“Nope. I had two drinks and that’s it.”
“Alright. But what if he gets you onto this yacht and,sais pas, drives it away or something? Boom, just like that, you’re gone for good.”
I laughed, but all the same she had a solid point.
“How about this—when I get there, I’ll drop you a pin to let you know exactly where I am. And before we leave the bar, I’ll tell him that we’re not taking the boat out. We stay in the harbor. And he’ll know that you know where we are.”
“That is a good idea. If you stay there, it is no different than going over to a man’s apartment. But are you sure that you do not simply want to bring him back to our place?”
“No way. I was dead certain that I wasn’t going to be picking up any guys, which means that I didn’t bother cleaning my room. It’s a freaking sty. Now, compare that to going on his yacht. Pretty easy call if you ask me.”
“Alright, you have made your case. But please, stay in touch so that I know you are safe, OK?”
“OK.”
The matter settled, Colette let out a squeal of happiness.
“I am so happy that you are finally going to, what is it you Americans say,get some.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the way she pronounced the phrase.
“That is what we say. But first I need to make sure he’s worth it. A yacht’s cool and all, but I’m not the type of girl to strip off my dress just because a guy’s got a fancy boat.”
“That is right, make sure he is not some sleazy Greek twerp living on Daddy’s money.”
With that, we headed back to the main bar area. Alex was still there, looking impossibly cool and sexy. He sipped his drink, and from my vantage point I could see that just about every other woman in the place was ogling him—even the ones there with another man.
All the same, there was something different about him that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He’d said he was a doctor, but what kind of doctor carried himself like that? He was built solid, and there was no doubt in my mind that he was the sort of man who could handle himself, if needed.
It was all so strange. While I was eager as hell to get him alone, I was glad that I’d had a quick chat with Colette about the matter of my safety.
Alex flicked his green eyes up to me as I approached the bar. I could feel the burning stares from other women boring into me—they wanted to know exactly who it was that had caught the attention of the most prized guy there.
“You have a nice chat?” he asked.
“I did.” I moved next to him, leaning up against the bar. “I’m thinking that it would be a lot of fun to hang out with you.”
The faintest hint of a smile formed on his lips. I was beginning to get the sense that Alex wasn’t the sort of man who flashed big, pearly smiles all that often. He was too restrained, too stoic for that.
“I think so too.”
“Good. But before we do, I need to let you know about some rules I’ve got for tonight.”
His green eyes flashed with a strange expression, but he didn’t say anything.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
He chuckled, glancing down at his drink for a moment. “No. It’s not often that I encounter someone telling me that I have rules to follow. My inclination is only instinct, I can assure you. If there are rules for tonight, then I’d like to hear them.”
There was something about Alex that told me he wasn’t the sort of man who lived by others’ rules—more like he was the sort who made his own.
I gave him the rules rundown, telling him that the yacht was going to stay docked, and that I was going to be in touch with Colette letting her know where we were. When I finished, Alex regarded me with an expression of slight admiration.
“Do you have a problem with any of that?”
“No. All of it seems perfectly sensible to me.”
“Good. I’m glad you think so.”