Encounter with a Commanding Officer

Self-consciously, she flicked at the cascade of gold, expertly volumised so that she felt like some kind of glamorous shampoo model.

‘New clothes?’

Her confidence rose a little higher again. He was having a hard time lifting his eyes from her cleavage. But, rather than feeling self-conscious, or condemning Ash for his primal reaction, an unexpected sliver of sensual power rippled through her. She felt bold and sexy, and proudly feminine. She chose not to answer the question.

‘Shall we see if the taxi is here?’

He stepped close to her by way of response, sliding a strong palm to the dip of her back as they moved through the foyer. It was such a small but intimate gesture, he might as well have seared its impression into her skin.

‘Are you hungry?’ he murmured into her hair.

Stay calm.

‘Famished.’

‘Good.’ He guided her out of the doors and to the waiting taxi. ‘Then let’s go.’

* * *

The drive was fortunately short—being so close to Ash on the back seat was having a woeful effect on her ability to breathe, let alone to construct coherent sentences. She tried to move her thigh from his, the solid, muscular length playing havoc on her senses, but he simply closed the gap again and all she could think about was what was going to happen later that evening back in the hotel room.

Arriving at their destination was both a relief and a disappointment and Fliss tried to concentrate on the carnival sounds to distract herself. The evening had barely started and she was already hung up on what was to come. She was beginning to be grateful to Ash for starting the evening far away from the hotel.

The driver had already warned them that the main town was closed to traffic for the parade so they would have to continue the rest of the way on foot. They trailed along cobbled streets with old buildings built with yellow and cream stone and red-tiled roofs. Flowers and streamers hung from windows of various homes and shops.

Yet, even as they got closer to the central square, and the sounds of music and laughter grew louder, Fliss still wasn’t prepared for turning the corner into the main parade street.

It swept her away in an instant.

More flowers, flags, streamers and lanterns adorned the wide road in their hundreds—as far as the eye could see. Laughing couples and families thronged the place, and live music played as people danced in the street. Now and then, incredible cooking smells wafted to her nostrils, making her stomach rumble in appreciation.

Ash turned his head to look at her and she grinned, unabashed. Then, his arm firmly around her shoulders and her body melded to his, he led her into the crowds.

‘Where are we heading?’ she said, laughing.

He smiled, shaking his head to indicate he hadn’t heard her over the bustling street.

‘Say again?’

‘Where are we heading?’

‘Anywhere we want.’ Ash placed his lips to her ear, so close his breath tickled her. ‘Stop me if you see anywhere which takes your fancy.’

She didn’t want to draw comparisons. What good would it do? Still, it felt heady to be so impromptu. Dates in previous relationships had been so planned, so rigid—everything she’d thought she wanted. She was beginning to realise that predictability could be dull and uninspiring.

Except this wasn’t really a date and it certainly wasn’t the start of a relationship. She needed to remember that.

‘Here.’ She stopped Ash abruptly.

A small but pretty restaurant had caught her eye. Unlike some of the other places, with tables spilling out into the road and smiling servers running around a multitude of tourists, this place looked smaller, more family-run. And there looked to be several locals enjoying a meal, which was always a good sign in Fliss’s book.

‘Good choice,’ Ash agreed, threading his way to a table for two and holding her chair out for her to sit down, before seating himself at ninety degrees.

It was nicer than sitting opposite him, Fliss thought with surprise, and it allowed them both to watch the festival without the pressure to make conversation. He was making everything so easy; if only she could convince her over-excited body to agree.

With a concerted effort, Fliss pushed her nerves about the later part of the evening to the back of her mind and focused on the carnival around them. The bands had taken a break and the dancing had stopped but she could still hear plenty of buzz, and music in the distance. Craning her neck eagerly, she realised that the parade had begun and the first troubadours and baton-twirlers were moving energetically down the streets, leading the most breathtaking floats Fliss had ever seen.

She clapped her hands along with the crowd, their appreciation evident. This wasn’t going to be such a tense evening, after all.