King Solomon's Journey (The Dominguez Adventures) (28 page)

            “So it seems. Just what is the result you are looking for?”

            Antonio moved to an exaggerated body building pose and said; "That He-Man look all the girls like."

            Amanda laughed at his boyish antics. Tilting her head and batting her eyelashes, she replied in a falsetto voice, "My hero!"

            “Laugh it up lady. I’ve acted worse than a teenager and spent a hell of a lot of time chasing you around a pool instead of running like I’m supposed to. I’m paying a heavy price for succumbing to your charms."

            “Do not even think to blame me. I have not discouraged you from running.”

            “The hell you haven’t. I look at you and lose all sense of my adult responsibilities. I’m going to take a shower.”

            Amanda thought his declaration was funny.

***

            Showered and dressed, Antonio felt rejuvenated. He returned to the office and expected to find Amanda taking care of business as usual. Instead, he found it empty. Smiling at his behavior, he set out to find her. As predicted, he caught sight of her at the pool, with a book and note pad.

            Amanda was solemn, not her normally energetic and spontaneous self. Her demeanor concerned Antonio. He hoped she didn’t have distressing news from home that she refrained from telling him.

            “Amanda, I thought you would be working in the office.”

            “It is too perfect out here.”

            “You seem distracted.”

            “Something feels odd.”

            “What is it?”

            “I do not know. I have a sense that something is out of balance, or has deviated from the ordinary.”

            “Did one of your morning calls bring bad news?”

            “No, I could not reach Josh, but that is not unusual. I am sure you’re not shocked by the revelation.”

            He snatched her hand and told her, “Come here.”

            Lured to sit with him, her hand rested on his against her cheek. His fingers stroked her gently. “I want you here. Most importantly, I want you to trust me.” He drew her body closer to him.

            “I do trust you.” She promised.

            “It's important. I hope you feel comfortable confiding in me.”

            “When we are alone, it is a sanctuary here.” Confiding in him felt right. “We are on the verge of our communication being ripped open in our journey to complete King Solomon's prophesized journey. The resulting circumstances could threaten our ability to spend any time alone.”

            “I’m in complete agreement. For the same reasons, I’m having difficulties initiating needed support for the completion of the Scrolls demands.”

            “Antonio, I apologize for acting so selfish.”

            “I’m fighting the same guilt. I’ve struggled for several days to preserve our privacy. I know unnecessary risk is counterproductive, yet I find myself ignoring all reason when we are alone.”

            “We have to persevere.”

            “We will… we must.” His lips fell softly against hers. “Amanda, your sensation flows through me. You energize me.” Raising his head he looked closely into her eyes.

            "I wish there was some way I could show you just how much you mean to me." Then he realized he had the perfect way. "Wait right here, do not move a muscle." Antonio ordered Amanda, and then he raced to the safe and removed the box he had placed there for a special occasion. Walking to Amanda, he hoped she would accept the gift, a gift meant to showcase the value he placed on their closeness.

            Holding out his hand with the box, he sat down beside Amanda. She looked at the box with suspicion. "Before you say no, open it, and let me tell you why this is perfect for you."

            Amanda tentatively reached for the box, and opened the hinged lid. Inside she saw the most breathtaking brown diamond she had ever seem. Set in a simple silver circle, she watched as the diamond reflected red lights in the sunshine. Raising her eyes to Antonio, she was trying to say no, when every fiber of her inner woman was screaming say yes!

            "I found this at John Bears; he had kept it safe for years, waiting for the right woman to wear it. When I asked about something special for you, he brought out this gem; he called it a perfect Cognac Diamond, and said in the light, the colors of the inner fire will beam like her hair. You see, you have to take it, it's yours, and its fire, life, richness and beauty come from within, just like yours. When I look at you, I see the facets of a diamond, inner light reflected over a myriad of surfaces."

            "Antonio's words sang through her heart and soul. Amanda took the chain and clasped it around her neck. "I will wear it with pride and with great humility. To be compared to the loveliness' of this stone, is the greatest compliment I have ever been given."

            Antonio leaned forward and Amanda kissed him, and together they sank back to gaze once more over the beauty of the diamond and the enjoyment they found together was mirrored in the flashing brilliance of the Cognac Diamond that lay between her breast.

            Antonio heard the intercom indicate a visitor was at the gate.

            Excusing his departure, he activated the gate from the control panel near the pool. An express delivery driver met him at the door for his signature. The package from José had a note inserted that explained the benefits of creating a covert company as a decoy to protect the Scrolls and the Chosen.

            José claimed he could send the adversary on a wild hunt orchestrated in advance. It was a cunning idea, and a valuable ploy. His brother’s letter demanded Antonio complete the forms and send it overnight, before the end of the day.

            The first line on the form was for the company name. It triggered a message that fleeted through Antonio, ADAM. He glanced at the envelope with the names stacked vertically.

Antonio

Dominguez

Amanda

Messenger

            His hand slid over the top of his head. “Drop the Caps!” Company name: Adam. After a deep breath, he questioned his sanity and shook his head. The completed forms were in an envelope, ready to send back to José in Miami.

            Amanda’s phone rang. She was still out by the pool. Antonio noticed it was her son, Josh.

            He answered. “Hello.”

            “Who is this?”

            “Antonio Dominguez. Are you Josh, Amanda’s son?”

            “Where’s my Mother?” His voice sounded firmly in control.

            “She went outside and forgot to take her phone. I’ll take it to her.” It seemed best to make the offer fast.

            “Are you seeing my mom?” The kid didn’t hold anything back.

            “Yes, I am. We’re also working on an important project.” He wanted to be honest with the kid.

            “How do I get there?”

            “I’m sorry…Get where?”

            “Where you’ve got my Mom?” Antonio felt like a kidnapper.

            “She’s at my house.”

            “I’m at the airport waiting for a rental car and I need to see my mom to make sure she’s okay.”

            “I understand. Your mom will be pleased.”

            “I need to program the GPS.”

            “No problem. Josh, we can come pick you up.”

            “No, I will book a hotel.”

            “No need, I have more than enough room. Your mom will want you here.”

            “Tell Mom I will be there in about…what…an hour.”

            “Yeah, an hour should do it. I’ll take the phone to her.” Antonio gave him the directions while walking towards the pool.

            “Just tell her I’m coming.”

            “Josh, take my number, in case you have any problems. By the way, there’s a gate at the entrance. Press the button and I’ll open it from the house.”

            “Okay.”

            “Anything else?”

            “No thanks. I’ll be there in an hour.”

            “Okay, bye.”

            It sure turned out to be an interesting day. In one hour, he would find himself face to face with Amanda’s son.

            Anxious, he rushed to give her the news. Anticipating Amanda’s reaction, he knew it promised amusement. Replaced by his initial shock, a clear understanding of her son’s concern overwhelmed him. In fact, Antonio admired his boldness.

            A tremendous urge to laugh babbled up from his gut as he approached Amanda. Engrossed in a book, she paused intermittently to make notes.

            “You left your phone in the office. It rang, so I answered it.”

            She interrupted. “Is something wrong with my kids?”

            “Well, Josh is at the airport. He’ll be here in about an hour. I was firmly informed he needed to check on his mom.” The urge to laugh overcame him.

            Antonio’s spectacle brought Amanda to the brink. She accused him, “You are teasing me.”

            “No, I’m not. I insisted he stay here, but he planned to stay at a hotel. I should warn you, he did not commit to the idea of staying here.”

            “Was he rude to you?”

            “Not at all rude, but not thrilled about me either. The idea of me doesn’t exactly have him celebrating, that’s for damn sure. Amanda, he asked if I was seeing his mom. I said yeah. I didn’t know what the hell to say.”

            “You did the right thing. I always want to tell them the truth. If we lied to them, it would only give them reason to hate the idea.”

            “Amanda, he sounds big.”

            “He is huge, football player size, 6 foot 6 inches.”

            “Why didn’t you tell me your kids were giants?”

            “I figured that when you were busy Googling me, you had also found my kids on Facebook.”

            “No, I only did it a couple of times. It wasn’t very easy to get beyond your pen names. Shit, that took a whole day in itself.”

            “You did not have José help you?” she teased.

            “It didn’t occur to me.”

            “I knew this was a strange day.”

            “Antonio you are about to become educated. If you ever thought parents were unreasonable, wait until you see a child take on the role. There is no latitude with a grown-up kid.”

            “Great, Amanda, thanks for the reassurance.”

            “I have control. Josh is not evil.”

            “This will be entertaining.”

            “He will love you, maybe not in the first five minutes, but in due time. Except…” she stopped.

            “Except, what…Amanda…speak.”

            “I cannot sleep with you while my son is here.”

            “The hell you won’t. I can’t sleep without you.”

            “Antonio, I am not going to traumatize my kids. They are not prepared. My boys, like me, have never considered me dating somebody.”

            “This kid better start absorbing real fast. Amanda, he isn’t a child.” His tone was serious.

            She didn’t comment.

            The night before, she was a silken Temptress. He stood in disbelief.

            “Amanda, remember last night? The woman I was with… tell me she isn’t gone, please.”

            He was irresistible.

            “Never, you are far too enticing. You have to share. Rest assured that part is entirely yours.”

            She sat on his lap. His fingers crawled under her shirt, needing to feel the warmth of her skin.

                         “Antonio, I’m not ready to give-up this time with you. I’m not ready to share, I love all my other obligations, but you make me feel a way nobody else ever has. It makes me feel guilty.”

            “I know, I noticed your guilt. We’ll get through it together, by becoming creative.”

            She thought his words sounded more like her than it did him.

            “I don’t want to sound trite, but I am losing sight of where you started and I end.”

            “I feel the same thing.”

            “Josh will be here in minutes, we have to get straightened up. Now!”

Chapter 29

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." 
---Dr. Seuss

            Hospitality, Antonio wanted to seem as hospitable as possible towards Josh. If he handed him a peace pipe right at the start, it would surely help start a respectful relationship. He would have no choice but to return the same.

            Shuffling around the kitchen for drinking glasses, he put finger foods on a platter. The chocolate goo he bought for Amanda eyed him from within the refrigerator. With any luck, he had his mom’s affinity for cocoa. If true, it would be a priceless asset. He chuckled at his own nervous behavior.

He heard the intercom. It was show time. He pressed ‘CAMERA’. A big kid was at the gate, it was a huge kid…a damn man…geez. The gate opened. He was a good-looking guy.

            Amanda was still straightening herself. She left him to improvise until she was ready. She wasn’t ready. Looking at the kid made him feel guilty about what he’d done with the kid’s mom. It was nobody’s fault, only his own.

            A nauseated Antonio stepped out to the driveway. The car parked and Josh stepped out. Damn, he had about four inches on Antonio. He was every bit of 6 feet, 6 inches. A huge man, tall, muscular, he wasn’t one to tangle with.

            Antonio approached Josh with his hand out.

            “Antonio Dominquez.” He watched Amanda's son look down at his hand and hesitate before he took it in a firm grasp.

            “Josh Monroe.”

            “It is great to meet you Josh. Your mom will be down any minute. Please, come on inside.”

            Josh was stoic, oblivious to his surroundings. He was on a mission to see his mom. Antonio sensed it strongly as he led Josh to the Great Room.