by Cathryn Fox
“Nothing.”
She plants one hand on her hip and studies me. “You don’t like him,” she says, a statement, not a question.
“I don’t know him like you do, Eliza.”
“Well, hopefully by the end of the day we’ll all get to know each other better.” She turns to head to the bathroom, and I wait until the door is shut.
“Can’t wait,” I say under my breath. I rake my hands through my hair, and tug on my board shorts and a T-shirt. I grab a ball cap from my bag and toss it onto my head. Eliza comes from the bathroom and goes still when she sees me.
“Something wrong?”
She smiles and shakes her head. “With that hat on, you look like you’re eighteen again.”
“You don’t like it?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just you pull off a suit so well, and yet…this look.”
“What about it?”
“It somehow suits you, too.”
“You’d better careful.”
“Why?”
I step up to her, toy with the knot on her towel. A quiver moves through her body and her eyes widen. “You keep complimenting me like this and I might get the wrong idea…or the right idea,” I say.
She lifts her chin slightly, a show of defiance, but there is something in her eyes, something that looks a lot like lust when she says, “I was just stating a fact, Braxton.”
I grin down at her, focus on her mouth, and her lips fall open. Is that an invitation? My gaze flies back to hers. How can a girl with so much desire on her face be chasing another man?
Because she wants you for sex only.
“We, ah, should get going,” she says.
I step away from her and adjust my ball cap, bring it lower over my eyes. “You want me to wait until you get dressed, or do you want to meet me down there?”
“You go ahead. I’ll follow in a minute.”
I nod, and leave her alone. When I step in the hall, I work to pull my shit together, and get my goddamn cock under control. Yeah, she said she wanted to have sex tonight, and by rights I should say no. Why the fuck would I want to prepare her for a douche like Jason?
I make my way downstairs and follow the sound until I find everyone outside, gathered around a large patio table. Three young girls are dressed in crisp white shirts and black dress pants, pouring the coffee. I sit, turn my coffee cup over and give a grateful smile to the server who fills it.
“Thanks,” I say, and she nods and walks off. I steal a glance around. To one side of the massive backyard, a beautiful buffet is set up, the food kept hot in covered chafing dishes. I glance around, and all eyes are on me, including Jason, who has yet to remove his phone from his hand.
“She’ll be down in a second,” I say and take a much needed sip of my coffee. From my peripheral vision I catch the curious way Valerie is watching me, a small grin on her face. I bite back a scoff. Hell, I probably have a night of hot sex written all over me. I hope so, then maybe Jason will realize Eliza’s not his.
Goddammit, Brax. That’s the whole reason for being here.
“Sorry I’m late,” Eliza says as she breezes to the table, looking fresh face, relaxed…well fucked this morning. I pull her chair our and she takes a seat beside me, our legs bump, and as little pulses zap between us, she places her napkin on her lap and sits up a little straighter. “Mmm, coffee. Just what I need.” She flips her mug over and one of the servers is right there to pour her a drink. She breathes in the rich aroma, then glances at the cloudless sky. “Great weather for today’s activities.”
“Perfect weather,” Richard says, then does another round of introductions, for my sake, I assume. I gesture a nod to the man named Alex, who is directly across from me. Like me, he’s tagging along with his girlfriend for the weekend. I turn my attention back to Richard, who is explaining the plans for the day. “Mason, from Building Bonds, will be joining us shortly to get things under way. We play for a few hours, have a lunch break, then resume afterward. Tonight however, is meant for drinks at the pool and either sunset swims, or moonlit sails.” I nod, maybe I’ll get some sailing in this weekend after all. Then again, it’s not like Eliza will want to join me, and I’m not about to leave her on shore while I’m off entertaining myself. Then again, she might want me to disappear. With me out of the picture, it might give her the perfect opportunity to get closer to Jason.
“If you need me, I’ll be at the pool getting a little work done,” I say, and try not to look as annoyed as I feel. “Good thing my laptop is in the car.”
“Me too,” Alex pipes in. His girlfriend smiles at him, and I can’t help but think they’re a cute couple—without a hidden agenda
“Aren’t you going to play any of the games?” Eliza asks.
I put my arm on the back of her chair, a show of possession and stretch out my legs as Jason zeroes in on us. “Not my company, babe. I’m just here because you asked me to be.”
“At least agree to be in the tug of war,” Richard says. “We could use a good strong anchor like you.” Richard grins at Jason, who folds his arms across his chest, a challenge of sorts. “Give Jason a run for his money this year.”
“I’m in,” I say quickly, and Eliza’s gaze flies to me. So does Valerie’s. I ignore them both and drain my coffee.
Richard puts his hands on the edge of the teak table and pushes to a stand. “All right then, let’s eat, shall we?”
“Are you really going to work today?” Eliza asks.
“I can’t very well join in the bonding games.”
“I…suppose.” She looks down for a moment, almost apologetic. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”
I catch the way Jason is watching us. “I planned to get some work done this weekend, whether I was here or not, Eliza. It’s fine. Plus, Richard said something about a sail tonight.”
She crinkles her nose. “I took you away from that this weekend, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”
I put my hand on her cheek. “I can sail here and work. Two birds,” I say.
She nods up at me, understanding exactly what I’m saying. “So you brought your laptop?”
“I don’t go anywhere without it.” Although I do know when it’s appropriate and not appropriate to open it.
“This is supposed to be a device-free weekend.”
Maybe someone should tell that to Jason.
“I don’t think those rules apply to me.”
She shakes her head. “I suppose, and I should have realized you’d have work to do,” she adds and that’s when I realize she’s given me the perfect opportunity to set things in motion.
“All work and no play, isn’t that what you always say about me?” It’s a lie. While I’m a hard worker, I know when it’s time to play. It’s that balance that makes me a success.
As everyone moves about to fill their plates with breakfast foods, she hesitates for a second. I catch the way Jason is lingering at the table, taking his time to finish his coffee as he eavesdrops.
“Ah, yeah. That’s what I always say,” she says, clueing in to my tactics as she leaves the table, following everyone to the buffet.
I wait a second until my coffee is refueled again, take a big sip, and follow behind. Jason jogs to catch up with me.
He nudges me, like we’re old friends bonding over something. “Women, huh?”
“What about them?”
“A guy like you doesn’t get where he is today by taking weekends off.”
“Eliza asked me to be here, so I’m here. I’d like to think you’d do the same if she were your girlfriend.”
“Oh, yeah, sure. Absolutely.” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his board shorts, and fall in place behind me in line. “We never got to have that drink last night. Maybe we can talk later,” he says from behind me. I already know what he wants to talk about. My success. My business. If I have any place for him on my team. But I plan to keep my word to Richard, and I’m not about to poach.
Why didn’t you keep your word
to your best friend?
“Maybe we can take the sailboat out later,” he says to me.
“Eliza doesn’t really like the water.”
“I’m sure she won’t mind staying back.”
“I’ll mind.”
From the buffet line ahead, Eliza turns and her gaze lands on me, obviously having heard our conversations. We exchange a long look, then she hurries forward and fills her plate. I load up on eggs, bacon, and toast, and grab my seat back at the table. Soon enough, everyone is talking, and I can barely follow along with the numerous conversations going on around me.
“You sure you’ll be okay at the pool by yourself?” Eliza asks me as her knee brushes mine.
Below the table I put my hand on her thigh, and she makes a wheezing little sound that takes me back to when she climaxed around my cock. “Relax.” I lean into her, purposely put my mouth to her ear, my words for her only. “This is what you hired me for.”
She does a quick check around the table, but there are no eyes on us. Her mouth moves to my ear and when the heat of her breath washes over me, my cock swells, eager to have that sweet mouth wrapped around it again. “Technically, I didn’t hire you,” she says, her voice a low breathless whisper that matches mine “We do have that whole tit-for-tat thing.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“You never did tell me what you wanted,” she says quietly.
I inch back, and relax into my chair. “No, I didn’t, did I?”
“Are you going to let me know anytime soon, or do I have to guess?”
“Not sure.”
“Brax—” she begins, but her boss’s voice stops her. All eyes lift in time to see Richard stand and shake hands with a middle-aged man, then introduces him as Mason, today’s instructor. After introductions, Mason talks about the games that are going to be played. I quickly excuse myself from the table, set my dishes in the big gray tray, and make my way to my car. I reach into my pocket, fish my keys out and grab my laptop from the trunk.
I grab a lounge chair by the pool, peel off my shirt and settle into it. I open up my email but since I can’t really seem to concentrate on too much, I scan through the messages and sort according to importance. I answer a few, yet continually lift my head to see what the team is up to.
“Are you sure you don’t want to join them?” Michelle says as she brings me a cold glass of lemonade.
“Positive. I have some work to catch up on, and I’m not part of the team, so it doesn’t really seem fair.”
“You’re kind of a part of it.” She gives a knowing little laugh, and I lift my eyes to hers as she perches on the end of my chair. “I mean, you are here with Eliza.” She follows my gaze, and watches me take in the group trying to release themselves from the human knot. Every time Eliza laughs, or shouts out an instruction it pulls my focus. She’s a strong, take-charge woman at work, and I admire her for that. But fuck, when she handed her body over to me in the bedroom, trusting me enough to know I’d take care of it, well, that shit just messes with my mind, and truthfully it’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly. I blink my eyes, the rush of last night’s erotic memories pulling a groan from me. I cough to cover it, and shake my head to clear the sexy visions. When I open them again, Jason is laughing with her, touching her. He wraps his hands around her waist as they try to break free, and acid fills the back of my throat. The only hands I want on her body are mine, goddammit.
“She’s something, isn’t she?” Michelle says, pulling my thoughts back. “Richard has so many great things to say about her.”
“Yeah,” I say. “She’s got it all, doesn’t she?”
“I heard you two go way back.”
“Her brother is my best friend. We met in high school.”
“Ah, I see. How does he feel about the two of you?” She laughs, like she’s remembering a joke only she’s privy to. “I’m asking because Richard was my brother’s best friend, and I think he was lucky to walk away with only a broken nose once he found out about the two of us.”
I should be so lucky.
“He’s fine with it,” I fib.
A moment of silence as the sun beats down on us, and then, “You don’t have to worry, you know?”
I swipe at a bead of perspiration on my forehead. “Worry about what?”
“Every time Jason goes near Eliza, you look like you want to hit something.”
I sit up a little straighter. Maybe this would be a good time to allude to trouble in our relationship. “I just—”
“She’s as in to you as you are to her, Braxton, but I have to say, it’s kind of sweet to see San Francisco’s Most Eligible Bachelor brought to his knees by an adorable, down to earth girl like Eliza.”
I laugh. She might be astute, might have picked up on how much I’m in to Eliza, but the girl I’d give my left nut sack just to kiss, well, this is all about sex and experience for her. “What can I say to that, Michelle.” I pick up my lemonade, lift it in salute, and take a big drink.
Alex plunks down beside us. Michelle excuses herself, and Alex boots up his computer. As the sun rises higher in the sky, both Alex and I work. Every now and then we make conversation, and I have to say, I like the guy. During our easy conversation, I learn he works in sales for Vericomm, one of America’s telecommunication giants. The best part of talking to Alex is, unlike most people, he doesn’t want anything from me. When I catch his girlfriend chatting with Eliza during an egg-carrying contest, Alex informs me he and Tamara go way back—high school sweethearts.
Before I can think better of it, I say, “Same here.”
I catch the confusion in his eyes. “Really. But I thought…” He shakes his head. “Well, you know what the papers say, so I didn’t think you were serious about anyone.”
Am I serious about Eliza? Fuck yeah, I am, and when she gets with Jason, that shit is going to mess me up big time.
“Technically I met her in high school, but we didn’t get together until recently.”
Because she needed to use me to catch another guy…and to teach her all about sex.
He laughs and adjusts his ball cap over his eyes as the sun moves through the sky. “Can’t believe the papers anyway.”
As I laugh with him, I’m suddenly picturing the four of us on a double date.
Wait, what?
I find Eliza in the crowd, and once again Jason is laughing with her. She’s coiling her hair around her finger, a sexy, suggestive move that spikes my anger. The scent of food reaches my nostrils and I turn to see the three servers placing chafing trays on the long table. I push to my feet, toss my hat to my chair, and jump into the pool to cool off—for numerous reasons. I surface at the other end, and find Eliza standing there, grinning down at me with her hands on her hips. I grip her ankles, give her a teasing tug.
“Braxton,” she cries out, her eyes wide in warning. “Don’t you dare. You know what happened last time.”
Guilt eats at me. “I’m sorry, Eliza. You know that, right? I never meant for that to happen.”
“I know. It’s okay. At least you dove in and saved me.”
“Not all lizards can’t swim,” I tease.
“You’re not funny.”
“Not even a little?”
“Not even a little.” She crouches down, her face close to mine, her cleavage right there for my personal viewing. “Lunch is about to be served.” My cock thickens beneath the water when she brushes my wet hair from my forehead. It’s all I can do not to pull her in with me, kiss the fuck out of her beneath the water. Or better yet, take her back to the bedroom and show the sweet girl just how dirty I can be. She casts a quick glance over her shoulder then focuses back in on me. “It’s going well today, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, Jason can’t seem to keep his hands off you.” I turn from her. The last thing I want is for her to see how much that bothers me. After this weekend, we have to go back to being friends, or enemies, or whatever the hell we are, and I don’t want any awkwardness be
tween us. Her family was like my family, and while I might be all grown up now, a goddamn successful millionaire, there are still some things I can’t lose.
“Brax,” she says and I turn to her. Her brow wrinkles as her big brown eyes move over my face, hold me hostage. “If you’re not comfortable…”
Why the fuck does she keep giving me a way out. Now that she has Jason’s attention, she no longer needs me here. I said I’d see the weekend through, but maybe I should just leave now.
I grip the edge of the pool and pull myself out. Water drips from my shorts, and to wipe the worry from her face, I shake my hair and get her t-shirt wet. Only problem is I can now see the sexy outline of her lace bra.
The warm sun dries my body quickly, and I tug on my shirt and follow her to the buffet. I grab a hamburger and hotdog and plunk myself down at the table with the rest of her co-workers. They all laugh and cajole each other, talking about the games they’d played.
“Up next is tug of war. Brax and Alex, we’d love it if you both joined.”
“I want Braxton on my team,” Tamara, Alex wife says. Everyone laughs.
“Hey,” Alex says.
“No offense,” Tamara says and drops a kiss onto his cheek.
“No offense? Now why would I take offense to that?” Alex returns, but from the teasing look on his face, he’s taking it all in stride.
From beside me, I get a little nudge from Eliza. “Are you going to join us?”
I stare at my hamburger. “Which team are you on, Eliza?”
When she doesn’t readily answer, I angle my head, take in the way she’s crinkling her nose. Jesus, she is so fucking beautiful. “Jason already asked me to be on his team.”
I nod. Of course he did. But seriously, what kind of douche goes after another guy’s girl? My hate for this asshole just keeps growing. “Yeah, okay. No problem.” I take a bite of my hamburger, chew and wash it down with a swig of lemonade.
“Brax, unless you want—”
“Nope, I don’t want,” I lie. Oh, I want. I want a fucking hell of a lot from this girl, but that’s not going to happen and I can’t risk telling her and losing her from my life. “But you do leave me with quite the dilemma, you know.”
