A Girl Scout

"So, where are you going to start?" I finally asked. Just staying silent while next to him would only make me more nervous. Marco is the kind of person that just looking at him will make you feel small, feel inferior, feel ready to be his servant whenever he asks.

"What is it?" Even though I didn't see him, I was pretty sure that Marco said it without looking at me either.

"I don't think we're just here for a picnic."

"Neither did I. I was thinking of many ways to make you scream."

I turned to him instantly. My cheeks were flushed, but I tried to cover it up. "I'm talking seriously."

Marco sighed as he raised his sunglasses to his head, then looked at me. "It's complex. You'll get mixed up."

I got up from my lying position and sat cross-legged on a beach bench. My hand-woven hat, which I got as a souvenir from Bali, was very useful in blocking out the sun. "The only thing that confuses me is your mysterious demeanor, Marco. I don't even know your last name.

He froze.

"Let's start from the beginning. Why did you tell me to leave and forget about you if you followed me here instead?"

"I've said it before: I thought that if you got out of my face, I'd be able to get you out of my mind."

" You were thinking of me?"

Marco nodded. "Ever since kissing you in front of the elevator."

My eyes bulged. "You lied to me about not remembering our first meeting?" And when he nodded, I shook my head.

"I've wanted you ever since. I almost fucked you if I didn't remember what my goal was."

My cheeks were heating up even more. I'm sure it's not because of the sunlight. "And what was that?"

"My job. It was related to my job," he replied. I was about to ask him again what his job was, but decided against it when he said, "Please don't ask about my job. I'll explain it to you someday when the time is right, without you asking."

"And when you said that you're not a good person, that was also about your job?" I asked for confirmation. He nodded.

Wait, is he a criminal? That could be true. Please, Leandra. He's the same person who has twice pistol-whipped in front of your eyes. My subconscious warned.

"I won't hurt you." Marco took my left hand, then kissed my palm. The coastal breeze made his hair look messy, unlike his usual neatly combed back. His gaze that overpowered the freshness of the sea seemed to hypnotize me. "Do you trust me?"

My two small nods signaled that once again I had been fooled by him. And when Marco moved his body forward to kiss me, I was already squeezing his hand that had been holding mine.

I would have fallen backwards if Marco's hands had not held my waist. Marco's kiss was deep and enticing. He didn't use his tongue this time, but he still managed to taste my lips fiercely. I've never been this intoxicated by just kissing.

Marco pulled away, I felt a sense of loss. His thumb wiped the wet spot on my lips. I sighed softly, craving his kiss again.

"I don't want you to be in any danger, so I'm asking you to stay away from me," he whispered. His breath wafted across my face, driving me even further insane. Marco pressed his forehead against mine, his palm rubbing my cheek. "But it turns out I'm not up to it."

"Marco ...."

"Excuse me ...."

A soft voice interrupted us. We turned to the source of the voice: a curly black-haired girl around nine years old with a triangular scarf around her neck. A thin vest with many pins of various shapes on it allowed me to recognize her community identity.

"Yes, Darling?"

I turned to Marco for a moment, squinting. He smiled sweetly at the girl.

"Let me introduce myself, my name is Nora Gilbert. I'm a Girl Scout and my troop sells cookies. Whoever manages to sell the most cookies will get a prize ticket to Paradisonie. I'd love to win those tickets, so please buy these cookies!" Nora held up her palms, which contained a box of cookies.

Marco and I looked behind her, finding a sizable basket. From this, it looked like she still had a lot of packaged cookies. We both then looked at each other.

"Should I buy them all?" Marco whispered softly.

My mouth opened slightly. "Everything in that basket? You don't mind?" I whispered back, trying not to let the excited little girl hear.

Marco then smiled. He turned back to Nora. "Can I buy everything in that basket?"

Nora's eyes lit up. "Of course!" she replied, almost squealing. The girl was then overwhelmed. She counted all the cookies left in the basket.

Marco and I waited patiently.

"Thirty packs of traditional cookies for five dollars and sixteen packs of gluten-free cookies for six dollars. Oh, my gosh, one second, I'll count them." Nora looked up. Her fingers and lips were busy calculating the total price we (Marco) had to pay. I was about to mention the amount, but Marco's hand held me back. He let Nora calculate it herself.

"Two hundred and twenty-six?" Nora looked at us skeptically. I frowned, but Marco smiled instead.

He reached into his brown wallet and pulled out three one-hundred dollar bills. "The correct one is 246 dollars."

"Oh my, really? I am not very fond of math." Her eyes lit up, probably because she knew she would get a higher amount than she expected. "Hold on, I'll get the change."

"Just take it."

"Really?" asked Nora, not expecting it. She and I looked at each other, both surprised. I had no idea how rich he was to give up fifty dollars for change. No, I didn't even think he would buy all those cookies. There's no way he's going to take a shower with those cookies, right?

The cheerful girl jumped up and down in pleasure when Marco nodded. She even left her basket for us. "Thank you very much, Mr. and Mrs.! I hope you both live happily ever after!"

Mr. and Mrs. Does that little girl think we're a married couple? I glanced at Marco to see his reaction, but he didn't seem to mind that much. So, I just kept quiet.

Nora bowed twice, then ran away. She shouted something like "I'm going to win those tickets!" and "Oh my God, I'm so happy!".

I stared at her as she got farther away. "She must be happy to get three hundred bucks in an instant."

"Five hundred bucks if only she didn't interrupt my kiss," Marco said. I turned to him, he smiled haughtily.

My eyes narrowed. "You have that much money?"

"I could easily pay for you to get your doctorate, Leandra."

"A mysterious rich man, huh? What have I gotten myself into?"

He kissed my jaw, then his lips shifted to my ear. He whispered, "Are you sure you want to know?"

I nodded again. "Whatever it is, I think it's worth a doctorate."

His subtle laughter wafted into my ear. "I hope you don't regret what you said."

"I won't," I said confidently. I shook off all my doubts, I don't know where I got the motivation. "Where are you staying while you're here, by the way?"

"Do you want to come?"

And when he smiled after I nodded, I was one hundred percent sure that our next activity would be extremely hot and wet.