I tried not to giggle like an idiot as Megan and Caryn waggled their eyebrows and made lewd gestures when Fernando turned to say something to some guys who’d walked up.
The guys surrounded us and each took a girl. They were all good-looking, but nothing like Fernando. We danced until we were tired and sweating lightly.
“Let’s get a drink,” Fernando shouted.
The eight of us made our way back to the bar.
“What would you like, beautiful?” Fernando asked me.
“Just a soda, please.”
He cocked his head as if curious, but nodded and turned to the bartender.
“Una cerveza y una coca-cola, por favor. Hagala especial.”
A special coke?
The bartender stiffened and raked me with his eyes before looking back at Fernando. “Una nińa Americana—estas seguro?” An American girl—are you sure? What was that supposed to mean? Did he have something against Americans?
“No te metas en mis asuntos.” Fernando snapped. Get out of my business.
“What’s wrong?” I asked Fernando.
His eyes were dark. “You like cherries, yes?”
“Um…yeah?” I watched the bartender’s back as he turned to make my drink. He didn’t pour any alcohol, so at least I knew it wasn’t some spiked special, not that I thought Fernando would do that. When the man turned back around he plunked two fat cherries on top with grenadine syrup and slid it to me. Ah...the “especial” cola had cherries.
“Thank you.” I smiled at the bartender, but he only scowled down at the bar, refusing to look at us. Fernando smiled and the awkwardness between he and the bartender slipped away. I took a big drink and felt refreshed after all that dancing.
I was happy when Sabrina and Megan came over. Caryn was deep in conversation with one of Fernando’s friends.
“We’re going in the next room to play pool,” Sabrina said. “Wanna come?”
I looked to Fernando, who shook his head.
“Not yet. One more dance,” he said. His smile melted me. Who could resist that kind of charm?
“Come over when you’re done!” Megan flung her arms around me for a hug before practically bouncing away. Sabrina squeezed my hand and gave me a meaningful look, like she was happy for me, and then she left to catch up with Meg. I smiled in their wake.
Fernando clinked his beer bottle to my glass and we both drank. When mine was almost done he said, “I want to see you eat your cherries.”
Now who was being bad? I’d never thought myself good at the whole seduction thing, but he made me want to give it a try.
I fished one out, licking the drop of coke and watching him as I took it into my mouth. He seemed to approve. I tried to feed him the other one, but he laughed and reverted the fruit toward my mouth. I dropped it on my tongue and closing my mouth. I’d never been so flirtatious with a guy.
“Angela…” Fernando trailed the back of his fingers up and down my arm. “Would you be very mad if I lied to your friends?”
“About what?” I asked.
“I do not wish to dance again. I want a few minutes alone before you leave me.”
I bit my lip as my heart sped up. “Where would we go? I don’t want my friends to worry.”
He leaned down to speak right in my ear, making me shiver. “My car is outside. In back where it’s private. We won’t be gone very long.”
When I looked up at him and nodded, I felt shy all of a sudden. I let him take my hand. We made our way through the people to an exit door, and into a small dirt lot behind the building. A handful of cars were there, along with nearby shanty houses with dirt yards. I thought I heard the low cluck of hens as Fernando opened the back door of a sedan with heavily tinted windows. He waved a hand for me to get in. A momentary pang of apprehension shot through me until I looked into his smiling face.
I climbed in and he slid beside me, closing the door and encasing us in darkness. It was a full moon, but there weren’t any street lamps. The car smelled like new leather. I looked down and could barely make out my tanned knees.
Fernando pushed my hair aside and kissed my neck. “How do you feel, Angela?”
“Nervous,” I whispered, immediately getting turned on again by the feel and smell of him.
“Are you a virgin?” He trailed kisses down my neck to my naked shoulder, exposed in the black halter top.