When Callie Shawcross's wedding plans fall apart, a friend convinces her that a relaxing break in the sleepy Egyptian town of Fidda Hilal is just what she needs.
As she arrives in the former Bedouin fishing village, Callie feels a sense of peace. Th...
The next morning, I decided to avoid the beach and lie by the pool instead. It nestled in amongst the villas in the middle of the hotel grounds, and my hope was that by hiding there, I'd be able to avoid Hans and Eid. Why did the watersports club have to be so near to the hotel? I'd be running from Eid for my entire holiday now.
I'd barely sat down when I was interrupted once again. What was that accent? Polish? Russian?
"Callie?"
"Yes?"
A portly man with thinning hair loomed over me. What now?
"I hear you are looking for a man to show you a good time?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"You know, a bit of bedroom fun? How do you say, rumpy pumpy?"
"I understand what you mean, but who on earth told you I wanted that? Was it the waiter at the beach bar?"
"No, the bartender. He said to check on the sunloungers for the pretty lady with big, uh, how you say...?"
He mimed a huge pair of knockers, and I glanced down. Surely he was exaggerating? Mine were only D-cups.
"I'm terribly sorry, but I'm just not that kind of woman."
Hang on... Why was I apologising to him?
"So I am wasting my time?"
"I'm afraid so, yes."
He gave me a disgusted look and stalked off, muttering, "Tease-prick."
I opened my mouth and shouted, "You mean prick-tease, you idiot."
Oh. My. Goodness. Had I really said that out loud? Judging by the stares I was getting, half incredulous, half amused, I very much suspected I must have. I wanted to crawl under my sunlounger and die.
What could I do but gather up my things and flee back to the villa? Maybe I could just spend the rest of my break on the terrace. Yes, that seemed to be the best idea.
Except when I got there, I found the door open and a young Egyptian man in there, cleaning.
"You come back later," he told me, then grinned happily and closed the door in my face.
Gah. Beach it was, then.
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On the beach, I picked a sunlounger as far away from the bar as possible and spread out my towel. The light breeze was enough to leave me feeling refreshed without being unpleasant. The windsurfers on the lagoon certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves too. I watched them for a few minutes before I picked up my book. Would this be my lucky day?
No. No, it wouldn't. I'd only managed to get halfway through the tense thriller when the sun disappeared, and I glanced up to find a man standing in front of me, holding a piece of paper.
