so too,” Susan said with her hands to her hips. Marcella grabbed her pillow and threw it at her friend, who jumped out of the way just in time.
“ Seriously, if you don’t get out and start dating again, I’m going to put you on one of those hookup sites.” Susan gave ‘jazz’ hands. “Beautiful, single black female. Talented, creative, can give good head.”
“ Ewl! Is this my ad or yours?”
Susan clutched her chest. “Please tell me you’ve sucked someone off before!”
“ Not everybody is as oversexed as you.” Marcella chuckled.
“ But they should be. They should.” Susan blew a kiss and flounced out. Ginger jumped down and followed her.
“ Traitor!” Marcella yelled after the cat. She shut her eyes tight, deciding on sleep. Maybe she’d go out. Who knows, she felt like some fresh air today.
Diego slipped out his timepiece, flipped it open and checked the antique black dials on the white porcelain face. The watch worked again. The tiny minute hand ticked on and on, never breaking time. He dropped it once more to the front pocket of his vest, the 18kt gold chain keeping it pinned in place. A small smile curled the corner of his mouth.
“ That’s the last one. Not for export though. It’s probably one of his little hideout spots to get away from your mother. We found it buried under the secretary’s name.” Lance opened the leather binder on his lap. “There’s a boat as well.” Diego accepted the photograph of a boat parked at some marina. The side of the hull had his mother’s name written across it. He frowned tossing the image back at Lance. He returned his gaze to the passenger window. “Take me back to the restaurant.”
Lance gave the order to the driver. The traffic, a stop and go cranky crowd, lurched westward in spurts and after twenty minutes he arrived at El Jay’s. Lance handed over the key to the office above. Diego stared out at the restaurant remembering Juan’s sadness and fear when he had to give it up.
Lance walked around the car and stopped at his side. “I have the key.”
“ You want me to wait?”
“ Send the car back.” He reached for the doorknob and paused.
Her.
An unexpected vision emerged out of the streams of people walking along the sidewalk. He’d seen her before. Over a month ago she bumped into him in the restaurant, a flustered sight of soft femininity. Their collision had stayed with him for several hours after. She was quite striking, with her medium brown skin and jet-black hair that seemed to have a natural curly wave pattern to it. He distinctly remembered wondering about her figure under her coat. Today, she wore a leather waist jacket, and jeans that made her walk even more pleasing. Diego studied her for a moment.
“ Something wrong?” Lance asked.
The breath grew hot in his lungs. She had a quiet beauty that drew him in. Sure her face was pretty enough, but it was the graceful way she moved along, stopping to look into a store window, and then smiling at others she passed that told him more of her gentle nature. She was taller than he remembered, but it was an evident lift provided by her thin-heeled boots. Her legs were toned and seductively tucked in a pair of ink black riding boots that were snug to her muscled calves. His gaze leveled on her shapely thighs then made a slow climb to her backside when she turned away. On her head, situated to cover her left brow, she wore a crotched black beret. Her long tresses hung evenly on both sides of her face, lifting in the wintry breeze. Her aura burned brightly. Then she reached the doors of El Jay’s. She looked down at the menu on the sidewalk sign and he waited to see her intentions. As he hoped she went inside.
“ No. Nothing’s wrong. Send the driver back for me.” Diego ordered then stepped out of the car.
Chapter Four
Marcella entered and scanned the establishment once more. In Port
Learning to Kill: Stories