Broken Rules (15 page)

He shook his head, “
Dios
, Alexandra. I, I
like being in control. And I always have been, in my life, until I got into the
industry.” He paused again and took a deep breath. “Everything about what I do
now is giving up control. Directors direct me. Agents tell me where to go, what
contracts to sign. Photographers tell me how to pose,” he paused and smiled at
her. “And then yesterday, you asked me to lie, and I understand why, but once
again I was doing something that someone else wanted me to do.”

 “So you took it out on me?” she asked
softly.

 “It’s not like that. I would never hit a
woman. I would never, ever hurt a woman.”

 “But you wanted to punish me because I asked
you to do something you didn’t want to do. That’s not a terribly mature way to
handle things.”

He looked down and then back up to her eyes, “No,
no it’s not.”

 “The other night, when I tied you up, did
you like that?” he asked and Alex nodded. “Do you know why?” he asked
sincerely.

 “I, I don’t know. I guess part of it was
just that it was naughty.” Alex blushed and looked down. “Part of it was that I
knew I was safe, but I liked giving up control to you. I, for once, I didn’t
have to call the shots or make the decisions. I guess I knew you’d take care of
me, and, well, I can’t say that I feel that safe with that many people that I’d
let them do that.”

He smiled a lopsided smile, “I’m glad you feel
safe with me,
Corazon
.” He reached over and stroked her cheek. “But,
just like you enjoyed giving up control to me, I enjoyed taking it. It’s just
two sides to the same coin.” Alex nodded. It did make sense.

 “But I hate to think that I scared you, or
that I made you doubt my intentions. I don’t ever want that.” He took her hands
in his and then said, “thank you for not running away. Thank you for staying to
talk about it.” Alex smiled and then yawned.

 “You really didn’t sleep all night? Oh,
Alexandra, that just makes me want to punish you all over for waiting all night
to talk to me.” He said sexily and she laughed.

 “Marco! Punishment is not the answer to
everything!” she said while laughing.

 “I know,
amor
. But you did like it.
Your body did at least.” He rolled towards her, reaching for her and pulling
her to him. “Now, let me at least make it up to you. I can’t give you back your
sleep, but I can give you other things.” he said sexily as he leaned in and started
nibbling on her neck. Alex wasn’t sure if she was being weak, or if what he had
said really did make sense. Intellectually, it did. But as his hands and mouth
started working their magic on her body, she stopped thinking and took him up
on his offer, and let him make it up to her over and over again.

Alex finally drifted off to sleep, only to wake to
the sound of the shower. When Marco came out, he smiled tenderly at her and
leaned over to kiss her forehead. “I’m glad you got at least a little sleep,
mi
amor
.”

Alex yawned and he laughed. “I think I might just
go back to sleep. I have the day to myself after all.” She said, which brought
on a frown from Marco.

 “Once again, I am going to be doing
something I don’t want to, Alexandra.”

 “And it’s not my fault, Marco. Tiffany’s
here to do a story on
you
. It makes sense she wants to spend the day
with you.”

He nodded, “I know. But it doesn’t mean I have to
like it.” He sat down on the bed and took her hands in his.

 “This is our last night here together. I am
telling Tiffany that she has me until late afternoon, but after that, I’m
spending it with my family. I’ll come pick you up at 4. Then we’ll go to the
house.”

Alex was touched, knowing how close he was to
them, that he wanted her to be part of that sacred time. She nodded and smiled.
“Ok,
amor
, be good. I’ll be back by 4. Text me if anything changes.”

Alex couldn’t help but say a little too
enthusiastically, “Have fun with Tiffany!”

Marco shot her a sexy smile, “And you wonder why I
want to punish you?”

Alex fell back asleep. Once she awoke, she went
back to her room to change into running gear and then went for a long run. By
the time she got back and cleaned up, it was already noon. She walked down to a
nearby restaurant for a light lunch and then did some work back at her hotel
room. She had already seen so much of the island, she realized that there was
one thing she really wanted to do, one thing that she had experienced here that
she hadn’t in years, and that was, she wanted to go spend more time with Lydia
and Patricia. In the short time that she had spent with them, she felt mothered
in a way that she hadn’t in so long. So she texted Marco to ask if he thought
it would be ok with them if she went to the house without him. He said they would
love her company, so she spent the rest of the afternoon with the Flores
matriarchs. 

When he walked in, he saw Alex by the stove with
Lydia. She was wearing an apron and tasting some sauce from a big pot. Alex
held out the wooden spoon to Lydia who tasted it and smiled, “
very, very
good, Alexandra! Just a little more salt and spice…
” she continued
muttering as she turned away. Marco was touched to see Alex so comfortable with
his mom, such a normal, domestic scene so far removed from everything he had come
to know in Hollywood. He grinned from ear to ear and walked straight to Alex,
wrapping her in a big hug.

 “Hi honey, I’m home.” He whispered in her
ear as he lifted her off the ground, making Alex’s heart pound, spreading a
feeling of warmth and love throughout her body.

He put her down so that he could kiss his mother
and grandmother hello. Then he said,
“Mama, can I steal Alexandra for a
moment?”

 “Of course, of course, the sauce needs to
simmer for a while. Go, go…”
she
waved them off and Marco held his hand out, which Alex took, following him out
to the patio.

Once outside, Marco bent down and lifted Alex
again into a tight hug and just held her there, breathing in her hair, holding
her tightly. They stayed like that for at least a minute, not saying a word,
just hugging. When he set her down, he looked down into her eyes while pushing
the little wisps of hair that had fallen out of the ponytail, back behind her
ears. He just stared at her and smiled a lopsided smile. But when he spoke, he
looked pained.

 “I missed you so much today, Alexandra. And
the more I missed you,
dios
, the more I wanted to come back here and
take you to the hotel and do all kinds of things to you.”

Once again, Alex was seeing a new side to him. She
had seen him upset before, but this, this was something new, like he was
fighting with himself.

Alex asked softly, “Things that would scare me?”
And even as she asked it, she could feel tingling deep down in her belly.

Marco bit his lip and shook his head, “Alexandra,
all day I’m with this woman who is asking me so many personal questions,
questions she has no right asking. And all day I hold it in, and put on a good
show. And all I can think about is coming back to you and ravishing you,
feeling you, touching you.” He shook his head again, “all the interest in me,
this article, none of it’s real. It’s all so superficial, so fleeting. You’re
real. My family is real. But I, this industry has brought out a side of me…” he
didn’t finish his sentence.

He shook his head, leaned down and kissed her
forehead. “Come, let’s go help my mother with dinner.” Obviously, he was done
talking, and Alex wasn’t even sure what to say anyway.

Marco was quieter than usual during dinner. He
kept a hand on Alex’s thigh or held her hand in his as much as he could
throughout the meal. After the third time of his mother asking him what was
wrong, he finally said, “
I’m just sad that this is our last night together,
that’s all, mama. Coming home has brought up a lot of emotions for me. And I’m
just tired... It’s been a long day, too many questions about my personal life.
I’ve already given so much of myself to these people, and they just want more
and more. It’s never enough it seems.”

 “You can’t stay longer, just relax?”
Lydia asked. Alex knew how difficult it was to
understand the stresses he was under. It all looked so glamorous on the
outside, but she knew what the industry could do to people. She understood what
he was talking about when he said they just keep taking and taking. Of course,
she never experienced it first hand, but she had witnessed it. She knew it took
a strong person to keep a level head amidst it all.

Marco shook his head,
“No, when we get back, I
have to go on a publicity tour with Kimberly Cook, my costar, promoting the
film. I leave the day after I return.”
This was the first that Alex had
heard of it and she knew that she visibly stiffened. She also knew she really
had no right to feel jealous or worried. What did she and Marco have together?
A few days? But all her fears about actors started bubbling up to the surface.
He would be travelling with another woman, and even though Alex knew what a
bitch she was, she couldn’t help but feel jealousy wash over her. Not just
jealousy of him spending time with Kimberly, but the idea that in every town
there would probably be women just throwing themselves at him. Of course, that
could happen anywhere, including if he were staying put in LA. But rational
thought was going by the wayside as Alex’s mind started working overtime.

Alex was so lost in her thoughts, it must have
been clear that this news hit her hard. Marco leaned over and whispered,
“don’t, Alexandra.” Alex flinched, snapping out of her mind. But, unlike Marco,
she wasn’t an actor. She couldn’t pretend the way he could. And she wasn’t in the
mood for him telling her what to do. It was one thing in the bedroom, but
something else entirely sitting there with his family.

Alex took a deep breath and then excused herself
to the bathroom. This was not how she wanted her last night with them to end.
Once safely inside the bathroom she sat on the toilet and bit her lip as hard
as she could to stop herself from crying, but to no avail. All she could do was
let the tears come, which they did, as she silently shook. Sitting there, she
knew that it wasn’t just jealousy bringing on these tears. She had become
attached. She was going to miss Marco after being with him for such a
concentrated amount of time, when they got back, there would be nothing. Alex
knew what it was like to miss people. She still missed her parents, even all
these years later.

After a couple of minutes, the tears stopped, and
Alex did her best to clean herself up before she went back out. She tried to
put on a brave face, she even tried smiling, but the minute she did, she felt
the tears prick her eyes again. Damn it. She did not want to be that woman. She
really, really didn’t. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself before she
turned the corner back into the dining room. She felt all eyes on her as she
slinked back into her chair. Naturally, Patricia didn’t hold back.

 “Alexandra, what is it? Why have you been
crying?”

Great, just great.
“I’m just sad to be leaving too, and nervous
about tomorrow’s flight… and like Marco said, it’s been a long few days, I
think maybe I’m just tired.”
She doubted anyone was buying this, not that
all of that wasn’t the truth. It just wasn’t the whole truth.

 “Let’s get you back to the hotel,
amor
.”
Marco said as he scooted his chair back. Alex nodded. When she got up, so did
Jesús.

Before they left the table, Alex turned to his
mother and grandmother and said,
“Lydia, Patricia, girls, I cannot thank you
enough for everything. This is the first time since I was a teenager that I
felt mothered and cared for in only the way that women can care for each
other.”
She paused,
“I’m sorry I’m being so emotional, but this trip has
been more than just a photoshoot, so much more.”
She paused again, looking
at Marco and giving him a soft smile. Then she turned back to the matriarchs.
“Marco
is a lucky man to have such strong women to lean on. It’s truly been an honor
to spend time with you all and to get to know you. Please accept my, and Jesús’
thanks for all of your hospitality, and for welcoming us into your lives and
your home. It’s been a very special time for both of us.”

Alex walked over to Lydia and gave her a tight
hug, then all the girls. Lastly, she hugged Patricia. She was afraid to squeeze
too hard at first, but the minute Patricia got her hands on her she pulled her
so tight to her small soft frame that Alex felt like if she stayed in her arms,
she would be safe forever. She whispered in her ear,
“He is a good man,
Alexandra. I know you know that. I see the way he looks at you. It’s like the
sun rises and sets on you. Trust me. Trust him. Trust your heart. Do not let
Hollywood get in the way of what you feel inside.”
Alex nodded, knowing if
she uttered a word, the tears would start flowing again.

Marco took time to say his goodbyes to everyone.
Alex noticed that Jesus and Teresa were absent, she guessed they were outside
on the patio saying their own goodbyes to each other. Eventually, they came
back in, small smiles on both of their faces, Teresa’s lip gloss no where to be
found on her lips, but traces of it on Jesús’. Alex had to stifle a smile.

It was a quiet ride the three of them shared back
to the hotel. Alex didn’t even make any pretense to go to her room. She just
walked with Marco to his.

Once they got inside, Marco scooped Alex up into
his arms and held her. As much as Alex tried not to, the tears really started
flowing this time. She shook and cried, and he just held her until the shaking
stopped and her hiccupped breaths evened out. She was about to apologize when
he leaned down and took her mouth into his, kissing her tenderly as he picked
her back up and over to the bed. They lay there, on the bed, just kissing for a
long time until finally they undressed each other.

That night, there was no spanking, no tying up,
not even any dirty talking. They just made love. They both needed each other
for different reasons, and neither was sure how things would be once they got
back to LA, back to reality.

Alex was surprisingly calm on the flight back.
Apparently, all it took was getting over that initial ride on the way there.
Not that she enjoyed the flight. She still white knuckled it the entire way,
but it was nothing compared to the flight there. They were all very quiet the
whole way back. There just wasn’t much to say. Alex vowed that she wouldn’t ask
him about his publicity tour. She worried if she asked, she’d sound like a
desperate girl. And he didn’t offer, which only pushed her away further.

When they arrived in LA, the atmosphere couldn’t
have been more different. All of their hackles went up. It was amazing how
relaxed she had been on the island. But the minute they set foot in the
terminal at LAX, everything changed. The volume, the crowds, the tension, the
size of the place. It was all the antithesis of what they had just lived for
the last few days.

Marco kept his sunglasses on, and had donned a
baseball cap. Still, people stared, mostly women. Even if they didn’t know who
he was, it was hard not to stare just given how damn good looking he was. Alex
knew she was shutting down and pulling away. None of them said a word between
deplaning and getting to the parking lot. Finally, when it was time to go their
separate ways, Jesús took the bags and started walking to their car, leaving
Alex to say goodbye to Marco. Once safely behind his car, Marco removed his cap
and glasses.

He smiled a sad smile as he looked down and
stroked her cheek. “I’m going to be on the road for two weeks. It’s a
nationwide tour.” Alex nodded. “You’re going to see pictures of me out with
Kimberly, going to clubs, bars…” Alex looked down and Marco lifted her chin to look
back up at him, “you know it’s all for the movie, Alexandra. You know not to
believe what you read. They, they want us to look like a couple, they think it
will help sell our roles.”

Alex just nodded again. What could she possibly
say? “I don’t want this to end between us.” He said, and again, all she could
do was nod. “Alexandra, please say something.”

 “There’s nothing for me to say, Marco.”

 “Of course there is. You could tell me you
don’t want it to end either. Unless, of course, you do.”

 “You know that’s not the case.” She said
flatly.

 “How, how do I know that? You haven’t said a
word since we got on the plane.”

 “Marco, what do you want me to say? Or do?
You talked about how you hated that in your job, you have no control. Well, in
this, with you, whatever it is between us, I have no control. I can’t control
that you’re going to be gone, I can’t control that you’re going to not just be
with another woman, but that there are going to be pictures of you looking like
you’re together with her. So, I’m not really sure what you want me to say. I’m
not going to sit here and pour my heart out like a teenager because it’s not
going to change anything. And, if you need me to tell you how I feel, then
you’re not the man I thought you were.”

Alex knew she was right, and it seemed, so did
Marco. She had put it into words that he understood. Neither of them liked it,
but this was reality.