Stiletto Safari (16 page)

He laughed. “I know better than to ever get between a woman and chocolate. A man’s life just isn’t worth that much. Besides, they do a great cheese platter and I’d much rather have that.”

‘Two chocolate desserts; I’ve died and gone to heaven!” I sighed contentedly. “So what’s the plan now, Ismail? Are we really hanging around for a while?”

Ismail stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I was actually thinking, if you’re not in a big hurry to get back, I might visit an old patient. He was guiding here until he rolled his jeep and broke his leg in three places. I set his leg, and I wouldn’t mind seeing how he’s doing. If you’re interested, I’m sure Takawanda could organize a safari drive for you. You probably won’t see much, just some oryx, but seeing the dunes up close is pretty amazing.”

“Sounds like a plan. Maybe if I get a half-decent guide I’ll see more than just oryx. I might even see a wild cheetah this time!” I exclaimed.

“They’d have to be super decent,” Ismail retorted. For the last few weeks Ismail had been promising to show me a wild cheetah, but had failed to deliver.

Ten minutes later I was bumping along in the back of the safari vehicle with Joseph, my guide. Joseph was a big, powerful man who looked to be in his late twenties. He was a Masai a long way from home and had adopted a more westernized way of life—one wife and no cows.

Just as we passed through the park gates, Joseph cut the engine and pointed excitedly. And there they were, two magnificent cheetahs, lying languidly in the sun. I couldn’t believe our luck.

“Brothers,” Joseph said. “They must be passing through; we never see them here.”

Transfixed, we sat and watched the cheetahs. It’s hard to explain, but they just looked so perfectly majestic, with their healthy coats gleaming in the sunlight.

In the distance we could hear the whooping yelp of a hyena. Sensing danger, the cheetahs stirred. Just like that, they were on the move. As the cheetahs faded into the distance, Joseph started up the engine and we moved further into the park.

“Wait until I tell Ismail, Joseph. He has been promising me wild cheetahs, but hasn’t come through,” I excitedly explained.

Joseph chuckled. “Honestly, we were very lucky. Cheetahs are actually quite hard to spot and are rarely in this region. They don’t have much chance against the hyenas. As soon as they make a kill, the hyenas arrive and chase them off. Last year, four cheetah cubs were born near here and the hyenas killed all of them before they were six months old. Terrible to see, but that’s life in the wild.”

I liked watching wildlife with Joseph. Even though he went on a safari drive practically every day, he seemed genuinely delighted by everything we saw. Watching Joseph’s delight, it dawned on me that law didn’t make me happy. Sure, I liked feeling smart and important (even if those were misplaced sentiments), but if I really boiled it down, law was boring. It wasn’t like I was saving lives or even enjoying myself. I sighed involuntarily.

“Zara. Hello, Zara.” I realized with a start that Joseph was talking to me. “Do you want to go back to the lodge now or keep going?”

Looking down at my watch, I realized I’d been out with Joseph for over three hours. Time had simply flown. Ismail had probably been ready to go for ages, I guiltily thought.

I found Ismail sitting at the bar. “Ah, I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you.” He smiled up at me. “So do you want the good news or the bad news?’

“The good news, of course, Ismail; who needs bad news?”

“We’re here for the night. The plane has mechanical issues and the pilot needs a part from Windhoek.”

“That’s great news.” I beamed. “I can’t wait to have a ginormous bubble bath.”

“Ah, well, that’s the bad news. You can have your bath, but we’re sharing a room.” Ismail quickly added, “Don’t worry; they’re setting me up a bed in the alcove off the main room.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be comfortable? I can sleep in the alcove; I’m smaller than you,” I protested.

Ismail laughed, “Are you kidding? Between you and Amy I’ll never hear the end of it if I don’t let you have the king-size bed.”

“You know what, Ismail, you’re right. I better have it! And while we’re on the subject, I have a couple of questions about Amy.”

Ismail threw his hands up in the air. “Shoot. Mind you, I’m not guaranteeing I’ll answer any of your nosy questions.” Ismail signaled to the waiter to bring me a drink.

“So what’s the deal? It seems to me that there’s quite a bit of sexual tension between you two.”

“Do you think?” Ismail looked hopeful.

“Absolutely; you should see the way you two look at each other. It’s positively X-rated.”

“Between you and me only, okay?” Ismail waggled his finger at me.

“Ismail, my lips are sealed,” I said, miming the act and pretending to throw away the key.

“I absolutely adore Amy. For the first time in my life I’m totally in love. Amy is perfect in every way. She’s smart, gorgeous, and hilarious. I’d marry her tomorrow, but I don’t think the feelings are mutual.” He sighed deeply and looked crestfallen.

“Well have you told her how you feel?”

“No, of course not. I’m not an idiot! Besides, we live together. Can you imagine how awkward being rejected would be and how uncomfortable she’d feel?” He shook his head. “I’m afraid I’ll have to go on loving Amy in secret. Got it, Zara Hamilton?”

“Got it,” I declared.

We kept chatting for a while over drinks before the lure of the bubble bath was just too much for me to resist and we headed to our villa.

As I was running my bath, I pondered Ismail’s situation. I knew I’d promised not to intervene, but I was going to sound Amy out. Female intuition told me Ismail’s feelings were reciprocated. I’d be subtle, of course…

The scent of roses from the bath oil grew heavy in the air. Lying back in the beautifully warm water, I pondered my own situation. Annoyingly, my crush on Hamish had continued to grow. Since I’d been in Namibia, he’d been nothing but courteous, charming, and friendly. He had a serious side, too, that I liked. But he was still an enigma.

Closing my eyes, my thoughts turned to Nick. I wondered whether he still wanted me back or was already seeing someone else. Four months ago I had thought he was definitely “the one,” but now I was ready to move on.

“Zara, Hamish is on the phone; he wants a word,” Ismail called through the bathroom door.

“Hang on, Ismail; I’ll be there in a sec,” I yelled back, hastily grabbing my robe.

As I was drying off I could hear Ismail’s voice: “She’s just in the bath, mate, but I think she’s coming out.”

And then as I was padding out: “Aha, no worries. I’ll let her know. See you tomorrow.” And with that, Ismail hung up.

“Hey, Ismail, I’m right here; how come you hung up?” I was feeling cross that I’d gotten out of the bath for no reason.

“Sorry, Zara; I told Hamish you were coming, but he said he had to go. He was a bit short, actually.”

Then understanding seemed to suddenly dawn on Ismail’s face. “Oh, I get it.”

“You get what?”

“Is there something going on between you two? I mean, why else would he call? He gave me a really lame excuse, now that I think about it.”

My face turned crimson. Ismail slapped his thigh. “So there is something going on! That explains why he was rather rude to me when I answered the phone and told him you were in the bath.”

Involuntarily my hands shot to my face and I gave a little groan. “Oh no. This looks bad, doesn’t it?”

“You could say that, but don’t worry,” Ismail said good-naturedly. “It won’t do him any harm to sweat for a night. Well, provided he doesn’t tell Amy. I don’t want to blow any chance I’ve got, no matter how slim.” Now Ismail was looking worried.

“So are you two together?” he continued.

“No, of course not; I would have mentioned it. Do you know, the first time we met, Hamish actually said I wasn’t pretty enough to date and described me as a bimbo!”

“Come on—no he didn’t. Why would he say that when it’s patently not true? And I’m speaking with authority, since I’ll soon be a qualified plastic surgeon. Girls like you would send me broke.”

“Thanks, Ismail, but it’s true. He really did say it. Plus, I think our Mr. Nature is a bit more interested in dating models.

“But you’re interested in him?”

“Let’s just say he has grown on me and I’ve perhaps developed a silly crush. If you tell anyone though I swear I’ll kill you. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to return to my bath.”

As I slipped back into the warm water, I wondered why Hamish had called. It did seem strange, but it was dangerous to read anything into it.

Ismail and I spent the evening playing cards in front of the fire, pigging out on chocolates, and watching
Sex and the City
episodes. Unbelievably, Ismail was a
Sex and the City
virgin. He alternated between laughing at the “ridiculous” plot and exclaiming, “That explains a lot!”

After four episodes we decided to call it a night. I retreated to my glorious king-size bed with thousand-thread Egyptian cotton sheets, and Ismail to his alcove. It felt indescribably good to be resting my head on goose-down pillows—pure indulgence!

The next morning I woke early, feeling fully refreshed after the best night’s sleep ever. While Ismail paid Fabio a house call, I snacked on bircher muesli with vanilla pear compote and sipped on a soy chai latte. Divine! An extra day or two at the lodge would be lovely.

Chapter 25

A

s we got closer to the volunteer camp, my nervous anticipation increased. I wasn’t quite sure what kind of greeting I was going to get from Hamish.

I didn’t cross paths with him until several hours after my return. I suspected he’d been avoiding me. We finally bumped into each other in the communal laundry. I was trying to find my underwear, and he was evidently about to put a load of washing on.

“Hi, Hamish,” I said brightly, “How are you doing? Did you miss me?”

Hamish’s face looked a little pinched, and he answered me in as few words as possible and without any real enthusiasm. He seemed to be concentrating awfully hard on reading the back of the detergent packet.

Cruel as it was, I was enjoying his discomfort. Silently I crept up on him and peered over his shoulder. “Need a hand?” I inquired sweetly. “You seem to have been studying that box for a long time, and I’m actually quite a good reader. My legal training and all…”

He spun around. Our bodies were close—almost touching—and I could feel his breath on my face. “No, I don’t need your help, Zara.” He looked angry.

Pretending not to notice, I gave him a playful shove on his arm. “What’s up with you? You seem a little cranky today. Did you have a bad night’s sleep?”

He went to turn away from me. “No, Hamish, I’m being serious; are you cross with me about something?” I said, placing my arm back on his to restrain him.

He sighed. “Sorry, I am being rude. It’s nothing, really; don’t worry about it.”

“No, you can tell me,” I persisted.

“I’m just having trouble with an article I’m writing, that’s all.”

“Believe it or not, I’m actually a good writer—or at least used to be before I became a boring lawyer. Perhaps I can help you.”

Hamish turned back to his washing, “No thanks; I think I’ll be all right.” Trying to sound casual, he added, “So I didn’t realize you and Ismail were dating. You two have been good at keeping that secret. I only found out when I tried to call you last night at the lodge and Ismail picked up.”

“Oh, that,” I said, trying to sound blasé. If he’d looked around, he would have seen the huge grin on my face—now I knew he was interested.

Picking up a pair of socks, I threw them hard at the back of his head. My aim was good and Hamish whirled around like an enraged bull.

I was giggling. “Yes, we had a great night.”

Hamish made to walk straight past me.

“Stop, Hamish, I’m kidding about. Ismail and I are not a couple. While I did actually enjoy a very nice night with Ismail, it was spent playing cards and watching
Sex and the City
episodes before I retired to my luxurious king-size bed and he spent the night in a separate room.”

Hamish stopped dead in his tracks, looking confused. “Don’t think you’re sparing my feelings, Zara.”

Hamish had feelings! This was a very positive admission.

“Stop being an idiot, Hamish.” The joke was now going a bit too far. “There’s absolutely nothing going on between me and Ismail. If you must know, he’s head over heels for Amy, but that’s top secret and I’ll kill you if you say anything. We only shared a room because the lodge was at full capacity.”

Relief spread across Hamish’s handsome features. I sensed it was now or never.

“So, Hamish, is there anything you want to say to me?” I innocently asked.

In two strides he had his arms wrapped around me. He held me close to his body. Every bit of me responded to his touch. My heart pounded and my knees felt weak with desire. For a moment we simply gazed at each other. Our faces were close, almost touching. And then his lips found mine. Our first kiss was long and passionate. Hamish’s lips were oh so sensual and I found myself wanting him like I’d never wanted anyone before. When we finally drew apart my lips felts swollen and tender, but in a good way.

“I missed you, Zara Hamilton,” Hamish huskily whispered.

“Perhaps I missed you too,” I giggled. Our kiss had left me feeling delirious.

Hamish brushed my cheek with his finger tips. It felt incredibly sexy. Feeling suddenly brazen I reached up and pulled his face toward mine. Our second kiss was even better than our first. Full of need I deftly started unbuttoning Hamish’s shirt before moving to his belt buckle.

“Not here,” Hamish groaned.

“We can be quick,” I encouraged. “It’s a well known fact that lawyers can do everything in less than six minutes.”

Hamish abruptly stopped kissing me. Somehow I don’t think my six minute comment had impressed him.

“Zara, you’re not practicing law here. Anyway, I have to go,” he said buttoning up his shirt. His tone sounded distant and he had already moved away from me.