Jack whispered something to her, and she glanced over at Jason again. Still frowning. Suddenly, she turned and faced the small cluster of ex-army operatives that sat spread legged, arms folded, each and every one of them no doubt undressing her with their eyes. Jason could see it in their expressions.
She cleared her throat. ‘Bonjour, gentlemen. It’s good to see such eager new recruits,’ she said sarcastically with a glint in her eyes. I wonder what colour they are. ‘My primary function during our time here will be to act as interpreter for the doctors and to reassure the villagers, many of whom are familiar with me. This is my third time working with these people, and I have seen them go through so much. Your respect and compassion should be evident at all times, but obviously the safety of our workers is paramount.’
Jason listened as she spoke eloquently in her second language. Her accent was incredibly sexy, and he found himself mesmerised by her mouth as it formed the words.
Stop it, Reynolds. No mixing business with pleasure. He chastised himself as he made eye contact with her once again. Although judging by the expression on her face, there wouldn’t be much chance of mixing anything with her.
To his surprise, she was making her way over to him. He pushed off the wall and stood ready for whatever she was going to say. He took a deep, calming breath.
‘Monsieur Reynolds. I’m Oriel. I understand you are to be the main one to guard me. I felt we should become acquainted.’ She held out her hand, but he just stared. Why the fuck has Jack assigned me to her?
After a few moments, he shook his head and snapped himself back to reality. He briefly glanced over to his long-time friend and colleague who was smirking. He winked as Jason scowled back at him. Oriel cleared her throat and dragged his attention back to the matter in hand.
‘Oh, Mademoiselle Maçon, forgive my rudeness. I was a little…erm…surprised to hear that I’m to be your bodyguard. Mister Hilton hadn’t mentioned that to me as yet.’
‘Yes, I can see that it came as a shock. My apologies, but I didn’t ask for this.’ She folded her arms defensively across her chest, which unfortunately pushed her breasts upwards and drew his attention away from her eyes again. He heard her heave an impatient sigh and lifted his face to focus on her eyes once more.
She was not amused.
‘No…sorry…not a shock in the negative sense of the word. I was expecting to be part of the larger group, not assigned to an individual.’
‘Monsieur Reynolds, if you are unhappy, I can ask—’
He held up his hands. ‘No! No need. I’m sure we’ll get along fine.’
She snorted derisively. ‘We don’t have to like each other, Monsieur. Ensure that I don’t get killed or kidnapped, and I’m sure all will be well.’ She turned on her heels and stormed away.
A firm hand clapped him on the shoulder. ‘I see that went well, JR.’ Jason turned and was met with the green, sparkling, amused gaze of Jack Hilton.
‘Oh yeah. She fucking loves me.’ Jason shook his head, feeling rather exasperated at the encounter.
‘Fancies you. That’s the issue. Knew she would.’
‘I sincerely doubt that, mate.’
‘She does. I could tell as soon as I spotted the two of you making eye contact. Rule number one of working with people in situations such as this: Know your non-verbal signals.’
‘Okay, so you’re telling me that the fact she pursed her lips and looked like she was sucking lemons is a sure fire way to say she’s into me?’ Jason laughed.
‘No, but the nipples poking through her top and the flush to her chest were a bit of a giveaway.’
Jason scrunched his brow. ‘Eh? What are you talking about?’
‘Ha, so you didn’t notice the pink tint to her cheeks, and the way she thrust her breasts in your face? God, JR, you really are losing your touch.’
‘I think it’s you who’s losing it, Jack. And anyway, why have you assigned me to her? This is not how things usually work.’
‘No, you’re right. But she needs the best. Without her, the whole operation goes down the pan. There aren’t many interpreters who are willing to step into a war zone to do this job. She’s one of a kind. A feisty little stick of dynamite. You’re the best here. That’s it.’
‘But she clearly doesn’t like me, even if there is some physical thing there that I’m missing.’
‘She doesn’t have to like you. She has to trust you.’
Jason shook his head. ‘I’m guessing that’ll take some serious work.’
‘Better start ASAP then.’
‘Don’t count on it going well, mate.’
Jack patted his shoulder once again. ‘We’ll see, JR. We’ll see.’
The room began to empty, and Jason made his way back to his room. This was the last night he would sleep in a decent bed for quite some time. The vaccination run would take a couple of months, and during the time he was out here, the team would be holed up in a kind of concrete bunker earmarked as their base. There would be very long days ahead, including the treacherous journeys from base to the villages and back to base again. It was a little different to the work he had done before. He was usually paid a hefty sum to carry out security detail, but this time he was doing it voluntarily. It was the perfect distraction, and to top that off, it was for a very good cause. He’d be giving something back.
As he stood waiting for the elevator, he felt a presence beside him. He turned and a smile spread across his face.
‘Mademoiselle Oriel. We meet again.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Oh for goodness sake, Jason. My name is Oriel. Please use it.’
Her accent did strange things to his insides. So sexy. But he still had to bite back a smirk and nodded. ‘Okay…Oriel.’ He tested the name out on his lips and she looked up at him. She swallowed and her eyes travelled from his eyes down to his lips before she snapped her head back to face forward and pulled her lips in.
‘What are your plans for dinner this evening?’ he asked.
‘I was going to get room service. Why do you ask?’
‘I was thinking it’d be a good opportunity to get to know one another. I think if I’m going to protect you, I could do with knowing a little more about you.’
She sighed and rubbed her eyes. ‘Fine. I’m in room two-oh-five. Give me an hour to shower. The humidity is so draining. We’ll order when you arrive.’
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Oh, I was going to suggest the restaurant, but room service with you is fine too.’
Her cheeks flamed bright red. ‘Oh…we…we can eat in the restaurant. I didn’t mean…I mean…I—’
Fighting a chuckle, he turned to her. ‘No. Room service is fine.’ He leaned down so that his lips were an inch from her ear. ‘I don’t bite…not at first anyway.’ He glanced down, and the indication that Jack had mentioned earlier was present again, pressing through her shirt.
She jerked her head around and glared at him. ‘May I remind you that this is purely a professional arrangement, Monsieur Reynolds?’ Her voice was getting louder. ‘There will be no need for biting or…or anything other than professional conversation…between…between professionals!’
He laughed out loud now, and held up his hands in surrender. ‘Calm down, Oriel. I was teasing you.’
They stepped into the elevator, and she stood as far away from him as she could. He chewed on his lip, trying to eradicate his smile.
She folded her arms and tapped her foot.
‘I can see I’m going to have a lot of fun winding you up.’
She turned to scowl at him, her nostrils flaring. His smile was now very wide and he didn’t much care that he was clearly making her feel uncomfortable. The elevator came to halt and the doors opened. She didn’t move for a moment.
He pulled his brows into a frown, gestured to the opening, and cleared his throat. ‘Ahem, this is our floor. You’re in two-oh-five, and as luck would have it, I’m in two-oh-six…almost straight opposite.’
She huffed an
d stormed past him. He threw his hands up in exasperation and shook his head. What the fuck? Once he was back inside his room, he slumped onto the bed. This was not going well. She clearly had no sense of humour, regardless of the fact she allegedly found him attractive. Things would need to change or his time here would be no better than being miserable at home.
An hour later, he knocked on her door. She opened it and sighed when her eyes connected with his.
He was a little annoyed at her greeting. ‘Well hello, Oriel. I’m happy to see you too.’
‘Please, come in. I apologise for my attitude. I’m having a difficult time in my personal life, and I shouldn’t take it out on you.’
He stepped into her room, feeling a little taken back by her admission. ‘Is there anything you’d like to talk about?’
‘No, thank you. I don’t want to bore you with my troubles. Let’s order food and a bottle of wine, I think. We won’t get a chance for a while.’ Her smile this time was warm, and he returned it with an equally friendly one.
They chatted easily whilst they ate, and once they had finished, they moved to the small sofa at the other side of the suite. He told her about his camp, and she told him about the university in Marseille where she worked teaching English. She had taken some time out as she usually did when these trips came about. Her employers were very understanding, it seemed.
‘So they don’t mind you taking off for months at a time?’ Jason asked.
‘Non, these trips only occur every other year usually, and I feel it is important to do my bit for the cause.’
‘It’s good that they are so supportive.’
‘Oui…you are correct. So tell me Jason, are you married?’ She peered at him quizzically over the rim of her glass. She had drunk two thirds of the wine whilst Jason paced himself. She had relaxed now and was becoming very chatty, and he was surprised at the sudden change in direction the conversation had taken.
He smiled and shook his head, glancing down at his glass. ‘No, not even close.’
‘You surprise me. Forgive me for saying so, but you are a very attractive man.’
He felt his cheeks heat, which surprised him, as he didn’t embarrass easily. He put it down to the fact that Jack had been correct, and he was embarrassed at not seeing it himself.
‘You’re forgiven for saying so, thank you. It’s kind of you to say.’ He didn’t know how else to respond.
‘That was the problem when I first saw who you were. I’m usually landed with some ugly bald headed brute of a man. But you…you’re different.’
He smirked. ‘Different? In what way different? Am I not brutish enough?’
‘Oh you are, but you’re not bald.’
‘And that’s a problem because?’ Jason was baffled by her openness once again.
She made a growling exasperation-filled noise and rolled her eyes. ‘My partner is very possessive. Any hint of me being attracted to someone else and things get complicated.’
‘But he’s presumably back home in France, and you are here so he never has to know if you’re attracted to someone else. And in any case, you don’t have to act on it.’
She narrowed her eyes. ‘My partner…is female.’
Jason’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Oh, I see.’
‘Non…don’t get me wrong. I’m not a lesbian. I’m bisexual. Colette has been in my life for a long time, and she knows how my tastes go. And sadly, you are the epitome of everything I find sexual in a man.’
He swallowed hard and pulled his lips in to contemplate his next words carefully. ‘But I would never overstep the line of professionalism, Oriel. Please don’t worry about that.’
She pouted and stroked a finger down his arm. ‘You are a spoilsport.’
He laughed. ‘And you are a tease.’
She gasped, feigning offense. ‘Moi? Je suis innocent.’
Hearing her speak in her mother tongue sent shivers down his spine and his blood rushing south. He had to remind himself that he was working. ‘So do you think you and I could be friends?’ he asked taking another small sip of his wine.
She glanced at the ceiling as if to contemplate his question. ‘Hmmm…I’ve never been friends with my bodyguard before. Perhaps it is something I should try?’
‘I think so. Otherwise it will make for a very difficult few months.’
‘Oui…Je suis d’accord.’
‘You do know that I don’t speak a word of French, don’t you?’
She winked. ‘Oui…qui rend les choses plus amusant.’
‘Ah, now I heard the word amusement or something there, so I know what you’re up to.’
She bit her lip and giggled. ‘Whatever do you mean, Monsieur Reynolds?’
He grinned. ‘You’re going to keep saying insulting things in French so I have no clue what you’re saying.’
She paused, pursing her lips and eventually smiling widely. ‘Oui, coupable…guilty.’ They both laughed and Jason decided perhaps Oriel was going to be fun to work with after all.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The following day, the crew set out for the edge of the dessert where their work would begin. The doctors working on the project were mainly from America, the UK, and Germany, seven in total. All were there voluntarily, and Jason remained in awe of such people giving up their time to work in a dangerous area fraught with tumult and chaos. But the cause was a great one, and these people were clearly selfless, Oriel included. Regardless of the danger they would be facing day in and day out, they were determined to do their bit to help eradicate the threat of Cholera, a terrible disease that killed thousands of people every year.
The area they would be working in was one where the villagers were subjected to violence on a regular basis, and the fact the aid workers were there for the good of the people made them no less of a target. The drive out from the hotel to the base that would be their home for the duration of their time here was a tedious five hours long. The convoy of vehicles kept in touch via radio, and every so often there would be a conversation to check in between all the vehicles involved. The atmosphere was one of tense anticipation.
The heat was almost unbearable.
Jason absentmindedly stared out of the window at the harsh landscape that surrounded them. Nothing but vivid blue sky and sand. Every so often, they would pass through a kind of shantytown where people would stop what they were doing to stare at the passing chain of armoured vehicles. Such a far cry from the luxuries he was used to taking for granted back home. Seeing the poverty tugged at his heart, and he forced himself to think of something else, anything else other than what he was witnessing firsthand.
He wondered what Stevie was doing now. Was she with her new man? Were they in bed wrapped around each other, taking pleasure from one another’s bodies? Was the man making her feel incredible things? Did she miss Jason in the slightest? Sure, she seemed upset when he walked away, but nostalgia will do funny things to your heart. It’ll make you believe you feel things that you really don’t. Realising this train of thought was futile, he switched to the memory of the conversation he’d had with Oliver when he was waiting to board his flight to Africa.
‘Oh, son, I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. I expected things to end differently.’
‘Yeah, me too, but end is what they did.’
‘And she seemed to be with this man? I mean no disrespect to Stevie, but is there any chance this was just a… I don’t know…’ Oliver seemed hesitant to express his thoughts.
‘A one night stand? No, Stevie doesn’t do one-night stands. I think I know her well enough, and I’m pretty sure that if she’s with someone she’s with them.’
‘I’m so darn disappointed for you. Will you be okay?’
Jason sighed. ‘I’ll have to be.’
There was a silent pause. ‘I wish you’d come over here instead of going to Africa. It would’ve been good to see you. You’re always welcome you know.’
‘Thanks…thanks…erm…Dad.’ It still felt strang
e using such a familial word, but he liked the sound and feel of it. ‘I appreciate that, but I need some time doing something completely differently. Something that’s not a holiday. Holidays leave you with time to think. And I don’t want to think. I don’t want to feel. I just want to work. For now at least. It’s only a few months, but I’m hoping it helps me get over her. I need to move the fuck on.’
‘Well, if you decide you need more time, son, you know where we are, okay?’
‘Thanks again. Anyway, they’re calling my flight. Bye for now.’
‘Bye, Jason. Take care out there.’
Stevie sat with a pile of papers strewn across the table in front of her. Planning for the Head of Science interview was taking over her life, and she was glad of it. The welcome distraction was helping her to dwell less and less on the fact that she had lost the love of her life…again. Marcus hadn’t been in touch, and she had mixed emotions about that situation. She really liked him. She’d hoped that there could be something between them, but she knew that while there was still the chance of being with Jason, however remote, Marcus would only ever come a close second. And he had made it very clear that playing second fiddle was in no way good enough for him. And why should it be? He deserved so much more.
The phone rang as she sat staring at the pages until they had become a fuzzy mass of white before her tired eyes.
‘Hello?’
‘Stevie, it’s Mollie.’
‘Oh hi, Moll. How’s it going?’
‘Oh, fine. I saw Marcus last night. He’s a mess.’
She sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. ‘Please, Moll, don’t do this. I know I hurt him. I feel terrible, I really do. But I didn’t want to lead him on.’
‘He knows that. He’s been so lovely about you. Not a single bad word. He understands completely.’
Shit, that makes it worse. ‘Awww, Mollie.’ The stinging behind her eyes returned for what felt like the millionth time.
‘He misses you.’
She snorted derisively. ‘We only dated a couple of times. He can’t miss me.’
‘He does though. He thought he had a real future with you.’
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