29. Jonathan - Double-Dipper
Chapter twenty-nine
Jonathan - Double-Dipper
A George Clooney look-alike sent her a drink when she was out on the town one Friday night with some girls from work. He could have been a double for the actor and she smiled at her good fortune and Jonathan. As you know, Edie is not a procrastinator and doesn’t waste time on unnecessary protocol so they were off and running as quick as a bunny. (You can think about that for a minute.)
Jonathan was a casual rich dude. He was quite lovely. He didn’t flaunt his wealth but wasn’t stingy either. He treated her like a China doll but that didn’t quite fit who she was. She’d never been fragile and, though she liked being pampered, she preferred being treated more like a real person than a Barbie doll. His kisses were ones to write home about, soft, gentle, well-thought-out, and placed. Her chest fluttered when he came near. His thick head of salt and pepper hair was delightful to run her fingers through as he checked out her racing heart.
The town where Jonathan lived and Edie worked was a playboy’s paradise. There were more millionaires per capita than any other city, so it is believed. There were also twice as many single women as men so she felt fortunate that one of the more eligible millionaires was available to her. He owned hundreds of storage units around town and had twelve tourist rental condos and homes that brought him a pretty penny when the snowbirds descended on the sub-tropical warmth of southwest Florida in the winter.
Jonathan was easy-going, nice to talk to, a good listener, and caring. He had a great sense of humor and laughed with his whole body when something amused him. He was generous and loved eating out at the many five-star restaurants in Naples. Nothing on the menu was off-limits and he always ordered top-shelf liquor. She thoroughly enjoyed the many hours they found their bodies entwined while simply enjoying the heartbeat and warmth of another human being. She didn’t feel she needed to put on airs or pretend to be someone she wasn’t; there was no pretense expected, no explanations required. He was simple and loved everything in nature including the raw beauty of the human body.
They were dating and though they didn’t discuss being exclusive, she thought they were. She wasn’t the kind of woman to play more than one game at a time. He, however, had other ideas and Edie was clueless. Edie’s cousin Mary who had come to stay with her for the winter had also met a sexy new “friend”. He told her his name was Paul. She described him similarly to Edie’s fellow but it didn’t register that he could, in fact, be the same man. Her cousin was a kiss-and-tell girl so as she breathlessly described Paul’s moves, Edie became increasingly suspicious though she thought it was ludicrous. She couldn’t imagine a man who would be so bold as to be playing two women at the same time who were living together. Is there another word besides ‘dick’ that would better describe that?
She honed her sleuthing skills and went to work. It became apparent that Jonathan rarely had time for Edie in the daytime and her cousin’s Paul could not make time for her at night. One day Edie left work early and Jonathan’s Mercedes was parked outside her condo. Watching from a distance, she saw her cousin walk him to the door and they kissed goodbye. She obviously couldn’t blame Mary because she was as clueless as Edie had been, but she was planning to teach that “mother” a lesson. His sense of humor was about to bite him in the ass.
This was going to be fun. A few days later she had a weekday off work so she invited Jonathan for a day of shelling and picnicking in the Gulf of Mexico on her SeaDoo. She romanticized the outing, tantalizing him with promises of delicious food, absolute privacy on an outer island, and amazing sex. He bit. She was familiar with the islands and had a well-planned and orchestrated experience for their mutual two-timing lover, Jonathan/ Paul. Leaving nothing to chance, she suggested they leave their phones in her Jeep. He seemed a bit nervous since he admitted he didn’t swim but she assured him he wouldn’t have to worry about swimming. He rode with Edie on her machine since he wasn’t fond of the water.
She whizzed her SeaDoo like an expert in and around the curves of the outer islands until they came to one that was the most private of all. He was delighted when they arrived on the pure white sandy beach with the gentle slap of the aqua waves. She spread their gourmet lunch out, and the icy wine coolers were a nice touch. They shared a few kisses which turned her stomach to bile knowing what a rat he was but she had to keep up appearances.
She coaxed him into the water doing a sexual shimmy and he followed like the unsuspecting fool he was. She managed to rid him of his trunks with no problem until they slipped from her fingers and the outgoing tide grabbed them. He panicked so she suggested he go after them. She quickly made her way to the SeaDoo and started it up. Just as he reached for his trunks, she snagged them and waved. “Goodbye, Jonathan. Goodbye, Paul. Hope you two have a nice time together because you won’t be having fun with Mary and me anymore.”
Even over the roar of the engine, she could hear him yelling and begging her to come back. He was only about eight miles from the mainland on an out-of-the-way island. Sooner or later someone would find him. She had assured him he didn’t have to worry about swimming and she was right. It was too far to swim besides he didn’t even know where he was. She assumed he was rescued though she never heard from him again but she was willing to bet he learned that double-dipping was a bad idea and strictly forbidden. And just like that… Jonathan/Paul was gone.