Page 84 of Is This for Real?
The band leader says, “Sorry for the disturbance.” The music starts up again. “Parlez-Moi D’Amour,” sings a woman.
We stare at each other under the table. And he slants his head, indicating we should move out from under the table.
We climb out from under the table.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time,” I say. I don’t want him to feel any doubt.
He holds my face tenderly and kisses me again.
He says, “I’ve wanted to kiss you since college.” We are both out of breath when we stop for air.
“College?” I ask, shocked.
“But I knew you didn’t feel the same,” he says.
I trace his jaw. “I was attracted to you. But you’re right. I still needed time.”
“Should we go look for the waitress?” he asks. We still have a mission to accomplish.
Holding hands, stopping every now and then to trade deep, heartfelt kisses, we wander around, looking for her. And the touches. We’re acting as if they’re inadvertent, but they’re not. And we’re both playing that game. My arm is around his waist, and my hand slips lower to appreciate the firmness of the curve of his butt. He runs his fingers up the inside of my arm. We wander down another alleyway. I trace his jaw with my finger. His hand grazes the underside of my breast when he puts his arm around me.
There she is, serving a bunch of tall bar tables. We grab one. The waitress is gorgeous, and when she comes over, she focuses all her attention on me.Turns out I am the right person to give her the note.I smile.
“What would you like?” she asks in a smoky voice.
“Whatever you recommend,” I say. “And a seltzer for him.” Rory has to work again tomorrow, which does give me some concern about my seduction plans.
Rory frowns. “I hope she doesn’t get you something really wild.”
She comes back with a strawberry margarita for me. It’s yummy. I sip my straw with pursed lips and catch Rory’s glance.
Roulette and other gambling tables have been set up in a corner. We finish our drinks and pay. I hand the note to our waitress with my credit card. She doesn’t blink. She probably gets a note with every drink payment. As she turns to leave, she winks at me.
We’re off to trail her. She has a quick conversation with the bartender. And then she skips out an entrance behind the bar. We run around to see where the back entrance of the bar might lead. It leads down a narrow alleyway that is filled with shops. Baskets hang from the ceiling while men in robes peddle wares. Stuffed parrots are sitting in bird cages. I don’t see her. And she’s tall, so she should be easy to spot.
“There she is,” Rory says. We sneak closer and flatten against a wall. A faint buzzing like mosquitos makes me want to swat them away, but I know it’s got to be a sound effect.
“Is she talking to anyone?” I can’t see her. Just Rory’s back.
“No, she’s walking again.”
We follow her, ducking behind a barrel when she looks back. A real donkey, laden with goods, being pulled by a man in a turban takes up most of the narrow passageway. She’s leading us down different corridors, past Moroccan marketplaces. She stops. Rory hides behind some robes, pulling me behind him. The robes hang from the ceiling and on racks. We crouch lower and go deeper into the rows of robes in the store. Someone is approaching. It’s her voice. “Did you see someone in here?” she asks.
“No,” a German-accented voice replies.
“They’re rounding up the usual suspects,” she says. We tiptoe deeper into the store, behind racks of clothing, in case she decides to look for us.
Finally, silence. We stand. Rory pulls me close to him, and I caress his cheek. His lips lower to mine, his hands holding my face close to his. I close my eyes, losing myself in his kiss. His body is tight and solid against mine.
There’s a shout from the front of the store, and we pull apart. I’m momentarily disoriented.
“We should go,” he says.
We’re trapped in a fabric maze. We push aside one robe and get blocked by another billowing piece of fabric wrapping itself around us.
“Should’ve worn that djellaba. Then I could have hidden inside it,” I say.
“Had you suggested that, I would’ve definitely worn it.”
