Billionaires' club

The new bodyguard that had been imposed on me drove me to meet Xavi for breakfast at a cafe not so far away from Santa Fe. Being driven around wasn't as bad as I had imagined. I mean, I still feared for my privacy but that was a problem for some other day. Or right then.

"Bolivar, can you be discreet? "I found myself asking. "Don't worry Miss Eva, it comes with the job description. I'll report to Mr Gonzalez only what I need to," he said and a smile formed at the corners of my mouth. It was everything I hoped to hear. Little did I know that it was the beginning of a formidable friendship. "Thank you," I said from the backseat. "Just doing my job miss," he said as he pulled up in the driveway at the cafe. He helped me get out of the car and I entered the cafe. Xavi was already there, such the timekeeper! He got up from his seat to give me a hug. "Good morning Xavi," I greeted him with so much ecstasy but that didn't prevent a frown from forming on his face. "You're really gonna call me by my first name? Forever?" He asked.             "No, just until I forgive you," I joked and he laughed. "Okay, that's fair," he said.       "So, how's everything going? And by everything I mean the cancer treatment. That's why you are stepping down from the winery, right?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm hanging in there you know!" He said and took a sip of his iced Mexican mocha. "Hey, waiter! A creamy horchata for her," he said and minutes later, the waiter returned with my favorite coffee. Silence had prevailed for a couple of minutes and it made me guess that Xavi didn't want to discuss his cancer. "I'm sorry I gave you shit about your parenting yet you were dealing with your own problems," I apologized to him and meant every word. "No, sweetheart. I'm the parent here. I was supposed to take care of you but instead, I took my pain out on you. There's no excuse for that," he said.     "Cut yourself some slack. I turned out okay," I said.                         "Did you?" He questioned and we burst out laughing.                        "It's just a little drug addiction problem. Nothing we can't fix, "I whispered an assurance. He smiled.                                                    "If you ever want to talk about the cancer thingy, I'll be here to listen. Not as your daughter but as your friend. Xavi and Eva," I said to him.                      "Xavi and Eva. I like that," he said and it felt like he was approving my 'calling him by his first name'.

"Horchata! I didn't know you had such great taste in coffee!" Said a familiar voice and one that I adored. "Hey dad, sorry I'm late. I was finalizing the paperwork," Carlos explained. "It's okay son," Xavi reassured him.                             "Hey," Carlos turned to me and there was this glitter in his hazel eyes that seemed to communicate how much he treasured me. I could drown in fantasies just by looking deep into them. "Hey. You didn't mention you were coming." I said and I didn't mean for it to come out in an accusatory tone.                                 "Sorry! I didn't know I had to run all my plans by you," he responded and the sarcasm was evident. " You rejected me remember," he spoke, lowly enough that I was the only one that could hear him.                                                 "I didn't reject you," I said and it didn't come out in a whisper as I had intended.   Xavi almost choked on his coffee. Shame on you Eva, you just let the cat out of the bag. My subconscious scorned me. "What's going on with you two?" Xavi asked.      "Will you tell him or should I?" Carlos turned to me. I bet he was enjoying the unfolding of events.                                                 "There's nothing to tell Carlos," I insisted on keeping our private moments to ourselves. "Excuse me, I need to use the washroom," Carlos said and left the table. It felt so calculated. He wanted me to be left there explaining to Xavi what we had going on between us. "We had sex," I spilled. I had no other way of putting it so I just gave it to him straight.

"Okay!" He said with so much discomfort and I regretted having said what I had said. "Is it serious or are you guys just playing around?" He asked.                " It's serious, I think," I said.                                               "I know it's weird for you. I'm sorry," I said.                                  "I'll be okay, don't worry," he assured me. I sighed with relief. That hadn't been as hard as I had imagined. Carlos came back minutes later and I was a little mad at him for abandoning me like that in such a delicate moment. I saved that in the back of my mind to use against him when the opportunity arose.                         "Did I miss anything?" He asked.                                     "Nothing that concerns you really," Xavi responded.                         See those two, I lived for their banter!                                     "So, I have some good news that I wanted to share with my kids before it makes headlines in the papers," he stated and ignited a fire of curiosity in me.           "I'm all ears," Carlos said.                                                 "I made billionaire," he said so casually. If I became a billionaire I would be on top of the world. Screaming, partying, you name it.                               "You did!" Carlos was taken aback. Xavi nodded and a smile lit up his face.       "Yeah, it was made official last week but I wanted to share it with you guys first," he explained.                                                       "Congrats Xavi, you deserve it," I said and got up to embrace him.           "Thanks, baby girl," he said.                                            "You are the most hardworking person I know. I look up to you dad," Carlos said. He always had to outshine me in everything, didn't he? Even compliments?           It's not a competition, Eva. He is not your competition. My subconscious reminded me and I took a deep breath to let that sink in.                               "Thank you, son," he said and patted Carl's shoulder. "Is that why you got us bodyguards?" I asked. He nodded. 

"I'm part of the 1% now. I don't want my kids to be targeted because of it," he said and I understood his reasons. I didn't like the idea of being guarded all day but I understood why.                                                     "We should do this more often. I like it," Xavi said. I couldn't agree more.         The chatting went on and on. Xavi asked whether I was moving back to the mansion. My mansion. "Yeah, I'll move back soon. I take it you are moving out? It would be weird to live under the same roof with your ex-wife," I said.                      "I bought a new house already. Carlos will be living with me," Xavi said and that quite struck a nerve. Carlos was moving out too? I mean, I had grown used to being in the same space as him.                                                    "You are moving out?" I asked Carlos just to make sure I heard the right thing. I was hoping he would say that I got it all wrong. He didn't.

"Yeah. Forgot to run it by you again. It's your house. And Dad needs someone to take care of him," he explained the obvious. I wanted to ask him to stay just a little bit longer but that would be so selfish of me. "I understand," I said and sipped some coffee to wash down the pain in my throat.                                 "So it'll be just mum and I. I swear to God I'll die," I joked and we all laughed. Except I wasn't joking. "I can always visit, right?" I asked.                               "Of course sweetheart, my house is your house," Xavi assured me.                "I need to go. I'll leave you, kids, to talk," Xavi bid us goodbye.              "Remind me to glove up next time, huh?" I quoted his little note from earlier on in the morning.                                                              "I just thought you could use a reminder. I mean you sneaked out of the villa before we got a chance to talk," he said.                                         "I'm sorry, I didn't know what to say to you and I didn't want to be seen leaving the villa with you," I explained and I felt him reach under the table from across the table to grab my knee. His warm hand lifted the hem of my dress and traveled up my thigh.  "Carl, what are you doing?" I breathed hard as I struggled not to scream with pleasure. "You know what I'm doing," he said without blinking. He was enjoying it, torturing me.                                                           "I don't," I gritted my teeth to mask my pleasure with anger.                      I felt his hand move up higher to the lace of my lingerie. I got scared that someone was going to notice what was happening in the almost empty cafe.             "Let's go outside," I suggested and hurriedly left the room and he scuffled after me just to find me behind the cafe. There was no one there. Just the red brick wall, the green grass, and us. There is privacy and then there's that. Perfecto! I pulled him close to me by his arms. It was his fault I was so turned on. I pulled him into a kiss and he returned the gesture by kissing me back. "I can go to the doctor, then we don't have to worry about protection or pregnancy. I'll have an IUD inserted," I said to him before I continued nipping at his lower lip. He suddenly broke off from the kiss, disappointment was written all over his face. 

"That's all I'm getting? The sex? Damn it Eva!" He cursed and rubbed his hair as he turned to face the other way. "I thought you loved the sex," I said.                 "I do, don't get me wrong, I really loved it but you know what else I love? Spending time with you, having deep conversations, going on dates, arguing with you, annoying you, comforting you. I want the whole package, Eva. I want a relationship. I want to be yours and you mine. I said I loved you and I meant it," he said while looking into my eyes, I almost cried. "Please don't freak out," he added as he drew closer to me and wrapped his hands around my waist.                                     "Too late, I'm already freaking out," I said and he embraced me.             "Would you at least give it a thought?" He said.                            "Sure, I'll think about it," I promised him.                                 There was that inner voice that told me I would get hurt no matter what I decided. Let's say I agree to date him, I'll sabotage the relationship either way and we both get hurt. I refuse to date him, we get hurt anyway because we already have feelings for each other.                                                           The real question was, which kind of hurt did I prefer?