Denise woke up.
She immediately wished she hadn't. True, this wasn't the first hangover she'd woken up with on this holiday, but that didn't make it any better. 'I'll have to get up and get some water down me, oh and some painkillers,' she thought. She put an arm down to help lever herself out of bed.
When her hand fell on something she wasn't expecting, she remembered, 'Oh,
God!
Jim!'
She looked across to her left, where he was still asleep. In the diffused light coming through the curtains she studied him for a moment. Fast asleep, face slack, she could still see the fresh, open good looks that had attracted her in the first place. But she wasn't sure why she'd been so eager to take him to bed.
Suddenly the world spun on her, and she shakily got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. Denise
just
made it in time to vomit down the toilet. Once she was sure her spasms had finished, she sat on the toilet for a while, taking care of business there while she waited for the shakes to reduce a little.
Finally feeling it possible, Denise stood up and looked in the mirror. Her reflection was pale, looked clammy and she winced at the sight of herself. It was time to look after herself a little.
Denise had put a stock of painkillers in the bathroom cabinet. She grabbed a couple before making her way to the fridge for another bottle of water. She sipped it, swallowing her tablets, giving her body a chance to begin recovery.
She glanced at the clock. Eight forty-five. It was still early in the morning for the party-party people, but Denise knew she'd not get back to sleep now. 'Time for some toast and coffee,' she thought. Denise scribbled a note to Jim, telling him she'd be at the restaurant downstairs in case he woke. She threw on a t-shirt and some jeans shorts and, grabbing her key and her purse, made her way down there.
While Denise was eating her breakfast she suddenly stopped.
'Shit! He didn't wear a condom!' she thought. 'It's a good job I'm on the Pill, but...'
'No. No. It couldn't happen. Any way, Jim was clean and fresh, and wasn't very experienced so it's not like he's been sleeping around. There's no need to worry.'
'None at all.'
Denise went back to enjoying her toast and coffee.
- - - - - - - - - -
By the time Denise had finished and returned to her room, Jim was stirring. When she opened her door and looked across at the bed, Jim opened one eye and focussed, with a little difficulty, on the red-head.
"Hiya gorgeous," he managed. It was croaky and scratched, but comprehensible.
"Aw, did you have a tough night, little baby?" crooned Denise as if to a child. "Let me take care of you," she continued, sashaying towards the bed. On reaching it, she grasped the covers and pulled them off in a single fast sweep.
"Hey!" Jim yelped, then fixed her with a determined gaze. "Time for you to learn not to do that to the Jimbo!" he told her severely, before grabbing her, hauling her onto the bed and holding her down.
Jim began tickling Denise, concentrating under the short ribs, then holding one foot and tickling there. Denise was in fits, giggling laughing, and finally begging him to stop.
He let her go, and the two of them recovered for a moment. Then Denise told him, "You're still in time for breakfast if you want it, or I can make a coffee in here if you'd prefer. Or there's water in the fridge?"
"I'll get a water, I think," Jim told her, and went to do so. When he came back to bed he had sucked down half the bottle. Denise turned to him and said, "Jim, we need to talk. We both fucked up last night."
"Yeah, we did, it was fun!" he told her with a leer, but his face fell when he saw her impatient gesture and expression. Denise was serious.
"Don't fool around. Last night, we never used a condom. I'm on The Pill, so pregnancy shouldn't be an issue, but it's still unsafe. We can't do that again."
"Hey, I ain't got nothin'," he told her huffily, but Denise cut him off, saying "No, I don't expect you have, but we can't take chances like that. Besides, for all you know
I
might have had something for
you
to catch.
"All of which is past and besides the point. If you want to be with me for the rest of my time here, we use condoms. End of story.
Do
you want to be with me?"
This was the big question for Denise. Jim was attractive, young, fit and not afraid of trying new things. Denise was
really
hoping he'd say yes.
"Well, yeah. I mean, I've really enjoyed being here with you. You're fun! I think we could have more
fun
together for the next few days, and I'd like to be with you to do that," Jim told her.
- - - - - - - - - -
They spent the day together, going for a ride on the tour train. They had a drink in the little bar in
Santa Ines
like all the other tourists, and laughed together a lot. Jim was quick with jokes and comments, and Denise was captivated. They had lunch together at a