Chapter 4
4
R AIN
Monaco
“I think I’m bisexual,” Eve says, shielding her eyes from the sun, her eyes trained in the distance.
I choke on my lemonade.
“What?” I mumble, coughing and laughing.
She chuckles, too, flicking her chin toward the water in front of us.
I’m sure the glistening blue sea has nothing to do with it.
Tucked in lounge chairs with her wearing a sky-blue halter-style bikini swimsuit and me a two-piece black sexy little number, we peer at the people walking up and down the beach.
I look at the shore, searching for what has prompted her comment.
Two men stand by the water, talking and laughing, glancing at us.
“By ‘bisexual,' you mean you like two men at the same time...?” I say under my breath, my chest hurting from all that laughing-coughing stuff going on.
Her eyes gleam with mischief.
“Double portion, please,” she says quietly, tossing a vixen look at them over the rim of her sunglasses. “Since I’ve been on a diet for so long, I have a lot of catching up to do, and these two are just what the doctor ordered.”
I swing my gaze in their direction.
They turn their muscular backs to us and flex their arms, running their fingers through their hair.
The devils know.
“You can do a lot of things with them,” I say, taking in their athletic bodies.
They arch their backs and cock their hips, their swimming shorts outlining their bulges.
“They look like a lot of trouble,” I say, studying them.
She observes them too.
“They’re trying to figure out who wants what,” she says, tipping her sunglasses up her nose and hiding her eyes.
Pushing up my sunglasses, I lean back in my seat, keeping an eye on them.
They sneak glances at us, and Eve is right.
“You can have mine,” I murmur.
“Hence being bisexual...” she says under her breath.
Laughing, I look down, pick up my book, and stick my nose in it.
“You’re such a big mouth, Eve Malone. You’d never go with two guys.”
She tips her head in my direction and flips her sunglasses up, her pointed look burning holes into my face.
“I’ve never had the opportunity to do it, Mrs. Sexton,” she says, smiling naughtily, hinting at my past.”That’s all.”
I feel the warmth of a blush on my face.
My finger goes up.
“What happened with them was... unintentional,” I say, trying to keep my face straight.
“Well, my thing would be intentional,” she says, shifting her eyes back to them.
They look at us too.
She smiles at them.
I sneak another glance in their direction.
“They don’t know what your plans are.”
“They’ll find out soon,” she murmurs, prompting me to swing my gaze to her and study her for a few seconds.
She seems serious about it.
“Since when are you so adventurous?”
“Since being too vanilla has left me with a bad taste in my mouth.”
“By being too vanilla, I figure you mean sex…” I comment.
“Uh-huh. Sex as in Sexton.”
Soft laughter rocks my chest.
“You’re crazy.”
“Not enough.”
“I can’t imagine it was all vanilla sex.”
“Nope. You’re right,” she says, still looking at the two men. “It was vanilla sex mixed with ‘I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, also seasoned with a bit of ‘gross’.”
I bite my lip to push back a chuckle.
She drinks them in before tipping her sunglasses down and shifting her azure stare to me.
“You didn’t want to believe me when I said what I said a few years back,” she murmurs. “You thought the problem was the type of man I’d met. College boys... Blah, blah, blah. They were all the same. It wasn’t their age or their occupation. It was how they were.”
I put the book down on my lap, open, face down.
“How were they?” I ask, attempting to drink lemonade, ready to hear her complaints.
“Boring.”
My eyebrows lift slowly as I swallow my drink.
I set the glass down.
“That’s it?”
“That’s everything to me. They excel at it.”
“I told you––”
“I know,” she cuts me off impatiently, flicking her hand up. “I know I read them well, but it’s not my fault.”
“You’re intimidating them.”
I observe her in silence.
“I’m not doing anything to them,” she says defensively.
“I know.”
I ponder.
“I’m sure you’ll find someone someday,” I say.
She pushes her sunglasses back in place and looks away for a moment.
“Finding someone is no longer enough for me,” she says.
“No?”
She tilts her eyes in my direction.
“Do you remember the year we graduated? We spotted the ‘Kings’ for the first time, and I was mad at Lionel because he left me without a word and spent the summer in Italy, and then he married one of our classmates, Lindsay Kershaw. Do you remember her?”
The image of a girl with brown hair and freckles on her cheeks flashes in front of my eyes.
“She was a quiet girl.”
“Yeah. She met him on that trip, and they spent time together before moving to Florida, enrolling in college, and getting married a few years later.”
“What about him?” I murmur.
She gestures, annoyed.
“I was so miserable that summer because of him. And even later, I had this thought in my head while recollecting what he’d done to me. I was obsessed with ‘what if.’ I couldn't understand why he had abandoned me and made me feel like nothing. And then I realized not hooking up with him was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. It was a blessing in disguise. I never wanted someone like him, yet all I did was try to be with people like him, over and over again, until I finally figured out what you already knew.”
“What was that?”
“You have to find someone special and not waste your time with random people.”
A soft smile curls my lips.
“Everyone wants that. It’s just that we have different definitions of what special means.”
“No,” she argues. “I didn’t have a different definition. And you know why? Because I always believed in good guys. My father was a good guy. A good husband and a great father. And I thought I’d find someone like him, but it didn’t happen. And I got tired of trying, so now I want something different, even if it’s something bad.”
“Okay,” I murmur, not sure where she is going with this. “A few days ago, you told me you’d like someone like my mother’s friend.”
“And I stand by that. I still think he’s special.”
“Okay.”
“You were right about me needing someone who could capture my imagination. Do you know how I know that? I’ve tried not to be with someone like that, not to have that fire blaze through me or feel the pain he could put me through. I read about it in every damn book about relationships, so I thought it was normal to try to protect myself, play safe, and move on in case things didn’t work out. I did all that. And do you know what I got in the end?”
She looks at me.
“No...?”
“A bunch of hookups with boring men.”
I tip my sunglasses down.
“How did you go from that to being ‘bisexual’?” I ask, tipping my head to the side and motioning in the general direction of the water.
Her expression changes as she breathes a chuckle.
“My point is... I’ve tried relationships. They didn’t work for me. And now, I’m willing to try everything else. One-time encounters, the escort thing I’ve planned for some time, and even something more adventurous, like being in bed with these two.”
She motions to the shore, suggesting she is open to the idea of a threesome.
“I’m not against it,” I murmur, moving my gaze to the water.
She does the same before getting sucked into a spiral of panic.
“Shit... They’re gone.”
We swivel our heads and scan the beach.
“Where did they go?” I murmur.
“I have no idea… This is my fucking luck,” she mutters, staring into the distance. “I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”
A few seconds of silence pass before my phone rings.
I fish it out of my beach bag.
“Hey, baby,” I say, smiling, before the raspy voice of the man I love echoes in my ear.
“Hey. Where are you?”
“Eve and I are sunbathing not far from the hotel.”
“Is she behaving?”
As if she knows we are talking about her, Eve turns her head and looks at me.
She removes her sunglasses, and our eyes lock
“Not really.”
James’ laugh echoes in my ear.
“What did she do?”
Again, as if she knows what I’m about to say, Eve flicks her hands up in protest.
“No, no... Don’t tell him,” she tosses at me under her breath.
A devilish smile tickles my lips.
Grinning, she wags her finger at me.
“Don’t you dare tell him. He’ll never allow you to go on vacation with me again if you do.”
“Rain? What did she do?” he asks again.
Biting my lip, I grin.
“She wants to have a threesome.”
A few moments of silence come from the other end of the phone line before he chuckles.
“Seriously?” he asks incredulously.
A smile beams in his voice while Eve’s face turns crimson.
“I’m going to kill you. How am I supposed to face him tonight?” she whispers.
I shrug.
“Was the threesome with you?” James asks, stirring up more trouble.
My eyebrows tilt up.
Eve’s eyebrows move up as well.
“What? No, no. No way. It was Eve and two strangers she spotted on the beach,” I say.
Face buried in the towel, she mutters a curse, laughing.
I chuckle too.
We can’t stop giggling for a few good moments before Eve straightens her back, her face flushed.
“I will never forgive you,” she says to me, her chest still rocking.
“James wants to know if you are set on the men you want to have a threesome with...” I throw at her, barely keeping my face straight.
“Put her on the phone,” James says.
I hand Eve my phone.
“He wants to talk to you.”
The blood drains from her face, making the color of her cheeks shift from scarlet to white.
She leans back in her chair, gesturing, terrified.
“No, no. Fucking no. I’m not talking to him.”
“He wants to ask you something.”
“No fucking way.”
“Don’t be a chicken.”
“I’m not a chicken. But thanks. No way I’m talking to him.”
I bring my phone to my ear, my eyes not leaving hers.
“I knew you were all talk, Eve Malone,” I say, teasing her.
My words register with James.
“Put me on speaker.”
I do that.
His voice echoes in the air.
“Eve?”
She melts in her chair, her eyes locked on mine while seeking some encouragement.
“Grow a pair,” I quietly say to her.
She straightens in her seat.
“Yes, James,” she says in a sweet, girlish voice.
“Were they hot?”
She gestures at me again, suggesting that I’m done, dead, once she finishes talking to him.
“Answer,” I nudge her.
“Yes, they were.”
“So why are you still on the beach?”
Her eyebrows wiggle a little.
“Help,” she whispers, looking at me.
“Were they interested in having a threesome with you?” he asks straightforwardly, as he always does.
Her smile drops.
“I don’t know,” she says.
“Did you talk to them?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I was debating with Rain, and when I looked up again, they were gone.”
“What did Rain tell you?”
Tilting her head to the side, she shoots me a pointed look as in ‘See what you’ve gotten us into?’
“I said I wouldn’t believe it until I see it,” I comment. “She talked a big talk, not like now. She’s cowering in her seat right now,” I say, winking at her.
Her hand makes a horizontal motion across her neck, suggesting, yet again, that I’m dead.
She snatches my phone from my hand, turns the speaker off, and brings it to her ear.
“Just so you know, I didn’t chicken out. As I told Rain, I’m willing to try something new with someone new. Or maybe two new men. I didn’t plan to have a threesome, but I wouldn’t say no if I had the opportunity to do it.”
My eyes stay glued to her face. She’s tensed and freaked out, her expression slowly changing.
“James…? Are you still there?” she murmurs, a frown creasing her brow.
A few moments pass.
She looks at me, baffled.
I shrug.
“James? Oh, there you are... Yes? You heard me. Uh-huh. Okay.”
A smile tilts her lips.
“I will. Sure... Okay... Bye.”
She hands me my phone as if it burns her fingers.
“What did he say?” I ask, covering the microphone.
“He said I should try it at least once. If I need tips, you’re the expert to consult, but he thinks finding the right man would be more valuable than a threesome with two strangers,” he says in one breath before slumping back in her chair. “Easier said than done,” she mutters while I lift my phone to my ear.
“Thanks for giving me credit,” I say to James, humor lining my voice.
“Whenever credit is due. What is she doing?”
I flick my gaze to Eve.
“She’s dying in her seat. I hope she does what she says.”
Hugging her knees, she laughs quietly.
“Where are you?” I ask seriously this time.
“I’m on my way. I’ll land in an hour and arrive at the hotel around seven. Ed should be back around the same time, and I’ll meet him before dinner. He’s unusually secretive about this thing, so I’ll follow his lead and talk to him before meeting everybody else at the restaurant. Did you have fun this week?”
“It was great,” I say.
“You sound good. Relaxed.”
“I love this place,” I say, looking at the water in the distance and the buildings on the shore.
It’s quiet too.
“And Eve is great company,” I say, shifting my eyes to my friend and giving her a tender smile. “Aside from her threesome musing moments,” I say, poking fun at her. “She misses having a man to her taste,” I add, a beach towel flying my way.
“Stop doing that,” she grumps, yet still smiling.
“Did you miss me?” he asks.
A faint grin slides across my lips.
“I always miss you, James, and this week was no different...” I say softly, my eyes linked with Eve’s, who looks at me somewhat concerned.