Give a Man a Bad Name

by Roberta Leigh

  Determinedly Marly concentrated on the passing scene below her. Nan had spoken rapturously of the beauty of the islands to the south of Thailand, and it was plain she hadn’t exaggerated, for with the sun still high in the summer sky Thai Airlines flew them low over one luxurious landscape after another. Not for nothing did the travel brochures dub this part of the country ‘paradise’. Enraptured, she gazed at the string of beaches, bays, headlands and coves, and lushly covered mountains emerging from an azure sea.

  But it was Phuket that was the ultimate jewel, and carefully descending the gangway in her flowered cheong-sam, and breathing in the tangy sea air, she felt a sense of excitement.

  ‘Strange you’ve never been here,’ Alex remarked, walking alongside her.

  ‘We vacation at another part of the coast,’ she murmured, keeping her wits about her. ‘It’s nearer to Bangkok, and just as lovely.’ As she spoke, she prayed he wouldn’t ask her the name of it. The fat would really be in the fire if he did. Hastily she fluttered her lashes at him. ‘But being here with you gives Phuket the advantage.’

  A tawny eyebrow lifted. ‘That’s the first compliment you’ve paid me.’

  ‘Alex!’ Fiona called. ‘Wait for me!’

  Muttering under his breath, he stopped walking, and Marly continued on her way alone until Kevin caught up with her.

  ‘She can’t bear to let him out of her sight,’ he grunted. ‘Beats me what she sees in him. He’s far too old for her.’

  ‘I wouldn’t exactly say he’s ready for a bathchair!’

  ‘I guess I’m jealous,’ Kevin admitted sheepishly. ‘But he has everything going for him.’

  ‘You’re no slouch yourself,’ Marly said kindly. ‘And I bet you’re a killer at sports. Most Australians are.’

  ‘I’m not bad,’ he conceded as they reached the taxi rank and stopped. ‘When it comes to surfing, sailing and swimming, I can give any guy a run for his money.’

  Conscious of Alex almost abreast of them, she laughed up at Kevin as if he had uttered the most brilliant joke, and lightly placed her hand on his arm. ‘Don’t keep staring at Fiona with sheep’s eyes,’ she advised under her breath. ‘Girls don’t go for men who are push-overs.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am. I’ll take note of what you say!’

  * * *

  The beach house where they were staying was exactly as Alex had described it. Set on the edge of silver-white sand, bordered on one side by an azure sea and on the other by waving green palms, its wood exterior bleached pale grey by the tropical sun, it had the air of having grown on the shore and not been built by man.

  The interior was simple but luxurious: creamy fabrics spiced with royal blue and yellow, bamboo easy-chairs softened by thick feather cushions, Western-style furniture in the dining alcove and bedrooms, and colourful rugs on the teak floors. The kitchen was small but well equipped and, best of all, was presided over by Sumalee, a dainty, sweet-faced girl who informed them, in halting English, that she was there to take care of them.

  ‘You should ask your friend if we can have this place for our honeymoon, Alex.’ Fiona dropped on to a lounger on the veranda. ‘It’s perfect.’

  ‘It certainly is,’ he said shortly. ‘But right now let’s decide on our rooms. I suggest you girls take the two facing the sea.’

  Kevin picked up his case and Marly’s. ‘I’m for a swim as soon as I’ve unpacked my gear.’

  ‘Me too,’ she agreed.

  ‘And me,’ Fiona volunteered, slipping past Marly and heading for the bedroom furthest from the living-room.

  Because it afforded her more privacy should Alex decide to spend time in it? Marly conjectured, an idea which left a distinctly nasty taste in her mouth. Swallowing hard, she went into the other sea-view room and quickly changed into a one-piece cerise swimsuit.

  Pity she couldn’t wear one of her many bikinis, she mused as she twisted her hair into a single plait down her back, entwining it with a matching ribbon, for though she was petite, her body was beautifully formed, with delicate curves and roundness, and full, high breasts. But a well brought-up Thai woman would be happier in a one-piece, preferring to be seen in a garment that left more to the imagination!

  Alex, to judge by his reaction when he saw her, had a highly active imagination. He was alone on the veranda when she went out, and at sight of her his lower lip moved sensuously, as if he were tasting her. For her part, she was equally bemused at seeing him in the most minimal of swimming-trunks. The width of his shoulders, she realised, had nothing to do with skilfully padded jackets, his narrow waist curved into well muscled thighs, and his long legs were strong and lean. The tangle of hair she had glimpsed on his chest through the open neck of his sports shirt was, she now saw, thick and silky, and a paler gold than his bronzed skin.

  ‘You’re more exquisite than I imagined,’ he said throatily, grey irises darkening as they rested on the thrusting fullness of her breasts.

  As if he had touched them, her nipples hardened and pushed forward against the silky material covering them. He saw it and took a step towards her, stopping abruptly as Fiona waltzed out.

  ‘How do I look?’ she asked gaily, twirling in front of him. ‘Mature enough for us to set our wedding date?’

  ‘We must have the two loveliest women in Phuket staying in this villa,’ he grinned and, ignoring the second part of the question, put his hand to his head and added, ‘But how do I handle two gorgeous women at the same time?’

  ‘You don’t. Leave Marly to Kevin, and you just handle me!’

  ‘From the way Kevin’s been eyeing you, I think he’d prefer the opposite.’

  Fiona giggled. ‘In that case, the question is how do I handle two handsome men?’

  The man they had been discussing came round the side of the beach house and dashed across the sand towards the sea. Though not as well built as Alex, he was equally muscular. Red-blond hair flying, and with a boyish grin on his even-featured face, he cavorted in the waves like a schoolboy, calling to everyone to join him.

  Marly did, anxious to cool off in more ways than one! The sea was a delight, crystal-clear and buoyant, and she dived and came up and dived again, hoping to wash away the sight of Fiona clinging to Alex and squealing like a frightened child. Recollecting the expertise with which the girl had swum in the hotel pool, Marly could happily have throttled her! Then she stared at Alex whose strong arms were supporting the slender frame, and could have throttled him instead! Why was he pandering to her silly nonsense? He should disengage himself and swim smartly away. Or perhaps he didn’t really want to leave her side?

  Diving beneath the waves, Marly came up close to Kevin. ‘Break up the twosome, would you, before I throw up?’

  Kevin flung her a startled glance, then swam across to Fiona, who was still playing her frightened-little-girl act. ‘I can’t believe a fabulous swimmer like you is frightened of the sea,’ he said heartily, before addressing Alex. ‘We had a race in the hotel pool and this little beaut almost beat me!’

  ‘So you finally conquered your fear of going out of your depth?’ Alex exclaimed, and swung her high in the air.

  ‘I was going to tell you in a minute,’ she squealed.

  ‘Now there’s no need,’ he laughed, and dropped her into the water. Before she could surface, he did a fast crawl over to Marly. ‘Let’s leave them to it,’ he said, and catching her hand, waded with her on to the beach.

  Expecting Fiona to hurry after them, she was delighted to see that Kevin had persuaded her to race him to the raft, moored a hundred or so yards out to sea.

  ‘I do believe Kevin’s going to be a blessing,’ Alex drawled, drawing Marly down on to the sand.

  Whether by luck or judgement, he had chosen a spot that was hidden from sight of the swimmers, shaded as it was by a cluster of baby palms. Marly’s pulses were racing so fast that she was afraid Alex would see the beat of them on her skin, and she hastily sank down and swung over on to her stomach.

  His hand lightly cares
sed the delicate bones of her spine. ‘You’re so fragile,’ he said huskily, ‘I’m afraid of crushing you.’

  She was aware of his head lowering, but was taken aback when she felt his tongue lapping the length of her spine. Momentarily she allowed herself to believe this scene was for real: that Alex was sincere, and that there was no Andrea or Fiona in the background. For as long as possible she tried to hold on to the fantasy, but truth would not be denied and, anxious to escape the dangerous touch of his hands, she slid away from them and turned on to her back.

  She knew instantly it was the wrong thing to have done, for it brought him into all too clear focus, and she could not drag her gaze from the magnificent sight of him: the trunks that clung to him as if they were a second skin, the rippling bronzed muscles, the droplets of water on the thick lashes fringing eyes that were hungrily absorbing her.

  A deep sigh escaped her, which he was quick to hear. ‘What’s wrong, Marly? That was a sad sound.’

  ‘It was one of relief,’ she denied, cursing his perception. ‘Relief at being away from my computer.’

  ‘And gladness to be with me?’

  ‘Fishing for compliments?’

  ‘You’re the only girl I’ve had to do it with,’ he confessed ruefully. ‘You make me so damned uncertain.’

  ‘About what?’

  ‘Our relationship. What you think of me.’

  Triumph shot through her. ‘Is it important?’

  ‘Let me show you how important.’

  He pressed his lips on hers, and her first thought was that they were exactly as she had imagined: cool, firm, yet with a hint of fire. Determined to maintain her shy behaviour, she tried to turn her face aside, but steel fingers prevented her as his kiss deepened. Desperately she willed herself not to respond, but though she could control her lips, keep her arms at her sides and stop her body arching into his, she could not control the pounding of her heart, the leap of her pulses, nor the mounting passion that heated her and brought glittering drops of perspiration to the shadowed valley between her breasts.

  ‘Open your mouth,’ he commanded beneath his breath.

  For answer she kept it tightly closed, and he cupped either side of her face with his hands. ‘When the princess kissed the toad he turned into a handsome prince!’ Alex whispered, the thickness of his voice indicative of his arousal. ‘The same thing might happen to me if you kiss me back!’

  ‘You’re already a handsome prince!’ she said, deciding humour was the best way of dissolving his ardour. ‘If I do as you ask, the process might be reversed and you could turn into a toad!’

  Alex chuckled and released her. ‘You enjoy making fun of me, don’t you?’

  ‘It’s good for you.’ She sat up straight. ‘It stops you getting too conceited.’

  ‘Fat chance of that with you around. For someone who looks a shy little girl, you talk back in a very adult way!’

  ‘Should I take that as a compliment?’

  ‘Take what as a compliment?’ The question came from Fiona, who was looming above them, and then sank down on the sand beside Alex.

  ‘I was telling Marly how pleased I am with the program she’s done for the hotel,’ he stated with commendable aplomb.

  ‘You and business,’ Fiona pouted prettily. ‘Don’t you ever think of anything else?’

  ‘Not when you’re around!’

  Marly listened to the banter with irritation, as did Kevin, who had now joined them. Why did Alex continue to play up to the girl if his intention was to escape her clutches?

  ‘You pay me the sweetest compliments,’ Fiona beamed, resting her bright blonde head on his shoulder. ‘However much of a hard-head you are in business, you’re always such a softie with me.’

  ‘Most men would be the same, given the opportunity,’ Kevin grinned. ‘You should try it some time.’

  ‘The only man I want is Alex—so save your flattery for Marly. Otherwise she’ll feel she’s a third wheel.’

  ‘I doubt Marly could ever feel that,’ Alex interpolated drily. ‘She’s not exactly a member of the ugly club!’ He leaned back on the sand, arms behind his head. ‘Where do you folks want to go for dinner? A restaurant, or have it here on the beach?’

  ‘On the beach,’ Fiona said excitedly. ‘It will be like that advert on TV where the couple sit at a table by the water’s edge, and the candlelight rivals the moon.’ She glanced at Marly. ‘Would you arrange it with Sumalee? I can’t speak Thai, and I don’t think her English is good enough for her to understand my instructions.’

  Glad of the chance of escaping, Marly gracefully rose and went into the beach house. It didn’t take her long to explain to Sumalee what was wanted, and after a menu had been agreed she chose not to return to the beach but retired to her room, where she showered, slipped into a cotton robe and lay on the bed, trying not to think of Alex.

  What a hope when she could think of nothing else! If today was a forerunner of the rest of the week, she would be lost to reason long before this trip was over. Snap out of it, she ordered herself. If you can’t control your emotions, do as Nan suggested and come clear with him. Say the whole thing was a joke and that you’ve grown tired of it. Yet as the idea entered her head she dismissed it as a cop-out, a sign of her weakness. And she wasn’t weak. She was a liberated woman in charge of her feelings; upon which thought she picked up one of the books she had brought with her and determinedly concentrated on it.

  The moon was a silver orb in a velvet dark sky when the four of them sat down to dinner on the veranda. Although their bamboo table wasn’t lapped by the sea, it was close enough to the water for them to hear the soft slap of the gentle waves on the sand. Sumalee had prepared a veritable feast: lemon chicken soup, sweet and sour shrimp, fresh-water cod, lamb in coconut and green curry, and a huge bowl of fluffy white rice.

  ‘We’ll never get through this lot!’ Fiona exclaimed.

  But they did, and several desserts in addition.

  ‘I don’t know about the rest of you,’ Alex murmured as, the table cleared, they returned to the veranda for coffee, ‘but I’ve eaten so much that all I’m fit for is bed.’

  ‘Me too,’ Fiona said quickly, moving to his side.

  Marly, aware of Alex eyeing her, made a great play of pouring herself some coffee. ‘I’ll stay put for a while,’ she replied, reluctant to go in with him. If she was reading the glint in his eyes correctly, sleep was the furthest thing from his mind, and she was not certain how she would handle things if he came to her room.

  Never had she been so physically attracted to a man, nor so tempted to forgo her principles and surrender to desire. Only the knowledge of why she was here—and that their whole relationship was based on a lie—gave her the strength to go on resisting him.

  ‘I’ll keep you company,’ Kevin grunted, watching Fiona and Alex go inside, with the girl clinging to his arm. ‘I’m not tired anyway.’

  ‘I doubt if they are either,’ Marly retorted.

  ‘You don’t think... Dammit, he wouldn’t go to bed with her, would he? I thought you said he wants to be free of her, not encourage her!’

  ‘Who knows what he’ll do if he can’t have me?’ Marly replied with brutal honesty. ‘She keeps throwing herself at him and he’s only human.’

  Kevin’s face darkened. ‘I think I’ll go in after all.’

  ‘And do what—stand guard outside her door? Relax and be fatalistic.’

  ‘It’s not easy. I’ve never felt this way before, but there’s something about Fiona that... I’ve tried telling myself it’s only physical attraction but I know it’s more than that.’

  ‘I’ll see if I can think of a way of keeping Alex out of Fiona’s life for a couple of days. That should at least give you a chance of making some impression on her.’

  Kevin brightened. ‘It would be great if you could manage it. I don’t wish the guy any harm but a sprained ankle would be perfect!’

  Marly laughed. ‘I wasn’t anticipating anything quite so
drastic!’

  Even as she spoke a plan formulated in her mind, and as soon as she was alone she saw how it could be accomplished. Born of desperation, for it was clear Alex was determined to remain single, it required a good deal of luck, and would not only stretch her acting ability but be the ultimate test of her will-power.

  Yet if it worked she would not merely achieve her aims, but Kevin’s as well, for it would drive Fiona straight into his arms, and Alex into her own!

  CHAPTER TEN

  ‘THERE’S a yacht club near by,’ Alex announced over breakfast on the veranda next morning. ‘So if anyone cares for a game of squash or tennis—’

  ‘I wouldn’t mind playing tennis,’ Fiona said.

  ‘I’ll second that,’ Kevin put in promptly.

  In pastel floral wrap-around skirt and matching lawn top, the young blonde had the soft, fragrant look of a dew-fresh bloom, and as she gazed adoringly at Alex, Marly’s heart lurched. Had they spent the night together? He certainly looked as if he hadn’t slept much. His face lacked its usual healthy glow and there were noticeable lines around his eyes. Not that this lessened his sexual attraction—far from it—for it set her imagination alight, causing all kinds of erotic pictures to float into her mind.

  ‘How about you, Alex?’ Fiona enquired.

  ‘I think I’ll give it a miss. I didn’t sleep too well last night.’

  ‘Then I’ll stay and keep you company.’

  ‘That will defeat the object. How can I sleep if you’re keeping me company?’

  ‘I’ll be quiet as a mouse.’

  ‘I’ve heard that one before!’ With a resigned sigh, he pushed back his chair. ‘OK, count me in. Are you going to join us, Marly?’

  ‘I didn’t bring any tennis gear,’ she replied truthfully. Apart from it being a game she preferred to watch rather than play, the plan she had formulated last night meant separating Alex from Fiona. And for that she had to stay behind.

  ‘Fiona has a spare racket,’ he said, ‘and there’s a sports shop at the club where you can get kitted out—my treat.’