Love in Paradise

Copyright 2012 (c) Maya Sheppard / Global Grafx Press

All rights from this book, Love In Paradise/Nika's Predicament has been confirmed as that of the author and publisher, and no reproduction in full or part contained herein or in any version of this work of fiction (electronic, in print or in any tangible form) shall be permitted without permission from the author. Any abuse of copyright of this work will lead to legal action.

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First Kindle Printing - April 2012

Chapter One

The Stranger

There were so many things that Nika Kitaev enjoyed about flying. The fast paced atmosphere at the airport, the scent of clean carpet, and perhaps even the sense of security that the airport provided. This of course didn’t include the ride from LAX to the airport on Sian Island. While the takeoff and landing were always incredible, the flight itself was long and boring. She had never graced Sian Island of course, but she was no stranger to long flights.

Movies had always portrayed flights as relatively silent, but in reality they were incredibly loud -- so loud that they could easily invoke a headache for those caught unprepared. For Nika, the noise of this flight was drowned out easily by the music blaring through her touch screen MP3 player along with her deep concentration. She poured over documents compiled on Sian Island, one of many in a long chain.

Situated in the Indian Ocean, the island chain was once a constitutional monarchy, but due to some recent changes, it took on the form of a republic. This small island chain had undergone many changes since the first recorded settlers in 300 AD, but

Nika was fairly certain that her clients would not care about the distant past. In her line of work she was usually hit with two major questions: “Is it safe?” and “How cheap can I get it?”. While these were two rather difficult questions to answer, the life of a travel agent was never particularly easy in itself.

On her lap sat the black binder containing pertinent information regarding Sian Island. It was one of the most sought after vacation destinations in the world, and was, without a doubt the most expensive. Scoring a deal with any of the major island hotels would be quite the feat, but here she was, taking on the most difficult assignment of her career.

Thought it was at the back of her mind, she might never admit it aloud: she took pleasure in arranging exotic, perfect honeymoons for others simply because she had never experienced one herself. She worked behind the scenes, the unseen choreographer, the puppet master, and the director of the perfect romantic rendezvous.

This was not to say that she had spent the last twenty-six years of her life alone, not by any means. There had been boys in the early years who gradually became men, some who left more of an impression than others. Her earliest had been Andrew Lloyd in the fourth grade of all places. He had shared his cupcake with her at lunch, and the relationship lasted for about two hours before a passed note revealed that Andrew Lloyd had been sharing his cupcakes with at least three other girls.

The next she could recall was Joey Mader, the boy she had dated in high school. Sure, there was a gap between relationships, but she had dedicated herself to her studies, doing her best to ensure a place at the state college. Joey Mader had given Nika her first kiss, or rather stolen it.

Mike followed Joey, Wayne followed Mike, and Richard followed the man who came after Mike. It was not until Jerald that she had truly felt what she considered to be true love, and as many young lovers do, she was forced to experience the loss of that love.

It was a night she remembered well, a storm drenched night, the mother of all clichés. While it was true that she had experienced her fair amount of loss, she had yet to become dissuaded. She was fully expecting to find the love of her life, and perhaps even experience the incredible honeymoon that she had arranged for so many others in the past.

Was it possible? If there was one thing she had learned at this point, it was that love was not something to be sought out; it would come when the time was right, not before, not after, though possibly sometime in between.

Lost in her thoughts, Nika had dozed off, her hand still clutching the black binder laying neatly across her lap. Her brief, unsatisfying sleep lasted until she heard the all too familiar *Ding!* followed by the canned announcement:

“Attention passengers, we will be landing at Sian International Airport in approximately fifteen minutes, the captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign. Please power down any electronics including laptop computers, and make sure your tray tables are in their upright and locked positions. Once again, thank you for flying Intercontinental.”

The stewardess abruptly ended her speech and placed the handset back into the receiver. Nika was close enough to the front of the plane to hear the clack! as the plastic shell pressed on the button. As promised, the plane finally began to make its descent, and before she knew it,
 
she felt the familiar ‘thud’ as the landing gear struck the tarmac. It was time -- finally time to disembark and begin doing her job -- except...

“Attention passengers, welcome to Sian Island, we’re experiencing a slight delay as another aircraft is parked in our spot. We expect to be delayed another fifteen minutes. Please feel free to remove your seatbelts and use any electronic devices you might be carrying...”

There was an audible sigh from nearby passengers, some of which became more of an angry huff. Nika on the other hand was not in a hurry. She took the opportunity to take out her smartphone and browse to the IM application. The ‘SmartIM’ logo appeared promptly on the screen and logged in with the usual screen name. There was only one name in her contact list: Maria. Her supervisor at Sojourn. Nika opened the IM window and began to type with the on-screen keyboard.

Nika: Plane touched down, delayed on runway.
             
Maria: Great! Did you read the packet?
             
Nika: A little bit -- I fell asleep on the plane :(
             
Maria: Please, PLEASE read over it before you meet with the hotel manager!
             
Maria: Nika?

At that moment it was announced that the plane would be would be taxied into the gate, and the passengers would be permitted to disembark. Nika switched the device off and waited patiently for the plane to make contact with the terminal. Slowly but surely this event came to pass. As the plane parked into what would surely be a temporary resting place,

Nika smoothed her skirt as she stood and removed her small suitcase from the overhead compartment. Following the steady line of people, she wandered into the airport and walked immediately to baggage claim, joining a crowd of passengers, some who waited patiently, and others who were visibly irritated by the delay.

After a few moments of waiting, her bag, a larger version of her carry on rode into view. She removed it from the conveyer belt and walked swiftly through the terminal, her three inch heels making their patented *click* *clack* sound until she stepped onto the carpet outside the baggage claim.

As she walked through the busy airport she noted that this small sampling of the population was comprised of a melting pot -- every sort of individual from every walk of life from black to white, Christian to Muslim. Nika recalled from the information packet that the majority of the population here was comprised of expatriates -- people who had not abandoned their home countries but rather had the desire to live elsewhere. Aside from the expatriates, there were plenty of tourists. Families with children crowded the terminal, some looking more dazed and confused than excited for their vacation.

Moving forward Nika exited the boarding area and walked into a busy airport terminal. As airports are concerned, this one was rather large, the main public area being the size of your average auditorium. The center of the rounded room featured a massive fountain comprised of what Nika could only guess was a piece of modern art, and one that people could only guess at the true meaning of.

Making her way around the fountain, she was able to find the taxi service booth which was located directly next to the car rental service. She had the option of renting a vehicle of course, but having never visited Sian Island, she was unsure of her ability to navigate the streets. What many people never realize is that both traffic laws and signs differ from country to country, and she had not taken the time to research the rules of the road on Sian Island.

Nika approached the counter and smile to the attendant who couldn’t be more than sixteen.

“Hello, my name is Dominika Kitaev, and I need you to call a car for me,” She said.

The boy at the country smiled, revealing a mouth full of braces. He appeared to have a momentary lapse of judgment, as he allowed his eyes to run up and down her body.

In response, Nika tapped her nails on the counter. “I need a car, sir. I need a ride to the Twin Beach Hotel.” She said this with an upward inflection and a smile which made her demand seem like more of a request. Inwardly she was annoyed at the attention she was receiving from a pre-pubescent teen, but she would never let that show.

“Of..of course Ma’am...Miss..er...Ma’am,” He said in a thick Spanish accent. Perhaps, he was an exchange student, but more likely he was one of the migrant workers from Portugal. Recently the Portuguese government had encouraged a number of its students to seek employment outside of the country to expand their horizons and bring their new experiences back to the tiny country.

The boy recovered his composure and finally said, “We offer a basic taxi service from the airport to the hotel and it will be...” He paused for a moment to punch a few buttons on a countertop calculator. “Eighteen Euros plus the tip to your driver.”

“Eighteen Euros?” Nika repeated to confirm.

“Plus the tip,” The boy nodded.

“Okay,” She smiled. “Set it up.”

The boy fiddled with the cash register as Nika handed over her credit card. With the transaction finished, the boy smiled and promised to have the car meet her in front of the airport. Nika nodded, thanked him, and briskly walked to the front of the airport. The time now as 3:45 and she had set her appointment for 4:15. Time was lacking, but if the driver was fast, she might have a chance.

She exited the airport through the steel and glass automatic doors just in time to see an uncovered jeep screech into place. The driver was none other than the boy from the counter. She approached the jeep with what could only be described as an extremely awkward smile.

“You’re the taxi driver too?” She asked.

He nodded. “Si, I am also the shift supervisor. Get in and we’ll drive to the Twin Beach Hotel!”

She made her way to the passenger side of the vehicle, deposited her luggage in the back, and climbed into the front seat. Aware that the boy was eyeing her legs, she straightened her skirt and stared straight ahead as he pressed the gas. Before she knew it, the airport was a speck on the horizon.

For the first time, Nika saw the beauty of Sian Island from ground level. It was clear that the island was nowhere near as developed as many of the western nations. The two lane highway was well maintained, probably with tourism funds, but for the most part the beauty of the island was permitted to remain.

On the left, a white sandy beach could be seen, those sands ending in a blue crystal ocean that stretched on for hundreds of miles. To the right were sights that could never be seen in western culture. The sun glared down upon an endless tropical paradise filled with palm trees, bright green blades of grass, and the occasional pool of water.

“This area,” The boy said as he kept his eyes on the road. “Is not fully developed. When tourists visit they don’t want to see buildings and concrete. They want to see something different, exotic and the like.”

“What if I just want to have...a romantic rendezvous?” Nika asked, genuinely curious.

“You mean like an affair lady?” The boy said, looking genuinely appalled.

Nika shrugged. “If the mood strikes.”

“The Twin Beach hotel is set up for it, lots of restaurants and places to hang. Lots of places around. The nightlife here is rocking!”

“I think you meant ‘rockin’,” Nika corrected him.

“That is what I said, rocking!”

For a few moments, Nika could think of nothing to say, and in a last ditch effort to make conversation she said, “So when do you go back to Portugal?”

“What? Lady, I’m from New York City!”

* * *

More often than not, the only thing that you can expect to stay the same during international travel would be the hotels. With so many western visitors, they tended to keep a touch of the western tradition intact. After all, most visitors would have all the exotic experiences they could handle outside of their accommodations. In spite of that, many of the hotel workers, as Nika observed, were island natives, and the construction of the hotel had undoubtedly brought a plethora of new jobs. Nika considered this as she waded through the onslaught of hotel guests and toward the front desk. In her true fashion, she snapped her fingers at the desk clerk who was clearly busy with another guest.