by Ann Lister
“Lana…”
“I’ll be at the lounge tonight at seven o’clock. If you’re interested in joining me, great. If not, don’t worry about it,” Lana said. She stood up from the chair and looked at Nick. “It was nice to meet you and I hope to see you later.”
A few minutes passed and Glen returned to his chair and sat back down. “So? Did she ask you out?”
“You’re an ass,” Nick said with disgust. “Why would you put her up to that?”
Glen chuckled. “It was her idea! She saw me talking to you yesterday and expressed an interest. All I did was help her to break the ice, but judging by your reaction, I’m guessing you turned her down?”
“She asked but I didn’t give her a definitive answer,” Nick said.
“Why not? Didn’t you get a good look at her?”
“Yeah. She’s okay, but I’m not interested in dating anyone right now.”
“Neither is she! Didn’t she make that clear?”
Nick turned to face Glen. “She got her point across.”
“Then, what’s the problem?” Glen asked Nick with irritation.
“I don’t have a fucking problem!” Nick said in anger. He stood up and dropped the dark glasses back onto the bridge of his nose and left the deck.
Nick returned to work and considered Lana’s invitation all afternoon. There was a time not so long ago, when he wouldn’t have needed time to think about an offer like Lana’s, but things were different now - he was different. Colby may no longer be in his life but she sure as hell remained in his heart. It was hard to think of being with other women when all he could think about was being with Colby.
Nick decided to meet Lana at the lodge, but did so with great reluctance. He found her sitting at the bar sipping something from a shot glass. He stood beside her and nodded at the bartender, ordering a bottle of beer. When his eyes finally met Lana’s, she was staring at him, a sly smile stretching her full lips.
She was wearing a short, black skirt with knee-high leather boots and a tight, scoop-neck sweater that partially exposed an impressive pair of breasts that Nick guessed were fake. She wore a little more make-up than Nick preferred to see on women, but she definitely knew how to accent her assets.
“I’m glad to see you changed your mind,” Lana said, eying Nick’s physique as he rested his elbows on the bar, his backside pointing outward.
“I came to apologize for acting like an ass earlier,” he said, drinking from his beer bottle.
Lana nodded and touched him on the forearm, squeezing lightly. “Don’t worry about it. I understand. You’re recovering from being dumped,” she said. “We’ve all been there at one point, Nick, but I’m pretty sure I could help you forget her.”
Nick noticed the wicked glint in her blue eyes and turned away. “I bet.”
“How long has it been?” Lana asked. She finished her drink and ordered another.
“Almost two months,” he said. “I’m guessing that’s why Glen put you up to having pity sex with me?”
Lana tipped her head. “You hardly look like a guy needing pity sex.”
“Okay, then why me?” Nick asked. “You’ve already met Glen. Why not him?”
Lana set her drink down on the bar and faced Nick. “Do you really want to know why I wanted to meet you?”
“Sure,” he said, setting his back to the bar; his elbows resting on top of the smooth wooden surface.
“There was something I saw in your eyes that told me you’d be wild between the sheets,” Lana said smoothly; leaning closer to him. “Nothing against Glen, but I didn’t get the same vibe from him.”
“Everyone has a wild side,” Nick said. He turned on one elbow to face her. “It all depends on whether or not they feel inspired to tap into it.”
“Were you inspired to show your girlfriend your wild side, Nick?”
“Many times, but I got lucky, because she had a wild side, too,” he smiled at the memory.
“Sounds like a match made in heaven,” Lana said.
“Obviously not, because she’s not here, is she?”
Lana set her hand against Nick’s chest, then slowly ran her fingers down onto his stomach. “Do you think I could inspire you to reveal your wild side?” she asked.
Nick signaled the bartender for another beer. “Don’t know.”
“I bet I could,” she said. Her hand moved around his rib cage and gently pulled him forward.
“How old are you, Lana?” Nick asked.
“I’m legal, beyond that, does it really matter?”
“Yes.”
“Twenty-five,” she said.
Nick closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. “I’m a little older than that,” he said, his thirty-six years suddenly making him feel ancient.
“Does that bother you?” she asked.
He shook his head, wondering why he was even having this particular conversation with her and thinking it was time he create an excuse to leave. “I’m not sure,” he said, making eye contact with her. “Listen, now that I've officially apologized, I should probably finish this beer and get going.”
“Stay and have dinner with me, Nick. You’re fun to talk to,” she said. She touched his chest again. “You could fill me in on the resort staff and let me know which guys I shouldn’t waste my time on or if any of the women are worth making friends with.”
Nick laughed at her comment.
“How long have you worked here, Nick?”
“Twelve years.”
“Good, then you know who the fun guys are and who I should stay away from, right?”
“I don’t know anything about their ‘wild side’ - if that’s what you’re really asking,” Nick said.
“How about the bartender?” Lana asked.
“Which one?”
“The dark-haired guy at the other end,” Lana said.
Nick turned his head and glanced toward the opposite end of the bar. “His name is Rex, but that might be a nickname. I’m not sure.”
“Is he sane?”
“Far as I know,” he said.
“Married?”
“I don’t believe so. You’d probably like him. He’s quite a partier.”
“Booze and drugs aren’t my idea of a party,” she said. She scanned Rex’s body behind the bar. “See the way he stands and moves?”
“What about it?” Nick asked. His eyes went back to the bartender.
“His body language screams: I have a dick and I’m not afraid to use it and more importantly, I know how to use it. That’s why I know Rex would be fun,” she said. Her eyes returned to Nick. “In case you’re wondering, your stance is telling me the same thing.”
Nick reached for his beer bottle and raised it to his mouth. “You know, men can be just as perceptive about women.”
“If that’s the case, then what are you sensing about me?”
Nick quickly studied her form sitting on the bar stool and smiled. “I’m sensing beneath that skirt and sweater, you’re completely naked.”
Lana raised her eye brows and smirked. “Close.”
“Okay. Thong, but no bra.”
“That’s right. What about my body language? Does that tell you anything?”
Nick laughed heartily. “You really don’t want me to answer that question.”
“Why not? Do you think you’re going to offend me?”
“Probably not.”
Nick accepted Lana’s suggestion to stay for dinner. Their conversation never drifted from the topic of sex and became more heated by the minute. After dinner, Lana pulled Nick outside into a darkened area on the deck and pressed him against the railing. Her hands slipped beneath his coat and wrapped around his waist, quickly tugging him to her.
“Lana…”
“No more talking,” she said. Her lips parted and connected with his.
Nick felt himself respond and opened his mouth, curious to see if he’d feel the heat she had predicted would flame between them. As soon as he eased his tongue inside h
er mouth, she was ready. And, even though his body ached for a woman’s touch, he couldn’t do it. He gently pushed her away.
“Why don’t we take this back to my room and finish what we started?” Lana said, and tried to kiss him again.
“I can’t,” he said, and put even more space between them. “I have to work early tomorrow and I suspect if I go with you, there won’t be any sleeping, and I really need to be alert for my job.”
Lana slid her hand across Nick’s thigh and gripped the erection through the fabric of his pants. “Are you really going to let something this big go to waste?”
Nick stepped away from Lana. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Nick…”
“I appreciate your offer, but I really need to get some sleep,” he said.
Nick flashed a weak smile to her and waved, then turned to make his way off the deck. He was uncertain if walking away was the right thing. The male parts of him wanted to see how things played out with Lana, but his heart was still so full of Colby it hurt.
The next day at lunch, Nick decided to take advantage of the bright sunshine and eat out on the lodge deck. As he climbed the stairs, he spotted Lana sitting by herself reading a book. His first thought was to pass her by and continue inside to grab a sandwich, but he still held a certain amount of regret for leaving her on the deck the previous night and felt the need to apologize, once again, for his actions.
“Hi,” he said, stopping beside Lana’s table.
A smile quickly formed on her face at the sight of him. “Did you sleep well last night?” she asked. Her eyes canvassed his body.
He nodded and pulled out a chair. “Mind if I sit?”
“Not at all.”
Nick adjusted himself in the chair and leaned toward Lana. “I’m sorry about last night.”
“Don’t be,” she shrugged. “I told you, I understand. When you’re ready to climb back on the horse, you let me know. I’d love to be one you mount.”
“You’re very blunt,” he smiled.
“I’m honest,” she said. “Anything less is a waste of time.”
“Good point,” he said.
Lana shut her book and inched her chair closer to Nick. “I’m not looking to fall in love, Nick. I just want to have a little…”
“Fun,” he said, finishing her thought. “You explained that to me last night.”
“If your kiss was a sample of your wild side, Nick, I’m anxious to see it fully exposed. I don’t think either of us will be disappointed,” she said against his lips. “Are you at all interested in exploring that further?”
Nick placed his hand on top of hers on the table. “I’m intrigued,” he said. “Do you have plans tonight?”
“Are you working tomorrow?” she asked.
“No.”
“Good, because I can guarantee there won’t be much time for sleeping and I wouldn’t want you falling asleep on the job.”
Nick smiled at her lazily. “I’m going to run inside and get something to eat. Will you still be here when I come back?”
“I’ll make a point of it.”
Nick began to slide his chair away from the table to stand, but Lana stopped his retreat. She reached forward and latched onto his coat and pulled him down to her mouth again. He stumbled toward her, balancing himself on the table with his hands, and opened his mouth for her.
“Don’t be long,” Lana said, releasing his mouth and her grip on his coat.
Colby slipped on her winter coat in preparation of strolling the grounds around the main lodge of the resort. She had the weekend to enjoy before she was expected to begin her new job and the weather was perfect for a walk. The closer she came to the main lodge, the more crowded it became. The place was mobbed with ski enthusiasts and tourists, making it difficult for Colby to maneuver on the pathways without bumping into people. Every man she saw resembling Nick, caused her heart to race a bit faster.
As she came around the corner of the lodge, she spotted the medical building in the distance. She wondered if Nick was working today and briefly thought about walking to the building to see for herself, but changed her mind. The knot in her stomach told her it was too soon to see him. Instead of taking the pathway to the triage unit, she climbed the stairs to the deck surrounding the lodge. Her eyes darted around the expanse of tables and guests, eating and drinking. The deck was so overcrowded, there was hardly a place to stand, let alone sit.
A man bending over and kissing a dark-haired woman caught her eye, causing her to stop briefly and focus. His body seemed familiar to her and he had the same walnut shade of hair as Nick, and also wore the same recognizable red EMT coat, but she couldn’t see his face. She held her breath and waited until the man broke the lip-lock he had on the brunette. When he finally stood up, Colby could clearly see his face. It was Nick and he was moving toward the door to the lodge.
Colby felt a sharp pain in her chest and began to push her way through the sea of standing people, trying to get to the lodge door before Nick did and praying he wouldn’t see her in the process.
“Please, move!” Colby yelled, trying to clear a path for herself. “Move!”
After shoving two teenage girls aside, Colby came face to face with a heavy-set woman standing in place like a brick wall. Colby pushed but, the woman didn't budge. She bounced off the woman and crashed to the deck in a heap.
“Are you all right?” a familiar voice asked her. He attempted to slide his hands beneath her arms and lift her.
Colby pulled away from the man. She didn’t need to see his face to know it was Nick. She’d recognize the soft texture of his voice anywhere.
“I’m fine,” she said, brushing off her pants.
Nick froze. The tone of her voice raised the hair on the back of his neck. “Colby.”
Emotion filled her eyes. “I said I was fine. You can let go of me now.” She jerked her body from his grasp. Her eyes made contact with his for nothing more than a few fleeting seconds before she started to step away. Nick quickly reached for her arm again.
“Colby,” he said a second time, almost as if he needed to hear the name again to make her real.
Colby stopped moving and turned to him. Her hands wiped at the tears on her cheeks.
“What are you doing here?” he finally managed to ask.
“I took your advice and quit my job.”
“I know.”
“How could you possibly know that?” she asked.
“In an attempt to track you down, I called the company you used to work for and the secretary told me you were no longer employed with them.”
“You tried to contact me?”
“Of course I did,” he said. “But you could’ve made it a lot easier for me, had you bothered to leave your phone number,” he said.
“I did!”
“What’d you mean?”
“I couldn’t wait for you to return that day, so I left you a note with all my contact information on it. I gave the letter to Nancy and asked her to make sure you got it.”
Nick ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry, Colby. I never got that letter. I sure wish I had, because it would have explained a lot.” He slid his hand beneath her elbow and directed her out of the line of foot traffic heading inside the lodge. “Colby, we need to talk.”
“What’s the point?” she asked. Having seen it with her own eyes, it was obvious he had already moved on with someone new.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.
Colby shook her head in frustration. Being this close to him again was effecting her in so many ways, but she couldn’t erase the image in her head of him kissing the brunette moments earlier.
Nick studied her face. He wanted to embrace her but her hostile tone was confusing him.
“You shouldn’t keep your girlfriend waiting, Nick,” she finally said, attempting to move away from him.
“Girlfriend?” He reached for her again.
“She would be the girl I just saw you kiss
ing,” Colby said.
Nick dropped his gaze to his feet. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Well, I doubt you’d be kissing a relative like that,” she sniffed.
“Colby…”
“It’s okay. You’ve moved on. I’m happy for you,” she said, and looked away from the intensity of his brown eyes. “I have to go.”
“Colby, have dinner with me tonight.”
“I already have plans and, by the looks of it, you do, too.”
“I don’t,” he lied. “And, I really think we need to talk.”
“There’s nothing more that needs to be said.”
“And, I respectfully disagree,” he said. He attempted to pull her closer and she pushed him away. “How long are you here?”
“Six months.”
“Really? I assumed you were visiting again.”
“I accepted a job here, but I’m beginning to think that was a huge mistake.”
“Seeing me again feels like a mistake?” he asked with sadness. The anger and emotion pouring from her blue eyes was killing him.
“Would it bother you to see me with my tongue shoved down another man’s throat?”
“Colby…”
“At least the resort is big enough that we hopefully won’t have to see each other very often. I’ll do my best to stay out of your way.”
Colby turned quickly and stepped into the moving crowd, grateful and sad to be away from him.
Nick cursed loudly and returned to the table where Lana was waiting.
“Let me guess,” Lana said. “Your old girlfriend has returned.”
“Good guess.”
Lana closed her book and stood up. “Well, if it doesn’t work out with her, my offer still stands,” she smiled. “I should get back to work.”
Nick returned to the medical building and went to Nancy’s desk.
“Did Colby Hansen leave a note with you to give me?” he asked. He was doing his best to keep the anger from his voice.
“Who’s Colby Hansen?” Nancy asked.
Nick began to shuffle the files around on top of Nancy’s desk. “She’s the woman I was stuck in the cabin with during that blizzard a couple of months back. She was the blond with the sprained ankle.”