Page 13 of Bearly Breathing

CHAPTER 5

Leya sucked in a breath as she stepped onto the stone patio of the hotel’s most popular outdoor bar, the Moongate Tiki Lounge. She exhaled as she took in the décor.

It certainly felt like paradise! Not the cheesy replicas she’d come across in the city at any rate. No, this place looked as if it had been carved into the landscape. Plants and blooming flowers erupted in a riot of color in every available space.

There was a mini waterfall behind the main bar, and that was lit with stylish multi-colored LED lights. Primitive masks decorated stone walls and enormous torches lit up every corner.

A live band played a vibrant reggae beat that made Leya wish she knew how to dance. Still, she smiled and swayed to the rhythm as she walked over to an empty chair.

This was exactly what she wanted in a vacation! She threw her head back and took in the stars and the cool breeze coming off the ocean. The night was magical! She bit her lip as she took a step further inside the exotic paradise.

Her dress was a deep blue color that brought out her eyes. It was shorter than anything she had ever worn before with a fitted bodice and flare skirt.

Judging from the frankly appraising glances of the people she’d passed on the way to the bar, it was apparently as flattering as Liandra had said. Not that she cared about other people’s opinions, she told herself firmly.

The dress was fun and flirty and made her feel good. That was all that counted. Yes, she did feel kind of exposed, but this was the first day of her new adventurous life. A new wardrobe was a requirement!

And this dress was certainly new! The elastic bodice and off-the-shoulder cap sleeves didn’t allow for the heavy minimizer bra she often wore. The bulky beige thing was now in the trash can of her hotel room with most of the clothes she’d brought from home.

Leya shocked herself today when she added several, teeny, tiny bits of lace that passed for under garments to her purchases at the boutique. Again, necessary, she told herself.

Each one of the twenty-two-dollar pairs of underwear were needed to accommodate her new wardrobe! The matching bras were simply a given. Some of them hardly covered her ample assets, but Liandra assured her she looked good. And she believed her.

She bit her lip and looked down at the cleavage spilling from her top. Too much too soon? A whistle brought her head up, and she was shocked to see a group of young men drinking at the bar waving and trying to get her attention.

They weren’t her style, but she wasn’t rude by nature, so she waved back, but she managed to find an empty seat far away from them. It was probably best to ignore them.

She found an empty seat a good distance away and set about having a good time. Operation let my hair down is a go! After some pleasant conversation with the bartender, and a few other hotel guests, Leya realized she was actually having a good time.

“What else can I get you, sweet lady?” the happy bartender asked her with his pleasantly accented voice and she smiled back at him.

“Do you carry any Bite?” she asked.

She was happy to note that they did and ordered a glass for herself. She was talking to an older couple from Chicago who were on the island for their twentieth anniversary when the bartender placed a brightly colored cocktail in front of her.

She scrunched her nose, she hated the overly sweet drinks. Especially after Gary. Leya preferred her favorite brand of top-shelf whiskey served over ice in a short glass any day to the candy named concoction in front of her.

“From an admirer, miss,” he said and winked.

Leya eyed the blue cocktail distastefully and asked him to send it back with her regards, but no thank you. She didn’t think anything of it until someone grabbed her arm and spun her around in her chair.

“Hey, now, that drink was from me! Now, I’m sure you didn’t mean to be rude. Let me introduce myself, my name is Alec, now tell me, did it hurt?” The young blonde man held her arm tightly in his grip. He reeked of alcohol, and his speech was slurred as he spoke. Leya yanked her arm back and narrowed her eyes at him.

“Look, I appreciate the gesture, but I’m afraid I don’t take drinks from strangers.”

“Well, okay now, Miss Goody-two-shoes, but you didn’t answer me, I said, did it hurt?”

“Excuse me?”

“When you fell from Heaven?” he looked back at his buddies who were busy snickering and whistling from their end of the bar. Leya had enough of this nonsense. She dropped a bill on the counter and turned to the older couple she’d been chatting with.

“I’m sorry to leave so soon, you two have a nice anniversary,” she said. Maybe bars weren’t good places to start adventures after all, she thought to herself.

“Hey, what about me?” Mr. Grabby followed her across the floor and took hold of her elbow this time. Leya did not like that at all. She’d almost gotten away too! Ugh.

“Look, pal take your hand off me,” she said and tugged her arm, but it was no good, blondie was stronger than he looked.

“Now, look here, you don’t want to embarrass me in front of my friends. Come on, let’s dance,” he grabbed her hip with his other hand and tried to drag her against him.

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