My Despicable Ex (Book 1) (13 page)

“
We’re all checked in,”
Jake said when he returned. “You gotta take a look around this
place. There’s a library, a shop, a swimming pool, a spa, and more.
I’m gonna hit the gym after we settle in.” He opened up the
champagne, then handed me a glass. “Mind if I join you?” he asked
casually.

I reached for the glass and thanked
him. “I’ll be out in a few minutes. Then it’s all
yours.”

He nodded and headed back
inside.

I sprawled out and enjoyed my scenic
view for a while longer, until a grunt echoed in the air, causing
me to drop my glass of champagne. A chill shot down my spine as I
anxiously glanced around. “Hey, Jake! Something’s out here!” I
shouted.

“
We’re in the middle of the
bush,” Jake called back. “What do you expect?”

“
Okay, Tarzan. You don’t
have to be a jackass!”

Much to my disbelief, two elephant
trunks popped up and started slurping my pool water.

My heart raced. “Jake!” I called
frantically. “Get out here!”

He rushed out. “What’s the
matter?”

“
Look!”

He smiled. “Looks like you’ve got
company. How rude of you not to offer them a drink. They had to get
their own.”

“
Ha-ha,” I said, rolling my
eyes at him yet again.

“
Don’t worry. We’re high
enough that they can’t trample us.”

Jake went inside and grabbed his
camera to snap a few shots of our priceless encounter with Dumbo
and Jumbo. I couldn’t wait to send the photos to Nadia. I stayed
still, so as not to spook them as they drank away trying to quench
their thirst. Although my heart was pounding, it was one of the
neatest things I’d ever seen. Jake and I looked at each other and
chuckled.

Jake suddenly pointed down. “Your
phone!”

I followed his gaze and saw an
adorable but ornery-looking monkey on the deck, playing with my
most prized possession. “My cell!” I rushed out of the pool and
grabbed Jake’s arm. “Jake, you have to get it. I’ll be lost without
my phone. It has everything on it. It’s my life!”

He rushed inside and came out with an
apple, which he knelt down and offered to the monkey. “Hungry,
fella?”

The animal started making hooting
sounds that varied in pitch and volume. Then it let out a long
screech and threw the phone.

Jake picked up the phone as the monkey
snatched the apple, then darted into the trees. “You might wanna
put your phone away. They love shiny objects,” Jake said. “Wouldn’t
want our newfound friends playing volleyball, soccer, and
basketball with this thing, now would we?”

I wrapped myself in a towel. “Thanks,
Jake. I can’t believe my cell almost got hijacked by a
monkey.”

“
First elephants and now
monkeys. What’s next?” he asked.

We both looked at each other and burst
out in laughter.

* * *

I wore a long, blue dress with a
sweetheart neckline and pinned my hair in an elegant up do. I
wanted something chic and elegant, yet simple and glittery to
complement my outfit. So I opted to go with my cubic zirconia
collection, a diamond necklace, studs, and a tennis bracelet. Jake
wore a white dress shirt with brown slacks. I could see the outline
of his muscles stretching across his bulging arms and chest. I
couldn’t help but breathe a little harder. It may be cliché, but he
was tall, dark, and handsome.

I could feel his heated gaze on me and
looked away.

“
You look beautiful,” he
said.

“
Thank you,” I said,
smiling. “You look really nice too.”

“
Are you ready?”

“
Sure.”

We headed to a lavish feast
in the middle of the bush with a few other couples. Jake looped his
arm in mine and we strolled down a lantern-lit pathway where
intimate tables clustered around a fancy buffet under the African
night sky. Everyone was happy and smiling, the mood relaxed. A
woman smiled and handed us each a flute of French champagne. The
place was
lit up
with dozens of Moroccan lanterns, hanging from the tree
branches.
Candles lit all the tables
dressed in fancy white linens, and everything looked so romantic,
elegant, and magical. I felt like I was in a fairytale romance. The
tables were beautifully decorated with arrangements of flowers,
fine china, and crystal glasses. The moon sliced through the
darkness and illuminated the sky, bouncing its light off the stars
that pierced the black velvet. We talked to the hosts and some of
the other travelers. Everyone was so nice, and we all shared our
stories and adventures.

I loved listening to the harmony of
nocturnal animals and insects, singing like a choir all around me.
We stargazed over our flutes of champagne and made lots of small
talk.

“
This is one vacation, I’ll
never forget,” Jake said.

“
It’s breathtaking,” I
said. “I can’t wait to get back and put a scrapbook together. I’ve
gotten so many wonderful and fantastic shots of the animals and
landscape.”

“
I’m having the best
time.”

I glanced around. “It is the ultimate
dream vacation.”

He clanked my glass, his face beaming.
“To us.”

I didn’t know what to say to that
comment. Part of me wanted to say something sarcastic and spiteful,
but I refrained. I promised myself I’d be on my best behavior. So I
just smiled.

A woman came over and took our empty
glasses, then offered us Dawas she had on a serving
tray.

“
What’s in it?” I asked
curiously.

“
It’s a popular Kenyan
cocktail made with vodka, honey, lime juice and crushed ice,” she
said. “It’s very good.”

I reached for a glass. “Sure, I’d love
to try one.”

Jake gulped his right down.

I took a tentative drink and gagged.
“It’s very strong.”

“
You’re more of a wine
girl,” he teased.

I chuckled. “I think so, but I’m
always up to trying a new experience.”

“
Dinner is ready,” a man
announced.

Jake grinned. “Shall we?”

I smiled. “Yes, I’m
famished.”

Delicious aromas filled the air all
around us. “Everything smells so divine.”

“
Our chef is truly
amazing,” a woman said as she motioned us to the buffet.

Our meal included salad, some local
dishes and I wasn’t sure what they were, breads, goat stew, ugali,
steak, ostrich, chicken, lamb, corn on the cob, tilapia, and
boerewors which was a South African sausage that I’d been dying to
try.

I filled my plate with all kinds of
goodies. Jake pulled out my chair for me to sit down and I thanked
him with a smile.

“
What’s for desert?” Jake
asked our hostess as she walked by.

“
Pineapple surprise.
Afolabi just has to decide how much rum to flambé it
with.”

“
Tell him lots,” the blonde
woman in a glitzy silver dress said.

We all laughed.

Every time I looked up, I caught Jake
staring into my eyes. He was basking in the silver-white glow, his
eyes sparking in the flickering candlelight. His jet-black hair
hung in waves to his shoulders. Old memories flooded my mind as I
stared at his beautiful face and soft lips. I imagined my lips
pressed against his. Oh, how I wanted to taste those lips, that
mouth, his kiss. I remembered his hair sweeping across my skin as
he left trails of kisses down my body. I could still remember the
feel of his lips. I could remember every single detail, how good it
felt to have him hold me. I wanted nothing more than to embrace him
in my arms.

“
This is amazing,” he said,
taking my hand.

I felt the electricity from his touch,
and I was stumbling for words. I pulled away and sipped my wine.
“This dinner is so elegant,” I said.

“
I can’t believe I’m
getting the chance to dine under the African sky with lions,
zebras, and giraffes, drinking wine with a gorgeous woman, and
listening to a beautiful symphony of insects. I’ve died and gone to
heaven.”

“
You’re being so sweet, but
yes, this is a little slice of heaven.”

“
How about another toast?”
he asked. “To making it to Africa.”

“
Cheers!” I said, clinking
his glass.

I ate my dinner rather quickly and
excused myself as politely as I could. Having dinner with Jake in
such a romantic setting was too painful, like being back on the
beach, watching the sunset. My heart just ached, badly, and smiling
through his small talk wasn’t exactly working for me.

“
Ashly, please stay,” he
said. “How often does one get a romantic dinner out in the middle
of the bush?”

“
Not often, Jake, but I’m
afraid that moment, for us, is gone forever.”

“
I don’t believe that. We
might’ve lost it five years ago, but I’m here to fix
it.”

By no means did I want to have the
same old talk about us again. “I’m tired, and we have a big day
tomorrow,” I said. “But it sure was beautiful.”

He stood. “I’ll go back with you.
Tarzan no want Jane to get eaten by lion,” he said, beating his
chest.

As I laughed, he grinned. I always
loved the way he made me smile.

“
That was a good Tarzan
impression,” I said.

He chuckled, then put his hand on my
back and led me back to our suite.

* * *

The next day, we had breakfast on the
patio overlooking the watering hole and saw a family of
warthogs.

After breakfast, Anto,
our
guide and
tracker met up with us. We were going on an overnight camping trip
so we could get up close and personal with the bush. He’d warned
us
not to wear bright colors because it
would make us conspicuous to the wildlife. He had told us not to
wear dark colors either, because they would absorb too much heat.
Plus, tsetse flies love blue or black, so it was best to dress in
neutral colors such as khaki, beige, olive, and green, with a
safari hat to avoid sunburn.

I followed his
guidelines and got dressed, then strapped my camera around my
neck.

Our Land Rover had no roof
or doors, just three staggered bench seats behind the driver. That
allowed for a spectacular 360-degree view of the wilderness all
around us.
As I
climbed into the vehicle, Anto turned on some soothing safari
music. It was so serene to listen to the music while staring at the
beautiful scenery of Africa. I clung to my seat as we raced over a
million bumps. It was hot and dusty, but it was nothing less than
one of the adventures I’d always dreamt about, and I enjoyed every
minute of it.

Our funny and friendly guide harbored
a wealth of knowledge and told us facts about every animal and
plant we saw. He even explained how to make toothpaste from local
plants. As if that wasn’t amazing enough, he could even identify
animal tracks in the dirt and could tell how long ago an animal had
been in the vicinity.

We drove
through miles of golden, baking-hot grasslands when I saw a flash
of yellow against the green reeds.

“
Look!” I shouted.

“
Leopard,” Anto said calmly. He stopped the Land Rover so we
could observe the world’s fastest runner up close.

She was
gorgeous and slowly crept up to us.

“
Uh, guys, she’s getting closer,” I said.

“
Isn’t she magnificent?” Jake said in amazement.

Suddenly, the
young leopard leapt on our vehicle, and my heart pounded in my
throat. I met Anto’s gaze and smiled. “Um…in case you didn’t
notice, there’s a wildcat on the hood.”

He just
laughed nonchalantly as the leopard made herself comfortable on our
hood, staring at me with her amber eyes, so close that I could make
out each of her white whiskers.

As frightened
as I was, I couldn’t resist the urge to snap several photos. “We’re
safe, right?” I asked.

“
Wild animals are unpredictable,” the tour guide said, “but
she’s just a baby.”

“
But babies have mamas,” Jake chimed in.

We enjoyed the
moment for as long as it lasted. After a few minutes of lazily
resting on the hood, the leopard jumped down and gracefully walked
off.

“
Wow,” I said. “My heart was beating a million miles a minute,
but I got it on film!”

Jake put the
lens cover back on his camera. “I bet we both got some fantastic
shots.”

We drove in and out of the bush and
stopped to watch a herd of zebras, springboks, and impalas, who
were sitting in the shade, trying to cool off. After a few more
amazing pictures, we ventured on.

A few minutes later, Anto slammed on
his brakes at the sight of a large, muscular lion standing right in
the middle of the road, only about five feet in front of us. The
sun beaming down on us from above gave the lion a golden aura.
Never before had I been so close to the king of the jungle without
the safety of a thick glass or moat to protect me. The majestic,
powerful beast had distinctive gold fur and a long, thick, bushy
impressive mane. He cast us an amber stare, as if he was
curious.