KILTED DESIRE - Sands of Betrayal Page 8

  “That’s pretty much what we suspected and we already found the car. What happened to Britney’s phone?”

  “She thinks it’s still on her desk charging. We left so fast, I did nae think aboot it and I had nae idea I’d dropped mine.”

  “Right. It all makes sense, Scott. I can completely understand how the phone situation happened and the car breaking down was just bad luck. It’s just typical that it would happen when you didn’t have a phone.”

  “Aye. That’s fer sure.”

  “Did you have any trouble while you were on foot?”

  “Nae. We moved slowly, and tried tae make sure as few people as possible saw us.”

  “Excellent. You did everything by the book. Plus, you got her back safely. You did a good job, Scott.”

  Wow, Scott thought, he was pretty sure he had done the right thing, but it was good to hear praise from his boss.

  “Thanks, Tom. What do we do aboot the car? And did yer call Katie and let her know what happened?”

  “Don’t worry about the car. I’ll take care of it. I will get another car to you later. And yes, I did call Katie. I tried to let her know that we thought you were fine, but I don’t think I was very convincing. She sounded worried, so call her as quickly as you can.”

  “Will do, Tom. Thanks.”

  “Make sure you get some rest and well done. I’m glad you’re on our team.”

  “Thanks again, Bye Tom.”

  Scott dialed Katie’s number. He was calling from the hotel phone. Any international calls would show up on Britney’s company bill, so it would have to be a quick call, but he knew he must call her before he went to sleep.

  “Hello,” she answered, sounding very nervous.

  “Hi, baby. I’m so sorry yer were worried, but I’m fine.”

  “Are you okay? What happened?”

  Scott could tell she was starting to cry a little, when she heard his voice, but could sense she was trying to hold it together.

  “I’m fine baby. Just a wee bit of car and phone trouble so had tae take a long walk. I cannae talk fer long as this is the hotel phone. Hopefully, I’ll get my cell back tomorrow and I can explain everything then.”

  “What happened to the car?”

  “It just broke doon. I think it was the fuel pump and we had no cell phones tae call anyone. It was nae big deal. We’re both fine.”

  “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so scared.”

  “I’m sorry, I really am. Baby, I do have tae go now, but I’ll call yer tomorrow and we’ll talk properly. I love yer.”

  “Call me as soon as you can. I love you too.”

  “Guid night, Katie.”

  “Sleep well.”

  Scott went into his room. He was upset Katie had gone through this. He was determined that it would never happen again.

  Chapter 8

  Later that morning, it was Britney who was up first, which was unusual. They were both very tired from the previous days’ frightening adventure, so they slept in quite late. There was nothing they could do until they obtained another car, so there was no rush. As Scott appeared from his room, she was leaving the bathroom after taking her ‘much-needed’ shower.

  “Morning, Scott.”

  “Morning. How are yer feeling today?”

  “I’m good. I feel much better now having slept and taking a shower.”

  “That’s guid. I’ll be hitting the shower soon, too.”

  She walked over to the couch and sat down. She was wearing grey shorts, a t-shirt and a towel wrapped around her hair. Scott walked across the room and sat next to her on the couch.

  “Britney, I was thinking last night before I went tae sleep. Have yer any plans tae take a break from here? Maybe head haem fer a long weekend or something like that. We’ve been here fer a month and I think we both really need a break from this place occasionally.”

  “I agree. I was actually just thinking about maybe taking a long weekend, but I don’t want to fly all the way home. I spent some time in Dubai a few years ago with my parent’s. I really loved it. I’m going to look into spending a few days there in a luxury hotel.”

  “Sounds guid. I think it will be guid fer us both tae get away. Let me know if yer manage tae book anything. Then, I can try tae make some arrangements too.”

  “If I find something, would you like to join me in Dubai for a few days? My treat.”

  Scott was shocked. He thought she understood why he was asking. He wanted to go home to see Katie.

  “That’s very generous of yer, but I miss Katie. So, any chances I have tae get away, I’ll be going back tae see her.”

  “Why don’t you ask her to fly here and we could all go together. I’d like to meet her.”

  He did not know how to respond. Why did she want to spend time with them both? Surely, she must realize he wanted to be alone with Katie.

  “I will ask her. But, I doubt if she will want tae leave the girls. Thanks fer the offer, though.”

  “Okay. Well, see what she says and let me know.”

  “Aye, will do,” Scott said, as he stood up and walked into the bathroom to shower.

  When Scott finished, he returned to the main room and looked out the window. He spotted two men walking across the parking lot and was pretty sure one of them was Tom. He headed downstairs to meet him. Britney was still lounging on the couch looking up luxury hotels in Dubai on her laptop. After a few minutes, Scott returned with the keys for the new car. It was another Toyota, about the same age as the one that let them down yesterday. Surely it was a freak incident. They could not be that unlucky again. It was just after 1:00 p.m. and Scott asked if she wanted to go to work for a few hours. She said she did, so they both got ready. It was about a forty minute journey from the hotel to the office parking lot. It was a quiet and drama-free drive. It was fairly quiet in the street. But the previous days’ violence was very evident, with the huge crater in the road. Scott walked Britney to her office. Sure enough, her phone was sitting on her desk, still charging. He left her to get on with her work and moved into the corridor that led to the rec room, where he was sure he must have dropped his phone. He scanned the floor as walked, but it was not there. When he entered the rec room, his phone was lying on the coffee table. Someone must have found it lying on the floor and put it there. He started to wonder who would have done this, but quickly realized there were more important things to worry about. All that mattered was he located it. He knew it was very early back in the States, but he wanted to talk to Katie.

  “Hello,” said a sleepy voice.

  “Hey, babe. I’m sorry fer waking yer up, but I wanted tae talk tae yer,” Scott said softly.

  “It’s okay, you didn’t wake me,” she said, still sounding of a deep sleep.”

  He laughed. He knew she was lying, so he did not feel bad for waking her up.

  “What are you laughing at?” she asked, starting to liven up a little.

  “Yer funny! I know I just woke yer up, but I have some guid news and wanted tae call yer reet away.”

  “Okay, you got me. What’s the news?”

  “I spoke tae Britney earlier aboot her taking a few days off, and she seemed pretty keen tae do it. So if she does arrange something, then I can come haem fer a few days.”

  “That would be great. When will you know?”

  “Hopefully, later today. She did ask if we wanted tae go with her tae some posh resort in Dubai and I said I’d ask yer, but tae be honest, I dinnae really know what tae think aboot that. I just want tae spend time with yer alone. I miss yer, babe.”

  “Did she ask you to go on your own?”

  “Aye, she did at first, but I said if I was having any time off, then I’d be coming tae see yer. Then she said we should all go. I did make an excuse aboot yer nae wanting tae leave the girls. She was trying tae be polite, but I think she’ll just go on her own. Even when I told her yer would probably nae want tae come here, she still wanted me tae ask yer.”

  “I just wa
nt you to come home, even if it’s only a few days. I really don’t like her asking you to go with her. I know it’s not your fault. I’m just a little insecure right now.”

  “Yer know I’d never have gone. I love yer Katie, I just want tae come and see yer. I’ll keep asking her if she’s booked a trip. As soon as she does, I’ll book my flights tae come haem tae be with yer. I cannae wait tae hold yer.”

  He was doing his best to reassure her. He knew how difficult this must be. If he was in her position, he would be worried too. He knew what it was like to lose the one person in your life to another. He would never give her any reason to doubt him or his love.

  “I can’t wait to see you,” she said, sounding excited.

  “Me too, babe and I’m sorry aboot yesterday. We have another car now and found our phones.”

  “Yeah, what happened with your phones?” She’d be thinking about that for hours, before she went to sleep.

  “There was a rocket attack on the street here at her office. We left in such a big hurry. Her phone was charging and I dropped mine in the rush. I just found mine and called yer.”

  “How close was the rocket? Was anybody hurt?”

  “I dinnae want tae worry yer anymore than yer already are, but I did promise yer tae always tell yer the truth. The rocket landed only a few hundred yards away and broke many windows in this building. There are a couple of other buildings that were a wee bit closer and do have much more damage. And aye, there were people hurt, but we are fine.”

  “Oh wow, I don’t like this.”

  “It’s okay. Please try nae tae worry baby. I’ll be fine, I promise yer. I know what I’m doing.”

  “I know you do, but it’s hard.”

  “Just try tae concentrate on that. I may be coming haem soon fer a visit. That’s what I’m trying tae think aboot and it makes me smile. I cannae wait tae hold yer, Katie.”

  “Me too. I’m excited.” Katie replied. “Call me as soon as you know for sure.”

  “Will do. Try tae go back tae sleep fer a while. Hopefully, I’ll have some guid news later.”

  “Okay babe, I love you.”

  “Love yer too. Bye, gorgeous.”

  Scott was trying to focus, but the thought of going home and seeing Katie was just too appealing. He returned to Britney’s office and explained that Katie couldn’t come to Dubai, and she should plan to go on her own. He asked her to let him know when she had her hotel details. He would then make arrangements with his office, to get her on a flight out of Baghdad. She seemed disappointed. He couldn’t figure out why she was hoping Katie would come over and meet her. Scott knew Britney needed a break. She continued through the day to look for a luxury hotel. Later that night, back at the hotel, everything was arranged to spend a long weekend in Dubai in a manner to which she was accustomed. It was the same hotel she stayed at a few years earlier, with her parent’s. She was very excited. She would leave the following Thursday evening, and be back in Baghdad Monday evening. So in a week she’d have a break in five-star comfort. Scott arranged his flight to coincide with Britney’s out of Baghdad and would accompany her to Kuwait, where she would catch a short flight to Dubai. He would leave Kuwait for London, and then catch a flight to Columbus via New York. It was a long trip and he’d have less than two days with Katie. That didn’t matter; he needed to see her. He hadn’t considered how much he would miss her when he took this assignment. He finalized everything and was looking forward to hearing her reaction when he gave her the news.

  The next few days went very quickly. Katie was excited to have Scott coming home and was going to pick him up from the airport. He was excited too, but knew he was going to be exhausted after his journey. He knew he would have to make the trip again two days later, but he wouldn’t change it for anything. Not even his fear of flying would keep him from making the journey into her arms.

  Their last week before leaving Baghdad went smoothly. Tom arranged for a guard to take them to the airport and they arrived without incident. The short flight to Kuwait was uneventful. Scott made sure Britney boarded her flight to Dubai safely before checking in for his flight to London. She was no longer his responsibility.

  Scott was thankful for a few days away. The stress of being responsible for someone’s life every minute of every day was beginning to take a toll on him. He really needed the mental and physical break. He slept during the flight to London, but shortly after landing; he was in the air again, this time heading across the Atlantic. Once again, white knuckled, but the flight went smoothly. Soon he was amongst the hustle and bustle of New York’s JFK airport trying to find his gate for the next leg of his trip home. It was Friday afternoon and he was thinking about the last time he was at JFK. He had been a little down knowing that he was leaving Katie, the woman he loved. This flight was completely different. The excitement was amazing. He was so tired, but in less than two hours, he would once again hold her in his arms. He tried not to think about how in two days, his emotions would be totally different. He knew if he let these thoughts consume him, his trip and their time spent together, would be spoiled. There was no way Scott was going to let that happen. Soon, he was in the air again. Only for Katie, would he take this many flights, he thought. His long journey to be with her, had nearly reached its destination. With only his backpack, he smiled thinking he didn’t have to wait for luggage. Scott was visualizing walking through the arrivals where she’d be waiting for him and she was going to get the biggest hug ever.

  It was overcast when he arrived. It was hot and humid and there was a chance of thunderstorms. Katie had taken the girls to her parents’ house since she wanted an evening alone with Scott. She hadn’t told anyone he was coming home. She and Scott planned to get the girls from her parents’ home the next day and surprise them. As she parked her car and walked towards the arrivals part of the terminal, the anticipation was bubbling up inside of her. She checked the arrival’s board to see if the plane was on time. It had just landed. In a few minutes she’d be with him. She kept looking at her watch. It was very busy where she was standing. There were many flights that had just landed in the last half hour, and lots of people were passing by her. She knew she’d see him easily as he was very tall. When she finally spotted him, she was going to run to him and kiss him.

  After only about five minutes she recognized a familiar figure. She moved towards him smiling. He canvassed the crowd and when he saw her, he smiled and moved faster. As they drew closer, he opened his arms invitingly; she ran to him and flung her body into him.

  “Hey baby. It’s great tae see yer,” he said, as his arms wrapped tightly around her. He was not going to let go. He was going to make this moment last.

  “I can’t believe you’re here,” she said, looking up and smiling at him.

  He didn’t say a word, but just leaned forward and kissed her, holding her tightly to his body. Their lips pressed passionately.

  “As much as I want tae hold yer, forever, let’s get oot of here. I want yer all tae myself,” he said, as he loosened his grip on her.

  “Sounds like a good idea,” she replied, taking his hand.

  An hour later, they arrived at her house. Scott decided he would take a quick shower and take her out for dinner.

  He needed to freshen up and change, after traveling so long. Scott was exhausted, but he’d been dreaming of this night for the last month and he was going to make every minute of it something special. It would have to last both of them until the next time he could get away. He had no idea when that would be. This weekend would need to last.

  Katie had made reservations at the Sushi restaurant, where they had dinner the first week they met. She surprised him by changing into a blue-patterned summer dress. She bought it especially for their night and wore it with a pair of black high-heels. When he saw her, he couldn’t believe how gorgeous she looked. She took his breath away. He was dressed in khakis, a blue and white Polo shirt and was grinning from ear to ear. He truly thought he was under-dressed
compared to what she was wearing. The conversation through dinner consisted mainly answering questions about Iraq. He realized it was important for her to ask about things that concerned her. He did his best to answer and alleviate any fears she had. She asked many questions about Britney. They both tried to figure out her motive for asking them to join her in Dubai. Katie kept her thoughts and suspicions to herself. They went home early. She could see Scott was very tired. She had plans for him at home, which were much more interesting than dinner. When they finished their meal, they were on their way.

  As soon as they walked inside her house and the door was shut, she pushed him up against the wall and quickly took off his shirt. She raked her nails into his skin from his shoulders to his nipples. She had wanted to do this earlier, but, she knew he’d been traveling for such a long time, and wanted to get cleaned up, so she had restrained herself.

  “Wow! I should come haem more often,” he said, as he let her pin him against the wall.

  “Yes, you should!” she replied as she moved her hands to the back of his neck and pulled his head down to kiss him. She pushed her body even harder against him. As their tongues met, she lifted one of her legs and wrapped it around him. He reached an arm tightly around her back and held her raised thigh with the other hand, tenderly tickling and caressing it. After a few kisses, he lifted her off the floor and she wrapped her legs around him. He carried her to the couch and gently laid her down.

  “I’ve waited a long time fer this moment with yer,” he whispered, nibbling on her ear lobe and kissing her neck.

  “Me too, Scott. Mmm… take me now.”

  Scott moved from the couch onto his knees between her legs. He raised her dress and gently touched her, sending warm shivers through her body. He could feel how aroused she was and wasted no time removing her panties. As she lay back on the couch, he moved lower to kiss her hips, lingering long enough that her back arched wanting his kisses to move lower. His tongue danced upon her skin, tracing a path to where he longed to be. He caressed the inside of her thighs. His fingers were leading her to mounting passion and intense pleasure. Scott was thinking how much he missed this and how he loved making her tremble with ecstasy. It was totally turning him on. He continued teasing her with his tongue. He loved listening to the way she moaned when something excited her and so he drove her to greater heights of passion.