“You’re popular,” I said.
“With the wrong people,” he grumbled.
Now that he was talking again, I tried to reengage him in some sort of conversation.
“So… you haven’t seen your parents while you’re here? Are they – is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” he said, with a steely look on his face.
Everything was so not fine. That much was obvious.
“So… you just spend your time with some annoying girl who badgered you into giving her surfing lessons, huh?”
In an instant, the ice broke, and he smiled. “That was actually a nice distraction.”
“From what?”
“From life.” The way he said it sounded weary. Not like a surf bum at all.
But rather than ask him, I just decided to build on the previous good vibes. “I’m going to remind you that you said that tomorrow morning when you’re all Mr. Grumpy again.”
He frowned. “Who said we’re having another lesson?”
I’m terrible at hiding my emotions, and I must have betrayed my feelings of shock and utter disappointment because he broke into a huge grin. “Oh my God, your face –”
“You asshole!” I laughed, and threw the flower from my drink at him.
“Hey – we don’t have an unlimited supply of ammunition in here,” he joked in a warning tone of voice.
I reached into my glass and flicked an ice cube at him.
“Hey!” he said indignantly – and that’s when the Great Ice Fight of Venice, California ensued.
The people around us were no doubt annoyed as hell that they had paid extravagant prices to eat at a facsimile of a low-life dive, and suddenly two hooligans started acting like – well, the class of people you might find at a low-life dive. But we didn’t care; we carried on like two teenage kids in a McDonald’s, laughing and screeching as we threw bits of ice at each other.
It was all fun and games, though, until a particularly large ice cube went down my cleavage.
“Aaaaah!” I screamed, and bent over in pain, though I was laughing the entire time.
He was howling with laughter. “See, that’s what you get!”
“It went down my bathing suit!” I whispered loudly, not really wanting to announce it to the whole restaurant, even though they probably heard it anyway.
He got a beatific look on his face, like he was imagining something wonderful. “Oh, to be that piece of ice…”
Oh, really?
Maybe this night might have an even happier ending.
“If you don’t watch it,” I said as I tried to extricate the ice cube from between my boobs, “I’m going to stuff some down your pants.”
“You’re welcome to try.”
I looked up in surprise.
Mmmm… THAT would be fun.
I might even try it without any ice in my hand…
“Watch out, Surfer Boy – if I try it, I’ll do it,” I warned him as I finally fished the piece of ice out.
“Yeah, yeah.”
I flicked the piece of ice at him and hit him in the forehead. Perfect shot!
He groaned and wiped off the wet spot. “You just don’t learn, do you?”
I stuck out my tongue at him, threw another piece of ice, and round two ensued.
Suffice it to say, another couple of pieces of ice wound up in my cleavage.
Unfortunately, he didn't offer to get them out for me.
Ah, give it time.
26
We walked back to my house after dinner, slightly buzzed and hanging onto each other. It was dark, but I felt completely safe. The thought of what had happened the other night didn’t even enter my mind. In fact, the only sense of dread I had was that the evening was going to end on my front door step with a handshake and nothing else.
When we finally got to my place, we stopped on the sidewalk. I fiddled with my shopping bag and tried to be cool, even though my heart was racing at a hundred beats per minute.
“I had an amazing time,” I said shyly.
He smiled faintly. “So did I.”
“Thank you for dinner.”
“Thanks for the future trip to Hawaii.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I’ll have to get to work on that.”
“Let me know when.”
I stood there fiddling with the bag, desperately trying to think of a way to keep the conversation going. “You know, one of the things I especially liked tonight was when you –”
Suddenly he leaned over, took me in his arms, and kissed me.
It was such a shock that I didn’t kiss him back at first – but the feel of his warm lips on mine, so soft and yet insistent, put me into something like a trance. My arms dropped down to my side, and the plastic shopping bag slowly slipped out of my grasp. Once I realized what was happening – and once I felt my hands free – I lifted them up to his face and returned the sensual fervor of his kiss.
I ran my fingers over the stubble on his cheeks, finally getting to touch what I had wanted to the last 24 hours.
His arms circled my waist and pulled me closer to him.
Oh God – this is actually happening –
When he finally broke off the kiss, I looked up at him and asked breathlessly, “Do you want to go inside?”
He nodded. “Yes, I do.”
I bent down to pick up the bag with my wetsuit, and then he kissed me again.
I didn’t want to stop – and neither did he, apparently – so we stumbled awkwardly up the walkway to the porch, up the steps, and then to the front door, without our lips ever separating.
Only when I was forced to pull out my house keys did I turn away from him and fumble to find the lock.
He brushed the hair away from my neck and began kissing my skin and nibbling my ear. At the same time, his hands reached around my waist and stroked the exposed skin of my midriff.
Ohhhhhh…
This is going to happen – oh my God, this is really going to happen –
The door finally opened and we spilled in, a tangle of arms and legs as we kissed –
And then I heard a voice.
“Uhhhh…”
I shrieked and looked over in alarm to see Aisha sitting on the coach in a T-shirt and pajama pants, her hair up in rollers, hand in a bag of microwave popcorn, looking at us in wide-eyed shock.
Crap!
I wasn’t expecting her to be here – she was never here!
Aisha raised one hand slowly and gave a stiff wave. “Hi…”
“Hi,” Ian said, caught somewhere between amusement and annoyance.
“I’m Aisha…”
“My roommate,” I clarified.
“I’m Ian.”
Aisha looked over at me in alarm and apologized. “I’m sorry – I’ll get out of your way–”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I mean, yeah, we kind of –”
“No,” she said, “it’s cool. I was just going to my room anyway.”
Although she obviously wasn’t, but it was nice of her to say so.
And then, his phone rang. Buzzed in his board shorts.
I looked down as he reached into his pocket and got the shock of my life.
His erection was jutting out at an angle beneath his shorts – and it was BIG. Like, SERIOUSLY big. Like, ‘hiding a salami in his pants’ big.
He seemed to realize he was advertising the goods, so he turned around and discreetly adjusted himself as he fumbled his phone out of his pocket. Seconds later the shape more or less disappeared underneath the baggy clothing. I was pretty damn sure the head was sticking up several inches past the waistband of his board shorts, though I couldn’t see anything because of his t-shirt hanging over the top.
Dammit…
I found myself suddenly more turned on than before – uncomfortably so.
I glanced back at Aisha, whose eyes were fixed on his swimming trunks and were about as big as ping pong balls.
I don’t know why, but I was the one who
blushed furiously.
Ian looked at the cell phone screen and muttered under his breath. Then he looked up at Aisha and me. “I, uh, actually have to be going.”
My heart sank. “No, really – we can –”
“No, I need to go. Seriously.” He looked over at Aisha. “Nice meeting you.”
“You too.”
I felt like somebody had just told me there was no Santa Claus AND taken away my new puppy all at the same time.
“Are you sure?” I asked, crestfallen.
“Yeah.”
I looked over at Aisha. She winced and mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ silently.
Ian grabbed my wrist and pulled me gently back out the door onto the porch.
“I can get rid of her,” I whispered, “if that’s a problem. She’d leave, I know she would – ”
Without warning, he kissed me again, hard and fervently.
I closed my eyes and sank into it – and then just like that, it was over.
He smiled and trotted down the steps. “7AM tomorrow,” he said as he walked towards the street.
Okay, I didn’t get the big prize, but at least this was something.
“Does it have to be so early?” I pouted.
“Alright … I’ll let you sleep in. 8 o’clock.”
“8:30?” I suggested.
“Nope. Don’t push it.” He gave me that dazzling smile of his and said, “See you tomorrow morning.”
And just like that, he walked away.
27
When I walked back into the house Aisha almost fell over herself apologizing. “Oh girl, I am so sorry – I had no idea –”
“It’s not your fault,” I said in a mopey voice. “You didn’t know… hell, I didn’t know it was going to happen.”
“I could totally leave if you want me to –”
“No… I think it’s over for tonight. Although,” I suggested meekly, “if you could not be here tomorrow evening…”
She put up her hands in a ‘Stop!’ gesture. “Say no more – I won’t even be in the same zip code.” Then she got a look on her face. “Girl, he is FINE.”
“I know, right?” I said, kind of amazed at what had just happened.
“And… uh… if you don’t mind my saying… GIFTED in a certain department. Ahem.”
My cheeks burned scarlet.
“I’m sorry – was that weird?” she asked, wincing but smiling all the same.
“Kind of, yeah.”
“Okay – sorry – I just – MM.” She put her hand up in the air, closed her eyes, and acted like she had it all under control again. “Okay, I’m good now.”
“I need you to show me how to make coffee with your machine,” I said.
“You want a cup now?”
“No, I’m meeting him again for surfing tomorrow morning, early, and – ”
“Mm,” she clucked, and I knew exactly what she was thinking about.
“STOP IT!” I yelled, blushing again.
She laughed, then took me into the kitchen and showed me the finer points of using her coffee maker.
28
Ian
I walked down the boardwalk thinking about Katie, tasting her mouth on my lips. It had been a perfect day – every single minute. Well, almost every single minute. It had definitely been the most enjoyable 12 hours out of my last couple of years, that was for sure.
And what an ending.
If only the roommate hadn’t been there.
But deep down, I knew that was probably for the best. No matter how beautiful she was, no matter how sweet and sexy and funny, this was a mistake.
I hadn’t been thinking. I didn’t know anything about her – and she was incredibly tight-lipped about her former life.
Not that I could blame her. I wasn’t exactly forthcoming myself... but then again, I had reasons.
I had no idea what hers were, though, and that worried me.
But still, I couldn’t get her out of my mind… all I could think about was the softness of her skin under my fingers, the smell of her hair as I kissed her neck, the way she smiled a little crookedly. The lilting sound of her laugh.
And then, as I was about to turn onto the boardwalk to head home, I saw something that jolted me out of my daydream.
A block away, there was the kid with the cornrows, the one who had almost assaulted her.
He hadn’t seen me yet, which was good. I stepped back into the shadows, pulled out my cell phone, and called information. They connected me with the Venice Police. Once I got the front desk, I identified myself and gave them a quick rundown of the previous night.
“The guy is out on the Venice boardwalk right now,” I said. “Over near Pearl Street, although he’s not with the other two.”
“We’ll send somebody out right away,” the cop promised.
“Thanks,” I said, then hung up.
There was a small problem: the guy was between me and my rental house. I could go up the street and around him, but I had no idea if he’d seen which way I’d turned last night. He might have staked out my place with his buddies and was waiting for me to walk into the trap.
I thought for a second about going back to Katie, but that could lead to other things. Things that weren’t wise to pursue.
However, there was another option.
I turned in the opposite direction and started walking up the boardwalk, away from the kid with the cornrows. Every so often I would check over my shoulder, but he hadn’t seen me, and he wasn’t following. Within minutes, I’d left him far behind.
I kept walking until I got to the bridge over the marina, then crossed the water and emerged on the other side.
Up the beach another couple hundred yards was a massive house overlooking the water. I walked up the side path, opened the gate, and then navigated the neatly-trimmed garden pathway until I reached the back door.
I used the illumination from my cell phone to find the lockbox looped around the metal grating, hidden out of view. It was the same sort that realtors used so agents could get in and out to show houses. I flipped the dials to the correct combination, then opened it up and retrieved the key.
Within seconds, I had unlocked the door and was inside. All the lights were off. I didn’t bother to turn them on, just walked straight over to the bar at the far end of the den. I needed a drink. Not so much from nearly encountering the thug from the other night, as from needing to kill the ache left over from my interrupted evening with Katie.
I grabbed a bottle of 30-year-old Scotch, got a crystal glass from the cabinet, poured myself a couple of fingers –
And then saw that the bucket on the marble counter was filled with ice. Virtually none of it was melted.
Someone was in the house with me.
“Jesus!” a voice yelled behind me. I spun around in alarm.
Across the room in the darkness was a young guy in jeans, suit jacket, and t-shirt. He had floppy brown hair and wore black-framed hipster glasses.
He shook his head in irritation. “Where the hell have you been?”
29
I picked up my glass and took a sip. “Hello, Bryce. Been drinking my best stuff, I see.”
Bryce clicked a switch on the wall, flooding the room with light. I blinked and squinted my eyes, then looked around the room.
The ceiling was thirty feet overhead, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows that some window washer on the payroll was still keeping clean. The plush leather sofas… the custom mahogany furniture from France… the Picasso prints hanging on the wall…
Not much had changed since I grew up here, except the 72-inch flat-screen TV hung tastefully on the wall.
Bryce walked towards me wearing a scowl on his face. “Somebody had to, since you haven’t been around. It’s been going to waste.”
“How’d you get in?”
“I was here when you installed the lockbox, right after the – ”
I cut him off. “You remembered the code?”
He pointed to his temp
le. “Photographic memory, or did you forget?”
“You never let me forget.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Because I know you like talking about it so much.”
“Where have you been?”
“Out and about.”
“Surfing?” he asked sarcastically.
“As a matter of fact, yes.”
“I took a walk and looked for you out on the beach this afternoon. You weren’t out there.”
“It’s a big beach.”
“It was a long walk.”
I glared at him. “You hired people to try and find me, didn’t you?”
“There’s a lot at stake!” he exploded. “Where were you?!”
“Somewhere else.”
“Doing what?!”
I thought of Katie, of our entire day together, of ice cream, of dinner.
I thought about kissing her, and what I badly wished I were doing now instead of standing here.
“…something else.”
“Why haven’t you been staying here?” he demanded.
“Because I figured people like you might show up.”
“You figured right,” he said angrily. “Where are you staying, then? The Loews Santa Monica? The Viceroy? Shutters?”
“Someplace nearby. That’s all you need to know.”
“Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”
“For the same reason.”
His tone switched from angry to desperate. “Look, you have to come back.”
“I don’t have to do anything.”
“We’re going to IPO in four months! The investors are freaking out – ”
“You’re the CTO. You handle it.”
“I’m just a coder, Ian.”
“You’re the co-founder of the company.”
“Yeah, but they want the other co-founder,” he said bitterly. “The golden boy.”
“Well, the golden boy decided to step out for a while.”
“Look, man – I get it. I know this is tough for you, what with all that’s happened the last year.”
Panic welled up in me – the same panic I felt every time Katie asked where I was from and what I did for a living.
Sex On The Beach: Bad Boys Club Romance #1 Page 7