by A. E. Murphy
I pad into the en suite.
He follows. “What did he say?”
“Just that: you’re disgusting.” I shrug like his words didn’t hurt but they did. “He’s so harsh. Like I was steaming, mate. I wasn’t thinking about his sensitive little eyes. I’m not that hideous, am I?”
“No,” Maddox assures me. “I’d fuck you if I didn’t consider you family now.”
“Not a visual I want, Maddox.” I giggle at him and start vigorously cleaning my teeth. “I’ll be out soon anyway, I need to look for a new job, or beg for my old one back.”
“I’ll have a word with my dad.”
“No!” I blurt, dribbling foamy toothpaste down my chin. “Please, don’t. It’ll make things awkward.”
“He needs to chillax.”
“I know, but he won’t if you start on at him.” I splash water on my face and turn to him. He hands me a towel, I thank him and dab my cheeks and nose gently. “Let me deal with this myself, okay?”
“Fine, but if he gets too much for you just tell me and I’ll sort him out.”
My arms wrap around his waist as I drop the towel onto the ground and we hug in the middle of the bathroom.
“What time is it?” I ask quietly, inhaling his scent. He’s showered already, I can smell his peppery shower gel and a spritz of aftershave.
“Noon.”
“Shit,” I murmur and release him. “And where’s your dad so I can avoid him?”
“In his office probably.”
He’s not in his office, I discover when I creep into the kitchen for food, wearing a white vest and the same shorts I wore last night. They’re clean enough and the rest of my clothes are in the dryer. I chucked them in last night before I went out.
I don’t greet him as he eats a slice of toast and reads a newspaper. I do however look at him and narrow my eyes when his come to mine.
“Morning,” he tries but I turn away from him and grab a yogurt from the fridge.
Just as I pull myself up onto the counter, mostly because I know he hates it, a man walks in from outside. I didn’t spot him before but I do now and my lips part.
He’s delicious, muscular, with dark skin and hazel eyes. He’s tall too, nearly as tall as Sargent and Maddox but not quite.
When he sees me, he crosses the distance, wearing a light gray vest that covers nothing and white board shorts that cover too much.
“You must be the girl, it’s a pleasure. I’m Devon but everybody calls me Dev.” His smile is as charming as his tone. “I don’t think I can recall your name though?”
I notice how he said, the girl. Likely because that’s what Sargent always calls me. God forbid he should actually be polite. It’s nice that he has polite friends at least.
“Tempest.” I place my hand into his and try not to blush. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Your name is Tempest?” Sargent asks, looking between me and his friend. Or I assume they’re friends, they look to be around the same age. I can see him trying to fight a smile.
“You have a problem with my name now too?” I snap, hating that he has the power to irritate me so easily.
“I think it’s a beautiful name.” Devon catches my eyes and his easy smile makes my frown melt away. “Are you named after the play or the storm?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, shrugging.
His smile remains in place. “Have you ever seen the play?”
“Unfortunately, no, but it’s on my bucket list.”
“Oh yeah? What else is on your bucket list?” he asks, sounding genuinely interested. Before I can reply though, he flips the conversation. “So, let me just get my ducks in a row here… You’re Maddox’s girlfriend, right?”
I laugh at that. “No. Definitely not.”
“So, you’re single?”
“Devon,” Sargent snarls and Devon raises his hands defensively.
“I’m just scooping the gossip.” He chuckles moving away and sitting on a stool a few down from Sargent who is glaring at me. “I must have misheard. This asshole told me you were his son’s girl?”
I shake my head. “No, Mad and I have never been like that. We were always just friends and hopefully always will be.”
His thick, black brows almost hit his hairline of tight, black curls. “Well isn’t that an interesting development?”
“What is?” Maddox finally joins me, getting his own yogurt from the fridge and spoon from the drawer by my thigh.
“He thinks we’re together,” I say, pointing at Devon with my thumb.
Maddox rolls his eyes. “Who doesn’t when they first meet us? Just ask Dad, we sleep in separate beds and everything.”
“In that case, are you free tonight?” Devon asks good-naturedly.
“Fuck off, Dev, you’re like twice her age,” Maddox laughs, pulling himself up onto the counter beside me.
“Behave yourself, Dev,” Sargent warns but Devon seems to think they’re both hilarious. “Are you joining us outside, Maddox?”
“No, I’ve got that fucking freight to oversee at the docks, remember?”
Sargent nods. “I’d almost forgotten. You sure you can handle it?”
“It’s just inventory before sailing.” Maddox hops down and tosses his empty yogurt pot into the recycling bin. “I’ll be fine. I’ll call you if I need anything.”
Dev looks at me and asks, “Are you joining us today?”
“I’m going job hunting.” I look at Maddox who winks at me. “He’s dropping me in town on his way to work.”
“I’d be glad to escort you,” Devon tries again, looking at Sargent and grinning when he glares at him.
“It’ll be boring,” I laugh nervously, hoping they don’t make me put them out. “I’m just handing in my CV to anywhere that will take it.”
Sargent
I watch one of my oldest friends flirt unabashedly with the girl who I now know to be called, Tempest. Even going as far as to offer her a job at his surfing business doing admin work.
Oh he wants to fuck her and he isn’t ashamed to show it. He’s always been a dog and until now it never bothered me.
“Well then it’s settled, you’ll start Monday, I’ll even throw in some surfing lessons.”
“She can already surf,” Maddox states. “She’s pretty good actually. We learned in Thailand.”
“It was incredible,” she adds and the way she breathes the words has my cock twitching again. I wonder if she’ll say that exact statement about me when I finish inside of her, buried deep in her tight little… Well, my thoughts just went elsewhere that’s for sure. “But I can’t just accept a job.”
“Sure you can, Maddox is family and you’re his guest, which means we’ve got to take care of you too,” Devon replies, suave and easy.
I’ve never hated him until the moment she blushes and starts giggling. It’s definitely hate I feel toward him now. Complete loathing.
“Excuse me while I vomit.” I stand and leave the room, unable to watch this anymore.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact Maddox and she aren’t together. I don’t recall a single time they’ve kissed or really touched in a way that could be deemed romantic. I’ve never seen them go to bed together. It seems so obvious now, especially with how he reacted in the early hours to the fact she got naked in my presence.
Why didn’t I read the fucking emails?
That still doesn’t mean he’s not going to fall in love with her and leave me forever, alone in this place. I’d have to follow him across the globe just to see my grandkids grow up.
I’m not old enough to be thinking of grandkids yet but with us having only my ex-wife’s mother and father left over in LA, family is important to me. My son is important to me. He’s all I have really. His family is my future.
Now that I don’t have a relationship to break up, I know there’s going to be no convincing him to stay.
Suddenly it’s not about destroying what they have, now it’s about convincin
g her to stay behind. If she falls in love with it here, will my son stay where she is? The only reason he planned to go to England is because of her. Isn’t it?
I’ve been tackling this from the wrong angle. I’m supposed to be smarter than this.
“Dad?” Maddox snaps, coming after me.
I stop in the hall and watch his blue eyes blaze with fury.
“Yes, Son?”
“Lay off,” he snaps. “Stop being a dick, stop speaking to her like shit. Lay off her or we’re leaving, I’m not kidding.”
Yep. I’ve definitely been doing this all wrong.
“Why do you hate her so much? What has she done to you? She’s followed your rules, she has been respectful and kind…”
“I’ll make more of an effort,” I reply softly, taking him off guard. “I’ve been a dick, but I’ll extend an olive branch. Happy?”
“Yes,” he grunts, crossing his arms over his chest. “Thank you.” Then he adds, “And don’t let Devon touch her, she’s not like him, she puts her fucking heart into everything and if he hurts her, it’ll cause problems between me and him. Okay? Watch him with her.”
Well… shit. “Fine. Anything else?”
“Promise me you’ll keep an eye on her today.”
“I promise.” I mean it too. There’s not a chance in hell I’m letting them do anything. He’s twice her age. It’s wrong.
So why is it whenever I close my eyes at night it’s all I can think about, her riding my cock, scratching her nails across my chest…
I’m hard again.
Fuck. I really need to get laid.
Maddox rushes to his room to get changed for work and I rush to mine to wait for my dick to sit the hell down and shut up.
When I return to the kitchen it’s empty, so I follow the sounds of Devon and her voices to outside where they’re both stretching out on the sun loungers surrounding the firepit by the windows to the gym.
Devon is trying to pretend he isn’t watching her as she rubs lotion on her legs and feet. I have to think about old lady vaginas to stop myself from getting hard again. Especially when she straddles the fabric lounger and rubs the white, creamy substance into her chest. She’s wearing shorts but I can see the apex of her thighs beyond the denim. All she’d have to do is shift the wrong way…
Devon looks at me and then thanks the heavens with his hands under his chin. She doesn’t notice.
I see him getting more and more excited when it comes to doing her back, he’s going to offer; normally she gets Maddox to do it for her and I remember wondering how he did it without pinning her down and fucking her where she lay at the time. Then I also remember thinking how he’s probably getting bored of her having been with her for a year already.
Now, I’m going to have to figure that out for myself because I’m snatching the bottle from her hand and yanking her hair roughly to the side. She has no clue how much I want to wrap this braid around my hand and use it as leverage for when I pound her from behind.
“What are you doing?” She doesn’t sound pleased and yips when I pour the cold lotion onto her shoulders.
“Maddox isn’t here,” I reply, my tone coming out tense as usual. I just don’t know how to relax around her. Especially now that my fingers are finally touching her skin.
I move both of my hands over her shoulders and she slowly releases the tension in them.
Old wrinkly vagina lips. Dog sperm. Dying whales. Moldy bread and cheese.
I rotate through a list of disgusting things as her smooth back quivers under my touch.
My fingers drag the lotion to her waist and my palms massage it in. I have to sit sideways as I’m doing it for fear of losing control and pulling her back into my groin.
It would be so easy to lay her down, remove her shorts, and push into her. I bet she’d be so tight and warm, wet and willing. Her raspy, sexy-as-sin voice will whimper in my ear as I bury my cock all the way to the hilt.
“I’m sorry about what I said last night,” I say quietly, to change the subject, as I rub the last of the lotion in and try not to cry at the fact I don’t have an excuse to touch her anymore. “I’m a jerk. I’ve never been a very kind person as it is but I’m going to try and be better.”
She turns to look at me and places her sticky-from-the-lotion hand onto mine, which is the same. “So, a fresh start?”
“A fresh start,” I agree, wetting my lip when her minty, fruity breath fans against them.
“Does that mean I can draw you?”
I wasn’t expecting that.
“My profile?” I can’t say no to that.
“No,” she smiles and lowers her voice, “I draw nude models.”
My breath catches in my throat and Devon sits up and looks at me having heard what she just asked. Has she forgotten he’s still here?
“For artistic purposes,” she defends, grinning. “It wouldn’t be like, weird, I’m professional. I’m not trying to get you naked for other reasons.”
That’s disappointing.
“I need a drink,” Devon laughs and she joins in, looking embarrassed for a moment as he passes and offers us both one.
“Let me show you my portfolio first.” She squeezes my hand. “Before you make a decision.”
“Why do you want to draw me nude? Why can’t I be clothed?”
“Because I’m working on a series that I’ve named, The Divine Skin.”
Fuck me. I just… this girl… “Fine, but only if you allow me to photograph you in return.”
She looks as startled as I felt when she asked. I’m bluffing of course, I mean, I wouldn’t mind it but I’m hoping she’ll say no so I can too.
So quickly I add, “First.”
“For artistic purposes?”
Holy fuck she’s actually considering it!
I nod, my mouth is dry, my tongue thick.
“Okay, deal.” She removes her hand and holds out her other one to shake. “Though I don’t know why you want to photograph me…”
“I could say the same for you wanting to draw me.”
“You’re kidding right? You’re like Zeus except younger, darker, and more attractive! Your body is what society would deem the perfect male body.”
“Maddox…” I say stupidly, yet my ego is taking in all the air it can, swelling and tripling in size at her words. A woman half my age thinks I’m perfect.
“I’ve already drawn Maddox. I’ve seen him naked more times than I’ve seen him clothed.”
She really is looking at this from a purely innocent and artistic angle. Still, it’s nice to know she thinks I have a great body. I wonder what she’ll think of my cock.
I also wonder what she’ll look like completely naked in the setting sun. There’s something about the way the sun shines on her skin, its color and little dips and grooves. It’s like crack to me. I need to see it again. Which reminds me that the photographs I took before need to be developed, I’ve been putting it off. I might never stop looking at them and now that I know she’s not with my son and never has been, I’ll feel less guilty about it.
Tempest
When Devon leaves a few hours later, having calmed down significantly, I find myself feeling almost nervous.
I’m on the lounger, comfortable, a drink in hand when I sit up and look at Sargent across the way. He’s reading a novel that’s casting a shade onto his groin area. Not that I’m looking.
I have to be professional, this is all purely for artistic purposes.
So why is the thought of him naked, his cock sticking up ramrod straight, making me wetter than the fucking pool beside us?
“Sarge?”
He lowers his book and gazes at me. His eyes and demeanor toward me have softened significantly today. He’s been kind, asking me questions, and genuinely wanting to know the answers. Especially about my travels.
I showed them both my drawings too and they were very impressed. It made me feel good.
I wonder what he’ll think of my paintings.
<
br /> At one point he even said that I’m a lot smarter than he originally thought. I wasn’t sure if that was an insult or not but I smiled and nodded anyway.
“Yes, Tempest?” That’s the first time he’s said my name since he discovered it and it sends a thrill through my body that has me shaking with desire.
I am fucked. Or I want to be.
By Maddox’s father or just in general? Shit.
Maddox will have a fit.
“Shall we do the art things?”
“Art things?” He too sits up and raises a thick brow. “You want to do it now?”
Yes, I want to do it now. “I just really want to draw you as soon as possible.” I am being professional. I am. This isn’t about seeing him naked. Or it wasn’t. I don’t even like him but I can appreciate an attractive body when I see one.
He blows out a breath and shifts in his seat. “Sure. Why don’t you go and shower off the suntan lotion and meet me in my room when you’re done?”
I nod nervously and stand.
He watches me go a few steps before asking, “You sure about this? You can back out.”
“It’s all for the art,” I reply quietly and wave at him over my shoulder.
Sargent
I’m nervous. This is happening. I don’t know how it began happening but it’s happening. Though she could still back out.
I’ve never wanted to take a photograph more in my entire life.
This is groundbreaking for me. This feeling, it’s taking me back to my younger years when photography was all I could think about.
I check the tripods are functional for the fifth time and turn on my digital camera. I have one antique camera that I use and one very expensive digital camera. I like the way they both capture images. The digital is clear and crisp whereas the antique puts a natural sepia over everything.
There’s not a software in the world that can perfectly mimic an old camera like mine. It would have been state of the art once upon a time and is likely worth a fair bit these days.
