Inamorata (2 page)

“Ai! Geezus woman!” Mick exclaimed as she pulled back and gulped for air.

“I leave my mark on you, chica,” Rita whispered sensually, the gasped as she felt the strong fingers leave her.

Mick brought her moist fingers up to the woman’s face and gently caressed her cheek. Rita turned her face and kissed each finger, purring as she did so.

Mick then took her hand and tenderly kissed the back of it, then turned it over and kissed the palm. As she pulled back, she replaced her lips with the folded money and gently closed her hand over it.

Rita shook her head and Mick placed her fingers against the dark lips, quieting her. “I want you to have this. You took care of me last night when you didn’t have to. It was a kind thing to do and I appreciate it. I’m not trying to buy you, Rita.  Please don’t take it that way. I just wanted to say thank you. Buy something for yourself. I-I feel foolish. Until a few weeks ago, I’d never really done this before and I don’t want to offend you. I respect you, very much,” she said sincerely.

Rita smiled and caressed her cheek, tears stinging her eyes. She took the money and slipped it into the pocket of her robe.

“I’ll be busy in Los Rios for quite a while. If I, um, well if my brother and I come back, maybe, um…” Mick stopped knowing she sounded like an idiot.

Rita sniffed quietly, and said a few soft words in Spanish then nodded. “I will be here,” she said softly, then opened the door gently pushing Mick into the hallway, then quietly closed the door.

Mick stared at the closed door for a long moment then she sighed and walked down the hall. She stopped when she saw Sean quietly walk out of another room ahead of her, and close the door.

She snuck up behind her younger brother and poked her finger into his back. “Hands up! You better have a woman in there.” She stifled the laugh as Sean let out a shriek and whirled around. “Is five a.m. the witching hour?”

Sean gaped at his older sister. “Shit, Mick, you scared the life out of me. Hey, have you seen your face? Hell, have you seen your neck?”

Mick heard his incredulous laugh. She shook her head, touching her swollen cheek. “I am such a fuckhead,” she said seriously and Sean snorted, trying desperately not to laugh. Mick glared at him for a moment then grinned. “Go ahead and laugh. I must have looked like a prize asshole last night.”

Sean tried not to let out a hearty laugh. “Sis, you did look ridiculous. It happened in slow-motion. God, if I wasn’t tanked I could’ve stopped you from falling backward. Man, she got you good. What the hell did you say to her?”

Mick turned so red that Sean got a little worried. “I used that line the bartender said to use,” she explained helplessly.

Sean’s eyes widened. “No wonder she slugged ya,” he said.

Both chuckled like little kids and dashed down the hall arm in arm. 

Chapter 3

Mick and Sean sat in the dining room waiting for Juan and Maria to join them for breakfast. Back up in her room, Mick had tried everything to hide the bruise. She’d never worn makeup so that was not an option. Ice was the only thing she had and she nearly got frostbite in the two hours she had before breakfast. Nothing worked, so she opted for wearing her sunglasses. Her brother watched her in sympathy as he drank his coffee. Even with the sunglasses on, you could still see the discoloration.

“Can you tell?” Mick asked.

Sean shook his head quickly. “Nah, they’ll never notice,” he assured her through his grin.

“Good morning, my children,” Maria’s voice called out. As she walked up to the table, she stopped suddenly causing her husband to bump into her. “Mother of God, what happened to your face?” The old woman blinked as she looked at the bruise on Mick’s neck, but said nothing.

Mick glared at her brother who shrugged sheepishly. Juan walked around his wife and his eyes widened in horror. “What has happened?” he asked firmly.

Both siblings opened their mouths and the old Spaniard raised his hands. “None of your nonsense. The truth,” he said the magic word and there went all the angles Mick had conjured up in her Irish imagination. Nuts, she thought.

Husband and wife sat down and watched. Sean cleared his throat, obviously taking charge, much to Mick’s relief.

“Well, you see…” he started then stopped. Mick drank her juice, avoiding him completely. “Ya know how…?” he tried again. Mick picked up her fork and examined it. Sean laughed nervously. “Heh-heh, you’ll find this rather amusing…” he assured them.

Mick glanced at Juan’s scowl.  Maria bit at her bottom lip and glanced at Mick, who felt the heat rise in her cheeks; she adjusted her sunglasses.

“Okay. It’s like this…” Sean desperately tried once again.

Mick put a hand on his arm. “You’re gonna hurt something,” she mumbled her thanks and winked. She then looked at Juan and Maria and explained…the truth, the whole truth.

Maria’s eyes widened and she put a hand to her mouth. Mick couldn’t tell if she was shocked or trying not to laugh. She looked at Juan and she knew what he was thinking. She actually thought she saw steam coming out of the old man’s ears. Maria seemed to notice it as well and subtly reached under the table, gently but firmly to squeeze his bouncing knee. Juan breathed deeply through his nose, relieving some of the redness in the ruddy complexion. He ran his fingers through his snow-white hair and then rubbed his face.

“Are you telling me you propositioned a Panamanian woman and she hit you?” he asked calmly.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Mick sighed and sat forward. “But I swear, I thought she was a hooker. Well, not really a hooker, hooker…”

Juan gave her a disturbed look. “That makes it better,” he said in a fatherly fashion.

Mick shrank back and said nothing while Juan regarded Sean.

“And what were
you
doing all this time?”

“Pretty much what I’m doing now,” Sean offered honestly.

Mick tried so hard not to laugh as did Maria. Sean swallowed and gave Juan a helpless look.

Juan took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “One whole year with these two,” he said to his wife who smiled and patted his arm.

The breakfast was relatively painless with conversation limited to the construction plans

Juan looked at his watch. “It is time to go. Please behave,” Juan begged.

“I thought she was a hooker,” Mick insisted in a hissed whisper and Maria nodded kindly.

“Yes, Michaela, we know,” she said fondly and shook her head.

*******

As they sat in the lawyer’s office waiting for Dr. Rivera, Mick’s head pounded as it did in the Land Rover the other day.

“I need some air. I’ll be right back,” she said.

“I’ll go with you,” Sean offered and rose to follow her.

“Do not go far, and come right back,” Juan called after them.

After a few minutes in the boiling sun, Mick couldn’t take it any longer.  “This is not helping.”

Sean wiped the sweat from his eyes. “Christ, it’s humid. Let me buy you some lemon ice or something,” he offered and dashed off. Several minutes later, he came back with two snow cone-looking treats.

“Just like home,” he said, handing one to Mick, who took it and kissed his cheek.

“My hero,” she said and batted her eyelashes.

Sean feigned a blush. “Aw shucks,” he said and pushed her shoulder playfully but a bit too playfully.

Mick winced and glared at him, punching him in the shoulder. Sean let out a small yipe and as he raised his hand, Mick laughed and made a mad dash for the lawyer’s office.

They both came to a screaming halt right outside the door. While they giggled, they heard Juan and Maria laughing and talking.

“There must be a
doctoro
in the house,” Mick joked and opened the door with Sean following.

“That’s not how you say doctor, jackass,” Sean said, pushing her toward the door.

Juan and Maria were laughing and talking with the lawyer, who was standing behind his desk. A tall woman with long brown hair stood next to Juan who had just released her from a fierce hug.

“Michaela and Sean Brennan, please to meet Dr. Isabella Rivera, my distant cousin,” he said proudly.

Both Brennans sported their best smiles as the woman turned to them.

“Holy…” Sean cried out as Mick’s mouth dropped and so did her lemon ice.

The tall Spanish woman appeared shocked. Her soft brown eyes, with amber flecks through them, narrowed in anger.

Mick was speechless. Sean was near hyperventilation. Juan was confused and confounded and Maria, who always knows, knew exactly what was happening.

All of the sudden, mayhem…

All four began in their native Spanish. Mick and Sean looked back and forth to all of them as they spoke with rapid-fire quickness.

Mick tried desperately to say something but Juan held up his hand in anger to silence her. She stood there, contrite and helpless with lemon ice down the front of her shirt. Sean just hid his eyes with his hand and groaned.

Juan talked to his cousin in a calm voice. He made a gesture with his hand to show that he’d known the two siblings since they were ‘that high.’ Mick thought this was good. So, she grinned and nodded in her defense, mimicking her old friend’s gesture. Since I was knee-high to a bambino, she thought.

The doctor glanced at her then glanced at the love bite on her neck. She raised an eyebrow and quickly gave her attention back to her older cousin. Maria was talking to the lawyer and Mick knew she was explaining what happened. The lawyer’s eyebrows rose into his hairline as he glanced at both Mick and Sean. 

In a few short moments, Dr. Rivera seemed calmed. But Mick saw the tense jaw of her old friend. She gave Juan a truly apologetic look; he softened then smiled. He looked at his cousin and said a few things to her. Mick thought she heard the word ‘loco’ and her grin quickly faded to a childish scowl. Sean let out a muffled laugh.   

Juan kissed his cousin, who kissed his cheek and then Maria’s. She shook hands with the lawyer and turned to the Brennan siblings. Mick took a protective step back and bumped into her partner in crime. Sean sported a sick grin.

“I will be in Los Rios in two weeks, Señorita Brennan. I hope that meeting will go much better than last night,” she said and glanced at the ugly bruise under her eye.

Mick thought she saw a flash of regret and inwardly let out a sigh of relief.  The doctor looked at the lemonade stain on her shirt and shook her head. “I look forward to seeing what you have proposed for the clinic.
Buenos días
,” she said with a smirk and walked by them.

Mick looked sick as she nodded and quickly opened the door for her. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. It didn’t matter; the doctor had already walked out. Mick turned back into the room and all eyes were on her. She cleared her throat. “Well, that went well,” she offered with a grin.

“I cannot believe you thought my cousin was a
puta
!” Juan roared with anger. The lawyer said a few words to Maria then concentrated on his papers.  Mick gave Juan a confounded look.

“What’s a
puta
?” she asked seriously, looking around the room.

Maria glared at her husband’s outburst. “Juan. That is enough.”

Sean turned crimson and whispered in her ear, “A whore.”

Mick now glared at Juan. “How dare you call your cousin a whore, Juan!” she barked back. Sean and Maria were shocked by her anger.  “She is a beautiful woman.”

“I know that! Beautiful and well respected not to be thought of as a—”

“Don’t call her that again,” Mick bellowed as she clenched her fists. She didn’t even know why she was getting angry.

“I do not call her that! You think she is—”

“I do not think she is a whore,” Mick said through clenched teeth. “She is beautiful. I was wrong. My stupid libido was in the way. She looked alluring and sexy and shit, Juan, I wanted her. Okay? I wanted to be with her, but I swear I meant no disrespect. I was stupid, damned stupid and naïve,” she said heatedly. She then took a deep sad breath. “I was drunk and foolish. I made a mistake and I’m sorry. If that is not good enough, then I’ll go back to the states and Sean can stay and do this,” she said in a tired voice.

Juan was breathing like a bull. He was about to speak when the door quietly opened. It was Dr. Rivera.

Mick let out a helpless groan. “Ai yi yi!” she said and threw up her hands in defeat. “I give.”

“I left my briefcase. I am sorry to intrude,” she said and picked up the leather bag and started for the door.

Mick gently stepped in front of her, blocking her way. Juan stiffened but said nothing when Maria glared at him.

“Dr. Rivera, please. I must apologize. I…”

The woman put up her hand to silence her. “I heard your explanation, Señorita Brennan. I believe the entire building heard both of you,” she said softly.

Both Mick and Juan groaned. The lawyer sat at his desk, his head buried in his hands.

Mick hung her head. “I am sorry,” she said sincerely. “I think it best if I leave. I have offended and hurt you and there’s just no excuse for my behavior. My brother has all the plans. Juan is the best one to manage this. Please, accept my apology. Your project means a great deal to me and to you. I don’t want that compromised in any way,” she said in a sincere voice.

The room was silent for a moment. Dr. Rivera eyed Mick, who saw the curious look. She hoped that was a good sign—she no longer saw the fiery anger in her eyes.

“Señorita Brennan, as I said, I look forward to seeing your plans for the clinic. I will meet with you in two weeks. Let us put this behind us. I accept your apology.
Buenos días
,” she said in a soft kind voice.

Mick just blinked and nodded as she held out her hand, which the doctor took.

“Thank you.
Gracias
,” Mick amended sincerely.

“
Da nada
,” the doctor said quietly.

Both women regarded each other—and in that moment, a friendship was born.