by James, Avery
As soon as his lips touched hers, he pushed himself even deeper inside her, and Callie cried out as she climaxed. The pounding bliss inside her body crested and crashed through her, throbbing in her veins and scorching her lungs. She gasped and moaned again as satisfaction rang through her, filling her mind with a wonderful fog of contentment. She hadn’t even noticed that Logan had finished too, and had pressed his cheek against the cool earth as he tried to catch his breath. “That was unbelievable… I’ve never felt anything like that,” he said between several breaths, he rolled over and lay next to her, holding his hand over his chest.
Callie leaned back and slowly ran her arms through the wet grass like she was making a snow angel. The cool mist felt great against her skin, almost as good as Logan’s warmth. “So what do we do now?” She asked. As much as she enjoyed lying there with Logan, she had no idea where they were, and she was fairly certain that her happiness would last no matter where they went next. But every moment they lay there was another chance for someone to stumble across them. A shiver ran through her body as she imagined what would happen if the wrong person saw them lying there, undressed on the shore.
Logan kissed Callie’s shoulder. “Aside from recovering?”
“Yeah, I mean what do we do now? Where do we go. Does this mean everything’s ok between us?”
Logan sat up and scratched his chin in a caricature of deep thought. “I think you should woo me,” he said.
“Woo you?” Callie asked.
“Yes. Sweep me off my feet.” He was smiling again.
Callie didn’t know what to say. “I mostly meant I wanted to know how we could get back to your house.”
Logan looked around. “Oh, when you meant situation, I thought you were asking how I can grow to trust you again. The answer to your question is easier. We’re not far away. I recognized the dock down the shore. If I’m not mistaken this house is empty at the moment anyway. The owners put it on the market at the beginning of the summer. Not many people are looking to rent a ten thousand square foot mansion these days. See, if you look into the distance where the house is, you won’t see any lights. Don’t worry. I’ll get you home unnoticed.” He stood up and pulled his clothes back on. He tossed her her jeans, they were soaked up to the thigh. “I’ll have you back in no time.”
They rowed in silence. Callie looked out into the fog wondering how she had allowed herself to lose control over her feelings again. She had been angry with Logan for running off without telling her what he was doing, and then she was angry with herself for being so hard on him. Then of course, she lost herself in her attraction to him, her need for his touch. She wondered if he had been serious about wanting her to woo him. Did he really expect her to bring him out on a date?
“What was all that about wooing?” Callie asked as Logan rowed the boat the final few meters to the dock. “Haven’t you been the one wooing me?”
Callie grabbed onto the dock as Logan started to tie up the boat. “Yeah,” he said, “and I was doing a good job of it. Then you broke my heart.”
“That’s a little dramatic isn’t it? Do you really expect me to court you?”
“What’s wrong with that? I’m secure in my masculinity Do you really think I can’t handle being the object of affection for a while? I think it sounds like fun. Go ahead, make me fall for you.”
“You’re serious?” Callie asked.
Logan raised an eyebrow. “When am I not serious?” He stepped up onto the dock and held a hand out to Callie. She gazed into his eyes as she pulled herself out of the boat.
“I don’t know, 90% of the time.”
“Oh,” he said, “right. Well, I’m serious this time.” He shook his finger at her and said, “I expect big things from you, Ms. Haven.”
Now that they were back at the mansion, Logan was acting like nothing had really changed. He was joking with her and holding his hand against her side, and everything just felt right. Callie knew it wasn’t. “What did you have in mind?” she asked.
“Dinner, maybe, dancing. Get enough liquor in me, and who knows, you might just get lucky.”
“Is that right?” Callie asked. She couldn’t help but smile.
“Could be right, could be the perfect amount of wrong. You could always try to get me to cry again and see where that gets you.”
“Are you planning on living up to that reputation of yours?”
“If I tried, would you let me?” Logan said.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I might have to lure you into my bedroom and tie you up.”
“Then my reputation does precede me.” Logan kept his eyes locked on hers and gave Callie a wink. She couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head. As Logan looked at her, his expression grew serious again. “Look, I have a hard time trusting people,” he said. “If it weren’t for your little speech up in New Hampshire about this meaning something, I’d probably be halfway across the Atlantic looking for some way to escape my feelings for you. I just want you to know that I want this to work. I think we really have something, and I think we could have even more.”
“I do too.”
“Good, then you’ll think of something wonderful for our date tomorrow.”
“Something you’d like or something I’d like?” Callie asked.
“If this is going to work, it should be something we both enjoy. I want to know the real you. You don’t have to hide anything from me. I need you to know that. And, if you can’t think of anything to do, you could always bribe me.”
“What do you get the man who has everything?” Callie said.
Logan looked up and down Callie’s body. “I don’t have everything yet.”
“I have a hard time believing that. You have a yacht, a mansion, a thriving business, and I can’t think of a single thing in this world you couldn’t afford.”
“What if it’s something that can’t be bought?”
“You sound like you’re starting to come around to my way of seeing things. Are you ready to admit that true love is possible?”
“I was very careful not to make that our bet. Our terms were simple: I bet that you would introduce me to the unhappy old people, and you’ll do so once you realize that I’m right about love and marriage and all the rest of it.”
“They were the happiest people I’ve ever seen!” Callie said. She watched Logan grin. “You’re just trying to annoy me, aren’t you?”
“I’d say I’m doing better than just trying.”
“That’s something we can agree on,” she said. “Keep this up, and I won’t bring you on any date.”
“Skipping right to the good part? Is that the idea?” Logan joked,.“You’re just using me for my body aren’t you?”
Callie leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, just long enough to feel the rush of warmth as Logan kissed her back. Then she pulled away. “And your money.”
“Well, I figured that one was a given. So what time will you come pick me up?”
“I’m picking you up?”
“Isn’t that part of the process? You show up with flowers and tell me how pretty I look. We stand there in the doorway for a little too long and then we head off to your car, pretending we don’t want to skip everything and just make out.”
“That sounds wonderful, but there’s a problem: you live on a boat,” she said.
“Right.” Logan thought it over for a moment. “So I’ll meet you here tomorrow then. Does early evening work for you?”
“Make it morning,” Callie said. “I already have a few ideas.”
“Apparently none of them involve letting me sleep,” Logan offered.
“Where would be the fun in that?” Callie said.
“I worry about you, Callie. Some of my best days have been spent in bed.”
“Yeah, but I bet you weren’t sleeping,” she said.
“You do have a point,” Logan said, a wry smile on his face.
“Tomorrow morning. Be here by ten.”
“Should I bring a
nything?” Logan asked.
“Just yourself. Oh, and dress nicely.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Logan leaned in and kissed Callie one more time, sending that warm, familiar rush through her body one more time before heading out the door.
As he headed off into the night, Callie flopped down onto the couch. Great, she thought. What am I going to do now?
Seventeen
Callie had planned out every detail of her day with Logan. For the first half of their date, she had picked a vineyard halfway up Aquidneck Island just outside of Newport. It seemed like the perfect choice. And so, in the early afternoon, Callie and Logan toured the vineyard under the bright summer sun, walking up and down the rows of vines, listening to the husband and wife tour guides explain each step in the winemaking process. By the time they got to drink the wine, Callie could feel the sheen of sweat beginning to form on her skin. She listened to the wind rustling through the vines. Everything felt just right, everything except for Logan. He just seemed off somehow. Again and again, Callie tried to gauge whether he was enjoying himself, but she just couldn’t tell. He had been affectionate through the date. He kept his arm around her, he laughed at her jokes, but something was missing, something was off about him, and she could tell. There were still unresolved issues. She should have known that their roll in the grass hadn’t solved their deeper issues.
After they got out of the tasting, Callie took Logan’s hand and led him over to a shady hill. Before the tour, Callie had convinced one of the tour guides to lay out the blanket and set up the picnic basket for her and Logan. From the blanket, she could see the entire vineyard as it sloped down toward toward the broad blue width of the Sakonnet River, and she could hear all the sounds of the vineyard and the water beyond it. Speedboats off in the distance, birds squawking overhead, and the leaves in the tree rustling in the wind, yet she and Logan sat in silence.
“Is everything alright?” Callie asked. “Was this a bad idea?”
“No, I mean, yes, everything’s fine,” he said. “I’m sorry, Callie. I like you. I like you a lot, but if there’s going to be anything between us, we have to be honest. Do you think we can do that?”
“Of course. I’m an open book. Ask whatever you want,” she said.
“Ok, why did you come here?” he asked.
“I came across a tape of you while working on another case for another client. That case got to me. I put myself in a really bad situation with an even worse guy. It rattled me. I decided I needed some time off. When I asked for it, I got sent here instead. In a funny way, I think I’ve gotten exactly what I needed.”
“Bad guy like what, some criminal mastermind? The mafia? Drug cartel?” Logan asked.
“A Congressional staffer who was looking to accumulate power for himself and his boss,” she said.
“Ugh, the worst,” Logan said, “Evil and boring. Let’s get back to something more interesting. Did you do research on me before you got here? Do I have a file?”
Callie nodded. “Yes. Also I was given explicit instructions not to fall for you.”
“Is that right? I thought you were joking when you said that earlier. Have you fallen for me?”
“I wasn’t. And I think you know how I feel about you.”
“But it’s nice to hear anyway,” Logan said.
“What else did you want to know?” she asked.
“I’m making note that you didn’t answer the question. Let’s try it another way. What did you think when you first saw me?”
“Outside the guesthouse?”
“Yeah. Well, we did meet once before that at your sister’s wedding. It was only in passing, but let’s talk about the guesthouse instead.”
Callie blushed a bit as she thought of the rush of emotions Logan had evoked. “I thought you were a jerk. A cute jerk, but definitely a jerk.”
“You thought I was cute?” he said. “That’s good to know.”
“What did you think of me?” Callie asked.
“I didn’t think anything,” he replied.
“I thought we were being honest here. You’re telling me that when you saw me, you didn’t have a single impression?”
“As soon as our eyes met, my mind went blank, and I still have no idea what I said or did for the rest of that conversation.” Logan smiled as he looked at Callie’s face. His expression softened. “But I do remember that after standing there, stunned by you, I thought you were beautiful.”
Callie leaned over the picnic basket and kissed Logan, a warm, soft kiss, short and to the point. She smiled as she savored the warmth of his lips, but Logan pulled back and cleared his throat.
“Hey, I’m not done with the questions yet. I don’t want you thinking you can kiss me into submission.” He paused for a moment and looked around before adding, “Ok, I’m actually alright with you thinking that.”
Callie straightened her posture and crossed her arms. “If you’d rather play twenty questions, I understand.”
Logan looked around again. “You know what I’d really like to do?” he asked. Callie knew exactly what he wanted.
“No, absolutely not. We’re in public.”
“Why not?” he asked. “I don’t see anyone around.”
“I think we’d be better off if we waited until we were somewhere a little more private.” Callie reached for her glass of wine and took a long, slow sip. “Let’s try to enjoy this beautiful day.”
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”
Callie shook her head. “I meant with our clothes on.”
Logan winked. “I’m sure we can find a way.”
“Back to the questions it is,” she said.
“Yeah? Ok. I can keep going. Why does it matter if I get in the press? How does anything I do have any impact on what Congress does? I mean I know guys in Congress, they have their own problems to deal with without worrying about mine.”
“I think that’s the point. If you get in trouble, then a few key votes will disappear, and the bill won’t make it through. It’s being held up in Congress by the Natural Resources Committee anyway. So I never understood the point of coming here, aside from treating this like a vacation.”
“What was the committee again?” Logan asked.
“Natural Resources, why?” Why was Logan asking about Congressional Committees?
“Ha, I guess I know why any news about me could affect the vote. It really is a small world.”
“Care to share?” He definitely had Callie’s interest now.
“Ever heard of Jack Coburn?” he asked.
“The golden boy, the last great hope of the Coburn political dynasty? The one who happens to be sponsoring the bill?”
“Well, I don’t think Jack would say it exactly like that,” Logan said.
“You’re telling me that you’re on a first name basis with Jack Coburn? No offense, Logan but you two don’t exactly seem like you move in the same circles.”
“Not any more, but I still try to make it out to his family compound on the Cape for the 4th of July every year. Obviously I didn’t make it this year, but he was my college roommate and still is a good friend. Our families go way back. His father, John, and my father worked together opening up South American markets for oil exploration. After John left the Senate, they started a venture together, and both made a lot of money. They had a falling out years back, but our mothers remained close. I think it had all started at one of their famous parties. You know his family’s reputation for partying. Anyway, Jack was a wild man back in the day. It’s still strange hearing people call him Congressman. When I knew him, he wanted to be a poet or a professional tennis player. God, I should really give him a call. I’ve been meaning to touch base with him for ages.”
“You’re kidding, right? The fate of your father’s legislation, a bill that could help produce thousands of green jobs and help lay the groundwork for renewable energy up and down the East Coast, all lies in the hands of your college drinking buddy?”
“Small world, isn’t it?” Logan quipped.
“A little too small if you ask me,” Callie said. “So Jack’s afraid of looking like he’s playing favorites by passing a law that would benefit his family friend?”
“I don’t think so. I mean I know they’re grooming him for a run at higher office, Senate, President, you name it. There’s no lack of ambition in that family. If he’s the one holding it back, it’s for other reasons. It’s a green energy bill?”
“Yeah, windmills, solar, that kind of stuff.”
“You don’t think it’s because his family still has a vested interest in oil do you?” Callie asked.
Logan shook his head. “Oil was a side business, a hobby, one that didn’t make the family much money if I remember correctly. No, I think the reason is a lot more personal than that, and if my father didn’t even want his political fixers going near it, I definitely want to find out what it is. I swear if this has anything to do with me, I didn’t know.”
“Think you could arrange an off the record meeting between us?” Callie asked.
“No, but I can talk to him,” Logan said.
“You’re asking me to leave the fate of months of work in your hands?”
Logan grinned. “Yes.”
“What’s so funny?” Callie asked.
“I take back what I said earlier,” he said. “This is a wonderful date.”
“For you. I feel like I’ve just been bent over.”
“I thought we were saving that for later,” Logan said with a laugh. “Don’t worry. I’ll see what I can do. Maybe we can find a way to extend your stay here indefinitely.”
Callie tipped back her wine glass and finished off her drink in one large gulp. “Maybe you can hold off on talking to Jack until we have everything under control here. Anyway, I think I’m going to need something a little stronger than wine.”
