Til do it. You write the note to Fiona.'
In no time Marly had a basket packed with sufficient goodies to last a couple of days, and pausing only to pack a few things in her beach bag, she joined Alex on the veranda.
'I brought along a couple of bottles of Donald's best New Zealand Chardonnay,' he informed her, pointing to the leather wine-cooler on the seat next to him. 'Sailing is thirsty work!'
'Particularly on a boat that's motor-powered!' she laughed.
'Don't quibble about semantics. To me, one boat is like another!'
'I hope that doesn't mean you don't know anything about them?' she questioned, trying to look anxious. 'I'd hate to break down mid-ocean and have to swim back. These waters are shark-infested.'
'Don't worry. I may not be round-the-world material, but I'm not a complete novice.' He half smiled. "The boat's just had an overhaul, and Donald told me the engine's as reliable as a Rolls.'
'Shall we get going, then?'
Side by side they strolled down to the slatted wooden dock where the two-berth cabin cruiser rocked gently on the swell. Named Lovely Linda in bold black letters on the freshly painted white hull, the boat flew an American flag.
'Who's "Lovely Linda"?' Marly asked curiously as they went aboard. 'Your friend's wife?'
'Ex,' Alex corrected. 'But he's still in love with her and doesn't want to change the name.'
'Why did they divorce, then?'
'You make it sound as if the man's always the one to want out,' Alex was quick to say, reminding Marly yet again how sharp he was.
'They usually are,' she said.
'Not this time. The not so lovely Linda ran off with her tennis coach.'
'Then I'd have thought the last thing your friend would want was to be reminded of her.'
Alex shrugged. 'Love is like a drug addiction—once hooked, hard to cure.'
'Is that experience talking?'
'I've never touched drugs.'
'I was talking about love,' Marly said demurely.
'Let's talk about that later,' he grinned, and disappeared into the galley to put the picnic and the wine into the refrigerator.
While Marly set out two sunbeds, Alex busied himself at the wheel. Effortlessly the powerful engine surged into life, and casting off the line he slowly edged the boat away from the dock. Once clear, he increased the speed, set it on automatic pilot and joined Marly.
'Care for a drink?' he questioned.
'It's only eleven-thirty.'
"There's no law that says we have to wait until the sun's over the yard-arm.'
She wrinkled her brow, pretending not to understand. 'I'm afraid I don't know that expression.'
'That you don't drink alcohol until after noon,' he explained.
'After noon?' Marly raised her eyebrows. 'I usually wait until after six!'
'In that case I shall enjoy corrupting you at one minute past twelve!'
True to his word, noon found them sipping a delicious fruity Chardonnay as they lay under the canvas awning and stared out at the sparkling blue sea. The sky seemed to reflect its colour, Marly thought, or was it the other way around? Either way it was a blue, blue world, with the sun a golden orb dredging them with its warmth.
Soon the insidiousness of the heat dissipated their conversation, bringing with it a blissful languor. TUraing her head to remark on this, Marly saw that Alex had fallen asleep with the suddenness of a child. It gave her the chance to study him without being observed, and she enjoyed the handsome picture he made. His face in repose was younger and carefree, making him appear defenceless, the strong lines around his mouth softened into gentleness, and she had only to inch out her fingers to feel the burnished hairs on his arm. She longed to do so, but wary of awakening him, she resisted the temptation, and with a small sigh closed her eyes and drifted into slumber.
She awoke with a feeling of being watched, and opening her eyes found Alex propped on one elbow, looking into her face.
'Pleasant dreams?' he asked.
'I wasn't asleep,' she denied. 'Just dozing.'
'From the baby piglet sounds you were making, you could have fooled me!'
'If you're implying I was snoring…' she said indignantly.
'There's no implying about it,' he grinned. 'I was stating a fact! Don't get uptight, though. On you it sounded like a Mozart symphony!'
Marly laughed. 'I thought love was blind, not deaf't'
'After two glasses of wine and the heat of the sun, all my faculties are impaired!'
'Good. I finally feel safe with you.'
Chuckling, he rose. 'Let's have lunch. That will sober me.' As she went to rise, he shook his head. 'No, stay where you are. I can manage on my own.'
'You're spoiling me.'
'I'd like to do much more than that,' he said thickly, nnd half bent towards her, then seeing her sudden tension he drew back and went below deck.
Within a few moments he returned with the food, which he deftly set out on a white, slatted wood table. There was a delicious Thai salad—a mix of succulent prawns, lobster claws, spring onions and tiny white aubergines resembling new potatoes—a dish of deep-fried chicken wings with soy sauce and pineapple, a bowl of rice, and another piled high with mangoes and papayas.
The wonderful mix of aromas made Marly realise how hungry she was, and she sat at the table and helped herself to the food.
'Where exactly are we headed?' she asked, tucking in to the prawns.
'Kwin Yak. We should arrive there in about forty minutes.'
Marly knew it was one of the larger islands and, like the others, uninhabited. Which suited her purpose beautifully.
'I'm longing for a swim,' she said, 'and after a lunch like this I'll need it to burn off some calories.'
Alex shook his head. 'You don't seem to gain weight however much you eat—and you have a pretty hefty appetite for a dainty little thing.'
'I never gain weight.'
He pulled a face, and his expression drew her eyes to his body, making her aware of the hard muscles of his chest, the flatness of his stomach, the tensile strength of his long legs, the sun-kissed golden skin. A burning heat suffused her and she hastily set down her fork lest he noticed the tremble of her hands.
'I remember you said you used to have a weight problem,' she managed to say.
'I did as a youngster, but that was because I stuffed myself with candy bars. I was at boarding-school, and the food was so dull, I made up for it with chocolates and sweets.'
'How did you kick the habit?' Marly grinned.
'It was after I fell in love with my best friend's sister- Sandra, you remember?—and asked her to marry me. She rejected me in favour of a long, thin streak of a lad with a laugh like a hyena!'
'I bet that didn't do any good for your ego!' Marly giggled. 'Did you have better luck once you'd slimmed down?'
'With the fickleness of youth, I lost interest—and weight—and went on to pastures new. But we became good friends and I'm godfather to her eldest son.'
'And your rival?'
'She married him!' Alex helped himself to another piece of chicken. 'He was highly successful in the City by then.'
'Have you never wanted to marry anyone since?' Marly ventured with forced casualness.
'For a shy young lady you ask some leading questions,' he said drily. 'But the answer's no.'
'Because you've never been in love, or you don't want to tie yourself down?'
His lower hp jutted forward, as if considering the questions. 'Why commit oneself to one woman when the world is full of lovely ones ripe for the picking?'
'And unlike wives, they can be changed if you get bored,' Marly added sweetly.
'You've hit the nail on the head.'
And how, she thought bitterly, and wished she could hit him on the head instead!
'You might change your opinion one day. This year's playboy is next year's dirty old man!'
'Well said.' Alex's face was alight with amusement. 'But luckily for me I
'd rather be a dirty old man than a cheating husband. At least that way the only person I deceive is myself.'
'If you met the right woman you——— '
'Spare me that clich6. Conversion by true love is the classic reply of the fair sex! You surprise me, Marly. Until now you've always talked in a very practical, logical manner, but it seems that you're a closet romantic!'
Marly saw nothing funny in his comment, her mind's eye filial with Andrea's tear-stained face. 'At least I have a heart,' she replied.
'So have I when it comes to family and friends,' he defended. 'I'm a loving son, a loyal confidant, and a passionate lover.' Slate eyes glinted mischievously. 'If you don't believe the latter, I'd be more than happy to prove it.'
'I'll take your word for it, thanks. There's no sense in being one of a number, when what I really want is to be number one!'
His smile was sensuous, the full lower lip curving forward. 'I find your wit enjoyable, Marly. Pity you're so old-fashioned.'
'It's because I'm different from the other girls you know that I hold your interest.'
'You think so?' With a gentle finger he traced the perfect line of her cheekbone. 'I'd be interested in you even if you were as liberated as Gloria Steinem!' His hand rose and touched her silky hair. 'You're very special.'
'Special enough to marry?' she asked ingenuously.
'You have a one-track mind,' he chuckled, dropping his hand abruptly.
'So have you. But yours is trying to lead me up the garden path, and mine is keeping me on the straight and narrow!' Deftly she put the used plates on a tray and placed the bowl of fruit between them. 'Shall I peel you a mango or would you prefer a papaya?'
If he was surprised by her sudden change of tack he gave no sign of it, though as she continued prattling on about nothing, the withdrawn look in his eyes convinced her he wasn't concentrating on what she was saying.
Clearly she had given him food for thought, and if Lady Luck was on her side, he might not find it too indigestible!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The sun was at its zenith when Alex and Marly reached the island and laid anchor in Kwin Yak's small, deserted bay. Froth-edged waves gently lapped the coastline, and (he water was startlingly clear with tiny, silvery fish swimming just below the surface.
The beach was powder-white, and the sand felt like silk upon their bare feet as they paddled to the shore in a small rubber dinghy and dropped their towels beneath the shade of a small clump of palm trees, their shaggy fronds waving in the faint breeze.
'Fancy a swim before we explore?' Alex suggested.
Nodding, she followed him into the water, and hardly had she immersed herself when he took her hand and drew her further into the azure-blue sea. Together they set off in the direction of the boat, swimming lazily in line with it and then heading back to dry off on the warm sand.
'I feel as if we're the last two people left on earth,' Marly said breathlessly as, a little later, they strolled along the beach. "This must be the most peaceful place on earth.'
'Pity we have to go back tonight,' Alex commented. 'I suppose I can't persuade you to stay?'
'You suppose right,' she replied, managing to hide her amusement as she thought of the skilful way she had sabotaged the engine to ensure it wouldn't start. 'And don't try the old chestnut about not being able to start the boat!' 'You misjudge me,' he reproached her. 'Don't you trust me?'
'No!'
He laughed. 'You're a strange mixture of docility and sassiness.'
'That's a Thai characteristic. On the surface we're sweetness and light, but underneath we have a will of our own.'
'You rarely display it with me.'
'Because you're my superior.'
'Only at the hotel. In our personal relationship we are equals.'
'We can never be that,' she persisted, playing her role to the hilt. 'You are an important man and I will always defer to you.'
'What if we were married?' he teased.
'Especially then.'
Alex chuckled. 'I can see you will make an excellent wife!'
'Are you proposing to me, Alex?' She fluttered her long lashes at him.
'Any proposal I made wouldn't be for marriage,' he responded good-humouredly, 'though you deserve an A plus for persistence.'
'And you deserve an A plus for resistance!'
They had now returned to the spot where their towels lay, and they relaxed in the warmth for an hour and then rowed back to the boat, both absorbed in their thoughts and content to remain silent. It had been a perfect day, Marly conceded, and was reluctant for it to end, wishing to hold on to the idyll for as long as possible.
Knowing what was going to happen, and worried she might not be able to play the innocent, she busied herself in the galley making coffee while Alex went off to start the engine. It roared into hfe and then frustratingly died—not surprising given that she had earlier ensured that the engine's vibration would loosen one of the main leads sufficiently to cause a fuse when the engine was stopped and then restarted. It was easy enough to repair, but even if Alex was a whiz with engines he would take some time to locate the fault, and by then it would be dark and inadvisable to attempt the return journey.
After she had heard him make several unsuccessful attempts to fire the motor, she decided it might seem odd if she didn't show some curiosity, and she hurried on deck to join him.
'Anything wrong?' she cooed.
'Yes, but I'm damned if I can see what it is.'
Watching him tug at wires, test screws, and tinker around with a spanner, it was clear to Marly, who had a good knowledge of engines, that in spite of looking as if he knew what he was doing Alex knew very little.
'Don't tell me we've run out of fuel?' she asked straight-faced as he wiped his grease-stained fingers on an oily rag.
'I won't—because we haven't,' he stated edgily.
'Can it be the fan belt, then?'
'You'll be asking about the exhaust next,' he muttered. 'This isn't a car, you know!'
'Sorry. I was only trying to help.'
'Then see if you can find the instruction manual. I noticed it below somewhere.'
She found it on top of some books in the main cabin, and pretending not to notice it was printed in Japanese, solemnly handed it to him.
Alex riffled through the pages and swore softly under his breath, though sufficient words were audible to bring the colour to her cheeks, a fact he noticed immediately.
'Forgive me, Marly, but this is absolutely useless. Unless you speak Japanese?'
'Fluently,' she said drily. 'Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Sony———— '
'Very funny,' he cut in. 'But this is no joking matter. I'll have to radio for help, though I doubt if the coastguard will launch a rescue this late in the day, as we aren't in any danger.'
'Why are you so certain you can't fix it?' she asked, putting deep suspicion into her voice. 'You told me you knew about boats.'
'I know about cars too, but that doesn't mean I'm an expert. There's obviously a serious fault and it will take a professional to repair it.'
'You said your friend just had the boat checked and that it was as safe as a Rolls-Royce,' she accused.
'Clearly he was wrong.'
'It isn't clear to me,' she sniffed indignantly. 'Are you sure you didn't tamper with the engine so we'd be stuck here for the night?'
Alex straightened, his features rigid with controlled anger. 'I'm not some sex-starved youth who needs to trick a girl into spending the night with him. If you don't believe me, I suggest you take a look at the engine and see if you can see what's wrong with it.'
'You're on safe ground there. I wouldn't know what's wrong if the fault were painted striped pink and green!' she hed.
"Then I suggest you resign yourself to spending the night here with me,' he said in clipped tones, and disappeared to radio for help.
Stifling her laughter, Marly wandered across to the rail. It was a clear and beautiful night, the dark sky peppe
red with stars, a full moon casting a silver stairway across the sea. If only this night were for real, and Alex a man she could believe in and love, not someone who took what he could and then moved on to pastures new.
'It's as I assumed,' his deep voice said from behind her, and she tensed but did not move as he joined her at the rail. 'Once the coastguard ascertained we weren't in danger, they said we'd have to wait till morning.'
'I see.'
'Don't be upset, Marly. We may get hungry but '
'We won't. There's plenty of food left,' she said, having planned it that way.
'Good. And we can wash it down with champagne. I found some in a locker and put it in the fridge.'
'While it's cooling, I'll have a shower,' she said.
'So will I—after you, of course!'
Standing in the tiny shower cubicle, Marly congratulated herself on how well everything had gone so far. But the most difficult part was to come. Alone with a man to whom she was strongly attracted on a physical level—and when he was not behaving like a chauvinist pig, on a cerebral one too—she planned to let him make love to her and then halt the proceedings mid-track. Just far enough, in fact, to show him the delights available to him if he married her. It was a trick as old as the hills and he might be wise to it, but given that she could not think of anything better, it was a gamble worth taking, for if he did finally propose, her revenge would be even sweeter than she had anticipated.
Slipping on silk panties and not bothering with a bra, she donned the white silk cheong-sam she had brought with her in her beach bag. The top was cut tight—as it always was—and showed a tantalising expanse of silky skin from just under her breasts to her waist, and the skirt clung lovingly to the rounded curves of her hips, a long slit in the side parting as she moved, to show a tantalising length of shapely leg.
Content with her image, she liberally sprayed herself with Giorgio. This should make Alex's temperature rise. She only hoped she had the strength of mind to lower it before it rocketed out of control and sent her soaring with him!
Perspiration dampened her brow at the very notion, and she pushed her hair away from her face. Brushed until it shone, it tumbled like a sheet of satin over her shoulders. Totally without conceit, she knew she had never looked lovelier or more desirable. Her slight tan enhanced the pure white of her cheong-sam, and today's surfeit of sun had heightened the colour in her cheeks, giving than a rosy glow.
Roberta Leigh - Give A Man A Bad Name Page 10
