Fire and Ash (Immortal Touch) (14 page)

“You look nice,” he complimented her. “Want a drink?”

“Thank you, Stu. How about Sex on the Beach?” She grinned mischievously at the suggestive name.

“
Hey Laiken, Sex on the Beach for Sami!” he yelled to the mixologist over the noisy din.

“Yo,”
Laiken called back. He was the textbook epitome of a beach bum - dark tan, toned muscles and sun-bleached hair that nearly reached his shoulders. The female guests adored him.

“Thought you
might show up here with Reid,” Stu remarked.

“What makes you say that?”

He shrugged. “Heard you went out with him last weekend.”

“
We didn’t ‘go out’. We ate dinner together, that was it. Trust me, the man isn’t my type. He drives me crazy. Keeps letting himself into my room like he lives there or something. He has no shame.” She accepted her drink from the bartender with a grateful smile.

“
That’s a little…weird.”

“
Tell me about it.”

“I’ve never known him to do anything like that before.
He must have programmed your room to his keycard.” Stu picked up his beer and took a drink.

“
You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“Nope.” Stuart’s grin was knowing.

“Shit.” She gulped a few swallows of her fruity drink. “Hey, listen, don’t mention that to anyone, okay? I don’t want that getting around.”

“I wouldn’t say anything anyway. Reid would have my head on a platter.”

“Is he normally so aggressive?” she wanted to know.

“I couldn’t really say. He’s always kept his personal life to himself. Front desk
crew says he comes and goes with a variety of women, but I don’t know that he’s ever hit on one of the staff before. He’s probably afraid of getting slapped with a lawsuit.”

The
high-pitched squawk of a microphone interrupted their conversation as one of the entertainers began to speak in an animated voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this season’s very first Polynesian fire dance performance at the Vestal Sands resort. My name is Manuel, and I’d like to thank you all for coming out tonight. I’d like to ask for your safety that you refrain from crossing the roped off area while the dancers are performing. Now without any further delay, may I introduce our first act of the evening…let’s give it up for
Rico!
”

The crowd
applauded enthusiastically until the music began to play, and Sami shifted her attention to the scantily dressed man who was effortlessly spinning a flaming staff to the wild beat of the drums. Several whoops rang out from the delighted throng of guests. The fire left hypnotic trails in the night sky, mesmerizing her, and she smiled to herself euphorically. Living here was like one endless vacation. How had she ever managed to score so big? She’d won the job lottery for sure.

Out of the corner of her eye she suddenly caught sight of Asher, perched on a stool at the opposite end of the tiki bar. He lifted his
plastic cup to her with a benign smile that seemed to say,
I know I’ll break you down eventually. You don’t stand a chance with me.

She raised her own drink in response, then returned her attention to the show. Rico had traded his staff for death star poi, the twin balls of fire swinging so rapidly they seemed a sep
arate entity of their own. He leapt and knelt as gracefully as a doe, his dance moves exotically beautiful.

“Speak of the devil,” Stuart
murmured into her ear, and she followed his gaze to see that the devil indeed was making his way toward them. So much for avoiding him tonight.

“
The lady in red,” Ash teased. He looked over at Stuart’s almost-empty cup and said, “’Sup, Studebaker. Can I buy you another beer?”

“Sure, man. Thanks.”

“Danielle, how about bringing Stu another beer when you get a chance, please?”

“Comin’ up.” The pretty spiky-haired bartender brought another beer over and removed the empty
cup from the counter.

“Place is hopping tonight,” Sami commented.

“This is officially the beginning of spring break. Peak season starts now,” Ash explained.

“Got any
exciting plans for the weekend?” As out-of-place as Stuart looked in this environment, he seemed relaxed and right at home.

“I thought I’d take Misty out tomorrow.”
Those fetching blue eyes watched Sami intently. If he thought he was going to provoke some sort of jealous reaction, he was about to be sorely disappointed. She ignored him, concentrating on the fire dance.

“How
’bout you, Sam?”

“Nothing definite.” She was purposely evasive.

“Maybe she’d like to join me and Misty.” Ash’s eyes danced with wicked humor.

Disgusting p
ervert! “You know what they say. Three’s a crowd.”

“Misty’s his boat,” Stuart
clarified with a laugh.

“Oh.” She grinned back at him, feeling a little foolish.

“What do you say, Sami? Right after lunch, say one o’clock?” Ash persisted.

Alone with him
on a boat in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico?
No. Say no. Politely decline.
“Sure, why not.” Oops. Apparently her mouth and her brain didn’t share the same frequency.

“Good deal. I’ll swing by…oh, son of a
bitch.
” His attention abruptly strayed to something in the sky.

“What’s the matter?” She tried to locate what he was looking at, but all she saw were
rows of balconies filled with college students. One feisty young man on the third floor dropped trou and shook his bare rear end for all to see. Sami nearly spit out her Sex on the Beach.

“Those kids are feeding the damn seagulls from the balcony.” He set his cup on the counter. “I
need to send somebody up to have a word with them.”

“
I’ll go,” Stuart offered.

“No, that’s okay. You stay and watch the show
with Sam. Have fun…tell Danielle to put your drinks on my tab. I’ll see you guys later.” With one last smile he headed off, deftly maneuvering his way through the maze of people.

“I suppose
tomorrow won’t be a date either.” Stuart hid his grin behind the beer in his hand.

“
Oh…shut up, Stu.”

~*~*~*~

Uncertain of exactly what they were doing or how she was supposed to dress, Sami wore a two-piece swimsuit underneath a pair of white shorts and a bright purple t-shirt sporting the poolside café’s
Renegade Island Grill
logo. She was in the bathroom contemplating what to do with her hair when Asher arrived, letting himself in as if he owned the place.

Which…well, technically he did.

“Ready to go?” He sauntered brazenly into her bedroom without knocking.

“I wish you’d
stop programming my room to your card,” she snapped.

“You know you love it. Gets your
blood pumping.” He was dressed in a pair of board shorts, a navy blue muscle shirt and canvas sneakers. She could see him in the bathroom mirror, and paused to sneak an admiring look at his bare arms. He certainly did that muscle shirt justice.

Lord help her…she might not get that
sports car after all.

“Let’s go,” he called impatiently.

“Hang on…I’m looking for a hair tie.”

“Wear it down. Let’s go.”

“Okay, okay. Cool your jets.” Hurrying out of the bathroom, she grabbed her beach bag from where it sat atop the unmade bed. He glanced at the rumpled sheets, then back at her.

“Been tossing and turning much, Sam-I-Am?”

“Bite me,” she retorted, heading for the door without waiting for him.

Once they were
in the Maserati, a thought struck her. “How are you planning on pulling a boat with this car? It doesn’t even have a trailer hitch.”

“I don’t need to pull it anywhere. I keep it at the marina.”

“Oh…” She hadn’t thought of that.

“So did you enjoy yourself last night?” Keeping his eyes on the road, he steered with
his left hand and fiddled with the radio stations with his right.

“Yeah, I did. The fire dancers were great.”

“The spring breakers can put on quite a show themselves.” He shook his head.

“I bet you see it all here.”

“I’ve seen it all, that’s for sure.” The covert smile on his lips seemed to hold a multitude of unspoken secrets.

They drove with the top down, feeding their senses with the sights and sounds of the busy strip while waiting in
congested traffic that barely inched along. Sami kept herself entertained by reading the clever names of the sidewalk head shops that catered to the young vacationers. The smell of grilled seafood wafted from the beachfront restaurants and bars. People shouted to one another from their vehicles, horns honked greetings and a group of girls in a Mustang convertible flirted shamelessly with Ash. He slipped on his sunglasses and grinned broadly at them.

“You thrive on attention, don’t you?” Sami observed.

“Ah, don’t be silly.”

“You do! I never saw anyone who was so in love with himself.”

“Who better to love?”

Oh,
please
. “We’re never going to get anywhere at this rate.” She surveyed the traffic jam doubtfully.

“I’m gonna turn off just up ahead and take the back road.”

Once off the main strip, it took them only about fifteen minutes to reach their destination. Parking the car, Ash told her, “I called ahead so she oughta be fueled up and ready to go.”

“Is
everyone
at your beck and call?” She looked around curiously. The marina was a much larger place than she’d envisioned. There were boats
everywhere
. She’d never seen so many in one place.

“Everyone but you, apparently.” He waved to a burly man who was standing on a dock. “
Anderson! She ready?”

“Ready to go, Reid!” The man
beamed cheerfully at Sami as they approached. “Hey there, little missy! How are you this gorgeous afternoon?”

“Fine and dandy.” She smiled sweetly.

“Let me help you there, little lady.” Anderson offered a leathery brown hand and assisted her along the boarding ramp until she was on the cruiser. It, too, was bigger than she had imagined. She looked around wide-eyed while waiting for Ash.

“You want a lifejacket?” he asked,
joining her in the cockpit.

“Am I supposed to wear one?”

“You don’t have to. Law only requires we have them with us. You should put on some sunscreen though.”

“Good idea.” She took a seat
on the portside lounger and dug through her beach bag. While she was slathering herself with Coppertone, Ash settled himself at the helm beside her. The Mercury engine sputtered to life and he gently eased the throttle, guiding them carefully out of the marina and into a less congested area. Soon he was able to increase speed, and when Sami stood to get a better look around her hair whipped wildly in the wind.

“
Hey…what am I supposed to do if I have to go to the bathroom?” she yelled over the combined noises of the engine and wind. This was something that hadn’t occurred to her before. It wasn’t as if she could hang it over the side of a boat.

“There’s one in the
cabin below,” he yelled back.

The
cabin?
Holy cow, she couldn’t get over the size of this thing. It was practically an RV made for the water. Nothing like her dad’s aluminum bass boat, that was for sure. For a split second she wondered what her parents would think of Ash, then hastily pushed the thought away.

“So where are we going?”

“Away from civilization, sweetheart! Let’s open her up!” Shifting the throttle smoothly, he shot her a boyish grin when she grabbed a handrail to steady herself. Then they were truly flying, fleeing the city skyline that was fading away into oblivion, leaving behind nothing but confused waves in their wake. Skimming across the water like untouchable birds with the sea air hugging them in ecstatic delight, a willing accomplice in their escape.

She loved it, loved the untamed wind, the feel of the cruiser
bobbing and surging over the waves, the way the heavens and ocean merged together in shades of sapphire and turquoise. To her, it was just one more realm of her newfound paradise. For a time neither of them spoke while the boat continued to cut a path through the boundless blue.

Finally, when the world around them had completely vanished and nothing but water and sky could be seen in any direction, he slowed the boat and eventually killed the engine.

“Let’s drop anchor here for a bit.” Ash stood and motioned to the cabin entrance. “Come…I’ll give you the guided tour.”

“Don’t tell me - there’s a casino below the hull.” She
descended the steps into the cabin below. It was immaculately clean. He doubtlessly had someone keep it that way for him. She couldn’t for the life of her picture him scrubbing and polishing.