“We’ve never done it before, but yeah,” I admit with a nod. “This was my idea, so, if your answer is ‘yes,’ I’m going out with you first. Now, there’s a nice bar over in Falasarna, called the ‘Blue Owl.’ It’s a couple hundred yards from the beach. I’ll be there waiting for you tomorrow night at nine. Thanks again. Have a good night.”
Finishing my sentence, I lean in and lay a soft kiss on her cheek. I brush past her, leaving a shocked Stacy in absolute silence. I do consider staying for a few more minutes; I need an answer. Yet, it’s a notion I quickly reject. My question is not what I’d call “ordinary,” As a matter of fact; it may be the weirdest thing I’ve ever asked anybody. Stacy needs these twenty-four hours to decide. Furthermore, even if she did accept right there and then, neither of us was in a condition to go out. I can feel salt sticking to my skin, and shorts and a sleeveless tee are not suited for a date. So, I drive off, in the hope that she and I will see each other again very soon.
19
Stacy
By the time I set off into the night, my head is spinning, my eyes are heavy, and the stiffness in my limbs is killing me. Under normal circumstances, I would search for a hotel. It wouldn’t have to be anything extravagant: a bed and a bath would do just fine. I need to rest my aching bones. Unfortunately, however, these are not normal circumstances. Ray’s proposal has made my heart race in my chest, for more reasons than I can count. I feel flattered; three, hunky men want to keep on dating me, even though I hadn’t been completely honest with them. On the contrary, I had lied to them, over and over again. On the night I went out with Dean, I lost count of all the lies I fed him. It’s incredible, but they are all prepared to put them behind and have some more fun with me.
Or are they? Michael, Ray, and Dean are young men. Their blood is boiling. Their testosterone often takes charge, and it’s safe to assume that they sometimes think with their dicks. And this is what complicates things, making me doubt whether I could handle this situation or not. What if one of them gets jealous? What happens if I accept this crazy proposal, and somewhere along the way, one of them changes his mind? Well, the answer is easy. The trio would turn on one another, and I would be in the middle of it. I don’t know if such an argument would actually break them apart, but I don’t want to find out. They have given me some amazing memories, moments that I will remember for years to come. Is coming between them a proper way of saying “thank you”? No. It’s probably the worst thing I can do to them.
Five minutes before I drive back into Falasarna, my cell phone buzzes with an incoming text from Emily.
“We’ve lit a fire at the main beach. You can’t miss it. We’re waiting for you.”
My friend’s message gives me a reason to smile. I’m not in the mood to go anywhere loud or crowded for that matter. I need someplace quiet, where I can collect my thoughts, and talk to her and Karlie. And, once I gaze out at the horizon, it dawns on me that the night is ideal for just that. The half-moon casts its lush light down on the sea, the broad, glimmering patch of water sending a feeling of tranquility into my heart. A mild breeze sends ripples across the surface as a seagull’s call shatters the silence. With my gaze on the sea, I stroll onto the beach. My flip-flops brush pebbles and stones alike while I recall the feeling I had when Emily and I set foot on Crete. It was a mixture of excitement and anticipation of what might lie ahead. And although I can’t complain about my adventures so far, I wasn’t prepared for the mess they have resulted in at the present time.
The bonfire that Emily mentioned quickly draws my attention. Short flames are flickering in the distance, the surf audible over my friend’s hearty laughter. This sound intrigues me. She has been rather moody these past few days, mostly because she disagreed with my choices. Still, when I close in, I discover that the grumpy Emily is nothing more than a bad memory. She is talking to Karlie, gesturing towards the sea, with a grin painted on her face.
“Hey, girls,” I wave at them, moving around Karlie. “I’m glad to see one of us is in a good mood.”
“Hey, look who’s here!” Emily cheers, gesturing towards me this time. “It’s our best friend, fresh back from her trip to the south, where she probably got laid, too!”
“No such luck,” I sigh, seating myself on the sand. “Things almost got out of hand down there.”
“Go on,” Emily encourages, resting her elbows on her knees.
“You go first,” I say, curious about the change in her attitude. “My story’s a little more complicated than you might think.”
“Karlie, do the honors, please,” Emily requests, her smile narrowing, her tone much more serious.
“Right after you left, Emily and I went for a swim,” Karlie begins, crossing her arms over her chest. “Everything was just wonderful. The water was warm; there wasn’t too much noise on the beach. But, at some point, our friend here got carried away by the current. At first, I thought it was one of her bad jokes, but she started screaming. I tried to swim over to her, but I couldn’t. The current was too strong. I’d lost all hope up until someone swam past me.”
“Actually, he whooshed past you,” Emily corrects her, her smile widening once more.
“Indeed,” Karlie affirms. “He was very fast. She was about a hundred yards away from me, and he got to her in seconds. She was, uh…” She draws in a sharp breath. “Unconscious when he pulled her out of the water. However, our stranger was much more than a fast swimmer. You see, he knew CPR.”
“Thank God,” Emily sighs, averting her gaze from her to look at me. “He’s pretty hot, too. I just got back from a date with him.”
“So, that’s why you’re in a good mood,” I conclude, a big smile bursting upon my lips. “You had sex.”
“Nope,” she announces with smugness. “We just kissed. That’s it. Unlike some people I know, I don’t put out on the first date. It was pretty damn hard, though. Darryl is just gorgeous.”
“He’s American?” I squint down at her, somewhat surprised.
“Born and raised in L.A.” Emily replies, putting some force in her voice. “He’s a water polo player. I’m seeing him again tomorrow night. He’s bringing a friend over for Karlie, too.”
“Good for you,” I comment, shaking my head in satisfaction. “Well, my night didn’t turn out as I’d hoped. I swum around with Ray, we kissed a bit because we knew she was watching, but his plan didn’t work. His ex didn’t take the bait. She tried to smack him across the face and even threatened him. Then, she got into her…” I pause. “Huge Mercedes and took off.”
“She threatened him?” Karlie’s surprise sends her voice up an octave. “What’s her name again?”
“Laura Harrison,” I groan, the scene of our meeting replaying in my mind. “She runs ‘Webstar,’ a software development company.”
“I read an article about ‘Webstar’ in ‘Forbes’ last week,” Karlie adds, the leaping flames reflecting in her big, hazel eyes. “They’re the third fastest-growing company in the field.”
“Yeah, I got a taste of how rich she is tonight,” I mutter under my breath, bringing my legs to my chest. “She owns a two-hundred thousand dollar Benz. I’d kill to get my hands on that baby.”
“What happened next?” Emily asks, tossing a small twig into the fire.
“Oh, my God…” I breathe a deep sigh, peering skyward. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but…” I press my lips together. “Ray said they want to keep on dating me.”
“Excuse me?” Emily squeals, her gaze shooting up to meet mine.
“That’s…” Karlie gives a snort of mockery. “That’s very peculiar, to say the least.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I reply, speaking my mind and clenching my jaw. “He gave me twenty-four hours to decide.”
“You’re considering this?” Emily inquires, a scowl spreading over her face. I keep my silence, shifting my gaze away from her and back to the sea. Still, this only aggravates her more. “Are you out of your freaking mind?” she yells
, her eyes widening. “Okay, screw the moral part. We don’t know anything about them. How do you know this isn’t some sort of trick to hurt you somehow?”
“I beg to differ,” Karlie disagrees, maintaining the usual calmness in her voice. “I did a little research on them this morning. Michael is the head of the IT department in a small-time security company. Ray runs his own real estate agency. It isn’t that big yet, but it shows a lot of potential. Dean is a chef at ‘Carlo’s,’ an Italian restaurant in Manhattan. He even won the ‘Chef of the Month’ award in March.”
“Thanks a lot for the info,” I nod in appreciation. “It’s not that useful, though. We’re talking about men here, you guys: men and their huge egos. I have no problem dating them, but can you imagine what’s going to happen if they get jealous of one another?”
“I’d say ‘a catastrophe,’ but those three aren’t exactly ordinary men, are they?” Karlie wonders. “You said it yourself the other day. They’re very tight. When I saw them approaching you yesterday, I thought they would be covered in bruises. I mean, they had just discovered they had all had sex with the same woman. Did you see anything like that? Because: I didn’t.”
“Neither did I,” I whisper, running my hand through my hair. “You have no idea how much I want to believe you, Karlie.”
“Then do it,” she suggests, winking at me.
“Tell me I didn’t see that,” Emily urges her in a voice riddle with anger. “The computer geek just told Stacy to go wild with three guys? Am I having a bad dream here?”
“The computer geek realized how short life is after her breakup with Tom,” Karlie’s voice becoming firmer in tone, turning her attention to Emily. “Those three seem like good people to me, so, why not?”
I have a very good idea where this debate is going. Two or three more statements later, an argument is going to follow. Therefore, I choose not to fuel it any further. After all, I know where my friends stand. There’s no point in repeating anything that has been said already. And I have to admit that Karlie’s point sounds much more appealing than Emily’s take on the situation. It makes perfect sense. I’m not dealing with criminals of any sort. I’m dealing with everyday people. Mainly though, I like it better because it allows me to savor Michael, Ray, and Dean, the most scrumptious men I have ever met.
20
Ray
Naturally, Stacy’s decision shouldn’t worry me. It’s August, I’m in Crete, and the island is packed with thousands of sexy tourists. Still, Stacy is more than just another tourist. She may be wild, but agreeing to help me out with Laura revealed another side of her. Most women in her shoes would have stood me up, and they would be right to do so. We had let her off the hook; she had escaped a weird situation with her dignity intact. She had no motive to assist me, and yet, she did. What’s more, I could tell that she actually enjoyed participating in my little scheme. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have jumped onto me in the water.
I’m so anxious about her decision that I arrive at our rendezvous point almost twenty minutes early. The terrace at the “Blue Owl” café offers a clear, unobstructed view of the entire Falasarna bay. Turquoise waters, a handful of fishing boats and a large yacht comprise the scene that greets me. The indigo colors of the sunset are slowly giving their place to the darkness of the night. Bob Marley’s “Buffalo Soldier” is playing from the speakers, but not even one of my most favorite artists is capable of relieving my tension. I check my watch and sip some beer, in an attempt to calm my jangling nerves.
“You shouldn’t have started without me.” The soft whisper in my ears brings me back to reality. Stacy’s feminine figure fills my view as I whip my head around. She’s standing right behind me, in a strapless, knee-long, blue dress. Lost in my thoughts, I failed to hear her coming. “How long have you been here?”
“Long enough to need a beer,” I respond, gesturing her towards the seat beside me. “Thanks for coming over.”
“Thank me?” she points at herself, sitting down. “You’re the one who drove here from halfway across the island. So, did you straighten things out with your ex?”
“No, and I’d rather not talk about it,” I state, a touch of discomfort in my tone. “I came here to see you. Have you thought about what I told you last night?”
“I have,” Stacy says with a nod, her face tightening. “It’s weird; it’s very weird. Are you sure your friends don’t mind?”
“We’ve all agreed to break it off if someone starts to feel uncomfortable with it,” I state, intensifying my stare.
“Then I’m on board!” she retorts, leaning over towards me, her eyes glinting with excitement.
“Fantastic,” I praise, a wave of relief washing over me. “We’ll finally get to have a real date, not a quick…”
“Don’t say it,” Stacy interrupts, her voice dropping in volume. “Alright, it ended in disaster, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a good time.”
“Me too, but it could have been a hell of a lot much better,” I say, trying to use a more emphatic tone, and reaching over to take her hand in mine. “I mean, there I was, in the company of a beautiful, smart woman, surrounded by dozens of bars, taverns and fancy restaurants. The possibilities were endless.”
“Name one,” She dares, while her lips stay parted as if she wants me to kiss her.
“Well…” I tilt my head back and look up into the starry sky, tapping my index finger on my chin in mock skepticism. “My first choice would have been a Latin dance club. I really like Salsa. I’d keep my hands on your waist; watch you shake those sexy hips of yours with attitude. Then, I’d buy you a nice dinner, preferably Greek cuisine. They eat snails around here. Trust me; it’s a lot trickier than it looks. I’d love to see you try to eat one. Anyway, after that, I’d take you up to my suite and do everything I didn’t get a chance to do to you the other night.”
“I’m not sure about the snails, but everything else sounds just wonderful,” Stacy whispers once more, her warm breath tantalizing me. I slide my fingers up her forearm, my lips brushing hers. A second time has my heart racing in my chest. I taste her mouth, gently pulling her close. Stopping my hand at her cheek, I run my thumb across her cheekbone as she curves her arm around my shoulders. This time, there’s no haste in our kiss. Instead, there’s a tenderness that raises every fine hair in my body. If anything, it’s clear proof that whatever happened between us under that club was just the heat of the moment. When the tip of her tongue probes the seam of my mouth though, I realize that I have to put an end to this.
“Slow down there,” I whisper, leaning back. “You’re tempting me again.”
“Oh, really?” breathes Stacy, raising an eyebrow. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Oh, crap…” I huff in frustration, squeezing my eyes shut for a moment. Once I lay them on her face however, I’m in for a surprise. She’s pressing her lips together, a low snort escaping her. In a matter of seconds, she bursts out laughing, tearing her gaze away from mine.
“Oh, God…” she chuckles, lifting her hand up to her forehead. “I’m just messing with you.”
“Well played,” I praise, unable to stop smiling. “Hey, are there any decent dance clubs around here?”
“If by ‘dance clubs,’ you mean ‘salsa,’ I’m sorry to disappoint you, but no,” Stacy informs. “We’ll have to drive to Chania for that. Let’s save that for our next date.”
“Nah, why wait?” I shrug, arising to my 6’2” stature.
“Ray, you just drove a hundred-and-forty miles, and Chania is more than thirty miles away,” She adds, surprise written all over her face. “Come on. We’ll find something in the area.”
“It’d better be good,” I say, pulling her up from her seat. “I’ve seen enough drunken tourists to last me a lifetime.”
“That sounded like a complaint,” Stacy remarks as we start off towards the staircase that leads to the ground floor. “Where did the ‘laid back’ Ray go?”
“He’s right her
e,” I reply, wrapping my fingers around her hand. “Some things do get to me, especially when I see them happening too often.”
“You won’t have to worry about that with me,” she claims, walking down the stairs alongside me. “I’m not a big fan of alcohol. I only drink whenever I need to take my mind off something bad.”
“Yeah, alcohol can come in handy in such cases,” I agree as we step outside and onto the pavement. I catch a glimpse of three, large palm trees across the street, just before a low buzz fills my ears. I turn left and in the direction of the buzz, feeling her eyes on me.
“You just love noise, don’t you?” Stacy teases. “You walked right into it in Heraklion, and you’re doing the same thing here; how come?”
“Actually, I like being around people –,” I point out, throwing a quick glance down at her. “– happy, relaxed people, enjoying life.”
“That sounds strange coming from a man with your past,” she says, a hint of suspicion in her tone.
“Just because someone betrayed me once, doesn’t mean everyone is rotten,” I explain, spotting a row of bars on the left side of the road. “I still have faith in people.”
“I really like that about you,” Stacy confesses, admiration written all over her face. “This zest for life is actually something we have in common.”
“Yeah,” I let out a short giggle. “I figured that out when we did it under that club. Man, we were reckless that night.”
I find myself waiting for some kind of comeback; yet, I get none. We are just a few feet away from the nearest bar, when the acoustic guitar introduction of an old song resounds through the narrow neighborhood. It is Alannah Myles’s “Black Velvet,” I am intrigued, but it has a much more profound effect on Stacy. Her eyes sparkle with excitement for an instant, and then, she strides off ahead of me. I follow right behind her as she makes her way towards the interior of that place.
Filthy Desires: A Romantic Suspense Collection Page 12