by Miley Maine
Mrs. Laurent’s usually empty eyes lit up. “This is miraculous news. I love it when I can play cupid.”
It was a good thing I liked Kate. This whole situation would be monumentally more unpleasant if I had to date and pretend to like a woman I wasn’t interested in.
I knew, because I’d done it before. I’d had a particularly savage fling when I was on assignment in Panama. The woman had been a local business owner, which was a useful contact to have for that job. We spent two weeks hooking up, and I’d learned more from her than any dossier of files full of research could have ever told me.
I could admit to myself that fake dating someone for the benefit of the United States government seemed like a shitty thing to do. And morally, it probably was. I wouldn’t hurt anyone innocent though, and I wouldn’t allow the woman to be harmed. If we mutually used each other for a few weeks or months, then it worked out.
I usually found the liaisons fun, but Kate was in another category altogether. I wasn’t sure how I was going to balance my own interest with the good of the mission, but I’d figure it out. I always did.
Chapter Six
Kate
On the Monday after the dinner party, I was still thinking about Owen. Mrs. Laurent had been smiling at me more, which was odd.
Since it was my day off and the weather was perfect, I escaped to sit by the pool. Growing up in Alabama, I hadn’t known anyone with their own pool. One of my friends whose parents had a few cows had a stagnant-looking pond in their backyard, but it was full of snakes and every summer it was a mosquito breeding ground.
We’d stuck our feet in a few times when the weather was scorching, but when the temperature was a hundred degrees, it had been lukewarm, and not worth trudging through the mud.
The city near my hometown had a pool, but it was small, and when the daycares showed up, the water was filled with noisy kids. If we had gas money as teens, sometimes one of my friends would drive us up to Guntersville Lake. We’d stop at the dollar store and buy cheap inflatable rafts and we’d float on them for hours, pausing only to pull a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter out of our bag to make snacks. Those had been some of our most fun days, but there were always complications.
We didn’t have money for sunscreen, or we’d run out of food, or the rafts would pop, and we’d sit in the grainy sand. But we’d all be grateful for a break from the daily grind.
Here at the Laurents’ villa, I was a universe away from Alabama. That didn’t mean I didn’t value the simple pleasures I’d had back home, with my friends and my sister. But I could admit that it was really nice to enjoy these lavish pleasures, without having to struggle for each one.
But I was lucky, and plenty of Chileans weren’t so lucky. Thanks to riding around town with Mateo, I had learned more about the impoverished areas in Santiago. Once I’d gotten to know the programs better, I planned to ask Mrs. Laurent if I could spend my days off doing outreach or volunteer work. I was saving so much money by living with the Laurents, they were paying me really well. I could stand to give back a little to the community here.
But while I was here, I was going to enjoy the perks. Social workers in Alabama were paid a liveable wage, but I’d never have access to this kind of affluence again. I just wished my sister could share this with me. Maybe in a few months, I could ask the Laurents if she could come and visit.
I picked up my book and settled in next to the shimmering concrete pool. The water was a clear aqua, and the walls of the pool were constructed from large rocks, to give the appearance of a natural pool of water. A fountain rushed over the rocks, creating the relaxing sound of rushing water. Beyond the pool, the sprawling lawn was green, and beyond that, full trees lined the edge of the estate.
The lounge chairs were a bright white and very comfortable. I had put on a green bikini that Mrs. Laurent had provided. When I’d arrived at their home, my entire room had been fully stocked with everything I could possibly need. Which was nice, because it meant I could save my wages.
I pulled my large straw hat on, and laid back against the cushions. I didn’t even open my book. I loved reading, but just looking at the landscape in front of me was entertainment enough.
I must have fallen asleep listening to the sound of the rushing water. I woke up to the sound of heels clicking on the tile next to me.
Looking up, I saw Mrs. Laurent standing next to the lounge. “Hello, Kate. I apologize for interrupting your day off.” She held Gabriel in her arms, and he reached for me. She kissed him on the cheek. “No, my sweetheart. Your Kate is resting.”
I sat up and tried to clear my foggy mind. “I don’t mind holding him for a minute,” I told her. I wondered if he realized this was the time of day we usually swam together.
“That is very kind of you,” she said. “But I came out here for a reason.” She glanced back up at the house. “You have a visitor.”
A visitor? I didn’t know anyone here besides the Laurents, and their household staff. I’d seen other nannies in the park, and I planned to approach one soon. I figured it would be safe enough to do so with Mateo with us. And, I hadn’t done that yet, so…
“I don’t know anyone,” I said to her.
“You met him last night. Owen, the man you met at the dinner party.”
Owen. The gorgeous man who’d sat across from me. I dropped my fluffy beach towel and stood up. My heart started tapping away just hearing that Owen was here, which was ridiculous. “Owen? He’s here?” I reached down and grabbed my towel, yanking it up to cover my body.
“Yes,” she replied with a pleased smile. “He’s in the foyer with Amelia. I wanted to get your permission before I brought him out here.”
“I should get dressed.”
“If you are more comfortable that way,” she said. “But he would probably like to join you by the pool.”
“Is he wearing a work suit?” Because if he came out here dressed in his office clothes, that would be really awkward.
Gabriel waved at me a few times. “No, I believe he went home and changed after work.”
Over the mountains in the distance, the sun was lower. I really had slept for a long time. I sat back down and dug in my bag for my swimsuit cover. It was made of a white, filmy fabric, and was just as pretty as any dress I’d ever seen.
I tried to get a little extra oxygen in my lungs, hoping it would slow my racing heart. “You can send him out here.” I tugged the cover over my head, somehow getting it twisted. I stayed like that, stuck in my own dress until Mrs. Laurent reached up and gave it a sharp tug. “Thank you,” I said. My cheeks felt like lava right about now. This time when Gabriel flung his little body toward me, I lifted my arms to take him. Maybe giving him a hug will calm me down.
As soon as I had him, I felt a little more grounded. His clean baby scent, which smelled like lavender lotion, filled my nose. “Hey, little buddy,” I said. “I missed you.”
He babbled at me and smacked my arm a few times. Then he whipped his head back to his mother and lunged toward her.
She took him back. “Enjoy your visit,” she said, and I watched her go, with Gabriel waving bye over her shoulder.
I laid back down on the lounger and stared at the running water, waiting for my body to calm down. Owen coming here was the last thing I’d expected.
You can do this. You teach calming techniques to teenagers with ADHD and anger management issues.
But I wasn’t wearing a bikini while I did that.
I covered my mouth, holding in a laugh. Am I becoming hysterical? Where was the calm, cool and collected Kate? Because she was currently nowhere to be found.
Chewing on my lip, I counted, concentrating on taking one big breath after another. If I knew I’d be alone, I’d start some yoga or meditation practices, but there was no way I was risking that when Owen could walk down the stairs to the pool area at any second.
Finally, the back door opened, and Amelia ushered Owen out, closing the door behind her, leaving us alone
. I stayed seated, watching him as he descended the ten white concrete steps that led to the pool. I wasn’t sure he could look any better than he had last night in that tux at the dinner party, but he did.
He looked like a movie star on his way to a yacht. No, he looked like James Bond on his way to a yacht. He had put on khaki shorts and a white button-down shirt and dark sunglasses, with a beach towel tucked under his arm. Through the white shirt, the lines of his muscles were clearly visible.
I realized I wouldn’t mind seeing him with no shirt at all, which wasn’t a thought I’d ever had before, about anyone, not even a movie star. He strolled with that same easy confidence, strong and powerful, like he could handle anything that came his way.
When he got to the end of the steps, he stopped, not coming any closer. “Hi, Kate,” he said. “I’d have called, but I realized this morning I hadn’t asked for your number.”
“That’s fine. But I am surprised to see you.”
“Yeah? Why?” he asked.
“I thought you’d be busy.”
“I got all my numbers crunched for today,” he said with a smirk. “So I was free to come see you.”
“Well, today’s my day off. So no number crunching for me. Or baby holding,” I told him. Owen laughed like I’d said something funny. “Although I do miss the little guy.”
He took his sunglasses off and hooked them in the collar of his shirt. “Maybe you can teach him to crunch numbers.”
“I have no doubt he’ll learn soon enough. They have him exposed to English, French and Spanish as an infant. He’ll be able to pick up so much,” I said.
“How’d you learn Spanish?” he asked.
“My neighbors were Guatemalan. They helped me learn when I ate dinner with them, and they were really patient.”
I didn’t add that my sister and I ate dinner with them because we didn’t have any food, and they felt sorry for us. So many of my social work classmates had similar backgrounds to mine, and they shared their stories at every opportunity. As empathetic as I was, I got tired of hearing about the details over and over. So now I was careful not to blurt out my own sad story. Owen didn’t want to hear about that, not when we’d just met.
“Were you planning to swim?” I blurted out. I stretched my hands out, to keep from twisting my fingers together.
“I came here to ask you on a date,” he said.
Um. What? “A date?” I parroted back.
“Yes. But only if you’re interested. If you prefer to concentrate on your job, or your travels right now, then I understand. I was twenty-two once, and I understand the desire not to make commitments, even for one evening.”
“How’d you know how old I am?”
“Mrs. Laurent told me.”
“How old are you?” I asked. I shook my head. “I’m sorry. That was kind of rude.” I had to stop getting so flustered. This was ridiculous.
He gave me a sexy grin, showing off his straight, white teeth. “I don’t mind,” he said. “I’m thirty-two.”
So he was ten years older than I was. That wasn’t a crazy age difference, but it was enough that he had a whole lot of life experience that I didn’t. And for that, it seemed like a huge gap. He was worldly and sophisticated, and I wasn’t.
“Is my age a problem?” I asked.
“Not for me,” he said. “But I think Mr. Laurent was trying to warn me off.”
“Warn you off? Like threaten you not to take advantage of me?” Just the suggestion made my cheeks heat. I wasn’t fair-skinned, but I blushed so hard it was obvious even with my olive tones. I was sure my skin was flaming red next to the white cotton fabric of the swimsuit cover.
“Yes,” he said. “Because I work for him, and so do you. And I am older. He doesn’t want you to feel pressured. So I’m asking you out, and I’m going to leave my number with Amelia, and you can decide if you want to join me for dinner one night or not.” He smiled at me one more time, his blue eyes sparkling, then he turned to go back up the stairs.
I watched him go. His butt in those khakis was pretty nice to look at. And his broad shoulders stretched at the edges of the shirt.
“Wait,” I shouted.
He stopped at the top of the stairs and waited.
“Um. Come back?” I said.
“Are you certain?” he asked.
I nodded. Then I realized he probably couldn’t see me with the setting sun. “Yes,” I shouted back. “When you got here, I asked if you were planning to swim. Are you?”
“I have my swim trunks on under these,” he said. “I’ll be honest. Mrs. Laurent suggested I bring them when I asked her for your number last night.”
“So you asked her for my number, and she suggested you come over in person.”
“Yep.”
It was really nice to hear someone say “yep”. The Laurents’ English was impeccable, but it was so formal, as was their Spanish.
“Okay, so I’m going to swim a few laps,” I said. “The water’s heated, so it feels really nice. Have you swam here before?” I asked him.
“No. I’d never even been here before last night.”
Huh. I’d had the impression he had been there many times, based on Mrs. Laurent’s reaction to his interest in me.
“Well then. You are welcome to join me if you’d like,” I said.
“I would definitely like that,” he responded. He started unbuttoning his shirt, and I swallowed hard. I couldn’t peel my eyes away and he got to the bottom button, and let the shirt fall from his shoulders.
He caught it, and dropped it onto the lounger across from mine. His firm chest was perfectly sculpted, as were his biceps and abs. He kicked off his flip flops, then moved his hand to his shorts.
My breath picked up as he unbuttoned his pants. I knew he had swim trunks on underneath, but it was the gesture that made my breath catch.
I’d never been around a man while he was getting undressed before, not alone. I’d been in the company of plenty of guy friends at the lake back home, and at swim parties in college. But always in big groups.
I hoped Owen didn’t expect anything from me. I doubted he would push me, especially not here with the Laurents and all their staff home, but I didn’t want him to be disappointed in my lack of experience.
I glanced up to the house, and I was pretty sure I saw Mateo looming right inside the screened-in porch. I gave him a little wave; it was nice to know someone was looking out for me, even when Gabriel wasn’t with me.
Owen pushed his shorts down, revealing a pair of navy blue swim trunks. They weren’t tight, but they fit him well. I didn’t want to get caught staring, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to strip my own cover off either.
Owen didn’t wait on me, but he went to the edge of the pool and stepped down onto the sun ledge. It was the perfect spot to sit and read if you were hot. You could submerge yourself into one foot of water, and lean back against the rocks.
Owen walked to the edge, and looked back at me. “Coming in?” he asked. He turned his back to me. “No pressure,” he added. “We can sit and talk.”
It was obvious he was trying to give me a second without staring at me, which I appreciated. “No, I’m coming,” I said. It was just a swimsuit. I’d worn a bikini a hundred times at pools and lakes.
I was getting into a pool in a South American villa with a breathtaking man. I could do this.
Chapter Seven
Owen
It was clear that Kate was reluctant to take her dress off in front of me. Like I told her, I didn’t want to put her under any pressure, so I got into the pool. The water felt good, and the landscape was great. I left the sun ledge and went down into the main part of the pool, where the water went up to my waist.
I was still a little shocked she’d asked me to stay and swim. And I was equally shocked that Mrs. Laurent was so invested in my relationship with Kate, but I wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.
Behind me, I heard rustling. I willed myself to stay in place. I
was not going to gawk at her. I was going to have to learn how to flirt without using the suggestive banter I’d try on a woman my own age.
I heard a few more swishing sounds, and then the sound of Kate stepping into the pool. I turned slowly, trying to act natural. The thought of seeing her in a swimsuit had me hard already. Grateful I was already submerged in the water, I kept moving until I was facing her.
Wow. Oh, fuck me. Kate had been a stunner in that sexy red dress. But now she wore a green bikini. It wasn’t skimpy for a bikini; there was plenty of coverage. But now I could see all of her, from head to toe, and it had my body reacting.
My cock went from hard to rock hard. I took a step forward. Kate’s dark hair was straight today, and as she stepped forward, she tucked one side behind her ear.
Her arms were nicely toned. Her stomach was flat, and her thighs were delectable. I’d like to swim over and pull her into my arms. But I was going to take this slowly. I was going to be respectful. She might have been twenty-two, a college graduate, and an international traveler now, but she was clearly inexperienced with men.
Even the curve of her waist was turning me on. “I like your swimsuit,” I said.
“Thanks,” she replied. “Mrs. Laurent had them all here for me when I arrived.” Kate kept walking, stepping down the staircase until she was only a few feet away from me.
I was sure a personal shopper or stylist did the hard part, or who knew. Maybe Mr. Laurent’s wife liked shopping. She certainly always looked put together. But she was stiff, like a living mannequin, not much like a person at all.
“Where will we go on our date?” she asked, peering at me with those brilliant green eyes. She didn’t have any makeup on today, and I liked that I could see her face a little better. She’d looked great last night, but so styled, which had likely been at the hand of Mrs. Laurent, who kept herself dressed up like a Barbie, day and night.
Oh shit. I hadn’t thought of any options at all. This was no spoiled princess looking to burn her parents’ money. She was in Santiago for the experience, and Santiago had a lot to offer. “Well, that depends,” I said, to give myself a little time to think.
