Broken Rules (8 page)

Jesús nodded. Alex was pretty sure she got her
point across. “Ok, why don’t you grab the Canon and a reflector…” they were
back to work.

Alex started shooting Marco from a distance. He
had walked off, down the shoreline, and, with his back to them, he had no idea
Alex had started. It was a nice candid shot capturing the scenery and what
looked like a pensive, reflective moment. The sun was hot and Alex could feel
it on her shoulders. She was glad she had remembered her sunscreen. Marco was
wearing a loose fitting linen shirt and cotton cargo pants. He stopped to roll
up the bottom of his pants and take his shirt off. Alex was quickly reminded of
how devastatingly gorgeous his body was, not that she needed any reminders…

As if he could feel her eyes lusting after him, he
turned around flashing a huge grin as he started walking back towards them.
Alex kept shooting, and he kept walking towards her. She was glad she had the
camera in front of her face to hide her grin and her flush. When he got a
couple inches in front of her, she finally lowered her camera.

 “Are they friendly?” Alex asked of the sea
lions, trying to direct her attention away from him. Some of the males were
still barking but they had quieted down.

 “Mostly, but they will protect their women
and their family if they feel threatened.” Even though Alex knew he was talking
about the sea lions, he could have easily been talking about the dynamic
between the three of them.

 “I’d like to get you lying in front of them.
With your coloring and your off-white pants, you’ll blend right in.”

Marco laughed, “Are you telling me I look like a
sea lion? Blubbery with a couple whiskers?”

Alex laughed, “Marco, not even a blind woman would
ever compare you to a sea lion.” She shook her head, “but if you lie in the
foreground, I can make it look like you’re lounging with them. This whole shoot
is about showing you where you’re most at home. If we use a short depth of
field, it’ll be a visual metaphor that you’re part of the ecosystem here with
everything including the wildlife.” He shook his head, understanding what she
was after. He liked how focused she could be on her work, and how much thought
she clearly put into it, even with the other drama that was playing out. In
addition to everything else, Marco clearly found her confidence and vision very
sexy.

Alex showed him where she wanted him and how to
position himself. He was foreground, his pants almost blending into the white
sand, and his gorgeous caramel skin that was already looking more olive in the
sunlight, making him look like he was part of the sea lion family. At one
point, he sat up, clapping his hands with his elbows together and sticking his
neck up as if barking like the males. With the sun glistening off the water
behind him, the shot was both beautiful and playful, just like Marco.

After a little while, they heard a few local
teenage girls giggling off in the distance. It was hard not to stop and stare
at Marco, and the fact that they were there in public doing a photoshoot, well,
that just drew that much more attention. Marco looked over at the girls and
smiled, making their giggles shoot up an octave. Then he waved them over. Their
initial trepidation, followed by overwhelming excitement brought them running
towards Marco. When they finally got within a couple of yards, they slowed
down, trying to compose themselves, still giggling and whispering to each
other.

 “
Hi girls.”
He said with a huge grin,
which just brought more giggles. These poor things looked like they might
faint. Finally, one of them spoke,

 “You’re Marco Flores.”

He nodded, cocked his head and said, “
I guess I
am. And what are your names?”
which just brought more giggling and then
they introduced themselves. Alex could practically feel their excitement
vibrating off of them. She kept shooting this, not that it was likely it would
get used, but you never knew when a candid shot like this could completely
capture a moment.
“Would you like to take a picture with me?”
he asked,
still smiling, completely relaxed and probably fully aware of the effect he was
having on these poor teenagers. Their squeals actually stirred some of the sea
lions, prompting a couple of the males to start their barking again, which made
Marco laugh. The girls could barely contain themselves watching his every move,
mesmerized that they were inches away from
the
Marco Flores.

None of them really answered but they just nodded
and kept grinning as they situated themselves around him. Like a very good
sport, he put his arms around them and Alex took a few shots, then they asked
if each of them could get a shot on their camera phones, to which Alex obliged.
Finally, after each girl got a few shots on her phone, Marco thanked them for
coming over and saying hi, and they just continued giggling as they practically
floated away.

Alex shook her head, and laughed as Marco came
walking over. “I think you just made those girls’ year.” Marco smiled and
shrugged.

 “It’s nice seeing teens be innocent and
silly. You don’t see a lot of that in LA.”

Alex nodded in agreement.

 “Were you that silly when you were their
age,
Corazon
?” he asked. Alex was caught off guard. It was so rare that
talent showed any interest in anyone other than themselves, Alex wasn’t really used
to talking about herself. Plus, that was a tough age for her.

 “That was right around the time when my
folks died, so it was a bit of a blur.” Alex didn’t want to bring the mood down
too much, but there were certain realities in her life.

 “Oh, Alexandra, I’m so sorry. You told me
that you were 16, I didn’t even put it together, I’m sorry.” He brought his
hand up and stroked her hair tenderly, looking into her eyes with what seemed
like genuine concern. “Come on, now’s your chance to be silly. Come take a
picture with me and the sea lions.” Alex paused, hesitating. But Marco pulled
and cajoled, and after very little convincing, she followed him over, giving
Jesús the camera.

 “Ok, go like this, come on Alexandra” Marco
said enthusiastically as he sunk down to his knees in the sand, imitating the
sea lions again, clapping his arms. Alex rolled her eyes but she soon found
herself barking like a sea lion and laughing. She wasn’t sure what it was about
this man, but he was so easy and fun and she found herself being silly and
carefree with him, like his attitude was rubbing off on her. Or, it was just
very hard to resist his charms.

As Alex was about to stand, Marco turned to her
and said, “This is now a tradition,
Corazon
.” Alex furrowed her
eyebrows, unclear as to what he was talking about. “Every shot, we end with a
picture of you and me. We started it in the tub at home, and I want to continue
it here. It’ll be a nice reminder of our time here together.” Alex grinned and
said a brief “ok” as she got up and brushed the sand off her knees. She wasn’t
sure if he practiced these lines, but damn if he didn’t say exactly what women
wanted to hear.

They spent much of the day outdoors, with Marco
taking them to various scenic spots, each one being just as gorgeous as the
last. But by late afternoon, it was clear that Alex’s complexion was no match
for the tropical sun. She had put sunscreen on in the morning, but never
thought to reapply. And now, her trademark tank top was truly becoming a
trademark, the shape of it a bright pink outline on her. She didn’t realize how
bad it was until she saw Marco’s expression. It was amusement mixed with
concern as he reached his index finger to her upper chest. Alex stepped back,
about to ask what the heck he’s doing when Marco said, “
Corazon
, you’re
getting so pink.” Which immediately made Alex flush. Again. The way he said it,
and just that simple touch shouldn’t give her the kind of feeling that it did,
but as much as her mind protested, her body continued to react. After a second,
Alex realized he was talking about her skin.

 “I think we should call it a day.
La
gringa
needs to get out of the sun.” he winked at her and then continued,
“My mother is expecting us for dinner tonight, but first, let’s grab a drink.
It’s a local hangout, you both will like it.” It was hard to argue with Marco.
And, even though it was her shoot, and she should be the one deciding when they
were finished, there was no point in pushing for more. They got so many great
shots throughout the day, and she was turning into a lobster. Getting out of
the sun sounded like a great idea. She was once again surprised that he wanted
to share his family time with her and Jesús, but she was flattered and had
enjoyed it so much she was looking forward to seeing them again. She also
guessed that Jesús was pleased that he’d be able to see Teresa again. 

True to his word, the restaurant / bar had a good
sized crowd when they got there. As they walked in, the bartender, a
well-endowed woman in her late 30s, attractive, not gorgeous, but working what
she had, did a double take when she saw Marco walk through the doors. She put
down the drink she was making, and smiled as her eyes locked on Marco, and he
walked slowly to her, behind the bar, leaned down and gave her a hug, as he
planted a kiss on her cheek. They stayed embraced for a moment and then she
reached up to caress his cheek. No sooner did she than she cocked the same hand
back. Before she could slap him he caught her wrist, her mouth went into a straight
line and she shook her head. He leaned down whispered something into her ear
and Alex could see tears well up in her eyes as Marco stroked her hair. She
nodded and then gave a half-hearted smile at him. He pulled her back into a hug
and they stayed that way for a couple minutes. Alex could see that they were
talking, every now and then she’d nod and look up at him. It was a very
emotional, tender moment. Watching the two of them felt like voyeurism, but it
was hard to look away from such a genuine display of affection and emotion.
Then she turned back to the drink she was making as Marco started to make his
way over to Alex and Jesús.

Alex figured she must have been a lover scorned.
Jesús obviously thought the same thing when he said, “Not so sure I want her
making our drinks.” Alex loved Jesús’ dry humor. It was rare when he displayed
it, but he was quick, though he allowed few people to see that side of him.
“Think I’ll stick with beer.” Alex smiled as she took in the rest of the crowd.
It was early still, and this was island life. Most everyone was a local, and
many seemed to be regulars. On an island this small, Alex got the sense that
everyone knew everyone. And, as Marco stopped to say hello to different people,
he confirmed just that. They all seemed not just happy to see Marco, but proud
of their own ‘local hero’.

Alex took out her camera and captured some of the
caught moments with the locals. There were lots of smiles and pats on the back.
Clearly genuine pride. Alex tried to be as discreet as possible, but it was
hard not to notice the gringa with the camera, and the guy with the full
sleeves against the laid back atmosphere that permeated the rest of the bar.
Still, Alex wanted to document as much as she could. This was, after all,
Marco’s rags to riches story. And if this was one of his local haunts, she
wanted to make sure she helped tell part of the story.

Before he came back to the table, he heard his
name called by the bartender. He made his way back to the bar to gather three
drinks from a now smiling bartender. They exchanged a few words that made her
smile and then he finally came to where Alex and Jesús were sitting. “I got you
a beer, Jesús, and one of Ceci’s specials for you and me, Alexandra.
Salud
!”
Alex eyed her drink, thinking about what Jesús had said minutes earlier.
Marco’s brow scrunched, “Trust me, you’ll like it.”

Alex smiled, “You sure it’s safe to drink?” Marco
cocked his head, clearly confused. “Um, well, it looked like your ex-girlfriend
was pretty upset with you. Tried to clock you there.” Marco’s face went from
confusion to straight out laughter.

 “You think Ceci and I were together?” Marco
said with surprise and humor.

 “Uh, we saw her about to slap you, and then
she cried until you held her. To me that says scorned lover.” Alex said, still
not taking a sip of her drink. Meanwhile, Jesús was happily sucking down his
beer enjoying the entertainment.

Marco laughed heartily, “
Ay dios mio
, what
an imagination you have,
Corazon
.”

 “Isn’t that what it looked like to you?”
Alex asked Jesús, looking for backup. Jesús smiled and nodded, all too happy to
see Marco taken down a notch.

Marco shook his head and rolled his eyes, “Cecilia
almost slapped me because…” Marco paused thinking. Perhaps he didn’t want to
share this with them. But he needed to explain, “she was upset that I paid for
her father’s funeral.” Marco paused, collecting himself, just saying those
words brought back sadness. “I wasn’t able to come home for it, I was shooting,
and my mother told me that the bar had seen some slow times, and that Ceci
wasn’t sure if she would be able to give him the type of funeral he deserved.
His death was sudden, so I called the funeral home and took care of the
arrangements. I’ve known Cec since I was five years old and she used to babysit
me with Christina. They’re best friends.” He laughed again, “You think that Cec
and I were…” he just laughed more and shook his head. “
Corazon
, it’s
safe to drink, I promise you.”

Alex felt like the biggest ass on the planet as
she lifted her drink to toast him and Jesús, and then downed a good portion of
it.

 “So why did she almost hit you?” Jesús
asked, still skeptical.

 “Because, she’s got her pride.” Marco said
matter of factly. “The money I make in LA is stupid. It’s…” he rolled his eyes
and shook his head, “It means nothing to me.” He downed the rest of his drink,
“Compared to what Ceci makes here, doing an honest day’s work, paying for her
father’s funeral was the least I could do.” And then he looked actually pained,
“And the fact that I couldn’t come home for his funeral,” he ground his teeth,
and looked genuinely upset, “that they couldn’t break their precious schedule
for a couple days so that I could come home and mourn a man I knew almost my
entire life, a man who was like a father to me,” he shook his head again, so
clearly upset with the production as well as himself. Then he shook it off,
“Cec is going to crack up when I tell her what you both thought.” Marco rose,
“I’m getting us another round.”

He strode to the bar, eager to relay the story.
They watched him belly up to the bar, lean in to Ceci, motion over to them, and
then tell her what they thought. Ceci laughed heartily as she put her hand to
her mouth, clearly enjoying it. They both laughed, genuine laughs, glancing
back again at Alex and Jesús, shaking their heads as they continued to chatter
while Ceci made their drinks.

 “Cec was flattered you thought she and I
were together.” Marco said when he got back to the table, still chuckling. “She
said that if she hadn’t seen me wet my pants when I was seven after one of the
sea turtles snapped at me, that maybe she would have been interested.” He threw
his head back laughing, even harder than before, like being with Ceci was just
the funniest thing he had ever heard.

A few locals stopped by the table to say hi. Marco
took time with each person, talking easily, reminiscing and laughing. There was
none of the typical actor affect that plagued most people working in Hollywood.
Alex started to believe that perhaps he really was just a good guy… albeit with
a gorgeous exterior.

After their second round, Marco said, “We should
get going. I don’t want to be late for dinner. My mother and grandmother do not
appreciate tardiness.” Alex smiled, imagining Patricia slapping him on the back
of his head if he ever were to be late.

 “Before we leave, Marco. Can I get a shot of
you and Ceci? Please?” Alex asked. If she was someone he had known his entire
life, Alex wanted to capture it. Marco nodded as the three of them walked to
the bar.

 “
Cecilia Rodriguez, I’d like to introduce
you to Alexandra and Jesús. Are you ok if she takes a photo of us
?”

Ceci smiled and said, “
You mean, a picture with
your scorned lover?
” They all laughed.

 “Desculpa me, Ceci.”
Alex tried to apologize, but Ceci laughed and
shook her head.

 “I know what you must think. You see this
gorgeous man hug me and kiss me and see me well up with tears and almost slap
him, and think, he must have broke her heart. But this beautiful man here? He’s
special. Stubborn and proud, but special, remember that. I’ve seen all the
pictures and stories, and you Hollywood people make him out to be some big
playboy, but I practically changed his diapers.”
She shook her head and the tears welled up again,
“He’s not what you think. Don’t let the pretty blue eyes fool you!”

Alex nodded, feeling even more like an idiot.
“How
about a shot of you both behind the bar?
” Marco grabbed Ceci, and even
though Alex knew it was just a friendly embrace, she felt a twinge of jealousy.
Something she had no right feeling. Marco held Ceci tightly and whispered
something in her ear which made them both crack up, which Alex caught with her
camera. They were playful together, sweet.

Alex asked Ceci if she could tap two beers with a
lot of foam. Ceci looked at her skeptically, but did as she asked.
“Can you
both drink them, but leave the foam on your upper lips?”
They both did and
the shot was adorable, both Ceci and Marco with their dark skin setting off the
white foam mustaches. Marco dipped a finger in and put a dollop of foam on
Ceci’s nose as they looked at each other laughing. Alex caught it all.

They posed for a few more shots and then Marco
leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, this time, with the utmost sincerity. She
again, reached up for his cheek and stroked it. The connection between the two
of them was beautiful. And Alex felt like a chump for thinking it was anything
more than platonic love.
“Ceci, if you or Marco give me your email address,
I’ll send these to you when we get home.”
Alex offered. Ceci seemed
genuinely excited and Marco promised to make the arrangements.

Then Marco said,
“Venga, venga!”
to Alex.
After a day of posing with him at every stop she was starting to get used to
being in front of the camera, and starting to look forward to the feeling of
his hands around her waist, her shoulders, her… she had to stop feeling this
way, but every time he touched her, much as she initially tried to tamp down
the feelings, there was just no denying her body’s reaction to him. Even a
simple hand on her hips sent tingling sensations to deep in her belly.

Jesús was getting used to the routine too as Alex
handed him the camera and stepped behind the bar with Marco.

 “Ok,
Corazon
, you’re not the only one
who can set up a shot.” Marco said suggestively as Alex came up beside him,
“Tip your head back and open your mouth.” Alex shot him a look, but he just
stood patiently and waited. “Lean back into me, trust me.” And Alex did. She
turned so that the side of her body was pressed to his front and his arm was
behind her back. She leaned back and opened her mouth, feeling very vulnerable.
She looked up at him and saw him smiling sexily down at her. “Ready?” she
nodded. “Ok, Jesús be sure to catch this, cause I don’t want to get Alexandra
too drunk!” Jesús nodded and Marco poured something down Alex’s throat. When he
stopped he brought a slightly dazed Alex up to standing and had to put his
hands on her hips to steady her. She looked up into his eyes, and whether it
was the liquor or his hands, she had to shake her head to try to stop her from
feeling what she was. He smiled again and then took his thumb to wipe some of
the liquor from the corner of her mouth. The way he licked his thumb while
staring straight at her, Alex felt like it couldn’t just be her imagination as
to the implication.

Once steady, she and Marco stepped out from behind
the bar. Alex grabbed the camera from Jesús, now used to his looks of
disapproval of her flirting with Marco. They all said their thanks and goodbyes
as they left.

When they got to the Flores house, it was much
like the previous night. The aromas of good, home cooking, and the sounds of
all the women talking and laughing filled their senses the minute they walked
in the door. One thing that was different was Teresa. She obviously knew they
would be coming over. She wore a little more makeup, her blouse was lower cut
and her jeans a bit tighter. Alex tried to stifle her smile, Marco scowled and
Jesús was appreciative. Alex enjoyed watching the awkward flirting between the
two of them. Both shy and reserved, it was a sweet dance of young love.

At one point in the kitchen, while everyone was
still cooking and preparing Alex lifted her camera, ready to get more shots.
Marco, standing slightly behind her, and to her side, reached over and put his
hand tenderly on her forearm and shook his head. “Enough pictures for today.
Relax,
Corazon
. Just be a guest here in my family’s home.” Alex was so
used to taking care of others, whether it was Jesús, or her animals, or her
clients, such a simple gesture made her feel a warmth she wasn’t used to
feeling.

She put the camera down and, whether it was the
drinks from the bar, or the welcoming of Marco and his family, she leaned back
into Marco, feeling his hard, warm body against her back. Her heart was
pounding as she wondered if she was crossing a line that she couldn’t step back
over, but as soon as his arms rubbed hers, and then settled around her waist,
she no longer cared about the line. Standing there, engulfed by him, feeling
his heart pounding, his warmth radiating, that felt like the most natural and
the right place for her to be. And for once, Jesús was preoccupied, helping
Teresa chop vegetables. His back was to Alex, but she watched him as he and
Teresa shared a cutting board in veritable silence. Every now and then Alex
would see Teresa peek up at Jesús and offer a shy smile, which she was pretty
sure he returned. And whenever that happened, she could feel Marco’s grip
tighten for a second. At one point she turned her head and looked back, up at
him, much in the same way Teresa was looking at Jesús. Marco smiled down at
her, lifting his hand to stroke her cheek.