Matt (Red, Hot, & Blue) Read Online Free PDF Page B

at the collection of rooms he’d be staying in during this assignment. Matt noticed the king-sized bed in the bedroom that opened onto a private balcony. He went outside to check out the view, but only after he’d finished drooling over the computer with the double flat-screen monitors in the living area.
    His balcony overlooked a secluded garden decorated with fountains and exotic flowers. This was one hell of a setup, and Matt intended to enjoy every second of it.
    The only regret he felt as he glanced at the silk-draped bed was that he had no one to share it with. He stepped from the scorching heat out on the terrace and back into the cooler air of the bedroom. Matt noticed an English version of the biography of Sheikh Mohammed had been left on the bedside table for his reading pleasure.
    He walked passed that and into the living area. Not that he wasn’t interested in the life story of Dubai’s ruler, but he’d far rather get his hands on the computer. How sick would a video game look on that huge screen?
    Too bad he couldn’t instant message Sam and brag about it.
    Matt had arrived here mid-morning, but he needn’t have worried about not having anything to do for the day because there was an entire itinerary planned for him.
    After his tour of the compound and the hour he was given to settle into his room, he was driven to the air base. There, he spent the rest of the day reviewing the guidance system with the personnel. That’s when he figured out the system wasn’t working even for him. It must have been installed wrong. He started the reinstallation, which would run all night. Matt left the tech guys with instructions to call him if anything funky happened and a promise to be back first thing in the morning.
    Finally, Matt arrived back at his room exhausted from both the travel and a full day. He’d just walked in the door when a food tray arrived, served by none other than a girl dressed like the star of I Dream of Jeannie —bare belly, flowing pants, sheer scarves covering her face, the whole shebang. He’d have to snap a picture with his camera phone for the guys. If this was what waitresses looked like here in Dubai, it blew away those at Hooters back in the States. The guys would never frigging believe this.
    “Um, thanks. You can just put it over there.”
    She did as asked but didn’t leave after setting down the tray. Nor did she make a move to go after laying out the utensils, napkin and the plate of food on the table in front of a window in the room.
    Matt said thank you one more time, first in English and then in her native language, wondering if maybe she didn’t understand him. He wasn’t the language expert like Trey. Matt knew enough Arabic to get by if he had to, but not much more.
    The woman inclined her head in a bow “I am here to serve you.”
    She’d surprised him with her careful English. He glanced at the table she’d laid out so nicely for him. “Yes, and you did it very well. Thank you.”
    Still she didn’t leave. Maybe she was trained like the butlers in old movies and would stand there in case he needed more water or fresh ground pepper or something. Fine. She could stand and watch him eat if that was her job. He didn’t want her to get in trouble.
    “So, nice weather today.” Feeling more than a bit self-conscious, he attempted some small talk.
    Her response was a nod.
    “It’s very beautiful here. It must be a nice place to work.” Even if she did have to dress like that.
    Again, she nodded but didn’t speak.
    Out of things to say, Matt ate his meal in silence.
    When he had finished the last of the food, she cleared the table and loaded everything back onto the tray. With one final tip of her head, she headed for the door.
    “Thanks, again,” Matt called at her back and then sighed with relief. With a nice full belly, he’d be very happy to get to bed. Maybe after a little computer time.
    He stood, excited about his plan for the remainder of the evening, when