Leila

By M. K. Speaks

Alejandro thought he had lost the fire and passion he had to compose his music until the night he meets a gorgeous Latino dancer, Leila. Everything about Leila, the color of her hair, the way she moves her hips, stirs something inside him that he thought he would never feel again. But his music once again comes together and his career in the Latino music industry soars, and it is all because of her. However Leila had escaped from Hell, a Hell no one should ever have to experience, at the hand of the world's cruelest and most powerful men. It left her with memories she could not reveal to anyone, not even Alejandro. As she and Alejandro travel the world, their love grows for one another, and her defenses gradually come down, until one night when she comes face to face with the fact that she isn't the only one with a secret past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 4, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456710972

M. K. Speaks

M.K. Speaks is a first time novelist from Eastern North Carolina. She loves spending days at the beach listening to music and dreaming of being a famous writer, traveler, and finding out what her purpose is in this world. Whether it is sharing her artwork and stories with her family and friends or traveling the world, one thing will always keep her head on her shoulders, and that is her faith in God and her prayers for unconditional love.

Book preview

Chapter One

8:30 a.m., March 31, 2000

In her hotel room an hour after arriving in Chicago, Leila Isabel Cuevas stands in front of the bathroom mirror shuffling through her bag for a pen. Her styled, blonde hair is silky straight and very sensual. Wearing a designer half top, tight black jeans, Gucci heels, and shades, Leila walks over with a Sharpie and starts drawing a mustache on the picture of herself in the Latin Magazine on her bed. It is a picture of her belly dancing in Colombia the day of her benefit concert five years prior. The picture is taken just three weeks after Alejandro’s death. Leila can’t remember all the details of that day because she had been high on pain medication that she is given. But of what she can remember causes a moment of emotion to come back into her eyes.

When her publicist, Janet Perez, walks into the room, asking if she is ready to go, there is no answer from Leila. She just looks down at the beard and mustache that she has just drawn and smiles silently. The publicist opens the door for them to leave. Fifteen minutes later, Leila is being escorted to the entrance of Oprah’s studio parking lot.

9:00 a.m., March 31, 2000

Sound the opening, a technician says over the walkie-talkie. A second later the show starts with the opening credits. The music starts, and Oprah comes walking out onto her television stage. Everyone applauds eagerly at the sight of the most famous television interviewer in the world. Waving graciously and smiling beautifully, Oprah happily thanks everyone for attending the show. Then she quickly asks everyone to have a seat because the show is going to be an emotional one. With pictures of Leila in the background on the stage’s big screen, Oprah dramatically explains to her audience the reason today is going to be an emotional roller coaster. Looking into the camera, Oprah introduces today’s story, the story of Leila Isabel Cuevas’s life from slavery to living the ultimate fairytale.

Two weeks ago, after the episode on human trafficking, I was told a true story of a remarkable woman from Colombia. The woman I am talking about has not only witnessed the evils of this world, but more importantly, has witnessed the power of the love from this world and how it can save the human soul. I was going to have this incredible woman come out to share her life’s story. Unfortunately, she doesn’t do interviews anymore, but she has given me permission to share her unbelievable story with you today.

The woman I am talking about is Leila Isabel Cuevas. She is known around the world and has recently been entitled the Queen of Latin Pop" by Rolling Stone Magazine and Latin 2000 Magazine. Leila Cuevas has won five Latin Grammys and seven Billboard awards and has broken the record of having the most people attend a concert in Mexico during the first year of her music career back in 1990."

What I really found the most intriguing about this woman is that out of all Leila’s musical accomplishments she is also a proud UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a world philanthropist for peace. Before her husband’s death, Leila and her husband, Alejandro, started a foundation in order to help children get an education and good nutrition in underdeveloped countries such as Sudan, Haiti, and her homeland, Colombia.

After everyone applauds Oprah goes on and introduces the subject of Leila’s husband, Alejandro Escudero with, "For you to understand and get to know Leila, you must be introduced to Alejandro, one of the most influential Latin singers of the Twentieth Century. He is the first person to notice, shelter, and mold the confidence in Leila’s faith, talents, and dreams. Alejandro and his band, Gitanos Caliente Re-Mex, were famous for their style of Spanish flamenco rock ’n’ Roll and Mexican rock remixes. In the ’80s, most Latin fans around the world knew him as a majestic, talented, flamenco electric guitarist as well as a poetic folk composer and very beloved rustic Latin Miami singer. Because of his long hair, vigorous stage presence and captivating hits, his band has been compared to the rock ’n’ roll band Poison.

While most of his music is highly affected by his mother’s Spanish gypsy heritage, Alejandro is attracted to everything very popular, rapid, and hip-moving. So it is no wonder that he is spellbound by Leila from the very first night he saw her. His band is full and well constructed like any other rock band during that time. There is no room for another person, especially not for another singer and exotic dancer like Leila. But the moment Alejandro met Leila, he couldn’t find it in his being to leave her behind.

Chapter 2

Thirteen Years Earlier, Summer of 1987

It is a week before Alejandro’s birthday. He and his band have been in the recording studio for twenty-one straight hours, processing all his work trying to get his new single recorded. As he sings he feels an agonizing sense that something is dreadfully wrong, that something is missing from his writing. Alejandro keeps looking over the notes he has written on the music sheet in front of him. For some uncontrollable reason, he can’t bring about what he wants to express through the music. What does he want? All his life he has known precisely what he wanted and exactly how he wanted it. The music is tasteless; it lacks that spark he hoped to create when he wrote the songs. Waving his arms in the air, he stops the recording.

Is something wrong? Miguel asks through the intercom. Miguel Torres is Alejandro’s long-time manager. He began working for Alejandro in the early ’80s, promising Alejandro the road to stardom, and throughout the years, Miguel has kept his promise. He even put his home life in jeopardy just so he could invest in Alejandro’s singing career.

Something is wrong, Alejandro responds, rubbing his forehead, as he stands ups from the stool he is sitting on. Worried and frustrated, he says to himself, What is it that’s missing?

Let’s give it another try, Miguel proposes.

Alejandro nods, looking at him through the soundproof window. The electric guitarist starts playing again. He closes his eyes and lets out his rustic, unconventional, unique voice into the mic before him. When he sings, there is still no spark, just an annoying tune that is going nowhere. Agitated, he kicks the music stand over. The notes and papers fly across the room as he yells for them to cut off the recording. Miguel, who is also becoming frustrated, mouths shit before walking into the recording room to his singer.

What is it? Miguel asks. He sighs, putting his arm around his prized singer.

It’s the song; it’s no good, Alejandro quickly says, rubbing his hand through his long, dark hair.

Taking a deep breath, Miguel strongly states, We’ve been working on this one song for months now. The song is fantastic; it could be your best single yet. We’re keeping the record as it is. You know what you need? A break. Go home, drink, smoke, and we’ll throw you the finest birthday party, and you’ll be able relax and clear your mind. Then, when you come back, you’ll realize there’s nothing wrong with the song, and we can go on with production. Yes?

Something’s not right, Alejandro says once more before leaving the studio and going home.

A week later at his home in the Bahamas, Alejandro is trying to enjoy the birthday party that Miguel is throwing for him. The entire antique Spanish mansion is overloaded with people. There are music, women, the finest food, and drinks all around. Who would’ve ever thought that Julio Jean’s 1880s Spanish mansion would be owned by a Twentieth Century musician and be the Latin singer’s party house. And it is a great party house, being that it is a splash of Spain in the middle of the Bahamas. The house is pearl white with starlight yellow trimming. It is surrounded by palm trees. There is a beautiful white stone deck on the back of the house with an open staircase leading out onto the beach.

Everyone Alejandro knows is at this house he calls home. People are everywhere throughout the property. Finding himself swarmed in crowds of people that he doesn’t particularly care to be around is becoming tiresome. Alejandro walks around his house. Some of the people he doesn’t even recognize. He walks around his house for about an hour before he finally bumps into someone he recognizes, his longtime friend and drummer, Luis Juan Romero, aka, Big Brother LJ. LJ is a Texan, with Mexican roots, from Corpus Christi, who looks like a professional wrestler. He is muscular with long hair pulled back in a ponytail.

They are the original hot Gypsy and Tejano. Put them together you get their Hispanic rock ’n’ roll band. They met in Miami when LJ is visiting family during the summer when they are teenagers. Even when Alejandro came back from Spain after five years of some soul searching, they reunited as men and became the famous musicians that they are today. Together they named their band Gitanos Caliente Re-Mex for the reason that Alejandro is the one who writes and composes the songs with his flaming flamenco, rock ’n’ roll style, and LJ creates the powerful re-mixes with his Mexican-Tejano ties.

LJ hands a beer over to Alejandro, and they hear the crowd outside, partying to the live Congo drummers playing on his new stone deck by the oceanfront, out back of his house.

It’s getting loud outside, LJ shouts to Alejandro, who is standing right beside him. It’s loud in here! he shouts back. Laughing LJ pats Alejandro on the back.

Ally, I hear there’s going to be a surprise later?

Alejandro thinks, Miguel and his surprises, this party is a surprise enough.

As they come into the living area, a guy neither of them knows bumps into Alejandro, knocking his beer out of his hand.

Damn it! he shouts. With the beer now all over the floor, Alejandro begins to notice that all around the room his guests are touching his things and leaving trash everywhere.

LJ pushes the guy who has knocked into them and yells, Get out of here! Then he picks up the beer bottle from the floor, I’ll clean up the beer. Ally you go and enjoy your party.

Enjoy your party, Alejandro replies shaking his head. Who could enjoy a mess like this one?

Walking past an immense crowd into his kitchen, Alejandro grabs another beer. He takes the beer and presses the top of the bottle against the island counter. Like a mole looking for his shadow, his manager walks into the room from the patio doors. Obviously having a better time than Alejandro, Miguel’s manager stands beside him, grinning and picking up a beer as well. He hits the bottle down, forcing the cap to come off.

Like the party? his manager asks with self-righteous pleasure. Taking a sip of his beer, Alejandro grins back mockingly. Not noticing the disdain, as usual, Miguel says, You’re going to love the surprise I got for you.

Can’t wait, he replies, rolling his eyes.

Dotingly Alejandro walks around his house one more time. With every step he takes, he can’t help but to think about his album that mysteriously doesn’t seem to come together in the studio. Soon, feeling crammed between a massive crowd and the stairs, he walks up his spiral staircase heading for his closed-off band room. Quickly he turns the doorknob and slips behind, leaving the party for some privacy and silence.

Chapter 3

Shutting the door quickly behind him, he gently places his forehead against the door with his eyes closed. Peace and quiet he thinks. Finally he is alone. Alejandro smiles with the bittersweet silence singing in his ear. He then takes a step down off the entryway into the white band room. There is a small, white piano set in the back of the room just before his milky white couch. He glances at his new, handmade, oak coffee table as he walks into the room. Looking over to his left he finds a short, beautiful, young woman standing beside the wall where his guitars are set. She is holding his Hector Lavoe album and standing in front of his record table, which is placed against the wall behind him.

The girl is wearing a long scarlet silk robe that lightly touches her bare feet. Standing there looking at her, Alejandro can’t help but admire her beautiful hair. Her hair is long, curly, and brown in color and has a lovely shade of honey shining where the light hits each curl. She has her hair gently lying down before her breast. He has never seen such radiant, light brunette hair before. In fact he usually doesn’t think that curly haired women are beautiful, but he definitely thinks she is. He even thinks that her hair is just as refreshing and beautiful as a new lion’s mane. Even though she is very attractive, he finds himself saying to her, No one is allowed in here.

Still holding his Lavoe record, she looks at him with her rosy, pink cheeks, smiles with an angel-like grin, and replies in Spanish, Hola.

Laughing under his breath, Alejandro realizes that she doesn’t know any English. Then he walks over to her saying this time in Spanish, Hola to you, too, but no one is allowed in here.

She says, Sorry, placing the record down on the table.

As she walks to the door, Alejandro places his beer on the record table and picks up the Hector Lavoe album that she is admiring. Looking back over to the attractive girl, he quickly thinks that if she leaves he’ll considerably be all alone on his birthday.

All alone, he says under his breath. She is attractive and seems kind enough to talk to. Don’t be an idiot ask her if she would like to stay, before she leaves. He takes the record out of its album cover. Before she is able to grasp the door knob he asks, You like Hector Lavoe?

The curly haired woman stops in her tracks and replies, Si.

Would you like to listen with me?

She quickly turns around joyfully. Alejandro sits down on his couch across from the record player. Placing his feet on the coffee table before him, he listens to the music. As he relaxes taking another sip of his beer, the woman walks over to the record player. Looking over her shoulder, she asks him if she could turn up the volume. He doesn’t mind, so the beautiful women turns it up and starts dancing to Lavoe’s salsa record, Que Lio.

Soon, Alejandro finds himself glowing, as he is taken away by her grace and sensual dance movements. She is absolutely the most glorious dancer he has ever seen. Soon his beer is on the table and he is up on his feet, watching her, lip syncing, and tapping his right hand against his thigh. He begins to move his head to the music as she brilliantly moves her hips to the rhythm. When the song finishes, he applauds, completely impressed, saying repeatedly, Magnificent!

She looks at him not understanding, and then he walks over to her, laughing in admiration, and says, Muy bueno!

She smiles, catching her breath.

Alejandro brushes her hair behind her ear and out of her beautiful, kind face. When he does this, her smile instantly goes to a worried frown. Quickly she gazes down to the floor and says, I must go.

As the young woman walks past him over to the door, Alejandro nervously takes hold of her hand and asks her to not leave. Looking into her beautiful, brown eyes, he notices that she is in complete alarm. Letting go of her hand, he suddenly understands why she is now so fearful of him. She thinks I’ll hurt her. The beautiful girl stands in front of him completely frozen. With shortness in his voice, he says to her, I didn’t mean … I wouldn’t … sorry. You can go if you want to.

Again she heads for the door as he walks back over to his record player, dumbfounded. Before she leaves, El Cantante plays on the record player. The curly haired woman turns once more to Alejandro, who is now dancing, moving his hips trying to mimic her unique dance moves.

Bueno? he asks hoping that his charm will change her mind about him. Still unsure, she looks over at him as if he is wearing his pants inside out. But soon enough he catches a sparkle in her eye and a smile that slowly but surely covers her angel-sweet face.

You can stay. It’s only me and Hector. That is, if you want to, Alejandro states as he twirls around like a little schoolgirl.

Move your hips in a circle, the girl advises, as she chuckles, watching him try to dance. In no time, she is dancing to the music. While they dance beside each other, Alejandro notices a glisten in her eye. He asks for her name and begins to memorize her precious smile, the way she moves her hips, and her wild, curly, brunette hair. He memorizes every detail about her that he could lock into his memory in those few seconds.

The beautiful girl gazes into his dreamy brown eyes and says to him the name he knows he will never forget, Leila Isabel Cuevas.

Then sweetly Alejandro promises her that she can trust him. That he will never hurt her. Watching her gaze up into his eyes and placing his hand over his chest, he introduces himself saying, I am Alejandro Escudero. My friends call me Ally.

She offers a renewed grin, and Alejandro is captured by the smile that is back upon her face. After their dance, Leila notices some gold records and pictures hanging up around the room—pictures of Alejandro with famous singers and musicians. Quickly she notices the pictures of him with Hector Lavoe and his wife, Puchi. Pointing to a picture hanging up over his guitars on the wall to the left of them, she asks if he knows the famous singer. Alejandro laughs a little while, watching her gaze with amazement. Walking over to the picture that she is admiring, he explains to her that he is invited to a party for Hector in New York. While she is looking at all the pictures of famous artist and gold records, Alejandro walks back over to the record player, this time turning on one of his favorite Hector Lavoe songs, Mi Gente. The moment Leila hears it playing behind her, she turns around glowing, moving her hips side to side, dancing back over to him. He grins watching her move her body so cunningly.

With confidence he asks, Do you know the merengue?

And of course, she does.

Would you give me this honor of a dance?

Si, she replies, blushing.

When she places her hand in his, billions of uncontrollable tingling nerves consume the emptiness of his stomach. It’s not too soon after they begin to dance together that the heat, the music, and the moment start to take over their bodies. They sway and twirl around each other throughout the entire room, moving faster and faster, trying to keep up with the rhythm, their hearts, and each other. Soon the room starts to spin around them as if they are creating a force field. Everything is moving so fast. Yet at the same time everything seems still. A connection is being made between them.

Sadly, though, the connection inevitably breaks. They are dancing so vividly that, as he twirls her, some of the robe falls from her shoulders. In an instant, Alejandro is able to see underneath her silk robe. A glimpse of a gold, sparkly bustier is shown from underneath. Embarrassed, Leila quickly pulls the robe back up, covering herself again. Immediately, he connects the dots. The surprise Miguel has for me is Leila. In complete and utter embarrassment, she runs out of the room. The moment she leaves, a short, stocky man walks in and tells Alejandro that Miguel has been looking for him.

I bet he has, he responds angrily, walking out of the room.

Chapter 4

Leaving the band room, Alejandro quickly heads back down the stairs searching throughout every crowded room for Leila. He walks out, breathing heavily, onto his stone deck, hoping to find her dancing by the live band. But she isn’t anywhere to be found. Just when he thinks it can’t get any worse, Miguel spots him and shouts over excitedly. Before Alejandro has any time to react, he is placed in a tacky, gold chair. While trying to get back upon his feet, he is forcefully pushed back into the chair. Miguel taps on Alejandro’s shoulder as if her are a drum and reminds him that he is going to love the surprise. Looking over his shoulders, he sees his manager wave the cue for the band to start the show.

The lights everywhere on the lot are turned off. The only light that is present comes from the bonfire that is placed in