He slipped his fingers deep inside her, while rubbing the external sensitive spot with his thumb. She ground her hips against his fingers that worked her like a refined jazz musician.
“You don’t believe that it was just a fluke?”
She gasped as his fingers continued to work her. “No.” And some credit had to go to the waterfall.
“I want you. I can’t hold on.” His voice hitched.
She wrapped her legs around his legs, offering herself to him. She wanted to be impaled, aching for him to fill her. Her nails dug into his butt cheeks.
Taking her cue, he slid into her. His body shook from the restraint. She appreciated his effort and set the pace for the ride.
“I want to be on top.”
Without letting her go, he flipped their bodies. Athena settled on top of him ready to get her groove on. She rode him, sliding along his shaft, grinding her hips down in a rhythm that had cosmic relevance.
Holding on to his shoulders, rocking to their own beat raised her to another level of consciousness. All her senses came alive, reacting to the intense pleasure as they journeyed together to that peak. Pressure built, scrambling her power of speech. She tried to say something, anything. But she couldn’t even hold a thought in her head.
She reared back and his hands massaged her breasts, adding more fuel to the fire that raged between her legs. And then the explosions occurred, some small, but mostly large. Her climactic response pushed a guttural scream from deep within her.
Luckily Collin refused to let her go and joined her with an orgasm that rocked his entire body. His face contorted as if in pain. Athena leaned down and kissed his forehead to ease away the tightness. They stayed locked in each other’s arms, allowing for a natural process as they wound down from the frenetic pace.
Collin looked down at Athena asleep on the other side of the bed. He couldn’t sleep, although his body was exhausted from their marathon lovemaking. He eased off the bed and headed out to his veranda.
He sat in the lounge chair staring out into the darkness of his yard. No answer for the question paramount in his mind. What next?
“What next?” he whispered to the night. The line between work and personal bliss blurred almost into nonexistence. In there, a special woman had pushed aside the curtain, ushering in a wave of passionate possibilities. He’d given in like a weakling to satisfy his urges. Now reality didn’t wait for sunrise. He rubbed his face, fighting against the regret. He didn’t want to regret any ounce of it. What he shared with Athena was beautiful. Natural.
Dangerous.
Chapter 9
Athena didn’t realize how difficult it was to keep her feelings secret for a few months. She sneaked away at every possible moment to be with Collin. Sometimes she thought the others may suspect something, but no one ever asked embarrassing questions or hinted. Too many times she canceled hanging out with Cicely.
Now, she took her place around the conference table. Their weekly staff meeting was due to begin. Finally Collin entered the room. She could tell that he hadn’t slept well. His eyes had dark shadows beneath them. His clean-shaven face sported a shadow. His clothes were wrinkled.
He hadn’t shared any bad news with her. But obviously something bothered him. She’d have to wait. In an attempt to avoid getting caught worrying over Collin, she adjusted her chair so that she could stare straight ahead. Casting him lingering looks like a high school girl with a crush couldn’t happen.
“Good, everyone is here. Let’s get started.”
“We’ve lost several of the cleaning staff,” Bill complained. “Looks like they got better-paying jobs on the big island.”
“Some cleaning duties can be distributed among the students. It’s their school. I think that it helps build pride if they have to take care of it,” Athena said, remembering one such school in her childhood that got volunteers to pick up trash in the school yard. “The bigger, more complex jobs can go to a paid person.”
“Sounds good to me.” Cicely turned to Athena and offered a high five.
Collin nodded. “Okay, we’ll give it a shot. Next item.”
They ran through the various items on the agenda fairly quickly. Athena looked at her watch. Maybe she’d be able to sneak over to Collin’s and enjoy the afternoon grilling steaks, relaxing and making love. She sighed.
“Athena, you have something to add?”
“Huh?” Athena looked at Lorraine. “No.”
“Looked like you had your hand up.”
“Nope.” Athena moved her hand under the table.
“That’s not quite true. Athena had mentioned the possibility of a field trip to coincide with the history, biology and math classes. Remember, you told me about it.”
Athena remembered the conversation. But it wasn’t in Collin’s office or in her classroom. That conversation had occurred while she was lying naked next to him on the veranda as they gazed at the stars. Her face warmed from the memory.
“We’ve never had a field trip because of the liability,” Lorraine explained. “Has something changed? I think it’s a fantastic idea.”
“We are covered. I think we should give it a shot. Let’s look at the lesson plans and see how we can integrate the trips to make it worthwhile.” Collin looked pleased.
“I’d be happy to help with the logistics. Anyone care to work with me?” Athena volunteered.
“I’ll help you.” Cicely raised her pencil. “Lorraine? Thelma?”
“I don’t think you need all of us to plan it. Come up with something that we can work with and present it,” Lorraine replied.
Athena didn’t know what exactly was wrong, but she detected a frosty edge at times from Lorraine. Maybe she was mistaken because they had no misgivings between them. And when she looked at Lorraine, as she did now, the woman smiled back at her. Yet she didn’t feel as if there was any warmth and it certainly didn’t involve any part of her face.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll end the meeting,” Collin stated.
“I think we’re done,” Thelma said, looking around for the room.
Everyone scattered. There had been a time when they would plan what they would do together. Lately everyone had their own plans. Lorraine had taken up nature walks. Thelma and Bill were always at the movies. Cicely had calmed down with the nightlife. Now she was always sitting at the dining-room table crafting games, puzzles and other activities for the younger kids.
Athena looked up at Collin. She wanted him. Hopefully he could read her silent message from across the room.
His wink said it all.
Athena wanted to rip off his shirt right there. But Lorraine’s slight cough at the side of the room put on the brakes. Seeing that Lorraine wasn’t getting up, Athena picked up her notepad and pen. She pushed in the chair, hoping that her coworker would do the same. She didn’t budge. Feeling guilty about skipping out on preparing dinner, Athena turned down any secret plans to meet Collin.
Later that evening, Athena helped prepare the dinner. Thelma and Cicely were in good spirits, chatting about the fresh vegetables that had come from the garden. Athena never embraced the garden patch in the backyard. But she didn’t mind congratulating them on their success.
When the pasta was at a full boil, the front door opened. Lorraine came in and slammed it shut. Everyone in the kitchen looked up. She didn’t look at any of them as she stormed into her room.
“She’s been in a rotten mood lately.” Cicely chewed on a string bean. “I think it must be personal stuff. She’s been writing a lot of letters.”
“She never talks about her family.” Thelma picked up her own string bean to chew.
“I’ll go see what’s up.” Athena didn’t really want to be the one to chat with Lorraine, but they all lived in the house. It was too small quarters for any one of them to be upset.
She knocked on the door. For the length of her stay, she had been in Lorraine’s room only twice. The woman was intensely private, very loyal and had a str
ong work ethic. Next to her, Athena usually felt as if she wasn’t doing enough or wasn’t working hard enough.
“Come in.”
“Hey, you looked upset?” Athena closed the door behind her but stayed near it, waiting for her invitation to sit.
“It’s been a rough week. I think that I’m coming down with the flu.”
“I’ve had a couple girls in my class with some type of a bug. I hope that I don’t get it.” She chuckled but it sounded forced.
“What do you want?”
Lorraine’s bluntness stunned her to momentary silence.
“Didn’t mean to sound rude. I really am not feeling good. I’ll lie down and take it easy for the rest of the day.”
“I’ll let Thelma and Cicely know. You’ve been running yourself ragged. We’re all here to help you, just tell us what to do.” Athena reached for her arm, but Lorraine pulled away.
Athena’s hand paused and then she dropped her hand to the side. If she had the courage, she’d press Lorraine for an answer, a reason why she didn’t want to be around her. This wasn’t her imagination. She’d done something wrong, but couldn’t understand what had offended Lorraine.
“I’ll go.” Athena walked out of the room, still a little shaken.
“How is she?” Cicely came up to her. Athena held up a hand, restraining her enthusiasm. “She wants to be left alone. Needs to rest this evening.”
“What about dinner?” Thelma asked. She opened the pot of pasta and moved it to another burner. “Our dinner will be ruined.”
“No, it won’t. Move over, I’ll help. We’ll have our traditional Saturday dinner and it will be fabulous.” Athena bumped Thelma’s shoulder playfully, grabbing her string bean.
She glanced at Lorraine’s closed bedroom door. At times like this when she was home, if her sorority sisters had any issues with each other, one of them would take the role to squash it.
The four of them may not be sorority sisters, but they had the same alliance and need to get along. And these women had become more than coworkers. They had become friends. Reconciling with Lorraine would come at some point.
Dinner was mostly quiet with small peppering of conversation. They all looked up at Lorraine’s door when she came out, but she didn’t look at them. Instead she went out the front door and never returned.
“I don’t like this,” Cicely complained. “This is so not like her.”
“We all have our off days,” Thelma offered.
They finished the meal. Tension hung heavily, adding a stifling layer of discomfort over them. But Athena refused to let it seep into her thoughts. In her world, everything was going fine.
“Ladies, I’ll head out shortly.” Now she could head to Collin’s without feeling guilty that she hadn’t spent time with her roommates.
“Don’t stay out too late. Collin was all over us the last time you did that.”
“He’s quite the worrywart.”
“That’s because you’re his favorite,” Cicely teased.
“Stop that. I recall that he was all over himself when you were in your altercation.”
“That’s right. He got that guy kicked the heck off the island. Now that’s what I wanted as a big brother in high school.” Thelma grinned.
They all laughed, remembering what hellish experiences they suffered in high school or maybe even college. The remainder of the afternoon they spent on the porch sipping on wine spritzers talking about their high school crushes and the toads who turned into handsome princes. As the sun dipped, Athena didn’t regret not heading off to Collin’s right away. They had spent quality time rebuilding their camaraderie.
“I missed not having you stay over last night.” Collin kissed the side of Athena’s neck, enjoying hearing her small giggle.
“We’re having a crisis at the house. Lorraine is in a nasty mood.”
“You’re telling me. She snapped my head off. I backed off. But her lesson plans have been slipping. Not that I’m the type to stick to rules.” His hand slipped around her waist. “But I wanted to see how she was going to work the math with the field trip.”
“It’s been like that for at least two weeks. And I’m not her favorite person.”
“Maybe it’s family.” Collin slipped his hand under her blouse and cupped her breast.
“We thought about that.” Athena’s breathing grew faster. “I’m not so sure.”
“Can you help her with the field trip project? I’d like to do the field trip in at least one day but no more than three days.” He slid her breast out of the bra and played with her nipple. She pushed her hips against him, stirring him up in similar fashion. He pulled her hair off her neck where he delivered kisses along the length of her neck.
She leaned her head back against his shoulder and sighed.
“I could hold you like this all day.”
“I know, but it will make teaching my class very difficult.” She slid away from him, straightening her clothes. “What if someone walked into your office?”
“I’ve locked it.”
Athena rushed over to the door. “You can’t do that. It makes it more suspicious.”
Collin shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me.”
She unlocked the door and opened it slightly. “I’m heading back to class, you crazy man.”
A knock on the door startled them.
“Come in.” He wasn’t expecting anyone. Then Lorraine came into view. She glared at him as she approached with papers in hand.
He looked down at the papers, wondering what she was delivering.
“I’ll leave you now.” Athena stepped out from the corner. He hadn’t noticed that she’d melted in the dark area of his office. Even Lorraine jumped at the sound of her voice. Neither woman looked at each other as Athena rushed out the office.
“I’ve brought the plan for the field trip.”
“Oh. Thank you. I was just talking about this to Athena.”
“Really, why?”
“I thought maybe you needed help.”
“I didn’t ask for any help. And I’m quite capable of asking for what I need. Haven’t I always done that?”
He stood to offer reassurance. She took a step back but thrust the papers at his chest. He caught the stapled pack, holding fast to her wrist.
“Lorraine, what is the problem? You’re falling apart and everyone is worried.”
“And that’s what Athena was complaining about in here?”
“I’m not going to address that because your tone is inappropriate. Have a seat, let me go through this.”
Lorraine stuffed her hands in her back pocket, staring at him. He didn’t want to engage in a staring contest and broke contact before resuming his seat behind the desk.
“I got one of the hotels to donate lunches to the children.”
She nodded.
“We will have to rent a few more vans.”
“I can take care of that.”
He refrained from saying that Athena would do that task. Instead he allowed her to take it on. It meant that he’d talk to Athena about the change. Having Lorraine step up was what he’d come to expect from her and he was glad that she was willing.
“All right, I’ll get back to work.”
“Thanks for this.” He raised the papers in his hand.
She smiled and he wondered if he was just making a big deal out of nothing. Maybe she was simply having a bad couple of days. As she closed the door, he sighed. His school was important, but his staff wasn’t far behind. They were all in this together.
A week later they headed out on the first day of the field trip. The first stop was Fort Franklin, where the British took dominance of the island from the Spanish. Then they’d headed to the Banes Plantation, where the sugar cane plantation in the early 1800s thrived on slave labor. Finally they’d stopped in at the only American hotel that would provide lunch and access to the beach for their students.
Athena looked forward to the day. She drove one van, introducing the chil
dren to songs that she and Asia had sung with her parents on many road trips. Their voices rose in chorus, a few out of tune, but managed to catch on to the easy rhyming lyrics.
“Everyone ready to have fun?” Athena called over her shoulder.
“Yes, Miss Athena,” they responded.
Athena laughed and sped up to catch the van in front of her. They traveled along to one of the highest points of the island, ideal for military defense. Fort Franklin was named after the Admiral Dover Franklin, who landed on the island several years before the final altercation with the Spanish. The island’s history had been domination of one empire or another. Now the three cultures of French, Spanish and English lived on the small land in separate territories, but for the most part peaceful. The fort was partially destroyed from the salt in the air. But there was still a major portion that remained intact.
Athena stood at the lookout point with a good view of the Atlantic Ocean. Its emerald-green color had gemlike quality.
“Make sure you listen to the tour guide, everyone. There will be a test next week.”
A collective groan could be heard. Athena laughed, remembering her school trips and teachers’ similar threats or promises to hand out a test. She had an assignment in mind, but it wasn’t a test. She simply wanted them to practice their creative writing skills.
The visit to the plantation ended as a quick trip with the skies overcast. The staff was nervous with the impending storm and didn’t want to take chances, moving up their sightseeing list. By the time the skies broke and torrential rain occurred, they were in a hotel enjoying a sizable lunch.
“Maybe when we retire, we can enjoy the leisurely life and tour all the islands.” Cicely sat back munching on pieces of papaya.
“Let me know when you buy the tickets. I may have to hook my trailer to your Maserati,” Athena joked.
“I’ll be a boy toy for some rich widow.” Bill joined in their conversation and earned a few groans for his contribution.
“Hey, who is that?” Thelma sat up, craning her neck.
“Who are you talking about?” Athena followed her line of vision, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
Only in Paradise Page 11
