A Common Kind of Love Ch. 02

Naomi noticed him in her peripheral vision, he was coming her way. Might as well just be bold she thought, so she turned completely around and stared at him full on.

Doug was a tad shocked when he saw her turn around and stare at him as he walked up towards huge bar area. But, he wasn't disappointed, she stood with her hip out sexy and luscious, her body was long but she wasn't a skinny beanpole. Which was good, because he'd always liked women with some meat on their bones just more to hold on to during the naughty parts. He had to just imagine what she looked like under that jacket but if those two protrusions on her chest told him anything she was well-endowed, very well indeed, her hips were round and looked as if they tapered into a small waist and those legs were just his undoing, they looked toned under those jeans, I bet they went on forever he thought.

He couldn't keep his eyes from devouring her body as he looked up at her face again he noticed as before she wasn't smiling, uh-oh he thought. Even though her smile was hidden, the beauty of her face was not. She had this wonderful smooth skin, creamy like melted chocolate and large almond-shaped eyes and they were this wonderful piercing brown, the color of pecans almost. Perfect nose, not tiny but not extremely wide, those full kissable lips, the bottom slightly larger than the top and it looked so suckable Doug fantasized about taking that bottom lip and making it his own. She had coal black hair, stick straight and parted on one side, the front was longer than the back just past her shoulders and it was thick. Did he really think he was going to give up women for any period of time with this woman walking the earth, she just had this regal air about her, she seemed almost unapproachable but Doug had been known for his risk-taker bravado and it had never failed him.

She still hadn't smiled at him, he wondered if she actually smiled or were her teeth crooked or yellow or something. No, he banished that thought she looks like perfection why would her teeth be any different. He kept moving towards her slowly approaching with a little swagger in his step.

Naomi was watching him as he moved closer to her, he had real grace for a man so tall, he stood maybe 6'2" or 6'3" she guessed. She noticed his eyes drinking her in and she thought, well let him get a good look at me and this way I can get a good look at him. As she looked him up and down she thought to herself, my goodness he looks ready to ride. Her face never betrayed her thoughts though, the one thing that you learn being a Princess is how to always look stoic, it's a requirement. You can never let anyone be aware in the slightest of what you're thinking. She just looked as her eyes moved down his body, taking him in and back up again but her head never stretched a muscle.

He was tall, she liked tall men, her father was a tall, big man she figured that's were she got it from. King Milo was tall, big with caramel skin and light brown eyes and an intimidating glare. She was glad he didn't have one of those, he wasn't particularly tanned the way all the white people are when they come to Bocara Island and when they leave but it looked like he spent some time in the sun, he had slight golden tint to his skin. His body was lean and muscular, she could tell even with the clothes on, when you've seen tourist after tourist invade your island home for their vacation pleasure, you know bodies. He was wearing what looked like brown motorcycle boots, jeans that left nothing to the imagination, a large brown bomber jacket and a burgundy turtleneck sweater under it. His chest and shoulders were wide, the jacket hid his arms but they were still massive, he looked like he worked out, good she wanted him to be in good shape. He had a long neck with a small adam's apple protruding out it looked fairly lickable thought Naomi.

Then she got to the best part his face, that face, he looked like a male model except he was prettier than any she'd seen, he had chestnut brown hair a little shaggy but it looked cute on him in tousled little boy kind of way. A nose that was almost straight but it looked like it may have been broken once before, nice firm lips, an angular strong jaw, and deep set eyes, she couldn't tell if they were blue or grey when she looked at him before, maybe they were both. As she perused his face at her leisure, he smiled and those two big dimples appeared. She sucked in a breath, but shielded the reaction so he couldn't see it, he was beautiful. He reminded her of young Hugh Jackman, one of her favorite movie stars although as a Princess it would be gauche to say so out loud. That's okay for now she would just think it and think it hard.

When he finally stood in front of her, she looked up at him and turned her back to him.

Doug was confused. She was just staring at me like the last pork chop on the plate, now she plays the uninterested role, oh this chick is just too much, he thought to himself. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled and said "hello."

Finally he thought a grin, her teeth and smile are perfect, "Uh, hey how you doing?" Doug asks trying to play it smooth now that he's heard her voice he's ready to pop a woody, it's deep and sexy like her he suspects.

"I'm fine, just enjoying the fest." She answers nonchalantly. She turns back toward the crowded bar area shuffling closer to maybe getting a drink. She closes her eyes taking in the sound of that masculine timbre that is his voice, it's smooth and a little cocky and that wonderful smell, he just smells, clean, the way a man should. She's beginning to like him.

"That's good, you shouldn't have come up here to get a beer. It's way too crowded. What's going on with your server?" he comments.

Naomi tells him somewhat peeved, "I don't know she doesn't come around much, maybe she's not interested in serving us because we're a bunch of girls." That porno star version of a Heidi look alike they had as a beer wench had been snotty to them all day.

Doug laughs a little, a deep rumble she enjoys hearing, "Oh, that's wrong. Hey, let's see if I can muscle through this crowd and get you some quicker service."

She turns to look at him and notices that his eyes have turned more grey than blue they must change according to his mood. He looked in full determination mode now he wanted to make his way through this crowd so he takes her hand in his and starts nudging his way through. Naomi almost pulls her hand back, taking the hand of a Princess without her offering it was akin to sacrilege in her country. But, she had to remember while she was on this vacation, at this Oktoberfest celebration, she was not a Princess. So she just went with him as he dragged her through the crowd to the front, she admired his determination, Americans she thought they don't let anything or anyone stand in there way.

She hears him every once in awhile say, "watch it man, I'm trying to get through," "excuse me please we're coming by," or the always polite, "uh, you need to move." She just smiles to herself but they do get up to the front even though there were some German swear words she heard as they passed.

"So how many do you need?" he asked as the bartender came up to them.

Naomi thought all the time she'd been gone, Freddy had probably stopped nursing her beer and it was gone. "Three."

He turned to the guy behind the bar dressed in lederhosen and said, "Yea, can I get three Hofbraus." The guy asked him something and he repeated, "Yea, I said three" and put up three fingers to illustrate. After the guy turned to start filling those gigantic glasses they called steins, he turned on her again and smiled. He was hot, maybe he could qualify for her vacation fling, she wondered.

"What you thinking?" he asked.

"Hmmm, why ask that?" she looked up at him confused.

"Cause your brows came together like you were deep in thought and when I want to know something I ask."

She could admire that trait but she wasn't telling him what she was thinking. "Nothing. Just wondering why this place is so crowded," she looked around and he looked also.

"Hey, it's Oktoberfest, time to party." He shouted loudly as he pumped his fist in the air.

Naomi laughed, he seemed like a lot of fun. The bartender came back with the three steins and he gathered them between his fingers into his hands and hefted them up.

"You need some help carrying those?" she asked putting her hands out towards him.

"No problem, just help me make our way out of here. I'm cool carrying this." She noticed he had strong, big hands, very deft fingers, maybe that hand ridiculousness Freddy and Zoe kept spouting had some truth behind it. She maneuvered their way through the crowded bar area and back towards their table, once they got close to where his two friend were sitting, she turned to him and said "Oh, thank you so much that was truly chivalrous of you. " she smiled a him, he noticed she had slight English accent very faint though.

"It was nothing, my lady." He said.

She reached for the beer steins to relieve him of them before they went their separate ways.

"Oh no, I'll take these to your table. It's not a problem."

"You sure?" she asked, "it's not far just a little ways up but you don't have to do that."

"Hey, why don't I just go all the way and ask if my friends and myself can join you, that's if you have room at your table?" he asked with a cute smirk.

"Oh, okay. Why don't you. I'm here with my little sister and best friend but if you don't mind sitting with three girls from out of town, why not?"

He thought I don't mind sitting with three girls from out of town as long as one of the three is you, sweetheart. He walked towards where Dhani and Al were still sitting, Dhani looked up first, "Well you finally back, where your ball..." he stopped mid-sentence as he noticed the ice queen standing behind Doug looking friendly.

"Hi." She said and waved at him.

He just stared and waved back and turned to look at Al, who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Hey guys, I just helped this wonderful young lady get some beers up at the bar and as a reward she has decided to invite us to join her table. So, we're going to join..." he looked at Naomi realizing he had neglected to ask her name, smooth move Doug, he thought.

She noticed him looking confused at her and she realized he didn't know her name "it's Naomi, Naomi Windsor."

"...Naomi at her table, get up."

As he spoke to his friend over his shoulder she presented her hand to him as royalty would. He looked at her a little like she was crazy, oh my god, thought Naomi you're not a princess now. So she took his hand and just shook it.

He grasped and shook her hand, she noticed how soft his were, no manual labor for this handsome man, "Well, I'm Doug. Doug Harper. This is my friend Dhani Jefferson." He pointed to large black guy, "and my other friend, Al Ortiz," and pointed to his Hispanic friend who was shorter and thin, he smiled at Naomi like a predatory snake she was a bit shaken by the look from him. "Okay guys gather up those steins, we're moving."

"Man, I'm comfortable right here." Al started to argue.

Dhani came around and dragged him from the seat, "Now, you're uncomfortable fool, come on let's move," and shoved him towards in the path that Doug and Naomi were walking.

As they came through the crowd jostling and laughing, Naomi thought this Oktoberfest is finally getting fun. She spotted Zoe and Freddy stretching with their might, probably trying to ogle some man's behind, if anyone knew she and Zoe were Princesses and Freddy was part of the royal household it would have worldwide scandal, well almost.

"I'm back guys." Noami announced to a startled Zoe and Freddy. The nearly jumped over their seats.

"Oh mercy," Freddy screamed "you could have caused me my death, girl." She leaned over to look at three gentlemen standing like gracious baboons at her back.

Zoe jumped right up and started to introduce herself, "Hi, I'm Zoe, who are you?" she was like a little girl full of energy and curiousity, Naomi wished she still had that naïve outlook on the world.

Naomi stepped to the side and introduced the guys. The shook Zoe's hand politely although Al was looking her over like a new automobile.

Freddy stepped up sure and confident as always, "I'm Freddy, nice to meet you gentlemen. I hope you'll be us joining during the festival." Although Freddy was also kind, she was rather suspicious, one of her many jobs as personal assistant for Naomi and Zoe was to be weary of people, she never knew who was a potential danger to the girls. Which meant that unfortunately Freddy didn't pay close attention to her own life especially her love life. Dhani moved closer to Freddy to sit next to her at the table, as he moved in she looked at him suspiciously, Naomi noticed her glare.

"Freddy, would you move over a little and allow Dhani to sit down, he's a big guy he needs some room." She pleaded with Freddy.

Freddy glanced at her and rolled her eyes and sat down.

Zoe was already in full conversation mode with Doug and Al, her little sister was a complete chatterbox, "well where you guys from? We're from Bocara, have you guys heard of it? It's in the Caribbean, we live on the big island, Big Bocara. It's really pretty."

"Zoe! Please, these guys can barely process the conversation." Naomi lectures her, she loves her little sister but she can have a bad case of diarrhea of the mouth.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Zoe smiles at them and they smile back.

"We're just some guys on vacation, hanging out doing guy stuff, drinking beer, eating bad food," Doug says to the ladies.

"And talking to the beautiful women," Al chimes in eyeing Zoe up and down.

Naomi found something about him disconcerting, she looked at Freddy who just looked completed waylaid at Al's words.

"We're not here for that specifically," Dhani interrupted Al's sad mack, "it's just to hang out as boys."
Dhani knew not to give any more details of why they'd exactly come on this trip.

"Are you from the states?" Zoe asked excited she loved anything and everything about America. Naomi found that she wasn't really that impressed with the big shot attitudes and rudeness of Americans especially when they came to visit Bocara, she'd barely been to the United States only for government business although she found the South friendly and really beautiful.

"Yes, we are..." answered Doug heartily. He looked proud to be an American, "I'm from Atlanta, Georgia. Al's from Boston and our boy, Dhani lives in Tennessee."

"Wow, you guys are from all the over the country." Zoe looked eagerly at each one of the men hoping for tales of the U.S. "I visited a little while ago, I went on trip to New York for...school" Zoe made sure to keep their cover.

"What kind of work do you lovely ladies do? Probably something certainly fitting of your beauty." Al's smooth tongue glided the words across like silk. Naomi kept an eye on him because he was keeping much too close an eye on her baby sister.

Naomi spoke up first, in this game of charades they played each time they went on private holiday she was the best, "Zoe is in school as she said previously, she's finishing law school."

"Really, I'm an attorney in Boston" Al seemed too pleased to find out they shared that interest he moved in closer to Zoe and Naomi moved in closer her too.

Doug was getting perturbed at Al's playboy act, it was way too unsophisticated for someone so old and trying to play love them and leave them with Naomi's much younger sister was making him feel like kicking a hole in Al's pants.

He leaned back to speak with Dhani for a second, who looked as if he was trying to chat up Naomi's friend, Freddy, "D, man can you do something about Al because in about two minutes I'm going drag him down the road by his collar like a delinquent."

Dhani sighed and turned to Al, "Al, man can I talk to you for a second over here?"

Al rose as Dhani shifted himself to ease from the table and take Al over to the side for a talk. Zoe watched as they talked and so did Naomi from the corner of her eye but Doug wasn't paying the show much attention, he knew what Dhani was going to tell Al and he was not going to like it but that's cool he'd get over it, cry a little bit but he'd live. Dhani was raising his hands in the air over Al's head and Al was standing up on his toes to gain height on the big man but he couldn't overpower his voice.

The last thing heard was from Dhani "...and that's it man, that's all I'm going to take out of you today. You better get your action straight or you're going to be roaming around Germany alone." Dhani turned and stomped away back to the table, before he set down he apologized, "I'm sorry ladies, sometimes Al can get little loose."

Al came back to table looking like a spoiled baby, arms folded, lip poked out, Naomi had never seen a grown man act in such a manner, Father would never let that go without any repercussions she thought and tsked.

Doug leaned over "don't mind him he's just a spoiled brat, too much money, too much doting," he laughed.

Al sat down and sulked, Zoe tried to talk to him but he didn't want to talk so Zoe talked to Doug and Naomi while Dhani and Freddy restarted there own conversation.

"So, Zoe you're going to law school, where at?" Doug asks her curiously.

"I'm going to Bartleby University, completing my degree there."
"Never heard of it," Doug said looking curiously.

"Oh, it's an old University Doug, it's been on our island for hundreds of years established by the English."

"I see, your island is under British rule."

"No!" Zoe and Naomi shouted, Freddy looked over to their conversation.

"Did someone say we were under British rule?" Freddy was very sensitive about the sovereignty of the island. Her family had battled as freed slaves for Bocara to become sovereign. "We are not under British rule anymore. We were, but we are not now, that's all." And she turned and continued her conversation with Dhani who looked a little scared.

"Man you better leave this island beauty alone, she's going to pull out a can of whoop-ass on you." Dhani warned Doug, Al started laughing, good thing thought Doug at least he'll lighten up and stop being a cry baby.

"Hey it was mistake, I'm sorry, I was misinformed I didn't know."

Naomi and Zoe smiled at him, "that's okay" said Naomi, "we didn't want to scare you but we're very protective of the reputation of our kingdom, we are all from there and our families have great stake in the country and it's well-being," more than he even knew.

"Hey, that's cool nothing is wrong is being proud of where you come from, by the way what do you do?"

Naomi always had a quick answer for this question, "I work for the government."

"Government worker huh, pushing papers and stuff like that."

"Yea, pushing papers and stuff like that," but it was far from it, Naomi was the Assistant Prime Minister of the Trade, Business and Tourism her father insisted that they both work somewhere in a government entity, they needed to know how the government worked before they ran it. Zoe was working in the Justice Ministry currently and would hopefully sit as a counselor or judge.

"I work for the government too," Doug told her.

"Really," said Naomi surprised, "what do you do?"

"I'm doctor at the Center for Disease Control."

"A doctor, very prestigious. You do research regarding communicable disease?"

"Yes, I do. I really like what I do and feel like I contribute something to the world with my degree."

"Where did you attend school?"

"Well, we all went to UCLA together," he nodded towards Dhani and Al, "and I went to medical school at the University of Washington in Seattle. Where'd you go to school?" might as well get all the boring questions out of the way he figured.