by Carol Durand
“Happy?” Chas asked softly, slipping up behind her and hugging her around the waist.
“Very,” she opened her eyes and nodded, turning to face him. “Thank you for suggesting this. I really needed a break and never even knew it.” Missy stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips gently against his.
“You’ve had quite an eventful year,” he agreed, kissing her back. “I’m glad you’re here.” The two embraced, looking out at the beautiful crystal blue of the water, her head on his chest. “You know,” he mused after a few minutes. “If we go back to the hotel, we can change into our suits and actually swim, or snorkel.”
“Oh! I’ve always wanted to snorkel! Let’s go do that,” Missy enthused, dragging him up the beach by the hand. They caught a cab back to the hotel and went to change into their swimsuits.
Missy practically dropped her clothing at the door when she got back to her room, but paused long enough to make sure that her blue and white nautical bikini was appropriately positioned to cover everything before heading out to meet Chas. He was waiting for her at the equipment check-out stand, masks, fins and snorkels in hand. Missy was a bit intimidated by all of the equipment, but relaxed when an instructor came out to meet them and led the way to the beach. Breathing through the snorkel was much easier than she had expected, and the mask allowed her to see an entirely new world underwater. Kicking her feet smoothly, she glided among schools of brightly colored fish, their guide Raoul pointing out corals and other sea life along the way. At one point he grabbed Missy’s hand, which made her a bit uncomfortable until she realized that he was trying to get her attention to point out an octopus resting on the sand below her. If she hadn’t had a snorkel in her mouth, she would’ve gasped with admiration at the beautiful creature undulating on the ocean floor. Losing track of time, the trio spent over two hours exploring the reef. When Raoul gave the signal to surface, Missy was astounded to see just how far from shore they had traveled, and was glad for the extra propulsion that her fins provided for the return swim.
“I can’t thank you enough,” she gushed, handing her equipment to Raoul when they reached the beach.
“Anytime, pretty lady,” he grinned, his white teeth a stark contrast to his sun-bronzed skin.
Chas piled his gear on top of Missy’s in the muscular instructor’s arms, giving him a look that escaped Missy’s notice entirely, and took her hand, leading her to a set of beach lounges with an umbrella shading them. A handsome waiter appeared as soon as they reclined on the lounges to take their drink order, and Missy sighed with satisfaction.
“Oh my goodness, a girl could get used to this,” she drawled, smoothing a towel over her arms and legs. “Everyone here is so sweet and helpful.”
“It’s definitely nice to get away from the real world for a bit,” Chas agreed, stretching out.
The couple lounged in the sun, sipping ice cold guava juice from tall glasses, until their suits were dry, then headed in to change for dinner. Both were tired from travelling in the morning and being outdoors all afternoon, so they decided to make it easy on themselves and dine in the restaurant overlooking the ocean at the resort. They were headed toward the reservations stand, when Missy spotted Raoul and waved. He trotted over, looking fresh and tropical in a brightly printed button down shirt and white linen trousers.
“You going to dinner?” he asked, shaking Chas’s hand and kissing Missy’s.
“Well, we hope so…we didn’t make a reservation, so we’re hoping that they can fit us in,” Missy replied.
A broad grin spread across Raoul’s face. “It will be no problem,” he assured them. “You come with me.” He gestured for them to follow, then went to the maître d’ for a quiet word. Turning back to Missy, he said, “You go with Carlos, he will take good care of you. Enjoy your meal,” and with another kiss on the hand, he left them and went on his way.
“Wasn’t that sweet of him?” Missy whispered to Chas as they followed Carlos to a private table for two with an unparalleled view of the ocean. “He got us right in, and this looks like the best table in the restaurant!”
“Yep, that’s great,” Chas responded with a tight smile.
Their entire dining experience was fabulous from beginning to end. The food, the service, and the delightful live cantina music combined to make a lovely evening. Chas and Missy talked and laughed like teenagers, then went for a moonlight stroll on the beach. They hadn’t gone far when Missy yawned and leaned her head against Chas’s shoulder.
“Time for bed?” he smiled affectionately at his worn-out companion.
“As much as I hate for the day to end, I’m afraid so,” she nodded.
They headed back up the beach, brushed the sand from their feet and continued barefoot to their rooms. Once inside, Missy donned a thin cotton nightgown and fell into bed, succumbing to sleep almost immediately. It had been such a wonderful first day; it wouldn’t have surprised her a bit if she had fallen asleep smiling.
Chapter 3
Finishing breakfast, Chas looked at his watch and announced that he’d have to leave soon for his seminar, and asked Missy what her plans were for the day.
“I’m not quite sure, but I picked up several brochures from the lobby, so I know that there’ll be plenty of options to keep me busy,” she said, looking forward to her first full day of adventure in Cozumel. They agreed to meet up for dinner, so she had all morning and afternoon to herself, which she found a bit daunting but tremendously exciting at the same time. When Chas left, Missy meandered through the tropical gardens surrounding one of the four pools at the resort, lost in the sweetly scented beauty of it all. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Raoul approaching.
“Raoul, what a nice surprise! Good morning,” she greeted him.
“Good morning, pretty lady,” he replied, catching up to her. “What exciting plans do you have for today?”
“Well, I’m on my own today, and I’m trying to narrow down the possibilities.”
Raoul lightly grasped her arm and stopped in his tracks. “I have some time today – if you would like, I’d be happy to show you parts of Cozumel that you won’t get to see on the big tours. We can go to a wildlife refuge where you can see alligators, I’ll show you some Mayan ruins and a historic lighthouse, and then we can make a stop at Casa Mission and do some tequila tasting, what do you think?”
“I think that sounds amazing! Going to see and do things that are a little bit off of the beaten path is exactly what I’m looking for. How much would you charge for the day?” she asked, excited.
Raoul shrugged and grinned. “My job is to make our guests happy, and if it will make you happy to do this, of course there is no charge. I can get my jeep and you’ll feel the refreshing Caribbean air in your hair while we travel.”
“Really?” Missy was astounded at the generosity of his offer. “That’s fantastic! I’ll need a few minutes to grab my camera and get ready. What should I wear?”
“Casual is best, we’re very relaxed here in Mexico (he pronounced it Meh hee coe), and of course, wear a swimsuit underneath. You never know when the ocean will call you,” he grinned. “I’ll go get the jeep and meet you under the lobby portico in half an hour, yes?”
“Yes,” she nodded eagerly. “I’ll be there.”
Chapter 4
Climbing into Raoul’s aging jeep, Missy was excited for her Cozumel adventure to begin. They hit the road and drove down a two lane highway that ran along the coast to get to their first destination. She climbed to the top of an observation tower in a marsh and spotted alligators, cranes and other wildlife on the refuge, having to pause in the jeep to let a slow-moving iguana cross the road. While during their next stop, the lighthouse on a finger of land that jutted into the ocean was a somewhat daunting 126 steps to the top, the view of Mayan ruins, sugar white sand and an azure ocean was more than worth it. After her mildly strenuous morning, Missy’s stomach growled loudly, signaling Raoul to take her to a simple but delicious restaurant that
stood tall on stilts across the highway from the beach. No one in the restaurant spoke English, but the carne asada, and its accompanying sides, was the best she had ever tasted. Feeling adventurous, she washed her meal down with a local beer that was icy cold and perfect for the heat of a Caribbean day.
The last stop of the day was at the Casa Mission Tequila site. They were given a personal tour by the daughter of the owner, whom Raoul already knew, and shown how the tequila was made from blue agave, then whisked away to the tasting room. They stood with the senora around a large barrel that had six bottles on top of it. She explained to a somewhat apprehensive Missy that the first three bottles were examples of good, better and best tequila and were priced accordingly. The other three bottles were flavored tequilas. Missy sampled each of the good, better and best tequilas, finding them progressively smoother and more complex. It was a happy surprise, because the tequila she’d tried in the US made her shudder. Since she had already had three types of the ‘straight’ tequila, she elected to only try one of the flavored ones, and the senora filled her tasting cup with guava tequila.
“Oh my goodness, this is delicious!” Missy exclaimed. The guava tequila tasted like the sweet juice, there was no evidence of alcohol.
“Yes, this is the dangerous one,” the senora said, smiling knowingly. “It tastes so good, you drink it and drink it and drink it, and don’t realize you have too much until you try to stand up.”
“I can see how that would happen,” Missy nodded, finishing her sample.
“More?” Raoul asked, indicating the guava bottle.
With a mischievous gleam in her eye, Missy nodded and held out her cup, much to the senora’s delight. She bought a bottle of the guava tequila to take home with her, and a bottle of the ‘best’ to give to Chas. Raoul steadied her on the walk back to the jeep, barely suppressing his laughter at her uninhibited condition.
“Ready to go?” he asked, after making sure that she was safely buckled in.
“Ready when you are, Raoul,” she agreed, slurring only slightly.
When Missy and Raoul arrived back at the resort, he carried her bag for her and helped her walk in a straight line as they made their way through the lobby.
“Missy?” a concerned voice came from behind her.
She turned at the sound of her name and was delighted to see Chas, who had just gotten back from the 1st day of his conference. “Chas!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his mouth, completely unashamed. “It’s so good to see you,” she grinned up at him, swaying slightly. “Raoul and I had the best time, and I tried a lot of tequilas.”
“I can tell,” he nodded, cutting a glance at Raoul. “I’ll take it from here,” he said curtly to the guide.
Raoul handed him Missy’s bag and patted her shoulder. “I hope you had a lovely day, pretty lady.”
“It was wonderful, Raoul, thank you!” she waved, one hand still wrapped around Chas’s neck.
“Let’s get you back to the room,” Chas said, gently turning her in the direction that they needed to go. “How are you feeling?” he asked, concerned.
“I feel wonderful,” she giggled, wrapping her arms around his waist as they walked to her room. “And so do you,” she observed, poking at his abs.
Chas smiled, blushing and knowing that Missy would be mortified if she saw how adorably tipsy she was at the moment. He pulled her key out of her purse when she pawed through it and couldn’t find it, opening the door for her. “I’ll be back here in ten minutes and we’ll go get some coffee and food and go for a nice long walk,” he told her before she went into her room.
“Okay,” she sang out, grinning, and planted a juicy kiss on his mouth. “Wanna come in and wait for me?” she asked slyly, raising an eyebrow.
“I…uh…have to…umm…no. I don’t think that would be a good idea,” he said delicately. “But I’ll be back in ten minutes, okay?”
“Alrighty,” she replied, her drawl profound.
Chapter 5
Missy was profoundly grateful the next morning that consumption of high quality tequila doesn’t always lead to hangovers, but remembering her behavior from the day before brought other regrets to mind. Chas had been so kind to her, buying her coffee, making sure that she had a good meal, and walking on the beach with her for a couple of hours, physically supporting her while she endured the discomfort of having the world spin under her feet. By the time that she went back to her room, she was so out of it that she had flopped on her bed fully clothed and slept in the same position until morning, waking up stiff and achy. She stood in the shower for a long time, washing away the cobwebs in her head and trying to think about what to say to Chas in order to restore her dignity. Putting in the beautiful black coral earrings that she had bought from a vendor at the lighthouse yesterday, she heard a soft knock on the door and was surprised to see a uniformed server with a large tray. The man didn’t speak much English, but handed her a note that said: I had to leave early today and wanted to let you sleep in, so I didn’t call before I left. I hope you’re feeling better. I thought a bit of breakfast might help – enjoy! Chas.
How incredibly sweet! Missy motioned for the server to come in, and he set the giant tray on her small dinette table, pulling off metal lids to reveal platters of fruit, pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast, potatoes, pastries, and a steaming pot of coffee. Tears sprung to her eyes as she considered the depth of his thoughtfulness. She tipped the server and sat down to nibble on the goodies, feeling surprisingly better after having eaten her fill. She drained the coffee pot, hoping it would provide her with the energy to do some more exploring today. She decided to start her day with a swim in the ocean and planned to relax on a lounger for a while before heading out again, easing into her day.
The beautifully clear, salt water glided over Missy’s skin, cooling and refreshing her, and she stayed in the waves for quite some time before stretching out on one of the loungers that was in full sun. She had liberally applied sunblock on the front of her, but was having a tough time smoothing it onto her back.
“Need help?” she heard Raoul’s cheery voice ask. She shielded her eyes with her hand, looking up at him, not having heard him approach.
“Oh! Good morning, Raoul. No, thanks, I’ve got it,” she said, capping the tube of coconut-scented sunblock.
“We can’t have you getting burned, pretty lady,” he insisted, grabbing the sunblock from her hands before she knew what was happening.
She didn’t even have time to open her mouth in protest before his hands were all over her back, smoothing on the lotion. “No, really, Raoul, please stop, I’m fine,” she directed, trying to be polite.
“I take care of you, pretty lady,” he cooed, continuing. His hands were moving over her back, neck and shoulders in a way that made her very uncomfortable, and when he slipped them around her sides on her ribcage and began moving upward, she shoved him onto the sand and stood glaring at him, hands on hips.
“I said no, Raoul,” she shouted. “You have no right to touch me that way. Get out of here right now, and don’t come back, or your boss will hear from me!” Missy was near tears and completely oblivious to the stares of other resort guests and staff who had witnessed the incident.
“I was just trying to help, chica,” he replied, grinning up at her in an infuriating manner.
“That was not helping, that was indecent!” she shot back, fuming.
He tossed the sunscreen to her and stood slowly, brushing the sand from his clothing and still entirely unfazed by her anger. “You change your mind and need some help later, you let me know,” he waggled his eyebrows, mocking her, and sauntered away smiling.
Missy was utterly shaken by the incident, and contemplated cutting her vacation short and boarding the next plane back to Louisiana, but fortunately, common sense prevailed, and knowing that such action wouldn’t be fair to Chas, she decided to stay. Cheryl had been texting her all morning with a million unimportant questions, so she called her at
the shop to take her mind off of Raoul’s lascivious behavior. After a wonderfully mundane and distracting conversation with Cheryl, she turned over on the lounge to relax and actually napped for a short while. To add even more frustration to an already difficult day, when she returned to her room, she discovered that she had somehow managed to lose her room key, and had to go to the front desk for a spare.
Relaying the incident involving Raoul to Chas later, over an authentic Mexican meal that was utterly divine, she noted the muscles flexing in his jaw as he maintained control of his reaction. He wanted to go to the manager immediately, but Missy convinced him not to, just wanting to forget the whole unfortunate incident. They picked up snacks and bottles of juice from the convenience center in the lobby and took them to Chas’s room, watching a movie until Missy got sleepy and headed back to her room. For as badly as her day had gone, it ended well, as was usually the case when Chas Beckett was involved.
Missy had slept dreamlessly and well, until being rudely awakened just after 6 a.m., by a loud pounding on her door. She thought that surely someone must have the wrong room and turned over to go back to sleep, but whoever was on the other side of the door was relentless, so she dragged herself out of bed and pulled on one of the resort’s white velour robes. Answering the door, she was puzzled to see two men dressed in suits and two uniformed policemen standing behind them.
“Melissa Gladstone?” one of the men in suits asked.
“Yes?” Missy responded, pulling the collar of the robe tightly around her throat.
