NORMANI

"Mommy, look we found a friend."

The very young lady was holding her hand as Dillan trailed behind them. The lady was dressed in an orange two-piece swimsuit, she had dark shades fixed on her head, and her lips were painted a bright shade of red. It took me no time to recognize Taylor my long lost friend. Taylor and I attended the same college but I had to change schools because my parents could no longer afford the previous one. We lost contact after graduation because we both evolved into our different worlds also, I kept my distance from everyone when I found out I was pregnant.

“Oh my god! Norma? Norma it’s you. It’s been so long.” She said giving me a tight hug.

"Too long.” I hugged her back. “What are you doing here? You live here now?”

“No. I’m here on vacation with my boyfriend. Are these your children?”

I nodded still so excited to see her. “Yes, Taylor. They’re my bundle of joy.”

“Wow. I can’t believe you’re a mom now. You look so good and they are so beautiful. You’ve done a good job.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me. How’s your father and mother?”

“Dad is good but mom left four years ago so it’s just dad and I now. Are you here with someone? Your husband?" she said calmly, playing with her fluffy hair.

"No husband. I'm here with just the kids. Taking a break from the wonderful city of Calabasas."

"You still reside in Calabasas? Wow, same here." her excitement mirrored mine. It was really great to see her.

"Yeah. So I need to go. I have an appointment later this evening and I need to find a nightcare that can keep the children until I get back. See you around."

Her eyes dimmed a little as though in deep thought then they brightened almost immediately. "They can stay with me. I don't mind taking care of them till you get back. I love them already."

"Thank you for offering but you came here to have a good time with your boyfriend and not babysit. Besides, I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”

“A bother? For real, Norma? Besides it being great running into you, do you remember all those times in college when I’d get shitty drunk and you’ll stay the entire night with me nursing me? Come on, it’ll be fun staying with them till you get back.”

“I can’t believe you still recall all that. Still, I’ll just get a nightcare.”

She shook her head furiously, “They are coming with me to my hotel room. If you don’t feel okay, you can come with me to the hotel room, talk to the receptionist and all that.”

I took a deep breath. “You know I trust you, Taylor. Okay fine. Let’s go to your hotel.” The kids seemed ecstatic about hanging out with her so after giving me her phone number and taking hers, she took us to her hotel room though I didn't get in then I went to have a word with the receptionist. I was a little bit relieved. I went back to my hotel to get their clothes and other necessities especially Delanie's stuff panda. As soon as I dropped the things off with Taylor, I nearly sprinted back to my hotel.

Putting on my dress, I felt so nervous and anxious. It had been a really long time I went on a date with someone and even had sex. I was feeling a little rusty. Using the palm of my hands to smooth out crease on the dress, I approached the mirror and stared at the beautiful woman staring back a me. I was dressed in a silver short wrap dress and pencil heel strapped sandals. I didn't really apply makeup on my face, just powder, lip gloss and mascara because I always saved the heavy makeup for special occasions. Was I making the wrong decision? Should i back out? What if he has a disease, like STI or STD, worse, AIDS? I was so not prepared for this.

Don’t think about this, Normani. Just do it.

Before I could give it another thought, the front desk called me announcing I had a guest. Here goes nothing, was my thought as I locked the door behind me, hooking my purse under my arm.

I sighted him before he did me so I had ample time to scrutinize him incase there was need to turn back. He looked okay from my angle, a little young, around my age or two years older than me. He was dressed in faded jeans and leather jacket. His hair was smooth and his build- damn the man was built. He had the body and height of Liam Hemsworth though I couldn't see his front view because his back was turned to me. I could definitely fuck a guy with that build. That encouraged me to walk to him. He was typing away on his phone, so concentrated. I cleared my throat. Standing in front of him, I felt like an ant.

"Aye, Mami. Normani?"

"Sí. Ricardo?"

"Sí, seniorita. You look beautiful. I love your scent. It’s sweet. I feel like i'm in an Ice cream parlor."

I blushed. "Thank you."

"Shall we?" he brought out his arm. I hooked mine with his.

"We shall."

He led me to his Bentley parked outside. Rich. He opened the door for me and fixed the seat belt on me. We were so close that instant our lips could touch with no effort made. I was so hot and needy immediately. I cursed my lack of sexual life. He smirked knowing the effect he had on me.

"So where are we going?" I asked as soon as he got into the driver's seat and started driving.

"Ever heard of Cocina Abierta?" I shook my head. "It's in Condado. Seven minutes away."

I smiled. "I'm not worried."

He played different genres of music from his stereo ranging from Spanish to American even Nigerian. I enjoyed the ride with him. He was fun. He spoke to me about how he met Emily and apparently Larissa too, they were just friends and no, he wasn’t a gigolo, and he was just helping his friend make her friend feel good. He also spoke about his childhood, his family and few friends of his. Before I knew it, we were entering the parking lot of the restaurant. I sincerely thought this would be awkward but he knew how to make me feel relaxed. He got down, rushing to my side of the car to open my door.

He held out his hand to me, "Come, Hermosa. I intend to spoil you with a lot of food. Come."

I blushed harder putting my hand in his. He held me as he walked me inside. The waiter led us to our table leaving us with a menu. I studied the menu and almost laughed. I knew nothing there. I felt as though I was reading Chinese.

"Don't worry, Mi Amor. I will order for you. Trust me, okay?" Ricardo said.

"Okay." he signaled to the waiter and he came to our table.

"We'll start with Tostones as our appetizer and for the main dish we'll have the Arroz Con Gandules and for dessert serve us the famous Empanadillas." hearing him pronounce all these names with his accent drove me nuts and mad horny. How could a human be this perfect?

The waiter jotted down everything Ricardo said. "Wine preference, sir?"

"Red wine, Graçias." the waiter nodded and left. Then Ricardo began to explain the entire meal he ordered to me while I sat there staring at his mouth like an idiot. “The Tostone is a dish made by thinly slicing plantains, coating them in a batter, and frying them. They go perfectly well with mayo ketchup. The main dish Arroz Con Gandules is white rice cooked with pigeon peas, olives, capers, tomato sauce, seasoning, and sofrito. Sofrito is a cooking base made from cilantro, onions, peppers, and tomatoes. The sofrito is what gives the rice its unique flavor. Empanadillas are savory fried pastries traditionally filled with ground beef and has a thick outer crust."

"Wow." I said, amazed. "They sound so wonderful. My mouth waters for them. Are you like a chef or something? You know how each food is prepared."

“My grandmother was a cook, so when I was little, I was always by her side, learning how to chop onions, wash vegetables and all that so, yeah, I cook but I’m not a chef.”

“Must be nice.”

He laughed. "So why we await our meal, tell me about yourself, Hermosa."

"There's not much to tell. I'm a mother of two, twins. I'm twenty-eight and I teach grade four and six back in California. That pretty much sums up my life.”

"Where is your husband?"

"No husband. No boyfriend."

Saved by the waiter. His line of questioning, though normal made me uncomfortable. "Great. The food is here. Now we eat." He said gently.

After that, we pretty much ate in silence. The food was divine. I enjoyed every bite of it. I was not usually a big eater but at that moment, I could ask for some more. I could relocate to Puerto Rico just for their food. Ah! This was what heaven felt like. Ricardo made us sit for about ten-twenty minutes after our food then we proceeded to the beach to take a quick stroll before we had to drop me off at the resort.

"Take off your shoes otherwise the sand will get in them." he urged me which I willingly complied and he also took off his leather jacket. We walked around the beach, my hand in his as he con tinued the stories he was telling me on our way to the restaurant. When I got tired, he walked back to the car to get a thick blanket which he put on the ground so I could lay down. He was quite the romantic. Unfortunately, this was just a one time thing. But I wasn't ready to relax on the blanket yet. I wanted him to say more sexy Spanish words in his accent. And he did, whispering his stories in my ear.

He mumbled something under his breath then yanked my ponytail down, bending his head to join our lips together. He kissed my lips so lightly. I threw my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. I slowly lifted his shirt over his head exposing his naked chest to the cool night air. Tugging at the belt of my wrap dress, he asked if he could take it off. So sweet. I nodded. His hands roamed my back, going lower until he found the curve of my ass, then he grabbed it and kneaded like it was bread dough. He unsnapped my bra, bending to take my nipples into his mouth then he bit it and tugged so gently. I became more aroused. But not as aroused as I would have felt if it was Byron doing that to me. God no! I was about having sex with a man yet I was thinking of another. Fuck you Byron.

Ricardo's fingers worked its way down, fumbling at the lace of my panties. When he finally tugged it down, he pushed his fingers into the furrow of my opening making me quiver. He kept going in and out, finding his own rhythm. When it seemed like I was going to come, he laid me on the blanket, spreading my legs open for him. I stared at his perfectly built chest while he unzipped his jean, dragging my attention to his trunk of a cock. I had only ever seen one guy this size and that was Byron. How massive could a guy be? After sheathing his length, his cock nudged against my opening before surging forward and thrusting inside. I felt a stub of pain because it had been a while I had any intrusion of any kind but the pain was bearable. Soon, it turned into pleasure. Finding his balance, he worked his hips going backward and forward so slowly.

"Eres muy hermosa." he whispered into my ear. I still couldn't believe I was having sex on the beach. His strokes were hard just as his movements were slow, pulling and pushing. Suddenly he flipped me so I was straddling him.

"Hazme el amor." make love to me, he said so I did. I went down slowly so I could get use to his size. Once I got comfortable, I started to move. I rode him the way I would ride Byron. I fucked him with so much anger, picturing the sleaze. Ricardo understood my unspoken words. He pressed his thumb into my folds, playing with my clitoris and using his free hand to grab my hip, controlling my movements. I rolled my hips on his dick, clenching and unclenching my inside. That drove him harder inside. I felt him grow thicker inside me, felt him close. It encouraged me to go faster. My movements became frantic. Two more pumps and he was moaning, shooting his load into the condom. He kept pumping into me until I found my own release.

The aftermath wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. He helped me get dressed, dropped light kisses all over my face as we walked back to the car, hand in hand. He was such a sweet romantic. He drove me back to Taylor's hotel and waited for me to get the twins. I knocked on the door and waited for her to open, hoping I wasn't disturbing. It wasn't late. It was just nine-thirty. But I was certain the twins would be asleep. She opened and thankfully she wasn’t asleep. Ricardo helped me carry the sleeping twins to the car while I thanked her. She wanted me to meet her boyfriend but I declined telling her it was late and promising to have lunch with them some other time. She agreed and finally allowed me to leave. Ricardo drove us to my hotel, helping me carry them to the room when we got there. After tucking them in, I escorted him to the door.

"Thanks for today, Ricardo. It was the best day I've had in a very long time. I enjoyed every single moment of it."

"I enjoyed today too. Too bad it's just a one time thing. Your twins are really lovely. And the man in your life you don't want to talk about, is an idiot to let you go. You're perfect. Good night, Hermosa. Sweet dreams. I will definitely be dreaming of you." And with a wink, he left. I went to bed with a smile on my face.