Page 21

I hurriedly dried my hair and threw clothes around the room in a desperate attempt to find something that would be suitable for a fancy restaurant.

I hadn’t really packed anything appropriate.

I travelled to play tennis, not socialise, so I rarely packed anything fancy, especially for the Middle East; where covered shoulders and knees was a dress code requirement in most places.

In the end I only really had one choice – a pair of fitted black pants and a cream blouse.

“Ugh!” I snarled as I tossed the items onto the bed.

There was a knock on the door. Obviously, Joel was learning. And good timing too – he had good fashion sense, and wouldn’t hold back if he thought I should start panicking about my attire. I opened the door.

“I wasn’t sure if you would have brought any evening wear, so I got you these – it’s only fair, considering I sneaked this whole dinner thing on you.” Ben handed me a garment bag and a shoe box through the door with a grin. “I hope it all fits.”

He closed the door behind himself, and I tried to swallow down the panic threatening to overwhelm me.

I was in a worse conundrum than before – I could either wear what I had brought and risk offending Ben, or I could wear what he had bought me and risk him getting totally the wrong impression about us.

I unzipped the garment bag and staggered back in shock.

The gown was cream, with a delicate gold pattern through it. Floor length and mermaid cut, it was semi-modest at the neckline, with little capped sleeves.

It looked very expensive, and that shocked me. But the thing that scared me the most was that it looked like a wedding gown. What was Ben thinking? I couldn’t wear this!

But then I looked down at my black pants and blouse splayed on the bed, and I realised that I had no idea where Ben was taking me, so I’d be stupid not to wear what he’d chosen.

I swallowed down the panic and started undressing.

When I was clothed again and my hair pinned up on top of my head, I slipped on the gold kitten heels that I’d found in the box. Everything fit perfectly, which only creeped me out more; had Ben gone through my luggage to check my size? I took a deep breath and opened the door.

Joel was walking past as I stepped out. He froze, took a step back, and I watched the look on his face with dread as he took in what I was wearing.

“Wow,” he muttered under his breath. I felt my skin get hot all over. But then he cleared his throat and quirked his lips. “You scrub up okay, Stink!”

I tried to smile sarcastically back at him, but I was so nervous it mustn’t have looked right, because his own face softened in response.

“I look alright?” I asked shakily.

He grinned at me, nodding. “Ben’s not going to want to let you go home so easily after seeing you like that.”

The smile fell from my face. That was exactly what I didn’t want to hear.

Joel was wearing a sand-grey suit, with a light cream shirt, gold tie and a pair of cream snakeskin shoes.

He gestured for me to walk out in front of him, and I did so nervously.

I actually felt like a bride on her way to the church.

Except this was an arranged marriage and I was being bought with a pretty dress.

What have I gotten myself into? I wondered in growing terror.

Ben was waiting by the lift, and the smile he threw my way exposed every single white tooth in his skull.

“You look stunning, Mel!” he gushed, taking my hand and kissing it. I tried not to grimace. For once I was actually glad that Joel was there with me. I needed the buffer he could provide between Ben and me.

“Okay, did I miss the memo about the colour scheme tonight?” Ben asked jokingly, pointing to Joel’s cream shirt and gold tie. Ben himself was wearing a navy suit with a blue striped shirt and darker blue tie – he looked so conservative next to Joel.

I laughed nervously. Joel turned to me with a question in his eyes, but Ben didn’t seem to notice the edge of hysteria in my giggle. He wrapped a gold pashmina around my shoulders.

“It gets very cool in the air conditioning where we’re going,” he explained, taking me by the elbow and leading me into the lift. Joel followed, lips twitching like he was holding in a laugh.

I don’t know what part of the rest of the night was the most surreal for me. It could have been the virtual submarine ride from the foyer of the restaurant to the actual dining area.

It could have been the enormous circular aquarium in the centre of the room, around which all the tables were aligned.

Brightly coloured tropical fish darted around a forest of water plants, the lighting of the restaurant shimmered, all combining with the giant fish tank to make me feel a bit like Ariel in The Little Mermaid .

Or it could have been the way that Ben insisted that I taste the wine, and that I take the first bite of each of the five courses that were brought out to the table. That each time he spoke to me he touched my hand gently, caressing it with his fingers.

Only Joel smirking across the table at me stopped me from completely flipping out, even as his enjoyment of my discomfort fuelled my frustration.

Ben clasped my hand in his across the enormous back seat of his chauffeur driven car as we returned to the apartment.

Joel spun around from the front and winked at me.

I sneered back. I wished I could just pull my hand out from under Ben’s, but that seemed ungrateful.

It wasn’t just the dress … I’d gotten a glimpse of the bill that he’d paid in its entirety, without even blinking.

Splashing that sort of money around without a second thought on a single meal horrified me.

Joel disappeared inside his room as soon as we got back. I wished he wouldn’t leave me alone with Ben, but that was childish. I had to face the mess that I’d made for myself.

Ben took my hand and led me out onto the pool terrace, seating me in one of the chairs nestled around a table. He disappeared into the house and reappeared with two glasses of sparkling wine, a strawberry in each. He passed one to me and settled into the other chair, smiling over at me.

He clinked his glass to mine and took a sip. I glugged down more than I should have in one gulp, catching the strawberry in my mouth and chewing it viciously.

“Now you don’t have a game to prepare for, I’d like to spend some quality time with you tonight.” He leaned across to kiss me on the cheek. I flinched involuntarily away from him, and he stiffened, moving back.

I bit the bullet. “Ben, listen. I like you – you’re lovely,” I tried to smile at him, “but I just don’t think it’s right for me to … give myself to you again, when there’s really no future for us.”

Ben watched me for a moment, all seriousness now, inhaling deeply through flared nostrils. “There could be a future for us,” he offered.

“How?” I asked. “Ben, you live in Dubai, I live in Sydney. And when I’m not there, I’m all over the place. I don’t think you really want to give up your business here to move back to Australia to try something with me.” God, I hoped he didn’t suddenly decide that was exactly what he wanted to do .

He was silent, pondering, and I felt the nerves settle a little as I realised that if he was prepared to give it up, he would have said it by now.

“I appreciate that you’re not the type of girl to lead a man on, Mel. Thank you for your honesty.” His voice was chilly, but his face was calm. He stood up.

“I’ll say goodnight now then.” He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, before walking stiffly back into the house. I’d upset him, but I’d done the right thing. And I’d done it without having to resort to the ‘you were shit in bed’ get out of jail card.

I scuttled back to my room, the relief making my knees weak. My hands shook as I reached for the zipper at the back of the dress. I couldn’t get a hold on it.

I left my room and knocked next door. Joel answered in his suit pants and the white singlet he must have been wearing under his shirt. His biceps rippled as he stretched. My mouth went dry.

“So, do I have to start calling you Aunty Stink now?” he asked.

I shuddered. “There’s something else to add to the ever-growing list of ‘why bonking Ben was a bad idea’ .” I turned around. “Can you please unzip this for me? I can’t get it.”

Joel chuckled, but I felt his fingers on the zipper, and the panels fell away from my back. He stroked down my spine, making me shiver.

“You really do look gorgeous in this dress,” he murmured, his breath hot against my shoulder. I froze. He was so close. I couldn’t turn – his mouth was too near.

“I … this is …” I began, but rational thought fled as his hot lips branded the nape of my neck. A gasp burst from my throat. His mouth was still pressed against my skin, his hands sweeping down my sides, beneath the fabric of the dress, fingertips digging into my hips, pulling me back towards him.

I stiffened, not daring to breathe.

“You’re very tense, Mel. I could give you a back rub.” Joel’s hands swept back up my spine.

I stepped away from him quickly. “Thanks, Joel, but I know how your back rubs finish.” I hated that my voice was husky .

He laughed under his breath. “Not looking for that sort of happy ending tonight, Stink?”

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood, before turning back to him. “From you? Absolutely not!” My voice trembled with what might have been a lie. I didn’t know anything anymore.

Joel shrugged. “Don’t forget to pack tonight, Stink. Our flight’s an early one tomorrow.”

He closed the door.

As far as I was concerned it couldn’t be early enough.