Page 5 of A Savior for the Arrogant Dragon

Max looked over at him, “You’re an idiot,” he said. “That’s Mary Beth, don’t you remember her? She and I were pretty serious for a semester in sophomore year. It didn’t last, but we stayed friends.”

“I don’t remember that much about college,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “If you were sleeping with her, I probably didn’t pay much attention since that made her off-limits.”

“You really are a self-centered jerk, aren’t you?” Max asked, shaking his head again. “Never mind, don’t answer that. Mary Beth is not a lesbian, and I’m pretty sure Kira isn’t either. Now go away before you do more damage than you’ve already done.”

“Wow, what is wrong with everyone today,” he asked. “Every time I open my mouth someone gets offended. Maybe I’ll just keep my mouth shut from now on.”

“Spoken like a true child,” Max said. “Give it a rest, Simon, and go find something to drink. I’m sure there are some single women in the village you can bother, but employees are off limits, so behave yourself.”

Max walked off before he could say anything, so he turned and headed towards the huts, mumbling under his breath, wondering if he should just tell Max that he wanted to go home. He was about ready to turn around and go back to the dock when he spotted a couple of very attractive women standing at what looked like a bar. They were both dressed in skimpy bikinis, and the island suddenly looked a little better to him.

Putting a smile on his face, he approached them, “Well, good afternoon, ladies. I just arrived on the island, and it’s a welcome relief to find two beautiful creatures like you waiting for me,” he said, making eye contact with both of them. “I’m Simon Nelson. I hope we can get to know each other better while I’m here.”

The two women twittered just like he’d expected, interest in both of their eyes, and he instantly felt better. “It’s nice to meet you, Simon,” one of the women finally said. “I’m Mandy, and this is my friend, Sarah.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” he said. “Maybe I can buy you a drink to celebrate meeting each other.”

“That’s a very generous offer,” Mandy said. “But you don’t have to buy us a drink, all the food and drinks are free.”

“Even better,” he said, thinking it would be much easier to get them tipsy, one of his favorite ways to get into a woman’s bed. “Who wants to go first?”

“We already ordered,” Mandy said. “I’m havea passion punch.”

“Now that sounds interesting,” he said, then grinned. “Maybe I’ll have the same thing, I bet it packs a punch.”

Both women laughed at his joke, and he felt even better as his confidence soared, “Too bad it doesn’t have any alcohol in it,” Sarah said. “But it’s good for us to stay sober for a few days, at least that’s what I keep telling myself.”

His heart sank, “No alcohol,” he said, all his plans going up in flames. “You’re kidding, right?”

Mandy shook her head, “Nope, there’s no alcohol allowed on the island,” she said. “I guess the owner thinks it will interfere with us enjoying the island, kinda stupid if you ask me.”

He instantly realized he could fix the situation and be a hero in the process, “Well, I happen to know the owner. I bet I can get him to make an exception for us,” he said. “I’ll get him to send someone back to Bermuda to get us a couple of bottles, and then we’ll have a real party.”

Mandy and Sarah looked like they didn’t believe him, “Oh, that’s okay, you don’t have to do that,” Sarah said. “Honestly, it’s not so bad, we don’t wake up every morning with a hangover, that’s been nice.”

Just then he saw Max walk into the village, “It’s no problem, after all, what are friends for,” he said. “I’ll go take care of it right now.”

Max looked wary when he saw Simon approaching him, “I hope you’re not going to complain about something else,” he said. “I don’t have time to listen right now.”

“Oh, no complaints, just a little problem I need some help with,” he said, smiling at his friend. “I just found out that there’s no alcohol on the island, but I figured you would make an exception for me and the two lovely companions I just met. I was hoping we could send someone over to the island for a quick booze run. We’re planning a party for later tonight, if you know what I mean.”

Before he’d even stopped talking, Max was shaking his head, “Sorry, buddy, the no alcohol rule applies to everyone. You’ll just have to have your party sober.”

“Oh, come on, Max,” he said, instantly annoyed with his friend. “How am I supposed to have fun sober? You do realize, don’t you, that it’s a lot more work to get a woman into bed when she hasn’t had a few drinks?”

Max stared at him for a second, “Are you telling me that the only way you can get a woman into bed with you is if she’s drunk?” he finally asked. “That is kind of pathetic. Kira might have been right about you.”

“That’s not what I said,” he growled, glaring at his friend. “I can get as many women as I want into bed with me, sober or drunk. I just don’t like to work that hard at it.”

This time Max shook his head, “Are you even listening to yourself?” he asked. “There were so many things wrong with what you just said, I can’t even dignify it with an answer. There’s no alcohol on the island. That rule applies to everyone, including you. I’m sorry if that means you have to work harder at having meaningless sex, but that’s just the way it is.”

“I don’t know why I even bothered to come here,” Simon said, then turned and stomped off. “I should just go home where I can be myself.”

***Kira***

Kira zipped up her suitcase, shoved it onto the top shelf of the closet, then turned to look around the little bedroom that would be hers for the next two weeks, a smile spreading across her face. As much as she missed Kiley, it was nice to have some time to herself. Her life had been one challenge after another since she’d gotten pregnant, and she was looking forward to some alone time to get her head straight.

“I’m all unpacked and ready togo,” Mary Beth said, walking into the room. “Are you sure you don’t want to come to dinner with me?”

---