But I sure hadn’t forgotten him, and that night he was particularly sexy in white linen trousers and a blue short sleeved shirt.
“Good evening, everyone, and welcome to tonight’s demonstration of the ancient martial art of Thailand, Muay Thai,” he said, his voice projecting strongly as he stood in the middle of the platform, smiling at the hundred or so guests gathered. “Known as the art of eight limbs, Muay Thai has been practiced in Thailand for hundreds of years.”
He looked to his left and right, nodding toward contestants I couldn’t quite see in the shadows of the pool area. “Tonight, we are proud to bring to you a demonstration of this martial art. First, on my right, originally from Phuket, is Danny Somchai.”
The small crowd politely applauded as a lean man in boxing trunks, gloves, and shin pads stepped onto the platform, bowing to all four corners of the ring before bowing a final time to the crowd.
“As you can see, Danny is wearing both gloves and kick pads for tonight’s demonstration, but in ‘real’ Muay Thai, they don’t wear gloves at all.”
The fighter shook out his arms, ready for action.
“And now,” Rob continued, “on my left, we have our very own Chay Son!”
My eyes widened as Chay stepped onto the platform, as stripped as the other fighter. His body looked carved from mahogany, his stomach muscles rock hard and every bit of his torso armored with shredded layers of pure power. I licked my lips, watching him take a formal bow just like his opponent had.
I could be crazy, but I was pretty sure his eyes met mine for a nanosecond, his lips twitching into a smile before he stood to his full height like he was already victorious.
That was some goddamn confidence.
Sitting on the edge of my seat, I was breathless with anticipation while watching a referee appear, talking to both fighters before sending them back to their corners. I wasn’t sure how they were going to deal with the lack of ropes around the square boxing ring, but it would be interesting to watch. Then the bell rang, and the two fighters came out for the first round.
I was already holding my breath. If it turned out to be gross and violent, I was bailing, in part because I think it would hurt too much to see Chay either knock someone around, or be knocked around.
But it wasn’t like that, like the fights I’d gotten glimpses of back home before I could turn my attention to something, anything else.
Instead, these boxers were respectful, starting off easy as a high-pitched flute-like music played over the proceedings.
My gaze was, naturally, fixed on Chay as he moved, his body flowing like water, his muscles rippling with every step. How could a man with such a good-looking face actuallydothis? How could he risk ruining that perfection?
I was quickly so caught up in the display that the first strike caught me off guard. Chay’s hips twitched, and suddenly a sound like a bullwhip cracking filled the air. Chay’s opponent barely moved as he absorbed the kick to his thigh, but I could see the red welt already forming on his skin.
And yet both men seemed to treat the kick as if it were a little playful slap, barely worth noticing.
Chay moved around, dancing and letting the other fighter recover before blocking and defending against an attack and countering with one of his own. With each punch or kick he grunted, a sexy sound sending shivers straight through to my hypersensitive pussy, which was getting warmer and wetter by the moment. I hated to think I was getting turned on by two men beating the hell out of each other, but the bottom line was that in some strange way, I liked watching the show.
The first round ended and I sat back, almost gasping for breath, reacting to the heady, primal display. Chay was just… sexy and it was all I could do to resist running up on the platform and dragging him home with me.
The men sparred another two rounds, and by the end, they’d both taken more than a few punches and kicks. Still, as they bowed to each other, it was clear who was the better fighter. Chay could have beaten the other guy to a bloody pulp, and as the next pair of fighters came up, I had to leave, I was so overwhelmed and aroused.
Unwilling to just rush back to my villa to wear out the batteries on my vibrator for a second night in a row, I headed down toward the beach. When I approached the sand, I kept going until I reached the waterline, listening to the tiny waves lap the shore while a giant full moon rose.
I was careful to keep my feet and sandals dry, my heart hammering and body shivering from the arousal sweeping through me. I was so caught up that I didn’t hear the sand crunching with footsteps, until a large hand landed on my shoulder.
I was so surprised to find Chay standing there that I uttered a little squeak.
“Apologies,” he said, his dark eyes gleaming in the light of the moon. He’d changed clothes and was wearing a loose shirt and khaki shorts showing off his tight waist. “When I came out of the changing room, I was hoping to buy you a drink. Imagine my disappointment to see you had left your table. Are you feeling well?”
“I… yeah, yes. Thanks.”
Hmmm. I was suspicious. Chay was physically gorgeous, a top flight athlete. I knew I wasn’t the only woman in the crowd who would have happily accepted anything this man offered, whether a drink or something else.
“So did you enjoy the demonstration?” he asked, his dimples popping into view.
“Oh yes,” I gushed. “As far as I could tell, you could have beaten him in the first round.”
“Perhaps,” he replied humbly. “But Danny is a good worker. I did not want to embarrass him. Besides, he has much less experience than I do, so we weren’t evenly matched. It was just a demonstration anyway.”
“How long have you been… I don’t know the right word, practicing?” I asked.