Kiss the Tiger (3 page)

Chapter Five

I heaved myself up, sucked in my
melon, and followed.

At the shock of the water hitting
my legs, I let out an audible gasp. The ocean always looked so inviting in the
holiday brochures, and I’d expected it to feel like a huge, warm bath. It
wasn’t. It was freezing. As I ran, the waves splashed up onto my bikini bottoms
and left me feeling as if I were wearing a sodden nappy.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Nessie
gushed, smearing salt water on her arms.

“No. Bad idea. I’m going back to
dry off.”

“Oh no, you don’t.” She grabbed
my elbow and held me hostage. “Look.”

The boys had entered the water
and were playing catch with a football. With every throw, they crept closer.

Nessie threw me a devious grin.

“What are you planning?” I asked
nervously.

“A bit of wet hair flicking and
squeezing it dry to accentuate the cleavage has worked for me before.”

“It has? When?”

My question was lost on her as
she ducked under the water, before rising up and carrying out the very action
she’d described. Talk about obvious. Had someone stolen my little sister and
replaced her with a porn star? She bent to scoop up a handful of water, let it
fall on my boobs, and smeared it in for good measure. “There we go, christened,”
she said, raising her brows and pointing at the boys with her eyes.

The boy closest to me was staring
so wide eyed that he was oblivious to the ball heading his way. His head shot
to the side as the ball hit it. He scowled at his mate before wading up to us,
gawking at my boobs. “Nice pair.”

Can you say crude? “Huh?”

“Of boats behind you. Don’t you
think?”

I twisted my neck, and sure
enough, there they were: two rowing boats, one red one blue. A slight breeze
rippled the material of my bikini top. I shivered and faced the boy again. He
was still grinning at my chest. My nipples had hardened with the chill. Great.

“Nice peaks too.” Was that an
American accent I detected? Or Canadian perhaps? I’d always been rubbish with
accents.

I folded my arms, high. “Okay,
enough. Quit…”

He turned and looked up at the
hills dotted with little white buildings. “Wouldn’t like to climb them in this
heat, though.”

“Do you take me for stupid? I
know you’re not talking about the scenery.”

One corner of his mouth curled slyly.
“Worth a shot.”

I took a minute to study him. Curly
hair, with ends bleached from the sun, flopped over his forehead and exuded the
right amount of sexiness, and his cat lick moustache made him quite cute, in a jailbait
sort of way. “How old are you?”

“Twenty.”

I laughed. “And in the real
world?”

He sighed. “Seventeen.”

Wonderful. If I
was
going
to bother sleeping with anyone, on this holiday, it wouldn’t be with any inexperienced
wham bam thank you, ma’am. The task required a real man, one who would seduce
me so completely, I wouldn’t have time to breathe let alone think about Josh.
This boy wasn’t the answer. I turned to tell Nessie that I was going back to
the loungers, but she was busy putting her flirt on with the other guy,
pretending to steal the ball.

“It gets warmer the longer you
stay in, you know. Come on.” Despite his age, the boy was strong. My arm was almost
yanked from its socket, and my feet fell from under me, as I was dragged to
deeper water.

“Hey. You’re hurting me.”

We’d passed the rowers by the
time he let go. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to.” He watched me rub my arm. “I can make
it up you. See those rocks over there?” He pointed to a rugged section of
coastline. “There’s a bit of sand behind. No one ever goes there. It’s nice
and…private.”

How would he know? Had he already
taken a string of unsuspecting girls there? And did he seriously believe I was
going to get it on with him within full view of any passing boat, when we’d
only just met and I didn’t even know his name?

“Not that private if
you
know about it.”

“I promise I know a spot where we
won’t be seen.”

I bet
. “Sure you do.” I
saw my chance to escape, and plastered on my best fake smile. “Race you?”

With a victory grin, he set off
at a pace. I turned, and swam as fast as I could back to the shore.

Nessie had beaten me to it.

“Practised enough?” I asked,
rubbing away the sea, and the stained feeling the boy’s hand had left, with my
towel.

“Loser. Invited me on a pedalo
ride. I was totally up for it too, until the cheeky bastard expected me to pay.
Whatever happened to chivalry?”

“Got doped up in the sixties and
couldn’t find its way out.”

She laughed. “What happened with that
one?” she asked, looking over to where the boy strode out of the waves and
joined his mate. A mixture of disappointment and hatred mirrored their faces.

“Tried it on.”

“Shit kisser?”

“Seventeen.”

“Ah.”

I rolled up my towel and stuffed
it in my bag. “Early lunch?”

***

By the time we’d climbed back up
to the hotel, and changed out of our beachwear, I was ravenous, so I loaded my
plate high with a sample of everything the buffet had to offer.

“Okay, so that was an epic fail.
Beach boys strike one,” Nessie said, as we sat down at the table. “Guess we go
to plan B.”

“There’s a plan B?”

“Yeah. And a C, a D, an E… You
get the picture.”

“What’s plan B?” I asked through
a mouthful of chicken.

“Time to hit the bars.”

Diane pulled out a chair and sat
down. “Hello, girls. Nice morning at the beach?”

Sadly not
. “Lovely, thank
you,” I answered.

“Glad to hear it. Mind you,
anything had to better than my morning. Your mother’s being a total bore. She’s
been on the phone all morning. I can’t get her off it. It’s the weekly market in
town, today, and she won’t even take a break to check it out. I mean what kind
of holiday is it, if you can’t have a barter with the locals and grab some new
togs?”

Nessie swallowed her food without
chewing. “Clothes?”

“Yes, my dear. Am I old fashioned
saying togs? You probably call it gear or something, nowadays. I couldn’t
persuade you two to accompany me instead, could I?”

Nessie’s face brightened. “I’m up
for it. Amy?”

“Nah. Thanks anyway. I didn’t get
much sleep last night and I’m still a little tired. I think I’ll have a lie
down and then keep Mum company.”

“All right. If you can get a word
in, see if you can get her in the holiday mood, will you? The way she’s been
talking, our tickets will be changed, and we’ll all be heading home tomorrow.”

Nessie’s cutlery clattered onto
her plate, much to the disgust of the couple at the adjacent table. She grabbed
my hands and gripped them tightly. “Whatever you do,
don’t
let her do
that.”

Chapter Six

I found Mum sitting on the patio,
nursing a brandy. Wearing her huge sunglasses and floppy rimmed hat, she looked
like an old time film star, and just as Diane had predicted, she was on the
phone. Her constant calls must be mounting up quite a bill, but unless Dad cut
off her access, the cost was probably the least of her worries. She gave a weak
smile as I approached, and her conversation ended.

“Oh, hello, Amy. I’ve just been
talking to Mr Kempton.”

“What did he have to say?”

“He spoke to your father on his
way to work this morning. It appears he’s using his work schedule as an excuse
for our separation.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. According to Ron, John has
a big job on and couldn’t afford to spend the time away. He said he hopes we’re
having a good time, and that he misses us.”

“Do you think that’s true?”

“I’m not sure what to think.” Mum
looked strained. I couldn’t imagine what she must be feeling. I’d never had a
relationship that had lasted more than a few days, let alone twenty years.

“Do you miss him?”

She spoke and thought at the same
time. “No. Yes. Oh, I don’t know.”

“I think you do. Just a tiny
bit.”

Mum’s mouth curved slightly and
she tapped her phone on the chair arm.

“I think you have to ask yourself
two questions. Do you still love him? And could you ever forgive him?”

Mum adjusted her kaftan, deep in
thought. “Yes, and two days ago, definitely no, but today, maybe.”

“What’s changed?”

“I spoke to Monica earlier.”

Monica, my dad’s personal
assistant for the last ten years, knew him better than anyone, outside of the
family. She also kept track of his every move.

“What did she say?”

“That it was all Madeleine’s
fault. That she pursued him relentlessly until he gave in. She’s been phoning
the office, asking to see him, but he won’t take her calls.”

“Do you believe that?”

“Oh yes. I trust Monica, which is
more than I can say about Madeleine. Did you know she slept with Mr Burke? Of
course you didn’t. Why would you?”

“My old headmaster, Mr Burke? But
he’s married!”

“Exactly. And she once invited an
estate agent to value her house with the sole intention of seducing him. He was
married too.”

“Did it work?”

“It always worked for Madeleine
the Man Magnet. I can’t believe how stupid I was to think she wouldn’t stoop so
low as to go after a friend’s husband.”

“He could have said no.”

“And that’s what bothers me. Your
father is a handsome, powerful man. It’s not the first time he’s been
propositioned, just the first time he’s given in.”

“As far as you know.”

“I’m as sure as I can be.”

So was I. In my mind, their
relationship was so strong; I’d never even suspected that Dad would be
unfaithful to Mum. “Are you going to call him?”

“No. Not yet anyway. I haven’t
any words. It’s all been such a shock. I need time to get things straight in my
head. And besides, I don’t think it’s a conversation I’d like to have over the
phone.”

I laid my hand on her arm. “What
he did was inexcusable. He shouldn’t have done it. It was wrong, and if you
can’t forgive him, Nessie and I will totally understand. But everyone has
moments of weakness. Do you seriously want to throw away twenty years of
marriage because of one mistake?”

“I’ll still have my girls.”

“Of course you will. But we’re
growing up, and then what? What will you have for you? Wouldn’t the reputable
ladies in your book club look down their nose at a divorcee? Could you return
from your afternoon yoga class and
not
automatically start cooking up a
gourmet meal before Dad comes home?”

Mum tried to drink from her empty
glass, shook her head in frustration at the lack of fluid, and frowned.

It was refreshing to talk to Mum
and hear her to open up. Her shell of respectability rarely cracked to let me
in. When she wasn’t busy trying to be the perfect mother, she was in
efficient
hostess
or
let’s do lunch
mode. The life she’d chosen hadn’t held much
room for fun. The only thing she really loved was running, and that just seemed
like more hard work to me. I’d never seen the appeal. And whatever she decided
to do about Dad, it probably wouldn’t change her daily activities all that much.
She needed to let her hair down. We all did.

It didn’t appear as if Mum was
ready to make her decision “Take your time. You have the rest of the week to
think about what you’re going to say, and Nessie and I will support you no
matter what, but in my opinion, instead of fretting over a possible divorce,
you need to relax and spend what time we have left in this gorgeous place
enjoying your stay. Hopefully, by the time we arrive home, you’ll know what it
is you really want.” I glanced at my watch. “Say, look at that. Happy hour,” I
said, trying to lighten the mood. “I fancy a cocktail.” I jumped up and pulled
on Mum’s arm. “How about it, Mum? Join me?”

She resisted my touch. “I’d
rather stay here for a while.”

“Well tough. I’m not letting
you.” I pulled harder. “Get up, stop hiding under that silly hat, and let’s see
if we can get that dishy barman to throw in a few sparklers.”

***

One strawberry daiquiri and a
dirty martini later, Mum had actually cracked a few smiles, before the shoppers
returned.

Nessie dropped a pile of
purchases at our feet and collapsed in the chair. “Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my
God. You’ll never guess what happened,” she gushed.

I eyed the bags. “You found a
great pair of shoes; they were half price and amazingly just your size?”

“No. Well yes, how did you know?
But that’s not what I’m talking about. I met someone.”

“You did?” I glanced at Diane.
She patted a tissue to her forehead and nodded, before waving the barman over. Why
did I always miss all the exciting stuff? “Who? How?”

“We stopped off at a bar for a
lemonade. This guy walked past our table, carrying a big bag of ice on his
shoulder, and he winked at me. He was
really
cute, Ames, and when he was
talking to the barman in Greek, they kept looking over at me. Then when Diane
went to the loo, he came to talk to me. His name is Adam and he’s English. He
asked my name and where I was staying.”

I cut her off mid-flow. “Rule
number one; don’t tell them where you’re staying.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.
Maybe you should have written me a list before we came.” Her tone was chiding.
“You’ve distracted me now. Where was I? Oh yes. He was about twenty, I’d guess,
with really sexy green eyes, which he was practically undressing me with. He asked
if I would meet him back at the bar tonight. Well I had to say yes, didn’t I? How
could I resist? I’d already agreed, and we were discussing a time to meet, when
his brother turned up.” She paused and steeled her hands on the table top. “OH.
MY. GOD. You should have seen him, Ames. He’s even hotter than his brother. Totally
to die for. Absolute sex on legs. And I have to say, exactly your type. Shame I’m
claiming first dibs.” She laughed.

I stole a glance at Mum, but she’d
reverted to her normal G and T mode and seemed oblivious to the whole
conversation.

“Honestly, if I hadn’t have been
sitting down, I swear my knees would have buckled. He was that hot, wasn’t he,
Diane?”

Why was she asking Diane? The
woman was pushing forty. All her dates had grey hair or a bald patch. What did
she know about hot guys?

“It’s true,” Diane confirmed,
with a wicked glint in her eyes. “If I were twenty years younger, I’d have been
fighting her for him.”

Nessie fanned herself with a beer
mat, and continued, “So anyway, I’d already mentioned being on holiday with my
sister, and Adam suggested making it a double date. Please, please, please say
you’ll come. You’ll like Adam, I promise, and if I act all bored, he’s bound to
lose interest in me. Then, if you flirt with him a bit, I’m sure we can work it
so that I end up with his brother. After all, I did see him first.” She grabbed
my hand and squeezed it. “Please do this for your bestest sister. I’ll love you
forever.”

“Do I have to?” I whined. I’d
never been on a blind date before, but my best friend Cindy had. She’d chatted
with a boy on the internet once and exchanged emails with him for weeks before
agreeing to meet him. He’d told her he looked like Robbie Williams and played
guitar in a band. It turned out, his band was a bunch of granddads trying to
hang on to their youth, and his looks were more Robin Williams than
Robbie—minus the hair. Her experience was not one I fancied repeating, even if
my potential date had been vetted by my sister.

“It’s not like it’ll be a chore.
Adam is hot, honestly. Just not as hot as J.J.”

“J.J.? What kind of name is that?
He sounds like he should be in a boy band.”

“I like it. It’s cute.”

“You seriously expect me to
seduce your date so you can slut off with his brother?”

“Please?” she whined.

“That’s classy, Sis. Real
classy.”

“But doable, right?”

It could be. After all, I
couldn’t have my sister meeting two random guys in a bar, in a foreign country,
alone, could I? And if it meant keeping my sister safe, hell, I could manage a
bit of flirting. I’d had plenty of practice. And hey, he might even be worth
missing breakfast for. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d trumped up home in the
early hours and crashed until lunch.

Diane accepted her drink and
smiled her thanks at the barman. “If you’re not interested. I’d like to put
myself forward for the job.”

“He would be a lucky man.” The
barman smiled back at her and added a bowl of nuts to the table. Had he been
listening to our whole conversation?

Diane fluttered her lashes at him.
“I could do with a bit of excitement.”

Geez, even the oldies were at it.
I sucked in my breath. “It’s okay. I’ll do it.”