by Gail Haris
His lips take mine, and I wrap my arms around his neck. My hair whips around us and our bodies sway with the ship. He eases me against the wall and pins me there with his body. The wind and waves are so loud that I doubt I’d hear anyone if they stumbled upon us.
“You’re mine…at least for the next two days,” Jimmy says against my lips. I nod again and he squeezes me tighter against the wall and his body. “Say it to me. Tell me. I have to hear you say it, Jolene.”
“I’m yours.”
Jimmy’s lips crash back down on mine. When we’re both out of breath, he pulls back, “This is going to be the best two days of your life.” He takes my hand and begins to lead me away.
That’s what I’m afraid of.
Jolene
We get settled in a little hotel that’s on a beach that’s not too far from the main section of town. I walk around our small room and open the balcony door. The room is tiny, but the view more than makes up for it. It’s definitely hot, though, so I leave the doors open.
“Is there no air conditioning?”
Jimmy chuckles. “No. You’ll find most hotels in Greece don’t have air conditioning. Why would you need it when you can have fresh air from outside?”
“I don’t know why I asked that, to be fair. Most of the hotels I’ve been to in Europe don’t have air conditioning either.”
Jimmy comes to stand behind me and wraps his arms around my midsection. “A lot of my aunts believe that the cold air from the air conditioning makes them sick anyway.”
“My aunts believe if you don’t wear socks in the winter, you’ll catch your death. And you might as well sign your own death warrant if you go outside with wet hair.” We both chuckle. I look over my shoulder and around him at the small bed. “Is there another room, because I only see one bed?”
Jimmy holds me tighter and speaks into my neck. “I thought we agreed that you’re mine today and tomorrow. I can’t exactly give you the best two days of your life if you’re not with me. I’m good, but even I have my limits. And all I know is that I’ve reached my limits of being good in your presence.” I shiver as I feel his tongue lick my skin before his lips kiss my neck. “If you’re hot, maybe we should remove this.”
His hands gather the bottom of my dress and pulls it up and over my head. Slowly, his fingers feather along my sides. I’m not sure what to do with my hands, because if I turn around to begin to undress him, he’ll stop what he’s doing. And I don’t want that. So, I keep my hands at my side as I simply relish the feel of his own slowly making their way to my underwear. He gives them a tug, allowing them to fall to my feet. I step out and kick them to the side.
“Jo,” he whispers in my ear. “Judging by the way your nipples are poking through your bra and your body is humming, I assume you want me to fuck you as bad as I am dying to fuck you. However, I’d like for it to be crystal clear.” His touches are no longer featherlight, but claiming, as he slides his hands over my bra and squeezes my breasts. He moves his lips to the other side of my neck and trails open-mouthed kisses to my ear. “Tell me. I’m tired of getting myself off when I know how good you feel. How good you taste. How to make you orgasm over and over again. And to have you so close these past couple of days, knowing how sweet it is to be inside you and not being able to...” A sound close to a growl comes from deep in his throat.
“Shut up and fuck me already.” I turn around and push him. He stumbles back toward the bed with a cocky smirk—and I’m about to wipe that smirk right off his face.
Jimmy
Seeing Jolene take charge and practically demand my dick has me feeling pretty proud of myself. That is, until she speaks.
“You know the main difference between a Greek and an American?” She reaches for my shirt and pulls it off.
“What is that?”
“You love to talk, while I want action.” Leaning down, she whispers, “Now.”
“Impatience is the word that comes to mind. But lucky for you, sweetheart, I’m a whole lot of both,” I say as I undo the button to my jeans. She wants action…boy, is she about to get it. “Elvis had a song about–”
She places her fingers to my lips. “Don’t reference an Elvis song during this moment.”
“Maybe I should use my tongue in other ways to persuade you?”
Her eyes brighten at my words and her cheeks flush. Not so cocky now, are we? If I’m being honest, I’m not as self-assured either. She makes me vulnerable. She makes me feel different and doubt if I’m really happy with how my life is. I’m starting to want more but I doubt if she’d take a chance on me. I have two days to make her realize that there’s something real between us. Forty-eight hours to show her how much I can worship her. How good we can both be together. How much better life can get. So I take a page out of her book, spinning her around and pushing her onto the bed. I place a kiss on her thigh. Knowing that she wants her action now—her words not mine—I go straight for it. Following her directive, her order. Her back arches as I devour her. It doesn’t take long for her legs to tighten around me as she crumbles at my tongue. Moaning my name as if she’s praying to the heavens. Now, I’m about to show her that this Greek god is about to super-size her order. Extra-large, coming right up.
Jolene
“Let’s go get something to eat before it gets too late,” I say as I slowly trail my finger along Jimmy’s bare chest while curled up next to him naked in bed. My head bobs up and down as he chuckles. “What’s so funny about being hungry?”
“Did you forget where we are? It’s not even that late. Most people here don’t eat until ten at night. We have plenty of time.” He turns his head so he can look at me. “Besides, I’m not that hungry since I’ve already eaten.”
“You’re such a perv.”
“Oh! That’s not the tune you were singing earlier.”
“It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t say that. But you’re still a pervert. And I need to keep up my energy if you plan on doing more of that.”
“So, you are hungry, then?” He raises up in bed, forcing me to have to raise up as well. I wrap the sheet around me and nod. “Feeling like some meat?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
“I’ve got some Greek sau–”
Jerking the pillow from underneath his head, I smack him as hard as I can before he can even finish that sentence. “I. Need. Food.” I jump out of bed and begin getting dressed. I check my phone and see that it’s five in the afternoon. Where did the day go? Travel and… I look over at the sexiest man I’ve ever met lying in bed. Well, it was an afternoon well spent. Jimmy rolls out of bed and stretches as he stands, completely unashamed by being completely exposed. He notices me eyeing him and winks. Correction, make that the sexiest and most arrogant man I’ve ever met.
Ahh, he’ll do. Barely.
We walk outside, and instead of going to the car, I tug Jimmy’s hand toward the street. “It’s so nice out and there’s so much to see. Let’s walk.”
“Fine by me.” He squeezes my hand and brings it to his lips. “Hard to do that while driving a stick shift.”
My heart warms a little that he loves holding and kissing my hand. Such a little gesture that’s so simple yet incredibly sweet. We pass tourist shops, outside farmers’ markets, and at every turn, beautiful architecture and landscaping. The sound of the bouzouki strings hum somewhere off in the distance. I watch a few kids playing soccer while their parents enjoy coffee and chatting outside. Laughter rings out from other cafés and other people walking. The culture and country is simply beautiful. Nobody seems to be in a hurry. They all are just enjoying life. I think back to me always rushing from terminal to terminal. Even when I’m not working, I’m always in and out of everywhere I go. Even relationships. This is the slowest I’ve ever taken life. Walking down a cobblestone street, holding hands, and simply enjoying the fresh air and life around me. That’s living. For the first time in forever, I feel like I’m living my life and not rushing through it. Better ye
t, I’m not doing it alone.
We’ve been walking for a while when we come to the end of all the shops, cafés, and businesses. Jimmy looks back and asks, “See any place you want to try? We’d need the car to go any farther. Looks like mostly farmland from here on out, and then it’ll be the next town. Which we can go, I’d just prefer not by foot.”
“There was a place…I can’t pronounce the name, but I remember where it was.”
“Lead the way, gorgeous.”
“What a twist, now I’m leading you around Greece. Are we on equal footing here?”
Jimmy laughs and pulls me into him, my back to his chest. With his arms holding me tight, he whispers into my ear. “We are nowhere near being on equal footing.”
“Oh, really? And how do you figure that? What, because you speak the language? Most people here speak English.”
“We are not on equal footing because how can a simple man such as myself be equal to such a beautiful goddess.”
I bite back my reply and hate myself for loving such a cheesy line. “You are so full of it, Dimitrios Georgakopolous.”
With a heavy Greek accent, Jimmy speaks between kisses on my neck, “You are the goddess of the sky. I worship your spirit,” kiss and then he moves up, “your fire,” kiss right below my ear, “your body,” and then he growls into my ear, “and most of all, the taste of your heavenly sweet cu–”
“Whoa!” I pull away, looking around frantically. “There are children around.”
“Tsk. Tsk. Where is your head? I was going to say cunning mind.”
I roll my eyes as he stands there looking devilishly handsome with a wicked grin. We go back to walking, and easily find the little restaurant I’d spotted. There’s outside seating with twinkling lights strung from the surrounding trees even though it’s not dark out yet. It’s a very romantic and intimate little spot. I point and say, “Here.” Jimmy smiles and leads us to a small little table for two in a corner. I look out to the ocean and listen to the gentle waves.
“You chose a very romantic place. But I’ll go ahead and break the news to you…I’m a sure thing.”
I roll my eyes at him again, and then sigh. “I think everywhere here is romantic. Look at this place. In fact, you’re the one who suggested we go to an island, just the two of us. But I’ll go ahead and tell you, I’m not a sure thing. So you might want to up your game, buddy.”
Before he can give one of his cocky remarks, our waiter arrives. Jim speaks to him in Greek and the waiter hands us our menus with a single nod and leaves. Thankfully, the menu is written in Greek and English. I’m starving, so everything sounds appetizing. I decide to go with the tou tou makia, a chicken with noodles and a red tomato sauce. The waiter returns with wine. As he pours our glasses, I raise an eyebrow at Jimmy who is looking smug. His facial expression clearly reads challenge accepted. I was only teasing him. I am definitely a for-sure thing for him while we are here, even if my heart won’t survive it. I thought we’d already established this. Obviously an afternoon spent in bed was a sure sign that he didn’t have to try too hard with me. Either way, I’m excited to see what he has up his sleeve. I take a sip of my wine while Jimmy tells the waiter our order in Greek.
As the waiter walks away, Jim makes a dramatic display of picking up his napkin and placing it in his lap as he keeps his eyes focused on me. “Do you have a bucket list while here in Greece? Especially while we’re away from all the others.”
I take another sip of wine and then smile at him over the cup. “I think–” All kinds of touristy things are on the tip of my tongue, but I stop and look out into the ocean again. The waves are calming. Fewer and smaller waves hit the shore now. Even the ocean that’s always moving slows down from time to time. “Relax.”
“Okay, I am.” He tilts his head toward me, “Believe me, anything you say I’ll probably be game for. Don’t worry. Tell me.”
I giggle. “Not you relax. That’s what I want to do. I just want to relax. No plans and absolutely no schedule. I want to take everything slow and easy.”
“Done. The rest of the night will be spent in leisure, and tomorrow we’ll take the day as it comes.” He holds up his wine glass and waits for me. I take mine and hold it up. We clink our glasses together and drink on it.
“That sounds absolutely perfect.”
Our tomato and cucumber salads arrive, along with some olives and bread. As we eat, music plays over the speakers and my body involuntarily sways. I don’t even realize I’m doing it until I catch Jimmy watching me. He tosses his napkin on the table and stands, holding his hand out to me with a smirk.
“Um, nobody is dancing?” I mumble, refusing to take his hand.
“That’s their misfortune.” He gestures with his fingers for me to stand.
“Jimmy, sit down. Don’t you have any pride?”
He tosses his head back and laughs. When he begins shaking his head, I know I’m in trouble. The music changes to an upbeat melody. Jim’s hips sway as he brings his arms up, snapping his fingers.
The waiter comes walking quickly over to us. I want to cover my head. We’re about to get kicked out, and that’s pretty damn hard to do seeing as we’re already outside. Jimmy continues to dance, completely oblivious to the waiter. I try to warn him by discreetly pointing to look behind him. But then the waiter arrives and shouts, “OPA!” He claps, and then to my surprise, literally kicks his foot back and slaps the heel of his shoe. He falls into dancing with Jimmy. I look around, trying to figure out when I fell into some Greek musical.
Jimmy turns to me, and judging by the look in his eyes, I know I’m in for it. He begins swaying his hips more slowly, and suggestive. He makes his way closer to my chair. This is payback for when I danced for him. His blue-green eyes have gone dark, and a few black strands of his hair fall forward into his eyes. A few people stop and watch, and it’s easy to spot the tourists from the Greeks. Mostly because one set gawks and has their phones up, while the other set are clapping and snapping their fingers to the beat of the music. Jimmy begins to slowly ease back from me. The song is coming to an end, so he turns to the onlookers. He sings part of the words of the song very loudly and then does a spin and kick. He holds his arms out and dramatically bows. Everyone laughs and claps. What a showman he is.
I shake my head at him as he sits back down. “Unbelievable.”
“Believe it, sweetheart.” He takes a big drink of his wine. “And believe that before this trip is over, I’m going to have you out there dancing and turning tricks in the street.”
“That makes me sound like a hooker.”
“Fine, I’ll have you dancing on top of the tables.”
“Not better.”
“Oh, I know a club where you can get on stage with the singer and we throw rose petals on you while you dance.”
“You want me to dance on stage now? At least that sounds more legit.” My voice drips with sarcasm. “Instead of flowers, can you throw money at me, instead?”
Jimmy chuckles. “We only do that at parties.”
“What?”
“At parties. You know engagement parties, weddings, baptisms… While everyone dances, we throw money and it helps pay for the band.”
“Really? I was only joking, but now that sounds kind of fun. I’ll dance and you can make it rain singles on me. I’m really loving this Greek living.”
“Don’t be silly. I’d at least throw a few fives in.”
We both laugh as our waiter brings our food to the table. The food smells delicious. I immediately dig in. The flavoring is incredible. It’s so cheesy, and the tomato-based sauce has just the right amount of seasoning. The chicken is so tender, and the little square pasta noodles are al dente. I eat bite after bite. I finally come up for air to get a sip of wine when I meet Jimmy’s amused eyes. He reaches over with his napkin and wipes my chin.
“I was going to ask to try a bite since it seems so scrumptious, but was afraid I might get bitten.”
I chuckle, “Don’t act l
ike that’s what stopped you. Because you and I both know you like it when I sink my teeth into you.” I go to swat his hand, but at the last minute think better of it. I grab his hand and lightly bite his finger before wrapping my lips around it and gently sucking. His eyes darken, and with a pop, I pull his finger out. Jimmy takes his finger and places it on his tongue. My eyes are fascinated by how his tongue licks his finger, and then his lips wrap around the digit. His voice lowers as he says, “That is scrumptious. No wonder you ate every last bite.”
I slide my plate toward him and smirk. “You’re welcome to lick the plate clean.”
“I’d rather lick something else–”
“Um…excuse me.” My eyes widen in horror as a new waiter has come to our table. We both turn to the gentleman standing there holding a bottle of wine. “Compliments of the older couple over there.” He nods toward his right. We look over to see an elderly couple wave at us.
Jimmy smiles and waves to them as he asks the waiter, “Why?”
The waiter smiles and shrugs. He speaks in Greek and then Jimmy chuckles. He turns to the couple and places his hands together and lightly bows. He turns to me and translates as the waiter leaves. “They said we remind them of when they were young. They said something about young love. Congratulations. And to enjoy.”
I wave to the couple and call out ‘thank you’ in butchered Greek. “Efcharistó”
They stand and wave bye to us as they slowly walk away. Jimmy pours me another glass of wine. “Well, I guess we know how we’re spending our night. Drunk.”