Authors: Debbie Flint
Until
tonight, he’d forgotten what his life used to be like - out of the spotlight.
To go out for an evening on shore and just be treated like a normal man.
Not
to be kow-towed to.
Not
to be surrounded by sycophants.
Not
to be treated like royalty wherever he went. Just to be ordinary. To be ‘Mac’.
Well
tonight, thanks to this gorgeous woman, he’d had a trip down memory lane, and
loved every minute. For the right reasons, or wrong ones, money hadn’t even got
a mention.
So
often, having so much of it made it meaningless. He ran his fingers along the
row of hand-made suits - navies, blacks, charcoals. Each silk tie cost more
than the average family’s weekly shopping basket. He shrugged. Reaching the end
of the row, he walked back out and closed the closet door behind him. Sure,
wealth was a blessing, but it was also, undeniably, a curse.
And
anyway, lately, just lately, there’d been that gaping hole - something missing,
something important – something money couldn't buy.
And
if it COULD buy it, it couldn't keep it.
Deep
down, Mac knew exactly what that something was, but tried hard to ignore it. He
had everything else, everything he'd ever wanted to own - and that would have
to do, right?
Sadly
the answer was as clear as day – to anyone else. To Mac, it was a gnawing
feeling that crept over him when he closed his eyes at night, and opened them
in the morning, and he shook himself often to chase it away. But no matter –
he was certain the brand new venture he was planning would help take the edge
of the emptiness, and take him in a new direction. Yes,
a change was as good
as a rest.
But
some things never change, he realised as he topped up his drink - even though
this lady had reached parts of him none of the others had, lately, it had still
been his plan to let her walk away. And maybe Sam deserved better than that, so
perhaps it was a good thing he’d not got his way tonight.
So
hard to learn new tricks – he truly was an old dog.
Taking
one final look in the mirror, he shrugged.
And old dog, that’s for sure.
She’d probably say he looked ‘weathered.’ Too much time in bright sunshine. It
should be Factor 50 next time he went skiing or mountain climbing - but he knew
he wouldn’t bother. He still scrubbed up pretty well. He’d never give George
Clooney a run for his money, but hell, George Hamilton better watch out.
And
the scars… well, he’d deserved them. One day maybe he’d succumb to the
Captain’s suggestion of laser surgery, but for now the camouflage creams would
do. Except not tonight. The disguise – the covering up who he really was - was for
other nights, to provide the mask, to complete the shroud of formality, the
uniform of a billionaire. But tonight he’d been free of it all.
Yes,
tonight had been a good night.
Mac
took his drink and made his way back up to the deck, barefoot on the smooth
polished wood once more. He felt the cool boards beneath his feet – that’d help
take some of the heat away. He gazed out over the bay into the distance at the
sea wall and the dark sky, a vague smell from an on-board barbecue floating somewhere
in the breeze. The gentle night air cooled his heated body, and beckoned him to
his new life beyond. Ironic that having made his first fortune in property, big
executive penthouses and sprawling ranches all over the US, he would be moving
into the next phase of his career on a glorified mobile home. A home that
didn’t have a woman. Any woman. Even a woman like Sam. Especially a woman like
Sam.
On
the breeze, he could swear he smelled her fragrance and his heart began to
pound again the same way it had that afternoon when she’d walked along the
jetty. Blonde hair falling out of her up-do. Curves, confidence and an air of being
comfortable in her own skin. So refreshing. Plus the rare thrill of the
backchat. The high cheekbones and her beautiful green eyes had helped too. And
that walk. And those shoes. And the noise they made on the cobblestones. In
fact, he could hear it right now.
Mac
shook his head, rubbed his eyes and looked at his drink, then looked back again
along the jetty. He couldn’t believe what he saw.
‘Ahoy
there ship mate, is it too late for a tour?’
In
Part Two of Hawaiian Affair by Debbie Flint –
One
night of passion – but will the morning-after bring the biggest regret of Sadie’s
life? And the biggest mistake of Mac’s?
NB
- Adult content in Part Two – choose Adult Version (chapter 4 - onwards.)
Or
you can choose ‘Close the Bedroom Door’ version for less steamy option!
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