by Doyle, S.
I looked at the cup in my hand and thought that I did want to do that. I wanted to suck on the straw until it made that gasping air sound when I’d drained it empty. But another thing I’d learned was never to rush through the good things. When they came as infrequently as they had in my life, I knew to savor each second.
“I’m good,” I said and took another shallow sip. “So really, what do you do?”
“I think I might be offended you don’t believe I could pull off a career as a spy.”
“You’re wearing a Red Sox baseball hat and cargo shorts. Trust me when I say you can’t pull off spy.”
“Ah, but your douchebag hot guy from last night? What about him?”
I smiled thinking about his blond hair pulled back into a man bun. The slacks and white pressed shirt he’d worn with cufflinks. I mean, who still wore cufflinks?
“Yes,” I said with conviction. “He could totally pull it off. Sorry, no offense.”
He smiled good naturedly. “None taken.”
“Hey, come to think about it, last night you had on a Dodgers cap. Isn’t that sort of a sport’s crime to support multiple teams?”
“That’s very observant of you,” he noted. “What if I told you I was a baseball sportswriter?”
I took in the nerdy glasses, the baseball cap that seemed fitted to his head. He probably had a hat for every team in the league.
I nodded. “That sounds about your speed.”
He smiled. “Come on. You can baby sip on your lemonade while we walk.”
* * *
The day continued to unfold in the most amazing sights. We passed mimes, we passed stone walls with crying faces. We passed a juggler. Art exhibits. Gelato stands; we both got chocolate.
Then we got to the bridge, which was old and stunning and took my breath away. I made Ted take a picture of me, then we found a fellow tourist to take a picture of us together.
I stared at the picture on my phone and thought he had a really nice smile. This would totally work for the book because we both looked…happy.
Finally, as the day crept into later afternoon, we realized we needed enough strength to find our way to where the water shuttle was going to pick us up to take us to the hotel.
“Past the juggler, left at the wall with the crying faces and right at the mime. Then we follow that through three piazzas, one scary alley and we’re back to the water shuttle. I think.” I’d taken over navigation when Ted finally gave up with the map.
“Did you just hear yourself right now?” Ted said, chuckling.
“What? We have to figure this out or we’ll be lost in Venice forever!”
He laughed but trusted my directions. After almost another hour of walking we finally made it to the dock where the shuttle was due to arrive in twenty minutes.
“Wait here,” Ted said.
I stretched out on the bench I was sitting on. “Trust me, I’m not moving. I don’t think I could take another step.”
My legs were literally throbbing. Hours of nothing but walking. It had been years since I’d walked so much in one day. But it had been totally worth it. Venice was unlike any place I’d ever seen before. There was no research that could have recreated this experience. No Google Map image that would have smelled and tasted like Venice.
All this time I’d been perpetuating a fraud on my readers. Giving them words and ideas they wanted to believe about places around the world.
What I hadn’t been giving them was the actual world.
That was going to have to change.
And spending the day with Ted had made it that much more fun. Someone who was seeing the amazing, the ridiculous and the breathtaking right alongside me. In my blog, I was the Lover, but now I could see how traveling was really meant to be done with people you could share the experiences with.
He came back holding two glasses of white wine.
“Turns out I do believe in God,” I told him as he sat next to me. “Because I prayed for this and you brought it to me!”
He laughed and handed me the glass. “Figured you were about as spent as I was.”
“Most def.” I took a sip and sighed. “I think today might have been my most perfect day.”
He nudged my shoulder. “Not going to lie. For someone so flat chested you’re pretty good company.”
“Swear to God if I didn’t need this glass of wine, I would chuck it in your face right now.”
He laughed again and I joined him. When we were done, he took our glasses back to the outside bar where he’d gotten them, and the water shuttle pulled up exactly on time.
It was strange, but as we split up to head to our rooms—I desperately needed a shower and a nap—it felt wrong. Like all of a sudden, something was missing. We didn’t make plans for dinner. The truth was I was too exhausted to think about food. I figured a shower, a quick nap then maybe I would head to the hotel bar to see if Mr. Dangerous was there.
I could have a drink, get a snack. If Ted showed up, then he showed up. As long as he didn’t cock block me, it could even be a more perfect end to a perfect day.
5
Later That Night
Hotel Bar
Beth
And he was here. Not that I’d been waiting for him. Exactly.
“You have a very lovely name, Beth.”
I smiled at Mr. Dangerous, who was sitting next to me. He’d been in the bar when I got here and didn’t waste any time buying me a drink as soon as I sat down. Even though it had been my plan to approach him.
His name was Ivan. He was Bulgarian. A travel agent checking out various hotels throughout Italy so he could help his clients plan their holidays. So, no international man of mystery, but other than that, he was pretty perfect.
He’d also read my blog.
He had an accent to die for and the most incredible blue eyes I’d ever seen. He drank Scotch neat and he’d remembered I’d been drinking martinis last night, so he’d ordered one for me.
He’d even got the number of olives—three—correct.
He’d soooo been paying attention to me last night.
“Thank you,” I said and smiled, even as I tried not to pay attention to the fact that Ted had also just shown up. He took a seat at one of the tables instead of the bar—I assumed to give me room to work my mojo on Mr. Dangerous, although I supposed I should start calling him Ivan.
And while I was glad Ted didn’t try to intrude, I was still a little put out.
Especially when I saw the tall, busty woman in a red dress walk over to where he was sitting and plop herself, and her C-cups, in the lounge chair across from him.
“And what brings you to Italy?” Ivan asked me.
Focus. Blond. Man bun. Paul Newman blue eyes.
“I’m actually working on a book,” I said. But the truth was something more personal. “Also, I was feeling very trapped in my life and needed an escape. Does that make sense?”
His expression changed then and, for a second, I thought I saw a bit of harshness cross his features.
“Americans are lucky,” he mused as he sipped on his Scotch. “You have the option to have many lives. In Bulgaria not so much.”
My shoulders slumped. “That was probably a really asshole thing to say. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I love my country very much, but I’m not blind to its faults. As I’m sure you are not blind to your own country’s faults.”
“Nope. We’ve got problems no doubt. But you didn’t really want to talk about politics tonight, did you?”
He leaned back on his stool and took another sip. Looking at me, checking out my outfit. I went with all black again and a splash of color around my neck in the form of a funky necklace. This time the outfit was a backless triangular blouse paired with simple black crop pants and stilettos.
I’d pulled my hair into a ponytail after my shower so I didn’t have to deal with blow drying it, so my bangs framed my face. A dark red lipstick and I hoped I was pulling off sexy Goth pixie.
“No, Beth.”
Ugh. The way he said my name. Like it was two syllables instead of one. So hot.
“I didn’t want to talk politics with you tonight,” he continued. “I can think of much more interesting topics we could be discussing. I’m wondering if perhaps your room wouldn’t be a better location for that conversation.”
I gulped. And immediately looked around for Ted. He was still sitting at the small table, only now C-Cups had her legs crossed and I could see she was nudging at his leg with the tip of her shoe.
What the hell? Ted? Of all the guys in the bar she goes for him and immediately starts playing footsies with him under the table. That seemed kind of fast. Mr. Dangerous…I mean, Ivan, and I had done the eye game for hours last night. There was at least build up to him asking me if I wanted to take him back to my room.
“You seem distracted,” Ivan said, looking over his shoulder in the general direction I must have been staring. “Is that man from last night bothering you again?”
No. He wasn’t bothering me. Just because he was leaning forward and touching C-cups on her knee. Why should I be bothered at all?
“Nope. Not even a little bit.”
“Then what do think of my suggestion?”
I thought it was pretty radical. Strange man. Foreign country. Way outside of my comfort zone. Clearly, not someone I could control. Everything I told myself I was ready for.
Pretty sure I wasn’t ready for this.
As an out, I held up my empty glass. “Can’t fly on one wing.”
He looked at me a little perplexed. “I am sorry. I don’t think I know this saying. It is an American idiom?”
“It basically means I would like to have another drink instead. Is that going to be a problem? I’m not normally someone who rushes into stuff like this. Sorry if I seem a little backward. You probably do this all the time.”
He reached out and took my hand from where it was resting on the bar and just held it ever so gently in his. Then he bent down and brushed a kiss across my knuckles.
Holy shit! That has never happened to me before.
“Would I surprise you if I said I didn’t? That you were unique, Beth? Like a snowflake.”
Seriously? Like a snowflake?
I squashed my inner snarky voice and smiled instead. Ivan bought me another drink, and I turned to give Ted a smug glance. He thought playing footsies with the chick in the red dress was next -level? Well, I just got my knuckles kissed.
Only when I moved to glance over at the table where he’d been sitting, he was gone. I saw the back of him leaving the bar, the woman in the dress in front of him.
They were leaving. He was leaving with C-cups. He was probably going to do to her what Ivan wanted to do to me. Which was totally fair. We both agreed we were nothing more than travel pals.
“It just surprises me,” I said out loud.
“What surprises you? That I think you are unique?”
No, that Ted scored the hot chick in a couple of minutes. He was the safety guy. He was the dorky looking sportswriter with the baseball cap and glasses. If anything, I belonged with him and the hot chick belonged with Ivan.
That universe made sense. The one I was living in did not.
“Uh, yeah. I’m not used to being thought of that way,” I said, trying to recover from thinking about Ted.
Ivan ordered me another martini and I forced myself to put Ted and C-cups firmly from my mind.
* * *
“Well, this is it,” I said, pointing to my hotel room door.
“It is a door, Beth. Not a room. I want to see inside your room,” Ivan said from behind me even as he dipped his head and kissed my neck. I definitely shivered. Because it tickled a little bit from the scruff on his chin.
But not sure if it was in a good way.
Was I really going to do this? Take this Bulgarian stranger to bed? As a way to prove to myself… Wait, what was I trying to prove again?
Suddenly, the decision was taken out of my hands when a loud and apparently very drunk Ted turned the corner.
“Hey! It’s Beth! I need you. I’m a little lost and you’re better at maps than me.”
Ted bounced toward me using the walls to keep himself upright as if he were a pinball. Finally, he leaned against the door of my room and looked up at Ivan blinking slowly.
“I know you,” he said, lifting a finger to wag at him. “You’re the douchebag.”
“Ted!” I huffed. I wasn’t sure if douchebag translated in Bulgarian, but I needed to shut him up.
“Ted, is it?” Ivan asked him. “You’re interrupting our evening.”
“Sorry ’bout that. But I found her first. She’s mine.”
“Ted!” I shouted, now exasperated with him. He’d basically ruined my night of stranger sex. There would be no reclaiming the mood with Ivan after this.
I shouldn’t have felt so relieved, but I did.
I offered Ivan a sheepish smile. “We sort of bonded in Venice today. I feel like I should…help him out.”
“Of course,” Ivan said, gracefully bowing his head. “Tomorrow then?”
My smile faltered. “I’m headed to Florence tomorrow.”
“Ah, well, maybe the Roman Gods will see to it that our paths cross again. Goodnight, Beth.”
“Douchebag,” Ted muttered as Ivan walked down the hall to the elevators.
I turned my fury on Ted. “You ruined everything!”
“Trust me, that guy might look hot, but I bet he’s totally selfish in bed. You would have had a lousy time watching him get off.”
I didn’t comment because I knew he was full of shit. Someone who looked like Ivan got a lot of pussy and men who had a lot of practice would obviously be better in bed.
Not that I would really know. I’d been having mediocre sex with Jared for the past two years. It just seemed like a plausible theory.
“Speaking of bed, why aren’t you in yours with the hot chick in the red dress and the fabulous rack?”
Ted’s grin expanded. “She did have a fabulous rack. I couldn’t close the deal, though. I think she was only interested in my money anyway. But she had some great whiskey in her room.”
He was wearing jeans and a plain black T-shirt. Ted did not scream money.
“Come on, let’s get you back to your room. Do you even remember your room number?”
He blinked a few times. Opened his mouth and closed it.
“I’m guessing that’s a no,” I sighed. I took out my card key and opened the door to my room. “Come on in, we’ll call down to the lobby to get your room number.”
As soon as I had the door open, Ted was stumbling in behind me. Three steps in and he crashed face down on the solitary king-size bed.
“Don’t you dare fall asleep on me,” I warned him. “We’re getting your room number and then I’m taking you back there.”
He patted the empty space next to him, even as he kicked off his sneakers. “Beth, just lie down next to me. There is so much room.”
“I am not sleeping with you!”
“No funny stuff, I promise,” he mumbled into the pillow. My pillow!
“You’re damn right there’s not going to be any funny business, because you are going back to your room.” I walked over to the bed and pushed against his shoulder to get him to roll onto his back. If I could get him on his back, I might be able to pull his arms hard enough to get him to sit up. Only while he was rolling on to his back, he lifted me on top of him until I was straddling his waist.
“Beth,” he said, looking up at me with his goofy smile. “You’re not listening. I told you, you’re not my type.”
He had both of my hands in one of his. His other hand was at my hip and I couldn’t tell if he was trying to push me off his crotch or pull me closer to him.
The friction of him between my legs was starting to turn me on against my better judgment. Probably lingering hormones from Ivan. Ted let my hands go and pulled me forward so now I was on t
op of him, then he rolled us to our sides and hooked his thigh over mine.
Again, his leg was shockingly hard and heavy. I felt as if I was pinned to the bed.
“There’s plenty of room for both of us,” he said, even as he was closing his eyes again.
“No way. This is not happening.” I struggled, but he was that much stronger than I was.
“Just five minutes,” he muttered. “I’ll leave in five minutes. I promise.”
Except in five minutes, he was sound asleep and snoring.
At least then, I was able to slide out from under his leg. I stared down at the bed and considered dumping a bucket of ice water on his head to both wake and sober him up. But damn it if he didn’t look slightly boyish and, if I was being honest, cute sleeping.
I got out of bed on the opposite side then walked around to his side of the bed. I pulled the baseball cap off his head, Yankees this time, then gently removed his glasses.
I wasn’t sure what prompted me. I put his glasses on just to see how bad his vision was, but everything looked the same to me. Either it was a super light prescription or maybe the glasses were a crutch?
Something to hide behind. Like the baseball hats.
Which was kind of weird because that spoke to a certain absence of self-esteem.
That is not how I saw Ted. If anything, he was cocky. He certainly didn’t doubt he could hook up with the chick in the red dress. Even if he didn’t seal the deal.
And his strength, when we’d wrestled on the bed before, was sort of a turn-on.
Oh shit. Was I attracted to Ted?
No way. That couldn’t happen. Especially given how uninterested he was in me. Not that it mattered. Tomorrow I was going to train it to Florence and, like Ivan, I would probably never see Ted again. I didn’t even know what part of America he was from.
In the bathroom, I changed into a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. Walking back into the room I considered my options, then moved to the empty side of the bed. Fortunately, Ted’s snoring had stopped and, given the workout we’d had today, it didn’t take me long to relax.
