Wrong Place Wrong Time

by David P Perlmutter

  "Me?" I said. "Never!" And with that, her lips were on mine, her arms were wrapped around my neck, and she was pulling me onto the bed. Judging by the way her back was arching and the way she was thrusting her hips towards my hand, she was more than ready for me. Our clothes were off within seconds, we were kissing each other passionately, and I thrust myself into her like it was the most natural thing in the world.

  We made love twice that night and sometime just before sunrise we drifted off to sleep with our legs entwined, her head on my chest and with nothing more than a sheet draped over us.

  The following morning I awoke to bright sunlight streaming through the balcony doors. Emma was still wrapped in my arms and fast asleep. I turned my head to look at her. Even after a heavy night and only a few hours sleep she looked gorgeous; her make-up had long gone but she was naturally beautiful with long eyelashes, flawless skin and full lips. I gently kissed her neck, running my fingers through her hair, and when she opened her eyes and smiled at me, I smiled back.

  "Morning, handsome!" she said, propping herself up.

  "Morning, sexy!" I linked my arm around her waist, pulling her towards me, and with no hesitation at all she straddled me.

  We kissed and made love again with sunlight bathing the bed. It was an amazing start to the day. As much as I could have stayed there for the rest of the morning, time wasn't on our side. Emma had a plane to catch back to the UK, so after a shower, a quick coffee and a brief chat about the places she thought I should visit, we said our farewell.

  I knew I had to vacate the room by midday, so I threw my clothes into my case and headed down to reception. There was a man behind the desk and I handed him the key, glad the bitch from the previous evening wasn't there.

  "Thanks amigo," I said, picking up my case. I headed across the foyer but he called after me.

  "Sir! Wait! You have bill to pay. You make call to UK yesterday?"

  It had completely slipped my mind. "I'm sorry, yes," I said, reaching for my wallet.

  He handed me the bill and I cringed.

  "For one call? It was a bloody answerphone!" I said.

  "Sorry Sir," he muttered.

  "Shit!" I said under my breath, tipping a handful of change onto the desk. I thumbed through the notes left in my wallet and realised I'd spent far too much already — including the hotel and the drinks, it was half the amount I had arrived with. The thought of going back home broke in less than a week with my tail between my legs just didn't bare thinking about.

  I went through the revolving glass doors and stepped into the street, thoughts of Emma still on my mind. It had certainly been a room to remember, but not one I was likely to visit again. It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't paid for the mini bar drinks and so I dashed across the street as fast as I could and didn't look back.

  Wandering around in the midday sun was, in one way, an absolute pleasure considering the weather I'd left behind in London. But dragging a heavy suitcase from one place to the next and searching for somewhere to stay which was within my dwindling budget wasn't an ideal situation to be in. It didn't, however, take me long to find somewhere. It was in a three story Georgian style building, situated within a delightful square and surrounded by orange grove trees. And as it was only a ten minute walk to the main strip in Marbella, I couldn't have asked for a better location. The owner of the hostel — who was very welcoming — showed me the room. It was basic; nothing more than a single bed, a shower, a wardrobe and a bedside table, but it was cheap. I quickly agreed to take it.

  What more could I have asked for? I had a room in a great location, right by the sea. I was surrounded by beautiful women. The climate was perfect and I'd already found myself a part time job. For the first time in months it felt like everything was beginning to fall into place.

  BROTHERS IN ARMS

  I threw on shorts and a shirt, slipped my feet into my flip flops and headed out the door. There was almost an hour to spare until I had to be at Chico's to meet Kelvin and Anthony, but not wanting to miss a moment of the sunshine I thought I'd take a stroll along the beach front. My head was still banging from the night before and every step vibrated right through my body, but it was nothing a swim in the sea wouldn't sort out. It was amazing to think that only twenty four hours before I'd been at home in the pouring rain.

  I could see from the top of the hill that the beach was crowded with people and I couldn't wait to be amongst them. I quickened my step and within minutes the white paving beneath my feet gave way to sand. The view was beautiful: a crystal clear sea glistening beneath the blazing sun and a long stretch of powder white sand, shaded by palm trees, sweeping off into the distance. A gorgeous mix of salt water and sun tan lotion wafted around me and I breathed it all in, smiling to myself. To the left of me was a strip of bars, shops and restaurants and I spotted Chico's immediately. As Kelvin had said, it was right at the beginning of the beach front. To my surprise, the guys were there already, sitting at a table with a blonde in a bikini. I made my way over, taking in the vast array of beautiful topless women as I passed them. Later, Dave, I told myself, with a smile on my face.

  The bar looked more like a hut; a low-rise rectangular building made entirely with logs. It had a huge, wooden deck at the front making a great terrace that housed about ten or twelve tables. Most of them were full and there were people propping up the bar at the far end, too. As stupid and unoriginal the name 'Chico's' was, it was certainly a busy place.

  I walked up to the three of them and shook hands with the brothers.

  "Good night then?" Kelvin asked with a smirk on his face.

  "Amazing mate! She was as sexy as fuck. Great in bed!"

  Kelvin grinned. "That's my man!" He held his hand in the air and snapped his fingers, beckoning the waiter. One appeared within seconds.

  "Tres cervezas, por favor. And the usual for Anja," he said.

  This was obviously their local, and who could blame them? It was in a perfect setting. There was a girl to my right who'd been looking our way ever since I arrived and I couldn't help but hope she'd been looking at me. This definitely seemed like the place to be.

  Kelvin was the stud of the two brothers. I learned later that Anthony hadn't met a girl in the entire time he had been there. At first I couldn't understand it because he was quite a good looking guy, but he was definitely the quieter of the two and didn't have much to say for himself.

  The waiter brought our order over on a tray and placed the drinks on the table.

  "Gracias" we said, almost in unison, and laughed.

  I picked up my San Miguel, took a deep breath and blew out through my mouth. I was as thirsty as hell, but wasn't sure a beer was the sensible option.

  "Oh come on, mate," Kelvin said. "Hair of the dog. You're on holiday!"

  "You're right," I said. "Sod it. Salud!" I clinked glasses with the others, took a long swig from the bottle and felt the cold, amber liquid slide down my throat. Perhaps it was just what I needed after all?

  The blonde sitting next to Kelvin was stunning; I couldn't take my eyes off her. She had shoulder length hair, a deep, chestnut tan, and bright blue eyes. Her body looked fantastic in her two piece swimsuit and she noticed me staring at her as she sipped her vodka and orange. But she wasn't the only one who had clocked my interest.

  "Dave, this is Anja," Kelvin said. "She's my girlfriend." He emphasised the 'girlfriend' syllables, making it clear exactly who she belonged to.

  "Hi Anja, pleased to meet you!" I said, looking straight into her delicious eyes. God, she was beautiful.

  "Ola Dave," she said, leaning over Kelvin to kiss me on both cheeks.

  "So, what's the score tonight?" I said to Kelvin, trying my best to divert my eyes from Anja.

  "We've got a gig at Bar Lolita, just up the road from the one last night. I'll be singing from around ten, so if you can get there by eight you can hand out some leaflets to get the punters in."

  "Excellent." I said. "I can't wait!"

  "Yo
u can help me set up, too," Anthony added, almost as an afterthought.

  "No problem, mate," I told him.

  "Did you find a cheaper room Dave?" he went on monotonously.

  The poor guy sounded like he was about to slit his wrists; it was no wonder that he hadn't pulled a bird yet. "Yep!" I told him. It's only a small place in a hostel up the road, but it's so cheap, I couldn't say no!"

  "That's great!" Kelvin said.

  "It's very good, ya!" Anja reconfirmed in her sweet, Swedish accent.

  We finished our drinks and Kelvin slipped a couple of notes onto the table. "Right Dave, gotta go," he said. "We've got a lot on today."

  "Ok, I'll see you at eight then," I said.

  "Don't be late," Anthony piped up.

  I tried to hide my annoyance. "Don't worry, boss," I said. "I'll be there."

  I watched the three of them as they made their way across the deck and onto the beach. I couldn't help but notice that Anja, walking hand in hand with Kelvin, had one hell of a sexy wiggle.

  Not surprisingly, I felt rather tipsy after my first beer. Having not eaten anything, and still hungover, lunch seemed like a sensible option.

  "Uno cerveza, por favor," I told the waiter. "And…umm…a ham and cheese toasty." I hadn't yet established what a ham and cheese toasty was in Spanish.

  I glanced to my right to see if the girl who was looking over towards our table earlier was still there, but she'd left. In her place was a table full of guys sipping beer.

  I turned to face the beach. Half naked girls and men in speedos and shorts were sunbathing. There were couples playing bat and ball on the sand and lots more splashing around in the sea. I watched them as I ate my sandwich, keen to get down there and join them.

  When the bill arrived I was astounded; it was far more than I expected it to be. It was amazing how quickly my memories of England seemed to be leaving me — after all, I'd worked in property for years and knew a good location was where the money was, but even so, Marbella was almost off the scale. I was thankful to be earning some much needed cash later that night.

  Strolling across the sand towards the sea, I couldn't get over the vast array of tits on display. Big, small, firm and saggy — they were everywhere! Thankfully the tide was out, so it took a while to reach the shore. Once down at the water's edge, I threw my t-shirt onto the sand and ran, then dived, straight into the sea. It was freezing — so cold it almost took my breath away — but totally refreshing. I stayed there until the pounding in my head had subsided, swimming around for a while enjoying the view, and then I settled back on the beach to dry off.

  It was late afternoon when I decided to return to my room for a siesta. The ten minute walk back up the hill practically finished me off, and I slept for a couple of hours, finally waking at seven. I grabbed a quick shower, slipped on jeans and a white shirt, and made my way to Bar Lolita to meet Kelvin and Anthony.

  I spent the first few minutes of the evening standing on the street corner and handing out leaflets to passers by, but it soon occurred to me that if I wanted to make some decent money I'd have to put in more of an effort. Commission was being paid to the guys on bar takings, so I did my very best to get people through the door. To be honest it was a walk in the park. It was a million miles away from negotiating high end property deals but the premise was the same: I had to use my charm. Being a people's person, it didn't take much out of me — in fact I quite enjoyed it. A few guys took the piss, but on the whole everyone was friendly and willing to give me a few minutes of their time. To be honest, I'd have done it for free — there were some great looking girls out that night, and as it was my intention to have a laugh, a few drinks and perhaps hook up with one of them, I couldn't have asked for a better start to the evening.

  Kelvin and Anthony were propping up the bar when I walked in.

  "Hi guys," I said, "all done."

  "You gave them all out, yeah?" Anthony questioned. "We need a lot of punters in tonight, Dave."

  "Yes mate; I got rid of the lot. It should be pretty packed." There was something about him that was really beginning to piss me off. He'd never been in a position of authority before and it seemed like this new job role as 'my boss' was going straight to his head. My old boss, Roger, managed a multi-million pound portfolio and even he didn't nag as much as Anthony did.

  "Right, time for a drink," Kelvin said, gesturing to the barman.

  "I'll get these," I told him. I didn't have a great deal of money left but I knew more money would be coming my way at the end of the night.

  "I'll have a pint," Anthony said almost immediately. "And get Kelvin a brandy."

  For a quiet bloke, he didn't half talk a lot.

  "Kelvin," I said, putting the change in my pocket, "what are you singing tonight?"

  "West End Girls, Wild Boys…you know, all the eighties ones. I'll follow up with some more recent stuff."

  "Love it!" I said. "I'm such an eighties guy." It may have been 1991, but my heart was still stuck in the decade before.

  Kelvin laughed. "Yeah mate, I can tell that by just looking at your bloody haircut!"

  "You can talk!" I retaliated.

  We had another couple of drinks and by ten the bar was pretty full. As Kelvin was singing his first number, Anthony approached me at the bar.

  "Dave, if you carry on getting this amount of punters in, I'll be out of a job," he said.

  "Don't be silly, mate," I told him. "The job's yours. Your brother needs you far more than he needs me." I patted him on the shoulder, wanting to give him a bit of confidence.

  As Kelvin was finishing his song Anja arrived, and fucking hell, she looked amazing. She was wearing a white cotton summer dress which set off her tan perfectly and her loose, blonde hair was falling over her shoulders. Every bloke in the bar stared at her; in fact most of the women did as well. She looked stunning. Anthony was on his way to the stage to put on the next track and greeted her with a kiss as she passed him. She waved, smiled and blew a kiss to Kelvin too, and he smiled and winked back at her. Then she made her way to the bar and kissed me on both cheeks.

  "Ola Dave, you look nice!" She said it in a way that I took as being nothing other than friendly.

  "Thanks Anja," I said. "You don't look so bad yourself!" I looked her up and down but immediately told myself to get a grip. She was Kelvin's girlfriend and completely out of bounds. I bought her a drink — as if I had a never ending supply of money — and we turned around to watch Kelvin on the stage. He definitely looked the part up there and had a great voice. I could see what she saw in him.

  After a couple of numbers and a few more drinks, I moved to another part of the bar and struck up a conversation with a couple of guys from Manchester. As they were wearing football shirts it was obvious they were fans of the game, as was I, and it was because of that that I approached them in the first place. In hindsight, I shouldn't have bothered.

  "I hate fuckin' Liverpool," the guy said, swaying on his feet and spilling beer on the floor. He took another mouthful, dribbling some of it down his chin. "Fuckin' scousers."

  "I fuckin' hate 'em , too," his mate piped up. "We drew one all with 'em last week, the lucky bastards. I was there. Had a fight. It was great."

  When Anthony called me from the other side of the bar, I couldn't have been more relieved.

  "United! United" they sang, as I made my excuses and left.

  "This is Marbella, not fucking Tenerife," one of the barmen said, shaking his head as I passed him.

  I helped Anthony clear Kelvin's equipment away and then got set up for the Karaoke. The night went well and many people got up to sing. Some were pretty good, some were completely hopeless; but it was entertaining nevertheless. As Anthony manned the change of songs requested by the punters, Kelvin, Anja and I sat at the bar, chatting and laughing. Anja and I got on really well; it was nothing flirtatious, we were just being friendly. Anyway, I kept telling myself, she was Kelvins girlfriend. I had no inclination or desire to step on his toe
s.

  It had been a long night, but a success, and Anthony and I packed away the last of the equipment with my energy level dwindling rapidly. I was completely knackered and I'd had enough. It was time to call it a night.

  "Guys, I'm whacked," I said, sitting on a stool with both of my elbows on the bar.

  "Oh come on Dave," Kelvin pleaded. "Have another drink." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of notes. "Here ya go, mate. Thanks for your help tonight."

  "Thanks," I said.

  "Yes, Dave, please stay for another drink," Anja said, smiling at me.

  I noticed the look Kelvin gave her; he obviously wasn't very happy with her input to the conversation.

  "Okay, okay," I surrendered with my hands in the air. "Just one more, but it's on me." I ordered four brandies, a drink for the barman, and handed him the cash. I downed my drink in one and stood up. "Right you bastards, I'm off. See you tomorrow at Chico's."

  I staggered out of the bar and made my way up the hill to my room, cursing myself. I'd just spent a fortune on one round of drinks and had walked out with less money than I'd walked in with, even after being paid.

  Over the following days whilst helping Kelvin and Anthony set up their equipment at various bars and venues, I began to get to know the area and made some friends along the way. I was having the time of my life, chilling out on the beach by day and partying by night. I was getting paid regularly and was now earning enough cash to keep me going — to help pay for my room, drinks and food. Perhaps more importantly, I was gaining popularity, meeting girls and enjoying the attention and the sex. I was really becoming a part of the scene; even the unsociable owner of the first bar I'd gone into was now welcoming me into his establishment with open arms. I was bringing him customers, so no wonder his attitude had changed.

  Not so long before, I'd been the new kid on the block. But now I was part of a group who people came to see and wanted to be friends with. Strangers would say hello and chat to me as if they'd known me for years, buying me drinks at each bar we worked in. I couldn't wander around the town without being stopped for a chat. I was asked how I was, and I was told if I needed any help, people would be there for me. I felt good. Actually, I felt great. I was having the time of my life.