Page 33 of Sinful Promises

“Yeah.”

“How is she? And Kane?”

How was it that he could be so perfect in every way? “They’re good.”

He tilted his head, and I spied a touch of chocolate on his lip.

I pointed at it. “You, ahh, you missed a bit.”

His tongue curled out and slicked his lip. “Thanks.”

Oh, trust me, the pleasure was all mine.

The rest of my group began spilling from the shop carrying enough paper bags to confirm the clever chocolatier was going to stay in business for some time to come.

After a body count confirmed everyone had emerged, I continued leading the tour. We stopped for photos at the graffiti-covered Lennon Wall, walked over the spectacular Charles Bridge, and after stopping at several other significant sites, we boarded our glass-covered boat.

During the next hour, we had a late lunch as we cruised up the Vitava River. And as usual, the backpackers made the most of the unlimited wine and beer at the bar.

By the time we stepped off the boat, my group was much more boisterous as I led them toward my favorite little corner of Europe . . . Old Town, Prague. I pointed out a few more fabulous buildings and then we waited outside the Old Town Hall for one of the major attractions.

We were a touch early for the five o’clock ‘show,’ so I yelled out to my group, “Gather ’round, guys.” The clock had many, many aspects worthy of mentioning, however, I’d learned over the years that most of my tourists were not interested in the stars or the moons. They were interested in the quirky stuff.

They squeezed in tighter around me and I elevated my voice. “This is the Prague Astronomical Clock. It was built in 1410 and is the oldest one of its kind that’s still working. The four figures at the sides of the clock represent four things that were despised in the fourteen hundreds. And some qualities that are still considered undesirable now for that matter. There’s Vanity, which you’ll see is a man admiring himself in a mirror. See, ladies? Even back in the fourteen hundreds men were vain.” I poked my tongue at Roman. “Next is a man holding a bag of gold. Any guesses what that represents?”

“Wealth,” someone yelled out.

“Close.” I shook my head.

“Greed,” another hollered.

“Correct. On the other side you can see the skeleton. It stands for death, of course. But keep your eye on him because he strikes the time on the hour.”

I pointed at the last figurine—a bearded man in what could have been considered a toga, playing a musical instrument. “I’ll buy the first drink for whoever can guess what the last ‘evil’ is.” I emphasized the word evil with finger quotes.

“Dancing.”

“Singing.”

They fired words at me, no doubt driven by the promise of free grog.

“No and no.”

“Nudity,” Roman said.

“No, of course not.” I winked at him.

When they went quiet, I said, “Lust and earthly pleasures.”

They all groaned, and their timing was perfectly matched to a ringing bell that signified the start of the show.

I spun to the clock that had been doing its thing and drawing crowds for more than six hundred years. Miniature puppets came out of little doors and spun around. Dials turned. Tiny characters bobbed up and down. Twangy music played. And two minutes later, it was all over.

I turned to my group just as it ended—always keen to watch their reactions.

Roman leaned into my ear. “Well, that was boring.”

I chuckled. “That’s why it’s listed on TripAdvisor as one of the most overrated attractions in the world. But you’ve gotta see it, right?”