This was so not what I needed.
I had thought that I had been clear with Adrian; one night, with the intentions of there being no encore. I had slept with him to get him out of my system - not that it had really worked. I wanted him just as much as ever, if not even more so now.
But that was beside the point.
How dare he suggest an encore?! And in that almost offhanded manner of his, as though it was just expected. As though now that I had given myself to him, he could just have me whenever he wanted.
Well, I think not, sir!
Not because I didn't want him, but sheerly due to the principle of the thing.
I had made a decision, as an adult, one that I had to honor now if I wanted to maintain my own self-respect.
Even if it sucked. And no matter how much I might like him to take advantage of me, quite thoroughly, in fact.
I had to be strong and resist him. I had to. It was the only way I could keep working for him without entirely losing my power to him.
If I just kept giving him what he wanted...I would truly be just his bitch.
###
The rest of the day was pure agony.
A pleasant day, to be sure, but pure agony nonetheless.
Ty got to plan our excursions for the day so first we went to a place just down the road from the cabin where they rented bicycles to cruise along the shore of the lake.
It was hilarious to see Adrian on a bike; I had thought him surely too cool to bike, but looking at him in his board shorts and aviators with a bright blue polo shirt, he could've been any other dad in the neighborhood.
Mike and Kane drove slowly along with us from the comfort and safety of the luxury SUV, also a rental. Adrian had money coming out of his ears and so every unnatural convenience was ours.
Ty and I had the most amount of fun out of our merry little gang, however.
We sped ahead together, racing each other and leaving his dad and my employer in the dust.
I paid for winning the race by receiving a stern lecture from Mike just a moment later.
The big black vehicle swerved right in front of me at a crossing onto the beach parking lot.
Mike leapt out of the driver's seat to glare down at me and I skidded to a stop to stare guiltily up at him.
"Are you TRYING to make my job hard?!" He snapped at me.
Ty and then Adrian caught up to us a moment later.
"You cheated!" Ty accused me.
"Something wrong?" Adrian asked Mike, coming to a stop with a practice foot planted to the ground. He ran his hand absently over his kid's helmet, probably expecting a mop of brown curls to be there waiting for him.
Mike clearly rethought his shouting approach when it came to Adrian. "Sorry, sir. I was just telling Ms. Mathers here that she just can't zoom ahead like that if she expects me to be able to properly do my job."
Adrian turned to me and I winced, half-expecting a berating from him now. "Okay, no more racing, guys."
Ty groaned loudly in protest. "But we have to have a rematch, Dad! She cheated!"
I laughed aloud now. "That's what all losers say!" I told the kid, and gave him the L sign over my forehead that made him wrinkle his little nose at me.
He stuck his tongue out, as well, so I did it back to him.
"Alright, settle down, children." Adrian said ruefully. "Barrett; if you'd like to proceed, I promise to do my best to wrangle these two."
"That would be appreciated." Mike said with a long-suffering sigh as he got back into the vehicle.
I gave Adrian a sheepish smile and a shrug, then pedaled onwards with Ty now firmly in the lead.
I purposefully avoided Adrian's gaze, though I felt his eyes on me like a hot brand; staying with me wherever I went.
###
I was still sore in certain places from the night I'd just spent with my boss.
Every adjustment on the bicycle seat reminded me of this. Like I said, pure agony.
When we got to our destination, it was to then rent a little boat.
Luckily the boat was going to be sailed by someone who knew what he was doing.
The boat was big enough that Kane could come aboard. Mike chose to wait on shore for us to return, apparently he got seasick.
I tended to get seasick, too, but the wind was fresh and cool today and that helped keep me from feeling nauseous as we tossed along over little whitecaps.
The boys all clustered by the helm to watch the bow breaking through the water. I could hear them laughing every now and then, but I chose to stand at the side railing, back near the stern.
I gripped the railing and gazed overboard. Considered throwing myself; it would be easier, no doubt. Easier than staying and enduring this torture.
I couldn't quit, I just didn't have it in me, but I also didn't know if I was strong enough to keep working for him.
Closing my eyes with a faint, weak groan, I could still only see Adrian.
Images conjured from my fevered writer's brain from the night previous; us, together in the sheets, naked as he slowly and steadily thrust himself into me, in continuous, rolling waves created by the lifting motion of his hips. Driving into me relentlessly, digging into me, deeper and deeper until we were both shaking and sweating and gasping for air as though held on the ragged edge of death.
So beautiful it was profound.
So painfully, delightfully forbidden.
Wrong.
We mustn't-we shouldn't-we couldn't do it again!
I jumped and my eyes flew open when I felt someone join me at the railing.
Looking up, I held back a groan of pure frustration.
"Better hold on tight, the captain's gonna let Ty steer the ship." Adrian told me with an easy smile.
If he felt the hot electricity dancing between us in the air, the man was a better actor than I gave him credit for because he didn't show it.
"Oh. Shit." I said eloquently.
He cocked an eyebrow at me and laughed softly as he rested his forearms across the railing next to me. "Indeed. Wanna come watch? It might be safer up there in the cockpit or whatever."
Now it was my turn to laugh at him. "You mean the helm?"
"Sure, whatever. Hey, I know planes, not boats."
"Do you know planes?!" I laughed again. "I didn't know you could fly!"
He shrugged. "I can't." He slowly began to unfurl a smile, one at his own expense. "But I know cars."
"Do you know cars?!" I continued pressing him, playing along because his smile was just so damn coaxing.
"No." He admitted, laughing anew. "But I know women!"
"Do you now?"
"No, not at all!"
We laughed like fools together and I could barely believe the feeling.
Were we really capable of just being friends, even after everything? What a golden, warm, glorious feeling.
He turned to face me, resting his elbow on the railing now. His smile slowly faded into a more serious expression. "Eve...about what I said earlier..."
My smile faded, as well. Maybe we couldn't be friends. Not if we couldn't have a single conversation without it reverting back to sex.
God, what a fool I'd been to think we ever could be friends!
Since when had I become a cliché? The young, pretty but vapid blonde who sleeps with her boss.
Wow. Go me.
I slumped and I could feel him watching me, but I could no longer meet his eyes.
He still hadn't even finished his sentence.
"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." He finally said, and I looked out to sea.
Too late, I thought.
"I promise I won't continue to sexually harass you at work."
"Only when I'm not working?" I said with a little smile I just couldn't restrain. "It is still the weekend, I suppose you were in bounds."
He didn't laugh. "Eve, I'm serious. I'm sorry. I was out of line. I just couldn't help myself, you were looking so cute with your braid..." he reached out and took hold of said braid in that moment, making my mouth fall open in surprise.
He ran his hand down my messy fishtail before dropping his touch like it had never been. "I'm a man who has never stopped himself from going after what he wants. Right now I want you. But if you're done with me, I will respect that, and you need never be reminded of what happened last night."
I closed my eyes briefly to even hear him say it out loud. But we were quite alone on the starboard side as far as I could tell, and the wind was so strong that surely our voices would be muffled.
"Adrian..."
"It's the ladies' choice." He cut me off. "I would never push you about it. Just know it's an open invitation."
And with this he turned and walked away, heading back up the steel steps to the upper deck. He paused halfway up and glanced back. "You coming?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Thanks for reading!
HRH
