Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining me for the next chapter of Maya and Tarik's story. A reminder before you dive in. There are five parts to this chapter, and these are a bit longer than previous chapters. This chapter continues to focus on a lot of details and world-building for Maya and Tarik, along with additional character development, which is partially why it's filed under "romance". There are still lots of juicy bits, don't worry. But if you aren't a big fan of the additional detail and want a story that focuses mainly on the sexy stuff, you may wish to move on. I won't be offended if you do, after all, I know why you're *really* here. ; ) I'd much rather you skip the story than give it a bad rating because it wasn't "sexy enough."
For the uninitiated, I suggest starting at the beginning with "The Journey", followed by "Them" and returning to "The Test."
Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this next installment.
--III--
It had been raining for days, and Victor was stuck at home, desperate for it to end so that he could go back to work at Maya and Tarik's. The crew had been rained out for a week and were losing precious work time. They were on schedule before, but this rain was going to put them back, and they'd have to scramble to get the project done by the deadline. Not only that, Maya was supposed to return this past week, and Victor had been anxious to see her.
He had hoped that she would have reached out to him when she got back in town but knew it was unrealistic to expect any kind of friendly contact with her after their kiss. Even if she had enjoyed it, it didn't change the fact that she was a married woman and his client. He knew that she wasn't pining away for him the way he was for her, but he couldn't help but hope that she was at least thinking about him. Victor knew he was being ridiculous about his feelings for Maya and tried to shake them loose. But she crept into his mind every time he went to the house or when he let his mind wander while he was alone.
To make matters worse, the rain prevented Victor from even doing things at his own home, further souring his mood. Luckily before the rain became too bad, he had harvested many fruits, vegetables, and flowers and could do some cooking to bide his time. He was lost in thought chopping peppers and tomatoes when he was startled by a knock at the door.
"Who could that be?"
Victor knew full well that Esteban was busy with his new fling and usually didn't stop by unannounced anyway.
"Coming!"
Victor threw a towel over his shoulder to dry his hands and walked to the door. He opened it and was shocked to see Maya on the other side. She stood underneath the overhang on the porch, wearing a bright green raincoat, mud boots, a t-shirt, and jeans. She looked up at Victor, her bright eyes shining in the porch light.
"I'm sorry to come by unannounced, but I thought maybe we should talk."
"Um, sure, yes, of course, please come in."
Victor stammered as he stepped aside and gestured for Maya to enter in front of him, his throat suddenly tight and dry. He stared at Maya as she entered, almost in shock that she was here inside his home. As Victor helped her with her boots and coat, he noticed that Maya wasn't wearing a bra, her breasts swinging softly as she pulled off her coat, her nipples pushing against the fabric of her t-shirt. Being so close to her, Victor felt his body immediately react, his pulse racing and his breath hastening. Taking a few deep breaths after hanging up Maya's coat, he led her down a short hallway, which opened into the kitchen.
Maya looked around and took in Victor's home. It had a nice lived-in feel with well-worn couches, and was a bit dated looking, with some wood paneling popping up in the foyer and living room. The house was definitely of a different era but still had appeal. The floor plan was open, the kitchen to the left of the entrance and the living room, which opened onto the sliding glass doors to the deck directly adjacent to it. Victor had the doors open, and the sound of rain, along with soft music playing in the background, drifted through the room.
Maya saw that Victor was in the middle of cooking, a large spread of fruit and vegetables on the counter. She smiled and raised her eyebrows, obviously impressed.
"Is this all from your garden?"
"Oh yes, yes it is. I've got a good-sized garden outside along with a few fruit trees."
Victor gestured toward the doors by the deck. Maya walked over to them and peered out through the screen into the darkening sky.
"Very nice. Wow. I can definitely say we hired the right man for the job at our place."
Maya chuckled and turned back to Victor, who had come through the kitchen but didn't venture to follow her into the living area. He was clearly nervous, shifting on his feet and unsure where to look.
There was a small breakfast bar on one side of the kitchen with a few high stools. Maya walked over and sat on the edge of a stool and looked at Victor, who was standing further off to the side of the kitchen, still afraid to get closer to her. He wasn't sure if it was just because she was in his home, but his mind and body felt like they were on another planet, and he felt utterly frozen.
"Look," started Maya, "I know that what happened with us a few weeks ago really freaked you out, but you have nothing to be worried about. I'm not mad, and you're not in danger of losing the job."
Victor cleared his throat, still feeling shy and nervous but now very relieved.
"Thank you, Maya. I appreciate that. I have to admit, I was worried that you would ask me to leave the job, and not being able to talk to you, and sort things out, did have me really concerned."