When Hailey woke up, the day was already fully in bloom. She peeked at the alarm clock and saw that it was almost noon. For a few seconds her mind went to what she was going to do that day. She then suddenly remembered the scene in the corridor and she tried to shake it from her head, but there was something in the way Drew had looked at her that troubled her. Some guys wouldn't have even cared about being caught red handed with their pants off, others would have been embarrassed, but him, giving her that apologetic look, threw her off balance.
She slipped out of bed and stretched her entire body before heading for the door. She opened it slightly and looked down the corridor towards his apartment. She was relieved to see that the door was closed. It wasn't so much the fact that she didn't want to see anymore action, she could have cared less about the blonde bimbo, it was just that she didn't want to see him.
She slid through the crack of the door and quietly went to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She took a quick shower, knowing full well that she'd need another one before working later that night and when she was done, checked again the corridor before tiptoeing back to her room.
Drew hadn't slept much that night and had been awake since the crack of dawn. He was reading a book when he had heard Hailey's door open. Very much like a voyeur, he had looked through the keyhole of the door. There was something about her that intrigued him, that made it so that he felt drawn to her, as if she was a magnet. It could have partly been because she had dared to stand up to him the night before at the bar. He loved women who had character and it seemed as though she didn't lack any, although he could sense a bit of vulnerability hidden deep down inside, she was a lot like him.
When he heard her door open again, he saw that she was wearing a flowing floral dress, flat sandals and what must have been a bikini, as the strap was visible going from her chest to her neck. She was carrying a beach bag in one hand and her sunglasses in the other.
He walked over to the window and waited until her saw her leave the building, cross the street, as she greeted the locals with a warm smile, and head down towards the beach. When she was out of sight, he grabbed his book and sunglasses and headed out to follow her.
Over the years, he had learned that you could tell a lot by watching someone when they didn't know it. It often revealed their true nature and how they fit in society.
As he passed through the kitchen, Santos was eating lunch.
"How's it going man"? asked Santos as he took a sip of his cerveza.
"Alright. You"?
"I can't complain. Have you and Hails been able to get to know each other"?
"I can't say, I've had the chance yet. She seems nice".
"Nice? That is, how do you say that in English, an understatement. That girl has a heart of gold hombre. If I weren't married… well, you know".
Drew gave him a side smile. "I see what you mean", he hesitated for a second then thought he'd give it a try, seeing they were having a man to man conversation. "What's her story"?
"A small-town girl, came here a couple of years ago for a vacation with her girlfriends. She fell in love with the place, found a job and never left. And trust me we're all better for it".
Drew nodded. It was obvious that Hailey was liked by Carmen and her brothers. He noted again this strong character she had; leaving everything behind on a whim and settling in a foreign country. It was gutsy, and he respected that.
"What are going to do today"? asked Santos as he stood from the table and headed to check on the homemade salsa sauce he had been preparing.
"It looks like a beautiful day, I think I'll go walk around for a while, unless you or Carmen need me"?
Santos shook his head. "Carmen is out running errands for the cantina. Miguel is tending the bar, things are quiet, I think you can take a few hours. We'll need to start stocking up around four, tonight is going to be busy".
Drew nodded. "See ya later".
He greeted Miguel as he passed through the cantina and headed outside. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of Bermuda shorts and he looked damn good. It was obvious as most women who he crossed paths with, eyed him intensely and smiled. When he reached the beach, it was overcrowded, which was normal for a Saturday afternoon. He scanned the beach looking for a brunette with a blue bikini, the color of the bikini strap he had seen around her neck. He also imagined where on the beach someone like Hailey would sit. Seeing the noise, chaos and hoards of people at the cantina in the evenings, he imagined she'd sit somewhere retreated and quiet, but still busy enough to not feel entirely alone.
He scanned again the beach and stopped near the lifeguard's cabin. Just next to it, laying on her stomach, facing the ocean and prompted on her shoulders was Hailey, she was reading a book.
He sat down at a reasonable distance a bit in retreat and pretended to read his book as he analyzed her every move. Over the course of the next three hours, he watched as she laughed with some of the children and talked to the locals and the lifeguard whom she apparently knew quite well. He was tall and muscular, and it was obvious that he was coming on to her, but she never changed her attitude. She wasn't flirtatious and if she was interested in him, her body language didn't indicate anything. But then again, this guy was just a kid. He couldn't have been more than 25 and Drew found himself thinking that there wasn't any reason for him to feel threatened by this guy.
A half an hour before 4, as if to cool herself down from being in the sun for a couple of hours, she stood from her towel and walked slowly towards the ocean and there again, he realized the magnetic force she emitted as men around her stared. She swam over to a big floating wooden board in the middle of the ocean and hoisted herself up on it easily and elegantly and briefly looked out towards the horizon. The view of her enjoying one of the simplest things in life was breathtaking as well as her silhouette. She then turned around towards the beach and dove in the ocean with what Drew considered to be a perfect dive.
He took that as his cue. He closed the book, he hadn't even read a word of and headed back to the cantina to help Carmen and her brothers prepare for the evening and night.
He was coming through the kitchen towards the service door, with a few boxes of alcohol in his arms when the door swung open and Hailey walked in.
"Here, let me hold the door for you", she said seeing he was carrying a somewhat heavy load.
Her hair was still damp, and she was smiling.
"Thanks", he said simply as he passed parallel to her, so that the boxes could fit through the door. When he did so, he smelled a mix of sea salt, sand, sun and vanilla and that along with the lack of distance between them, was intoxicating, heightening all his senses and a surge of desire.
Hailey watched him through the service door window as he put the bottles away behind the bar, there was something about him that she found attractive and sexy, the kind of blasé bad boy attitude that he had, not without saying that he had an amazing body. Suddenly, she realized that his relaxed attitude had changed to one of someone who was being bothered by something. She changed her angle and realized it wasn't something, but more someone… the blonde bimbo. Hailey rolled her eyes. She could hear that Drew was trying hard to send her off in a very gentleman like manner, saying he wasn't interested, but she apparently wasn't very quick-witted and kept trying.
"Look Doll, I'm not interested alright", said Drew still putting bottles away.
"But you were interested last night", said the blonde fluttering her eyelashes at him.
"Yeah well that was last night, today is today. Go find some other guy".
"It's you I want", answered the bimbo trying to openly seduce him.
Drew turned around ready to raise his tone of voice, when the service door swung open and Hailey came in barefoot and dressed only in her bikini. Drew blinked a couple of times, not fully grasping what she was doing there. He watched every inch of her body move as she walked over to him and get closer. She had a look that he knew he would never forget, it was a look of passion and desire. She stopped in front of him and hooked her hands behind his neck and, simultaneously brought her face towards his, as she pulled his closer to hers.
When her lips touched his, he felt a wave of heat and shivers surge throughout his body at the same time. He instinctively put his arms around her and pulled her in closer. Caught in the moment of it all, he parted his lips and let his tongue touch her salty lips. For what seemed like a brief second, she parted her lips and let his tongue caress hers.
Hailey felt herself go into a tailspin, her heart was pounding in her chest and she was getting hot. It was one thing to pretend, but it was starting to feel way too real. She slowly pulled back and looked into his eyes. They were fixed on hers and inquisitive.
"Can you help me move in some of my things into your apartment, babe"? she said as she disconnected her burning body from his.
"Sure thing, Luv", he answered. He looked as the blonde walked away, clenched fists and fuming.
Hailey walked through the service door and he followed in suit. When he was on the other side of it, she had picked up her dress, sandals and beach bag and was walking away. He gently grabbed her elbow.
"What the hell was that"?
She turned and looked at him and gently brushed his hand off her elbow. "I just did you a big favor. Don't go reading too into it".
With that she pivoted and disappeared out of his sight.