The Love of a Latino (6 page)

His thoughts drifted back to
Sarafina. He hated the idea that he would have to leave Dahlia, but it would
only be for a couple of days. He would fly home, speak to Sarafina and his
parents, call off the wedding and then come back. He would then be a free man
able to pursue a relationship with this beauty. A smile stole across his
chiseled face at the realization. Yes, he wanted a relationship with Dahlia.  But
first it was most important that he tell her about Sarafina and his impending
marriage. There must be no secrets between them.

With a plan in place, he
headed off to the shower. He didn’t trust himself to go back to bed just yet.
He would be too tempted to make love to Dahlia again and she needed her rest.
He would take a shower and wait for her to wake up. Then they would talk.

****

A bee was buzzing somewhere
next to her ear. Dahlia slapped at it. It stopped. Forcing her eyes open she
assessed her surroundings. She beamed at the knowledge that she was in
Raphael’s bed. They had made love twice and both times were spectacular. She
had no idea that it would be this good. It was nothing like her colleagues or
friends back in Boston had described it. Making love to Raphael was pure magic.
He was a gentle lover, pleasing her with his hands and mouth. When he had first
taken her, she knew he realized she was a virgin. He stilled above her but she
urged him on, moving beneath him. It was all the encouragement he needed. Raphael
wasn’t in bed with her, but she could hear the shower running. A naughty smile
crossed her face when she imagined him standing naked under the water and she
felt her body stir again. 
How could it be possible to be aroused so quickly
and so soon after making love?
She was baffled.

Buzz.
The damn bee was back again. Scanning the room, she
spotted the edge of a phone protruding from behind the lamp on the night stand.
It continued to vibrate and Dahlia hesitated a little before reaching for it. The
name on the display caught her attention, causing a sudden dread to engulf her.
Pressing the answer button, she placed it to her ear.

“Rafe! Darling, where have
you been? I have been trying to call you for hours.” A sultry, feminine voice
drawled on the other end.

“Hello…?”
Dahlia reluctantly answered.

“Hello, who is this? What are
you doing answering my fiancé’s phone at this time of night?”

Dahlia tossed the phone at
the foot of the bed as if it burned her flesh.
Raphael was engaged?
This
couldn’t be happening. She looked around the room confused, for a moment,
forgetting where she was. The phone begun to vibrate again, jolting Dahlia out
of her daze. Reaching for it again, she stared at the name on the display.
Sarafina.
It was her again; Raphael’s fiancé. It wasn’t a wrong number.
Oh God… Oh God!
He
really
was engaged.

She scampered off the bed,
desperately searching for her discarded clothes; scorching tears blinding her
vision. She promised herself she wasn’t going to do this. She was an adult,
capable of having an affair without a commitment.
Then why did her heart
feel as if someone was literally ripping it out of her chest?
A broken sob
escaped her throat as she struggled to get into her clothes. She was lying to
herself. No matter what she tried to make herself believe, her heart knew she
was in love with him. How could she have been so stupid to fall in love with a
man she knew nothing about? The room suddenly felt claustrophobic despite its
large expanse. She couldn’t stay here, she needed to leave!

She didn’t hear the water
stop, nor did she see Raphael emerge from the bathroom.  Standing in the
doorway a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, his confused voice startled
her.

“Where are you going,
Querida?”

“Home!”

“¿Por qué?
I do not understand. Why are you leaving?  Is it your
sister? Will she be angry because you spent the night with me?” He asked
confused at her sudden change of attitude.

Partially dressed, she
challenged him, hurt concealed behind her mask of anger. “Answer me one
question, Raphael. Are you engaged?” She accused. His expression said it all.
His mouth opened but nothing came out. “That’s what I thought.” She stated
flatly. Gathering the rest of her things, she made for the door.

 “Amor,
wait! Let me explain…” He implored, but she’d heard
enough. He was engaged. This beautiful man that had stolen her heart and just a
few hours ago taken her virginity, belonged to another woman. That was all she
needed to know.

“There is nothing to explain,
Raphael! You had sex with me even though you are
engaged.
You must think
I am such a fool!” Her efforts not to cry failing. The tears that had been
threatening to escape earlier spilling over with a hot fury.

“Dahlia, no, it is not what
you think. You must let me explain,
Corazón.
Sarafina is my fiancé, but…”
He pleaded. He came to her—hands outstretched in an effort to subdue her.

“Don’t touch me.”
She spat at him, shrinking away from his touch. “What
are you going to tell your fiancé? Let me guess—it was a mistake, it meant
nothing, and it’s
you
I really love.” She mocked, bitterness laced her
voice. She wanted to hurt him as much as she was hurting. She wanted him to
feel just half of what she was feeling right now.

“Did you
enjoy
yourself, Raphael, seducing the innocent virgin? I wonder how many were there before
me.” Her eyes felt heavy, her head ached so badly. She felt the bile rise in
her stomach and she fought to repress it. She would not give him the pleasure
of seeing her faint again. Placing her hand to her aching head she cried, “I
can’t believe I was
so stupid!
A handsome man shows me a little interest
and like a love sick puppy I fall into bed with him. How stupid can I be?” She
questioned herself.

“Dahlia, do not do this. You
do not understand. It is not what you think…”

“No, Raphael, it is
exactly
as I think. You are getting married, so you take one last vacation as a Bachelor.
I wonder how many wild oats you sowed before me.” She laughed hysterically.

“None of it is true. I did
not come here looking for a last fling. What happened between us was meant to
be. Just allow me a chance to explain,
please
?” He sounded so genuine
that Dahlia was actually tempted to listen. And she would have, save for one
thing. He had already admitted that he was engaged. Nothing was going to change
that. No explanation was going to make that disappear.

Her strength completely gone
and unable to fight any longer, she stopped him with a hand in the air. “Please,
Raphael. Please, don’t cheapen this situation with anymore of your lies. You’ve
had your fun, now it’s over. I hope I never see you again.” She choked out. Not
waiting for a reply she rushed out the door, the sound of Raphael calling out
to her lost in the cold dark night.

****

Nothing was happening the way
he planned. First, Dahlia had stormed out of his life in a gust of hurt and
anger, then Sarafina had thrown a terrible tantrum at the news of him breaking
off the engagement, and now he had the daunting task of having to face his
mother to inform her that there would be no grandchildren in the near future.
What
had he done in his past life to be punished so badly?
Sarafina had behaved
every bit like the spoiled bitch that she was. Rafe visibly shuddered at the
memory of her reaction to his news.

“You cannot do this to me,
Rafe. My father will not allow you to do this.”

“Sarafina, your father has
nothing to do with any of this. You do not love me and I do not love you. This
is best for both of us.”

“No, this is not best for me!
Daddy is going to hand over his share of the company to William. I will have
nothing. Who is going to take care of me?” She cried sounding almost pitiful.

“Sarafina, you are a
beautiful woman. I am quite sure you will find someone to ‘take care of you.’”
Rafe insinuated.

She turned nasty after that.
“I do not need you, Raphael Cavos. That is why I have taken a lover. Now, I
will not have to worry about spoiling my beautiful body with your brats. Max
doesn’t want children. He will take care of me.” She spun on her heels
disappearing through the wide screen kitchen door, leaving Rafe to wonder how
in God’s name he had ever considered marrying her. He found himself comparing
her to Dahlia. The two were exact opposites.

Sweet Dahlia,
his
island princess. She had come into his life so quickly bringing with her a
happiness he didn’t know it was possible to feel. Every attempt to speak with
her had been blocked by her sister. She wouldn’t even take his calls. Her
parting words cut through his senses, stabbing at his heart.

“Please, Raphael. Please,
don’t cheapen this situation with anymore of your lies. You’ve had your fun,
now it’s over. I hope I never see you again.”

Until that moment, he did not
believe that words had the power to hurt so much. He barely had any sleep these
past five days. His thoughts were constantly consumed with Dahlia. When he did
manage to drift off, his dreams were haunted with visions of her. He would wake
up, his body aching for her, his senses straining for any familiar memory of
her; the scent of her hair, the feel of her skin, the sound of her voice. 
Could this possibly be love that he felt? And if it was, why did it hurt so
much?

****

“Rafe, it is good to have you
home, my son.” Lauralyn greeted her only child with a kiss.

“It is good to be home,
Mamá.”
Rafe responded, rejoicing in his mother’s embrace. “Where is Papá? I need to
speak with you both.”

“What is it, Rafe?” Her
worried glance scanned his face.

“It is nothing to worry about,
Mamá,
but I would like to speak to you together.” He assured her.

A little less worried, his
mother directed him to the study, falling into step behind him. “He is in his
office—like most times.
Tú sabes cómo es.”

 “Hijo,
you are home.” His father never the one for much
affection, offered a hand. Rafe accepted the firm grip with an uncomfortable
smile.

“Yes,
Papá,
I am home,
but I cannot stay for long. I have to go back to the office.”

Lauralyn stood at her
husband’s side curious as to what could be so important, that Rafe would want
to speak to them both. She wondered if Sarafina was pregnant. The possibility
of a grandchild excited her. She had wanted a little piece of Rafe for a very
long time now.

“Your son wishes to speak
with us.” She directed to her husband.

“He does? What is this
about?” The elder Cavos male enquired.

Rafe stood opposite his
parents, amazed at how obvious their love for each other was. His mother’s
hands rested lightly on his father shoulders, his hand covered hers and it was
there in that simple touch.
This
is what he wanted in a marriage. That
unspoken love that was always present between them. But he didn’t want that
with just anyone, he wanted it with Dahlia.

Wanting to get this over
with, he pushed his thoughts of Dahlia aside and addressed his parents. “I know
you thought I was on a business trip. The truth is… I needed time for myself
before the wedding, so I took a vacation.” he paused gauging his parents’
reaction. When neither of them spoke he continued
. “Mamá, Papá,
I cannot
marry Sarafina.”

Lauralyn clutched at her
throat, inhaling deeply as if someone had stolen her last breath. “Raphael…”

“No
Mamá, por favor,
let me finish.” He cut in. “When I was there, I met someone; a wonderful woman.
She made me feel things I did not know I was capable of feeling. I thought if I
could feel these things for one woman while I was engaged to another, then
surely, something was wrong. I want you to understand this—I am fond of
Sarafina, but I cannot marry her. It will not be fair to her.
No seria justo
para los dos.”
he finished, waiting for his mother’s dramatic response.

She surprised him when she
came to him, taking him to her in a motherly hug. “Oh Raphael… Is it true? My
son is in love! Who is this girl? What is her name? When do I get to meet her
?¡Estas
enamorado, Hijo!”
She stated proudly.
Of course he was in love.

Rafe was aware of his father
still rooted to his seat.
“¿Papá?”

“Do not address me as your
papá.
You have disgraced me, disgraced this family. I work with Richard Hathaway. How
am I supposed to tell him that my son dumped his daughter three weeks before
their wedding for some strumpet he met on vacation?”

“Alejandro…” Lauralyn warned.
Her husband’s tone was promising impending trouble.

“Be quiet, woman. You may be
some romantic fool, but I am not. This has nothing to do with love. It is about
Raphael not living up to his responsibilities. He wants to continue this
senseless life—chasing skirts.” Alejandro almost never spoke to his wife this
way. Later there would be time for apologies but right now he was furious.