Page 36 of Sinful Promises

He snapped the menu closed and flashed another cheeky grin. “In that case, it’s your turn to choose for us.”

I flashed a bold grin right back at him. “Okay then.”

With the purple light illuminating the secret cocktails, I spied the one that had caught my attention last time. “For you, it has to be The Big V.”

He chuckled. “Big V? What’s the ‘V’ for?

I cocked my head. “Guess?”

He rolled through a few facial expressions, and I wished I had some of his mind-reading skills right now. Finally, he shrugged. “No idea.”

“Oh, no you don’t.” I waggled my head. “You have to guess.”

The waiter silently arrived at our side, ruining my moment. He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, as if ready to karate-kick us rather than take our order, and nodded at Roman.

Roman used his hand to guide the waiter’s attention to me.

Thank you, Mr. Perfect.

I cleared my throat and nodded at Roman. “He will have The Big V, and I shall have The Message.”

The waiter slinked away, and Roman said, “What’s The Message?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

Roman cocked his head at me. “You’ve been in a cheeky mood all day. I think that naked spa was good for you.”

“Yeah, I think it was too.” My mud bath with Rebecca and Jonas already felt like weeks ago.

“My sister told me about a nudist beach she went to in Brazil. She’d sat at a bar with her feet in the sand, sipping a Caipirinha cocktail in a coconut, overlooking hundreds of naked bodies.” Roman chuckled. “She fell asleep on a deck chair and got her bum so sunburnt she couldn’t sit for a week.”

I burst out laughing. “That’s something I would do.”

“She loved Brazil. Maybe that’s where you can go?” He shrugged. “After here, I mean.”

I sighed. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Are you sure you’ve tried every angle to renew your visa?”

“Well, short of staying illegally or finding some poor sucker to marry me, there’s nothing.”

Roman gazed at me across the table, and it was like he was reaching right into my soul. The damn waiter broke our spell again when he arrived to place a glass filled with narrow breadsticks on the table between us.

A second waiter came straight after him, wearing the white mask and carrying a tray with a few interesting items on it. I leaned back, ready to watch the ‘show’ and Roman. The waiter placed a copper challis-looking cup in front of Roman and indicated for Roman to ease backward. He did.

The waiter picked up a miniature saucepan and set the contents alight with a giant match. He collected a second pot, and holding the first higher than the other, he poured the flaming green liquid from one pot to the next. Roman’s eyes followed the flaming stream, and his expression showed his delight.

It was my delight too.

The waiter’s final pour was into Roman’s challis, to which he added a few other ingredients, gave it a stir, topped it with a candied orange, and then slinked away as silently as he’d approached.

My cocktail arrived with a layer of smoke oozing over the sides. A pole with a paper flag had been inserted into my glass. I showed Roman the blank flag, then, using our purple light, I lit up my message.

One day, your entire life will flash before your eyes.

Make sure it’s worth watching.

Roman tilted his head, and the lights captured his honey eyes perfectly as he nodded and raised his challis. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

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