by Ava May
The path curved around through to a thicket of trees that reached over and touched each others' branches, filtering the sunlight so that Scarlett and Jack were cast in a green glow. Small animals scurried about around them. Jack's hand slid down and took hers. Their fingers entwined together.
“It's a really pleasant day,” he said.
“It's the kind of day that makes you feel glad to be alive,” she said, and when they looked at each other they saw the same look in each others' eyes.
“So what were some of the things you had on this bucket list?” he asked.
“Oh God, it's going back a ways now. Some of them were stupid.”
“Like?”
“Okay, so, one of them was that we were going to go to the Oscars, either as actresses or as the dates of famous actors. Another one was that we were going to meet Michael Jackson, but obviously… well, that's never going to happen. Some of them were realistic though, although I think Lisa took it more seriously than I did. I just wanted to live a good life with a good job so that I had security. Lisa was always the adventurous one. She never had any direction in life and sometimes I thought that was a bad thing, but now I'm not so sure. She was just so... free. She could have done anything she wanted, whenever she got a whim for it. She wanted to see the world, and always wanted to go and sip cocktails on a beach in the Caribbean. That was the big one. That's what she was saving for and then… well, the accident happened.”
“Do you blame the other driver for it?”
“I don't know. I used to, but I really don't know what happened that night. For all I know, it could have been Lisa's mistake. All that matters is that my sister is gone. There's no point being angry at anyone. I don't even know if they're still alive or not.”
“That's a mature attitude to have.”
“You gotta carry on living. That's what we kept telling ourselves, and being angry would just lock us into the past.”
“How did it affect your parents?”
“I think a little piece of them died too. It's different for them. I guess every parent thinks that they're going to die before their children. I mean, they raised us to send us out into the world but Lisa's life ended before she got a chance to do all the things she wanted.”
“Death is a strange thing. I know it sounds entirely arrogant of me, but I can't envision a world in which I don't live. There are so many things that are going to happen and I hate that I won't be here to see them.”
“It never seems like there's enough time to do everything, and there are always so many distractions around.”
“Like your ex?” he asked. The question stabbed at Scarlett.
“Yeah, exactly like him.”
“What's the story there?”
“Oh, the usual, we were happy for a while and then we just drifted apart. I threw myself into work, he threw himself into another woman's bed. Now he wants to talk it through and I'm saying no, and he's having trouble taking the hint. What about you, any crazy exes?”
“Not that I know of,” he said. Scarlett gazed at him.
“No crazy exes, no-one close to you that's died… you know, I really don't know that much about you.”
Jack shrugged. “I just like keeping to myself. There's too much easy information out there. I knew that when I became successful I'd have a lot of people asking me questions and trying to dig for any dirt, so I just live my life as quietly as possible. I never liked the spotlight and I didn't want my business aired like dirty laundry. I've met a lot of people who twist the media. Some of them use it for their own ends, while others get caught up in it and chewed out. I wanted to separate myself from all that. It also means that I can walk through parks like this without being harassed.”
“And what about me?”
“What about you?”
“Are you going to let me in?”
“You'll just have to wait and find out,” he said, and walked off, smiling wickedly. She followed him, eager to know everything about him but not wanting to scare him away. There was something about him that drove her insane. She wanted him to show her the man inside, but there was something he was holding back, and she just wasn't sure what it was.
5
The two of them continued to walk, chatting about everything and nothing. The day seemed endless, and Monday was a far-off mirage that would never arrive. That's what spending time with Jack was like. Time had no meaning to Scarlett as she let the joy of the moment sweep her up in happiness. They walked for a while, until eventually, Jack stopped and rested by a tree. Scarlett tucked her skirt under her legs and settled beside him. The grass was soft and the bark of the tree was rough. There were a few fallen leaves and some mossy ground.
“I like this place,” he said, as though it had only just occurred to him. “I like being away from the city.”
“So, where's your favorite place in the world? I know most of the time you're in meetings, but you must have been able to enjoy some places?”
Jack picked up a few blades of grass and pulled them apart with his fingers as he looked out into the distance. Once the grass had been shredded, he picked up some more and repeated the process.
“I have a cabin in Switzerland. It's set up in the mountains. There's a ski lodge nearby—not that I was ever much for skiing—but it's far away from everything and it's amazing how much brighter the sun seems when it shines against the snowy mountains. The air is crisp and whenever I'm there, I'm surrounded by nature, and it's easy to forget about the rest of my life. I can simply look out at the world... and when it becomes night time, the stars are so bright and big that I can almost touch the heavens. It reminds me that no matter how much money I have, I'm still just a speck of dust compared to the vastness of space. Too many people forget that. We only see what's around us. There's more to the world than that.”
“You're quite the philosopher, aren't you?”
“Not exactly, I just read a lot when I was younger. You might be surprised to know that I wasn't always popular at school. I mostly just kept myself to myself.”
“You're right. I don't believe that for one second. I always had you pegged as the all-star type. You know: quarterback, beautiful girlfriend, everyone wanted to be you, or be with you,” she said, sidling closer to him. She picked up a long strand of grass and brushed it across his thick forearm, but he was lost in another world and didn't seem to notice.
“No, it was never anything like that. I was a late bloomer actually. All this,” he gestured to his muscles. “Is a result of having a gym in my house. Whenever I have some time off, I go and work out. It's a good way to release stress, and to make sure that I get a good sleep. I always struggled with that when I was younger. Could never turn my mind off. So now I just make sure to tire my body out and I'm down for the night.”
“So you were a real bookworm at school then?”
“Totally. I didn't even have a girlfriend until I was well into college.”
“And what happened to her?”
A strange expression came over his face. He lost himself in his gaze, and just seemed to be looking into the eternal nothingness. He pursed his lips and then threw away the grass.
“It just didn't work out,” he said, but again, Scarlett got the sense that he was hiding something from her. She nuzzled up to him and pulled his arm around her body. Her hair fell over his shoulder as she looked up at him with wide eyes. She reached up and turned his head to face her so that their eyes could meet, and when she looked in them she saw a melancholic weariness.
“You are quite uncommon,” she said, and leaned into him to kiss him deeply on the lips. The comfort of his touch was soothing and they melted into one another. He reached his hand over and took the errant strands of her hair, running his fingers down them to the tip that almost rested against her breast. His fingers were so close that she felt a swell of arousal, and the heat rose in her mind once more. She smiled at him and rested her hand against his scratchy stubble.
“I am glad I meet w
ith your approval.”
“I think there's still plenty to learn about you, but that will come in time” she said, and kissed him again. The summer haze simmered around them and they enjoyed the company of each other. They rested against the tree and watched the natural landscape before them, still in its golden glory. His hand rested against her hips, stroking her lightly.
“I've missed this,” she murmured. “It's been a long time since I've felt this comfortable with anyone.”
“Me too.”
Scarlett narrowed her eyes at him. “You don't have to lie to me, you know. I know that you must have had loads of girlfriends. I don't mind—what happened in the past is in the past.”
“I wouldn't say I've had loads. I've had a lot of dates because I attend a lot of functions, and it's expected that I should turn up with someone on my arm, but as for girlfriends... they have always proved elusive.”
“Why?”
The bluntness of her question amused him somewhat.
“In my position, there are a lot of people that see the money before they see me, and they think that they can present themselves as somebody I want and end up deceiving me. I don't like being deceived. If I was to be with anyone, it would be genuine.”
“Is that why you don't tell your names to strangers when you come into rooms and see them on the verge of tears?” she said, her heart filling with joy at the fact that he was the complete opposite to what she had assumed. Instead of using her for that one afternoon, he seemed to actually be interested in more than the physical side of things, and this only endeared him to her more. She felt herself deeply attracted to the man and draped herself over him, not wanting to spend one single second out of his reach.
It was nice but a little scary to process the feelings that were swimming inside her. The attraction she was feeling was so strong and so intense that she was afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing that would shatter the moment. He was so calm, so assured, and an intense aura simmered beneath his relaxed facade. Of all the women in the world that could have been sitting in her position, it was Scarlett that was by his side. Whatever he was hiding from her, she was sure that he would reveal it in time, and she was willing to give him that time. Her breaths were deep, more like sighs, and as she closed her eyes, she could hear the blood rushing through his body.
“I've never fallen for someone this quickly before,” she found herself saying. The words came out as though they had a life of their own. “I don't know how you usually go about these things, but I just want you to know that I don't... I mean, I'm not interested in anyone else.”
“I’d like to just go with the flow and let things develop naturally,” he said. It wasn't the outpouring of romance that Scarlett had hoped for, and when he stood up abruptly, she was worried that she had said something wrong. He took her hands in his and pulled her up to her feet. She looked into his eyes. His expression was impossible to read.
“You are going to be trouble, Mr. Keyes. I just know it,” she said, as he placed a hand on the small of her back and drew her into him, kissing her deeply. Her arms fell by her side at the overwhelming force of the kiss, and when he released her, she almost fell over.
“I feel like some ice cream,” he said, and they walked away, hand in hand.
6
They found an ice cream stand and got a couple of cones. Jack got chocolate, while Scarlett chose honeycomb.
“I always feel like I should choose a flavor I don't usually have. I could get chocolate anywhere,” she said, taking her first lick of the sweet treat.
“I always think I should do something like that but it never turns out that way. I invariably end up having chocolate,” he said. They strolled through the park as they enjoyed their ice cream, but there was something weighing on Scarlett's mind. She didn't know if she was overreacting or over-thinking things, but Jack's lack of enthusiasm to her declaration of affection troubled her. She wanted to just enjoy the moment, but her natural self-doubt plagued her and she found herself afraid to say anything more. As a result, they walked along in silence, and this time it was a little uncomfortable. Scarlett tried to think of some way to alleviate the tension she was feeling, but her mind was blank, and she started to dread the end of her ice cream cone.
But then, Jack spoke up.
“So now that we have the time, it's probably for the best that you get to know a little about me. Ask me some questions. I'll tell you anything you want to know.”
That promise was like being given a key to a forbidden kingdom, and it showed Scarlett that he was serious about her. She couldn't imagine anyone else being given such freedom. At first, she only started with simple questions that children would ask each other upon first meeting to decide whether they were going to be friends or not. His favorite color was red, his favorite animal was a penguin because he liked the way they walked, and his favorite movie—well, he usually told people that it was The Godfather, but actually it was Dumb & Dumber. Scarlett thought that it was a good choice. After this, she went deeper and asked more personal questions, wondering if he would really tell her everything. When she asked him about his deepest desire and his darkest fear, he told her that his answer was linked.
“I don't like the thought of death. Not much in this world scares me, but that does... just the thought of being here one minute and being gone the next. I know it's irrational because it's the same for everyone. But I don't want to die. So that's my biggest fear, and my biggest desire is to live forever. I want to see and learn everything, to find out how the human race develops and if there are alien races out there. There's so much that we don't know... so much that we'll never know, and it pains me.”
And then, to lighten the mood, she asked him what his biggest turn-on was. He had a simple answer for that. He turned to face her and said, “You,” then whisked her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Her lips were still cold from the ice cream but they soon warmed up, and she could taste the chocolate that lingered on him. Deep within him she felt his passion, and as they kissed their hands were all over each other and their bodies were pressed tightly against each other, so much so that she felt his penis twitch and grow. She hated that they were in public because all she wanted to do was tear the clothes off his back.
“I want you so badly,” she said.
“Me too,” he growled, and held her body tightly, squeezing her and running his eyes all over her body, as though he could barely restrain himself. “I know a place we can go, if you want to be alone.”
A smile flashed upon her face and that was the only answer he needed. He whisked her away to the pier where he had a boat moored. It was a long yacht that gleamed white, and Scarlett could see that it was called the Penelope.
“Was the boat named after anyone?” she asked.
“I'm a big fan of Greek mythology. Penelope was the name of Odysseus' wife,” he said as he brought Scarlett onto his boat. She nodded, pretending that she knew what it meant.
They walked through. The deck was small and cluttered. Jack showed her through to the bridge where the wheel was located, and a number of other instruments.
“Do you take her out often?” Scarlett asked.
“Not as much as I'd like to,” he said, and carried on walking forward. There was a change in his behavior since he stepped onto the boat and Scarlett couldn't put his finger on what it was, but she was too excited about spending time alone with him to give it much thought. There was a small ladder that led down from the bridge and they descended this, entering into a small lounge. The ceiling was low enough that even Scarlett was inconvenienced by it, and had to crouch as she walked through. Jack opened a mini-fridge and tossed her a bottle of water.
“It's quite cozy in here,” she said. Most of the room was made up of compartments as space was at a premium, but then Jack showed her through to the bedroom and it was in complete contrast to the lounge. It was a good-sized room with a ceiling that was at normal height. The bed was at least a queen size and out of the w
indows she could see the other boats swaying in the harbor.
“Now this is nice,” she said, and walked around the room. Jack perched himself on the edge of the bed and waited for her to turn around to face him. When she did so, he patted the sheets, beckoning her over. She slowly walked, wanting to tease him, but ended up leaping into his arms and smothering him in kisses. All her fantasies had built up a burning desire within her and now it flooded out as though a dam had cracked and all the water came out in a relentless torrent. They kissed each other desperately and fervently, the soft sway of the boat accompanying the rhythms of their bodies. They smiled widely and giggled to each other at the joy they were feeling, and they soon fell to the bed, rolling over the sheets. Their hands slipped under their clothes, reaching deep to grasp at hidden skin. Tongues flicked and eyes fluttered as they lost themselves to the dazed bliss of the moment.
7
And just when it was becoming a perfect moment, Scarlett's phone rang.
“Dammit, I thought I had it on silent,” she lamented as she pulled it out, and then scowled when she saw who it was that was calling.
“Is that your ex?” Jack asked, moving behind her, draping an arm over her shoulder and kissing her neck.
“Yeah, I'll let it go to voicemail,” she said, and motioned to toss the phone to the other side of the room. But just before she could do this, Jack grabbed her wrist and took the phone.
“What are you doing?” Scarlett asked, a look of horror in her eyes. Jack raised a finger to silence her and then answered the phone.
“Hello?”
Who is this?
“It's Jack.”
And who might you be?
“I'm the guy who’s about to fuck Scarlett.”
Um, excuse me?
“You heard me. I'm going to fuck Scarlett. I've fucked her already and I'm going to fuck her again, so many times that she'll forget all about you. So stop calling.”
Did she put you up to this? Come on, put Scarlett on the phone.
“That's not going to be possible. She's going to be tied up for the next few hours,” Jack said, and ended the call, throwing the phone to the floor. It buzzed again but neither of them bothered to answer it. Scarlett was dumbfounded by how authoritative he was at handling Matt and how easily he dealt with the situation. The confidence with which he carried himself was a powerful aphrodisiac and Scarlett felt herself burning for him. She watched with awe as he walked over to one of the compartments and opened up a drawer. He pulled out a belt and a tie. Holding one in each hand he sauntered back over to her and she smiled as she wondered what was in store for her.