Mid Life Love

by Whitney Gracia Williams

  I was quiet for several seconds. I guessed it made sense that a theater company would want its dancers to be thin and fit. Although, men appreciated the art of dance too so I didn’t quite understand the “desperate women” part.

  “You did ballet?” I asked. “Was it hard to—”

  “Seriously? No, I did not do ballet. I was a stripper. In a strip club.”

  I blinked. I knew my cheeks were on fire but I tried to put on my best poker face anyway.

  “I don’t know if I can believe that...” But I want to...

  He pulled his phone out and scrolled through a gallery of pictures, stopping on one that featured a group of men dressed in various costumes—postal workers, policemen, Indians, cowboys.

  “That’s me in the back—in the fireman costume.” He smiled. “I had to pay a lot of money to make sure none of these photos resurfaced...Do you believe me now?”

  I didn’t say anything. I just smiled.

  “Tell me something else, Claire.”

  “Um...” I paused. “My ultimate dream...After I quit Statham Industries and start my design company, I want to sail the world on a luxury liner. I want to rent one for a whole year and stop as many places as I can.”

  “By yourself?”

  “With my friends—my female friends.”

  “Duly noted.” He grinned.

  “It’s your turn to—”

  “You’re a vision. Do you know that? Do you know how beautiful you are?” He trailed his fingertips across my lips. “I don’t think you fully understand that sometimes... I could gaze at you all day.”

  My heart started fluttering and I wanted to say “Thank you, you too,” but the words locked themselves in my throat.

  “You’re not thinking about anything right now are you?”

  I shook my head.

  “Good.” He slid off the hood and pulled me up. “Leave your phone there...I’ve always wanted to do this to someone.”

  “Do wh—” Before I could get the words out, he was picking me up and my body was free falling in the air. The next thing I knew, I was hitting the cold waters of the ocean and sinking down below.

  I frantically swam back up to the surface, splashing all around and gasping for air, looking for wherever he was so I could kill him.

  He came up to the surface a few feet away, laughing. “Did you like that? Corey claims some water from the Fountain of Youth was poured in here centuries ago. If he’s right we’ll wake up ten years younger tomorrow.”

  “Are you crazy? What if I didn’t know how to swim? You can’t just throw people into the ocean!”

  He shrugged. “I guess you would’ve died...But since you told me you knew how to swim weeks ago, I’m glad that wasn’t a lie.”

  “Do you record our conversations?”

  “Every single one.”

  “Whatever. You expect me to drive home wet?”

  “Not this type of wet, no.”

  “I’m serious!”

  “It’s taken care of. Greg will be here soon. In the meantime...” He gave me one of his ‘I’m about to fuck you’ looks and moved towards me.

  I swam away from him as fast as I could, heading towards the beach.

  As the cool waves lapped up against my skin, I realized that I’d never felt so free, so alive.

  Once I made it to the shoreline, I stood up and tried to run, but Jonathan grabbed me from behind and pulled me down to the sand.

  “I don’t think sand and sex go together.” I laughed as he pinched my nipples through my wet shirt.

  “Who said anything about sex? Is that always on your mind?”

  “Is it always on yours?”

  “Of course.” He laughed. “Come on, we need to get out of these clothes.”

  He helped me up and walked me along the beach, to one of the small wooden villas. He entered a code on a small keypad and the door glided open.

  He waited for me to walk inside and motioned for me to sit on a white loveseat.

  I looked all around, in genuine awe of the place. It was fitted with a beautiful brick fireplace, a state of the art kitchen, and I could see a large bedroom across the hall.

  “Is this your vacation rental?”

  “A rental?” He opened a closet. “No, I own this. I own all of them.”

  “Why do you need so many?”

  “I had them built last year. One of the members on my board asked me to invest in a similar project in Florida. After seeing how profitable it was, I decided to open my own here. They’ll be available for people to rent in a few months. Would you like one for yourself?”

  “Oh, no...I probably couldn’t afford—”

  “You wouldn’t have to pay for it.” He handed me a stack of towels and a small white box. “You should know better than that by now.”

  I opened the box and saw silk panties, a pair of gray sweats, a pink T-shirt, and matching flip flops. “You’re always prepared aren’t you? How many sets of these do you—”

  “I bought everything in that box just for you,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I’d planned on bringing you here after our first date at Michel Mina’s, but I believe you stood me up.”

  “You’re still not over that?”

  “I’m getting there. You can go change in the bedroom. Would you like a sandwich?”

  “Yes...Thank you.” I walked over to the bedroom and closed the door.

  This is beautiful...

  The room was set up like a dream suite: The satin canopy that hung from the ceiling was swaying back and forth in the wind. The elegant bed was covered in a sea blue duvet that complemented all the white furniture.

  I ran my hands across the sheets and knew that their thread count was in the thousands. I drew the drapes completely open and gasped at the breathtaking view; I could see the ocean waves lapping up over the shore, the seagulls circling around the dock above.

  Sighing, I pulled the drapes closed and peeled out of my wet clothes. I bent over to pick up the stack of towels and froze—Jonathan had walked into the room.

  He wasn’t wearing anything but a towel around his waist, and I was pretty sure he couldn’t see me from where he was standing.

  He stepped further into the room. “I forgot to ask what type of sandwich you—” His eyes met mine.

  He didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t look like he even remembered that he was talking. He was standing there staring at my naked body, making me blush red all over.

  He walked over and picked up my towels. “Face the window.”

  I froze. I couldn’t function—couldn’t even breathe, when he looked at me like that.

  He kissed my lips and smiled. He pulled my hair on top of my head and tucked it into a towel, planting light kisses all over my face. He took another towel and slowly brushed it over my shoulders, my breasts, and my stomach. “So beautiful...”

  I gasped as he bent down in front of me and rubbed it between my legs, as he kissed the inside of my thighs and groaned.

  He stood back up and looked into my eyes, sighing. “What type of sandwich do you want?”

  “Turkey...”

  “With cheese?”

  I nodded.

  “Don’t take too long getting dressed.” He kissed my forehead and left the room.

  I collapsed onto the bed and shook my head in disbelief. I knew I’d be in serious trouble if I didn’t walk away from him right now. If I left this room and didn’t ask him to take me home right away, I wouldn’t be able to rein in my feelings for another minute.

  He was getting to me and I couldn’t deny it anymore. I thought about him all the time. My heart did flips whenever I saw him at work, and I looked forward to hearing his sexy voice over the phone at night.

  This is not how this was supposed to go...

  I sat up and reached for the clothes he’d bought me. I slipped into them and smiled once I saw that they fit me perfectly. I kicked on the flip flops and headed back out into the kitchen, rehearsing a short speech in my hea
d:

  Jonathan...I need you to take me home. We can talk about why on the way, but I don’t think—

  He looked up and smiled once I stepped into the room, making me lose my train of thought.

  Screw it...I’ll just take the trouble...

  He handed me a plate and walked me outside, to a small wooden swing that was standing on the porch. He waited for me to sit down first and placed his arm around my shoulder.

  Our special silence slowly crept in on us and we ate our food without saying a word. We simply looked out at the ocean, at the calm waves that were frothing and foaming against the coast.

  As soon as I set my empty plate on the ground, he pulled me into his lap and held me close.

  I lay back in his arms and smiled as he kissed me—repeatedly.

  Chapter 16

  Claire

  I tossed and turned in my bed, wishing I could somehow will myself to sleep, but it wasn’t working. All I could think about was him—him touching me, him kissing me, him getting to me.

  After he dropped me off at home yesterday, I promised myself that I would spend my Sunday alone so I could further analyze the situation between him and me. I needed to write down my expectations, best and worst case scenarios, and weigh all the pros and cons of whatever the hell this was.

  I even told Sandra and Helen to come over so we could discuss it over chilled wine and cheese—so they could distract me from calling or texting him.

  All of a sudden, my “get ready to run” alarm started ringing. I knocked my phone off the nightstand to get it to shut up. There was no way I was running this morning.

  My phone hit the floor with a thud, but the alarm kept blaring on and on.

  “Ugh!” I rolled off the bed and onto the floor, feeling around for it in the dark.

  Once I finally had it in my hand, I looked to hit “dismiss” but I saw that it was a phone call. It was Jonathan.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “What are you doing?”

  “At five in the morning?” I groaned. “Take an easy guess.”

  “Are you on your way outside to let me take you away for the day?”

  “What! No. I’m going back to bed. I went out with you yesterday. We don’t need to—”

  “Can I please take you out for the day?”

  “No. You should’ve mentioned this earlier. I have—”

  “I’m not the ‘keep asking’ type, Claire. You have twenty minutes.” He hung up.

  What?!

  I lay on the floor, confused—processing what the hell was going on. I had plans for today—concrete, definite, no-Jonathan-allowed plans. I couldn’t let him keep doing these spontaneous things to me. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. Then again, I wasn’t even sure what “this” was.

  “Ten minutes.” Jonathan.

  I sighed. I didn’t want to know what he would do if I didn’t meet him outside. I rushed to the bathroom and brushed my teeth.

  I slipped into a pair of loose fitting khakis and a slimming red shirt, pulling a thin gray sweater over it. I went down to the kitchen and left a note on the fridge for Ashley and Caroline:

  “I hope you both enjoy your off day today, but please make sure all the dishes are done by this evening. I left thirty dollars for lunch and dinner on my dresser. If your grandmother comes by for her mixer, it’s in my trunk. Love you! See you later, Mom.”

  I grabbed a box of breakfast cookies and made my way outside, rolling my eyes once I saw Jonathan step out of the town car.

  He held the backdoor open and smiled as I approached. “Good morning, Claire.”

  I didn’t respond. I slipped inside the car and slid over to the other side.

  “Are you ignoring me?” He cocked his head to the side.

  I crossed my arms and leaned against the door. I was too tired to engage in a conversation with him. I couldn’t believe his nerve—to think he could demand to go out with me at any hour of the day, to show up where I was and simply assume that I was willing and ready to follow him wherever he wanted to go.

  “Mr. Statham?” His driver’s voice came over the intercom. “Are we set to go sir?”

  “Yes, Greg. Thank you.” He slid close to me and whispered, “Talk to me. Are you upset?”

  “Yes...”

  “What’s wrong?” He slid his fingertips across my cheek.

  “You should’ve told me about this yesterday...You could’ve at least asked. What if I had important plans?”

  “You don’t.”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Then what is?”

  “What the hell are we doing, Jonathan? What the fuck is this? I need to know right now. Where are you honestly expecting this to go?”

  He sighed and reached over the seats ahead of us, grabbing a pillow and a blanket. He placed the pillow in his lap and pulled me down onto it. He draped the blanket over my body and shook his head.

  I groaned. “Are you going to answer my questions?”

  “No.” He fluffed the pillow and planted a kiss on my forehead. “It’s going to take us a while to get there and you seem tired. Go to sleep.”

  I looked out over the balcony and sighed as sheets of rain fell over the distant city. I was sailing on Jonathan’s newest yacht—an all-black luxury liner with six levels, and I’d spent most of the morning letting him give me a tour.

  “Why do you always cut your sentences off like that?” He handed me a cup of hot coffee. “Are you scared I’m going to use your stories against you or something?”

  “No, I’m sorry...What was I saying?”

  “You always thought you and your ex-husband would—”

  “Right...I always thought we would be together forever, you know?” I shook my head. “I gave him every part of me when we were married, and when it was over I didn’t have any pieces left for myself...And the one person who should’ve had her shoulder ready and waiting for my tears was lying in bed with him...”

  “Did she say anything to you after the grocery store incident?”

  “No.” My heart ached. “We never spoke again after that...And whenever my daughters come back from seeing their dad they know better than to give me a full recap.”

  “Hmmm. Do you still have feelings for your ex-husband?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do you still think about him or wish that you could’ve gotten back together if the circumstances were different?”

  “I think there’ll always be a part of me that’ll love the ‘old him’ and miss the magic I thought we had but....a part of him always belonged to Amanda so...I’m sorry for bringing this depressing stuff up I just—”

  “Don’t be.” He kissed my cheek. “I’m glad you did. Did you ever talk to anyone else about it?”

  “I went to therapy sessions at Sandra’s practice...I had to force myself to go for the first few months, but after a while I started seeing how beneficial it was...”

  He sighed. “If me and my mom could get through a complete hour of therapy without pissing each other off maybe it would be beneficial for us too...”

  “Do you still talk to your foster parents?”

  “I haven’t said one word to them since I ran away.”

  What? “They never came looking for you?”

  “Of course they did...The state police showed up to my dorm once I started taking classes, but I was eighteen so they couldn’t force me to go back.”

  “They didn’t ask you for any money once you became a billionaire?”

  “They didn’t need to.” He paused. “I’d always dreamed of getting them back for treating me so terribly, but I realized it was easier to forgive them and forget they ever existed. I took care of all their debts and gave them enough money so they won’t have to work for the rest of their lives.”

  “That was very sweet of you. You didn’t have to do that...”

  “They tried getting in contact with me to say thank you, but I never called them back. Probably never will.
I told Corey to tell them the message was received.”

  “Your foster parents are his real parents?”

  He nodded. “He’s still mad at them for how they treated me, but he can’t write them off like I can.”

  “And your foster sister? What happened to her?”

  “Jessica? She’s my executive assistant.” He smiled. “When Hayley finishes grad school, Jessica will become a trust advisor and Hayley will be my new EA.”

  “Must be nice...You plan on ever forgiving your own parents?”

  He took a deep breath and balled his fists. He looked off into the distance and then he looked over at me. “Not for a very long time...Would you if you were me?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I guess I can’t imagine Ashley and Caroline not wanting me to be a part of their lives when they got older.”

  “That’s because you always wanted to be a part of theirs...” He clenched his jaw and I knew that the conversation was over.

  He was clearly still hurting from his past with his parents and I wasn’t sure if he would ever get over it; just like I wasn’t sure if I would completely get over Ryan.

  We both sat underneath the ship’s awning and looked out into the rainy horizon, drifting into different memories, different places.

  “What was your first impression of me?” I asked, trying to break the silence.

  He turned to face me and smiled. “Jesus she’s sexy.”

  “You’re lying!”

  “It’s true. What was yours?”

  “He’s sexy, but he’s wearing a hoodie so he’s probably way too young for me.” I laughed and he rolled his eyes.

  “Glad we’ve cleared that up.”

  “Have we?”

  “If you think we haven’t, I can think of a few ways to make you say we have...” He pulled me close and kissed me. “I’ve been meaning to ask you this: Do you know how to dance?”

  “We danced together at my birthday party before so I guess—”

  “I don’t remember us really dancing at your birthday party...”

  I rolled my eyes. “No...I just know how to sway to the music. I never took the time to learn.”

  “Let’s work on that.” He reached for my hands and pulled me up. “You said you liked the dance floor on the top deck earlier, right? I think that’s the perfect place for a Sunday lesson.”