“Hey, lady!” She was focused on the man gesturing her way with a clipboard in his hand. “You Delilah Connors?” He glanced at his list again and waited for her to answer.
“Yes, yes I am.”
“Well, get yourself and your bags over here. We have a schedule to keep and you’re running late.”
Me, get my bags over there? Right, no problem. I can do this. Slinging her overly large hand bag on her shoulder, Delilah bent down as far as her tight skirt would allow and grabbed a suitcase in each hand. When she tried to lift them, she struggled not to topple over and land in the road. She had so not planned that very well.
“Here, let me.” Before she could comprehend what was happening, the bags were whisked from her hands. A portly, middle-aged man gave her a leery grin and nodded his head toward the bus. His dark hair was greased down into a wave reminiscent of the Elvis era, and his skin was deeply tanned. Gold chains glittered at his wrists and in the open collar of his shirt. A wave of revulsion swept over Delilah, and she took an involuntary step backwards. “Come with me, love.” He walked off carrying her bags.
With little knowledge of how the bus tour worked, she followed him. “Thanks for your help.” She rummaged through her handbag and pulled out her bus ticket, grimacing at the thought of the next six weeks on the big red coach. The driver stowed her bags under the bus and slammed the door, indicating for her to board.
“Let me help you up.” The same man grabbed hold of her elbow and pulled her up the stairs, ignoring her protests. “It's okay, love. I've done this all before and know how they work. Come and sit with me, and I'll show you the ropes. I know the way to get what I want. You won’t go wrong with me.”
The waft of body odor overlaid with too much cheap cologne assaulted her nostrils and she tried to turn back to the front of the bus, but the way was blocked with other people climbing aboard for their holiday of a lifetime. She had no option but to do as her new friend advised and follow him down the aisle.
“Take your seat. We want to get underway.” The driver was waving his clipboard in her direction and a sweaty hand grabbed her arm again, pulling her into a seat.
“Just stick with me and I’ll steer you right.”
Delilah slunk down into the seat, only to have her private space invaded by Mr. Sleaze as she had already dubbed him.
“This is an awesome tour, love. I've done it a few times now and had a ball. First time for you, is it?” He leaned in front of her and winked, showing cigarette-stained teeth, and gave her a nudge with his elbow.
Pushing back the urge to scream, Delilah closed her eyes and leaned back into her seat, trying to get away from the smell of stale cigarettes. She wiped her hand over her forehead and sighed. This was worse than I thought possible. “I have a headache. I wonder if you would mind if I have a nap to try and shift it, at least until I feel a little bit better.” She attempted to soften her words with a smile and closed her eyes, resting her head back against the seat.
“Um…yeah sure, whatever, love. I’ll look after you, have no fear.” He patted her arm, letting his hand linger until she moved her arm, brushing him away.
She cringed, unaccustomed to dealing with this kind of attention. No fear… Yeah right, that will be the day. She leaned further away from her new best friend. The lurch of the bus let her know they were on the way to the trip of a lifetime. A trip she knew was a mistake. A huge freaking mistake.
If only her brain would kick into gear and come up with new plots for her characters—ones that hadn't been done before. Even though she had wracked her brain in the last forty-eight hours since she being notified of the trip, nothing jumped out at her…absolutely nothing. Something with spice that would make her loyal fans sit up and take notice. The thought of making Brad Hollows look any better than he did now stuck in her throat and she nearly gagged.
Maybe that’s why I’m suffering from writer’s block. It all makes sense now…but it doesn’t change the fact I need to step up and write more. Well, there was another option. The new series rattling around in her head showed promise, if only she wasn’t so scared of pursuing it. Bondi Beauties bathed in so much popularity she feared that’s all anyone would want from her. The new storyline arrived in the middle of the night, as all the best ideas did. Delilah had grabbed her laptop and tapped out the story while the rest of Sydney slept. When she showed it to Kim the next day, her manager loved the idea and excitement flared.
It wasn’t until she asked to see the next chapter—and the next one—that things went wrong. Nothing. The idea died on the white board in the planning stages, and Delilah had been devastated beyond belief. Kim said I have to finish at least the first series, or she won’t present it for me. I can’t blame her. She knows what she’s doing. There was no way she was going to argue. The woman had done wonders with Bondi Beauties.
Delilah sighed and knew she needed to come to terms with the biggest issue. Now that Bondi Beauties had stalled, the studio was threatening to bring in other writers if she couldn't come up with new threads for her characters. Something they could do according to the
