by Anna Collins
“Somebody has been getting acquainted with Balinese cuisine. I know this dish; my wife makes it all the time on weekends,” Joseph said as I offered them some coffee. Then I had them sit and enjoy the ambiance while I finished up inside with Maria.
From her expression, I gathered she was relatively impressed or at least that’s what I thought. She didn’t speak much English, but she was able to help; she knew exactly what to do in the kitchen.
As soon as breakfast was ready, I placed it before everyone; it was my gift for the hard work they were going to endure on my behalf. I sat down as I let out a sigh of satisfaction, with my new friends and a possible love interest. I wanted to find a way to convince him that being with me didn’t have to be a one-time occurrence.
“I have to go to town and pick up the wood I talked to you about yesterday. Maybe you would like to join me for the drive. You can even take my jeep for a spin on the way back, but that’s of course if you know how to drive stick,” Casper said with a hint of sarcastic sexual wit mixed in for good measure.
I knew exactly what he had in mind, and maybe he was just teasing, but it certainly did make me shift nervously in my seat. I was trying to find a comfortable position, and I was rubbing my legs together like a cricket. Being this close was bad enough, but sitting side by side was going to make it tough not to stare at a prominent member of his anatomy.
“I think I can manage that. I haven’t heard anybody commenting on the breakfast I made, but I do see that all of your plates are clean. A clean plate is always a good sign of a good meal; the perfect compliment to any chef. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention I don’t usually find myself in the kitchen. I have dabbled in cooking from time to time, but it’s not the same when you cook for one; there’s nobody to enjoy it. Seeing the joy on your faces makes want to do this again,” I said as I gathered the plates with Maria and went into the kitchen to wash the dishes.
“While you and Casper go and get supplies, I’ll start taking those steps apart. Maria will be inside giving this place a feminine and island touch. By the time you get back, I should be done or at least almost done,” Joseph said as he picked up the crowbar and began to tear off pieces of the steps one at a time.
Maria nodded politely and walked back into the house with a sense of purpose on her face. I gestured for Casper to join me and he followed behind me making me feel like he was staring a hole through my body and the almost see-through summer dress I wore. I’m sure he could see everything in the right light. Including the thong that really did wedge up into the crack of my ass.
“I have to admit I sometimes forget about the beautiful sights I find myself enjoying. I hope we can forget about last night’s misunderstanding. I’m not the kind of man to sit back and say nothing. I came here to experience everything and to get away from everything. You have no idea how hard it has been and how easy it has been to lose myself to the slower pace of living. I don’t even know if I want to go back where I came from,” He said like there was something and yet again nothing to return to.
I was rubbing my hands together to get the blood circulation back into my limbs and fingers; I was really nervous. I noticed the absence of a watch on his wrist with a prerequisite white patch indicating he wore one once. I managed to take a peek at his ring finger which also had a white spot; maybe there was a significant other waiting for him. But the ring was also missing; maybe he was separated or divorced. It could be he was trying to reinvent himself down here where nobody knew him.
“I thought about it, and I understand the reason why you made your proposal. Down here it’s all about the moment; losing out on an opportunity means you are not actually living the island life,” I said hoping I wasn’t too transparent.
He was wearing these beige cargo shorts, and the heat of his loins was not exactly a stranger. I had to admit there was something more to him I wanted to explore. I would start with his kissable lips and work my way down to the projection of his manhood. There was no regulation issue.
“That’s precisely the reason why I did it. I thought we should get things straight. I’ve given you the ball, and it’s in your court to decide what you’re going to do with it. I’m open to mixing business with pleasure. How could I possibly go wrong with a woman looking like this? I am not trying to imitate anybody. I’m original; they broke the mold when they made me,” He said as he drove down the less known roads.
“I hate to be a backseat driver, but these roads are not fit for driving,” I said as I bounced around with my breasts now putting on quite a show.
My dress was low cut, but not too risqué to cause things to jump out on their own. There was no risk of a wardrobe malfunction. I had no choice but to laugh and hold onto the bar above my head to keep myself from losing my sanity. I found he was laughing along with me. The potholes were quite dangerous, but this Jeep was equipped for such a task.
Suddenly I heard something unusual; it didn’t seem likely that somebody would be all the way out here at this early hour. I glanced back, and some dazzling lights blinded me, making me see spots in my vision. I looked over at Casper, and his concern was evident from the way his lips crinkled at the corners.
“I have no idea what this guy’s problem is, but I really don’t want to stop and find out. Hold onto something and I’m going to try to lose him on the way. Children in the area have shown me a blueprint paths made from all-terrain vehicles,” Casper said with a look that had me wondering why he was taking this so seriously.
“They probably just want to get around you, and maybe if you slow down they can go through with this,” I said seeing he wasn’t slowing down but actually speeding up with the very possibility of crashing into a nearby tree looming near.
He turned the wheel sharply and spinning in the mud, he sent up enough of it to cover the vehicle behind us. The mud splattered against its windshield, and the driver tried in vain to remove it with some already dirty wipers. It streaked across, marring his vision and making it difficult to see where he was going. I couldn’t understand why Casper was playing such a dangerous game.
“For a guy who doesn’t take anything seriously; you certainly have gone off the deep end. It’s probably just a simple matter of slowing down and letting him pass. Is there a real need to cause any kind of road rage in paradise?” I said with my voice a little higher than normal to show I was in desperate need of Casper to listen to what I had to say.
“I’m in no mood to have a conversation with someone acting like an idiot. There is such a thing as a common courtesy; there’s no reason for him to tailgate me. I’ll teach him it’s better to remain at a distance,” Casper said as he once again took a sharp turn and went down an embankment; it looked like it was going to end in a twisted mess of metal and torn limbs.
“You’re making more of this than it has to be. Slow down, or you’re going to kill both of us,” I said as my heart had stopped with my eyes wide in the implication of how dangerously he was driving.
I gasped out loud as he got too close to a tree and snapped my mirror off. He had both hands on the wheel and was determined not to stop for anything. I didn’t want to, but I looked back to see that the pursuing vehicle was a land rover. It was gray, and I could only make out bits of the paint because of the mud sprayed all over it. I couldn’t see the man’s face, but I could tell from the way he was driving, he was hell bent on cutting us off at the pass.
“Some people just have to learn the hard way,” Casper said as he slowed down to let them catch up until their bumper was smashed into the back of his jeep.
The impact propelled us forward in our seats, and we were lucky we were wearing seat belts otherwise, we would have gone sailing right through the windshield. I tried to understand Casper’s motivation, but nothing even came close to making any sense. We were hit a second and third time. The seatbelt was pressed onto my shoulder, leaving a long welt in its wake.
“I would really like to get off this ride,” I said not realizing I had dug my n
ails into his thigh. I could feel the helmet sized shape of his knob.
The car behind continued slamming into us, when Casper suddenly turned without any warning whatsoever. Again, if I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, I would’ve been thrown out of the jeep and down the embankment the land rover didn’t see coming. It tried to stop on a dime, but the wheels slid in the mud and sent them into a ditch. They had their back wheels spinning in the air.
I heard two distinct voices cursing, and the smile on Casper’s face was like he had just avoided death penalty. He stopped the car, and I saw the glint of steel in his belt; he was probably about to confront the people pursuing us in less than a friendly way. He took out the gun, a very menacing soldier ready to go to war, and pulled the clip back to make sure it was loaded.
He put his hand on the door, and I put a bit more emphasis on the nails digging into his thigh. “Do you really think that’s a good idea? I doubt they are going to be very happy with the way that you tricked them into going into the ditch. It might be better to let this one go. I have no idea why you’re getting so upset over this. Your reaction is a little unusual, and maybe you should think things through before you attempt anything,” I said with him looking down at my hand and making me pull it away like I had put it up on a hot stove.
“They need to be held accountable for their actions. For you, I will let this one go, but only if they never darken my doorstep again,” Casper said as he took his hand off the door and put the jeep back into motion.
I saw the driver of the land rover and his dark hair was covering his face in greasy ringlets. He was struggling to get out, but he was stuck in between two trees. I heard something that sounded like a gunshot, but it could’ve been the land rover backfiring. I felt nothing that would give any credence to my suspicion. There was no hot lead whizzing by my ear or pinging off the metal of the Jeep.
“If I were them, I don’t think I would be playing this kind of game with you anytime soon. You took things to the extreme. I really don’t know what got into you, but it was almost like a switch went off in your head. I already thought you were a little high-strung, but I didn’t believe you were dangerous. I kinda like this mysterious aura you have, but I think I would like to know your story,” I said hoping he would open up after coming so close to death.
“It would be in your best interest not to ask any questions. If you can’t do that, then maybe you need to find somebody else to do your work. I respect your privacy, and I hope you grant me with the same courtesy. I haven’t asked you the reason why you left everything you hold dear for a chance to live like a bohemian. It’s none of my business, and that goes double for me. I just want to be left alone,” Casper said as he came back out onto the main road.
“I see we might have gotten off on the wrong foot and maybe we should start over. I’m Angel Adams, and I came here to find my true passion,” I said as I was getting my breath back after the harrowing ordeal.
“You already know too much about me as it is. I don’t play games, and it’s silly to introduce myself, especially after we have already become intimately acquainted. I should have said I wanted to know you personally, but you had other ideas. It gets damn lonely around here. You could use a friend to keep you warm. I didn’t even mean to come here in the first place, and these last few months have given me a new perspective. I just pointed to the map on the wall and closed my eyes. I threw a dart in the direction of where I was pointing, and here I am,” He said as he put his hand on mine; the one digging into his thigh.
I thought about the mixed message I was sending. I tried to pull away, but he wasn’t giving me an inch. He mentioned I already knew a lot about him, but really he was still so blank slate. He was fascinating and left me with a lot of questions and no answers. It was the mystery I was drawn to, and of course, his body had a certain part of me excited beyond words.
“That’s just it; I really don’t know much about you. What I’m learning is there’s more to you than being a handyman. We all think we can run away from our past. It might be good to get it off your chest, but I’m not going to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with,” I said thinking back to the last time somebody said that to me, knowing it always revolved around some sexual perversion I could never accept into my life.
Casper, on the other hand, was giving me these naughty images I couldn’t shake off for the life of me. Sliding down his pole while he was driving stick and making those insane maneuvers, could make for a sexual experience I could sink my teeth into. I could see the way I would bounce in his lap with my hands on the bar overhead to keep me steady.
“I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t ever want to talk about it with you. It may not seem like I'm nice, but you are actually a stranger. It doesn’t feel like it, though, and maybe that’s the reason why I opened up to you even a little. I thought I was safe here and maybe I need to reassess my priorities. It’s not a coincidence they found me; somebody’s been talking out of turn. I don’t know many people around here, and I try to keep a low profile. I shouldn’t have taken Joseph up on his offer to help those looking for a handyman. I couldn’t stay cooped up forever, and I was starting to go stir-crazy,” Casper said as I was trying to put the pieces together, but nothing fit the way it should.
“I know I’m a stranger, but maybe that’s even better. I have no preconceived notions or any kind of bias when it comes to you. From everything you’ve already said, I have to believe you are running away from something. I would think of a woman, but no woman I know would take this kind of extreme measures to get back on a guy. I don’t want to pry and maybe it’s better I don’t know all the details. You have already stated emphatically we are strangers,” I said as we continued on our way with both of us wanting to say something more.
Chapter 5
There was no more talk about the incident, and it was as if he had swept it under the rug. He wasn’t going to mention it again, and I think he was hoping for me to do the same. I felt anxious during those quiet moments; I wanted to fill the silence with some conversation. I had no idea how to bring this up again without making it seem as if I had ulterior motives.
“I told you my friend would come through in the end. It’s going to take me a couple of days to finish the steps and then I will get to those other projects in your house. I know you mentioned you want me to finish every day at 2:00 PM and I would ask why, but again, we are not friends. I’m only here to help and then we will never see each other again. It would be better to keep things strictly professional; maybe stepping over the line was wrong for me to even contemplate,” Casper said as he had taken the long way back to my place.
He had avoided taking the main drag as much as possible, and I saw he was continuously looking over his shoulder like some unseen enemy was about to announce its presence. He was subtle about it, but I could tell what had happened really did rattle him to the core. I still felt like I was ready to jump out of my skin, but at least I was able to breathe normally.
“I agree, and I will never bring up what happened again. My door is always open. I’m just saying if you need to speak to someone then I’m willing to listen. I have no vested interest, and I’m not going to say anything to anyone. My word is my bond, and if you want to believe anything, then you can believe that,” I said as I got out of the jeep and he hefted ten pieces of wood over his muscular shoulders.
I got the feeling if I wasn’t watching at the moment; he wouldn’t have put himself through that kind of strain. He was acting like a typical macho man. He wanted me to think of him as a protector; somebody strong enough to get the job done.
We got down to the stairs, and there was very little left. There was a gaping hole. One wrong move and somebody could get seriously injured. Joseph took the precaution of putting tape over the very spot open in the railing. I gave it the respect it deserved staying a few feet away. I was never much for heights. I had gotten over the fear pushing myself through it.
Casper wiped the swea
t from his brow and then he took off his shirt without even thinking it was going to distress me in my lower extremities. I had to turn away and remind myself there could be nothing personal or intimate between us. He had baggage, I wasn’t sure how much, but I probably didn't want to know.
“I know I said I would stay until 2:00 PM, but I really do need to get back to the office. Some new clients are looking for a place during their stay; that’s the main reason I sped things up. I have everything torn down, and this is where I turn over the rest of the job to Casper. I think you’ll find Maria did an exceptional job. She asked me if you would be willing to hire her on a weekly basis. The only thing she asks in return is for her to stay here and soak up the sun. She gets tired of cleaning houses, and she needs some time away from her family. They expect her to jump whenever they say so. Cleaning houses is the respite necessary away from them,” Joseph said as he stood there in profile with his own muscular physique shining through under the sweat pooling in rivers down his chest.
“You have done more than enough. I do appreciate all the help, and you’ve certainly gone above and beyond the call of duty. Most realtors would have shown me around and then left me to my own devices. As an expression of gratitude, I would like to invite you and your family over for Saturday dinner. The only thing I would like is for your wife to bring a recipe of her choosing. I’m going to bone up on Balinese culture and food and come up with a menu tasty enough to satisfy the pickiest of eaters,” I said as Maria came out and I was able to check on her progress. I was quite amazed by how she had turned my place into a precious gem.
