CHAPTER THREE
Kirk tried all the dishes, eating fast and efficiently. He couldn’t take anything too spicy-hot, so he concentrated on the aromatic rice dishes. He was aware Surya was watching him with some amusement from across the table.
“Give me the names of these dishes,” he said, pointing to the few he liked.
“That’s nasi goreng. And lawar. The grilled skewered chicken is satay.”
“Mmmm, I had that in a Malaysian restaurant in DC.”
“The two countries have similar food,” Surya told him. “They also both use Bahasa Melayu, although the local dialects are quite different.”
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“Because of the way you eat. You cut the meat in half, pop it in your mouth, chew, swallow. Next. Did you even taste anything?”
Kirk paused in the middle of chewing. “Of course I did. I left all the spicy stuff for you.”
She laughed, a soft, delightful sound. “Put in mouth. Chew. Spicy. Next. Put in mouth. Chew. Not spicy. Swallow. Put in mouth. Chew. Meat. Next. There is no pause in between to savor the dishes.”
He took a drink of water, studying her. “This is food, not art. It’s to fill my stomach. I enjoy what I eat and then move on. What’s wrong with that?”
Surya cocked her head, her dark hair now back in a loose chignon, exposing that lovely neck that he’d been thinking of biting. Now,thathe would savor. But he mustn’t think of tasting her right now.
“You sound like a clockwork robot. How very boring. I’m going to have to loosen you up a little so you don’t turn into a stuffy old shirt.” She waved her fork at him. “It takes time and creativity to make a really good meal, you know. You didn’t even stop to admire this beautiful table of food. I mean, you just attacked it like you’re starving or something.”
Kirk sat back in his chair. “Iamstarving,” he said softly. “I’ve been starving—for answers from a certain woman, from frustration at not finding said woman. And then, when I do find her, I’m starved of time because there’s this little emergency with hostages and a missile. So, my dilemma is, do I devour her quickly or do I keep her for later to enjoy? The thing is, she might disappear again, so what do I do?”
A hint of pink stained her dusky cheeks. She rested her chin on steepled fingers and they stared at each other like opponents.
“Are you suggesting that I am food?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Good food. You disappeared like really good food.”
She blinked. “I’m not sure whether that’s a compliment. The way you were treating really good food just now tells me you don’t care what you eat.” She waved a hand when he tried to interrupt. “Yes, I know we have a big job ahead of us and you’re in a hurry.”
“No, I’m saying I don’t want you gone like a puff of smoke when we’re done,” he said. “I want you to be here at the end. Like dessert. I love dessert.”
Her smile returned and those dark eyes gleamed back with laughter. “You know, maybe I was wrong. You do know how to eat right.”
“Is it a deal?”
“What, about me being dessert? Oh, you mean disappearing on you.” She rolled her eyes. “I paid for this suite with my own hard-earned money. I’m not going to let a stupid missile interrupt my dream vacation.”
Her odd sense of humor was what had attracted him when they met. She had a hilarious way of seeing everything revolving around her. Of course a missile wasn’t going to stop her dream vacation.
“I’m glad you’ve got your priorities straight,” Kirk noted dryly.
“Well, hey, look who’s talking priorities. You want good dessert. I want a dream vacation.”
They grinned at each other over the table, like kids playing silly games. He felt strangely light, as if a burden he’d been carrying had been lifted.
“So let’s get this operation taken care of,” he said. “I need an interpreter because my contacts have located a few locals who smuggle certain things into the forest. They’re willing to talk but their dialect makes it difficult for quick questions about unusual activities.”
“Not a problem. Jade brought me up to date with relevant details. I also made a few inquiries and found out why I’m needed when MacKenzie Securities has their own contractors. I’m sorry for your loss.” Surya pushed back from her chair. “When you…umm…entered your room, I was getting it ready to make sure it was secured from external frequency interference. I just need your cell phone to pair with my device so it recognizes it as one with accepted numbers it won’t jam.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve converted the TV and their cable for our video usage. You can speak to your boss without going through the channels. Ha ha, see what I did there?”
