Bare In Bermuda (28 page)

Henna stood up. “I'm going to my room. Hopefully I'll be safe there. Just watch my back. If you see her stalking me, call security.”

She was nearly free of the bar, when Gloria stopped her. “Henna, I'm sorry.” Henna sort of heard Gloria's words, but all she could truly concentrate on was the large brilliant blue cocktail in her hand. “I didn't mean to jump at you like that...”

Fatima walked up behind Gloria and either tripped on accident or purpose. Only Fatima would ever really know. Either way, Fatima gave Gloria enough of a shove to jerk her arm. Whether the force of the shove was enough to send the contents of Gloria's glass flying was something only Gloria knew. What Henna knew, was that Gloria's cocktail covered her dress like a Pollack painting. Just like she knew it would the moment she saw the drink in Gloria's hand.

She looked down at herself then up at Gloria and Fatima. “You did that on purpose.” She didn't speak to either of them in particular.

“It was an accident,” Gloria grabbed a handful of cocktail napkins.

Henna took the napkins and began mopping up her dress. “I... You know what? It's fine. It doesn't matter. Please just leave me alone. If you are going to start attacking me because I spend time with your father, you win. I'm fond of him, but not enough to have drinks thrown on me or worse.”

“I said it was an accident,” Gloria said. “I don't care that you and my father are sleeping together.”

“You know about this? Does everybody know?”

“Everybody knows,” Gloria said.

Inez, Henna’s mother, and Aunt Midge came up to them.

“What does everybody know?” Inez asked. “Oh, dear. If you get it to soak, it'll come out. I know the best drycleaner on the island. What does everybody know?”

“Eduardo and this one are fucking,” Fatima said, giving Henna a nod. “Everybody knows.”

“You classless twit,” Inez snipped at Fatima. “Do you have any sense of decorum?”

Before Gloria or Fatima had the chance to say another word, she fled. Out of the bar, across the lobby, and to the elevators.

“Henna!”

There was no need to look to know Midge followed. They stepped into the elevator together. A couple her parents’ age tried to join them.

“Take the next one,” Midge told them. “This one is full.”

The couple looked offended but stepped back all the same.

The doors closed, allowing for privacy. “You want to tell me what that was all about?” Midge asked.

“Gloria is mean to me,” Henna sniffled and sobbed into her hands. “And she's crazy.” She looked up from her hands to her aunt. “She is. She's absolutely crazy.”

Midge put an arm around her shoulders. Not an easy feat for the tiny woman who stood half of a head shorter than Henna. “I saw what happened. It did look like an accident. But then, sometimes an accident isn't really an accident. What to do is the question.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Do you remember Stephanie Drinkhall?”

Henna snorted. “Like I could ever forget that little bitch.”

“What did your mother tell you to do when she was hassling you?”

“She told me to try to make friends with her.”

“What happened?”

“She stole my boyfriend, and I sat in Fraschelli's Diner with Uncle Lou eating cheesecake when I was supposed to be at homecoming. Uncle Lou was the best.”

“He was the best.”

The elevator opened at her floor. Behind her door, the dress was assessed for damage. “What the hell was she drinking? Blue dye?”

“Get it off,” Midge said. “Maybe if we get it to soak, we can save it.”

Henna slipped into the bathroom and out of her dress. Midge handed her a towel after turning on the faucet in the bathtub. “Have you taken to not wearing underpants?”

“Don't ask.” The dress was dropped into the tub.

“I was young and in love once. I don't need details. Tell me you have another dress.”

“I have a red and a black.”

“Which one makes you look like more of a floosy?”

“The red.”

“Get it on.”

“I think I'm done for the night.”

Midge put a hand to her ear. “Did you hear that?”

She shook her head. “I didn't hear anything.”

“I did. It was your grandmother Elena rolling over in her grave. You call yourself a Hirsch woman. Act like one. You get in that dress and you show both of those women you aren't afraid of either of them.”

“Really? Grandma Elena rolling over in her grave.”

“She wouldn't have let some chit push her around and neither will you. Now.” Midge gave her a firm swat on the butt. “Get that red dress on.”

“You're a very bad woman.”

“Never forget you get it from me.”

The red dress was the color of lipstick and the armor of a femme fatale. “Are you sure about this?” she asked Midge. The two stood side by side in front of the mirror. “I don't want to stir the pot.”

“Chicken.”

“I'm not a chicken.”

“Chicken. Little fluffy chicken that would rather stay in her safe little shell than crack it open and see what's out in the world.” Midge handed her the silver shoes they'd picked out.

She snatched the shoes from her aunt. “I am not a chicken.” The shoes gave her another three inches and would probably bring her eye level with Gloria, assuming she'd taken off her shoes. It wasn't much, but it would do.

“You are not a chicken. You're a Hirsch. Nobody pushes you around.”

In the elevator, Henna looked down at Midge. “Whatever happened to Stephanie Drinkhall?”

“She's a grandmother and works as a cashier at the grocery store.”

“She's a grandmother? She's my age.”

“What can I tell you? When you left for college, she had her first kid. Her daughter had a baby not that long ago.”

“Wow,” she said. “You know, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing I had braces, bad skin, and unmanageable hair when I was in high school. At least I had a lot of time to spend studying.”

“You're a swan now honey.”

“Am I?” She looked down at her aunt as they stood just outside the bar.

“You're a great beauty. Now. Tits up and ass out.” Midge gave her a small shove, which sent her on her way. Of course, the first person she encountered was Gloria.

She raised a hand before Gloria could get a word out. “Not another word from you. Not one. And if my dress is ruined, you're buying me a new one.”

Gloria smiled a maliciously contrived smirk. “Considering my father paid for that one—”

“Don't even go there,” Henna said. “Get it through your head now. For your sake. My relationship with Eduardo has nothing to do with you. Not one thing. If you ruined my dress, you're going to replace it.”

“It was an accident,” Gloria said.

“I'm sure it was. And like with all accidents, if you caused it, you need to fix it. Considering that dress cost as much as a car, use that as your base comparison. If you'd rear-ended me, you'd have to pay for that, too. No matter who paid for the car. The dress is going to the cleaners tomorrow. If it doesn't come back pristine, I have the receipt upstairs.”

Gloria stood her ground with a hand on her hip. “I'm not paying for a dress that my father bought.”

“Yes, you will. Because you need to start acting like an adult. That would be the adult thing to do.” A thought took seed then bloomed like a firecracker. She'd known a few rich girls in her life. They all had the same bitch and moan. “Or are you really going to tell your father to pay for it for you? Haven't you reached an age when you're getting a bit old for that?”

The sharp intake of breath and the flash in the eyes told her she'd hit pay dirt. Eduardo might have adored his children, but chances were he'd had more than one conversation with his daughter about her credit card bill.

And Gloria might have been taller than her, but Henna stared her down. “You'll either get the bill for the dry-cleaning or the dress. If you need your daddy to pay for it, that's between the two of you.”

She walked away with her head high as a thousand generations of Hirsch women who had come before her silently cheered her on in her head.

****

Henna sat up in bed, with her book reader in her hands, and a dilemma in her heart. Did she strangle Eduardo for telling everyone they were lovers, or did she push him off the balcony and claim it was an accident? Decisions, decisions.

The door opened and Eduardo stumbled in, somehow managing to land face down on the bed.

“You're so beautiful,” he told her with a smile.

“You're drunk.” She set her book reader on the nightstand. “And you smell like booze and cigarette smoke. Have you been smoking?”

“Will you be angry with me if I've been smoking?”

“Yes.”

“Then no.” A moment later, he started to laugh. “Okay. Maybe I've been smoking. But I didn't inhale.”

“Unbelievable.” She slid out of bed and to her feet. “I may have inadvertently told Gloria that you wanted children.”

“I know,” he said. “She sent me a text. I also know about your dress. It truly was an accident. I believe her. I told her I'd buy you a new one. She insists on replacing it herself. Very mature of her. I'm pleased. She's growing up. You can't imagine what a pain in the ass she can be sometimes.”

“Oh, I probably can.” She slipped off one of his shoes then the other. “You're not angry she knows about you and your baby fetish?”

“No,” he said. “You're my destiny. In fact...” He leaned up and looked at her as she pulled off his socks. “I'm feeling lucky tonight. You want to hop on and make a baby?”

“Unbelievable. Are you even capable of performing right now?” She stood over him and watched him grab his cock through his trousers.

“I am good to go. But you need to do all of the work. I'm just going to lay here and let you have me.”

“You realize that making a baby has more to do with you feeling lucky?”

“Not really,” he said. “So far, I'm two for two. If I were a bull, my stud fee would be enormous. I have very lucky sperm.”

She unfastened his trousers then pulled them down his legs. “I'm on birth control.”

“Why are we using condoms? Why?”

She tossed his trousers to the side. “Because we are responsible adults who haven't had a discussion about our previous sexual relationships and whether or not we're going to be monogamous.”

“You suck the fun out of spontaneous, unprotected, baby-making sex.”

“Good,” she said. She straddled him to unbutton his shirt.

“I have had sex with three women. You included. I have no diseases.” He sat up just enough to let her get his shirt off of him.

She tossed his shirt to the side. “You can't be sure of that.” The idea of no longer having to worry about condoms appealed to her.

“I can. I went to the doctor to find out whether or not I was healthy. I am. I only want to be with you. Except, of course, for that thing you promised me for my birthday. Then we can use all the condoms you want to use. Happy?”

She considered what to do while turning off lights and double-checking the door.

“Yes,” she said. “But I'm not stopping my birth control anytime soon.”

“Why not?” He pushed off his own underwear, revealing an impressive erection that pointed to the ceiling.

“Because I need some time.” She climbed on the bed and on him. “I'm ready to admit I only want to be with you, but I'm not going to rush into parenthood.” She pushed herself up on her knees as her hand guided his erection into her pussy. The silky feel of his bare skin stroked her delicate skin. The unaccustomed sensation, rapidly fired up her arousal.

His hands reached up to fondle her breasts through the thin fabric of the cotton slip she wore for bed. He pinched and plucked at her nipples through the fine material. “I did warn you that I'm feeling very lucky. Just don't forget that.”

“I won't.” Being on top allowed Henna to control the pace and the movement. She alternatively plunged him deep inside her, then pulled up just to the point he nearly slipped out. Everything felt right. From the feel of friction of their bare skin working together to the familiar way they touched. There was a quiet perfection of how they came together.

Her orgasm built slowly according to her design. When she purposefully pushed herself over the top, she plunged down hard, drawing Eduardo deep into her body.

“Don't move.” His hands held tight to her hips. With a few jerks and twitches, he ejaculated deep inside her. Without pulling off of him, she lay on his chest. Strong arms wrapped around her, holding her tight.

After a while, she found her place on the bed next to Eduardo. The very moment when her body passed from awake to sleep, she sat up with a jolt. Quietly as she could, she slipped from the bed and dug out her planner. After flipping through the pages, she found what she looked for.

“Oh thank god,” she mumbled. She wasn't due to have another birth control shot until her next period started.

Eduardo could feel as lucky as he wanted to feel. She had modern medicine on her side.

Chapter Ten

The phone rang, waking Henna earlier than anyone should be roused during their vacation. “What?” she grumbled.

“Good morning,” a familiar voice chirped. “It is Romeo. I am very sorry to bother you, but I wanted to remind my father we are teeing off in an hour. He was supposed to meet us for breakfast already.”

“Uh...” She wasn't exactly sure how to respond.

“I am sorry to embarrass you,” Romeo said. “But I know he is with you.”

“What makes you think that?” she asked.

“I know you are lovers.””

“Right. That. Everyone knows we're sleeping together. Hold on.” She put her hand over the phone as she rolled over and looked Eduardo in the eye. “Your son. You and I need to have a conversation about the fact you told everyone we were sleeping together.”

“I did do that, didn't I?” Eduardo put a hand over his eyes. “I'm never drinking with your father and your brother again.”.

“You told my father we're sleeping together?” She hissed out a long breath.

“No. No, I did not.”

“What happened to being discreet?”

“I forgot,” he said, reaching for the phone. “Hola.”

She got out of bed and went into the bathroom as Eduardo continued to chat in incomprehensible Spanish. He generated emotional responses in her that ran the gauntlet from passion to anger. What part of being discreet involved Eduardo telling everyone they were lovers? She rinsed and spat into the sink as the door opened and Eduardo walked in dressed in his trousers and a shirt.