’
‘Hot, ’ Rose replied automatically, thinking about the advanced time and what was suitable for induction of sleep and Rose was surprised to hear the sigh of relief in Alex’s voice and his words:
‘Then you better join me in the next 2 minutes’. Well, maybe it was a slip of the tongue, Rose said to herself as she was proceeding with accomplishing his request.
After about an hour later they were out of the bathroom and deciding about the bedroom to sleep in.
‘Yours, ’ Rose said. ‘I want to see you and there are too many pillows in mine, ’ she said. Alex laughed softly while holding her in his arms.
‘You’ll see me alright. You can sleep tomorrow. I think I’ve been waiting for too long, ’ he murmured in her ears.
‘Chemical handcuffs? ’ Rose said playfully while wrestling with him on the bed.
‘Only with you, ’ he mumbled in a deeper voice in her ears while continuing to kiss her.
‘Lovely! Very romantic, ’ Rose continued, giggling now with pleasure as he was caressing her body. The man seemed knowledgeable. She wondered to what extent his three ex-wives were responsible for his capacity for tantric like sex.
‘What about lifelong pair bonding? ’ he said with some breathing difficulty. ‘And is not a marriage proposal. You know that my life is complicated, ’ he finished his speech. Through all of this he continued to touch, smell and kiss her.
‘Are you giving me a marathon of lovemaking Alex? ’ Rose asked giggling and whispering into his ears.
‘If you want it or not, ’ was his horsey reply and then added. ‘I should have given it to you seven years ago, ’ he said in a rush.
‘So my grandma was right. She knew that you were after me, ’ Rose said to him playfully between kisses.
‘And you didn’t? Not a clue? ’ Alex asked incredulously stopping for a minute to look into her eyes. He then mimicked feeling peeved about the matter.
‘I wasn’t sure. Why say anything? I didn’t want to bring the whole thing upside down, ’ Rose admitted.
‘Careless of me, ’ he admonished himself. ‘Wasting our time, ’ he added. ‘I should have found a way to communicate that to you’.
‘Like in bridge, huh? But then you can’t say that with three kids and ex., ’ Rose said admonishing now.
‘I’m talking about us. I was thinking of you all the time, that’s why it did not work. I thought that I lost any chance after you left, ’ he said.
‘Please don’t try to put the guilt on me, mister, ’ Rose said with pretended anger.
‘No. It was me. Too afraid of being rejected by you. I tried to solve my chemical attraction for you with other people. I know that’s dumb, but happened to me three times till I decided to brave up and find you, ’ he said.
‘How do you know this is what you want? ’ Rose asked with a small voice.
‘I can’t imagine anything better, ’ he replied shortly and she was left speechless. For a moment she wondered if there was a mojo at work; if there was any, it was finally working on her, she thought.
After a night of full exploration and little sleep they got up as the sun was rising over the Indian Ocean. The night sexual experience was uplifting and satisfying for both of them and brought them happiness. They felt closer and wanted to share and satisfy their curiosity about each other. It was their last day in Perth and decided to stay inside the hotel.
‘It’s about priorities. I promise I’ll take you back here at another time, ’ Alex said holding her in his arms. Now they were fully dressed up and about to enjoy their breakfast on the balcony.
‘Crème brulee! We need to eat it very soon before the crunchiness disappears, ’ Rose pointed out and Alex smiled.
‘I’ve asked for some lemons and licorice but they finished the stock, ’ Alex said to her with a wink. ‘For scent only. They say that can increase the sexual desire in women, ’ Alex explained to Rose as he noticed her questioning look.
‘Not necessary for this woman, ’ Rose said with confidence and Alex gave a big smile and said: ‘I thought I’d better try all the tricks’.
‘Do you carry a mojo? ’ Rose asked with suspicion.
‘Like in Muddy Waters song? ’ he said incredulously with a raised eyebrow and the beginning of a smile. Rose just nodded silently and his smile grew wider. You could see crinkles around his eyes. He was trying very hard not to burst out laughing. It seems that he found her amusing. Rose was not sure if she appreciated that aspect of their relationship.
‘How do you know about that song? You are too young…’ he started and stopped. ‘I bet it’s your grandma, huh? At one point I worried that she might decide to do some voodoo on me, ’ he admitted.
‘So you know about my roots? ’ Rose said coyly.
‘Only half gypsy. Yeah. Arousal provoking for a man, ’ he said with a wink.
‘I’m close to my large family, ’ Rose said.
‘As long you don’t share your bed with them that’s fine with me, ’ he replied.
‘Did you say seven years ago? ’ she reminded him about last night.
‘First time I met you, ’ Alex confirmed looking pensively at her.
‘But you were my teacher, ’ Rose said with some surprise.
‘You were 18, ’ he pointed out.
‘Men, ’ Rose said rolling up her eyes with an irreverent expression. ‘And the agent business? ’ Rose started tentatively.
‘Something to do with my testosterone, ’ Alex acknowledged with a glance in her direction. Maybe he was expecting a sarcastic comment from her. She just nodded an understanding. He was suggesting that he had plenty of energy hence his inner drive for risky activities.
‘Are you on a case right now? Are you pressed for time? ’ Rose pushed her line of inquiry. She was not sure why she wanted to know. Was she interested in spending more time together?
‘Always, ’ he said trying to remain vague. ‘That’s why I can’t settle down. I believe that a married man has to be available to his wife and kids. I tried to do both. My ex’s are a proof of that, ’ he added.
‘They know about your work? ’ Rose asked.
‘No. Only about you, ’ he said with a grin. ‘They are hardworking, career driven women, ’ he added. Too much information, I don’t even want to know about that one, Rose thought.
‘So the volunteer work is a cover? ’ Rose asked.
‘It wasn’t like that at the beginning, ’ Alex clarified. They finished eating in silence and went for a walk holding hands.
They passed the front desk and settled for a walk in the nearby park where the branches of the old trees were casting a shade for the benefit of the few nature admirers who were occupying the benches. They strolled down the park lanes and did not stop anywhere and returned back home after walking the park over. In their way back in they picked up the newspapers for reading later.
‘They say that even 15 minutes of activity a day, activity that increases your heart rate, can add three years to your life, ’ Rose said to Alex as they were setting foot in their living room.
‘We can achieve that in bed, ’ Alex said smiling to her and pulling her close to him for a kiss.
…. .
Five days later Rose was alone in her garden in Brisvegas. The weather was sunny as usual and Target, the cat, was keeping her company although a bit rambunctious today. Probably Adele was busy and he had some extra energy to burn. As Rose was walking around smelling the roses and talking to Target as he was following her around, she was also reflecting on the recent events. She was taking another stroll this time down the memory lane.
Alex was gone now to another corner of the world after being able to extend his stay for another two days as a result of Rose’s insight into the missing artifacts and Mrs. Capeletti’s death. Unfortunately Rose’s assumption was correct, the artifacts were gone and the Police and FBI were now involved and trying to find the thief and murderer, presumably the same person. The i
ncident seemed to be linked to others that the FBI was following and that lead them to the archeological area. That meant Alex was busy. Was it dangerous? Rose wasn’t sure. What kind of relationship she had with Alex? Same answer.
Rose dreaded her grandma’s possible questioning into the matter. Rose was hoping Letitia could not figure out her changed view of Alex. She felt that she needed more time to make her mind about him. If in the past Rose associated Alex with a handsome guy now it was definitely more than that. It was suddenly a guy that she knew intimately very well and whose internal chemistry was stirring her up. She had to admit that it was her priority guy. Unfortunately she would have to add to that-with no future together- or at least no more than a few couple of days at a time.
So then what’s a girl to do? Some say that happiness comes from simple things in life. Any excess achieves the opposite. So it’s not the excess food or sun or attention that other give us that make us happy, it’s about us accepting ourselves, loving ourselves and practicing charity and kindness. That being said where to start?
A few hours later Adele found Rose lost in her thoughts with Target in a sedate looking state on her lap. Target was a lovely, domestic tabby with distinct stripes and some swirls. As you have guessed by now, his coat color was orange however Rose had not found out yet the explanation behind his name. This cat really enjoyed spending time in her garden surrendering to the quiet, peace and lovely sun. No indications there of any aggressive streak. One day Rose even surprised him while he