13. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
The following morning I’m lost in thought as I dress for work, replaying the conversation with Nikos again and again in my mind, wondering if he is just as excited as I am to meet again.
Tom left for the Fire Station earlier than usual and I didn’t have the chance to talk to him about my little chat with Nikos.
Once at the hotel, I check his desk to see if he’s arrived, and I almost scream when I feel his hand rest atop my shoulder a second later.
“Jesus, Nikos! You scared me to death,” I screech when I turn around to look into his eyes.
“I did no such thing,” he smiles, his gaze locked with mine. “You were just off in wonderland, that’s all. I wonder what you were thinking about.”
Straightening my spine, I wonder how I’ve never really noticed how green his eyes are, or how his whole face lights up when he smiles.
“Don’t do that again,” I blurt out. “I scare too easily. I might have jumped you, you know. Hit you in the head with something.”
“Sweetie, you wouldn’t even have a shot at it. I was already too close to you and there’s nothing around to use as a weapon.”
“Except my nails.” I flash him my freshly filed nails, long and almond-shaped and he cracks a smile.
“Well, yes, I guess you could use those if your hands were free.”
I get behind my desk, my eyes following him while he walks over to the kitchen. “Stavros isn’t here yet,” I offer.
“I just want coffee, Lisa. Hot, strong, black coffee. I can’t function without it so early in the morning.”
“You and me both,” I say, when he brings the coffee jug to me, refilling my cup. “Thanks.”
That small move makes my heart swell with appreciation.
There’s little else we exchange after that and when he leaves the hotel a little after ten, I don’t run into him again for the rest of the day. With the hours flying by and Maria not returning my calls or messages to get here earlier, I have no choice but to call him to explain the situation.
He surprises me by arriving on his bike a while later, his smooth voice never ceasing to send a shiver down my back. “Hey, gorgeous. Are you ready for me to fuck your brains out?” That’s what I imagine him saying, as his next words come out of his beautiful mouth. I try to keep a straight face as images of him ravaging my body flood my mind, my pussy already soaked. I swallow hard, looking at him closely.
He seems oddly fidgety and I wonder what’s on his mind. “Has Maria arrived yet?”
“No, she didn’t. Were you able to talk to her? I keep trying to reach her but she’s not answering.”
“She’s on her way, I called her house.”
“Great. Can I go now, Nikos?” I ask, looking at my watch and wondering if I’ll make it on time.
“No, Lisa. You can’t go. What time is the test?”
He sounds upset and I don’t want to provoke him. “They told me I should be up there by 4 pm.”
He offers me half a smile and then almost takes my ear off as he shouts, “Stavros? Are you listening?”
A second later, Stavros, the cook, appears down the hall, holding an empty pan. “What’s up?”
“I’m taking Lisa to the DMV. Keep an eye out until Maria comes, okay?”
“You got it.”
“Wait, you don’t have to do that,” I blurt, feeling like I’m imposing. He’s never done anything like that for me before.
“Come on, Lisa. Enough with the whining. If I don’t take you myself, you’ll never make it up there on time with that bicycle of yours.”
I feel both chastised and flattered at the same time as I follow him out into the open parking space and towards his bike, taking a moment to scan my outfit head to toe when we get there. “I know, it's not exactly bike-friendly,” I say, watching a grin appear on his face.
“Ever ridden one?”
I take a moment to look at the magnificent black piece of machinery. “Are you kidding? It’s a Triumph Rocket, isn’t it? We came this close to buying one when we first moved to Greece but Tom had his heart set on a KTM, so…”
“I’m impressed. You do know your bikes. Put this on and hop on.”
He hands me a black full-face helmet while putting on his own.
“I’m not wearing this,” I say, refusing to take it from his outstretched arm.
He seems unfazed, waiting patiently. “We’re not going anywhere unless you wear it, Lisa. Safety always comes first. Come on, wear it like a good girl or I’ll find a way to punish you if you get my drift.” I look up to meet his eyes and that wicked grin of his alone is more than enough to push me into action.
“Ha, ha, very funny,” I say, putting it on and fumbling with the strap.
He looks at me and I can tell he’s amused. “Great with words, not so good with helmets are you, honey? Let me help you with that.”
I remain utterly still as he reaches up to grasp the straps, accidentally grazing my breast while I’m trying to control my breathing. His proximity mixed with my empty stomach and his intoxicating cologne are all doing a number on me and I feel myself flushing all over.
“There. You might want to hike that dress up so you can climb on.”
He gets on the bike, waiting for me while I struggle to compose myself. “Okay, give me a second,” I grumble, bunching up my dress and climbing on behind him. “There are no handles to hang on to,” I whisper a second later, as the powerful engine roars to life.
He turns around, offering me one of his best smiles. “Hang on to me, then, sweetie. For a woman who’s boldly propositioned me to join you and hubby in bed, you’re acting way too prudish. You’re going to be touching me a whole lot more intimately very soon, remember? Unless you changed your mind.”
He turns to look at me and I blush, my emotions all over the place.
I wrap my arms around his torso, hugging him tightly, his boldness taking me by surprise and I hate how I never have the right thing to say when I need it.
“That’s more like it,” he says, turning the bike around and I am forced to get plastered against him as he hits the accelerator, propelling us forward.
“You know, it might come as a surprise to you but I am a very shy person in general,” I shout over the roar of his bike, half hoping he’ll hear me.
He slows down, seemingly acknowledging my last words.
“You’re just chock-full of surprises, aren’t you, Lisa?”
His voice sounds different through his helmet and I resign, poking him gently on his side.
He turns his head back, only for a split second and the grin on his face is more than enough to make the butterflies dance around in my stomach like crazy.
Oh, how I want to poke him hard in the ribs until he squeals!
When he stops, a few minutes later, it’s not the DMV he’s taken me to, but the deli shop that just opened and I’ve been meaning to drop by.
“You can get down now, Lisa. This ride is over,” he says as if reading my mind.
I do as he says, slowly climbing down while trying to keep a handle on my dress, noticing how his eyes are glued to my every move. I feel my cheeks flush as I try to free myself from the damned thing on my head, all to no avail. “How does this thing open anyways?”
He laughs, reaching up to unclasp my bindings. “You have to feel for it, love. Here. Give me your hand.”
And then his fingers are right under my chin as he flicks the little ribbon upward, unlocking the helmet. “See this? And this? It’s two little things meant to match perfectly. One goes into the other, just like this,” he whispers, repeating the move. “And you pull this to get free.”
I swallow hard, the reference not lost on me. “Ha, ha, that’s hilarious, Nikos. Really. You’re on a roll today, huh? I bet you’d make an excellent instructor.”
He laughs, then looks straight into my eyes. “You make the cutest faces when you’re mad, Lisa. Come on. Let’s get you something to eat before you faint. It’s supposed to get over a hundred degrees out today.”
I follow him inside the air-conditioned store, breathing in the crisp air, while he heads straight for the register. I pick up a lettuce, cucumber, and cheese baguette and he gets only cigarettes. I put the items on the counter, reaching for my purse, but his voice stops me cold.
“My treat, Lisa.” I watch as he pays and then waits for me to exit the store first, him following right behind me.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I didn’t. But I wanted to. Come on, let’s find a shade so you can eat that.”
The narrow cobblestone streets of Molyvos are bustling with people from all walks of life and while I usually slow down and take in the beauty of the tranquil village and the burst of colors and smells all around me, right now all I want is for this exam to be over and to get back home, shower and lie in bed. Even the never-ending buzz of the cicadas seems like it’s drilling my brain today.
Most of the shaded kiosks and benches are already occupied so when I spot one on the far end of the street, I almost make a run for it.
“I bet it’ll be taken by one of those kids before we get to it,” I say, watching the flock of teenagers storm up and down the alley.
“We better get to it first, then.”
A minute later, we win the race against the youngsters and I break out into a laugh as I watch them shout obscene things to each other like kids nowadays always do.
He sits next to me while I unwrap the sandwich, grateful for these few moments with him.
“Thanks for doing this,” I say right before I take the first bite.
He averts his gaze, watching the passers-by as I bite my way into my lunch.
“Don’t mention it again,” he says, his voice soft and always cool. “So, are you guys ready for the wedding reception? A hundred and twenty people isn’t a small deal.”
I swallow and turn to look at him.
“It’ll be fine, Nikos, don’t worry. Stavros is on top of things with all the food, the public restrooms and the pool have all been cleaned and the bar is fully stocked. Maria and I will set the tables a couple of hours before the guests start arriving and we’ll take it from there.”
“Sounds good. You can come at five that day since you’re practically going to be up almost all night.”
“That’s great,” I say, focusing on finishing the rest of my lunch so he can drive me to my destination.
When we get there, he turns the bike off, waiting patiently for me to dismount and remove my helmet.
“Will you be able to walk back home or do you want me to wait?”
“No, I’ll be fine, Nikos. You’ve already done enough,” I mumble, anxious and fidgety and not nearly ready to do this. Shit.