moves to make. “And I know,” he murmured, “you haven’t minded my little japeries.”
“Of course not,” she murmured, snuggling her button nose in close to the artery so strongly beating in his throat.
“The snake in your underwear drawer.”
The chuckle against his throat was lifelike but not entirely realistic. “That was a bit of a surprise,” she murmured. “I don’t know where you even found a snake on this island.”
“It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it,” he murmured. “Then there was the glass of icewater I ‘accidentally’ spilled on you sunbathing.”
“You are a scamp,” she murmured, good humor and forgiveness purring in her voice.
“But you didn’t mind, did you?”
“Not really,” she murmured. “Not when it’s you. ”
“Not even when I removed your bathing suit top in the swimming pool?”
She reared up a bit, to give him a serious but accepting look. “That was going a bit far,” she said. “Especially when you carried it all the way here and wouldn’t bring it back. If I hadn’t been able to borrow that towel, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“I hope you thanked the person who loaned you the towel.”
“Of course I did.” Then Beryl gave him a keen look and said, “The woman who loaned me the towel, Pres. I certainly wouldn’t borrow a towel from a man. ”
Innocent, he said, “But why not?”
“Not when I’m with you. ”
“But you weren’t with me. I was here, with your bathing suit top.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m not sure I do.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Preston,” she said, forgetting their private little nickname in her agitation. Sitting up completely, topless again, she said, “We’ve been together all week, you know we have. You’ve absolutely monopolized me.”
“Monopolized?”
“You know what I mean. Ever since your friend Alan introduced us last Saturday, I’ve felt there was something … I felt there could be something … I just sensed a kind of special — Oh, you know what I mean!”
He stretched lazily on his side of the bed, an overweight but extremely comfortable cat. “You mean we had good fun for a week,” he suggested. “Fuck and frolic, a little time out from the cares of everyday life.”
She stared at him.“ What did you say?”
“Frolic,” he said, and beamed at her, the cat with the canary feather in the corner of his mouth.
“Well, frolic,” she said, distracted, but her agenda would not let her dwell on a passing bewilderment. “That has been wonderful, Pres, of course it has. This last week —”
“Yes, I know,” he murmured.
She lay down beside him again. “This last week has been so much more than I could have hoped —”
“Yes, it has.”
That his responses were just a little off forced a certain jump–start quality to her own presentation. “Yes,” she echoed, then got back to her script: “You’ll be staying here another week, won’t you?”
“Another week, mm, yes,” he murmured, thinking already of what tomorrow might bring.
“How long have you been here, Pres?”
“Oh, when we’re in paradise,” he murmured, “we never count the days. Forever, I believe.” Because he could never tell any of them that he’d been here so far nearly three years, with no end in sight. That might make them a little skittish.
“I’ve been so sad,” she murmured, “at the prospect of our parting tomorrow, I asked at the office if they could squeeze me in for just one more week. Would you like that, if I could stay?”
“Oh, absolutely not,” he murmured. “You can’t put yourself in a financial fix just for little me.”
That response was so off–kilter it got her up to a seated position again. “Financial fix?” She stared at him, not quite sure how she was supposed to handle this one. If he’d agreed to her staying on, he knew, she herself would have mentioned her financial woes and suggested he might help
“Of course not,” she murmured, snuggling her button nose in close to the artery so strongly beating in his throat.
“The snake in your underwear drawer.”
The chuckle against his throat was lifelike but not entirely realistic. “That was a bit of a surprise,” she murmured. “I don’t know where you even found a snake on this island.”
“It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it,” he murmured. “Then there was the glass of icewater I ‘accidentally’ spilled on you sunbathing.”
“You are a scamp,” she murmured, good humor and forgiveness purring in her voice.
“But you didn’t mind, did you?”
“Not really,” she murmured. “Not when it’s you. ”
“Not even when I removed your bathing suit top in the swimming pool?”
She reared up a bit, to give him a serious but accepting look. “That was going a bit far,” she said. “Especially when you carried it all the way here and wouldn’t bring it back. If I hadn’t been able to borrow that towel, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“I hope you thanked the person who loaned you the towel.”
“Of course I did.” Then Beryl gave him a keen look and said, “The woman who loaned me the towel, Pres. I certainly wouldn’t borrow a towel from a man. ”
Innocent, he said, “But why not?”
“Not when I’m with you. ”
“But you weren’t with me. I was here, with your bathing suit top.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m not sure I do.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Preston,” she said, forgetting their private little nickname in her agitation. Sitting up completely, topless again, she said, “We’ve been together all week, you know we have. You’ve absolutely monopolized me.”
“Monopolized?”
“You know what I mean. Ever since your friend Alan introduced us last Saturday, I’ve felt there was something … I felt there could be something … I just sensed a kind of special — Oh, you know what I mean!”
He stretched lazily on his side of the bed, an overweight but extremely comfortable cat. “You mean we had good fun for a week,” he suggested. “Fuck and frolic, a little time out from the cares of everyday life.”
She stared at him.“ What did you say?”
“Frolic,” he said, and beamed at her, the cat with the canary feather in the corner of his mouth.
“Well, frolic,” she said, distracted, but her agenda would not let her dwell on a passing bewilderment. “That has been wonderful, Pres, of course it has. This last week —”
“Yes, I know,” he murmured.
She lay down beside him again. “This last week has been so much more than I could have hoped —”
“Yes, it has.”
That his responses were just a little off forced a certain jump–start quality to her own presentation. “Yes,” she echoed, then got back to her script: “You’ll be staying here another week, won’t you?”
“Another week, mm, yes,” he murmured, thinking already of what tomorrow might bring.
“How long have you been here, Pres?”
“Oh, when we’re in paradise,” he murmured, “we never count the days. Forever, I believe.” Because he could never tell any of them that he’d been here so far nearly three years, with no end in sight. That might make them a little skittish.
“I’ve been so sad,” she murmured, “at the prospect of our parting tomorrow, I asked at the office if they could squeeze me in for just one more week. Would you like that, if I could stay?”
“Oh, absolutely not,” he murmured. “You can’t put yourself in a financial fix just for little me.”
That response was so off–kilter it got her up to a seated position again. “Financial fix?” She stared at him, not quite sure how she was supposed to handle this one. If he’d agreed to her staying on, he knew, she herself would have mentioned her financial woes and suggested he might help
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