by Alex Strong
“We’ll never know for sure if you don’t try,” he said.
Karina bit her lip. She also didn’t know if she could handle being that close to his body. Wasn’t salsa dancing supposed to be…intimate?
“All right,” she whispered, taking his hand as she stood.
Together they weaved through the crowd and staked out a spot on the dance floor.
“You realize I don’t know the first thing about salsa dancing,” she said as he placed a warm hand on her waist. “I’m not even that good of a dancer in general.”
“Just follow my lead and you’ll be fine,” he said into her ear so she could hear him over the Latin beat pumping through the speakers. “And make sure to move your hips a lot. No one will know the difference.”
She took a deep breath and did her best, but the steps were so fast and there were so many people around them. People who actually knew what they were doing.
Every time she tripped into him, however, he only laughed, and she couldn’t help laughing with him, wondering if he was enjoying her lack of ability.
“You’re right,” he chuckled into her ear as he pulled her closer, forcing her hips to keep time with his. “You’re terrible at this!”
“I told you,” she said, giggling. Because while it was true, she was still having fun. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so hard. And even though she continued to step on his feet—just as she had predicted—he never complained, just kept leading her, spinning her, until she finally managed to find the rhythm.
“Muy bien,” he said after twirling her back into his arms. Their faces, their lips were so close now. “You’re getting the hang of it,” he said, his voice gravelly.
All either of them had to do was lean in only a fraction of an inch more….
Someone bumped hard into Damien, breaking their embrace.
“Lo sieto,” said a male dancer with an apologetic smile.
“No hay problema,” Damien replied with a half-smile. He leaned back into Karina, his lips close to her ear again. “It think it’s getting a little crowded. Shall we head home?”
She nodded, feeling the familiar butterflies in her stomach, and he laced his fingers through hers before carving a path off the dance floor.
Restraint
The drive home was just as quiet as the drive there, but whenever he wasn’t shifting, Damien rested his hand on Karina’s left knee. She watched the scenery go by, pretending it was nothing to have him touch her, when really she couldn’t stop imaging what that hand had done to her just last night, even though neither of them had mentioned it.
Eventually they were pulling up to the house, and Damien drove into the garage, where she discovered it wasn’t his only toy on four wheels.
“How do you decide which one to drive?” she asked as he helped her out of the car.
“Depends on what mood I’m in.” He placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked into the house.
“And what kind of mood were you in when you chose the Porsche?”
“I’ve always thought of the 911 as playful yet seductive,” he said with a devilish grin.
This time, he kept his hand on her back the entire walk up the stairs, only releasing it when they reached her bedroom.
“I really enjoyed myself,” she said, leaning her back against the door.
“I’m happy to hear that,” he said, bracing a hand just above her shoulder, moving in close until there was only a hair’s width between them.
She waited for the kiss, her heart racing in anticipation of it.
“I suppose this is where we say good-night,” he whispered.
“Are you sure?” she asked demurely.
His eyes searched her face, finally focusing on her lips.
“Unless perhaps you’d like to join me in my room tonight.”
She took a deep breath, causing her chest to swell until it was touching him. “Mmm…I think I’ll stay in my bed tonight.”
He ran a thumb down her cheek and brushed it against her lips.
“Suit yourself,” he said, pushing off the wall and walking toward his room.
Katrina tried to control her breathing, impressed—and frustrated—with the man’s restraint. She was beginning to wonder if she could win this war.
She had a hard time falling asleep that night, fighting the urge to slink off into his room. The only comfort was knowing that he was in the same boat, for there had been no mistaking the hard-on straining against her earlier.
Karina woke to shouting the next morning and realized it was Damien outside. She pulled a silk robe around her and went out to the balcony, looking around until she found him on the sailboat at the edge of the property. Wearing nothing but shorts, he was shouting to whoever was helping him. She rested on her forearms, taking pleasure in watching him work as he threw ropes about.
Eventually he caught sight of her and gave a wave.
“Oh, Karina,” he said as though calling up to Juliet. “I’m taking the boat out today. Care to join me?”
“I would be delighted to,” she called back.
“Hurry down then,” he said. “The day is wasting away!”
Karina raced back into the room and pulled on a bikini, then slipped a tank top over it before wrapping a sarong around her waist. She stepped into some flip flops and then rushed down and out to the boat. She walked across the dock and let Damien help her climb on board, where she fell against his warm torso.
“Might take a minute to get your sea legs,” he said with a smile as he helped her stand up straight. “Go ahead and sit for a minute while I get us out of here.”
There weren’t exactly any seats up top, so she just tried to find the safest place to plant her bottom. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail as she waited. It was bound to be windy.
The young man who had been helping remained on the dock, watching as Damien expertly guided the craft out into the open water using an outboard motor. Once they were far enough away from shore, Damien gave the man a wave.
“I’ll call when we’re on our way back,” he shouted.
“Anything I can do to help?” Karina offered.
He looked at her and frowned.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“It’s your shoes. I didn’t think to check before you climbed aboard.”
“Why?
“Flip flops are the last thing you want to wear on a boat,” he said.
“Should I take them off?”
“It’s your toes I’m worried about. But you should probably take them off anyway. There’s also the risk of spraining your ankle if the boat lurches and you instinctively try to keep the shoe on.”
Karina pulled them off and set them aside.
“Sorry,” she said. “It’s my first time on a sailboat.”
“Do you still want to help?” he asked.
“Of course.”
With Damien’s direction, Karina helped get the sail up and pointed in the right direction. It wasn’t long before they were pulling even farther away from the shore, and there was nothing left for her to do while he steered.
“Would you like to take the helm?” he asked.
“You trust me with your boat?”
“It’s not like I won’t be right here.” He scanned the horizon. “And I don’t think I need to worry about you running us into anything.”
Karina rubbed her hands together as she stepped in next to him. She was shocked to discover it was nothing like steering a car. The wheel pulled as soon as she took hold, and Damien grabbed it quickly before it could make a full rotation, spinning it back into position.
“The ocean wants to pull you with it,” he said, positioning himself behind her so they could both hold the wheel. “But you can’t let it. You have to be stronger than her.”
“What happens if you’re not?” she asked, feeling his chest rise against her with each steady breath.
“Then she’ll eat you alive,” he said in a low voice, hi
s breath hot against her ear, and a shiver swept through her body.
Eventually Karina got the hang of it and Damien slowly pulled his hands away.
“You got it?”
She nodded, fully aware that she was grinning like a fool. She was sailing a boat in the Atlantic. Granted they were still close enough to see the Miami skyline, but that didn’t make it any less exhilarating.
“Be right back, then,” he said and her grin disappeared. “I’m not going far,” he said with a laugh. She watched him disappear below deck and come back up a few minutes later with a basket. He set it down near a railing and started dropping the sails.
“There’s a blanket in that box over there,” he said as he locked the steering wheel.
Karina found it and he helped her lay it out on the large flat area at the bow of the boat. She kneeled on the blanket as he handed her a glass from the basket and then pulled a small bottle of white wine from it. Just enough for the two of them.
“You weren’t planning on sailing alone today, were you?” she asked as he filled her glass.
“I’m pretty sure you know the answer to that,” he said, pouring into his glass before raising it. “Salut?”
“Salut,” she said, tapping her glass to his.
She took a sip and Damien laid out on his side next to her, leaning on his elbow.
A strand of hair had escaped her ponytail, and she pushed it out of her face. “Is it always this gorgeous here? Year-round, I mean.”
He took a long swig before answering. “It gets pretty hot in the summer—well into the hundreds. And it’s even more humid.”
“That’s hard to believe,” she said.
“But yes, the weather is pretty nice twelve months out of the year.”
She looked out over the horizon to where the sparkling water met the bright blue sky. “Doesn’t it ever rain?” she asked.
“It rains pretty often, mostly in summer,” he said, placing his empty glass into the basket. “It usually only lasts an hour or so. And even that is warm.”
“What about hurricanes?” she asked. “I know you get those.”
“Are we really so boring that we’re sitting in the middle of the ocean on a beautiful day discussing the weather?”
Karina finished the last drop of her wine and put her glass in with Damien’s before lying so that she was facing him, resting her head in her palm. “What would you rather talk about then?”
“How about,” he pushed the wild strand back behind her ear, “we discuss why you won’t come to my bed?”
She felt the heat rising to her cheeks. “Probably for the same reason you won’t come to mine,” she said.
He traced a finger along the length of her arm right down to the hand resting on her leg. “And what reason is that?” he asked.
She moved her hand, planting it in front of her, but the plan backfired—his palm simply remained on her thigh with only the thin sarong between it and her flesh.
“Because we’re both stubborn,” she said.
“Hmm. So you’re saying we’re at a stalemate then?”
“Afraid so.”
He scooted an inch closer. “But what if,” his hand slid down to the off-centered knot at her waist, “we were on neutral ground?” His fingers started to work at the knot. “Say, on a boat in the middle of the ocean.”
He leaned forward and kissed her neck. She closed her eyes just as the knot came undone. He leaned back and glided the sarong down her leg, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
“Are you surrendering then?” she asked, opening her eyes to see that hungry look again. When did it become such a turn-on?
“I didn’t say that. But I don’t think you want me to stop.”
“Perhaps I do.”
He leaned into her again, moving his hand to the top of her thigh, his thumb resting on the front of her bikini bottom. “We both know I can tell when you’re lying,” he whispered into her ear, and she placed a hand on his chest, sinking her nails into him. He was right. She no longer cared about winning this game.
And then a phone started ringing and Damien pulled back, frowning.
“Tom was only supposed to call in an emergency,” he said, standing up.
Karina rolled onto her back, cursing Tom. Couldn’t he have waited another twenty minutes? She closed her eyes, imagining his hands on her again. Okay, maybe an hour.
It was too windy to hear his words from the back of the boat as she lay there, but he definitely sounded agitated.
A couple minutes later, Damien was raising the sails.
“Is everything all right?” she asked, sitting up.
“We have to head back.” His tone was curt, and it was hard to tell if he was mad at her or whatever Tom had said.
She folded the blanket and tucked it away before taking the basket down below. By the time she came back up, they were already sailing in a straight line back to his property. All the playfulness had left the air, and Damien only spoke to her when he needed help with the rigging.
There were two men when they got back to the house this time, and as soon as Damien had helped her safely onto the dock, he headed toward the house, leaving the two men to take care of the boat. Not sure what else to do, she followed him inside, where they were immediately met by Tom.
“I’ve already packed your bags, and Jim is getting the plane ready as we speak,” he said, keeping step with Damien, who continued through the house and up the stairs. “The car should be here in twenty minutes at the most. I hope that gives you enough time.”
“I just need a quick shower.” Damien said.
“Where are you going?” Karina called out from the bottom step.
Both men stopped walking and turned to face her as though they’d forgotten all about her. Damien came back down.
“There’s been an emergency shareholder’s meeting called in Beijing. A completely bullshit meeting, but it’s imperative that I’m there to keep things from getting any worse.”
“How long will you be gone?” she asked. She realized she didn’t want him to go. She wanted him to stay here, with her, to take her back out on the boat.
“I don’t know. Only a couple days, hopefully. A week at the most.”
“A week.” That was almost a quarter of the time she was supposed to be here. Five days ago she would have been breathing a sigh of relief. But now….
“I’m sorry,” he said, kissing her cheek. And then he rushed back up the stairs to Tom, who kept talking to him as they walked away.
Doubts
Karina had never known boredom like this before. And she never imagined it could’ve come while in a house as impressive as Damien’s. The truth was that she missed him more than she wanted to admit. Something had changed, a shift had occurred, and once the walls had come down, it turned out she enjoyed his company—even when he wasn’t touching her (though she rather preferred that part).
Monday morning she was curled up on a lounge chair, watching the filter robot moving along the bottom of the pool. She wondered if there was a pattern, or if the movements really were random. What if it kept missing the same spot?
Annoyed with herself, she stood up just as Romi came out holding a phone.
“It’s Mr. Bishop for you,” she said.
Karina’s heart raced at the thought of hearing his voice.
“Hello,” she said.
“Bored yet?” he asked.
“I’m keeping busy,” she lied. “Why? Are you heading home to come interrupt my fun?”
“Unfortunately not,” he sighed. “Which is why I’m calling. I have to attend a charity event on Saturday.”
“Will you be back in time?”
“I’d better be, I’m the keynote speaker. I was hoping you’d come with me.”
She laughed. “You called from China just to ask me on a date?”
“Actually, I’m calling to tell you that you have an appointment tomorrow.”
“I do?”
“Yes. Assuming yo
u would agree to come, I made an appointment for a dress fitting. It’s a formal affair. I had planned to take you to the fitting, but there’s no way I’ll be back in time, so I’m afraid you’re on your own.”
The idea didn’t really appeal to her, at least not without Damien. It was something to kill the time though.
“I suppose I could fit it into my busy schedule,” she said.
“It’s at eleven, so you should leave by ten-thirty.”
“You mean I get to drive one of your fancy cars?”
“Nice try,” he said. “I’ve arranged a driver for you.”
“Of course you did.”
“And everything at the boutique has been taken care of. You don’t need to worry about anything other than getting yourself there.”
“Okay.”
“I should probably get some sleep,” he said. “The jet lag is killing me and I’ve got another long day tomorrow.”
“All right,” she said, sad to have to say to goodbye. “Good luck.”
“And Karina?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “The last thing I wanted to do was take off like this.”
“It’s fine,” she told him. “Go get some sleep. I’ll talk to you soon.”
She hung up the phone. So tomorrow was planned for her, but that still left today to wallow in her boredom. Deciding she’d had enough of the sun, she ventured indoors to see what movies Damien kept stocked in that fancy entertainment room of his.
When Karina walked into the boutique the next day, she was painfully aware of how much she didn’t belong here. Since she would just be trying on dresses, she had opted for jeans and a tank top—a decision she regretted as the three impeccably dressed women behind the counter glanced in her direction with a look of disapproval. Karina walked toward them, and the tallest of the three finally approached her.
“I’m sorry miss, but we’re by appointment only,” she said with a fake, condescending smile. Maybe Karina didn’t really need to go to this affair after all.
“I have an appointment. I’m Karina Watson.”
The woman raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her.