Someone Else's Ocean

by Kate Stewart

  I found her sitting on the side of the house, her body shaking as she sat with her back to the siding, her knees drawn.

  “Koti, what’s wrong?”

  “Go away, Ian. I don’t want to play.”

  “Well, that’s good then because I’m a little too old for a play date.”

  “You know what I mean,” she sniffed. Her eyes watering even as her words came out in an angry huff.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, taking a seat next to her.

  “My mother is an asshole.”

  “You sure swear a lot for a little girl.”

  “I’m seven now,” she defended. “I’m getting bigger every day.”

  “Yes, you’ll be driving in no time.” I laughed as she glared at me.

  “Go away, Ian.”

  “Fine,” I stood and brushed the sand off my shorts. I had better things to do, a Sega game on pause. She spoke before I’d taken my first step away from her.

  “She’s so mean.”

  “What did she do?”

  “She found some Twinkies I snuck into my room and she went crazy.”

  “I’m sure she didn’t mean whatever she said.”

  “That I was going to get fat? And that nobody thought much of a fat person because they looked like they had no self-control and that made them weak.”

  “Jesus,” I sighed. “They are just Twinkies.”

  “Tell that to her,” she said choking on another sob.

  I squat down in front of her. “I just so happen to have some banana pops at my house. So much better than Twinkies, want one?”

  “I can’t, I’ll be spanked.”

  “You’re getting too big for spankings. And no one needs to know but us.” I held out my hand. “Come on, puffer fish.”

  She looked up to me. “Don’t make fun of me for crying.”

  “Never.”

  “Okay.” She grabbed my hand and I sat her on my parents’ couch with a banana pop.

  An hour later, I had to scrape her off the ceiling. As it turned out, she didn’t do well on sugar, probably because she was raised on a lack of it. Giving her those banana pops had been like giving her speed, but her smile had been worth it. The same smile she wore now as she collapsed on her back with the puppy in her arms before moving her gaze toward the sea.

  I would have given anything in that moment to be kissing her breathless, before sinking between her legs on that sand. I closed my eyes tight as I imagined those legs wrapped around me while I slid my tongue against hers.

  She sat up as if she’d heard my thoughts and glanced toward the house. I was sure she couldn’t see me staring at her through the screen. Resigned that acting on my desire for her was still a terrible idea, I made my way to the bathroom just as my screen door creaked open and seconds later heard the pitter patter of Disco’s feet.

  I GRIPPED THE PHONE TO my ear while being browbeaten by the person on the other end of the line. “I paid for the rental months ago.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Tartar. We’ve arranged for you to stay—”

  “I’m not having it, I’ll just cancel the whole trip.”

  “I don’t want you to do that,” I pleaded, glancing at Jasmine, helpless. “Please just let me speak to the tenant at the property. I’m sure we can work it out.”

  “I want an answer within the hour. I’ve been planning this trip for months!”

  “I completely understand. You’ll have it.”

  I hung up the phone and let out a breath of frustration. “Do not book the Kemp house anymore until we know how long he’s staying. I have to somehow get him to a hotel.”

  “Is he still pissing and moaning?” Jasmine asked, looking up at me from her computer.

  “Nope, I mean yes and no. He’s come a long way in only a month. He’s gotten some sun. He’s lost some weight. He loves Disco and he takes long walks with her. He’s no longer catatonic and doesn’t live in darkness, I would say that’s progress.”

  Jasmine pulled her ridiculously thick hair through the tie on her wrist. “How observant of you.”

  “It’s my job,” I defended. “And he’s a really nice man.”

  “Handsome, right?” She snickered.

  “Beautiful,” I whispered.

  “Beautiful, huh? Ask him to sleep with you.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “I mean at your house. You have three spare bedrooms. Let him crash there for a few days so we can keep the commission. It’s not like he’s a total stranger. You knew him when you were kids, right?”

  “Yeah, we spent a summer together.” I chewed on the idea for a moment. “I think he’s repaired the kitchen. He’s been sawing nonstop for a week.”

  A week he had barely acknowledged me. But I promised him space and in turn, he stopped the sawing when the sun set and even offered me a friendly wave when I got home from work.

  “Okay, so ask him.”

  “Nah, he can stay at a hotel.”

  “Do you have the money for a hotel? Because I sure as hell don’t. We need the commission and you have the space.”

  I stood and went to grab some coffee. “He’s the one imposing, he should pay.”

  “Koti.”

  I sighed. “Fine I’ll ask him, but I doubt he’ll go for it.”

  “You need sex.”

  “How many times do I have to explain this to you. Sex is mostly painful for me. My body doesn’t like it.” I pulled some Chapstick from my pint-sized purse and coated my lips before I lathered on a small layer of sunblock.

  “Every time?”

  “Almost. I suffer for days and hardly ever orgasm.”

  “God, that’s horrible,” Jasmine said, terrified at the thought.

  “It’s my life. I’ve been dealing with it since I lost my virginity at a Cheap Trick reunion concert.”

  “That’s even more horrible.”

  “It doesn’t bother me,” I said before I gripped her around the neck and gave her a hug from behind her chair. “You are loved, my little filifuckingpino.”

  “You too,” she said staring up at me. “I want so much more for you, Koti.”

  “And I’m happy where I’m at,” I promised. Ian’s comment last night by the bonfire made me smile.

  “What?” she asked, trying to read my expression.

  “He said I was happy.”

  “Who?”

  “Ian.”

  “Well, if Ian says so,” she smirked. “Bow chica wow wow.”

  “Shut up.”

  “You like him, it’s okay to tell me.”

  “There’s nothing to tell. Look, he’s newly divorced and already had a revenge screw outside of my house. He’s emotionally incapable and we are on two different planets. There’s no potential.”

  Jasmine shrugged. “Okay, so he’s not a commitment candidate.”

  “Not in the slightest. But, God, Jasmine, he’s so hard not to look at. I’m seriously having a terrible time not staring. I forgot how pretty men can be.”

  “Yes, yes they are, and then they open their mouths and it’s like playing the lottery.”

  “He’s still got a bit of a South African accent, it’s so sexy.”

  “I’ll come over tonight and check him out,” she said, inviting herself before she tested the waters by glancing my way.

  I was already shaking my head. “No, you won’t because I’m going to be nervous enough asking him to sleep with me… I mean to sleep there. At my house.”

  She shrugged. “So, I’ll be a buffer.”

  “Not tonight, okay? I don’t need you coming over and making him feel weird.”

  She stood in her hot pink sundress and thin scarf and puckered her full lips before she crossed her eyes. “I would do no such thing.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Fine, I have a potential date anyway.”

  “With who?”

  “I’ll let you know if it happens. But all I have to say is that when it comes to this one, my body is ready.”

&nb
sp; “All you do is talk about sex. I’m over it. Unless you can grace this office with something educational or a topic that doesn’t consist of it, I’m closing my ears to you. No more penis talk.” I reached in my desk and pulled out my earbuds.

  Jasmine stood with her mouth gaping as I began typing. Twenty seconds later, I got a company email from my pest of a boss that was marked urgent. It was a YouTube video of talking cats.

  THE CRANBERRIES’ “ZOMBIE” BLASTED THROUGH my speakers down the narrow road home. Ian’s rental, a large cab Ford, sat in the driveway. I ignored the small thrill that raced through me at the thought of having him at my house for a week. We’d barely spoken that morning, but I could feel his eyes on me while he stretched before he took off for his run. I turned off my Jeep and made my way straight to his back door.

  I knocked twice, and to my surprise, he met me with a faint smile before opening the door and inviting me in. Paint was smudged on his fingertips and across his bare chest and the floor was covered in plastic. The paint fumes filled my nose.

  “Looks like progress in here. Good for you.”

  “Yeah, thanks for telling my mother I was remodeling. She’s making a special trip soon just to see it.”

  “My pleasure. And you should thank me, I was covering for your ass.”

  He resumed his work to hide his smile. “Thanks. So what’s up?”

  “Sorry to bother you, but…” Disco yapped from her box. I kept my eyes averted from a shirtless Ian and peeked over to see her bouncing off the sides for my attention. “Hey, baby. Want a break from the smell?” I picked her up and hugged her tiny body to me before I scanned his progress further. “It really looks great in here.”

  Ian had replaced the cabinet doors with glass paned frames and was distressing the freshly painted wood with metal wool. “Rowan is going to love it.”

  “Thanks,” he said as he resumed rubbing wool down the side of one of the doors.

  “You have a talent for this.”

  “I went through a few houses with my ex-wife.”

  “Well, she definitely brought out the artist in you.”

  Ian said nothing, so I decided to keep those comments to myself. “You were saying?” Briefly, I admired his budding physique as he lifted another door to fasten it in. He’d spent most of his hours since he’d arrived at the island working out and it showed. I had to catch myself to keep from being embarrassed when he looked back at me expectantly.

  “Okay, so we need to talk.” He stopped the working of his hands and turned to face me. His shorts hung at his waist and were dangerously close to falling down. He was rapidly losing weight and his newly bronzed skin made his gray eyes pop. I cleared my throat.

  “I need this house. I’ve diverted four couples and sent them elsewhere since you’ve been here, but I have this woman—she’s threatening us—and I kind of told her I would make sure her reservation was…”

  He nodded in understanding. “I need to leave.”

  “Well,” I pointed to my house as if he didn’t know where it was. “It’s temporary. But you can sleep with me if you don’t want to get a hotel.”

  Ian raised a brow, his lips twisted into a small smile.

  “I mean, you can sleep in one of my spare bedrooms.”

  Jesus, why was I so nervous? I shook it off.

  “Will you be done with this today?”

  “I should be.”

  “Okay, great.”

  He crossed his arms and studied me.

  Get those balls out, Koti!

  “Look, I’m sorry. Stay at a hotel or take one of my rooms. Either way, I need you out of here by ten in the morning. Okay? This isn’t a request. I have a business to run and I can’t handle the loss of commission.”

  Ian bit his lip.

  “Well?” I prompted, waiting for a response, the shake in my voice making my demand seem ridiculous.

  “Oh, I think you’ve made yourself quite clear, Ms. Vaughn.”

  Deflating I took a step forward. “I don’t want to fight.”

  “I’m not going to fight. I’ll take your room.”

  “Good, because you’re exhausting.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Thanks.”

  “Just stating the facts. Okay, so here’s a key to my place.” I pulled it from my pocket and set it on the counter. “Feel free to come and go as you please but if you take wine, make sure to replace it.” The second he took a step forward to retrieve the key, his shorts went.

  Our eyes locked right before I let mine drift down.

  Commando.

  I was staring at Ian’s cock. Ian was staring at his own cock. Disco’s eyes were on Ian’s cock and I quickly covered them to save her virtue. It took every bit of strength I had to look away but not before I took a mental picture. Ian cursed as he pulled up his pants and apologized.

  I held up my hand surprising myself with a steady voice. “It’s fine, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” That was a lie, his dick was impressive and beautiful. I regrouped and reclaimed my tongue.

  “But you should probably wear shorts that fit and underwear while you stay with me.”

  “Agreed,” he picked up his wool and turned his back to me. “See you tomorrow then.”

  The next morning, I heard Disco squeak at the foot of my bed and pushed off my covers just as Ian raced in after her. “Sorry, I tried to grab her before she got… fuck me—” his eyes lingered on my chest and I looked down and realized I wasn’t wearing anything but underwear and my cami. During the night it must have shifted above my miss sized tits. I laughed and pulled down my shirt to cover myself. “Now we’re even,” I yelled at Ian’s retreating back.

  “Hardly. My cock is pointing north.”

  “Still a Marine with that filthy mouth, huh?”

  “I’ll keep it clean, Ms. Vaughn.”

  I picked up a vying Disco from the foot of my bed. “Don’t worry about it, Ian. Thousands of people have seen these tits, Mardi Gras, not to mention hundreds of concerts. Alcohol has a way of temporarily curing anxiety. A few times a year, I could be quite the party girl.”

  That was before you became a bohemian recluse.

  I left that part out.

  Ian’s voice echoed from the guest bathroom. “How worldly of you.”

  “I’d like to think so.” Disco barked. “And Disco agrees.”

  “Better take a Benadryl,” he said, peeking into my room to make sure I was decent before he again called me out on the fact that I was not allergic to the puppy as I tossed her around on my bed. “You needed her,” I said affectionately and unapologetically as I kissed her fluffy face. “And I wanted you to have her.”

  Ian opened the door fully, sat on the edge of my bed and watched us play. After a few minutes, his voice cut through my laughter. “You grew up beautiful, Koti Vaughn.”

  Our eyes met before I gave him a lopsided grin. “And you grew up so handsome, Ian Kemp.”

  His smile was a sledgehammer to my chest. “So, I’ve moved my stuff into the guest bedroom. I set up my board in the living room. Hope that’s okay.”

  “Of course,” I said, lunging after Disco as she tried to wander off the bed.

  “Damnit, woman! Could you stop that?” He asked, pushing me back to sit upright and pulling my comforter firmly in place to cover me. “I know we’re friends, but I’m still a man.”

  “Really?” I said with a chuckle before eyeing his crotch with a smirk. I was shamelessly flirting and couldn’t have cared less. “Hadn’t noticed. Besides didn’t you hammer all that pent-up sexual frustration out with barstool number five?”

  Ian grinned. “No, I failed at execution and accidentally passed out while I was taking a piss. I woke up with a couch pillow under my head on the bathroom floor. She did leave me a note to call her.”

  “You lied?”

  “Maybe I liked seeing you jealous.”

  “I wasn’t jealous and how very immature of you.”

  “I never said I was a saint, Koti
.”

  My name sounded like heaven rolling off his tongue. His eyes grew dark as I gripped Disco tightly to me. “Why would it make you happy if I was jealous?”

  Ian’s eyes roamed my neck and chest before they drifted back to mine. “Are you hungry for breakfast?”

  “Are you going to answer my question?”

  “No,” he said, standing abruptly. “House rules, no nudity.”

  “Hey, I’m not the one with the hat-trick trousers,” I said in an attempt to mock his accent.

  “That was actually pretty decent.”

  “I’m trying to get better.” We shared a smile before I forced myself to look away. It had been a long time since I’d had any testosterone in my bedroom. I was seconds away from stripping down and begging him to use me. Instead, I spoke to Disco.

  “Hey baby, want some bacon?”

  “Not us, we eat turkey.” Ian plucked Disco from my hold and I frowned. “She loves you more, doesn’t she?”

  “She better, I’m the one who’s doing all the training. Plus, she loves our runs, we’re going ten miles today.”

  “You can’t walk her that hard!” I said getting out of bed and shoving my pajama pants on.

  Ian looked away as I pulled a thin T-shirt over my head.

  “I don’t,” he called over his shoulder as I followed him down the hall.

  “What?”

  He turned to me and cradled Disco in his forearm.

  “You run with her like that?”

  He nodded.

  “Ha! I bet you get a ton of attention.”

  “She’s my ace in the hole. I have an orange juice waiting every morning at mile five.”

  I looked at him skeptically. “Making rounds all over the island?”

  He gave me a devilish grin. “But I’ll be coming home to you tonight.”

  My heart skipped an odd beat before he disappeared out the door.

  I spent my day getting three houses ready and the last of it walking Mrs. Tartar through the Kemps’ spotless beach house. Ian’s new cabinetwork opened the place up, made it seem light and a bit more… airy. It was truly beautiful.

  “So you live next door?”

  “Yes, but I would prefer you contact me by the number on the counter.”