She turned in her seat and tilted her sunglasses sexily downward with one hand, and beautiful dark brown eyes joined the smile to make her beautiful. Ryan was taken with her immediately and held out his hand. She shook it briefly, and then held it for a longer moment.
"Mr. Ryan, welcome to Kuching! I am happy to meet you."
Ryan could see a hint of sexual tension between them. They were on best behavior, but he instantly sensed something underlying the their words. Partly it was the glances back and forth as they talked. Maybe he was imagining it, he thought, but he had a well-developed sense for people's emotions from long years of negotiations both business and private.
"I told Mr. Ryan we are old friends and what your nickname is!" Alex said and then turned and winked.
"What nickname?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
"You know, 'chiok tam po'!" he laughed. Alex was enjoying fencing with danger. Ryan sensed that some of Alex's comments had a double meaning that he was not in on.
"You are terrible!" Mei Ling made a punching jab at his arm. "You are in bad company here, Mr. Ryan! I warn you, Alex is a terrible playboy and is up to no good." She said, laughing to let him know she was teasing him.
"How long will you be staying?" she asked, craning her neck briefly and looking seductively over the tops of her sunglasses.
"Two or three weeks, or till we get something set up. Have you made appointments for tomorrow, Alex.?"
"Yes, all set. Mei Ling's husband Mark will pick you up. Did he tell you that, Mei Ling?"
"Uh, .. .. noooo ....." she said in a far-off tone, then said no more, leaving it as a question hanging in the air.
"Well, you can expect him at 9 AM. He knows the industrial locations completely, so you are in good hands. I will visit some government agencies to pave the way for discussions while you look around. We will get back together for dinner and discuss what next. OK?"
"Yes, fine."
"We have not discussed this, Mei Ling, but Mr. Ryan may have questions about insurance and employee benefits. Would you be able to help? It will save time for Mr. Ryan if you are available."
"Oh, I didn't know, I was just picking you up. But, sure, I will be glad to help, Mr. Ryan!" she said, looking back quizzically.
"Great. Start by just calling me 'Charlie' or 'Ryan.'"
"OK, Ryan. I like that name, Ryan." Her round pronunciation of it sounded sexy to Ryan. She smiled over her shoulder at him, with an engaging look.
They continued discussing plans until they turned into the drive before a white building with about twenty stories. The tower sat upon a wide, sprawling lower portion about 4 stories high and suggested a parking garage in there someplace.
"Yes sir, Mr. Ryan, we have you in one of our large executive rooms with a king-size bed on the concierge floor.
"Hello again, Mr. Pang, we have your regular suite on the 20th floor as usual. I hope your stay is comfortable. If there is anything I can do to be of assistance, don't hesitate to call. Here is my card." The desk clerk bent over backward to suck up to Pang and Charley watched disapprovingly out of the corner of his eye.
Mei Ling appeared at his left and put a hand on his arm.
"I will see you again, Mr. Ryan, er, I mean, .. Ryan! Nice to meet you."
Ryan turned and watched as she walked gracefully toward the door. He admired the curvaceous legs over medium heeled shoes that thrust nicely proportioned breasts against a trim, tailored, orange and yellow dress with big white buttons all down the front. She looked gorgeous and Ryan looked forward to seeing her again.
"Well, I'll leave you too, Mr. Ryan. See you tomorrow at dinner? Mark will take care of arrangements." He glanced nervously at Mei Ling, as if he couldn't wait to be off. Then with a wave at Ryan, he follower her trim figure toward the car.
"What does it mean if I say 'chiok tam po?'" He asked the pretty girl behind the desk.
"You should ask him!" she giggled, and pointed to the bellman just picking up the bags and leading the way to the elevator.
Ryan was embarrassed at having said something off-color without knowing it.
When they got into the elevator, the bellman smiled and said: "' chiok tam po' is a part of a slang phrase, meaning I nearly made out with a girl. Literally translated, it means 'came close'"
Ryan tipped the Bellman and looked out over Kuching as the door clunked shut behind him. It was just after 6 PM and the city lights were twinkling on in the twilight gloom. It seemed mercifully released from the murderous grip of the sun. In the soft light, it looked much more inviting to him than it had in the bleaching sun just a couple hours before. He didn't bother to undress, but lay back on the bed and let the hushed rush of the air-conditioning sooth him to a welcome sleep.
As sleep overtook him, he wondered about Alex dropping his bags with the bellman and then rushing back out the door to join, what was her name? Mei – something, Mei Ling, he thought.
"Lucky sod, he joined Mei Ling and drove off with her."
The last thought before sleep overcame him was his envy of the handsome Alex with the beautiful Mei-Ling.
"I don't trust that guy Al .. .. .." he muttered.
Below in the street, the Mercedes silently eased down the sloping driveway.
"Mei-Ling, you look beautiful. I can't keep my eyes off you. What a treat to have some time together!" Alex was saying. She had no more than turned into traffic and his hand reached to touch her forearm.
"Oh, Alex, you never change, do you?" Mei Ling smiled across at him, and let him take her hand from the shift lever of the Mercedes. She took off her sunglasses in the gathering twilight, and looked at him under half-closed eyelids.
"Can't we stop this damned car and just talk for a few minutes?" he said. "I want a good look at you. Look, there, in that park? Come on, for old time sake, Mei Ling."
"Alex, I have to get home. Mark will wonder where I am. I told him I was picking someone up, but he will expect me home when he gets there."
"Listen, let me take you both to dinner! Where ever you like. OK? It will give me a chance to talk to Mark before he picks up the American, too."
"OK, yes, I would like to have dinner," she said.
"Good, it's settled. Now we have time! Turn here!"
Mei Ling's smile widened. She was always taken by his charm and it hadn't lessened over the years. It had been seven years since she had seen him last. She blushed as the thought of their last meeting before she married Mark. She turned onto Old Airport Road and drove along the curving road that was once the main road to the airport before the expressway shortened the route. A sign announced 'Serian 35 Miles.'
The orange tile roofs of low-lying buildings sped past in the waning light. These were the homes of small farmers and little businesses making roofing tiles and similar products. They drove along for half a dozen miles, Alex doing most of the talk and his hand touching hers for emphasis. They had left the lights of the city behind them.
"Let's just stop for a minute, please, Mei-Ling? We have time."
Mei-ling turned down a lane lined with rubber trees on either side. She pulled to a stop on the side of the deserted lane and changed the radio to soft romantic country and western music. The temperature had already dropped to the point she could turn off the Mercedes' engine and roll down the window. The scent of bunga raya blossoms was rich in the country air.
"Alex, we can't stop long!" she said firmly.
They turned toward each other and began covering the events of their lives since they had seen each other. She didn't mind him holding her hands and didn't object to a small kiss. In fact it was such a nice kiss that she allowed another and then, by accident, her tongue darted between her lips and touched a spark with his. The Moon loomed large and outlined the limbs of the rubber trees to form a romantic setting.
That kiss didn't end as the others had, with a smile and more talk, but lingered and lingered until his hand touched Mei-ling's breast. It just touched her, hardly noticeable at first. He held it lightly against the side of her breast as if simply guiding her, and then he pressed so that his fingers lay along the strap of her bra and his palm curved where her nipple began.
Their tongues tasted deeply of each other. Mei-Ling's eyes nearly closed, but not quite. She looked at the handsome face through long, interlaced eyelashes, as through a lace curtain, giving his face a movie star aura. Her mind reeled back to days when they had been like this before either was married; a time when she decided he would never, ever be the man she wanted to marry. He could never have been satisfied with just her. She was right of course, and she never regretted choosing Mark. But it was still true that Alex was the epitome of romantic charm and she was still taken in by that charm.
And so, when she felt his hand under her dress, it didn't seem so foreign either and she snuggled closer in the confines of the car. Her dress was open down to the last button and she was surprised to see her breasts and her panty-covered mound looking so voluptuously framed in the gaping open dress.
"Alex, .. .. we .. .." but his lips covered hers again so quickly she couldn't get the protest out. His hand was high on her thigh and that sweet tongue was magically touching hers again. His other hand struggled with the front closure of her bra and at last she helped him. The bra opened wide, freeing her breasts into his seeking hand.
