“You play dirty. I’ll be back.” He moved toward her as if he was going to kiss her and then stopped. “I, uh ... see ya in a bit.” He fled the room like he couldn’t get away from her fast enough.
There was no use trying to go back to sleep now. She slid out of her flip flops and propped herself in bed with her camera and laptop. There was no WiFi, but she could download the pictures to her computer.
It didn’t take long for them to load, and then she pulled up her photo editor and worked her magic. She slowed when she got to this morning’s pictures. The sunrise was stunning. While no camera could truly capture the beauty of it, she did a damn good job coming as close as humanly possible. No photoshop was needed. The picture with Carter’s silhouette popped up, and she touched the screen tracing the outline of his body. Cover model delicious, not in the shape of his muscles, but in the confidence in his posture. In the beauty of his smile, even though it couldn’t be seen in the picture. He was a confident man and wore it well. The picture of them holding hands was sweet. In one, his face was turned toward her and a trace of a smile could be seen if looking hard enough. Which she was.
The next series was her favorite. She’d lied to him about their kissing photos not coming out. They had, and they were perfect. Not only because of the pinks and purples in the sky, but because of the embrace. She flipped through the series of the ten pictures her camera had taken.
Their faces close with the round rising sun in between them. Then their lips only a whisper apart, a purple ray of light shining through. And then their lips touched, their bodies becoming one, outlined by the majestic sky. She wanted to wrap herself in that kiss forever and forget about the pain of her past.
Hailey sat and stared at the picture for a long time. It was so simple. So sweet. So beautiful. Carter was right. The images of a couple kissing on a beach in the morning’s sunrise would be a perfect addition to the Acadia Falls Resort website.
The Freemans would love it. The picture wasn’t real. It was staged. Part of their job. Only the kiss they shared felt more real than any other kiss she’d ever experienced before.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“You owe me big time,” Carter growled on their way to the ten o’clock class.
“I thought you held your downward dog pose extremely well.” Hailey patted his back, her touch sparking up the flame he’d been fighting to keep from flaring up.
Yoga. Think about yoga. That would be a sure-fire way to douse the fire in his chest. There were other men in the class who had done worse than him, yet Paul singled him out, putting his hands on Carter’s hips to help him point his ass toward the sky. Thank God none of his buddies were around. They’d never let him live it down.
“Once you got your tushy up higher and your chest down lower, you could have been a model for yoga r’ us.”
“That’s not even a thing. Is it?” He stepped back allowing Hailey to enter first through the door to the conference room.
“Not exactly.”
The room had been rearranged with ten small cafe style tables and bar stools situated across from each other. There was nothing on the tables. No notepads. No centerpiece. No tablecloth.
“Interesting.” They were a few minutes early and had their choice of tables. He picked one by the window that was the furthest away from the front and held out the stool for Hailey.
A few minutes later, the rest of the couples and Paul and Lenora came in. “Today we’re going to talk about sex.”
“Let’s talk about sex, baby,” Hailey sang, dancing in her seat.
The tables were spread out far enough where they couldn’t hear each other if talking quietly. Hailey’s singing wasn’t that quiet and a lady at the next table gasped.
“And you called me embarrassing?” he whispered.
“Come on. Salt-N-Pepa. Nineties? It’s a classic.”
He recognized the song and couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m trying to keep up my ‘sex is boring’ reputation.”
“Well, my sex isn’t.” She shook her shoulders and lifted her chin as if balancing something on it, and turned her attention to Paul and Lenora.
“The goal of sex therapy is to help couples move past emotional and physical boundaries. We will help you improve the quality of your affection, romance, and sex life.”
“Hallelujah,” Hailey called out.
“Stinky. Shut up,” he growled under his breath.
“It’s okay, honey.” She reached across the table and patted his hand. “I’m sure it happens to everyone at some point in time.”
Instead of being amused, the Freemans looked genuinely concerned. This was their job, and they were passionate about it. Even though Carter thought these sessions were a waste of time, and the resort fee was ridiculously high, it wasn’t his place to judge. Or to ridicule.
If he let them know Hailey was kidding, they’d be offended, and he wasn’t that kind of guy. He didn’t think Hailey was that kind of person either. Her messing around was more to make Carter uncomfortable than to make a mockery of the touchy-feely shit the Freemans were into.
“We’re giving each couple a set of intimacy cards. They’re color-coded. We ask that for the first session you only take out the light blue cards.”
Paul came around and handed out a deck of cards. “This is a safe place, Carter. Everyone here signed a confidentiality form, including you. No one here is going to judge you or share your marital ... pre-marital issues. We’re all here for the same reason. Peace, my friend.” He placed a hand on Carter’s shoulder before moving to the next table.
“I’m not laughing,” Hailey said deadpan, and if that didn’t make him want to reach across the table and cover her mouth with his...
The longer he stared, the harder she tried not to smile. “You signed that confidentiality form as well. That means you can’t tell anyone about any of this.”
“Oh, I can tell everyone about this; I just can’t mention names.”
“You’re a brat.”
“I’ve been called worse.” She hummed the Salt-N-Pepa song while she took out the cards and shuffled. “You want to go first?”
“Might as well since I’m the one with sex issues.”
“Such a good sport.” She flipped over the top card. “Would you like to be famous? In what way?”
“What?” Carter took the card from her and read. “What does this have to do with sex?”
“If you listened to anything they said, the first round is about conversation, building trust, which then can lead to intimacy. That must be why your sex life sucks.”
Kind of ironic since that was exactly what he wanted to do with Hailey before jumping into bed with her.
“I never thought about being famous.”
“Think about it now. What would you want to be famous for? And if you say for your stunning graphic designs, it really will prove you’re a deadbeat in bed.”
Damn, he was tempted to show her exactly how much of a deadbeat he wasn’t. “I’d want to be famous for my lovemaking skills.”
“Like a man-whore? Hmm. Interesting.” She put the card on the bottom of the deck and flipped the next one.
“Wait. What about you?”
“That was your card. This one’s for me. When did you last sing to yourself? For someone else? That’s easy. Only a few minutes ago I sang ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’ to you.”
“You didn’t sing it to me, you sang in front of me. There’s a difference. I think you should sing it now.”
“That’s not what the card says. It only asks the question. I answered. Next.”
“Remind me never to play cards with you.”
“Afraid?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Very.” He flipped the next card before she could. “Name three things you and your partner have in common.”
“This should be good.” Hailey rested her elbows on the table and tucked her fist under her chin.
“We both live in Maine.”
“Boring.
” She rolled her eyes.
Accepting her challenge, he mirrored her pose. “We both have commitment issues.”
“I never said I did.”
“Why so eager for no-strings sex?”
She shifted in her seat. “I was giving you a way out.”
“So you want the strings?” This he needed to know before he kissed her again.
“I don’t like messy.”
“Is that the third thing we have in common?”
“You didn’t even put your clothes in the dresser and you left your shorts on the floor last night.”
“Sex. I was talking about sex. Since I’m so boring in the sex department, it must not ever get very messy. Same go for you?”
Hailey ran her tongue across her teeth and stared him down, not revealing the direction of her thoughts. She sat back and rested her elbow on the top of her chair. “You had your opportunity to find out last night. You snooze, you lose.”
Not pushing it any further, he conceded and flipped the next card. “When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?”
As if not believing the card said that, she leaned forward and picked it up. She put it back down and stared out the window. Her countenance changed from lighthearted and teasing to serious and somber.
“Onions. Onions make me cry.”
He didn’t say anything, waiting, hoping she’d open up to him. She opened her mouth a few times, and no words came out. Finally, on a heavy sigh, she spoke.
“I was being threatened and then sexually harassed by a well-known lifter in the fitness community. A married well-known lifter. I reported him to the event organizers. They were diligent about hearing both our sides, but it got nasty. A lot of he-said she-said. In the end, his face and body were worth a hell of a lot more than mine. So I left. I cried. A lot. It’s why I’m here. In Maine.”
“Sweetheart—”
“We’ll take a five-minute stretch and snack break, and then move to the next level,” Paul announced.
“I need to pee.” Hailey jumped out of her seat and made a beeline for the restroom.
The Freemans were stingy with their break, calling the couples back to their tables before Carter had a chance to talk to her. Hailey hadn’t made it back from the bathroom yet, and he hoped she hadn’t taken off.
“The next set of questions are of the more intimate level. A healthy sex life involves more than just the act of intercourse. Your minds must be ever present. Connecting to your partner emotionally will make your sex life that much more powerful and moving. Be honest with yourself and with your partner as you enter round two.” Lenora stepped away from the podium.
Hailey came back to the table and rubbed her hands together. “What did I miss?” Her hairline was damp as if she’d splashed water on her face, but it didn’t wash away the puffiness under her eyes.
“Round two. We’re stepping it up.” He took out the yellow cards and gave them a shuffle then flipped the top card over. He covered it with his hand before either one could read it. “Do you want to go first or me?”
“I believe it’s your turn.” She pushed his hand away and picked up the card. “Tell your partner what you like about them. Be very honest, and say things you might not say to someone you’ve just met.”
“This is hard since we only met a few weeks ago. I could tell you how much I love your sense of humor or how sexy your eyes are. Newman eyes.”
She squinted in confusion and opened her mouth like she wanted to ask him what he meant, but she didn’t. That was good. He wasn’t ready to tell her the meaning behind the word.
“Okay,” she finally said, putting the card down.
“Those are things I told you when I first met you.”
“That’s fine. However, you never said anything about my eyes. We’re not doing all of these workshops for real anyway.” She turned the next card over. “What is your biggest weakness? And you can’t say commitment. That card’s already been played. Pun intended.”
“I don’t like to take things too seriously. I use humor to avoid uncomfortable situations.”
“Same.” She put her hand up for a fist pump.
If opposites were supposed to attract, he was screwed. “Next.” They went through four more cards, the questions taking them down a semi-serious road, and they both turned to humor to avoid getting too heavy. Ironic that he actually wanted to take this activity seriously.
Lenora called for another break. This time when it was over, Hailey was eager for the last round. “The purple are the sex cards. I heard Tammy talking about it in the bathroom earlier.”
“Great. So this is where I either fail or learn how to fix my problems?” He flipped the card and read. “Is there anything I can do to enhance your sexual attraction to me?”
“Wait, so it’s your turn, but the question is for me?”
“How about we both answer?”
“Fair. I’ll start. Take off your shirt.”
Carter laughed. “Only if you do the same.”
“Me taking my shirt off isn’t a pleasing sight,” she joked, but he could hear the doubt behind her words. She didn’t think he was attracted to her.
“True.”
Hailey’s eyes went big and round before closing, her chin lowering to her chest.
“Clothed or naked, I’m already crazy attracted to you, Hailey.”
Blinking rapidly, she lifted her chin. “You are?”
“You don’t believe me.”
Instead of answering, she turned over another card. “Have you ever skinny dipped in a group, and if you haven’t, would you now?”
“Are we both answering now?”
“I can answer for the both of us. Of course you have, and you still would today. I haven’t and never will. Next card. How can we best set the stage during the day to build anticipation for lovemaking later on?”
“This time, you first.” Whatever she said and wanted, he’d do.
“I’ve never given it much thought.”
“Okay, so tell me about a time when there was anticipation.” What a stupid thing to ask. The last thing he wanted to hear about were stories of romantic interludes she’d had with other men.
“I, I, uh, I can’t think of any.”
“What about the last romantic date you went on.” Again, not something he wanted to picture.
“I don’t do that romance stuff. It’s not necessary.”
Carter used to think the same until he met a woman who he thought deserved it. He never had much of a chance to wine and dine Jenna, so his experience was limited as well, but he’d like to think the women he'd dated thought him to be semi-romantic. He’d given women flowers, taken them to nice dinners, even rented a nice room with an ocean view before. Nothing like Acadia Falls, but nice enough.
“Your last boyfriend—”
“You want to know my romance history? It’s zilch. None. I’m more of a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am kind of girl. I don’t do the sweet-talking bullshit because none of it is real. I don’t expect a relationship out of sex because, well, because most guys are assholes. It’s better to have no expectations and not get hurt than to be a crying sally mess for months over some guy who’s already sleeping with the next ho-bag he stumbled across. There. Happy now?”
Hell, she’d just pinpointed him without realizing it. No, not him now—the old Carter. The way he used to be. However, he assumed most twenty-year old guys acted in the same fashion. It pained him that Hailey had fallen victim to the asshole stereotype, as had thousands of other women, and thought all men were like that.
Carter wasn’t an asshole, though. He’d never been.
Hailey cleared her throat. “What was your last romantic date?”
He didn’t want her to know he’d been one of the same. “I’ll answer the original question. First,” he said, resting his elbows on the table, “we’ll start the day nice and early by watching the sunrise over the ocean.”
He watched as the tension eased out of her
shoulders.
“Followed by a relaxing activity. Maybe a nice walk, or perhaps a yoga class.”
“Yoga gets you all hot and heavy, huh?”
Folding his hands together, he rested them on the table and peered up at the ceiling as if in deep thought. Which he was. He could continue down this road and say how he’d make a picnic lunch and they’d eat it on the warm sand followed by a bike ride to town where they’d buy ice cream from a local stand.
As the sun set, they’d sit on their private deck and sip wine or those fancy cocktails women liked to drink. He’d order room service, and they’d eat dinner in bed in front of the fire, which wouldn’t be needed on the warm night, but the ambiance would be nice.
Hell. The resort was working its magic voodoo on him. “I’d then treat my lady to a game of cards and share our sexual secrets in front of a room full of strangers, followed by a dinner of tofu, magic crystal rubbing, and passionate sex on a bear skinned rug.”
“In front of the fireplace, no less.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Sounds good. Next card. How important is it to you that we both orgasm? I’d say that’s a non-negotiable.”
“There are exceptions,” he added.
“Now a boring and a selfish lover.”
“There are times,” he dropped his voice lower, not that any of the other couples could hear them. “When the woman deserves to be pleasured, and the man simply takes pleasure in watching her ... enjoyment.”
“Oh.” She clasped her hands over her belly and bit her lower lip.
God, she was killing him. This was killing him.
“Boring, selfish, and voyeuristic. Got it. Next card.”
It was fine with him, a good thing actually, if she wanted to turn it all into a joke.
“What’s a turnoff for you. Before or after sex?” she asked.
“Farting.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and went to the next card. “How could we improve foreplay?”
“By not farting.” He couldn’t believe he was talking like this to a woman he so desperately wanted to make love to. She laughed, and he was once again thankful for their jokes, or he’d be pitching a serious tent right now. Instead, he was semi-hard.
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