Part 11 (1/2)
”She's a close friend. In fact, these are the blueprints for the house I'm designing for her.”
”Wow. I'd love to do an interview with her, but she's impossible to reach.” Tayler sat back in her seat. ”It's a funny thing about Sterling. None of her books carry her photo and I've never seen her on talk shows. No one I know, in fact, has ever seen her -except you.” A thought suddenly crossed Tayler's mind. ”She wasn't at the luncheon was she?”
”No,” Erica laughed. ”She's been out of the country.”
”If you tell me you were in Greece with her I'll die of envy,” Tayler squirmed.
”Okay, I won't.”
Silence fell over the two woman like a blanket. Tinges of jealousy p.r.i.c.kled Erica's consciousness. Tayler had seemed unimpressed with celebrities but her comments and questions about Sterling threatened Erica. An elegant beauty surrounded by poise, a quick wit and charm, Erica suddenly feared the possibility that Tayler might fall for another woman before Erica could make her own feelings known. The thought haunted her like a predator.
When they reached Oaxaca, Mexico, and disembarked, it seemed like hours before they made their way through customs. A five minute drive brought them to a private airstrip where they boarded a small plane.
”Where are we going?” Tayler sighed .
” Aeropuerto de Arriga,” came Erica's reply. ”It's only an hour to Arriga. Once we're there we'll drive the rest of the way to Puerto Arista. Have you ever been to southern Mexico?”
”I spent two weeks in Acapulco last year, but that's as far south as I've gone.” Tayler shrugged her shoulders. ”Where are we staying?”
”At a hacienda located several miles outside of Puerto Arista. The ranch belongs to Ana Ariani. A friend of mine.”
Tayler nodded. The image of a stocky, dark featured woman with the crude manners of a ranch owner came to mind.
”I think you're going to find Ana a very interesting woman.” Erica smiled to herself.
The October sun beat down on the two women as they emerged from the plane and walked to a car waiting for them in Arriga. Tayler took in the terrain from behind her sungla.s.ses.
”Southern Mexico is part of the neotropics that span Central and South America and the West Indies. The neotropics include everything from lowlands to mountains.” Erica explained. ”Below the volcanic belt just south of Mexico City, there are jumbled ma.s.ses of mountains known as the Sierra Madre del Sur.”
”I heard one of the flight attendants say that the volcanoes were 17,000 feet above sea level,” Tayler added.
Erica nodded. ”The Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range makes southern Mexico one of the most inaccessible, picturesque and undeveloped sections of the country.” Erica pointed out the mountain range on one side of them and the Pacific Ocean on the other.
”Wow! It has something for everyone.”
”Puerto Arista is also one of the last matriarchal societies in the world.” Erica smiled as the car slowed down to allow a woman to cross the road. ”It's been said that the two main attractions in this area are the women and the Pacific beaches.”
Tayler sat back in her seat, her cheeks hot from embarra.s.sment. She wasn't aware that she had been staring until Erica commented on the beauty of the place and its people.
As they drove toward Puerto Arista, Erica pointed out the neat, short, stone walls that bordered Ana's property. The stones dipped and curved with the land and disappeared into the horizon. Ana's property stretched for miles.
”Is Ana from this area?”
”Not originally. She was born in Spain. Though she went to school in France, you'll probably notice that she's very, very Spanish.”
”Why did she come to Mexico?”
”Ana inherited this land from her grandmother. I'm sure she'd love to give you a tour. She's fiercely protective of her land and her community. The people here adore her.” Erica stopped herself from going on. ”You can just barely see the hacienda from here.”
Tayler followed Erica's outstretched arm. She whistled. ”That's not a ranch, that's a palace.”
The white stucco structure had giant pillars that supported a red tiled roof. Tropical vegetation including palm trees gave the house a great deal of privacy and protection from the intense sun. Pink bougainvillea spilled over the windowsills and cascaded over balconies. Beyond the house stood several small cottages. Past the deep green lushness, the blue Pacific Ocean glittered in the background.
”It's absolutely breathtaking,” Tayler whispered, ”and I've only seen the outside. I can just imagine what it looks like inside.”
Erica chuckled, but when their eyes met, Ana's hacienda was momentarily forgotten. She reached for Tayler. Her fingertips burned against Tayler's cool skin, increasing the heat from the late afternoon sun. When their lips met, Tayler's excitement splashed wildly through Erica's senses.
”Welcome to paradise,” she said, her voice low and breathy. She hungrily sought Tayler's lips until the limousine stopped in front of the hacienda.
”Seniorita Erica,” a short, stocky woman squealed as she opened the car door.
”Hola! Buenas tardes!” Erica emerged from the car with Tayler behind her looking flushed. ”Tayler, this is Marina,” Erica winked at the woman, amused at Tayler's visible mistake. ”She's responsible for running this ranch.”
Tayler smiled and nodded. Her cheeks were red with embarra.s.sment.
”Bienvenido! Senorita. We are so happy you've come to stay with us.” Marina's smile was warm. She turned to Erica. ”Seniora Ana sends you her greeting. She's disappointed she couldn't be here when you arrived. The Senora was called away earlier this morning.”
”Trouble?” Erica asked, her eyes moving rapidly across Marina's face.
”No, but you know the Senora. She must investigate everything. The people here are so reluctant to make decisions without first consulting her. She should be returning soon. Let's get you inside where it's cooler. You look like you could use a drink and, maybe, a swim, no?”
”Sounds tempting,” Erica slid her hand around Tayler's waist.
Surprised by the obvious show of affection, Tayler allowed herself to be led into the house.
Once inside Tayler stood transfixed. The hacienda had a mult.i.tude of open, panoramic views of the ocean. The shaded openness allowed the ocean air to breeze through and cool the interior areas. Brightly colored woven rugs were scattered on the gray-streaked, white onyx floors. Marina led them through the rooms located around a large reflecting pool. Situated in the middle of the pool, amid several fountains, was a three-foot crystal pyramid.
”It's magnificent!” Tayler released the breath of air she had been holding.
”Ana's ancestors found this crystal in a nearby cave. The original house was leveled by an earthquake -this crystal was all that remained. When Ana asked me to design this house, I put the crystal in a prominent location to protect all those who live here.” Erica turned toward Tayler and grinned. ”I also combined Mayan architecture into the design, though the Mayans never made it this far west.”
Tayler stared at the crystal, absorbed in its beauty. ”Do they have earthquakes a lot?”
”No, but this house has survived one major earthquake.” Erica said watching Tayler's expression change from fascination to concern. ”Ana strongly believes that the casa protected by a crystal will come to no harm.”
”Can they protect you from things other than earthquakes?”
”They have mucho powers,” Marina led Tayler and Erica up the stairs to their rooms. They first stopped in Tayler's.
The huge, square bedroom had a contoured ceiling and the walls were textured. Tayler's eye was immediately drawn to her left where the bed stood on a raised platform. Its wood frame and posts were elegantly handcrafted from mahogany, while the comforter blazed with the colors of the rainbow. The predominant color in the room was a deep purple. Like the first floor, matching woven rugs were scattered on the onyx floors. Opposite the bed, next to the balcony doors, was a small sitting area with a love seat, chair and an intricately hand-carved writing desk.
Erica watched Tayler move around the room. When she came to a medium-sized wooden stand in the corner, Tayler stopped. On top of the tall mahogany stand was a large, hollow quartz rock with a crystal dangling inside. Midnight blue candles were placed on each side. The crystal began to turn slowly.
You'll be safe here, Erica thought to herself, at least for a while. She wanted to take Tayler in her arms and rea.s.sure her, but she couldn't. Erica cringed knowing that even the crystals in the house could not protect Tayler -or her -from the curse.
The cool water enveloped Tayler's tired body. After a few refres.h.i.+ng laps she swam to the edge of the pool and sat with her legs dangling in the water. Her royal blue swimming suit matched her eyes and its daring French-cut added a provocative look to her figure. She could feel Erica's eyes on her.