Chapter 2

(Present day. The morning after)

Jason couldn’t understand why the pounding inside his head wouldn’t go away. Even pulling the pillow over his head didn’t help, the pounding continued. He considered getting up and taking some aspirin, thinking that might help, but he really didn’t want to get up.

Slowly, realization pierced his brain, the pounding was someone beating on the door to his room! He had been hopeful, even positive if he just kept ignoring it, whoever it was, or whatever, would eventually go away! However, it seemed to be of no avail as the persistent knocking continued. Sleepy and furious he stumbled to the door and opened it a small crack. Peering out, he found Rebecca beating on his door with a troubled look on her face.

Glancing quickly left and then right, she hissed through the open crack. “Let me in damn it!”

“What are you doing here at this time of night?” Jason sleepily mumbled back.

Rebecca pressed the door open and rushed past Jason into the room, “I don’t want anyone to see me.” She offered as an explanation for barging in. Inside of the room she continued, “Susan and Harold had a big fight at the table after you left, and now it turns out, as I understand it, Susan’s attorney slipped a clause into the agreement that screws Harold out of a substantial amount of the proceeds of the sale.

“Then it turned out her lawyer slipped in a clause holding up Susan’s share for a long time, somehow. Anyway, I’m not a lawyer, and I didn’t understand half of what went on! Susan left the table pissed trying find the banker fellow, Coolidge ... Colridge ... or whatever, anyway, she’s gonna to try and see if the deal can be torn up, or at least put off until they work out a different agreement. God, what an evening, I need a drink!!” Rebecca exclaimed with disgust.

Jason looked down and realized he hadn’t even had the presence of mind when he answered the door to pick up a towel and cover his nakedness. He turned quickly and picked up the towel from the floor by the bed. Wrapping it around his body, he headed to the bathroom. Rebecca called after him, “By the way, cute outfit!’

Mumbling back over his shoulder he replied, “Thanks, glad you like it! Why don’t you make us both a drink?”

When he returned Rebecca inquired, “What are you going to do? Is the deal dead now?”

Jason ran his hand through his hair as he replied, “I don’t know! I really don’t know now! You haven’t exactly given me a lot of time to work this out!” Concern now obvious in his voice.

“Harold told me you have a lot of money tied up in this venture. He even mentioned he was concerned you might not have enough to carry the deal off.” Rebecca ventured with a note of trepidation in her voice.

“Well, I’d be lying if I told you it wasn’t going to be tight, but I think I can pull it off. I have an outside source of income, it’s not all that large but I can make do with it! I haven’t put out any money yet, but now if Susan and Harold are going to screw around with the deal, I don’t know what to do. I expected an immediate cash flow to help service the debt and eventually draw out living expenses for myself. If it worked as originally planned, I’d have more than enough to renovate the hotel, pay on the debt, and have working capital to boot.

“To be honest, once I make the down payment, I only have a small reserve left ... plus my monthly royalties from a previous business arrangement,” Jason paused, and then continued, suspiciously, as a new thought grew in his mind. “I don’t wish to seem rude, but how in the hell do you know so much about what’s going on with my business affairs?”

Rebecca answered quickly, “I’m sorry! I am sorry if I spoke out of turn, but Harold finds it necessary to brag a lot. I knew all along he was trying to pull a fast one on Susan, but the way he made it sound, it wouldn’t affect you in any way. I’m sorry because Harold was trying to be cute it might cause you trouble. I hope this doesn’t cause you to lose the hotel.” She answered apologetically.

Jason paced the room, “I’ll try and make it work out one way or the other. I’ve known all along it wasn’t going to be easy.” He paused for a second, a thought occurred to him. Turning back to face Rebecca. “Why’d you come to see me right now? You could have told me all this in the morning. I mean, there’s nothing I can do about it right now. It would have held!”

“After Susan left the table, Harold took me up to his room and started making a play; thank God he passed out as soon as he laid down.” Relief obvious in Rebecca’s voice.

“Too bad about Harold and all, however, you still didn’t answer my question. Why are you here, now? In my room?”

“Harold brought me down here with nothing but the dress I have on and something to wear in the sun. He told me we’d be going back stateside right after the meeting, and like some sort of schoolgirl, I believed him. It seems Harold was trying to do the same thing to me literally he tried to do figuratively to Susan. I came to your room because I couldn’t think of any other place to go.” She paused and thought for a moment about her next comment, “Besides, I told you in Bermuda I wanted to see you again,” She confessed. “Do you mind?”

Considering what she just told him, Jason wasn’t all that surprised what she said about Harold. He had wondered, “Whatever does Susan and Rebecca see in that pencil-neck accountant?” Jason could never fathom how anyone would want to be intimate with someone like Harold. Every time that they had met during the hotel negotiations over the past few weeks Jason found his dislike for the man growing.

Thought of Harold’s name brought an unwanted vision of his gaunt frame. Harold also appeared shorter at first glance than his normal height, because he always stood with pronounced stooped shoulders. This posture contributed to his sunken chest. When viewed from the side, it appeared as if Harold had forgotten to strap on his chin. The absence of his chin, plus his long nose, gave his whole face a rat-like appearance. However, what Jason had found more unappealing than his features was his voice, which sounded like angry bees trapped in a can.

With a confused look and tone Jason inquired, “Look, I may be dense, but I know that you are a well-known author ... authoress ... and ... well ... with your looks and intelligence, you have your choice of lots of men. But ... excuse me, why Harold?”

Rebecca laughed as she replied, “I wonder about that myself, now!” She explained she’d been at a party a few nights before when she had run into Harold. She met Harold a few years ago when his CPA firm was hired by her publishers, and over the years they saw each other at various gatherings and had become acquainted. At one gathering, Harold told her about the hotel he and his wife purchased and all the wonderful things that they were going to do to it. At the last party he told her now he was selling it. He was very gracious and had invited her to fly with Lester and him down to St. Kitts for the day to enjoy some fun in the sun. By inviting her, he also was able to annoy Susan as well. As soon as Rebecca mentioned Lester’s name, she started to laugh. Jason looked at her quizzically and asked, “What?”

“Sorry, I just have to laugh when I think of Lester. Did you see the way he was dressed at dinner last night?” Her laughter was making it difficult to speak.

Jason chuckled, “I assume you mean the knee length black socks and white tennis shoes?” She nodded yes. “I got a good look when Lester stood to get another chair for the table. I wasn’t too surprised. I couldn’t believe the shorts, either. I believe Lester gives the meaning ‘fashion’ a whole new aspect, and not one that’s going to catch on anytime soon!”

Curiosity got the best of Jason and he asked Rebecca if she was aware Harold and Lester were related.

“Why, yes! When we got on the plane to fly down here, Harold introduced Lester as his cousin. It’s amazing to me how the two cousins can be so dissimilar in looks as the two of them are. Lester is such a roly-poly man with that bright red hair, and Harold has that slicked down out of a bottle black hair of his!”

Both continued to poke fun at Lester. “Did you see how bright pink Lester was from the short time yesterday he’d been in the sun.”

Rebecca put her hand up and gestured for Jason to stop. “We shouldn’t be doing this. It’s not his fault he got stuck with those genes and Harold as his cousin!” Which set them both to laughing again. Jason mentioned his impression was even though Lester was Harold’s lawyer, Harold was using him out of pity and to appease his family.

“I believe you’re right. I know Susan is not too wild about Lester.” Rebecca acknowledged as she continued with her story about Harold and being stuck with nowhere else to go.

“It also didn’t help when I tried to get you to take me away from the table and you didn’t pick up on it. Thanks!” Rebecca chided him.

Jason glanced at her and saw the quick wink. He continued looking at her and Rebecca shyly dropped her head and murmured, “So now this makes the second time you have had me at a disadvantage. Once in Bermuda, and now tonight.” She raised her head and looked him in the eyes. “What are you going to do about it this time?”

“If you are suggesting what I think you are, ah...” Jason paused for a long time, trying to collect his thoughts. “I need to explain something to you. You have no reason to believe this, but I haven’t been with a woman in quite a while! Ah ... if you know what I mean.” he sheepishly confessed.

Rebecca grinned mischievously at him and teased him, “Strange, you don’t look like the little boy type to me!” She laughed, and when she saw it had not made Jason smile, she continued on, “I’m sorry, that wasn’t nice. When we last met you didn’t seem to have any problems around women. I mean, we never did anything, but I got the feeling given time we might have?” She paused and considered her next question.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask what’s happened? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to; I know I just asked a very personal question...”

“It’s an old but very familiar tune, there was a woman and we ... or more correctly, I broke it off, and I just haven’t been interested in other women or things like that since. I guess I’m still sort of in love with her.” Jason added lamely at the end.

“If that’s true, why did you break it off with her.” her tone sounded sympathetic.

Jason considered his answer for a few seconds, feeling that there was enough of a bond between the two of them that he might be able to talk openly with Rebecca. The more he considered this, the more he felt that he might be able to be open and honest about what had happened; here was a woman he could tell the the truth.

“She wanted to marry,” he began, “and I am not the marrying type. In addition, the way she went about trying to get me to do it upset me. It was like she really didn’t care about my feelings or what I wanted; it was her desire to get married that outweighed everything. Anyway, I felt she needed to be getting on with her life, and I was a hindrance to her. So...” His voice trailed off as he saw Rebecca began to move.

Rebecca stood and walked to the open balcony doors, remaining with her back to him. She realized, with what he had just told her, Jason was free to do as he chose. She considered her next actions carefully. Without turning around, she started to speak, finding herself surprisingly shy, “I realize this may be a bit sudden...” Rebecca was quiet for so long Jason wondered if he should interrupt. Finally, she continued, “Jason, I’ve fantasized about you ever since the vacation on Bermuda when we met. You were so kind and caring that evening. I know when a man finds me attractive and all, but you were so much more interested in who I was inside, not just what I looked like on the outside. I wanted you in several different ways that evening, and I’ve regretted ever since that we couldn’t have spent more time together.”

She paused, and her voice seemed to take on a bitter edge. “You say you think I’m attractive,” Rebecca paused, turning back to face him as she continued, “It’s not as easy as you think Jason!

“You also said you thought I have my pick of so many men, not true! There may have been a lot of men I have met in my life, but not many ‘keepers’! Some just want to get laid and then it’s goodbye, others want me as a status symbol, and God forbid if I have a mind, others are just plain jerks. I’ve found there are damn few nice men out there ... at least as nice as you.”

Rebecca smiled apologetically, “I guess I’m feeling very vulnerable tonight. I know I was very pleased when I saw you walk up to the table tonight. I’d seen you on the beach earlier, but I couldn’t get up enough courage to talk to you. Anyway, I was just so pleased to see you at the table. Now I find, for some reason, perhaps what happened with Harold, I feel lonely tonight and I need, and want, to be with someone I care about. Somebody I know I can trust.”

She looked him in the eyes and quietly asked, “Would you please let me sleep with you tonight. I also want to make love with you” she added quickly, “If you want to, I mean.”

Jason was slow to answer, “It’s not I don’t want to, or I’m not interested. To be honest, tonight was the first time in a long time I really enjoyed being with a woman, and the first time I wanted to ... well ... you know, I might have wanted to ... anyway ... it’s just ... I ... uh ... this is so ... uh ... you are ... we ... I don’t know if...”

“Be still, darling!” she interrupted, “I think I understand. Perhaps this has been a bit too fast just now. I was scared to death I might end up having to hurt Harold, and thank God he passed out. Once again, I run in to you after a bad time in my life. Sometime I’ll tell you the real story about what happened before Bermuda, and the other reason I was down there. Do you mind if I just sleep here, and we’ll talk about the rest some other time.” She stood before him, feeling strangely awkward.

Jason smiled, stepping up to her he placed his hand under her chin and brought her head up. Placing a finger on her cheek, he rubbed his thumb along the deep chestnut gloss of her eyebrow. “I’d love for you to stay the night, and about the rest of it, let’s talk?”

“Hope you don’t mind but I usually sleep nude.”

“You already saw my sleeping attire.” Jason watched as she removed her dress and then underwear, impressed with her full breasts and hard nipples/ The red hair at her apex was darker then the hair on her head and was trimmed in small stip. “You are beautiful.” He remarked.