"ALEX?" THAT WAS THE FIRST thing Pedro Henrique did that day: call the delegate. In Barcelona, the clock read eleven in the morning. Pedro figured it was late enough for the man to be up.
"Hey" On the other side of the line, Alex was driving towards the Federal Police station. "You’re flying back today, aren’t you?"
"I am" Pedro Henrique took a sip of coffee. "But before I go, I have to stop by the hotel where Janine was last seen. At least as far as I know."
"Did you get the address from the guy?"
"I did. He still remembered her. Lucky me."
"You’re going to pursue this lead."
"Exactly" Pedro agreed. "I believe I won’t uncover much on this track."
"That’s not exactly why" Alex turned the corner, frowning as he looked at the traffic light. "I'm going to ask for Interpol’s collaboration, in total secrecy, depending on what you can find. Just gather evidence. If you can get any external security footage outside the hotel… that’ll be great."
"You got it."
"What time is your flight?"
"Eleven p.m. I'm going to the hotel in a bit. That was certainly the time she got here. The address is close by."
"Very good…" Alex entered the parking garage located in the basement of the Federal Police station. "I'll start here. Once you land in Brazil, you'll have another 24 hours off."
"Understood."
"I'm on it."
Alex hung up the phone. Placing his cell phone on the table, Pedro Henrique searched his laptop for nearby establishments that might have security cameras. He jotted everything down in his notepad.
...****************...
HUGO OPENED HIS EYES. The first thing he became aware of was his head resting on Luis’ chest. Slowly, he lifted his head. He looked around the room and saw a small bookcase with books of various sizes. Not wanting to wake him, he sat down on the side of the bed. He stayed still, trying to process how he got there.
"Good morning…" Luis touched his shoulder, caressing him. He sat on the bed, behind him. He brushed his lips against his neck.
"Good morning" Hugo kissed his forehead. "You looked so cute sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you…"
"Speaking of sleeping…" Luis was now by his side. "Did you sleep well?"
"I did. I just don’t remember how we got here" Hugo chuckled.
"We were drunk" Luis began. "Luckily, we managed to get into the Uber and I was able to unlock the door."
Hugo had a flashback. He vaguely remembered stopping himself from kissing the guy in the back seat. As soon as they got out of the car, Hugo helped him unlock the door.
"…I helped you unlock it" he said. "And then we just started making out. I remembered."
"That’s exactly what happened…" Luis nibbled his ear. "And what else do you remember?"
Hugo blushed a little.
"It was really good having you here" Luis took his hand, kissing it. "Really."
"You’re so sweet" Hugo teased.
"How about we take a shower? And have breakfast. What do you say?"
"I want to."
UNDER THE SHOWER, HUGO and Luis were intertwined. Luis supported Hugo’s leg with his firm hand, keeping it pressed against his hip. Hugo played with his hands as he slid them down the boy's back — his palm open, his fingers… until he reached his nape and dug his touch into it. He longed to feel more, to the point of wanting to perpetuate the feeling of their tongues rubbing against each other — in the middle of the hot, wet kiss.
Without wasting any time — and with lust exploding in all his nerve endings —, Luis lifted him. Hugo wrapped his legs around his hips. They were in a favorable position, so that Luis entered Hugo with ease, using the wall for support. Hugo let out a gasp and a muffled moan. However, with each thrust the boy made, Hugo didn't hold back anymore — to the point that they fell into a devastating sexual synchronicity.
Hugo kept his fingers dug into his nape as he possessively wrapped his arms around him to hold him inside. Until, reaching the peak, they came undone together.
THEY WERE AT THE TABLE, now. Hugo was wearing the same clothes from the night before, having breakfast with Luis — who was wearing a pair of boxer shorts and a tank top. They had the best sex inside the bathroom. Hugo took a bite of the cheese bread, followed by a sip of coffee.
"What a crazy night" he joked.
"Tell me about it" Luis chuckled. "Dragons is out of this world, isn’t it?"
"Totally" Hugo let out a breath.
"How long are you staying?"
"In Fortaleza? About fifteen days, more or less. I’m going back to Sao Paulo and spend the rest of my vacation organizing my new life there."
"I see."
There was a long moment of silence as they finished their breakfast. Hugo noticed that Luis was thoughtful, looking at him from time to time. He seemed to want to say something. When they finished their coffee, they remained there for a while longer in silence.
Until Luis began to stare at him. Behind his gaze was a shadow of resignation.
"What is it?" Hugo gave a half smile. "Did something happen?"
"It did" Luis took his hand over the table. And he continued: "Something happened, very quickly."
"What is it?"
Luis sat in the chair closest to Hugo. This time, he no longer held his hand.
"I’m leaving the country" he finally said.
Another moment of silence. Hugo just shrugged.
"Where are you going to live?"
"Portugal. I got a post-doc scholarship there."
"Really?" Hugo’s eyes widened in surprise. And he smiled: "That's amazing!"
To Luis' surprise, Hugo hugged him.
"Seriously… really" Hugo touched his shoulder, concluding: "You deserve it. Congratulations!"
And he hugged the boy again, laughing. Luis managed to return the hug. As soon as Hugo pulled away to look at him, he saw that his expression was still a little distant.
"Why do you look like that?" Hugo fiddled with the collar of his tank top.
"It's a sudden change" confessed Luis. "Very sudden. But I really want to move on. In life, you have to give up a lot of things when you make this kind of choice."
"And that’s okay…" Hugo rubbed his shoulder. "You only have one life, you know? So, it’s more than fundamental to live your changes." Hugo paused and continued: "I know the beginning is tense, because I’ve been through it and I'm going through it again!" He chuckled "Anyway, embrace this change and live this new journey. Portugal! You’re amazing…"
Luis laughed and hugged Hugo. He hadn't imagined his reaction, but he felt less bad hearing all that. He held him in his embrace.
"That’s not the only reason I was… shaken" he began. "Things are happening too fast, both for me and for you. Once again, life separates us" he joked.
Hugo chuckled.
"It’s okay" he said. "We’ll meet again when the time is right. When it’s meant to be."
"When it’s meant to be" he agreed with a half smile.
They hugged again.
...****************...
"I’M HERE. I’M HERE. I’M HERE…*" Aura sang on the line to Hank, who had called to find out if she had arrived in Sao Paulo. As soon as she put on a robe over her bikini,"she said:" I'm going to take a dip in the five-star hotel pool. You gonna keep bothering me? I’m here* where you wanted me to be.
"Can you listen to me?" His tone was curt. "You're going to receive a package in a black, sealed box. You understand?"
"I understood the part about receiving a package" Aura pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. "But what’s inside the package?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
"I won’t waste my time being curious. I’m going to enjoy the pool and take a walk around town."
"Watch what you’re doing."
"I’m going to swing by the police station…" Aura shrugged.
"I told you not to do that now."
"I know what I'm doing. Leave me alone."
"Go past the front, just to see what's going on" he instructed.
"Hank, Hank, Hank…" Aura put her sunglasses back on. She looked out the window, ignoring her brother. "It’s a beautiful day outside…"
"And try not to fall off the radar."
"Go to hell" she snapped, ending the call.
...****************...
CAMILA WAS READY for the selection. She looked at herself in the mirror, checking if her clothes met the standards of the selection process. She picked up the folder with some essential documents for the interview and left the room. She went to the kitchen to say goodbye to Lucimar.
"Mom, I’m leaving."
"Go on, honey" Lucimar was finishing rinsing the clothes. "Stay in the shade."
"I'll help you when I get back."
"Okay. Go on now, so you don't get late."
"Love you…" Camila blew a kiss in the air. And she left.
...****************...
IRINA AND RUY WERE already at the warehouse. Ruy had asked a freelance receptionist they had hired to do the initial screening — collecting resumes, seating the girls. The young woman received the girls, one by one. And the place was slowly filling up.
"Look at that, Ruy…" Irina peeked through the crack in the white door. "So many girls here! Now I'm thinking about approving twice as many…" She rubbed her hands together.
"That’s what I told you yesterday" Ruy shrugged.
"I know!" She raised a finger. "I have an idea. Listen to this: I’m going to approve five right away… Not in front of everyone, anyway… I’m going to approve five, and leave another five on standby. And I'm going to pitch the idea to the big boss, if he wants five more."
"I'm all for it" Ruy gave a half smile. "Don’t you realize that the more girls, the more revenue?"
"I do, darling…" She paced back and forth, excited about the prospect of a lot of money coming into the business. "So, shall we begin?"
"The stage is all yours."
Irina let out a breath and went to the mirror. She straightened up, composing herself. Counting to three, she went to the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she waved to Hank and then was onstage in front of the twenty girls.
"Good morning…" she smiled. "How are you?"
They all nodded.
"My name is Irina Bianchi, I'm the HR Manager and I will be conducting this entire selection process with you. Are you ready?"
She maintained her smile, looking at each of them.
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