“I’m sure when your Bill gets back, things will be better. I hope you’ve stayed in contact with him,” Nick replied, scenarios running through his head at warp speed.
Dimah brightened visibly. “Yes! I did a face to face with him last night. He is very brave. Bill does nothing but make jokes for me to laugh at, and never reveals anything of what he must be going through. I must be strong for him.”
Nick smiled. “Maybe your Uncle will see the light, and all this will pass, Dimah. People do change.”
Dimah shook her head violently in the negative. “Never. Uncle Naseer and my cousin Saif will never change. They are everything Islam should not be.”
“You never know, Dimah,” Nick replied, guiding her back towards class. “Sometimes people change suddenly in ways you never thought possible.”
Dimah stopped, facing Nick with worried eyes. “I…I have read some of your background. You were with the elite Delta Force Unit when in the service. It is on your author’s web page. Please do not interfere in this.”
Nick blanched in award winning form at Dimah’s warning. “My days in Delta were long ago, Dimah. I mostly had this talk with you to appease my nosey daughter, who let’s every nuance of other peoples’ lives become one with our own.”
Dimah nodded her head in agreement. “She is a force in class. Never have I encountered a third grader with so much will and fortitude. Thank you for hearing me out and your compassion. It is not a common attribute to be so involved in the everyday life of another.”
“If you ever need to talk or a place to retreat to, here’s my card, Dimah.” Nick pressed his card with home address into Dimah’s hand, feeling both glad and uneasy doing it.
“Thank you so much.” Dimah hugged him, which Nick returned stoically as the day’s students wandered by. She then hurried into her class room.
Nick exited the building, meeting with Gus and Deke the dog.
Gus took one look at his partner’s face and started laughing. “Okay, where do we start?”
Nick acknowledged Gus’s question with a wave off while taking Deke’s leash. “Well… instead of going back down to Otter’s Point for a day of heavy drinking, and watching Deke make a fool of himself chasing crabs, we’ll be tearing into the lives of Naseer and Saif Kader.”
Gus waved him off, taking back Deke’s leash. “No thanks. I’m picking Door Number One. Grab your damn laptop uplink after we say good morning to Rachel, refill the thermos, and I’ll help you make an inebriated day of it down at the Point.”
Nick watched Gus and Deke prance away together for a moment. “Fine! Wait up!”
*
Rachel awoke to the unthinkable. It had been a vibrantly real dream bringing her rapidly to the point of climax. She gasped, her hands knotted around the bed spread, and sheets under her as reality couldn’t dispel the insane orgasm ripping through both mind and body. Rachel gripped the head at the soul of her being, sobbing out pleas to stop. Nick kissed and caressed her from the bottoms of her feet upwards, his hands a soothing balm. Rachel’s ragged breathing calmed finally as Nick attained a position next to her.
“Damn you!” Rachel hugged the unrepentant Nick. “You promised never to do another one of those Ninja sex attacks on me again. Holy… mother of God… you… stay right where you are. I have to go pee.”
Rachel released the part of Nick she had grabbed, racing away toward their bathroom, while Nick plotted out his next conquering ploy to garner Rachel on his side. It involved making her believe she was the most enticing woman on the planet. Nearly an hour and a half passed before the couple came downstairs to join the smirking Gus. Deke met them at the staircase, instinctively aware the day still involved him. Rachel, now dressed in loose navy blue sweats, and long tawny hair tied back in a ponytail, paused to spend time with the ever attentive Deke for a moment. She pointed at Gus before zipping past him.
“Not one damn word out of you, Uncle Whiney.”
“Damn it, Nick! There were a hundred things you could have shared with Princess Bump, but no, you had to fill her in on my name disrespect.” Gus assumed defensive fighting form as Rachel screeched to a halt, her gasping intake of outraged breath heralding the agile spin to confront the aforementioned Uncle Whiney.
“You did not just call me, Princess Bump! Nick… go get my fillet knife. I’m carving this carp.”
“Apparently your mojo is no longer working, Nick. She’s as ornery as ever. No wonder Danger wants you to keep duct taping her into the bed.”
“Enough, you two, we have business to attend to down at the beach. Deke’s driving, so let’s get packed for a business parley.” Nick led the way into the kitchen. “Remember, the nearest public restroom is down at the golf course, so take care of preparations before we leave. What do you two want for food?”
“Bacon, eggs, a side of hash-browns, and orange slices,” Gus immediately ordered.
“Pancakes, strawberries, and whipped cream,” Rachel called out.
Chapter Three
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