Lost in Love

The Fire

CHAPTER SIX

She woke up to the smell of rich smelling coffee, she breathed it in. Last night was amazing. Tony had opened her up to a whole new world. He had made love to her in a way that was so passionate. Her body still ached and burned from his touch. She could feel herself blush and she smiled.

“Good morning sleepy head,” she liked the sound of that voice. She opened her eyes, Tony was sitting at the small table by the window across from her. He was already showered and dressed in a black polo t-shirt and black jeans that fitted his body perfectly. She had never seen him that casual before. He was reading something on his tablet and sipping coffee. She suddenly felt embarrassed and she started blushing. By now she understood that this would always be her reaction to him.

“Good morning,” she said smiling.

“We have a packed day ahead, take a shower, eat something. We are leaving in an hour,” he said getting up. She tossed back the covers so that she could get up and take that shower. When she realised she was naked she blushed again and tied to cover herself up. She looked up and saw him looking at her with those green eyes that seemed to bore holes into her everytime and set her on fire. He just smiled .

“Strictly shower, no tubs,” Tony said laughing and leaving the room.

She covered her head with the covers and screamed, why was she so embarrassed, he had already seen all of this and done unspeakable things to her body. She laughed out loud and got up. The shower was refreshing but nothing could wash away the memory of Tony or the trail of hand and tongue from her body.

***

After breakfast, Alex went downstairs to find tony. She had decided to wear one of the amazing short summer dresses Mike had packed for her. She took a big white hat, and completed her outfit with white sandals. She did not like makeup, so she just applied some lipstick and eyeliner. When she was satisfied, she left her room to find Tony. He was sitting by the couches in the lobby but when he spotted her he stood up. He looked at her with that fire that made her feel so wanted and sexy.

“You ready?” he asked after looking her over for a while.

“Yes,” she said smiling up at him. Their day was packed. They went for a helicopter ride over the safari. It was her first time in a helicopter and she was a bit nervous but Tony became his goofy self and soon she was enjoying the ride. After that they had gone around the safari in a jeep and she saw so many animals. Africa was truly beautiful.

Through the whole excursion Tony had been sweet to her, holding her hand, touching her hair, kissing her and everything. Anyone who had seen them had thought that they were a couple. Most people they met commented that they were a lovely couple and Tony had not corrected them, instead he had just said thank you, and took her hand and they had left. By the time lunch rolled by, she was spent.

“I hope you are hungry,” Tony had said soon after the tour ended.

“I can eat,” she said calmly, she was starving. They got into a jeep and Tony started driving them somewhere unknown to her. She wanted to ask but by now she realised Tony liked surprising her, so she just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

After what seemed like forever they arrived at their destination, a small lake side restaurant. They got out of the car and Tony chose a table outside on the porch overlooking the water. They sat down and the waiter arrived and took their order. He left them and soon returned with wine. He poured and disappeared again. She took a sip and started admiring the view.

“So tell me about you Alex,'' Tony asked while relaxing in his chair. That question again. Well she had said she would tell him, why not now. So she decided to tell him everything, she had nothing left to lose except maybe her life.

Alex started from the beginning. Her mother Rhea Andino was from Greece, she had met Alex’s father Luis Sanchez in Cuba when she was in college. They had had a whirlwind romance and gotten married within a year of meeting. Luis was from a prominent crime family and the family had not approved of a foreigner being married to him.

The family had made threats against Rhea so Luis had taken his young bride and escaped to America. They had always lived in hiding and fear of the retribution of the family but when Alex was born she had brought joy to their lives. Growing up as a child of immigrants in America Alex had constantly suffered from racism and ridicule but her parents always made her feel safe and at home.

Since her parents were not citizens and were in America illegally, they had to work low paying jobs to not attract attention but had also made sure their child had everything she needed.

“My father always told me to work hard so that I wouldn't have to depend on anyone else,” she said sipping her wine. The waiter arrived with their order. There was suddenly silence, she was back in the past. Being afraid that she would be deported and her paternal family would find them and destroy them, it was not a childhood any child deserved but she had lived it and her parents tried to shield her from it but she knew.

Alex focused on eating her steak and salad and Tony seemed to be doing the same. They went through their meal in silence. When they had finished the plates were cleared and Alex thought they would leave but Tony ordered dessert. He poured more wine.

“So why did you become a lawyer,” he asked calmly.

“Well I witnessed the death of my parents,” she said with heaviness suddenly settling in her voice.

“What happened,” Tony asked, trying not to show his astonishment and concern.

“One day my grandfather found us. He came into our home with his people, with guns. They tied me and my mother to chairs and made us watch as they tortured my father. They said it was because he had betrayed the family for a foreign woman. After hours of torture they had killed him. My mother was next. She too was torchered and killed. They walked out and left me in the house, still tied up and looking at the dead bsied of my parents. My grandfather told me that my blood was not pure so i was not part of the family, and that if i ever spoke of what happened i would be next'' Alex took another long gulp.

She would never forget that day, she had stayed tied up for hours until one of her friends mother from school had brought her friend for a play date. She had found Alex still tied to that chair, hungry, dehydrated and unconscious. She had called the police and Alex had woken up in the hospital three days later.

“Alex we don't have to talk about this,” Tony said with a mixture of anger and sadness in his voice.

“No, it's alright. I have never talked about it to anyone except my therapist and Nancy,”

“How old were you?”

“I was twelve. After I recovered, I was put into foster care. I had to have therapy obviously but it took me months to start speaking again. I met Nancy in foster care and she helped me recover, she was like a sister to me. I went back to school and really focused. When I was sixteen, I met Marco. I loved him, we would spend so much time together. We were together for two years, we moved in with each other and were ready to start a new life together. I had just graduated from high school and I had gotten into Stanford Medical School, fully funded scholarship and we were so excited. Marco was working construction but he was so happy for me and very supportive. One day we were in the car coming home at night from a movie, that's when it happened,``Alex went silent for a moment.

“What happened,” Tony asked quietly.

“The accident. This car came out of nowhere and hit into our car. We overturned for what felt like eternity. When it finally ended I remained in the car not moving. I was in so much pain but I couldn't even cry or do anything outside sitting there, it was like I was frozen in place. I then realised that Marco was still in the driver’s seat and was not moving. I managed to get myself out of my seat, screaming in pain. I reached Marco but he was not rigid and still, his breath was shallow and he was really bleeding. I reached for my phone and called for help. I held on to his hand and kept asking him to hold on. When I finally heard the sirens and saw the blue and red lights, I also saw Marco give up. He stopped breathing, he was dead five minutes before help arrived,” Alex wanted to curl up and cry but she could not do it here, in front of him. He reached out and held her hand without speaking.

“When i woke up in the hospital the next day, they confirmed what i already knew, he was dead. The police had investigated the accident and found out that the car that had hit us was being driven by Brandon Kellor,”

“The Mayor’s son?”

“Yes, but then his father was the District Attorney and inasmuch as Brandon had been drunk driving, somehow his father made the whole thing go away. He was not even charged,” Alex said feeling the same anger that she had felt when she found out all those years ago.

“What?” Tony was genuinely shocked and angry now. He swore under his breath.

“I decided that day I would not go to medical school. I decided to go to law school and make sure what happened to me with my parents and Marco would never happen to anyone.”

Right on que their souffle arrived but at this point she was not in the mood for dessert.

“So what is your story, Anthony Mallon?” she asked, looking him straight in the eye. He looked back at her for a minute as if trying to figure out what to tell her. His phone started to ring, breaking the silence.

“Hello?” he said, with a frown forming on his face. The person on the other end kept talking and the frown kept deepening.

“What? ...When?... Are you absolutely certain?...i will deal with it when i come back...” that's all she heard before he hung up the phone. His mood had completely changed. What was that about? She wanted to ask but she knew it was not her business. He turned and signaled the waiter who arrived almost immediately.

“Can we have the souffle to go please, and the check,” the waiter nodded and left with the dessert.

“That's a story for another day amore,” he said, crossing his legs.

“Why?” she asked, disappointed.

“We have to go, it's getting late,” she looked at her surroundings, he was right it was almost dark outside. How had she not noticed. She had been lost in her past again. She just sighed. The waiter returned with their packaged souffle and check. Soon they were in the car and on their way back to the hotel. She just wanted to be held tonight, her emotions were all over the place. When they got to their rooms she just walked in and fell on the bed. He followed her inside.

“Get some rest,” he said, placing the dessert on her bedside table before he turned to leave.

“Where are you going?” she asked, getting up to look at him.

“I have business to attend to,” he smiled weakly at her when he saw her face fall.

“I have a meeting Alex. The company is expanding to Tanzania and I have a meeting with my board, I couldn't push it,” he said and left the room before she could respond.

Alex suddenly realised what had happened, he had not planned this trip for her. He had come here for work and decided to kill two birds with one stone. He had slept with her and now he was going about his business just like he had intended. She felt used. She had trusted him with her body and her past but it meant nothing to him. She felt tears burn on her eyes and she let them out. She just let everything out, the pain of the loss of her parents, Marco and now Tony.

Why did she always do this? Loving a man like Tony was a waste of time. She was probably just a warm body to him. He was the type of man who wanted supermodels not girls like her. She remembered the party and she cried even more, not from anger but deep sadness. Sadness that she would never find love again, that she would probably die alone. Finally, she crawled under the covers and drifted into a dark, cold, troubled sleep.

***

Tony hated leaving her alone at a time like this, she had not been okay when he left her at that hotel room he had just wanted to hug her and tell her that everything would be alright. At the same time he had not wanted her to have the wrong impression of him. He did not want her to think there was more to this than s*x. He was not the relationship type of guy. He had been there, done that and his heart had been shredded, besides he had other responsibilities.

He had come to the safari to expand the company and he could not cancel. This company was his legacy and he would not destroy it. His father had built it from the ground up using his trust fund for his mother. She had loved candy and he had promised her candy for the rest of her life. After twenty years the company had grown into an empire and multi billion dollar international company. When his father had died when Tony was twenty three he had left the whole thing to him. It had been a big responsibility but tony had managed to expand and made it bigger.

So now the pressure was on and this meeting with board members would be good for the company. He tried to concentrate but he could not get Alex off his mind. He remembered the steamy night they had shared, the day they had had today, the anger and sadness he had felt while she told him her life story. He just wanted to hurt everyone who had hurt her, but he also had to take a step back to remove any chances of a misunderstanding. He could never be the man she needed, relationships, love, romance where not his calling. He had to keep his distance before someone got hurt.

Tony’s mind suddenly went to that phone call he had just had. The news was going to cause havoc in his life. What was he going to do? He needed to think and so much was going on right now, with Alex and the company now this. Tony sighed, he had to come up with a plan and fast.

***

The next day, Alex woke up with her head pounding. She had cried so much last night, she had not even realised that she fell asleep until she woke up this morning. Tony had not returned, she felt her heart sink again. She really meant nothing to him. She had fallen i n love with him and now she was breaking her own heart. Right now she just wanted to get home to her loft and eat some ice cream and watch the Titanic until she cries herself to sleep again.

She dragged her body from bed and headed for the shower. As the hot jets of water hit her skin she closed her eyes and tried to relax. She could do this, it wasn't a big deal. Yes they had had the most amazing s*x she could have imagined but people could be physical without the need for emotion right? Right?

“Ahhhhg,” she granted out loud. She had to get a grip on all these feelings. He was not even her type. Of course he was, who was she kidding? She quickly finished showering and stepped out to get changed. She decided to go down stairs for breakfast, she needed food if she was going to face this man today. Her phone began to ring.

“Hello?” it was Tony.

“Alex , are you ready to go? I have a meeting later today,” he said in a cold voice. He really did not like her.

“Umm sure,” she replied reluctantly. I guess there is no breakfast for her.

“Meet me downstairs in the lobby in about thirty minutes.” he said and hung up before she could even respond. She dropped her phone on the bed and started packing. Thirty minutes later they were in the car on their way to the airport. The awkwardness was obvious but Alex was done trying to fix the situation. She had trusted him with everything, her body , her heart and her sanity. She had given away her best kept secrets but still he had rejected her. I guess she was just too much baggage, too broken for him. She looked outside the window and tried to enjoy the passing scenery. She just needed to get home and forget this had ever happened, forget him all together.