by Molly Sloan
They hadn’t talked about it much, and he could see that it was important that they have the conversation before things went any further between them. “Yes, it is.”
Looking at him with those huge brown eyes, she turned her body to face him. “Tonight…” she stopped, and looked out at the sea before continuing. “I am not the kind of woman who is intimate with a man easily.”
“I know.”
“You are leaving soon. Going back to America. We have no future.” Tears began to form in her eyes.
He didn’t know what to say in response to that. She was right. He lived in America and she in Cuba. This felt like so much more than just a casual fling. It felt deep, and real, and permanent.
Taking her hands in his, he said, “My papa...Ramon...says, ‘What is supposed to happen, happens.’ Let’s just trust that whatever force brought us together after a lifetime apart will find a way. Love will find a way.”
Chapter Eighteen: Cuba Libre
“Where’s the key?” Caleb was fumbling around in the foliage near the front door of the Airbnb. Ava was standing next to him, lighting the area up with her phone spotlight.
“She said that the lockbox should be right there, next to the rock.”
“You’d think that she’d make it easier for guests to find the key.” His hand was patting the dirt around the rock. “Found it!”
Looking back at the text message on the phone, Ava said, “Okay, the code is 8675309.”
“Seriously?” Caleb grinned, getting the joke. ‘Is her name Jenny?”
“As a matter of fact, it is. Jenifer.” He even looked sexy when he was down on his hands and knees digging through the dirt.
Popping open the box containing the key to the front door, he brushed the dirt off and inserted the key into the lock. “Have you ever been here before?”
“No. Jennifer is a business associate of mine, and she just opened this property last year.” Grabbing her bag, she brushed past him as he stood to the side to let her in first. Electricity sizzled between them as they touched.
Walking inside, they both stopped dead in their tracks. “Whoa.” The huge picture window looked like it wasn’t even there, and they appeared to be standing outside directly on the beach. Waves were literally lapping just a few feet away.
The sun had just set, and the sky was streaked with indigo and pink. The moon would be full tonight, and was sure to illuminate the fishing boats that dotted the horizon.
“This place is stunning.” Caleb said as he set his bag down. “I can’t believe it wasn’t booked tonight.”
Ava wondered if Jenifer had perhaps canceled the guests who’d had reservations for the night. After all, if it weren’t for Ava’s loan, she never would have been able to buy the property.
“There’s probably a bottle of wine in the fridge. Can you open it up for us, while I take a quick shower? I need to get the saltwater out of my hair.” The truth was, she needed a few minutes to emotionally prepare for what was coming next. It had been so long since she’d been with a man, she half wondered if she even remembered what to do. It’s just like riding a bike, Amiga, she heard Selima’s voice say. But, a whole lot more fun…
The warm water stung Ava’s skin a little and she suspected she might have gotten a little sunburned. They weren’t out for very long, but it had been so many months since Ava had gone to the beach that her skin had no base tan. The natural color offered little protection from the sun, sadly.
Ava heard the door to the bathroom open, but could barely see through the steamy shower window. Before she could wipe her hand across the glass, the door to the shower opened. Caleb stood there, naked, and very aroused.
Oh my god. He’s gorgeous.
“May I join you?”
Ava stepped back a bit to make room for him in the shower. She was grateful that Jennifer had remodeled and put in a large shower with several shower heads and a bench mounted to the wall.
As he closed the shower door behind him, he pressed her up against the shower wall. His hands were on either side of her as the water came down on both of them. He leaned down and kissed her. “You are so beautiful, Ava.”
Kissing her again, the combination of his warm tongue, the slight stinging of the water on her sunburn, and his slippery body pressing up against her nakedness was incredibly erotic.
Her hands began to explore, and she ran them down his back. He did the same, roughly grabbing her breast as he bowed his head to taste it.
His wet hair was slicked back and the sight and touch of his mouth on her turned her on even more.
Not removing his mouth from her nipple, Caleb’s other hand made its way between her legs. Expert fingers moved back and forth while he gently bit down on her nipple.
Her legs opened for him, giving him full access. Leaning her head against the cool tile, Ava gave in to the pleasure that was coming at her from every sense. Everything just disappeared, as her body came alive. His hands, his mouth, the warm streaming water…
He wasn’t done exploring yet. Going further down her body, Caleb’s head was right in front of her most intimate place. Putting both hands around her hips, he pulled her shaven body close. Her nipples were stiff in anticipation, waiting for what she knew would be next.
Caleb’s tongue licked the warm water as it ran down her body. Then, going deeper, his tongue probed her folds. Using his hands to open her further, Ava arched her back pushing herself closer to him. Licking her clit rhythmically, he slipped a finger inside of her. Moving it in and out as he kept licking, Ava couldn’t hold back. She grabbed his wet hair as she screamed in climax. “Oh god, Caleb. Oh god…”
He waited for her spasms to slow down and then stood up to kiss her again. She could taste her desire for him on his lips. It was his turn, as she wanted him to experience the release he’d just given her.
“Come here,” she said, as she moved over to the bench. Lifting one leg and putting her foot on the bench, she brought Caleb closer. She was so wet, both from the climax and the shower, that he slipped right in.
Moving forward and back, the entire length of him went in and out, as he closed his eyes and took his time. Kissing her, he grabbed her backside, and literally lifted her off the floor, as he went deeper and deeper. “Ava…” he said. “I love you, Ava…” Moving faster and faster, together, they came.
As their panting subsided, Ava thought, I hope he is right. Love will find a way…
An hour later, after they’d moved their lovemaking from the shower to the bed, they were sitting on the couch overlooking the dramatic ocean vista. As promised, the full moon sent silvery shimmers across the gentle waves, and tiny lights dotted the horizon, bobbing up and down with the motion of the sea.
Ava had scrounged together the makings of an omelet from the items that Jennifer had left for the guests in the refrigerator. Caleb opened that bottle of wine, and now they sat, having dinner in their big, blue fluffy robes. Well, the robe was big on Ava, anyway. Caleb’s long legs stuck out at least a foot from the bottom of the robe.
In between bites, they talked about the things that lovers talk about. Their childhoods (“I broke my arm the first time I tried to ride a skateboard,” she’d said), their preferences in movies (“There is no way a woman could ever play James Bond,” he’d argued), until she got up and showed him some impressive martial arts kicks), and even their political views (“I think socialism is a good idea in theory, but human nature makes it difficult to execute,” she’d said as he nodded in agreement).
Refilling their wine glasses as they cleared the plates to the kitchen, she decided to bring up the subject that she’d been avoiding. Not that there was anything to hide, but Ava had found that it was best to keep the loan side of the business under wraps. But, it was time to tell Caleb the whole truth.
“So, you know my friend Salima, right?”
He nodded as he started the faucet. “Yes, the owner of Callo de Caballos.”
“Right. Well, we became friends
when I gave her a loan to start that business.”
His eyebrows went up in surprise. “Really!”
“Yes. In fact, I have given out more than thirty-five small business loans altogether. To women who want to start businesses to support their families. Or, in some cases, women who have been widowed and want to support themselves.”
Handing her a plate to dry, he said, “I had no idea.” Turning to face her, he added, “But I am not surprised in the least. Not only do you have a huge heart, but you have a strong passion and mind for business. You’ve chosen to pay forward the gift that Ramon gave you when he invested in Bobo Flamingo’s.”
Standing on her tiptoes to put away the plates, she said, “Thank you. I really appreciate the kind words. Very few people know about this side to my business.”
“Why is that? It’s something I’d think you’d be proud of.”
“I am very proud of the work we do. But there are still some people from the Castro regime who are angry with me for the support I received from Ramon. It is common knowledge now that he is part-owner of the club, but at the time he invested, it was a secret.”
“That’s something I never understood. Why did it have to be kept secret?”
“Some people were angry that Ramon had gotten his wife and son out of the country safely, when there were so few limited spots. Years later, when we decided to let our guard down and be open about the generous thing he’d done, those people got mad at me. Said I was using him selfishly and I should have refused the investment. I told them that it was not up to me to tell him how to spend his money, but I still received angry letters and phone calls. So that’s when I started giving small business loans to pay it forward. I set aside a portion of the profit from Bobo Flamingo’s and put it in an interest-bearing account, and the loans are made with the interest.”
“And you kept it secret because you don’t want the women to experience the misplaced anger that you did.”
Nodding her head, she said “Exactly. So, Salima, Michele, Jenifer…they all keep my loan private and just pay it back into a separate account. It’s all legal, but private.”
Pulling her close to kiss her, Caleb looked down at her, and with pride in his eyes, said, “Thank you for telling me. I promise never to betray your trust. You are such an incredible woman, and that’s why I love you.”
Chapter Nineteen: Sleeping Dogs Never Lie
Caleb hated to wake her. She looked so angelic sleeping there, with her long hair spread out on the pillow like a halo. But, he’d promised her he’d get her back to the club in time for her meeting with Ramon and Joey. She’d invited him to sit in on it.
Deciding to give her an extra few minutes, Caleb headed into the kitchen to make coffee. The view from the window was stunning as the daily storm clouds blew in over the horizon. He’d been in Cuba long enough to know that almost every day brought rain showers. Some torrential, some gentle, but always rain.
Grinding the beans and hoping he wouldn’t wake Ava, Caleb’s mind wandered to the future. He was in love with Ava, but didn’t know how they could have a life together. She would either need to move to America or he’d need to move to Cuba. He doubted she would give up Bobo Flamingo’s. But, with even a small fraction of the money he was about to inherit, they could open another club like it in the States. Plus, they could set up a trust to fund small business loans to causes she felt passionate about.
He really liked that plan. But, of course, it depended on whether or not Ava would be willing to leave her home country.
Carrying the steaming mugs of coffee to the bedroom, Caleb saw that the blanket had slipped off, revealing one perfect breast and a creamy thigh. He set the cups on the dresser, and woke her up with his own heat.
They pulled into the parking lot of the club at the same time as Ramon. Ramon had brought Santiago and Mateo, and after being given the command that it was alright to approach her, they were thrilled to see Ava.
“Boys!” Ava squealed as she kneeled down to let them lick her. When they were done, they sniffed Caleb, remembering him as a friendly person.
Ramon raised an eyebrow at seeing them arrive together, but said nothing.
Ava grabbed Mateo’s leash and headed toward the door to the club. “Let’s see if we have a treat for my favorite dogs,” she said, as both dogs walked obediently alongside her.
It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the darkened club. They could hear Astrud and Humberto rehearsing with the dancers, and Joey was talking to a delivery person. “Hey Boss,” he said as he saw them walk in. “The dancer costumes finally arrived. I’ll put them in the dressing room, and then I’ll be right in for the meeting.”
They walked to the back of the building, and Ava unlocked the office door before handing Caleb the leash. “I’m going to head into the kitchen and see if I can grab some cheese or something for the dogs.”
Ramon and Caleb escorted the Dobermans into Ava’s office. “Abajo,” Ramon commanded, and the dogs dutifully lied down.
Caleb and Ramon sat in the chairs opposite Ava’s desk, and he just waited for the comment that he knew would come. After a few moments, Ramon grinned, and said, “So, mijo...”
Here we go. “Yes?”
The older man’s grin faded. “I know that you are a grown man, and you had a father to raise you. You seem to be a good, decent man, and I am proud of what I see in you.”
But…?
“But, I have raised Ava, in a sense, after her father was murdered. She is in many ways like a daughter to me.” There was a look of stern warning in Ramon’s eyes. “I do not want to see her get hurt. I have spent the past twenty-four years making sure that she was not hurt by anyone. I would hate to see the pain come from my own son. Do you know what I am saying?”
Caleb didn’t sense that Ramon was threatening him, but just making sure that Caleb didn’t treat Ava as a casual fling.
“Papa, I am in love with her. I would never hurt her.”
“I am glad to hear this, mijo.”
The dogs’ ears perked up. “Glad to hear what, Ramon?”
“Glad to hear that you found a treat for the dogs.”
Stopping for a moment as her eyes went suspiciously from one man to another, Ava grinned and said, “Right…”
Suddenly, there was a huge crash from the other room. Glass shattered, a woman screamed, and Caleb could hear muffled voices yelling.
Santiago and Mateo were still leashed, and jumped to attention, with their ears standing high.
“What the hell?” Ava said, as she grabbed the knife from her desk. Bursting past them, Ramon and Caleb and the dogs ran behind her as she raced to the bar area.
Astrud was on the ground, surrounded by broken glass. She was bleeding from her lip, and Humberto was standing next to her. His face was contorted in rage, and red, and he was holding a broken liquor bottle over his head.
Santiago and Mateo lunged at Humberto, growling and barking. Ramon had control of the dogs, but was allowing them to shock Humberto out of his angry fit.
Ava ran to Astrud, who was holding her bleeding face and crying, and said, “What happened?”
Before she could answer, Humberto shouted to them, “This bitch tried to fire me.” He stepped forward with the jagged bottle and pointed it at the women.
Caleb stepped in at this point, and lunged, knocking the bottle out of Humberto’s hand, and bringing his arm around his back. One wrong move and Caleb would break his arm.
Finally, Astrud began to speak in a weak, shaky voice. “He.. he… He was telling me to change the song, and when I tried to sing it his way, it was not in my key and I couldn’t sing it. He started calling me names and saying he should have left me in Brazil.”
Ava helped Astrud to her feet, and it was clear that she had bruises all over her arms and legs. They were in various stages of healing. Humberto had been abusing Astrud for weeks, evidently, and not just with his words.
Caleb managed to fight off his blind fury as he t
ightened his grip on Humberto. The dogs were still trying to lunge, too.
Just then, Joey came in from the dressing rooms and raced over. “Take Astrud in the back and get her bandaged up,” Ava said, brushing the broken glass off of herself.
“Sure thing, Boss.” Astrud was limping as Joey supported her and walked her across the dance floor.
Caleb had never seen Ava as angry as she was right now. Looking at Ramon, who’d commanded the dogs to sit, he suspected that Ramon hadn’t seen Ava like this either.
Ava walked over to Humberto, and was still holding the knife as she got within inches of the man’s face. Softly, she spoke.
“I didn’t like you the first minute I laid eyes on you. Astrud deserves better than you. You are an untalented hack who gets his rocks off by abusing women who have more talent in their pinky toes than you will ever have. Let me finish what Astrud started.” She stuck the tip of the knife right up against Humberto’s carotid artery. “You are fired. You are so fired that if I ever even hear your name again, I will find you and I will kill you. You will not see me coming. It will be over before you know it, and you will be faced with your maker before you ever see me. Get the fuck out of my club.”
Caleb released Humberto and shoved him toward the door. As he stumbled out, Humberto turned and said to the three of them, “You have no idea who you’re dealing with, or what you just unleashed. You will get everything you deserve, and more.”
Chapter Twenty: Girls Night In
“I’ll get it.” Salima headed to the door of Ava’s apartment to answer the doorbell.
“Thanks, Amiga. I’m just putting the finishing touches on the cake.”
It had been years since Ava had entertained at home. Looking around the bare apartment, she wondered if she shouldn’t have had the party at the club. But, she didn’t want to have all of the women she’d given loans to to be seen at the same place in public, especially with Ava.
