Paradise In Santa Barbara (A Two-Part Fictional Family Saga Set In Historical & Contemporary Santa Barbara)

Paradise In Santa Barbara

(A Two-Part Fictional Family Saga Set In Historical &

Contemporary Santa Barbara)

By

Susan Hart

Copyright 2016 Susan Hart

Synopsis: This is a saga about the fictional Segovia family and the Spanish soldier who partnered with a Chumash woman and helped build El Presidio in Santa Barbara, then, much later, the three brothers who bore the same names as their children and lived in the expanded estate of the original Segovia, which now includes a horse breeding farm, winery, and large mansion set in the hills above Santa Barbara, California.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Epilogue

Chapter One

His steel-blue eyes narrowed against the afternoon sun as he surveyed the soldiers on the parade field, all frozen in crisp salute to him. His chest swelled with pride. Today was his day, long awaited, and in his mind, much deserved. For two years, he had invested himself in this fortress, proving day after day that he was capable, that he was a leader. His time had come.

Captain Roberto Javier Segovia had become Supreme Commander of El Presidio Real de Santa Barbara just a few minutes earlier. These were now his troops, the Presidio was now his charge. No one in this compound was superior to him any longer. In his mind, it was as it should be

Commander Segovia surveyed those before him. His eyes drifted right toward the viewing area where guests were standing in his honor. On the first row was Maria, his wife of only one year, dressed in a frilly white afternoon dress with a rimmed garden hat. Attractive, but not beautiful, he had married her as part of his master plan; she served her purpose well. Although he didn’t love her, he respected her. He also needed her and the child she carried. Spaniards preferred that their commanders be married, especially those in the New World; it spoke of roots and obligations.

His eyes drifted beyond Maria, up the stands a couple of rows. There sat Jonata, his beloved mistress, beautiful beyond comprehension, sensual beyond belief. He loved her. She smiled broadly in his direction, melting his heart and stirring his groin. Commander Segovia had inconspicuously added her name to the guest list as a representative of the Indian tribe who inhabited so much of the land around the Presidio. No one had questioned his action, although some suspicioned his reason. Nonetheless, she belonged to him in ways that Maria never would. He returned her smile, a smile his wife accepted as her own, not realizing it was meant for someone else.

With only a nod of the Commander’s head, people shuffled, quietly taking their seats. The troops marched to the sidelines, each step a precision of movement equaled by no one. He wanted it like that; he demanded perfection in all things.

Today is a great day for Spain! his deep voice bellowed from the makeshift podium. Today is also a great day for America! Today, the Presidio stands as a fortress, a protection against invasion of our New World and a monument to the strength and determination of our Mother Country. Today is a day of great men and good fortune. Today, I welcome and honor Chief Yanonalit, our Chumash brother; Comandante Ortega, whose vision and design are manifested in this post, and the Honorable Governor of California, Felipe de Neve. These men have helped make this day possible. I am honored to stand among them, and I am honored to serve them, Spain, and this great state of California.

Applause rang out from the crowd; murmurs of agreement rippled through the stands. Commander Segovia was a man of power, and he was a man of passion. Maria’s heart filled with pride and undying love for the father of her unborn child; Jonata’s body hungered to feel his hard manhood inside her; his hot lips on her mouth. Two women, two pacts, one man.

The reception after the ceremony was attended by hundreds of dignitaries, special guests and ordinary folks who lived in or around the Presidio. Commander Segovia floated among the attendees comfortably; he was one of them, all of them. He was as comfortable with a Chumash scout as he was with the governor; it was a trait that made him both respected and powerful.

Are you feeling okay? he asked Maria, suddenly appearing by her side. You aren’t overdoing it, are you?

I am a little tired, she whispered back to him. I was just thinking of going home. Would you mind?

Of course not! Roberto said. I think it’s time. Been a long day for you. I’m going to try to get this thing over with shortly, and then I’ll make my rounds before coming home. I won’t be longer than a few hours.

Then I’m sneaking out, Maria whispered. Be careful. See you at home.

Don’t wait up in case I’m delayed, he suggested, knowing that he would be.

Maria smiled, faithful and trusting to a fault, always the willing supporter and partner to the man she loved so deeply. She thanked her lucky stars that her uncle, the governor, had had the matchmaking capability to introduce her to Roberto. It was a relationship and a marriage made in heaven. Maria, though, in her naiveté, would never know that it was a long-arranged marriage between the rulers in Spain and the rulers in California, part of a master plan developed long before Maria could even talk. So far, the plan was working beautifully.

Roberto walked Maria to the front door where she was joined by one of the sentries and her handmaid. They would see to it that she made it home safely and was guarded until the Commander made it there. Once Maria was away from the reception hall, Roberto made his way across the room to Jonata who was talking with her father, the Chumash chief. As Roberto approached the two of them, Jonata stepped away, leaving the two men to talk privately. He smiled at her as he turned away from him shyly, knowing full well that he would fuck her tonight like he had never done before. She was sexually magical; he was extremely horny for her.

It is big day Commander, the chief said in very broken English. You do well.

Thank you, Chief, Roberto answered. For everything. The chief understood the meaning. He had been instrumental in securing this promotion for Roberto; it was part of their agreement of peace and prosperity, both for the tribe and for the men of the Presidio. Without a solid and agreeable working relationship, there would be no success for anyone. The two very different men shook hands. Roberto wondered how long he would live if the chief knew about his relationship with Jonata. The chief smiled inside because he knew he had the upper hand with the Commander; a position he would always maintain, it had been designed that way as part of his and his daughter’s long laid plans. Roberto patted the older man and the shoulder and moved on to another group of party attendees, relishing in his newly acquired position and the respect of those around him. Had he looked at little beyond the highly decorated chief, Roberto would have seen the steely eyes of Kipo, Jonata’s stern and protective brother, bearing down on him with hatred. Sometimes, though, men are so caught up in the moment that they feel invincible, but it is only a feeling driven by ego, not brains.

Finally, the reception wound to a close. As the last of the guests were leaving the sandy parade field in front of the reception hall, Roberto said goodnight, mounted his stallion and rode off into the night. The guards and sentries that manned the night watch were familiar with his unquestioned routine. No one followed that the eyes could see.

Roberto Segovia was destined to be a soldier. From the time he took his first step until this day, his life, personality and training had prepared him. His father, Spanish conquistador Franco Javier Segovia, would accept no less for his only son. Franco had participated in the southwestern land conquests of the New World and had fought the Indians and Mexicans to secure lands for Spain and Portugal. He had silently, but firmly, marked the area on which the Presidio now stood as a place where his namesake would one day rule. Roberto had no choices, only shoes to fill.

Franco also instilled a sense of entitlement and power in his son, always telling him that If you don’t take it, someone else will. Be first, my son, be the best and you will always be the most powerful. In his thirty-five years, Roberto had done just that, often at the expense of others, but always for himself. Whether the stake was a position or a prostitute, Roberto was accustomed to getting what he wanted, no matter what the price, because he was never the one who paid it. That was Roberto then and it was Roberto now.

At the age of eighteen, Franco received Roberto into the Spanish army as a young recruit who would have to pass through all the rigorous training and earn his stripes the same as anyone else. Roberto resented this because he had spent his life training alongside other troops; he was as able as any who wore the uniform, and his father could have given him rank as part of the induction, but Franco was determined that his son would not have it easy. The stripes would be earned.

Roberto also inherited his father’s love of women, at least a love of their bodies. Franco loved his wife, the mother of his children, but he had little respect for being faithful to her. From his youngest days of remembering, Roberto had seen his father sneak into the small huts that surrounded their spacious winery to visit the young women who lived in them. He didn’t know about sex at that time, but he knew that his father spent lots of time with other women while his mother took care of the household and family. By the time he was fifteen, Roberto had learned the secret pleasure of sex with a woman, all arranged by his father. It became a habit of his to spend some part of everyday fucking one of the young girls who clamored for the attention of the conquistador’s handsome son, all without even knowing their names or caring about them at all. His relationships with women would be based on these experiences for the rest of his life.

In 1778, Franco’s most ambitious military opportunity came from the Spanish Ambassador, Jeronimo Grimaldi, when Spain was preparing to join France in entering the American Revolution. Spain desperately wanted to recapture Geronimo and gain access to western lands in the New World, but it meant becoming allies against Great Britain. Through his commanders, Grimaldi arranged for Franco to organize and lead the movement of thousands of Spanish militia and supplies to the shores of America. It was a job that he accepted with honor and pride, but with the condition that his son would be one of the lieutenants assigned to another commander. Franco knew it would be the best opportunity for his son to reach the New World, and it would be an opportunity for his name to become part of its history.

So it was arranged, father and son would deport to America, Franco to the borders of Florida and Roberto to the islands and coastline of California as the second in charge to a commander he could not stand. The festive day of departure was marked with celebration and ego as the two highly respected Segovia’s boarded separate ships with different objectives, one to build a new fortress, the other to either reclaim or destroy an old one. The two men hugged, the father anxious to see his son become a hero, the son glad to be from under his father’s overbearing rule. Neither of them knew what to expect of their journeys but they looked forward to meeting on the west coast when the war was over and the fortress was completed.

But things did not work out as planned. Although father and son would never see each other again, Franco had made certain that Roberto would have an inheritance in the New World, protected by Chief Yanonalit, ruler of the Chumash Indian tribe located in what would become the mission of Santa Barbara and Roberto’s universe.

Having spent so many years under the tutelage of his father, Roberto was not accustomed to taking orders from someone who had no respect for his connection to the powerful Franco. It was evident, however, from the day the army set sail that this assignment would be a different experience for him. Captain Bernardo de Galvez, son of the governor of New Orleans, was a man to be reckoned with and not one to be overshadowed by one of his troops. But, the captain didn’t know Roberto Segovia.

The young regiment landed on the shores of southern California and joined with the New Mexican troops who would lead them into the land where they would build The Presidio. Captain Galvez quickly assigned Roberto to the front line brigade, made up of renegade warriors, friendly Indians and women workers who would be responsible for setting up the camps and taking care of the troops as they moved over rugged territory and through dangerous wildwoods. It was a daring assignment, but Roberto was well trained, smart and just conniving enough to be successful. Most of all, he was determined to prove himself the better man when compared with the highly decorated, prissy son of the governor.

It didn’t take Roberto but one day to single out a young Indian girl to be his nightly companion. Despite the frowns of older women in the group, she came to his tent nightly and left just as the morning mist was settling over the camp. On the third day, Roberto was summoned to the Captain’s tent.

You are not to have the young squaw in your tent anymore, the Captain said abruptly without looking up from the maps that lay spread on the table in front of him. Your actions will make it difficult for us to maintain control over these workers, and we need them. Don’t let your sex life impede your mission. That will be all.

The heat rose in Roberto’s face. Never had anyone at any level of command spoken to him so directly or rudely. I beg your pardon, Sir, but what I do when I retire for the day is my business, not yours. He stood directly in front of the Captain, staring at the top of the head that refused to acknowledge his presence.

I told you, now I order you, the Captain said through tightly pursed lips. No more. Period. Don’t make me deal with you in front of those you are in charge of. I will if I have to. Remember that! You are dismissed. The Captain turned to his assistant and asked for the valet to be brought it. Roberto stood in place, staring at the man who had just drew a line in the sand.

You have one time to do that, Sir, Roberto warned. And you’ll find yourself lost in the wilderness. You need a man to help you with this mission, and I’m that man, like it or not. YOU remember that, Sir, or you’ll find yourself in trouble, great trouble with those who look at us from bushes as we pass through their land. This is not for the meek, Captain, and you are meek and untested. I am trained and capable. Don’t be concerned with what I do when my work day has ended. It won’t be wise for you to interfere.

Roberto saluted his commander, crisply turned on a dime and marched quickly from the tent. His face was red with anger; no man would dress him down in front of others without paying a price for it. No man but his father, that is. The Captain would come to understand this fact, and the sooner he learned it, the better for all.

As soon as the gear was packed and Roberto’s group was ready, they hastily moved forward, leaving the Captain and his crew still packing. If need be, Lt. Roberto Segovia would expose the jelly-assed superior to the perils of having too much ego and not enough brawn. He could hear his superior calling Stand down! as the armed unit moved forward. Let him protect himself, Roberto said under his breath, smiling wickedly. I’ll get him by the balls and show him who’s really in charge here.

When the small regiment and workers gathered into a circle for a rest and to eat, Roberto pulled the young squaw onto the back of his horse, and rode into a small clump of trees. He held her head steady with both hands as he forced his hard cock into her mouth, so caught in the release of his own sultry and obstinate desire that he didn’t see the dark-skinned man standing behind a tree a mere fifty feet away. Roberto pushed his spent member back into his pants, mounted his horse and rode out of the trees, leaving the young girl to find her way back to the group on foot. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by the eyes watching them.

Lt. Segovia drove his people hard all afternoon, refusing to stop until night was well upon them. They quickly made a campfire and settled in for the night, planning against the advice of the scouts to leave before daybreak the next morning. We should wait for the Captain, one soldier warned Roberto. He doesn’t like to be separated from his men.

He’ll get over it, Roberto sarcastically replied, mounting his horse. When we reach that peak ahead, we’ll be able to see him crossing the plains. We’ll wait for him then.

Miles behind him, Captain Galvez was cursing Roberto under his breath for daring to challenge him. He would see to it that a price was paid, both for making a superior look foolish and for endangering the whole regiment to attack. The Captain had some influence, and Indians didn’t accept the white man misusing their women, especially from a position of power over them. The young, oversexed lieutenant would see things from a different point of view if all the plans fell into place. The rift between the two men would last for over two years, taking them to points in their lives they never expected, but only one of them would or could prevail in the end.

Roberto smelled her as soon as he stepped into the thatched roof, two-roomed hut he had ordered constructed for Jonata many months before. In the dark of the living area, he undressed before crossing into the bedroom where he knew she waited, naked and ready for him. At the opening to the smaller room, he lit the candle she kept there for him, honoring his wish for little light. He only wanted enough to see her body, but not enough for prying eyes that might be around. Roberto had learned that lesson the hard way.

As his eyes adjusted to the growing light, her naked form became visible lying on the down mattress he had purchased for her. He stood just inside the doorway, his swollen cock protruding before him, ready for the satisfaction only Jonata could bring him. Without a word, she crawled toward him on the floor like a vixen snake, just the way he liked.

Her hands traveled up his legs, slowly moving past his hard member without touching it. With one smooth movement, Jonata rose on her knees, her lips kissing his body as she continued upward, expertly finding his nipple sending quivers through his flesh. His member grew harder, pressing at her middle with an urgency they both felt. Still, she lingered, holding his arms by his side as she kissed his body downward until her mouth closed over the tip of his cock. Roberto groaned, pressing into her lips, but she moved quickly away and up again, denying him, teasing him. He pulled her to her feet and forced her away from him.

Stand there, he ordered. As always, she complied.

Roberto loved to look at her beautiful body, bronze colored, muscular and perfectly shaped. Large breasts with heavy brown nipples that stood erect the second his hand touched her anywhere. Long legs with calves rippled with muscles from walking so much and thighs that could wrap around his back and crush him to death if she so desired. Jonata’s lips were full and pouty, capable of sucking his dick so hard he felt his eyes would disappear, yet so tender that she could kiss his balls without even touching them. Her hair was her prize, long, black and wavy hair so heavy that he could hide beneath it when she mounted him and lowered her head to kiss him. He touched her now, letting his fingers glide across her mouth, down her neck and across her breasts as his other hand groped her triangle of soft hair that covered the sweetness of her cunt.

As a woman, she was perfect in every way, and she was his all the way. No one questioned it and no one spoke of it. He didn’t know if Maria suspected their involvement, and he didn’t care. It was an unspoken condition with everyone because to question would have been to wish for death or transfer. Roberto was ruthless when it came to Jonata.

He had personally worked out the agreement with the chief that she would become his domestic manager, responsible for overseeing the many Chumash women and men who worked for the Presidio in various capacities from handmaids to the officer’s wives, to laborers who built the outreaching houses for the personnel. Roberto had handpicked Jonata, partially for her ability to speak both English and Spanish, but also for her commanding presence. As the chief’s daughter, she expected and received respect from the tribal members, which made organization and production well, controlled; no one questioned her. Jonata could match any man in work, knowledge, speed, agility and almost anything else. She was one of the best sailors among the seafaring tribe, as capable with navigating a canoe as she was in building a cooking fire.

Personally, Roberto wanted her in this position to serve his own desires; the sexual tension between them was present from the first moment they had seen each other, and they had acted on it the first time they were alone. They spoke little, but they fucked a lot.

Lie down, he said, watching her scramble onto the mattress quickly, submissive to his command. But, he knew as well that she would defy him when she wanted and he would be powerless to challenge her. She was more in control of him than he of her. She lay spread-eagled for him, waiting and appearing helpless. He stroked his hard cock as he stood above her. Do it! he ordered.

Immediately, Jonata’s hand went to her pussy while she pulled her knees up from the mattress, opening herself to give him a full view of her fingers entering the cavern that he had claimed for himself. Roberto loved to watch her do this as he jacked himself hard; her moaning of self-pleasure drove him even crazier for her. He knelt before her, still pulling at himself as he placed his dickhead at her opening where the finger was moving in and out, the sounds of her wetness accompanying every stroke.

Stop! he said suddenly. Her movement ceased and her fingers left their hiding place. She wiped the cunt juice on her belly as he had always told her to do. Still pumping his cock, he bent forward and licked the taste of her from her skin, her hand holding his head tightly against her. She loved the feel of his lips on her anywhere, but especially on her hot spot.

Jonata pushed his head downward, signaling for him to kiss her there. As his mouth moved past her clit, he sucked her so hard that she gasped out loud, slightly cringing. Her reaction pleased him, he bit her slightly, then moved down to her pussy, sucking harder as he reached where she wanted him the most. Roberto moved his tongue in and out of her wet spot rapidly until he tasted her warm precum. That was his signal, he mounted her, plunging his swollen cock into her instantly and hard, feeling her whole body tense at his intrusion. He lifted her legs up to his shoulders, opening her more and angling her pussy so that his plunges would fill her completely.

She rose halfway from the mattress, grabbing his arms to steady her from the powerful thrusts Roberto was dealing her. Jonata knew tonight would be like this; he was always full of sex when he had a challenging day. Deeper and rougher he entered her, pulling back to the point of just being at the opening of her cunt, then sliding quickly back into her. The smell of their sex filled the room; his sweat dripped onto Jonata’s clammy body. She moaned loudly, responding to him like a wild cat.

Suddenly, Roberto grabbed her by the hair, pulling roughly as his warm juice seeped into her. She forced his hands loose from her long hair and lay back on the mattress to enjoy the best part of this man that used her. Jonata matched his quickening rhythm, rising and falling with his movements. When she knew the moment was there, her legs closed around his back, locking him into her as his cock throbbed wildly, shooting the hot juice of their sex into her, filling her and overflowing onto the sheepskin that covered her bed. When Roberto collapsed over her, she kissed his face gently and rubbed his back softly. When his breathing settled into a steady flow of air across her face, she slid from beneath him, knowing that he would never want to wake with her in the bed beside him. It was only for fucking, not for anything else that he came to her; he had made that clear from the beginning, but Jonata knew there was more in his heart.

She knew he depended on her to relieve him from the tensions of his days and from his constant horniness. When Jonata was good for him, she received great gifts; when she couldn’t provide the release he sought from her, she paid that price, too, because she wouldn’t see him for a while. It was always a give and take with them, but she knew he loved her. More than that, she knew he needed her. The loyalties around the Presidio were in her favor and always would be for many reasons, the most important of which was the trust of Roberto’s future that her father held in his hand. Regardless of his Spanish power and control, he was beholden to the Chumash for survival, a fact Roberto didn’t totally realize, but would eventually learn.

Just as the sun was rising in the east the next morning, Jonata woke him. It’s time, she whispered, leaning close to his ear. She sat obediently on the floor by his side while he slowly opened his eyes. He smiled and reached for her breast, fondling her hard nipple, watching her expression soften with his touch. She made no move toward him; she wasn’t allowed to show desire for him unless he told her to, regardless of how much her clit quivered between her legs or how fast her heart beat inside her chest. He had become this way toward her since he found out she was pregnant, as if treating her like a toy would build a barrier between him and the child he may never be able to claim.

You’re beautiful, Jonata, he quietly said, moving his hand to the side of her face. She turned her mouth toward the hand, kissing it the way a good wife might do. And, you’re mine, he added as a reminder. You will always belong to me. You and the child you carry.

Yes, she said, returning his smile. I always will. She meant it and he knew it. Against all her traditions as a Chumash, Jonata would never, actually could never, be one of the tribe. The white man, leaving her caught between two vastly different worlds, had marked her.

Roberto rose from the mattress, went into the living area and dressed quickly. She followed him, sitting on the floor to tie his highly polished dress boots. You should visit Maria today, he ordered her. She is going to be tired from the festivities yesterday. I don’t totally trust the handmaiden to pay close enough attention to her. It would be a high price to pay if something happened to my son she is carrying. Check on her.

Yes, Commander. I will, Jonata answered in compliance, dreading to be with Maria after just making love with her husband. It made her highly uncomfortable despite the strange and unspoken understanding the two women had.

Maria was demeaning in the way she acted toward her husband’s lover, as if treating her like trash would make it so. Maria, sweet and undemanding with most others, spoke rudely to her, knowing that Jonata wasn’t able to do anything in response. Too, there other strange things that happened from day to day that made Jonata wonder just how loving and kind Maria was.

Jonata had always accepted that Roberto would never leave Maria, because she was too important to his career and his future. Not only did she have money that would work to his favor, she would also be the mother to his heirs, a point that was as important to Roberto as it had been to his own father. The New World represented a new life for the Segovia’s and it would be up to Roberto to start it. He needed a well-connected, well-heeled woman by his side in order to build that legacy. A multi-lingual, educated Chumash with a hot pussy wouldn’t fill the bill.

However, Roberto didn’t know all things, and he certainly didn’t seem to understand that the pendulum swings in two directions. Further, he was too wrapped up in his own greed and self-promotion to realize that a pussy was a powerful thing when it came to controlling men, all men, military or not. But, Jonata knew.

In the year they had been lovers, he had built a prestigious fort, and managed to have a wife and a lover without losing a minute of time in building a growing vineyard and a vastly increasing estate. Today capped another of his planned accomplishments as he assumed the command of the Presidio, a feat he knew would finally prove to his father that he was a man. Still, there were more challenges to face, many of which were greater than those that had brought him to this day. Having a relationship with the child that grew in the stomach of his lover might prove to be the greatest.

Chapter Two

No one man is superior to the game.

- Giamatti

Captain Bernardo de Galvez rode ahead of his small group of soldiers at a full gallop. He could see the line of Segovia’s men perched across the peak ahead, waiting for the trailing band to catch up. Galvez could just imagine the air of superiority that was probably eking from the young lieutenant’s skin, part of his natural air of conceit. He had heard stories about the arrogant little bastard, and he didn’t intend to fall victim to his games.

Not Captain Galvez, not the self-righteous son of a governor in the New World. He may not be the most able-bodied and strong between the two combatants, but he was certainly the smartest. This was his command and no one was going to one-up him during it. He charged ahead, faster and faster, as if he was intent on a full out attack on an enemy garrison. His men trotted along behind not understanding the strange actions of their commander, but unwilling to not follow for fear his cowardice would eventually surface and he might need them.

On his horse, Roberto laughed aloud, watching the scene below him with amusement. Look at that idiot, he said, "stirring up enough dust