Dreams Do Come True (18 page)

Nico looked at his friend, and for the first time he didn’t know who he was. He laughed slightly to fight his building anger. He knew that if Shontell was not there, this would have turned out a lot worse.

“I can’t believe you would rather see me alone and miserable than to see me with love and happiness. You truly need to seek some help,” he told him.

“Come on, Shontell. I really need some air now.”

“Nico, man,” Dennis said. Nico didn’t turn around. Shontell looked at Dennis and shook her head. She never would have thought he would have done something like this. Nico looked over to where David and Felecia were and saw that she was speaking softly to her husband. He wanted to grab him and choke him. Martin nodded in his direction, and he took Shontell’s hand and led her toward the lobby.

Dennis felt ashamed. Why did he do this? He didn’t want to hurt Nico. Seeing the look on his, David, and John’s faces, he knew this wasn’t going to be a good thing. He had let himself and the others down. Dennis watched them walk away and wished he could say something to help make the situation go away. 

Martin came up on the side of him, handing him a glass of water.

“Let’s walk,” he told him. He knew that he would not be let off so easily, and he deserved whatever else was coming his way. He followed behind Martin and knew that whatever this was, it wouldn’t be good. But he deserved it. He hurt the people he loved; Nico, David, Martin. His face still felt the sting of the slap from Sandy. All chances he had with her are gone, he thought. Was it all worth it? Absolutely not. He wished he could turn back the hands of time to erase that look that he saw on Robert’s face. He didn’t deserve to be hurt. Even if Tina was a willing participant, he was an innocent bystander. This was all a huge mess…even worse than the last time. He sat down in the chair that Martin pointed to and waited.

Shontell tried to keep up with Nico, who was walking very fast. She knew that he was mad, so she let him have his moment. But she was too. She still never got her question answered. Why did Dennis dislike her? Was it all because he didn’t want to see Nico in love? When she couldn’t catch up to him, she called out to him. He stopped and waited for her to catch up.

“Wow, you can really walk,” she said in an effort to lighten the mood.

“I am sorry. That was rude of me,” he said, kissing her on the forehead.

“I am sorry for my part in all this. But Tina was trying me. She was getting under my skin.” She looked at him with sad eyes. Robert’s face came into her mind.

“I don’t blame you. I am sorry you felt the need to intervene. I failed in my attempt to not make her an issue,” he told her, kissing her hand.

“I don’t care about that. I am a grown woman and can handle women like Tina. I don’t understand Dennis though. Why would he do all this, and what did you mean about not learning from the last time?” she asked. Nico paused and looked like he was trying to decide how to answer. 

“When David and Felecia were engaged. Dennis arranged for an ex-girlfriend to sneak in his room when he was sleeping…naked in his bed. Felecia came to the room and found them that way. It was awful. It caused a lot of stress and tension in the group. I just can’t believe he did this again.”

“Oh my goodness,” she said as she placed her hand over mouth.

“Yes, I know. I guess he has a huge issue with us being involved. But that is his problem, not mine,” he said with a seriousness she had never seen before. She squeezed his hand. They continued to walk in silence for a few minutes.

“Are you going to be able to forgive him?” she asked him gently.

“Eventually, I guess. I am so hurt.  His actions were insane. What if…what if he caused me to lose you?” He stroked her chin.

“I know. But you didn’t. So let’s enjoy the rest of the evening, please,” she told him. She didn’t want to think about all the drama. Shontell stopped and held onto Nico. She unhooked her sandals and put them in her hand. They continued walking. It was early evening and getting dark. But her feet were enjoying the feel of the sand that was still hot. Nico laughed at her facial expression. Their focus shifted to enjoying the swinging of their hands and the sound of the water.

“I keep pinching myself to make sure that this is all real.”

“Really? Why is that?”

“Well, being here with you is like saying dreams do come true. I didn’t think that that was possible, even for me.”

“You don’t think you deserve it?” he asked her quizzically.

“Of course every person deserves to be happy. But being with a person doesn’t define happiness. That should come from within.”

“I agree. How about this? Let me enhance your happiness. I will give you my word I will never hurt you intentionally.” He pulled her into her embrace, wrapping his arms around her while they continued walking.

“I hear you talking…I hear you talking,” she told him, enjoying the feel of him next to her. Shontell looked up and saw a gazebo that was surrounded by candles inside and out. She looked up at him, and her eyes welled up. 

“Wow,” she whispered. The waiter ushered them in.

“Do you like it?” Nico asked her, as he held the chair out for her.

“I love it. So, is this my surprise?” she asked him as she sat down, and took her napkin and placed it in her lap. The waiter poured them a glasses of champagne.

“Part of it. The evening is only at its beginning, and I am returning the favor.” Nico tasted the liquid and nodded his approval to the waiter. The waiter told them that dinner would be served in three courses. 

“So, Nico, are you sure you can handle a relationship?” Shontell asked him as she sipped the cold champagne. The bubbles tickled her throat as she swallowed.

“It will be hard with my schedule, but if you’re willing, then I am willing. I will take the steps to make this work for us,” he told her, taking her hand across the small table.

“You make me feel so many emotions. I feel like I’ve known you my whole life, and it’s only been a short time.”

“I know exactly what you mean.” They made a toast and began their dinner.

Shontell watched Nico as they were served dinner. She was very surprised to see the waiter place a plate of her favorite food in front of her. There was salmon, asparagus, and baked sweet potato. She watched as he ate. She loved that he always seemed to enjoy his food. Shontell closed her eyes as a breeze hit their table and she could smell his cologne. She meant what she told him, and she felt like he was making her wildest dreams come true. He was making her feel things that Jesse never did, and she had been engaged to marry him.  She shivered a little as she took a bite of her food.

“Are you cold?” Nico asked. He reached for his jacket, but she shook her head.

“Just a little, but I will be okay.” She finished off her glass, and the waiter immediately poured a refill. She smiled.

“Okay, you can have my jacket if you need it,” Nico replied, as he finished off his plate. Shontell looked at the ocean. The waves hitting the beach made a beautiful sound. She always loved it. 

“So how did the rest of your week go?” Nico sat back as the waiter cleared their plates.

Shontell chuckled some before replying, because she didn’t even want to rethink all that drama.

“The night is not long enough for me to recount my week. All I can say is that this break came at the right time. My business partner, Ebony, has been acting very weird lately. I found out something about her that not only shocked me, but also hurt me. I will be looking to dissolve the partnership when we get back. I don’t want to spend the night rehashing all that. It’s my problem, not yours.” Shontell wasn’t ready to tell him about Jesse’s visits…not yet anyway.

“Shontell, you can talk to me about anything. Please know that; if it’s important to you, then it is important to me.” He took her hand and squeezed it. His words meant a lot to her.  She smiled, and they continued dinner. In the middle of their dessert, music came on from out of nowhere. It made her smile, because it was all her favorite music. 

“How did you know?” she asked Nico, as he smiled back at her.

Nico didn’t answer her right away, but he had done some research on Shontell from an interview she did. He made sure he knew what her favorite artists, scents, and food were. He wanted to make this time about her as much as he could. He needed her to understand that this was for real. Right before the waiter cleared their dessert, he slightly motioned to the waiter to indicate that the time was right for Shontell’s next surprise. Soon music began to play louder than the original music, and he stood and bowed. 

“Would you give me the honor of this dance?” Shontell blushed and took his hand. He loved the way she felt in his arms. 

“I love this song,” she said, as she hummed the intro to Tamia’s
You Put a Move on My Heart. 

“She is one of my favorite female artists, but I guess you knew that.”

“Yes, I did.” As he was answering her, Shontell heard a female voice singing even louder, and her eyes got wide. She turned around and saw Tamia, walking on the beach towards them and bellowing the song out. She stood to the left of them as they continued to dance.

“I can’t believe you did this. You are simply amazing.” She was trying to hide her tears. They danced to another song, as Tamia continued to serenade them. When she finished, they stopped dancing and applauded. Tamia came over to them, giving a hug first to Shontell and then to Nico. 

“You must be one special woman,” Tamia told Shontell, as she winked at her.  Nico laughed, and then he whispered something into Tamia’s ear. She laughed back at him.

“I love it!” Tamia said to Nico. Tamia took pictures with them and then said her goodbyes.

“Are you ready to go back to the hotel?” he asked her as he hugged her hard. She loved the feeling he gave her. She wrapped her arms around his neck tighter, kissing him full on the lips.

“No, I am too excited. Do you mind if we walk the beach?” she finally asked him.

“Not at all. Let me finish up with the waiter, and we can go,” he told her as he addressed the man who had served them all evening. Shontell rubbed her arms, easing her goose bumps.

Shontell turned around as Nico placed his jacket on her shoulders. The moon was so bright. They started walking, and she slowly exhaled. For the longest time, Shontell always felt that all she needed was her work. It helped with the pain. After the betrayal by Jesse, that is what she thought she needed. She purposely didn’t date because she didn’t want the heartache. As Sandy had tried to drill it into her, she knew that she couldn’t fault the next man for Jesse’s cheating. But it did make her feel inadequate…like she wasn’t enough for him or any other man. Now she would find that out. She heard Nico’s voice, and it cut into her thoughts.

“You okay? You’re very quiet.” She turned towards him and nodded her head to say “yes.” 

“What’s that?” Shontell asked, as she pointed to the basket he was holding.

“Oh, this is a little end-of-the-night surprise,” he said, holding it open and moving it back as Shontell tried to see inside. She wrinkled her nose.

“Seriously, haven’t you surprised me enough today?” she said, getting off her tippy toes. 

“If I have my way, every day with you would be filled with surprises. I want to find different ways to make you smile.” She blushed and said nothing. What could she say? Is this what it felt like to be literally swept off your feet? They were holding hands as they walked past a group of partiers. They were both glad that for once, Nico wasn’t recognized. They came across a small cove and stopped.  He opened the basket, taking a blanket out and spreading it. He set the basket down and helped her sit. She held onto her knees as Nico emptied out the rest of the contents onto the blanket.  He had a small radio, candles, wine, and fruit. She was impressed. She could not believe she was being courted. Nico laid back, and Shontell cuddled next to him. They watched the waves hitting the rocks as the music played softly. Nico dipped a strawberry in the chocolate and fed it to her. They spent the next couple of hours talking and laughing, as they finished off the bottle of wine. It was nearly 3 a.m. when they finally decided to head back to the hotel.

Nico held the door open to the hotel, as he and Shontell shared a laugh about the people they saw as they walked back to the hotel. Miami was in full swing. When they stepped on the elevator, he looked at Shontell. She was yawning slightly as she covered her mouth. She saw him watching her and smiled. 

“I’m sorry. I guess that I am a little more tired than I thought. It seems that all this excitement now has me spent.”

“Yes, I can definitely relate. Do you mind staying with me tonight?” he asked her, silently holding his breath. 

“Sure, if you don’t mind me going into my room first and changing.” That seemed to have become a normal ritual with them. Nico figured that she wasn’t ready yet to shower and dress with him, and he was fine with that. He wanted her to be comfortable.

“Not at all,” he said as he handed her the extra room key. They got off the elevator and headed in opposite directions. He quickly showered and got into bed, waiting for her to return. Within a few minutes, he heard the door. Shontell walked into the suite and then entered the bedroom area. She was wearing a peach nightie with a robe to match, and her hair was still pinned up. She turned around in model fashion. 

“You like?”

He cleared his throat and looked at her with desire in his eyes. He quickly thought he had made a mistake by asking her to stay the night. She looked so sensual and sexy. He was reminded of how thick she was when he saw her in the nightgown. He made a sound that was only audible to himself and hoped that she didn’t pull the covers back. He would be exposed. He was completely turned on. He finally spoke. 

“You look beautiful,” he told her, hoping she could see the desire in his eyes.

“Why, thank you,” she told him. She stepped out of her shoes and started walking towards the bed. Nico pulled the covers back slightly.

Taking off her robe, she crawled into the bed with him.  Nico pulled her closer to him and kissed her deeply, and he heard her moan as he ran his hands up her sides. The gown felt smooth in his hands, and it made his member grow. He wanted to touch her skin, but he reminded himself that they were taking baby steps. 

He rolled her onto her side and broke their kiss. Her eyes were glazed with desire, and her body was slightly begging him to touch her. She touched his bare chest and ran her fingernails up and down his chest and stomach. She never broke eye contact with him, as she read his quiet turmoil of thoughts. She kissed him on the cheek, and he shifted so she could lay her head on his chest. He was glad she could read his thoughts. He wasn’t sure he could voice what he was thinking. Having her this close was pure intoxication. Nico closed his eyes and once again told himself that he was doing the right thing. They both fell asleep.