Читать книгу Jewels On Tiger Island - Catherine Pickren - Страница 17

Nassau, Bahamas

The next morning around nine o’clock, John and Mary disembarked the cruise ship at the Nassau, Bahamas docking port. They flagged a taxi which took them to the Princess Hotel. They had not seen Benson. Maybe they would get lucky and not see him again on this trip. However, John figured that if there were only two casinos in the town of Nassau, Bahamas, one could almost guarantee to find Benson at one, or both of them.

They checked in the hotel and unpacked their luggage cases. They watched T.V. twenty minutes, and then Mary wanted John to go with her to the market place and see the goods the native-islanders made. She planned to purchase something to bring back to Lucy and Logan for a souvenir as well as a Christmas gift. Mary bought four Nassau, Bahamas T-shirts for fifteen dollars. She was quite good at bartering. Then she bought several wooden bowl sets. Lucy never seemed to have enough bowls to serve food when Mary and John came over for dinner. John didn’t see anything that he wanted or needed at the market.

They piddled around at the market place until noon. John suggested they eat lunch at a little restaurant called Island Cuisine he had seen within walking distance of the market place. The menu consisted of seafood or pasta entrees. They both decided on something similar to a small shrimp basket served with fries and bread sticks with a cola to drink. The shrimp were a little over-fried, but overall, the meal was good. John suggested they

go back to the hotel to swim and lounge around the pool. Mary loved that idea. She needed to burn off the 700 calories she had just eaten.

Anyone who saw Mary and John together at the pool would have said they were an attractive couple. Mary wore an orange-colored bikini and John wore a red men’s bikini-cut bathing suit. Both were in great physical shape.

“Hey! Last one in is a ‘rotten egg’” yelled John as he dove in the water.

John didn’t know it, but Mary was an excellent swimmer. Living on Fernandina Beach, one learned to swim before he or she learned to walk. When he came up for air, he didn’t see Mary and he panicked. Seconds later, Mary came up for air two feet in front of him.

She splashed him as he turned towards her and she said, “The yolks on you!”

They played, splashed, swam, and frolicked in the pool for about forty-five minutes and then got out of the pool and dried themselves with towels the hotel provided. They had no sooner sat in the hotel lounge chairs than John said, “Uh, Oh! Isn’t that Sheriff Benson coming out of Room 138?” Mary shielded her eyes from the sun, squinted towards Room 138 and realized John was right. At least they knew where Sheriff Benson was staying.

The Princess Hotel restaurant was rated four-stars. John and Mary were seated close to the pianist who was playing softly so conversations could be heard. They ordered escargot for an appetizer and fillet mignon seared on the outside and rare on the inside with a baked potato and Caesar salad for their entrees. The steaks were delicious and juicy. They skipped dessert.

When coffee was served, John excused himself to visit the men’s room. The casino in the hotel was adjoined to the restaurant by French doors that remained open. When John passed by the first door, he peered in and saw Benson at the second table with three other men. Tonight, it looked like he was losing. He still retained his “poker face”, but there were beads of perspiration on his brow.

Once he was back in the restaurant, John told Mary that he saw Sheriff Benson in the casino. Now they knew which casino he liked to visit. They decided not to concern themselves anymore that evening with the sheriff, and to go to their room on the third floor which overlooked the pool, and have a nightcap.

John and Mary talked and enjoyed each other’s company, and several nightcaps ensued. They must have had exquisite sex later that night, because when they woke up, Mary’s bra was on the T.V., John’s underwear was on the chair, shoes were strewn and separated across the room, and the rest of their clothes were in three different heaps on the floor.

“Do you know what time it is?” John asked groggily as he tried to sit up in bed and open both eyes.

Mary yawned and said, “Come here. It’s time to get your engine revved again.” She pulled John down beside her and began massaging John to the point that he climbed on top of her.