Dark Chocolate Peppermint Read online

  By the time we left, the kids slept on the floor.

  “What do you want for Christmas?” Susie asked in between yawns.

  “A man.” I joked.

  “Okay,” she replied with an evil grin.

  “What did you do?”

  “I got you a man. No questions.” She held her hand up. “Trust me.”

  I did. Yet, my mind had a few dozen questions crowding to get out. So I turned the radio on. We sang out of tune all the way back to my place. Her clothes and belongings would arrive soon.

  Tomorrow, we were going out for a formal lunch with my entire family. My parents got up at six a.m. every day to have a quiet breakfast alone. They were my image of the perfect couple. My dad told me stories of how he tried to woo my mother when she didn’t understand English. She laughs about it now but said she was afraid she’d lose this gorgeous man by misunderstanding him.

  Chapter Two

  Thumping woke me up. I followed the noise across the living room to the other side of the condo. Susie jumped up and down in front of an exercise video. Well, the instructor on the screen was hot and chocolate.

  “Damn, I could get up early for him.” I sat on her bed.

  “He tells me to move, I move. There’s a bizarre power coming from him.” She dropped to the floor for pushups.

  “Your dedication would shame me, but I’m going to make breakfast instead.” There was a coffee deficiency in my system.

  I picked the French Vanilla flavor to go with waffles. Instead of syrup, I drizzled honey and added butter. Fruit on the side completed it.

  She wandered in, covered in sweat. “Oh! I earned that. Let me get cleaned up and you can show me where everything is.”

  Turning on the news, I noticed the weather would be beautiful all week. My heart skipped. I needed to scout out an office location, one that would attract models and their agents.

  Hearing the shower in Susie’s room turn off, I went to get cleaned up as well. There would be a great deal of fussing over hair and makeup today. I picked a sleeveless pantsuit in deep blue. My light brown skin and dark black hair contrasted beautifully. I didn’t forgo the false eyelashes. Even my mother would be proud of the waves falling over my shoulder. Make up was a ten-minute job no matter how glamorous it needed to be. Slipping into black ankle boots, I grabbed my purse.

  Susie peeked in, her hair piled on her head in curls. “You look amazing. A true Amazon goddess.”

  “I was trying for subtle.”

  “Alicia, honey, you and subtle are not acquainted.” She joked quoting one of my first designers. She put in me in bright orange and yellow. The pictures amazed me after my headache went away.

  There were muffled attempts at quiet outside my front door before they knocked.

  Susie opened the door, standing back to allow the flood of adorable to go by.

  “Auntie Alicia, you look like an African Princess!” One of my nieces bowed to me in her best pink dress.

  My brothers came in next, hugging Susie.

  “Welcome to the family, Susie. Our girls have decided they want to do your hair for every occasion,” Gregory said winking. “Ally, you look amazing. Who knew the girl with nothing but knees and elbows would turn out stunning and smart?”

  He teased. Greg’s the one who encouraged me to get my degree every time we met. He and his wife owned an accounting firm outside Boston. She stood off to the side, resplendent in off white. The maxi skirt and blouse draped across her dark brown skin. Her braids fell to her waist, tied back with a yellow ribbon.

  Both of my brothers married women from the Caribbean. Steven’s wife wore black slacks with a gold top, her hair braided and woven on top of her head. Reporters thought I was lying when I told them I wasn’t the most stunning member of my family, my sisters-in-law stopped traffic.

  Steven and Gregory looked like me, lighter skinned with both Brazilian and African American features. The grabbed me in a bear hug. I fought tears of joy. It was too soon to start.

  “Get out of my way boys, this is my baby girl.” My father pulled them aside. He stood proud in a tuxedo, head newly shaved, beard trimmed. Mom got a hold of him that morning.

  He pulled into a hug. “I’m so proud of you, Ally. We can talk business over lunch.”

  My mother smacked his butt. “What do I have to put in your mouth to keep you quiet?”

  Seven adults fell silent as he lifted one eyebrow at her. The boys started to wrestle.

  Steven wrangled them apart. “You wrinkle your suits before lunch and Grandma gets to do your hair all afternoon.”

  That stopped them.

  Lunch went off well considering we took up an entire section at the restaurant. Heading back to my parents’ hotel, I offered Susie an out. “You don’t have to stay all day. Your furniture should be here in a few hours.”

  “I would rather spend the time with your family than sit alone in your condo. We’ll have quiet in a couple of weeks.”

  I loved her. I’d always wanted a sister.

  ***

  We only lasted a few hours with the family before the exhaustion from the last shoot hit us. Back at the condo, we were watching video of fashion shoots so I could pick models I wanted to contact when her things arrived.

  The deliverymen were hot. By the time they unloaded the last box, they had taken off their shirts. I struggled to keep my eyes up when one of them walked in with a rack of her dresses. He had dark brown with short hair and intense eyes, my favorite.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Susie rescued me. “Alicia, can you help me in here?”

  I followed the man to her room. Boxes piled up covering the bed and floor. “This could take a while.”

  The gorgeous man winked at us. “Clear the bed first. Makes you feel at home faster. That’s everything. Your pre-payment covered everything. Thank you, ladies.”

  He walked out slowly. There was no way he didn’t know I’d leaned around the door to watch his tight ass leave.

  “I got you man, I told you that.” Susie laughed.

  “How did you get me a man? Is he going to show up at the door?”

  “Well, yes.” She ducked into the bathroom.

  There was a knock at the door. Figuring the hot man was back, I got there quick. Opening it, I found the hallway empty. There was a note on the floor.

  Picking it up, I closed the door and navigated my way to Susie’s bed. “It’s a note.”

  She popped out so fast, I jumped. “Yes!”

  “Now, I’m worried.”

  The note smelled like peppermint. “Mmmm.” The envelope contained a single page. I read it out loud.

  “Dear Alicia,

  You have been picked to receive a Candy Man. The chocolate statue sits in my cooler as I write this. The delivery will be on Christmas night. Please write a list of the things you want in a man. I will take care of his looks; it’s up to you to pick the personality of the Greek god who will inhabit the animated statue.

  Sincerely,

  Viviana, Owner of Candy Man Delivery Services.”

  “You won!” Susie hugged me. “I entered you over the summer. They do a drawing on holidays for deserving women. A friend of mine who served in the Army got one in July.”

  I’d heard of Viviana. Her reputation as a sculptor was stellar. Then, last Valentine’s Day she was seen around the area with a milk chocolate colored stunner named Adonis. I wasn’t the only woman in South Florida who’d secretly wished she’d be chosen.

  “Now what?” I had no clue what step to take.

  “You write down the list of things you want in a man. The ones you tell me about in private. Like kindness, intelligent, funny, and strong enough to handle you on bad days.” She ticked off my list.

  “Especially handling me on bad days. Let me get some paper.” My hands shook as I carried the note to my room.

  I sat at my desk,
placing the note in front of me. “This is really happening.”

  “Yes, it is.” Susie traipsed in after me. “You deserve someone who you know will be there forever. No exceptions.”

  “You had to find me the one kind of man who can’t leave?” Insecurity about past relationships rushed back.

  “No. I found you the best kind. Chocolate flavored perfection, thousands of years old to keep up with your amazing brain, and patient.” She wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “Human males are not up to the task.”

  The doubts edged away slightly. “You always said I’d need an immortal lover.”

  “Come on, you can write your list while I try to remember which box holds my panties.”

  “Are you sure you packed any?”

  “Ha ha. I hope so.”

  Grabbing a thank you note left over from my graduation, I followed her. “You said; kind, intelligent, funny, and strong, right?”

  “Yeah. He’ll be hot enough to melt a camera lens. All the Candy Men are.”

  “Why didn’t you put your name in the running?”

  “I want to wait until I’m done with school before I find someone. After the last breakup, my focus is on me. Helping you with the agency, I may meet some nice guys who work behind the camera. This time out, I want to be appreciated for my brain. Gravity will eventually droop everything else.”

  “Or turn it gray.” I’d started dying my hair three years ago.

  She laughed. “Gray pubic hair. I’d rather shave it off.”

  “Susie! Look for your panties.”

  “Yes ma’am. You write your list.”

  “Understands I’m a businesswoman. Supports me professionally. I wonder if a Greek god has skills to earn a living?”

  “I believe Eros sets them up with bank accounts that stay full.”

  “Nice benefits package.”

  She laughed. “You don’t need to add the package part. Viviana got an A in penises. It’s on her website.”

  I giggled like a schoolgirl. Fantasies ran through my mind about the kind of love my parents had, strong, everlasting, bendable but not breakable.

  “I won’t be single at New Years.” Whispering it, in case I was wrong.

  “Or ever again. If this is too much for you, let me know. I can call Viviana.”

  I shook my head. This felt right, weird, but right. My family would flip out. “Wait until I tell my parents.”

  “They’ll be happy for you.”

  “This guy better know history. My dad will grill him about Ancient Greece. He watches all the History Channel specials.”

  Imagine, Dad can have that discussion with someone who was there.

  The more I thought about it, the stranger it got. Instead, I put my note in my room and helped Susie search for her panties.

  “Found them.” She pulled out one of her five travel bags dumping it on the bed. Panties, bras, and bikinis tumbled out.

  “You can fit all of your panties and bras in one overnight bag? I’m impressed.” Mine took up a small dresser. Gift bags for events inevitably included panties. I never understood that.

  “I throw away the ones we get as gifts. Creepy.” She shivered.

  “Agreed. I should go through my collection and toss those.” Although, they helped during finals when I didn’t want to take the time to do laundry. “I think I have my list.”

  “Keep thinking. You’ve got a few days.”

  No rush there. I felt a sudden urge to go curl up in bed and indulge in naughty thoughts. Instead, I worked out my sexual frustration unpacking boxes until 3 a.m.

  Draped across my bed, I fell asleep thinking of my favorite drink as a kid, dark hot chocolate with a peppermint stick. I felt his hands run across my belly, shivering in post-orgasmic glow, I rolled over to stare into his eyes, chiseled, brown, and delicious features stared back at me.

  “What are you doing?” Susie’s voice broke into my dream.

  “Go away, I’m having a good dream.”

  “I can tell, you’ve got your hands in your panties.”

  Embarrassment rushed through me. “Sorry, uh.”

  “No problem. Maybe your new boyfriend decided to play a little before he shows up.” I heard her laugh fade as she walked away. “Merry Christmas Eve.”

  “If he looks like he did in my dreams, I’ll need help standing when he’s around.” Damn. That was a first.

  He’d be here tomorrow. I had that long to figure out how to tell my parents. They’ll want a front row seat when he shows up, and I’d like that to be private. Maybe I could be home for the delivery and then let them meet him the next day. I found myself nervous about my parents meeting a man I didn’t know yet. Shaking my head, I headed for a cold shower.

  Chapter Three

  Clean and dressed, I found Susie decorating her room. “It looks great.”

  “Thanks. And again, thank you for letting me stay here. Even if it’s only until you and your Candy Man kick me out.”

  I hadn’t thought about that. “We’ll figure it out as we go. Besides, your room is across a large living, kitchen, and dining room from mine.”

  “You’re not kicking me out?” Her shoulders slumped in relief. She’d been afraid.

  I hugged her. “Of course not. Besides, without you, he wouldn’t be showing up at all.”

  There was a worried expression on her face. “Susie, What’s up? Is it about the Candy Man?”

  She sighed. “No, I didn’t know how to tell you. I took a pregnancy test this morning. Ya know, peeing on the stick? It’s positive.”

  I froze with my hand on the door. “Who?”

  “Bear.” Her cheeks flushed.

  He served in the Army. She met him through a high school girlfriend who retired a while back. “Where is he?”

  “Afghanistan. For another six months.”

  “Did you tell him?”

  “Yes. He texted me back.”

  “And?”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks as she read from her phone. “He wrote, ‘I jumped so high for joy, I may have scared my battle buddy.’”

  “Well, you didn’t tell me it was serious.” Of course, I’ve had my head buried in books and then horrific job interviews. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

  She hopped into the car. “You were busy. Bear and I wrote emails back and forth for years. Then, this past spring, he made a trip to Paris for fashion week, and I melted when he touched me.”

  “So, you moved in with me to move back out?” That didn’t make sense.

  “Hey now, I didn’t know I was pregnant until today. Besides, he planned on re-enlisting. I can’t live alone with him gone. I’d start talking to the walls.”

  “Now, you can talk to your kid.”

  She laughed. “Who will know mommy is crazy.”

  “You can stay with me as long as you like, both of you. Maybe we should start up a section of the agency for pregnant models. It’s about time maternity lines had sexy clothes modeled by professionals.” I thought out loud. Not sure of where it would end up until I saw her face.

  “That’s your niche. You know the designers, call and tell them you’ve got me as a model for maternity wear.”

  Driving home, the ideas flowed. We could hire models while pregnant and afterwards, until they got back into their tiny sizes. I hoped they’d lose the weight in a health way if they knew they had work during that time. We’d need an office with a nursery and onsite nanny’s.

  I put aside some notes I’d written, slipped into slacks and a short-sleeved sweater, and headed to the hotel.

  Susie, glowing, put on a sundress and surfed the web for maternity wear on the drive. “I called mom this morning. She’s thrilled I’m pregnant but not happy I won’t be paying for any more rehab or letting her near my kid until she’s been clean for six months.”

  “Pretty good incentive.”

  “I hope so.” Her voice made it clear sh
e didn’t think it would happen.

  “You can forget about it today. Once you tell my family you’re expecting, you get the princess treatment.” My sisters-in-law would dote on her.

  Our arrival didn’t cause a stir. We’d become regular visitors. The kids either huddled with my dad on the couch or played on the floor with a five-foot tall dollhouse and gas station.

  Mom walked over when I came in. “I think we’re all a bit tired. The boys will be up soon, they’re sleeping in after yesterday.”

  “Susie’s pregnant,” I whispered.

  My father perked up. “More kids for me!”

  Mom grabbed her. “Congratulations dear. Please tell me the dad is not that horrible rock star who vomited on stage last night.”

  I laughed.

  Susie blushed. “No, the dad is a soldier I’ve been seeing. A friend of a friend. He’s in Afghanistan until summer.”

  “Well then, we get to spoil you until then,” my mom said dragging Susie to the kitchen.

  No craving would go unfulfilled. I got on the floor with the kids. Time flew by as we played. Vaguely aware my brothers and their wives showed up, I heard some gasps as Susie told them.

  The three year old sitting in my lap asked, “Is Aunt Susie having a baby?”

  “Yes, she is.”

  “Good, there will be someone smaller than me.” She kissed my cheek.

  Could I have children with the Candy Man? I’d always assumed I’d be a mother. The gift would be tarnished if it meant not having kids of my own. It was too late to turn back, but I needed to know.

  The kids went to bed, not to sleep, at seven. Eyes wide open they worried Santa wouldn’t find them in Grandma and Grandpa’s hotel room. They slept in a room with Steven guarding the door. The rest of us unloaded the U-Haul my brothers rented. The tree stood six feet high and they had enough gifts to cover the suites living room floor.

  “You guys do this right,” Susie said.

  “It’s the one holiday mom and dad saved for. Our birthday gifts weren’t much, but we knew Santa would take care of us.” I hugged my Dad.

  “Santa saved up for months to make sure his kids squealed on Christmas morning,” he said. “What is it?”