When she went into the house, dragging her suitcase behind her, a smiling woman introduced herself as Valentina. Annie immediately wondered if this was the good friend and villa owner Felicity had mentioned, but in broken English the woman told her that no, she was just there to do some cleaning and the occasional meet and greet.
While outside looked gorgeous with all the flowers and the trees and the amazing view, inside the place was a bit of a dive,to be honest – very old, though in fairness, spotlessly clean, thanks to Valentina, Annie guessed.
And when the Italian woman led her to a dark, poky bedroom upstairs that was about a quarter of the size of her flat back home, she was a bit disappointed.
She’d had visions of cocktails out on the balcony over that lovely sea view, but at least it was nice and cool in there, and so small she knew she wouldn’t have to share her room with anyone, which was a major plus.
There were a few other people already staying there; a German couple on their way out had greeted her politely on arrival, and Valentina introduced her to a small group of French backpackers eating lunch in the kitchen area, where there were so many mismatched tiles and creaky-looking pieces of furniture that Annie had to laugh.
Again, the language barrier was a slight problem but she got the sense that everyone pretty much did their own thing in places like this. The students did give her a helpful heads-up on a couple of hotspots in the town, though, which she planned on checking out later.
She wasn’t going to waste too much time on pleasantries or making friends. Not when the sun was still high in the sky and the little pool outside looked so inviting.
Thanking Valentina for her impromptu tour, she trudged her suitcase back up an ancient wooden staircase to the room.
Unpacking wouldn’t take long; the only thing she needed just now was her swimsuit and she’d put that in her carry-on luggage, just in case. She’d heard enough stories about lost luggage and she wasn’t about to find herself in a foreign country with nothing.
The water in the pool was cool but a welcome relief from the afternoon heat, as she dived straight in and swam from one end to the other. It wasn’t much of a length, just a small rectangle on the edge of the terrace overlooking the bay, but boy, was it bliss.
She lingered by the edge now, looking through the chipped wrought iron railings dripping with pretty pink flowers, out over the side to the colourful buildings tumbling down from the green of the mountains to the water below.
‘OK, I could get used to this,’ Annie mused happily as she ducked back under the water and swam across to the other side.
By evening she was ravenous, and finding some bits and pieces in the fridge, courtesy of the French students, who’d told her to work away (or at least she hoped that’s what they meant) since they were leaving the next day, Annie cobbled together a light meal of pasta and tomato sauce with crusty bread.
After that, she got ready to head out on the town, choosing a strapless black dress that showed off her freshly spray-tanned skin, though she had a nice little sun-kissed glow from the pool earlier, which made it look really natural.
She opted not to bother straightening her hair for a change; in this heat it was probably a waste of time and would end up frizzing anyway, so instead she just tied it up in a loose bun and let a few black tendrils frame her face.
Same for make-up, which would also surely melt off in the humidity, so she kept it basic, with just a smear of bright red lipstick to finish the look.
There. Annie admired herself in the mirror.The dress lifted her boobs and really made the most of her curves, and putting on a pair of silver sandals, she felt pretty confident that she could hold her own with any Italian glamour-puss.
She wasn’t sure how those heels would hold up for the long walk back up the hill, but first things first. She couldn’t wait to find out what the social life in this place was like. It was a popular holiday resort so she guessed it would be hopping.
Annie wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she walked into Music on the Rocks – the late-night bar actually cut into a cave the students had told her about – but what greeted her was a scene like so many she’d encountered back home.
A room full of people, pulsing music, a neon bar and crowds of happy revellers. Her dress clung to her body in all the right places as she shimmied her way around the dance floor towards the bar, the short hem brushing sexily along her thighs to the beat.
She saw him the moment she reached the bar.
Tall with mussed-up dark blond hair and green eyes, the colour of the sea. His cheeky smile was like sunshine the moment their eyes met.
Annie tried to pretend she hadn’t noticed him, but the moment her eyes drifted in his direction, there was the ocean looking straight back at her.
His eyes were like deep pools that she wanted to dive right into. He didn’t look Italian and seemed to be with a large group of lads, so she wondered if he was a tourist too.
‘Nope,’ she scolded herself, turning away with a bottle of water for the dance floor. ‘Not going there.’
She’d decided not to drink tonight; not to drink too much while here at all, really.She didn’t want to end up doing the same in Italy as she’d been doing back home, getting trashed and ending up with strangers.
She was on her own in an unfamiliar country after all, so she needed to keep her wits about her.
Annie loved to dance. It was like a mania that started at her hips and took over her entire body. She couldn’t help it. It was the most liberating thing you could do, at least in her mind, and it was something she indulged in whenever she could.
One moment she was on her own, giving it socks on the dance floor, and the next she could feel a presence behind her. Annie turned to find the guy from the bar behind her, his body dangerously close to her own.
‘Mind if I join you?’ he asked in perfect English.
