoke again. “Erica, I
have a confession to make.”

“Oh?” She tried to keep her eyes focused on
the road ahead.

“I have to leave tomorrow. My business calls,
and I’ve already neglected a couple of my clients.”

She felt as if her lover had just taken a
stiletto blade and slipped it right through her heart. But what had
she expected? He lived up north, Erica lived here. In all their
time together, they had never discussed taking the relationship on
to the next level—whatever that may be.

She choked back the bile. “Oh, well, I
understand. I was hoping you’d be my date at my cousin’s wedding.
It’s in two weeks. She’s having a traditional Cuban fiesta, with
lots of food, salsa dancing, and all that good stuff.”

“Sounds great.” Nico skipped a beat before he
spoke again. “If I can’t rearrange my schedule, do you plan to go
with your sister?”

“Actually, no. Mari told me the station is
sending her on an assignment to Tallahassee that weekend. It’s her
first major story. Although she’ll miss the wedding, she’s just too
excited about this trip.”

“Wow, that’s a great break for her. Well
then.”

When Erica ventured to look his way, she
could almost see him flipping through his mental appointment book.
“I believe I can shuffle things around so I can spend the weekend
with you. How’s that? Sorry, I can’t be more definite.”

She found herself grinning after all. “No,
actually, that’s great! The first weekend in June. Do you own a
pair of white slacks and a guayabera shirt? How about a pair of
huaraches?”

“I’m not sure,” he chuckled. “I’ll have to
ransack my wardrobe.”

“Well, that’s what most of the men will be
wearing, or even jeans. The reception is very informal, but it all
boils down to a terrific time.”