by Nicole Casey
Joe had been silent since his sister had slapped me and I knew that he was embarrassed about the whole thing. I started to get angry with him for no good reason.
I climbed out of the limo and turned round to him.
“You need to learn how to control your sister, Joe. That little girl is out of control.”
“She isn’t normally like that at all. I’ve never seen her act so crazy.”
“Maybe a monkey bit her in the ass while she was in the jungle and gave her some sort of disease that affected her brain. She needs professional help.”
“Well, she has definitely changed since she left home. I think I told you before that she used to be shy and a real nerd.”
“Well, she isn’t a shy little girl anymore. She’s a…tigress.” The memory of her flashing eyes in the moment that she slapped me came back to haunt me. She was furious with me but her stinging reaction surely hadn’t been justified.
“I think we should maybe leave Buenos Aires, Adam. The cops are probably keeping an eye on us after last night.” Ah, so that was why he had been constantly looking out of the window during the car trip.
“Don’t be silly. This is one of the biggest cities on the planet and it has enough problems with the gang, drugs, and poverty for them to not worry about some random rich guy getting into a fight with a bunch of idiots. We’ll be fine here for a few days more.”
“Why don’t we sail up the coast to Brazil or…whatever else is further up there? Central America? I’ve always wanted to go there and go surfing.”
It wasn’t a bad plan now that I thought about it. Brazil was a huge country where I didn’t know a soul. That meant freedom in my book and freedom was exactly what I needed just now. Freedom from my business, from my uncle, and from wild-eyed, wild-haired temptresses who made me feel confused and lost.
Of course, I had some bad memories of my time in Brazil. I had once spent a week in Rio de Janeiro, which was the only time I had ever been there. The images flashed through my mind of a birthday party that had gone horribly wrong. Was that when I had unconsciously made the decision to close off my emotions?
Now wasn’t the time to let awkward thoughts like that enter my mind. I needed to try and stay positive if I was going to avoid slipping back into a depressed state of mind. After all, I had everything a man could ever ask for. Or did I?
Joe had helped me greatly in getting back on my feet in the last few months, but I couldn’t risk it all happening again so soon after the last time.
“You might have hit on a very decent idea there, Joe. Maybe you should invite your sister along to keep us company.” I tried to keep it casual but the words came out faster than I had intended them to. “After all, she owes me an apology.”
Joe laughed and I decided to play along and pretend that it was a joke all along.
“Let’s go and get some food, Joe. Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Listen, let’s not mention the whole thing about the fight and the trip to prison to anyone. Now go and put on your finest clothes because we’re going to light up Buenos Aires tonight, my hungry little friend.”
After he had gone to the cabin to get changed I looked out over the city. Being in such immense cities always made me feel small and insignificant, which is why I liked to stay in smaller places where I knew that no-one was richer or more powerful than me.
I had gotten used to being the richest, most handsome man in any restaurant or party and I didn’t want to lose those bragging rights. Did Diego Maradona or that guy who used to be president still live here?
Ha, even if they did I bet my bank account was bigger than theirs. The thought soothed me for a moment, although deep down I knew that I shouldn’t judge myself solely on the money I had if I expected other people to see me for who I really was.
The phone I had bought the other day started ringing. That was weird since I hadn’t given out the number to a single person yet.
I looked at the screen and saw an unexpected but very welcome name pop up on it. Well well, it looked like Joe had exchanged numbers with his sister without me noticing.
Things could start to get interesting after all.
4
Jessie
I lay back on the lumpy bed in my cheap two-star hotel room close to the Plaza de Mayo. There was no air conditioning in the room, just a ceiling fan that looked as though it would fly off every time that it spun round.
Even with the fan on at full power the heat was stifling. I hadn’t known that Buenos Aires got so damned hot in summer. Normally a shower would have been perfect at a time like this but the shared bathrooms looked like they were best left purely for emergency use.
I checked that the door was locked and took off my t-shirt and shorts. That was slightly better but I longed to be on the beach or lounging beside a pool with a cool drink in my hand.
I had been feeling restless all day long and had been looking forward to getting back here to let my mind wander. The best thing about all the traveling I’d done lately is that it had given me time to be alone and think about who I really was.
I had been overjoyed when I had discovered the pleasure of traveling on long distance, overnight buses or staying in a jungle reserve with no electricity. Of course, being cut off from the world without any outside distractions had seemed like a nightmare at first.
However, I had soon sensed that it was a good opportunity to do something different. Things I hadn’t thought about in years came flooding into my head. I recalled old friends and re-ran old situations from my past life.
I remembered one trip in Peru in particular. It had been a marathon bus trip and I had tried to recall the faces and names of every single person I had ever known. In fact, I had got so engrossed in the game that I was a little bit disappointed when we finally pulled into Cusco.
A big cockroach ran across the bed and I flicked it off. I would never have dreamed of doing that a few months ago. I would have screamed in horror at a bug like that being on my bed but now I felt capable of handling pretty much anything that came my way.
I could still recall how giant bugs with eyes like headlamps had swarmed around us at night in the jungle reserve as we drunk hot chocolate made with powdered milk and bottled water. The sound of mosquitos constantly buzzing around inside and outside my mosquito net had kept me awake many nights as well.
These were all experiences that I knew I would look back on fondly in the future. They were helping me to grow as a person but I felt that there was still some way to grow before I was the person I wanted to be.
The windows looked out onto a side street and I watched the world go by. I simply couldn’t imagine where all those people were going to and what their everyday lives were like. However, just looking at the human activity below made me feel better somehow.
This was far from the worst hotel I had stayed in any way. I remembered a tiny room in Riobamba in Ecuador that looked like a prison cell and one in La Paz in Bolivia that had an all-night karaoke blaring away downstairs from my room.
The only real problem with this hotel was that a lot of the other guests looked suspiciously like hookers and their clients. That would explain why I had never seen the same couples twice since moving in here. As long as I kept myself to myself I should be fine.
I stared up at the ceiling fan but it was Adam’s face I saw. Had he felt the same tingling sensation that I had when our bodies had bumped together in the back of the limo? I guessed that he hadn’t, as he hadn’t shown any sort of interest in me as a person, only as an object to be mocked and occasionally ogled or fondled.
Of course, he had the kind of strong body and dark eyes that I always fell for, but there was something in his personality and his way of speaking that made me lose all control of myself. I still couldn’t believe how hard I had slapped him.
I checked the door again and slipped off my underwear. This was only the second or third night in the last few months that I wasn’t in a shared dor
m room and I planned to enjoy letting my imagination run wild.
I hadn’t been properly touched by a man since starting the trip. Sure, there had been plenty of offers from randy backpackers and from locals who saw me as being exotic and different. They probably thought I was easy, someone who moved from town to town sleeping with guys and then moving on to the next one.
I wasn’t like that all and it had never felt right. Maybe I was naïve but I still wanted a man to sweep me off my feet and shower me with compliments. Did that ever really happen in real life, though?
I had never realized that traveling would lower my sex drive but I felt as though it was coming back to me right now, stronger than ever before. My right hand ran over my breasts and slipped down over my stomach before exploring further down. It had been a long time since I had done this and it felt so good.
When I closed my eyes it was Adam’s face and body that hovered over me. Just like I knew it would be. It was his hands that I imagined doing the exploring and the touching. Just like I knew it would be as well.
I was getting short of breath and was close to exploding when my phone started ringing. It was my Mom. Great, that was exactly what I needed right now. I tried to ignore the ringing but the moment had gone.
“Hey mom, what’s happening back there?”
“Hi Jessie. Did you meet Joe? Is he alright?”
“I did and he’s fine.” Well, there was no point going into details and getting her worried.
“Are you coming home together now?”
“I’m not sure. We haven’t spoken about it yet.”
“Jess, I think Joe might be in a bit of trouble.” Her voice was shaky and hesitant
Heck, how had she had found out about him spending a night in an Argentine cell so quickly?
“Listen, it’s not a big deal. These things happen and-”
“I know but the bank just called.”
“The bank?”
“He’s been spending like crazy on luxury goods all over the world. His credit card is maxed out and he’s like way overdrawn. His friend, Mike, works there and he got suspicious.”
Was the horrible rich guy making Joe spend all of his own money? The dirty rat had deserved that slap and a lot more.
I dialed the number Joe had given me for his Argentine cell phone. It rang and rang before someone eventually answered.
“Yeah, speak.”
“Joe? Is that you?”
Silence for several seconds.
“Well, well. If it isn’t little miss jungle bunny. Have you called to apologize at last?”
“I wouldn’t apologize to a rat like you if my life depended on it.”
His laughter mocked me and I felt myself clenching my fists.
“Why don’t you come over and join us.” His deep voice was gruff and tempting even if the words sounded false and shallow. “We’ve got some champagne on ice. There’s a hot tub on my yacht, by the way. Joe won’t mind if we leave him alone for a few hours.”
I suddenly remembered that I was naked. I put a hand over my body instinctively, to cover myself, and realized that I was still excited. Very.
“What do you say, Jess?”
“No-one ever calls me Jess.” Why did my voice sound so horribly shaky?
There was a long pause. I had an irrational fear that he would somehow know that I was naked on the other end of the call. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself. This helped me feel more secure for some reason.
“I need to speak to Joe.”
“He’s busy and this is my phone you called anyway. Come on over and visit us. We’re in Puerto Madero. Hurry now before it’s too late.” He laughed and blew a kiss before hanging up.
I was ashamed of myself for fantasizing over this incredibly annoying guy. There was nothing I could do but go to Puerto Madero and confront him, though.
It felt dangerous but I had to forget about my own feelings and help out my little brother.
5
Adam
I just couldn’t seem to find the right words and tone of voice whenever I spoke to Jessie. All I really wanted to do was get close to her and get to know her, but it always came out all wrong as soon as I opened my mouth.
It had been so long since I had a natural, normal relationship with anyone that I felt silly when I tried to open up and show my feelings. She was the only person who didn’t seem impressed by my wealth and who judged me as a person.
So far I had failed to impress her. I hated seeing that look of resentment and anger on her pretty features. How would her face change if she relaxed and smiled a genuine smile in my direction?
Again, I looked at the phone and resisted the urge to call her back and ask her nicely to come over. I was going to have to learn to be patient if I was going to stand a chance of getting near to her. The tough guy act hadn’t got me anywhere with her so far but it was pretty much all I had these days.
After a minute or so I called Joe over and we started to prepare stuff for the trip. I had no idea in which direction Brazil was but I had one of the best yacht captains in the world to get me there.
Night had started to fall over the city and Puerto Madero was getting busy. This was one of the classiest parts of Buenos Aires for eating out in, so we went out for a final spread of barbecued meat in a restaurant that I had heard all the Argentine stars went to.
Joe loved all of the different cuts but I was feeling anxious and distracted. I kept glancing at my watch to see how long had passed since our phone conversation. Damn, she wasn’t coming, was she?
My friend was eating as though he was a man sitting in front of his last ever meal. Strange cuts that the waiter called by names I had never heard before came and went in little time.
I was looking at a plate of something called chinchulines that were like skinny sausages when movement caught my eye. It was Jessie.
“Hi Joe.” She hugged her brother warmly but just looked coldly at me.
“Sit down and have some food, Jess.”
“I thought I told you that I didn’t like you using that name.”
“That’s a shame, as it just rolls off my tongue so well.”
“Our grandmother was the only person who ever called my sister Jess. She died a few years ago.”
I felt terrible.
“Sorry, I never knew.” It was the first time in years that I had genuinely apologized for anything. It felt strangely good to do so.
“You weren’t to know.”
I felt even better when she looked me in the eye and smiled slightly for the first time. Was the ice between us beginning to melt just the tiniest bit? It didn’t last long before the next big freeze, though.
“Joe, mom called me to say that you are spending too much money.”
“Don’t worry, sister.” He looked embarrassed. He probably didn’t want me to know about his financial problems. Certainly, he had never mentioned not having enough money to keep up with our lifestyle.
“He just likes the finer things in life now. There’s nothing wrong with a Wagyu steak and a bottle of cognac now and then,” I showed her the bottle we had been drinking from earlier as evidence.
“My brother’s not a filthy rich millionaire like you.”
“Billionaire.” I felt stupid as soon as the word left my mouth.
“Why don’t you grow up and do something useful with your life, rather than just being a smug pain in the ass all of the time?”
“Yeah, maybe I should go and save the Amazon rainforest by giggling under a waterfall and eating bananas in a hammock.”
Damn, now she would know that I had been ogling her Facebook pictures earlier on. She looked fabulous in them but I certainly couldn’t admit that to her now.
Jessie stood up. She was angry again and looked tired as well.
“Let’s go home, Joe. I’ve been on the road for too long and you’ve been mixing with the wrong company.”
“I can’t. We’re going to sail to Brazil tomorrow.”
> “What? With this creep? Get your stuff and let’s go.”
“Hey, you can’t order your brother around like he was a little kid.” I was standing up now, just a few inches away from her, and could feel the body heat coming off her. She was angry and all I wanted to do was grab her and hold her against me.
Would she slap me again if I did? Probably.
“I can talk to me brother any way I like. Unlike you, I have his best interests at heart.”
We argued a bit longer and then Jessie grabbed Joe and told him to lead her to where his stuff was. He tried to resist but eventually, they headed off to the yacht and I sat down alone.
I finished the cognac and have to admit that I was feeling a bit light-headed. That woman did something strange to me, with her dangerous combination of short temper and glorious curves. I longed to get her alone on my yacht, where we could fight and argue and make love under the stars before then arguing again all day long.
There was no time to lose. I left a generous tip and rushed off to the yacht to try and stop them before it was too late.
They were carrying Joe’s bags out onto the deck when I arrived. I stumbled slightly and had to grab on to the handrail. That cognac was strong stuff.
“Listen, we can all sail together. It’ll be…different.” I looked at Jessie, as she was the person I really wanted to share my yacht with. “Come on, loosen up a bit, Jess.”
I grabbed Joe’s shoulder but he was carrying a heavy bag and all I did was knock him off balance.
His ankle twisted at a hideous angle as he stumbled to keep from falling over.
“Argh!” He bent over in slow motion and began to hold his ankle while complaining.
I thought he was making a fuss out of nothing but then Jessie took off his shoe and I could see that his right ankle had already swollen up massively.
“He needs to get to a doctor.” Jessie stared at me after saying the words. “You’ve sprained his ankle.”
