Hot as Sin: A Billionaire Hometown Romance (Billionaire Elements Book 1)

by Molly Sloan

  The crowd erupted in cheers. “How is everyone doing tonight?”

  More cheers. “Thank you, guys, for coming out in the rain. We are from Havana and who doesn’t love to get a little wet, right?”

  The crowd went wild.

  “As you’ve probably heard, our resident star Michele Luna had a bit of a personal tragedy this week, and so twenty-five percent of all drinks and food are going to the Mario Luna recovery fund. So I want you to eat and drink up. We’ve got a drink special, called Luna-C that our bartender Mariah created just for this week!”

  At this, the spotlight went over to the bar, and Mariah waved at everyone. The crowd cheered again.

  “Okay. Back to the music. Everybody give it up for our Havana-Famous Flamingo's Dancers!”

  The woman made her way off the stage and headed to the rear of the room. Ramon grabbed Caleb’s sleeve and said, “Come on. This way.”

  It dawned on Caleb that the woman on stage was Ava. She was the one Ramon wanted him to meet.

  They slipped in the door to the kitchen, and Ava was talking to a man wearing a white headband and a white chef’s jacket. “Asegúrate de que haya suficientes Torticas de Moron.” She grabbed one of the traditional cookies and tasted one. “Son deliciosos.”

  Sensing their presence, Ava turned around. “Ramon!” She rushed over to him and kissed him on both cheeks. “Amigo, como estas?”

  Smiling and looking at her fondly, he answered, in English, “I am well. I have someone I’d like you to meet.” Turning to Caleb he started to say, “This is my son.” But before he could get it out, Ava exclaimed, “This is your son! I would know him anywhere. He looks just like you.”

  Facing Caleb, Ava looked at him and smiled and said, “I am having flashbacks now to when I was a little girl. You look exactly as your father did when I met him.”

  Caleb stood there like a fool in stunned silence. Who was this gorgeous, mysterious woman Ava who had known his father since she was a little girl? How did they come to be in business together? So many questions, but no time for answers. Caleb opened his mouth to say hello, but before the words came out, someone opened the door and said, “Miss Martinez. There’s a call for you on the house phone.”

  Kissing Ramon again, she said, “I have to go. But stop by my office before you leave. And, make sure Caleb gets some of these cookies. And a shot of Luna-C.” Blowing a little kiss and waving goodbye as she raced off, she said, “Te Amo, Amigo!”

  Chapter Eight: Dark and Tan and Young and Lovely

  “Thank you so much,” Astrud said as she and Humberto sat down in the chairs across from Ava’s desk. “We really appreciate it.”

  Ava had auditioned more than a dozen performers and groups and had finally settled on the best of the lot. She’d have kept auditioning, but she’d run out of time. Luna week had gone well, but it was now time to get back to regular business.

  She still had an off feeling about Humberto, but there was no more time to concern herself with that. “You are most welcome,” she said with a professional smile. “You’re helping me out, actually.” Sliding a packet of papers over to them, she added, “Here are your contracts. The details of your compensation are in it, as well as the other legal stuff. Basically, you’re contractors and we don’t offer benefits or a guarantee of employment.” It was standard stuff for her performers.

  Astrud took the pen Ava offered and signed the lines with her name on them. Humberto seemed more interested in examining the artwork on Ava’s walls. “This is interesting. It’s a photograph of one of Fidel Castro’s cars, isn’t it?”

  Ava was a little surprised that Humberto recognized it, but said, “Yes. The photo is a family heirloom.”

  “Your family knew Castro?” he asked.

  Ignoring the question, Ava slid the papers over to Humberto and pointed to where he should sign. “The club doesn’t open for several hours, and Michele’s musicians should be arriving any minute. I’m not sure how much rehearsal time you guys need, but the sooner you can start, the better.

  Astrud said, “Okay, we’ll do a couple of run-throughs and I’ll let you know. We might be able to do a short set tonight if all goes well.”

  Ava’s face lit up. “That would be great! Just let me know if you need anything.”

  Humberto finished signing his papers and resumed his unexpectedly close examination of her office. Ava made a silent note to make extra sure she locked it when she was out in the club.

  Six hours later, the club was in full swing, packed full of thin, attractive twenty-somethings who were all dancing, drinking and having fun. Ava had replaced live music with booming, energetic EDM, and the vibe was as strong as ever.

  Astrud and Humberto found that they worked well with Michele’s musicians, and agreed to do one set beginning at 10. It was 9:45 right now, and Ava needed to head out to introduce them onstage. Grabbing her keys, she locked her office door and made her way through the throng of people packed in the small space.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Ava spied a tall man that resembled Ramon’s son. It wasn’t him, but got her thinking. What was his name again? Caleb? Yeah, he was fine, she thought. Ramon had been a father-figure to her after her own father was killed, and so she’d never really considered whether or not he was attractive as a person. But, looking at his son, Ava realized that Ramon was probably gorgeous as a young man. What a shame he never married again, she mused, as she grabbed a bottle of water from the bar. I wonder if Caleb is married? she wondered. And then wondered why she’d even thought that.

  Nodding to the DJ, she headed up on stage as he let the music die down. Grabbing the mic, Ava yelled over the crowd, “Hey everyone. How are you doing tonight?” The crowd yelled. “Welcome to Bobo Flamingo’s!” They yelled louder.

  “We have a very special treat tonight. It’s a new music group called Jupiter Rising, and they’re coming to us straight from one of the party capitals of the world, Rio De Janeiro. Just in time for our own Carnaval…”

  The crowd began to chant, “Car Na Val, Car Na Val”

  “Let’s give it up for Bobo Flamingo’s’s newest talent… Jupiter Rising!”

  The stage went black. The crowd quieted in anticipation. Ava held her breath. How would the crowd react to Astrud and Humberto?

  The music started in the dark, and then a pink spotlight came down on Astrud, who was facing away from the audience. “Dark and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking....”

  But instead of the slow saxophone, the music picked up tempo, and the green spotlight started spinning as Jupiter Rising made Girl From Ipanema into a club dance song. Pounding drums and bass, along with lights swirling, brought the energy back up, and soon everyone was back on the floor dancing.

  Satisfied, Ava headed to the kitchen. Everything is going to be just fine, she thought happily.

  Chapter Nine: Call Waiting

  “So what’s been going on with you?” Caleb sat on the balcony of his hotel, with his long legs stretched out on a patio chair. Taking a big swig of bottled water, he asked Gina, “You haven’t updated me on your love life. I’m going through withdrawals here.”

  Gina laughed. “What love life? My sex life is as dry as Betty White’s skin. In fact, she probably gets more action than I do.”

  “Whatever happened to whatshername? The one from the bookstore?”

  “Karen? She was out of my league, man. She had both men and women hitting on her nonstop.”

  “Is that why they called the shop Books and More?” Caleb chuckled at his own joke.

  “Very funny. Speaking of not getting any, what’s happening with you? Any Cuban chiquitas catching your eye? Any you can bring home for me?”

  For some reason, Caleb’s mind instantly went to that woman Ava. She’d caught more than his eye, that was for sure. Maybe he’d head over to Bobo Flamingo’s tomorrow and see if she’d like to grab a cup of coffee or something.

  Not wanting to get teased by Gina, Caleb just said, �
��No, not really. I’m just focused on developing The Plan.”

  “How’s that coming?”

  “Pretty good. I think I’m going to talk to the guys again this week about what they’d need to update their fire equipment.” I’ll call Marco as soon as I get off the phone here, he thought.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Gina said. “I still can’t believe your father is part-owner of that nightclub. I wonder how that even happened?”

  “Trust me, I’m wondering too. There is some kind of connection between him and the club owner Ava. I just don’t know what it is.”

  “Maybe she’s your half-sister or something.”

  “God, I hope not!” As soon as he said it, Caleb realized the words had come out just a little too forcefully. So he covered it up by saying, “I mean, I already have enough Christmas presents to buy. Know what I mean?”

  Gina didn’t sound like she was buying it. “Uhhhh, okay. If you say so.”

  He was about to explain further when his phone beeped that there was another call coming through. It was his brother Alex. “Gina, can I call you back? Alex is calling.”

  “Oh, I see how it is…” She laughed. “Talk to you later, Caleb.”

  Pressing the button, Caleb switched over to the other call. “Alex?”

  Hearing his brother’s voice over the phone sent Caleb into instant pangs of homesickness.

  “Hey bro, how are you doing?” Alex’s familiar voice came over the line.

  “I’m good. How are you guys? How’s mom?” The truth was, it hadn’t been that long since their dad had died. He’d been distracted by all the new people he was meeting in Havana, but everyone was still grieving pretty hard. He hoped it would be easier on his brothers to complete their humanitarian projects. The next one on the list was Alex, and he wasn’t turning twenty-five for almost a year.

  “Mom is good. She misses you. She’s running around telling everyone that her son Caleb is in Cuba. Gets a lot of reactions.” Alex laughed.

  Caleb could just see Susie doing that. At the cleaners, the market, and even with her personal trainer Fran.

  “She’s convinced you’re going to come home with a Cuban wife.”

  Caleb laughed out loud at that. “Right. And I’ll pick up a cigar habit while I’m here.”

  “Well, I just wanted to talk to my big brother for a minute. No real reason for the call.”

  Caleb’s heart swelled. Ever since he’d been to Havana, he realized just how lucky he was to have been adopted into such a warm and loving family. It really did make him want to give back.

  “Love you, brother.”

  “Love you too, Caleb.”

  Marco had agreed to meet Caleb at the café. Walking there, Caleb’s mind kept wandering to Ava. What if Gina was right and she was his half-sister? Why had he felt such a strong negative reaction to that thought? Gordon and Susie hadn’t adopted any girls, and he’d always wanted a sister.

  Right. But I am definitely not feeling brotherly toward her, he thought, as he rounded the corner to the café. Conjuring up the image of her up on stage, her bubbly personality and huge smile, Caleb sensed that she was a spitfire of a woman. Just the kind of woman he liked.

  Right before he got to the café, Caleb dialed Ramon’s number. The call went to voicemail. “Hey Ramon, it’s Caleb. There’s something I want to talk to you about. Is it okay if I stop by later this afternoon?”

  Before he asked Ava out for coffee, Caleb figured he’d better find out if he was about to cause a serious problem. No matter what country you’re from, it’s not cool to date your sister.

  Chapter Ten: Fire in the Hole

  “Thanks, everyone, for coming in on your day off. I really appreciate it.” Ava sat on the edge of the stage, and the entire staff of Bobo Flamingo’s took up the front row of tables next to the dance floor. Joey sat with his massive arms crossed across his chest, and his thick thighs were manspreading into two seats. Mariah wore gym clothes and appeared to have just come in from a workout, and Astrud and Humberto were snuggled in a curved booth. Ava still couldn’t see them as a couple, but whatever. She wasn’t exactly the president of the Active Lovelife Club. The rest of the club was filled with dancers, musicians, security guards, chefs, servers and all the rest of the people it took to run a successful nightclub.

  “So, as you know, next month is Carnaval.” Turning to Astrud, she explained, “The real celebration is several hundred kilometers away in southern Cuba, but like they do in Brazil, it’s celebrated all over the country.” Turning back to everyone, she went on. “It’s time to start planning this year’s celebration. Without Michele, we’ll all need to pull together and take on some additional duties. Not only was she the headline entertainment, but she also hired and choreographed the additional dancers we need for the celebration.”

  Mariah raised her hand. “Ava, I had an idea.”

  “Yes?”

  “In the old celebrations of Carnaval, they had a bonfire and a masked ball. What if we did that this year?”

  Ava was interested. “Hmmm. I like that. Where would we have the bonfire?”

  Joey jumped in, “I don’t think a bonfire’s a good idea, Boss. Too much risk.”

  Someone else agreed. “Yeah, with as many people as we get for Carnaval every year, someone is bound to get hurt.”

  “How else would we get the bonfire experience without actual fire?” Ava wondered aloud. The group began to brainstorm ideas. “We could use spotlights and colored paper and fans.” “On stage.” “Our dancers could choreograph a conga line around it.”

  By the end of the meeting, they’d come up with ideas for an elaborate masked ball, a virtual bonfire and a host of other new and fun ideas.

  After the meeting ended, a lot of folks stayed around and it became kind of an impromptu office party. Someone had turned on music, Mariah was tending bar, and Ava could smell food grilling. She was glad she had an employee fund set up for times like this. She never wanted to be the kind of boss who was concerned about her people eating or drinking at work.

  “I guess all this talk about partying got everyone in a good mood,” Ava said to Joey as she headed back to her office. She made it a practice to never party with her employees. It made it harder to discipline them later, if she needed to.

  Pulling up a Google Doc, Ava wrote down the notes from today’s meeting. She was starting a spreadsheet with a list of tasks to be done when she heard shouting from the bar area.

  Mariah came rushing into her office. “Ava. You better come. The dumpster out back caught fire.”

  Jumping up and racing out the door, and closing it behind her, she asked, “Did the kitchen staff grab a fire extinguisher?” Before Mariah could answer, Joey ran past them, as fast as a professional athlete, carrying a red fire extinguisher.

  By the time she got out to the alley, there was a huge crowd around the dumpster, and everyone was giving Joey advice. “Over there. That part is still burning.” “No, spray it all over like a hose.” “No, you focus on one spot at a time.” Within minutes, the fire was out and everyone was heading back inside.

  “That was weird.”

  “What do you think caused it?”

  “Maybe someone’s cigar or something.” Ava could hear them talking as she headed back to her office.

  Approaching her door, Ava noticed that the door was open. She hadn’t had time to lock it, but she was sure she’d closed it. That’s odd, she thought.

  Opening the door, she found Humberto standing in her office. He was standing near the bookshelf, with his back to her, and he jumped when she opened the door.

  “What the hell are you doing in here?” she demanded.

  “Oh, hi, Ava.” He whirled around and stood straight up. She had clearly surprised him.

  “What the hell are you doing?” she repeated.

  “I was just waiting for you. I had an idea for Carnaval. Something I did when I was in Rio last year.”

  Ava didn’t buy it for a se
cond, and was mad. “Humberto, the time for offering suggestions was in the meeting. You don’t walk into my office when the door is closed and I’m not here. Do you understand me?” He nodded and she moved aside and gestured for him to leave. “If you have a suggestion, send me an e-mail. If this happens again, I will terminate you. Are we clear?”

  “We are.” Humberto slunk out and closed the door behind him as Ava inspected her office. What was he really doing in here? she wondered.

  Chapter Eleven: The Talk

  Caleb was glad that Ramon had agreed to meet with him. It was time to clear up who Ava was and how she knew the older man. Not to mention the fact that he hadn’t been to Ramon’s house and was very curious about where he lived.

  The GPS led Caleb’s car to a lush area just outside Havana. The stone pathway leading to the wood and brick home curved past tall tropical trees. His first thought was that it was a huge house for a single man. His second thought was to wonder if he’d lived here as a baby.

  Imagined ghosts began to fill in the scenery. A beautiful young woman in a peasant dress, holding a baby. Ramon as a young man, coming home from the fire station and the woman and baby coming out to greet him. It was possible that he’d been on these very steps before.

  As he rang the bell, Caleb squeezed his eyes closed, to see if he could evoke a deeply embedded memory. Nothing.

  The door opened. Ramon stood there barefoot, wearing white linen pants and a top that matched. The gray hair around his temples and the light reflecting off the marble floor made his dark skin seem even darker than usual. “Hola, mijo. Come in.”

  Caleb was surprised at the austere elegance of the room. He’d figured Ramon would live in a small apartment with an overstuffed couch and a microwave for reheating leftovers. Instead, he was staring at a wrought iron staircase leading up to a second floor with a railing. The entire house was white. White floors, white carpet, white walls and white furniture. The only pops of color were the modern art paintings on the wall. Unsurprisingly, they were red, and evocative of fire.