The outdoor cafe was filled with people, tourists and locals alike, all searching for a small piece of blessed shade in which to escape the brutal noonday sun. On the spice laden breeze drifted snatches of conversation in a dozen languages, most of them unfamiliar to Kyle but he found the rhythm of the strange words oddly relaxing.
As he took a slip of the strong, sweet brew that passed as coffee in these parts, he glanced over the many patrons and amused himself by trying to guess where they were from. In one corner, sat two Americans carrying on a friendly, if somewhat heated debate with a German while in another corner a Japanese couple snapped pictures of anything that moved. On his left was a table of locals engaged in a rousing game of dominoes while their veiled women chattered amongst themselves.
Kyle watched the unintentional entertainment for a few more minutes then decided to go back to his hotel room for a quick shower and a nap before his next meeting. Just as he was about to get up to leave, she walked in.
Dressed in a cream coloured business suit that in any other part of the world would be considered modest, seemed scandalously short and drew the attention of every male in the cafe. Her short dark hair framed a face that seemed both aloof and exotic but what really caught his attention was her chocolate brown eyes. They were dark pools that a man could willingly lose his soul in if he dared to stare too long. Her gaze swept across the room, lingered briefly on him before continuing on. Making her way through the crowded cafe, she chose a table a few feet in front of him, signalled a waiter and sat down. The waiter, a boy of no more than fourteen, rushed over to take her order while nervously wiping his hands on a dirty apron. The lad couldn’t tear his eyes away from her bare legs and she had to repeat her order twice before he hurried away.
Kyle smiled himself and looked down at his newspaper. He didn’t blame the boy in the least for staring at the woman’s long tanned legs and he idly wondered if she had any tan lines. When he looked up from his paper, he was surprised to see her calmly gazing at him, a small smile playing about her ruby lips. The boy brought her drink, something tall and cold with a straw. He found himself staring at her mouth as she took a sip; the way her tinted lips held the straw firmly but gently, and how her cheeks hollowed as she sucked up the liquid; the smooth curve of her throat as she swallowed.
She put the glass back and tossed the few coins onto the table before standing and smoothing her tight skirt over her hips. Turning to leave, she seemed to change her mind and look back at Kyle. With a crook of her finger she motioned for him to follow her and led the way out of the cafe.
He hesitated for only a moment before getting up and following the mystery woman out into the crowded marketplace. A voice in the back of his mind asked him what the hell he was doing but he ignored his common sense and walked out into the hot sun. She led him away from the main square and down the a few narrow alleyways without ever looking back to see if he was following. At last she stopped in front of a wood and iron door, pushed it open and stepped inside.
Again Kyle hesitated briefly then followed the woman into the building. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust after the brightness from outside but as she led him down a tiled staircase to the pool, he realised he was in a bath house. The air was moist and cool after the heat of the day and he caught the scent of gardenias. The only sounds he heard was that of his own footsteps echoing off the ceramic walls and the tinkling splash of a waterfall in that emptied into the pool.
She stopped in front of a low marble bench and, turning to face him, removed her jacket. The blouse she wore beneath it was so sheer that even in the dim light he could clearly see the soft curve of her breasts and the dark jutting peaks of her nipples. Her fingers moved with hypnotic slowness as she undid the row of pearl buttons and let the blouse hang loose and open to his hungry gaze.
Turning her back to him as she kicked off her shoes, she reached behind her back to unzip her skirt and slowly, teasingly, slid it down her rounded hips and let it fall to the floor. The thin band of a white lace thong disappeared between the firm of globes of her ass and she looked over her shoulder at him, smiling as she inched it down her hips. The smile was both wicked and inviting.