Chapter 16
JETT
Dinner was awkward as fuck.
Locke seemed off in his head somewhere and uninterested in conversation. After trying and failing for the third time to engage him in conversation, I finally pulled out my phone and started reading through a memoir I’d been enjoying earlier.
Was it bad table manners? Absolutely.
Would Mav have made me do the dishes for a week for reading my phone at the dinner table? Yes. Even at age twenty-six.
Did I feel one shred of guilt? Nope.
The faint scrape of Locke’s utensils was the only noise. I enjoyed the tender beef medallions with one hand while turning my page with the other. The Syrian refugee protagonist was now out of the boat and in the dark water.
“Vraj doesn’t eat meat,” Locke said.
I blinked up at him. “Correct. Neither does Selene Mercier. Roberto has it under control.”
“Mm.” He returned to his meal.
I watched him for another few moments until it was clear he was in his head again. Then I returned to reading.
When he was finished, he cleared his throat. “Did you have a nice day?”
I glanced up at him. “Me?”
His forehead crinkled as he gazed at me. “Yes. You.”
“Oh. Er. Sure? Yes. In fact, I did. This is a lovely property, and you have a kind staff. It must be a joy to come here regularly.”
Locke nodded and looked back down at his now-empty plate.
Then he moved his fork around a little. If I hadn’t been put in my place so emphatically earlier today, I might have helped him out of this awkward moment.
Volunteered more about the day or asked him about his.
But it was clear that wasn’t what he expected of me. Or wanted.
I glanced back out at the sea, forgetting the doors were closed tonight because of a too-strong breeze and a chilly temperature.
My phone glowed from its spot under the table, resting on my thigh.
As soon as I gave up and snuck another glance at the page in the book, he spoke again, nearly causing me to jump.
“I thought about taking a swim after dinner.”
What the fuck was he doing right now? This was excruciating. I tilted my head at him. “It might be cold.”
“The pool is heated.”
“Ah.”
A young woman named Zuri came out from the kitchen, apologizing profusely for the delay. “I didn’t realize you were finished with your meal. Pardon me.”
I waved her off. “It’s fine.”
She shot me a grin. “Are you ready for cake and coffee?”
“Not yet,” Locke said stiffly. “Maybe in about an hour. We’ll let you know.”
There was an awkward moment as her eyes flicked to me as if wondering whether the boss spoke for both of us. I gave her a reassuring smile and a shrug. It was fine. The boss was the boss.
Zuri’s smile dropped as she ducked her head in a combination bow and nod. “Yes, sir. Whenever you prefer.”
Once she’d removed our dishes to the kitchen and was completely out of earshot, I inhaled and exhaled carefully. “Pro tip, Locke. Being an asshole to your staff is an excellent way to lose them or, at the very least, lose their vaunted loyalty.”
Then I stood up and dropped my napkin on the place mat in front of my chair. “Good night.”
He let me get all the way to the end of the adjacent living room before he spoke. “Stop.”
It wasn’t angry or abrupt. It was soft like a plea. I didn’t turn around.
“Please,” he added after too long a pause. “Wait.”
I forced myself to stand still. Not bolt to the bedroom in anger. Not turn and snap at him. Not drop to my hands and knees and beg him to fuck me. And not beg him to tell me why the hell he was so goddamn mercurial.
Locke’s body stepped close enough for me to feel the heat of it through the thin cotton of my shirt. But he didn’t touch me.
“Will you please join me for a swim? I need some exercise, and I’d really like your company.”
The scent of his cologne surprised me. It wasn’t just the scent of his bodywash. It was more. Like he’d made an actual effort.
For sex.
I reminded myself this wasn’t a romance. It was an agreement for sex. Or, at the very most, seduction.
But I had agreed. And to be honest, I wanted it. I’d ached for him all day. I wasn’t proud of it, but that was the truth. I wanted his hands on me more than I wanted to protect my ego or pride.
“I’d like that,” I admitted.
He surprised me by moving up beside me and reaching for my hand, pulling me along to the suite, where we separated to change into swimsuits.
We moved together without speaking, out of the suite and down the nearby stairs to the terrace level, where we could exit through the fitness room doors to the pool deck.
I’d spent plenty of time today touring the house with Concetta, so I’d already learned this shortcut.
Watching him take it reminded me of all the times he’d been here before.
I imagined him as a kid, sneaking into hiding spots in a game with his sister. As a teen, lifting weights to impress a girl. As a young adult, most likely bored to be with the older set instead of somewhere more exciting.
It was almost impossible to see Locke as someone other than who he was. A too-serious businessman hell-bent on ruling everyone and everything around him. Someone too rigid to enjoy himself and let go, even for a little while.
Fuck. That.
“Best cannonball wins!” I declared, dropping my towel, yanking off my shirt, and taking a flying leap into the air off the edge of the pool deck.
I soared into the cool night air, feeling the chill against my skin and hoping like hell he hadn’t been lying about the pool being heated.
When I reached the apex of the jump, I curled into a ball and flipped, wrapping my arms around my wide knees as quickly as I could before hitting the water with my shins and face.
Over-rotated.
When I came up for air to assess the damage my splash caused, I saw Locke standing at the edge of the pool with his mouth open in shock.
I let out a wet laugh, flicking my hair back and wiping my face. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what a cannonball is.”
“Of course I know what a cannonball is. I was a twelve-year-old boy once, same as you.”
“The ability doesn’t expire, you know. You’re in good shape.” I eyed him up and down lasciviously. “Show me what you got… Jimbo.”
He rolled his eyes, then studied me for a moment, looking around at the wet splotches that reached an embarrassingly small ring around the edges of the pool. My siblings wouldn’t have let me live it down if they’d been there to see such a paltry splash zone.
“I could beat that attempt with a clean swan dive,” he muttered.
I raised an eyebrow.
He sighed and put his things down carefully on a nearby chaise before backing up a few feet from the edge of the pool. Then he took a few long steps and launched lazily into a perfect dive, graceful to the point of seeming like it was slow motion.
Fuck, he was beautiful.
When he came up, he flicked his hair and met my eyes. Water droplets in his eyelashes caught the light from the house in a way that made me suck in a breath.
“You, ah… hardly splashed at all,” I said.
The edge of his lips curled up. “Because I’m not a barbarian.”
I moved closer to him, suddenly eager to break his ridiculous poise regardless of how angry it made him.
Before I could tackle him and shove his head under the water the way I used to do with my siblings, he reached out a hand for mine.
When I gave it to him, he pulled me the rest of the way toward him until I couldn’t help but put my legs around his waist as I landed gently against his front.
This part of the pool was the perfect depth. Even with my arms around his neck, the warm water came up almost to my shoulders.
“You’re too serious,” I accused. “Somewhere along the way, you forgot how to have fun.”
His hand moved to cup the back of my head, and he kissed me—right there in the pool where anyone could see us from the house.
It was the first time this supposedly straight man had initiated a kiss. It was firm and overpowering. Nothing elegant and graceful like his dive had been. His large hand held me to him in a possessive way that made me dizzy with sudden need.
I arched into him, pressing myself into his lower belly, and he responded by slipping a hand down the back of my suit to grab an ass cheek.
My tongue wanted to tie itself in knots around his, taste every inch of him. Carry in its little moving boxes and unpack for good.
I pulled back with a gasp. “Why are you like this?”
His eyebrows furrowed. “You don’t like the way I kiss?”
“No. Yes. Of course I like the way you kiss. Has anyone ever not liked the way you kiss? Jesus. But I mean…”
I hesitated, trying so hard to remember that this was not my place. He’d hired a sex doll, not a whiny bitch.
“Nothing,” I said with a sudden smile. “Never mind.”
He’d moved his hand from the back of my head to my chest, and now he moved it up to hold my chin. “Don’t be an ass. Tell me what you were going to say without playing silly games.”
I felt suitably chastised. Honestly, I couldn’t blame him. I would have felt the same way if he’d backed away from something like that.
“You’re so fucking changeable. It reminds me of the outdoor shower at my dad’s house the year one of my dads went through a DIY phase. One minute, it was blissfully hot, and the next, it was an icy torture chamber. The unpredictability was worse than either temperature.”
“What way would you like me to be?”
From this close up, I could see his dark eyes glinting, his eyebrows still sleek with water. The warmer light from the house hit the high planes of his cheekbones.
But I could also see a sliver of uncertainty in his eyes. A few rogue eyebrow hairs traveling in the wrong direction. A few tiny sunspots near his temple.
Imperfections. Cracks in the perfect image he tried so hard to maintain in front of the world.
“I want you to stop playing games,” I said evenly.
“Just when you start to be real with me, you pull away as if you’re trying to make sure I don’t read anything into it.
I promise I won’t. You fucking hired me for sex so you wouldn’t have to deal with relationship expectations.
I get it, okay? But can you not punish me for all the people who might have fucked you over?
Can you at least let yourself have some fun? You’re paying for it, after all.”
His thumb absently swiped along my jawline, which was hella fucking distracting.
“Everyone always reads into it, Jett.”
I batted his hand away from my face and dropped from around his waist to stand on my own two feet. Unfortunately, the water was deeper for me than it was for him, and our slight height difference became apparent again when the water covered more of me than him.
“Flatter yourself. You’re not the only one who doesn’t do relationships, you know,” I said, feeling the now-familiar heat of annoyance.
“You’re trying to tell me you aren’t searching for a new sugar daddy?”
I couldn’t hold back the bark of laughter.
“I can say unequivocally, I’m not looking for a sugar daddy.
Or a relationship. In fact…” I hesitated before pressing ahead.
“I found a new job when I was in the city. It starts when we get back. I’m sure I’ll be too busy for a relationship.
You know how it is when you start a new…
Well, you probably don’t know since you’ve always been destined to work at Maris.
But most people work their ass off to prove themselves in a new job, and that’s what I plan to do. ”
Locke looked suspicious, as if he wasn’t quite able to trust that I was being honest. “What kind of job? Where?”
“It’s a consulting firm. I’m starting in a general admin position, but they try to promote from within. The kind of thing where I start off doing data entry or whatever, and hopefully, over time, I can work my way up to being an executive assistant. Or maybe work in marketing? I’m not sure.”
Shut up.
“What’s the name of the company?”
It was definitely time for me to remember some tradecraft because right now, I was sucking balls at it.
“And give you a chance to come snoop around my work? No way. Besides, I don’t want to jinx it. I have a good feeling about it.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I told you I could’ve found you something at Maris.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Yes, but then I’d be sleeping with the boss, and what would that do to both of our reputations?”
A strange look crossed his face. “No. That’s… no. I wouldn’t do that.”
I reached out and touched his arm. “I know,” I said softly. “I overheard you giving that guy at the Candy Bar hell about harassing one of your employees. You were fiercely protective, and I appreciated that. I knew you were one of the good guys from the beginning.”
Locke’s shoulders relaxed. “Good.”
The serious nature of this conversation and how close it was coming to blowing the last scraps of my cover needed to end. I quickly dove under the water and yanked his legs out from under him, which wasn’t as easy as I’d thought it would be.
He retaliated by yanking my shorts down and swimming quickly away from me. As soon as I came up sputtering after yanking my shorts back up, Locke dunked me.
The motherfucker dunked me.
We continued the water fight for at least twenty minutes, dunking, yanking, poking, and grabbing until we were both waterlogged and breathless. I finally had to call a truce.
“Peace!” I cried through my laughter and rubbing my chest. “You yanked a chest hair, asshole.”
He came up and slicked his hair back, wiping his nose and mouth before piercing me with those fucking eyes. His chest heaved with exertion. “You’re pretty strong for a little guy.”
I squawked in indignation before I realized he was joking. Then I launched myself at him again. Instead of pushing him into the water, I only managed to knock him one step back. Meanwhile, his arms went around me and held firm.
“No more,” he murmured in a low breath. “Let me catch my breath before you try to drown me again.”
I wrapped my legs around him again, happy to note the thick swelling of his cock under my ass. My muscles were warm and happy from the exertion, and I was smugly satisfied that I’d gotten Locke to have a little fun in the process.
The sound of our cries and laughter had echoed around the pool deck, joining the croaks of nearby frogs, the occasional gecko click, and the distant surf.
Suddenly, I wished we had more time together, more than just two days before his chess friends arrived. Long nights in which I could unwind his daily stress in creative ways like this. Something more than just sex, which was easy to come by, even though Locke insisted it was all he wanted.
I was beginning to wonder if what Locke Maris needed was something vastly different.