Love Around the World 13: Montenegro

"Midday. I'm doing another ten-hour day, with an hour break for dinner somewhere in those ten hours."

"I'll get here sometime during the afternoon."

She couldn't hide her smile. "I'm not going to say no if you wish to buy more drinks from me."

"Think you could sit and have another chat?"

Lowering her eyes, she fidgeted for a moment before nodding. "I'd like that. I'm used to guys flirting with me, but most are really rude to me..."

"I'm just after some company, and to be honest, it's the accent. A reminder of home."

"I'm thinking the same thing, to be honest. In all the time I've been back, I think I've only run into two Australians."

Rising to my feet, it was then that I realised that she was quite a bit shorter than me. Raising her eyes to meet mine, she smiled before resting a hand on my chest. "Go and have some fun, Mark. There's a reason why Budva is so popular with young and old alike. And if I see you here tomorrow, I'll make sure I'm the girl serving you."

The places right on the beach were absolutely pumping. Given that most guys were walking around without a shirt or t-shirt, I took mine off as I walked into one place, rammed with plenty of young people looking to have a good time. After ordering myself a drink, I glanced around to see a real mix of men and women, glancing over the women and figuring most of them were probably younger than me if I was honest. Some of them seemed to be little more than teenagers.

Staggering back to my hotel sometime early in the morning, I wasn't disappointed to be heading back alone. I'd had a great time, chatting with plenty of pretty girls for a couple of hours. The music wasn't exactly what I was interested in, but I wasn't expecting to hear power or symphonic metal at a beach party.

I did wake with a bit of a hangover the next morning, ensuring I was downstairs in time for breakfast before I figured the hair of the dog would help, walking down the road to a nearby shop where I knew I could pick up a bottle of beer for barely the price of a Euro. Sipping at that back in my room, gazing out over the sea, I sighed happily as I was still barely halfway into my trip, and I was having the time of my life.

After finding a little restaurant in the rather tiny old town that served some local delicacies, I walked around Budva itself, realising rather quickly there was little to actually see. The town was known for its beaches and nightlife, not its culture.

Finding myself in the same beachside bar as the previous afternoon, Milica noticed my arrival and approached me as soon as I sat down. She was wearing a different pair of shorts, so tight to her body that I knew I'd be checking out her arse when she'd walk away. As for her t-shirt, it seemed even tighter to her body than the day before. She had all the womanly curves one would expect of a woman her age. Even with my sunglasses on, she would have known I was checking her out, pleased to see that the smile on her face simply widened.

"I didn't know if you'd come back or not..."

"There are two reasons why I came back, Milica."

"And they are?"

"Well, I can't fault the price of drinks here and your bartender is very generous with his pouring."

"And the other?"

"I just happened to enjoy a chat with a beautiful woman yesterday and hoped that she might be interested in chatting with me again today."

Sitting down next to me, she took my hand and squeezed it. "I have my break in two hours... Maybe you'd like to come join me at a small place nearby?"

"I only ate breakfast, so I'll be hungry by then."

"What I get will be better than the food you'd get here," she whispered, "Drinks are good. The food? Not so good."

"Thanks for the tip."

"Same drink as yesterday?"

Glancing around, the place was pretty quiet so I asked, "Think you could join me for a drink now?"

"I'd love to... I'll be back in a few minutes."

She returned with two drinks on a tray and sat down next to me. Sipping at her gin and tonic as I sipped at my bourbon, I asked, "Your family is back in Australia. Do you have any distant family here?"

"I have a couple of aunts and uncles. Cousins. But they live elsewhere either in the country or over the border in Serbia. After independence, a lot of Montenegrins had to decide whether to remain in Serbia or move to our newly independent country. Serbia wasn't going to go and kick them all out or anything though."

"What about friends? Any from Australia that might have come back?"

"I was the only girl from Montenegro. I knew a couple of Serbs. Croats, Bosnians and Slovenes generally kept their distance for obvious reasons. But no, no-one I know from Australia has come back. But I've made some friends over the years. I'm somewhat of a curiosity because of my accent when I speak English. I don't have the accent when speaking the local language as it was always spoken at home anyway."

"You miss it?"

"Australia? I mostly miss my family. Family is important in this part of the world, and finding myself so far away from them..." She paused and looked away. When she sniffed, I immediately leaned forward to grab a napkin off the table.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," I said, offering her the napkin.

"Don't apologise for showing an interest. I don't talk about it very often," she said, "I'll admit that I'm sometimes lonely as although I only spent around twenty years in Australia, it was long enough for it to really feel like home. But I was in love when I followed my ex-husband here, and when everything fell apart, I'd already made a life for myself here, so I've stuck it out since."

Taking her hand in mine, she met my eyes and a smile formed as she squeezed my hand in return. "You've mentioned an ex-husband. Any kids?"

That question required another dab of the napkin at her eyes. "No," she whispered, "He promised me we'd have them together." She paused and took a deep breath. "The bastard had them with her though," she spat, "Jebeno kopile!"

"I don't think I need a translation for that."

"I should go and dry my eyes. Will you stay until I'm on my break?"

"I've got nowhere else I'd rather be right now."

Her face softened as she smiled at me. "You're far too sweet, Mark."

"As I said, there were two reasons why I sat down here yesterday though I'm going to swap around those reasons now. The cheap drinks are the second reason."

"Definitely going to go now as you're going to be trouble."

"Me? Trouble? Perish the thought."

I sipped that drink and ordered another one, sipping at that, playing on my phone, and listening to the music, before she walked over and let me know she was on her break. Sliding a pair of sunglasses on, I followed her onto the promenade, smiling to myself when she grabbed my hand, turning her head briefly to smile at me, as she led me away from the chaos towards a quieter side street. It was there that we entered a rather small restaurant.

Taking a seat at a table, we were greeted by a waiter who seemed to know her, the pair chatting away for a minute in the local language before she gestured at me. "This is my friend, Mark. I'm treating him to some lunch. I'm thinking a few small plates of hearty but delicious local snacks."

A bottle of water and two glasses were placed on the table as Milica rested her hand on the table. When I took it in mine, she smiled at me, her blue eyes seeming to sparkle with mischief. "Feels like a date," I said.

"I've never done this with a customer before, but the fact you're from home... I found myself just wanting to spend as much time with you as possible before you leave."

"I'm in no rush to leave..."

She lowered her eyes for a moment but continued to smile. "You're so sweet," she whispered, "I wonder what you would see in a woman like me. I work the sort of job which many men would disapprove of."

"I take it your ex-husband..."

"I was helping him in the bed and breakfast. I only started doing this job after we split up."

"What would he have thought if you did your job while with him?"

"The names he'd have called me would have made a sailor blush. He thinks any woman working this sort of a job is one step above a whore."

I felt my eyes widen in surprise. "Wow. So he was rather narrow-minded?"

"Well, I mean, there are certain girls who are not exactly whores though will use everything they have as a woman to their advantage. Plenty of young girls with perky tits and a shaved pussy will use them to make bigger tips. I'm sure some girls will whore themselves out. I've heard plenty of stories. I just serve food and drinks each day and go home to a small, quiet apartment." She sighed, squeezing my hand. "That must sound so pathetic..."

"You had your heart broken, Milica..."

"I just felt like such a fool, following the man halfway around the world, and I was completely clueless as to his intentions."

"I think everyone's made a silly decision or two because they were in love."

The food arrived and conversation ceased as we filled our stomachs. It was the typical food you'd find in the Balkans. Very feeling and quite heavy, to be honest, but it would give Milica slow-burning energy as she'd be on her feet for at least another five hours until the end of her shift. Walking her back to the bar, we stopped outside as she turned towards me.

"Milica... Would you join me for a drink somewhere else when you're finished tonight?"

"So now you're asking me out on a date?"

"If that's what you think it is..."

"You know I'm a lot older than you."

"I don't see a problem with that."

She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. "You'll be here at 10pm?"

"I'll be standing right here waiting for you."

"I don't want to go anywhere along the beach. Some nice and quiet little places in the old town are open late. I'll take us there instead."

"Wherever you want to go is fine with me."

Not wanting to spend the next few hours just sitting back and drinking, I returned to my hotel room and spent time on my laptop as I had a blog where I was writing about my adventures, uploaded photos to my socials, and sent off a couple of emails to people who wanted some information about places I'd been as they planned their own holidays.

I did return to the beach to take advantage of the setting sun as it was far quieter than during the day when there was barely enough room to swing a cat. After cooling off, I changed clothes back in my room before walking back to the promenade where Milica walked out only a couple of minutes later than the agreed time. She'd changed her t-shirt though still wore the same pair of shorts. She greeted me with a kiss on the cheek, when I wrapped my arms around her, she rested her head against my chest, and I felt her sigh.

"Okay, I like this," she whispered.

"Want to go?"

"I know the perfect place. It's a cozy little place that I hope you'll really like."

Milica had fantastic taste. It was a tiny place, with no more than a dozen tables, most of the light provided by candles, a woman in the corner with a guitar and singing songs in the local language to provide some atmosphere. We sipped at more than one drink as we chatted about anything that came to mind. She wanted to hear all about my holiday, asking about how I could afford it, and I think she was impressed by my single-mindedness and the fact I'd spent a decade working my arse off to get where I was.

We stayed until the place closed, walking hand in hand through the narrow paths until we were out of the old town and walking towards my hotel. "I'm not doing anything tomorrow, Mark, and I know I offered the chance to spend the day with me. What would you like to do?"

"What can you recommend?"

"Have you thought about going to Bar? The city, not... a bar."

"I read up about it though wasn't sure if it was worth visiting."

"I have a car and can drive us down there for the day. Time permitting, we could even head further south to Ulcinj, though if you were to stay in Budva long enough..."

"You're off tomorrow. When is your next day off?"

"Um... Four days after..."

"I can stay that long..."

She turned to gaze up at me, no doubt wondering how serious I was. When I placed my hands on her lower back, her hands rested on my chest as I leaned down to kiss her. Her lips were soft, and I smiled to myself when she kissed me back immediately, pulling her into my body as her hands moved so her arms were around me in return. The kiss lasted for quite a while before we slowly pulled apart, her blue eyes sparkling behind her glasses as she immediately smiled.

"I've never kissed a man so much younger than me... Ever been with an older woman?"

"Once or twice, back in Australia."

"I know this is just a holiday thing for you, Mark..."

Raising my hand to her cheek, she closed her eyes as I gently caressed it. "Milica, I'm certainly not thinking like that. Yes, I've met girls on my trip, but they were fellow travellers. That's different. Meeting a local woman like you... I guess that makes it difficult..."

"Would you like my company tonight, Mark? Not for sex. I can't have sex this quickly with someone I've only just met, but maybe you'd like some company in bed?"

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

Taking her hand, I led her towards the hotel. Her hand squeezed mine even tighter as we rode the elevator to one of the upper floors, escorting her to the door and inside my room. It was a larger room as I'd paid a little more for the comfort as I had planned on an extended stay in Budva to spend time simply relaxing. Turning to face me, Milica didn't hesitate in kissing me again, pressing her body into mine as my hands ended up cupping her firm arse, earning a moan of approval.

Taking off her glasses and undoing the ponytail holding up her hair, she shook her sandy blonde hair, so it hung down over her shoulders as we resumed making out, somehow managing to slide out of our shoes before we moved onto the bed. When I ended up on my back with Milicia straddling me, she sat back long enough so she could lift her t-shirt over her head, exposing a rather nice bra and a curvy body. I immediately ran my hands up her sides as I couldn't help gazing at her large breasts.

"I think you approve as I can feel something hard beneath me," she whispered before leaning down to kiss me again, feeling her shudder as I ran my fingers up and down her back, "You really think I'm beautiful?"

"Probably the most beautiful woman I've met on my holiday so far."

Helping me sit up, she helped off my t-shirt before she rolled off me to take off her shorts, revealing a rather tiny pair of panties before my shorts ended up on the floor with all our other clothing. Straddling my lap again, there was no missing how aroused I was as I felt her pressing down on my erection, whimpering into my mouth as we continued making out for a few seconds. When I rolled her over, making her squeal with surprise before she giggled, the soft moan she made when I pressed against her immediately brought things to a halt.

"Too fast?" I asked softly.

"Mark, when did you last have sex?"

"I met a German girl in Kotor. My last night there."

"I can't remember the last time... I feel so invisible compared to all the pretty young girls who work up and down the beach."

"I saw you the first time, Milica," I whispered, "I see you now too."

"Can you hold me all night?"

"I'd love to. Sorry if I spend most of the night poking you."

"I'll take it as a compliment."

Getting under the sheets, she spooned back against me, feeling her sigh as her back was pressed against my chest with her hands holding mine against her chest. She giggled more than once as my cock refused to go down for quite a while though we eventually started to drift off together. The last words she whispered before falling asleep was her saying 'Thank you'.

Waking up first in the morning, I kissed her softly on the cheek as she slowly woke up, rolling over to snuggle into me before we shared what could only be described as one hell of a passionate kiss. My hand ended up grabbing her arse, her leg resting over mine as my cock pressed into her again. Another soft moan escaped her before she broke the kiss, her cheeks a little coloured as there was no missing that we were both excited.

"How long can you stay in Montenegro?"

"Ninety days without a visa."

"I can't possibly ask you to stay that long..."

"Why not?"

"We don't really know each other."

"We'll probably know each other a lot better after ninety days."

Snuggling into me, I stroked her back as she remained silent. I didn't really blame her. She probably worried this was just a holiday romance for me. For her, I have no doubt she was looking for love again. We were in different parts of our lives, and we were living different experiences. She sighed and I wasn't sure if it was through being content or she was lying with me, worrying about the immediate future.

Getting up and dressed, we wandered downstairs holding her hand as we sat down for breakfast. It was the typical buffet breakfast I'd enjoyed across the continent, each country offering their own differences. We made small talk while we ate, sipping coffee or tea with a glass of juice as well. After finishing our meal, she suggested we walk to her place so she could change into something comfortable and then she would drive us down to Bar.

Her one-bedroom apartment wasn't large, explaining to me that real estate was a major problem in the city as many locals would sublet their apartments during the high season, charging exorbitant amounts that would always be accepted as Budva was such a popular destination. Walking out of her bedroom wearing a lightly coloured sundress and a wide-brim hat, she smiled at me as she'd left her hair down, and sandals on her delicate little feet.

I learned that most people in Montenegro were slow drivers. Not really a great surprise as there were few highways, most of the roads rather narrow with only one lane in either direction. We didn't head to the centre of Bar straight away as the ruins of the old town of Bar were only a short distance away, and we spent a couple of hours walking around the ancient ruins.

Heading into the centre of the new town, we spent most of the day just wandering about, enjoying lunch by the water, and eventually just relaxing in one of the many cafés. Conversation flowed easily as she had numerous stories from her life growing up during the collapse of Yugoslavia to then finishing her schooling in Australia. She learned all about my life, and my ambitions to travel from an early age.

"How have you found it all so far?" she asked as we made our way back to the car.

"Relaxing yet tiring. Being constantly on the move, only staying somewhere for maybe three or four nights most of the time, and most of the places I've visited have a million sights to see so sitting around doing nothing would feel like a waste." I paused before adding, "And I miss my own bed!"

Getting into her car, we drove back to her apartment, chatting away though she spent most of her time concentrating on the road as traffic was horrific, the road not exactly in the greatest of condition. Pulling up outside her small apartment block, she turned towards me and asked, "Would you like to stay with me tonight?"

"I'll go grab some clothes from the hotel for tomorrow."

"Good. That'll give me time to grab some things so I can cook dinner tonight. If you could stop and grab a bottle of wine, preferably white and a little sweet, that would be wonderful."

After grabbing a small backpack from the hotel in which I threw some essentials, I stopped at a small store that sold numerous bottles of wine, eventually picking something that looked nice and wasn't too cheap. Knocking on the front door of her apartment a few minutes later, she greeted me with a kiss on the cheek and approved of the wine I'd bought.