Chapter 1
This is a prequel to my other story, Saturday. It's the first meeting between Julio and Desiree. Hopefully it will explain a few things. Working on the second chapter now.
Meeting at one of the 'satellite' bars around her cousin Derek's restaurant was by pure chance.
Derek was busy being the boss and had left Desiree to her own devises that Tuesday night. Derek and her had spent the last couple of days catching up on each other's lives and Derek's new business venture. The restaurant was on the ground floor of his new hotel, there were four bars, one on each corner, and each appealing to a different demographic. Desiree had chosen the quietest one. Dark wood interior, smokey lighting and there was a small dance floor with a piano abandoned in the corner until later in the night.
The clientele ranged from the 'hipsters' that she was learning to recognize by their clothes and their nonchalant attitudes and older couples who enjoyed going out to a place that didn't have music blasting from speakers over the bThis has been ar. The main reason she had chosen this one besides the quiet, was that most of the customers were couples. Less chance of anyone coming up and trying to flirt with her.
Sitting on a barstool farthest from the door Desiree people watched. A glass of wine in front of her, she sipped it slowly, enjoying the people and guessing their stories by their actions or over heard words. She was a bit envious of the ones noticeable in love, huddled as close as possible in a booth, whispering, sharing secrets and giggles. And discreet kisses.
Desiree sighed, it had been a long time since she had been in a relationship and this last year, well, it hadn't been a very good year.
Mama's cancer had come back with a vengeance. She had fought it aggressively years ago, when Desiree was just entering her teens. This time, however, it took all of her strength. The chemo claimed most of her energy immediately and when her hair started to fall out, Desiree had her head shaved to match. That was the last time she remembered her mother really laughing. Of course, that was after she yelled at her for cutting off her beautiful hair.
Mama always said that she was so lucky to get her hair color, dark brown that faded to coppery highlights when she spent to much time in the sun and some of her Poppa's curls, that fell to waves when she let her hair grow long. Right now it almost reached her shoulders when it was wet, but dry, it needed to grow a few more inches.
Hardly a day would go by without Desiree thinking of her mother and the pain she went through. This trip was supposed to help her, getting her away from all of the memories that surrounded her parents house and, maybe as Poppa told her, she could find some happiness along the way.
The bartender, knowing she was related to his boss, was fawning a little over her. He seemed younger than she was, but comfortable making drinks and chatting with the customers. Desiree wasn't surprised, Derek had a hand in all of the hiring and he always had a good sense about people.
"Miss Desiree, would you like me to freshen up your drink?" Asked the young man behind the bar. "Yes, thank you." She paused and double checked his name tag, "Victor, I would like that." She watched as he expertly filled her glass.
"I could order you some food if you are getting hungry," Victor offered. Desiree smiled and shook her head, "Derek is hoping to get a break around 9, I'm trying to wait for him so I don't have to eat alone."
"I'm sorry, Miss, but I'm having a hard time picturing anyone as pretty as you, ever having to eat alone." She made eye contact with the bartender and smiled, "Thank you, but, I tend to be a little picky about my dinner companions. I've had a few disasters in the past that I'm trying very hard not to relive."
"Is that why you are hiding in the corner of the bar?" Victor asked.
"I guess it is." Desiree answered, her voice fading, realizing he was right. She was hiding. It was easier not to get hurt by other people if you never met them or got to know them. She let herself dwell on the thoughts Victor's comment brought to the surface. For some reason hearing it from a virtual stranger cut deeper than any of the caring words that she had heard from her family in the past several months.
Desiree got lost in her thoughts for several moments. She didn't even noticing the bar getting busier until Victor came back with the wine bottle, fifteen minutes or more had passed and she hadn't even touched her glass. After declining more wine, Desiree looked around to see if there was anything interesting going on around her. This time, however, she tried looking through different eyes.
This wasn't going to be easy.
A man dressed in a suit caught Victor's attention and reached across the bar and shook his hand. Desiree couldn't hear their greeting but it was obvious they knew each other very well. "Find a seat, I'll buy you a beer." This time Victor's voice carried as he checked around the bar for open seating. The man headed down to the end of the bar by Desiree, one of the only empty seats left.
Just as he sat down, a frosted glass and a bottle of Negro Modelo with a lime wedged into the opening was placed on the bar in front of him. The man smiled, squeezed the lime into the beer, lifted the cold bottle to his lips, closed his eyes and drank. Desiree watched as most of the dark beer disappeared in one long swallow and as he swallowed it looked like whatever tension that had encompassed his day disappeared along with the beer. She looked away as the bottle touched back down on the bar, knowing that his eyes would open and she would be embarrassed if he saw her watching.
Victor returned with another bottle and this time the man tipped the still cold glass and slowly poured the dark brew, this time adding lime into the glass. The man made eye contact with Victor and said, "So, this is your new job? I thought you were still taking classes."
Victor sighed. "Did Mom send you to check up on me? I'm doing pretty good on my own you know. It's only been a few months." Victor's brother answered, "She didn't send me, but she does want you to come over on Sunday for dinner."
"I already told her I'd think about it." Victor answered in a tone of voice that Desiree interpreted as, 'I've already heard this from Mom, I don't need to hear it from you too.' She had used the same tone with her brother in the past. And true to brotherly form, he dropped the subject, for now, and started to drink his glass of beer.
Victor rushed around for a few minute filling orders and refilling glasses. He returned to Desiree offering the wine bottle and this time she let him refill her glass. She could almost feel the eyes of Victor's brother watch her as she took another sip from her wine. Victor also noticed, "Julio, be nice, she is my boss's cousin."
"Oh, right. His cousin." Julio said with incredulity. Victor looked at Desiree while rolling his eyes towards his brother, "Don't think too bad of him Miss Desiree, he's been a police detective for a long time and he doesn't have a lot of trust left in him."
Julio looked anything except apologetic as he turned his chair to face Desiree and he shrugged, "It's kept me alive so far. Hello miss, Desiree, was it? I'm Victor's brother Julio."
"Hello, Julio." Desiree said giving him the most sincere smile she could muster without giggling. Just hearing the banter between these two reminded her of her of when brother and her cousins were together, it was comforting in a way. "Pleased to meet you, and his boss is my cousin."
"So, you're here alone?" This time an eyebrow was raised and he openly checked her out. Being shy didn't seem to be problem for Julio. His scan started at her eyes and went down, pausing ever so slightly at the obvious places in between.
"For now, Derek is busy, but I'm hoping he can get a break around 9 for a late dinner." While she answered, Desiree decided that she could be just as bold and let her eyes travel up and down his body.
She guessed that he was at least 10 years older than her, his hair was very dark brown or black, hard to tell in the dim lighting, cut very short on the sides and longer on top, could of been curly but was gelled into submission. His clothes weren't the highly styled suits that her cousin favored but well made, sturdy, working mans clothes. Then she noticed his hands, wide palms and fingers, thick and strong but well taken care of. His fingernails were manicured and buffed to a shine.
Desiree looked away when she started imagining those hands holding her, touching her. Oh my, where did that thought come from. It must be the wine. He wasn't her type at all. She flushed despite herself and, because her head was turned, she hoped he hadn't noticed.
Julio had turned to watch his brother work and when Desiree glanced back over at him, he seemed to be studying the easy way Victor related to the bar patrons while filling their orders. Without turning his head toward her, he said, "He's really good at this, isn't he?"
"He does seem to enjoy talking with different types people and he has a killer smile. I think that is why Derek hired him." Desiree answered while also watching Victor. At first it seemed as though Julio was going say something else but instead he took a drink of his beer.
Victor had glanced over a few times and knew he was being watched. As soon as he could, he headed back over. "I'm fine Julio, you don't have to worry about me." He looked to his brother for understanding. "I'm still going to school. Mr. Dane, Derek, said we can work my schedule around my classes. You can tell mom that I'm really ok. I just needed to figure a few things out on my own."
Julio sighed, "She worries. Come to dinner, I think it will help. She wants me to come too, and I told her will if I don't get called into work." The brothers locked eyes for a second and Desiree could tell that a deal was struck. It was like a bubble of stress that connected the two of them was gone. Julio, visibly relaxed a little more, he had finished what he had come here to do.
Then, as Julio lifted his glass for another drink, Victor turned his attention to Desiree, "he hasn't hit on you yet has he? He has a reputation with women." He looked over at his brother with mischievous eyes and added in a lower voice, "they say he's a player."
Hearing this, Julio looked first at his brother and then at Desiree with the most wide eyed innocent expression on his face. Desiree couldn't help but laugh at both of the brothers. Julio dropped his shocked expression and smiled.
"Really, Esse, you need to get a steady woman in your life. You're getting to old for one night stands." Victor said in a more private voice, one with true concern for his brother, Desiree noticed he was looking at a ring on Julio's left hand. "It's been a long time."
Julio gave a small nod in agreement, smile gone and waved his brother away to get back to work. Watching him out of the corner of her eye focused again on his glass of beer, Desiree felt like she should say something, to apologize for overhearing such a private statement.
Julio spoke first, his tone was low but meant for her to hear, "It's easy to give advice isn't it?" With those words, Desiree felt a bond.
She had gotten so much advice in the months after her mothers passing, from her friends, her brother, her cousins, but the best advice had come from her father. He waited about six months before he gave it, suggesting that she travel a bit, visit friends and family and instead of 'getting on with her life', to look for something that makes her happy and to just try and be happy for a while.
"So much easier than living it." She answered, keeping her voice low so no one else could hear. "So sorry I overheard what your brother said. That should of been private."
Julio turned slightly toward her and a hesitant smile touched his lips, "there aren't many secrets in my family. Our mother bugs me to check up on him, then she bugs him to see if I'm doing ok. Then she tries to corral us all once a month or so for Sunday dinner after mass, so she can check up on us all herself."
"So, are you?" Desiree asked turning her chair to face him.
"Am I, what?" Julio asked looking at her, more than a little confused.
Desiree tried to give him her very best, it's easier to talk to a stranger than family look, "Are you ok?"
The question made him pause and look at her closer, this time into her eyes, which were not as brown as he originally thought but greenish around the edge of the pupil and more of a golden brown in the center. Beautiful eyes, made to get lost in.
His stare was broken when Desiree lifted one quizzical eyebrow. "Sorry." He said, "I guess that's a harder question to answer than I thought. I have a good job, friends, family, a house." He trailed off. "Most of the time I'm ok. Sometimes," he paused, "sometimes I'm not."
"Sometimes I'm not either." She confided.
After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Julio realized that he really did feel like talking to this pretty woman sitting next to him. Her eyes were watching him intently and he could see no deception in them. Her body language was open, her face curious and she seemed to care about what he might say.
Without adding a lot of detail, he looked down at the simple band on his left hand and started talking, "It's been over ten years now since my wife died. I used to try taking off the ring, I just couldn't seem to leave the house without it. I don't even try anymore. It's a part of me now."
Desiree reached over and put her hand over his, to give it a small squeeze. A gesture that could of meant anything from, I understand, to, I'm here for you. When she folded her fingers around the back of his hand and her fingertips touched his palm, the warmth surprised her and she maybe held on just a little longer than she planned because Julio's thumb moved across her fingers and gently held them there just a bit longer.
He looked over at her, sadness showing in his eyes. "And you?" He said quietly, the words had barely enough strength to reach her ears. She leaned closer and shared the story of her loss. Her words came slow at first and then tumbled out. This man she just met was listening to her, every word.
"Have you found any of that happiness that your father sent you in searching for?" Julio asked when he was sure she had finished.
"Some." Desiree professed with a nod, "but not enough to stop looking." She smiled at Julio now. This time noticing the soft brown warmth of his eyes and the small lines around them when he smiled back at her. They had moved so close together that she could smell the lime on his breath and a part of her wanted to lean just a little closer to see if she could taste it.
"So," she said, just a little louder than she meant to, "what make Detective Julio happy?"
Julio looked at Desiree like he was deep in thought, then he sat up straighter, looked down the bar at his brother and took another drink of his beer. "Well, first I think it's family, even though they can drive you crazy a lot of the time."
This comment made Desiree laugh a little and she nodded her head in agreement.
"It also makes me very happy to put criminal bastards away where they can't hurt anybody, ever again." This was said in a quiet monotone as if Julio was afraid that if he raised his voice even a little he just might lose control. Desiree also noticed how his hand clenched tighter around his glass as he spoke. This was more than something that he enjoyed doing, this was a passion.
"But," She inquired, "there has to be something that makes you happy, that you do for fun, or do you work all of the time?"
"I work a lot. I also volunteer with some of the anti-gang groups in the city. Trying to teach kids how to be safer."
"Ok, that sounds very noble, but come on, what do you like to do just because it's fun? Sports, video games?"
"No and no." Julio answered, now trying not to laugh, "Video games waste time. I to go to the target range. I work on my motorcycle. And," he paused and looked directly at Desiree to see the effect of his next words, "I do enjoy good sex."
Without missing a beat, Desiree queried, "doesn't everybody?"
Her quick comment was not what Julio expected and he couldn't help but laugh out loud. This young woman was not typical of others he had met. She met his eyes and with an open smile asked, "not the comment you were expecting?"
"No," he said shaking his head and stifling his laughter, "most women I've met, don't admit to enjoying sex. At lease not at first."
"I probably wouldn't have either but you said 'good sex' not just any sex. I've had 'any sex' and it's not all good. I've also had good sex and that," Desiree closed her eyes as if enjoying a particular memory, "can be amazing."
Julio wasn't sure what to say after her comment, this woman was different than the ones he was used to being around. Straightforward, honest, beautiful, and so damned close.