Loving the Wild Card (4 page)

Chapter 4

Josh had no idea where he was going; he just followed the directions Lux
gave him. As they moved closer to the heart of the capital city, Port of Spain;
the more Josh began to worry about her safety.

Pulling up before a large industrial-like structure, he cut the engine
and unfolded himself out of the car. Finally relieved to be able to stretch the
kinks out of his body, he arched his back and rotated his shoulders. As she
walked towards the warehouse, his levels of awareness grew with each step she
took.

Lux was a dancer, and he knew with a sinking feeling she was going to be
a part of the huge parade that marked the final day of Trinidad’s carnival. The
situation was fraught with difficulties, and his mind raced, as his eyes darted
in every direction in an attempt to work out how he could keep her safe.

Once they were out of the ridiculously small car, she didn’t even spare
him a glance. Standing alone, his hand resting on the roof of the vehicle, Josh
took the opportunity to watch her walk and was immediately distracted. He loved
to watch her move.

For him, even the way she put one foot in front of the other was a turn
on. Having been born in the United States, her mother was Trinidadian of Indian
ancestry, and her father was African American, and she was a fascinating
mixture of both cultures. So much so that, while they were together. On an
hour-by-hour basis, he didn’t know if he was going to get Trinidadian Lux, or
American Lux.

Josh had always loved her dancers’ body with its long, hard defined
muscles. Yet at the same time she was one of the most feminine women he’d ever
know. Her eyes hadn’t changed, they were still the big, deep dark brown orbs of
expression that couldn’t hide her feelings.

At five foot seven, as far as he was concerned, she was the perfect
height for him. Finally his gaze came to rest on her legs. They were still as
smooth and honey brown as he remembered. The hair style was new though; she now
wore braids that hung down her back and swung as she walked.

One of the things that had first attracted him to her was the fact that
she didn’t care how others saw her. Lux was just Lux and you could accept her
or
not
. Josh wanted to take her
in any way his mind could conceive. He knew they fit. They had fit for months.
Then everything had come crashing down around him.

Pulling himself to his full height, Josh knew their separation was at an
end. She belonged to him. That she would fight him was nothing more than he
expected, but it was going to be worth it. The culmination of fate always was.

Finally following behind her, he entered the warehouse and was
confronted by an explosion of color. The giant float took up most of the space
and it immediately caught his attention. The next thing he became aware of was
the throng of beautiful women, some of whom milled around in tiny costumes.

As far as he was concerned, Trinidad had some of the most beautiful
women in the world, and it seemed they were currently all in this warehouse.

The sound of someone sucking their teeth pulled his attention away from
the beautiful, scantily dressed women. When his eyes landed on Lux, he was just
in time to see her giving him a look that would have felled a lesser man as she
disappeared from sight.

****

Lux couldn’t help herself, she was so pissed with Josh, she could have
happily poked him in his wandering eyes. The same eyes that only moments before
were bugging out of his head as he took in her dancer’s outfits.

Disappearing into the designated changing area, Lux almost came to a
decision that would go against who she was. Her outfit was already hanging on
the rack with her name attached to it. Each dancer had two costumes; one with
more and one with less coverage. As her hand hovered over one of the next to
nothing outfits, before she could touch it, she came to her senses. She was who
she was and Joshua Kingdom’s presence wasn’t about to change that.

Behind the screen, Lux changed into her outfit. When she emerged her
mask and costume were in place, she was ready to go.

Unable to help herself the first person she sought out was Josh. He was
standing in the middle of the warehouse with nearly every member of her troupe
vying for his attention. To his credit, he didn’t appear to be enjoying the attention.

As though tuned into her wavelength, the moment she looked in his
direction she felt the penetration of his green gaze boring into her. He
recognized her and even with all those younger beauties surrounding him, she
seemed to hold his attention.

At thirty-one and the leader of the group, Lux wore a different costume
than the rest of the girls. Her outfit was a bright red and consisted of
two-pieces. But while the other dancers wore bikini panties, she wore a pair of
shorts, not unlike those worn by professional cheerleaders. On her head was a
headdress of red and black feathers that represented the Scarlet Ibis, the
national bird of Trinidad and Tobago.

Within moments, Josh wove a straight line towards her. “You look
beautiful.” He said once he was standing before her. At the same time he took
her hand and kissed her palm. He then folded her fingers around the place he’d
touched as though ensuring that she carry the imprint of his lips with her.

“Thank you,” was all Lux could think to say at his unexpected act.

“Now go and take it off. How the hell am I supposed to keep you safe
when you stand out like a red stop light?” Josh switched the conversation so
quickly it took Lux a moment to comprehend him.

When she finally found her voice, she wanted to scream at him, but
somehow managed to retain her dignity.

“Boy, nobody told you to be here. Nobody asked you to
keep me safe
,
so just go about your business!” Sucking her teeth at him, Lux didn’t wait for
a reply as she flounced away, feathered headdress swaying as she walked.

Throughout her task of gathering her dancers into their formation, she
was aware of his gaze boring into her.

When everything was ready, unable to help herself, Lux surreptitiously
sought him out. He was nowhere to be seen. For a brief moment, she thought he’d
actually taken her at her word and her heart dropped.

Just then a deep rumble of laughter caught her attention. Her eyes
followed the sound to find Josh standing on top of the float looking down at her
with knowing eyes.

Unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he held her
attention, she swept her gaze away as though she were checking to make sure
everything was in place. The sound of his continued laughter confirmed her ruse
wasn’t working.

When all was in order, the bass of the steel pan players began the deep
pound that kept the rhythm of the music. The beat was soon picked up by the
other members of the band to be finally joined by the tenors who played the
tune of the song. With one final check to make sure everyone was ready, Lux
nodded and the Constantina doors were folded back. Although early, the heat of
the Caribbean sun rushed towards her. The final day of carnival was underway.

****

Josh knew there was no way he was going to be able to stop Lux from
taking part in the parade. He might have angered her with his demands, but his
intentions had been to warn her that the threat was real; hence his position on
the float. From this vantage point, although a long shot, he at least had a
chance of spotting anything out of the ordinary.

It was early, but the crowds were already substantial. By the drunken
condition of some of the people, their revelry was a continuation of the
previous night.

Repeatedly, Josh found his gaze pulled back to Lux; not because of any
threat, but because of the way she danced to the rhythm of the music. He was
unsure if the way her hips moved was legal in broad daylight surrounded by so
many onlookers. What he did know was that every shake and undulation of her body
was as sexy as hell. Before he knew it, he was enjoying himself and his feet
kept beat to the rhythm of the music.

Josh was having a good time, as the glare of the sun, the sounds of
laughter and whistles layered on top of each other. But he was still on full
alert. When Lux peeled off from the head of the procession and another dancer
took her place, all thoughts of the music and the atmosphere were forgotten.
She’d been going for over three hours. During that time, many of the other
dancers had taken a break as they hopped onto the float to take a seat, or held
on to the side still interacting with the crowd.

When Lux neared him, Josh immediately held out his hand to assist her.
For a moment, he thought she was going to ignore him. When her palm finally
touched his, he pulled her up beside him without visible effort.

Handing her a bottle of water, he watched as she quenched her thirst.
“This is fun,” he shouted over the sound of the music.

She smiled at him and Josh saw she was enjoying herself. The expression
she wore reminded him of the Lux he used to know. She was once again the young,
carefree woman who was always the life and soul of the party. The woman whose
company he constantly wanted to be in.

“I love carnival, for me it’s hard work, but when it all comes together
it’s magic.”

Giving him a big smile Josh knew she was about to say something he may
not like.

“You need to get off this float and come down into the street. That’s
the only way to really feel and experience carnival. Plus, then I can see what
you’ve got,” she finished with a cheeky grin.

Josh knew when he was being challenged and he was ready to meet it. It
would also mean he would be right beside her if anything went down. “Just tell
me when you’re ready and I’ll be more than happy to show you how this native
New Yorker moves to calypso.”

“The man who would never dance has finally got moves?”

“Baby, I’ve always had moves or have you forgotten?” Josh teased,
shifting the conversation into a more intimate footing.

The color that rushed into her face was enough for him to know his
comment had found its mark. She’d been doing her best to ignore him and their
past, but he wasn’t about to allow it.

“Are you ready to show me what you’ve got, American boy?” Lux asked
throwing the gauntlet back at him.

“Lead the way, Peaches.”

Josh watched as her nostrils flared at the use of his old endearment for
her. He wanted her to remember their every intimacy, and his pet name for her
was only the beginning of the onslaught he intended to unleash. He was going to
break her down, and the directness of his gaze, he hoped, left her in no doubt
of his intent.

Tossing the now empty water bottle into the trash; Lux made ready to
climb down from the float. Josh beat her to it. Bracing his hands against the
railing, he vaulted from the moving vehicle. Keeping pace with it, he held up
his hands in a blatant invitation that she should trust him to see her safely
to the ground.

She hesitated as he knew she would. Without warning she too vaulted over
the barrier and landed in his upstretched arms. Tossing her once, he settled
her onto the ground. With a smile, he indicated that she lead the way.

Without comment, Lux looked at him from the corner of her eyes as she
moved towards the front of the procession. To his consternation she didn’t just
walk, she began a series of fast hip swaying moves that nearly caused him to
bite his tongue. So rapt was his attention on the way her body moved, he forgot
he should be following her.

When Lux was back at the head of the procession, two men from the crowd
joined her. As far as Josh was concerned they both acted as though they wanted
him to break their arms.

The rumble that came from deep within him couldn’t be heard over the
sound of the music as he moved forwards. Not giving his actions a second
thought, he caught an arm of each man and twisted them into an unnatural
position. Everything within him told him to keep the motion going until their
arms snapped, but good sense stopped him short of doing any real damage.

That Lux paid little attention to the men and their actions angered Josh
even more. Giving them an almighty push he shoved them back into the milling
crowd. For a moment, his anger at the drunken men’s actions was focused towards
Lux. That she hadn’t noticed anything untoward made him realize he’d acted out
of jealousy rather than her being in any real danger.

Coming to stand beside her, he looked down at the woman who was never
far from his thoughts. The smile she gave him, told Josh she was enjoying
herself, and it immediately dispelled all thoughts of picking her up and
removing her from the wandering hands and eyes of so many men.

Within moments, Lux the consummate professional was soon a few steps in
front of him, and this time he managed to keep his wits about him as he drew
abreast with her. Her sideward glance told him that she was waiting for him to
loosen up and get into the carnival spirit. His sunglasses covered his eyes,
and with a smile that showed his dimples, he did exactly that.

Hanging back, Josh looked out at the number of people crowded into the
park. Now that evening had fallen the party that was carnival had yet to abate.
Standing alongside the stage, he watched as Lux and her troupe put on their
dance routine as they
passed
. Passing was the Trinidadian terms for
performing on the stage in what was the final phase of judging who was the best
troupe of carnival. This competition always took place on the last day of the
activities.