Forbidden
1188 Words
“Hi, handsome, isn’t that a little common?” she asked in a husky, unanticipated tone. “Don’t you usually start with a flowery pickup line?”
Fernando’s neck grew hot. No, he hadn’t expected that reply. All of his carefully prepared lines seemed to vanish into thin air. For a moment, he was speechless.
“Terrible night?”
“You could say that,” she replied through clenched teeth.
He stammered out in surprise, “Actually, I was only wondering if you felt like some company.”
“Nisha looked at him for a hidden meaning. Was this an elaborate joke? But the honesty sparkling in his eyes which were different from most arrogant men such as himself disarmed her.
There was the hint of a smile on her lips. “Company,” she repeated under her breath and let the word slip away.
She paused sipping from her glass and sadness surfaced briefly again but quickly disappeared. Once more, she looked straight into his gaze; there was defiance in her eyes.
“Well okay then, Handsome,” she said firmly. “Tell me how can you provide solace for a woman who has been love-dashed?”
Fernando found himself grinning broadly without even realizing it after he had totally abandoned his original strategy.” This, he thought, might be the most intriguing deal one had ever entered into.
“That’s precisely what I came here to find out.” He replied, settling on the bar stool close to her.
He ordered a shot for himself.
"Fernando." He introduced himself, extending his hand for a handshake.
“Nisha.”
She accepted his hand.
It was strong and warm. She could feel the years of hard work evident in its strength. It made her feel something she hadn’t felt in a long while. She felt safe.
“Something you want to discuss?” he offered as he sipped his wine.
“No, I want to forget about it.”
They sat in silence drinking their drinks for some time; each one lost in thought.
The loosening feeling of the alcohol slowly took over Nisha. Somehow, she started feeling more relaxed. Looking sadly at Fernando, she felt his charming eyes pierce right through her soul.
"Why are you alone?" she asked, stirring the ice cubes in her glass.
“Expectations!” he scorned.
“Tell me about it.”
“My father — bless his soul — thinks that by now I should be married. With three kids. He throws these charity galas where all women are paraded like ponies with different price tags. Sometimes I want to run from home.”
Fernando laughed heartily, catching him off guard.
The laughter sounded strange in his ears.
When was the last time he’d laughed from his heart?
“I’m feeling slightly tipsy now,” he admitted.
Nisha’s lips curled ruefully. “Right now running sounds pretty good."
They laughed again.
Fernando moaned, “You can say that again,” and swigged down another shot of tequila.
Nisha was drawn to the vulnerability beneath Fernando’s machismo; his biting humor barely scratched the surface of his inner self.
And Fernando? He found Nisha’s gentle nature alluring. Her eyes full of defiance that mirrored his own hidden desire for rebellion.
They commiserated with one another in a blend of humor and resentment.
With disgust Nisha, related her story. Up to this afternoon when she had caught Oliver pants down with another woman.
The bar emptied out into the hum of a sleeping city. Their laughter faded as they sat quietly close together, half drunk.
“Do you ever think,” Nisha asked with a hushed voice, “maybe we are our own expectations?”
His warm rough hand met her smooth palm.
“Maybe,” Fernando answered, savouring her beauty. “And sometimes a shared prison feels slightly less lonesome.”
The touch sent a jolt through Nisha.
She felt a spark of awareness ignite under the surface of their newfound camaraderie. She looked away, momentarily overwhelmed by the unexpected romantic shift in the air.
"Maybe," her voice muffled, filled with deep conflicting emotions making her more vulnerable.
Her gaze locked with his.
Fernando's eyes fascinated her and made her melt at the same time.
"I don't know," she confessed as her voice trembled. “But right now, I could use a distraction.”
He grinned.
“Come, let’s not remember anything else about our lives tonight. This moment is more important.”
She hesitated, then nodded. “Deal.”
This woman was hard to resist. She was unlike all those aloof women who had, at one time or the other, decorated his life.
"You're breathtakingly beautiful," he whispered tenderly.
Nisha blushed. Every remaining composure had disappeared. She’d just been heartbroken, and here she was already falling for this stranger.
Nisha stared down at her glass. “Thanks,” she replied softly.
He moved forward, extending his hand to brush off strands of hair that had fallen over her face.
"You're a strong woman. You deserve so much better than what you’ve been through."
Hearing those words, the tears she'd been fighting since the incident barely a few minutes ago welled up in her eyes.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.
“Because I can see how much you’re hurting. And I want to be here if you need me.”
Nisha stared into his eyes.
Uncertainty mixed with hope. His words touched her soul. She'd never felt this safe around anyone since her mother's disappearance 13 years ago. Her heart was melting now.
Leaning closer, she kissed his lips.
Fernando was stunned. Her lips were soft.
Before he could respond, she kissed him again. Fernando responded.
His lips were delicious. His perfume drowned her in his manliness as he gently cupped the back of her neck, drawing her deeper into the kiss.
Nisha’s skin tingled under her silk gown.
The kiss was more intense than she had ever experienced.
But after all she'd been through in the hands of Oliver, she didn't care anymore.
All she knew was that she wanted more of Fernando. Nothing else mattered. Not even the fact that she barely knew this man.
All she needed was to forget the pain inside her heart for now and find solace in his touch.
Then, when she was about to drift totally into his arms, Fernando pulled away gently.
“Do you want to go somewhere else?” he asked, his voice thick with desire.
Nisha nodded, biting her lower lip. Her voice failed her.
Fernando grabbed her tender hand and led her out of the bar into the cool night air.
They walked silently. Everything else around them was a blur. Nisha could feel the desire between her legs as she walked hand in hand with this handsome stranger.
The Plaza Lounge was just close by.
Fernando checked them in at reception.
Inside the lift alone, their eyes connected, impatient and expectant as ever for each other’s company. Fernando was hard with want. And Nisha could feel the hot juices welling up in her mounds.
- Writer
