The Smoking Mirror

It's playful, taunting, and nothing like the voice I heard when talking to the Rurales (Police) that stopped us. A shoe peaks from the edge, it's leather black and rounded. The man's shoulders are covered in a deep grey fabric that hangs loose, so loose it dips just below his chest like a thin blanket thrown over a naked body. His long, thick black hair swings with wind so it doesn't block the smirk he flashes down at me.

His eyes are sharpened, raven black, and filled with a mischievous spark that matches his sly smile. He doesn't jerk to help me, only stares like I had an abundance of time to hold on.

"Help me...please..." I manage to push through the tightness collecting in my chest.

He crouches, bringing his alluring gaze close enough to see the excitement stirring in his dark eyes, "Want to come with me, mi corazón (my heart)?"

I don't have time to answer. The sweat glazing my hand slips from the bar. I scream. His smile grows so far as I plummet down into the river. Suddenly, I stop with the rough grip of his hand. I didn't see him move but he's strong and fast enough to catch me and yank me back onto the bridge.

His hardened chest presses against the shell-like corset of mine, somehow giving us an inch of space but not enough to miss the pulsing heat of his body. I gasp. Holding my breath as I stare into the madness lurking in his obsidian eyes.

"Ven conmigo al paraíso. (Come with me to paradise.)"

He turns his back toward the edge, bringing me closer to safety without releasing his tight grip around my waist.

And like a madman, he tips, letting us fall into the mouth of the river.

Alicia, a daughter from a wealthy family tries anything to run from a marriage her mother arranged...even if it means running to another world with a strange man just for a moment.