Pulse 2 (Pulse Series) (18 page)

I didn
’t know how to put it. She made it clear that she was interested in him. I wanted to warn him. She was going to do everything she could to get what she wanted. I knew that. But I couldn’t do that when I knew I was spending time with Dante and even I didn’t know what was going to happen.

“
You have another meeting tonight,” I said.

“
Yes, it’s starting in just a few minutes.”

“
Is Cheryl going to be there?”

I clenched my jaw after I said it. I stared into Dante
’s eyes and waited for his response. He hesitated for a moment before saying anything.

“
Cheryl has been there every night, Alice. I do a lot of business with her brother. She—”

“
You don’t have to give me reasons as to why you’re spending time with her.”

“
I’m not spending time with her, Alice. I’m working. And she’s there.”

“
Are you telling me that you don’t still have something for her? She said that there are times when you look at her and she can feel it. Is she wrong?”

Rafael paused. It only took a second for him not to reply for me to get ups
et. I could feel something raging inside of my stomach. I was trying to reason with myself but it wasn’t working.

“
Is she wrong?” I repeated it.

“
No. No, she’s not wrong. There are times when I remember what we had in the past. But that’s exactly what it is. The past.”

“
How do I know that something won’t happen?”

“
You don’t. I might fuck her tonight. Is that what you wanted to hear? Because that’s what it sounds like. Besides, I might ask you the same thing.”

“
What are you talking about?”

“
Look at what you’re wearing. Was that for me… or someone else?”

He was right. Even though I would never admit it, I had done something with Dante. And I didn
’t know for sure if I would go even further. But rather than let me think about it any longer, Rafael tried to reason with me.

“
I told you right from the start,” he sighed. “I don’t know what
this
is… between us. But I wanted to just let things happen. I wasn’t going to rush you or convince you to do things my way. I just wanted to let it be. And that includes tonight. If something happens, it won’t change things between us.”

“
How do you know that?”

“
Because we don’t know what the future holds for us until we get there. Nobody does.”

He had given me a lot to think about. I still didn
’t know where I stood with him. And in my own head, I didn’t know where he stood with me. I was still trying to sort things out. But before I could dwell on my thoughts any longer, Rafael intervened.

“
I just stopped by to say hello,” he said. “That’s all.”

“
That was a long hello.”

“
It was,” he said with a chuckle. “But I also wanted to make sure that you were having a good time here. You don’t get a chance to come to Hawaii very often. You might not ever come back. You should enjoy yourself while you’re still here.”

“…
Yeah,” I sighed. “You should, too. You’re… going to be late for your meeting. You should go now.”

“
Yeah. And I think the luau on the beach is starting.”

“
Are you sure you don’t want to go to it?”

“
I can’t,” he said as he shook his head softly. “You’re going to have to go without me.”

We didn
’t say another word to one another. He stared at me. His eyes stirred all kinds of emotions within me and I had trouble looking back at him. I sighed then turned toward the window. As I looked out onto the beach and the festivities beginning, I heard the sound of the door closing.

Chapter 18

I didn’t have the nerve to step onto the beach in just the outfit I was wearing. I put on a sheer skirt wrap to cover myself up. Even though you could still see everything, I wasn’t completely bare. When I got to the beach, nobody seemed to mind or care about what I was wearing. If anything, I seemed to fit in with all of young college coeds who flaunted their bodies around like it wasn’t a big deal.

The moon was slight in the dark Maui sky. The last night of the conference signaled one of the blackest nights of the week. But the stars were out and the visible
moonlight gave everybody a good enough view of the beautiful scenery. If that weren’t enough, makeshift torches were lit around the festivities taking place on the beach.

The hotel had a grand set-up on the sand. There were more than enough tables to acco
mmodate all of the beachgoers. The warmth emanating from the fires burning was joined by the smoke from the grills and barbecue. The smell was enough to whet any appetite and after a long day of doing nothing but sitting around, I couldn’t wait to satisfy my appetite.

Dante was there just as we had planned. He didn
’t look any different the way he usually did. His body seemed more fit from tanning underneath the Hawaiian sun. He was a few years older than the crowd partying and indulging themselves but he didn’t look out of place.

I sat at the table just across from him to celebrate the end of the conference. Music played through the speakers. The weather was cool. The food was good and the people enjoyed themselves. The atmosphere had never been more perfect.

“How is it?” Dante asked me just as I shoved a forkful of food into my mouth.

“
It’s good,” I said as I gnawed on my food. “It’s real good.”

“
Yeah, it’s a nice change of pace of the stuff they’re usually serving in the hotel. Sometimes you need to get away from all of the fancy gourmet meals that put in front of you. Being outside gives the food a little authenticity.”

“
I see what you mean. Out here, you’re able to tell whether or not they dropped it on the floor. You know exactly what you’re getting.”

“
A pinch of salt and a pinch of sand.”

We laughed with one another as we enjoyed the food. I had a lot to think about and every time there was a moment of silence between the two of us, the thoughts would race through my mind. Something was going to happen bu
t I didn’t know what it was. I was just bracing myself for the inevitable.

I looked around our table at the raucous scene. Everybody was laughing, talking and partying. The alcohol was flowing and people were loosening up. I saw Dante looking at all of the
m with a smile on his face.

“
I remember what that was like,” he said. “Going through school and just waiting to get some time off. Waiting for exams and all of that studying just be over with. Then racing over to the nearest keg or bottle of beer and getting drunk. Trying to catch the eye of a beautiful woman.”

“
Really? You don’t seem like the type.”

“
Is that right? What makes you say that?”

“
I don’t know,” I said as I shrugged. “You just seem a little more… professional.”

“
Now I am. But there’s still a side to me that you haven’t seen. I believe
you
were the one who said the cutoff was at 30. I’m not quite there yet.”

“
Hmm, I guess you’re right.”

He burst into laughter and I shook my head after being out-reasoned by him. I didn
’t know how I viewed Dante at this point. I still didn’t know him very well. But of the little things I was aware of, I knew that I enjoyed his company. So far, he was the same man I suspected he was when I first saw him.

After a plate full of food, I rubbed my palm over m
y stomach as if to flatten it out.

“
I think I overate,” I said. “I’m completely stuffed. I don’t think I can move.”

“
I think you can move,” Dante replied.

“
Well, I still feel like a blimp.”

“
It looks more than fine from here. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of, Alice.”

I looked down at the table as I tried not to blush. I could feel him staring at me with that look in his eyes. It was the same look every man gave me to let me know that they were interested. I didn
’t want to think about it at this point. I didn’t know if I were ready. I looked away from him and turned to some of the performers just off to the side. There was a display of men and women in grass skirts dancing to the delight of the crowd. Their bodies flowed and swayed in a way that seemed unnatural. It was like they were in control of every single muscle in their body. It was hypnotic.

“
You should join them,” Dante said to me.

“
What?” I said as I laughed and shook my head. “No way! I can’t move like that.”

“
How do you know? Have you tried?”

“
No, I haven’t. That’s how I know.”

“
You’ve certainly got the body for it. And it looks a lot easier than surfing.”

“
If it’s between shaking my ass and hips in front of everybody and falling in the water over and over, I’ll take the latter.”

“
So, you’re not much of a dancer, are you?”

“
Get a few drinks in me and then we’ll talk.”

“
Good advice. I’ll be right back.”

Dante took me more seriously than I was expecting. He disappeared and returned a few moments later with a couple of bottl
es of beer in each hand. I didn’t need much convincing to celebrate.

We toasted to the end of the workweek in Maui and enjoyed the rest of the performances. As time passed and more alcohol was consumed, the crowd grew more and more raucous. It was a party
and Dante and I were sitting in the middle of it. It was like being in the center of a hurricane.

The music playing seemed louder. My body felt warm not just from the fires on the torches but from the alcohol flowing through my blood. I was having a good t
ime just sitting there. I saw Wesley among the crowd dancing with a couple of women. The huge smile on his face made me burst into laughter.

“
What’s so funny?” Dante asked me.

“
It’s… my coworker. He looks like he’s having a good time. I’ve never seen him like this before.”

“
How about you, Alice? Are you having a good time?”

I turned toward him and our eyes met. I stared at him for a moment as I thought about it.

“Yeah… I am.”

“
Dance with me, Alice. What do you say? We’re not 30 yet. Nobody will notice.”

I emptied the bottle of beer to stifle my laughter. Then I nodded my head and followed Dante out into the crowd. I looked up at him and slowly moved my body to the rhythm. All around me were bodies bouncing up and down. I shook my hips and rocked along wi
th the rest of them. Dante danced right in front of me and we lost ourselves among everybody else.

I wasn
’t thinking any more. I moved closer to him and wrapped one arm around his neck. I pressed up and down against him. I used him like a pole as I rolled my body closer and closer to him. My eyes were shut tight but I knew exactly what he was thinking and exactly how he was feeling. My leg pressed between his legs. There was a thickness building up that was undeniable. The blood wasn’t just rushing through the both of us. It was boiling.

Dante leaned in close to me and wrapped his hands around my waist. I shuddered from his strong grip as he moved himself closer to me. He leaned his head in next to my neck. His breath on my skin gave me goose bumps. I exhaled
a drunken and contented sigh as I wrapped my other hand around his neck.

“
Let’s get out of here,” he whispered to me.

I didn
’t say another word. He pulled away from me then took one of my hands. When I finally opened my eyes, Dante was leading me back through the crowd. I giggled as he jogged and dragged me down the beach. The sound of the party behind us grew distant. The music seemed far away and the only light came from the stars and the crescent moon in the sky.

We reached the cove he took me to the fi
rst night we spent on the beach. He looked at me for a second with a smirk on his face and without saying another word, he dived into the water. I followed after him and swam underneath the rocks. Just like that, we were on the other side of the cove and secluded far away from the hotel and everybody else.

The wrap around my waist was soaked. I peeled it off and dropped it down onto the sand. The cool night breeze blew across the cold and bare skin of my ass. I put my hands up on my arms and rubbed myself.
I wasn’t cold but there was a rush that made me shiver.

Dante stood there and stared at me. He remained silent. His eyes and his body did all the talking. He glistened underneath the moonlight. His muscles were shining with a tinge of saltwater on them. Hi
s body was wet and inviting. Any woman in their right mind would have been envious to be where I was. I knew that I was lucky. And the alcohol in my blood fueled a desire that was getting harder and harder to fight.