There was a knock on the door. Rick opened it and accepted the package, handing the man a tip in exchange. Rick looked inside the bag, and, with a wicked smile, pulled out the tiniest swimsuit Lessa had ever seen.
She whipped it away from him. “She didn’t by chance include a cover-up in there, did she?”
He opened the bag again. It was clear he was enjoying this. “Not unless you want to wear this,” he said, pulling out his bathing-suit trunks.
She went in the bathroom and slammed the door. She was fuming as she looked at the bright yellow string bikini. It was the type of suit guaranteed to get attention, one that left little to the imagination. She slipped it on, afraid to look at herself in the mirror. She knew without looking that her underwear covered more turf than the suit. She had always been extremely modest, preferring swimsuits that covered her essentials and then some. She wrapped a towel around her waist and, after a moment’s hesitation, opened the door. She hurried past Rick without looking at him. “Let’s go,” she said, heading outside.
“Wait.” He grabbed her arm. “Sabrina might think you don’t care,” he said, tormenting her with his teasing tone.
She hesitated and he let go of her. He had changed into his bathing suit as well. She was not surprised to see that he had the physique of a natural athlete, finely sculpted and strong.
He gave her body a raking gaze. She pretended not to notice his obvious examination and approval, but she could feel her cheeks grow warm. “Take my hand,” he instructed. His hands were large, swallowing hers. He could crush her, but instead he held her as gently as he could. “Take your time,” he instructed. “Slowly. Don’t forget, I’m your lover, not your enemy.”
“It’s easy to forget,” she said.
His eyes gazed over her once again, slowly drinking her in. She could smell Rick, feel his presence.
“Let’s get on with this,” she said. She found herself thinking once again of Sabrina. She had done a lot more than just admire Rick’s muscles. While Lessa had been worshipping him from afar, Sabrina had been experiencing his skills as a lover. She had no doubt Rick was as skilled at lovemaking as he was everything else.
“I’m curious about one thing,” Rick said. “When did you see me with Sabrina?”
“At your apartment,” she replied, not intending the words to sound as bitter as they did. “About ten years ago. My dad sent me over to deliver some papers.”
“That was a long time ago,” he said. “I’m surprised you even remember.”
Of course she remembered, she felt like saying. She had been madly, wildly in love with him. But before she could say anything, his hand settled on top of her rear end. She could feel herself grow short of breath as he pulled her to a stop. “Sabrina is behind you,” he said. “She’s watching us.”
He brushed the back of his hand across her face. “I’m going to kiss you, Lessa,” he said quietly. “It’s going to be a tender, passionate kiss. I want you to take your hands and wrap them around my neck. Can you do that?”
Oh God, oh God…
“Just relax,” he said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
As he leaned forward, she closed her eyes and puckered up. His lips pressed against hers as his hand slipped around her small waist, pulling her in to him. As her bare flesh pressed against his, she was overwhelmed by his physical strength and power.
Slowly, he stopped. He smiled softly, his eyes caressing her. And for a moment, she forgot it was not real. He loved her and she loved him and that was all that mattered.
But instead of sweet nothings, he said, “You didn’t put your arms around my neck.” With a nod toward Sabrina, he added, “Next time follow instructions.”
Four
“As I told you, Mr. Parker,” Lessa said, still shaky from the kiss. “I’m not an actress.”
“Well, you better try. Because this is the only way to get back your father’s business. So no more tantrums.” He swung her back into him.
“Every time you touch me, it makes me dislike you even more.”
“Well, if all goes according to plan,” he said, pulling her so close she could feel his breath on her cheek, “by the end of the evening you’ll hate me.” He released her but still held on to her hand. “Shall we?”
The afternoon sun reflected off the blue Caribbean, beating through the palm trees that flanked the path. They made their way to the white sandy beach toward a waving Sabrina. Lessa was surprised to see that Sabrina was wearing a suit even skimpier than hers.
“This way,” Sabrina called out cheerfully.
Lessa glanced sideways at Rick. If Sabrina was wearing the bikini to impress him, it didn’t appear to work. He was looking intently at Lessa. “Showtime,” he told her softly.
“Well,” Sabrina said, the smile fading from her face as she saw Lessa, “I see you got the suit. Who knew you had a figure underneath those big, bulky clothes of yours?”
“Lessa’s in great shape,” Rick said, smiling at her proudly. Lessa couldn’t help but wince at the discussion of her physical attributes. She tightened the towel around her waist.
“She’s a competitive tennis player,” Rick said. “She even played at Wimbledon.”
“The Wimbledon Juniors,” Lessa corrected him, embarrassed by the exaggeration.
“How impressive,” Sabrina said, obviously unimpressed. “But does she water-ski?”
Why did Sabrina insist on talking to Rick as if Lessa weren’t there? “No, she doesn’t,” Lessa said, referring to herself in the third person.
“Oh, that’s too bad,” Sabrina said, with mock sincerity. “Perhaps you’d like to stay here and settle into a beach chair. We won’t be long, will we, Rick?” Once again, she flashed her pearly whites.
“I’m always up for trying something new,” Lessa said as enthusiastically as she could.
Rick jumped on the boat and held out his hand. She made herself take his hand and climbed onboard.
The boat took off and Sabrina fell against Rick. “Whoa,” she said. Rick steadied her as Sabrina smiled at him gratefully. And that was when it hit Lessa. Sabrina was not only an ex-girlfriend, she was vying to be the current one as well. But did she really like him? Or was she, as Rick maintained, just trying to determine his response? After all, what better way to see if his relationship with Lessa was real?
As if thinking the same thing, Rick moved behind Lessa and slipped his arm around her shoulders. She glanced up at him and he smiled back.
“Does the rest of your office know what you’re up to?” Sabrina asked, staring at them intently.
“No,” Lessa said.
“Yes,” Rick said, at exactly the same time.
He squeezed her shoulders again and said, “They didn’t for a long time, but due to the most recent issue-”
“When I fired him,” Lessa added cheerfully.
“It’s become obvious that something is going on.”
“I see.” Sabrina said, picking up a bottle of sun-screen. She squirted some in her hand and stretched out one of her long legs, swinging it up and over the side of the boat. In a scene worthy of an X-rated film, she began slowly to smooth the lotion over her leg. It was obvious that Sabrina was doing some performing of her own. When she was done, she looked at Rick and said, “Lotion?”
He turned to Lessa and asked, “Would you mind putting some on my back?”
His back? “No,” Lessa said, taking the lotion. She squirted some on her hands and forced herself to touch his bare skin. His skin was smooth and his back was outlined with well-formed muscles. She dug in deep, running her fingers against the muscles that seemed to grow hard with her touch. It was sensual and intimate, not the type of activity one would normally perform with a business associate. But she could not allow herself to feel embarrassed. Sabrina was watching.