And He Called It Research

"Which of course would cause them to ask about the questionnaire and we could slip in a few very personal questions."

"Right, and remember to reinforce the research angle."

"But of course. Mac, we both know that we'll lose a few sales and especially in the early days as we hone our sales skills. Plus of course you'll be dealing with contractors and heading off unexpected problems and all of those things."

"That's when I'm going to lean on you for that extra support. Those days could be long ones too."

"I'm sure they could be."

Chapter Sixty Five

Not long after they'd had their little quiz session and conversation, they took a break, and while Mac filled two glasses with iced tea, he placed a call and said, "Hi sexy." Liz could hear his side of the conversation without even trying, so since he didn't seem to care, she relaxed and picked at some papers while she waited for him.

"Hi Mac, it's good to hear your voice."

"I miss you like crazy."

"You do not, but I like to hear you say that anyway."

"I think about you every day."

"I'm not even sure I believe that one Mac, but I can tell you that I do think about you every day and what we shared on that long beach walk."

"To make this an official call, did those files I requested go out?"

"Yes they did and you should have them in a day or two."

"Thanks love. Remember when I splashed you and then you fell backward and lost your garments?"

"I remember that so vividly. My heart was racing and I was trying to hide the fact that I wanted you to see me naked."

"And remember when the tide came in while we were making love?"

Liz was smiling as she listened to Mac talking sexy on the phone and as Kate told him, "Mac, I'll never forget any of that night, and that part in particular. I was so happy and excited and under your spell. And I didn't want that evening to ever end."

"I didn't either. I better go hon, but we'll talk soon."

"Mac, thank you for calling rather than sending an email."

"I needed to hear your voice. By love," and he closed his phone and slipped it into his pocket before he picked up the glasses and returned to Liz.

As soon as Mac saw Liz's smiling face he knew she had heard him talking on the phone, and his heart jumped as he tried to remember if he'd said Kate's name. But Liz was smiling so he had to guess he was okay. He handed her the glass of iced tea and then sat down next to her again as she told him, "Mac, you are so romantic and so sexy. I can just see Didi talking to you on the phone with her eyes closed."

"Don't ever mention any of that to her, because she'll be mad at me for being so careless."

"Your secret is safe with me. I could almost see you two on the beach and the tide coming in as you made love to each other. That sounds like a scene from a very sexy romantic scene in the movie."

"It was totally spontaneous and so very sexy."

"Great, now I'm going to be the one to have trouble studying."

"You know what. I propose that we knock it off for today and just relax before you go home." He ignored his drink and took her hand in his as he leaned far back into the sofa in a long slouching position. "Okay so you're in your new home and it's a sunny day and all is quiet. Would you tan topless or in the nude?"

"Of course I would and I'd have visions of being on the beach again."

"You'd really like to go back there wouldn't you."

"Mac, I'd love to go back there again."

"Even though you wouldn't have your friends there to share it with?"

"Even then. I could still walk the beach and wade in the warm water while naked. I could get another all over tan, only this time I'd be shaved clean so I'd even tan down there."

"Now who's talking sexy? Now I'll keep seeing your golden mound in my mind and I'll suddenly discover that I'm drooling on myself."

She smiled and said, "I'm not even sure that I care if I get paid for working with you. You make me feel so good about myself."

"You don't need my help with that love. You have every reason in this world to feel good about yourself."

"Would you be on the island with me?"

"Of course I would be. We'd have to endure the paying guests, but I think we could work that out as we walked until the moon was high in the dark night sky."

She leaned back and then toward him as she took his hand and said, "See, you are so romantic. I can picture that so clearly in my mind," and she tipped her head up so she could look up at him. He moved until he could reach her and he kissed her very lightly and unhurriedly.

"I'm really glad you're with me on the project."

"I am too." With her head nestled against his side she again looked up and asked him, "Did you make love to any of the women in our group?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"It wasn't until after your group that I made love to a guest for the first time."

She turned more onto her side and her arm went across his upper belly as she said, "Really? Why is that?"

"Oh, it's a long story involving other employees and such. Different management and that sort of thing. I don't know how or why it happened the first time, but once it did and Didi had her first experience with another guy, it happened more often. It's all rather hard to explain."

"I just assumed that you had been making love to dozens of women and for a long time."

"No. Don't get me wrong, I've had my share of...let's call them adventures, but after Didi and I got married that stopped until...well like I just described."

"And now?"

"And now what?"

"And now will you always make love to a lot of women?"

"A lot of women? No, I don't see that happening. Other than Didi? I'm sure I will on occasion, or until she says no more."

"She's very tolerant."

"I allow her the same freedoms though and it's working for us."

"I don't think I'd be willing to share you with another woman...well maybe if I was right there it would be okay."

"So you really think you could handle that?"

"I think so, assuming I knew that you loved me and we were comfortable in our marriage."

"What would Darren think or say if he heard our conversation?"

"He wouldn't mind. We both have our clothes on and we're behaving."

"My mind isn't behaving at all."

She smiled up at him before she said, "I won't comment on where my mind is."

"It's on the island with me. Well okay, I'd like to think it is."

"You're good, because that's exactly right. Now how did we get here from sunning topless behind my new house."

"You and I can travel pretty fast it seems. All the way to the tropics and back in a matter of minutes."

"You're a wonderful traveling companion."

"Can you enjoy fantasies?"

"Sometimes, like what?"

"Let's say that one day we come up with an excuse...sorry, a reason that we both need to fly down to the island. What would Darren have to say about that?"

"Oh god, that's a wonderful fantasy, but I can't say how he'd be. It would be as part of my job right?"

"Of course. Maybe a meeting with Melvin for example."

"Then how could he say no?"

"If you were my wife, the same way I'd tell you no if I were in his shoes and I knew about that island like he does."

"You'd be jealous?"

"I might be very jealous, because we wouldn't have been married very long, and with me stuck back here I wouldn't want to share you even for a little while."

"I didn't think you would have a jealous bone in your body."

"I didn't either, so what do you think about that?"

"I think you are very full of surprises."

"Now we better stop pretending you're my wife or I'll get confused and try to take liberties with you."

It would be a good idea for both of us to move on to something else."

"Okay, back to the houses where we started all of this."

"Okay, now would you sun naked in your backyard?"

"Living next door to you? Of course I would."

"But what if you lived next to somebody else?"

"Well maybe even then, but I'd worry about them disapproving or something."

"I think you'd have no trouble at all being naked. That's something that's very easy for you to do."

"I admit you're right, but how did you know that?"

She smiled and said, "I didn't, but now I know."

"Oh that was low. Okay so tell me about your time on the island with your friends. Remember, this is before I even mingled with the guests."

She lost her smile and said, "I'm not sure I want to get into that Mac."

"I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"No it's not you. I got involved with something that...well that I really enjoyed at the time, but later as I looked back, I wasn't very proud of myself. I've never told Darren or Allie about any of that time."

"That sounds pretty heavy and serious."

She moved up so that she wasn't leaning into him as much and said, "It was one of those times when things just happened. No plan and not even any thoughts or hope that something like that would happen."

Mac put his arm behind her and said, "Tell me about it Liz. You need to share that with somebody at least even if it isn't me."

She tipped her head back and looked up at the ceiling as she rested her head on the back of the sofa. "This isn't easy to say out loud let alone to tell somebody else." Then she told him about the three way switch on the beach. "Mac, that just isn't what I'm like and it still bothers me a lot that I let three different guys have me."

He pulled her back into him and held her close telling her, "I know how things can get out of control, so I do understand how that could have happened. Don't beat yourself up over it and I think you made the right decision not to tell Darren or anybody else."

"I just want all of that experience to fade away. I want to pretend that it never happened."

"But you said that you enjoyed it then."

"Mac, it was wild. That's the only way I can explain all of that, Everything happened so fast and it was totally wild."

"As your personal counselor and advisor, I say don't forget about it. It's an exciting part of your past. You won't repeat that and no real harm was done."

"But what do you think of me now?"

"I can't safely answer that and still work close to you in the coming months. Okay, I'll say this much. I see you as the same attractive, efficient and smart woman that I saw when I talked to you not long ago. I see a very sexy and desirable woman and if you were my wife I'd forgive you in an instant because I couldn't bear to lose you."

She kissed him that time and lay over him as she said, "Thank you for saying that about me, and for the advice."

Chapter Sixty Six

Didi was busy right from the day that Mac flew to the states. She told Mac in one of her emails to him that when Melvin says things will move very quickly, he meant it. Then when she talked to him on the phone she said, "Mac, he must have been working on this plan for some time, because everything was ready to happen. We have a larger freight ferry that does nothing but go back and forth to haul building materials and supplies out and construction refuse back to the mainland. Most of the cottages are either gutted or gone completely and the new ones are being built.

"What is the projected completion date?"

"Two months from now, can you believe that?"

"Well we know the cottages aren't designed to last forever and the construction is pretty simple."

"Not as much so this time. They are going to be very nice and comfortable. Still not very large, but very nice. The two dayrooms are gone of course, but we're adding to the sexy video selections and each cottage will have their own to choose from. The little dining places are half completed if you can believe that. They're almost a modular type of construction in fact. Much of the commercial appliances are being delivered in a couple of weeks and I'm working with Mark and others on the menus and...well so many things."

"You holding up okay?"

"I am, but I'll be ready for things to slow down a little. Nat, the general contractor here is staying in one of the old cottages that has been totally restored and that helps a lot."

"I'm sure it does. Is he good to work with?"

She looked over at Nat and smiled as she said, "He's fantastic."

"I'm glad it's going well for you. Liz and I have everything ready here so all we have to do now is wait until the first group of homes is completed and released."

"You said she's a great help."

"Like your Nat, she's fantastic too."

"Lucky for you. Anything from Ann?"

"Just emails saying she's doing fine and getting on with her life, and she thinks of us and the island often."

"I have to go babe."

"Me too, love you.

"Love you, bye." Then Didi put her phone down and opened her legs for Nat so he could once again enter her. But they had been playing long and hard, so minutes later Nat lay next to Didi and asked her, "Is everything okay up there?"

"Seems to be."

"And I take it this Ann you mentioned is getting on with life."

"I'm very surprised that they aren't together. Of course he does have Liz."

"But you said that they have no past to share."

"No, well other than experiencing this island of course. He was very monogamous at that point." Nat smiled and decided to let his other question about her past die on his tongue. One thing he didn't want to do was alienate this very sexually hungry woman that he was living with. Leanne, his wife received regular emails from him complete with pictures of the island, but as far as she knew he was living in a cottage and Didi was a bitch to work with.

Melvin paid a rare visit to the island, and Didi devoted her attention to him as she drove him and Bruce, his guest, around the island to show them the great progress that was being made. "Didi," Melvin said, "You're doing a great job."

"Thank you. The weather has been so very cooperative and we've had no supply problems at all. In fact we have materials here that we won't need for another couple of weeks." They arrived at Tropic Treat as she said, "Now as I mentioned earlier, this section is almost complete because, as you know, we're restoring rather than totally rebuilding.. Another week or two and we'll be ready for guests on this side of the island."

"Wonderful and Earl may have some people lined up."

She looked at Melvin and said, "I haven't heard Earl mentioned for awhile, how is he doing?"

"Just fine. I sent him Costa Rica to oversee my investments there, but he's back in the states for awhile."

Making sure she was smiling, Didi said, "I'm glad he's doing well."

"How are Cecilia and Kate working out for you?"

"Sissy was born for that job, and Kate is almost efficient enough to scare me sometimes."

"Sounds to me like life is being very good to you."

"Indeed it is, and how are you and Nat getting along?"

Didi paused for just a second and her heart jumped when she heard his name, but then she smiled and said, "I'm enjoying working with him. We're a good team."

"Excellent. Well Bruce, had enough?"

"This is indeed a beautiful island, but I prefer the big city life."

"I know you do. Okay Didi, take us back to my launch."

"On our way," and she shuttled them back to the dock where his personal driver and launch captain was waiting to serve his boss.

Kate was at the dock before she called Didi, but didn't get an answer. But Kate knew that she was on the island, so she wasn't worried about finding her. She borrowed an electric car and headed to Didi's and found her coming up the path with her arm around Nat and his around her. They quickly lowered their arms and Kate just smiled and said, "I called but didn't get an answer and Melvin wanted me to get this information to you because he forgot it yesterday."

"I must have forgotten to charge my phone again, sorry."

"It's no problem at all. It's good to get out of the office in fact. Everything seems great here," and Kate smiled as she got back into her little car and said, "See you later," and sped off toward the dock.

"I wish she wouldn't have seen us together."

"Is that going to be a problem?"

"I doubt it. Mac is thousands of miles away and busy, and Melvin keeps Kate busy. The only reason they would have to even talk would be about contracts or progress reports."

"Okay. I just don't want you to get into trouble with Melvin."

"I'm not worried about that either. A lot goes on around here that he never hears about."

"I'm sure that's true."

Chapter Sixty Seven

Time passed quickly as Mac met with one contractor or another. He and Leon became friends and they conducted business over a cold beer more than once. But there just wouldn't be a lot that he needed to do until some of the homes were completed. He and Liz had plenty of time to become near experts on the types of construction of the homes, the floor plans and all of the nearly mindless trivia like the size of the lake, and even the fish population for the catch and release fishermen that might buy a house there. Liz continued to prove that she was sharp, and as things progressed that she would be a very valuable member of the team. She was also all he had for a personal life. They talked and acted like husband and wife most of the time and shared more hugs and light kisses than many good friends, and certainly a lot more than a boss and his employee should share or spouses might approve of.

Mac invited Liz and Darren along with Martin and Allie to dinner at Mazatlan and put that on his company card, something he would rarely do. But they were having an enjoyable evening before Darren would have to be gone again for a few days. His phone buzzed and chirped, but he was ignoring it until Liz touched his arm and said, "You better get that, we don't mind."

"Sorry," and he quickly answered, "Mac."

"Hi love."

"Well hi. This restaurant is very noisy though. Could I call you later?"

"Too many ears right?"

"So true."

"Call me at home then and whenever you get a chance."

"I don't have that number." He put the phone aside and asked, "Any of you have a pen?" to which each of them said no, so he said, "Hold on a sec while I round up a pen or pencil." Martin grabbed a waiter and a second later Mac had her home number jotted on a napkin that he stuffed into his pocket. "Call you soon okay?"

"Okay, think of me hon," and the connection was broken.

"Something important Mac?" Liz asked him.

"A little, but it can wait until I get home." They had their third round of margaritas and he would catch Allie looking at him. When their eyes met, she would smile and then look away, but it wouldn't be long before they would engage in that little game again. Mac finally smiled at her and said, "Allie, forgive me for not telling you how great you look."

"Thank you Mac, when I learned we were having dinner with you tonight I made Liz go out with me to buy a new outfit for the occasion."

"I approve of your choice, and Martin forgive me but you're wife looks hot. I do love her blouse."

"Thanks, I think she does too."

Allie then said, "Liz told me that you'd love this. I guess she knows you pretty well."

"That she does. But then hour after hour of working together will do that right?"

"Yes, sometimes that is true," and she smiled at him again before she daintily picked up her glass by the stem and sipped her drink as she continued to watch him.

It wasn't until the next morning that he had a chance to ask Liz, "What was all of that with Allie last night?"

"You don't know?"

"Help me out."

"Honey, she was flirting with you."

"But Martin was right there and..."

"So?"

"What started that? I mean we hardly know each other."

"Oh in a way we all know each other quite well. Or at least we all share some very powerful memories."

"I can't deny that. So the deal with the blouse then?"

"Like she said, I helped her shop. I know that you appreciate nice cleavage, and hers is better than mine."