I rest my forehead down on her head, overcome with emotion at hearing her call me husband.
“Have you ever heard of the Red String of Fate?” I ask her.
“No, what is it?” She turns over in my arms. Her golden eyes stare into mine.
“It’s an ancient East Asian myth where the gods tie a red string around your ankle when you’re born and around the ankle of the one you’re meant to be with. As time passes on the thread becomes shorter and tighter as the person we’re destined to be with gets closer and closer.” Her golden eyes stare into mine as she listens. “The string can become tangled at times, but it will never break. I like to think that we were predestined to be together.” I run the back of my fingers down her cheek. “That you were chosen for me. How else do you explain the love we couldn’t fight off no matter how we tried?”
She smiles. “That’s a beautiful way to think about it. I like thinking we were destined to be together and nothing was going to keep us apart.”
I roll her to her back and settle between her legs. My hands cup the sides of her face as I stare down into her tear-filled eyes. “Amor de mi vida. That’s what you are. You were tied to me before you were even born, Leoncita and you always will be.”
Chapter Ten
Zack
Watching Lana is something I could do twenty-four-seven and it would never be boring. Her face offers a kaleidoscope of expressions. I can barely keep up with all the ones flashing as she stares blankly at the various kinds of liquor lined up along the back of the bar. I can tell she’s not really seeing the bottles though. What is she thinking? Is she thinking about the other night when I made her come on the dance floor? I’ve been thinking about that night too. I went back to my room after, my dick still hard as steel, and I had to jerk off twice. I can’t wait to make her come when she knows it’s me who’s touching her. Knows who’s driving her body toward more painful pleasure than she’s ever experienced. I hope my sexual tastes don’t scare her off. I’m going to have to introduce her to new things, slowly and patiently. I’ll show her things she never knew existed. Fuck, I want to start now. My dick is ready.
She takes a sip of her Heineken, then places the bottle down on the bar. She rests both elbows on the wood and cups her chin in her hands. I can see her face reflected in the mirror along the back wall and she looks sad. Is she thinking about her past? Her past that I haven’t been able to figure out yet. I need to know more about her life in Seattle. I have to get her to open up to me.
She spins on her barstool, facing away from me, leaning sideways against the bar. Her red hair falls in a shiny mass over her bare shoulders. She sways subtly to the beat of the music while I move closer.
I glance at my watch. Two more minutes until midnight. I adjust my glasses and take a few more steps until she’s only three seats away. I wipe my sweaty hands on my thighs. What I have planned is risky and could backfire on me, but I’m still going to do it. I have to take the chance.
Eighty seconds…
It’s now or never. I slowly maneuver until I’m standing behind her as the large screens at the back of the room used to play music videos, begin to countdown the last minute of the year. Large numbers flash on the screens and raptly hold everyone’s attention. Lana is no exception. I can see her profile in the mirror behind the bar. Is she wondering what the new year will bring for her? I already know what’s in store for my precious angel. She’s going to have a life changing year.
I move forward until my chest is almost touching her back and lean down, my lips near her ear. “I’m glad I found you precious girl.” She reacts as if I’ve startled her and my hand goes to her hip and soothingly rubs it. “Close your eyes and keep them closed.” I flick my glance to the mirror and see she’s complied. Good girl.
Forty seconds…
“Have you been thinking about me?” I touch my