Loving Cino

Chapter 3

Ramona

I awakened that morning to the smell of coffee.  What an odd dream I thought as I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the handsome, kind stranger sitting a cup of coffee in front of me.

 Oh, Jesus it wasn’t a dream. He smiled down at me.

He was so gorgeous!  He was at least five foot eleven and very well built.  His strong, chiseled frame hid behind his T-shirt, but I knew how well built and blessed he was from our shower last night.  The sunlight gently fell on his golden-brown skin and made him look even more delicious than the doughnuts he was holding. Staring up into his hazel eyes conflicted me to whether I should pull him on top of me or sit up and have breakfast with him.

 “Good morning.”  I sat up.  “Good morning.”  He sat next to me and opened a box of doughnuts and held it to me.  I took a glazed one and began eating it.  He took a powdered one and began eating it.  He looked at me making me look at him.  We smiled at each other and ate our doughnuts.  His eyes were extremely gentle and loving which made me feel at ease.

All of a sudden, someone began banging on the door.  He sat the doughnuts down and walked out the room.  I had no idea who it was so and couldn’t afford for it to be Kevin.  I grabbed his slides and jogged out the room and slipped out the back door.

  I jogged down the alley until I got to the street and walked an hour and a half until I got home.  “Where have you been?”  Asked Daria opening the door for me.  I waved to her husband who waved at me as he entered the kitchen.

  Daria was married to forty-year-old Damien and Carline was married to forty-three-year-old Derek.  We all shared this house.  All three of Daria’s kids were away at college.  They were nineteen-year-old Markus, twenty-year-old Faye, and twenty-one-year-old Dre.  Carline’s oldest was Irene and she lived in New York with Faye.  She is twenty-three.  She was working on her bachelor’s degree for psychology.  Sean and Shanice were her twenty-one-year-old twins who moved to Georgia.  They worked in the healthcare field. Twenty-year-old Jeremiah lived here in Florida with us, along with eighteen-year-old Johnathan and seventeen-year-old Lorenzo. 

Before I could answer her question, in walked Kevin with Carline.  “Hey, there she is.  Ramona look who I found.”  My heart fell at my toes.  I instinctively stepped back making Daria look at me. 

“Hey baby.”  I stared at him as he rushed to me and hugged me.  I was in shock and couldn’t do anything but look at Daria who was watching us very closely.  “You rushed out and forgot your stuff.”  He handed me my keys and phone.  I just stared at him not knowing what to do. 

“That was so nice of him.  He’s a good boyfriend.”  Carline said walking up the stairs.  “He’s not her boyfriend.”  Daria correct making everyone look at her.  “She would be if she stopped playing around.  All she has to do is let me be her man.”  I felt him let go of me and turn his attention to my sister.  Carline glanced at me before appearing next to me.  “Clearly she doesn’t want you as her man.  There is no amount of money you can throw at her to make her your woman.”

 I loved this woman to death.  No matter what the situation was, whether she would win or lose she would always stand her ground.

 “You need to mind your business.”  He growled at her.  “No, you need to leave my sister alone.”  He towered over her breathing his irritation and annoyance in her face.  “In fact, it’s time for you to go.”  Daria walked over to the front door and opened it.  “Good-bye.  Don’t come back either.”  He stared at her with hatred filled eyes before looking back at me.  “Are you going to let her treat me like this?” 

Bitch, are you serious?  I thought.  “Get the f**k out my house and don’t come back.”  I growled at him.  Before anyone could react, I felt the back of his hand across my face. 

The next thing I knew I was jumping on him punching him with every ounce of anger and fear in my body. 

This son of a b***h had the audacity to put his raggedy ass hands on me.  I didn’t realize my sisters were beating him as well until I heard someone yell “OH HELL NO!”  I looked up to see Kiara running in the house at full speed.  She ran over to us and jumped on Kevin and began punching him as well. 

So, Kiara is my one of my closest friends.  We have known each other since middle school.  We didn’t start liking each other until high school.  We’ve been friends since. She was a year older than me. 

I blacked out and came back to someone holding me.  I had no idea who it was nor did I care.  I watched Derek and Damien drag Kevin out the house while Jeremiah held Daria, Lorenzo held Carline and Johnathan held Kiara who was still yelling and cursing out Kevin. 

I felt my anger subsiding and that feeling of being safe returned.  I felt someone’s heart beating into my back which made me look over my shoulder.  It was the man who rescued me.  I couldn’t hide my shock expression at all.  Luckily, he was watching them drag Kevin out the house.

 He looked as if he wanted to beat his ass too.  I couldn’t understand why him looking so angry turned me on so much.  He was so sexy I couldn’t believe it!  The way he held me made me feel like I was meant to be right there in his arms.  I know he didn’t mean to hold me that way, but it felt so good!  And he smelled amazing.

 I did not realize I laid my head on his arm until Derek came back in.  “Are you okay?” I looked up at the man.  He smiled at me with the most gentle and loving smile I had ever seen before in my life.  I nodded my head unable to speak.  “Ok.”  He said as I laid my head back on his arm.  The room fell silent as I closed my eyes and enjoyed being held.  That’s when I realized everyone was looking at me.  “What?”  I asked making them laugh.  “Ramona this is Cino, Cino this is Ramona.”  Derek introduced.  “Hi.”  “Hello.”  We both said without moving. 

 Cino

            I couldn’t help but smile at her.  She looked like she belonged to me.  I felt so comfortable holding her I didn’t want to let her go.  By the looks she didn’t want to let me go and I wasn’t about to make her. 

            I looked at everyone who was looking at us confused.  That’s when I saw Melissa walking in the front door.  Oh s**t, here we go.  I thought as she looked at Ramona and then me and went into a rage.  “WHAT THE f**k CINO!  IS THIS THE b***h?!”  She yelled rushing towards us.  I quickly shoved Ramona behind me and caught Melissa.  She screamed and kicked at me, but I held her hands.  “I’m sorry.”   I said to Derek as I picked up Melissa and carried her out the house.  I carried her to her car and put her down.  “CALM DOWN!”  I yelled.  That’s when she swung and punched me in the face. 

            I took a deep breath trying to suppress my anger from knocking her the hell out.  I ignored everything she was saying and took a step back to count to three.

 “b***h I AM TALKING TO YOU!”  I looked at her making her jump.  “b***h PLEASE HIT ME SO I CAN LOCK YOUR ASS BACK UP!  PLEASE DO IT!”  This b***h, I thought stepping to her.  “First of all,” I growled making her back into the driver’s door, “I am not cheating on you, nor do I have the desire.  Second, of all that was not what it looked like.”  “Oh really?  Because it looked like you were holding your mistress!”   “I don’t know that girl.  I got here with Derek and we saw they were beating some man’s ass!  I helped them break it up!  That is it!”    “Cino, I know what I saw!”  “f**k what you saw!  I love only you!  You are my wife!  I love you!”  She stared at me for a moment before kissing me.  “If you cheat on me, I will kill you.”  “I have no reason to cheat on you.”  She smiled melting my heart.  I hugged her and kissed her again.

 I couldn’t help but notice Ramona in the reflection of the window.  She smiled at us and closed the front door.  I don’t know why I felt guilty about her seeing us together.  I couldn’t worry about it anyways.  My main focus was in my arms.

 We stood out there talking for a moment before returning inside the house.  “Are you okay?”  Derek asked me. I nodded my head. 

Derek and I were business partners.  We had started our architectural company about six months ago and so far, business was very good to us.  My wife worked for Carline in her clothing boutique.  It was actually located on the same block as my gym. No one knew about my gym except for Ramona now.  

Everyone except for Ramona was on the couch talking about what just happened with Kevin.  Where is she?  I wondered.  I noticed that the other girl was gone too.

 I walked to the kitchen and looked in the fridge for something to drink.  I grabbed a bottle of water and closed it.  As I opened the bottle of water, I heard voices.  “Kiara stop!”  Ramona whispered out of breath. I walked towards the back door and looked outside and saw no one.  I then looked at the door that was almost closed and saw it was a room.  I peeked inside and saw Ramona standing against the wall with Kiara on her knees in between her legs. 

Whoa!  I thought watching them.