The Accidental Mistress (20 page)

Zuri didn't struggle. He secretly wished she
would a little. He liked her fire, admired her restraint. His
crumbled when she let him touch her.

"Release me or kiss me," she whispered to
him. Christophe had been drawn to her lips that instant. His mouth
hovered close to the soft lush fullness he hadn't sampled since
last night. He hadn't thought of her kisses often since the day
began.

His hesitation was mistaken for refusal. She
seized the opportunity. Lifting on her toes, she pressed a kiss to
his lips. Permission granted, he gathered her into his arms. He
wanted to taste her, drink her. He traced the fullness of her
bottom lip with his tongue then slipped her a deeper kiss.
Christophe's mouth covered hers hungrily. Her eager response both
surprised and pleased him. Crushing her to him, he smothered her
with demanding mastery. She felt soft and supple and he leaned in
over her to feel and caress the curves that were driving him
crazy.

Zuri turned her face away
from the kiss, so he sampled her neck next. Her sweat and scent all
tasted undeniably irresistible, but despite her petite frame she
broke free of his embrace, picked up her pack, and walked
off.
More of her blasted teasing!
The end was abrupt and he was so pumped with
adrenaline. He was left to wonder if the kiss had happened at all.
As fiery hot as it was, he had to admit to liking the chase. He
would stalk her through the jungle to claim her eventually as his.
Zuri didn't stop or look back for him. He had to be quick to catch
up. It didn't take him long to recognize they were on another
trail. The worn path through the forest at first part ascended what
looked like a garden of tall green grass and wild yellow, orange,
and pink flowers with blooms as big as his fist. "This place is
beautiful," he called to her. He looked up and saw branches bent
with the heavy bounty of ripe fruit. "Whoa are
those
—
"

"Mango, and over there is apricot. Down
there are yams and some Chinese cabbage, Lots of Chinese cabbage
grows around here. Not sure the names of these flowers. I used to
know, but there are so many different kinds here year round, I
can't keep up. Be careful. This part is steep."

To keep his balance was becoming a greater
challenge. His feet felt awkward and useless against the rough
terrain. But he managed to try. Christophe went down the slopping
path sideways, causing lumps and clumps of earth to give way
underneath him. He struggled and lost balance. Zuri glanced back at
him then shook her head, smiling. "Keep up, Christophe."

"Slow down, Zuri."

Finally, the climb up and down the sloping
ridges ended, and they came out to a lush open plain. The sun
blazed on relentlessly. His shirt was stuck to his chest. "We need
to rest."

"It's only been fifteen minutes."

"Rest," he panted, shaking off his backpack.
He struggled with the side zipper, before ripping it up and around
the top of the bag to grab at the bottle of water. He drank the
cool liquid greedily, it poured out of the sides of his mouth. Zuri
came over and dropped down on the grass next to him.

"Why are you trying to kill me?" he finally
wheezed.

"Oh, don't be a baby. I thought this would
be fun. I thought you'd like to see the island."

Christophe sighed. "This is payback. Can't
say I blame you, but I sure do look forward to a truce that ends in
friendship and air-conditioning." He sat forward.

Zuri tossed her head back and laughed. "You
are really funny."

"And you're pretty smart. Care to tell me
the end game?"

She tugged at a blade of grass. "What's the
fun in that?"

Christophe drank down big gulps from the
water bottle. The wind carried in the sharp chirps and squawks of
the colorful birds lifting from the trees and flying into the next.
A shot of green scurried out of the tall grass and scaled a tree
not too far from them. "Is that what I think it is?"

"An iguana, yep, or it could be an anoles.
There are all kinds of lizards out there."

He nodded. Despite the heat, he had to admit
serenity could be found in the forest, a harmony he wasn't quite
used to. He could get used to a life of paradise.

"Did you always want to be big shot CEO?"
Zuri asked.

"No," he answered truthfully.

"Really, what did you want to be?"

"A masseuse, a marathon
runner, a guitarist, a poet
—
"

"Poet?" Zuri touched his arm. "Tell me some
poetry."

Christophe looked down to where her hand
rested on his arm. She didn't move it. He smiled. "Shall I say it
in French?" he asked.

"Can you?"

"My favorite poet is Voltaire."

"Ah, then tell me some Voltaire?"

"
Le prix d'amour,
c'est seulement amour ...Il faut aimer si l'on veut etre
aime."

Zuri smiled. "
The price of love is simply love ...one must love
if one wants to be loved. I should like to lie at your feet and die
in your arms. That's really beautiful. We have a popular saying
here.
Aimer et être aimé sera la grande
affaire de toute notre vie.
"

"To love and be loved is the greatest event
in our lives," he translated. "Do you believe that?"

"I do, don't you? My
père
and
mère
are destiny. I want
the same kind of love in my life one day." She slipped him a
curious look. "Tell me some of your poetry, I want to hear
it."

"Maybe, someday. Not really that guy
anymore."

"What guy are you?"

"Today, I'm not so sure."

She lowered her hand. "I should tell you
something. My family, Jean-Paul and Joi, are on to us."

Christophe turned his head to look at her.
"After last night?"

Zuri nodded. "JP saw me go into your room. I
told Joi the truth about our past and she thinks you'll turn this
situation around on me. Take advantage then steal our hotel."

"Is that what you think?"

"No. I think that soon you will see things
my way. You will help me. Even if you don't know it yet."

"Zuri. I'm a businessman, and for the record
I'm not a thief."

"You're a man first," she
smiled. Rising, she extended her hand to him. "And I'm a woman who
can take care of herself. Don't you worry,
monsieur
. I have my eye on you. Now,
let's go."

He took her hand and she pulled him up.
Again he was surprised at how strong she was for her size.

"This way. Where we go now not many hikers
venture to. Follow my lead."

They walked through an area
she referred to as the
Station of the
Cross
. It was actually a crucifix trail
that had candles on every side. He wanted to ask about them but she
kept walking as if the strange ceremonial candles were a normal
part of the landscape. He fell a few paces behind. Maybe it was the
altitude. Either way, his breathing thinned and his lungs burned.
Due to his height he had to constantly swat large leafy palms out
of his face, which Zuri sidestepped with ease. Before long, he
panted. It made no sense. He should be able to do the hike
easily.

They walked in silence, mostly. Which felt
fine. There was plenty to observe, especially flowers with blooms
so colorful and large they didn't seem real. Trees everywhere grew
with strange twisting barks. They appeared to be shaped by the
wind. Every now and then he'd see a spotted frog or speckled bird
or a snake or two.

Christophe didn't think himself out of
shape. He boxed, ran marathons in Central Park, and swam laps for
at least an hour every day in his private gym. But he felt
exhaustion moving knots of tension through his limbs, causing
striking pains to center in his lower back and distress in his
calves.

"Pace your self Christophe. We’re at a
higher altitude so the air is thinner." She looked over her
shoulder, and confirmed his suspicions. Could she read minds now
too? He mumbled his acceptance. Even if he wanted to grab her and
ravage her on the side of one of the large gum trees, he didn't
have the strength. He smiled. Maybe that was the point.

"Okay." Zuri stopped. She placed her hands
to her shapely hips. Her head went back and she surveyed a steep
slope that was taller than them both. "We have to go up to get
down."

"What?"

She turned on him. "Do you have
vertigo?"

"Verti-what? No. You aren't seriously
proposing we climb that rock?"

"Yes. See those there. Those are spikes,
nailed in by the people who live in this region. It's a ten to
twelve foot climb at the most. Easy for a newbie like you. What are
you six feet? Yep, you could definitely do it."

"Without gear? You want to climb without
gear?"

"It's easy Christophe. Just make sure your
feet hit the spike and your hands grip the ones above you tight. I
promise where we're going will make it all worth it."

"No thanks! I'm done." Christophe backed
away. "I'm not made for this sweetheart."

"Oh posh. Don't wimp out on me now. I'll go
first you big baby."

"Zuri, you're not listening love. I'm
exhausted. And this is dangerous, we shouldn't be taking these
risks this far out in the middle of nowhere."

"Just a little bit more. I can help you with
your exhaustion. You'll feel like a new man when we get to where
we're going."

She wasn't making any
sense. What could be up that cliff that would make him feel
good?
A helicopter, hopefully, to take us
back to the hotel.
Before he could stop
her, she walked up and started to scale. He watched her do a spider
climb with her legs apart and arms stretched wide. She went up slow
and gracefully. Christophe held his breath when her foot slipped.
He was about to go for her when she reached the top. She heaved
herself over. Zuri stood, dusted her hands and smiled. "Your
turn."

It was insane. Reckless.
And he couldn't help but be tempted to try. Christophe wiped his
hand down his face.
Damn, it's hot
today.
He had half a mind to take off his
shirt and ring it dry. The further they went, the longer and harder
the hike back would be he felt certain. She did know that. Didn't
she?

"You coming or what?"

"Yeah, yeah." Christophe heaved a deep sigh.
He rubbed his hands dry on the front of his jeans and then walked
over to the wall of rock hard earth. He could see little black
beetles crawling in and out of the pockets of soil they'd burrowed
into. One of them could scurry out on his hand and he would loose
his grip then fall and break something. Then what would his devious
tour guide do?

"Christophe?"

"I'm coming sparrow. Give me a second." He
reached for a spike and found it rather hard and secure. Still his
palms sweat and it weakened his hold. He grabbed the other and
began the climb up. Finding a spot for each foot, he reached again,
mimicking the way he saw her do it. With his right hand to a top
spike, he put his right foot to lower spike. Christophe was panting
hard. The pack on his back felt like it was weighted with rocks.
His hands trembled and the fear made his legs weak. He grabbed the
next spike with his left and raised himself with his left foot.
Soon he found a rhythm that seemed too easy. And before he knew it
he climbed over the top of the cliff. Zuri stood there clapping and
grinning. He had to admit that he had been quite impressed with
himself.

When he got to his feet, he found a vision
of beauty behind her. As far as he could see there was a glistening
sea of red and green. "Wow."

She turned and spread her arms out. "These
are the sweetest raspberries you will ever taste. And they don't
belong to any planter who would mind you picking a few. Here is
where we will have lunch.

To Christophe's surprise, it was much cooler
at the top of the ridge. She picked a perfect place for lunch. He
looked up to see the mangrove nearly touched the clouds. A stirring
breeze was captured in the big palm leaves and swept downward to
cover them in a cooling wave that was continuous. It was like
nature’s air-conditioning.

"This is paradise."

"One of many. You hungry?"

"Um, yes. Actually I am."

"Good, in your backpack is a small blanket.
Spread it out for us. She dropped to her knees and shook off her
pack. He did as she asked. She revealed a few small containers. His
stomach growled.

"I have some goodies from
the kitchen. Some left over
blaff
and
matoutou
."

"What is
matoutou?"

"It's lumps of crab meat cooked with rice.
You'll love it. Here." Zuri handed him his container and a fork.
"And for desert we get to feast on wild raspberries."

"You sure are a woman of surprises."

"Never gone hiking?"

"Not like this," he said.

"Strange, that the richer you are the more
you miss out on the sweet simple things in life."

"You come from privilege," he said, stuffing
his mouth.

She gave him a strange look. "What gave you
that impression?"

Christophe swallowed. "You own two very
exclusive resorts. I figured."

"My
père
and
mère
raised us to enjoy all aspects
of life. I've been over the world, and still nothing compares to
here." She looked over to the field of raspberries." Her voice
trailed off.

"What is it?"

Zuri started to eat again. "I guess it
wasn't until now that I realized that home was where I belonged.
I've had my eyes closed a bit longer than I thought."