I wiped my eyes as I finished chopping the onions and popped them into the pan.
‘Here she is,’ I heard Alejandro’s voice from behind me.
I spun around to see him walking into the kitchen with his father, Mateo. I’d never met him before but I’d seen pictures of him. He was an imposing figure, dressed smartly in a suit and possibly the shiniest shoes I had ever seen in my life.
Alejandro looked just like him. I wiped my hands on the towel before self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. If I’d known Alejandro’s father was stopping by, I’d have worn something a lot smarter than a tank top and a skirt. Not to mention the fact that I was following the no panty rule to the letter these days. I blushed as I realized that fact, and thanked the Lord that my skirt was a maxi.
‘Alana, this is my father,’ Alejandro said as they walked towards me.
‘Mr. Montoya, it’s so lovely to finally meet you,’ I said, extending my hand, my voice barely a whisper.
He ignored my outstretched hand and grabbed me by the shoulders before planting a kiss on each cheek. ‘Please, call me Mateo. You are family. Family don’t call me Mr. Montoya.’
‘Mateo,’ I said with a nod.
‘Papa just stopped by to see us on his way back to Nevada,’ Alejandro said as he walked to the refrigerator and took out a jug of fresh lemonade that Magda had made earlier that morning.
I smiled at him. So he hadn’t been expecting his father either then. ‘Will you be staying for dinner, Mr … I mean, Mateo?’ I asked, suddenly aware that I was making cheeseburgers for dinner. I bet he was used to much finer dining than that.
He turned to Alejandro who nodded subtlety while he poured three glasses of lemonade. ‘Of course. I’d love to. What are we having?’
I blushed to the roots of my hair. ‘I was going to make cheeseburgers. But I could do something else?’
He frowned at me and then at Alejandro. ‘Doesn’t Magda cook for you?’
‘She does most nights, but I like to cook too,’ I replied.
He nodded appreciatively. ‘And you make your own cheeseburgers?’
‘Yep,’ I said with a smile.
‘And they taste better than any burger you’ve ever eaten before. I guarantee it,’ Alejandro added and I blushed further. He had never complimented my cooking like that before.
‘Well, if that is true, you’d better not tell your Uncle Phillipe, or he’ll be finding excuses to visit you every weekend.’
Alejandro laughed as he handed each of us a drink.
‘Thanks,’ I said and he slipped his arm around my waist, skimming across my ass as he did.
Mateo was temporarily distracted by Magda walking into the kitchen. It was clear she had worked for their family for many years and she and Mateo had a brief but animated conversation in Spanish.
Alejandro took the opportunity to whisper in my ear as he squeezed my ass. ‘You have permission to go and put some panties on.’
Two hours later, Alejandro, Mateo and I had eaten our dinner and were sitting at the dining table. ‘That was delicious, Alana,’ Mateo said as he patted his flat stomach. ‘Where did you learn to cook like that?’
‘My grandma,’ I said with a smile. ‘I lived with her and my grandpa until I was fourteen. She used to cook all of her meals from scratch. We never had much money, so if I ever wanted a burger, it had to be home-made. I used to get so embarrassed when my friends came around, but once they tasted my grandma’s burgers, they used to come round every Friday night for some.’
Alejandro and his father stared at me and I felt my cheeks flush pink. ‘Sorry. Was I rattling on?’ I asked. I couldn’t help it. I had such lovely memories of my grandparents.
‘You weren’t,’ Mateo replied. ‘But, I didn’t realize you were raised by your grandparents?’
I shrugged. ‘My mom and dad were always on the campaign trail. So, my dad asked his mom and dad to look after me. It was better that I stayed in Brooklyn with them.’
‘You were raised in Brooklyn?’ Alejandro asked.
‘Uh-huh. Queens. Until my grandma died anyway and then I moved to Manhattan with my folks.’
Alejandro and his father shared a look that I couldn’t quite fathom but then they quickly changed the subject and started talking about the plans for the upcoming wedding of one of Alejandro’s cousins.
We lay in bed, my head on Alejandro’s chest and him tracing his fingertips up and down my arm. This was my favorite post-sex position, our warm bodies pressed together – his hard and mine soft, and nothing to do but fall asleep.
‘I had no idea you were raised by your grandparents,’ he said softly.
‘Well, why would you? I think we’ve already established you know very little about me, Mr. Montoya,’ I said as I ran my fingertips across the tattoos on his chest.
‘There’s nothing about that in any of your bios.’
‘You read my bios?’ I looked up at him and laughed softly.
‘Yes. I always research people I’m going into business with,’ he said with a flash of his eyebrows.
‘Well, your research into me was pretty shocking to say the least. Everyone knows those bios are a crock of shit.’
He ran his thumb across my lower lip, pulling it downwards so my mouth was open slightly. ‘Careful, princess,’ he warned. ‘So, why don’t you tell me what I’m missing then. Who is the real Alana Carmichael?’
I blinked at him. I wasn’t sure I wanted him to know. That would feel like the last of my defenses were gone. ‘Who do you think she is?’ I purred as I ran my hand down his chest towards his groin.
He grabbed my wrist, stopping me from going any further. ‘Stop trying to distract me with sex. Why did you live with your grandparents, and why is that a secret?’
‘It’s not a secret. Anyone who actually knows me or my family knows the truth. But living with my grandparents is just not something that my family advertise, that’s all. My dad is all about the importance of family so it was just better for his campaign not to mention it.’
Alejandro frowned at me. ‘You mean politically, he’s all about family?’
‘Not just politically,’ I snapped.
‘But, he sent you to live with your grandparents? Not to mention he …’ he shook his head and trailed off.
‘I loved living with my grandparents. They were the best,’ I said, feeling annoyed that I felt like I had to justify my childhood to him. ‘My mom and dad travelled a lot on the campaign trail. My grandparents were able to give me stability and security that travelling with my parents wouldn’t.’
‘That sounds suspiciously like a sound bite,’ he said.
‘It’s not a sound bite. It’s true,’ I insisted. ‘My grandma and grandpa were the best.’
He reached up his hand and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. ‘You already said that. Besides, I’m not suggesting that they weren’t. I’m just shocked that your father bleats on about how family is so important to him, yet he dumps his only child on his parents.’
‘He didn’t dump me,’ I snapped. ‘It was for my own good.’
‘Yeah, you keep telling me that. But I don’t buy it.’
‘You’re an asshole,’ I said as I tried to push myself away from him but he held me tight.
‘You keep telling me that too. I don’t doubt that you had a great childhood and your grandparents loved you very much, but you said you never had any money either?’
‘I said we never had much money. We had enough. Not everybody grows up in a gated mansion, Alejandro.’
‘I know that,’ he frowned. ‘But your parents have always had money.’
‘Not always. They’ve always created the illusion of having a lot of money, but when I was growing up, most of the money went on my father’s campaigns.’
He nodded as though something suddenly made sense to him. ‘Why are you so loyal to a man who would give you away – twice?’
‘He didn’t give me away!’ I snapped. Why was he being so cruel? ‘He had no choice.’
‘Is that what he told you?’ he scowled at me.
‘Isn’t that true?’ I hissed.
‘We always have a choice, Alana. Even if it’s a difficult one.’
‘Yes, well sometimes people make choices because they’re desperate –’
‘And sometimes, they make them because they are blind to the truth,’ he replied.
I was about to argue with him, but he rolled on top of me and crushed his mouth over mine. I bit on his lip and he stopped kissing me, grinning at me instead.
‘Feisty tonight, princess?’ he said and then he was at my neck, biting and sucking. I wanted to tell him to stop but my body had other ideas. ‘Stop trying to distract me with sex,’ I snapped.
He chuckled softly. ‘I think we both need a distraction,’ he kissed my neck again. ‘Because for some reason, asking you about your past has made you pissed.’
‘You accusing my father of giving me away to you has made me pissed,’ I snapped.
‘Hmm. We’ll revisit our different understandings of how this contract between you and I came to be, Alana. But not right now,’ he said as he moved lower and sucked one of my nipples into his mouth. ‘Right now, all I want do is make you forget why you’re so pissed at me.’
‘I’d like to see you try,’ I panted as his hand slid slower until his fingers were between my thighs. Even as I said it, I knew I was fighting a losing battle. My body responded to his of its own volition even when my brain was telling it otherwise.
‘It certainly feels like you’d like me to try,’ he growled as he slipped two of his thick fingers inside me.
My legs parted for him and he took the opportunity to move his head southwards before he settled between my thighs and I groaned in desperate need of him. ‘You know I can make you come so hard, you’ll forget what day of the week it is, don’t you, princess?’ he growled against my pussy making my legs tremble.
I wanted to tell him he was wrong and accuse him of being an arrogant asshole, but the truth was, he was right.
‘Yes,’ I breathed instead and then I pressed my head back against the pillow as I concentrated on the miracles this devil could perform with his tongue.
