Wet and Wilde

by Tawny Taylor

  She went home, convinced it had been a one-night stand, and even more convinced that wasn’t enough. The instant she opened her door, she new the truth. There would be no more guessing.

  Her living room was full of spring flowers. The heady aroma filled her nose and lifted her spirits instantly. She hopped with giddiness and giggled then slammed her door shut and reached for the closest bouquet.

  To my Love, Josh.

  Okay, so he wasn’t much for words. He was more a body language type of guy, not that she’d ever complain. Although the word love was nice.

  The dozen or so vases of flowers said all she needed to know: he’d be back.

  That night, she masturbated with even steamier fantasies of Josh. The rest of the week passed with no further contact from him, but she didn’t mind. She went to work and spent her nights at home as always. But now, unlike before, she had something to look forward to.

  Friday swim class.

  Of all things!

  That day, Diana met her after work and they drove to class together, just as they had last week. She was more nervous than she remembered being before. She was having a hard time hiding it from her intuitive friend.

  “What’s your problem today?” Diana asked as she sat in the locker room watching Jane deliberate over which bathing suit to wear. It was a toss-up between a hot pink number with higher cut legs or a conservative two-piece that showed just a slice of her stomach. “Are you a basket case because of the swimming or because of the man teaching the class?”

  “Both.”

  “What happened last week? You never did tell me, and that plain pisses me off.” Diane gripped Jane’s wrist. “If you fucked him, I want to hear every last detail.”

  “I’m not going to tell you a thing.” She felt her cheeks flaming.

  “You did!” Diana jumped to her feet and pinned Jane to the lockers with two hands on her shoulders. “You little… Tell me.”

  “Nope. I’m not kissin’ and tellin’. What I did or didn’t do with Josh is my business.”

  “I hate you.” She grinned as she spoke and squeezed Jane’s shoulders. “Good for you. I hope it was incredible.”

  “It was.” The words slipped out before she could stop them. Damn it!

  Diana gave her a smack in the gut. “I knew it! You aren’t the little Miss Goody Two-Shoes you’ve led me to believe all these years, are you?” She plopped back down and yanked on Jane’s wrist. “Fess up. I need to know. What happened?”

  Jane tried to pull her arm free, but her friend had a grip like an anaconda. “We ate dinner and kissed in the restaurant parking lot. One thing led to another, and he came back to my place—”

  “And you had wild monkey sex!” Diana finished for her, clapping her hands in approval.

  “We made love,” Jane corrected. Although she had to admit to herself it was as close to wild sex as she’d ever experienced.

  “Bullshit.” Diana dropped her jeans, slid off her thong and pulled up her bikini bottoms. “You don’t know the man. It was beautiful, earth-shattering, exhausting, walk-like-you’d-been-riding-a-horse-for-a-week sex.” She pulled off her shirt and unhooked her bra.

  Jane diverted her gaze, catching her reflection in the huge mirror on the other side of the room. “It felt like much more. And then he sent me flowers.”

  “Oh. That’s very gentlemanly.”

  “You don’t understand. He sent me dozens of bouquets. My entire living room is full. One thing has me curious, though.” She hazarded a glance at Diana. She was dressed—well, as dressed as a woman can be wearing three scraps of fabric. “The man drives a Jag—”

  “He does?” Diana’s eyes registered dollar signs, and Jane stifled a giggle.

  “Yes. At least, I’m assuming it was his car. He had the keys. I suppose he could have borrowed it. Don’t you know what he drives? You know him better than I do.”

  “I used to know him better than you do. I can’t say that anymore. I’ve never seen him drive. He must have money, maybe even a chauffeur.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. But the man teaches swim classes at the Community Center. How much money could he be making?”

  Diana shrugged and walked to the mirror, primping. “Maybe he’s a rich guy living as a regular guy so he can find a wife who will love him for who he is—”

  Jane shook her head. “You’ve been watching too many movies. I’m going to change. Be back in a few.” She changed into her bathing suit—she chose the bright pink one-piece. The color seemed to complement her skin coloring nicely. When she returned, Diana was fully dressed again, in her street clothes. “What happened? You’re going to class with me, right?”

  “No. I have to leave.”

  “Now? Where?”

  Diana headed toward the door. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Wait a minute!” She caught her friend’s arm and gave it a mighty tug. “You said you’d go to class with me. You promised.”

  “You don’t need me here. And I just got a call from a friend—”

  “It’s not Mark, is it?”

  Diana didn’t meet her gaze, so Jane gave her friend’s arm another yank. “No, you don’t! That asshole doesn’t deserve the time of day from you. I won’t let you.”

  “We’re just going to talk.”

  “Bullshit! What’s there to talk about? Who he wants to fuck next?”

  Diana looked stricken, and only then did Jane realize how much her friend cared for the cock-sucker. Shit! That man didn’t deserve the buckets of tears Diana had shed when she’d found him sleeping with some bimbo in their bed. He didn’t deserve the second round she’d showered upon him when she’d found him fucking a different woman in his car in the middle of an empty parking lot. He sure as heck didn’t deserve a minute of her time, now that she’d finally quit crying over him. No man deserved that much forgiveness.

  She switched gears, settling for a lower one. “Please. I love you. You can do so much better. Why are you even considering this?”

  “I’m not considering anything. Now, go on. You’re late for class. And don’t drown. I’ll kill you if you do.”

  She left.

  Jane considered dressing and going home, and would have if she wasn’t so damn anxious to see Josh. She’d have to face the lesson alone this time. All in an effort to see a man.

  Did she have it bad for him or what?

  Her heart thumped in her chest, and she looked down at her hands, white knuckling her towel and wringing the poor thing. Her stomach boiled, bubbling and jumping.

  This wasn’t good. How sexy could she look in this condition?

  She went to her locker and stood there, tempted to leave, but also wanting like hell to see Josh. Why hadn’t he called? If he had, she wouldn’t be…

  Oh… He knew. If he called or saw her, she wouldn’t come to the lesson. She wouldn’t conquer her fear. Had someone told him to force her to attend the swim lessons? Diana?

  Damn it! She’d have to go in there and make it through the class or she would look like a fool. Still feeling sick, she walked through the locker room and entered the pool area.

  He was there, standing by the side of the pool, a whistle caught between his perfect, white teeth. He smiled, and she smiled back, feeling like the most important person on earth. Every nerve ending honed in on him, and everything else in the room dropped away. She walked toward him, so eager to hear his voice…

  …she fell, catching a glimpse of his wide eyes and gaped mouth before the water crashed in around her.

  Sitting on the bottom of the pool already? Damn!

  She pushed off the concrete, her lungs burning. Her arms thrashed, her legs kicked. She surfaced, gasped and felt herself sinking again.

  Then he was there. He touched her, and her panic ceased, like magic. She looked him in the eye and heard his voice in her head.

  You could’ve waited for a kickboard, beautiful, but I’m impressed with your optimism.

  This is no time for teas
ing, buck-o!

  He smiled, and a bubble slipped through his lips. It’s okay. I’m here. When I’m with you, nothing can happen.

  How’re you doing this? The first time I heard your voice in my head, I thought I was hallucinating. But again?

  I can’t explain it right now. Just trust me. He palmed her face, and she almost felt safe. For some reason, it didn’t matter that she wasn’t breathing. That was one hell of a miracle.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and swam upward. As she broke through the shimmering surface overhead, she almost regretted leaving the secret blue world they shared under the water.

  “What happened?” she asked. Dazed, not sure if she wanted to believe what she had just seen and heard, she reached for the pool’s side.

  “You fell into the pool.” With hands cupping her ass—a convenient excuse to cop a feel, for sure—he gently helped her out of the pool, supporting her as she tried to convince her legs to bear her weight.

  “I know that. But there was something else.” She was going crazy! Didn’t schizophrenics hear voices? Diana had a friend who was a shrink…

  “You aren’t going crazy.” He looked across the pool at the other swimmers in the class and blew his whistle. “Okay, everyone back in the pool. I want two laps with the kickboard before session is over.”

  The menagerie of swimmers, mostly middle-aged women wearing those tacky rubber flowered swim caps, started across the pool toward them.

  “How do you do that? You’re reading my mind, aren’t you?” A whole lot of curiosity and an almost equal dose of fear settled over her like a London fog. He was reading her mind? Egad! She had no secrets!

  “I’m not reading your mind. I’m guessing what you’re thinking. And based on your reaction, I’d say I’m doing a damn good job of it.”

  “Too good.” She didn’t know whether to be relieved and laugh off her suspicions or be worried. She decided she’d play it safe and take things slow. Of course, no sooner did she make that decision than her body made its own determination, thanks to a seemingly innocent touch on the arm.

  A current of electricity charged through her body, and she hopped away from him. What the hell was that? “Did you just shock me?”

  He looked at her with a puzzled expression, his eyebrows knitted tightly together. “No. Shock? How?”

  “I felt something.” Her body heated, as though that buzz had ignited a flame. The warmth traveled down, over her stomach, and between her legs. She caught his gaze and felt her pussy get wetter.

  There was that fuck-me look again. Anytime, handsome.

  Her knees turned to mush, and she needed to sit. She dropped to the poolside and dangled her feet in the water. Ah, cool. Now, if only there was an iceberg I could stretch out on.

  He sat beside her. “After class, would you like to go out? Maybe get something to eat?”

  Her heart did a little jig. “Sure, and maybe some dancing? Do you like to dance?”

  He smiled—oh what a gorgeous face!—and blew his whistle. “Time’s up. Everyone out of the pool.” Then he turned to her. “I’m a terrible dancer, I warned you. I’m game if you are. I’ll meet you outside.” He stood and helped her up, leaving buzzing tingles on her skin where he touched her. “By the way…” His gaze traveled up and down her body. “…very nice swimsuit.”

  Chapter 7

  Anticipation is both a pleasure and a torture, joy and misery.

  Palming a face that couldn’t get any hotter, Jane went to the locker room, shed her “very nice” bathing suit, and jumped in the shower. The locker room was quiet, and the warm water felt wonderful running down her body. As memories of that crazy moment at the bottom of the pool buzzed through her mind, she couldn’t help touching herself. Her eyes closed, she soaped up her hands and lathered her breasts, teasing her nipples. His voice bounced around inside her, vibrating like her favorite sex toy between her legs. She slipped a finger inside her pussy, and her knees gave way.

  Struggling to stand, she forced herself to turn off the water and get out. She’d be nuts to make Josh wait long. He was traffic-stopping gorgeous. Returning to her locker wrapped in a towel, she pulled out the snug jeans and sexy top she’d packed, just in case. She dressed in a changing room. With the help of a blow dryer and a little make-up, she was looking pretty damn good in two snaps. The whole time, she couldn’t shake a giddy sense of expectation.

  Tonight would be memorable—like first fuck memorable.

  She slid on her shoes, gathered her things, and headed out the door, thrilled by his heated gaze as he saw her emerge from the building.

  “You look fantastic.” He reached for her hand and held it high. “Spin around.”

  She did a little pirouette, or at least the closest thing she could manage to one, giving him a little extra time to enjoy the rear view.

  He took her duffel bag and growled. That had to be a good growl.

  She didn’t have to wait long to confirm it. After tossing her bag in his back seat, he opened her door and helped her into the passenger seat. Then he bent low and whispered, “I could fuck you right here and now.”

  In a car? I’ve never fucked in a car! To hell with dinner. Boy, if that collection of words didn’t tempt her to can the dinner and dancing and accept his invitation, the sight of his gaze as it traveled over every inch of her barely-clad body did!

  “Food first. And dancing,” he said, his strong hand running up and down the car door. If only you were stroking my body like that… “Then we’ll get to the good stuff.” He winked, closed the car door, and came around the other side and started the car. “Let me have your hand.”

  She reached across and he caught her fingertips in his, tickling her palm with his thumb. It seemed as though the nerve endings in her hand connected directly to her pussy. She swore he was stroking her clit in that slow, teasing motion. Her eyelids grew heavy, her pussy wet, her head swimmy.

  Then her hand rested on something hard and her eyelids lifted. Oh yeah!

  Only the stick shift. Rats!

  She glanced over at Josh, and his playful eyebrow waggle made her chuckle. “What do you want me to do with this?”

  “Stroke it?”

  She laughed. “Okay.” Trying hard to make it look sexy, and donning what she hoped was a porn film starlet’s best pout, she slid her hand up and down the stick. She moaned for good effect.

  He laughed. “You’re too much fun.” The next thing she knew they were rocketing up the street. The car was such a smooth ride, she wondered if they weren’t flying, hovering just above the road. Moments later, Josh parked the car in front of a seafood restaurant.

  Seafood? Again? Ugh.

  “I hope you don’t mind coming here. I love seafood.”

  “Well, it would be nice to go to a steakhouse or something.”

  He shuddered.

  The man was repulsed by the mention of a steakhouse? That was a strange reaction. She’d never seen anyone grossed out by dead cow before—unless they were vegetarian. “Why the beef about beef?”

  “Can’t stand it.”

  “I’ve yet to meet someone who hates beef. How about chicken?”

  He made a funny face, his mouth twisted into a comical scowl. “Yuck!”

  “Wow, okay.” She had to admit, she’d once thought herself a little funny about food, since she tended to eat the same things all the time, but this guy took the cake—or rather, didn’t take any cake from what she could see. “So, you like seafood. Anything else?”

  “Nope. That’s about it. A few vegetables.”

  “Fruit? Bread? Sweets? Everyone loves sweets.”

  “Nope. Nope and nope.” He got out of the car and went around to open her door.

  I guess I’d better get used to seafood restaurants. Of course, most restaurants offered some variety on their menu.

  They walked hand-in-hand into the restaurant and were ushered to a quiet table in the corner of an empty dining room as soon as they stepped inside.


  “Special treatment?” she asked after the hostess left them. “I’m impressed. How’d you manage that?”

  He waited for her to sit before he took his seat next to her on a cozy L-shaped bench. “Well, considering I own this place, they should give me a little respect.”

  “Oh, really?” Now things were starting to make sense! He was a business owner. In that case, why did he teach swimming lessons? Considering what he drove, she doubted he needed to moonlight at the Community Center. “Do you like owning a restaurant?”

  “I had a lot to learn when I opened my first one, but I quickly learned the value of a good manager.”

  “First one?”

  “Yes. I own seven. All seafood.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot of seafood. And a lot of work.” She took another look around. The restaurant was impressive. Luxurious was the best word she could come up with. Tastefully decorated, not loud or garish as some places could be. Decorated completely in shades of blue, from a deep navy to the softest aqua, it reminded her of the sea. “How do you find the time to teach swimming? I mean, I always thought restaurant tycoons were busy all the time, didn’t have time for things like that.”

  “I make time.” He stopped speaking as the waiter delivered drinks and some kind of deep fried, batter-coated squiggles. He nodded a silent thank you and continued. “I like to give back to the community, and I love swimming. It made sense to teach.”

  This guy was a lot more than a stud—not that the stud part was all bad. Could she get any luckier! Wealthy, respectable, caring. She had the feeling she could easily fall in love with him.

  There had to be a hitch. He was too good to be true, and she knew what that meant.

  He was.

  She had to find a fault, any fault, or she’d forever be waiting for the reality bomb to strike. She watched him down a few of the batter-coated thingies.

  “Aren’t you going to try some?” He offered her a morsel.

  “No, thanks. My religion strictly forbids anything coated in batter and fried.”

  “I think you’d like it if you tried it.” He waved it in front of her nose. It smelled safe enough, a little fishy but not too bad.