"I got some advice on what to choose from an exceptionally gorgeous man. Then I flirted shamelessly with him."
"I can believe that!" Mary says, smiling. "Natalie told me I should keep an eye on you tonight."
"Natalie worries too much," I say. "I'm a grown woman looking for some vacation fun."
"If I didn't have a boyfriend back home, I'd be doing the same thing," Mary says. "Have you seen some of the men here? I swear that Natalie's husbands have the best-looking friends and family."
"Tell me about it."
"So, your plans for vacation fun…do they involve one man, or are you planning to take a leaf out of Natalie's book?"
"I think Natalie wrote a bestseller. How could I possibly ignore it?" I wiggle my eyebrows, and Mary snorts.
"Good for you. Just make sure whoever you drag into your den of sin is a good guy. I've got a feeling that Natalie struck gold in an area that might usually be filled with trash."
"You're probably right," I say, even as my eyes wander over to the table filled with sexy Banbury men. Are they gold or trash? Family connections don't mean much. I have a cousin in jail on an embezzlement charge. There's always a mix of good sheep and bad. And anyway, I'm not looking for marriage material. I'm looking for someone naughty enough to give me some deliciously filthy memories to keep me warm at night when I return to my tiny apartment and my unsatisfying job and watch my friend living the dream. Ugh. Even the thought of getting on the plane to go home has me shivering with dread.
I should be grateful for my life. I managed to leave home and stand on my own two feet, much to my father's surprise. My job might not be the most fulfilling, but it just about pays the bills, and there are opportunities for promotion. At least, that's what they said when I joined.
Taking a tentative mouthful of fishcake, I savor the delicious unfamiliar flavors.
Who wants always to know how life is going to taste?
Not me.
I want surprises that light me up from the inside out. I want experiences that make me blush and giggle. I want to know what Natalie feels when she slides between her sheets at night with three men to set her on fire.
Kane was right. The green curry isn't too spicy, and the rice noodles are spectacular. The man has taste. I just hope that I'm the next thing he wants to pick from tonight's buffet.
2
I don't catch the bouquet, despite knowing that Natalie is trying her best to toss it in my direction. Why she thinks I'd want to be the next to get married, I've no idea. Mary's the lucky girl who, according to tradition, will be the next to tie the knot. She's overjoyed, clutching the pretty flowers high above her head while the wedding guests clap and cheer enthusiastically.
"Disappointed?" I turn my head and find Kane behind me, his jacket discarded, and shirtsleeves rolled to his elbows displaying corded tattooed forearms that should be illegal to show in public.
"Marriage is boring," I say, returning to look at Mary and Natalie, who are now hugging. "You've seen what I'm like at the buffet. I'm not a one dish kind of girl."
"I think Natalie's shown that relationships don't have to be a one course meal." If it's possible for a man's voice to drip with sex, Kane's just did. Oh my God. I think I just messed up my panties a little.
"Natalie stumbled into heaven somewhere along the line. The rest of us are still floundering around on earth." I turn to face Kane, tipping my head to meet his pretty eyes, then let my gaze trail over his broad shoulders and wide chest, down to his narrow waist and muscular thighs. His pants sure are snug.
"I don't think you're the kind of woman to flounder over anything," he says, his mouth quirking into a lopsided smile. Little does he know.
"Would you like to play a game of table tennis with me?" It's a random suggestion that makes him snort with laughter again, and the sight of his surprise fills me with a little bubble of glee.
"Aren't you supposed to stick around to attend to Natalie's needs?"
We both turn to where Natalie is currently surrounded by her husbands. "I don't think I could get a look in there with her needs, do you?"
"Good point. Table tennis it is, then."
Filled with champagne and my 'I'm on vacation to enjoy myself' attitude, I grab Kane by his big, warm hand and drag him to where the hotel has an outdoor games section. There are four bats and a bag of balls resting on top of the table. "I didn't even know this was here," Kane says. He pushes his shirtsleeves up higher as though he means business and grabs a bat, which he hands to me, and then takes one for himself.