“We had to do some immigration paperwork and other errands,” Rob said, patting his backpack. “If you don’t mind my saying so, your hair is amazing.”
My hand flew up to my head, and I was grateful for the van’s darkened windows and low light. “Oh, thank you,” I said. “Do you say that to all the blondes who come to the resort?”
He tilted his head, enjoying being called out. “Only the beautiful ones.”
From the very back, Jean-Pierre spoke up. “Please tell me that you enjoy the sand and the beach, or else I will be distraught on duty.”
Oh hell. I’d love to see him on the beach.
“Are you a lifeguard or something, Jean-Pierre?”
He smiled. “I am. Senior lifeguard, a product of a childhood in Biarritz.”
“And you left home for Thailand?” I asked. “Why?”
“A change of pace, like most people who come to work here for a while. The weather is gorgeous, the work is fine, the food is delicious… although it’s too bad about the wine,” he said with a sad laugh. “You will have to excuse me. That is a Frenchman’s joke. But I am here for the season, enjoying my work and a new experience in my life.”
“What about you, Rob, where are you from?”
“Southern California. Ventura specifically. Jean-Pierre and I work together,” he said. “I teach watersports. You know, scuba, jet skiing. That sort of thing.”
“And when he has someone clinging to life due to his poor lesson, I jump in and save them,” Jean-Pierre said, laughing and dodging a shoulder hit from Rob.
“It’s true though,” Chay said from his place behind the wheel. “Rob dumps them in the water and Jean-Pierre pulls them out. It is a flawless division of duties.”
Rob hung his head laughing.
“What about you, Chay? You do all the airport runs?”
“No, I am actually a bartender… and other things. I’m just sitting in for the usual driver today. So, what is your favorite drink, Miss Tana?”
“Oh you can call me Tana,” I said. “As for drinks, I’ll try anything tropical. Since we’re in the tropics.”
“I learned a new drink recently,” he said, “created just for the beach.”
“Yeah, yeah, Chay. Not a joke for a lady’s presence. Besides, that drink has been around forever,” Rob said, successfully dancing around the drink’s name.
We drove for over an hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I had heard the trip from the Bangkok airport was a lengthy one, but I hadn’t expected to see scooters and motorbikes fly by with only an inch or two of clearance from our vehicle.
Nor had I realized they drove on the other side of the road. It was all so disorienting.
We finally left the freeway, and while I’d thoughtthatwas a wild experience, it was nothing like the surface streets. The sidewalks were crowded with locals and tourists, people smiling and jostling each other as they wove around the street stalls, food carts, and markets selling things I’d never before seen. I was getting an eyeful and hadn’t even formally arrived yet.
We left Bangkok for a coastal road, the four of us chatting. I could feel myself reacting to the presence of the three guys, whether it was Chay’s quiet strength, Rob’s bright humor, or Jean-Pierre’s intensity. They were good-looking in very different ways. And for someone like me, who’d just been dumped by her creep fiancé?
I was like a kid in a candy store.
“So we’ll see you on the beach, right?” Rob asked. “I mean, Thailand is famous for its beaches, and this resort is one of the best.”
“Oh hell yes,” I said, smiling. “I didn’t fly all this way to sit in my room.”
He slapped the back of the car seat. “Yee-haw. This is going to be a fun week. I can already feel it,” he said.
Jean-Pierre leaned forward. “Rob likes to say yee-haw. But I know that is what cowboys say. Notsurfer dudes,” he said, laughing.
“Damn, buddy,” Rob said, “your English is getting better every day. I told you if you stuck with me, you’ll be talking like a California boy in no time.”
While I liked the attention I was getting, I didn’t want to like ittoomuch. I’m sure the guys wanted to check me out in my bikini, and as horny as I was, my conscious mind knew there was no way these guys were going to bereallyinterested in me beyond a vacation fling.