Consequences of a Hot Havana Night

‘Everyone has bad days.’ His magnificent shoulders eased in a shrug.

‘This one was extremely bad,’ she admitted.

‘Yet it prompted a party?’ he queried.

‘It’s more of a wake,’ she explained, turning to glance at her friends, who were already dancing on the flat, damp sand at the edge of the beach. They seemed to be having a good time, which was all she wanted.

‘A wake?’ the Titan prompted.

‘I don’t want to answer any more questions,’ she said bluntly. Walking into Janey’s room that morning had been quite enough. Staring into the mirror later, and realising she could never compete with Janey’s polish, wasn’t something she wanted to relive either.

‘Fair enough. Glad to be of service,’ the Titan drawled.

As she filled her eyes with him, her mind raced to work out how she’d reached this point. She’d been a scholarship girl, which was how she’d first met Mike’s sister. Jocelyn had taken Kimmie home for the holidays, which was where she’d met Mike. It was no wonder suave, sophisticated Mike had ultimately grown bored with Kimmie and looked elsewhere. She just wished he’d done that before asking her to marry him.

‘Don’t let me keep you,’ she said to the Titan.

One satanic brow lifted and she guessed he didn’t make a habit of doing other people’s bidding. And that posed another question. Why had he approached her now? Why Kimmie? She couldn’t bear it if he felt sorry for her...if anyone felt sorry for her. She’d sort this out herself.

Lifting her chin, she said, ‘Can I offer you a drink to say thank you?’ In her peripheral vision she could see her friends setting out the picnic they’d brought with them. Their landlady, Kyria Demetriou, had prepared the most wonderful wedding breakfast, and Kimmie was determined it wouldn’t go to waste.

‘I appreciate your offer,’ he said, ‘but I won’t be able to accept as you and your friends must leave.’

‘I’m sorry?’ She gazed up, uncomprehending.

‘This is a private beach,’ he explained, ‘and you don’t have the necessary permission to be here.’

‘And you do?’ she challenged. It might have been a hell of a day, but she wasn’t on the canvas yet, and she had no intention of going down without a fight. Her guests had travelled a long way, only to have the wedding cancelled at the eleventh hour. The least she could offer them was a party on the beach.

‘Look,’ she reasoned when the man remained stony-faced, ‘we’re not doing any harm, and we’ll clear everything up when we leave.’

‘Read the notice,’ he rapped.

She followed his stare to a huge red sign proclaiming the beach off-limits to the general public.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t see it,’ she admitted. ‘Are you some sort of ranger?’ Her heart thumped wildly as she stared him up and down.

‘Let’s just say I’m an interested party.’

‘Perhaps you can show me a letter of authority?’ She realised how foolish that request was even as she said it. More proof, if she had needed it, that she was only firing on half-cylinders.

The man seemed to find this amusing and flicked a glance down his half-naked frame. ‘I’m afraid I don’t have anything on me at the moment.’

She refused to look at his bronzed perfection, and wasn’t in the mood to back down. ‘With no proof of your authority, we’re not going anywhere.’

The temperature rose between them. ‘Just pack up this circus and leave.’

‘Is that the type of welcome you’d like me to associate with Kaimos?’

‘You’ll have plenty to remember,’ he flashed back.

‘How nice of you to remind me.’

His expression remained unchanged.

‘It would be nice to have some good memories to mix in with the bad, but if you can’t help me...’ She shrugged. ‘Can’t I say anything to change your mind?’

The man remained silent.