by Cullen, Ciar
“I won’t be long, and I’ll pay you back.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He concentrated on his notebook again.
Tam connected. “Jack, guapo! Yes, it’s me. I’m fine! Yes, I’m staying. Princeton’s already ‘fired’ me and I’ve been rehired. Honestly. Jack, the site is freaking unbelievable. I can’t talk about the details,” she eyed SinJin as he straightened up at the mention of the site, “But you can read about me in The Times. Sweetie, can you call the parental units for me and tell them I’m okay, tell them I’ll call them this weekend, that I’m staying on? Thanks, honey. Love you too.” She flipped the phone closed. “Fast enough?”
“Who’s Jack?” I hate him. She has a boyfriend. Of course she does. What a fucking idiot you are, SinJin.
“Jealous? You know him—Jack Peders. You evidently shot at him about a year ago.”
“Oh, Peders. So you’re great pals with Peders, thus the strong bias against me. The boy hates me, of course. I thought he was an intruder. He should have told me he takes midnight strolls. Terrible archaeologist.”
“He’s a man, not a boy, and he’s not a terrible archaeologist. He may not be suited for the jungle, but he’s great with the artifacts. He’s a fabulous cook, too, but you already have one of those. Geez, what, you’re like four years older than Jack? ‘The boy.’ How rude. What bias do I supposedly have against you? I’m here, aren’t I?”
SinJin snorted and took another swig. “I’m at least six years older than your friend, but who’s counting? So, you’re spreading the word that you’ve lasted one day in my employ? Watch it—you’ll get my reputation.”
Tam laughed. “The Ivy League Beastess?”
“Very cute. So, you’re tight with Peders?”
“About as tight as two people can be.”
SinJin nodded and put his glasses back on. Why so disappointed, SinJin? She wouldn’t have a fling with you, she could have anyone on the planet. And she’s your assistant. You’ll get Rasmussen’s reputation if you even consider it. But she did call you hot. I guess that doesn’t mean shit to a flirt like her. Could have sworn Peders was…
“You really didn’t even notice Jack at all? Don’t remember anything about him?”
“I’m not senile. Of course I remember him. Nice enough guy, nice looking I guess. Great resume. Seemed intelligent. I thought he was a little, well, gay actually…”
“There’s no such thing as a little gay, Professor.”
A breeze of unexpected, unwelcome relief washed through his whole body. Glancing briefly over his glasses at Tam, he winced at the amusement on her face.
“That’s the first interest you’ve shown in my life.”
“We were speaking of Jack Peders, as I recall.”
“No we weren’t.” Tam smiled sweetly and took a healthy swig of her beer, then unexpectedly leaned in and brushed a bit of dust off SinJin’s shirtsleeve. It took all his self-control not to grab her wrist.
“You talk a lot.” He sighed and snapped his book shut. “All right, get it all out, everything you want to say, want to ask me. Let me guess, why am I such an asshole, an idiot, a beast—what else have you called me?”
“No, nothing like that. I was wondering if back at the site, when I was stretched out on the stairs, remember?”
He nodded.
“Well, did you like the sight of my ass as much as you seemed to?”
He did choke this time and shook his head in amazement, searching desperately for a good comeback, finding none.
“I thought so.” She smiled smugly and brought the bottle to her lips, rubbing it along them slowly, then taking the top into her mouth suggestively.
SinJin felt himself blush for what might have been the first time in his life. He wanted to leave, but couldn’t afford to stand and show the restaurant patrons what this girl had done to his body. He stared at the ground as if it were examining a precious artifact.
Tam snickered.
“Does that work on the boys at Princeton?”
“Every time.”
“I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“As my mother is fond of saying, the Martins kick ass. You ain’t seen nothing yet, Professor.”
“I can’t tell if you’re dying to stay or get fired.”
“You’re a smart guy. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
Chapter Four
After a silent ride home, Rosa greeted them with frozen margaritas and bowls of salsa, guacamole, and chips.
“I’m going to be a lush by the end of the season. I’ve never had a better margarita.” Tam sipped the cool tart liquid and leaned back in the shade of the porch.
“Sinj?”
He nearly jumped at the nickname only his sister had ever used. “Hmm?”
“Have you ever, well, felt anything at the site?”
“Like what?” He had dreaded this inevitable conversation, knowing that Tam was sensitive enough, and a skilled enough archaeologist, to pick up the feel of Pacal.
“A breeze when there shouldn’t be one. A hand on your back when no one is there. A dream.”
“A dream of what?”
“A dream of a Mayan trying to kill you?”
He snorted and sipped his drink. “I think that’s the margarita speaking. After your sunstroke, you’re surprised you had a nightmare? It’s a site, abandoned for hundreds of years. There’s nothing there but stone and vines and a few lizards. And hopefully a few bones.”
“Don’t ever play poker, Professor. Why don’t you want to talk about it? You’ve had the dreams?”
He hesitated, unsure whether he was ready to confide in her, in anyone. “Not recently. Well, not until last night. It’s all suggestion. Stephens wrote about the mystical feel of Mayan sites decades ago, Catherwood romanticized them with his drawings, and we archaeologists, we’re all romantics, I suppose. Drop it.”
“I’ll drop it, for now. How about the cenote out back? Is it safe? I’m dying for a swim.”
“Yep, but it’s deep. Not to mention the eels.”
“Eew. Forget it.”
“We’re about thirty minutes from a good beach. Maybe tomorrow or this weekend.”
She looked at him, pleading. “Oh, why not now?”
“I want to get some work done this afternoon. No way.”
“You can work on the beach, can’t you? Or I can take the Land Rover?”
“Hell no, you can’t take the Land Rover.”
“Oh, come on, Professor. Just an hour on the beach. Give me that much. I had a rough first day, remember?”
“Oh, all right, but we’re not staying long.” SinJin knew his grumpiness wasn’t terribly convincing. Tam clapped her hands like a child and ran to change, giving him a moment to pull his thoughts together. When was the last time he had looked forward to a break from work? Work was his solace, his passion, his only reason for being.
Tam emerged in minutes in a bikini top and shorts, and he didn’t look at her, afraid if he looked, he wouldn’t stop looking. She was as sharp as a tack, and he knew she was baiting him. He just wasn’t sure why.
It was blistering hot when they arrived at Tortuga Beach. Yards of pure white sand stretched down to the shallow turquoise water. SinJin carried their cooler and blanket under a small cluster of trees that provided precious little shade. What was he doing on the beach at the hottest time of day, when he should be working? He hadn’t bothered bringing his laptop from the Land Rover and wondered if it would melt in the sun. This was so unlike him, so irresponsible.
“Why is it deserted?”
“Perhaps because it’s about a thousand degrees out? There aren’t any resorts for at least a mile in either direction.”
She stripped off her shorts and was in the water in a minute, splashing and laughing in delight as he sat on the blanket, watching her play like a child. Tam waved at him to come into the water and he shook his head. Brilliant. You’re going to die in this heat because you’re afraid of your assistant. He growled and
peeled his shirt off, making his way to the water’s edge, where he left his flip-flops, and dove into the pure bliss. He felt his sweat washed clean and began to relax, letting the gentle current carry him on his back.
When he finished his swim and worked his way up the beach to their blanket, he saw her. Face-down, topless. He could see a good portion of her ample breasts from the side and couldn’t pull his gaze away, feeling an instant bolt of desire. Now what? Fuck it, SinJin, grow up. You’ve seen breasts before. He marched up to the blanket and laid a good two feet away from her. Thankfully, she didn’t move. Maybe she was already asleep. He really hadn’t had these issues with his other assistants, he thought. Of course, none of them had lasted more than a week, scared off by Pacal or him, or both. Tam Martin evidently didn’t scare very easily.
“Sinj?”
Damn. “Yes?” He opened a bottle of water.
“Can you reach into the bag and get my sunscreen?”
“Here.” He threw the bottle next to her.
“You can’t manage to put some on my back?”
“Nope.”
“All right then, grouch.”
SinJin realized she was going to get up, was going to make sure he saw her naked.
“Oh hell, Tam, lay back down.”
He squirted the slippery stuff on her back and vigorously rubbed a little on. Coward, fucking coward. He forced himself to slow down, pouring more onto his hands, covering her shoulders, her whole back, working his way down to her legs. It took all the control he had not to groan aloud when he reached her nearly bare ass.
“Satisfied?” He threw the bottle on the blanket.
“Not quite, Professor. You have amazing hands.”
He groaned and flopped onto his belly, determined to ignore any more plays. A few moments passed, and he had control over his body again. She wouldn’t let him have it for long.
“Don’t you need any? You’ll burn.”
SinJin sighed. “For crissakes, Dr. Martin. Are you always this forward?”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Never mind.” The images tortured him. SinJin imagined her hands rubbing lotion on his back, on his legs, then moving to his chest, his stomach, lower. It was too much. He was only a man.
“Go ahead,” he whispered weakly.
Then he died. Bit by bit, piece by piece, she tore him apart. Tam started at his shoulders and ran her slick hands down his arms, making sure she spread her arms wide that her breasts grazed his back. He took in a breath at the contact as Tam moaned aloud. She slowly moved down his back and ran her hands around his waist, then slid one hand under the band of his shorts until she reached the slight indentation at the base of his spine. She glided down his legs and finally worked on his feet, covering every point until he squirmed.
“Ok, turn over. You’re already burnt on your back.”
“No.”
“Yes. You know you want to.”
“I don’t suppose you’ll be shocked to see what you’ve done to me?”
He rolled onto his back, eyes squeezed shut, waiting for her to comment on his hard-on.
“I’ve never had a boss like you.”
“Like what?”
“Like a fucking male centerfold. Any of your employees ever tell you how hot you are, Professor?”
“What a foul mouth.”
She massaged the front of him even more slowly, and he finally had to let a groan escape as she rubbed his chest and stomach. She spent extra time on his nipples, pinching them playfully with a giggle, and worked her way under the waistband of his shorts until he felt her fingertips brush the fringe of hair. An inch in either direction, and he’d lose it.
“You’re panting, Professor.”
“You planned this, the whole thing. The trip to the beach, taking your top off, the whole sunscreen thing.”
“Yep.”
“You’re so fired.”
“I don’t think so.”
“God. Please don’t stop, Tam.”
“Hmm. Don’t want to stop, Professor.”
A warning bell sounded in his head from far away. She’s your assistant, and she’s very, very good. She’ll leave if this goes South, and it will go South.
“Tam, I can’t do this.”
“What?”
“I can’t do what you seem to want me to do.” He looked into her eyes and then let his gaze wander to her breasts. Impossibly gorgeous breasts. Huge, and tanned like the rest of her, with hard rosy nipples begging for his mouth.
“I can’t get involved this way. With my assistant, I mean. I just can’t. You don’t understand. What I’m really like. Oh God.” He squeezed his eyes shut against the sight of her.
“The beast?”
“No, not that one.”
“Professor Sin? What the hell? You’re some kind of deviant?”
He didn’t answer.
“You don’t scare me. Okay, have it your way. There’s always Plan B.”
“I’m not sure I’ll survive Plan A.”
Chapter Five
SinJin finally dozed in the afternoon heat, woken occasionally by the movements of his companion as she returned from dips in the sea. When he finally sat up, he noted that she had pulled on a tank top and was grabbing some of Rosa’s goodies from the cooler.
“Corona?” she offered.
“Sure, why not? Seems like we’re going to drink all day instead of doing the work I needed to do.”
“Grouch.”
SinJin sipped silently, wondering when he had become such a grouch. He couldn’t remember the last time he had taken an afternoon off and gone to the beach. Certainly not with a girl that looked like Tam. Not ever with a girl like her, in fact. He glanced at her. She seemed to have calmed down and returned to her role as his assistant.
“Do you think Professor Ramirez will come down tomorrow?”
“I sure as hell hope so. We really need him here. You’re good with the glyphs, but he’ll have a lot to say about them, and besides, it’s his site, really. His country. You’ll like him.” He snickered. “All the women do. He’s got that Antonio Banderas thing going on.”
“Oooh. I’m sure I’ll swoon. Cut me a break.”
“Tam, we have to talk.”
“Hmm?” She munched on a piece of cheese.
He suddenly felt foolish, not sure how to broach the subject of her flirtation. He’d sound like an ass, asking her not to…not to what? Be sexy? What was he going to ask her to do differently?
“Never mind.” He stood and started to pull their things together.
“No! I don’t want to go home yet.”
“You sound like a child.” He was grumpy—hot, sweaty, hungry, thirsty, and horny.
“Come on Professor. I just got here, and yesterday was hell, and today was great. Let me play a little. I’ll work my fingers to the bone the rest of the year. You know I will.”
“All right, but we can’t stay on this beach. It won’t cool down for another hour, at least. You’ve had way too much sun in the last few days, and I can’t afford for you to get sick. We have too much work ahead of us.”
“How about town? I need to pick up a few things. You can stay in the shade.”
“How could you possibly need a thing? That suitcase must hold enough for four women! Oh, all right, but I’m not going all the way to Playa del Carmen.”
She put her hands on her hips in a parody of a stubborn child and stuck out her tongue.
“That’s it, Doctor. The last favor I do for you. You’ve worn out your welcome. From here on out, it’s archaeology, and nothing but. No shopping, no beach.”
“No suntan lotion?”
“You’re on probation.” He couldn’t hold back a laugh. How could a woman be so annoying and so much fun at the same time? Of course, it didn’t hurt that she was beautiful, and smart, and a talented archaeologist, and had hands that could make a man get on his knees and beg.
Playa del Carmen bustled with tourists, even in the heat of
the late afternoon. SinJin sat on a bench sipping a soda, feeling like a husband at a shopping mall while Tam ducked from one boutique to the next, dropping by every few minutes to dump a package on him before making her way into another shop.
“Ten minutes, then I’m leaving with or without you.”
“After I bought you this?” She handed him a package and he stared at it blankly. A present? He slowly unwrapped it, laughing aloud. A tiny Mayan statue, a replica of the original he had excavated several years ago. It was a poor cheap likeness, but recognizable, nevertheless. A little monkey with a huge penis.
“Are you trying to tell me something, Doctor?”
“Oh, no, Professor, whatever could you mean?”
“Do you mean that I’m a monkey, or that I have a big cock, or both?”
He grinned at her and she grinned back. They locked gazes for a moment only, but the moment seemed to be frozen, and he felt a rush, a ripple through his chest. He wondered if she felt it too, because her eyes grew wide and misty looking.
“Oh.” She mumbled something else and sat next to him on the bench.
“What?”
She wouldn’t look at him, but took his soda and downed the last of it.
Well, congratulations, Tam. You got his interest. The problem is, he’s got yours, big time. Idiot. With a stupid little gift, his eyes had softened to pools of needy brown, his sarcastic smirk was gone, and he seemed tickled pink. He dropped the statue into his shirt pocket and sighed.
“Thanks for the statue. You know that Rasmussen and I found the original at Uxmal?”
Tam arched a brow. “I read the excavation report. I’m a Mayan archaeologist, remember?”
“Of course you knew. That’s why you bought it.” He laughed lightly and sighed again. “I’m alone so much, I forget that the rest of the world reads what I write, sees my work, you know?”
Oh my God, he’s lonely. The Beast is lonely. A stupid little gift had delighted him.
“Thank you.”
“You said that already. It was only a hundred pesos.”
“I guess it’s the thought that counts.”
She had only meant to tease him, lighten him up, put him in his place, maybe lure him into an affair to forget her own failed relationships, to satisfy her curiosity, her lust. But this? What was this longing, this joy in his company?