Revolving Doors (28 page)

CHAPTER 51

~*~*~

The next morning, I slid out of bed and hopped in the shower, Ken managed to sleep through it all. When I left, I kissed him on the cheek and ducked out.

When Natalia and I returned that evening, there was plenty of activity, and the pool and hot tub were the busiest I had seen them in a long time.

The bustle of energy reminded me of being a kid in
Rio and mesmerized seeing the city that never went to sleep.

We spotted Valentina in the restaurant area having dinner with Alexio, the two of them looked cozy and comfortable with one another.

“They look like they’re made for each other,” Natalia remarked.

“Don’t they?” I exclaimed excited at the sight of them. “I think he knows, but Valentina needs to recognize. I can’t wait for the day.”

“I kinda think it’ll happen sooner than later,” Natalia added.

Both Natalia and I secretly hoped that they had an impending love affair because we knew he would be good for her.

I found myself smiling, at the overall picture. Valentina spotted us and waved to acknowledge our presence. I ran over to say a quick hello since I didn’t know if they’d still be in the area when I emerged from my shower. Natalia headed to her suite.

An hour later, when I knocked on Ken’s door and he didn’t answer, I went in search and found him sitting in the bar area hanging out with Natalia and her guy.

I approached from behind and planted a soft kiss on the back of his neck. He turned around and smiled.

“Hey, y’all! I greeted.”

“Talia, how did you beat me down here?” I asked her.

“You know you take forever in the bathroom!”
she laughed. “I got in the shower, got out and got dressed.”

“I don’t take
that
long!” I yelled, as Kenny shot me a knowing glance.

“Right! Don’t forget you’re talking to someone that knows you really well.”

“You’re right,” I said in defeat. “Point taken.”

Natalia’s guest began laughing at the exchange, as did Kenny.

“Gabriella, meet Carter,” she said proudly, in a starstruck sort of way. “He’s been treating me very well,” she commented looking into his eyes.

“Hello Carter,” I said extending my hand, “It’s nice to meet you and nice to know you’re taking care of my sister.”

“Sisters?” he queried.

“
Sisters
” we confirmed in unison.

I took my place on Kenny’s lap in the sofa chair he had moved to and as I sat down, I turned his face toward me and affectionately kissed him on the lips.   

“Hey you,” he said, sliding his arm around my waist. “You’ve been MIA today. Missed you when I woke up and you’d abandoned ship.”

“Sorry,” I whispered. “Did you feel me kiss you on your cheek while you slept?”

“I thought I felt those soft lips on me, but when I woke and you were gone, I was sure I’d dreamt it,” he smiled.

“No, baby love, it really happened.”

He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “You look amazing in that dress! I’m already trying to figure out how I’m gonna get it off around that perfect peach.”

“
Ooh
, I can’t wait,” I purred. “I’m sure you will be able to figure it out. I have total faith in your skills.”

“You do, huh?”
he said pulling me closer to him, and kissing me on my neck.

“You guys are not subtle at all!” Natalia said teasing us. “You know there’s a bunch of rooms upstairs, right? They even have beds in them,” she said winking.

“I can’t help myself,” Ken admitted. “I like that this beautiful lady with perfect curves and a nice booty, is all over me!” he said rubbing my ass softly. “Not that it wasn’t
always
nice,” he declared.

I was blushing at all the flirting. It had a nice feel to it.

“Hold on,” Natalia interrupted. “You two know each other? I thought this was your first visit, Kenneth Jacob.”

Ken and I exchanged quick glances.

“It
is
my first visit,” Ken responded.

I thought for sure in that moment when his name rolled off her tongue, she would put two and two together, but she didn’t. Why would she? There’s a million Ken
neth’s in the world!

I wanted to tell her earlier, but held back because she was filling me in on her lust for Carter, the millionaire. I didn’t want to interrupt. In addition to that, I didn’t want to dredge up the past.

I waited a bit to see if Ken would contribute more to his statement. When he didn’t, I decided to play things down a bit.

“We do know each other. Long ago, we crossed paths, had some mutual friends. I haven’t seen him in years and of all places, he pops up here.”

I was sure she would connect the dots after that statement…especially with the “
long ago”
reference.

“Oh wow! Was it awkward when you guys saw each other, or was it kind of like, damn what a small world?”

“A little of both,” Ken responded, rubbing my back.

“So when you guys knew each other before, it wasn’t anything serious, right?”

“No, Natalia…nothing serious. Stop with the interrogation.”

“How sweet is this!” she exclaimed with enough excitement for all four of us. “You know this could be fate stepping in, right?”

Oh boy, how her tune would change when she found out the truth about Kenneth, being Kenny.

The hopeless romantic was now on a roll and I needed her to stop already. Before she could continue her rant, Carter saved the day by suggesting they take a dip in the sauna.
Perfect timing
!

The two of them departed for some alone time, allowing Ken
ny and me to recover from Natalia’s line of questioning.

Over the past week he and I had connected, but not in an overly emotional way, as I was trying my best to fight as hard as I could against it.

I hadn’t seen anything on his side that hinted at his feelings becoming involved, so I was able to hold back. The truth of the matter was that if the trip went any longer than it was supposed to, that might not be an easy task to complete.

With my arm rested around his neck, I ran my fingers through his hair and asked, “Did you and Q miss me today, Papa?”

A sly grin appeared across his face, and his eyes lit up.

“You took it way back with that one,” he blushed.

“
We did miss you
. So much so, that right now, my only thoughts are of seducing my way between your thighs – face first.”

“Wow, Kenneth Jacob Augustine...that’s pretty damn sexy talk.”

“You think?”

“I do…and I like. All you really have to do is say the word.”

“That’s it?
Just a word
?” he asked bright-eyed.

“That’s it, baby! You paid a sparkly ass penny to have all the soft and wet you can handle, at your disposal.”

As I spoke the words to him, I watched his facial expression go from excited to blank. He leaned further into the chair and I felt his hand slide away from my backside.

“Did I say something wrong?” I asked snuggling up to him and attempting to get him back to where we were mere moments before.

When I saw that he was maintaining his stance, I drew back to look him in the eye and saw a slight grimace.

“
Kenny
?” I asked in an almost pleading tone. “Did I lose you?”

“Damn. Is that all this is to you, Gabriella?”

Genuinely confused, I commented, “I’m sorry. Is it supposed to be something more?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“I’m not…but should I be? I’m sure you didn’t come here to talk emotions, right? Or did I miss something? Please tell me if I’m off base so we can clear the air.”

When I made the comment, it wasn’t with malicious intent.

I hadn’t expected the shift in my tone. I even caught myself by surprise. I didn’t realize how affected I had been by the earlier exchange.

I secretly hoped he would step in when I lied to Natalia and divulge who he was. I didn’t realize how much I needed to know, although it was ten years later, that I meant something to him.

He stripped me of that when he didn’t disclose. A part of me wanted him to yell to the world that he did at one time love me and that he was remorseful.

Asking if the moment was awkward wasn’t enough. He should have initiated a dialog and not put the ball in my court to do so. He could have easily lead with, something like: “
Oh my god. I never thought I’d see you again. There’s so much I want to say
…” 

He said nothing! So I treated it like it was nothing. I mean what did he want from me?

My strategy, my coping mechanism, was to adopt an ‘
it’s all business and nothing more
’ position to shield myself.

“You’re confusing me right now, Ken
ny. What are we really talking about? You said you were trying to figure out how to seduce your way between my thighs and I said---”

“I know what you said, Gabriella,” he interrupted. “No recap needed.”

“
Okay
. But did I say something wrong?” I asked puzzled.

After a few seconds of silence, he responded, “Absolutely not. You said
nothing
wrong. You did, however, kill the mood.”

Wow, what was up with all the déjà vu?

“And by the way…I could ask how it is that you’re even on the other side of a request that has anything to do with a “
sparkly ass penny
…but I won’t.”

I was speechless and completely caught off guard.

I felt him attempting to free himself, so I stood allowing him to rise from where we sat.

I watched him walk to the bar where other guests were gathered. He left without saying a word and never turned back around to look at me, sending a clear message that he had no words to add.

Abandoned, feelings hurt and flooded with emotion, I exited the area and headed to my suite.

It was hard to believe that I was in the middle of an argument with a guy who was not my man, who was paying for pussy! Who was a client! It was the furthest thing beyond ridiculous I’d seen in a long time. I couldn’t believe that he’d gotten bent out of shape over a comment…a true comment, at that!

Ugh!

When I entered my suite, I was filled with gratitude that Valentina had switched the lodging arrangements. It would have been a major disaster if we had been forced to share the same bed.

Being in my own room allowed me to deep breathe and make my best efforts at gathering my composure so that I could think ahead with clarity.

Although I was exhausted from a full day of samba, I returned to the resort prepared to spend my night with Kenny making love and talking and whatever fell in between.

With an elaborate Carnival performance the next day, I was prepared to surrender to a restful night of sleep, but with the tossing, turning and thoughts…both past and present, in overdrive, sleep did not come easy.

CHAPTER 52

~*~*~

When there was no Ken the next morning, I became slightly alarmed. I was convinced that he had either left the resort without word or was in discussions with Valentina to proceed with a backup option for the remainder of his stay.

She would more than likely wait until the end of my performance to notify me of his decision.

Preferring to avoid any discomfort that may have occurred as a result of encountering him while we weren’t speaking, I decided against dining in the breakfast area and instead opted for room service. 

My brain was on data overload with mishap. A small part of me couldn’t wait to get back to Club Rendezvous and Goodie Bagg home so that I could immerse myself all the way into my work, becoming numb to all else.

After eating breakfast, slightly sleep deprived from the tossing and turning of the night before, I succumbed to a light nap.

Around the noon hour, I was startled by a knock on the door.

Tap, tap, tap.

“Gabriella, you in there?”

It was Natalia’s voice calling to me.

When I opened the door, there she stood dressed in shorts and a tank top, costume in her hand.

“Were you sleeping?!”

“I
was
,” I replied groggily.

“Se vestir, Gabriella!” We need to leave real soon,” she advised. “I’m glad I wasn’t waiting for you downstairs, like I started to, because we might have missed the entire show!”

She took a spot on the bed, as I moved about the suite collecting items in silence.

While in the bathroom vanity, I heard, “
What’s going on Gabriella
?” and turned to see Talia standing in the doorway watching as I sprayed my hair with leave in conditioner, and tousled the curls.

“Nothing’s going on,” I fibbed.

“Liar, liar. You didn’t even greet me when you opened the door! Is there trouble in paradise? Why wasn’t I interrupting anything when I came to the door?” she questioned.

“He knew I had to be rested for Carnival, so he stayed in his suite last night.”

“Hmmm…” she said with a suspicious eye. “You two looked all ready to engage in a full night of mischief when Carter and I left, so that seems a bit suspect to me.”

“We did engage in mischief,” I lied. “But it ended early.”

It was semi-truth. We did engage in mischief, just not the kind she was speaking of. I was in no mood to expose all the details. Not with Carnival so near. There were too many other things to focus on.

“Okay! I believe you! As long as that’s all to it. I knew it had to be something along those lines to begin with. There’s no way you’d let that gorgeous man sleep alone and by the way he was looking at you, the same goes for him.”

I was almost looking forward to her finding out the Kenneth, was Kenny, just to see how much her tune would change….right after she ripped me a new one, of course, for not sharing the information with her sooner.