I lay back on the lumpy bed in my cheap two-star hotel room close to the Plaza de Mayo. There was no air conditioning in the room, just a ceiling fan that looked as though it would fly off every time that it spun round.

Even with the fan on at full power the heat was stifling. I hadn’t known that Buenos Aires got so damned hot in summer. Normally a shower would have been perfect at a time like this but the shared bathrooms looked like they were best left purely for emergency use.

I checked that the door was locked and took off my t-shirt and shorts. That was slightly better but I longed to be on the beach or lounging beside a pool with a cool drink in my hand.

I had been feeling restless all day long and had been looking forward to getting back here to let my mind wander. The best thing about all the traveling I’d done lately is that it had given me time to be alone and think about who I really was.

I had been overjoyed when I had discovered the pleasure of traveling on long distance, overnight buses or staying in a jungle reserve with no electricity. Of course, being cut off from the world without any outside distractions had seemed like a nightmare at first.

However, I had soon sensed that it was a good opportunity to do something different. Things I hadn’t thought about in years came flooding into my head. I recalled old friends and re-ran old situations from my past life.

I remembered one trip in Peru in particular. It had been a marathon bus trip and I had tried to recall the faces and names of every single person I had ever known. In fact, I had got so engrossed in the game that I was a little bit disappointed when we finally pulled into Cusco.

A big cockroach ran across the bed and I flicked it off. I would never have dreamed of doing that a few months ago. I would have screamed in horror at a bug like that being on my bed but now I felt capable of handling pretty much anything that came my way.

I could still recall how giant bugs with eyes like headlamps had swarmed around us at night in the jungle reserve as we drunk hot chocolate made with powdered milk and bottled water. The sound of mosquitos constantly buzzing around inside and outside my mosquito net had kept me awake many nights as well.

These were all experiences that I knew I would look back on fondly in the future. They were helping me to grow as a person but I felt that there was still some way to grow before I was the person I wanted to be.

The windows looked out onto a side street and I watched the world go by. I simply couldn’t imagine where all those people were going to and what their everyday lives were like. However, just looking at the human activity below made me feel better somehow.

This was far from the worst hotel I had stayed in any way. I remembered a tiny room in Riobamba in Ecuador that looked like a prison cell and one in La Paz in Bolivia that had an all-night karaoke blaring away downstairs from my room.

The only real problem with this hotel was that a lot of the other guests looked suspiciously like hookers and their clients. That would explain why I had never seen the same couples twice since moving in here. As long as I kept myself to myself I should be fine.

I stared up at the ceiling fan but it was Adam’s face I saw. Had he felt the same tingling sensation that I had when our bodies had bumped together in the back of the limo? I guessed that he hadn’t, as he hadn’t shown any sort of interest in me as a person, only as an object to be mocked and occasionally ogled or fondled.

Of course, he had the kind of strong body and dark eyes that I always fell for, but there was something in his personality and his way of speaking that made me lose all control of myself. I still couldn’t believe how hard I had slapped him.

I checked the door again and slipped off my underwear. This was only the second or third night in the last few months that I wasn’t in a shared dorm room and I planned to enjoy letting my imagination run wild.

I hadn’t been properly touched by a man since starting the trip. Sure, there had been plenty of offers from randy backpackers and from locals who saw me as being exotic and different. They probably thought I was easy, someone who moved from town to town sleeping with guys and then moving on to the next one.

I wasn’t like that all and it had never felt right. Maybe I was naïve but I still wanted a man to sweep me off my feet and shower me with compliments. Did that ever really happen in real life, though?

I had never realized that traveling would lower my sex drive but I felt as though it was coming back to me right now, stronger than ever before. My right hand ran over my breasts and slipped down over my stomach before exploring further down. It had been a long time since I had done this and it felt so good.

When I closed my eyes it was Adam’s face and body that hovered over me. Just like I knew it would be. It was his hands that I imagined doing the exploring and the touching. Just like I knew it would be as well.

I was getting short of breath and was close to exploding when my phone started ringing. It was my Mom. Great, that was exactly what I needed right now. I tried to ignore the ringing but the moment had gone.

“Hey mom, what’s happening back there?”

“Hi Jessie. Did you meet Joe? Is he alright?”

“I did and he’s fine.” Well, there was no point going into details and getting her worried.

“Are you coming home together now?”

“I’m not sure. We haven’t spoken about it yet.”

“Jess, I think Joe might be in a bit of trouble.” Her voice was shaky and hesitant

Heck, how had she had found out about him spending a night in an Argentine cell so quickly?

“Listen, it’s not a big deal. These things happen and-”

“I know but the bank just called.”

“The bank?”

“He’s been spending like crazy on luxury goods all over the world. His credit card is maxed out and he’s like way overdrawn. His friend, Mike, works there and he got suspicious.”

Was the horrible rich guy making Joe spend all of his own money? The dirty rat had deserved that slap and a lot more.

I dialed the number Joe had given me for his Argentine cell phone. It rang and rang before someone eventually answered.

“Yeah, speak.”

“Joe? Is that you?”

Silence for several seconds.

“Well, well. If it isn’t little miss jungle bunny. Have you called to apologize at last?”

“I wouldn’t apologize to a rat like you if my life depended on it.”

His laughter mocked me and I felt myself clenching my fists.

“Why don’t you come over and join us.” His deep voice was gruff and tempting even if the words sounded false and shallow. “We’ve got some champagne on ice. There’s a hot tub on my yacht, by the way. Joe won’t mind if we leave him alone for a few hours.”

I suddenly remembered that I was naked. I put a hand over my body instinctively, to cover myself, and realized that I was still excited. Very.

“What do you say, Jess?”

“No-one ever calls me Jess.” Why did my voice sound so horribly shaky?

There was a long pause. I had an irrational fear that he would somehow know that I was naked on the other end of the call. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself. This helped me feel more secure for some reason.

“I need to speak to Joe.”

“He’s busy and this is my phone you called anyway. Come on over and visit us. We’re in Puerto Madero. Hurry now before it’s too late.” He laughed and blew a kiss before hanging up.

I was ashamed of myself for fantasizing over this incredibly annoying guy. There was nothing I could do but go to Puerto Madero and confront him, though.

It felt dangerous but I had to forget about my own feelings and help out my little brother.