I'm doing something different today. I usually post a new story on Monday and this is a new story but it is an excerpt from my latest release Taming Maria. It gives me a chance to promote my book while still providing a story.
Parties
and festivities filled the Christmas season and Maria Elena accepted every
invitation she received. She had never attended so many parties before and her
presence really set the tongues wagging among the other members of her set. She
was the belle of the ball, with her stunning outfits and charming manners. She
drew all of the eligible young men to her like bees to honey, they couldn't
believe the change in her demeanor. All the young ladies silently wished she
had stayed home. She flirted and danced with every man that asked. Everyone
except Juan Antonio Cabrillo, that is. She refused his every request. He stood
by and watched, calm and placid on the outside. On the inside, his blood was on
the boil and his palm was very itchy. Oh, how I want to take her over
my knee and spank her silly. She is trying my patience.
Diego
Bartolá always celebrated Christmas Eve with an open house. He opened his home
to everyone and it was always a highlight of the season. His home was a typical
Spanish style hacienda. A two-story whitewashed adobe building sporting a red
tile roof with verandas running the length of the house surrounding the large
courtyard. On the ground floor, the rooms ran off the courtyard on three sides
with a large terraced area at the open end. This area was covered with a trellis
like fence covered by bougainvillea vines. Bedrooms were on the second floor
with a balcony along the length of the structure and a staircase at both ends.
Evergreens, adorned with red and white poinsettias and red bows, festooned the
balcony railing and the entrance archway. The pathway into the courtyard was
alight with luminaries leading to the center fountain flowing with sangria
made with the fruits of his vineyards. A mariachi band played in the corner,
the braziers lit to warm the cool of the evening, and candles and lanterns
provided a soft glowing light to the rest of the area.
Everything
met with Maria Elena's approval. She wanted this night to be perfect. She
wanted to prove to Juan that she was a grown woman who demanded respect and
knew how to fulfill her obligations as a hostess and wife.
For
the evening, she chose a beautiful red velvet gown showing as much of her
beautiful breasts as possible without incurring her father's wrath. With her
long shiny black hair brushed over her left shoulder and a red rose pinned
behind her left ear, she felt pretty and was determined to make Juan so jealous
he would come begging her to forgive him. These parties were getting tiring and
being on her best behavior was boring. It was time to let Juan back into her
exceptionally warm for this time of year with a slight breeze coming off the
ocean. The sangria and other spirits along with the dancing and the number of
people warded off any
chill and the party was in full swing when Maria Elena finally entered the
courtyard. Her father had sent someone to fetch her. Her absence was noted and
it was considered extremely rude of the hostess not to be on hand to greet
them.
"I
am here Papa," she said as she glided next to him.
"It's
about time," he chided her.
"Am
I not beautiful and was it not worth the wait?" she teased.
"Behave
yourself," he admonished.
The
next guests in the receiving line were the Cabrillo family. Señor and Señora
Cabrillo and their five sons along with their assorted daughters-in-law greeted
them warmly. Juan was not among them.
"Good
evening, we are so happy you came. We trust all is well with everyone?"
her father inquired.
"Yes,
all is well. It is a beautiful evening for your gathering," Señora
Castillo replied.
As
Maria Elena greeted all the Cabrillo's she remarked to Joaquin Cabrillo that
she didn't see Juan.
"No,
nor will you. He sends his regrets and hopes his absence doesn't prove to be a
hardship," he replied.
Maria's
smile disappeared and Joaquin could clearly see this bit of news did not sit
well with her. He couldn't wait to tell Juan that the señorita was very upset
by his absence. This was a game she was playing, just as Juan suspected.
Joaquin was thinking that Juan was going to have his hands full managing this
spitfire. She needed a good hiding and he wouldn't mind being the one to
administer it or to bear witness to her getting what she so richly deserved for
this and all the other times she had it coming.
Maria
stayed in the receiving line until all guests were personally welcomed. She
barely concealed her anger at Juan. How dare he not show up to our
party. I'll show him that his presence was not missed.
Maria proceeded to flirt with every eligible man at the gathering. Others began
to notice her outrageous behavior and her father overheard the comments
spreading among the partygoers.
He
walked over to where she was flirting with one of the ranch hands; he tapped
her on the shoulder. She looked and was surprised to see it was her father.
Diego turned to the man who looked embarrassed by all the attention turned on
him.
"Do
you mind if I borrow my daughter for a dance?"
"Not
at all, Senor," he managed to get out.
"Maria
Elena, may I have this dance?" her father asked.
"Of
course, Papa."
The
music began and he whispered into her ear. "Stop behaving so badly. You
should be ashamed, you are making a spectacle of yourself, and you are
embarrassing us. Now behave yourself."
She
could hear his displeasure. "Go to the kitchen and check on things. See to
your duties. Don't forget you are the hostess."
They
finished the dance and she did as her father requested. When her assistance
wasn't needed in the kitchen or anywhere else, she left the party.
Feeling
chastened, she decided to go for a walk to calm herself down. She had not
walked very far beyond the gates of the compound when she heard a noise behind
her. She turned to look and saw no one. She continued a little further
toward
the stables. Talking to Domingo always calmed her down. Entering the stable,
all the horses peered out of their stalls to see if the visitor had any treats
for them. When she reached Domingo's stall, someone grabbed at her and twirled
her around. It was one of the vaqueros she had flirted with earlier. He started
pulling her toward him.
"Let
go of me," she told him.
"No,
Señorita. I watched you go and followed you so that I could collect what you
promised earlier."
"I
didn't promise you anything you fool. Let me go."
She
tried pulling away from him but his hand was on her neck and pulling her face
toward him.
"Let me go!" she yelled and then
spit in his face.
"Whore,"
he called and slapped her face hard.
She
didn't even hesitate. Her knee jerked up and hit him squarely in the groin.
His
hands dropped to clutch himself and she ran from the stable. She stumbled and
felt a hand catch her. Thinking it was that vaquero, she screamed.
"Hush
Maria Elena, it is me, Joaquin Cabrillo. Are you all right? What happened and
why are you out here alone?"
"I
came out here to cool off and when I entered the stable, Antonio Muñoz, tried
to make me kiss him."
"Did
he hurt you?" Joaquin asked.
"No,
I kicked him in the groin and ran out here."
"Let's
get you back to the house. I will have your father deal with Muñoz. I'm sure he
won't bother you again."
"Thank
you for rescuing me."
"You
wouldn't need rescuing if you behaved better. You were flirting with him and
everyone else earlier. You brought this on yourself."
"How
dare you speak to me that way?"
"Speak
to you that way - I'm just stating the truth. You need to be taught a lesson.
If you belonged to me I would take a switch to your backside."
"Then
it's a good thing Joaquin Cabrillo that I don't belong to you," she said,
and walked toward the house with as much dignity as she could muster. On the
way, she met her father and others coming to see what the commotion was about.
"Ask
him," she said as she sailed past them on the way to the house.
The
party continued outside but having had enough of the party, Maria retired to
her room. She removed her gown and readied herself for the night. After a
while, she dozed off and was awakened by a knock at her door.
"Who
is it?" she asked.
"It's
Papa. Who else would it be at this time of night?"
"Come
in, Papa."
"I've
come to say good night and to tell you I was very disappointed with your
behavior this evening. For that reason, I have made some decisions tonight that
will affect you. There are arrangements being made and I will explain more in
the morning. For now I just wanted to say good night and sleep well." With
that, he kissed her cheek and let himself out of the room.
Maria
was stunned and felt horrible. She loved her Papa and hearing of his
disappointment in her behavior hurt more than if he had physically chastised
her. With her feelings all in turmoil, sleep was now impossible. She tiptoed
downstairs and walked out into the garden. It was a chilly night and with the
braziers now extinguished, she felt the cold and wrapped her ruana tightly
round her body to keep warm. The stars numbered in the thousands on this
moonless night. It was silent except for the distant mewing of the livestock
and the gentle breeze through the trees. If she listened closely, she could
hear the sounds of Monterey Bay
These
were the thoughts rolling around in her head as she walked. Finally succumbing
to the cold, she headed home but as she neared the stables, she became aware of
the distress of the horses. They seemed to be frightened of something. As she
reached the entrance, she hesitated a moment reliving
the
evenings earlier events as the ground began to shake. It took her a moment to
realize it was an earthquake and when it registered, she stood in the doorway
until the shaking stopped. It had lasted a good sixty seconds but there didn't
seem to be any visible damage. She entered the barn to quiet the horses when
the shaking began again. This time it was more of a jolt than a shake. It was
the last thing she remembered.
Hope you enjoyed and if you want to read more, click here or Amazon
Hope you enjoyed and if you want to read more, click here or Amazon
