by Hazel Kelly
“A criminal?”
I shrugged.
“No,” he said. “Glad we cleared that up.”
“Me too.”
“Actually, I was arrested once for assault here in Thailand, but the case got dismissed when witnesses came forward and explained that I’d been defending someone else.”
“A woman?”
“No.”
I swallowed. Part of me wanted to pry, but I realized we’d gotten sidetracked. “So, a genuine best seller, huh?”
Jack blew some air out of his slightly sun burned lips. “I know. I was surprised myself considering I can barely read.”
I appreciated his humility but he was a fucking doctor. Reading was probably one of his least impressive skills. “Still,” I said. “That’s a pretty big achievement.”
“I guess.”
“Anything I might have heard of?”
“Probably not,” he said, checking me out even more obviously than before. “You don’t exactly look like my target customer.”
“I appreciate that, but try me anyway.”
Jack sighed. “Fork Your Fat.”
“Oh my god- you wrote that?!”
“Guilty,” Jack said, topping up our glasses. “You sound disappointed.”
“No, not at all. I’m impressed actually.”
Jack pretended to wipe his forehead with the back of his palm. “That’s a relief,” he said. “Normally I try to avoid mentioning it.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Some women don’t like to be reminded that they could be taking better care of themselves.”
“That’s silly.”
“I’m not surprised you think so,” he said. “You look like you’re doing a pretty good job of taking care of yourself.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I couldn’t fault you anyway.”
I felt my cheeks heat up and took a sip of my drink. “Actually, it’s only because I read your book.”
“What?!” His eyebrows jumped up his face. “Are you kidding me?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I am.”
He smiled and shook his head.
“But I did hear some girls talking about it at my gym one time,” I said, wondering where my membership card was collecting dust these days. “I think you even did a book signing down the street from where I work- used to work.”
“Oh? Where’s that?”
“Seattle.”
He nodded. “I probably did.”
A tall, porcelain-faced waiter greeted us and took our order. After confirming that I wouldn’t mind, Jack did the honors, ordering effortlessly in Thai and even making the waiter laugh before he headed back towards the kitchen.
“Okay,” I said. “Your best seller was one thing, but you were blatantly showing off just now.”
A smile spread across his face. “Busted. Unfortunately, I’m only fluent in Thai when it comes to the items on this menu.”
“I can’t wait to see what you ordered.”
“I ordered my death row meal.”
“Sorry?”
“You know, the meal I would request for my last meal should I be put to death.”
“I see. Well allow me to raise my expectations.”
“Permission granted.”
The waiter returned with a spicy papaya salad and set it on the table between us before disappearing after a nod from Jack. The orange and green shredded fruit was coated in a tangy dressing that included roasted peanuts, chilies, and miniature shrimp garnished with fresh lime wedges.
As soon as the first bite hit my tongue, I couldn’t help but groan. In fact, it was so delicious I knew the expression on my face probably looked pained, but every crunch was a complete pleasure.
“Oh my god,” I said. “This tastes like heaven.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Jack said, scooping some more onto my plate.
“If you don’t mind my asking,” I said, holding another bite halfway to my mouth. “Why would you leave the country at the height of your professional success? That doesn’t really make sense to me.”
Jack stabbed the shredded salad with his fork. “Honestly?”
I nodded and stuffed the spicy bite in my mouth.
He looked across the table at me. “I couldn’t cope with the celebrity. I never wanted that kind of personal attention. I just wanted to help people and practice medicine. I didn’t want to go on chat shows and do book signings and be a full time weight loss guru.”
I leaned back in my plastic chair and covered my mouth as I swallowed. “So things got out of hand?”
“Exactly,” he said. “And frankly, I’m at an age now where I want to settle down, not party it up.”
“Seriously?”
He shrugged. “I know it sounds lame, but I didn’t like the direction things were headed so I decided to disappear for a while until things calmed down.”
“And looking back,” I said, “do you feel like that was the right thing to do or do you regret your decision?”
Jack froze and fixed his eyes on me. “The only thing I regret is not meeting you when I was in Seattle.”
I felt a pang in my stomach as another easy smile escaped my lips. I liked him. He was sweet. And handsome.
Why couldn’t I meet a guy like him at home?
Chapter 17: Jack
It was true.
She was exactly the kind of woman I’d always wanted to meet. On top of being even sexier than she realized, which made her all the more alluring, she had this relaxed energy that made her excellent company.
I couldn’t believe it. I figured if I was really lucky she’d be as horny as she was hot, and we could have some fun together. But she was obviously so much more than that, and I was actually as interested in hacking into her mind as I was into her panties.
It was refreshing to meet someone who I had such good chemistry with. In fact, I was starting to think she was the kind of girl I could actually stay up all night talking to. Of course, as lovely as the sound of her voice was, I knew watching her mouth fill up with words and Thai food was never going to be enough.
At the same time, I desperately wanted to put my desire for her out of my mind so I wouldn’t strain against my shorts over dinner, but every now and then she’d lick a drop of spicy lime juice off her lips and drive me fucking crazy.
The weirdest part about it was that I don’t think she knew what she was doing. After all, I taught the girls in my class how to do that very thing, how to send little signals to men so they wouldn’t be able to resist having inappropriate thoughts, how to laugh at their jokes just so.
But there was nothing calculating about Audrey. She was naturally beautiful, funny, and sexy as fuck. And I didn’t know why or how she came to cut herself on that coral earlier, but I was starting to think that my good karma was finally paying off.
Because she was really something, and she was doing something to me. Something good. And I could feel it all over.
I stacked the empty plates from our first course and moved them to the side of the table just in time for the waiter to set some crispy, steaming prawns down between us.
“So do you miss it?” she asked, leaning back in her chair.
“Being a doctor?”
“Yeah.”
I laid my wrists on the edge of the table. “Parts of it.”
“Which parts don’t you miss?” she asked, pushing some shiny blond hair out of her face.
“Let’s see,” I said, glancing up at the starry sky over her head. “I don’t miss the hours or the politics or having to liaise with pharmaceutical companies.”
“And the good parts?”
“I know it sounds cheesy, but I liked the fact that I could make a difference.”
“That doesn’t sound cheesy.”
“And I miss helping people, treating patients.”
“I saw that first hand today.”
I laughed. “I guess you did. And yourself? What are you on the run from?”
&
nbsp; She pursed her lips.
“Drizzle?”
She rolled her eyes. “I wish.”
I raised my eyebrows and waited for more. If she wasn’t going to let me get away with being vague, I sure as hell wasn’t going to let her get away with it either.
“I’m on the run from a few things,” she said finally. “But I’m afraid none of them are a New York Times Best Seller.” She looked down and smoothed the tablecloth with her fingers.
I furrowed my brow, wishing that I hadn’t asked. It was the saddest I’d seen her look all night.
She cleared her throat. “My Dad was in an accident a few months ago.” She looked up at me. “So it’s been a stressful time for my family.”
My face dropped. “I’m so sorry to hear that. Is he alright?”
She shrugged. “I mean, he’s in a wheelchair now, but otherwise he’s okay.”
I nodded. “That must be hard.”
“He’s not adjusting very well.”
“I’m not surprised,” I said. “I think sometimes the later in life that kind of tragedy strikes, the harder it is to bounce back.”
“Yeah, he’s been pretty difficult about having to change his lifestyle, and it’s been hard on my Mom and me.”
“Are you an only child?”
She nodded.
“Me too.”
Her face lifted. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” she said. “I mean, when you’re young and you get all the love and attention, it’s great, but when shit goes down, there’s no one to share the load.”
“I know what you mean,” I said. “So you came here to clear your head.”
“Yeah. Plus, I lost my job two weeks ago so it seemed like as good a time as any.”
“Shit. That is a rough turn of luck.”
“At least it wasn’t down to my performance.”
The thought of her ability to perform temporarily interfered with my ability to focus.
“It was just cutbacks.”
“Still,” I said. “That doesn’t make it any easier.”
“No,” she said, rolling her shoulders back. “But forget I said anything. I didn’t come here to be a downer.”
“You’re not. Besides, I’m the one that asked.”
“Well, I have to admit that even though I’m in this gorgeous place, knowing I have to find a job when I get back is nagging at me a bit.”
“And what do you do for work?” I asked, dipping a crispy prawn into the small bowl of red chili sauce and holding it up in front of Audrey’s mouth.
She snatched it like a fish bites a worm on a hook, her enthusiasm filling me with energy.
“Or what were you doing rather?”
She made a face like it was so tasty it hurt to swallow before licking her lips. “Graphic design.”
“You’re an artist?”
“Meh.”
“I thought I saw you drawing on the beach.”
Her face dropped. “You saw me on the beach?”
“Of course. Two beautiful Western women are a bit of a commodity around here if you haven’t noticed,” I said, tilting my head towards the other diners.
“I guess I see what you mean.”
“I thought you were a gorgeous mirage. I had no choice but to keep checking to see if you were real.”
Audrey blushed and shifted in her seat.
“And then your little accident gave me the perfect excuse to introduce myself.” I smiled and popped a shrimp in my mouth.
“If only you’d said something sooner. You might have saved me all that trouble.”
I swallowed my bite and noticed that the meal wasn’t filling me up as much as it usually did, as if her presence had increased my appetite. “I’m afraid I’m not that smooth, but I accept full responsibility for your injury.”
“Oh good. It’s a relief to be absolved, but I think the overused rental equipment deserves some of the blame, too.”
I smiled. “Fair enough.”
The waiter arrived again, straining under the weight of another tray of food that included a heaping mound of fresh crab meat and two servings of shrimp and rice. He set the dishes down one by one, and between the chopped red chilies and fresh basil running through them, the meal looked as inviting as Christmas.
“I can see why this is your death row meal,” Audrey said, scooping some crab onto her plate.
“To be honest, it’s even better tonight.”
Audrey raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
“Of course,” I said. “A good meal always tastes better when there’s someone to share it with.”
She shook her head. “Oooh you’re trouble, Jack.”
“Trouble? Why do you say that?”
“You’re smoother than you let on.”
“Thanks, but everything I’ve said is true.”
“Still,” she said, a twinkle in her eye. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had more in mind for tonight than just dinner.”
I smiled. “That’s very presumptuous of you.”
“Does that mean I’m wrong?”
I didn’t answer her. Instead I fed her another shrimp, watching her eyes as she swallowed and her lips as she licked them.
And I was happy she was on to me. After all, my intention wasn’t to ambush her. It was to seduce her.
And if the smile on her face was any indication, everything was going according to plan.
Chapter 18: Audrey
After dinner, when my stomach was stuffed from the delicious seafood feast, Jack and I walked along the pier by the restaurant. The air was still and warm and my body felt much the same way.
Maybe it was just all the chilies I’d eaten, but it seemed more likely that my positive feelings were because of Jack. And something told me they would only grow as I got to know him better.
When we reached the end of the dock, we took off our sandals and dangled our feet over the water below. There was no one else around and the sound of the beachside restaurants was inaudible from where we were sitting. Up above, a bright half-moon lit up the sky while the small green lights of independent fishing boats dotted the horizon like fireflies.
“This is one of my favorite spots,” Jack said, looking out over the dark water.
“It’s so peaceful.” I considered leaning on his shoulder for a moment but resisted the urge. “Thanks again for such an amazing dinner by the way.”
“My pleasure. Thanks for joining me.”
“You know I was supposed to treat you,” I said. “That was the deal.”
“Yeah, but I picked the place so it’s my treat. Isn’t that the rule?”
I shrugged. “I guess so. If the rules even apply out here?”
“Some of them do.”
“Well, I still feel I owe you a thank you for saving my foot.”
He looked at me, stopping my heart with his gaze. “Your company is thanks enough.”
I rolled my eyes. After being used by every guy I’d ever liked, I was finally starting to feel like I knew a line when I heard one. And yet, here I was wanting this guy to use me, hoping with every ache in my body that he would take advantage and leave me spent.
Was something wrong with me? Or did I just think things would be different with him?
He leaned back. “Actually, there’s a show I’d like to catch tomorrow if you’re up for it?”
“What kind of show?”
“I can’t tell you that,” he said. “It’s a surprise.” He looked at me. “You’ll like it though. As long as you can handle being my pillion?”
“Your what?”
“Sitting on the back of my bike.”
“Oh.” I smiled. “I think I can handle that.”
“I’ll pick you up at 6:45 in front of your hotel then.”
I raised an eyebrow. “How very mysterious.”
“And don’t be late or we’ll miss it,” he said. “In fact, it might be better if you stay by my side until it’s time to leave.” He looked at me out of the co
rner of his eye.
