“Another one, Señora?”
Rubina’s lips lifted into a small smile, and she gently nodded at the young man. Arturo had been the sole bartender in charge of guests at the hotel restaurant’s bar, and he’d been a great aid to Rubina since she arrived twenty minutes ago. Within minutes, he’d grabbed her a clean glass, placed some ice cubes in it, and poured her a fresh supply of whiskey.
This time, as Rubina sipped on her medicine, she refused to let the two people who had wounded her heart dominate her mind. She’d had enough of thinking about them, dreaming about them, crying about them… enough was enough. Tonight, she needed to focus on herself and the breathtaking resort that would be her new home for the next seven days.
With her glass pressed to her lips, Rubina looked to her left, where she was greeted by a view that she’d paid good money to see. Large floor-to-ceiling windows surrounded the bar, and from where Rubina sat, she could see the Pacific Ocean, and God was it a sight she wished she could keep ingrained in her memory forever without ever having to pull out a photograph or video. Seeing the ocean melt into the sand made a soothing warmth fill her soul. She wished she could wake up instantly every morning, think of this view, and see it right in front of her. But for now, seven days of waking up to a view as spectacular as this one would have to do.
Everything about this resort screamed opulence… sophistication… money. Nobu Los Cabos wasn’t a cheap hotel to book, but Rubina didn’t regret a single cent or dollar she had paid to stay here. Cream, beige, and brown were the colors that dominated this hotel, providing a softness to the resort that made her feel right at home. She’d yet to explore the entire resort, but the impressive architecture she’d seen so far in the main lobby, her junior suite, and the bar she sat at now made a comforting sensation fill her chest. She was grateful to God that she could even afford to stay at a luxurious resort such as this one at such short notice. But she needed an escape away from her turmoil, and Cabo was the first location that had popped into her head.
Rubina took one last look at the view and turned her head toward the center bar, thinking she was about to be graced with a smile from Arturo. She’d thought wrong because rather than a smile, she was met with the back of his head as he served someone new on the right-hand side of the square bar. It had only been her at the bar and a Caucasian couple a few seats away from her, but they’d left a few minutes ago.
She tore her eyes away from where Arturo stood, but an unexpected baritone made her stare again at the back of Arturo’s head.
“I’ll have whatever her pretty ass is drinkin’.”
Arturo nodded, turned around, and moved toward the row of liquor at the back of the bar. But not before sending a quick, friendly smile Rubina’s way. Then he went about his business, focused on serving the person who had asked for the exact drink that she was drinking.
Her eyes slowly traveled until they landed on the owner of the deep voice. The moment she caught sight of his dark brown eyes, a heat formed inside her chest, flowing all the way down her center until it settled in the middle of her thighs.
She didn’t say a word but she was positive that her eyes were doing more than enough talking the deeper and longer she stared at him.
How could she not stare?
He was… dare she say… pretty. She knew that wherever he’d come from, whatever state or city he’d been brought up in, the people who knew him had most likely given him the title ‘Pretty Boy.’
His dark chocolate eyes only pulled her in deeper, making her more intrigued about who he was and why he’d decided to order her exact drink tonight. Smooth beige skin coated his face, and on that face sat thick, bushy brows, a large nose that suited him well, a thin mustache that lined his pink, plump lips, and a healthy bed of hair lived on his chin. He had jet-black locs that stopped just below his shoulders and a fresh, crisp lineup that would put any balding man to shame.
Pretty Boy.
The funny thing about that title was the fact that his face was pretty, but his physique was anything but. Rubina’s eyes trailed down his tatted neck that she could see clearly, thanks to the baby pink floral print shirt he had on. Seeing a man as hot as him wear the color pink brightened her mood instantly. Since he’d left his shirt unbuttoned, the center of his tattooed physique was exposed, allowing her to feast her eyes on his hard abdominal muscles. His large, corded arms were on full display, too, thanks to the short sleeves of his silk shirt. And just like his neck and chest, his arms and hands were branded with black ink of various designs and patterns.
There was nothing pretty about the artwork that donned this stranger’s body. The skull on his left hand held a sinister grin that sent a chill down her spine the more she stared at it. The scorpion on his shoulder seemed to be giving her a warning to stay the fuck away from a man with a tattoo as daring as his, but the cross etched into his forearm hinted at a man who believed in the power of salvation.
Despite the tension swirling in her stomach while staring at his tattoos, Rubina couldn’t tear her eyes away. She was stuck between wanting to touch his ink and fearing what might happen if she did. Even with how dangerous his tattoos looked, they complimented the smoothness of his skin well, and she mentally toyed with the possibility of being able to see a better view of the rest of the art engraved on his body.
Within seconds, Arturo was back in front of Pretty Boy, blocking Rubina’s view of him again, and a sinking feeling formed in her stomach. She saw Arturo’s arm move as he poured whiskey into a glass, and Pretty Boy thanked him.
“You welcome, Señor.”
When Arturo moved out of the way, Pretty Boy’s deep-set eyes were stuck on hers, making her heart skip several beats. She hadn’t expected his eyes to be back on hers so soon, and even as he reached for his glass, he refused to drop his eyes away from hers.
Rubina watched silently as he placed the glass to his lips and sipped on his tumbler of brown. Thinking he was about to take a delicate sip, Rubina expected him to drop his glass back down to the bar, but when the base of his glass kept lifting higher and higher, she realized her expectations had been wrong. He slugged back the entire whiskey and placed his glass on the bar without a single ounce of discomfort in his dark eyes. The heat that had formed within her earlier was now a potent fire that had no desire to be put out.
Pretty Boy let his eyes linger on hers for a few more seconds before finally deciding to speak up and grant Rubina a question she hadn’t been expecting.
“What’s a pretty ass woman like you doin’ drinkin’ Jack Daniel’s straight with no chaser?” he asked, his lips lifting into a sexy smirk.
His sexy grin matched that sexy body of his, and Rubina couldn’t stop the effect his smile had on her heart. It now raced away with no signs of slowing down. She couldn’t help but doubt the intentions of this attractive man and wonder if he was out to play with her heart just like her husband had. Was he here to hurt her in the worst way and make her lose her min—
Rubina suddenly pushed out her negative thoughts. She’d already experienced a tirade of pessimistic self–talk in her head before she’d stepped foot in Mexico. During the five-hour flight from Charlotte to Cabo, all Rubina had done was blame herself. Blame herself for being so weak, so gullible and too damn stupid. But enough was enough.
She’d been emotionally beaten down and betrayed by the people she thought were her family. Being able to let her hair down was just the tip of the iceberg of what she truly deserved.
You’re on vacation, living your best life, and doing you. What harm is a little flirting gonna do?
For the first time in what felt like forever, Rubina actually agreed with her inner thoughts. She raised her chin and kept her shoulders back, feeling like the weight of her problems no longer had a strong hold on her. “Sometimes I like to remind myself that I’m not only a woman, but I’m also a real nigga who knows how to handle her liquor just fine.”
The smirk that formed on his lips only strengthened, and it wasn’t long before he parted his lips, exposing his pearly whites. Suddenly, Rubina felt moisture soak her panties. It wasn’t how white his teeth were that caused wetness to leak out of her, though. It was the diamond jewelry that covered his bottom row of teeth.
“You got jokes, I see,” he replied. “Well, Ms. I’m A Real Nigga, how would you feel about keepin’ a nigga like me company tonight?”
Rubina’s spirits soared at his offer, but she couldn’t help the nagging feeling deep inside her telling her this man could be pretending to be something he wasn’t.
“I don’t think your girl would approve of you sitting at this bar without her and spending all your time on vacation talking to me.”
“Well, luckily for you, my girl doesn’t mind me talkin’ to women that look as good as you.” He winked. “Shit, she’s been stressin’ me about a threesome for too damn long now. I think I’ve found the perfect candidate… or maybe I might just need to say fuck her and have you all to myself.”