Black Jewel. Bella Dama

and led her to his bedroom. He set it down on the bed and began taking off his jewelry.

      “You can put your stuff in one of the drawers,” said Mauricio pointing to one of the nightstands next to his bed.

      “Damn already!” she said jokingly.

      “What?” he asked.

      “I get a drawer. Do I get a key next?” she asked giggling.

      “Slow down, girl.”

      Mauricio just didn’t like a mess on his floor.

      He sat at the foot of his bed and took off his shoes. She crawled up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him. He turned around and kissed her.

      “So, which side am I sleeping on?” she asked.

      “Sleep?” he said like none of that was gonna happen.

      She laughed and then asked for a towel so she could take a shower.

      He led her to his bathroom, turned on the shower and got her a towel with some feminine hygiene products he thought she might need. Mauricio always kept a small stash for his lady friends who might stop by.

      Before leaving, he kissed her and smacked her on the butt.

      After her shower, Lola came out in a tank top and a thong. She took a locket out of her bag before putting it away. Then, she bent over to dry her hair with the towel.

      “Damn, Baby!” he said walking in the room, looking at all her goods.

      “You like it?” she asked shaking her butt, teasing him.

      “Hell yeah.”

      She popped her head up slinging her hair back. Now, she was speechless biting her bottom lip when she saw him.

      Mauricio had taken a shower in his other bathroom. So, he walked in wearing just a towel, exposing his beautifully tattooed upper body. His arms and chest were chiseled and muscular. His abs were ridiculously toned and firm. And he had an 8-pack with a serious V in his pelvic area.

      “DAMN, Baby! You’re bad as hell,” she said lustfully.

      “Thank you,” he said smiling, licking his lips.

      She set her locket on the nightstand and climbed into bed. He handed her one of the beers he had in his hands and took off his towel. She hoped he was naked underneath it, but he wasn’t. He had on boxer briefs that hugged in all the right places.

      “So, what’s with the necklace?” asked Mauricio sipping on his Corona.

      “It was my mother’s. I sleep with it for her protection when I’m away from home,” she said.

      “What do you mean WAS your mother’s?” he asked with a look on his face.

      Lola was a little apprehensive about telling him because she knew the topic could be a mood kill. But she told him anyway.

      “She passed away when I was 18.”

      “I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”

      Lola didn’t really like talking about it or getting that personal on a first date. But Mauricio made her feel comfortable. She felt relaxed and not pressured about sex. And he really seemed interested. So, she told him the story.

      Her mom had been sick with what she thought was a cold or the flu. But she wasn’t getting any better. And being the workaholic she was, she never went to the doctor. She thought she could cure it herself. Until one day, she was rushed to the hospital with a fever and stiff neck. The doctors thought she might have had Meningitis. But the tests came back negative. Turned out, she had inflamed lymph nodes, which caused the stiffness in her neck. And she caught pneumonia with a slight case of asthma, which explained the fever and a slight wheeze the doctor heard. They treated her with all kinds of medicine, including antibiotics. After a few days, she seemed to be getting better. Then all of a sudden, she had a heart attack and died.

      “Damn! What happened?” he asked in disbelief.

      The autopsy revealed that the hospital gave her a medication that she was allergic to. It made her heart swell. And her body rejected the medicine to correct the swelling. So, she had a heart attack and died.

      “Baby, I’m so sorry to hear that,” he said cuddling her.

      “Thank you,” she said sweetly. “But that’s not the worst part?”

      “What do you mean?”

      She told him how a certain pharmaceutical company didn’t properly label one of their medicine bottles. Because one of the ingredients in that particular medication was so minuscule, they didn’t think it would make a difference. So, they didn’t disclose it on the bottle. And they most certainly never anticipated that that same ingredient could cause an allergic reaction that would result in death.

      “Damn. I’m so sorry to hear that. How’s your Pops?”

      “I never met him. He died before I was born. It was just me and my mom. But she’s told me stories about him.”

      “Well, I hope you at least sued the hell outta somebody,” said Mauricio a little pissed for her.

      “Yeah . . . Both the pharmaceutical company and the hospital. They ended up settling out of court.”

      “That’s cool.” Then he tried lightening the mood. “So, I know you got paid-d-d-d,” he said in a funny voice.

      “Yeah. I got a little somethin’,” she said giggling from how he said it.

      But she didn’t like talking about the money. People’s interest changed when they knew how much she got.

      “Well, I don’t want yo’ money. I just want that ass,” he said laughing.

      “Can’t tell,” she said snapping back.

      “Oh, ok. So, I see you want the dick.”

      “And what’s wrong with that?”

      “Nothing.”

      He climbed on top of her and kissed her. He spread her legs open and began grinding on her. Then, her phone rang. She forgot to turn it off. And by the ringtone, it was her madrina. Ana would keep calling if she didn’t pick up.

      Five minutes later, “Sorry” came out of Lola’s mouth after she hung up.

      She explained how close her and her godparents really were. She was the child they never had. So, they were very overprotective of her.

      He understood.

       Chapter 7

       The next morning

      The next morning, Lola woke up wrapped in Mauricio’s arms.

      “Good Morning,” said Lola stretching.

      “Good morning, Baby Girl.”

      Mauricio rolled over and out of bed. He had to pee. Lola caught a glimpse of his hardness bulging through his boxer briefs. She shook her head in disbelief ‘cause she didn’t get any of that. After her godmother’s phone call, they wound up talking all night. But they still had a good time getting to know one another.

      Then, her thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing.

      “Hello.”

      “Lo! Are you up?” asked a female voice.

      “Crystale?” she asked concerned.

      “Yes. It’s me. I’m in so much trouble!”

      “Why? What happened? Are you okay?” asked Lola quickly sitting up worried about her friend.

      Mauricio got back in bed. He heard Lola’s voice.

      “Is she ok?” he whispered.

      She