Latino Billionaire Series 2: Scarlet Flower

A gentle breeze brushed against my face, as tender as a mother’s touch to her newborn. I closed my eyes, letting the soothing sound of the ocean waves fill my ears.

The ocean, shimmering under the setting sun’s rays, was a sight so captivating it could make anyone want to stay forever. The occasional sound of a ship horn was the only thing that interrupted the peaceful rhythm of the waves. It was a minor annoyance, but one I could deal with.

I had a knack for tuning out unwanted noise. Like the chatter of the nearby families, the squealing children, and the mothers chasing after them. I pushed it all to the back of my mind, lost in my thoughts.

Life had thrown a lot at me. My best friend, Tina, was engaged to my boss, and the wedding date was set. A small smile tugged at my lips.

I was genuinely happy for her. She, like me, had weathered many storms. But one concern lingered.

She was part of the company, and I knew there might be whispers, even if they weren’t voiced. But I believed in them. They would find a way to navigate this.

Suddenly, the sun’s rays were blocked. I sighed, mildly annoyed, and slid my sunglasses down to see what was causing the obstruction.

Two young men stood before me. One with tousled brown hair, the other a blond. I assumed they would move along, but they stood there, grinning, adding to my irritation.

“Can I help you?” I asked, sitting up slightly.

“Hey, we were just wondering what a beautiful damsel like you is doing here alone,” the brown-haired one said.

“Damsel?” I raised an eyebrow. “Who’s feeding you these lines?”

The blond gestured toward a crowd at the far end of the beach. “We were just hanging out over there. Thought you might want to join us. Seems odd for a pretty lady to be all by herself.”

I glanced at the crowd and felt a wave of discomfort. I wasn’t a fan of large gatherings, especially ones where there was an abundance of exposed skin. I looked back at the boys, taking them in.

They were your typical beach jocks. Muscular, chiseled abs, tanned skin. But that was all they had going for them. Too bad they weren’t the full package.

I shook my head. “Thanks, but I’m fine here.”

“You sure?” the blond asked. “It’s pretty quiet here.”

“And you’re not bored or anything?” his friend added.

Their words were directed at me, but their eyes were focused on my cleavage, barely contained by my black bikini top. I bit the inside of my cheek. Company, my ass.

“Yeah, I’m fine here,” I repeated.

“You can’t be serious,” the blond said. “There’s more fun over there. We can make it worth your while.”

I smiled, but my eyes were flashing a warning. “You boys are cute, but you could do better. You need to work on being less obvious. If you want to get a woman into bed, try looking at her face, not her chest.”

Their faces turned a comical shade of white, like kids caught stealing cookies.

“Why don’t you go join your friends while I’m still being nice?”

With my fake smile still in place, they hesitated before turning and walking away, tails between their legs.

I shrugged and lay back down, ready to enjoy the evening breeze. It was a shame I couldn’t fully appreciate the setting sun.

A familiar cologne wafted over me. A smile spread across my lips, and a knot formed in my chest.

I felt him settle next to me, his breath tickling the back of my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

“You know I can never resist when you’re feisty, mi flor,” his deep voice, tinged with a Latino accent, whispered in my ear.

I turned to look into eyes as blue as the ocean before us. Eyes filled with mischief.

“You know I keep telling you you have a sadistic side,” I retorted.

His eyes popped wide open, feigning shock. “Me? I’m offended. I would never. As for those boys, I doubt they’ll ever attempt to charm a lady again.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sometimes, you have to hammer the point home.”

He lifted his hands in a sign of defeat. “Can’t argue with that, mi flor. But you seem a bit wound up.”

I let out a sigh, kneading the sides of my neck. “Yeah, and there’s one thing that could fix that.”

“What’s that?”

I dug into my duffel bag and pulled out the bottle of massage oil.

“A massage?” I brandished it at him.

His eyebrows knitted together. “Kelly.”

“Please?” I fluttered my eyelashes, my second secret weapon reserved just for him. The first being my boobs.

“Kelly.” His frown deepened.

“Please, baby?” I fluttered my eyelashes again. “Sweetie pie? Honey bunch? Lemon…”

“All right.” He grabbed the oil. “Throw in all the pet names you can think of, why don’t you?”

“You’re worth every one of them,” I giggled, lying down and loosening the ties of my bikini top.

For a moment, he just stood there. I glanced back at him.

“Is there something on my back?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No. It’s just my first time giving a massage.”

“Who would’ve thought?” A playful smirk spread across my face.

“Keep up that sarcasm, and you’ll get more than a massage.”

“Is that a promise?” I purred.

“You’re something else, you know that?” he said, pouring the oil into his hands and rubbing them together.

I stretched out on the towel, humming contentedly as his hands began their work. His hands slid over my body like a snake. Slippery and sly, just like him sometimes. Goosebumps prickled my arms.

His hands moved from my upper back to my shoulder blades, and his fingers lightly grazed the sides of my breasts. I shot him a sideways glance.

“Feeling playful, are we?” I asked.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, mi flor.”

His teasing wink made me shake my head and settle back down. A few moments later, I felt his hands on my butt, giving it a gentle squeeze. I jerked, spinning around to give him a raised eyebrow.

“You do know that part of my body doesn’t need a massage, right?”

“You never know,” he sang.

Shaking my head at his goofiness, I resumed my previous position. The rhythm of the ocean was just right. It was just right for some introspection.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

I blinked and turned around. “What do you mean?”

His gaze was intense. “You’ve been quiet for a while, mi flor. It’s not like you.”

I looked out at the ocean and pondered. I had been reflecting on how we had gotten here. My life was pretty amazing right now.

But like all stories, the beginning wasn’t always so wonderful. And that’s where my thoughts were.

The beginning.