by Pavan Kaur
"When you're ready, my business comes to you," Ocean takes my hand, his fingers stroking my wrist.
“They say never mix business with pleasure.” I can’t help but smile as I already know his response.
“It’s a good thing this is business and not pleasure.” Ocean slides closer to me, his face very close to mine. “But you know the richest people out there are power couples and trust me, one day we will be too.” His mouth is moving closer to mine and my heart’s banging against my chest.
I can't. I move away from him and get back to setting everything up. Standing with my back to him, I take a moment to get my thoughts together. Why does he have to be so perfect? Why does he have to be so good looking, helpful, caring, and why do I have to be so attracted to him?
***
How can I have so much sexual tension inside me? My vibrator isn't helping me. It all builds up again just thinking about his lips on mine.
Ocean - Carrie cried when she saw the garden. Are you thinking about me?
"We have pizza," Amie walks in. Tanya walks into the kitchen and grabs a bottle of wine.
“Grab two bottles,” I shout to her. I need wine. I need a lot of wine.
“You have Ocean on the brain?” I hear Tan laughing. “Buy a bigger vibrator. You need to get the big O out of your system.” I take the glass of wine from her.
"At the moment, I think the only thing that is going to give me the big O, is Ocean." I pick up my phone as it beeps again.
Ocean - I'm trying to think of a reason to text you about the party, but I just want to talk to you. What are you doing?
Emma - About to drink two bottles of wine, I need wine.
“You need to go out, find a cock and have hot sex.” Amie sits on the floor and drinks her wine. “Skiing next weekend and there is always some hot guys there.”
“I hope so. There has to be someone better looking than Ocean, there just has to be,” drinking all my wine in one go. “Fill me up.” I hand my glass to Tanya.
Ocean - Did I stress you out that much?
Tanya takes my phone from me. "Lover boy miss you that much?" She reads the messages out loud so Amie knows what he's saying. "How close are you to falling?"
"If we weren't at his parents' house, I would have broken today." I lean my head on the couch. "I've had more sex dreams in the last few weeks than I have in my lifetime," I add as Tanya gives me the phone.
"I've sent him a message for you." I sit up and look at my phone.
Emma - No, just have a lot of tension at the moment, and my vibrator isn’t doing the job.
“Tanya!” I shout at her, giving the phone to Amie who is laughing so hard at the moment. “I can’t believe you did this.”
Ocean - LOL! I think in a month I know you well enough, so which one took your phone?
“Ha, he knew it wasn’t me.”
Emma - Tanya
Ocean - Is it true though? I’m more than happy to admit I have a lot of tension. Want to help me out?
“These five months are going to go so slow.”
"They will for him too. That man has fallen hard for you. Where he won't even look at another woman," Amie takes a slice of pizza. "And the tension you both have, I can only say the sex will be mind-blowing."
Emma - I heard a cold shower helps, and maybe go to the club and see if you find someone you like.
Ocean - I found someone I like. Happy one month anniversary. x
I look at the message a few times. “He just texted me happy one month anniversary,” I tell the girls as it’s confusing me.
"So, you two have been dating for a month to the date. I mean it was a month ago he walked through your office door," Tanya tells me.
We have been playing this cat and mouse game for a month, and this time a cat is very close to catching me.
“Can’t wait for next weekend,” I want the break. I need it from Ocean and work at the moment.
Ocean - You're not talking to me now?
Emma - Do you not have a party to enjoy, or did I plan a boring party?
Placing my phone on the table, as I re fill my glass.
“What time we leaving?” Tanya looks over at Amie.
“Flight’s at nine, should get to the hotel by one.” She throws my phone over. “Lover boy sent a video.”
Hitting play, I smile as I see everyone enjoying the party, playing the games, and taking pictures. I send Ocean a quick text telling him that my phone is away for the night, and I will speak to him when we speak, as I don’t have a reason to text or call him anymore. All my conversations will be with Cassie and Neil. I tell the girls about Betty going to Ocean about his cakes and what he said about only working for me. They thought that was the sweetest thing anyone has done for a girl.
I agreed. At the perfect time, this would be the best thing in the world and it would be the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. The more I think about Ocean and me together, the more I'm thinking about breaking the rules. He is sweet to me. He is funny, good looking, makes me smile just standing next to him, and the more time I spend with him, the more I'm starting to fall for him.
Chapter 14
Ocean
I wanted to see Emma this week but she was so busy. I never thought planning a wedding would be this much work. I went to the office a few times but she was either out, or her boss had her doing other work. I tried calling but never got an answer. Then she sent me a text telling me that as soon as she had a second she would call me. At ten in the evening that day I called her and Tanya said she was sleeping on the couch. She was tired, so that night I spoke to Tanya and asked her what was happening.
She tells me Emma has been coming home late every day this week because her boss is making her work on another wedding as well as my brothers. She thinks Betty believes Emma and I are dating, but because she has no proof there is nothing Betty can do. Tanya told me about how Emma got a few more weddings than she did. Betty wanted her daughter to take over but no one wanted to work with her. Betty is trying to get Emma out so that the two of them and the other company, can't remember the name Tanya told me, can get the weddings back.
I thought it was stupid. Emma is bringing in clients and money. Does it matter if they choose her? Tanya and Amie are trying to help Emma out with the money but even with their help she will need a loan from the bank. When we get back from skiing, I’m going to Marc about it for her.
We drop our bags at the hotel and make our way to the slopes. "You know she might punch you. I mean we have crashed their trip," Blake says as he looks around. He's not looking for Emma. He's looking for a group of girls he can chat up later. We all made a pact that we will never date a friend of the girl the other is dating. If you break up, it will get messy. Too much drama for us. That is the only reason he has not hit on Tanya.
"For some reason, I don't think she will." Even though she keeps saying we aren't dating, we sort of have for over a month now. I've only kissed her once. We’ve not had sex yet but I'm putting that down to we are taking it slow and getting to know each other. And I have to admit, she is a funny girl. I have learnt so much about her. What she likes, what she hates. She even opened up about her parents and I can tell you one thing, those two in the same room is one very bad idea.
“Over there,” Marc nods towards the three girls getting ready to go snowboarding.
“Hello buttercup.” Her head shoots up and I’m not sure how to take her reaction. It’s very hard to read at the moment. She looks over to her friends.
"We didn't tell them anything. I spoke to him a while ago telling him we were coming here, but never the date," Tanya tells her. Emma looks back over at me, putting her hand out for me to help her up.
She turns to Tanya and Amie, saying something to them. Without looking back at me, I watch her start down the slope. "Bad move coming here?" I ask them both.
“No, good move. Bad week,” Amie tells me and I can’t take my eyes off Emma.
Emma approaches the edge of a sl
ope and her stance shifts over her back foot. Just before she reaches the edge, her upper body and her arms shift to the side. She takes off, her body twists, and it looks as though she’s a corkscrew as she spins, her hips rotating quickly. She lands effortlessly, facing the way she started. I have no idea how she managed to do a complete turn with a board strapped to her feet and ride away like it was nothing.
“They can board,” Marc says as we watch Tanya and Amie go down. I’m still getting over Emma’s jump. She has got to have been boarding for a while now. There is no way you learn that stuff without doing it a while. “Let’s go,” Marc hits my chest, and I get ready to go down.
I start with the nose of my board facing down the slope. Pressing over the tail, I ollie to help me get a good start, landing on my flat base and bending my knees for balance.
I pump my legs to pick up speed as I approach the knuckle, the icy blast of the wind whipping over my face.
As I get closer, I wind my body, bringing my arms across me as far as I can. I shift my weight back, pressing down on my right foot, and I extend my leg, popping off the tail. The speed assists my lift, sending me through the air for the jump. I tuck up my legs, lifting my board, and grip the toe edge as I unwind, performing a five-forty spin. I release my grip as I come out of the trick, landing on my base and taking the impact with my legs, riding away like I'd done this every day.
However, I’m thankful I pulled it off instead of wiping out and falling on my ass like last time.
Making my way over to the group, I turn to face Emma as she leans on the side watching the other boarders making their jumps. "You better have more tricks than that pretty boy." She looks up, and I can't help but laugh as she smiles at me.
“Do you have more tricks?”
She licks her bottom lip before biting it and her eyes focus well on mine. "I can do a lot more tricks," grabbing her board, she walks along with Amie and Tanya. There was so much more to that answer and so much more I want to know about her.
“I think I’m in love with that girl.”
“You think you’re in love with her, you have been fucking whipped from the moment she wanted to punch you,” Blake looks over at me. I choose not to say anything back to him because he is right. There has been something about Emma from the moment I picked her up and carried her out of the pub.
***
That was one hell of a day. I don't think we stopped. We had some lunch, and then we were right back out again. My body hurts from not landing on my feet. I thought it would be embarrassing, but all of us fell at one point.
"Marc and I are going to this bar a little later. I told some girls we would meet them there," I hear Blake tell me as I stare at the ceiling lying on my bed.
I keep fighting with myself on when to make a move with Emma. Every time I think tonight will be the night, something comes up. I think if I make my move now, it will backfire on me. She has been stressed with work. I thought this weekend would be my time, but now she has had a bad week. Would this make it better or worse?
“I’ll miss it tonight,” I reply. We’re meeting the girls for dinner tonight. Marc kind of invited us without asking them.
"We didn't think you would," Marc laughs at me. These two have been joking for six weeks about Emma and me, more so me. I'm going to prove to them that I will win the girl one way or another.
“Fuck you both.” I sit up in bed. “I’m going to take a shower before dinner.”
“A cold shower might help. Fuck knows that girl will wear something to get you all hot and bothered.” I look over at Marc putting his headphones on and jumping on the bed so he can’t hear my fuck you asshole.
Maybe a cold shower isn't a bad idea. It seems that I only have to be in the same room as Emma to get turned on. It doesn’t matter if she is next to me or on the other side of the room, I can feel her burning my skin.
I've not even entered the bar area and I can hear her laughing. As we turn the corner, I see her laughing with Tanya and Amie. She’s got a glass of wine in her hand but looks as though she’s been drinking for a while.
“Hey pretty boy,” Emma gives me a wink.
“I think someone needs a little food in her.” As much as she looks like she is having fun, if I find the timing right, I want to take it. There is no way I’m having sex with her when she is drunk or a little tipsy. I want her sober so she can’t blame the wine.
“If you came down on time, we would be eating right now,” Emma puts her hand out for me to help her stand up. “So if you’re ready, I would like some dinner now,” she adds as she walks over to the waiter so they can seat us at our table.
Taking a seat, I smile to myself as Emma sits next to me. She looks over the menu and leans closer to me. "What are you thinking of getting?"
"Don't know," I start laughing to myself at something my dad always told me when we would go out for a meal together. Mum would lean over to him and ask what he was going to eat. Somewhat because she was interested, but also because she wanted some of his chips. Mum never wanted to order her own. "Would you like to share some chips with me?"
"I would love to." She gives me a smile. I’m happy I remember everything my dad ever told me about women. "I was thinking the pizza," she points to the ham and pineapple one.
“I’m going for the steak and chips with extra chips,” I tell her.
The group starts talking about work and what we like doing in our spare time. Amie asked Blake and Marc why they hadn’t made a move on Tanya yet. We knew it was coming, we always get that question.
“We have our reasons. But trust me, if things were different, one of us would be making a move,” Marc answers and we leave it like that for the moment. They don’t need to know everything about us just yet.
“So, how did you three learn to board like that?” I ask, changing the subject.
"I started when I was four. Tanya and Amie started when they were in college when we all met up and became …."
"You started at four?" Blake interrupts her. It's a question I would like answered too. I guess starting at a young age and skiing and snowboarding often would explain why she is as good as she is.
"Yeah, my parents would go skiing all the time, three or four times a year. They took me too." Emma looks at the three of us looking at her like a deer in headlights. "My dad has money, Edward Cox he works…."
"You're telling me your dad is Edward Cox, one of London's biggest bankers?" Marc asks her like he’s about to find his hero is an arm's length away.
“So, you know my dad?” Emma starts laughing.
"Know your dad? I went to every one of his seminars when he agreed to hold them. I wrote a paper on him in University. He is like the banking machine," Marc looks over to me, and I shake my head, telling him to stop talking now.
"Well, if you want I can get you a meeting with him, not sure what for but just let me know," Emma tells him. Marc looks over at me, then turns back to Emma.
“Maybe soon,” he replies, and I see Blake looking over too. They both know how things work, if one of us likes a girl, the others won’t hit on their friends, or get involved with them in work relations either. Once in a relationship, the work relation can happen.
“Just let me know.” Emma drinks more of her wine. “How about you guys, when did you start?”
“We all started together about five years ago. We just like it,” I reply as our food is served. We watched the winter Olympics one year and thought it looked fun, gave it a go and fell in love with it.
“I have a question,” I turn to look at Emma. “How did you know this was the hotel, and how did you know it was this weekend?”
"When I went to get the flowers, I was asking if you three had any holidays planned, and Tanya just let it slip that you were coming here. I saw a text come through and saw the date for today. I took a guess and thought you would be returning Sunday night." I look over at her. She holds her eyes on me for a moment and doesn't really say anything. She takes another sip of her
wine.
“We’re going to the bar after dinner, you three in?” Emma turns her attention back to the group, and I sit here wondering if she is pissed with the way I found out or not.
“We’re going to the one down the road,” Marc answers.
“Us too,” Emma turns to me. “Should be fun,” she gives me a small smile, not taking my eyes off her as I can see the cheeky look in her eyes.
"Yeah, it will," I say as I get to my food.
***
Walking into the bar, I follow the guys to the bar, as the girls go over to find a booth. The more time I spend with Emma and her friends, the more I know that once we do finally get together they’ll be fine. I won’t have to win them over as we all get on so well.
Blake orders the drinks and I look around the bar, watching everyone who's there for the evening. My eyes stop as I see Emma laughing at what her friends have said to her.
“Come on Romeo, let’s go.” Marc hands me two drinks and we make our way to the booth. I slide in next to Emma and hand her a drink.
“So, which group was it that you’re eyeing up?” Tanya asks Blake and Marc, looking around as Marc looks around too.
“Over there,” Marc points.
"Right then, let's help you two get laid tonight," Tanya looks over at Amie, and they both take a sip of their drink.
“I’m sure we can get laid without you helping us,” Blake tells her. We have never needed help before, so I don’t think we need it now.
“Leave him for a bit, I have a bet with Marc that Blake gets slapped at least twice tonight,” I say looking over at Marc laughing. “He thinks it will only be once,” I add. Marc never learns, I think the most Blake has been slapped in one day is four times, which was a good night for me.
“I like how you two make money on me,” Blake takes a sip of his beer.