36. Jeanie
36 /
jeanie
Sex Surfing
“Did our sex tape leak or something?” I ask Nathan after his call with Natasha.
At first, I’m joking, but when he doesn’t laugh, I freeze because it could actually happen. He is famous, and we did have sex on a deck where anyone could see if they had a vantage point. I glance around the area, searching for prying eyes.
“No.” He smiles, but it’s not as bright as usual. “It was about tour stuff.” He offers me a kiss and settles back on the couch beside me.
By the next afternoon, his mood hasn’t changed. I’m confused at first, but then I consider the facts. Though I’m thankful for the fun we’ve had, as well as the phenomenal orgasms he’s given me, I’m realizing this entire situation isn’t fair. He’s put his life on hold to hang out with me. A few days ago, I was nobody to him.
I shelve the thought when Nathan and I run into Dex and Mom. They’re waiting in line at the hotel taco stand.
I bump Dex’s elbow. “Big VIP party tonight, huh? ”
He lifts his sunglasses and shoots me an annoyed look. Dark circles ring his eyes. His hair is mussed like he just rolled out of bed, and for once, his T-shirt doesn’t look like it’s been starched flat within an inch of its life.
“You feeling okay?” Concerned, I place a palm on his cheek, checking for a temperature or even malaria. Technically, we are in the tropics.
Dex shakes me off.
Is my kid finally turning into a moody teenager?
Mom peers around me, farther away. “He’s been partying hard with his new lady friends, and Freddie can barely keep it in his pants.”
Based on what I witnessed yesterday, I’m afraid to look.
With my eyes squeezed mostly shut like I’m watching a horror movie, I turn. My feeble attempt to protect myself doesn’t work. They pop open when I spot Freddie. Behind a banana plant, he makes out with a person wearing a furry crab costume, and somehow all its arms are busy. I grimace.
“I see you’re giving him pointers now,” I say to Mom.
She blanches. “First of all, he’s lucky I let him within ten feet of me. And second, I’m very selective about who I pursue. That one,” she points to Freddie, “would bang a cactus if it had a hole.”
Nathan’s laugh booms, like the joke knocked him into our reality.
“You can’t say anything, Mr. Exotic Dancer. You created that scrawny Romeo with all your life coaching .” Mom makes air quotes on the last two words .
Nathan taps his chest. “When you’re good, you’re good.”
“I value your talents deeply, boo-bear,” I say to him, and we share a covert grin.
“You’re all deviants, okay?” Dex says, closing the topic. He massages his temples like he can’t stand to hear us bicker anymore.
Mom changes the subject for him. “To answer your earlier question, we’re excited to meet Chef Gordon.”
“It’s all about Chef Georgiana, Grandma,” Dex says, correcting her.
“Kid, I’d do her in a heartbeat too,” Mom says.
After Dex finishes his tacos, he perks up. Maybe he just needed some food.
As we sit poolside, he shares his exciting plans for the evening. Surprisingly, Roman and Sophia agreed to let him leave the rehearsal party early to attend the VIP event.
Maybe Sophia sees how much it means to him. Maybe Roman doesn’t want to be bash ’n’ splashed again. Either way, I’m happy Dex is venturing out of his comfort zone, making friends and enjoying himself. I guess we’re both trying new things.
I make Dex promise to check in with me before he leaves the wedding party tonight. Then Nathan and I part ways with everyone.
“I don’t think I can do this,” I whine as we hike to the ballroom on the other side of the hotel’s complex .
“Even though you say you don’t like Sophia, I know you do,” Nathan says.
I grumble under my breath.
Unfortunately, I do have some warm and fuzzy thoughts about her I haven’t sorted yet. Over this crazy week, I’ve somehow bonded with her.
I stop to face Nathan as we stand outside the banquet doors. The faint sound of music plays behind them.
He places a sweet kiss on my lips. “Would you rather ditch the wedding and fly to Australia?”
I brighten. “Is that an option?”
“Let’s go pack our things.” He grabs my hand and tugs, but I stay rooted in my bamboo wedges.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, and I groan.
“I can’t go.”
“But have you ever had sex on a surfboard while riding the waves in Byron Bay? How about on a sandbar? Beside a waterfall?”
I laugh. “No, I mean, as enticing and terrifying as those sound, I think I want to be here for Sophia.” I pause to choke out the next truth bomb. “She. Needs. Me.” I make a disgusted face.
He examines me like I’m the one who’s caught malaria.
“Damn it. You’re right. I do like her. I don’t even know how it happened. That little hussy.” I stomp in a circle, releasing a dramatic sigh.
Who’s the moody teenager now?
“As your ethical life coach, I’d like to point out that you’ve come a long way.”
He raises his palm for a high five but quickly drops it when I give him the evil eye.
“As your un ethical life coach, I ask, have you ever seen a wallaby? Would you like to?”
I laugh. My flirty Nathan is back.
Before I have a chance to answer, the door opens and bumps into us. We move aside as a woman pops her head out.
“Sorry, are you okay? I didn’t see you back there,” she asks with concern.
“All good.” Nathan helps her open the double doors.
We step aside as she rolls a small cart of folded stacked chairs past. She thanks him and carries on with her hotel duties.
“We will continue this conversation later, okay?” Nathan says as we step into the ballroom hand in hand.
I nod in agreement, right before the smile slips from my face. I pause in my tracks because I’m having a hard time breathing at the sight and sounds unfolding before me.