A Holiday Romance (7 page)

 

After they had finished bathing each other, they made love underneath the steady stream of hot water in the shower, their bodies melding together, breath hitching as the steam from the faucet head enveloped them. Afterwards, Latisse felt like she was positively beaming, and as she got dressed for the day, decided that nothing- absolutely NOTHING- was going to get in her and Guy's way.

The rest of their vacation flew by fast, and was filled with more fun-filled adventures such as horseback riding, wine tasting, fine dining, dancing, romantic walks on the beach, and picnics. She almost forgot that it was, in fact, still December, because the weather was so nice and everything just seemed so… perfect.

 

Latisse knew from personal experience what a pain exes could be. Daryl had pestered her nonstop for a while, too… even though he was the one who'd screwed up and left. Anger still boiled in her stomach when she thought back to her relationship with him, and how it ended so, so badly. At one point she thought that maybe,
maybe,
she and Daryll would get married and start their own family… but no, he hadn't waited; in fact he hadn't kept his damn dick in his pants, and now he and that bimbo cheerleader were expecting a baby. Latisse refused to dwell on the "what-if's" of the relationship; she knew now that they had been broken, and nothing she could have done would have fixed it. She was just relieved to finally be rid of Daryl, once and for all. She wouldn't lie to herself- it had hurt something awful when she'd discovered he'd been cheating on her- with a
cheerleader
, no less. She'd known that he was subjected to constant temptation, being a professional football player and all, but she never in a million years
dreamed
he'd betray her with some 21 year old bimbo who looked like she was barely out of grammar school. His new girlfriend was still a baby herself… and she was having his baby.
Latisse wouldn't be surprised if his current bimbo ended up being a single mom…
you know how the saying goes,
Latisse thought,
once a cheater, always a cheater.
Well, she could have him, and it would serve her right if he turned around and cheated on her… stupid college kid with no morals, sleeping with a man in a relationship! What could she expect from Daryl… if he would cheat with her, he would cheat
on
her…

Not even a month after their relationship had ended, Daryl had been calling Latisse up, begging her to take him back… to hell with that! No amount of crying and sniveling would ever convince her to take him back! Latisse had thrown herself into her work; in a way, Daryl's mistakes had been liberating- they set her free. From the moment she'd found out about
Nikki
, she had set off running- and she hadn't looked back
once.
There were no regrets for her here; only the future lay ahead, and with Guy's sudden presence in her life,  the future was beginning to look very
hopeful.

 

Guy's ex, whom she had come to learn was named Tracie, seemed to be just as big of a pain as Daryl. It was beginning to frustrate Latisse- who the hell did this woman think she was? She did not own Guy; he was free to do what he wanted, and obviously he didn't want to be with her anymore. From the little Guy had told her about Tracie, she sounded like a real doozy. Guy was better off without her.

 

Latisse tried not to let unpleasant thoughts of exes plague her mind too much- she was on vacation, after all. She wanted to enjoy every moment with Guy that she could before having to return to work. She hated thinking about it- she lived in Atlanta and he was from Chicago. Could they manage the long-distance thing? Or was this all there was to their 'relationship'- if you could call it that- a one week fling? Latisse and Guy had both confessed to wanting more… and he did have his own personal jet, after all. So maybe it wouldn't be so hard making this- whatever 'this' was- work.

 

The morning of December 31 dawned bright and sunny. Latisse stretched and rolled over lazily in bed, to discover Guy propped up on one elbow, smiling at her.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said softly, sending a shiver down to the tips of Latisse's toes. How was he able to have such an effect on her? None of her other partners ever had such an impact.

Guy leaned over and gently kissed her on the lips. She kissed him back, eagerly, morning breath be damned.

They made love slowly, sweetly that morning, perhaps because it was their last day at the resort. The next day she was supposed to fly home and get ready to go back to work on January 2. She was not looking forward to it- she wanted this past week to last forever.

After they'd made love, Latisse and Guy lay wrapped in each other's arms, listening to the sound of each other breathing as they enjoyed the bliss of their afterglow. Finally Guy spoke, breaking the spell.

"I hope you don't mind flying back to Chicago with me today. I promised Mother we'd drop by for the family's annual New Year's Eve party."

"I don't mind at all." And that was the truth; she didn't mind. In fact she looked forward to seeing Mrs. Blanchard again.

"Good," he said with a sigh of relief. "She would be awfully disappointed if you didn't come."

"Oh,
she
would be the only one disappointed?" Latisse teased. Guy smirked.

"No, I would be disappointed as well. You know that." His eyes darkened.
"What is it?"

"Nothing," he said, and then added quickly, "well, nothing for you to worry about. It's just that- well, my ex's family is close friends with Mother, and they might be there tonight. Tracie won't be there- she should still be in England for another week. But I just felt I should warn you, in case things seem a bit- erm, awkward." Latisse remained silent, processing the information she'd just been given. So his ex's family were close friends with the Blanchards? That meant that, potentially, his ex would always be a part of his life. Could she handle that?

"You ok?" Guy asked. "You're awfully quiet. Say something."

"I don't know what you want me to say." Latisse rose stiffly from bed, went to her closet and proceeded to get dressed. "I think I’m going to go for a short walk."

"Hold on a minute- I'll join you."

"No," she replied, "if you don't mind, I'd rather be on my own." Guy looked hurt, but said nothing. Latisse pulled on a pair of sneakers and quickly left their room, praying that he wouldn't follow her. She needed some air, and she needed some time to think.

 

Face it, she thought, things ended between those two rather abruptly, and then he jumped into bed with her almost immediately. Of course his ex is going to be feeling hurt, angry, and possibly be out for revenge. But Latisse had had enough drama over the past few months to last her a lifetime.

She didn't know if she could stomach any more. However, she knew full well that just because someone tried to inflict drama into your life, didn't mean you had to buy into it. It was possible they could just ignore Tracie, and eventually she'd go away. As Latisse rounded the block leading back to the hotel, she made the New Year's resolution that from now on, she would stay away from drama.

Granted, that would be impossible to do, being as she was a lawyer, but from a personal standpoint, she would distance herself from any and all drama that threatened to come her way - even if it meant making personal sacrifices.

As she headed back to their room, she resolved to continue seeing where things went with Guy… but if things got too heated, too intense regarding his ex, then she would walk away. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. God, she hoped.

 

Later that afternoon found Guy and Latisse on his private jet, heading for Chicago. They didn't say much on the plane, but held hands the entire trip. Every once in a while, Guy would give Latisse's hand a warm squeeze, and she'd look over and smile. Mainly she stared out the window, watching the world carrying on its tiny, crazy antics far below them.

 

To say that Mrs. Blanchard was thrilled to see Latisse again was an underestimate. She immediately pulled her into her warm embrace, kissing her lovingly on the cheek.

"Oh, my dear Latisse, it is so wonderful to see you again. I'm so glad you could make it. I do hope my son has been treating you well." Latisse's smile stretched from ear to ear.

"Ma'am, if he treated me any better I'd be a queen of my own country." Mrs. Blanchard grinned.

"Good. You should be treated like a queen. You deserve no less. Come, let's find you something nice to wear to the party!"

Latisse glanced over her shoulder and gave Guy a small wave and a helpless smile as she was pulled away by his mother. He just stood in the foyer, smiling and shaking his head. Latisse glanced back down at him as they reached the top of the stairs, and noted that he had pulled out his cellphone again, much to her dismay.

Now stop that, you are being stupid,
she scolded herself.
He's a business man; perhaps he is just taking a business call.
But she knew that wasn't it.

Her ‘Drama Queen’ radar almost went off.  A woman’s instincts are very powerful and should not be under estimated. She knew it was
her.

 

Mrs. Blanchard chattered away happily as she showed Latisse to her room. It was the same room she'd stayed in on Christmas. Had that really only been a week ago? Geez, it felt like a million years. Naturally, Guy's mother wanted to hear all about their holiday in Napa, which Latisse gladly provided the details – well, most of the details. Some things, after all, are not appropriate to discuss with one's boyfriend's mother!

"Mrs. Blanchard," Latisse began, after running out of details to share, "there is something I'd like to ask you."

"Please, call me Ruth, and of course, darling. Anything for you."

"It's about… well, erm, to be honest… I was just wondering about Tracie. Was Guy with her very long?"

Mrs. Blanchard's face darkened. Latisse immediately felt sorry she had brought the topic up.

 

They met in college- although I'll never understand what my son saw in her. He is too good for her." Anger flashed in Mrs. Blanchard's dark mocha eyes.

Latisse wondered if she should change the subject, but Mrs. Blanchard continued. "Of course, her parents and I go way back. We're old friends, who had simply fallen out of contact. When Guy started dating Tracie, naturally it renewed our friendship. That is the only good that has come from their 'relationship,' if you can call it that.

You see, Tracie never loved my son, not like you do. I can see the love you have for him just by watching the way you two look at one another. All Tracie ever cared about was herself, and what she could get from Guy. In fact, I thought he was through with her up until a couple months ago. That girl has brought nothing but scandal to her parents. The last time she broke my Guy's heart, it was to hook up with another man- a much older, richer man.

A Sugar Daddy, is what he was. In fact she was married to him for about 18 months before he died, and surprise surprise, who should inherit his fortune? It was a slap in the face to his family, especially when she spent it all foolishly- lavish vacations, private trainers for her toy Chihuahua, hundreds of dollars each night spent on meals at expensive restaurants. Her parents confided in me that she was blowing through her late-husband's estate, and I imagine when the money he left her ran out she didn't know what else to do but find another rich boy to satisfy her whims.

And what do you know, just like that she forced herself back into Guy's life. No, I imagine she wouldn't let him go without some sort of fight- but the question is, are you up to the challenge of fighting back for him?" Her eyes flashed to Latisse. Latisse just stood there, stunned. Again, she didn't know quite what to say.