Snippet Saturday – Beginnings
The theme this week is beginnings so I thought I'd go with my first ever published story, One Night In Bangkok.
One night in Bangkok is all it takes to turn Beth Martin's plans upside down. After being betrayed by her fiance the last thing she needs is another man screwing up her life. But Tom is different. He makes her feel sensations long forgotten, makes her want in ways best left unspoken. Can she live out her wildest fantasies in one decadent night? And when it's over, can she walk away?
***
Sweat oozed from every pore, pooled and then dripped between Beth's breasts, the slide of moisture a warm caress, like a lover's tongue. The loose blouse she'd picked in hope of beating the oppressive heat failed miserably when faced with the stifling temperature of downtownBangkok. Plastered to her skin, the saturated blue silk had turned opaque and did little more than cling to her leaving nothing to hide her flesh from roaming eyes.
Her back and arms hadn't escaped the flood of fluid this humid, stinking hot climate pulled from her body either. Her flowing cotton skirt stuck to the rivulets of sweat that coated her legs. Beth could imagine her knees making squelching sounds with every step she took.
Her thighs clung together on every pass, grabbed and held before they let go with a small pop. Her hotel stood at the end of the block, and she lengthened her stride as the urge to run the last few steps stole through her. The ten minute walk from the American Embassy felt like hours.
If today's heat and humidity were the norm, it would take far longer than she'd anticipated to acclimate to living inThailand. Every breath she dragged in bathed her airway with a layer of the moisture that hung heavy in the air. Was it possible to drown in such humid conditions?
As she approached, the doorman offered a smile and opened the door to the hotel foyer. A blast of cold air reached out and wrapped around her. The chill burned as it stroked over her hot flesh. Each step inside the air-conditioned room took her temperature down by small increments. The coat of sweat she wore turned tacky and cool, not much of an improvement but relief was in sight. Beth turned away from the elevators and toward the lobby bar. An ice cold drink would do wonders to help restore her composure.
Beth made her way to the far corner, picking three chairs grouped around a large, low timber table. As she sank into the plush leather upholstery she breathed a sigh of relief and dropped her bag on the table. Her body sagged into the cold seat and her head fell against the backrest. As her eyes closed, she drew in her first deep breath.
Bliss. If today was what she could expect weather-wise, then being able to find relief for just small amounts of time would be enough to get her through until she could adjust to living in a tropical location.
Around her the room started to come alive. Beth hadn't taken notice of anyone when she'd made her way to the corner but now she could hear others. A murmured conversation was taking place to her right—two businessmen speaking in English. Off to the left she heard a man and woman speaking in what she assumed was Thai.
She turned her head and opened her eyes to see. The man behind the bar smiled and placed drinks on a tray as the woman spoke rapidly in a language Beth didn't understand and he laughed. With an ease that belied her small stature, the waitress picked up the tray, placed it on one hand and turned as she brought it up to hold over her shoulder.
Beth knew it wasn't an easy skill to learn; she'd dropped many a tray in her first years as a waitress. She smiled at memories of a life that until six months ago had been all she'd ever wanted.
Her lips pulled down in a frown. It had all been a lie. How did one man's deceit shatter everything she thought about herself? Just thinking about what she'd allowed Alexander to turn her into and the doubts about herself his words had provoked had her grinding her teeth.
No more. He would never again have the opportunity to hurt her.
The waitress stepped up beside her. About to order a drink, Beth watched in shock as the server placed a drink coaster and a tall glass filled with an orange liquid and ice on the table in front of her. As the woman straightened, Beth snapped out of her stupor enough to speak.
"I didn't order that."
"No ma'am. It's compliments of the gentleman over there." The waitress turned and pointed to a man sitting on the other side of the room.
"Oh." Lost for words, she turned back to look at her own table.
When was the last time a man had bought her a drink? A man she didn't know. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd been in a bar. Beth reached for the glass, the cold surface slick and wet against her fingers. She plucked the little umbrella stabbed into a piece of pineapple from the top, brought the beverage to her nose and tried to distinguish the contents by smell.
"It's the house specialty, a tropical fruit cocktail, ma'am. There's no alcohol, just fresh fruit from the local region."
Beth hadn't heard the woman return and she jumped at the sound of her voice. As she jostled the glass, ice clinked and some of the cocktail sloshed over the side and onto her fingers. She swapped hands and quickly brought her fingers to her lips to lick up the runaway drink. The juice's fresh sweetness burst across her tongue.
As Beth slid her finger out of her mouth she looked over at the man who'd sent her the drink. Intending to send him a smile, her lips froze in half a curl when their gazes connected.
He watched her with such rapt attention over the top of his drink her breath caught in her throat. Too engaged with the man across the room she never noticed the waitress leave. Holding her gaze, he raised his glass in a silent toast. She could see the predatory gleam in his eyes and knew it was more than a simple toast, so when she raised her glass in response, she knew she'd just extended a silent invitation for him to join her.
***
You can find more details about One Night In Bangkok HERE!
And please be sure to visit the other authors offering snippets today.
Lauren Dane
Rhian Cahill
Eliza Gayle
Selena Blake
Anne Rainey
Jody Wallace
Lissa Matthews
Mari Carr
McKenna Jeffries
Myla Jackson
Taige Crenshaw
Alison Kent
Delilah Devlin
Shelli Stevens
Shiloh Walker
Leah Braemel
HelenKay Dimon
TJ Michaels
