by Joyce Jordan
He held her nape and tilted her head before giving her a deep kiss. “I’m glad you have never done what you just did to me with anyone before.”
“Well I’m glad you enjoyed it, but I’m sorry we can’t do more than that.”
“I know. Kelly was just at the door asking if you were still coming or wanted to cancel. I told her you were taking a shower and you would be right out.”
Rising on her toes, she kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“For what? I’m the one whose socks you just knocked off.” Gabe grinned at her. His face transformed making him look young and carefree.
“For understanding.”
Swatting her butt he told her he would change his mind if she didn’t remove temptation from him. She laughed and left the shower to Gabe. She wore her usual Hawaii vacation attire of swimsuit inside then shorts and t-shirt on top. She found her flip flops and went to find Kelly. They were running a few minutes late, so they called the couple from New York they had met a few days ago to let them know they were running late. The call rang until it went to voice mail. Ana left them a voice mail hoping they would check their messages and not wait thinking they had been stood up.
“Okay, what’s the plan?” Gabe came into the room looking all handsome and sexy. He was wearing shorts and a golf t-shirt which showed his muscular body. If Kelly’s wasn’t around, Ana thought she would seriously jump him and stay in bed all day long. What we do for our friends, she thought and shook her head.
Kelly realized her friend had lost all speech, ogling at her boyfriend, so stepped in to respond. “We are supposed to meet a couple we met a few days ago, for breakfast, then go shopping for souvenirs.”
“I hope you will allow me to join you for breakfast and then I can be on my way.”
“Leaving so soon?” Kelly teased him.
He laughed. “I was hoping to meet Stefano. Charming man I hear. But since he is gone, I’ll have to catch him another time.”
Ana snorted. Kelly did the same and said to him, “Right. You know you don’t need an excuse to come see your girlfriend? She has been having a hard time focusing on the vacation with you away. It’s like vacationing with a love sick puppy.”
“Kelly!” Ana blushed and screamed at her.
But Kelly didn’t even pay her any attention. She watched Gabe as he smiled hugely and walked over to Ana and gave her a smacking kiss.
“Ready ladies?” They gathered their beach bags to carry the souvenirs they hoped to buy and Gabe took his small carry on bag. They took the Jeep that Gabe had hired from the airport and made it twenty minutes later than their original scheduled meeting time. They chose an outside table at the café they were supposed to meet and ordered coffee. A few minutes later a call came through on Ana’s phone. She told Kelly the other couple couldn’t make it, something to do with some food they had eaten which had made them sick, so were staying couped indoors the rest of the day.
After breakfast Gabe took them shopping and insisted on paying. He told Ana he was just replacing some of the clothes he had torn off her body but had never gotten the chance to replace before today. When she relented, he took advantage and went overboard.
“Gabe, this is outrageous. Nobody can wear all this amount of clothing in their lifetime. Besides this carries way more value than what you destroyed.”
“Nonsense,” he said and pulled her into an embrace. When she tried to say something he kissed her and Ana quickly realized she wasn’t going to win this war. Not in public. But she refused to go into another store after that, but by then both she and Kelly had an enormous amount of expensive clothes to last them a long time. With not much of a social life in high society, they may never get to wear some of the clothes. He offered to take the packages with him so they wouldn’t have to worry about luggage on their way back. After lunch, he dropped them off at the market were they went in search of souvenirs and he drove to the airport where his jet was waiting.
Ana and Kelly found lots of exquisite items. They each bought something for their families and themselves. They found a wood carving they both liked and bought it for their apartment. It was almost four before they made their way to their hotel. Tired from the walking they agreed to hang out by the pool that evening and maybe go down to the beach if there was an exciting event scheduled. The beach was just a few yards away. The set up was that you couldn’t tell where the pool property ended and the beach began. It was an idyllic place, so much worth the delay and making it more than just a weekend getaway.
They snagged a couple of lounge chairs and didn’t leave until they went to change for dinner. There was a beach party and there was a buffet table filled with lots of scrumptious food by the pool. A section was filled with island food, most of it fruit, which neither Ana nor Kelly had ever seen before but tasted so good that they feasted on it.
“I sure hope we don’t get sick,” Kelly said to Ana, with juice running down her chin, “but it will be sure worth it,” she finished and used a napkin to wipe the running juice.
“I hope not, especially since I remember how it felt after we had eaten all that candy at the movies not so long back,” Ana replied picking another juicy temptation from her plate.
After their bodies were overloaded with fruit, they joined the beach party. They danced the rest of the night away and at some time met the New York couple sitting a little ways away. They were feeling a lot better and just needed to have some fresh air. They said their goodbyes and promised to try and have that breakfast in New York this time.
Sunday came too quickly. It was their last day and they decided not to leave their hotel premises. They took a walk along the beach that morning and passed by a few hotels close by. A few people were running and some already surfing. It was still nice and cool. As the morning wore on, the temperature increased by a couple of degrees. As they were having breakfast they both received text messages asking them if they still wanted the non-stop flight to New York they needed to call and confirm. When they originally booked, this flight had been full and they had been told there would be no hope of getting any cancellation. Apparently everybody prefered that flight and hardly did anyone cancel. Kelly quickly called the airline and they were switched from Monday’s flight that had a stop at LAX, to non-stop to New York. But the flight was for three twenty and they needed to get moving. They rushed to their suite and threw clothes in their suitcases. Dirty and clean clothes were mixed together but nobody cared, not at that moment at least. Toiletries were dumped inside too. They made sure they didn’t leave anything in the closets or under the beds, then rushed over to check out. The airport shuttle took them to the airport where they checked in hours before their flight and went to look for somewhere to eat lunch.
Eight
They arrived in New York just before seven the next morning. The flight had been long, but comfortable, in the spacious first class cabin. Since they hadn’t told Gabe their change of flight they would need to get a taxi to their apartment. He would probably be pissed, but it was broad daylight. Their agreement had been to call for a car if it was dark. The smell of New York greeted them as they walked out the airport doors looking for a cab. The change in temperature hit them and they wished they could have spent more time in the sun. They had managed to change into lounge pants and sweaters before the plane landed. Now they pulled their coats from the hand luggage bags and snuggled in. They wheeled their suitcases and found a cab easily. At this time of the morning, there were not many people arriving, but rather leaving.
Ana was hoping to surprise Gabe at his office later that morning. He wasn’t expecting her until early the next day. Their original flight was scheduled to leave Honolulu around noon and only get to New York on Tuesday at eight in he morning but with about a three hour stop at LAX. Despite the extra night they had lost in Hawaii, the nonstop flight was more than compensation.
They had fun, really enjoyed themselves, but it was good to be back home. Dropping everything inside the door, Ana fell on
to a couch and sighed.
“Tired?” Kelly said, not really asking, and dropped into another couch beside her.
“Thank God for direct flights, but it was brutal. My butt is a witness to that.”
Kelly laughed hilariously. “Mine too. And Thank God for first class. I’m not sure I ever want to fly coach again after that.”
Ana smiled at her. “Tell me about it.”
They talked about what to do the rest of the day. Officially they were still on vacation, and Kelly was only going back to work tomorrow evening. So they had two full days to themselves. Staying indoors for two full days was not an option, especially after the fabulous vacation they had just had. They needed to continue in that spirit. But there was never much to do on Mondays. They settled on an art showing they had previously thought they wouldn’t have been able to attend as it clashed with their vacation plans. That took care of the evening, but what about the rest of the day?
“You know there is always something interesting happening in Central Park? Why don’t we go and sit around? If that doesn’t work, we can always find places to browse around.” Kelly was excited and Ana agreed that it sounded like a plan. They hadn’t been in New York that long to become jaded with some of the places New Yorkers took for granted.
Ana asked Kelly if she was okay with inviting Gabe to the art show. Since this was technically their vacation time, no men allowed, she didn’t want to make her friend feel like a third wheel. Kelly agreed but suggested they make it all mysterious and see if he showed up.
“You are a fucking genius Kelly.” Ana smiled broadly and clapped her hands excitedly. “How do you propose we do that?”
They went through different options until they found one they agreed would probably work. Hopefully he didn’t have other engagements in mind. Ana called his assistant Andrea to find out. She asked that he didn’t alert Gabe that she was in town and would need her assistance. Andrea was all for it and made sure she put the event on his calender and would remind him and pretend it had been there for a while. She would think of something to make sure he would show up, even if for a few minutes, then the rest would be up to Ana and Kelly.
“We should probably dump our clothes into the washer before we leave. Everything is now all mixed up.” Ana went and pulled her suitcase then she started sorting the clothes. When Kelly had sorted hers too, they dumped the dark colors first and left the other piles next to the washer. Everything else was emptied from the bags, then they left their apartment. They stopped for coffee at their favorite pastry shop. Talk centered around Hawaii and would probably continue for a while.
Next they found a printing and photocopying shop and convinced one of the cute guys to print the invitation they needed to send to Gabe. They chose a beautiful shiny white hard paper that had some intricate design on it. By the time they saw the finished product, it was all nice and official looking. They even got the envelope to match, but stuck it in a photo envelope so as to keep it nice and straight. Finally they paid and left with the cute guy blushing as Kelly blew him kisses at the door.
Andrea sent someone to pick up the package a few doors down from Boyd Industries. It was an intern that she said was working for them for the next year or two. With instructions not to bend the envelope and make sure he placed it in Andrea’s hands they relinquished the package before taking a taxi to Central Park.
They were in luck as they found a group of musicians performing. The sun was trying to come out every now and then. It brought much needed warmth to the day and made it possible for people to sit and watch the free show for a while. They found a bench that a couple had just left as they were walking around trying to find a perfect spot.
Andrea called with news. She had managed to convince him not to ditch the show, especially after he had RSVP’d accepting several weeks ago. But it had been a close call and only worked when she had hinted how the artist was one of Ana’s favorite’s. Maybe he could find something she would like. Sucker, was what Kelly said to Ana when they hung up.
Fortunately this was an early show, so Ana didn’t feel guilty about not using one of Gabe’s cars. They got back home at three and took their time to get ready. The art show, cocktail event, was for five thirty and they called a cab ahead of time to pick them up at five. They didn’t want to have to fight with everyone else, hailing a cab at rush hour.
They both wore LBD’s with to die for heels. Little black dresses. The boots made walking treacherous, but this was supposed to be just for a maximum of two hours, and would probably involve more standing that walking. They had made dinner reservations for seven a couple of doors down. Ana hoped she wouldn’t fall flat on her face.
They both stuck their cellphones in their little clutch purses and when it was five, they got downstairs and they found that their taxi had arrived. Fortunately the night had a warmth to it. They would avoid freezing their asses off during the slow short walk from the art show to the restaurant. There was no way they would be walking fast in these heels. What women do for fashion. And for men.
They scouted to make sure Gabe wasn’t outside when they exited the cab. Quickly rushing in they found a spot to stand and watch the door while not being seen from the door.
Gabe arrived not more than fifteen minutes later, the exact time Andrea had told him he needed to be there. He was all scowls and checking his wrist watch, probably gauging how many minutes he would stay. When he got deeper into the room, Ana sidled up to him and made a comment on the painting about the brush strokes as if she were an art critic.
Hands that had been in his pockets were suddenly holding Ana’s head before she received a ‘not for public kiss’. It was Kelly’s clearing of the throat that broke them apart.
“Jesus. Can you two behave in public? Are you trying to steal the show?”
Laughing Ana poked Gabe saying, “He attacked me.”
“I had to make sure it wasn’t a vision I was seeing.” He grabbed Ana’s hand and locked her fingers with his. “Hi Kelly. I thought you were arriving tomorrow?” It was more of a question than a statement.
They explained what had happened and how they didn’t tell him because they wanted to surprise him. Not that he needed to know the surprise only came after they had landed. They did their rounds on the paintings and a few art pieces that were thrown around the center of the room.
Gabe laughed when they told him he would need to cancel any dinner engagements he may have made because they were kidnapping him for the evening. Delighted he told them he didn’t have any, but nothing would have dragged him from their company anyway.
Their table was tucked away in a corner with not much foot traffic, making conversation easy and flowing without interruptions. They hogged the table for three hours and Ana was sure they weren’t asked to vacate to make way for other diners, due to Gabe. They moved to an English pub another few doors down and played pool. They convinced Gabe that since they were just a couple of chicks who really didn’t know much about the game, they should play two against one. They played on the male ego and he was quick to dismiss any chance that they were playing him.
Gabe offered the ladies the first shot. They both chose inapropriate sticks and when Gabe tried to help them out, they accused him of trying to win by cheating and giving them false advice. Kelly took the first shot by breaking the balls, and when Gabe tried to help her with her stance, both girls again accused him of false advise. He held his hands in surrender and stepped back. Not her best shot, but she managed to get a couple of shots in. Ana went next and totally missed the ball. They both laughed with Kelly and Gabe couldn’t help but hide his smile. He made a few shots but they saw that he was holding himself back. They called him out on it and he said he didn’t think it was a fair game.
“How about we sweeten the pot?” Kelly said before her next shot. Her words were slurring a little.
Gabe looked uneasy but asked anyway, “How?”
“A slight wager,” was Kelly’s response.
“
A gentleman never takes money from ladies.”
“Are you afraid of a little competition Gabe? Of losing some of those billions?” Kelly came back to him.
“No. It’s just that…” He swallowed trying to find the appropriate words that wouldn’t earn him another accusatory finger pointed in his direction.
“Chicken. Afraid of two little girls.” Ana joined in and smirked at him.
“Ladies, look at the table. Most of your balls are still on the table. You are both using the wrong sticks for your size and heights.”
“If you think you really can beat us, then put your money where your mouth is. I say we bet one hundred dollars each. Maybe two hundred. What do you think Kelly?”
As they debated over the amount to bet, Gabe looked at them and was wondering how he got into this mess. When his phone rang, they left him to answer while they went to the bathroom. Strategy time. They took their time and tried to sober up a bit. They saw Rafe walking in as they walked out of the ladies room.
“Ladies, how was your vacation?” Rafe greeted them when they met back at the pool table where Gabe was nursing his beer.
“Great. Nice to see you Rafe.” Ana said and hugged him.
“You play pool Rafe?” Kelly asked him.
“A little. Not that good at it.” Rafe replied.
“Well, your friend here thinks he can beat us but refuses to put his mouth where his money is,” Kelly said while looking at Gabe.