Read Red Leopard (The Vistaria Affair Series) for Free Online

margarita under a shady patio with a view of the ocean,” she declared.
    “I need sleep, is what I need.”
    “Siesta. That I can arrange, too. But first the drink.” Minnie tugged on her arm. “Come on.”
    * * * * *
     
    The patio was shady, and faced the deep blue Pacific Ocean. A cool breeze, laden with salt, flapped the spice-colored tablecloth and Calli turned her face into it, enjoying the moist wind. They had climbed a dozen stairs to reach the patio and consequently, the buildings across the road didn’t hide the view of the ocean. The ground here sloped sharply down towards the sea.
    “The ocean looks wonderful,” Calli confessed. “I wish we were going down there afterwards, but it seems like all we’ve done today is climb.”
    “The city is built right next to mountains. What else did you expect?”
    “To go down at least fifty percent of the time.”
    Minnie grinned. “They say here that if you get tired climbing the hills, you can always lean against them.”
    A huge margarita for each of them arrived at the table, along with a platter of rolled tortillas surrounded by tomato slices, sour cream and green salsa.
    “We didn’t order this,” Calli said.
    Minnie looked up at the waiter. “What’s this?” she asked. Then she pointed at the tortillas. “ Qué? ” she repeated.
    The waiter nodded. “ Sí .” He turned and pointed to a table at the far end of the patio, where three men sat with a bottle of tequila between them. There was a woman at the table too, wearing a very modern, quite short business skirt and a silky blouse. The man next to her had his hand on her tanned, glowing thigh, stroking the flesh along the inside of it while she leaned back, a dreamy expression on her face. One of the other men—young, and with bright, happy eyes—lifted his shot glass toward them.
    Minnie smiled at him and shook her head regretfully, a hand over her heart. “Please take them back,” she told the waiter. “We just want to have a quiet drink.”
    The waiter looked at the man at the other table, shrugged and picked up the platter.
    The man shook his head and called out something. Then he motioned that the waiter should put the platter down again. He got to his feet and bowed from the waist toward them, then with deliberate, almost exaggerated, motions, he turned his chair to face the table of men, his back to them. He would leave them alone, despite his gift.
    “Oh, the darling,” Minnie breathed.
    “How do you do that?” Calli asked, rubbing her temple. She took a sip of the margarita. Delicious and with just the right amount of kick—featherweight—for this heat.
    “Do what?”
    “Get them to leave you alone after you’ve hooked them and drawn them in?”
    “No idea,” Minnie admitted. “They just seem to understand.”
    “Even here?”
    Minnie waved towards the table where they talked together busily, not taking the slightest notice of them now. “Apparently.”
    “I wish I’d had you with me last night,” Calli muttered.
    “It didn’t occur to you that the men last night just wanted some fun?” Minnie asked.
    “Groping constitutes fun?”
    “Groping is virtually a compliment. The men here, they see, they like, they do something about it. It’s refreshing. You know where you stand.”
    The image from her dream came zinging back into Calli’s mind. It had faded now and was losing its edge, but it still had the power to catch her breath and make her pause. She remembered to breathe again and picked up one of the tortilla wraps. “I bet you do,” she said and took a bite.
    Minnie tilted her head inquiringly. “Calli, when are you going to forgive the race of men for what that bastard did to you? They’re not all tarred with the same brush, you know.”
    Calli choked on the mouthful of tortilla as the spice hit the back of her mouth, her tongue, and her lips. Afraid to take a breath in case her mouth burst into flames, she sat with the morsel on her tongue, not sure if