It Started In Paradise

“I was born...”

“Not that far back, silly,” she interjected and then laughed.

Donovan snickered. “Did you know that I still play the tenor sax?” he said, dipping a chunk of lobster meat into the butter sauce.

Chloe swallowed the sip of wine she’d just taken before speaking. “I remember that from prep school.”

“Yes, I play with some friends in the city sometimes. There’s a lounge that books us for gigs.”

“You’re part of a band? Very cool! How often?” she asked.

“Yes. Quite often, actually,” Donovan said matter-of-factly.

“I’d love to hear you play one day,” she said.

“We can arrange that when we get back home.” Donovan paused a moment, but continued when Chloe didn’t respond to his invitation. “What about you? Hobbies?”

“I haven’t indulged much, but as you know, I like to sing.”

“And that you do very well.” Chloe blushed. Donovan smiled. “What else?”

“Um.” Chloe looked up as if the answer were on the ceiling. “I like to play chess.”

“Really!” Donovan’s eyes stretched. He was genuinely surprised.

“I’m quite good at it, too,” she proclaimed.

“We’ll have to see about that.” Donovan sat back confidently.

Chloe narrowed her gaze at him. “Maybe we should engage in a game one day.”

“I have to warn you. I play quite well.”

“I guess we will have to see who’s better.” Chloe leaned back and crossed her arms.

“You’re challenging me.” Donovan sat erect and pointed to his own chest.

“If you think you can handle getting beat by a lady like me,” Chloe stated and dared him with a direct stare before sipping her wine.

Placing both elbows on the table, Donovan leaned closer to Chloe. “I’ll set the place, you set the time,” he said.

Chloe fell into a fit of laughter. “I pulled you right into that one.”

“Oh no! You’re not getting out of this. We have a chess match coming up.”

“We only have another day or so here in Puerto Rico.”

“We don’t have to play here.” Donovan waited to see how she would respond to him alluding to seeing her back home. Once again, she left his statement hanging.

By then, Chloe seemed to have entered her comfort zone. They finished dinner, then shared a decadent dessert and talked some more. Conversation flowed easily, dipping in and out of past years and springing forward into future hopes and dreams.

“Why don’t you sing more often?”

Chloe lowered her eyes and swirled the wine in her glass again. Donovan noted that as a gesture of avoidance.

“I just don’t have time for it. I work so many hours.”

Seeing that the subject slightly changed her mood, Donovan wanted to recover the moment. “Let’s dance.”

“Sure.”

Donovan stood, placed his hat on the empty seat beside him and held out his hand. Chloe placed hers in his. Donovan two-stepped a version of salsa to the dance floor. Once there, he turned to Chloe, held out one hand and put the other gently against her lower back.

For a moment, they stood staring eye-to-eye before Donovan began swaying his hips in time with the upbeat tempo. Pulled in by her eyes and delicate long lashes, Donovan didn’t want to look away. He held her gaze until it intensified slightly. Chloe was the first to break the connection but not before he felt something spark between them.

Dancing in sync, they found their collaborative rhythm. Donovan led, guiding their movements to match the syncopated tempo. Songs started and ended until it seemed like one long refrain.

Chloe folded her body into his. He released her with a turn. Catching the beat, they stepped in time to the spirited beat until Donovan felt a bead of sweat roll down the center of his back. The longer they danced, the more he pulled her in. Dancing chest to chest caused heat to circle in his groin. This warmth had nothing to do with the fact that they’d been moving nonstop for a while now. This heat was directly linked to Donovan’s growing desire for the woman skillfully twirling her hips against him. He needed air.

“Wanna go outside?” he asked. Chloe nodded and then delicately wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. Holding her hand, Donovan led the way to the balcony, welcoming the cooling ocean breeze. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Am I?” Chloe asked breathlessly, wiping her brow once again. “I haven’t had this much fun in so long. Thanks.”

Donovan’s response was a smile. He looked out over the water, listening to the hollow sound of the waves. Still holding her hand, they stood silently on the terrace, allowing the gentle wind to lick away the sweat generated from their sensual dance. Rays of moonlight bobbled on the water, inviting Donovan to the shore.

“Let’s go,” he whispered to Chloe, paid the bill and led her through the restaurant to the exit facing the sea.

Donovan removed his shoes and rolled the hem of his pants just above his ankles. Chloe followed suit, removing her sandals and knotting the end of her dress below her knees. Hand-in-hand, they walked where the water met the sand. Chloe’s hand felt good in his, as if it belonged. They stopped walking, still holding hands, and turned to watch the evening’s light dance across the ripples in the midnight blue water.

A fleeting thought about settling down flashed across Donovan’s mind and he snickered to himself. It was too early to consider all of that but he certainly looked forward to exploring more of her world. He wondered about her dreams.

“What’s one thing that you’ve always wanted to do?”

“Hmm.” Chloe sighed and closed her eyes, stayed that way for a moment and opened them back up. Instead of answering, she smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

“What was the first thing that came to mind?” Donovan turned to her, studying her pensive gaze.

“As a little girl, I used to imagine singing before an adoring crowd and receiving a standing ovation. I’d stand in the mirror, throwing kisses to my fans and telling them how much I love them, the way Diana Ross used to do.” She giggled. “Sounds silly, right?”

“That can still happen.”

“Oh, please!” Chloe dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand. “That was a little girl’s fantasy.”

Donovan observed her closely. After a moment she looked away, directing her attention toward her feet. He watched her create abstract swirls in the sand with her bare toes. Donovan felt as if there were more she wanted to say.

“What about you?” she asked after a while.

Donovan chuckled. “When I was a kid, I fantasized about being an astronaut.”