Spice It Up - an erotic novella (6 page)

Chapter Six

‘Wow, it looks great.’ It did. The long, brightly lit bar showcased the plates of food and even from the doorway the smells reached out and grabbed her taste buds like they’d never let them go. ‘You’ve done OK.’ The place looked brilliant; it was buzzing, packed, and the tempting food was drawing people back to the counter to grab a mouthful time and time again. ‘For a Spaniard in a foreign country.’ Every bar stool was taken, and the long wall opposite was crammed with people jostling for elbow space and a spot to put their plate. The front section of the bar had been redecorated and somehow seemed to combine traditional Spain and modern eating, with plenty of tables for the people who wanted to sit and be served. He’d taken into account every untidy scribble she’d added to his plans and turned them into something even better.

He hadn’t needed her help, any idiot could tell that, but he’d insisted on taking her out for dinner and then they’d talked into the night about his plans for the place, about home, family. And she’d felt like she’d known him for ever as they’d shared food, wine, and jokes. And when he’d kissed her goodnight and told her he had to pop back to Barcelona for a few days she’d been half expecting it. He’d even asked her to go with him, but what was the point in getting any more involved, in drawing out the inevitable? It had always been about fun, not future. But now he was back for opening night.

‘Cheeky woman.’ He squeezed one cheek of her bum and brought her back to the present. ‘We’ve done OK.’ Yeah, they’d done OK – well, he had. His fingers lingered and her throat tightened. Why the hell had she rushed away the other day, let him go? Why had she said no to spending a few days in Spain with him, a few nights? Maybe it was a missed opportunity, one that would haunt her dirty dreams for a long time to come, because he’d be heading back to Barcelona for good any day now. That was what he’d said, wasn’t it? How could she have been so bloody stupid? There he had been, practically in her grasp – well, in her knickers – and she’d jumped ship. ‘What is going round in that head?’

‘You don’t want to know, believe me.’

‘Oh I think I do, believe
me
.’

‘Shouldn’t you be mingling?’

‘I want to mingle with you.’ His hip was hard against hers and Ellie was suddenly cross at him and even more annoyed at herself. He was going, and she had a choice – either find one last opportunity to jump him and get it out of her system. Or hide.

‘I’m going to go and check Kate’s OK.’

‘She looks fine to me.’ He grinned as Kate waved in their direction, and winked.

‘She’s very insecure at heart, it’s all front.’

He laughed; that rich, deep laugh that made her body stand to attention.

‘I’ll talk to you in a bit, then?’

‘You will, you can count on it.’ More than talk, all she had to work out was the best place to corner him, and what order to rip his clothes off in.

‘You’ve done good, girl.’ Kate cut into her dirty thoughts. Before they got any dirtier.

‘I didn’t do much, it was all Lucas and Dani.’

‘I didn’t mean the bar.’ She winked and nodded her head over to where Lucas stood chatting at the other side of the room. ‘Well, are you going to dish the dirt?’

‘What dirt?’

‘Oh don’t play the innocent with me, Ellie, I want all the gory details. Come on, don’t be mean.’

‘There aren’t any – well, not much.’

‘Oh.’ Kate looked a bit deflated, and frowned. ‘But I thought –’

‘Stop thinking, you’ll get brain ache. And anyway, he’s back off to Spain in the next day or so.’

‘Anyway –’ she brightened up, sat straighter on the bar stool as her gaze followed one of the waiters ‘– he’s left you a great leaving present. That –’ she paused for effect ‘– is his new manager.’ Kate was obviously quite taken by the man, whoever he might be. He looked OK, but nothing to rave over.

New manager, all change. If she’d ever had the slightest silly thought that Lucas might hang around she’d obviously got it wrong. All done and dusted, every loose end neatly tied up. Except for her.

‘Well, don’t you think he’s hot?’

‘Lukewarm.’ Not Lukey, though.

‘Stop being such a miserable cow. Well, I like him.’ Kate waved a hand in the manager’s direction and his mouth tipped into the type of charming smile that Ellie had seen a million times before. She glanced around and her eyes locked onto the lean figure of Lucas. On cue he turned, and he didn’t even need to smile. Just one look sent a strange need deep into her belly. Now, that was what she called hot. He raised a questioning eyebrow and she lifted her shoulders. One shag, one goodbye shag; was it really what she wanted? But if she didn’t, would she regret it for ever?

She tapped Kate’s arm. ‘I’m going to check up on a few things.’ She was wasting her breath. Kate was already checking up her own things that were far more inviting.

‘He’s a handsome man, yes?’

Ellie spun round at the tap on her shoulder as she made her way across the bar, half expecting a jug of cold water in the face. But it wasn’t the
señorita
from hell, it was an immaculately turned out, very elegant woman not much older than she was.

What was it about women like this that made her feel so bloody inferior? She’d spent quite a while getting ready, not overdressing because it wasn’t her style, but she’d done her best to tame the ringlets and pin them up so she looked tidy, except now she felt like a gypsy. And her best summer dress just did not cut it when it was put up against the couture version the other woman wore. She eyed the long, slender fingers and perfect manicure. Her own nails weren’t too bad, but they were unvarnished and cut short so that she could play the guitar and chop veg.

An unfair battle. The woman half smiled; a full smile would have caused wrinkles, no doubt. She followed the other woman’s gaze across the room – not that she had to, she knew exactly where Lucas was without even trying. In fact, she’d spent the first part of the evening trying
not
to watch him, then given up. He wasn’t going to be around for much longer, so why not make the most of it and ogle him every second she could? ‘Sure, he’s hot.’ Eye candy of the highest order.

‘You do know he is off to
España
soon? This is just a little game for him to pass the time. I know it is easy to get fond of someone like Lucas, maybe too fond?’

She could feel the colour seep along her cheekbones; there were times like this when a dark skin and decent tan would have been handy. ‘We’ve been working together, that’s all, and yes, I know he’s going back to Barcelona. He told me.’

The other woman nodded towards Danielle who was perched on a bar stool, happily chatting to what looked like yet another member of Lucas’ family. ‘He’s a good man, not like his brother. Pah, his brother upsets his wife, the family, the business, everyone.’

Ellie wished she’d go away; any more of this and she’d be the one doing the upsetting.

‘But Lucas is a good man, he has the woman waiting for the baby back in Spain and he will do the right thing.’ She gave Ellie’s upper arm a none-too-gentle squeeze, so that the red talons left an indent, on her arm as well as her thoughts. ‘He will not let a fling mean anything.’

‘A fling?’

The woman shrugged. ‘A fling. He has lots of flings like all red-blooded men do. They say they have needs, so I suppose if a woman is happy to be used …’

‘I am not a fricking fling, and I am not being used.’

‘Of course not. Ah, I must go and talk to Danielle. I won’t keep you, I am sure you have plates to collect or something.’

Plates to collect? Was moving from whore to waitress a promotion or demotion? The woman was trying to bloody needle her, and it was working. If the colour in her cheeks had been embarrassment before, it was rapidly heading towards pure crimson rage. OK, she knew he was going back to Spain, but to a pregnant woman? And she’d not even had the shag she’d been so desperate for since that first night; they’d been fannying about like neither of them knew what they were doing. Being left high and dry was bad enough; being left completely unsatisfied was just taking the biscuit. And now it looked like it was never going to happen. Ever.

‘Ah, and there is his wonderful new manager. Already he is so good that Lucas is ready to get on the plane tomorrow. Perfect.’

Ellie glared at the back of the woman, who was already on her way to wind someone else up. Right now, it was probably a good job looks couldn’t kill. She thrust her glass at a passing waiter and set off across the bar. Lucas must have known exactly where she was, because two steps in and his gaze had shifted in her direction, three steps and he’d half turned, five and she had his full-on attention before she reached him.

‘We need to talk.’ Imitating an angry snake might not be the way to a man’s heart, but hissing was better than shouting, and right now she didn’t know whether she wanted to do a boa constrictor on him or just bite.

He half raised an eyebrow. ‘Sure,
querida
.’

‘And don’t fucking
querida
me.’

The eyebrow went up a notch further. ‘You want to go somewhere quiet?’

Oh boy, did she want to go somewhere quiet, and rip his clothes off and do what they’d both been avoiding since the day they set eyes on each other. But she also wanted to clear the air and work out whether a lustful shag was really on the cards, or just an erotic illusion. And here, in the public eye, wasn’t the place for either.

They threaded their way through the crowded bar and the intermingled words of Spanish and English pulled at something inside her she didn’t want to be messed with. She’d be sorry when this ended, which was any minute now, and it wasn’t just a twinge of loss. It was going to leave a great big chasm called “life without Lucas” and she wasn’t quite sure what she was going to fill it with.

They’d both done what they needed to. Lucas had resurrected his business and upheld the family name and was heading back to Spain and his …

The door hadn’t even shut properly behind him as he guided her into the narrow storage area that led to the staff room, but she stopped dead because she couldn’t go another step further, in her head or physically. Which meant he had to stop, because it was more like a cupboard than a corridor, and as she turned he was there, his face inches from her, his body too close to ignore.

One wall was crammed with shelves, just enough space to squeeze past on the other. Health and safety officials would have had a party, if there’d been room. ‘So you’ve already got a manager in?’

‘Sure, I have Roberto, he is good.’ He shrugged, his shoulders and his eyebrows rising together in complete innocence.

‘So you’re going?’

‘You knew I was going,
querida
.’ His soft voice stroked over her skin and she closed her eyes, tried to block him out, because if she didn’t she’d give up and never get the answers that suddenly didn’t seem quite as important.

‘I knew you were bloody going, but I thought next week, not tomorrow.’

He sighed and she was sure he’d edged even closer, the warmth from his body seeping into hers and making the tears prick sharp at the back of her eyelids. ‘Maybe not tomorrow, but Eloisa –’

‘Why didn’t you tell me you had a pregnant woman back home?’

‘I what?’ The sharp note in his voice made her open her eyes. His eyebrows were at full mast now and he looked angry. She hadn’t seriously believed the stupid woman, or had she? ‘Who said I had a wife?’ That growl was bad for her, so bad. The soft tone had lulled her, but the rasp made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and it wasn’t with fear.

‘Not a wife, a woman. That, that …’

‘Luisa?’

‘Whatever, the one who’s been hugging your father all night.’

‘Luisa.’ He sighed. ‘Go on, tell, what has Luisa been saying now?’

‘That you had a woman –’ she paused to remember the words ‘– waiting for the baby?’

He laughed, but it was more of a dismissive bark than the real sound of humour she had fallen in love with. Yeah, admit it, fallen in love – or lust with strings attached. ‘Lots of women in Spain are waiting for the baby. She’s talking about her niece, who, incidentally, has no plans to have a baby, but her
mamá
is itching to get the crib ready. For her, family is everything.’

‘So, is this Luisa and her baby craving responsible for the jug of water I got over my head?’

‘Probably. It was her sister who attacked you.’ Lucas grinned and she suddenly realised just how closely they were sandwiched together. ‘You looked so sexy, you know, so angry and so sexy.’ He reached back, and before she could stop him he’d unclipped her hair, and his hand was still on her neck. Warm, confusing. ‘And you look sexy now.’

‘Shouldn’t they all be in Spain?’

‘It would be easier, but for some strange reason my family seem to see the attractions of this place.’ His hand settled on her waist, pulled her tighter against him. ‘Luisa’s sister is married to the Italian who owns the pizza place we were in.’

‘Ah.’ He was distracting her, and if she didn’t spit it all out now she might never have the chance again. ‘So you’ve not got a wife?’ He shook his head. ‘Or a pregnant girlfriend?’ Shook again, rubbed his thumb ever so gently up the length off her neck. ‘Or a non-pregnant girlfriend?’ The fingers on her waist were squeezing and sending a message between her thighs that she really should ignore.

‘No.’ His fingers played a circle on her scalp.

‘Or a significant other?’ Concentrate.

‘I have someone significant, yes.’ He was close, too close. She put a hand up to stop his caress of her neck. Did her best to hold his firm, strong hand still.

‘Someone significant?’

‘Yes, someone I’m close to.’

‘How close?’ She could hear the sharp edge to her voice, feel the frown starting up on her brow.

‘Very close right now. So close I don’t know how I’ve stopped myself doing this.’

She was trying her damnedest to push him away, but his mouth came down on hers with the gentlest barely there touch that she never wanted to break. ‘Oh, Eloisa.’ His words were breathed into her mouth as his tongue drifted along her lower lip. ‘I need you,
querida
,
me te gustas mucho
.’ Which, she guessed, didn’t just mean he liked her, from the way his voice had dropped an octave and acquired that rough, broken edge that turned her on something rotten.