Chapter 18
Santo Domingo. (Dominican Republic)
Vin bent his head a few inches from the small mirror snorting the line of coke through a thin platinum straw. Sniffing deeply as he shut his eyes, Vin pinched the tip of his nose, feeling the chemical burning his inner nasal walls, stabbing his nerve system like a shiv on its slow deadly path.
Colombian coke wasn’t a joke and it seemed like his connections here were worth even more. It took him just a sign to one of his local bodyguards to have a couple of grams in less than half an hour. Of course, he had been smart enough to wait until Valentino was out of sight.
Vin didn’t need him scolding him, at least not tonight and definitively not now. However, it wasn’t that Valentino was too worried about Vin’s nasty habits tonight. He had more important things to think about.
Vin had never been so confused in his life. Luna’s behavior at the club had left him lost. He had been completely sure that Luna was in love with him, but in spite of that, she had gone with Roberto, leaving him behind without a second thought.
Vin frowned deeply as he sniffed slightly, feeling the coke taking effect. It had been a while.
Vin remembered the date he had snorted his last line better than his own birthday because it was the day he had hit Luna. Twelve weeks, six days and five hours exactly.
She made him promise not to snort coke if he wanted her to spend time with him. At the beginning Vin had obliged reluctantly, but kept his word, he knew full well that Luna could notice it just with a glance at his eyes. Later, he simply didn’t need it anymore.
The time he had shared with Luna was worth the effort of leaving behind the habit. But tonight he needed it as much as a hard fuck and since Luna wasn’t around, at least for now, Vin thought it didn’t make sense to respect her wishes. However, she probably would be on her way back to the hotel by now and she sure as hell would be pissed off as soon as she laid eyes on him later. Good.
Vin opened his eyes, blinking as he rubbed his nose, giving Lydia the thin straw. She didn’t think twice and bent her head, snorting the line. After that she shut her eyes tightly.
“Fuck, Vin… this is the best shit I’ve had in years.” She said, licking her teeth. Vin chuckled at her words as he pulled off his t-shirt.
“I’m Vin Diesel, babe. I’m a fucking celebrity.” Vin retorted, throwing his t-shirt across the room, sniffing. “Now come here and suck my famous cock with that beautiful mouth of yours, princess.” He added as he leaned back on the couch, spreading his thighs, making himself comfortable.
Lydia laughed softly as she kneeled between his legs. Within seconds, she had removed his boots, socks, jeans and his boxers. As soon as his dick stood in all its glory in front of her face, Lydia’s eyes opened wide.
“Wow! That’s a cock, man!!” She exclaimed, laughing hard. Vin chuckled at her words as he gently grabbed a bunch of her hair with one hand, pushing her down.
“Yeah! That’s me. Mr. Big Thick Cock.” He smirked, grinning. “Now suck it hard, babe.” Lydia giggled and leaned over him, sucking the head. In response, Vin tensed slightly, letting out a hiss in pleasure. “Yeah, babe….that’s it….” He murmured as he looked down at Lydia, sucking and licking his member as if her life depended on it.
Vin closed his eyes and his mind conjured of its own will a vision of Luna’s parted lips, moaning. Damnit! He shook his head and opened his eyes, focusing his attention on the girl. His mind was determined to play with visions of Luna. Fuck!
—————–
Valentino climbed out of bed, offering his hand to Renee. She frowned slightly puzzled, but accepted it. Val had been acting weird since they were back in their suite.
Renee had danced for him while undressing and they had made love passionately, but for some unthinkable reason, Renee suspected that Val was up to something and she was starting to feel really nervous. She didn’t want her expectations too high; Renee suspected that after two years of a relationship, Val wasn’t ready for the next step in their lives.
Val kissed her deeply, sliding his tongue through Renee’s lips, teasing her as his hands moved on their own accord, thrilled at touching her, stroking her soft velvet skin, causing all of her soft hair to stand up at once.
They were both naked in the middle of the bedroom, kissing each other, feeling their bodies. Suddenly, Valentino let go of her and picking up a remote, a song started to play in the CD player.
You are the candle, love’s the flame
A fire that burns through wind and rain
Shine your light on this heart of mine
Till the end of time
Val left the remote on the bed and grabbing Renee’s waist, he pulled her to him, making their bodies press together again, like two magnets unable to keep physical distance between them. Renee gasped as her laughter floated around them.
Val bent his head, pressing his full lips against her ear, sucking her earlobe. In response, Renee moaned softly, tensing her body as she tiptoed on her bare feet, her hands encircling Val’s neck, pulling him even closer to her. Not an inch of separation. Body to body, skin to skin.
You came to me like the dawn through the night
Just shinin’ like the sun
Out of my dreams and into my life
You are the one, you are the one
Renee laughed softly, she recognized the song. It was the one from the first time they made love. Renee even remembered how back then she had been making fun of Val, teasing him about how a big tough guy like himself would like Michael Bolton’s romantic songs.
Val’s answer then was that it was only after he had found the right woman, that he had thought about love seriously.
Renee bit her lower lip, fighting back tears of joy, deeply inhaling his essence. His warm and firm body was pressed to hers; both of them swinging in the rhythm of the slow music.
Said I loved you but I lied
‘Cause this is more than love I feel inside
Said I loved you but I was wrong
‘Cause love could never ever feel so strong
Said I loved you but I lied
Valentino continued brushing his sensual lips along her neck down to her collarbone and continued his journey to Renee’s shoulders, sucking and licking her skin while continuing to glide across the room, dancing with Renee pressed against him.
Since the very first time he had laid eyes on her, Valentino knew that some day they would be together. As he continued with his caress, he remembered his exact words to Vin when he saw her coming out of Vin’s trailer with Marcela after she had introduced Renee to him as Vin’s new PA.
“You see that blonde, Vin?” Val had asked Vin who nodded, frowning puzzled as they both looked at her talking with Marcela. “Look at her carefully, brother, ‘cause she will be my wife some day…”
With all my soul I’ve tried in vain
How can mere words my heart explain
This taste of heaven so deep so true
I’ve found in you
Valentino closed his eyes, thinking about the woman in his arms and how his life had changed the minute he had heard her voice for the first time. Renee was the first woman who gave him a hard on just listening to her soft laughter. So rich and full of life.
Val’s fingertips traveled down Renee’s spine, heading to her bottom, grabbing it and squeezing it. Renee shivered as a new moan escaped her lips that were brushing his neck. Valentino couldn’t believe that Renee was really in love with someone like him.
So many reasons in so many ways
My life has just begun
Need you forever, I need you to stay
You are the one, you are the one
He always had been in Vin Diesel’s large shadow. Not even once had a woman showed interest in him further than the man who they needed to like in order to reach the famous actor. But it was Renee and no other who showed him how valuable he was and how he deserved to be loved.
Said I loved you but I lied
‘Cause this is more than love I feel inside
Said I loved you but I was wrong
‘Cause love could never ever feel so strong
Said I loved you but I lied
Valentino had grown up in New York. His parents were from the Dominican Republic and that was the main reason why his friendship with Vin started. They had both been targets of other kids’ cruel jokes because their origins. They had found themselves involved in many fights just because of that fact and he had always thought of himself like a second-class citizen. Even when they moved to LA and Vin started to have success, he was still just a blurry shadow behind Vin Diesel. Like an extension of the celebrity and not someone worthy without Vin Diesel’s support.
You came to me like the dawn through the night
Just shinin’ like the sun
Out of my dreams and into my life
You are the one, you are the one
Frowning slightly, Valentino forced those past memories out of his mind and concentrated on Renee and the present moment. Val leaned back and held Renee’s gaze. She looked at him, her blue eyes sparkling like candles, reflecting the moonlight.
Val cleared his throat, swallowing hard as he moved back just a step, grabbing her hands. Renee smiled sweetly as she squeezed Val’s hands, encouraging him without words to say whatever he was trying to say. She had always known that Val wasn’t a man of words; he was a man of actions.
Said I loved you but I lied
‘Cause this is more than love I feel inside
Said I loved you but I was wrong
‘Cause love could never ever feel so strong
Said I loved you but I lied
Val took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart that was suddenly racing inside of his broad chest. He had played this scene inside his brain non-stop during the whole day. He wanted every single detail perfect.
Val had been thinking about a romantic dinner in a nice restaurant, with candles and flowers, but he wanted something special and unique for both of them. Something they would be able to remember until the day they died.
Renee wasn’t any woman; she was the love of his life, and he wanted nobody around them when he said the most difficult words he had said ever in all his life.
Valentino had always been a tough badass since he was just a kid. Bouncer, bodyguard, always risking his life, always playing on the dark side. He wasn’t sure if Renee deserved someone like him, but he was going to risk all he had for his woman without a second thought. Val swallowed again, frowning deeply.
Said I loved you
But this is more than love I feel inside
Said I loved you…But I lied
Here he was in front of the only woman he had loved, naked as the day he was born, with nothing to offer her further than his own pure honest love. But, suddenly, it all seemed wrong and out of place.
All the words Valentino had been repeating inside his mind, memorizing them like a script to tell them her, seemed empty and without enough real meaning. There were so many things he wanted to say and he couldn’t find the right words to express his real feelings.
Finally, Val cleared his throat for the ninth time and plunged ahead.
“Renee….do…do you want to marry me?” Val blurted out, his voice just a hoarse whisper tinted with so much banked desire and fear that it sounded almost inaudible.
Renee’s eyes opened wide as she gasped. In two seconds, the tears she had been fighting back, while looking into those beautiful eyes of Val, rolled down her cheeks as she nodded ‘yes’ wildly, unable to say a single word, her lips trembling. Renee didn’t trust her own voice at that moment. She wasn’t sure if she was going to wake up any time soon.
From all the ways she had been dreaming about Val’s proposal, not even once had this entered her mind. This was probably the simplest way to do it, but at the same time the most beautiful of all of them. There was no need for absurd rituals to make this moment unforgettable.
They were just a man and a woman with their love as the only witness to this unique magic moment in their life. They were in love from the very first time they looked at each other, and even though Renee was oblivious to that fact because Valentino pretended he wasn’t interested in her, afraid that she was going to turn him down because his origins, right now deep inside her heart, Renee was sure that she would die before losing him. So, she forced the invisible knot down her throat and spoke.
“Yes, Valentino. I do…” Renee said as she captured his lips, hugging Val so tightly that for a second, she didn’t know if she would melt into his skin.
When they parted lips, they locked eyes and Val wasn’t sure anymore if he was breathing or not. He only knew that he would be able to walk through fire and he was sure that he wouldn’t burn.
Val released Renee and walked to the closet. Pulling out his jacket, Val grabbed a little black box from inside one of the pockets and returned to Renee’s side.
“Hope you like it, princesa.” Val said as he opened the little box, pulling out a ring.
He and Vin had picked it up the first day they arrived in Santo Domingo. He could have bought it in LA, but Val wanted something original and from his own country. Renee gasped soundly; she hadn’t seen anything so beautiful in all her life.
An emerald stone encased in a silver band, hand made by an old local artisan was flashing at her.
Val looked at her face for a few seconds before he allowed himself to let out the air he had been holding for quite a long time. Renee’s lips spread into a big smile as she looked up at him.
“Oh my God, Valentino. It’s so beautiful…” Renee trailed off as she looked back down at the ring. Val laughed softly as he gently took her left hand in his.
“Not as beautiful as you, mi amor.” He replied as he raised the ring and fixed his gaze on the interior side. “Read what I had engraved on it, Ren.” Val said as he pressed his forehead to hers.
Renee swallowed hard and read aloud the words engraved on the interior side of the band.
“Mi corazón es tuyo.” (My heart is yours.) Val smiled as he blinked away tears of joy. The heart had been drawn on the silver band. Renee took a deep breath and locked eyes with him.
“My heart is yours, Val.” Val picked up the ring and placed on her left ring finger.
“I love you, Renee Curry.” He whispered, kissing her lips softly. Renee grinned as she looked at the ring on her hand and then looked at him directly in his eyes.
“Te amo, Valentino Morales.” She replied, smiling as she cleaned Val’s tears with her thumbs, stroking his cheeks.
—————–
Luna entered the double suite and leaned her back against the door, closing her eyes. Memories and visions still floating inside of her mind. She couldn’t believe her damn luck. Finally she had allowed herself to think about another guy who wasn’t Vin and damnit!
Flash Back
Luna made herself comfortable on the couch as she stared at Roberto’s body. He had removed his jacket and was now opening his shirt.
“¿Te gusta lo que ves?” (Do you like what you see?) he asked, grinning as he moved forward, stopping a few feet from her. Luna licked her lips, smiling broadly as she lifted her hands, grabbing the hem of his shirt.
“Mas de lo que puedes imaginarte, Berto.” (More than you can imagine, Berto.) She answered, pulling him down to capture his lips.
Roberto let her lead the kiss for a few seconds and then he slid his tongue, tasting her. A soft moan escaped Luna’s parted lips as a vision of Vin brushing lips with hers popped inside her mind. Luna frowned slightly as she released Roberto’s lips, sucking the lower one.
Roberto grabbed Luna’s hips and sat her straddling him on the couch, burying his face in her neck, sucking hard but not enough to leave a mark. Luna pressed her hips down, rubbing herself against Roberto’s erection. He shivered, lifting his hands, cupping her face, capturing her lips in a passionate searing kiss. Luna grinned between his lips, moaning as she carried her hands to the waistband of his pants.
Roberto released her as his hands slid down her top, stroking her nipples with his thumb, causing them to harden under his skilled touch. Luna felt a strong shiver of anticipation crossing her spine, hovering between her legs and moved back a little. Roberto used the opportunity to grab the hem of the top and he was lifting it when his cell phone rang.
“¡Coño!”(Fuck!) Roberto exclaimed as his hands stilled. Sighing hard he pressed his forehead to Luna’s. “Tengo que contestar, preciosa.” (I’ve got to answer, beautiful.) He murmured, nuzzling her neck, his breath slightly ragged. In response, Luna took a deep breath, nodding ‘yes’ as she moved to one side. “No te muevas de aquí,” (Don’t move from here.) Roberto said, winking. “Vuelvo en un segundo.” (I’ll be back in a second.) He added, waggling his brow.
“No voy a ninguna parte, chico.” (I’m not going anywhere, boy.) Luna teased, licking her lips.
Roberto smiled broadly as he stood, grabbing his jacket and pulling out his cell phone.
As soon as he listened to the recorded message on his voice mail, Roberto heaved a hard sigh as his hand closed into a fist. He then looked at Luna. She didn’t need to be told, she knew that Roberto had to go to the hospital.
End flash back
A noise pulled Luna out of her thoughts. Blinking, she raised her head and stared at the door of Vin’s bedroom. Hesitantly, she moved forward a couple of steps and suddenly she froze in place. It couldn’t be, she had to be wrong.
Her heart jumped inside her chest as she lifted a hand, clasping it against her mouth. What the hell…? Her own voice echoed inside of her mind when Luna’s brain registered what she’d heard.