Yeah, I had it bad for the vivacious woman.
Bad enough I had a feeling I was falling in love.
Who knew a man like me could want something so traditional. Now it was all about convincing the family I was good enough for the only girl in the family.
Or…
Just before grabbing my bag and heading into the bathroom, I studied the way the wind rustled her dress. Or maybe I could take the bull by the horns. I did tell the lovely woman she belonged to me. Why not make good on my promise?
By going all out one hundred percent?
* * *
“It’s absolutely gorgeous here.”
Emmeline’s voice sounded much more relaxed than before. “Yes, she is.” By the time she figured out I was talking about her, a full two minutes had gone by.
“Very funny. I’m talking about this beautiful place.”
“Not elegant enough for someone of your caliber.”
“Oh, please. This is perfect. Quaint. Off the beaten path. Just perfect if you ask me.”
The long lunch had been exactly what we’d both needed. And the bottle of wine had been perfect with the delicious Brazilian food.
“I have to admit I could see spending a couple weeks here.”
“You? Mister shoot ‘em up and roll onto the next dangerous assignment? I’d think you’d grow bored to death.”
“First of all, I don’t regularly shoot ‘em up and second, you can’t run at full speed forever. Plus, when you have fabulous company to share the time with, you don’t want anyone else to interfere.”
Leaning over, she tossed her cocktail napkin at me. “You’re incorrigible. But I must admit I never knew you had a romantic side to you.”
“I’m very romantic. Who are you kidding?” I tossed my napkin onto the table, standing and holding out my hand. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” She stared at my outstretched hand.
“Wherever I want. Trust me.”
Her smile could light up the outdoor space and in truth, it had. There were several couples staring at me, enjoying being voyeurs to our fake marriage. As soon as she grasped my hand, I pulled her close and away from the table. When I spun her around in time to thesertanejomusic, she was shocked, gasping loudly enough our actions drew additional attention.
After another twirl, I pulled her close, using a few salsa moves I’d learned for the romantic acoustic guitar.
Not to be outdone, she moved with me, her steps perfectly in time to the beat. With my arm over my head, I artistically spun her around several additional times then yanked her against me forcefully.
Several tables clapped, providing their feedback.
She cocked her pretty little head and gripped my arms. “You truly are a very bad boy.”
“I figured I couldn’t allow you to take all the dark karma vibes yourself. We’ll be bad together.”
“Alright. Deal. I like that.”
“Then let’s take a walk on the beach before we have dessert.” After I asked if we could take our wine to the beach, and yes, we could, I refilled our glasses. The restaurant had also been told we were returning. Was I taking a chance by being seen in public? Maybe, but at least we were in a public place.
“I thought dessert would be in our room,” she cooed, like the little vixen she was.
I placed the tip of my index finger on her nose. “I guess I could correct my statement. Dessert number one. Come on.”
