Cayman Desires (3 page)

Clarissa made sure that
she kept the conversation light and smooth and she felt her whole body relax. 
They made jokes and laughed so much that the people kept glancing in their
direction, positive that they were two happy people in love.

Trace was involved in
the traveling industry.  His family owned a big travel and tour agency spread
out all over the world and he ran the business along with his father.  He was a
pure people’s person and knew just how to treat all kinds of people.  More than
that, he knew how to make people feel comfortable and make them laugh. 
Clarissa sometimes wondered if he could ever be serious about anything and if
he would ever fell in love.

Part of the evening,
they discussed the upcoming Pirates festival.  This year marked the 37
^th
anniversary of the festival and as always, most of the activities took place on
the Seven Mile Beach.

The Princeton Hotel
hosted many of the events, which involved a lot of work and preparation. 
Global Tours, Trace’s company, worked closely with the Hotel assisting with the
preparations and bookings for tourist groups they made for accommodation at the
hotel.

The Pirates festival
was in celebration of the age-old legends of Cayman’s occupation by pirates
during the 18
^th
century.  This legend included treasure catches left
behind by Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, Neal Walker, and Henry Hogan.  It
continued to be a romantic but historically questionable part of the Folklore
of this Western Caribbean country.

Every year this
festival relived all the age-old beliefs and every occupant on the three
islands, Grant Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, were involved and
participated in the festival.  The festival drew thousands of tourists every
year.

The Pirates festival
was ten days full of fun, competitions, music, and dance.  The Princeton Hotel
was responsible for the pre-pirates week kick-off party, the Miss festival
Queen Costume competition, Street dance and song festival, the trial of the
pirates and at the end, the Street dance finale. The hotel also arranged various
other activities and competitions for the children.  All of this required many
hours of work and numerous people to plan and arrange everything.  It was
always an honor if elected to host certain functions of the festival.  Being
elected to host so many in the same year was indeed a sign of the Pirates
Festivals’ committee’s trust in the hotels’ capabilities to meet the high
standard set previously by everyone involved.

As soon as they
finished their meal, Trace rose and tugged a protesting Clarissa from her
chair.

“No, none of that.  You
cannot deny that I have behaved myself extremely well tonight, therefore I
deserve a dance.”  

She just shook her head
at him and allowed him to lead her to the tiny dance floor on the one side of
the restaurant where a small band played slow tunes.   He pulled her close and
wrapped his arms around her.  She sighed in resignation at their closeness and
placed her arms lightly around his shoulders.  They swayed to the music as
Trace expertly maneuvered her around the tiny dancing space. A livelier tune
was next and the two of them fell into the Mamba with gusto.

Clarissa laughed,
swirled, dipped in time with the music, and felt alive for the first time in
years.  She always loved dancing; Raymond and she used to go dancing all the
time.  Since she arrived on the island, she hardly ever had the time or the
desire to go dancing.

They stayed on the
dance floor for nearly an hour until she eventually shook her head at him and
headed back to the table, falling laughingly in her chair.

“I can’t remember the
last time I’ve had so much fun!   Thanks for that.  I forgot how much I loved
dancing.”

“And a wonderful and
very sensual dancer you are at that!”  He looked at her with so much desire
that she shrank back in her chair.

“Please, Trace, don’t
spoil the evening now!”  

He gazed at her hotly
for another moment then sighed and sank down in the chair opposite her.  He
took his drink and finished it in one gulp.

“I’m sorry, Clarissa.
That was surely not my intention, but at the same time I cannot deny your
beauty and that I desire you.”  

The frustration in him
became apparent in his gaze on her.  Clarissa sighed and reached out to place
her hand over his.

“Trace, I am sorry and
very flattered, but I have told you numerous times that we can never be more
than just friends.”

“Why? What is stopping
you from even trying to give a relationship between us a chance?  Am I such a
terrible person that you cannot…”

Her hand tightened over
his.  “Trace stop.  It is not you. It has never been you.  You have been a
wonderful friend to me over the past six years and I cannot thank you enough
for that.  I am not ready to have a relationship just yet, not with you, not
with anybody.”

“Just yet?  You have
not been in any kind of relationship since you came here. So I still don’t
understand.”  He became more and more frustrated.

“I … I don’t want to
talk about it, please.  Suffice it to say that I have suffered because of love
… and I …”

Her throat closed up
and she could not continue.  She swallowed hard at the lump in her throat and
cursed softly.  “Damn him!”

Trace looked at her and
sighed.   It was very clear that he was not going to change her mind.  He
gestured the waiter for the bill and they left as soon as he settled it.   They
drove back to the hotel in silence, each engrossed with their own thoughts.

At her door, she turned
to him.  “Trace, I would hate to lose your friendship over this.”  She looked
so beautiful standing there, gazing at him so imploringly, that he could do no
other than pull her close and smile down at her.

“Of course not.  
Better me accept what we have and keep my heart in one piece than have you and
have my heart broken later.”   She frowned up at him.

“Why do you say that?”

“Never mind, maybe one
day I’ll tell you.  Now, as I have been a good boy I am going to take one
proper kiss…”  

With that, his head
lowered and he captured her lips in a long, passionate kiss.  Clarissa gave
herself up to the kiss and kissed him back just as eagerly, desperate for a
spark to ignite as a sign she was ready to move on.

He was not the first
man to kiss her since Raymond, but it was the first one she put all effort in
to kiss back.   The kiss was soft and tender and his desire evident in the
passionate kiss.  As far as kisses went, this one was good, even exciting, but
it still did not move her in any way.

She did not experience
a warm feeling in her tummy, there were no bells ringing, and she did not feel
any desire for the man kissing her.  Acknowledging what this meant, she pushed
him away.

He held her in his arms
for a while longer, then kissed her forehead, and looked sadly in her eyes.  
“So now I know.”

“I’m sorry!”  

He looked like a little
boy who just lost his only puppy. Clarissa felt terrible.  He shook his head
and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

“No, Clarissa love,
don’t be.  At least you know that you have a friend in me for life.  At least
now, I will accept my fate and stop hoping and trying.  But be warned … I am
just as demanding a friend as I am a lover!”

Clarissa laughed and
gave him a hug.  Relieved that he understood and accepted what their
relationship could only ever be.  Getting into bed later after a long, hot,
bubble bath, Clarissa hugged the pillow close to her breast.

She was very happy here
on the Cayman’s Island. It was nestled in the calm, turquoise waters of the
Western Caribbean.  The Island blessed, with sun-kissed beaches and waters
teeming with fish flecked with gold.  It was a very popular tourist attraction
and offered some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world.

She thought back to the
day she arrived and saw the seven-mile beach for the first time from the small
window of the airplane.  A long stretch of white sand, rated as one of the most
beautiful beaches in the entire Caribbean.

Her excitement knew no
bounds then.  The rich history of the Island entranced her during those first
few months, but within four months’ it all dimmed under her longing … her
constant longing for Raymond.

A longing so intense,
that she boarded a plane and went back to Manchester to go and plead for her
love again.  Her heart contracted painfully in remembrance.  She should not
have bothered.  He had clearly already moved on by that time!

Thinking back to the
kiss she shared with Trace earlier, she never felt so lonely and in need of
love as she did just then.

Jogging always relaxed Clarissa, but
this morning the tension remained in her body, even after jogging an extra half
a mile.  Slowing down, she jogged on the edge of the surf back towards her
cottage.  Miguel, Retha, his nephew and his son arrived late last night.

Clarissa already went
down to her cottage and did not see them arrive.  She was so tired after the
past two months’ hectic schedule, she needed to soak in a hot bubble bath and
try to have a proper nights rest for a change.  Hopefully, Miguel understood
and was not too upset that she did not stay to welcome them upon arrival.

As she neared their
impressive presidential cottage, she noticed a small figure running down the
beach towards the sea.  A frown worried her brow and she glanced towards the
big cottage.  No one appeared to be watching the little boy, so Clarissa
increased her pace.  The little boys’ short legs pumped vigorously in his
apparent eagerness to reach the water.

“Hey…little one…hey!” 

Clarissa tried shouting
at the top of her voice.  She was still a distance away from him and the
exertion of running so far and the speed at which she was now running, she only
managed a croak and that hardly carried any distance.

With a loud shout, if
you could call the exited shriek loud, he jumped into the water, his arms high
above his head, surging forward to reach the crashing waves.  Clarissa felt
herself cringe and she forced her legs to go faster, praying that she would
reach the little boy before the crashing surf did and the force of the backwash
pulled him in.

“No…oh no!”  

Clarissa cried in
horror when she saw the water crash over his little head and rolled him like a
lost piece of driftwood in the water.  She splashed in the water and then dove
under a shallow breaking wave, forcefully swimming forward in the direction she
saw the little boy go under.

Luckily, the Caribbean
waters were very clear and she could see the thrashing arms and legs as the
little boy desperately tried to clear his head above the water.  She grabbed
him around the waist and pushed him upwards, trying to find her feet in the
force of the backwash at the same time.  This time of the morning, the current
was extremely strong and people generally did not swim.

They both cleared the
water and she gasped for breath, alarmed at the weak, apparent lifeless body in
her arms.  She surged forward, falling to her knees and laying the little boy
down.  She brushed his black hair from his brow and quickly turned him on his
side, pressing firmly on his back.  He was breathing shallowly, but she was
worried that he might have swallowed a lot of water, He started coughing and
spat out, it felt to her, liters of seawater!

“Robby…Robby…oh my God,
Robert!   Miguel, come quick it is Robbie!”  

Clarissa glanced up and
saw Retha staggering down the beach towards them, with Miguel shortly on her
heels.

The little boy, Robby,
sat up and gazed at her with clear, silver-black eyes. She stared at him with a
start of recollection.  Something about him seemed so familiar!

“Are you okay, little
one?”  She brushed his wayward flock of black hair back from his eyes again.

“Yes … are you a mer …
a mermid … merm … you know, one of those people from the sea? Like Ariel!”  His
innocent question and little boy look played with her heartstrings.

“A mermaid?”   His
bobbing head confirmed her question.  “No, I’m afraid not.  I’m just a normal
person who pulled you from the sea.”

“Oh … are you sure you
are not a mermid?  

She laughed and stood
up when Retha fell down on her knees, pulled the little boy in her arms and
hugged him tight.  He struggled and pulled away, the look on his face clearly
indicating his dislike in the public display of emotion.

“Auntie!  Stop!”

“Oh Robert, are you
okay?  I got such a fright when I saw the lady pulling you from the water.  I
surely thought you had …”

“That’s quite enough
Retha.  Well, boy, what were you thinking frightening your aunt that way?”  

Miguel clearly was not
going to show the same emotion his wife did, but Clarissa could see the relief
in his eyes when their gazes met.

Robert pulled himself
upright and looked his uncle square in the eyes.  For someone his age, which
could not be more than five or six years, he showed tremendous courage.

“Sorry, uncle.  I
wanted to swim and I could not find Dad.”

“Then you wait for
him.  You know very well your father goes jogging every morning!”

“But he promised we’d
go swi…”

“Yes, and he will keep
his promise, as soon as he is back from his run.  Now, no more of this.  You
gave us all a very big fright and I want your promise that you will not go near
the water again unless one of us is with you.”

“But uncle. I …”

“No buts!   Promise
Robert!”

Roberts’ bottom lip
thrust out and his chest literally huffed out.  He pulled a deep breath and
whispered, “I promise.”

“That’s better.   Well,
thank goodness you were close by, miss.   My goodness, Clarissa?  Is it you?  
I hardly recognize you!   Retha, look it is Clarissa!”

Retha exclaimed in
surprise too and came over to hug Clarissa to her.  “My darling, girl, it has
been three years!  You are so thin, and your hair so long … you look absolutely
amazing!”

Clarissa laughed.  “I
lost some weight, but not that much, surely!”

Miguel hugged her and
planted a kiss on her cheek.  “We missed you last night, but Bette explained
how busy it has been over the past few months.  I’m very glad to see I have my
business in such capable hands!”

“Uncle … this lady is a
merm … a mermaid!”  

Little Robert piped up
and was clearly very proud of himself for having got the word out. Everyone
laughed with him.

“Yes, Robby, she could
be one, being so pretty and all.  This is Clarissa; she is the person looking
after your Uncles’ hotel here.   Won’t you join us for a cup of tea?”   Retha
asked Clarissa. 

Clarissa shook her
head.  “No, thank you.  I am late as it is already.  I better get going.  Will
we see you at breakfast?”

“Not this morning.  We
are going to have a late breakfast on the cottage patio, as soon as R…”  

Retha stopped mid-sentence when Miguel
coughed loudly.   “As soon as Robby is dry and his dad is back from his run. 
Then I imagine Robby is going to want to go for that swim.  But we’ll see you
for dinner tonight, I’m sure.”

Over the following three days Clarissa
was so busy, she literally fell into bed at night, falling asleep the moment
her head touched the pillow.  With the Pirates Festival around the corner,
there were still some arrangements to finalize and Clarissa had to make sure
everything was perfect.

She only ran into the
St Claire’s in passing, once or twice with little Robert in tow.  He lit up
like a light bulb every time he saw his “mermid”.

“I watch for you every
day when Dad and I go swim, but you’re never there?” 

The accusation in his
voice made her feel guilty, even though she obviously had nothing to feel
guilty about!

“I am sorry, Robby, but
I have been very busy. Are you enjoying your holiday so far?”

He bubbled over in
pleasure to be included in the conversation.  “Yes, it’s a fun island.   I
think Dad and I should move here forever!”

Miguel gave a start at
that and Clarissa frowned.  Why would such an innocent remark cause such a
reaction?

“Now, now, Robert, you
know that is not possible.”

“Why not?  Dad can
build his own hotel here too!”

Miguel shook his head
and pulled Robby to his side.   “I think it’s time we get going.  Your Dad is
probably already looking for us.”   Robby shook his head and the bottom lip
thrust forward again.

“No … he and that lady
went on the boat, AGAIN …” Little Robby was clearly not impressed with “that
lady” taking up so much time with his dad.

Bette came rushing
around the corner.  “Oh, Clarissa, there you are, I need you to …” With an
apologetic smile at the St Claire’s, Clarissa joined Bette who still babbled
about the pre-week party.

The rest of the
afternoon flew by with conferences and meetings with the Pirates Festival
Committee.   The pre-week party was this Friday and all the final issues still
needed to be resolved.  During one of the meetings, Clarissa stood by the wide
window overlooking the enclosed swimming pool area.

A tall black haired
figure caught her eye and she gasped.   It couldn’t be!   Yet the proud tilt of
the head and the square shoulders held so proud and erect…it had to be him. 
Raymond!   Then he bent down, caught a little black-haired boy in his arms, and
swung him high in the air, making the small boy squeal in delight.

She relaxed visibly. It
was only Robby’s dad.   It was to be expected that he had black hair too!   She
quietly berated herself.  Not every tall, black haired man was Raymond! 

Get over it, he forgot
about you long ago!  Why can you not forget him!

After that, everything
passed in a blur.  She was there and participated in the discussions and
decisions, but if anyone asked her later that day what they discussed, she
would not be able to tell.   Seeing that man earlier brought back all the
memories, loneliness and heartache, all over again.  All she wanted to do now
was to take a long, hot bubble bath, lie back, and cry her heart out.

A heart she thought had
lost all feelings long ago, a heart frozen and protected. Now, six years since
her break-up with Raymond she came to the realization that she still loved
him.  That even though she had not seen or had any contact with him in all that
time, except that once five and a half years ago, the feelings and emotions
were all still there,  And all it took to unlock them, was the look of someone
that closely resembled him!

It took another hour
before she managed to get away from the office.  She walked wearily down the
path leading to her cottage, for once not even taking in the beautiful purple
haze of the sunset.  She walked with slumped shoulders and rubbed her neck as
she followed a curve in the path and ran straight into a brick wall: rather, a
rock hard chest that felt like a brick wall.  Due to her state of mind and her
tired disposition, she did not look up, just mumbled “sorry” and tried to side
step the man in front of her.

His harsh intake of
breath caught her attention and she glanced up.  Her eyes froze, her breath
trapped in her throat and it felt like a steel fist squeezed her heart. 
Squeezed so hard she could not breathe.   His name escaped her startled lips as
she sank to the ground in a dead faint.

“Raymond”!  

Raymond St Claire’s lips pressed in a
thin line, his arms strained to hold the woman in his arms with a gentleness he
did not feel at all at this point.  She hardly weighed anything and he strode
with long strides towards his uncle’s presidential cottage.  He glanced down at
her pale face and his hungry eyes took in her fragile beauty.

She was even more
beautiful now than six years ago.  Six years ago when she walked out on him;
walked away from his love, walked away with his heart in her hands; leaving him
empty and turned him into a bitter, unforgiving shell of a man!

Retha exclaimed in
horror when he walked into the lounge with his precious cargo.  “Oh, no!   Ray,
what have you done to the poor girl?”

He shot her a killing
glance.  “I have done nothing to her!  She bumped into me and promptly fainted
when she recognized me.”

Miguel stood looking
down at the pale woman lying on the couch.  “Can’t say I blame her. Anyone
bumping into such a grump as you would faint.”

Raymond straightened to
his full height, and looked down his aristocratic nose at his uncle.  Which was
a difficult task, with them both nearly the same height.  Miguel looked back at
him with one eyebrow lifted high.

“Don’t look so
innocent, dear uncle.   You are not going to claim that you didn’t know who she
was!”

“Of course not!  She is
the manager of this hotel!”

“That is not what I
meant and you know it!   Why didn’t you tell me?”   Raymond nearly shouted and
had to restrain himself not to shake his uncle.

Miguel looked at
Raymond for a long moment, and then he sighed and put his hand on his nephews’
shoulder. 

“Things between us only
became bearable a few years ago, my dear boy.  I didn’t think you would
appreciate me interfering in your life.”

“You were damn right
about that!  Then why did you now!”   He shook with anger. He was not angry
with his uncle, but angry at the emotions boiling through him at the sight of
the woman who walked out on him.

“Raymond, calm down.  
We need to attend to this dear girl.  She should have awakened by know, don’t
you think?”   Retha’s concern was eminent in her voice whilst she wiped
Clarissa’s brow with a cloth.