‘He’s not my young man,’ Nina muttered under her breath, knowing it was futile but needing to say it anyway. And there was no way she was going to get onto the subject of Leo checking his bits and pieces.
She had a few minutes of respite when Flossie made her own visit to the bathroom, during which Nina scoured the meagre contents of their shared case, wondering what to wear. She wanted to look nice; sexy even.
Flossie, teeth in and curlers out, emerged looking presentable. She had her one-piece costume on ready for her dip in Pamukkale’s thermal pools and she pulled a loose-fitting dress out of their communal case to pop on over the top of it.
‘Put some slap on,’ the old lady instructed, seeing Nina standing by the door ready to go. ‘You want to make him think you made an effort.’
‘No, I don’t. He can take me as I am or take a hike.’ But she made the excuse of needing a quick wee before they left, to check her face in the bathroom mirror. Maybe a bit of gloss…?
Leo was sitting at a table when they entered the dining room, looking relaxed and gorgeous. Nina’s heart skipped a beat when he smiled at her, the rest of her innards jumping up and down with lust, though she tried to tell herself it was because she was happy to see him. Yeah, she was really happy; jaw-droppingly, slobbering over him, sort of happy; happy to whisk him off to bed this very instant, type of happy.
‘Coo-ee,’ Flossie called, waggling her fingers in greeting.
Leo waved back and stood up. ‘Let me get you a coffee,’ he offered.
Flossie nudged Nina in the ribs.
‘Oof!’ What had Gran done that for?
‘See what I mean,’ Flossie said in a loud whisper. ‘Nice manners.’
‘Gran,’ Nina warned, praying the old woman wouldn’t say any more.
‘You can work on the other stuff. Bet he’s a quick learner too,’ her gran said with a leer.
Nina raised her eyes skywards. ‘Dear lord, please make it stop. I’ll have Turkish tea, please,’ she called as Leo halted at the self-service drinks machine and held up a coffee cup, raising his eyebrows.
She watched him, admiring his easy grace, the way he seemed comfortable in his own skin. He placed the cups in the dispenser and pressed the buttons. She recalled how those hands caressed her body. When he half-turned, giving her a smile, she thought of his mouth on hers and it sent a delicious shiver down her back.
‘He couldn’t have been all that bad,’ her grandmother noted. ‘Not if your expression is anything to go by.’
Nina plastered a frown on her face and it wasn’t a pretend one either. Leo, returning to their table with two steaming cups, shot her a concerned look and mouthed, ‘What’s wrong?’
She shook her head a fraction and jerked her gaze in Flossie’s direction, following it up with a penetrating stare. He smiled, and she knew he’d realised the source of her irritation as he turned his attention to his own drink.
When Flossie left the table to attack the breakfast buffet, Leo asked, ‘I take it she knows about us. Did you get into trouble?’
‘Far from it. She thoroughly approves and is pestering me for the gory details.’
‘I hope they weren’t that gory,’ he said, with a smile.
‘You know what I mean.’
‘Seriously, do you have any regrets?’ he asked.
‘Why? Do you?’
‘No, I don’t,’ was his firm reply, and Nina let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.
For a minute there she’d thought… Aw hell. Regrets or not, it had happened and there was no turning back the clock. She’d enjoyed herself (immensely) and would treasure the memory of her Elephant lover. Oh, no! She hadn’t meant to think that at all, though nothing had been lacking in the trouser department, but she hadn’t meant to imply he was hung like an elephant either, even if the conversation had taken place in her own head.
‘Do you?’ he repeated and she realised she’d been too busy thinking about his you-know-what to answer.
She put her hand over his. ‘No, not at all. It was lovely.’ A big smile spread across her face as she remembered how truly lovely it had been.
He answered her with a grin of his own.
Nina caught the eye of the gentleman who’d helped her with the porter. He was directing some hotel staff and she realised he must be a manager of some kind. He nodded and she nodded back, her head held high. She refused to feel embarrassed. Anyway, he’d probably seen it all before, and had far more interesting tales to tell than hers.
‘Righto, love birds. Get some breakfast down you. Nookie is all well and good but it won’t keep your bowels regular,’ Flossie announced.
Ug. Trust her gran to bring everything down to earth.
Chapter 25
‘It’s not what I was expecting. I thought it would be pink.’
‘That’s because you insist on calling it by the wrong name, Gran. It’s Pamukkale.’
‘Yes, Pinky Moon, that’s what I said. But it’s not pink, it’s white.’
‘Pamukkale means cotton castle in Turkish and it’s called that because it looks like a white cotton-wool castle on the side of the mountain,’ Leo said.
‘Why is it white?’ Flossie asked.
‘Mineral deposits in the water. Over centuries the thermal springs have left a limestone deposit on the stones, and the way the water flows over the rocks has formed a number of terraces.’
Flossie was unimpressed. ‘I still think it would look better in pink.’
‘Do you fancy a paddle?’ Nina asked hoping her gran would say no; there were signs everywhere warning how slippery the wet rocks were. She watched as people traversed the terraces with almost comical caution, but when one lady fell hard, Nina wasn’t happy about the idea of Flossie walking on them. Anyway, the supposed benefits of bathing in the mineral rich waters were bound to be exaggerated.
‘Nah, I think I’ll give it a miss,’ Flossie declared. ‘I dare say even if I drowned myself in one of those pools, I’d not come out looking any younger. I’ll find a spot in the shade to sit and wait for you. You two go and have fun.’
Kudos for being tactful, Nina thought, though tact hadn’t appeared to be one of her grandmother’s strong points up to now. She found the old lady a seat and left her with their shoes and strict instructions not to move from the spot until they returned.
Flossie promised she would stay put. ‘Cross my heart and hope to die,’ she said, an innocent expression on her wrinkled face, but why did Nina have the uneasy feeling her grandmother was up to something.
Goodness me, the signs certainly hadn’t been exaggerating, Nina thought, as she gingerly made her way across the rocks towards the first water-filled terrace. None of the pools appeared to be more than knee deep, and the sliminess underfoot didn’t add to her desire to get any more of herself wet. In fact, the warmth of the water was a little off-putting, a bit like swimming into a suspiciously warm patch in the local swimming baths.
They didn’t stay long, Leo as keen to leave as she was, and to her astonishment Flossie had remained exactly where they’d left her. She was happily chatting away to a couple of ladies around the same age (her real age, not her ninety-four age), and said goodbye when Nina and Leo picked up their shoes.
‘They seemed nice,’ Flossie said. ‘Couldn’t understand a word they said, mind you. Foreign, they were,’ she added sagely.
Leo took Flossie’s arm, gallantly guiding her towards the restaurant. Next to it was a large grassed area with seats and sun loungers, and a deep pool which looked far more inviting than the murky terraces.
‘Do you want to stay here, or would you like to see Hierapolis with us?’ Leo asked.
‘Hairy what? Penis?’ Flossie asked, cupping a hand to her ear, and Nina swore she was doing it on purpose. Flossie’s deafness tended to be selective. ‘I don’t want to see a hairy anything, thank you very much, especially not a penis. Don’t like beards either, or hairy backs. Has this one here got a hairy back?’ she asked Nin
a, jerking her head at Leo.
‘No.’ Nina’s answer was short. She did not want to discuss Leo’s back, or any other part of his body with Flossie. Her grandmother might not stop at backs. She might start on fronts. At least she hadn’t asked whether he had a hairy…
‘Hang on a sec – Did you say Hierapolis?’ Nina asked Leo.
‘Yes, the other part of Pamukkale – the Roman spa city.’
‘There’s a Roman spa city?’ she squealed. ‘Why didn’t anyone tell me!’
‘I’m sure they did,’ Leo said. ‘Maybe you didn’t hear. Yasin definitely mentioned it, and it’s on all the excursion details.’
‘Maybe she had other things on her mind,’ Flossie said, with a wink and a nod.
‘Maybe she was so caught up with going to Elephant, she didn’t realise there was more to Pinky Moon than some thermal springs,’ Nina replied loftily.
‘Go, go.’ Flossie shooed them away. ‘I see enough ruins on a Monday morning in the doctor’s surgery. I’ll get a drink, have a smoke, and find someone to talk to.’ She looked at the other tourists hopefully. ‘There’s bound to be someone here who speaks English, even if they do have a funny accent.’
‘Not very PC is she?’ Leo laughed, taking Nina’s hand as they braved the midday heat to go explore old stones for the second time in as many days. Tingles shot through her fingers and up her arm at his touch.
‘Tell me about Hierapolis,’ she demanded, to take her mind off how nice it felt to be holding hands. She caught a whiff of his aftershave and supressed a groan. He smelled so good.
Leo stopped and turned her to face him. ‘Okay, but you’ve got to do something for me first.’
‘What?’
‘Kiss me.’
‘I think I can manage that.’ She stood on tiptoe to reach his mouth, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Mmm, she liked tall men. She also liked strong ones, and she giggled as he lifted her off the ground.
‘I may never put you down,’ he said, his lips on hers.
Wait a minute – what? Did he mean it, or was she reading too much into a simple bit of flirting? And if he did, wasn’t everything moving a bit fast? They’d only met yesterday and her ovaries might be in raptures, but her head was telling her to think logically.
Oh, goodness, she’d only met him yesterday, and she’d already spent the night with him. Did that make her a loose woman, a tart, a tramp? It did, didn’t it? But it made him one too – loose man, that is, not woman, because he had a…
His difference pressed against her, and she sighed. You know what? she asked herself – it didn’t matter. No one back home knew, she knew no one here, and no one would care if they did. This was between her and Leo, and her and her conscience. If she could live with what she’d done then everyone else could just get lost and mind their own business.
And if Flossie blabbed, Nina would deny everything.
She melted into the kiss, thoroughly enjoying it. She’d have been up for another one, but a gaggle of tourists led by a man with a rainbow umbrella came around the corner and shot them filthy looks.
‘Come on Romeo, show me some piles of stones,’ she said, laughing at herself, knowing if the shoe had been on the other foot and she’d been the one to stumble across a couple in a passionate embrace, she’d have been the first person to tut and roll her eyes.
Talking of rolling her eyes, she hadn’t done quite so much of that since she’d met Leo. Or perhaps she simply wasn’t as bothered by things as much (and by “things” she meant her grandmother!), though the old lady was still supremely annoying. But in a nice way, a funny way.
Hairy Penis wasn’t as impressive as Elephant, though if she’d visited Hierapolis first she’d have been perfectly happy with what she found.
‘I’ll be comparing every other Roman ruin with Elephant,’ she cried forlornly as she gazed around more ruins, disappointed to find Hierapolis wasn’t in such good nick as Ephesus. ‘All future sites will be spoilt for me,’ she declared.
‘Aw, let me kiss it better,’ Leo offered, and Nina was more than happy to let him.
‘It’ll take a lot of kissing,’ she warned. ‘Are you sure you’re up for it?’
Leo bit his lip, a smirk playing about his mouth. ‘What do you think?’
‘Then what are you waiting for?’ She closed her eyes, lifted her chin, and was rewarded by a thoroughly good kissing. If anyone disapproved, let them look somewhere else, she was enjoying herself far too much to care.
‘There’s something else you need to see,’ Leo said when they finally came up for air. ‘Another amphitheatre. Maybe I can kiss you in this one, too?’
‘Yes, please.’
‘Oh, it’s fabulous!’ Nina clapped her hands when she saw it.
Though smaller than the one at Elephant, it had something the other amphitheatre didn’t have – a series of niches at the back of the platform or stage, and a couple of them still had statues in them, flanked by huge marble columns.
Nina and Leo stood on the floor of the amphitheatre, and Nina shaded her eyes as she stared up at the steep rows of seating. ‘What does that say?’ She pointed at an inscription written on a block of stone, and they sauntered over to it.
‘Can you read any of it?’ Leo asked her.
‘Not a chance.’
Leo consulted his guide book. ‘It says, “Hierapolis, foremost land of broad Asia, mistress of the Nymphs, adorned with streams of water and all beauty.” It certainly has streams of water, though you can’t tell what they might have looked like then.’
‘Let’s climb to the top,’ Nina suggested.
‘You’ve got a real thing about amphitheatres, haven’t you? Race you!’
Nina let him win. Really, she did. She could have taken him if she wanted to, but she had no intention of getting any hotter and any sweatier than she already was, thank you very much!
When she finally reached him, he pulled her onto his lap and with his lips on hers, he murmured, ‘This is getting to be a habit. Do I have to kiss you at the top of every amphitheatre in the world?’
Was he offering to, or was this more flirting? And how was she supposed to answer? She didn’t, lifting her face to his, and their lips met once more. Crisis averted.
When the afternoon heat drove them to seek shade and cool drinks, they headed back to where they’d left Flossie (Nina had her fingers crossed her grannie would still be there). Leo halted for a moment, looking back at Hierapolis, thoughtfully.
‘I know of somewhere even more astounding,’ he said.
‘Where?’ Nina asked, hoping it was within travelling distance – Turkey was a far larger country than she’d realised.
‘Pompeii.’
Oh, not doable from here then. ‘Have you been there?’ Nina would love to go, and not just for the romance of Italy either, because there was nothing romantic about those unfortunate people at Pompeii.
‘Not yet, but I will,’ Leo said, his focus on somewhere deep inside, and not the scene before him.
As they made their way to the present day, leaving the ancient past to sleep on in the sun, Nina had only one thought on her mind – she wished he would take her with him.
Chapter 26
Two days ago, Nina had gotten off the bus outside Aphrodite Hotel and watched the coach drive slowly away. During the time it took to reach the bend and turn the corner, they’d never taken their eyes off each other, Nina craning her neck, Leo half-standing in the aisle.
It wasn’t until the coach was out of sight, that Nina realised they hadn’t exchanged phone numbers and she had no idea which hotel he was staying in. Not that she intended to go looking for him if she did. It was over, whatever it was. It had been nice while it lasted, but it couldn’t have lasted any longer. It had been an enjoyable way to spend a couple of days (she refused to think too deeply about that night right now, no sir, not yet, maybe not ever). No strings. No expectations. No pre-conceived ideas. No commitment.
No heartache.
&n
bsp; So why did she feel so empty? They’d returned from Elephant two days ago, and Nina hadn’t felt right since. Maybe it was something she’d eaten. That service station they’d taken a pit-stop at on the return journey to their resort hadn’t been the best.
Their holiday was over half way through now, though it actually felt as though they’d been here a lot longer. Four days and she’d be home, back to normal, with the exam results looming and a new term to prepare for. For the first time Nina didn’t have that faint stirring of excitement at the thought of returning to school, no sense of satisfaction at the resumption of the steady stamp of the days, the weeks, the terms. Just a disturbing flatness. Something was definitely lacking; she felt no joy, no pleasurable anticipation, only faint stirrings of discontent with her lot in life where there had been previously been nothing but contentment.
That was it, Nina realised, she no longer felt satisfied with her lot.
Lying on a sun lounger next to the turquoise Mediterranean Sea, her skin glowing from a light golden tan, with a good book in her hand, Nina was aware she felt positively disgruntled. What kind of a word was disgruntled anyway? And was there an opposite – gruntled? If so, her gruntle had well and truly upped and left her.
She blamed Leo.
He’d been so darned enthusiastic about his job, so lit from within when he spoke about it, that it highlighted the shortcomings in her own. She couldn’t imagine waxing lyrical about Free School Meal statistics or school league tables; she couldn’t see herself getting all worked up about yet another meaningless meeting just to tick a box to say it had been done.
She did however love the kids. Most of them. And sometimes there was the occasional pupil who showed real promise, real enthusiasm, but when she looked back over her teaching career (okay, it wasn’t that long a career), she didn’t think she’d lit a fire under any of her pupils.
It might be her fault, the way she taught. Or it might be the tight, restrictive nature of having to teach pupils nothing other than what was necessary to get them through their exams.
Summer on the Turquoise Coast Page 17