CHAPTER 3
Eddie sat at a window and the waitress came over with champagne cocktails. Billie arrived dressed just like him and most other people, a polo shirt hanging over tailored shorts and expensive scuffs. He stood and she came right up to him and kissed him full on the lips, taking her time about disengaging.
"What am I wearing?"
"A yellow thong."
"You idiot," she giggled. "I meant what perfume?"
"Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel."
"Mom said you recognized hers. You have an educated nose."
"My mom taught me to take an interest in women."
She smiled and sipped her drink and said she understood he had breakfast with her mom. "Who set that up?"
Eddie made a point of shifting uneasily in his chair.
"Oh, so if I wish to know I should ask mom?"
"I would be delighted if you sought any explanation from her."
"I see. It's obviously some sort of business discussion. I'll ask her in due course. It can't be very important otherwise she would have told me."
He sipped his drink so she shrugged and asked him what were his impressions of the resort. That conversation lasted until they went to dinner.
In Billie's compact but beautifully fitted out bedroom as Eddie began undoing the buttons of Billie's shirt, she asked, "Will you be tight-lipped about this encounter?"
"Yes. Want me to look for hidden cameras?"
"No, they are installed for security purposes. One has to learn to trust those who are charged with monitoring the surveillance."
"So we don't do it with the lights on?"
"Not unless we are voyeurs."
"Are you?"
"I expect you want to know the truth. I tend to become lax when loose on alcohol."
"I would tend to think I am that way myself but not having knowingly being under the camera spotlight when having sex until arriving here I am not in the position to answer. I would rather like to gloat over your body but would have to have the light on for that."
"Yes of course and I guess you have something worth examining."
"Can you hand me a pair of red silk panties?"
"Oh, a collector are we or require a silky start-up?"
"No but I think I can work something. Get the panties."
"Yes sir."
While she dug into a drawer Eddie put the bedside lamp on to the floor and returned from the kitchen and replaced the lamp bulb with the lower-powered bulb from the pantry.
"Put off the main light," he called.
"Ah," said she, "That's a much reduced level of light."
Give me the panties and three hair clips. He attached the clips over the top edge of the lampshade nearest the bed and draped the panties over the top of the shade, anchoring three-quarters the way round with the clips. "That allows bulb-heated air to escape at the top facing the bed."
"That's brilliant. The camera will have difficulty imaging the low level of light, being red light."
"Exactly, so the person monitoring the screen for this room will not have much of a view of the boss being fucked."
"Don't you mean the guest being fucked?"
"Have a look at the tape or DVD tomorrow and tell me who fucked who," Eddie said, sending the boss into the giggles. They shed each other's clothes and slammed into a big grind and kisses.
Eddie's heart was singing to him. He wasn't thinking he was with a prostitute. The mind was in a whirl but as his pulse rate rose as their nude bodies met and melted into each other he felt an excitement, of being there and hotly wishing to enjoin with this woman. It felt so right for him and there seemed nothing mechanical or distant about her. Desperately he wanted her to touch his erection but her arms remained about him, stroking his back and hugging him even tighter as they kissed. Who said she was a prostitute?"
* * *
For several days Billie have felt a little odd, as if her body and mind had been a little askew, not quite in synch. She knew it was nothing to do with men, one man in particular. Her mother had long taught her about males who ranged from being good to those who radiated evil and could prove fatal to females or at the very least harm then in an ugly manner. It had confused her when she began to understand these things her mother was saying and her understanding grew, as a developing girl when she saw some of the women who worked for her mom would be so happy in the company of men and become so unhappy when the guys left the resort. But other men would appear at the side of those women and they would be happy again or perhaps not so happy.
Billie always had a nanny with her and there were areas where she could not go. Her nanny would be alarmed if a male ever approached them and males who worked for her mother called Guardians, now called Security, would come running when the nanny blew a whistle. She also saw women with bruises, broken limbs and even carried out on stretchers. Her mom called it 'the ugly side to Eden'.
Gradually her favorite person at the oasis next to her mom, Aunt Dolores, helped Billie understand so much more and she learned even more playing with Aunt Dolores' three children, especially the oldest Maya as they were the same age, their birthdays only six weeks apart. For a long time Maya became her favorite person but when Billie went off to boarding school they began drifting apart and Aunt Dolores resumed the role of best friend.
It was Maya and Luis the older of her two brothers who taught Billie Spanish. She had no idea they were teaching her and nor did they because as younger brother Diego would later say, "You just wanted to be like us."
Billie never spoke Spanish at home and Mae only discovered that she was fluently bi-lingual the first time she went to dinner at the home of Dolores, taking Billie to Maya's 10th birthday family dinner. Everyone spoke English at first but as the wine flowed for the parents and the excitement level of the children grew that changed. Shut out of the conversation Mae was astonished when Dolores, leaving the table for more food, called her goddaughter over: "Billie, sit over here please until I return and translate for your mother."
Stimulated by that finding, Mae learnt Spanish and at her next re-election as Mayor her mother proudly gave her acceptance speech to citizens in both English and Spanish and respect for Mae in the small town extended.
A few days ago when Billie arrived back at Cloudless Resort to stay and take over as chief executive, she heard a male voice before she saw Eddie Lawson who'd walked up behind her and was talking with some familiarity to her mom. Billie was in turmoil, knowing her mom wanted her back home to 'assume her rightful heritage' but Billie had been so happy living almost 500 miles to the east that she was unsure whether this was what she wanted. In her mind she likened the prospect as being somewhat like Lieutenant Governor in a penitentiary, locked in for life.
She turned and the sight of Eddie, tall and wide shouldered with unruly hair, very light blue eyes and a tanned wide face, made her almost gasp. For the first time on her home patch she was looking at a man who really appealed to her. Even his odd accent was acceptable. Oh please you handsome man, don't be married! Her feelings remained concealed and she smiled as she shook hands with the stranger whom she noticed, with a light flush and swelling around her heart, was openly 'devouring' her. Even when he made the stupid comment, 'Wow, how much do you charge baby?' she didn't erupt. No she gave him 'the fingers' and had to smother a giggle.
The thought of Eddie being in the arms of Dimples had lowered her mood but that still stopped short of jealously because she knew she could have replaced Dimples with herself at the click of fingers. Except.
Yes, except -- except did he want her over Dimples? She stepped back from going between those two not wishing to be humiliated by him expressing a preference for the more voluptuous woman. Oh dear, where was her courage, her belief in herself? She'd tried to kid herself she wouldn't place herself in a position of embarrassment in challenging for a guy with her within hours of taking up the role of chief executive. Liar.
Yes thought Billie, she was lying. She was afraid of rejection and the safe way was to hope he'd take the initiative. Well, he did that but he did so in an appalling manner, attempting to book her through the hosting system like a common prostitute.
"Well, darling, what are you away from the glitz and protection of mommy?"
She cringed saying that aloud and had thought it was a relief that he would not have learned about her and the ten guys and two women from her former university and their two days of orgy with darling sweet Billie being the centerpiece. Oh, the shame!
But tomorrow was always another day and if Eddie left before going sweet on her someone else would come along. Life goes on.