Love on the Malecon Read Free Page A

for knowing the future. His gut
was always right. One after another, Derek added more land and more
hotels to his resume. Now here he sat at his favorite bar where it
all began.
    Then he saw her- an adorable leggy blonde
walking up to the front desk to check in.
    He tried not to date guests. It kept things
simple. If he did take one of his hotel guests on a date, he never
told her about his involvement. It was easier to be a guy on
vacation from Detroit. He had recently also made the mistake of
dating an employee. And of course Silvia happened to be a manager
at the Playa Vallarta. Technically they were only a sister hotel to
his, but he still should have known better. When Derek decided to
end it between them, she wasn’t very receptive to the idea.
Luckily, nothing had gone past dirty looks and the occasional late
night request to “ talk.” Derek had to admit that he wasn’t
sure how she’d react if she found out that he was taking out this
blonde. She knew about his rule and he was definitely going to
break it.
    Even though the blonde had probably traveled
all morning, she looked amazing. She was casual in a skirt and tank
top, with her long hair pulled back out of her face. She smiled
brightly and was nice to the employees. That was always something
that Derek noticed. The “ waiter test” went a long way in his
book. Someone could be all smiles to you across a table in a
restaurant, but how they treated the waiter told a lot about what
type of person they were. When she turned from the front desk
counter, he could see her gorgeous ice blue eyes. Without another
thought, he tipped his glass to her and motioned for her to have a
seat next to him. Somehow without a word exchanged between them,
she let him know that she’d go up to her room and be back down for
a drink.
    Derek didn’t get nervous, ever. He was an
attractive guy, which served him well with women, and his career
inside the ring didn’t allow for intimidation. He felt
uncomfortable in situations involving families, purely because it
was out of his element. But nerves? No, he didn’t have a problem
with them. Yet somehow his stomach knotted up at the thought of
having this woman sit next to him. He took the time while she was
upstairs to think about his past and how far he had come.
    There were really only three occasions in his
life that felt life-changing. The first time he got in a fight when
he was a kid, when he discovered MMA fighting, and when he decided
to invest in land in Mexico. He remembered the exhilaration he felt
in all three of those moments. Derek realized that he just may be
having one of those moments again. He didn’t know what was going to
happen but he could feel that something was going to change. And
with that thought, he asked for a shot of tequila. The bartender,
Emilio, gave him an odd look, given the time of day.
    “Yes, this early. I need a bit of liquid
courage.” It hadn’t occurred to him that it was before lunch and he
was not known to drink alone at the bar in the morning.
    He didn’t want or need to get ahead of
himself. Long term relationships, other than in business, were not
a part of Derek’s life. This woman, whoever she was, looked like
fun and a nice escape from reality for a bit. Other than his failed
attempt with Silvia, week-long relationships had been his norm. He
was surprised at how many women seemed okay with casual sex and
quick goodbyes. He knew how to wine and dine a woman while always
letting them know that this wasn’t going any further than the
length of their vacation. He didn’t feel like he was using anyone.
They were all willing participants and he didn’t lead them on. For
his investments in areas like the Dominican Republic where most
vacationers stayed on their resort for the entire visit, Derek
would often spend time with his laptop by the beach or at the bar
of other resorts. He had enough business connections and friends to
allow him some perks at other resorts. That way, if he