Hawaiian Affair (Part 1 of 4) (Hawaiian Affair - 30 days to sign the deal - and stay out of love) (8 page)

When
it came to another round of drinks, Sadie asked to switch to juice instead, and
Mac found himself surprisingly pleased.

‘Good
idea,’ he told her, ‘I’ve got an early start too so I need to stay sharp.’

‘And
I’ve got my business meeting - PowerPoint’s and pina-coladas don’t mix too well
do they?’

Mac
laughed.

The
banter was distinctly more witty, more fun, and definitely more memorable
without the ‘affluence of incohol’.

Revelation.

After
one particularly cheesy joke, at which Sadie laughed out loud, a genuine,
hearty laugh, Mac felt his body completely relax. He realised his shoulders
were loose, at ease, and in the last two hours he’d also laughed more in a
woman’s company than he’d done in the last ten years. He felt rejuvenated. A
little of the old Mac was creeping in – he started to feel a bit more like
himself. And he was definitely wanting to feel a bit more of Sadie.

As
the night progressed, Sadie also found herself feeling more and more relaxed as
she snuggled next to Mac. She was chuffed that after a long drought, she was
proving to herself that she could still drink her fill of fun with a man. Or
maybe
this
man.

‘It’s
really weird you know,’ she said ‘I’m surprised at how natural this feels. Like
I’ve known you for years. Are you sure we haven’t met before somewhere?’

‘Not
unless you’ve been internet-stalking me already?’

‘Ptchah!
Sure!  With a name like Mac? Too many pages about computers or burgers to find
anything to do about odd deckhands!’

‘So
you tried then?’

‘Don’t
flatter yourself! No time, sonny boy - looking this naturally beautiful takes
many hours. It’s an art.’

‘Well
I’d pin you on the wall in
my
gallery anytime.’

‘Creep!’

‘Ahh,
welcome back, dear high school nickname, it’s been a long time. How I have
missed thee.’ And he took off an imaginary feathered hat and twirled it round
in the air as if bowing to her.

‘You’re
a nutter.’

‘Ooh
– say I’m a loser too, and that completes the set.’

Sadie
felt good. Good to be flirting again. Good to be on a date with such a hot man.
And maybe because tonight she wasn’t being Sadie, she was being ‘Sam’…

 She
liked the way she fitted under his arm. And the way the pressure was off. No
high expectations from tonight, it was what it was. And he was what he was – a simple
deckhand, and he seemed very proud of it. Unlike some of the chancers she’d
dated before she got married - all full of themselves, striving to be someone,
to get somewhere, and failing miserably. This man was so different. Even more
relaxed around her than her ex-husband Stuart had been. Two children too late,
she’d found out that his carefree attitude was only because he couldn’t give a monkey’s
about anyone but himself. But thank the lord she’d got her girls.

Unlike
her Hot Boat Guy, who didn’t seem to be bothered about his looks at all. He
hadn’t even shaved for tonight.

Unlike
Sadie.

Unusually,
Sadie didn’t mind his stubble - she liked it – a lot. She liked
him
– a
lot.

As
she listened to another one of his funny ‘life at sea’ anecdotes, she wondered
who else had felt the same about Mac through the years. There must have been a
broken heart somewhere down the line, perhaps that’s when he stopped making
‘those plans’.

No,
he really didn’t seem like a player.

Right
now, he wasn’t even making any attempt to ‘play her’. It was simple, honest
attraction, with no holding back and no games. No deception, just the way she
liked it – ‘honesty’ wasn’t tattooed in Chinese on her lower back for nothing.
Well, apart from the little white lie about her name.

But
he’d never know, would he.

She
smiled as they spoke, aware that he couldn’t take his eyes off her mouth, or
his arm off her shoulder. He’d even angled himself completely away from the
rest of the room - everyone else could only see his back – he was giving her
his total attention. In fact, much of the night, his gaze never left her face,
apart from the occasional look over his shoulder and a scan of the crowd in a
way Sadie found curious. Maybe he expected to see someone…

Mac
was on the lookout. Old habit. Just in case anyone saw him - anyone he had to
avoid. Usually female. There was a close call when a group of glamorous
model-types stumbled past on their way to the VIP area on the other side of the
bar, just as Mac turned round, and one of them in a tight red dress did a
double-take.  Mac dipped his head quickly, but not before she’d taken a step
closer.  When she spotted Sadie, however, she halted, looked quizzical then
walked on with her friends, her quip in French, just audible to Mac’s straining
ears,

‘Can’t
be, not dressed like that. Anyway, he usually has a young cover-girl on his
arm, not someone like her. Probably just looks a bit like him, that’s all.’

 Mac
froze. How dare they insult his companion like that. If he wasn’t ‘under
cover’, he’d have taken great pleasure in telling them that she was more
beautiful than any cover girl.

 
Then he realised with a jolt that the
insult was really for him. He felt shallow, superficial. 
Was he really that
clichéd?

Suddenly
a sledgehammer blow caught him in the gut, bringing with it the sad realisation
that that was precisely what he was.

He’d
never been amidst public opinion before, in this way, hearing sheer honesty,
rather than the sanitised, filtered version the Über-rich usually heard. How
sad that this playboy persona was all he boiled down to in their eyes. And
they’d been right – his arm candy
was
usually a carefully groomed size
Zero – with a personality to match. No wonder he’d stopped finding them
attractive.

And
as for his playboy image?

Well
let’s see if the new plans would finally change all that.

His
companion was regaling him with some information about a health food product
she’d recently discovered, animated and enthusiastic, and he watched her red
lips pouting and pursing as she spoke. He wasn’t really listening.

Would
she
care about what other people thought? Probably not.

The
topic of discussion had got to the stage where those red lips were adamantly
advocating that the scientific press should ‘grow some’. She was enchanting. 

Later,
when the music slowed down, he asked Sadie if she danced.

‘You
mean, am I capable of it? Or would I like to?’ she chuckled.

‘Come
on, come dance with me. I’m not very good but let’s give it a go.’
Hmm,
still the self-doubt creeping in.
  Why was it so important to him to make a
good impression on her?   She certainly was unlike any of the others he’d been
with – ever. But still he shrugged –
that’s simply what happens when you
spend too long away from women…

Sadie
felt completely happy. She’d laughed a lot, her body felt energised, as only
sexual heat can make you feel, and she hadn’t had to think about work once. She
looked up at this strapping guy, holding out his hand hopefully towards her.
How lucky was she? Taking his hand and feeling its warmth, she followed him out
to the middle of the floor, mingling anonymously amongst the other swaying
couples.

A
humid, heavy heat lay in the air and a bubbling anticipation began to rise
between them, as they brought their bodies together. Hands, arms, chests all
touched, then lower down the same thing happened.

The
sudden physical contact made Sadie gasp. He was
sooo
hot. So strong,
rock solid. She shook her head. He looked perturbed.

‘What?’

‘Nothing,
it’s just… it’s you.’

‘Makes
a change from
it’s not you, it’s me
,’

She
laughed and looked away. He continued.

‘Anyway
what
about
me? Did I tread on your toe already?’

‘No,’
she laughed, ‘You’re doing fine – just fine.’

‘Fine.
Well
fine’s
better than
not fine
I suppose! Dancing never was my
strong point.’

‘Never
mine either – not in these shoes.’

‘Aww…
Don’t make me think about the shoes! I was trying not to think about the
shoes.’ He pretended to fan himself approvingly at her high, high heels. She
blushed.

Another
frisson passed between them, and his hands slipped around her waist, pulling
her closer. She looked up – he was a good six inches taller than her, even in
her highest high heels. Chiselled features, sexy designer stubble. He was truly
magnificent - looking for all the world like he’d made no effort, but the
pressed t-shirt and intoxicating freshly-showered aroma gave him away. Reaching
his face, she was struck by his expression. Intense - eyes barely showing any
blue now, they were so black with desire.

‘You’re
beautiful Sam.’

She
went to reply but he was lowering his head towards her.  Sadie watched him come
closer, savouring the moment. She closed her eyes at the last possible second,
inhaling deeply as their lips met for the first time.

Slowly
at first, then more passionately his mouth explored hers. Sharp darts of desire
shot through her, as his tongue nudged between her lips, finding
her
tongue and infiltrating her senses. This kiss was even more powerful than she’d
expected.

He
smelled so intensely male, tasted so exotic and rare, that he made her body
tingle as he tenderly kissed his way from her lips across to her cheekbones and
ears, then back to her lips, cupping her face in his hands, just the way she
liked it. His hard body felt so powerful against her soft curves that she
immediately wanted more of him. She felt like she was acting out a romance
novel – the kind she’d lived and breathed for the last few years to get her fix
of schmaltz. Ones where he would have swept her off her feet, and away to a
remote castle on a mountainside, in a horse-drawn carriage, and she would have
been powerless to resist.

Her
imagination was running riot.

So
were his hands.

They
were in her hair, around her neck, along her shoulders, down her arms, cupping
her face and kissing her intently and Sadie loved every second of it.

In
that moment, all that existed was a powerful bond, and she didn’t want to break
the spell as they moved together, slowly swaying to the music, turning, kissing
all the while.

He
felt like the happy ending she’d been waiting for all her whole life.

But
this wouldn’t be like in a romance novel, Sadie thought, bringing herself back
to earth with a bump. One night only -
‘
Sam’ today, Sadie tomorrow –
don’t
forget that. Don’t get carried away.
 

There
would be no crimson sunset to disappear into - he’ll be the one that’s doing
the disappearing when he hoists anchor tomorrow and sets sail in his boat.
Superyacht.  What
ever
.

With
his kiss deepening, she allowed herself the luxury of surrendering to the
simple excitement of seduction. BUT – she made sure to detach her blossoming
emotions, neatly storing them away in the
‘
for future reference, but not
now’ section of her brain. Because, as inevitable as his departure would be,
she also guessed how the rest of the night was likely to play out, and she
found herself eager for the next step.

So
she kissed him back.

Hard.

His
reaction was equally fervent, and she felt him raise his own game. Their arms
wound around each other, more frantic, more fevered. Mac’s hands found her
hair, released the up-do and pulled her face towards him. Running his fingers
through her tousled blonde locks, his tongue showing her mouth exactly what
he’d like to be doing to her body. And it didn’t escape the attention of nearby
couples.

‘Vous
voulez une chambre à l’hôtel?’ a fellow dancer giggled.

‘She
said, “get a room”,’ Mac explained, as he and Sadie unclamped themselves from
each other.

‘Pardonnez-moi’
Sadie said, and the dancer smiled.

‘You
speak French?’ Mac asked

‘About
four sentences,’

‘What
are the others?’

‘You
don’t want to know…’

Things
were getting a bit too hot on the dance floor, and with a couple of pointing
fingers aiming his way, this was definitely not the way to remain incognito.
Holding her hand, he led her back towards the booth.

As
he reached the table and slid in next to her, his eyes were drawn across the
other side of the bar. There, by the door, two of his crew innocently stood
watching them, making a thumbs-up sign.