Kiss the Tiger (7 page)

Chapter Twelve

My massage was so relaxing I would
have fallen asleep were it not for Nessie’s incessant chatter. I let her babble
on about her morning, as I tried not to let my mind imagine that the fingers
working their magic on my back were Josh’s. I was certain the masseuse wouldn’t
appreciate a
When Harry Met Sally
moment on the massage table.

“So. Nice walk?” she asked,
unexpectedly changing the subject.

I thought over the events of my
own morning. “Great.”

“Where did you get to?”

“Along the coastal road and
back.”

“I don’t get it. You’ve been
acting strange, ever since I returned from the cave trip yesterday. What
gives?”

“Nothing. It’s a beautiful
country. I knew it would be, and from the moment I found out we were coming
here, a scenic walk along the coast was on my to do list.”

One of her eyes was squished
against the massage table but the other eyed me suspiciously. “Hmm. Well there
was only one thing on mine, and now you’ve ticked that off yours, maybe we can
get back to the job in hand.”

“Which is…?”

“You know perfectly well. I’m not
leaving this country without getting me a hot piece of ass.”

My masseuse’s movements faltered
for a second. Her English vocabulary clearly consisted of more than,
lie
down, remove towel
.

“You don’t have to act so
desperate all the time. The right guy for you will come along when he’s meant
to. I’m certain of it.” After all, he had for me.

“Not if we sit in the hotel bar all
night watching some lame magic act, like we did yesterday. It was boredom city.
There’s absolutely no talent here. I swear this hotel was built for the
middle-aged and fun-starved. I want to go back to the bar, tonight.”

“Which one?”

“Don’t act dumb. I’m determined
to find J.J. again.”

Shit
. I was hoping she’d
forgotten about him. “I doubt you will. There are dozens of places to spend the
evening in town. I’m sure he wouldn’t go to the same one every night.”

“Even when his brother owns it?”

“How do you know that?”

“Didn’t you know? It was the
first thing Adam told me. I think he was trying to impress me. Might have
worked as well if I hadn’t had my sights set elsewhere. Now I think about it, Adam’s
quite a catch: good looking, nice ass, property owning. Must be worth a bit
too. Shame it didn’t work out for you. You never did tell me why not.”

It was weird hearing her talk
about Jacko as Adam. It was as if she were talking about a totally different
person, a handsome, well-to-do business man, and not the asshole I knew him to
be. “And I’m not telling you now. Look, Ness, I really don’t fancy going back
there.”

I’d already told Josh that I
wouldn’t be able to see him tonight. When he’d dropped me at the spa entrance,
he’d said he’d had fun and asked when he could see me again. We’d arranged to
meet up tomorrow, but I’d yet to think of another plausible excuse to give
Nessie.

“You have to. I’m not going on my
own. Please. Just one more night, that’s all I’m asking, and if he’s not there,
I promise I’ll give it up as a bad job, and you can choose where we go
tomorrow.”

As much as I hated the thought of
setting eyes on that animal again, I knew Nessie wouldn’t let it go if I
refused. “Okay. Okay. Fine. You win.”

The masseuse stepped back and wiped
her hands.

I shuffled into sitting position
on the edge of the table and secured my towel.

Following a light tap on wood,
Mum’s head appeared around the door. “If you’re all done here, girls, Diane and
I are having a quick swim to finish off. Come and join us.”

***

The sun, streaming through a glass
dome in the ceiling, had heated the indoor pool to a pleasing temperature. I lay
back against the tiled edge, swirling my feet through the warm water, watching
Mum and Diane swim from end to end. Nessie was treading water beside me.

“So, about tonight,” she said. “I
thought I’d wear your shiny top and the pink skirt Jess gave me for Christmas.”

“Really?”

Jess had been with Nessie all
through school and into college. She dressed like a whore with rent to pay, but
kept the fact that she was still a virgin a secret. Girls who didn’t know her
story called her a slut. Boys called her a tease. Nessie called her Bestie.

“Yeah. And can I borrow your
silver shoes?” she added.

“With that skirt? You know how
short it is.” It was a terrible idea. I’d nicknamed my silver shoes my hoochy
heels. They were six inches high and made my legs look great, but I only ever
wore them with knee length dresses. The pink skirt Nessie mentioned barely
covered her tiny ass. “Your legs will look like swizzle sticks.”

“That’s the point, dummy. I figure
I played too safe with my outfit the other night. J.J. might have thought me too
much of a good girl and not worth his time. I want to show him he was wrong.”

“But you
are
a good girl,
and you wouldn’t want to get the floosie label, like Jess.” I said. “If you
dress like you might be available and act like you aren’t available, when the
right guy takes the bait, you can
be
available. Here endeth the first
lesson.”

“What lesson?”

“Sexual mentoring.”

Mum swam over, slightly out of
breath. “That’s it for me, I’m afraid,” she said, climbing the steps. “I’ve
worked up an appetite. I’ll see you both in the restaurant at seven.”

***

Nessie couldn’t wait to put her
plan into action. Disregarding my advice, straight after we ate, she changed
out of the
mother pleasing
dress she’d worn for dinner and into her
come
get me
outfit, and we walked into town while the sun was still warm.

Jacko’s bar was quieter than on
our previous visit, and this time we managed to find a free booth. I looked
around anxiously, thankful that both brothers appeared absent, and I’d avoided
the awkward conversation I knew had to happen eventually. Nessie wasn’t as
pleased.

Her brow creased with frustration.
“I don’t see him, do you?”

I shook my head. “I told you.”

“We’ll wait.” She sighed and
fluffed her hair in readiness. “He might show up later. Is my lippy okay?”

“Fab.”

A shadow crept over the table,
and a bored looking waitress stood, tapping a pen on a small, white pad. “You
want drinks?”

“Do you do cocktails?” Nessie
asked.

The waitress rolled a wad of
chewing gum around her mouth. “No.”

“Oh. Two vodka oranges then,
please.”

A quick scribble on the notepad
and the woman moved over to the next booth.

“Have you spoken much to Mum today?”
I asked.

“Not really. Why?”

“She seems a little happier and
more her old self, don’t you think?”

“Can’t say I’ve noticed. Maybe
Diane has finally persuaded her to enjoy herself.” I hoped so. I wouldn’t like
to be in Mum’s shoes, having to deal with a cheating husband when I got home. “She
seemed to enjoy the spa,” Nessie continued. “Oh, and I forgot to tell you. You
missed the best bit. We had one of those seaweed wrap thingies where they smear
you in gunk and wrap you up like a chicken in cling film. It made my body go
all tingly. Is that what it feels like to have an orgasm?”

“Ness!” My mouth fell open at her
candour. “There are personal questions and then there are
personal
questions. That definitely comes under
personal
. And if you don’t know by
now, I suggest you figure it out, and you don’t need a man for that!”

Our drinks arrived as I was
finishing my sentence, and the waitress actually smiled at us. I’d only taken a
small sip, making a mental note to watch my intake, when I noticed an arm hook over
the panel behind Nessie’s head, and then I saw the body it was attached to.
Shitballs
.

“I didn’t expect to see you
again,” it said.

Hatred rose in my chest. “I
didn’t expect to be here.”

Nessie craned her neck skyward. “Oh,
hi Adam. Do you want to join us?”

I flashed him a
don’t you dare
glare.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he said. “Short
staffed tonight. Gotta work.”

“That’s a shame. How about J.J.?
Is he around?” Nessie asked, a little too enthusiastically.

“Nah. He’s running an errand.” I
expected Jacko to leave. He’d said his hello. Why was he hanging around like
the smell of food left too long in the refrigerator? He rubbed his goatee
nervously. “Listen you couldn’t do me a favour could you?” Come again? I
couldn’t have heard him right. Either that or he had had a brain seizure. Did
he really expect me to say yes to whatever it was he was about to propose? “See
that girl over there; the one in the flowered dress sitting at the bar? Her
name’s Hali. She’s Reta’s sister.” He nodded at the gum chewing waitress. “I
called Reta in at short notice, when she was supposed to be babysitting.”
Nessie’s brows rose at the same time as my own. “Oh, I know what you’re
thinking. Hali looks too old to need a babysitter, right? She is. She’s
fifteen. But you know how family orientated the Greeks are…or maybe you don’t.
Anyway, I’m sure Reta would be happier if her sister was in the company of
other girls, and not being hit on by drunken lads every two seconds, and I’d be
happier if my waitress wasn’t worrying about her sister and gave full attention
to her job. It’s going to get busy soon.”

“She does look lonely, Amy,”
Nessie said.

I stared at Jacko through
narrowed eyes. “I don’t think you’re in any position to be asking favours.”

“I know. But I said I was sorry
about…you know. What more can I do?”

“You think a quick apology gets
you off scot-free?”

“How about free drinks all
night?”

Nessie bounced excitedly in her
seat. “Now we’re talking. Send her over.”

As we watched Jacko walk over to collect
Hali, Nessie leaned over the table. “Are you going to tell me what happened
between you two? There’s altogether too much venom in your voice for him to
have simply copped a feel on the dance floor.”

“Not now, Ness. He’s coming back.”

Chapter Thirteen

Hali was a sweet girl. We found
out her excellent English stemmed from her mother being Australian. Nessie’s
opening conversation began with the predictable subject of boys, but it didn’t
last long. Hali was naïve on the subject and didn’t have much to contribute. Her
Greek father had forbidden her to date.

Talk soon turned to a shared a
love of fashion, and I sat back as Nessie discussed her college fashion course
and the latest designs on this season’s catwalk, only occasionally interjecting
when I had something useful to say, which wasn’t often. I had no interest in
current fashions and preferred to dress to my own taste. The half-hour style
manual ended when another round of drinks arrived, and Hali took a breather
from her questionings to sip at her Sprite.

“So, how well do you know Adam?”
I asked, with as much disinterest as I could muster.

“Quite well,” she answered. “I
met him when my father came here to fix the roof, and since Reta started work,
I’ve had a good excuse to visit him much more often. He is really handsome,
don’t you think? And kind, and sexy, and I can’t wait to marry him.”

My vodka orange shot up my nose
and spewed out of my nostrils. I wiped it away on the back of my hand. Surely,
I’d misheard. “I’m sorry. Did you say marry?”

“Ah-huh. Of course, Daddy wants
me to settle down with a nice Greek boy. My cousin Geo, actually, but he is
only fourteen and eats too much Baklava. I want a real man, like Adam. He is…how
you say…dreamy.”

Despite being not much older
myself, my brain refused to fathom the workings of the immature mind of a
fifteen year-old—who’d probably not long ceased playing with her Barbie dolls. “Dreamy,
right. Does he know how you feel?”

“Oh, no.” She smeared her fingers
over the condensation on the side of her glass. “Do you think I should tell
him?”

My God, was she mad? “Hell no.
Absolutely not. He isn’t right for you.”

“Why not? Am I not good enough
for him?”

“You’re
too
good for him.
You should listen to your father. I’m sure he has your best interests at heart.”

Hali frowned. “I thought you were
cool, but you sound like my sister, and I don’t need another one of those.”

“
I’m
cool,” Nessie piped
in. “Take no notice of Amy. She’s pining a long lost love and has a bit of a
fuck-you-to-all-men going at the moment. Ooo, I love this song. Let’s dance.
You can show Adam your sexy moves, and maybe his brother will come back and see
mine.” She shuffled along the seating, almost pushing Hali off the end.

Hali giggled. “It won’t do you
any good. His brother has a girlfriend,” she said as they shimmied onto the
dance floor.

What the fuck?
Did I hear
that correctly? Josh had a girlfriend!
He couldn’t have, could he? Had
he lied to me about the girl riding pillion?
The two-timing bastard
. I
should have known it was too good to be true. I felt like the bottom had fallen
out of my world. How could I have read him so wrongly? And why was it was so
hot in here? I was going to be sick…or faint…or both. I needed air.

I pushed through the crowd, not
caring who stumbled in my wake, or whose drink I spilt, until I reached the cool,
night air, where I leaned back against the bar wall and closed my eyes, taking
long, calming gulps of sea breeze in an attempt to stop my shaking. How could I
not have known? Was I insane? So much for playing it cool, he was playing me. I
didn’t get it. Why?

“Amy, is that you? Couldn’t stay
away from me, huh?”

Anger churned at my insides as my
eyes sprang open, and I almost spat out the words. “It’ll be a lot easier from
now on.”

Josh’s face crumpled in bewilderment,
as he parked up his scooter and walked over. “Not following.”

“Funny, you sound just like
Jacko.” And quite clearly, he was.

Questioning arms reached out to
me. I took a step to the side, sliding along the wall to avoid them. “Amy,
what’s up?”

Where would you like me to
start?
“I heard a juicy bit of information about you.” I folded my arms.

“Yeah? Who from?”

“Young girl named Hali. We had a
great little chat, and then she told me all about your girlfriend.”

He shook his head with confusion.
“Impossible. She doesn’t know anything.”

“Okay. She told me you have one.
Are you going to deny it?” I cocked my head waiting for his answer.

“No. I can’t lie. I do.” He
watched me, waiting for a reaction.

“And just when were you going to
tell me about her?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Erm…”

“Now a good time?”

“You’d like her. She’s gorgeous,
funny, and unpredictable. We haven’t been seeing each other long, but I can’t
get her out of my head. What can I say?” The roguish glint in his eye only
fuelled my anger.

“How could you? You’re right.
You’re not like your brother, unless he’s a lying, cheating son of a bitch too.
I hope you have a happy life together.” I pushed past him, intending to storm
off dramatically, but changed my mind at the last second, swinging around and
lifting my hand to offer a final slap in the face. He caught my wrist before it
made contact.

“I should add, she can also be a
wildcat and incredibly frustrating.”

“Let go of me. You’ve said
enough.”

“Actually, I’ve got a bit more to
say.”

I struggled in his grasp but
couldn’t wriggle free of the tiger's jaws. “I don’t want to hear your excuses.”

“What is it with you and not
listening? Are you always this dim?”

“Don’t call me dim.”

He moved closer and manoeuvred me
between his body and the wall. His head bent down and he bore into my eyes. “Amy,
my girlfriend is you.”

“Me?”

He spoke in a slow, firm tone.
“Yes. You.”

“Oh.” Didn’t I feel stupid?

Josh broke a smile and shook his
head. “Did you honestly think I was seeing someone else, that I’m that kind of
guy?”

He was a man. Weren’t all men like
that? Hadn’t my dad—the perfect husband and father—proven it by cheating on my
mother? “I…” How embarrassing.

“I know we don’t know each other
very well, but I know what I like, and I know what I want. I want you, Amy. All
anybody knows is that I had a date today, and that I’m happy. Let’s go inside
and make it official.” His hand slid from my wrist to my hand and urged me
forward.

I pulled back. “No. Wait.
Nessie’s in there. She really likes you; she’d be crushed if she saw us
together. I have to tell her in my own time.”

His brows shot up. “Your sister
has the hots for me?”

“I’m afraid so. The other night, I
was supposed to lure Jacko away to leave her with you.”

“So that’s why she was coming on
to me? I thought she was drunk.”

“No. It was all part of the plan.
Sorry,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Plans are shit.”

“Yeah.”

“Well I’m not interested in your
sister, and you can’t keep us secret for ever,” he said, his hands creeping
around my waist.

“I know, but it’s complicated.”

“You’re making it complicated. She’ll
get over it.” He drew me closer and sniffed my hair. “People have crushes all
the time.”

“I know, but it’s not just that. She
knows you as J.J. She knows Jacko as Adam. She knows about New Years Eve. She
doesn’t know there’s any connection.”

“Then tell her the truth. She’ll
understand.” A light kiss to the top of my ear preceded a tongue tip trailing
down the hollow and circling my piercing.

I tried to ignore my growing
feelings of arousal. “I’ve left it too long. She’ll know I lied to her. After
that night, I didn’t think I’d see either of you again, and that it was best
left in the past.”

“You’ll have to tell her
sometime.” He nuzzled my neck and kissed a line up under my chin.

I took a dry swallow. “I know. I
will. But not tonight. She’s here again to find you. She thinks she’s still got
a chance.”
A fat one
. Shit on a stick, his kisses felt good. If he were
truly mine, no way was I giving him up to my sister.

Soft lips brushed the corner of
my mouth. “Then I’ll do it. I’ll let her down gently. Tell her it’s all my
fault. That I seduced you.”

“Well, that’d be the truth.”

Moving an inch to the left, I accepted
his kiss and looped my arms around his neck. His hands dropped to squeeze my
ass, and I was so caught up in the kiss that I hardly noticed his fingers
gathering up the back of my skirt, until it was high enough to allow them to
slide under the elastic of my underwear. His hands pressed into the small of my
back possessively, and it briefly dawned on me that I was flashing my knickers
to the world, but lost in the moment, I didn’t care. He squashed me tighter
against him, grating his groin against mine.

Someone wolf whistled.

Josh pulled away.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“People. I’m not into free shows.
Let’s go inside. Your sister will be wondering where you’ve got to.”

***

Nessie wasn’t on the dance floor. My
hoochy heels would have elevated her statuette figure to a level where her
blonde locks would be visible. I craned my neck, through the sea of bodies, to
the booth we’d sat in earlier. She wasn’t there either. It was now occupied by
a mess of beer bottles and two smooching couples. Josh pressed into my back,
with his hands on my shoulders, as we shuffled through the crowd to the bar.
Hali had returned to her stool and was writing her name in peanuts on the bar.
She looked up as we squeezed in next to her, and her eyes flicked from me to
Josh and back again.

“Where’s Ness?” I asked.

Her frown indicated her
displeasure. “In the back room with Adam.”

“Excuse me?”

Hali raised her finger and bent
it over her shoulder, pointing to a door behind her. “In there.”

Oh my God. Had my worst
nightmares become a reality as soon as my back was turned? “Why? What are they
doing?”

“She’s being seen to.”

Calm down, Amy. Take deep
breaths
. Hali couldn’t possibly mean what her words suggested. “Seen to?”

“She fainted.”

“I’m sorry, she did what?” I had
heard what she said but I needed to hear it again for clarification.

“Fainted. We were not dancing
long when she said she felt unwell and ran to the toilet. She did not return.
When I went to find her, she was on the floor.”

“Is she okay?”

“I don’t know. The doctor is with
her now.”

The doctor!
Crap
. How long
had I been outside, fifteen, twenty minutes? It couldn’t have been much more,
and all this had happened in my absence? “I have to see her.” I ran to the door
and slammed it open.

Two pairs of eyes sprang up as I
entered; the third pair remained closed. Nessie was lying on a leather couch.
Sweat beaded on her forehead.

An olive skinned man, wearing a
pale blue polo shirt and beige slacks looked me up and down. “Are you the
patient’s sister?”

I nodded, lost for words.

“She needs a good twenty-four
hours rest and plenty of water. Give her these to settle her stomach.” He
handed me a small brown bottle. “If she gets any worse, call me.” The bottle
was followed by a card. “I gave her something to help her sleep. In my
experience, she will make full recovery. I see this kind of thing often, since
spa open.” He curled a stethoscope into a bag and closed it.

His English was almost perfect,
but I didn’t understand what he was saying. “What do you mean?”

“She had a reaction to the
treatment. It is not uncommon. Nothing to worry about. People really should
read advice before signing form.” I remembered the form. I’d had to sign one
too, but I’d be dammed if I could remember what it had said.

Reta knocked on the open door.
“Taxi here, Boss.”

Jacko held out his hand for the
doctor to shake. “Thank you, Doctor Roufos. Put it on my account.”

“I’m sure our insurance…” I began,
until Josh laid a hand on my arm and shook his head.

“Let him pay.”

As the doctor left, Jacko stepped
towards the couch. Josh held him back.

“I’ll do it,” he said, reaching
down to scoop Nessie into his arms.

***

Fifteen minutes later, we tucked
Nessie under the sheets. She let out a small sigh and rolled her head on the
pillow. I perched on the edge of her bed, picked a wet strand of hair from her
cheek, and dried her face with a tissue. “The doctor came quickly,” I said.

“His surgery’s two doors up. The
bar gives him plenty of business. Fights and stuff, you know.”

“I see.”

Josh laid a hand on my shoulder.
“She’ll be okay. I’d better go. I’ll meet you tomorrow as planned, but if
you’re not there, I’ll understand.” He kissed the top of my head, and left.