Page 21 of Quinn

A blush crept over her cheeks as she nodded.

I hurriedly left and headed to my room. With the door closed, I stripped and padded into the adjoining ensuite where I flicked on the shower. The water pounded on my sore back, helping to iron out the kinks caused by sleeping in the chair for the best part of the night. I was too old to be doing shit like that.

I stood with my forehead resting against the cool tiles, hot water pounding the muscles of my back and acting like a massage. When the water began to run cool, I soaped up, rinsed off and climbed out.

After dressing in a pair of blue jeans and black polo shirt, I padded barefoot back to Arabella.

I was shocked to find she hadn’t returned to bed, but relaxed when I heard soft voices coming from the bathroom and assumed Lynetta must have been helping her to shower.

As I was about to turn around and leave, the bathroom door swung open and the two ladies re-entered the room.

Arabella was an absolute picture despite her tiny size. Her hair had been washed and was brushed back, held in place by a pair of clips. The dress she wore was cinched in to show her tiny waist and was a pretty shade of blue. She still looked to be no older than a teenager, but my body recognised her for the woman within and reacted. Electricity fired through every cell, setting my balls to tingling and cock rising in interest.

What the fuck? I had never been affected by a woman the way Arabella was affecting me, and it was caused by me merely checking her out. Even the whores I frequented at Connor’s brothel, dressed in next to nothing, didn’t arouse the want I felt at that moment. There was no doubt, I was in deep shit.

“I thought Arabella might like to sit out in the living room for a while, the sunshine will do her the world of good.”

I was lost for words, still trying to figure out the effect Arabella had on my body. I’d never craved the touch of anyone the way I craved hers. Or was it lust invading my senses? Either way, the mere thought of her wanting to leave once she was well had me feeling a sense of loss. I must have been in need of a fucking psychiatrist if I was allowing a tiny slip of a girl to get under my skin.

I followed the ladies to the living room and Arabella settled into a chair by the window that looked out over the mountains behind the compound.

“The view is pretty,” Arabella murmured.

I crossed to the large wall to ceiling windows and stood looking out. The sky was a brilliant cerulean blue, not a cloud in sight. The jungle plants and trees that climbed the mountainside were multiple shades of green and varying heights. Closer to my home, trees swayed slightly in the early morning breeze while the sun was already a fiery ball on the horizon as it began its journey to peak overhead. Like every day in PNG, the day promised to be hot and most likely humid.

“I’ll fix some toast and tea.” Lynetta excused herself and I took a seat on the sofa.

"How long have you lived here?”

“In Popondetta, about fourteen years. In this house, about ten years. I lived with Connor until I was nineteen and was finally able to convince him that I was mature enough to live alone.”

“Were you?”

“Was I what?”

“Mature enough to be on your own?”

I laughed. “Probably not but I insisted I wasn’t a baby and it was past time I had my own life. There were a few fuck ups that Connor and Jake had to help sort, but for the most part, I’ve managed well with Lynetta’s help.”

“Was that my name I heard mentioned?” Lynetta entered the room with a tray.

Steam rose from two mugs, I knew one would be my coffee, and there was a platter of toast and freshly baked croissants as well as a bowl of cereal which I knew wasn’t for me. I liked some cereals but detested the powdered version of the only milk available in the country. She placed the tray on the coffee table near where Arabella and I sat.

“Please eat something, Arabella. You need to put some weight on those bones and you won’t recover to good health if you don’t eat properly.” Lynetta poured milk on the cereal and handed the bowl to Arabella who hesitated for a moment before accepting.

“I’m taking Mahiro into town for a swim and then I’ve promised to see if that doll we ordered has come into Steamies. Hopefully Barry will have organised for any tests and doctor visits Bella needs for tomorrow or I’ll have to rearrange my day. If the schedule stays as planned, I’ll be back in time for lunch before I have a meeting with Connor and Jake at two this afternoon.”

“Anything in particular you’d like for dinner this evening?”

Lynetta and I usually shared a meal in the evening before she retired to her suite. We had an unusual relationship and arrangement, compared to others with Haus Meris, including my brothers.

Lynetta had first been employed as a type of nanny when we’d first arrived in Popondetta. In my opinion, I hadn’t needed someone to watch over me like a baby, but my parents and Connor had insisted. Being the sullen teenager I was, it had taken Lynetta a long while to break through my walls and I was grateful she had persisted.

I’d attended school, then university, gaining my engineering degree, but it was our quiet, humble nanny who had taught me more than I’d ever learned in either place.

Lynetta had patiently taught me about the ever changing environment in the slice of country we called home. I’d developed an interest in weather patterns, soil types and quality, flora, and fauna. Had I not been so interested in engineering; I could have studied botany and spent the rest of my life learning about the diverse island.

Once I’d reached the age of nineteen, and insisted on living as a ‘man’, Lynetta had accompanied me and become my Haus Meri. We had a unique bond, one that ran deeper than friendship. I loved her as if she was family. We shared meals together, I accompanied her when she wanted to go shopping, and we laughed and cried together.