Free Blowback by Emmy Curtis

water from a sponge. She was protected. Safe.
    They arrived at Mal’s room as he was leaving. He was a big man with features to match. At around six and a half feet, he towered over Molly and was just a little taller than David. Dark stubble speckled his face, and only his clear blue eyes showed any expression. He bumped fists with David and handed him a key.
    “Be careful of him,” he said to Molly. “We’ve only just put him back together.”
    “Fuck off,” David said evenly.
    “Love you too, mate,” he replied cracking a smile. “Don’t die. I don’t want to arse around training someone else.” Mal picked up his bag and headed down the corridor.
    “What training?” David said loudly, grinning at his retreating back.
    Mal just raised a hand without turning around and disappeared around the corner.
    Clearly he hadn’t planned on waiting for them. Molly was glad they’d gotten there in time to get his key card.
    “Hi guys!” a chirpy voice came from the other end of the corridor. It was Victoria.
    “Hi! What have you been doing?” Molly asked, as she leaned into the rather exuberant hug that Victoria offered.
    “Obviously nothing as fun as you,” she said with a sly smile. She held her hand out to David. “Victoria Ruskin, WAMP. The voice of the tri-cities.”
    “Nice to meet you, Victoria. I’m David,” he said, wondering which tri-cities she was talking about.
    “Do you two fancy having lunch? I found a great place away from the madness here. I’ve heard some crazy gossip about what went down last night.”
    Molly glanced at David, who looked interested. “Sure, that would be great. Can we meet you there? We have a little unpacking to do first.”
    “Awesome. It’s on the corner of Sina and Skoufa behind the hotel a few blocks. Great souvlaki, fabulous mimosas. Say in an hour?”
    “Sure, see you there!” Molly said.
    They opened Mal’s door and marveled for a moment at the array of empty bottles he’d left in there. Kristal champagne, which Molly remembered was being served at the cocktail party, and a variety of beers.
    “It’s amazing he can function,” David said, shaking his head. “He didn’t tell anyone he was checking out early, so let’s just put our bags in the closet and call for housekeeping.”
    Molly didn’t say anything, just wondered if Mal was in the same place as David had been. As if he’d read her mind he said, “I know it looks like he has a problem, but he doesn’t. He’s just English. Mostly everyone I’ve met from there can drink like it’s a national skill-set.”
      
    At Molly’s silence, David turned. He noticed her dress for the first time. Really noticed it. Her sundress was a pale yellow with thin straps, and, God help him, with the light of the window behind her, it was almost transparent. Her hair, almost the same color as her dress, was still damp and curled around her face. She was mesmerizing.
    She smiled. “We have an hour. Do you actually want to unpack, or get out of the hotel?”
    “What do you suggest?” He really wanted to stay in the room with her and demand she remove her dress so he could see her naked again. He was fairly sure that she had only the tiniest panties and no other underwear on. He swore he could virtually see her nipples through the dress. If he looked really hard. Really hard.
    Jesus, man. Get a fucking grip.
    “There is the Temple of Olympian Zeus just around the corner. We could take a walk there. It was the largest temple in Athens when they built it.”
    “Sure. Sounds like a plan.”
    As they made their way out of the hotel, David couldn’t figure out if people were staring at them because Molly was a total knockout, or because they’d already been fingered as suspects. Whichever it was, it was making him feel uncomfortable. He didn’t like people noticing him.
    They walked toward the temple, David wanting to poke the eyes out of any man who looked at her. This was not a natural reaction, he was sure.