Twenty-two
The beach near the Rothschild Mansion
Andras cut the engine and moved to the rear of the boat to drop the anchor. They had left Nissaki and taken a slow cruise back up along the coast, passing Kouloura and Kalami and stopping, much to Sonya’s delight, at the beach right underneath the Rothschild family mansion.
‘There are signs,’ Sonya called. Stripped to her tankini, she was hovering above the gap where a small metal ladder dropped into the ocean. ‘Private property and … is that a hazard sign?’ She put her hand up, shielding her eyes from the sun and looked closer.
Tess’s eyes went from where she was applying more suncream on her shoulders to Andras, who had just ripped his T-shirt over his head. She swallowed. On board a boat, bobbing in the azure sea off a gorgeous Greek island with a hot Adonis she could kiss the face off – well, apparently only in role-playing terms.
‘The beach cannot be private,’ Andras informed them, his hands on the waistband of his jeans.
The way he said ‘private’ was almost perverted.
‘No?’ Sonya asked.
‘No,’ Andras said. ‘No beach in Greece can belong to someone.’
‘Great,’ Sonya said, turning around and shuffling backwards towards the ladder. ‘Come on, Tess! Swimming around below the Rothschild mansion. In the same water as Charles and Camilla.’
‘I’m not sure that’s selling the experience.’ Tess watched Andras unbuttoning his jeans. Someone this hot getting his kit off was definitely selling it to her.
There was a noise from her bag, immediately recognisable as emails arriving. Out here, in the middle of the sea, there was Internet. She put down the suncream, wiped her hands on her towel and grabbed for her bag.
‘Ooo, a little cold on the toes!’ Sonya exclaimed, lowering herself in.
‘You should let go,’ Andras called to her. ‘Just do it, quickly.’
Tess found her email hoping there would be one from work, telling her they had realised what a literal cock-up they had made of the Blackberry Boudoir branding and they were reverting back to her designs. She scanned through. John Lewis. Travel Republic. Vistaprint. Nothing new from McKenzie Falconer. She was going to have to make that call.
Suddenly the phone was taken from her hands.
‘Come in the water,’ Andras said.
She got to her feet quickly, swiping for her mobile and just hitting air as he held the item out of reach. ‘Give that back. I need to make a call.’
‘Going in!’ Sonya called.
‘Relax,’ Andras urged, his hand with the phone still at full stretch. ‘Have fun with your friend.’
Just as Tess’s eyes moved to the back of the boat there was an almighty splash and Sonya disappeared, quickly re-emerging with a gasp of delight.
‘Cold but … amazing!’ she breathed, arms performing a quick breaststroke as she began to tread water.
‘I’ll come in,’ Tess said, eyes back on Andras.
‘You will?’ Andras stated. He couldn’t have sounded more unconvinced if he had tried.
‘If you give me my phone.’
He held his arm firm, the phone still too high and too far.
‘We should take a photo,’ she said. ‘Of the two of us.’ She swallowed. ‘Being a couple.’ She smiled. ‘To show your family on Facebook.’
He smiled. ‘I am not on Facebook.’
‘What?’ He couldn’t be serious. Who wasn’t on Facebook?! ‘But how do you … connect with people?’ The moment the words were out she felt like an idiot. She started to blush. Just how social-media needy did she sound right now?
‘We talk, Trix,’ he answered. ‘Using our voices not our fingers.’
She swallowed, eyes going to those long, lean, olive-skinned fingers curled around her phone. The things they could do …
‘I’m swimming to the beach!’ Sonya shouted, appearing over the side of the boat, hair now slick from the water, arms moving as she propelled herself along.
Andras finally lowered his arm. ‘But we can take a photo,’ he agreed. ‘Show my mother we have been out today.’ He handed her phone over, then slipped an arm around her shoulders, ready to pose.
That torso was so close, almost touching hers. She held her breath, fingers seeming to find it difficult to open the camera app. Finally, she had it open and selected selfie mode.
‘Ready?’ she asked him, eyes directed at the camera.
‘Etsy,’ he replied.
She snapped the photo then quickly tapped to see the result.
‘It is OK,’ Andras said, looking at the picture.
Tess swallowed. It was more than OK. It was brilliant. Blue sky and perfect sea behind them, boaty stuff just visible and Andras looking like David Gandy’s younger brother. She couldn’t wait to load that up to all her social-media accounts.
‘So, now we put this down,’ Andras said, taking the phone from her again and dropping it onto the seating without care for its delicate disposition. ‘And we jump into the water.’ He took hold of her hand.
‘Jump?’ Tess queried. ‘But Sonya went down the ladder.’
‘It is better to jump,’ Andras encouraged her, pulling her over to the back of the boat.
Tess swallowed, immediately looking down at her feet. There was no way she wanted to lose the shoes to the bottom of the sea like the Heart of the Ocean necklace in Titanic but the alternative … She was keeping them on. Andras still gripping her fingers, she stepped up alongside him looking down into the water, strips of turquoise combining with deep, inky areas.
‘After three,’ he said, squeezing her hand.
She didn’t reply, just felt the need to close her eyes.
‘Ena, dyo, tria!’
She jumped up and out, Andras’s motion taking her forward faster, and within split seconds she felt the sea pull her in, her body shooting downwards, cold water enveloping her and momentarily stealing her breath. She kicked for the surface, lungs bursting, until she emerged, sunlight on her face. Her shoes were still on her feet.
‘Oh! It’s cold! Cold!’ Tess shrieked.
‘It is good, no?’ Andras responded.
He was right next to her, far more adept at keeping himself afloat than she was. He was calmly swaying in the water, while her moves were more warding-off-potential-attacker. It was then that the cramp hit. Her calf suddenly tightened, delivering a hideous straining pain that had her gasping.
‘What is wrong?’ Andras asked, moving closer to her.
‘My leg,’ she breathed, shaking it out and trying to stretch against the weight of the water. ‘It’s cramp.’
‘Hold on to me,’ he urged.
She didn’t hesitate. She put her arms around his neck and focused all her effort on making the ache stop hurting. His arm went around her waist, drawing her into his body as his legs worked at keeping them above the water.
‘You are OK?’ he asked.
Finally, the pain began to subside and she nodded, taking a deep breath. It was only then she realised the intimacy of their position. Her arms around his neck, his torso fixed to hers. His hair was wet, slicked back from his face, those heavenly ebony eyes framed by deep, dark, long, wet eyelashes. Tinder Tess would have taken advantage of his perfect tableau of gorgeousness and occupied those lips with hers. Could she? Should she? While Sonya was busy on the other side of the boat swimming to the beach?
‘Let us see who can make it first!’ Andras said, relinquishing his grip.
Before she could do anything else he had kicked his body backwards into the water and was disappearing beneath the sea.