“So here you get engaged with a necklace and not a ring?”
“Yes. Then I’ll give the necklace to my father and he or one of my aunts will go have it blessed by a monk. If my mother were alive she would do it. When he gives it back to me then we’ll be officially engaged.”
“And do we have to jump through more hoops after that or is the engagement going to be some long drawn-out affair?”
She shook her head, amused by the humor in his tone. “No. At that point we can actually live together if we want to. For the ceremony we’ll just set a date with the monk and it will be official.”
“Sounds like I’m going to have to go through some things.”
She leaned into his chest, tightening her arms around his waist. “I promise you, I’ll be worth all the effort. I will be the best wife ever!”
Alexander leaned to kiss her one last time. “Woman, you sure as hell better be!”
* * *
The soaking pool had become Alexander’s favorite place to unwind. The warm waters were a soothing diversion from everything that was going on around him—and some things that weren’t. For a brief moment he thought about Sarai and the courtship rituals that had suddenly become so important to her. It would probably have been too much for some men to handle. Alexander couldn’t help think that with any other woman it might have been too much for him as well.
After their last conversation, she’d gone in one direction and he’d gone in the other. He was missing her, and to see her moving about the property but not be able to touch her had him feeling some kind of way. To blow off the frustration he’d been feeling, he’d gone back into the ring, testing the limits of his abilities against a trainer named Kwang. Kwang had worked him until every muscle felt like it had been shredded. Now his body hurt much more than his heart did. And the pool was the best relief.
His attention was suddenly drawn to the conversation his brother was having with two of his closest friends, an expat from Australia named Patrick, and Robert, a Thai boxer with thirty-plus years of experience. Robert was one of Revolution’s head instructors, Patrick one of their best customers.
“You’d better leave that woman alone,” Zachary was saying. He took a sip from the bottle of springwater he was holding. “She’s just about the money. Your money.”
Robert shook his head. “You should have said no when she asked you to fix the roof on her father’s house. Now the whole family will try to bleed you dry!”
Zachary laughed with his friend. “The next time she calls you need to tell her that all you have is dick and bubblegum and you’re fresh out of bubblegum!”
Patrick swiped at his eyes, his laughter abundant. He shook his head. “Why do I always pick the wrong ones?”
Zachary laughed. “Because you keep going after the ones in the go-go clubs.”
Alexander narrowed his gaze. “Go-go clubs?”
His brother nodded. “Thai titty bars. Their version of strip clubs.”
“Except the girls don’t strip,” Patrick interjected. “They just dance.”
“Badly!” Zachary added. “It’s no Magic City!” he said, referring to the infamous Atlanta adult entertainment club the twins had visited for their twenty-first birthday years earlier. “But it passes the time.”
“What about Miss Thailand?” Patrick suddenly questioned. “Is she dating anyone?”
“Yes, she is,” Alexander interjected. He shifted forward in the warm water, turning his body in a defensive stance.
Zachary’s friend shot him a look. He held up his hands. “I was just asking!”
Zachary laughed as he turned his attention toward his brother. “I hear you two are going on a date this week.”
The twins exchanged glances. Alexander nodded. “I’m taking her and her cousin to dinner. On our first date,” he said sarcastically.
“Thank goodness the girls in Bangkok are finally starting to let some of those old traditions go. I’ve dated a few girls there that will actually go on a first date without bringing half the family,” Patrick said matter-of-factly.
“With all the beautiful women in Australia, why do you keep chasing after Thai women?” Zachary asked.
Patrick winked an eye as he swallowed the last of his beer. “I love Thai women when I’m here in Thailand! And when I’m in Morocco I love Moroccan women. Same thing goes for England and the Caribbean. I just love their women when I’m in their country!”
Robert chuckled. “Me love women, too! Love them much when my wife not home!”
Alexander shook his head as the trio broke out into raucous laughter. Hanging with the boys was a good time that took his mind off everything else. It was a roulette of beer-fueled lies about women they would never have, places they would never go, and jobs they would never work.
Twice more Patrick spoke Sarai’s name, and twice Alexander was a hair shy of exposing his hand, and hers. He struggled more than once not to bust the man in his face. He was in no mood to hear any other man speak his woman’s name. When Zachary put his hulking frame between them, he blew a heavy sigh, realizing that he’d probably had one beer too many. The conversation continued until his brother’s alarm signaled that it was his bedtime.
The next time Alexander focused his attention on his surroundings, Patrick and Robert were gone and Zachary was pulling on his arm.
“Time for bed, A!”
“I’m sad,” he said, his words slurred.
Zachary chuckled. “I know. It’ll be all right.”
“Sarai and I are going on a date with her cousin! You should come date us, too!”
His brother’s laugh was warm and endearing. “Not this time.”
“Next time. We’ll invite everyone to go on a date with us. Make it a block party!”
“You’re drunk!”
“Am not!”
Zachary laughed again. “Come on. It’s time for both of us to hit the sack.”
He pulled Alexander up, practically dragging him to one of the reclined beach chairs. Alexander sat for a moment, and when he’d regained some semblance of balance, Zachary guided him to his bed, pushing him down atop the mattress.
“Where’s Sarai?” Alexander asked, trying to focus his eyes to look around the space.
“She’s in your dreams, A! In your dreams.”
“Then that’s where I’ll be,” Alexander stated. And with that he was out like a light, chasing after Sarai in his sleep.
* * *
His head hurt. Alexander sat upright by the side of the pool, sucking in one deep breath after another. He hung his head in his hands, hoping to keep the throbbing that pulsed behind his brow at bay. The early morning air held just enough of a breeze to belie the rising heat that would soon consume the space, and the cool air felt like bliss against his skin.
Alexander wasn’t a drinker, so the hangover he was feeling surprised him. He hadn’t remembered drinking that much, and he only remembered drinking beer. The mystery was solved when Zachary suddenly stepped through the sliding glass doors, two mugs of coffee in hand.
“Good morning,” his brother chimed.
Alexander winced, his twin’s cheery tone too loud for the early morning hour.
“Drink this,” Zachary said as he passed his twin a cup of the dark brew. “It’ll have you feeling better in no time.”
“What happened last night?”
“You were putting them away like water! I’ve never known you to drink so much.”
Alexander sighed, the heavy exhale verbalizing the emotion that suddenly flooded his spirit. “Man, Sarai has me all twisted! I can’t even think straight anymore.”
Zachary laughed as he took the seat beside his brother. “Trust me, she’s just as off sides as you are.”
“Yeah? Then why is she doing this song and dance like we haven’t been together for the last few months?”
“It’s a cultural thing, brother. I tried to warn you.”
“Did I tell you we’re going on a first date? Is that som
e crazy mess or what?”
“Yeah, you told me,” Zachary answered with a deep chuckle. “You had a lot to say about dating her and her cousin! And most of it wasn’t about how happy you were!”
Alexander took another sip of his drink. “I like Thailand,” he said, “but I am so ready to take Sarai and go back to Colorado.”
“Hey, a few more weeks and you two will be married and it’ll all be good.”
Alexander cut his eye in his brother’s direction. “What about you, Z? After the fight are you planning to stay here in Phuket or are you coming back home?”
“Phuket is my home. I love it here.”
“Why? All your family’s in Colorado.”
“I know but it’s about more than that. There’s something about this place that fuels my spirit. I really like that here in Thailand, no matter where you are, even in the most modern places, their culture is still prominent. That ancient village that their ancestors built remains steadfast in everything they do. They still hold their king with the utmost respect. Tradition is important to them, and here, I sometimes feel as if I’ve been transported back to a time where I belong. I really like that, A.
“When I opened Revolution, Gamon had an astrologer calculate which day would be the most promising for success. Then the Buddhist monks were invited to come on that specific date to perform a blessing ceremony. It was amazing! Afterward we had a feast for the monks. I would have never imagined it but I stand on ceremony. I believe in the merits of ritual. I really love the divine order of things.”
Zachary took a deep breath before he continued. “It’s for that very reason that you’ve been so willing to go along with Sarai. Because the tradition of courtship that Thai families follow is important to her, it has become important to you. The hoops she’s having you jump through mean something, A! Back in Boulder the only thing our family holds sacred is Mama Lynn’s macaroni and cheese at Thanksgiving dinner. Hell, our own father boxed every memory of our mother away after she died, hoping we’d forget her if she was out of sight. So living here just feels right to me.”
Alexander nodded as he reflected on his brother’s words. A comfortable silence rose like a wall between them. Both fell into the wealth of it, embracing their ability to be together with no need for words to express what they were feeling. The inherent connection they’d been blessed with at birth had been lost for too long. Its revival had been a long time coming.
They spent another half hour in casual conversation, the easy exchange indicative of how far they’d come together. Every ounce of vim between them was fraught with healing energy. What each had been missing for so long was suddenly abundant, both sliding back into a quiet reverie that spoke volumes about the bond they shared.
Alexander sipped the last of his coffee. The pain in his head had actually calmed to a dull ache, the relief he’d been promised slowly coming to fruition. “What’s in this?” he asked, gesturing with his mug.
His brother shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you. It’s something Gamon blends up but it works and it doesn’t taste bad. In another half hour you’ll be doing handstands, you’ll be feeling so good!”
Alexander nodded as a surge of renewed energy suddenly shot through him. “I don’t know about a handstand but I’m ready to run.”
“Then let’s do it! I’ve got to cover ten miles before nine o’clock!”
* * *
A few days later there was no hiding his anxiety as Alexander pulled a chair out for Sarai. Her cousin, Sing Kyowa, nodded his approval as he took the chair beside her. Alexander rounded the table to the other side and sat down across from the two of them.
“So, Sarai says you own a gym, too. Like your brother’s.” Sing sat forward, resting his elbows on the tabletop.
Alexander nodded. “I do. It’s a very successful gym like my brother’s.”
“I work for Bangla Muay Thai,” Sing said, referring to the competition on the other side of town. “It’s a better gym!”
Alexander smiled. He shifted his eyes toward Sarai. “I hope you like this restaurant. A friend suggested it,” he said, his tone smug as he emphasized the word friend.
Sarai had selected Baan Noy Restaurant for dinner. Located off a side road in the Chalong area of Phuket, the space was simple at best. The minimalistic décor comprised wooden tables covered with long white tablecloths, and black wicker chairs. The exterior was more warehouse than fine dining, but it was family owned and the service was exceptional. When they had arrived, Sarai had introduced him to the owners: the chef, Tai, and her husband, Fred. The couple was extremely friendly, and he had found their conversation entertaining, as they were eager to please the former beauty queen.
Sarai opened her menu, her own smile canyon wide. “It’s the perfect restaurant,” she said softly.
“Very nice,” Sing added. “Very nice and good food, I hear.”
Over prawn teriyaki and scallop appetizers, Sing peppered him with questions about his business, his parents, his education, and his basketball career. Despite his best efforts to focus on the conversation, Sing monopolizing most of it, all Alexander wanted was to give Sarai his full and undivided attention. He never realized just how much he missed her until they were together again.
But focusing was difficult because of what was going on under the table. Hidden behind the tablecloth that dropped low to the floor, Sarai had slipped off her high-heeled pump. Easing her leg toward him, she’d tapped playfully at his foot. When he’d lifted his eyes to meet the look she was giving him, she’d slipped him the slightest wink before dropping her eyes to the food on her plate.
Through their red curry duck and tiger prawn entrée, Sing praised his uncle and explained the branches of their family tree. Alexander had turned back to stare at the man when Sarai tapped him again, her manicured toes lingering for a good few minutes. Easing his own foot from the Giorgio Brutini loafer that he was wearing, he met the gentle caresses that were running up and down the length of his calf.
Once or twice they locked ankles, and it wasn’t until Sarai eased her foot directly into his lap, her toes gently caressing the protrusion between his legs, that Alexander almost lost it, barely able to maintain the level of stealth necessary to shield them. Across the table, Sing was regaling him with a story about his last amateur fight and Alexander couldn’t have cared less.
It wasn’t until the cappuccino and chocolate lava cake were served for dessert that Sing finally let Sarai get in a word. Their conversation centered on Thailand and places she thought Alexander needed to visit while he was there. By then Alexander was struggling to contain the raging hard-on in his pants, fighting not to explode from her flirtatious touch.
By the time the waitress brought him the check, her bare foot was back in her heels as if nothing at all had just happened between them. Small talk rang through the air until he was able to stand and not have the telltale sign of his desire be seen by her kin.
Alexander shook Sing’s hand. He nodded his head at Sarai, biting down against his bottom lip to assuage the guilty pleasure sweeping between them. “Thank you for dining with me tonight, Dr. Montri. I hope that we can do it again. Soon.”
Sarai smiled, her expression smug. She tossed her cousin a dismissive look before settling her eyes easily into his. “I would love to, Mr. Barrett. Thank you for a very nice time.”
* * *
The following morning when Alexander entered the weight area, Gamon was there waiting for him. He greeted the older man warmly.
“Mr. Montri, how are you, sir?”
Gamon nodded, a quick dip of his head. “I am well, thank you. I hope that you are as well.”
The edges of Alexander’s mouth bent upward in a slight smile. “It’s a good day, sir. I had a very nice dinner last night with Sarai and your nephew, Sing. I look forward to spending more time with your daughter. She’s been very kind to me.”
Again, Gamon gave him a nod, but he said nothing. Alexander continued talking.
“Perhaps you’ll join us for dinner the next time, sir? My brother is very fond of you and I’d like for us to get better acquainted as well.”
Gamon’s stare was piercing, and Alexander felt like the old man’s eyes were boring a deep hole straight through him. His silence was disconcerting, and Alexander wasn’t sure what to do or say to move the conversation forward. He blew a deep gust of air past clenched teeth. Moving toward the free weights that rested on a rack in the corner, he decided to say nothing at all. Pulling twenty-five-pound weights into each hand, he turned back around to find Sarai’s father still staring at him.
Gamon cleared his throat. “When you have time today I’d like to see more of your computer system, please.”
“No problem, sir,” Alexander responded. “Whenever you’re ready.”
And just like that, Gamon was gone.
Minutes later Sarai danced into the space. The look across her face made him smile, his full lips pulling into the brightest smile.
“Your father just left,” he said as he met her gaze. He tossed a quick glance over his shoulder.
“I know. I saw,” she said as she gestured with her eyes to the training area across the way, where Gamon stood in conversation with Zachary. The two men were huddled in conversation. The couple turned their attention back to each other.
“So did I pass last night’s inquisition?” he asked.
She laughed. “Sing really liked you!”
“Sing is quite a character. Are all your family members that entertaining?”
Her laugh was like the sweetest balm. “They have their moments.”
“I’ve never known anyone who talked as much as he talked. I don’t know how I was the one being interviewed when he never let me speak!”
Sarai’s smile was sunshine bright. She tossed another look in her father’s direction. The man was still focused on his conversation with Zachary. Her intense stare shifted back to his and locked. “So would you like to spend the day with me tomorrow?”
Surprise pierced his expression. He eyed her with a raised brow. “Just the two of us?”
Guilty Pleasures Page 17