I was ashamed. Ashamed I craved his touch so much, despite how he hurt me. I was ashamed of how he could make me feel so good but do such bad things to me. I was shocked. Shocked that me made love to me for the first time since we met. He said he loved me. Did I love him? I didn’t know if I loved him or not. I rolled over deciding to go sit in the hot tub outside. I put on my robe and walked outside. Everyone must have gone to bed, except Julio who sat at the kitchen island with a bottle of whiskey and the rest of the pizza Claire ordered.
“Are you okay, Fallon?” Julio asked me with curious eyes.
“Yeah, I’m okay.” I gave him a soft smile. “I’m just going to sit in the hot tub for a bit.” He gave me a nod and went back to his whiskey.
This house was smaller than the rest of my properties. It wasn’t big enough for a pool, so I had an inground hot tub put in instead. I dropped my robe and got in, unaware that Julio was watching me. I turned around and made eye contact with Julio. I gave him a small smile and he finally turned away. I sat down in the water and turned on the jets. It felt amazing. It had been 20 minutes, but Maximo never came down.
I turned to see Julio looking out at me. I motioned him to bring me a drink. He grabbed a glass and some ice and walked outside. He handed me the glass and filled it with whiskey. “Thanks.” I gave him a smile. He turned around to go back inside, “You don’t have to leave, Julio. You can sit out here and talk with me.” He paused for a moment before turning around and going to sit at the patio table, so he couldn’t see my naked body. “How is your mom?” I asked, trying to break the awkwardness.
He smiled. “She is good.” He twirled the whiskey in his glass with his finger. “So, did you and Maximo make up?”
I looked down at the water. “I guess.” I turned my head to look at him, trying to hold back my tears. “It doesn’t matter if we don’t, he won’t let me go and doesn’t care to change himself so it will be a never-ending cycle of abuse.” I was starting to ramble. He watched me intently. “He will never let me go, Julio. He will kill me before he ever lets me go.”
“He loves you, bello.” Julio gave me a small smile. It didn’t make me feel better and I started crying. Letting out all of my feelings. He was nervous. He took off his shoes and rolled up his pants, sitting on the edge of the hot tub, he put a single hand on my shoulder and rubbed it. I think he was trying to console me. I hugged his leg.
“I don’t think he is capable of love, Julio.”
“He is, Fallon. He just didn’t have the best examples of love growing up. His mother died when he was young, his father took whores making Maximo ‘break them in’, he watched his father beat on women. He just hasn’t had a good example of love.” I was taken aback by his words. ‘Break them in.’ Like he is the one who slept with the girls they took as whores? “You need to teach him to be soft for you, Fallon. Teach him how to treat you. The power is in your hands.”
The door opened. “Julio.” We heard behind us. Maximo. Julio stood up and walked over to him. Maximo didn’t say anything just looked at him.
“We were just talking, Maximo.” I said in Julio’s defense. “Why don’t you come get in with me?” Maximo looked at Julio for a moment before walking over to the spa, dropping his pants, taking off his shirt, and wading in the hot tub. He came over and sat right next to me, putting his hand on my thigh. He was pissed. Pissed about me talking to Julio? Or Julio being around me when I was naked?
“Why were you out here with him?” Maximo asked, pissed.
“I asked him to bring me a drink, then he asked me if we had made up, he told me a little bit about you, and I started crying.” I was rambling again.
“Why were you crying?” Maximo asked, almost concerned.
“Because, Maximo, you will never let me go.” He cocked his head at me.
“And that made you cry?”
“No.”
“Then why were you crying?” He pressed.
“Because you had a rough childhood and maybe that’s why you are the way you are. Maybe that’s why you are so cruel to me. How you don’t know how to treat me, why you always turn to sex.” He put his finger over my mouth.
“Fallon, this is different. I am different with you. I am trying to cope with that. I am trying to learn how to treat you. How to be different for you. Just help me, please. Help me be what you need.” He pulled my hand to his mouth and kissed each of my fingers before putting my index finger in his mouth. “Teach me to be gentle, for you.” He kissed the back of my hand, up my arm. “Teach me how to love you.” He ran his fingers over my knee and up my thigh to my groin. “Teach me, Fallon.” He kissed me softly on the cheek before grabbing my pussy. He pulled me on top of him, kissing my neck. “Tell me you love me.” He demanded.
I didn’t answer him, I looked up and made eye contact with him. I opened my mouth, but words didn’t come out. He whispered in my ear, “Tell me you love me, Fallon.”
“I..I.” He pulled me off him and stood up. He started to leave the hot tub when I blurted out, “I love you, Maximo.” He stopped and turned around.
“Say it again.”
“I love you, Maximo. I love you.” He walked over to me and pulled me into a hug, kissing me hard. He picked me up and sat down with me on his lap, making love to me again.