The Negotiator

by Chris Taylor

  Even though he was pretty sure Cally wouldn’t be swayed by money—his experience with Nikki made him wary; he couldn’t completely discredit the idea. If Cally formed deeper feelings for him, he wanted to know it was for him and not for his bank balance.

  “It’s a beautiful day,” she murmured, gazing out across the harbor.

  Andy nodded in silent agreement. His gaze lingered on the soft peaks of her breasts which were clearly outlined beneath her snug, navy-blue T-shirt. White cotton shorts that finished mid-thigh and brown leather sandals completed her ensemble. A long expanse of tanned skin, starting at the point where her shorts ended, was bared to his gaze.

  Desire kindled low in his gut and his board shorts grew uncomfortably tight. He’d always been a legs man and Cally’s didn’t disappoint. Knowing there was nothing he could do about his erection, he swallowed a sigh and dragged his gaze away to concentrate on the road.

  Bright sunlight glinted off the deep blue water of the harbor and glittered like white diamonds. The Sunday morning traffic was heavy and their progress was slow. People were making the most of their weekend and the warm summer day. He was as impatient as Jack and Jimmy for the sight and smell of the beach.

  “Wow, I can see the Opera House! And look at all those boats over there! Mom, can you see them?”

  “Yes, sweetheart, I see them. They’re a long way down, aren’t they?”

  “Yeah, they look like little toys,” Jimmy added, his head halfway out the window.

  “Don’t stick your head out too far, Jimmy,” Cally warned. “Your mom would kill me if we brought you back without it.”

  Jimmy grinned, but obediently sat further back in his seat.

  “What are we going to do first, Andy?” Jack asked, his voice pitched high with excitement.

  “Can we go straight to the rock pools?” Jimmy pleaded.

  Andy glanced at the boys in his rearview mirror and grinned. It felt good to be doing this: A family outing—going to the beach. It was another glimpse of what was missing from his life: a family.

  He snuck another peek at Cally. Her face was relaxed, her hands folded in her lap. Warmth spread through him. It felt so right, being with this woman, sharing the day with her, with Jack and his friend. He needed to find a way to make her feel this rightness, too.

  “What would you like to do, Jack? We have all day. You choose.”

  “Snorkeling! I want to go snorkeling!”

  “Snorkeling it is, then.” He turned to Cally. “What about you? What’s first on your list today?”

  She grinned at him. “I’m going to dive into the ocean and catch some waves. It’s so hot already, I can’t wait to get wet.”

  “Mm, sounds good to me.” His gaze dropped involuntarily to her breasts.

  Her cheeks turned pink and he grinned inwardly, more than a little heartened at her response.

  He let his hand fall near her leg, his fingers only inches away from her bare thigh and heard her sudden intake of breath. Desire surged through him, hot and immediate. He glanced toward her, pleased to see a pulse beating frantically in the side of her neck. Was she going to admit how much he turned her on, or was that just part of his fantasy? Perhaps she was going to give him a piece of her mind?

  Instead, she turned her head to face him and flashed him a brilliant smile. It caught him by surprise.

  “What’s that for?”

  “I just wanted to say thanks for…everything. Jack loves having you around and I… I do too.”

  He stared back at her and his heart hammered against his ribs. “Thank you, Cally.” He pitched his voice lower. “I know how hard it’s been for you to trust anyone and I appreciate the fact you’re starting to trust me. I understand better than most how important it is to be cautious. It’s a tough world out there and there are a lot of weirdos you don’t want to come into contact with.”

  He kept his gaze steady on hers, suddenly thankful for the queues of traffic that had brought them almost to a standstill. He wanted her to understand how much he meant what he said.

  “I get your reticence and I applaud it. You can never be too careful where Jack’s safety is concerned. You’re a great mom, Cally. He’s a very lucky boy.”

  Their gazes meshed and hers glittered like the harbor below them.

  “Why are you crying?” he whispered.

  She shook her head, as if she couldn’t find the words to explain it. “Th-they’re happy tears,” she stammered. “I’m sorry I’ve been a bit of a control freak,” she said. “For a decade, it’s just been Jack and I. I’m not used to giving anyone else the power to make a decision, especially one that affects us.”

  “It’s okay, Cally. I understand. Really, I do. I’m a control freak, too. After growing up in such a dysfunctional family and becoming orphaned at the age of thirteen, I learned very quickly to rely on no one but myself. Even now, it’s hard for me to ask for help or to lean on someone else. Just ask Will or Tom, or any of the guys I work with.”

  He smiled and she smiled shakily back at him. The traffic started moving again and he returned his gaze to the road.

  “What do you say we forget about the shitty childhood we both had and have a great day at the beach?”

  She grinned at him, her tears now gone. “It sounds perfect to me.”

  * * *

  The sand was hot and golden beneath her bare feet. Cally sighed in pleasure and found a secluded spot to lay her towel not far from the water’s edge. After purchasing a couple more snorkels from the shop along the promenade, Andy had taken Jack and Jimmy further up the beach. She could just make them out as they headed toward the rocks. With their blond heads and long, tanned bodies, they could easily pass for a father with his two sons.

  Tugging off her T-shirt and shorts, she squeezed waterproof sunscreen lotion into her hand and rubbed it over her skin. Moments later, she raced down to the water’s edge. She waded in until the water was deep enough for her to dive under the waves, relishing the coolness against her heated skin.

  The water was divine. Flipping onto her back, she floated on top of the waves, her eyes closed against the bright sun. She glanced over in the direction Andy and Jack had taken, but they’d disappeared from sight.

  After enjoying the water for a little while longer, she headed back to shore. Adjusting her bikini top, she stretched out on her towel. The surf cooled her sufficiently that she was now able to enjoy the warmth of the sun. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply of the salty air. Within moments, her thoughts turned to Andy: smiling, concerned, laughing, serious.

  He was all she’d ever hoped to find in a man and he seemed to be as taken with Jack as her son was with him. What more could she ask for? Andy wasn’t Stewart. He could never be that callous. Andy was kind and gentle and funny. He couldn’t be more different from Stewart if he tried.

  But he still had the power to break her heart. Could she handle it if things didn’t work out? Was she brave enough to try?

  She didn’t know the answers to those questions, but all at once, she didn’t care. Life was too short to live it in fear and uncertainty and “what ifs.” She could almost hear her beloved aunt’s voice telling her life was full of risks and if Cally wasn’t prepared to risk, then she wasn’t prepared to live…

  It was time she stood her ground. Just because her last boyfriend had been a complete jerk, didn’t mean all men were like that. With the heat from the sun making her drowsy, she laid her head down on her folded arms. It seemed only moments and she was asleep. Her dreams were vivid and full of images of Andy and Stewart and Jack.

  First it was Stewart, leaning down to kiss her, his dark hair brushing against her skin as his tongue pressed against her lips.

  She opened her mouth and it was Andy she was kissing and Andy’s strong brown hand cupping her breast, rubbing her nipple through the satiny fabric of her black bikini top. She moaned. Heat and desire pooled deep inside her. Reaching behind her, she untied the strap of her bikini top and tugged i
t down, exposing her naked breasts to his hot gaze.

  She blushed at her boldness and watched his blond head descend toward the hard nubs of her nipples. His warm tongue stole out and her breathing quickened. His mouth closed over one and suckled. She drew in a sharp breath and arched into him. Running her fingers through his thick hair, she held his head against her breasts.

  Then Andy’s hair turned black. She gasped. Her fingers were threaded through Stewart’s locks and now it was Stewart who was licking and biting at her nipples. She twisted and turned beneath him and tried to get away.

  From far off in the distance, she heard Jack calling out to her. Guilt and panic seized her. She struggled harder under Stewart’s weight, trying desperately to cover herself before her son discovered them.

  Wrenching away from the dream, she came awake with a start. Her heart hammered. She sucked in great gulps of air and shook her head to clear it of the dream’s residue.

  “Mom! Mom! You won’t believe what we saw! It was so cool! You have to try it!”

  The words slowly penetrated the fogginess of her brain. Jack and Jimmy ran toward her. Andy trailed a short distance behind. Her hand went instinctively to her bikini top and she breathed a sigh of relief when she found the scrap of black fabric still firmly in its place.

  Giving them a weak smile, she shaded her eyes against the sun and looked up at them. “How’d you do, boys?”

  Jack’s eyes shone with an excitement that was reflected in Jimmy’s.

  “It was so cool, Mom! Andy took us to the rock pools. He showed us how to use the snorkels and we saw some really cool things under the water.”

  “I saw some tiny silver fish, Ms Savage and some weird-looking plants and a heap of white and black things that were moving on the bottom—I don’t even know what they were.”

  “Andy told me not to touch anything, and I didn’t, did I Andy?” Jack added. “Are you proud of me, Mom?” His smile couldn’t get any wider.

  Cally stood and put her arms around him, smiling at the happiness on his sun-kissed face. “Of course I’m proud of you, darling. And I’m glad you did as Andy said. You shouldn’t ever touch things you see under the ocean. Sometimes they can be harmful and even if they’re not, you can damage them if you touch them. They’re living, breathing organisms and you want to make sure they’re still there for the next person to enjoy.”

  Jack nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, that’s what Andy said. It’s all about being en-vi-ro-mentally responsible. Right, Andy?”

  * * *

  Andy was in trouble. One look at Cally in her black bikini and his body had reacted. His cock was rock hard and his breath came short. The scraps of fabric she wore did little to conceal the full roundness of her breasts and the pert, golden globes of her buttocks.

  Part of her tan line was visible at the top of one of her thighs where her bikini brief had ridden up when she stood. He was only glad he’d chosen to wear loose board shorts, rather than the tighter, more revealing speedo briefs he sometimes did. He tried desperately to think of anything that would distract his attention from her near-naked perfection.

  It wasn’t as if she didn’t know he was attracted to her—they’d shared a steamy kiss, after all. But they were far from alone and the last thing he wanted was to embarrass her. Realizing the boys were waiting for his response, he took another calming breath and forced his lips into a smile. “Right, Jack.”

  Cally shot him a curious look, no doubt reacting to his strained tone, but she was either too polite or too naïve to notice his predicament. He turned away on the pretext of looking out at the ocean. “Who wants to catch some waves?”

  “Me!” Jack squealed and streaked off toward the water.

  “Me, too!” Jimmy hurtled off after his friend.

  Andy risked a glance at Cally. “Coming in?”

  She looked at the water and then back at him. “Last one in’s a rotten egg,” she called and ran into the foaming waves.

  * * *

  “So, what would you like for lunch?” Andy addressed the question to the three people who sat around the table with him at his favorite café on the promenade.

  “I can’t decide,” Jack complained good naturedly. “What are you having, Jimmy?”

  “I’m having fish and chips,” Jimmy announced. “With tomato sauce.”

  “Fish and chips it is.”

  “Don’t forget the tomato sauce!” Jimmy reminded him.

  Andy smiled. “I promise I won’t forget the tomato sauce.” He turned to Cally. “How about you? What would you like? I can highly recommend the garlic scallops with grilled asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. The scotch fillet is good, too. Then there is the—”

  “I take it you’ve eaten here before?” She smiled.

  “Maybe once or twice,” he grinned.

  “I think I’ll try the scallops. They sound too good to bypass.”

  “You won’t be disappointed, I’ll guarantee it. Now, have you decided yet, Jack?”

  Jack frowned down at the menu in his hands. “I think I’ll have what Jimmy’s having.” He set the menu aside. “And I’ll have a caramel milkshake, thanks.”

  “I’ll have a vanilla one. Thank you, Mr Warwick,” Jimmy added.

  Andy signaled to a waitress who promptly took their order. He added a beer to his list of requests and Cally asked for a soda. As soon as the meals arrived, the boys dived into their food, ravenous. He winked at Cally, who lowered her gaze. He still wasn’t sure she was aware of his hard-on, but ever since the moment on the beach, she’d avoided his gaze and her cheeks had remained pink.

  After lunch, they went for a walk along the promenade, admiring the view of the ocean in all of its summer glory. When they passed an ice cream shop, both Jack and Jimmy begged them to stop.

  “What do you think, Cally? Do they deserve to have an ice cream?”

  She looked at the boys and the desperation on their faces and laughed. “I think so. They both ate their lunch. I’m surprised they have any room for ice cream, but I guess everyone leaves room for that.”

  “Yes!” Jimmy shouted.

  “Thanks, Mom,” said Jack.

  “How about you?” Andy asked. Have you saved room for ice cream?”

  Cally giggled and the girlish sound of it tugged at his heart.

  “Of course,” she smiled. “I always leave room for ice cream.”

  With ice creams in hand, they strolled along the paved promenade that bordered the beach wall. Young people zipped past them on skateboards and bikes. Others had chosen to jog. Even more people walked—like they did—enjoying the afternoon. The boys were a little way ahead of them, engrossed in their ice creams and each other.

  “Whereabouts is your place in Bondi, Andy?” Cally asked after a few moments of companionable silence.

  Andy tensed and then forced himself to relax. The more he got to know her, the surer he was that she’d never be swayed by money. She didn’t seem to have a clue about his wealth, despite the one hundred and fifty thousand dollar Audi he’d parked in her driveway. Then again, she might not know what it was worth.

  He should just come right out and tell her, but he didn’t want to complicate things. She was only just beginning to trust him, to open her heart to him. It was obvious she was interested in him, despite the boundaries she’d initially put in place. She’d kissed him with as much passion as he kissed her. If Jack hadn’t been in the next room… Who knew where that kiss might have led?

  Did he want to risk her fledgling feelings by talking about something as crass as money? He knew how important it was to her. It was the main reason she’d asked him to move in. It had been important to Nikki, too albeit in a more selfish way.

  In fact, money was important to most people. He couldn’t deny its importance to him. But he didn’t want it to be the reason Cally fell in love with him—if she fell in love with him.

  Could he really be that lucky? Or was it only wishful thinking? After his entirely shitty week, he coul
d do with a little luck. Was it possible she could learn to love him, despite his flaws and failings or was he conjuring up happily-ever-after scenarios that had little basis in reality? And what would happen when she found out he was rich? Would a seven-figure bank balance change the way she felt about him? Would it make her want him more, or would she be angry he kept it from her?

  He’d never been good at reading a woman’s mind—hell, he didn’t know any man who was good at that. In his experience, they always reacted the opposite way you thought they would. He’d long ago given up trying to work them out.

  What he did know was that he wanted her to love him for himself. If she was going to eventually fall in love with him, he wanted her to fall in love with Andy Warwick, the police officer, negotiator and all-round good guy.

  Slowing to a halt, he lifted his gaze to hers and finally answered her question. “My place is a little ways up the hill from here.” Purposefully vague, yet not being dishonest, he hoped her curiosity would be satisfied. He should have known he wouldn’t get away with it that easily.

  “Really? So it’s not too far away?”

  It was obvious she was angling for information, but he refused to take the bait. “No, not too far.” He took a bite of ice cream, filling his mouth and then took his time swallowing it.

  “Maybe you could take us there?”

  He froze and then forced his lips into a smile. “Maybe. Right now, it’s getting late though. We should probably head back.”

  * * *

  Calling out to Jack and Jimmy, Cally watched Andy take another bite of his ice cream and frowned. Something wasn’t right. That was the second time in as many minutes Andy had deflected questions about his house. Surely he had one? After all, he’d been living somewhere before he’d moved in with her and why would he tell her he lived in Bondi if he didn’t? There was no reason to make up something like that.

  Unless he didn’t want her to know where he really lived? Property in Bondi didn’t come cheap. She knew that first hand after spending hours scrolling through real estate websites at the local library before she’d moved from Armidale.