Love’s Influence by Tori Alvarez

Chapter 11

I’m sittingin a small diner, enjoying the atmosphere and the people milling about. It is one of those neighborhood restaurants where everyone knows your name. I watch as new people come in and stop to say hello at a couple of tables before making it to their own. I’m going to feature it on IG for its All-American type of breakfast. A casual place to enjoy a reasonably priced meal.

I left my email open, so when I take my phone out to take a couple of pictures, I notice an email from Carson.

Thank you again for your post on the blog. We are almost booked solid for the next two months. That is amazing. We started getting the calls a couple of days after the article went live. Anytime you want to visit, just say the word. I’ll find a room for you.

My mouth drops slightly. I had that kind of impact on a business. A tingling rush of excitement washes over my body thinking I have helped a business thrive.

I take a breath, looking around for the best things to capture. A few pictures later and my breakfast arrives.

Later that dayas I’m sitting poolside reading, I receive a text from Lorenzo.

Love seeing your daily posts! And Carson met with me today to inform me of the resort being close to capacity. You have made me a busy man. Xoxo, L

The realization that he was going to be even busier than before is like a punch in the gut. A long-distance romance does not work for someone who works twelve- to fourteen-hour days. A tear slides down my cheek.

Three weeks.Three weeks have gone by. The daily texts still come in every morning, but calls each day are sporadic. I missed one because I was sitting in a movie and another while in a massage. When I tried to return his calls, he was busy and couldn’t talk.

Six weeks have gone by.I’m getting myself prepared to head back into the classroom for a new fall semester. I’ve spent the past couple of days in training on new curriculum and writing processes. The texts have dwindled. The morning text is the only consistent thing now. I haven’t spoken to Lorenzo in over a week. I’ve been stalking Daré alla Lucé’s social media sites for any hint of him. A few behind-the-scene posts of the kitchen and his creations are the only nuggets of information.

Seven weeks.I talked to Lorenzo last night for a couple of minutes. Our call was cut short by a wine pairing emergency. Really? What kind of wine emergency could there be? Now I’m just cranky and over this. His morning texts bring more hurt than joy now. How do you walk away from something like this? It’s not even like I could call him and have a conversation. We haven’t had one of those in weeks.

Focus on tonight. That’s what I’ll do. I have been invited to the soft opening of a new restaurant downtown. It is upscale and will give me a chance to dress up and get my mind off of him. I’m taking my best friend, Jess, and this gives us an excuse to barhop after. A night out and maybe a distraction.

Poor Jess has been my sounding board the past couple of weeks, listening to me vent about missing Lorenzo and how badly long-distance relationships suck.

Sittingat our table waiting for the dessert course, I have a strange sensation someone is watching me. I look around the room to tables filled with people laughing and talking as they enjoy their meals.

“Hello, ladies!” Chef Amelia, the executive chef of this restaurant, is standing beside our table.

“Hi,” I respond, trying to shake the feeling of being watched.

“Did you enjoy your meal?” She smiles brightly.

“Yes! Everything was delicious. Thank you for the invitation. I can’t wait to write this place up.” I smile back at her.

“I can’t wait to read it. Lorenzo told me about your blog and suggested you get an invitation. I really enjoyed reading your insight on the places you visit.”

My heart slams against my chest hearing his name and that he suggested I be invited.

“Your dessert, ladies.”

My eyes widen, and I freeze hearing his voice. Is my mind playing tricks on me? I refuse to look away from Amelia. She lets out a small laugh and takes a couple of steps back, giving Lorenzo room to set two small plates on the table.

“Hi, beautiful.” He winks with a smile spread across his face.

I still can’t move, not wanting to believe he is here.

“Come here.” He grabs my hand guiding me to stand up then pulling me into his arms and clutching me tightly to his chest. “Gawd, I missed the feeling of you in my arms.” He whispers in my hair.

For the first time in weeks, my heart isn’t aching.

I pull away to look up at him. He gazes down to me cupping my face in his strong hands before he brings our lips together in a long, lingering kiss.

He pulls away, placing a kiss on the tip of my nose before releasing me.

He turns to Jess. “Lorenzo, nice to meet you.” He extends his hand out to her.

She takes it, shaking. “Jess. I’ve heard a lot about you.” He graces us with a wicked smile.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He chuckles happily.

“Oh gosh. Really?” I widen my eyes to her in warning. She smiles guiltily in return. I turn back to Lorenzo, “What are you doing here?”

“All in good time. Sit. Enjoy your dessert,” he tells me. “I’m going to talk with some people, and I’ll be back. What were y’all going to do tonight?”

“We were going to go barhopping, but since you showed up, I think plans might have changed.” Jess speaks before I have the chance to.

“I don’t—” I begin before Lorenzo cuts me off.

“Mind if I join?”

“Not at all. The more the merrier,” Jess pipes up again.

Lorenzo leans down and kisses my head and says, “I’ll be back in a sec.”

I wait until he is out of earshot before I say, “He’s here.”

“Yes, he is. I guess all that drama talk was for nothing.” She teases after listening to all my concerns for weeks.

“Maybe, maybe not. He still has a few more months in the Hill Country.”

Just as I was about to dip my spoon in my dessert, Jess warns, “Picture!”

I laugh louder than I mean to at her warning. I almost ruined my perfectly displayed dessert before capturing it for the blog. Jess supports this crazy hobby of mine, never embarrassed, always patiently waiting when I’m taking pics. She says it’s her way of experiencing places before I write about them and they get too busy.

I pick up my phone, capturing the beauty before diving my spoon in to get a taste. A café-au-lait crème brûlée fills my mouth. It’s perfectly balanced with the slightly sweet and smooth crème and a hint of coffee. Delicious.

Lorenzo walks back to our table. “Olivia, I want to introduce you to Jeremy. He is the editor of The City Magazine.”

The City Magazineis an up-and-coming magazine in the know of the city and Texas. It began online only and recently made the move to paper subscription. It is still relatively small considering some of the larger, more established magazines out there, but they have made a name for themselves lately covering all the state events.

“Hi, nice to meet you,” I respond, surprised and wondering why the introduction.

“Lorenzo has told me so much about you and your blog. Very impressive.”

“Thank you.” I am at a loss for words, and this is the only thing that comes to mind.

“We are searching for another contributor for our Travel and Eats section. Since the expansion to circulation, we are need more man power to keep up. After seeing your blog and talking with Lorenzo, I was wondering if you would consider leaving teaching?” My eyes feel like they just popped out of my face with surprise. “No need to answer me right now. I realize I just dropped a bomb. Here’s my card. Call me Monday, and we can set up a meeting.”

“Uh … yeah … sure.” I grab the card he extends to me. He turns, about to walk away, when I finally find my voice. “I’m sorry. You just surprised me. I don’t want you to think I’m a bumbling idiot. I will call you so we can talk.”

He smiles back at me before walking away.

I turn to Lorenzo, finding him with a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin.

“Let the hostess know when you are ready to go. She will get me. I’ll be in the kitchen speaking with Amelia.”

“What the—” Jess starts before Lorenzo has time to walk away.

“I know. My mind is reeling right now.”

“Well let’s eat up and go drink to your new opportunities.” Jess smiles at me knowingly.

I unlockthe door of my townhome after our night of barhopping, and as soon as I remove my key, Lorenzo has opened the door, pushing me in. He kicks the door closed behind him while wrapping his arms around me, pulling me close and kissing me like he has been starved. It’s rough and frantic, pulling each other closer and pushing away trying to undress at the same time.

There is no finesse in the need we are feeling. I pull away to unzip the dress I have on as he watches it slide down my body. He begins stripping, never taking his eyes off me. The intensity with which he stares at me ignites every dang nerve cell around my pussy. It is wet and tingling with anticipation.

He grabs my hand leading me to the couch. He sits down and pulls me to him. I straddle him, grabbing his cock and positioning it at my entrance. I come down, sliding him in slowly. We both let out moans of pleasure.

“I missed you,” Lorenzo whispers as I stay still relishing in the feeling of him.

“I missed you too.” I bring my lips to his as I begin sliding him in and out. I hold myself close to him, my clit rubbing against him. Not having him in weeks and feeling him has me already clenching in pleasure.

“Let go, beautiful.”

His deep husky voice is all I need as an orgasm takes hold. He grabs my hips continuing to guide me to keep going, his deep grunt announcing his release is not far behind. I lean against him, my head on his shoulder, catching my breath. I can feel his chest rise and fall against mine as he takes deep breaths.

I stand up and grab his hand. “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

We walk to the bedroom in silence. We pull down the comforter before sliding in. He extends his arm, welcoming me to lay my head on his chest. Silence surrounds us. I’m nervous about what this means. Him in town and an unexpected job offer is a lot to process. His fingers are running up and down my side gently. I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking. The passion from before dims.

“Tell me what you’re thinking.” Lorenzo breaks the silence after several long minutes.

“Everything,” I answer honestly.

“And what does everything entail?” he pushes.

“You being here, why you’re here, how long you’re here, the job offer, not enjoying our long dist—” I stop myself because I’m now word-vomiting too honestly.

“I don’t like it either.” He rolls me off and sits up, turning on the bedside lamp. “I came down because I missed you. I have been working my ass off the past few weeks hoping I could train the staff and cut my time at Daré short. I’m sorry.”

I sit up, pulling up the sheet and covering myself. Jitters of nerves flow throughout my body with so much unknown.

“What do you mean cut your time short?”

“Instead of six months training, maybe I could do it in less. And I have succeeded. I spoke with one of my head chefs, and now that I have the kitchen trained to my satisfaction, he will go down there for the next three months and watch over the kitchen. He and his wife have a brand new baby, and his wife has taken time off work to care for her. They are happy to get away for a few months.”

“Does this mean you’re back?” I hesitantly ask.

“Yes, almost. One more week. I will get Chad familiarized with the kitchen and restaurant staff this coming week, and then I’m home.” His lips pull out as his eyes sparkle. “And I didn’t want to say anything in case it didn’t work out. But when it did, Amelia helped me with surprising you.”

“You really did surprise me!” I shake my head. He always has a plan.

“Come here.” His eyes are full of desire.

I crawl up to him and sit on his lap.

“You’re stuck with me now,” he growls as he rolls me on my back, coming on top of me.

He kisses away all the worry of the past couple of months. The doubt I had been carrying fades away as I relish in the feel of him. Our kisses are passionate without the urgency we felt before. My hands run up his back, then back down to his ass. He kisses down my neck, running kisses lower until his mouth finds my hardened nipple. He flicks it with his tongue before sucking on it. Ecstasy travels through my whole body as I arch up, wanting more.

He leans to the side and lets his hand run lazily over my breasts and stomach before going between my legs. I spread my legs open, inviting him in. His caresses are gentle and teasing, never close enough to my clit. His mouth is licking, sucking, and biting each one of my breasts. He pulls back, blowing on my already sensitive nipple. I wiggle my hips trying to catch his fingers in the right spot.

“You want something,” he growls.

“Touch me already!” I groan out, frustrated with his teasing and wanting a release.

“Right here?”

His fingers spread my lips then slide over my clit. I buck my hips, needing more.

“Fuck me already.”

He rolls himself on top of me, positioning himself at my entrance, then pushes himself in quickly. He covers my moan of ecstasy with his mouth. He rocks into me in a steady rhythm. All his teasing brings me to my bliss quickly. He continues pulsing in and out, not letting me come down until his release hits.

We lay quietly in the afterglow of our lovemaking.

“In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I love you.” Lorenzo tightens his hold on me.

An elation I didn’t know was possible fills every fiber of my being.

“I love you, too,” I whisper.

I walkinto The City Magazine’s building, ready for my first day of work. I still feel like pinching myself to check if it’s real. I never would have believed this would be my life a few months ago. My hobby turning into a real career and a supportive boyfriend who isn’t afraid of the time my new career takes was not something I ever envisioned. Hoped? Yes. Dreamed of? Yes.

Wondering what my next blog post will be? It’s all about how a summer fling can change your life.