Eli lifted my chin to his, and his lips nuzzled mine. His kiss was soft and sweet and just what I needed.
"Even if I had known the truth all along," Eli said, "I would have gone to prison all over again. Just to spare you a moment of grief. We've all made mistakes, and with time I will start to trust you again. But there's one thing you need to know."
Eli locked eyes with mine, staring intensely.
"Avery, you did not kill your mother," he said.
"But I didn't help her. I let her die."
"Stop it," Eli said, his grip tightening on my upper arm. "Listen to me. You did not kill your mother. You did not feed her those pills. She killed herself, and you have to accept that. If you keep blaming yourself for your mother's actions, you're going to carry that guilt for the rest of your life. And I won't stand for it.
"Anyway," Eli threw in for good measure, "I'm glad the bitch is gone. I would have watched her die, too."
Eli's words were modest comfort. Maybe in time I would learn to forgive myself. Eli still hadn't told me his confession, which had been our agreement, but at the moment I was in no mood for additional secrets. Eli repositioned the blanket over my shoulders, and he wrapped his arms around me. I was rocked to sleep by the beat of his heart.
///
Soon we would reach our new home, and Eli and I would begin the rest of our lives together.
14.
When I wakened from my nap I opened my eyes and saw that Eli had been watching me sleep. I smiled and so did he. He kissed my cheek and then my lips.
"I love to watch you sleep," he said. "It's nice to lie beside you for a while and not have to listen to a single word of sass."
"Don't get used to it," I said. "I talk in my sleep, you know."
"Time to put you in your place," he growled.
Eli grabbed me playfully and drew me into his embrace. We kissed, gently at first, then with more passion. His hand slid down my back and took in a handful of my ass. He squeezed. I gasped, thrilled by his touch, realizing I was instantly wet.
He rolled me on my back and suckled my breast, and a gentle moan escaped my lips as he massaged my delicate mound, his fingers parting my folds and pushing inside, feeling and probing my most private places. My body trembled at his touch and I bit my lip to stifle another moan.
Eli spread my legs and stroked himself, then slapped my tummy with his manhood. I could feel his balls brushing against my slit, and I could see the tip of his cock at my belly button. My eyes widened with amazement. I couldn't believe Eli was able to fit such an enormous cock all the way inside of me. But he did, and it was the most beautiful sensation I had ever experienced. My pussy was made for Eli's cock, I realized with a smile.
Eli pinned me to the floor, and I gave myself willingly to him. He fucked me till we both came, and he kissed me again and then Henry's voice came over the intercom, asking for Eli's attention.
"Here, put this on," Eli said, handing me his T-shirt.
"It's like eight sizes too big," I complained.
"Wear it like a dress," he said. "You'll look cute, I promise."
Eli slid into his blue jeans, then kissed me loudly on the top of my head and marched to the cockpit to confer with Henry. I put on Eli's tee, which fit me like a tent. I found my panties where he had dropped them and took the belt he had used to bind me up, and I tied it around my waist, hoping to keep my shirt from riding up and revealing my panties.
When Eli came back I was on the sofa, snacking on stale peanuts. Eli sat down and put his arm around me.
"Okay, kid," he said. "You told me your secret. Now it's my turn. I'm not ashamed of it or anything, but I am showing you a tremendous amount of trust by admitting this to you. You've heard of Cuban cigars, right?"
"Sure," I said, no clue where has going with this.
"And you know the Rutherfords built our fortune in tobacco," he said.
I nodded.
"Well, did you know there was a time when the Rutherfords were the largest private landowners on the island of Cuba? Right up until the revolution. Fidel Castro took control and booted us out, along with all the other rich white Yanquis. Power to the people, and all that."
"Okay," I said.
"This is the bad part. The part that your mother found out about, and threatened to reveal to the world. It probably would have spelled the end of the Rutherford fortune. Well, to get back at Fidel, the United States government imposed a trade embargo that blocked anyone in America from importing Cuban goods. It was meant to cripple the island's economy and lead to another revolution, this time giving Fidel the boot."
"Eli, I have no idea where you're going with this," I said. "Who cares what happened that long ago?"
"The U.S. government would care very much if it knew the truth. You see, the government just thinks we lost all our land in Cuba. The truth is we got it all back.
"My grandpa worked out a little deal with the Castro regime. In exchange for returning all of our lands and other holdings to us, we would secretly import substantial quantities of Cuban tobacco, allowing Cuba to prop up its supposedly socialist economy. Meanwhile, the Rutherfords secured a steady stream of high-quality and tax-free longleaf tobacco. The good stuff. We grew it in Cuba, rolled it in Cuba, shipped it to the Dominican Republic, slapped a new label on the packaging and freighted it back to the United States.
"The arrangement was highly lucrative and highly illegal," Eli said. "When I took control of the Rutherford empire and supposedly divested the family from the tobacco industry, I put the Cuba operation under a shell company incorporated in Trinidad. But I secretly retained full ownership. As far as Cuba's concerned, the Rutherfords have never left, and business is booming."
///
"And now we're going back? To Cuba?" I asked.
"Where else?"
"But what was Henry so worried about? Not enough fuel and all that?"
"Oh, right," Eli said. "Normally, to play it safe with passport issues, I fly to Mexico City before secretly continuing on to Havana. We don't have enough fuel to reach Mexico City, but we have plenty to get us to Cuba. Since we're not going back the United States any time soon, there's no need to factor in the layover. It's a straight shot to Havana."
Eli glanced at my attire. "I like that T-shirt on you, by the way," he said. "I like the belt, too. Nice job accessorizing."
I swatted him playfully and then we kissed, and Eli stripped the belt from around my waist. He turned me around and bound my hands behind my back, and he bent me over and fucked me from behind. The thrill was indescribable, knowing that Eli was in total control of my body. I had the most intense orgasm of my life.
We reached Cuba several hours later. To my surprise there were no delays or any other issues during the flight. I should have known to trust Eli. When we landed, however, I refused to leave the airplane until someone fetched me some proper clothes. Eli rolled his eyes, then jogged off the plane and returned a few minutes later with a pretty white peasant dress. It was old but clean and felt very soft on my bare skin.
Eli whisked me into an ancient taxi cab decorated with a black-and-white checker pattern. Except for a couple of breaks at gas stations, we didn't stop until long after we had left the city. At one point Eli leaned over and said, "This is our property line. Everything you see from here till home belongs to me. Only now, it belongs to you as well."
I looked all around with wonder at the beautiful landscape. Our property was a mix of jungle and mountains and clear, swift streams in the valleys, and rolling hills as far as I could see. But nothing could prepare me for my new home.
Nearly an hour after we had crossed onto our property, we began a steep ascent, the road winding around a mountain taller than all of the rest. When we reached the top, our car finally stopped. We had reached our new home built on the highest peak of the Rutherford property. I looked out the taxi window, and the view took my breath away. I had never seen anything like it. I felt like I could touch the clouds. And then I noticed the house.
15.
Eli held the taxi door open for me and helped me out. I felt as though I was being guided through a dream. The Don Rutherford Hacienda, as it was known to the locals, was a beautiful four-story mansion perched on top of the highest mountain on the island.