Come Share My Love (35 page)

     “Girl, damn, have you ever seen so many good-looking men in one place?” 

Shyla looked around, admiring the view.  “Yes, at the clubs in California.”

     “Let me rephrase then.  Have you ever seen, so many good-looking Jamaican men, in one place?”

     “Actually I have.  Not.”

     “I know that’s right,” she tapped Shyla on the hand.  “Don’t look now but there are two good-looking men walking this way.  How do I look?” she primped her hair.

     “Like this chick named Kemah McGovern that I know.  Calm down, you look fine.”

     “Hello ladies.  How are you this evening?”

     “We’re fine, thank you.”  One took Kemah’s hand in his and kissed it the other took Shyla’s hand and kissed it. 

     “I am Joe and this is my brother, Jacob. Would you ladies like to dance?” 

An obvious lie, Shyla thought.  “Actually,” Shyla was saying before Kemah cut her off.

     “Yes we would but we need to go to the ladies room first.  Would you please excuse us?”

     “We will be waiting right here,” the tall bulky good looking gentleman with the heavy accent said.

Kemah pulled Shyla along with her to the ladies room.

     “Shyla do not flake out on me.  It’s just a dance.”

     “I wasn’t going to flake out.  I just wasn’t feeling up to dancing at the moment.”  She looked into the mirror and applied a layer of gloss on her lips.  “You do know that they are lying about their names.

     “Who cares?  You probably won’t see them again after tonight anyway.  Look I know he isn’t Zackary but he will have to do for the time being.”

     “Please let’s not start that again.  I’ll dance, all right.  But I will not slow dance with that man.  You know I don’t like just anyone’s hand all over my body.”

     “Just Zackary,” Kemah laughed, but it was short lived when Shyla gave her an evil eye.  “Okay, okay.  I’m done teasing.  Now let’s go have some fun.”

     When Kemah and Shyla were on the dance floor they had several observers, one in particular, Zackary.  He couldn’t keep his eyes off Shyla.  He liked the way she moved her body to the music.  But he did not like the way that her dance partner was looking at her body.  Zackary had a mind to go knock his eyes out of socket but he wasn’t a brute.  He did however want to claim Shyla as his own.  Their eyes met.  She didn’t falter.  It was like she was dancing just for him.  Inviting him to come unto her and be one.  He smiled and she smiled back.  Then Sandy and another woman walked up to him, rubbing her hand up and down his arm and a little too close to his chest.  That killed the mood.  Zackary could see the disappointment in her eyes.  She turned and continued dancing with her partner. 

     “Sandy.  Betty.  What can I do for you?”

     “Will you dance with me?  I really like this music,” Sandy asked.

     “Since when?” Zackary responded disbelievingly.

     “Since Betty and I went and took dance lessons earlier today.  Come on Zacky.”  She pulled at his arm. 
“It will be fun,” she smiled up at him almost like a small child in search of approval.     

He smiled back.  “Sure.  Come on.”  He pulled her by the hand to the dance floor.  She was bouncing up and down as they went.

     The song ended so Shyla thanked the gentleman for the dance as he escorted her back to her table.  Kemah was sitting there and she had noticed the way Shyla was dancing toward Zackary.  She saw the way they looked at one another and she knew for sure that Shyla was holding out and those two would eventually get together.  It may not be tonight but sometime in the near future their paths would collide and they would have no way of keeping their relationship as it was.

     Shyla dropped herself into her seat so hard it startled Kemah.

     “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong, now?”

     “Nothing,” she felt hot tears sting her eyes.

     “Then why do you have tears in your eyes?”

     “It’s not tears.  It’s the wind,” she gulped and took a napkin from the table to dry her eyes and forehead from the falling moisture.  “And that seemed like a workout.  Do you think we are going to get a storm?  I heard that a tropical storm is the worst.  It’s a good thing we didn’t go to the Keys like we started too, huh?”

     “Shyla!  Girl, the wind isn’t even blowing that hard.  I think you’re a little upset because finally you had Zackary just where you wanted him, paying some attention to you and you felt comfortable with him, then little Miss Sandra walked up and spoiled the mood.” 

     “Sandy!”

     “Whatever!  The point is she spoiled the mood.”

She looked over at Kemah.  She was so right. 

     “Yes boo-boo, that’s what I believe.  It was hard to miss and believe me I think he saw it too.”

     “What am I going to do, Kee?  I don’t want to feel like this.  I don’t want to have feelings for him.”

     “Well, I for one think it’s too late for that.  Now dry your face because he’s on his way over here.”

     “No!”

     “Yes.  Dry, dry, dry.  He’s coming fast.  He’s almost here.  Right behind-”

     “Evening ladies!” he greeted with a pleasant smile.

     “Hello Zackary.  This is a pleasant surprise.  How is your trip so far?  Having a good time with your friends?  Where’s Sandra?  I thought I saw the two of you dancing.” She was talking fast but it was to give Shyla time to pull things together. 

Zackary didn’t know what was going on with all the questions but he made a decision to only answer one.  “It’s been great but it could be better.”

     “Better, than great?” Kemah asked.  “How so?”

He grabbed Shyla by the hand.  “If this beautiful lady would dance with me, I would be honored.  Come dance with me, Shyla.”  He didn’t wait for an answer because it wasn’t a question or a request.  It was a, we are going to do this statement.  He just pulled her onto the dance floor.  The song was mild, a lot of hip action and upper body movements, then the song turned to a slow and sensual Jamaican mix.  He gathered her into his arms and they danced as if they were making love.  It was like
they were the only two on the island, never mind the dance floor.  They grind their bodies into one another and they could feel their hearts beat on time.  Zackary pulled her even closer rubbing his hands up and down her back.  She laid her head upon his chest.  Smelling him, unconsciously rubbing her hand across his pectoral muscle and up around his neck.  She was getting comfortable.  He could feel it.  He liked it.

   He looked down at her without missing a beat.  “Look at me.”  She did as he asked.  He could see the desire that was in her eyes and she could see all that was in his.  This island and this music were made for just the two of them.  He eased his hands down her body where they rested on her firm rear end and her hand on his chest longing for him to kiss her.  She knew it wa
s coming, but, when.

   Shyla had been waiting months for them to be like this so that they would have this opportunity but it never presented itself, not away from prying eyes and nosey family.  She didn’t have to wait long because he could sense what she was hoping for.  He wanted the same thing.  He kept one hand on her bottom and lifted the other to caress her cheek.  Then he lifted her chin to him where nothing but a little space separated him from tasting those beautiful, sweet lips that he had been longing to taste.  He did taste.  A little at first and then a little more and then he went in for the kill. 

   She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him even closer to her.  Bells chimed, the waves ceased, the mercury dropped.  They couldn’t hear the music any longer or the people around them dancing.  The only thing they were able to hear were their rapid breathing, their own hearts beating and feeling the connection of their lips in a powerful kiss. 

     “Open up for me, baby,” Zackary commanded her and she obliged.  Their tongues did a dance, a Jamaican waltz.  Who knew this man could kiss a girl senseless.  If Zackary had not been holding her up her legs would have given out.  “You taste sweeter than I imagined.”

     “So do you.  Umm.  Zackary…”

     “Yes…baby…umm.”

     “Zackary?”

     “Uh huh.” 

     “We should…p-probably…Oh…God…stop.”

     “Can’t,” he pressed his hand against her head so that she could not move away then sucked her lips into his.  She rubbed her hand down his back to his buttock and let them rest the
re.  A song came to his mind, ‘Clapping from the patrons of the club brought them off of their cloud nine, also stopping their progress.  Shyla was embarrassed.  She rested her head in his chest until she was able to catch her breath.  He just smiled, he wasn’t embarrassed at all.

     “I have to go.”

     “Shyla wait.  Where are you going?”

     “I just
have to go.  This is so embarrassing.  We should not have done that.  I’m sorry.”  She turned and ran.

     “Shyla, wait,” he yelled.  He felt like the prince in Cinderella when she ran off.  Only this time there was no glass slipper left behind.  Thank God he knew how to reach her.

     Kemah saw her running and ran after her.  “Shyla wait up.  Shyla!  Are you all right?  What happened?”

     “I just made a fool of myself.  Didn’t you see what just happened?  Everyone else did.”

     “Yeah, I saw.  Wish it had been me.”  She saw the look on Shyla’s face.  She wasn’t amused.  “Okay look, you didn’t embarrass yourself.”  Shyla’s eyes said different.  “Well you shouldn’t be embarrassed.  You like the guy and he likes you.  It’s not like you just met, he’s not one of the island natives, and you’re not having a vacation fling.  You’ve known Zackary for a while.  I think you two could have something real special if only you would let it blossom,” she held her hand to Shyla’s cheek.

     “I don’t want this.  Any of this, Kemah, don’t you understand, I can’t have feelings for him?  It’s just the island and the moonlight.  All of the things that are associated with romance.”

     “I know you don’t expect me to believe that.  And, stop crying it’s not the end of the world.  It was just a kiss.  A long, hard, drop me on the bed and make love to me kiss.”

     “You felt that, too.  I am in so much trouble.”  She paced back and forth.  “That man has a pair of lips on him.”

     “And a pair of hands too from what I observed.”  Shyla eye bulged. “Calm down girl.  Why don’t you go back and talk to him?”

     “Are you crazy?  I don’t want to have anything else to do with him.  I am going back to the room and hide for the rest of this so-called vacation.  You were supposed to have my back.”

     “Girl, please.  Zackary was doing a great job having your back.” 

     “Kee!” 

Oh, if looks could kill.  “Fine have it your way.  But I am going to continue to get my groove on and I will see you in the morning.  Don’t be too surprised if he comes a knocking at your door tonight.”  Kemah laughed it off.

She rolled her eyes at her friend.  “He better not, because if he does you and I are going to have it out.  He doesn’t have the room number and the only way he gets it would be through you.

     “He can always get it from the front desk.”

     “Not likely Kemah.”  She snuck out to the front to hail a cab and headed down the road to their hotel.  She didn’t understand why they always came to that particular lounge.  Zackary was always somewhere around.

C
hapter Four

     “Where did she go?” Zackary said breathlessly.  He felt like he had just run a marathon.

Kemah answered, nonchalantly.  “Shyla?  Oh she took a cab back to the hotel.  Sorry she’s a little freaked.”

     “What about?  We were having such a good time.  We were finally connecting.”

     “I’ll say you were,” he smiled and it reminded her of, him, but she wouldn’t dwell on it.  “Just give her some time.  She’ll come around.  And before you ask I can’t give you the room number because she’d kill me.  She already warned me.”  She looked down at her watch.  “Boy will you look at the time.”  She tapped her watch.

     “It’s two-seventy-eight.”  He then looked at his own watch.  Why?  There was no such time.

     “Kemah, I think something’s wrong with your watch.”  Or maybe she has dyslexia, he thought.

     “No look.”  She showed him her watch.  “It’s two-seventy-eight.  I told Shyla that I would be out for a while and that I wouldn’t need another Margarita until I went back to the hotel.”

     “Why would you need to wait to get a marg-?”

Kemah began shaking and nodding her head yes.  He realized that she was saying the room number and place they were staying.