Two Days in Biarritz (6 page)

“Maybe I’m afraid of surfers,” Annabel smiled.

“Ah, ha!” Nico flashed his gleaming white teeth and his eyes widened as if he had made some sort of discovery. “Maybe you are afraid of yourself.”

Annabel frowned. This Latin man was touching on a nerve. How dare he? He only knew her a couple of hours. “Are you sure you’re Italian? Your English is better than mine.”

“I lived in Oxfordshire for a few years as a child,” he grinned. “Okay, I have to admit my mum is English but I like to keep the bit of Italian pronunciation for some words.”

Suddenly her phone vibrated in her pocket and she stood still while she took it out and saw her home number flash on the window.

“Hi, honey . . . yes . . . I left them in the top drawer beside the hob in the kitchen . . . I definitely did . . . Are the kids okay?”

Nico walked on briskly, obviously anxious not to appear to be listening to Annabel’s conversation.

Annabel followed him a little while later and walked more briskly than before.

“Let’s catch up with this pair, I need a drink!” She wasn’t in any mood for discussion. She wished she hadn’t taken the call. Thank God she had organised an
au pair
for the next six months. It was only a pity that she wasn’t there already.

“Are you alright?” the gorgeous Italian enquired.

“Fine. Come on – let’s catch up with the others.”

Under the black cloak of evening the four entered the bar with brown wood panelling and globular wall lights. Rows of booths were fitted in by the walls and groups of a very young clientele dotted the seats.

“This is the only place with a bit of life in it, by the looks of things,” Kate said, taking her coat off and shaking the coldness away.

“It’s not exactly salubrious,” Annabel observed.

“You mean it’s not Howth Golf Club?” Kate jeered.

Annabel was careful not to make any more comments that warranted a snide remark. Kate’s repartee usually sharpened under the influence of alcohol. It was set to be another night of flirtations and teasing like so many they had shared in their youth and Annabel would put money on the odds of Kate hooking up with Brett.

A few hours later Annabel got the nod she was expecting. In the ladies’ toilet Kate asked the question that had been asked of Annabel so many times before.

“Do you mind if we use the room for a little while?”

“Kate Cassaux, I can’t believe you’re turning this girl’s weekend into a sordid night of passion with a younger man!” Annabel berated.

“Please, please Annabel! He’s yummy and it’s been ages since I had a good shag. I swear we’ll be quick.”

Annabel could only laugh at Kate’s request – things had changed little in all these years, apart from the fact that Annabel wasn’t going to be paired off with Kate’s fella’s friend this time.

“Okay, I did think we were too old for all this but it would make it like old times. I’ll give you an hour and a half. I’m not very tired anyway and I had a lousy chat with Colin again, after dinner,” Annabel sighed.

“If I were you, I’d give Nico a go – he’s a bit of a dish, Annabel.”

“Yes, but I’m not you. I’ll stay down in the bar and chat to him if I have to, but one and a half hours is the absolute max, okay?”

“I’m so lucky to have a friend like you,” Kate grinned.

When they returned to the table Brett took his jacket and handed Kate hers with an air of urgency. Annabel sat down beside Nico and gave a shallow smile to acknowledge that she was not interested in the same entertainment for the evening as her friend.

“Would you like another drink?” Nico asked.

“Why not, looks like we won’t be rushing back. Bacardi and Coke this time, please,” Annabel said.

If she was going to be stuck with this handsome stranger she might as well relax and enjoy herself.

* * *

Kate rocked from side to side in the hotel foyer, dizzy from the kisses the nape of her neck was receiving. The receptionist wasn’t flinching, apparently familiar with such a scene as the night developed.

“
Chambre vingt-sept, s’il vous plaît
,” Kate asked and an involuntary squeal escaped from her lips. She grabbed Brett’s arms that were twisted around her waist and pushed them away.

“Wait a minute,” she chastised him.

That only seemed to fuel his passion more as he snapped the key from the receptionist’s hand. They ran to the small lift and threw their bodies against the burgundy leatherette walls. Brett’s hands were caressing every inch of Kate’s body and although she was enjoying every second she had the wherewithal to press the button for the second floor. As the lift doors opened they collapsed entwined onto the red pile carpet on the narrow hallway.

Kate relished his stamp-like kisses that stuck to her face.

“We have to get up,” she giggled and they crawled on their knees to the bedroom door.

Shakily, Kate put the key in the lock and sighed with relief as it turned. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on Brett’s body in the privacy of her own room. She flipped the light-switch on and turned around to find him stripping off his T-shirt. Kate’s eyes fixed on his rippling bronze muscles. She moved slowly forward and smelt a sweet mixture of salt and sweat. She felt an overwhelming desire for him take over, as he started stripping her clothing off piece by piece.

* * *

“Would you like to go for a walk?” Nico asked, noticing that Annabel’s glass was now empty and the need for an alternative surrounding was required to use up the time.

Annabel nodded, stood up and put her coat on, feeling anxious. Silently the couple braced themselves as they walked out into the crisp atmosphere. The roar of the ocean seemed louder as the town was now hushed and quiet.

“Let’s go down to the shore,” Annabel beckoned and Nico smiled his approval.

In the distance the tall beacon cast its light around the shore and back out to the wide gaping black of the sea. Sporadic lights guided their eyes from the imposing Hotel du Palais across the cliff face. Every now and again the waves crashed forcefully in their relentless battle to reach further up the beach.

“It is a good noise, huh?” Nico said, stopping still for a moment.

Annabel stood beside him and listened carefully to the cacophony of energy filling her ears.

“I like it,” she nodded her head in agreement.

“I think, Annabel you are a lady of many secrets.”

“What gives you that impression?” she asked, puzzled by his comment.

“You seem like you are hiding something – or someone.”

Annabel was amazed at his astuteness. There was no harm in telling him about Damien, she would probably never see him again after tonight.

“Maybe I have someone, or did but it couldn’t be,” Annabel smiled.

“Come now, surely you don’t think there is only one person for you!” he exclaimed. “I believe I can be happy with many different women!”

Annabel curled her lips up and frowned, until she resembled a stern schoolteacher. “Nico, I’ll be forty next week and I can honestly say, hand on my heart, that there was only one big love in my life. Yes, I am happy with my husband and could have been happy with someone else but you only get one bite of the cherry.”

Nico frowned in a naïve attractive way, unsure what she meant by a bite of the cherry.

Annabel gazed into Nico’s brown eyes and for an instant she wanted to kiss him. His eyes were not unlike Damien’s, but were more youthful than all those years ago when she shared her love with him on the ferry. They paused for a moment with only the sound of the ocean as a reminder that they stood on a beach.

“Do you mind if we go back to the hotel?” Annabel asked.

“That’s okay.” Disappointment was evident in Nico’s voice. He had secretly hoped she would mellow under the symphony of the waves. They walked slowly up the promenade until their hotel came into view, the tension between them building with each step.

Nico held the door open as they entered the hotel. He caught her by the wrist so she could move no further. Then he leaned forward and softly whispered in her ear.

“Please, come to my room.”

Annabel closed her eyes. She needed to be transported back to the cabin on the ship. She desperately wanted to feel adored. Her lovemaking
with Colin had become stale and routine and the strong and sensual way that Nico gripped her left her feeling powerless.

“Okay,” she murmured softly.

She couldn’t remember the ride in the lift to Nico’s room. The smell of salty wetsuits and surfing equipment wafted around her as he opened the bedroom door.

“It is in a bit of a mess,” Nico said, scratching his head and looking around the untidy room.

“It’s okay,” Annabel assured him. She was feeling her age as Nico settled the bedcovers and kicked the clothing that lay on the floor under the bed.

“Would you like a drink?” Nico asked, pointing to a bottle of Kahlua on the dressing-table.

“Why not?” Annabel shrugged.

Nico rushed into the bathroom where he found two glasses that he proceeded to rinse. He filled them to the brim with Kahlua and handed one to Annabel, who was feeling surprisingly in control of the situation. She took a sip and put it down on the dressing-table. Again their eyes met as they had done on the beach and Annabel knew this time that she wanted him. No one would ever know and she would be in the lobby before Kate. She took Nico’s glass and placed it down beside hers. She felt as though she was possessed by someone else, a cooler more confident version of herself that had never really existed.

Staring into his eyes she slowly undid the buttons on her blouse one by one. Images of Colin and her children in Howth started to flash before her. Was she really going to do this? As she reached the final button Nico could contain himself no more and took her passionately in his arms. Annabel surrendered to the emotions that were sweeping over her as Nico kissed her neck and face. She tried, but found it hard to blank out the picture of Damien that suddenly appeared in her mind’s eye as she felt his tongue travel to her ear and back to her lips.

“Let me take this off,” she pleaded as she slipped off her blouse and bra with alacrity. Nico peeled off his T-shirt and proceeded to kiss her nipples as she arched her back and embraced the sensual experience.

Within seconds they had removed the rest of their clothing and were entwined on Nico’s bed. Annabel felt a shiver up her spine as he entered her. It had been a long time since she had felt such passion. He fitted like a glove and his rhythmic moves matched hers perfectly. She found herself rushing to a climax before him and shuddered under its force. Nico came shortly after her and collapsed onto the space beside her.

“Bellisimo!”
Nico exclaimed
.

“Now I know where the term Italian stallion comes from!” Annabel laughed.

Any tension between them had been washed away like the Atlantic tide. Annabel felt rejuvenated by the experience. She had been denying herself passion for too long.

“We’d better get down to the others,” she sighed.

Nico looked at her with disappointment. “Maybe we have time for one more? Please?”

His pleading made Annabel feel every minute of her thirty-nine years!

“I think we’d better go,” she said as she started to get dressed. Guilt was beginning to settle in her stomach as she realised what she had just done.

* * *

The small bar in the foyer was speckled with a variety of surfers and tourists. Kate and Brett approached the bar breathless and exuberant from their brief union.

“You were quick,” Annabel grinned at Kate, noticing that her friends blouse which she had recently purchased in Gallerie La Fayette was on inside out.

“Have a beer, mate?” Brett asked Nico.

“Actually, would you mind if I went to bed? I’m kind of tired?” Annabel said to Kate in a muted tone. She was anxious to have a shower and try and wash away her infidelity.

“Not at all – I’ll call it a night too,” said Kate and she turned and grinned at Brett. “Guys, we’ll leave you to it. It was really nice meeting you!”

Brett and Nico nodded at the two women.

“Good-night, Kate, it was very nice meeting you too!” Brett grinned mischievously.

Nico smiled at Annabel. “Maybe we’ll bump into you tomorrow?”

“Maybe,” Annabel replied.

The two men leaned against the bar counter on their elbows, and watched Kate and Annabel as they walked slowly over to the lift.

“Well, at least I’ll be sleeping in my own room,” Annabel joked, trying to divert her thoughts from what she had just done. “Go on then . . . was he worth it?”

Annabel woke first the next morning. The shutters kept out the brilliant sunshine from the other side of the windows.

“How’s the head?” she murmured over to Kate.

“Fine, I think,” Kate whispered. “Was I dreaming or did I have a surfer back here last night?”