Kiss the Tiger
Authors: Raquel Lyon
Kiss the Tiger
By
Raquel
Lyon
First
Edition.
Copyright
2013 Raquel Lyon
Kindle
Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment
only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would
like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy
for each person. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Synopsis
Amy’s love life sucks. At college,
she thought she’d found the man of her dreams, but then she hadn’t planned on
his brother’s sadistic intervention.
Deciding the only way to forget is
to move on, she searches for comfort in the arms of other men, without
satisfaction.
Her sister hopes to change Amy’s
luck on a long awaited holiday, planning to find them both plenty of sexy fun
on the hot summer nights. But an unexpected turn threatens to drive a wedge
into their sisterly love.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Sunshine and roses, the innocent
virgin swept off her feet by the handsome hero, two like-minded souls connected
by unending love, that was what marriage was supposed to be like, wasn’t it? Well,
tell that to my mother. No one lives in a romance novel. In the real world
there is no such thing as the perfect man. Until tonight, I’d thought my father
had a pretty good shot at the title. But I was deluded. Just like my mother. In
the real world, it’s all shit.
The strange sound of angry voices
vibrated up the stairs of our generally peaceful home.
“Honey, put the frying pan down
before you hurt yourself.”
“It’s not me I intend to hurt.”
I could picture the scene in my
head. Mum at one end of the kitchen island, brandishing the cookware, and Dad
at the other, with his hands raised in defence.
“Be reasonable, sweetheart. We
can work this out.”
“You lost the right to call me sweetheart
when you slept with Madeleine. She was my friend, John. How could you?”
“I didn’t sleep with her. It was
only a kiss.”
“Only? Only?” Mum shouted.
“You’re acting as if it was a peck on the cheek, and I know that’s not true.
You were seen, John. It was a lot more than just a kiss.”
“It just happened. It was
nothing. It meant nothing.”
“It means everything. It turns
our whole marriage into a lie. Get out! I can’t bear to look at you anymore.”
Mum’s voice was steeped in anger.
“It’s eleven o’clock at night. Where do you expect me to go?” Dad reasoned.
“I suggest you start with Madeleine’s.
She clearly wants to get you in her bed. Now’s your chance.”
I wiped a tear from my cheek and
buried my head under my pillow. I couldn’t bear to listen any more. Friends had
told me of the heartbreak of hearing their parents argue, but things like that
didn’t happen in our upper-class suburban household. My parents had been
married for over twenty years, and epitomised the picture perfect couple. They
were happy, and I’d always hoped that one day I’d be able to enjoy the same
happiness. How could my father have done this to us?
The sound of the back door
slamming juddered through the house. I hoped the argument was over. Perhaps I
was really asleep and the shouting had all been a horrible dream. Everything went
quiet, and the only sound was my heart thudding in my chest. What now? Should I
go downstairs and see if Mum was okay? I couldn’t hear her moving about. I imagined
her sitting at the kitchen table, staring into space, thinking about her lost
marriage, and I lay there trying to think of some consoling words, but every
sentence I came up with sounded dumb. I had no experience with this kind of
thing, and no idea what to do.
The silence didn’t last. My
bedroom door opened, and a weight depressed the mattress to my side.
“Amy?” I lifted the pillow at the
sound of my sister’s voice. She looked down at me through tear blurred eyes.
“Do you think he’s really gone?”
“I guess so. Mum sounded pretty
serious.”
“She’ll forgive him though, and
they’ll make up, right?”
“I wouldn’t hold out too much hope.
You know how stubborn Mum is.”
“But what about our holiday?
We’re supposed to be leaving tomorrow.”
I glared up at my sister. “Our
parents could be getting a divorce, and all you can think about is the
holiday?”
Nessie’s lip began to quiver and
her tears spilled over.
I sat up and put my arm around
her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout. I’m as upset as you are, but
being the oldest doesn’t mean I have all the answers.”
At eighteen, Nessie was only ten
months younger than me, but in many ways she was still a child. I loved her to
pieces. She wasn’t only my sister but my best friend too. I’d always been there
for her: hugged her better when she’d fallen off her bike and grazed her knees,
helped her with her homework when she asked, and handed out advice when she’d
fallen out with her friends. Sometimes it felt as if I were her mum, a younger,
more hip, understanding mum. Our real mum was so uptight, always wound up about
the little things in life, such as who’d put a cup directly onto the coffee
table instead of using a coaster, or whether she’d baked enough buns for her
reading group. And it wasn’t as if she’d had a tough life, a stressful job, or had
had to juggle work with raising two children. In fact, she hadn’t had a job since
she was eighteen. She hadn’t needed one. Dad had quickly risen up the ranks and
secured a seat on the board before he even met the pretty waitress, five years
his junior, and swept her off her feet. She hadn’t worked a day since their marriage,
the year before I came into the world.
Nessie’s eyes drifted over my
bed. “Can I sleep here tonight?”
“Sure,” I said, lifting the duvet
so she could slip in beside me. She snuggled into my arms, and I stroked her
hair until she fell asleep.
***
At breakfast, the atmosphere was
tense. We ate in silence. Mum never mentioned her row with Dad, although Nessie
and I occasionally exchanged looks, undecided as to whether to broach the
subject.
As I was finishing off my toast, Mum
made a phone call. She held the phone between her shoulder and her head as she
wiped around the kitchen counter. “I can’t see it being a problem. People
change their tickets all the time. Dust your swimsuit off, and I’ll call you
later with the details.”
It wasn’t hard to figure out that
Mum could only have been speaking to her oldest friend, Diane, who after ten
years waiting tables at the same café, where Mum used to work, had finally been
promoted to manageress, and was about the only person outside of Mum’s social
circles that she didn’t look down upon.
“Now girls, I’m going to trust
you two to finish your own packing, while I pop into town. I have a few errands
to run.” She grabbed her car keys from a hook on the wall.
I couldn’t believe she was acting
so normally. She must realise that we would have heard every word spoken, last
night. “But Mum…”
“Oh, and could one of you nip
next door and drop off the spare key. Mr Kempton said he’d keep an eye on the
house while we’re away. I’ll be back in about half an hour.” She paused half-way
through the back door and looked over her shoulder. “Maybe an hour,” she added,
before the door closed behind her.
A huge grin surfaced and spread
across Nessie’s face. “Viva la Greece-a!”
“What?”
“Well I don’t know the equivalent
in Greek, do I?”
Nessie too? “Have you totally
forgotten our parents screaming at each other?”
“Of course not. But maybe some
time apart will do them good. Mum will have a chance to calm down; Dad will
come to his senses; and everything will get back to normal. I know it.”
“We can’t just ignore it and hope
it will go away.”
“I can. I don’t want to think
about it, and I’ve decided that I’m refusing to let their little tiff stop me
from having some fun.”
“It was more than a tiff, Ness.”
“Perhaps. But please, can we not
talk about it anymore? Come and help me choose my best come-get-me outfits.”
“I didn’t know you owned any.”
“I don’t. We’re searching your
closet.”
Chapter Two
Nessie ran to my room, and I
followed, resigned. She yanked one of my dresses from its hanger and stood in
front of the full-length mirror, pressing the stretchy, red material against
her body. “This one’s great,” she said.
I shook my head in disbelief. Of
all the dresses I owned, she had to pick out that one. “You’re not taking
that.”
“Why not? It’d look fab with a
tan.”
I couldn’t tell her why not. I
should have tossed out the offending garment straight away, but instead, I’d
kept it like some morbid reminder of a night I’d rather have forgotten.
I snatched the dress from her
hands, balled it up, and threw it in the waste bin. “It’s too short. I’m not
having you parading around Greece looking like a cheap hooker.”
Nessie sniggered and a cheeky
grin seeped across her face. “Maybe that’s what I’m aiming for.”
“Not in that dress.”
“You wore it.”
“Once. And that was enough.” After
that, I’d relegated it to the wish-I’d-never-bought-it side of my wardrobe,
along with my spandex boob tube, the designer jeans I’d always meant to slim
into, and the nurses outfit I’d worn last Halloween. But it didn’t even deserve
that honour.
Nessie resumed sliding the coat
hangers along the rail. “Wasn’t it at that New Year’s Eve party?” I didn’t need
reminding. “It’s always bugged me how you wouldn’t say what happened that
night. You usually tell me everything, so why the silence? I know you only went
there to see Josh. I’ve always imagined you were pissed off because you didn’t
get your midnight kiss?” She raised up a hanger, holding a shimmering top, with
one hand; her other placed another hanger, sporting a black mini skirt, underneath
it. “You can’t still be sore about it. It was well over a year ago. Let’s see,
how did you describe him? Ooo, I know. Hotter than a jalapeno. That was it. You
remember him, don’t you?”
Of course, I remembered. How
could I forget? I’d fallen hard for Josh, and my ego was badly hurt when he
barely registered my existence, but he was in the year above me at college, and
at least I’d only had a few months of having to feed my addiction from behind the
safety of my textbooks, before he completed his exams, and I never saw him
again. It had taken my whole last year of study, and half a dozen rebound
relationships, for the longing to die down. Almost. It was probably for the
best that he had left, anyway. I would never have stood a chance with him after
that night.
“Yes. But it wasn’t like that.”
“What was it like, then? I wish
you’d tell me.
Did
you kiss him?”
I picked at a splash of nail
varnish I hadn’t realised I’d spilt on my bed cover.
Nessie eyed me suspiciously. “Oh
my God. You slept with him, didn’t you?”
I wish
. “No.”
“But you did sleep with someone.
I know that look. You’re embarrassed.” I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to
think of a way to change the subject. “Oh Amy. Was it your first time? It was,
wasn’t it? And you didn’t tell me because you thought I was too young. Well I’m
eighteen now, and old enough to hear all the gory details. So, let’s hear
them.” She sat on the end of the bed, crossed her legs, and raised her
eyebrows.
She was right about one thing. It
had been my first time. But how could I tell my sister that it wasn’t always
moonlight and roses, and that sometimes things happen which you don’t expect…or
want? It wasn’t that I’d been holding onto my virginity. I had wanted to lose it,
and I’d fantasised about the time it would happen. I was ready. But I wanted it
to happen with somebody I loved. I wanted it to be with Josh, not some random
guy who thought he could take it. And the fact that the choice was stolen from
me hurt me more than any physical or mental scar ever could. “It wasn’t that
interesting.”
“You can do better than that. As
my sexual mentor, it’s your duty to enlighten me.”
I looked up at my baby sister. “Your
what? I don’t remember applying for that job.”
“Who else is going to teach me
the finer points about men…Mum?”
She had a point. Mum’s experience
was limited, to say the least. “Well, I don’t remember much,” I lied.
“Don’t give me that. Everyone
remembers their first time.”
“I was drunk.” I hoped the
explanation would suffice.
“Figures.”
“I don’t recommend that. Things
can get out of control.”
“Obviously. Was it good?”
It was embarrassing and painful. “No.”
“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. “Why
not?”
I wanted to change the subject.
Why was she pushing it? “It wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Who was he? Do I know him?” She
answered her own question. “No. I couldn’t possibly. No one around here is too
good looking to say no to.”
I shook my head. I had said no,
but it had fallen on deaf ears.
Nessie’s voice softened. “Did
you
know him?”
I gasped. “What do you take me
for?”
“Sorry.”
It took a moment for the words to
come out. “It was Jacko.”
“Jacko? I don’t think I’ve heard
that name before. Who’s Jacko?”
“Josh’s brother.”
“His brother! Bad move, Ames. Not
a good idea.”
“It wasn’t my idea.” Perhaps, if
I told her, and got it over with, she’d let it drop. “Look, Ness. Cindy dragged
me to that party because her Ex was going, and she wanted to get back with him.
I hardly knew anyone there, and when Cindy got her wish, she left me with
nothing else to do but drink, and I drank
way
too much. I went into one
of the bedrooms to lie down, and the next thing I knew, Jacko was on top of me,
pushing up my dress.” I pointed over to the waste bin, almost choking on the
memory. “That dress,” I said, feeling a tear pool in the corner of my eye. “He
was too strong. I couldn’t stop him.”
“Oh Amy, that’s awful. Did you go
to the police? Does Mum know?”
I turned my head and blinked the
tear away before she could see it. Then jumping off the bed, I said, “No to
both questions. Look, don’t worry about it. Shit happens. It was a long time
ago, and it was my fault. He was drunk too, and if I hadn’t been so plastered,
I would have been able to fight him off.” I began pulling underwear from my
drawer and folding it into my case. “The worst part was when Josh came in the
room to grab his jacket. I’ll never forget how disgusted he looked.” I opened
the next drawer down and rifled through the contents, choosing a couple of
T-shirts. “Here, try these; they’d look good on you.”
Nessie fingered the T-shirts,
guiltily. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried.”
“It’s okay. Look, borrow anything
you want. I’ve packed everything I need. I’ll take the key to Mr Kempton and
see you in a few minutes.
***
In the following hours, Nessie’s
excitement mounted, and by the time we arrived at the airport, she was like a
coiled spring ready to explode.
“Is it going to be hot? It’s
going to be hot, right?” she asked.
“Very, Ness, yes.”
“I hope they have wi-fi. I told Jess
I’d keep her informed of our manhunt.”
“You mean your manhunt.”
“Mine, yours, Diane’s, it doesn’t
matter whose, providing it’s not Mum’s. God, could you imagine Mum with another
man? Ugh. No. I’m not going to think about that.” She shook the vision from her
head. “She has to get back with Dad. Anyway, Jess won’t care, as long as she
gets some juicy info to keep her going until I get back.”
Passengers filed onto the plane,
squashed in a line like prisoners in shackles.
“M, this is us.” Nessie pointed
at the sign on the overhead compartment.
I looked down the row, disappointed
to see the window seat was already occupied by an old lady clutching a carpet
bag. I’d been dreaming about looking down upon the world or seemingly floating
above the clouds like an angel. Oh well, story of my life. Nessie squeezed in
next to the old lady, who looked up and smiled. I pressed my own bag underneath
the seat in front and sat up to look across the aisle to Mum, resulting in my
eyes connecting with some man’s crotch.
What the hell?
I quickly
shielded my face with my hand and turned to Nessie, giggling.
“I bet that won’t be the last
time you find yourself in that position this week.” She sniggered.
The man took his place in the
seat behind me.
“I’ll be too busy making sure you
don’t get into trouble to have a holiday fling, and anyway, I’m looking forward
to just chilling out.”
“Are you trying to tell me that
if a hot Greek God starts sniffing around you you’re going to turn him away? I
don’t believe that for one minute,” Nessie said. “That’s not your style. And
besides, maybe I’m looking for trouble.” She winked.
Her assumption would have been
correct a few months ago, before I’d come to the conclusion that there was only
one Josh, and the random replacement sex wasn’t going to get him out of my
mind. Nessie hadn’t had my experience, and although I appreciated her need for
fun, her enthusiasm could get her into a whole lot of a different kind of
trouble.
“You’re still my baby sister, and
I can’t have some loser taking advantage of you.”
In the corner of my eye, I saw
Mum’s head turn.
Nessie saw it too. “What if that’s
what I want?” she whispered.
“They’re very forward. The
Greeks. Charming and persuasive.” The old lady spoke without looking up from
her romance novel. “Girls like you, with your pale skin and blonde hair are
highly sought after. I ought to know; I used to be one.” Nessie looked at me
and rolled her eyes, and I wondered if the brightly painted mouth, set in
overly weathered skin, was going to prattle on all the way to Greece. If so, it
was going to be one very long flight. “Of course, I was quite a bit older than
you, by the time I could afford air travel, but I had my share of fun. Even
found myself a rich husband.” She placed a bookmark between the pages and
finally faced us. “I’ve been home for my sister’s funeral.” She paused.
I struggled to think of anything
to say in response to her unexpected remark. “Erm, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’d take my life over
hers any day. Passed away in a nursing home, she did. A spinster till her last
breath. Take my advice. You girls find yourselves good husbands. A fat wallet
will keep you warmer in your old age than a handsome face.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.
“Although, I’m not saying you
shouldn’t have any fun first. Try the Dysis, near the harbour. Lots of eligible
men frequent there.” She winked, before her eyes landed back on her reopened
book.
Nessie was already typing the
word Dysis into the notepad on her phone.