The pool area was a large space with sun loungers, tables and an extraordinary view over the whole crescent-shaped island. White structures ran along the top of the ridge like frosting on a cake.
Miss Sluttish was back, sitting on the edge of the pool in a black bikini with crisscrossing lines along the back. Her body was still utterly perfect and she swished her leg along the water in the pool.
Annoyingly, Ricky lay on one of the sun loungers opposite her, lying in his too tight shorts, looking tanned and buffed, his mirrored sunglasses seeming aimed at Shania. The wanker was effectively single now and probably looking to rekindle with her.
A spear of raging jealously shot through him and he had to look away. This wasn’t going to be a fun trip. At least there was a bar—a small one, but it had the essentials. He ordered a drink and went to sit by one of the shaded tables, turning the chair around so he could stare out over the view, because the other way was Shania’s delectable body, and it served him no good to sit and stew on that.
Would he actually rather be at work than be here? he wondered. Part of him said yes, because his social life seemed to have lost all purpose. For a while, it had been solely geared to getting shit-faced, but these days, he’d be letting slide the one thing that was actually functioning in his life—his work.
“Appreciating nature’s beauty?” Aggie said, sitting down in a chair next to him and crossing her legs. He could hear the sarcasm in her voice. “Social intercourse proving too difficult to handle?”
Anything he said would sound argumentative, so he didn’t bother. “Who the hell invited Ricky?”
“I did,” Aggie said.
Felix’s eyebrows rose. “That’s a bit rude, isn’t it? Rubbing it in Megan’s face.”
“If Megan was bothered even a little, I wouldn’t have bothered, but she is obsessed with Jesus at the moment.”
“Like the shifting wind, isn’t she?”
“Come on, to align yourself with someone like Ricky? Obviously, she came to her senses.”
“So why did you invite him?”
Aggie looked a bit sheepish. “It’d be a shame to let an opportunity for a bit of meaningless banter go to waste.”
“I’m fairly certain banter’s not what you have in mind. He’s really not your type.” But at least if Aggie was pursuing him, he would hopefully stay clear of Shania—not that Felix cared. It would just be revolting having to watch her slut it up in front of him.
“Exactly. So tired of my type. For once, I just want to have a bit of fun.”
Why the hell was everyone sleeping with that guy? He was inane and utterly vacant, but for some reason, all the girls seemed to go giddy over him. Still, he was pleased that Aggie was going to trump Shania. Felix knew that Shania didn’t go for drama and the last thing she would put up with was a catfight over a guy—particularly someone as pointless as Ricky.
Chapter 53
Dinner was served on another terrace and the skies were a multitude of pinks and purples, stretching as far as the eye could see. Ricky was impressed. The white buildings around them were in stark contrast to the darkening blue sky and water. Lights were appearing along the buildings and also along the cruise ship down in the harbour.
A white tablecloth stretched across a long table and they all sat down, wearing their best holiday gear. He’d also chosen to wear white and his tan looked dark in comparison. Candles ran along the length of the table, fluttering slightly in a warm breeze.
This was fantastic. He was so glad he’d come along.
Megan had shown zero interest, was spending most of the time staring down at her phone. Which really was a shame in a place like this. A couple of days in paradise and she spent most of it on social. Granted, he’d done a few selfies himself to ‘feed the chooks’—his building follower base. Some brooding photos in Santorini were exactly the type of image he wanted to display, but he wasn’t going to dedicate the entire time to worry about his followers. A few weeks ago, maybe he would have, but something had changed. He wanted the immediacy of this, the experience. Not just the representation of it through flattering filters.
This was great. This dinner was perfect, sitting with friends, eating and drinking. Normally, he would have headed straight to a club to pull some girl. But a club was a club and even he wanted to spend some chill time in paradise. Clubs could wait. There was more to life than the next club.
Okay, granted, maybe these people weren’t exactly his kind, but the jury was out. Some of them treated him like an extra in a scene, but Aggie was cool. Seeing Megan sulking in a place like this was actually putting him off her.
Aggie sat down next to him and she looked good, sitting in a light grey halter top and skirt. Her face was lit by the candles and her eyes sparkled.
The food was served and it was fish—which he didn’t normally go for—soaked in tomatoes, lemon and oil. It wasn’t the kind of food he normally ate, but he wasn’t about to make a fuss about it. There were chips and that tzatziki stuff, which was okay. The beer was pretty decent, even if it was a brand he didn’t know.
The talk muted for a moment while everyone ate.
“I’m going to rent a bike tomorrow,” some guy named Miles said. “Ride around the island.”
“Yeah?” Ricky said. He could be in for that.
“We could head for a swim,” Aggie said. “There’s a place over there,” she said, pointing to the edge of the island where there were a set of stairs down to the sea. “It’s quite a walk down, but you can swim and look back up the cliffs. It’s pretty spectacular.”
Ricky nodded, liking the idea. “Sounds like a plan for tomorrow. We could share a bike.”
Aggie shrugged. “Sure.”
The sky was darkening to a deep navy blue and lights were more prominent along the island.
“I like this,” Ricky said quietly so only Aggie could hear. “It’s nice.”
“It is lovely,” Aggie agreed.
“I haven’t really done this before, you know? I suppose I have been too focused on work, and maybe it’s time to start exploring other stuff.”
“Such as?”
“I don’t know. More relaxed stuff, I guess. It’s always been clubs for me, but maybe I need to start exploring more widely.”
“I guess I understand. I’ve kind of been the same—focused on one thing.”
“Yeah?” He wasn’t entirely sure what she focused on. He saw no evidence of it.
“I suppose I’ve been focused so much on finding a relationship, when it’s not really what I want. You’re led to believe it’s what you should want, and I have been spending so much effort on it, hanging with the right guys—well not always, if I’m honest. I’ve dabbled in some exotic waters, but I was always looking for that boyfriend. But I’ve come to realise that I don’t want one. I want to be young and free.” She said it like it was something ground-breaking. “I mean, what’s the hurry?”
Ricky listened. He guessed he understood because it was what he’d been running from—girls who wanted relationships, wanted to spend weekends in, snuggling. It had sounded soul-destroyingly boring, but being here, in a place like this—that was built for romance—it didn’t seem too farfetched. He smiled. They were both breaking free of old thinking, just in opposite directions. “I get it,” Ricky said. “Everything you used to think gets old, right?”
“I think it’s called growing as a person.”
One thing he decided was that he dug Aggie as a person, and that was something he hadn’t really done before with girls. That was also something new, that girls could be something other than targets for a dirty night. Aggie was cool and the idea of a friendship with someone like her really excited him. Why couldn’t he be friends with a girl? The endless circle of pulling girls really achieved nothing. Maybe it was time to try something new.
She wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, and he was looking for a friend. It was perfect—serendipity perhaps. There was a world of possibilities outside the club circui
t and the short and meaningless relationships with girls. He was actually tired of that. Maybe he could even go so far as to find a girlfriend. A female friend would perhaps be very helpful in providing some guidance in that. Surely it was more complicated than just picking one. Plus, Aggie had some hot friends and could introduce him to someone—the kind of girl he should be with, because he didn’t really know that type of girl too well.
Ricky was excited. A new life was opening up for him—a more textured live. So pulling girls in the club might be over, but would it be such a great loss? It wasn’t as if there was anything new there. Insert A into part B. That part didn’t really change.
Chapter 54
“What do you want to do?” Esme asked, leaning across the table. “Do you want to stay here or go do something?”
“I think we should go explore,” Shania said, ready to get away from the table. Felix was sitting down the other end, but she still felt his eyes on her. It didn’t strictly bother her, but a change would be nice. Besides, she was in the fucking Greek Islands; she wanted to see more than these boring faces. There was only so much of Esme’s friends she could handle.
“We’re going to go explore,” Esme said to the table.
“Where?” one of the girls asked.
Esme shrugged. “We’ll see what we find.”
Quick looks around the table and everyone seemed to agree. They rose and walked down a set of stairs leading to the lobby and then out on the street. The street was made of large stone slabs with white grout between. The air was still warm.
Shania wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to find, but she was happy to go with the flow. There weren’t, on the whole, a great deal of Greeks around from what she could see. This was definitely a tourist island, but it was gorgeous.
Most of the shops were still open, which seemed to attract some of the girls, but it was mostly touristy stuff. They walked past a few restaurants and some kind of jazz club. It was a walking town and endless alleys led off everywhere.
“I want to dance,” Esme finally said. “It’s my birthday and I want to dance. Let’s find someplace.”
It didn’t prove hard. The music led them to a place, which was more of a bar really, but the music was okay. There were some tourists dancing and that would have to do. There was probably some full club somewhere, but this was a little more sedate. It was packed with people and had a garden bar in the back. This would do nicely, Shania thought. Esme headed straight for the dance floor and Shania felt she had to be a good friend and follow.
European dudes were checking them out, but Shania didn’t care. She was, after all, used to guys drooling over her from her previous life in Marbella and even further back. It was the perfect night for a bit of sexual tension, wasn’t it?
Some of Esme’s other friends joined in.
“I’ll get some drinks. What do you want?”
“Something sweet,” Esme said and Shania nodded.
The bar had everything and would be able to do some cocktails. Actually, there was a cocktail menu and Shania perused it, reading the ingredients for something that would be sweet. “A Love Potion,” she said to the bartender. “Actually, make that two.” What the hell? A full girly cocktail might be just what the evening needed.
As she waited, she turned, seeing Felix on the other side of the room, standing along the wall with his head leaning back. He watched her and she felt heat licking her insides again. He really could pull off stalker if he set his mind to it. Too bad she found his attention kind of erotic, because that had been her problem lately. It was that look in his eyes—that hunger. She couldn’t help responding to it.
“Shit,” she swore to herself, fully aware that she would most likely end up sleeping with him that night. However the night played out, it would mostly likely end up in his bed. Was there any point in telling herself no? Was there any purpose in beating herself up for it? She and Felix had a thing. Neither of them was particularly happy about it, but they were compelled to rip their clothes off in an implosion of frustrated sexual tension. Was there any point fighting it? They were fucked up any way you cut it.
Receiving her cocktails, Shania headed back to the dance floor and handed one over to Esme, but kept going out to the garden bar. The heat was getting to her and she wanted some quiet. She walked over and stood by a railing looking out over roof tops.
“Hitting the hard stuff?” Felix said behind her before long. If walking out here had been a test of how this night would go, him following spelt it out clearly. Her insides clenched with anticipation.
Anything she said, he would use as ammunition against her. “What’s wrong with a cocktail? Have you gone all straight-laced all of a sudden?”
“I’m not the one those boys are all watching.”
“Ooh, there’re boys watching. Worried a few drinks will make me easy?”
“You’re easy sober.” Fingertips ghosted across her bare back, sending shivers down her spine. “A bit of attention and anyone can have you.”
To punish him, she pressed her arse back meeting his front and he stifled a groan. “Who do you think I should pick? One of those blond Scandinavian dudes? Or maybe some dark, Greek guy. What do you think? A Greek lover for the night?”
She could feel his hand lightly on her hip. He certainly wasn’t pushing her away and she could feel quite clearly where his thoughts were. “Some whore who spends his time picking up lonely tourists? You do like it trashy.”
He stood so close now, his front against her back. His exhale rushed along the skin of her shoulder and warm lips stroked lightly along her skin.
“I do,” she admitted. “The more tawdry, the better.” His hand snuck up and cupped her breast, making her gasp with the sensations that flooded in. “Apparently, I have a problem with people taking advantage of me.”
He chuckled. “You mean how you drop your knickers for anyone who walks past.”
With his other hand, he stroked along her chin, forcing her head back to kiss him.
What was it about Felix that made it so damned hot? Maybe because he was as caught in this as she was, and the tawdrier it was, the hotter it was. If they weren’t in a public place, with people all around them, she’d hike up her skirt right here, but she had some limits, although she wasn’t entirely sure where they were when it came to Felix.
Pulling herself away, she stepped out of his grip. This was getting too hot, too fast. “I better get back,” she said. “Those boys aren’t going to entertain themselves.”
Taking a deep sip of her drink, she placed it down and returned inside where Esme was still dancing. Felix returned to his spot along the wall, watching her and she knew he wouldn’t move from there. This night wasn’t over and she needed to torture him for a bit.
Chapter 55
Felix could barely stand the tension in his body when they finally returned to the hotel. Esme was drunk and unstable. Shania was helping her and looked back as they walked, seeing him there, her dark eyes mesmerising in the sparse light. He’d barely been able to stand it, having to watch her dance. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
If she was utterly cruel, she would slip away now, but he knew she wouldn’t. She was just as turned on as he was. It hadn’t been the Scandinavian boys she’d been dancing for. Now it was time for them to be alone.
His fingers shook and his mouth was dry. A semi had been lingering in his pants all night and it had at times been painful, but he hadn’t been able to look away.
At the hotel, Esme carefully made her way down the stairs to her room, teetering on her heels, but Shania walked down one of the halls off the side of the lobby. Felix followed, watching as she walked, her back straight and her dark hair flowing down in cascades. Light reflected off her silhouette, every curve and taut plane. She stopped at a door and disappeared inside.
His heart beat slowly but powerfully. He wasn’t sure what he would do if she locked him out, but arriving at the
door, he saw it wasn’t quite shut. She had left it open for him.
Blood rushed in his ears as he pushed it open and silently closed it behind him. She stood in the moonlight, with her hands on the balcony railing. The door was wide open and the curtains were flowing in the breeze.
Why was it she was the hottest thing he’d ever seen? From the moment he’d met her, he’d known this, and it wasn’t abating. But there was no denying it tonight. She had let him in, left the door open for him.
Silently, he stepped out of the balcony and ran his fingers down her back. Her skin seemed to contract around his touch. She couldn’t lie about her response. Her body was tense and eager, and part of him hated how wanton she was, while another utterly loved it.
Reaching down, he slipped his hand between her thighs and felt the warm, smooth skin. Her satin smooth folds were damp. She was certainly anticipating him, mewling slightly at his touch. No underwear either. Refusing to turn around, she pressed down on his fingers, wanting more. He pressed a finger inside her wet heat and she groaned, her body tensing. No tenderness was needed; she wanted him.
With a quick motion, he was unbuttoned and ready. The skimpy material of her dress retreated over her firm arse, revealing the lovely peach of her backside. If he wasn’t careful, he’d come just at the sight.
Angling her hips back for him, he pressed into her, feeling the assault of sensations wash over him. Her warm heat, the tightness and the utter deliciousness of her body. His cock pulsed deep inside her, glorying in this reward. He wanted to be as deep inside her as he could get.
Her hips ground back to him, begging for more as every muscle of her back strained. It might be the most beautiful sight he could ever remember seeing. For all her talk, she gave this to him, wanted him.
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