Part Seven

Never Make You Mad

Motivation: The Odds ~ Make You Mad

"Both of us?" Nigel seriously questioned that admission. He wasn’t bloody stupid. This was no relic hunt, it was a ruse to intrude on his private life. Sure, he read the information, it had great potential but something wasn’t quite right. This was far too coincidental to be for real. What he figured she needed was a good lesson, and he was just the right teacher to administer it. "No, I’ve made up my mind, Sydney." He brazenly circled his arm around Karen’s waist, and at once saw flames licking from behind Syd’s dark chocolate eyes. That was a very good sign... For added measure, increasing the spectacle, he abruptly yanked Karen to his side. "You’ll have to find yourself another assistant until the fall semester starts. Karen and I are trying to enjoy our holiday. Right, Sweetheart?"

He called her Sweetheart? "Think about what you’re turning down here. We haven’t done anything like this in a long time. It’s so easy!" Sydney tried to tempt him.

Too easy, Nigel thought, and he wasn’t biting. He knew she was baiting him, and he just smiled, feeling pretty damned good. For once it was Syd on the short end of the stick and not him. He had the upper hand and he wasn’t going to give THAT up without a hell of a fight. It was a totally new and invigorating feeling for him, watching Sydney vie for his time and attention for once.

"Nigel, why don’t we go walking out on the trails today?" Karen interjected, noting the rather droll look on Sydney’s face. Please?"

He turned to her and smiled. Oh, this girl was good. She had Sydney right where he wanted her. "That sounds like a great idea, Karen. I’m sorry, but I think it’s time you left, Sydney. We have a lot of touristy-couple-type stuff to do today. Don’t we, Darling?" He squeezed Karen when she didn’t answer right away.

"Right! Right we sure do... uh, Sugar Muffin!" She swallowed hard, hoping she would still have a job to go back to in September, or darling Nigel here was going to be footing more than the bill for this trip!

Sydney rose from her seat and smiled at them. It looked more like she was gritting her teeth, to Nigel. "All right, I know when to take a hint! You two enjoy yourselves. Have a great time. No, have a wonderful time! And Nigel," she turned for the door, "I’m leaving the information with you, and the number where I’m staying if you decide to change your mind. I’ll go ahead and get a salvage crew together after I locate the cargo... and I will locate it, with or without you." That was all she said before closing the door behind her.

The moment Sydney was gone, Nigel quickly released Karen and stalked to the window to make sure she had left for real. "Okay, all clear," he said, and let go of a worried sigh. "So she says she’s got a lead on another relic, sort of, and that it’s here on Catalina? If she thinks I’m going to just drop my plans for hers, she’s nuts..." Looking back, he saw Karen just standing there, biting her bottom lip and staring at him. "What?"

"Uh, nothing." She snapped herself out of whatever that was and shook her head. "So, what are we really going to do today?" Sitting down on the couch, she reached over and turned on the radio. She hated dead silence in the air. "Now that you’ve completely bamboozled Sydney, I mean..."

Nigel scratched his head. He hadn’t really given it any thought. Mind you, after that impromptu session with Karen he was quite lucky to still be standing. "Well, I suppose we could go sightseeing, uh, that is, if you want to." Sydney had driven off without so much as a backward glance, and the cheek of it literally shell-shocked him. He settled himself down on the couch beside Karen and shrugged. "Let’s suffice it to say I believe you’ve earned your keep for today. I suppose I should feed you as well, hmm? Are you hungry?"

"I’m famished, actually. Nigel, why don’t we just stay here?" She scooted closer and placed her hand on his thigh. His hazel eyes widened, then darted up to the mischievous grin on her lovely, angel-like face. God... if she had any idea what she was doing to him he’d be in BIG trouble. "You can thank me properly, and it won’t cost you a dime."

The faint musings of the radio carried through their cabin, and then nothing else...

...Look outside it’s nice enough. We’ll stay in with all our stuff. This is dedication more than love... When I call you beautiful, it’s cause I can. When you think I’m sucking up, I sort of AM. The little lies that make you feel good, I say more often that I should cause I’m a low-level rebel. I jay walk to beat the devil. I’m no bass but lots of treble... The little lies that make you feel good I say more often than I should. So I can never make you mad... So I can never make you mad...

Part Eight

No One Like You

Motivation: No One Like You ~ The Scorpions

Every time Sydney closed her eyes, she was treated to a closeup of Nigel doing the tonsil limbo with their secretary. When and how did she miss this? Where it came from she had no idea... A million questions and absolutely no answers! Admitting that she knew it all along was of no comfort, but it was the truth. Allowing her sarong drop to the bathroom floor, she twisted the copper taps to the shower until the water ran clear.

Within a few minutes a mist of steam had gathered into the air, and Sydney gingerly stepped under a steady stream of hot, relaxing water. She pulled her hands across her weary face and up over her jet black hair, flipping it all the way back before applying a peachy-scented shampoo. Massaging her scalp into a nice, rich lather, she did recall that peculiar conversation she had with Karen before the college went on summer break, amazed she hadn’t seen it then.

"Sydney, do you have a minute?"

"Sure, come on in, I’m just gathering some research for one of my papers." Sydney looked up to her secretary, puzzled by the serious expression on her face. "Karen, what’s the matter?"

"I was wondering something, and I know it’s a personal thing, but I wanted to know if you could give me some advice."

"Absolutely, here, sit down and tell me what you need." Syd worried that she was going to tell her she was quitting, but waited to hear what she had to say before jumping to any conclusions. "I’ll be as much help as I can."

Karen fidgeted, much the same way Nigel would when he was uncomfortable with something, Sydney noticed immediately. "Well, you have a lot of experience with men, right?"

Syd smiled. "What kind of experience are you referring to?" She found it hard to believe this dazzling young woman would be having man problems, or needed any kind of advice from her.

"Well, it’s like this..." Karen had nervously wrung her hands in her lap, and averted her eyes, gluing them permanently to the hardwood floor. "Okay, there’s this guy I like. Well, I really like. Uh, I don’t think I realised it until I started spending time with him on a more personal level, you know? Well, anyway, the trouble is that I’m not really sure if he likes me."

"You’ve GOT to be kidding, Karen. I, I’m not making light of your situation, really I’m not... but I find it hard to believe you can’t tell if this boy likes you or not."

"You see, normally, this isn’t an issue, not for me," Karen explained, and looked up to Sydney at that point, her pretty periwinkle eyes fluttering with apprehension. "But Sydney, he used to date a good friend of mine, and while I know their relationship is definitely over, I still feel guilty."

Sydney was thinking more like, of course it’s normally not an issue for a young woman like you, you’re gorgeous!

"I mean, hell, he’s so much better than me Sydney, and I think he’s way out of my league. He’s sweet, charming, kind and caring... oh God, and he is SO cute!" Her eyes went all dreamy at that point, and Sydney knew the girl had it bad for this particular lucky young man. "I just don’t think I have what it takes."

"Oh Karen, of course you do! I’ll tell you something about men, honey." Sydney leaned over her desk closer to Karen, noticing Nigel had wandered into the office with an armload of final exams all ready for grading. Whispering so he wouldn’t hear, she continued. "Most men don’t know what they’ve got even though it could be right under their noses, and sometimes the woman has to show him the way. Men can be incredibly dense..." She stole a fleeting glance at her own former paramour, who was now seated at his desk, his reading glasses perched across the bridge of his nose with his light brown hair falling across his eyes in a messy, uncombed, sexy sort of way. "If you want this guy to know you have a thing for him Karen, you have to let him know. Honesty is always the best policy where a good relationship is concerned." That last bit of advice really hit home for Sydney. "Trust and honesty."

"So, I should like, tell him how I feel?"

"I think that would be the best thing, Karen." Syd grudgingly pulled her attentions from Nigel back to her secretary.

"And what about my friend?"

"Well, if you’re friend says their relationship is over, then I see no reason why you can’t pursue one of your own with this fellow. It shouldn’t matter now, right?"

"Right," Karen echoed, and Sydney swore her whole aura changed at that moment. It was almost as if her confidence had been instantly restored.

Sydney let the hot water wash the soap and shampoo from her lithe, trembling body, along with her troubles and she sighed. There was that terrible image again, of him with his arms and lips occupied buy the much younger, absolutely stunning, Miss Petrusky. There he was, exploring her feminine form so intimately... Sydney had to shake that from her mind. How could she blame Karen? She practically gave him to her on a platter. And what about that rotten Nigel? He didn’t even try to hide the fact he was now sleeping with the blonde bombshell! In fact, he’d rubbed it in her face! Willingly! He said they were a couple! He called her sweetheart! Oooh! "Damn you, Nigel Bailey!" If he thought for one moment that he was going to get her goat, he was sorely mistaken. The last thing she was going to do now was sit and pine for that little English dweeb! No, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that this bothered her in the slightest. He could chew on all the eye candy he wanted - she knew he’d eventually get a toothache.

After toweling off, she collapsed on her bed, alone. It hit her unexplainably hard, and even she couldn't believe the sobs that escaped her. She closed her eyes and buried her face against the crisp ivory pillowcase on the bed, hugging it to her chest in a fit of desperation. Where was the man who took such good care of her after they got back from Turkey? Where was the man who was on her doorstep every day, begging for her to come to her senses? Where was he? But then, who was she trying to kid? Sydney knew where he was and exactly how he got there. She couldn't blame him for it either. It had all been her. Nigel, she thought, there's just no one like you...

Part Nine

Island In The Sun

Motivation: Island in the Sun ~ Weezer

Nigel absently thumbed through Sydney’s notes, unable to resist, while Karen busied herself in the bath. But the thought of the tempestuous secretary with nothing on soon abducted his attentions, and he glanced over to the closed bathroom door, hearing the tub filling up and her cheerful whistling inside. Smiling to himself, he gave his head a shake. He knew perfectly well what she was up to, and he was going to savour every moment, take advantage, if you will. All Karen was hoping to accomplish was weaseling out of repaying him for this trip! Two could play that game, he thought, and he drew a deep, medicating breath. If nothing else, he could wait for the just right moment to hit her up for payment in full. He could be patient, and reveled in the thought...

Nigel had long known Karen was the Queen of Manipulations, but he wasn’t going to fall prey to her ministrations. He would just sit back and relax, come what may. Although he had to admit that kissing Karen had been quite electrifying, to say the very least! But part of him still longed to hold Sydney again, and he noticed a rather nasty guilty streak threading through his body. Oh well, double the pleasure, double the fun, he thought. Or was it?

It pleased him to no end that Syd would go through all the trouble of concocting the fictional Mister Cairo and his gold bullion, trying to pass it off to him as fact. Mister Cairo seems to have had quite the adventurous life, he thought, pouring over his boss’s sharp handwritten script. Let’s see here... Oh, this WAS good! He sat up straight in his seat and he chuckled lightly to himself. Lover’s Cove huh? Syd hadn’t missed a beat here, and it was incredible how she managed to inject that hint of authenticity that forced him to think twice before rejecting this whole thing as a farce. Well, admittedly, this was the closest she had come so far to reaching out to him in any sort of way. He shuffled through the papers, looking for the one with Sydney’s number on it. All right Sydney, enough was enough... He would just call her and have a nice long talk. Nothing committal, just some straight, honest talk. It was time that they sorted out the issues before it was really was too late.

While he was pondering this with his cell phone tight in his hand, Karen emerged from her bath.

"Who are you calling?" She asked him rather accusingly, her voluptuous body wrapped deliciously in a short terry towel, water pooling around her bare feet. Her hair was loose and almost curly-looking when it was wet, and he half adjusted himself in his seat. The sight of Karen like that was too much for mere words... If all she were to do was slip on a pair of sandals and her hot pink sundress, she would still look like a million bucks.

Nigel made a silly face and turned away from her, trying to hide what he was doing. She would certainly not agree to his calling Syd back this fast. Karen was fully expecting to be escorted out and about today, and he had promised her as much.

"What are you up to, Nigel Bailey?" she persisted, suspiciously pursing her full lips together and zeroing those formidable ultramarine eyes in on him.

"Nothing at all..." Gee, that didn’t sound terribly convincing, Nigel could tell by the incredulous look on her face. He just shrugged it off and started for the door. "I’m going out for a walk while you get dressed, then after that we can go for a nibble."

"You aren’t trying to ditch me, are you, Nigel?"

Stopping at the door, he and hung his head and sighed. It would be of no use to lie about it. "Busted." Turning about face, Nigel looked her square in the eye. Why did he suddenly feel so bad? "All right, I know I said I was going to take you out, but Karen, I can’t go letting Sydney think we’re, well... uh, oh hell... You know what!"

"What, that we’re sleeping together? Why the hell not? That’s what you wanted, for God's sake, Nigel, I let you grope me in front of our boss!" She stomped her foot on the floor like a child having a tantrum.

"You did your share of groping too, Mata Hari..." he dutifully reminded her with a devilishly charming smirk that was uniquely Nigel. He was thinking that maybe they both liked it a little too much. "You enjoyed that more than I did, surely."

"Oh, don’t you dare start preening your feathers yet you, you..." She was seething, caught red-handed with her hand in the cookie jar. Of course she enjoyed it, this was Nigel!

"Ah, ah, ah... You be nice to me. I’m your meal ticket, remember?" He was usually able to disarm her with a smile, but this was proving to be more difficult that he had anticipated. Why was it he was beginning to feel like he’d gotten his bits and pieces caught in a vise? "If you want to have any kind of nice time on this island in the sun, may I suggest you show me a little more respect than that?"