Page 26 of Explicit Demands
Thewalkofshamehit Kate hard. She’d only been on her vacation for a couple of days and she’d already made it awkward. How could she show her face in the hotel, knowing that Gerard and all his little friends would be spreading gossip about her? He’d already done it once, there was nothing stopping him from doing it a second time.
As she opened her hotel room door, she tried to tell herself that it didn’t matter. She’d only be there for a little while and she would never have to see these people again. The thoughts didn’t make her feel better, though. For the next couple of weeks, she’d have to tolerate seeing Gerard in the hallways, in the hotel lobby, on the beach, everywhere around her.
Once she was back in the room, she got herself showered and changed to go to bed. As she lay there, staring up at the ceiling, she couldn’t stop her mind from wondering about all the things she’d done wrong. She never should have slept with a man so quickly, nor should she have chosen a man staying at the same hotel. These were rookie mistakes that she should have avoided.
No matter how much she went over it in her head, it wouldn’t change a thing. It was done and she’d have to live with the consequences of her choices. That little fact made her grit her teeth together in annoyance.
If only she could have gone back in time and warned herself how messy this would get.
Men, she cursed as she tossed and turned between the sheets.Fucking useless men. Can’t handle a woman who knows what she wants.
Kate rolled onto her side, fluffed up the pillow beneath her head, and tried to get comfortable. Soon enough her anger faded, allowing her to drift off into a dreamless, easy sleep.
The next morning, she awoke to the sunlight pouring through her windows. For a split second, Kate managed to forget about her troubles. It didn’t last long, though. Thoughts pounded in her mind, reminding her of the stupid choices she’d made.
Kate wasn’t going to sulk about it, though. She got up out of bed and got changed, wearing her trusty bikini beneath her loose-fitting clothes. She wasn’t going to let one man ruin her vacation. She came here to unwind and that was exactly what she was going to do, no matter what.
She went down into the lobby, on her way to the beach, when she saw a small table set up off in one corner, hidden out of sight. Kate walked up to it as her eyes drifted up and down the little display they had next to the table. It was a place to book tours and sightseeing in the local area.
Kate drifted up to the table and saw a bus tour. It was at least ten hours long, taking them all around the nearby cities and through the countryside. Kate knew that she’d be able to see so many beautiful landscapes while, at the same time, getting away from Gerard for a day.
Without really thinking, she booked herself a tour for the next day. She was informed she would have to be ready bright and early at seven the next morning. Kate felt her heart flutter with excitement as she thought about getting away from the hotel.
The day passed in an easy, sandy blur. After spending most of her day at the far corner of the beach, soaking up the sun and getting a great tan going, she headed back up to her hotel room for a peaceful night’s sleep.
When her alarm went off at six-thirty, Kate almost leaped out of bed, ready to start the day. She got ready as quickly as she could, covering her body in white, tight, comfortable clothes, and went straight down to the lobby.
People were already hanging around by the front doors as workers prepared the bus. Most of the people were couples, holding hands or leaning their heads on each other’s shoulders as they waited. Kate stayed at the back of the group, feeling a little out of place.
She was in a beautiful country, in a beautiful hotel, surrounded by couples on their honeymoons. It was clear to her that she might have been better off at a cheaper hotel that was more party-oriented. That way she might have found men willing for lust-fueled one-night-stands.
There was nothing she could do about it now, though. She was here and she knew she had to make the most of it.
What else was she going to do? She couldn’t switch hotels and she certainly couldn’t go home. What was there for her? A daughter that didn’t need her and a job that was looking for a way to fire her.
Sighing, Kate let her eyes drift forward as she watched the men preparing the van. They were cleaning out trash, most likely from the previous day’s tour. With their clear little bags and black gloves, the men worked tirelessly to make the bus clean for them.
It didn’t take long for the bus to fill up. Kate hung back, not eager to pile into a bus filled with happy couples. She waited at the back of the line and made her way slowly onto the bus. Luckily there was a double set of seats free so she could sit all by herself.
Kate sat next to the window and placed her purse on the seat beside her, preventing anyone from sitting there. People were still coming, rushing to the bus as they laughed and joked with their loved ones.
Kate ignored them all as she waited for the bus to just hurry up and move already. A quick glance at her cell phone told her that it was almost eight in the morning. They were supposed to have left half an hour ago.
The last couple of people came onto the bus and searched through the seats to find a space. The last man walked through the center of the bus slowly, staring at each person he passed.
Kate tried not to pay too much attention to him but he looked so familiar. She must have seen him somewhere else in the hotel, with his striking brown eyes and jet black hair smoothed back from his face.
When his eyes connected with hers, a wide smile burst over his lips, revealing his perfectly white teeth. Kate couldn’t rip her eyes away from his face as he smiled and walked up to the seat next to her.
He looked down to the spot, where her purse was taking up the seat, and nodded to it.
“Do you mind?” He asked, his thickly accented voice rolling through the whole bus.
Kate grabbed her purse and brought it into her lap, holding it against her chest as the man sat down next to her. When she glanced over to the side of his face, a memory flashed behind her eyes.
Standing at the elevator, flirting with him, smiling coyly as she looked into his deep brown eyes and enjoyed the look of his slick, jet-black hair.
A burst of electric energy rattled around Kate’s stomach. She tried not to make her attraction obvious but constantly giving the man side-eyed glances wasn’t exactly sly.