Chapter 20 Jonathan
Jonathan
The hike is impressive. Wide open air, the crisp scent of pine mixed with the faint, earthy tang of the Hudson Valley water.
It’s scenic, sure but more than that, it’s peaceful.
This kind of quiet clears your head. Just your breath, your legs and the rhythm of moving forward.
No forced small talk. No noise. I work out every other day, so this?
Feels easy. Too easy. A few of my coworkers are already winded, trying to pretend they’re not.
Victoria, for one, looks like she got lost on the way to a Vogue shoot.
I don’t even know what she’s wearing, some custom Chanel workout set with shoes that scream style over support.
She still manages to look like she’s effortlessly conquering Everest, probably for content.
Marcus, annoyingly enough, is keeping up just fine.
Mid-forties, sure, but annoyingly fit. Youthful even.
He’s like a walking advertisement for men’s skincare and strategic cardio.
And of course, he’s conveniently drifting closer to AJ every chance he gets, pulling out memory-lane stories designed to hit her right in the emotional kneecaps.
Like Greece. Really, dude? I don’t know the full backstory, but judging by the way she looked at him, that one hit a little too well.
So, naturally, I challenge Marcus to a push-up contest. Nothing aggressive, just a friendly, testosterone-fueled ego check.
Just two men showing off their strengths.
He doesn’t back down. Would’ve been real convenient if he said no and saved himself the embarrassment, but nah.
A guy like Marcus? He’s not gonna show weakness in front of his ex.
I pull off my shirt, I mean, the sun’s out, so abs out. Let’s be honest: this is 100% for AJ. She looks over at me and I see her face light up. Mission accomplished.
Marcus pulls his shirt off too and unfortunately, he’s jacked. Not midlife-crisis-jacked either. It’s more like annoyingly functional muscle mass jacked. I roll my eyes and hit the ground, hands in the dirt.
Victoria is way into the competition and happily pulls out her phone and offers to count, clearly thrilled with the corporate Hunger Games unfolding in front of her. A few coworkers start cheering us on like we’re the halftime entertainment at the Super Bowl.
I keep pace, glancing sideways every few reps. Marcus doesn’t even seem to be breaking a sweat. Prick. Must be genetics. But eventually, age wins and I see his form falter around push-up seventy and he drops.
I squeeze out five more just to flex, literally, then collapse beside him. Sand in between my fingers. Sweat sliding down my back.
The group of coworkers cheers and Marcus gives me a nod of respect. I nod back. Some kind of mutual alpha moment I suppose.
I stand, brush off my hands and walk straight to AJ. I lean down and kiss the top of her head. It’s for show but not entirely. She’s the prize. Even if our relationship is fake, Marcus doesn’t need to know that.
After the hike, we move into more team-building exercises on the retreat grounds.
One of them is a human triangle challenge, apparently that’s a real thing.
We have to group off and stack ourselves into a literal human pyramid.
Elaine, being the tiniest of the group, is naturally perched on top.
Tanya and AJ take the middle layer and me, Manny, and Stan form the base.
Our group wins for holding the triangle the longest, probably because Stan’s built like a boulder and Manny never skips leg day.
But personally? I think I’m the MVP. I’ve got AJ on top of me; well, my back and even though her knee digs into my spine like a dagger, I don’t care.
There’s something kind of satisfying about literally supporting her.
I mean, how many guys can say they’ve physically held up the girl they may or may not be crushing on during a corporate icebreaker?
At one point, she smacks my butt. So does Tanya. I don’t know if it’s just playful team spirit or AJ making a move. Either way, I’ll take it. My ass is basically a stretched rubber band and if AJ is noticing, then I’ll take it.
After the triangle chaos, we head to the main house for lunch and a Bloody Mary bar. The set-up is classy, rustic vibes. I have the bartender make mine and AJ’s spicy, extra horseradish, pepper rim, the works. She trusts me with it and when she takes a sip, her eyes go wide.
“Oh my God, Jonathan,” she says, breathless like she just tasted magic. “This is so good.”
I grin and give a smug little shake of my head. “Told you.”
She smiles back at me with her glossy lips, perfect teeth and that sparkle in her eyes she doesn’t even realize she has.
I’m so screwed.
“This was such a fun day!” Victoria shouts to the group, her arm raised like she’s leading a pep rally. “Now go relax for a bit and we’ll all meet back here around six for drinks and dinner. Then we’re taking the coach to a dance bar down the road!”
“Yay!” Tanya and Elaine cheer in unison like they’re auditioning for a musical.
I glance over at AJ and shrug. “Do you like to dance?”
She smirks. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
I’m going to kiss that smirk off her face. Maybe not now. But soon enough I will.
“Let’s go to the hot tub,” she says, suddenly lit up with excitement.
Yes, finally, some alone time with her. I’ve been craving this all day.
“Hot tub?” Manny echoes with the same level of enthusiasm.
“Hell yes!” Elaine chimes in, grabbing Stan’s hand like they’re heading into battle. “We’ll meet you there.”
I look at Manny, then at Elaine. I guess it’s not going to be as private as I hoped.
We drive back to the cabin to change. AJ heads into the bedroom and comes out a few minutes later in a bright yellow bikini, cleavage on full display and thigh-cut bottoms that should be illegal.
She looks unreal. She breezes past me to grab her bag and a wrap, bending slightly as she reaches down. She catches me watching.
“See something you like?” she asks, sly and knowing.
I clear my throat and over-nod. “Yep.”
She wraps the cloth around her waist, then walks right up to me, close enough that her chest brushes mine. She looks up at my lips, then makes a tiny moan.
“Mmm… let’s go,” she says, then she turns and heads for the door.
What a tease.
I shake my head, chuckling. “You don’t know what you’re doing to me.”
Without turning around, she calls back, “I know exactly what I’m doing.”
I smack her ass as she lets out a delighted scream.
Yeah. She definitely knows.
Down at the hot tub, it turns out more people got the memo. Not just Manny, Elaine and Stan, but Tanya showed up too, dragging Curtis, Tommy and Billie Jean along with her. Apparently, this is now a full-blown office soak session.
I’ll give Victoria credit, she knows how to hire.
Our team skews young and attractive, a well-curated mix of mid-twenties to late-thirties.
Sure, we’ve got the outliers like Allen and Dolores, the elder states people of the office, but the majority of the team could pass for the cast of a CW reboot.
Victoria herself looks like she’s in her late thirties, though I’d bet she’s well into her forties.
Maybe older. Either way, her plastic surgeon deserves a holiday bonus.
The hot tub feels amazing. The heat seeps into my muscles and softens every part of me that was tense.
AJ slides in beside me and I casually drape my arm along the edge behind her shoulders.
Our thighs float into each other, skin against skin, her warmth curling around me like a secret.
Every so often we glance at each other and smile, knowing looks that buzz with unspoken tension.
Then Manny plops down on AJ’s other side and starts chatting her up. His voice is loud, animated and competing with the group’s chatter and the constant churn of the jets, but I can still make out a few bits of their conversation. Mostly him trying too hard. Her laughing politely.
I lean back, pretending to relax, even though I’m definitely eavesdropping. Not jealous. Just… observant. Only observant.
“How’s things?” Manny says and flashes his suave smile. Why does Manny have to be so tan and attractive too. Fuck. I can sense AJ isn’t angry with Manny talking to her. She likes it but AJ is nice to everyone. It doesn’t mean anything. Then Manny makes his too obvious move.
“When we get back into town would you want to grab a bite to eat together?” he asks her. He actually asks her out right in front of me, in front of the group. Obviously low enough so no one hears but I fucking hear it.
I pipe in. “Bro,” I say then gesture toward the group of unsuspecting co-workers who still need to believe me and AJ are a couple.
Manny dips his head down and whispers. “Oh, sorry.” He smiles at me and then AJ.
AJ smiles back and covers her lips with her finger, signing quiet.
Manny laughs. “We’ll talk later,” he manages out while winking at AJ. She nods her head as he slides down the water and starts talking to Curtis. I roll my eyes so hard I think they fall out into the hot water. I turn to AJ.
“Sorry about that,” I say with a huff.
“It’s okay,” she replies casually. “Manny’s sweet.”
That statement catches me off guard. “Oh, is that so?” I ask, raising a brow. “So… you want to go to dinner with him?”
She laughs and nudges my side under the water. “Are you jealous?”
“No. I don’t care,” I say, shooting her a sideways glance.
“Hmm,” she purrs, dragging it out like she knows exactly what she’s doing. “Okay, good. Because you know you’re not actually my boyfriend, right?” she whispers with a smug little smirk.
She slides closer, her thigh crossing over mine beneath the water. Suddenly, it feels like the hot tub jumped up a hundred degrees. I swallow hard.
“I know,” I say, meeting her gaze.
“So I could go on a date with Manny… if I wanted to.” Her body shifts again, now her round, juicy breasts are pressed lightly against mine.
Jesus Christ. If she keeps this up, I’m going to have a full-blown situation happening under the water. Like, physically unstandable. I clear my throat and subtly adjust my position.
“I know,” I repeat.
She leans in, lips just inches from my neck, her breath skimming my skin.
“Mmm,” she murmurs. “You smell good.”
Then she licks the side of my neck. Licks it. How is no one else witnessing this woman turning me on like a clap-on, clap-off light switch?
I swallow again, but it feels like my throat’s made of cement. My whole body’s on fire and not just from the hot tub.
“AJ,” I start.
“Yes, Jonathan?” she replies, all innocent mischief.
“I want to take you to dinner when we get back into town,” I blurt out. It comes out like I’ve been holding my breath for days and finally couldn’t anymore.
She leans back, studying me, then she smiles and places her hand on my thigh.
“I think I’d like that,” she says, then winks and bursts into laughter as she shifts to her side.
She was totally fucking with me.
I laugh, shaking my head. “God, I hate you.”
“No you don’t,” she says, splashing water onto my chest and face.
I grab her thighs and start tickling her. She squeals, laughing uncontrollably, trying to climb out of my grip. In the process, she ends up climbing on me, practically sitting on my lap. Her face is inches from mine, millimeters, really. She smiles and starts to lean in.
I wipe my lips, so unbelievably ready to kiss her again.
“Oh my God!” Tanya yells. “Can you guys take it inside?”
AJ pulls back, giggling and slides off my lap. We both laugh awkwardly, trying to play it cool.
“You’re right,” AJ says, just as Elaine scoots up next to her and grabs her hand.
“So, you have to tell me where you got this bathing suit,” Elaine says.
AJ turns and gives me a grin over her shoulder. Dammit. Another almost-perfect kiss, ruined by my uncanny magnetism for the worst timing ever.