by Mike Ryan
“Hmm. I dunno. That’s a tough one. Maybe you should try that one on so I can see, you know, tough to say without seeing it on you,” he inferred.
“OK. Be back in a sec.”
Turner watched her intently as she walked back to the bathroom. All he wanted to do right then was just scoop her up in his arms and kiss her passionately while laying her down on the sofa. He tapped his cheek and shook his head to try and get the dirty thoughts out of his mind.
“Keep yourself together Ryan. You’ve seen girls in bikinis before,” he told himself. “Yeah, but they weren’t this pretty and standing in your living room before either,” he replied.
Parker returned a few minutes later, enjoying the affect she seemed to be having on him. She could tell he was enjoying the view and liked what he saw.
“So how do you like this one?” she asked.
“Uhh, looks great,” he said, waving his hand. “But you could make anything look great.”
“I doubt that.”
Parker waited a minute for him to say which one he preferred but Turner forgot that he was supposed to be judging which suit he liked best. He was too focused on just looking at her.
“Ryan?”
“Yeah?”
“So which one?” Parker asked.
“Which one what?”
“You’re supposed to say which one you liked better,” she told him, loving that she was making him absent minded.
“I am? Oh yeah, I am. Uhh, gosh, such a hard decision,” he said, putting his hands on his hips. “Umm, I really like both of them.”
“Well I can’t wear both at once.”
“If only that were possible. You know, I think I like the white one better, just a little bit.”
“So should I change back into that one?”
“Please do,” Turner replied. “I mean, yes, yes. If you want to.”
“OK. Be right back,” she smiled at him.
“What torture,” he said, watching her walk away again.
Parker returned after a minute and wanted to know how she looked, even if she already knew what his answer would be.
“You look incredible,” he told her. “You’re gonna have to beat the guys away with a stick.”
“Maybe you can do that for me.”
Parker put a pair of grey shorts over top of her bikini bottoms as they got ready to leave. Cole was sitting outside on his porch as he saw the two of them leave Turner’s apartment. He nodded at Parker as they walked toward Turner’s car.
“I wonder how long it’s gonna take for the two of them to…ahh, never mind,” he said to himself. Cole went back inside his apartment and started doing some work on his computer. His screen went black as he noticed a video message was coming in.
“Cole,” Burnett said.
“What can I do for you, ma’am?”
“Just checking in to see how things were progressing.”
“Good. Everything’s on track.”
“Where’s Parker?”
“She, uhh, just went to the beach,” he told her.
“The beach? Do you think now is really the time for sun and sand?”
“I insisted. I thought she was a little stressed and thought some time away would do her some good.”
“Are you keeping an eye on Turner while she’s gone?”
“Not quite. Turner’s with her,” Cole replied.
“Cole, is there something going on between the two of them. Are they romantically involved somehow?” Burnett wondered.
“No. It’s strictly professional with the two of them. Parker just wanted to keep him close to her in case Davis tried to contact him again at some point.”
“Very well.”
Parker and Turner had just arrived at the beach and put their towels down. She grabbed her phone and got close to Turner.
“What’re you doing?” he wondered.
“Just something to remember the moment,” she replied, snapping a picture.
“You’re taking a selfie?”
“Do you mind?”
“No. Not at all,” Turner smiled.
“Good.”
Parker sat down and rubbed some suntan lotion on her arms, legs, stomach, and chest.
“Could you put some on my back for me?” Parker asked, holding up the bottle.
“Sure.”
Parker moved her hair out of the way as Turner started rubbing the lotion on her back. As his hands moved around her back and shoulders it made him want her even more. They almost seemed like a real couple, he thought. It was definitely something he could get used to. He started daydreaming about being together and he suddenly stopped moving his hands as he thought about the two of them. Parker felt his hands stop and wondered what he was doing. Feeling his hands on her back felt so good to her, she didn’t want him to stop.
“You OK?” Parker asked.
Turner broke out of his trance once he heard her. “Yeah. Yeah. All done,” he told her, wiping the lotion off his hands.
They laid on their towels for about an hour, soaking up the sun, before Turner started getting restless.
“Think I’ll go jump in the water for a little bit,” he told her. “Wanna join me?”
“No, I think I’ll stay here for a little bit.”
“OK.”
A few minutes after Turner left, a rather large, muscular guy walked by and saw Parker laying there and approached her.
“Hey baby,” the man said.
Parker looked up at him but didn’t respond. She didn’t really like strange men calling her baby.
“How would you like to grab some lunch with me?”
“I’d rather not,” she answered.
“Come on now. You’re a good looking girl. I’m a good looking guy. Let’s get together.”
“Good to see you’re humble.”
“Hey, we got it, might as well flaunt it.”
“Really. Well, I have a boyfriend, he’s actually right over there, so I’m afraid I’ll have to pass on that really tempting off,” she sarcastically said.
“OK. Well, when you get tired of him, hit me up,” he said, handing her a piece of paper with his phone number on it.
“You keep your number on a piece of paper in your pants?” she observed.
“It’s the beach. Never know who you might run into. Not everyone has a pen or paper with them. Gotta be prepared.”
“Indeed. Good thinking. I’ll keep it in mind,” she told him. He then walked away, looking for other women to impress. “California’s such a strange place,” she whispered.
While Turner was gone, two other men approached Parker, trying to get a date with her. They were much nicer, and less egotistical than the first guy, but she shot both of them down just the same. They both left their phone numbers for her anyway just in case she changed her mind.
“I should have went with him,” she told herself. While she was a little flattered that a few men came up to her, she really wasn’t the type who enjoyed all the attention, unless it was from a guy she wanted.
After being gone for half an hour, Turner started walking back to their spot. Parker watched him come back and thought how good he looked wet. He had a nice body, she thought. Not too thin, not too muscular, but he looked like he had a baseball athlete’s build. Turner sat down and started to dry off, Parker helping him, drying off his back for him.
“Should’ve came, the water was great,” he said.
“I know. Especially since I broke my stick warding off all those guys you were talking about,” she told him, holding up pieces of paper.
“What’s that?”
“Phone numbers.”
“You got all those in the forty minutes I was gone?” Turner asked.
“Yeah,” she smiled.
“Wow. Well, you know, it’s not surprising with the way you look.”
“Oh yeah? Why?” she asked, wanting him to elaborate further.
“Well, you look gorgeous. Any normal guy who saw you, especially in that
bikini, would want to get to know you better,” he said. “So uhh, are you gonna call any of those guys?”
“I dunno,” she said, know full well that she wasn’t. But she thought that teasing him a little wouldn’t hurt. “What do you think?”
“Well, I dunno. I mean, you don’t really know them that well. Probably not a good idea for you to go out with someone you just met,” he said with a cough.
“Oh. I thought a couple of them seemed really nice. You aren’t jealous are you?”
“What?” he said with a laugh. “Me? Jealous? Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. I mean, if we were dating, maybe I would be a little bit. But we’re just friends so I’m not jealous at all. I mean, I have a date tonight anyway, so if you wanna go on one too, hey, go right ahead.”
Parker could tell by the sound of his voice that he didn’t mean a word of what he just said. He didn’t say it with any conviction or power and kind of stumbled his way through it.
“Wanna walk along the beach with me?” she asked.
“Sure.”
They grabbed their towels and went near the water, walking along the edge. After a few minutes, Parker saw a couple guys walking from the opposite direction towards them. They appeared to be looking at her so she quickly thought of a plan to seduce Turner further.
“Can you hold my hand please?” she asked, not waiting for a reply, and grabbing his hand.
“What?” he asked, as the two guys walked past them.
“Sorry. I thought those two guys might hit on me and I’ve really had enough of that for one day. So I thought if they saw us holding hands they might think you were my boyfriend and leave me alone.”
“Oh.”
“Sorry.”
“No, it’s OK,” he said.
“Mind if we just keep holding hands for a while?”
“I can think of a lot worse things to do,” he joked.
They walked and talked for another hour, really enjoying themselves and each other’s company. Once they were finished, they walked back to the car and checked their phones for any messages. Parker’s phone was empty but Turner had a few messages from his sister. He called her back before they left.
“Hey Vic, what’s up?”
“Hey. Well, I just wanted to see if you wanted to go to lunch today but since you never replied back I assumed you were busy,” she answered.
“Oh. Sorry about that.”
“Busy day at work today?”
“Uhh, no. I took the day off and went to the beach,” he told her.
“You played hooky from work to go to the beach? That doesn’t sound like you at all. You never call out of work.”
“Yeah, well, I just figured I’d go to the beach today,” he happily said.
“By yourself?”
“Not quite. I went with Alex.”
Vicki was a little surprised and didn’t answer right away. “You mean beautiful, sexy, girl next door, Alex?”
“Uhh yeah.”
“You skipped work to go to the beach…with Alex,” she repeated.
“Umm yes. Is that a problem?”
“Yes! Ryan, can you not see it?”
“Uhh, I guess not,” he replied.
“We are gonna have to talk about this. You’re going on a date tonight with Marissa and you’re going to the beach with another woman.”
“Just as friends,” Turner objected.
“No no. No. Not friends. You are interested in her and I didn’t believe you the other night when you said it and I definitely don’t believe it now. You are interested in her and you can’t hide it from me anymore,” Vicki replied, talking fast.
“Vicki, I really think you’re making a lot out of nothing.”
“Are you on your way home?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Cause I’m coming over so we can talk.”
Turner hung up and looked at Parker, smiling. He wasn’t sure what exactly just happened. His sister was known to get highly emotional at a moments notice and blow things out of proportion. He assumed it was just one of those times.
“Everything OK?” Parker asked.
“Yeah. Everything’s good. My sister wants to talk about something so she’s meeting me at the house.”
“Oh. Ok.”
They talked and laughed along the way home, talking about the different things they liked and disliked. They were really enjoying being with each other. Once they finally got back home, Turner noticed his sister’s car sitting there. She wasn’t in it so he assumed she was waiting on the porch. As they walked closer to the apartment, they could see her sitting there, doing something on her phone. Vicki quickly put it away when she saw them approaching. She noticed Alex’s attire, short shorts and a bikini top, which didn’t help to dispel what she was thinking about them.
“Hi Vicki,” Alex sweetly said, waving.
“Hi,” Vicki replied, mustering a not so genuine smile.
“Wanna change in here?” Turner asked Parker.
Parker took a quick glance at his sister and thought it might not be the best idea. “Uhh…I think I’ll change at my place. Thanks though.”
“OK. See you in a little bit.”
“OK. Bye,” Parker replied, giving Vicki another wave.
Turner and his sister entered his apartment and she started grilling him before he even got the door closed.
“She certainly has a lot going on for her,” Vicki stated, noting her pretty face and curvy body.
“I guess so.”
“So what’s going on with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I finally found a nice girl for you in Marissa and now Alex comes along…,”
“Sis, relax. We’re just friends.”
“Just friends? I just saw how you two looked at each other. That was not a look of just friends,” Vicki told him.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Just tell me the truth.”
“Why is it so important?” Turner asked.
“Ryan, you’ve been a miserable person for the last five years since you and Megan split. I’ve been waiting for the day you met the right person to make you feel happy again,” she explained. “And now I feel like you’re almost there.”
“I’m still not getting where you going with this.”
“It’s not that I’m trying to steer you away from Alex toward Marissa, I’m not. I’m probably making a bigger deal out of this than it actually is and I’m trying not to be overly emotional. But I feel like one of these girls could be good for you. And if it’s Alex, that’s great. If it’s Marissa, that’s great too. I’m not trying to make the decision for you, I just don’t want you to wind up liking both of them and not knowing who to choose and somehow pissing both of them off and winding up with nobody.”
“Wow, sis, relax. You’re way over thinking everything. You do realize I’ve only been on one date with Marissa, right? And Alex, we haven’t even been on an official date. Well, I guess we did go on one.”
“I know, I know. I’m getting way ahead of myself,” she sighed. “I need to remember to take things slow.”
“Really, you need to calm down,” Turner said, sounding unconcerned about the whole matter. “It’s all a moot point anyway.”
“Why?”
“Because Alex is probably not gonna be around that much longer anyway. Her job takes her all over the place.”
“Oh. Well that’s too bad,” Vicki said.
“Too bad? You’ve just spent how many minutes telling me not to be with her?”
“Ryan, if she’s the girl for you then I’m OK with it. She seems really nice. And the sex appeal doesn’t hurt I’m sure. I just don’t want you to screw up things with both of them.”
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence. Really appreciate it,” he sarcastically replied.
“I’m just trying to look out for you.”
“I know. I’m gonna go get changed.”
“OK. I’m just gonna step outside for
a few minutes.”
Just as Vicki stepped outside, she noticed Alex coming out of her apartment also. Alex sat down and Vicki thought it’d be nice to get to know her a little better.
“Mind if I sit?” Vicki asked.
“Sure.”
“Have fun at the beach?”
“Yeah. It was nice to relax for a change. Don’t really get to do that much with my job,” Parker said.
“Yeah. Ryan told me about it. Hey, we’re all going out tonight on a date. Maybe you’d want to come along?”
“Uhh, no, I don’t think so,” Parker laughed. “Besides, I don’t have a date so that really wouldn’t work out so well.”
“Maybe another time.”
“Maybe.”
“So Ryan tells me you move around a lot.”
“Yeah. One of the pitfalls of the job.”
“So how long are you gonna be here for?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Oh. Well, hopefully you’ll stick around for a while.”
“We’ll see. So where are you all going tonight?” Parker wondered.
“I think we’re just gonna have dinner then see a movie.”
“Sounds like a good time. Hope you all have fun.”
“I’m sure we will. It’s too bad you can’t join us. Maybe I could find someone for you? Brad has some single friends,” Vicki stated.
“Oh. No, really, I’m not interested in dating anyone right now.”
“How come? You’re so beautiful, I’m sure you could pick any guy you wanted.”
“It’s complicated,” Parker replied, not wanting to tell his sister her feelings.
“You know, the only reason I can think of you wouldn’t want to date, is that you’re into somebody who might not be available?” Vicki said, deviously trying to get her to confess she liked Ryan.
“It’s tough to date when you’re constantly moving around like I do.”
“Is that why you haven’t gone out with my brother?” she asked, trying the blunt version.
“Excuse me?”
“Well I saw the way you two looked at each other when I first saw you. And the way I saw you look at each other again today, it sure seemed like you guys were into each other.”
Parker wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “That’s pretty direct, huh?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosey or anything,” Vicki said, embarrassed she was so forthcoming. “He‘s just been unhappy for a long time and I just really want him to find someone who’ll make him happy again. Sometimes I go a little overboard.”