Tastes Like Chocolate: A Red Hot Valentine Story (3 page)

“
I am yours to command in
bed.” He thrust, filling me completely.

My breath rushed out of me as he picked up
speed. All I could do was lie there and moan. He clasped his hands
over my head, staring me right in the eye. He wanted to see my
pleasure.

He moved as fast as he did with his hand. I
lost track of his movements, unable to keep up. Raising my hips, I
tried to match his every move. This time when I arched my back, it
pressed my breasts into his chest.

He moaned. “Your body ignites a fire inside
of me.”

The impact of our bodies meeting in a frenzy
of passion produced a delicious sound that filled my ears. His
moans echoed mine as I couldn’t contain groans that came from
within me. The orgasm ran along my legs, clenching my toes. As my
mouth opened to scream my joy, he placed his over mine and we
exploded together.

He brushed my hair back, kissing my cheek.
“Thank you.”

Thank me?
Oh no. “That was all you. I’ve been there when
I’ve had orgasms before. This was different.”

“
That was the point.” He
laughed, rubbing my breasts and stomach. “I’m a son of Eros, God of
Love. You, and your aunt, asked for me. Here I am.”

His voice, full of reverence, let me know he
spoke the truth. No other way a block of chocolate turns into a
man.

“
I believe you.” There was
a tiny voice at the back reaches of my brain. I squashed it with a
glance at the body that pleasured me.

He looked surprised. “That’s why I thanked
you. I’ve not been with a woman in a long time. I’m glad I was
chosen for you.”

“
So am I.” All mine? It’s
a good thing I was lying down. I’d have fainted.

He watched me shower. Then got cleaned up
himself. Dinner was done when he came out wrapped in only a
towel.

“
I need
clothes.”

“
I beg to
differ.”

He smiled. “You want your friends to see
every time I’m hard for you?”

Got me there. “No, we’ll get you clothes
tomorrow.”

“
Tonight, we eat and make
love all night.”

“
Yes.”

Chapter Three

A week later, he was still there every day
and in my bed every night. I couldn’t believe it and yet, here he
was. My aunt verified the son of Eros story, as best a human witch
could confirm calling down a God.

“
I have to report back.”
He stood over the stove making eggs. He was a great
cook.

“
Back, where?” Gods
forgive me, I kept thinking Willy Wonka.

“
To Eros. It won’t take
long. He’ll pull me up there to check and see how things are going
and I’ll be back here with you soon after.”

How can anyone think with that ass, naked,
in an apron? “Okay.”

He left that afternoon. My stomach did some
strange flips and threw my lunch back at me. Seated in the shop, I
barely noticed people walking by. All I kept thinking about was
Adonis. Had I had a weeklong dream relationship only to be
left?

Angie showed up when I’d decided I’d been
duped. “Where’s caramel and delicious?”

“
He had to go back to
Eros. Report in or something.” My doubts flew around my head
yelling ‘told you it was a dream’ as I tried to smack them with a
flyswatter.

“
What’s up your ass? One
hour without him and you’re irritable.” She opened up her mom-bag,
pulling out tissues. “Wipe your nose. What did you expect? A god
shows up in your shop, sexing you up for a week, and you expect him
to stick around? I love you, Vivi but your fantasy life needs to
find a reality check. If he comes back, he’s yours. Until then,
enjoy the hell out of those memories. Telling me every single
detail of his lovemaking will help you.” Her eyes shone with
curiosity.

Hearing it out loud hurt, confirming my own
insecurities. “Where are the kids?”

“
Day care. Mommy needs a
massage.”

Her favorite place was down the street. “I
should go with you.”

“
Yes, hot smoking sex with
Adonis is stressful.” She poked me in the ribs.

“
All right. He’s been a
gift. I’m waiting for the issue to come up. You know there’s always
an issue.”

Rolling her eyes at me, she scoffed.
“There’s not an issue here. He was sent for you, made by you, and
fits you.”

“
That sounds normal.”
Sarcasm made me feel better.

“
Who pissed in your
cornflakes?”

“
I’m enthralled when he’s
around. The rest of the world fades away. Then he goes and doubt
stomps on me.” This pattern wasn’t new; I’d developed it in high
school.

“
Come on. Let’s go.” She
pulled me out of the store after forcing me to put on real ‘outside
people’ clothes.

It was a short walk to the massage place.
Angie had a membership her husband renewed every year. His apology
for the twins gift. She wouldn’t trade her children for anything,
the twins being the most adorable children in town. Just ask her.
Once a week though, she took a break, got lunch on her own, came by
the store, and got a massage.

The lady at the desk smiled at us. The owner
hired me for the statues in the lobby. I’d made one look like
Adonis, but I didn’t know it at the time, only he was four foot
tall and hollow in the fountain.

Angie called him “Little Pisser” even though
he poured water from a can.

“
Good afternoon, Vivi and
Angie. Two? Vivi, where have you been? You absolutely glow. I doubt
we need to do anything to you today.” Our favorite masseuse could
talk through anything.

“
I’m fine, Marcella. I’m
here to support Angie.”

“
I heard about chocolate
man.” Marcella winked at me. “How does he taste?”

I froze. No one had ever asked me how my man
tasted before. Adonis was a first on all fronts. “I’m not
telling.”

“
He looks delicious.” She
licked her lips.

“
Hands off my candy man,
Marcella.” I couldn’t soften the edge to my voice.

She grabbed a small bottle of liquor on the
way back to the massage room, handing it to me. “He’s yours, Vivi.
No other woman who’s been in your shop in the last week can even
get his eyes from you. Much less his hands, or any other parts. I
want to know where you met him. I have family who could use a man
dedicated and delicious.”

Tension in my shoulders eased up, leaving
behind soreness. “Sorry about that. I’m feeling a little
vulnerable.”

“
Forget Rick. That idiot
isn’t worth another tear or worry. Your Adonis god is beautiful.
Enjoy him.”

Angie’s modesty left when a crowd converged
in her hospital room to watch the twins arrive. She dropped her
clothes and picked up a robe, hopping onto the table. “Talk as long
as you work.”

Marcella spanked Angie’s ass, pointing me to
the small table with tomato juice and celery. I made a crude Bloody
Mary and had a seat.

“
Sorry, Marcella. I didn’t
mean to snap at you.” Guilt started worming its way into my
chest.

“
Don’t you worry. I have
six children, nine grandchildren, and an ornery husband. I come to
work for a break.”

I believed her. Sipping my drink, I tried
not to watch the clock. Each minute that went by scared me and I
couldn’t pinpoint why.

By the time Angie’s massage was done, I had
a buzz and wanted to get back.

“
Tourists thinned out this
year.” Angie made small talk.

We had a hurricane a month ago. They
probably think we’re still picking up.” If it’s one thing
Floridians are good at, it’s bouncing back after storms. Hell, we
didn’t get off the road until the hurricanes could be seen from our
living rooms. That’s what happens when they drive by every
year.

The shop was locked but something was
different. Only my materials delivery person had a key, and Angie.
That way, I didn’t have to stop working when he dropped off more
concrete or marble.

The shop smelled like burnt chocolate. I ran
upstairs, seeing a note on the bed that wasn’t there when I’d left.
Grabbing it, I ran downstairs. The refrigerated unit door was open.
Something was wrong. The note forgotten in my hand, fear of an
intruder clenched my chest.

Angie stood behind me as we inched our way
back. There was breathing. Then I heard it. A chainsaw started up.
My heart pounded in my chest. Did Eros send Adonis back as
chocolate? Was it really a dream, a delusion? Aunt Lily wouldn’t do
anything to hurt me, but the ancient Gods were known for toying
with humans.

“
Adonis?” I tried to keep
the panic from my voice.

“
You won’t be hearing from
him again,” Rick shouted back.

Rick? I ran to a table, pulling a
sledgehammer from the tool set. It weighed twenty pounds but I’d
grown used to swinging it.

Angie ran out the front door, I assumed to
get the police.

“
Rick, what the hell are
you doing in my shop?”

“
I’m getting rid of the
competition.” A chocolate chunk flew past me.

My heart sank. A week. I’d gotten a week of
love, unconditional, passionate love.

“
Angie’s gone to get the
police. You need to turn off the chainsaw and come out.”

“
Really, and what do you
have?” He sounded drunk.

“
A sledgehammer. I can
knock you, and the motor, out in seconds.” I lifted it onto my
shoulder.

He came towards me, chainsaw in front of him
running. “I’d like to see you try.” His clothes and hair were
covered in chocolate dust. It made me ill.

No words were needed. I swung the hammer
once, knocking the chainsaw into the wall where it started to
smoke. The engine died after cutting a huge hole in my shop.

“
How did you do
that?”

His surprise caught me off guard.

“
Precision movements are
what I do, Rick.” I felt sorry for him for a second. He’d never
gotten to know me.

“
They left me.” He
stumbled around in a circle.

Whoever it was deserved an award. “Who left
you?”

“
Everyone. All the women I
had. They said I crossed the line hurting you. No one else will
have me. So I came to get you back.” Drunk logic.

That was a first. “No.” Even with Adonis,
maybe in fragments, I was done with Rick and any man who didn’t
love me exactly as I was.

Rick had been my boyfriend for three years
and didn’t know I could swing a hammer? The delivery people knew
that. Sad fact he’d never asked about me and I’d never told him.
The shop phone rang behind me. I didn’t want to turn my back on
this situation. Voicemail picked it up.

“
Viviana? Are you okay?”
Officer’s came in the front door. I heard the footsteps.

“
Freeze!” Rick tried to
keep from swaying. “Don’t move.”

I turned around to see five cops in riot
gear. “Boys, you can drop your weapons. The chainsaw is fried and
possibly melted into the wall.” I pointed at it.

Rick stumbled forward, dropping to his knees
as he was cuffed and carried away.

“
Angie, he killed Adonis.”
I collapsed. “I can’t look.”

She held me in her arms, rocking me while I
wept. The smell of chocolate in the air made me cry harder.
Upstairs in my room, I went through a box of tissues mourning my
sweet man knowing I’d never meet anyone like him again.

The phone rang as Angie wandered into the
cold room. It was my aunt. “What is wrong? Did the shipment break?”
Concern filled her voice.

“
What shipment?” My brain
wasn’t working.

“
The three blocks of
chocolate. It seems you are now the sculptor for the god of love.
Orders for the gold dust are backing up over here.”

“
Wait.” Peeling the now
illegible note from my sweaty palm, I ran downstairs, leaving the
phone behind.

Angie grabbed it, explaining what had
happened to my aunt. There were three huge blocks of chocolate in
the room. I turned the temperature back down as they’d started to
melt. Square blocks, uncut, not Adonis; I ran around each one
touching the corners.

“
He wasn’t in here.” The
words came out soft, whispering as to not wake anything that might
contradict me.

“
Who wasn’t in here?”
Adonis stood in the doorway with three bags in his hands. “Your new
orders, milady.”

I rushed to his arms, kissing his chest
through his clothes. “When did you get clothes?”

“
You can’t keep me naked
forever.” He looked closely at my face. “Who hurt you?”

Angie put my phone on speaker. “Rick came
by, found the blocks, and thought it was you, Adonis. He went after
them with a chainsaw.”

“
How did he get in?” my
aunt asked.

“
My delivery guy doesn’t
know we split up. He had to have been the one to let him in.” I was
so relieved I’d forgotten about the breaking and entering
part.

“
You thought I was dead?”
Adonis bent over kissing me.

“
Yes.”

“
You mourned me.” Another
kiss.

“
It’s getting close in
here. I’m hanging up and going home now,” Angie said to anyone
still listening.

Adonis turned the lights off while I closed
up. He waited for me at the bottom of the stairs with the bags.