I just wished he would talk to me. Even yell. Some form of communication is better than none at all. But I had been completely closed off. Ever since the kiss on the yatch, Alejandro had done a commendable job of treating me like a virus he had to avoid at all costs. The last few days of the trip, he didn't even spend the nights in our hotel suite. I tried to convince myself for my own sanity that he had booked another room for himself and wasn't spending the nights with an exotic Cuban beauty. He was mad at me. That much I could tell. But it's like he was even more mad at himself. As soon as we boarded the jet on our way back, he occupied the seat furthest from mine. I had to watch from afar as the air hostess tried her hardest to seduce him. I felt a bit better seeing that he didn't pay her any attention whatsoever. I didn't even have it in me anymore to be angry. The sadness I felt weighed down heavily on my heart, making it almost impossible for me to feel any other emotion.

« Ladies and gentlemen, this is your pilot speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts, we'll be landing soon », the voice came over the intercom. I fastened my seatbelt and look out the window. The sky was a murky grey color and it had already started to drizzle. It was going to rain and quite heavily. Even the weather knew I was in a terrible mood. As soon as we landed, I grabbed my purse and quickly made my way out of the jet. There were two cars waiting for us at the landing strip. I thought nothing of it until I realized I was headed toward Paco and Alejandro was headed the other way. I stopped and the words spilled out before I could keep them in. « You're not coming? », my voice was strained, almost like I was scared of his answer. In all honesty I was.

He replied to some messages on his phone and didn't even spare me a glance, « I have some work to do at the office. I'll be home late. Don't wait up », and he got in the car.

I stared as the car sped away. Paco didn't rush me. He just let me have my moment. I snapped out of it and got in the car when I felt something wet against my cheek. It was the rain. Just the rain.

**********************

What the hell was I thinking?!. I tried to pull away. But as soon as I felt her lips against mine, I quickly threw caution to the wind. It's like I went back in time. To the first time I kissed her. I was one of those nights when she had successfully snuck out of the house. We got some food and drove to a secluded area at the mountains and had the most fun time on the back of my truck. We didn't want to risk anyone seeing her as it could quickly get back to her father. I felt terrible knowing I couldn't give her better, couldn't take her to a fancy restaurant and stuff like that. But she wasn't bothered. She was content watching the city lights and I was content watching her. Until is started to rain. I expected her to run into the truck but she just looked at me with the brightest smile ever. « I've never played in the rain before », I looked at her surprised and she shrugged. « My mom never let me. Said it was for the low life people. And my dad just screamed at me for being disobedient whenever I tried »

The first emotion I felt was pity. Pity that someone so amazing had been neglected by the people who were supposed to love her the most. That emotion was followed by admiration. Admiration that someone who has received barely any love still had so much to give the world. It was at that moment that I fell irrevocably in love with Diana Prichard. I always knew she was too good for me. Always knew I would never measure up to the numerous suitors at her doorstep. I couldn't buy her Swarovski diamonds, couldn't get her an island as a birthday gift, couldn't even dream of being within a fraction of her social circle. But here she was. With the scrawny kid who could only offer a cheap knock off gold plated bracelet. I knew without a doubt that she loved me too, but I guess I know better now.

I couldn't avoid her forever but I could try. I just wasn't ready to face her and pretend everything was perfectly ok, that I wasn't affected when I deeply was. I had been holed up in the office for 5 hours doing absolutely nothing. I mean, I didn't lie. I did have work but it was nothing I couldn't do at my home office. I just needed time away from her to get my head straight. I looked at the time. It was 8:27. I had hidden away for too long. I grabbed my suit jacket and walked out of the office.

Time to face my demons.

I did one last check of the table to make sure everything was in order. I then looked at the mirror hoping there were no creases on my dress.

I was fed up with Alejandro ignoring me. Not only was this taking a huge toll on my sanity but it also wasn't good for Bengy to see us at loggerheads with each other. So I decided a candlelit dinner might just do the trick. I had prepared one of his favorite meals, farmers market pasta with the special help of Google and I had put a little more effort into my appearance. Styling my hair in a messy bun and doing some light makeup. A little mascara and blush, nothing too flashy. I was about to straighten the knife I had straightened close to 12 times before when I heard the door open.

I knew it was him. If the hair on the back of my neck standing up wasn't a telltale sign, then his heady cologne was. It was so intoxicating, I could get lost in his scent forever. I squared my shoulders and turned around. « Welcome home », I offered. He gave me a blank stare. He looked past me to see the very intentional and romantic dinner setting. He arched his brow.

« I see you had someone over », he said drily

« No I didn't. This is....this is for us. I thought maybe we could have a nice dinner to talk and all that. I mean we really haven't been communicating lately and I thought this would help », I replied with a hopeful smile.

He gave me the most disinterested look he could muster, « I'm not hungry », he said while walking toward the stairs.

« But you haven't eaten all day », I countered

« I'll have the chef make me something. That's what I pay him to do anyways »

« Why wake him up when I already made you something?. It's farmers market pasta. You love it right? »

« You can give it to Paco. I don't want it. All you did was waste your own time trying to do this »

Tears sprung to my eyes, « I'm really trying here Alejandro. I know you hate me and I know I'm probably the last person who deserves your kindness but even I deserve to be treated like a decent human being. Why are you being such a horrible person? »

He laughed maniacally, « I'm the horrible person?, I'm the horrible person?!. », he marched to me, « You must be confused Diana. I'm not the gold digger between the both of us. I have shown you and your family nothing but kindness even after everything you put me through. I'm not the one who spreads my legs for every man out there for the pleasure of money »

I didn't realize I had hit him until my palm started to sting. He held onto his assaulted jaw and chuckled. « If that's what you think of me then fine. I want absolutely nothing to do with you », I moved past him and power walked to our room. I just needed to get a few things like my pyjamas and toiletries. I had decided I was going to spend the night in a guest room as soon as his uttered that damaging comment. I wasn't going to sleep by someone who thought of me as nothing but a whore. I tried to get as much as I could. I would come back for the rest of my stuff tomorrow while he would be at work. I was about to walk out of the room when he harshly grabbed my arm and pulled me to his chest. « Let go of me Alejandro. Right now. I don't have anything to say to you and as I said before I want nothing to do with you », I hissed

He just chuckled, « That's rich coming from you »

I tried to pull myself free, « Let go Alejandro. Right fucking now »

« You still love me Diana. You know you do », he said

« I... »

« You still love me and you still want me. And I'm going to prove it to you », with that he crashed his lips on mine. I tried to push him off, hitting his hard chest with as much strength as I could muster but my subconscious won and my hands found their way to his silky soft hair. He grabbed the underside of my thighs and hoisted me up, forcing me to wrap my legs around his lean waist. Our tongues battled for dominance but I had long accepted that Alejandro was and will always be the dominant one, so I had no qualms relinquishing control to him. I detached my bruised lips from his and took a much needed breath. He fixed me a most intense stare and then unceremoniously threw me on the bed. I didn't even know we were that close to it.

I instantly grew worried, thinking he wanted to run away like before, but my fears quickly dissipated when he started unbuttoning his shirt. I started to feel warm. All the man was doing was unbuttoning a shirt and I felt like I was at a Magic Mike show. He flung it at some random corner of the room and descended on me. He hiked my dress up to my waist and pulled it off me so I was left bare. He then spread my legs to make room for him. He started kissing me again while simultaneously running his fingers up and down my exposed thighs. That slight touch alone set the fire ablaze and I started making sounds I couldn't even describe. His hand glided up my left thigh till it ended at my center. Where I wanted him the most. He teasingly splayed his palm over the lacy fabric of my panties and looked at me with a wicked smirk before ripping it clean off.

I gasped in horror and all he did was chuckle. He circled my sensitive nub, causing my breath to hitch. He was provoking me. « Please Alejandro », I whined

« Please what? », he goaded. I remained silent. He had to know what I wanted. He just had to. « I won't know what you want until you tell me dolcezza »

« Please touch me », I relented

« That's more like it », with that, he inserted a long, slender digit in me. It felt good but foreign. It had been a long time since I got intimate with someone. God knows I barely let Michael touch me, so I could only imagine how tight I was. The foreign feeling quickly gave way to pleasure. I arched my back and delivered myself to Alejandro on a silver platter. The man was a magician with his fingers. The evidence could be found in the embarrassing moans I gave out. I then started to feel the familiar signs of my climax. I could barely form words as I pulled Alejandro palm towards me, urging his digit to go deeper in my center. I chased my high. Begging him to go faster. And soon enough, I arched my back even more than before and released a long moan that would put a harlot to shame. I fell back on the bed, panting like a track runner. I looked up to find Alejandro taking his trousers off. He was left in his black Calvin Klein boxers. They did nothing to hide his very prominent bulge. He looked me square in the eye. As if asking if I really wanted this. I returned his gaze with an unwavering stare and that cemented his decision. He pulled them down and released his hard member which slapped against his chiseled abs. I stared in equal parts excitement and fear. I just hoped I wasn't split in half. He joined me on the bed and once again lay between my legs.

He looked at me, « Do you really want this? »

« Yess. Please Alejandro. Make love to me », I begged.

He thrust into me full force. Going all in at once. I clearly underestimated his size as I tried to adjust. I took deep breaths and tried to relax. After a few minutes, I nodded and he started moving. He was gentle at first, moving in slow, short strokes. Giving me time to adjust to his girth. But he couldn't keep it up for long, neither could I as I urged him to go faster. He rapidly increased his pace and started thrusting into me with reckless abandon. I was getting there, and so was Alejandro. We shamelessly chased our highs and climaxed together. I panted heavily while Alejandro rolled off me so as not to crush me with his weight. I turned to him and smiled.

He smiled back, « I think I'll have dinner now », he said.