Seven Days: The Complete Story (6 page)

“I don’t have
a reservation but is there any chance of a table for one?” I
ask.

“We’re fully
booked,” she replies. “But let me see what I can do.” She glances
back to the reservations and then around the room a couple of
times. She’s being far more amiable tonight and I’m thinking she
doesn’t see me as competition standing here in my white maxi dress
looking like I’m about twelve. Emily hates it when I wear this
dress, she says its too baggy, that I look like I’ve escaped from a
nativity play and all I need is some tinsel on my head to transform
me into an angel. I like it. I like white. I watch the server as
she sucks on the end of her pen, thinking. I bet if Nicholas were
here things would be different. She’d be giving me daggers for
sure, like she did the other night but she’d find us a table
without any wait. I wonder briefly what Nicholas is doing, how his
work thing went, if it’s completed. More to the point, I wonder if
he’ll be here.

Okay. I hope
he’ll be here. Yes, I hope.

The girl leans
across the desk. “The couple in the corner have finished mains.
They only have dessert and coffee left. Would you like me to
reserve that table for you? You can have a drink at the bar. I’ll
come and get you when the table’s free.”

I nod and
smile. “Cool. Thanks.”

I walk around
the corner of the bar and take a seat on one of the high stools. I
order another frozen margarita. It tastes way better than the ones
I made for myself and before I realise I’ve finished it and ordered
another with a bowl of nuts to nibble on while I wait.

Over in the
corner, a band starts playing. It’s only a guitarist, a keyboard
player and a guy on double bass but they sound good and their music
selection is the stuff people like to dance to. The interior lights
have been dimmed and out on the beach the moon has risen and is
casting a silvery glow over the water. There’s a warm breeze
fanning through the palm trees by the beach. It’s like a picture
perfect holiday brochure, like a movie set for a romantic island
honeymoon.

A man comes up
and sits on the empty stool beside me. He’s wearing the cliché
Hawaiian shirt in orange and beige and matching chino shorts with
more pockets than should ever be allowed on a pair of pants.
“Hello,” he says.

“Hello.”

“I saw you
enjoying the music. Do you want to dance?” He gives me an expectant
smile and though I’m assaulted with the stench of
too-much-garlic-for-dinner, I know I’m going to dance with him.
I’ve never been able to say no for fear it might hurt the other
person’s feelings. It’s only three minutes of your life, after
all.

“Sure.”

His grin
widens as I hop off my stool and we head into the middle of the
small area used as a dance floor. A few other couples are there, so
we don’t look as obviously ridiculous as if we were dancing
alone.

Which might be
a good thing after seeing the way he dances. His legs are like
heavy lumps of concrete and keeping in time doesn’t appear to be
his forte. His arms, by contrast, seem to want to flap like a bird,
so much so that he almost whacks me in the eye. Fortunately, I have
quick reflexes and am able to duck in time.

“Oops, sorry,”
he says as he reaches over to stop me from falling. Then, “I’m
John.”

“Sadie.”

“Have you been
in the bay long, Sadie?” His flapping motions are becoming more
frenzied and I fear he may take off at any second. Lucky he has
those lumps of concrete where his legs should be.

“A while.”

He shuffles
closer and does a funny side movement that reminds me of people in
a conga line at a wedding. I can see a speck of something stuck
between his teeth. Probably a chunk of that garlic. “I’m staying at
the resort up the way. The rooms are very nice. Spacious. Great
view of the ocean.”

I hope he’s
not going to ask me to come back and check it out.

“Don’t suppose
you fancy coming back to mine for a drink after this?”

“Maybe some
other time, John—”

Like when I’m
about ninety.

“ —But thanks
for the offer.”

Unable to get
the hint, the man insists we dance for another two songs. He
chatters on like I don’t exist but I think it’s because he’s
nervous, so I reply when he lets me, which isn’t often. He’s adept
at holding a conversation for two people. By the third song my
compassion for men who have the nerve to ask a girl they don’t know
to dance has worn off. We have nothing in common and even though
the poor fellow is asking me every question under the sun to try
and find a bond between us, I feel nothing other than a need to
escape. Especially when he pretends to inadvertently brush his hand
over my bottom. What does he take me for?

Desperate, I
look over to the table meant for me. It’s empty and the waitress is
cleaning it… but if I go he’ll follow and want to eat with me. The
thought is enough to make me want to hide my head in a toilet bowl
for a very long time. Then, as I study a hair which has fallen onto
his shoulder the oddest thing happens. I feel somebody lean into my
back. I feel the warmth of cloth on the bare skin of my shoulder
blades and a pair of hands on my waist, clasping me firmly and
giving me the slightest tickle along the skin near my armpits.

Please let it
be Bradley Cooper, I think. Or Jamie Dornan. Either will do.

A deep voice
speaks, loud enough for my partner to hear, “Sadie, baby. Sorry I’m
late.”

Okay, so it
isn’t Jamie Dornan but my silent prayers are answered as that
tingle of recognition shoots up my spine. It’s Nicholas. And his
body is pressing against mine in the most delectable way. His
crotch is rubbing against the top of my bottom. His chest is so
close I can feel the buttons of his shirt on my back. His hands are
hot on my sides, tickling and teasing as he grinds sexily against
me. I think I may begin to hyperventilate if he keeps this up.

“You don’t
mind, do you?” he says to my dance partner, who looks rather
deflated at the interruption. The other man moves aside and as he
does—

Oh shit,
shitty shit.

It’s Joel.
He’s standing in front of me or rather dancing in front of me,
having muscled in between Hawaiian shirt guy and myself. He’s so
near I can see the tiny scar he has below the left side of his jaw.
I can smell his manly scent, carefully muted by soap. It’s so
intoxicating I don’t even register that Nicholas and Joel seem to
be together.

Oooohhh
, this is nice, I think instead. I am the meat in a
human sandwich— a sexy, hot, human sandwich.

“Ariel. Fancy
meeting
you
here.” Joel reaches across, giving Nicholas a
high five above my head. “And here was me thinking mermaids
couldn’t leave the ocean.”

Ting
.
The lights go on in my brain. I stop dancing and look from Joel to
Nicholas. I am utterly confused. What is going on? Have I fallen
asleep from too many margaritas and am dreaming about some sort of
three-way on the dance floor? And why are Joel and Nicholas
high-fiving over my head? Was this planned???

“Ariel?”
Nicholas questions.

“I’d rather we
didn’t go there,” I reply.

“Too late. He
already knows.” Joel looks at me with fascination, clearly
wondering what I’m going to do with this knowledge. I’m quivering
with excitement or it could be shock. I have no freaking idea
what’s happening or how these two objects of my desire ended up
being in my presence at the same time.

“You two know
each other?”

“We’re
business partners.”

Nooooo
.
Seriously? It’s unbelievable enough that I’m attracted to two men
at the same time. Full stop. Without contemplating the fact that
they’re besties. It’d be just my luck.

Behind me,
Nicholas presses himself a little closer. His hands are on my hips
now, holding me gently to him as he speaks softly into my ear. It’s
only conversation but the effect is like he’s talking dirty,
telling me what he’d like to do. My blood pressure is rising. My
cheeks are getting hotter. It’s so not fair that his voice has this
power over me.

“We’ve known
each other since we were kids. Joel’s my best mate. We work
together, share a house.”

“That’s a bit
incestuous.” I can’t resist the dig.

“Started out
when Joel got kicked out by some girl he was seeing. Ended up that
we kinda liked being housemates. It makes it easier to bounce ideas
around in the middle of the night.”

“There’s this
new fandangled invention called the telephone, you know.”

“Oh, smart
mouth,
Ariel
,” Joel replies.

“My name is
Sadie.”

“As if I’d
forget,” Joel says, smiling at me. Gosh, his smile is gorgeous.

“Um, yes.” I
swivel to face Nicholas. “Why are you here? I thought you were
working? You told me you were working.”

“Meant to be.
But we got side-tracked by this girl. We couldn’t get anything done
because Joel’s been on about her all bloody day. He saw a bit more
of her than is proper on a first date and it set his little heart
racing. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.
Seems you’ve flirted with one too many men and been caught out,
Sadie my love.”

“I have not! I
mean, I did not!”

Nicholas’
eyebrow rises ever so slightly.

Okay. Maybe I
did. But I would never
purposely
toy with two men at the
same time. It’s not in my nature. I find it hard enough to flirt
with one. “I didn’t do it intentionally.”

“It was a
holiday fling. I understand. I can take rejection.”

“Especially if
she’s blowing you off for me. We both know I’m the cute,
irresistible one of this duo.” Joel smirks.

“Not full of
yourself either,” I retort.

He cups a hand
to my ear like he’s sharing a trade secret but talks in a voice the
entire restaurant can hear. He’s a stirrer, this one. I can tell.
“Nick was intending to jog up and down in front of your house until
you came out. Then he was going to pretend it was a coincidence
when he knocked you flying into the sand. He’s shy when it comes to
women. He doesn’t have many good chat up lines.”

Nicholas
reaches across to thump Joel on the upper arm. Joel returns the
compliment. I giggle. It’s funny that they’re sparring and telling
tales on each other like six-year-olds. It’s such boy stuff, not
what I’m used to at all having lived with only Mum my entire
life.

“At least I
had the sense to buy the girl dinner, man. You watched her drown.
What a loser.”

“Hey! I wasn’t
drowning!” I cry.

“Not the way I
heard it. Joel’s been known to stretch the truth though. You
probably weren’t even naked.”

I feel myself
flush. “That part’s true.”

“Damn. And I
missed it.”

I shove my
elbow into Nicholas’ ribs and he pulls me close again, my back
towards his chest. He doesn’t seem shy, the way Joel describes him,
but maybe that’s because I met him first. He wasn’t part of a team
then or being someone’s wingman. All he had to do was be himself.
And our meeting wasn’t about hooking up; it was about sympathy and
friendship. At least I thought it was.

As Nicholas
and I dance, Joel moves with us, his hips grazing my body every now
and then. We undulate and writhe as if we’re one entity and it
feels somehow natural that I am squashed, dancing between these two
men. Two pelvises are pressing ever so subtly against mine. Two
chests are brushing against me. Hands skim my sides but I’m not
sure whom they belong to, because I’ve closed my eyes and lost
myself in the sensations. My breathing escalates and my belly
clenches in a type of anticipation I don’t think I’ve
ever
felt. I would never behave like this back in the city. Even if I’d
been given the opportunity, I’d be too afraid of what people might
say. I’m way too straight for this saucy behaviour.

But gosh, I’m
enjoying it.

Behind me, I
hear Nicholas in my ear. “I was so pissed off when I found it was
you he’d seen in the buff, I threatened to punch his lights out.
Couldn’t go through with it, though. He squeals like a girl. I
didn’t want to cause a scene.”

In my other
ear, Joel whispers, “Ignore him. He’s narky because I’ve seen you
naked.”

And at this
point I feel it’s time to clarify a few things. I take a step away
because I need for them not to be touching me. I can’t think when
they’re touching more. Or maybe I don’t want to think.

“Look, I’m
glad you two had so much fun discussing my nakedness but I’m not
some sort of prize. You can’t just come in here and dance all sexy
like and think I’m up for it because you’ve seen my bum. I’m not
some slutty chick who gives it out to anyone, you know.”

“We didn’t
mean it to sound like that. Chill, Sadie. It was a joke.” Nicholas
almost sounds contrite.

“And further
more,” I say, my temper flaring just a little, “I’m not in the
habit of prancing around starkers. Nobody was meant to see. If I’d
known Joel was there I never would have done it.” I glare at them
but I have a sneaking suspicion my admission has fallen on deaf
ears. Possibly because they’re both laughing at me.

“She’s cute
when she’s angry,” Joel remarks.

“Very.”

Oh
puh-lease
.

“I’m going to
have my dinner,” I say and storm off in a huff. “And don’t follow
me.”

*****

I get to my
table and thank the waitress for saving it. I sit at the chair with
a view out to the beach and take a deep breath and a huge gulp from
the glass of water she’s poured me. I try to calm my ragged nerves
and think clearly and rationally about what just happened. Though
my brain appears to have suffered some sort of brain fade, I am
abundantly clear on three things.