“Look here, love.” Her neighbor poked her with his elbow and she opened her eyes. They were driving over the Sydney Harbour Bridge on the first leg of the journey. “We're going to head up the New England Highway inland toward Singleton and stay in St. George for the first night.” He winked at her, licking his lips. Delilah's stomach churned, threatening to embarrass her. “We could get real friendly, you and me, if you play your cards right.”
She shuffled over in her seat as far as she could go until the armrest dug into her side uncomfortably.
“Just wait, baby. I'll organize everything, promise. You won't have to worry about a thing.”
Yeah right. I don’t think so, buddy. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at the other passengers hoping to make eye contact with at least one person, preferably female. They were all engrossed in conversations or taking photos through the bus windows of the Sydney Harbour. No such luck. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep again, ignoring the small talk from her seating partner.
It seemed like only minutes had passed before Delilah woke to an elbow poking her in the ribs. “We’re pulling up for a comfort stop and tea. Stick with me and I’ll show you the ropes.”
She sat up and glanced around. “Where are we?” A small green park with garden beds and a children’s play area looked like a lovely spot to stretch her legs. She stood, clutching her bag, walked down the aisle, and stepped out of the bus. The sunshine on her face was soothing. Two elderly ladies stood together and she moved over to join them. “What a lovely spot.”
“Isn’t it? This weather is perfect for touring. My name is Essie and this is my sister, Beth.”
“Lovely to meet you both. I’m Delilah.”
She moved as Mr. Sleaze pushed his way between her and the ladies. “Ralph. Nice to meet you both.”
“Oh, are you together?” Essie asked, glancing quickly between them.
“No. I’m on my own. Ralph here offered to show me the ropes, but I think I have it covered. Thank you, Ralph.” Delilah turned away from him and walked over to mingle with other guests. She introduced herself and chatted while drinking a cup of tea the driver provided.
Ralph caught up with her eventually and slipped his arm through hers. “There you are, love. Told you to stick with me, didn’t I?”
“Excuse me, Ralph, I’m talking to these lovely people here.” Disentangling his arm, she stepped away and continued talking.
“Sorry about that. Where were we? This is your third trip to the Outback you were saying?” Delilah ignored the huff Ralph gave her and concentrated on the couple she was talking to.
“Yes, our third. We love it out there, so desolate and different from the city. Just you wait and see. The red dirt against the bluest sky you have ever seen. Leaves you breathless, I tell you.”
“We thought we recognized you when you got on the bus,” said the man slipping his arm around the effervescent lady’s shoulders. “My wife adores your show. We can’t wait for next season to start.”
“You’re very kind.” Delilah sipped her tea, keeping an eye on the driver. “Who knows, this trip might feature in a future show.”
“All aboard, folks.”
“Must go and powder my nose before we leave. Catch you at the next stop.” She waved at the couple she was talking to and hurried to the bathroom, ignoring the frown on Ralph's face. There was no way she could spend the next six weeks sitting next to him.
When she returned to the bus, Delilah stopped at the door and turned to the driver. “I would appreciate it if you could find me another seat.”
“Sorry, all taken. We can't help you there.” He gave her a bored look.
She stared at him, horror climbing her throat. “Are you serious? No more seats and I'm stuck with him.” She pointed back at the man pushing through the other passengers to get closer to her. “He makes me feel very uncomfortable and I don’t think I can sit with him anymore.” Delilah lifted her chin and gave him one more distasteful glance before turning away.
“Sorry, love, really I am. Maybe once you get to know some of the passengers they might be prepared to swap with you. I don’t think there are many singles apart from you and him though. Pretty full this trip.”
With clipped steps, she walked to her seat, sat down, pulled on her seatbelt and clasped her arms tightly around herself. Her seat mate shuffled down and leaned across her to get into his seat by the window.
“What's the matter, love? Looking just a little bit frazzled there. Anything I can do for you? Might have to wait until we stop for the night…if you know what I mean.” He laughed at his own joke and nudged her with his elbow before sliding past her with more body contact than she thought was appropriate to reach his seat.
Delilah swallowed to stop herself from gagging. As if, pal. This was going from bad to worse. She reached into her bag and took out her iPad. If another seat wasn't available, she would do her best to ignore him. She flipped the cover of the device, found the Kindle app, and opened it. Her gaze locked onto the library content, she searched for a book she hadn’t yet read and, when she found something that looked promising, she opened it. With a deep breath, she started to read, blocking out everything and everyone around her.
Chapter 2
When they lined up to board the bus the next day, her sleazy seat partner pushed through the line to get to her, standing so their bodies touched. “Missed you at breakfast, love. Can't have that now. Make sure you stay with me so we can eat lunch today.” He nudged her and nodded his head as he leaned in
