Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 2

envisioned).
     
     
     

     
     
    DEFINING RICO
    by Sassy Lane
    Richard closed the door carefully behind him. He was not going to lose control. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. Shaking his head slightly, he took another breath.
    Calmed again, Richard slipped on his sunglasses and headed for his car. He didn't know what the heck his uncle was up to, but he wasn't about to cooperate with the plan.
    ****
    Richard parked and took a minute to absorb his surroundings. There was a low rumble of waves crashing into the beach and terns called to each other as they flew in lazy circles. He got out of the car and let the warm breeze soothe him a bit.
    In front of him, a long, curved bar sat sheltered by a building that had been designed to look like a large shack. Thick bamboo poles held crossed palm fronds up to create a picturesque roof over the bar and extended over an outdoor patio in a large rectangle. At the other end of the space was a small raised floor. More palm fronds provided the little area with some protection but the sides were completely open. A small, self-contained fire pit was set off to one side with a little cluster of tables around it. A larger fire pit sat about twenty yards away from the shelter with more tables and chairs nearby.
    Richard shook his head. It looked like something out of an old beach movie. Actually, it was a lot nicer than what he thought he would find. He rolled his eyes at the carved sign near the entry. 'Woodies at the Beach'. The owner had a sense of humor.
    "Hello?"
    Richard turned back towards the bar.
    "Can I help you?"
    A pretty, young thing with shoulder length, white-blond hair and a dark tan was watching him. He didn't look a day over seventeen.
    "I'm looking for someone. I was told he would be here."
    The blond rolled big, blue eyes. "Um, I'm someone and I'm here. Got any more information than that?"
    Richard raised his eyebrows at the snarky tone.
    The blond sighed dramatically. "Let's try this again. Hi, I'm Mickie and you are...?"
    "Richard Charles Kames Overton"
    "The third?"
    "Excuse me?" Richard had started out overworked and irritable. The pretty boy wasn't helping.
    "Sorry dude. It just seemed like that came next." Mickie was grinning. "So, Rico, how can I help you?"
    Richard clenched his jaw and began to count backwards from ten. He really had to work on his stress levels. It seemed like the smallest things could set him off these days . Movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention and he turned.
    A surfer was coming up from the water and approaching the bar. Not too tall or too short. He appeared to be about three or four inches shorter than Rico's own six feet two inches, with a gymnast's build. Good looking with a hard, fit body, sleek muscles and short, sun-streaked, brown hair.
    Another pretty boy , Richard thought.
    The surfer leaned his board against the side of the bar and moved towards him, putting himself a few feet away and slightly in front of the little blond.
    "Hey Mickie, you need anything?" The surfer's baritone voice was husky, immediately putting Richard in mind of waking the morning after a night filled with sex and whiskey.
    "What makes you think he needs assistance?"
    The golden surfer folded his arms. His gaze raked slowly down Richard's body and back up again before he shrugged. "You're not exactly the type we normally see around here. Do you need something or are you just lost?"
    "Danny, this is Rico. He's looking for someone ." Mickie made air-quotes with his fingers.
    "My name is not Rico ." Richard growled slowly. "It is Richard. Charles. Kames. Overton."
    Dan glanced at Mickie, who had been mouthing the name along with the big guy, and nodded. "Rico," they said at the same time.
    "So Rico, why don't you tell me what it is you need down here and we'll let Mickie get back to whatever he was doing." Dan grinned when Mickie flipped him off and returned to the back room.
    "What I'm doing is looking for Daniel Saunders." Rico ground out between clenched teeth. With Mickie safely tucked out of the way, Dan relaxed and watched the larger man as his face turned interesting colors.
    "You seem to be dealing with some real anger management issues, Rico. You might want to lighten up a bit before you stroke out."
    Rico felt like his head was going to explode from the pressure. "Maybe if I wasn't forced into running down beach bums on some wild goose chase my uncle sent me on, during the height of tax season, I