Monica and Suzanne exchanged high fives.
‘Your hair is made for this,’ Monica teased out the pin curls and settled Annie’s hair in waves to her waist. ‘All we need is a red carpet,’ she slipped the hairband on Annie’s head and fastened the mask to her face, careful not to ruin Annie’s makeup or hair.
‘Hey, don’t forget your tail.’ Suzanne clipped a red velvet tail to the back of Annie’s suit. ‘Remember to flick it up when you sit.’
One on each side, Suzanne and Monica linked arms with Annie. ‘Let’s go rock the Snowies,’ Monica announced.
Together, the three left their apartment and walked towards the main hall to join the varied animals, princesses, werewolves, a couple of hobbits, and even a dragon gathered around the entrance.
***
It was the most idiotic thing Roy had ever done in his life.
He owed Andrew Pennington, and the good professor knew Roy wouldn’t refuse him a favour. Roy had agreed to attend the party at the resort, but Andrew had neglected to mention it was a masked costume party until after Roy agreed. At that point, Zorro was the only remotely acceptable costume he could find at the store in Cooma.
He had almost phoned Andrew and refused the invitation, but life on the farm was lonely, and it had been a while since he had the time, or for that matter the inclination, to go out on a date.
His eyes roamed over the weird costumes around him. He chuckled to himself. His old girl friends in Sydney would kill themselves laughing if they saw him waiting for a blind date at a masquerade ball.
Monica and her friends should be here soon. He slid his phone out of the pocket of his skin tight faux leather black jeans and scrolled down to her message. ‘Thank you, Roy,’ Monica had texted. ‘Your date, Annie, plans to return home for an arranged marriage. It’s all wrong. You have all tonight to make her change her mind. Use your famous Broughton-Knight charm.’
A woman dressed as a fairy princess, complete with tiara and wand sidled up to him. ‘On your own, Zorro?’ she purred. ‘I can do with some company tonight.’
‘Thanks. I’m okay.’
The contemptuous expression on her face told him what she thought of his charismatic Broughton-Knight skills.
The phone in his hand pinged, indicating an incoming message. ‘We’re here,’ Monica texted. ‘Look for three cat-women. Annie’s the scarlet one.’
Roy watched the three women make their way across the room to their table. The tall one with the outfit like poured honey and blonde bob would be Monica Pennington and the red head in blue probably her friend. That left the pocket-sized scarlet one with the jet-black curls tumbling to below her waist. The red material hugged her figure. Voluptuous was the word that popped into his mind.
‘Phew.’ Roy let out a slow breath. Tonight, his brief was to enthral this little cat-woman, Annie, into changing her mind about her arranged marriage in her native country. By the looks of her, that could be India.
A number of possible scenarios, all of them outrageous, crossed his mind. It was turning out to be a more interesting assignment than he had anticipated.
The girls accepted champagne flutes from a passing waiter, and sat down around their table. Annie gestured to the vacant fourth chair. Whatever Monica said in response brought an angry tilt to the pert nose under the red mask and a pout to the generous lips.
Roy approached the girls. Red cat-woman gestured at the other two and started to get out of her chair. They grabbed her arms and dragged her back down.
Maybe, they had just informed Annie about her blind date for tonight.
This assignment was getting more interesting by the minute.
‘Ladies.’ Roy swept his cloak aside and placed his gloved right hand on the hilt of the plastic sabre fixed to the silver and black belt around his waist.
‘Lovely to see you, Roy.’ Monica leapt off her chair with a flick of her tail and threw her arms around him.
‘You haven’t hugged me since we were both ten years old, Monica,’ Roy murmured in her ear, returning the embrace.
‘You’re our last hope,’ she whispered back. ‘Don’t let us down,’
Monica held on to his right hand and turned to the girls. ‘Roy, these are my friends.’ She pointed to the blue cat-woman. ‘This is Suzanne,’ she said, and then gestured to the red one, ‘and this is Annie.’
Roy bowed to the seated girls.
The pouting crimson lips barely acknowledged the introduction, and the red tipped long fingers tightened around the champagne flute. Roy would bet that she would like to transfer the grip to Monica’s throat—or maybe his.
‘Annie, Roy is an old friend of our family. He’s your date for tonight.’ She let go of Roy’s hand. Suzanne stood up with a flip of her blue tail and bent to kiss Annie on her cheek. Monica did the same on the other side. ‘Remember your promise, Annie,’ she sang.
The two girls melted into the crowd of revellers on the dance floor before Roy could even slide into the chair vacated by Monica.
This was his cue to turn on the Broughton-Knight charisma.
‘Annie—’ He leant closer and looked into the slits of her mask— ‘what did you promise your friends?’
The pout was back, but the corners of the crimson lips quivered with a hint of laughter.
Red silk encased shoulders shrugged. The movement drew Roy’s attention to the sparkle of a gold cross nestled in the hint of cleavage exposed at the diamanté encrusted neckline.
She relaxed her death hold on the champagne flute.
Roy had a sudden longing to rip off the red mask and see if her eyes reflected the mischief evident in the parted lips.
‘I promised to put my plans for the future on hold for tonight,’ she replied, biting her bottom lip, ‘and have the absolutely best time of my life. To channel my hidden naughty side.’
He reached over and untangled her fingers from around the champagne flute. He caught her hands in his before she could pull away. ‘You just didn’t expect to be entertained by Zorro while you let your naughty side out, did you? Think you can cope?’
The fingers in his stilled and then curved around his. She dug red tipped nails into his gloved palm.
‘I assure you, Zorro, I am more than capable of dealing with a caped fox.’
Chapter 2
Sun streaked brown hair snuck out from under the black brim of the hat, with a silver ‘Z’ painted on it. The aquiline nose and sensuous lips would look feminine on another man, but on Roy, combined with tanned skin, a square jaw and a days’ shadow of growth on his cheeks, they all screamed testosterone. A dimple flirted with the corner of his lips.
Annie’s eyes slipped down to his body. She was used to her less than fit professional colleagues, and the slender physique of most Sri Lankan men, so, the muscular perfection of the man sitting next to her reminded her of a flawless anatomy specimen. She bit her lip to stifle a laugh and allowed herself a moment to appreciate the definition of taut muscles—pectorals, deltoid and biceps under the moulded black silk shirt.
Roy leant forward till his face was centimetres from hers. ‘Does what you see meet with your approval?’
The dimple flashed in his cheek. The musk and lemon of his aftershave wafted across to her. For a fleeting moment, Annie was tempted to tilt the mask and have a peek at the rest of his face. No, today was about acting carefree. Anonymity was an essential part of it.
Annie raised her glass to him. ‘I can see you on a jet-black thoroughbred, your sabre flashing as you race to rescue a damsel in distress.’
He moved his face a fraction closer. His breath warmed her lips. ‘Are you a damsel in distress, Annie?’
Something about this man and the tone of his voice suggested he would be a good listener. She felt tempted to tell him about her anxieties. Instead, she channelled naughty. ‘That, Zorro, is for me to know and you to find out.’
The volume of music dropped, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, werewolves, hobbits, dragons, devils and all you other hungry revellers, a buffet dinner is now available in both restaurants. Dinner will be served till midnight. The bar will remain open till five am.’
Roy stood up and held out his hand to Annie. ‘I booked a table for two on the balcony overlooking Lake Jindabyne. Would you like to eat there?’
She took his gloved hand. ‘I would love to.’
She couldn’t see his eyes behind his mask, and she was glad he couldn’t see hers.
***
The moon peeped over the mountain range across Lake Jindabyne, sending a silver staircase glittering across the calm water. Her scarlet mask glittered in the reflected moonlight.
Annie sat in front of him, toying with her salad and braised salmon. She had clammed up again, her lips set taut and shoulders tensed. He had to get her to relax before he could allure her into changing her mind.
‘These gloves are ludicrous,’ he peeled off his gloves and shoved them in the pocket of his pants. He sensed her eyes shift to the fingers of his left hand. ‘No, Annie, I am not married.’
He laid his fingertips on her left arm. ‘Your friends want you to forget the future and have a good time tonight.’ He slid his fingers up her arm. ‘Give me something to work with, Annie. Monica said you are employed with her in the wards. I am guessing you’re a nurse in her unit. Tell me why a young professional, as lovely as you are, would need to agree to an arranged marriage in India. You would have no shortage of men—’
‘True, there’s no shortage of men wanting to date me. Have casual sex. A booty call. A stupid dating one-night-stand merry-go-round.’ She shrugged, setting the diamante on her cat suit shimmering. ‘I want something permanent. Like my parents had, one man and one woman married for life.’
‘Aha, a dreamer. The perfect family, father, mother and two and a half kids.’ He laughed. ‘Dream on—’
The sultry lips thinned. ‘What’s wrong with a dream?’
‘It’s an illusion.’
‘I happen to know it is possible.’
‘Okay, hold on to the fantasy if you wish. But tell me why you need to go back to India to fulfil it. Why not find a man here? Fall in love?’
He would have missed the almost imperceptible tremor of her lips if his eyes hadn’t been fixed on her face.
‘Romance is overrated. Almost fifty percent of so called love marriages end up in bitter divorce battles. No, I will settle for the safer option. I have known the man I am going to marry for a long time, since we were kids, in fact. I have always cared deeply for him. Our parents always expected us to get married.’
Roy shuddered. ‘Sounds safe, predictable and boring. How long since you met him face to face?’
‘Hmm, about six years. But, we’ve kept in touch on and off all our adult life. He’s an only child like me. He looks after his parents and the family business. He’s never done anything to make me doubt his devotion to me—to us.’
‘People change, Annie. Six years is a long time. Never accept anyone at face value. They’re rarely what they seem. Charm usually covers some ulterior motive.’
She stared at him. Her eyes were hidden by the mask, but her lips relaxed. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘You’re sorry? Why?’
She laid her right hand over his fingers which still rested on her arm. ‘You’ve been hurt by someone you cared for. I can hear it in your voice. But my love for Sunil is different. I trust him completely.’
‘We’re not talking about my life, Annie.’ He made a dismissive flick of his other hand. ‘Sunil—is that the man you are to marry?’
Annie nodded.
He tightened his fingers on her arm. He had accepted Monica’s challenge to change Annie’s mind, but sitting here with her, hearing the tremor of uncertainty in her voice, the project became personal. He didn’t want her to go back to her homeland and marry this man Sunil. He’d rather keep her here in Jindabyne and get to know her better.
Annie licked her lips in a nervous gesture. Roy drew back, surprised at the feelings that flashed through his mind. She excited him, but a need to protect her from throwing away her future swamped his desire.
He slid his fingers down her arm and clasped her hands in his. ‘This is a ridiculous way to get to know each other, Annie.’ He gestured to the illuminated lakeside walk, ‘Let’s get away from here and take these stupid masks off.’
‘No—’ she gestured to the dance floor— ‘I’ve eaten, and—’ she looked at his empty plate— ‘you’ve finished. Let’s dance instead.’
***
Her right hand nestled in his. Strong, tanned fingers and a soft palm warmed her skin. His left hand rested on her back. Fingers tangled and moved in her hair.
This man made her senses come alive. She was aware of everything about him, his smell, his touch, his breath on her forehead. She had no right to feel these emotions, it was disloyal to Sunil and her plans for the future.
She pushed the guilt away. Today, she was keeping a promise to her friends—to relax, forget, and enjoy, just for one night. It had nothing to do with love, or romance.
She raised her face, and their eyes met through the slits on their masks.
Roy drew her close and rested his head on her hair. ‘Annie,’ he whispered into her ear, ‘you’re Australian, you don’t need an arranged marriage with a man you hardly know. Change your plans. Stay here and find a man you can love.’
She moved away and looked up at him. ‘Where do you recommend I start looking for this man in the commitment averse professional crowd I move in?’
The corners of his mouth twitched. ‘You might start by moving to Jindabyne. I hear there’s a vacancy for a nurse in the new Medical Clinic.’
What the heck, she was with this man for tonight only, a little flirtation was harmless.
‘So, you think there are desperate mountain men here in the Snowies, looking for a subcontinental city bride?’
The smile grew to a generous chuckle. ‘I am sure they could be located and lined up for you.’
‘Would you be in the line-up?’
The chuckle turned to a full-bodied laugh. ‘I’ll be first in line.’
Roy pulled her closer. Every nerve fibre of her body quivered with energy at contact with his lean muscled body.
The tempo of the music changed. Annie drew back. ‘Jive, how quaint. I learned to jive when I was a teenager.’
They danced the jive and cha-cha, even daring to do the samba when most of the other couples gave up.
Finally, exhausted, they collapsed in their chairs. Roy snagged a couple of flutes of champagne from a passing waiter.
Annie glanced at her watch. ‘It’s past one o’clock. Time to get back to the apartment.’
His fingers curled on her elbow when she stood up. ‘I’ll walk with you. I’m in a room a couple of doors from yours.’
‘How? No, don’t tell me. Monica booked your room.’
‘Spot on, she’s one efficient lass.’
‘Also interfering, obstinate, a real pain sometimes.’ Annie paused. ‘But the most loyal of friends.’
Hand in hand, they walked across the grass to the resort accommodation. His thumb caressed her palm, stirring feelings she struggled to suppress.
She didn’t want tonight to end. But, it had to.
Tomorrow she would return to being the sensible professional.
She turned to him at the entrance to the apartment. ‘Good night, Roy. Thank you for taking on the job of entertaining me.’
Roy responded with a sweep of his cape and an exaggerated bow. ‘You are most welcome, my dear seductive cat-woman. But why should it end here? Have breakfast with me.’
Annie shook her head. ‘We’re planning to start back early tomorrow. Anyway,’ she continued with a l
augh, ‘I thought you were hired by Monica for a one-off assignment.’
Roy placed his arms on either side of her, palms flat on the wall, effectively trapping her. ‘I was thinking of breakfast in bed. An extension of tonight’s assignment.’ He moved closer. She could feel the heat from his body as if it were her own.
‘You mean—are you suggesting—’
‘Yes, I am. Come with me, Annie. We can spend a few hours in my room, followed by a leisurely breakfast in bed.’ He moved closer to her. ‘Let me give you a taste of what you would be missing if you marry Sunil,’ he breathed in her ear.
‘No, Roy, I can’t—I won’t do it.’
‘Are you even tempted?’
‘Of course, I am tempted.’ Annie tried to push out of his arms. ‘But I am also aware of the stupidity of acting on impulsive desires.’
‘So, you think what you feel is impulsive. Well, let me give you something more concrete to remember, to take back to your arranged marriage.’
His lips were hard and then soft. Demanding and coaxing. She opened her mouth to him. Her arms moved around him of their own volition.
His fingers caressed her neck, and drifted down over her body, drawing her to him, into him.
His fingers came to rest on her mask. ‘Come with me.’
‘No.’
She felt branded by his kiss. ‘Perhaps you’ll think about this, on your loveless marriage bed,’ he spoke against her lips.
‘Please—’ she pulled away— ‘We—I can’t do this.’
He dropped his arms with a muttered curse.
Fighting the urge to throw her arms around him, she turned and fumbled with the door knob.
Fingers fluttered down her back, firing her nerve endings. His words were a whisper on the nape of her neck. ‘This is not goodbye, Annie.’
Chapter 3
December 2009, Colombo, Sri Lanka
The rays of the sun setting over the Indian Ocean slanted through the full length glass windows of Sunil’s fifth floor apartment. It lit the room with a rich, golden glow and glinted off the slim gold watch at the cuff of his pale blue raw silk shirt.
Snowy Summer Page 2