Chapter 2

Andy blinked across the room, wanting to turn away, but unable to. This was silly. She was a kid without guile, as he'd noticed earlier. She didn't mind looking at anything which pricked her curiosity, including the birds in their cages, the flowers, the waterfall ... and Andy. Hell, all teenagers did that sort of thing.

He half smiled at her but she did not smile back. So he lowered his eyes and picked up the dessert menu the brunette had left He looked over the sweets: Chocolate a la Maui, Singapore delight Easter Island sundae. He wrinkled his nose at the stuff.

As he tossed the menu aside he signaled to the brunette, making a writing motion with his fingers. She nodded and went to figure the check. He'd better get back. It wouldn't be exciting sitting in the bar all evening and he sure as hell wasn't going to try to pick up a woman.

For two reasons. First because he was being faithful to Gloria. Second-and he smiled at himself-because there wouldn't be anything to pick up anyhow. Sure, there was the blonde maitre d' or even the brunette waitress, but that was fooling around close to home. Besides, they probably were hookers picking up cash on the side. He wouldn't go that route. No, he'd just go back to his room.

He'd call Phoenix and get Gloria on the line. She should be told the good news. Also that he missed her to beat hell. She could pass the word to Edgar Pratt about the Acme Marine contract he'd landed for Precision Plastics. Let the old bastard know that Gloria was more important to him than he was.

Pratt would have to lump it because he needed the million dollar piece of work Acme would provide. And only Andy could talk the language of a salesman and a bona fide engineer at the same time. Only Andy could have landed that deal. He smiled as he saw the brunette crossing the room with his check. He didn't care how large the tab was-Precision Plastics would be delighted to pay.

Midway to his table the brunette changed course. Andy had also seen the father of the family lift his fingers to signal her. Andy watched as she leaned her ear close to his moving lips and, as he watched the man's face, Andy could not see that he was trying to look down her bodice. Christ, a very, very straight family.

The waitress nodded as she straightened and continued toward Andy's table. When she arrived she placed the check face down in its small tray. Then she leaned over so that he could see down the front of her Polynesian outfit. Yes, he could almost spot the nipples, but not quite.

"The gentleman over there would like you to join him and his family for an after-dinner drink," she murmured.

Andy frowned. "Me?"

"Yes." She waited while he placed a ten and a five on the check tray and when he nodded that she should keep the change she smiled. "When you get through with the old folks you might want some real company. I'm off at eleven."

Andy looked blandly into her face. "What will you do if I don't show up? Take the next best customer?"

If the waitress was offended she gave no sign. She merely shrugged. "Hell, go to my room and get a good night's sleep. There's not all that much first-class action around here. I sure as hell am not going to gers." She gave him a level look. "In case you're worried, the dinner tip is all the money I'm going to make off you tonight"

Andy smiled at her. "Sorry. I guess we traveling types see too many of the other kind. Uh ... tell me, do the same ground rules go for the blonde who found me this table?"

This drew the brunette erect and she spoke down her nose. "Christ you are a prick, aren't you? Asking me if the competition is willing to put out Well, we're all individuals here, mister, playing by our own rules. If you want to play with her you'll need to go to the source. Good night!"

She stomped away and Andy was ashamed. He sat looking at his grog glass for a moment before he remembered. The after-dinner drink. The family. He glanced over at them and the man and wife were looking at him, half smiles on their lips. They were reservedly expectant, not fawning. If he didn't want to join them ... well, they weren't going to be pushy.

He grinned his most engaging grin as he pushed himself up from the table and dumped his napkin in his plate. Then he started toward them, toward the fourth chair at their table which was unoccupied. What the hell, they would provide a half hour of company, nothing more. And they were a couple of beautiful women and the father might have some good stories to swap.

When he reached the table the man was on his feet and his hand was out "Good evening. Nice of you to join us. I'm William Blair and this is my wife, Nancy. She thinks you looked lonely. So...." He waved his hand toward the empty chair.

Andy laughed shortly as he sat down. "I think Mrs. Blair is right. I'm a little lonely, I suppose. Especially when I feel like celebrating."

"The father gestured toward the young girl. "This is my..". our daughter, Gina."

Andy gazed at her. Up close she was like an arrow to the heart, so beautiful was she. Flawless skin, ice blue eyes, that brown hair striped with gold, those young and full lips. She seemed to wear no make-up and her cheeks were naturally pink. The body he could only wonder about but the throat coming out of her mini was spectacular. He could see the very tops of her young and swelling breasts. Budding breasts might be more like it.

"I also said you were a nice man," Mrs. Blair said, leaning forward to touch his forearm. "And I'm never wrong about people, am I, William?"

"No, dear," William Blair said with a faint sigh in his voice.

Andy had to laugh as he looked at Nancy Blair. Not that she was anything to laugh at. She was the total mature woman. Tall, deep-breasted, almost honey hair and those eyes were, indeed, hazel. He knew what the daughter Gina would look like in twenty years.

"I hope you're right," he replied at last. I'm Andrew York. Yes, I'm an out-of-towner, a salesman on this trip, in fact, although I usually confine myself to engineering work. And I'm pleased you asked me to join you."

"How nice " Nancy Blair exclaimed, looking at her husband. Then she turned to the daughter. "Say hello to Mr. York, darling "

Gina flicked her blue eyes across Andy's face and her lips tugged in a shy smile. Christ but she was beautiful, so pure and virginal. No wonder she was shy around strangers. They probably wanted to engulf her. She inclined her head in a peculiarly adult gesture of acknowledgement

"Hello, Mr. York."

He leaned toward and touched the tip of his finger to the back of her tanned hand. "You can call me Andy if I can call you Gina. It's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He knew he sounded corny but the mother would appreciate it. Christ knew, it was all true.

"Isn't that nice," Nancy Blair exclaimed to her husband. "You see? I'm never wrong about people. Tell me, Mr. York, who do you engineer for?"

"Nancy," Blair chided his wife as he poked in his breast pocket and pulled out two cigars. He offered one to Andy but he shook his head, instead fishing out pipe and tobacco.

Mrs. Blair watched him with a certain fascination as he stuffed his pipe and lighted it. At the same time Blair was clipping his cigar with tiny silver scissors and fighting up.

"Oh, I just love a pipe," Mrs. Blair said. "Gina does, too. She thinks it's so sophisticated."

Andy laughed. "Not necessarily, I'm afraid. Anyhow, I'm with Precision Plastics in Phoenix. They sent me to the Coast just this morning with four days to nail down a large contract And I mean a big one, for us. Well, I got the job done by the middle of the afternoon. Signed, sealed and delivered. So I'm giving myself a free night before I fly home."

The family made appropriate little sounds of sincere congratulations. "I should think you've earned it" Mrs. Blair went on. She batted her eyes coyly and, if she hadn't been so beautiful, Andy might have thought her a little girlish. "And I suppose you have a beautiful young wife waiting at home to congratulate you."

Andy shook his head. "No, only a wife-to-be. I'm getting married next month. I've got to call her in a little bit and give her the good news."

Mrs. Blair clapped her hands once. "Isn't that nice? I'll bet you can't wait to get home to her. And I'll bet she's a gorgeous thing to have landed a young man like you."

Andy flushed and shrugged. "Well...."

"My God, Nancy," Mr. Blair grumbled, "you'll drive York here away if you keep that up." He smiled at Andy. "Just to keep the score even, I'm a lawyer from San Francisco. At least that's where the office is."

"William heads his own firm," Mrs. Blair interjected.

Blair took a breath and fixed his wife with a stern look. "We're here for a few days' vacation. Gina is between terms at her academy in Palo Alto and we decided it was time for her to have a change of scenery."

"Time for her to have some new experiences," Mrs. Blair added. "Mr. York, don't you think young people should experiment with new places, new friends? You know, to enrich their maturing process."

Andy's pipe had gone out and he relighted it. Puffing, he replied, "Of course. Every young person, man and woman, should travel, meet people. You're wise to bring Gina here. It's a beautiful city. The zoo, the harbor, the galleries...."

"And the people," Mrs. Blair interrupted. "The people are especially important. As you may notice, Gina is terribly shy. We're trying to bring her out of it."

Gina rolled her blue eyes and made a face. "Oh, mother." Somehow she didn't seem as shy as Mrs. Blair made her out to be. Perhaps she was inhibited by the presence of her parents. Certainly with her looks....

"I shouldn't imagine you'd have any trouble finding boyfriends," Andy said to the girl.

"There aren't any boys at that dumb academy," Gina said.

Andy realized something was going on. He was perhaps ten years older than this girl, but they weren't enough years for him to be treating her like a child. Hell, she was grown up, beautiful. He should have been flustered himself, making over her, trying to please her. But her parents had put her in the position of an adolescent

"We're careful about Gina's dating," Mrs. Blair said as the brunette brought their after-dinner drinks. She left a bottle of brandy and another Coke for Gina. "As you can see, she's ... well, special we think, and we wouldn't want her to ... urn, learn the wrong things from ... the wrong lands of people. I think you can understand that."

Andy nodded. "Of course. You can't be too careful. But you've got to remember Gina's just about grown up. Some young women her age might have visited here alone, without their parents as chaperones. Or they might have come with other girl friends. Sometimes, these days, even boys and girls travel together-without chaperones."

Blair cocked an eye at his wife and winked at Andy from behind a blue cloud of cigar smoke. Mrs.

Blair said, "I hope I wasn't wrong about you, young man." But she said it in a joking way. "Of course we want her to experience things on her own, but we're simply making certain that her ... ah, initial contact is carefully controlled by us. She needs experience and guidance before she can be allowed to choose her friends for herself."

Andy coughed behind his hand. "I suppose I should feel flattered. Am I part of the carefully controlled exposure you're allowing to Gina?"

Mrs. Blair nodded. "Definitely. I was watching you over there. You looked presentable enough. I liked the way you behaved yourself with that pretty waitress. No leering or gawking, you understand. So I thought a little enriching ... um, conversation would do us all some good."

"Please, Nancy," Blair grunted, "don't make Mr. York feel like he's being examined under a biologist's microscope. After all, he's our guest, but he can also run away."

Mrs. Blair smiled engagingly at Andy and placed her hand over his. "But you wouldn't, would you?"

Andy smiled and shook his head as he sipped the brandy. It was very old and very good, he knew that much. "But I'm no expert on discussing the arts."

"Nor am I," Blair grumbled. "All I know is tax law and what I like. Hell, we can talk straight with each other. Nobody's suggesting we try to discuss the childhood paintings of Picasso."

"Bravo, darling," Mrs. Blair exclaimed. She then looked at her daughter, and Andy saw her study the girl for a long moment. At last she said to her daughter, "Gina, what do you think? You're not ready for bed just yet, are you? Please, darling, I think we have an interesting new friend. Promise you'll try to join in."

Andy studied that fabulous young face as Gina pulled her lips down and then up. She rubbed her nose and moistened her lips as she looked at Andy. At last she nodded. "No, I'm not tired. I think I'm having fun."

She did not say the words with enthusiasm, but her parents reacted as though she'd announced she'd gotten straight "A"s at her academy in Palo Alto.

"Wonderful," Blair exclaimed. "Tell you what, Nancy, we can enjoy another quick one in some privacy. What do you say, Mr. York?"

Andy shrugged. 'Tine with me."

The family made small sounds of enjoyment and expectation as everyone rose. Andy saw Blair put down a fifty dollar bill as they left the table. They trooped past the maitre d' at the door and the blonde gave Andy a long look. He dared not return her look for so long a time, but he did manage a smile. Perhaps ... later, his smile was trying to say to her.

Outside they wound their way down tiki-lighted paths toward the rear of the sprawling hotel. Andy, following the others, watched the swaying bodies of the two women in front until he caught himself beginning to get hard between his legs. None of that shit tonight, stud, he told himself. Maybe later, with the leggy blonde at the restaurant. No, nothing at all, come to think of it. You're spoken for in Phoenix.

Eventually they were back among the expensive cabanas Andy had seen earlier. They turned in at Cabana 3-A and waited while the father unlocked the door. He turned, smiling, gesturing toward the inside. "Mi casa es su casa, as they say in this part of the country. My home is your home."

Andy stood at the other side of the door to allow the women to pass by him to the interior. As Gina brushed past him, coming closer than he'd guessed, he felt the brief stab of her breast. Then Mrs. Blair came by and he felt her swinging hand snap against the semi-hardness of his cock.

Both gestures were accidents, of course. He must have imagined that Mrs. Blair's fingers tried briefly-for a split second-to grasp the knob of his cock.