I smacked him in the head. “She’s a nice girl.”
He rubbed the side of his head. “I’m sorry. I just call it how I see it. I know you too well. You want her and you can’t deny it.”
“Yeah, but I actually like her too.”
“When are you leaving?”
“After practice today.” I reached for a glass of juice before changing my mind and cracking open an energy drink. “If all goes well, we’ll leave Sunday morning.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then I guess we’ll come back whenever she’s sick of me.”
“Don’t worry, girls can’t resist that kind of romantic stuff.”
For once, I couldn’t wait for football practice to be over. After the final huddle, I ran to the locker room to get showered and changed. I shoved some clothes in my backpack and drove over to the dorms. I hoped that Alice hadn’t already changed her mind.
Thankfully, she was standing right in front of the building with her overnight bag packed full. I should have told her that we had just about everything we needed at the house.
My parents spend a lot of time at their lake house. My mom is a retired teacher and my dad runs a construction business. This gave them the freedom to travel and spend a lot of time away from home. They let me use the house whenever I wanted, so a lot of wild parties were held there throughout the years. They didn’t care what we did as long as we cleaned up after ourselves.
Girls loved this place. For the typical college girl, a nice evening out involved a dinner that didn’t come from the dining hall and maybe a classy bar that serves cocktails that cost more than a dollar on Thursdays. Going to a guy’s lake house was more like the dates girls went on in those stupid reality dating shows.
I’d paddle her around the lake in the canoe while she worked on her tan, I’d make dinner (usually whatever my mom left in the fridge), and then we’d go skinny dipping under the light of the stars. I learned that this wasn’t a place to take just any girl. The ones who came up here would become even more attached to me and were harder to shake once things got boring.
Alice was worth it, though. Of course, I wanted to impress her with the luxury and romance of it all, but I wanted her to enjoy spending one on one time with me.
“Hey,” I said, grabbing her bag and tossing it in the back seat. “We’re only going for the weekend, not the month.”
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know what to bring and I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed.” She sounded stressed out.
“I’m kidding. Get in.”
The car was flooded by her perfume. It smelled sweet and fruity. I wanted to tell her that she smelled good, but I didn’t want her to think I was weird.
“I don’t know what kind of music you like. If you want, you can choose,” I said, handing her my phone.
She flipped through my playlists on my phone. “I didn’t take you for someone who likes jazz music,” she teased.
“It’s relaxing. Don’t make fun of me.”
“I like it too. My dad used to play the saxophone in a jazz band. I grew up listing to it.”
She started the playlist, and smooth jazz flowed through the speakers. I felt like I was in a car commercial with the car’s sleek interior, the music, driving on a winding mountain road, and a beautiful girl in the passenger seat.
“The house is only an hour away from here and it’s a really scenic drive. My parents just left a few days ago, so there should be plenty of food and drinks there. This place has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, but you can use the master bedroom and bath if you want.” I was rambling. I just wanted her to feel at ease.
“Okay,” she said cheerfully.
“I don’t know what you like to eat, but if there’s isn’t anything you want at the house, there’s a little grocery store a few miles away.”
“I’m pretty much cool with anything.”
“Okay, good.”
We drove in silence for a few minutes. I was pretending to pay close attention to the road while I was racking my brains for something to talk about.
“So, how are classes going?” I asked.
“Pretty good. I’m going to start working on a research project next week.”
“Really? What do you have to do?”
“I think I have to conduct interviews. I’ll probably get stuck with the stuff no one else wants to do. It’ll be a lot of extra work, but it will look good on a resume. I don’t know if it will get published, but it’s cool to have something with my name on it.”
“Yeah, definitely. I had no idea that students could even do something like that.”
“Do you have any other extra-curriculars? Besides football, of course.”
“I’m in the fraternity, but all I have to do is show up for meetings every now and again and go to events. Football takes up the rest of my life.”
“How long are your practices?”
“Well, sometimes, we have morning conditioning, but that usually lasts an hour. In the afternoon, we watch film and discuss plays for the upcoming week. Then, we either do more lifting and conditioning or we work on skills. Once everything is done, afternoon practice takes at least three hours. Then, we have dinner together and the rest of the night is dedicated to tutoring and homework.”
“Wow, I had no idea. How do you have time to study?”
I laughed. “I hardly do. Our advisors are pretty good about helping us pick easy classes during the fall. The athletic department also makes it very hard to fail with all the tutors they provide.”
“So you could just basically choose any major you want and get as much help as you need?”
“There are some majors that are easier than others. That’s why there aren’t a lot of athletes who are math or engineering majors. I chose Exercise Science because it’s something that’s useful for me to have. Plus, I’ve been learning about a lot of this stuff since middle school sports, so it’s easier for me to pick up. There are some math and science classes that are pretty tough, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a lot of help with homework and tests.”
“And you think you’re going to play professional football after you graduate?”
“That’s what I hope. It’s hard to predict these things. You never know if you’re going to get hurt. It also helps when you have a good team to help boost your stats and get noticed. If I can manage to improve over the next few years, I think I have a decent chance.”
For the rest of the drive, we talked about school and football, and I tried to tell her funny stories from the fraternity. I didn’t tell her anything too scandalous, though. I had a feeling she had some idea about my reputation on campus, but I didn’t want to highlight my wild tendencies. Especially since I wanted her to stay two nights with me in my house in the middle of nowhere.
The drive went quickly, and before we knew it, we were at the house. I could tell she was impressed. It was a beautiful little house. The long driveway flanked by rows of trees made it seem very private and exclusive. My dad’s company built it, so my parents had a say in everything from the room layout to the tiles that adorned the sinks in the bathrooms.
“You should see it in the fall,” I said. “All these trees are bright orange and red.”
“I’d love to see that,” she said with awe.
I hoped she’d be able to. However, this was probably the last warm weekend of the year, and I wanted to take full advantage of it.
I hadn’t explicitly told my mom that I was bringing a girl over, but I think she could tell from my vagueness about my plans that I was bringing a date. The small kitchen table had a vase full of wildflowers, and everything was spotless. It smelled fresh and clean, which was a nice change from the faint smell of sunscreen, fish, and beer that it usually had.
I dropped my backpack on the floor and went straight to the fridge to see what we were working with. My mom had aluminum pans labeled with different meals. There were enchiladas, lasagna, and chicken casseroles stac
ked on top of one another. A basket filled with fresh fruit was sitting on the table. I took an apple and without washing it, took a big bite.
“Want one?” I asked with my mouth full.
“No, thanks. I ate a late lunch.”
“Well, I hope you have an appetite for supper. What do you think about pasta?”
“Sounds great.”
“What should we do until then? We could swim, but it’s cooling down outside, so it might be a little cold. We have some paddleboards, a couple of kayaks and canoes, and a jet ski. Or, we could just sit on the dock and fish.”
“I’ve never fished before. Are there a lot of fish in this lake?”
“Oh yeah,” I said boastfully. “I’ve caught a ton of fish in here. It’s easy. Want me to teach you?”
“Sounds fun. Do you ever eat the fish?”
“Sometimes, but we usually just toss them back.”
I went to the garage and grabbed two poles and a tackle box. I opened the mini fridge and grabbed a small Styrofoam container of night crawlers.
Back outside, I assembled the fishing poles, explaining what I was doing along the way. Alice watched intently, as if she were listening to a lecture.
“And now, we just have to put the bait on the hook,” I said, tying the finishing knot.
I wanted to keep up the appearance of the tough football player, but I really hated putting worms on the hook. They were so gross and slimy, and they squirmed when you pierced them with the hook.
“Can I try?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said. “It’s kind of gross, though. Are you positive you want to?”
“Yeah, I’m not bothered by it.”
I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to do it. I watched as she threaded the hook through the wiggling worm without flinching. I showed her how to cast out the line. We sat on the dock, watching the bobbers float on the glassy surface as the sun set. I was a little embarrassed since I had promised that we would catch a fish. She wasn’t saying anything, but I had a feeling that it was a lost cause.
Finally, I conceded. I was extremely hungry, and we didn’t have a single bite.
“Should we go inside and eat?” I asked sheepishly.
“Yes,” she said enthusiastically. “I’m starving.”
I felt guilty for making her sit outside while she was hungry. She was just too polite to give up on me.
I popped the pan of lasagna in the oven and dug through the pantry until I found a loaf of French bread. I slathered it with butter and sprinkled garlic and salt between the slices. Then, I tossed that in next to the lasagna.
“I’m impressed that you know how to cook,” she said.
“It’s nothing much. I like to eat, so I suppose it was important for me to know how to feed myself.”
Next, I looked through my mom’s wine collection. There was a wide assortment of bottles that they had collected over the years. I didn’t really drink the stuff, but it seemed like a romantic thing to have. I picked a bottle at random and dropped it in an ice bucket.
When the food was ready, we dished up our plates and sat down at the outdoor table. I lit a tea light and placed it in the center of the table. I wanted her to know that I was pulling out all the stops for her.
I poured two glasses of wine and took a sip. I could hardly swallow it because it was so tart and dry. I watched to see how she reacted after drinking it. She handled it better than I did. I would have preferred a beer, but there’s nothing classy about having a can with a romantic dinner.
The last rays of light were starting to dip below the horizon. Alice looked incredible by the soft light of the candle. Her wide smile practically glowed in the dark.
“Tell me,” she said. “Have you ever actually caught a fish?”
“I promise you, this has never happened to me!” I said defensively. “You have to believe me.”
“Sure.” She giggled. “I wonder how many times you’ve said that exact thing to other girls.”
I raised my eyebrows at her. I hadn’t heard anything so suggestive come out of her mouth. It excited me.
I was starting to get a little buzzed. The wine made my mouth burn, so I had resorted to taking large gulps to get it down. After a while, it didn’t taste as bad. We finished the bottle by the time the food was gone.
“Should I open another bottle?” I asked, noticing that her glass was empty.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said hesitantly.
“That stuff was pretty bad, right?”
She laughed. “I’m relieved you said that. I thought I just had a very unsophisticated palate.”
“I think my mom keeps some wine coolers in the fridge. You want one?”
“Yes, please.”
I fetched a few bottles from the kitchen and brought them out to the table.
I cracked one open for her and handed the dripping bottle over to her.
“So,” I said, fishing for some background information on Alice. “Do you live around the area?”
“No, I’m actually from Portsmouth.”
“Which state is that in?”
She gave me a sideways look. “It’s in the state. I can tell that you’re a big city boy. You don’t even know where the little towns are.”
“Okay, you caught me. Where is that?”
“It’s about two hundred miles west of the university. I don’t have a car either, so I have to take the train.”
“What’s it like there?”
“It’s fine. Some people really like the small town life, but it’s not really for me.”
“So why did you choose to go to school here? It’s not like it’s really close to where you live.”
“It’s a good school,” Alice said quickly, chugging the rest of her drink and popping open another one.
“Yeah,” I pressed. “But why exactly did you choose here? I came here because it’s close to home and the school is paying for my tuition.”
Alice leaned in like she was telling me a secret. Her breath smelled fruity.
“You’re going to think I’m so lame when I tell you this. I applied to this school, and this school only, because I was dating a guy.”
“Chris? Was that his name?”
She nodded. “I caught him cheating on me, but by the time I found out, I wouldn’t have been able to get into another school, and I would have had to wait for another year. I didn’t have the heart to tell my parents after they were so excited for me, so I sucked it up. Now I’m stuck here unless I decide to transfer somewhere closer to home after this year.”
“I don’t understand,” I said softly.
“What don’t you understand?”
“How someone could ever treat you badly. You’re the coolest girl I’ve ever met. You’re smart, funny, and incredibly hot. How someone could ever cheat on you blows my mind.”
She lunged at me, her body smacking me in the chest, knocking me backward. She kissed me hard, and my lips met her intensity. I was taken aback by her aggressiveness, but it made me want her all the more.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” she said when she finally pulled away.
We lay back on our sides facing each other, my arm underneath her neck. We didn’t speak for a few minutes but just enjoyed each other’s presence in such proximity.
“Do you want to go swimming?” I asked, feeling spontaneous.
“Isn’t it a little cold for that?”
“It’ll be fine. Trust me.”
“Okay, but if you’re wrong, I’m going to kick your ass.”
I grinned. “I’d like to see you try.”
I grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled it over my head, then kicked off my sandals.
“You’re going in the water in your clothes?” she asked.
“Nope.”
I stood behind the privacy of a tree and removed the rest of my clothes. I covered my junk with both hands and sprinted down the short stretch of beach into the water.
I plunged into the water, letting th
e cool liquid wash over me. It was a little chilly. Hopefully, she wouldn’t notice.
“Come on,” I called to her.
“Give me a second,” she said.
“I’ll look away,” I said, hoping that it would reassure her.
She took a final chug of her drink, and I could hear the rustle of her clothes as she dropped them next to mine. I heard footsteps approach me, then tiny splashes as she walked into the water.
“Okay, you can turn around now.”
She had piled her hair in a bun on the top of her head. In the dark, I couldn’t see past the tops of her shoulders, but I could tell she had her arms crossed and was shivering.
“You’ll get used to it,” I promised. “Swim around a little.”
She paddled around me. As she circled, she came closer and closer to where I was treading water.
I tried my luck and swam closer to her. Eventually, we were face to face. I thought she’d try to swim away, but here she was.
“You’re beautiful,” I said, not knowing what else to say.
“So are you,” she said with a smile.
I kissed her again, and this time, our hands found each other under the water. I slowly moved my hands around her back and pulled her in a little closer. Our tongues entwined, and she moved closer, pressing her chest to mine.
She moved her hand down my side, past my hips, and onto my thigh. I wanted her to move her hand just a few inches inward. I wasn’t sure if she did that sort of thing.
I lowered my hands down her back, resting them on her muscular butt. Her skin was covered in goose bumps. I didn’t want her to be cold, but I didn’t want her to put her clothes on either.
“Do you want to go inside?” I asked out of courtesy, hoping she’d say no.
“Yeah, we probably should,” she said, kissing me.
I paddled back to shore ahead of her, pulling on my shorts.
“What’s the point of that?” she asked from behind.
“Huh?”
“You’re going to get your clothes wet. You’re just going to have to take them back off, anyway.”
I spun around. She strutted out of the water, completely at ease with her nudity. I scooped up our clothes and headed inside into the bedroom.
Lethal Seduction: A CIA Romantic Suspense (CIA Agents Book 1) Page 28