Here's a brief excerpt from One Night in Havana-- still 99 cents on Amazon.
“So, Bonita,
give.” Dr. Carlos Montoya slid onto the bar stool next to her. “What brings you down from a
lofty ship to grace us lowly Cubans with your presence?”
Bonita. Pretty lady was not an endearment
coming from the mouth curved in a taunting smile, but not a slight either. Not
with his deep, melodic voice speaking words as if he knew secrets about her.
What secrets did he know? Would he pry into her personal life? She doubted this
bad-boy college professor acknowledged boundaries.
“Just drinks and dinner.” She scrambled for
composure. “Aren’t we attending a world-class conference? I find the local
population to be friendly and kind. That’s not slumming.”
The bartender set down a saoco. “Hope you like it, senorita.”
“Gracias,” she said. “Very nice, served in a
coconut.”
“Ah, the saoco,” Carlos said. “Rum, lime juice, sugar,
and ice. The saoco,” he repeated, disbelief heavy in his words. “Um. Wow. Once
used as a tonic for prisoners of the revolution.”
“Medicinal?” She couldn’t help it. She chuckled and
sounded as if a rusty spoon had scraped her throat raw, but it was genuine. The
warm glow in its wake was welcome and needed. .
He leaned an elbow on the bar, his beer bottle with
the green-and-red Cristal label dangling between his fingers. “Be careful with
that one.” He dipped his head toward the front door as if he needed to go
somewhere soon.
That fast, the glow of love snuffed out. She cleared her throat and gripped the fuzzy surface of the
coconut container.
No comments:
Post a Comment