Keeping It in the Family (Linstead)

Chapter 125

Raquel Gonzalez walked into the kitchen of the apartment she shared with Zelina Vega wearing a simple white t-shirt and blue jeans.

"Hey, Z. How do I look? Am I underdressed?"

Zelina was working on prep for the meal she was going to serve for dinner, ahead of Jay Halstead's imminent arrival. The pork joint was already roasting in the oven. Rice and vegetables stood ready to be cooked when the timing was right. Outside of the kitchen, the dining table was set with plates, cutlery and wine glasses.

"You look fine, mami. Better than fine," Zelina said. "And as for what you're wearing, we're having a friend over for dinner, not dining at a Hilton. I mean, look at the state of me." She was wearing black leather pants and a red top that showed plenty of cleavage.

"What do you mean look at the state of you? You look absolutely stunning, Z. You always do. I don't know how I'm keeping my hands off you right now."

Zelina bit her bottom lip. "Well, you don't have to keep your hands off me. It turns me on so much when you talk like that."

"I know it does. Maybe we should pick this up after Jay has gone?"

"We definitely should. You're almost making me wish he wasn't coming now," Zelina said, moving very close to her mami, so that the heat between them became almost impossible for them both to resist. "What would you do to me if he wasn't?"

Standing a full foot taller than her fiancée, Raquel had to lean down to kiss her before saying, "It would involve dragging you upstairs against your will, and it would involve a lot of duct tape."

"Mmmm," Zelina moaned softly, uncontrollably. Raquel had proven herself even better at indulging that particular fantasy than Zelina had thought would be possible.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Saved by the bell," Zelina commented, grinning slyly at Raquel.

"Only for now," Raquel said, looking at her like a meal that needed to be eaten up.

"I'm not going to be able to concentrate on the conversation over dinner now," Zelina muttered as Raquel went to answer the door.

Outside, Jay was looking forward to the evening ahead. He felt bad that it had taken him so long to accept the invite, but he was here at last, and he foresaw a night of fine food and good company. As far as he could remember, he hadn't eaten Puerto Rican food before, and he was looking forward to trying it.

The door opened and Raquel stood there, looking the way she always did: powerful, pretty, and maybe a little dangerous. No matter the situation, she never quite stopped giving off that vibe.

"Hey. Glad you could make it," she said, giving him a nice smile that proved she could do it when she wanted to.

"Thanks for inviting me. I've been looking forward to it," he said as he walked in. He found the apartment tastefully decorated, impeccably clean, and smelling very fresh, albeit with an air of roasting meat mixed in. His first impression was very positive, although he wondered who did all of the housework. Trying to picture Raquel doing it amused him. "Love your place," he said as he followed his work partner through the open-plan living and dining area towards the kitchen. He entered and found Zelina at work in there. "Hey, Z. The food smells good."

"Hi, Jay. Good to see you," Zelina said. She came over and gave him a hug, which he found nice from someone who at work had a lot of sass about her. "Raquel, why don't you pour some wine while I work on the dinner?"

"Uh, yes, wine," Raquel said, already panicking about her hosting skills. "Uh, Jay, have a seat at the table. Any seat you want."

"Thanks," he said. He went back out of the kitchen and sat down at the dining table, deciding that priority number one was to calm Raquel down. She didn't need to impress him or wait on him, they were there to have a good time, nothing more. For most people that was second nature, but she was like a fish out of water.