Page 36 of Pomegranates and Olive

That Barracuda Is Giving Me The Stank Eye

With the kitchen somewhat under control, I make my way around the boat introducing myself and doing a headcount. It is a private group of friends on holidays from "Brizzle" which thankfully was translated by one of the group into "Bristol".

They immediately set themselves up on the top deck, spreading their towels in the sunshine which left me below to grab beers and water, but instead I find myself watching Deniz as he gives a safety demonstration, including how to put on life jackets and what to do if someone falls overboard. When he finishes, he honks the horn to warn the passengers that we were ready to get underway before snapping his fingers and turning back to the jetty. "One more thing..."

Deniz whistles and suddenly Betty lands beside me on the deck, immediately falling asleep. "He must be exhausted after all that awful caterwauling last night!"

"Oh, no!" I wince and cover my face in embarrassment. I really want to toss myself overboard. "Don't tell me you were at my concert as well?"

"Your concert was only part of it." His grin morphs into such an obnoxiously smug smirk that I have an overwhelming urge to slap his face.

Or kiss his face.

Oh man, I hate him so much.

"I hear from Aydin that you're missing the best part of the story. Would you like me to give you the final piece of what sounds like an unsolvable puzzle?"

It is the smirk that does it, and I know immediately that he knows something I don’t. And then it all comes flooding back — the singing, the naked, all of it.

I moan.

I really need to cut back on the alcohol. "Oh my God!"

Cue yet another flashback.

I had gotten back out of bed because I was all hot and bothered from my sexy Deniz dream and I refused to open the windows in case a random cat snuck in. Stepping out onto the terrace (and shutting the door firmly behind me) I let the blessedly cool, salty air wash over me. Standing on my toes, I took a couple of deep breaths and stretched my arms up to the sky, my newly acquired Justin Bieber t-shirt not quite covering my bum.

"Russo?"

Jumping to the sound of Deniz's voice I spun around and, thanks to the copious amounts of alcohol I had consumed, I got a head spin and lost my footing. Before I could even put my arms out to break my fall, I landed on top of a half-naked Deniz who was stretched out on one of the sun loungers.

"Yilmaz?" He chuckled underneath me as I smiled apologetically. "What are you doing here?"

"Sleeping... until you landed on me that is."

My face heated to a thousand degrees as I pushed myself up and found myself in the very precarious position of straddling him. All too aware of precisely how close mymiciowas to hisgrand pene. I threw myself to the ground in an effort to keep our genitalia separated. "Why don't you go home?"

"If you must be so nosy, I don't sleep well, so I tend to wander around and sleep whenever, wherever."

Has he been outside this whole time?

"I'm pretty sure that's not normal."

Could he hear me yelling out his name?

"It's what I do." He patted the lounger and moved over to make some room. "Sit with me for a while."

He did look exhausted, like he hadn't slept for days. He was also barefoot, and just wearing black tracksuit bottoms which, aside from the fact that that gave me a front row seat to his tattooed pecs and rippled muscular abs that just screamed to be touched… or licked…, made me think he really was asleep and thankfullyhadn’theard me scream out his name. I was safe from the ridicule that I would’ve had to endure if he had been awake.

"I guess." Too hyped up, or jetlagged, or, let’s be honest, just too sexually frustrated to sleep, I shrugged and lay back somewhat awkwardly beside him. "Where's Eve?"

"I showed her my mill and then arranged for a taxi."

"Your mill? Is that what you call it?"

"Call what?"

"Your penis!"

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