by Sandy Lowe
Cori grabbed her backpack and followed Judy on the long boardwalk. She felt as if they wound between the tall trees forever, until finally a cluster of huts came into view.
After entering a large, thatch-roofed hut the size of a generous conference room, Hugo cleared his throat. The group instinctively gathered in a circle around him.
“Bienvenidos a Nanay. Here is where we spend four days together. I have something I like to do with my groups. I like to name each tour that comes here. I have been watching all of you, in order to decide which name fits this group best.”
Cori liked Hugo already, and chuckled as the rest of the group shuffled nervously. She caught the gaze of the hazel-eyed woman again. This time, she and Cori exchanged smiles.
“And I have decided,” Hugo announced, “that this group will be the pumas.”
Cheers from everyone.
“I suppose that’s a good thing, then,” Judy murmured, clapping along.
“The puma is a mystical creature, very important to Peruvian culture. I sense that many of you come here with much on your shoulders, and I feel this is going to be one of our greatest adventures.”
“My luggage certainly weighs a lot,” the dark-haired man said dryly, adjusting his backpack. “Which way to our rooms?”
“Ah, yes.” Hugo dug into his pockets, eventually fishing out a scrap of paper. “I have your room assignments. Rooms one through three are to my left. Rooms four to six to my right. Here we are in the main hut. You will be called to each meal by a drum and we will eat as a group together. There is no electricity past eight p.m., so please do any charging of your electronics before then. Lanterns will be provided after dinner to help you find your way back to your rooms.”
Judy fanned herself. “Dear me, this is the real deal, isn’t it?”
“Roberto y Isabella Rojas Mendoza, room one.”
The young couple smiled and took their things toward an exit on the opposite side of the room. They were followed by the trio of Europeans who continued to chatter on their way to room two.
“Room three—Judy Canton.”
“That’s me.” Judy lugged her bag up onto her back, huffed, then turned to Cori. “I’ll see you at dinner then, sweetheart.”
Cori nodded as their tour guide continued assigning rooms four and five, respectively, to the tall Spaniard and an American Cori had seen conversing with their bus driver; a kindly older gentleman wearing a safari hat and knee-high socks.
“Room six—Cori Spector and Valentina Gomez.”
Cori exchanged glances with Valentina, who raised an eyebrow.
“Con permiso,” Cori said to Hugo, “but we’re not together. I signed up for a single room.”
He frowned at his paper. “I am sorry. There must have been an error at the main office back in town. I can see if anyone can make ready the extra room. It is next to the kitchen. But it may take a while. We are short-staffed.”
Valentina spoke for the first time since arriving. Her voice was deeper than Cori expected.
“It is okay with me,” she said, her English accent thick. “I do not mind sharing. Especially with an American. I hear you all are very, how do you say, lively?” At this she winked, prompting heat to fill Cori’s cheeks.
“Well, I mean, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. I don’t want to make more work for you all.” She paused. “There are two beds in the room?”
Hugo nodded. “Sí, señorita. Dos camas. No hay problema?”
“No, está bien,” Cori replied.
“Perfecto,” Valentina said. “Let’s go.”
***
An hour later, a steady drumming sounded as the sun began its descent.
“That will be dinner,” said Valentina, emerging from the bathroom. Her hair was wet, making the thick strands appear black in the waning sunlight fighting to get through the hut’s wide, mesh screen windows. She was a few inches taller than Cori and moved languidly, like a dancer. After tossing on a tank top and shorts on the other side of the half-closed bathroom door, she strolled by Cori, who had been busying herself with unpacking and attempting to ignore the gorgeous woman getting dressed in her peripheral vision.
Their hut was the last one of the bunch, tucked neatly against the plethora of wild trees and tall grasses. In the twilight of the day, Cori followed Valentina back to the main hut. The cacophony of sounds coming from birds, monkeys, and insects surrounded them. The entire jungle seemed to buzz electric, teeming with life.
In the main hut there were two side tables covered with plates of grilled fish and trays of colorful fruits. Valentina leaned close to Cori. “Save me a seat,” she whispered before brushing Cori’s shoulder on her way to grab a dish.
Spotting Judy, Cori headed her way. Her friend was already seated at the long center table next to the older American man and the young Peruvian couple. When Cori placed her phone down next to an empty plastic cup opposite them, Judy waved a fork with a piece of pineapple on the end.
“Hey, Cori. I recommend the fish. It’s to die for. And you need to pour yourself a bit of whatever this is.” She gestured to a clear pitcher filled with a dark pink liquid. Cori eyed it as the Peruvian couple next to Judy chuckled.
“Qué es?” Cori asked.
The woman replied. “Uvachado. Amazonian alcohol. Made with grapes and honey. Very delicious.”
“Pour two glasses for us, then,” Valentina said, appearing next to Cori with a plate full of food. She left one seat vacant between herself and the Spaniard glued to his phone. Then she turned to Cori. “Go get food. I’ll watch your drink.”
Cori ignored the amused look on Judy’s face, then went to fill her own plate with charred river trout, steamed white rice, and slices of melon. Upon returning to the table, she was handed a glass full of the pink drink.
“What is that word again, the one for ‘cheers’?” the elderly American asked the table. The Peruvian couple held up their cups. Judy and Valentina followed suit.
“Salud,” the couple said in unison.
Cori lifted her drink and the table responded in kind, clinking their cups together. The lukewarm drink was sweet, but not overwhelmingly so, and Cori relished the taste of the liquor as it passed her lips.
***
The evening turned out to be one of the most pleasant dinners Cori had ever attended. Hugo joined them eventually, sitting at the head of the table and telling animated stories of his life growing up in the jungle. Their group sat enraptured as he told tales of fishing in the river, working for his parents in the mercados, or local markets, and eventually building these huts to host tourists. Toward the end of the meal, a small guitar appeared and he played for them in the dim room lit only by torchlight and candles.
Cori leaned back in her chair, her stomach full and her chest warm as she took another sip of her drink. The tingling sensation it gave her loosened her limbs, helping her relax. Before she could think too much about it, she angled her chair toward Valentina, who leaned closer.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
Her breath tickled Cori’s ear, making the hairs on her neck stand up. Cori turned to face her, forcing her eyes not to linger on her lips, which twitched in a smile. The shimmer on her mouth, however, sent a pulsating surge to Cori’s lower body, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
Cori’s throat was dry when she said, “The music is lovely.”
“It is nice,” Valentina agreed. “But it does not have the same, what is that word…” She ran her finger down Cori’s leg from the hem of her jean shorts to her knee. “Passion, that I am accustomed to in music.”
Feeling a rush of heat to her center, Cori could only nod.
Valentina continued. “I am spoiled, though, when it comes to music. The Argentinian tango brims with passion and desire for lovers lost and times long ago.”
Valentina’s words spilled from her mouth and wrapped themselves around Cori’s chest, prompting a deep ache. She swallowed, wondering at Valentina’s musing and the s
corching look in her eyes, which lit something inside Cori’s flustered mind. The conversations around them faded to the background, and Cori’s focus zeroed in on the mysterious woman sitting next to her. “You’re from Argentina, then?”
Valentina plucked a berry into her mouth. “Sí. De Mendoza. Do you know it?”
“No. I’ve only been to Buenos Aires, which I thought was beautiful.” Cori bit into a slice of melon from her plate, munching on it mindlessly as she fell deeper into Valentina’s hazel gaze, which she noticed followed the trickle of juice that ran down her fingers.
Hugo’s guitar picked up its pace, and the Peruvian couple stood. They began to dance, and Hugo’s gleeful singing took on a series of bouncing howls and excited yips.
Forcing their gazes apart, Cori and Valentina turned to watch the impromptu dance. The Spaniard even tore his eyes away from his phone to enjoy the scene. The American clapped his hands in time, and Judy held up her cup in a salute before turning to Cori.
“Isn’t this somethin’?”
Yes, she thought. This was something. Everything had been such a tumult the last few months. She had felt hollow since her father’s passing, and time only seemed to widen that feeling, creating a chasm carved out in her chest. But since arriving in Peru, the emptiness had begun to mend.
While the room brimmed with music and laughter, Valentina placed her hand on Cori’s arm. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
Cori began to protest. “But the others—”
“They will hardly know we are gone.”
Valentina grabbed a lantern and tugged Cori behind her. Hand in hand they escaped into the breezeless night where the air sat heavy around them. Cori could hardly see as she followed Valentina along the planked walkway. When they took a right at the first hut down an unfamiliar path, Cori held tighter to her hand.
“Where are we going?”
Valentina laughed. “So, it is true. You Americans have no patience.”
Cori smiled, and decided to let Valentina lead the way, even though the faint light from the main hut was completely gone now. Only the lantern, no bigger than a coffeepot, supplied light to guide their steps. Nevertheless, Valentina moved swiftly and confidently, and for whatever reason, Cori trusted her.
Eventually, the wood planks ended beneath them and Cori was treading on dirt and grass. “Here,” Valentina said, her voice a whisper.
They stopped. Cori let her hand drop to her side. Her chest was still warm from the liquor, but now a new sensation spread within her. Adrenaline at the unknown. She could see absolutely nothing as Valentina placed the lantern at their feet. She blinked, searching for something to focus on, but there was nothing. Only blackness. She looked up, expecting to find stars. But she only spotted a handful that looked far away. When she went to walk forward, Valentina grabbed her arm.
“Wait. Don’t go any farther.”
“What do you mean? Where are we?”
Valentina ran her hand down Cori’s arm, stepping closer. “Listen.”
Cori stood still. At first, all she could hear was her own breathing and the pounding of blood in her ears. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. While her eyes still couldn’t see anything, her other senses began to pick up. She could smell damp soil and reeds. Her ears pricked at the belch of a frog, followed by a quick splash not three yards to her right.
“We’re by the river?”
“A pond behind the huts.”
Cori continued to scan their surroundings. There was only darkness, but she began to feel the trill of life happening behind the black curtain before them. She saw the frogs and lizards and heard the fish swimming beneath them. The flutter of bat wings swooped overhead, and Cori lifted her chin to follow its path. The constant buzz of insects played background noise to the symphony of songs happening around them.
Finally, Cori spoke. “It’s beautiful.”
“La orquesta nocturna.”
Cori leaned toward Valentina. “A night orchestra. That’s exactly what it is.”
She felt Valentina move, and the small lantern was lifted off the ground. Cori met Valentina’s eyes in the bright light when she said, “Perfect music for falling asleep, don’t you think?”
Unable to ignore the stirring in her stomach, Cori leaned in and pressed her lips to Valentina’s. They were as full and luscious as she imagined they would be. She stepped forward and wrapped one arm around Valentina’s waist. When Valentina opened her mouth and returned Cori’s kiss with just as much yearning, Cori’s mind took up an uproarious song of its own.
Breathless, Cori stepped back. “You know,” she said, tracing Valentina’s cheek with her finger, “I’m really not very tired at all.”
***
Stumbling into their hut, Cori’s body took up the jungle’s buzz, her entire being humming with desire. Valentina kicked off her sandals, and Cori followed suit before lifting her tank top over her head. Valentina shimmied out of her shorts, and Cori eagerly grabbed her hips, pressing their bodies closer together.
Valentina cupped Cori’s breasts, then ran her hands up her back. She made quick work of her bra and pulled the straps down each of Cori’s arms. “Hermosa,” Valentina said softly, leaning down to take one of Cori’s breasts in her mouth. Cori bit her lip and rolled her neck, relishing the sensation of Valentina’s tongue running over her nipple. The trail of kisses from her breast, up her neck, and finally onto her mouth left her reeling.
Between kisses, Cori stepped out of her shorts and pressed Valentina toward one of the beds. She slipped Valentina’s shirt off, which revealed small, perky breasts. Cori’s hands ran over smooth skin and her already hard nipples. Valentina hummed low, and Cori kissed her again. When Valentina’s hand went from resting on Cori’s hip to cupping her center, Cori pushed them onto the bed.
She straddled Valentina. Their eyes locked and Cori saw the fire that she herself felt growing more intense with each moment. Her center was warm, and she knew she was already wet as Valentina teased her fingers along the band of Cori’s underwear. Cori rocked forward, prompting a satisfied chuckle from Valentina.
“You are so wet,” she said, leaning up to kiss Cori’s neck. She nibbled on her ear, and Cori’s legs began to shake. Valentina’s voice turned serious when she asked, “Do you want me to touch you?”
Cori leaned back. Even in the dark, she could see the reverence in Valentina’s expression. Cori’s chest swelled and she nodded. “I might not make it if you don’t.”
Valentina smirked and her hand moved into Cori’s underwear. She ran one finger up and down her wet slit, finding Cori’s swollen clitoris. At the lightest touch, Cori bucked again.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “It’s been a while.”
Valentina began a series of circles around Cori’s clit, her other hand gripping the small of Cori’s back, which was already covered in a thin layer of sweat.
“Do not apologize for the things you want.”
Cori closed her eyes, letting Valentina’s words engulf her, and then she cried out as Valentina slid two fingers inside her.
Alone in the humid room, they moved in unison. Cori groaned at each thrust, moving her hips up and down in rhythm with Valentina’s hand. Her cries joined the sounds of the night orchestra, and she let ecstasy envelop her. Meanwhile, Valentina’s hand picked up its pace.
After one final thrust, Cori felt the rush of pleasure seep from her center and fill her body. Valentina moaned and pushed deeper inside her, tugging their bodies closer. As Cori felt herself contract over Valentina’s fingers, she collapsed and nuzzled her face into her mane of dark hair.
Slowly, their breathing evened and Valentina’s hand slid out of Cori, who lowered her hips on top of Valentina.
“That was incredible.”
Valentina reached up and tucked Cori’s bangs behind her ear. “You are incredible.”
Cori smiled into another kiss. She pressed her lips hard against Valentina’s, parting them with her tongue until
she felt Valentina’s hips kick up.
“Now,” Cori said, tracing her hand between Valentina’s breasts, over her stomach, and down between her thighs. “My turn.”
***
Birds were chirping when Cori opened her eyes the next morning. Her head felt light, and she breathed deeply, blinking against the bright sunlight streaming into the hut. Lying on her side, she scanned that side of the room. Clothes were strewn on the floor and a towel hung on the doorknob. Then her eyes widened when she remembered the rest of the night. Flashes of her making love to Valentina in bed, against the wall, and in the shower flooded her mind, and she felt a quickening in her chest and a rush of heat to her lower body.
The bed shifted. She glanced down to find Valentina’s arm draped over her naked waist. She lay flush behind her, the sheets tangled between their legs. Cori grabbed Valentina’s hand and pressed herself back against her.
“Buenos días,” Valentina said, her voice groggy with sleep.
Cori shifted to lie on her back. “Good morning.”
Valentina pushed herself up onto her right arm, propping her head in her hand.
“I’ve never done anything like that before.”
Cori swallowed. “Neither have I.”
Valentina’s fingers danced over Cori’s shoulder and played with the strands of hair falling along her face. Cori’s eyes followed Valentina’s, and Cori realized she was making sure to look anywhere but at her.
“Hey,” Cori finally said, lifting Valentina’s chin. “It’s okay. We were on the same page last night. And we just…” She paused, searching Valentina’s eyes. “We got caught up in the music.”
“The music,” she echoed wistfully. Then she leaned forward to kiss Cori. But just as their lips met, there was a commotion from outside. Voices broke their reverie, followed by clomping footsteps. Seconds later, there was a knock on their hut door.
