Not that I intended to sleep with her. That would've been wrong. I was the assistant manager, and she was one of the guests. Even kissing her probably violated my professional ethics. I ought to avoid her as much as possible.
How could I do that when we were sleeping in the same small house?
Mara's smile had turned shy. She bowed her head, peeking up at me through her lush eyelashes.
And damn, even that made me harder.
I coughed into my fist and asked, "Did you want to buy a mat?"
"That's okay. I brought my own."
"Oh. Cool." I got up, careful to keep the clipboard in position. "I'll see later, then."
"Wait," she said. "Can I ask you a nosy question? Feel free to say no."
"Uh, sure." I sat down again. "Ask away."
She caught her lip between her teeth, letting it go little by little. "What do your friends and family think of you working at a nudist resort?"
"My parents are fine with it. They want me to be happy, that's all. My little sister doesn't care either." I tapped my finger on the clipboard, which I still held over my lap. "I don't have many close friends. But my best friend, Damian, thinks it's really funny that I work at a naturist resort."
"Funny? Why?"
"Because he dragged me to one of those adults-only naturist resorts for spring break during our first year of college. He said we needed to cut loose and get wild." I shook my head, though I couldn't help smiling a little when I remembered that vacation. "I hated that place. It was too slick and risque for my taste. I prefer---" I cut myself off before I announced I liked homey naturist resorts like this one. Maybe Mara would be okay with finding out the truth about me, but I wasn't sure. Better not to risk it. "I prefer more subdued vacation spots."
"It's nice you have a best friend. Don't think I've ever had one."
"Damian and I have known each other forever. He's lots of fun, but he really likes to play on the stereotype of gypsies."
Mara's brows crinkled. "Why would he do that?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you, did I? Damian's family is of Rom heritage. Most people call them gypsies." I rolled my eyes when I thought about my best friend's favorite pastime. "Damian thinks it's fun to play like he's a real gypsy, with supernatural powers and everything. He does palm readings, but I don't know how accurate his fortune telling is. Women seem to think his Rom stuff is hot."
"Doesn't sound all that hot to me." Mara smiled again, and my dick twitched. "I like normal guys who are reliable and don't pretend to have superpowers."
"Good to know." I stood up again. "Now, I really have to get back to work."
Like a coward, I sprinted for the guest house.
And though I took dinner to Mara later on, I ate mine in the guest house office and sneaked into the little house only after the lights went out in her bedroom. I'd have to rethink my avoiding-Mara plan, since I was in charge here until Val and Eve came home. But for tonight, I'd stay away.
Only a hallway separated my room from hers.
Sleeping right across from her room didn't ease my problem south of the equator. Of course, I didn't actually get much rest. My brain had other ideas. It tormented me with hot dreams about Mara and her pink toenails and all the dirty things I wanted to do with her.
Chapter Seven
Mara
The next morning, while I showered and got dressed, my thoughts rewound to yesterday and how Ollie kept running away from me---literally. Only during our nature walk had he stayed with me and not acted weird about it. After that, he'd raced back to the guest house within minutes after every time he came over to check on me, and I wondered why he'd seemed so tense when he was talking to me. Duh. I'd acted like a complete freaking lunatic since the second we'd met. Screaming and fainting because I saw naked people? No wonder he had to run away from me.
Once I'd gotten over the initial shock, I had decided to face up to my fears. Peeking out the window at the nudists had served as phase one in my desensitization plan. Once I felt okay about that, I'd ventured outside, staying right by the house at first. Eventually, after my walk with Ollie, I got brave enough to march over to the grassy area where the other guests were hanging out.
Everyone must have seen and heard me when I'd screamed. Still, they all treated me kindly. Ruth Norris, who described herself as "the busybody who helps spread all the gossip, but only in a loving way," seemed to have made it her mission to get me acclimated. She took me around the lawn, introducing me to everyone and putting her arm around my shoulders anytime I got anxious. She intuitively knew when I needed a little support. Despite their nakedness and my lack thereof, every single guest treated me like an old friend.
Ruth had suggested I sit on a chaise and observe the nudists to get acclimated.
"Maybe after that," she'd told me, "you won't want to leave anymore. We'd sure love to have you stay, Mara. And I know Ollie would like that too."