She nodded. “Of course. No problem.” She stepped back and ran a hand over her lips, smiling to see Zach adjust himself and take a deep breath before he dialed. The minute turned into two, then into five, and Zach’s face seemed serious, then animated, as the conversation on the phone dragged on and on.
She bit her lip and kicked some gravel, and Zach noticed, gave her an apologetic smile and wave, but when he still didn’t get off the phone, she whispered, “Find me when you’re done.”
He nodded, then sat back on the bench. “I’m going to have to get my laptop for that, Leilani, to verify the numbers…”
Harper sighed. This looked like it might end up being a longer call than expected, and as she headed back to her room, she felt awkward about what might happen next with Zach. Why did life have to be so complex?
She tapped out a text to Talia. “Are you around? I need to talk.”
Her ringtone chimed a second later and Talia’s voice rang into her ear. “Harper! How’s the desert treating you?”
“Fine.” She blurted it out. “I just kissed Zach again.”
“And why are you talking to me about this, instead of riding his dick?”
“Well, he got a phone call and had to take it, and it’s lasting a while.”
“That’s stupid.”
“Right? And now I don’t know… like, is he going to come find me when he’s done, and we continue? Or is it over now? Ugh.”
“Was it a good kiss?”
“The best.”
“Then it’s not over.”
“Well, but what if he’s all, oh, it was a good kiss, but it’s boring Harper who freaks out on airplanes, and besides I could get someone hotter in a second?”
“First of all, you’re not boring, and didn’t you say that your first kiss was because you freaked out on the airplane? He’s probably thinking, damn, I gotta take this girl on more airplane rides so I can get more bidniss.”
“You’re gross. And you can’t say bidniss. Just, no.”
“It was worth a try. What’s this whole someone hotter thing? I don’t understand that phrase. You—and I, of course—are the hottest girls in the world. Remember?”
“We are?”
“Yes. Definitely. Which is why you’re going to get Zach, if you want him, and I’m going to get Josh when he’s back from Hawaii.”
“You should send him one of those photocopies of your tits and a cute little handwritten note in purple marker. Oh, Josh! Want to motorboat with me?”
“Now you’re being the gross one! Why did you freak out so much on the plane, anyway? Didn’t you take your happy pills?”
“I forgot them!” Harper’s voice rose. “And I don’t know, the turbulence was just so shitty, and then the flap thing… and oh, God, my stomach is getting that feeling again.”
“I’m sorry I reminded you. You were so upset when you landed. I was glad you called me for comfort. I wish I could have helped more.”
“No, it’s not your fault. I mean, I’m going to have to fly again in a few days. And then again, a lot, over and over, for work.” She felt a lump in her throat. “Maybe I should see a therapist about it.”
“Or just take Zach with you everywhere,” offered her friend. “And have him stick his tongue down your throat when you get nervous. Maybe you can get him a reduced fare, like he’s a therapy dog or something.”
Harper laughed. “Great idea! I’ll make him wear one of those vests and a harness.”
“You’ll have to bring him special meals and make sure he has all his vaccinations.”
“Oh my God. He’d kill me if he heard us talking.”
“Or maybe he’d spank you. Bad girl. Bend over for your punishment!”
“Stop!”
“Oh, come on, you’d totally love it if he did that.”
“We’ve only kissed.”
“But was it the kiss that means let’s fuck now, or the kiss that means eh, I’m good and I’m going home to watch TV?”
“The first kind. Definitely.”
“So get on your cute panties, girlfriend, because after his phone call, he’s going to do some direct dialing between your thighs.”
“Oh, God. You should record yourself. I don’t know whether to laugh or gag at you.”
“Speaking of gagging…”
“We weren’t. Okay, I’m going to go now. Thanks for the pep talk.”
“Anytime. Love you.”
CHAPTER 13
When she still hadn’t heard back from Zach, and his half of the casitas remained dark and silent, she wandered down the path, past the pool and stream, toward the main lobby. Would he maybe be in there?
He wasn’t, although the shiny polished wooden floors and the décor held various travelers checking in.
She picked up her phone, wondering if she should text, then put her hand down. He had said he’d come to her when he was done. Or had he? He nodded, right, when she’d whispered, “find me when you’re done”? So the ball was in his court.
“Did you enjoy the tour?”
“Excuse me?” Startled, she turned to face the shift manager.
“The evening wildlife tour with Carlos?”
“Oh! Yes, it was really cool. Thanks.” She smiled. “We saw all kinds of things I don’t get back home in Chicago.”
“If you want a scorpion of your own, we have scorpion lollipops in the gift shop,” he offered with a wink. “They’re food-grade and safe to eat. The poison is removed at the candy company before the scorpion is put into the lollipop. They make great souvenirs.”
“Is that safe?” She followed him over and picked one up. “It looks pretty wicked, though. I love it.”
“The tip of the tail with the poison is removed,” he pointed. “If you’re not familiar with scorpions,”
“I’m not,” she interjected.
“Then you might not notice the difference, but locals can tell that the tail is shorter, and the sharp tip has been removed. Also, from what I understand, the factory cooks them to denature the poison before embedding them in the candy.”
“Still scary. What if they don’t get all the poison? Would I, like, die?” She thought about Japan. “Is it like that blowfish that people like to eat, where if the ovaries aren’t removed just the right way, you can die a terrible death within minutes?”
“Haha! No. I don’t think so.”
“I’ll take three yellow ones and two pink.” She picked up a handful of the candies. “My friends will love these. Do people actually eat them?”
“Probably not. But you could, is the point.” He laughed. “Also, over here? Chocolate-covered scorpions, one per box.”
“Wow, you’ve got quite the buffet here,” she commented. “I can honestly say I’ve never purchased a scorpion lollipop before.”
“Ah, just one of the many things that make Phoenix so fun,” he returned, swiping her credit card with a flourish. “Enjoy the rest of your stay. If we can do anything to make you more comfortable, just let us know.”
“Thanks.” She smiled and picked up the small paper bag, pale tan and smooth/shiny to the touch, folding the top down, enjoying the feel of a new purchase in her hands, thinking idly of the faces of her friends when she passed out the treats. Buying souvenirs was always a pleasure, even if a small one, sending a jolt of joy to her brain.
The manager called out, “Oh, one more thing. If you want to see more scorpions, maybe for your pictures? We have a clock with scorpions embedded in epoxy resin, like paperweights, for each number. Very rustic, handmade by a local. It’s on the wall down that hallway, right outside the main conference room.”
“Thanks.” She waved and headed down the hall, curious to see the clock.
As she turned the corner, she caught a glimpse of the pretty desk attendant from the first night, the pretty one with the red rose in her hair. Marielle. Visible through the plate glass window, standing outside in a courtyard near a patch of bougainvillea, she was laughing up into the face of a man.
Harper smiled, her own kiss with Zach giving her an indulgent feeling of camaraderie with this woman, enjoying the velvet night for her own piece of romance.
But when the girl turned, revealing the profile of her man, Harper stepped back, eyes widened, hand clenching on her bag. What the hell? Was that… Zach? No! It couldn’t be. Right? It just looked like him, from a distance. It was impossible that it could be him. The laws of physics—he’d just been with her, on the phone; there was no way he could be with this woman, now, in the courtyard?
But as if in a dream, she walked to the door and opened it, silent and stepped out, closer to the couple, all thoughts of clocks and wildlife fleeing her brain.
“So glad you’re enjoying the city…”
“Yes, it… gorgeous…”
Fragments of the conversation were wiped out by a wind chime and the conversation of two elderly resort guests, walking back to their casita. The woman was standing so close. Closer than you stand to someone who’s a guest, a patron, a stranger.
Then his laugh rang out, unmistakable. Harper gasped, tears instant, anger only a half second behind.
They both turned, and she felt embarrassment and righteous indignation at the same time. The woman looked curious.
Zach’s face fell in a way that might be comical if she wasn’t so angry. “Harper.”
She turned hard and entered the lobby and hurried back out the other door to the path leading to her casita. “Fuck you, Zach,” she muttered, feet crunching the gravel. “Such a stupid, stupid. So stupid.” But it wasn’t clear if she meant Zach, or herself, or both.
His feet hit the path, coming after her. “Harper!” He touched her shoulder.
She whirled around. “Oh my God, Zach. Again?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, please. The first time, okay, I got over that. But now, again? You’re with me, you express interest, but you can’t even wait twenty minutes? I mean, the first pretty girl you see, you’re going to mess around? I can’t even believe you.”
She turned and started walking again.
“I wasn’t messing around!” He sounded frustrated. “Harper. Harper! Can you stop for a minute?”
“Can I stop for a minute? No. Can you stop for a minute, is the better question.” She kept walking. “I can’t believe I got sucked in a second time.”
“What are you so upset about?”
She stopped and turned to face him. “What am I so upset about? Maybe the fact that you kiss me, look into my eyes and kiss me. And then you don’t come find me. And when I see you, you’re standing all brushed up against that woman, and she’s touching your face and laughing into you and you’re laughing and—that’s not cool.”
“I didn’t kiss her or anything, Harper.”
“But you were going to.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Well, did you tell her that? Because I can read body language, Zach, and that woman was clearly into you. Like, into you, into you. Like, she thought you two were going to fuck.” The raw word felt good ringing out into the air. “And you were doing nothing to dissuade her of that idea. Anyone seeing the two of you would have thought you were a couple. And that was me, not even half an hour ago. I just don’t know what to think now, Zach.”
He touched her arm. “Harper, please. Look, she came up to me in the courtyard when I was finishing my call. She, okay, she was flirting with me. So I flirted a little, too. It was harmless.”
“Then why don’t I feel okay about it?” Harper crossed her arms. “You know what, never mind. It’s late. I’m going to go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow for the morning meeting.”
“You’re being ridiculous right now.”
“Oh, I am?” She glared at him. “Because the way I see it, you’re the ridiculous one. Good night.”
She slammed her door.
THE NEXT MORNING wasn’t fun. She showered with a knot of unhappiness in her throat, angry that Zach had been flirting with the desk attendant, confused about what it meant, and pissed that he hadn’t come after her when she slammed the door in his face. By the time she entered the breakfast room for their early morning meeting, she was practically steaming.
He looked up, wary. “Harper. Good morning.”
She slid into her seat, feeling hot and cold. “Zach.”
Immediately he leaned over and put his hand on hers. “Harper, we need to talk about it.”
She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her chest. “What did you want to say?” Her voice was cool, neutral.
“That it wasn’t what you thought, but I’m sorry.”
“I like how you manage to squeeze in a you’re so wrong even before you apologize. Unbelievable.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Okay, you can keep saying it, but it doesn’t fix what’s wrong.” Her voice rose in frustration.
“I don’t know what to fix.” He sounded frustrated, too. “I mean, I tried to explain, and you didn’t accept it. What else can I do?” He ran a hand over his jaw. His eyes looked tired. “I didn’t sleep well. Did you?”
“No.” She wished she had grabbed a cup of coffee before confronting him. Her eyes were gritty and her throat dry, and the smell of his coffee made her salivate. “I did not.” She took a deep breath.
His voice was taut. “I was not planning to do anything with Marielle. In retrospect, I can see how… what you saw… looked. But I… Fuck, Harper. I was going to come back to you. How could you not realize that?” He lowered his voice. “That kiss wasn’t just a random thing. There was a real attraction there. Am I wrong?”
“God, I need coffee.” She grabbed his cup. “I’m taking yours.” She narrowed her eyes.
“Be my guest.”
“I will.”
“Fine.”
“So if you were so into me, why didn’t you come after me?”
He sighed. “If I had, would you have let me talk?”
She shrugged. “No. I don’t know. Maybe. The point is, you didn’t even try.”
“Maybe I tried once, when you confronted me, and I’m not going to get on my knees and beg if you’re not going to listen like an adult.”
“Oh, really?” She sat up straight. “Zach, are you for real?”
“Am I wrong?”
“Yes!” She practically shouted it, then lowered her voice. “I’m really mad at you right now.”
“I can see that. I’m not very happy myself.”
“Uh, am I here at a bad time?” The resort manager was standing behind them. “If you need some time, I can come back.”
“No, Jeremy, please, sit down. We’re just having a discussion about contracts. We get very passionate.” She stood up and pasted a smile onto her face. “It’s so good to see you again. This is lovely.” She gestured around her, then glared at Zach behind Jeremy’s back. “I’m going to get some breakfast to go with my coffee. And a new coffee, because I ruined this one by putting too much sugar in it. It’s disgusting. Haha.”
“Ah, okay.”
Jeremy sat down and, and as Harper walked up to the omelet station, she could see him launch into an animated discussion with Zach.
When Jeremy finally left, Harper and Zach were silent. The room had cleared out fast. The German tourists left early, their worn-in hiking boots and strong legs, their functional backpacks indicating that they were completely at ease in the desert. The family from somewhere else in the US was still relaxing, the twin boys with their deep black eyes and impossibly long lashes giggling together, but the Japanese tour had already taken off in a tour bus (not Maroki’s) with the words “Antelope Canyon Tours” on the side and intriguing photographed decals of otherworldly rock swirls and spirals.
Zach leaned forward, half-wary, half-entreating. “I don’t want to fight with you, Harper. I don’t want us to have a problem.”
“I think I know the problem.” Harper pushed at her cup of lukewarm coffee. “We keep blurring the boundaries, and it’s just
too confusing. We need to pick one thing and just be that to each other. Like coworkers. Or friends. But we can’t be that and sometimes… kiss.” She flushed. “Or, you know, things. It’s just.” She shook her head. “Too complicated.”
He regarded her. “But there is mutual interest.”
“Yes, there is.” She flushed again. “But we don’t have a status, or an agreement, or trust. I just think we should stop all of the extracurriculars, and just stay as friends. Okay?” She looked at him, half-hoping he’d disagree.
“If that’s what you want, then I respect it.” He looked away. “Of course.”
“It’s just that if we’re working together—”
“I understand. I won’t pressure you.” He sounded formal and apologetic.
“No, you didn’t pressure me. God, nothing like that. I wanted it as much as you did.” She touched her face. “It’s just—I don’t think it would… lead anywhere, right?” She felt like her gaze was too beseeching, and she looked at her lap, at her twisted fingers. “So it’s better to cut it off now, instead of getting into a messy situation.”
“I like messy situations. Sorry.” He put up his hands. “I couldn’t resist. Bad joke. Okay, if you call it, then, friends it is.” He swallowed and extended his hand. “As a friend, will you accompany me to dinner tonight at the restaurant you recommended? Chef Silvana has agreed to greet us personally and let you take behind the scenes footage.”
She smiled, some of the awkwardness dissipated. “Oh my God, that’s legit amazing. Yes, let’s go.”
CHAPTER 14
The restaurant was packed, with people spilling from the lobby to the front door and back, a casual mass forming and reforming, laughter and eyes sparkling in the dim light. The smell of garlic and chorizo filled the air, and sizzling sounds and cheerful shouts rang out from the kitchen.
The server, a gorgeous woman in chic tight black, her dark hair glossy and sleek, smiled. “Table for two? The wait’s about two hours right now.” She smiled apologetically, then looked at Zach again, and her eyes widened. She stood a little straighter, and flipped her hair off her shoulder.
Tropical Tryst: 25 All New and Exclusive Sexy Reads Page 236