Welcome To Crete - Regreece (100 best novels of all time txt) 📗

Adam put down the receiver and sat staring at the phone for a few moments with a huge grin on his face. Then he laughed and stood up, unsure of what to do next. He ran a hand through his hair and made for the bathroom, stripping off his clothes and climbing into the shower. As he stood under the hot water however he had taunting visions of Fay showering there that morning. These images soon developed into pictures of her there at that moment, with him rubbing soap all over her body, and he soon had to get out of the shower to stop the frustration he suddenly felt.

He put on a dressing gown, went back into the lounge and poured himself a large whiskey in hope that it would invoke sleep. After finishing the whiskey he moved into his bedroom and climbed into bed, turning off the light and staring at the shuttered windows in the greyness of the room. He lay there for hours as visions and thoughts raced around his mind and he twisted and turned, trying to shut off his overactive brain. He eventually fell asleep, entwined in his sheets.

The door of Adam's room opened and someone walked in.

Who was it?

He opened his eyes but he couldn't see; his eyes wouldn't focus.

It was Fay!

Although he couldn't see clearly, he knew that it was her. He went to speak but she put a finger to his lips to silence him. She stood silhouetted against the window and began to undress. His eyes strained to see her more clearly but she was a haze to him. He watched garments falling onto the floor as she took them off but her body turned into a fleshy shape, obscured by the shadows. He waited expectantly for her to go to him but feared that she might suddenly disappear. His heart jolted with excitement when she moved towards the bed, lifted up the covers and got in beside him. He reached out for her; impatient to feel her naked body next to his, but suddenly he was standing looking down at her. She was lying on a rock, and when he glanced around he realised that they were in the cave, next to the small church with the encased bones of the dead. She looked white and he bent to wake her but she was lifeless. He gathered her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "Wake up Fay, wake up." He whispered it over and over again as panic began to build in him but she remained still and limp. He put his head against hers and buried his face in her hair, willing her back to life.

Suddenly it was light and he bolted to a sitting position in his bed, struggling to make sense of his surroundings. Then he reached for his mobile phone, which was beside his bed, and dialled a number.
"Fay!"
"Yes...Adam what's wrong?" she asked, recognising his voice and registering his panic.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes, why?" She looked confused.
He laughed with relief. "Sorry sweetheart, I think I must be losing my mind."
"What?"
"Err... I think I've just woken up properly but I had a dream and... well I got a bit confused between that and reality," he explained.
"Oh," she frowned, "what was the dream about?"
"Well, you were kind of... dead," he said reluctantly.
"Dead! Great! I hope that's not your subconscious trying to get rid of me!" she exclaimed.
"No, definitely not...not considering the first part of the dream anyway," he assured her.
"Go on then, what was the first part of the dream? Did you try to stop me from dying?"
"No, there was no dying involved. In fact it was going fantastically well up to that point," he said wryly.
"What do you mean 'fantastically well', or shouldn't I ask?"
"Well, put it this way, you were playing the seductress and I...come to think of it, it wasn't as fantastic as I'd hoped. I had a bit of a problem with my eyes and I couldn't see all the action!"
She laughed loudly. "That serves you right Adam! That's what happens when you have naughty dreams about me," she teased.
"Just my luck. I wouldn't put it past you to have somehow censored all my dreams too!" he complained.
She grinned. "Well, I'm very much alive, now leave me alone because I still have half an hour before my alarm goes off."
"Okay, okay, I'm going. See you later," he said, hanging up.

Forty minutes later and Fay was rifling through her wardrobe for something to wear. The weather was getting hotter and that morning was particularly warm so she looked for an alternative to wearing trousers. Her eyes hovered on a cotton, khaki dress that she had bought at the end of last summer and she eventually took it out to assess its suitability.

Was it a bit short? No, wasn't too bad and at least it would be cool.

She made up her mind to try it on and glanced in the mirror with narrowed eyes. The material fitted snugly to her figure and stopped a few inches above her knees. The top half of the dress fastened at the back of her neck and, although it had a small collar, it was sleeveless.

Okay, not too bad...or was it a bit low?

She bent forward and grimaced.

No bending over today then. Her mother always told her to sit up straight anyway.

She shrugged and searched her wardrobe for some sandals. Then, grabbing her bag and sunglasses, she left her apartment and headed down the set of steps to the sea front.

When she arrived in the office Adam was the only person there and he turned around as she entered. To her consternation her heart did a little leap at the sight of him and she scolded herself for it.

She wasn't a bloody school girl; she had to get control of herself!

"Hello you. Did you get that other half an hour sleep in the end?" he asked as he organized the papers in front of him.
She walked up to her desk and placed her bag on it. "Well I fell asleep again but not until twenty minutes later, so I had a total of ten extra minutes sleep in all," she chuckled.
He laughed.
"Is Ann coming in?" she asked.
"Yes, she should be here soon. She has to take Amy to school first though as Dimitris had to go somewhere early this morning." He shrugged to suggest that he didn't know where exactly.
"Would you like me to start on the trip details again?" she said, glancing at the computer. "I was thinking that I could probably get all of them done today, well the ones we discussed anyway, and if not I'll finish them at home."
"That would be great; I need the details to put in the brochures. But don't take work home. Let's see how much we get done today anyway," he winked.

She watched him busying about at his desk and recalled the telephone call, the food he had bought for her and the kiss he had described. He looked up at her suddenly and she moved quickly to turn on the computer. He went back to his work with a smile.

Ann rushed into the office soon afterwards, apologizing for being late and heading straight for her desk.
"Ann, how are you getting on with the guest lists? Are we on schedule?" Adam asked, moving towards her and glancing at the computer screen.
"You know, I think we may even be a bit ahead," she said proudly.
"Good, I don't want any last minute hiccups once guests begin to arrive." He turned his attention to Fay. "Any ideas for guides Fay? We have Sal, if she wants the job, but we'll want more once the season starts. I've got a big group of guests arriving tomorrow..."
Fay looked up in shock.
"Don't panic they are all sorted out. They are friends and acquaintances of Tom and they know that the season hasn't started yet so they won't expect the tours to be organized properly, although I would like to give them some details for future reference. We expect many of them to return and if they know Tom I'm sure that they will have good connections back home. I'd like to ensure that their transfers run smoothly and also I was wondering if you would give them a small informal talk, just to get them interested in the trips." He leant against the side of Ann's desk and waited for a response.
"I suppose so, although I'm not sure exactly what I'd say." She looked unsure.
"You'll be great, just show them all the enthusiasm you showed when we went out to see the places," he reassured her.
"Okay, I'll do my best but I'm not an expert or anything. I only know what I told you through personal interest."
"Well personally... I was impressed, and so will they be," he said, smiling at her and moving back to his desk. "So, any ideas on the guides?" he asked, returning to his original question.
"Oh, not off the top of my head but I could ask Susie for you. She knows a lot of guides and reps." She watched him for a bit as he worked on his computer, and then she added, "Actually the best person to ask is Jen."
His head shot up.
"She knows everyone, and she'll know the best guides too," Fay pressed.
He looked torn. "Speak to Susie for me first eh Fay."
"Okay," she nodded. "Do you want me to ask Sal for you too while I'm at it?" she said, searching in her bag for Sal and Susie's mobile numbers.
"Sure," he nodded.

She phoned Sal first and expected her to still be in bed but the background noises of cars and bikes indicated that she was up and out. As soon as she answered Sal began chatting away excitedly.
'Fay, you're not going to believe this but I was on my way to the beach and I was walking past 'The Apollo' hotel, and who should I see but your friend Jo. Well she stopped to say hi and we got chatting and she's moving into a new apartment and she said I could take her old one! And it's got two bedrooms and everything!' She eventually stopped to get her breath back.
'Wow, I didn't even expect you to be up! Well done Sal, so when will you move in then?' Fay