His Desert Rose (8 page)

With Love Antonio

Renee was pleased with the arrangement and the lovely fragrance that had filled the room. She must have really scared him at the doctor’s office, she thought. Renee was up and dressed in a black flutter-sleeve, cowlneck one piece jumpsuit. She wore gold jewelry for accessories. She walked down the winding staircase and joined everyone in the sitting room.

“Hello everyone,” she said as she entered the room. Alexandria got up from her seat and hugged Renee.

“Look at you, you are as beautiful as I remember,” Alexandria said. I am so glad you captured my grandson’s heart honey. Don’t worry about your past, we all got one, you just don’t live there anymore. Hell, I used to be a stripper,” she said and crossed her hands across her chest. “I tell you another thing, be worried about the ones that don’t claim their past, they got some real skeletons in their closets,” Alexandria finished.

Renee smiled at Alexandria she had always been outspoken. “Thank you, Mrs. Alexandria, I appreciate that. Have you met Amber and Alyson, Jasmine’s girls,” she said trying to change the subject.

Antonio smiled in Renee’s direction. She escorted his grandmother back over to where the men were sitting and received a hug from Victor and Stefano before making her way to Antonio. He held open his arms for her and she walked into them willingly.

He looked down into her beautiful face as she said, “Thank you for the flowers.”

“My pleasure,” Antonio said bringing her into a close embrace, where he held her a little longer than necessary. He took in the fragrance of her hair which was a combination of coconut butter and Shea butter. She also wore her signature fragrance which had a hint of raspberry crème and some kind of sultry musk, with just a touch of aloe Vera and chamomile. As he released her from his embrace Rosalie came around the corner and announced that dinner was to be served.

The table was once again set with the most beautiful fine china and glassware. The tables also were dressed with beautiful linens, silverware in the correct placement, and lovely floral arrangements. Antonio held out her chair for her like always.

Dinner in this house was always like a well-organized dance. Antonio stood and said the blessing over the food. As he sat down the doors to the kitchen swung open and Rosalie and her daughter Katelyn began to serve the first course. Soup and salad were served first of course. Rosalie placed bowls of chicken tortilla soup that was garnished with fresh avocado, Monterey Jack cheese, green onions, and crushed tortilla chips; along with a lovely salad of mixed greens, juicy red ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet onions, diced boiled eggs and mixed shredded cheeses. Everything looked and smelled delicious. The conversation around the table was continuous between mouthfuls of food. The conversations were passionate at times, sometimes light, and other times just plain comical. After about twenty minutes Rosalie and Katelyn came out with several baskets of fresh baked bread with honey butter and began to remove the soup bowls and salad plates. When that task was completed, the main course of sirloin steak, scalloped potatoes, and broccoli was served. Everything was cooked to perfection and complemented each other well. When the plates had been cleared from the main course. Rosalie and Katelyn served homemade pound cake with homemade caramel icing, which had been one of Renee’s favorite desserts growing up. She smiled as she received her plate of cake. She looked over at her fiancé and said, “Thank you.”

Antonio smiled at his future wife and said,” Anything to see that smile.”

“Well,” Renee said, “Cake is a great way to start,” with a little laugh.

“How about a movie after dinner?” Antonio said.

“Okay, you are on,” Renee responded. “You should invite your siblings,” Renee advised and I will invite Nicole and Claire of course.

“That’s fine,” Antonio said. “By the way, I did take the rest of the week off.”

“Oh, why?” Renee asked.

“I wanted to spend some time with you before our big day, to ensure that you’re comfortable here. Also I have this one party that we have to go to it’s a work thing, tomorrow night. I have to attend it. Will you accompany me please?” Antonio asked pouring on the charm.

“Of course,” Renee said.

“Thank you,” Antonio said. “Lastly Prince Kamar Jamal Abdul and Daniel Harvey are arriving tomorrow afternoon as well.”

“Three more days, until the big day,” Renee said getting nervous.

“No need to worry, everything has been taken care of beautifully, and we have an excellent staff to help out wherever there is a need,” Antonio answered.

“I don’t want Rosalie to work our wedding. She is more like family, and I want her in there with family as well as Ms. Ragsdale.” Renee reached down into her purse and pulled out three envelopes.

“What’s that?” Antonio asked.

“They are gifts for Ms. Nancy, Ms. Ragsdale and for Rosalie. They have helped out way more than they should have without complaining and I need them to know that they are appreciated,” Renee said.

“You are right,” Antonio said. “You always think of everything,” then continued, “Tomorrow let’s have breakfast in the city and do some shopping, just the two of us.

“That sounds like fun,” Renee said thinking that she needed a dress for the work function dinner he had anyways.

After dinner Renee and Antonio talked to each of the ladies individually and gave them, the cards with two thousand dollars each for their services. Each lady had cried and expressed gratitude. Rosalie more than the others, who had told her that Katelyn needed the money to go college.

“No, Rosalie this money is a gift for you. Buy yourself something nice to wear to the wedding. You will be sitting with the family. Absolutely no work for you on that day. We will make sure that Katelyn has what she needs in order to go to school, as long as she keeps up her grades,” Renee said.

This made Rosalie cry even harder. She hugged Antonio first and then Renee, thanking her over and over again.

When Rosalie finally, stopped crying and went into the kitchen, Antonio told her he was going to get set up in the family room for the movie. Renee said that she would just help. They popped popcorn, filled bowls with candy, and grabbed a variety of drinks for everyone. They watched a romantic comedy. Everyone laughed out loud and the ladies swooned in all the right places. It was a great evening. After which, they cleaned up and Antonio walked her to her room.

“I had a very nice time tonight, Antonio. Thank you so much,” Renee said looking back at him. “What are you thinking?” She asked curiously.

Taking her in his arms and pressing her gently up against the wall, he looked down into her beautiful face and said, “It’s been too long since I did this,” as he lowered his head and kissed her passionately. Her arms went up around his neck on their own accord. Her breast became aroused as if on command; nipples were erect and heavy with need. There was that pulsating need between her thighs again.

“Antonio I’m not going to be able to stop,” she said between uneven breathes.

Antonio opened her room door and laid her across the bed. He began to take of his clothes with haste. She smiled like the cat that got the cream. Antonio was sexy as hell. Broad shoulders, a light dusting of brown hairs across his chest. Lean, powerful, athletic body, well chiseled features and this man came undone for her. She held this power over him.

Renee reached both her hands around her back as she worked the zipper to her one piece down, then stood and stepped out of it. She stood before him in a pastel pink panty and bra set. Both her breast were begging to be freed. She knew that as soon as Antonio entered her she was going to go up in flames. So she wanted to make sure that he enjoyed himself. She turned on the television to one of the cable stations that just played music. She walked up to him and kissed him long and hard, before pushing him onto the bed.

She got down on her knees carefully and took his impressive manhood into her mouth. She took as much of him into her mouth as humanly possible. The tip of his penis grazed her epiglottis, but she didn’t gag. She handled that penis like a champ. Even when he started to leak, she kept going. He was so hard, long, and thick; she couldn’t wait to get him between her thighs.  She stood up and unhooked her bra. Then slid her panties down her legs. He backed up onto the bed. She straddled him and wrapped her long legs around his waist.  She was so wet that he slid with ease into her tight walls. She bounced up and down, slowly at first as their bodies got used to being joined together again. Then faster and faster. As predicted she reached her organism quickly and as her vagina started to suck and pull him with her tight muscles he followed soon afterwards.

They lay together for a while still connected. When Antonio’s breathing had returned to normal he began to stir. Realizing that her eyelids were getting heavy, she moved off top of him to go to take a shower. Antonio joined her. They took turns lathering each other up. As Antonio rubbed soap over the curve of her aroused breast, he leaned down and drew one nipple into his mouth because it was begging him too. He moved his head from one breast to the other. He spread butterfly kisses down her abdominal all the way to her stomach. He spread her legs and began to suck and lick her at her core. He used two fingers and his tongue to bring her to an organism all over again.

“Antonio, you didn’t have to do that, but I am so glad that you did,” Renee said grabbing up the bottle of soap all over again.

This time they just showered. By the time Renee had gotten out of the shower and towel dried, Antonio had stripped the bed and made it up with fresh linens. He was in just a pair of pajama bottoms and she was in her Dartmouth shirt and underwear.

Antonio climbed into the bed with her and held her unto they both drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 20

Renee woke up to the smell of sweet Italian sausages cooking. She jumped out of bed and got dressed in another floral print knee length dress. She brushed her hair up into a ponytail. She washed her face and brushed her teeth and then hurried down the stairs.

To her surprise Antonio was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading a newspaper.

“Good Morning,” she said walking over and giving him a kiss before saying, “I’m sorry I overslept and messed up our breakfast plans.”

“It was more important for you to get some rest,” Antonio said. “I had Rosalie to prepare breakfast here for you so we can go start to shop,” Antonio said pulling out a chair for her.

Antonio blessed the food and they ate together. Italian sausages, hash browns with onions and cheese, scrambled eggs and toast. It amazed Renee how much food mattered to her now. Italian sausage was the food she craved and couldn’t get enough of. That had to be the twins, because she never really cared for Italian sausage prior to the pregnancy. After breakfast, they drove into the city and did some serious shopping and site seeing. Renee bought gifts for her bridesmaids so Antonio felt inclined to purchase gifts for the groomsmen. They walked along the market place where street vendors gathered and sold everything from food to pieces of art. They talked, they laughed, and they teased one another.

Marco met up with them at the pier and took her to lunch. While Antonio was to pick up a package and then his friends Prince K.J. and Daniel Harvey from the airport. She enjoyed a delightful meal with Marco. He made her feel welcome, like she was really a part of the Favero family already; that was nice of him. During dessert, Claire, Elizabeth, Nicole, and Olivia came to take her to the Day Spa. She thanked Marco and left with the girls.

When she arrived at the day spa, she covered her mouth in surprise as she saw her sister Jasmine, Maria, Eleanor, Alexandria, Alena and Alexis were present and accounted for.

“What a beautiful surprise,” Renee said standing in awe. When did y’all get here?” she asked still trying to absorb what was happening around her.

“Antonio wanted to surprise you by flying us in a few days early,” Jasmine said.

Renee started to cry because she was just overwhelmed by everything. What a lovely gesture. Antonio was indeed an incredible man.

“Stop that,” Alena said coming forward out of the crowd. We are going in here and get manicures, pedicures, facials, body massages, and fresh hairdos. Nicole is going to steal idea’s to bring back to her shop,” Alena said teasing Nicole.

“Let’s go have some fun,” Alexis said.

They walked into the enchanting Day Spa, called the Garden of Eden. Soft beautiful instrumental music was playing in the background. To their immediate right were shelves with rows and rows of product for sale. Nicole walked over and smelled a candle while checking prices.

Renee smiled, “Nicole,” she called and when she knew she had her attention she finished by saying “No working?”

Nicole sat the candle back down and shrugged her shoulders and walked over.

Elizabeth got them all checked in. Antonio had secured the spa for their party for the rest of the day. Half were asked to come back immediately. The others were invited to have some fresh fruit and cocktails in the waiting area. As they were lead to the waiting room, Renee noticed a beautiful waterfall that flowed into a beautiful ensemble of sculptured rocks.

In the waiting room they were handed large fluffy white towels and robes. Each lady took a shower in their own individual stall. Towel dried then wrapped themselves in the bathrobes.

Next were pedicures and manicures. Renee settled on a simple white French manicure for her hands and her feet. The water was just right. The lady that had been assigned to her worked some magic on her legs and feet as the massage chair worked out the knots in her back. After her manicure and pedicure she was moved to another room, where the chairs had a glass like appearance and were shaped like crescent moons. A petite lady smeared a thick mint green cream on her face and placed cucumbers over her eyes. When she was done she tapped Renee’s shoulder and told her to sit back and relax, so she did.

Renee relaxed her features and began to doze off on and off in her chair. When the timer dinged, Renee jumped in surprise from her nap. The ladies around her laughed in good natured fun. The lady assigned to her put a warm towel on her face, which liquefied the harden cream.

Next her hair was washed and conditioned and her scalp massaged. The shampoo girl had her purring like a kitten on the inside. Renee loved to have her head scratched. Her hair was dried and set into a beautiful up do. She had a mass of sculptured curls on top of her head.

The two group’s switched places and the next set went into the room to get their massages. Renee requested that the heat from her table be turned off because she wasn’t sure how that would affect the babies. Actually, Renee thought as she looked at the table she wasn’t sure if she was supposed to get a massage at all during pregnancy. She was still sitting in the chair when the massage therapist knocked lightly on the door.

“What’s wrong?” the lady asked.

Renee just stared at her for a moment trying to determine whether she could trust her or not. After a moment, she released a sigh and told her that she was pregnant with twins and voiced her concerns.

The lady smiled and said one; your secret is safe with me. Secondly; I’m a certified prenatal massage therapist. Lastly; getting body massages throughout your pregnancy can be beneficial for both you and the babies,” she said.

“How so?” Renee asked.

“Prenatal massages can be instrumental for stress and anxiety reduction, reduce back pain, reduce edema, reduce headaches, and improve circulation,” the therapist responded. “You would lay sideways during your massage as not to put in pressure on your abdominal region. I promise that you are in good hands or you will be once you get undressed and on the table,” she said with a laugh.

Renee undressed and slid between the lightweight white sheets. As she lay on the table, she got caught up in the tranquil environment that had been created for her. Scented candles were lit, beautiful meditation music played instruments and nature sounds. Her therapist applied medium pressure all over her body except her abdominal region, and had melted away the stress and tension in her muscles. Before she knew it she had dozed off on the table and was awaken when her session was over. She was given a warm towel to remove the excess oil and the dress that she had selected for the evenings event along with her shoes and accessories were brought in. She got dressed with assistance from another staff member.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and was pleased. The white and champagne strapless, sweetheart, floor length gown, with a slit up the leg was both elegant and sexy. She looked as radiant as she felt. She sincerely felt like her mind, body and soul had been taken care of today.

When she walked out into the lobby, all of the girls were already gone, which was weird. Someone should have let her know everyone was leaving. She walked over to the front desk, and began to question the staff, when Antonio made his presence known.

She turned with a gasp. He was dressed in a black and white suit that had been tailor made to define his incredible frame. He was smiling and holding a single red rose.

She reached out her hand slowly and accepted his gift. A single tear escaped and spilled over, and ran down her cheek.

“Aww, Mia Amor, why the tears?” Antonio asked.

“I’m happy,” Renee said. “It’s been a lovely day, thank you. You have catered to me in ways that I have never known, thank you. Plus, these stupid hormones have my emotions all over the place,” she finished, laughing through her tears shrugging her shoulders in the, I don’t know motion.

“You are welcome, but you must stop those tears or we will be late,” Antonio said.

“Where is everybody else?” Renee asked. “What are they going to be doing while we go to this work dinner?” she continued.

“Everything has been taken care of so please, go powder your nose so that we can head into town,” Antonio said.

Renee just decided to trust him and do as she was told. She fixed her make-up and checked over her appearance once more. When she returned Antonio told her how beautiful she was and asked the cashier to take their picture with his camera phone.

They posed and took several pictures before Antonio settled the ladies bill with a generous tip to boot.

Jasmine looked up as she walked outside into the evening air. There was a white stretch limousine, with the chauffeur standing outside the door. The chauffeur took off his hat and greeted her as he assisted her into the car and closed the door behind her. Antonio slid into the backseat beside her. She smiled because she felt like Cinderella going to the ball.

Antonio held her hand as they road into town. Before they knew it they had arrived. Antonio got out his side and hurried to open the door for her and assisted her with getting out of the car.

Renee looked around realizing they were standing in front of the Hilton. She had loved the beautiful water fountain out front. Many tourist often threw coins into the fountain and made a wish. Antonio gave his cellphone to the chauffeur and asked him to take a picture of them in front of the fountain.

Renee looked around and asked finally, “Where is Colin’s handy dandy photographer?”

“Tonight is not about making headlines, it’s about making good memories for the both of us,” Antonio said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two coins. He handed one to her and kept one for himself and said, “Now, make a wish.”

Renee accepted the coin and stepped closer to the fountain. She closed her eyes and made a wish by tossing her coin into the fountain. When she stepped back, Antonio stepped forward and did the same. The chauffer had taken pictures some candid and others were posed for. Antonio looked down at his watch, accepted his phone back as it was time to go inside.

They walked into the foyer of the hotel and were escorted to the area were the ballrooms were. Renee had thought that she would be a bundle of nerves, but she was incredibly relaxed and at ease. As Antonio opened the door, she saw a sea of familiar faces and was once again surprised as they yelled, “SURPRISE!” in unison.

She hugged Antonio and asked, “What did you do?”

“This is our engagement party. I want you to know that I’m looking forward to making good memories with you. Starting from this moment,” Antonio said.

I don’t know what to say Antonio. This is beautiful she said as she looked around. There was champagne, white and black balloons floating in the ceiling, a table with delectable finger foods, bottles of chilled champagne. Each table had disposable cameras on them.

She turned to Antonio and walked willingly into his embrace and kissed him passionately in front of God and everybody. Camera flashes went off around them, but they were lost in one another.

The evening went by as they both worked the room. Renee got business cards from several old contacts. She was introduced to Prince Kamar Jamal Abdul, who was a very tall, medium brown, brilliant man from the Tel Aviv District of Israel, and Daniel Harvey, a sandy blonde European American, who owned and operated his own Cattle Ranch. They were well mannered and joked good naturedly amongst each other. Apparently the unlikely trio had been college roommates and ended up lifelong friends. She was glad Antonio had people he could count on. She had fussed at all of her Emerald Grove for being able to do the one thing none them had mastered which was keep a secret. She laughed and joked with Michael, Trenton, Chandler, Donna, Ethan, Trujillo, Luke, and all the rest of Blake-Moore Associates.

Their engagement party was a beautiful success. Antonio had also reserved them a room at the hotel and when he noticed that she was getting tired on her feet. He walked up behind her and whispered in her ear that they could make an escape. She accepted his hand and walked out of one of the side doors, unnoticed by their party guest.

Once in the room, Renee stepped out of her shoes and wiggled out of her evening gown. Then made her way to the bathroom and removed her make up and took all the pins out of her hair allowing it to fall into a curly mess atop of her head.

When she came out of the restroom, Antonio handed her a square package that was beautifully wrapped.

“Antonio, she said, what is this?”

“It’s an engagement present for you from me,” Antonio answered.

“I didn’t get you anything?” Renee confessed feeling so selfish.

“How could you silly,” Antonio said tossing a pillow at her playfully. “The party was a surprise, hello.”

Renee sat there for a minute before she started to unwrap the gift. She planned to keep the wrapping paper as a keepsake so she was very careful with it.

Among the folds of tissue paper was photo album, with a picture of her and Antonio as children. She smiled as she read the inscription:

The moments that have taken my breath away with you.

Renee flipped through the pictures of all the summers filled with family fun. There were pictures with both of their families, of their teenage and college years. They had a history together. The only part of the relationship that was new was the intimacy. He was the same guy that she had played with, laughed with, and cried with. He was still her friend.