by C. C. Piper
“About us sleeping together?”
“Yes. It was a big step for you.”
It had been a big step. I had been a virgin until age twenty, and then I’d slept with a man I barely knew. I’d assumed part of it would be traumatic, or even difficult, but it had been an amazing experience.
“I liked it,” I whispered. I didn’t need to whisper. Between the gulls and the waves, no one would overhear us, even if they walked up to the patio.
Richard sat up straighter in his seat. “What did you like about it?”
“I liked you looking at me.” I could not believe I’d said that out loud. But it was true. When I thought about Richard’s eyes on me, admiring my body, a warmth spread through my body. I now recognized that as arousal.
Richard ran his hand through his dark hair, ruffling it out of its usual ordered style. “Do you have any idea why you were uncomfortable the first night we were together?”
I had wondered that myself. I had been uneasy, but not enough to lessen my attraction to Richard. Meeting him had changed my perception of myself. In my mind, I didn’t date. I didn’t like men beyond friendship. That was a belief I’d held onto for most of my life. Then suddenly I found myself naked with a man, and I’d liked his hands on me.
But I’d struggled with that, because the relationship wasn’t a natural one. It was a contractual agreement.
I’d come to terms with that now. But it had been jarring at first.
“I think it was because I didn’t know if this would last. I didn’t think I’d be able to obey you, but I liked what we were doing. I had a hard time admitting that. It was my first time doing anything sexually, and I didn’t want it to end.”
This was why he’d been fidgety. He’d been working up to discussing our sex life. I put my hand on his arm. “I’ve like what we’ve done. If I hadn’t enjoyed it, I wouldn’t be saying anything right now. I don’t know that I’m truly submissive in bed, but I like your eyes on me. I like your hands on me. I like you taking control of what I do.”
Richard exhaled. “If we don’t stop talking about this, I’m going to take you back inside and take your clothes off.”
“You can.”
“No. I appreciate you being honest with me. I’m sure it wasn’t easy. But I have plans for today. We’ll have some time together tonight for me to explore your body.”
I shivered. I fanned myself with my hand. “Whew. Okay. Plans! Let’s do them.”
He chuckled. “I have some ideas for today. First, sailing, then lunch on Catalina Island, then a walk on the beach.” He studied the waves for a moment. “Have you ever been sailing?”
“Never.” I had never been on a boat of any kind, other than a kayak, and that had only been during a high school field trip. I’d also never been to Catalina. I couldn’t wait.
“Can you swim?”
“Yes. I took lessons though the Boys and Girls Club when I was about seven.”
“Great. Maybe we’ll tackle surfing next time.” He patted my shoulder. “Get ready and meet me in the foyer in twenty minutes. You’ll need a lunch outfit and a boat outfit.”
In my room, I picked a peach bikini with a white coverup and bamboo sunglasses and packed them into a bag. I twisted my hair into a bun. I pulled my teal sundress over it all and grabbed my hat.
Although I wanted to go out with Richard, a part of me wished he’d marched me back in the house and pushed me down to my knees.
Who knew I could have thoughts like that?
“I’m not going to teach you the mechanics just yet,” Richard said as we pulled away from the marina. “I want you to get used to the feel of the boat. Some people get sea sick the first time.”
I’d been too distracted to think about it earlier in the morning, first by all the breakfast food, then by the talk of our intimate time together the night before, but now I got to admire Richard’s clothes. This was the first time I’d seen him in casual clothes. He wore navy shorts and a white polo shirt with canvas shoes.
Watching him move from place to place on the boat, calling out the name of each one to me, was extremely sexy. Each time he lifted his arms in that fitted white polo, I got distracted. I would have to read about sailing, because none of this was sticking with me.
I did catch the part about the name of the boat — it was named Sweet Home, after Richard’s grandmother. She’d been from Alabama, and she’d made them all visit the south with her once a year. “When did you learn to sail?”
“Before I can remember. It’s something I did with my father.”
“Tell me more about him?” I could tell that he loved his father. He rarely mentioned his mother, but when he spoke of his father, his eyes softened. He’d seemed to really open up more last night when he’d shown me the pictures of their adventures.
“He worked all the time. He was devoted to this company. But every now and then, he’d take off work. And when he was off, he was really off. He’d let me skip school, and we’d go deep sea fishing. Then we’d sail. Then we’d surf. One summer we sailed from Martinique to St. Lucia. It’s not a long trip, but it’s on the open water.”
“He must have loved the ocean.”
A larger boat passed us, and the wake rocked our smaller sailboat. I gripped the handrail. The motion was unexpected.
Richard was next to me immediately. “Are you seasick?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Bend your knees a little, don’t fight the rocking motion. Take deep breaths. Look out at the horizon. And if that doesn’t work, I have some tablets.”
I did as he instructed, and felt better. “I think I’m fine.” I sat down on the edge and let my hand skim the surface of the water.
Richard went back to whatever he was doing with the lines. “Yes. We traveled all over the world. We stayed in Italy for a month once, and in Australia for another month. He had contacts in Brazil, Japan, and Great Britain. But he always wanted to come back home to southern California.”
“I’ve never left this area. Except for a class trip when I was sixteen. We went to the San Bernardino National Forest.”
He took a break from tinkering with the sails and crouched next to me. His legs were just as muscular as his arms, and his skin was tan all over. Which meant he must spend a significant amount of time out of those tailored suits he favored. “You haven’t been to Mexico?”
“I don’t have a passport.”
“We’ll have to fix that.”
I was afraid to even let myself consider that I’d get to leave the country. It was one of my biggest dreams.
“Where do you want to go first? Paris? London? Rome?”
“Any of the above.” We were now farther out into open water, the marina and shoreline becoming more distant. I’d never seen the beach from this side. “I will be happy to go to Oregon. Really. I’ve never seen snow, I’ve never skied, I’ve never flown in an airplane. I haven't seen the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum or the Leaning Tower. I haven’t seen the Statue of Liberty or the Grand Canyon. You could seriously take me to a sand dune in Nevada, and I’d be over the moon.”
“In that case, I’m looking forward to showing you the world.”
Once Richard had the sails situated, he sat at the wheel and I sat on the edge, letting my feet trail in the cool water.
I couldn't imagine a better way to spend the morning.
When we returned the sailboat to the marina, I was windswept, sunburned and felt as if I’d been on vacation for a year.
On impulse, I hugged Richard. “That was amazing.”
He appeared startled, but hugged me back. “I’m glad you liked it. Are you hungry?”
“Oh yes,” I said. Richard seemed to delight in feeding me. I assumed it was because he knew I’d gone without food quite a bit in my life. I wasn’t going to fight it; having access to so much food was something I wasn’t willing to deny myself.
He ushered me to his BMW. He’d said he wanted to drive today, instead of having a staff mem
ber drive us. “Let’s go to Catalina Island for lunch.”
I’d always been curious about Catalina. I’d wanted to take Bella after hearing a few customers talk about it, but when I’d looked at the ferry prices, I’d had to give up the idea. A child’s ticket had been over fifty dollars, and Bella couldn't go alone. It had become an exotic location, as unreachable as the moon.
“Are we taking the ferry?” If we were, it would be a while before we ate. I’d heard it was a huge pain to get on and off.
“Nope.” Richard pulled his BMW into a parking lot. He pointed to the left. “We’re taking my helicopter.”
I felt my jaw drop. I’m sure my eyebrows shot up too. “You have a helicopter?”
“Yes. I can’t keep it at the Santa Monica estate, so I store it here in a special facility for helicopters. They don’t always do well in regular airplane hangars.”
As if I had any idea about how or where airplanes would be stored.
“You’ve never flown before, right?”
“Never.”
“Want to do it now?”
I assumed I’d fly one day in the future, once I was practicing law, but that was ten years away. I had not expected it would happen today. “Absolutely.”
“Are you nervous?”
“No. I don’t know enough about it to be nervous. I mean, I still feel like maybe humans were meant to stay on the ground, but if we did that, then we’d miss out on a whole lot.”
Richard squeezed my hand. “I think you’ll enjoy it. The sight of Catalina Island from the air is pretty special.”
“Let’s go.”
As Richard helped me into the co-pilot’s seat, I looked around. “Where’s the pilot?”
“I’m the pilot.” He cocked his head to the side and looked at me as he handed me headphones with a speaker. “Does my being the pilot make you more nervous or less?”
I laughed. I was a little of both. I had no doubt that Richard was smart enough. He’d gone to Harvard for both of his degrees. And I realized rich kids sometimes got help getting into college that the rest of us didn’t, but Richard was intelligent, and he was careful, and he was precise. I didn’t believe he’d fly a helicopter if he didn’t feel confident in his ability. “Neither. I’m impressed. Yet another thing you can do.”
“You can learn too, anytime you’re ready.”
That seemed a stretch too far. I wasn’t ready to envision piloting before I’d even been in the air for the first time. “I think I’ll stick to criminal justice, but thank you.”
“Well, if you change your mind.”
As we ascended into the air, my mind was blown.
This was something Richard could do any day. He owned this helicopter, and he could fly it. And he could have a woman with him that owned a helicopter too. But he’d chosen me. Right or wrong.
I’m sure plenty of people would have some choice words about the way we’d met, and the arrangement we had. But the honest truth was that I was starting to fall for Richard. I needed to earn money for Bella, but outside of that, I’d happily date him without any arrangement at all.
I wasn’t sure I could submit in everyday life without our deal, but in the bedroom, I would happily give my submission to him freely.
I couldn't believe how fast things were moving emotionally. When the Wish Maker had first explained her proposition to me, I hadn’t expected to ever have any feelings for him. I expected spending time to be a chore.
The opposite was true.
Richard was right. Catalina Island from the air was breathtaking. The water was a bright turquoise that changed shades the closer it got to the sand, and the white sand sparkled.
White sailboats dotted the sea surrounding the island, nestled snugly into the U-shape of the island.
Richard landed the helicopter with ease in a special area just for helicopters. The sign read ‘Pebbly Beach Heliport.’
Amazing. Before today I hadn’t known helicopters had their own airstrip.
He helped me to climb down out of the passenger seat. “Well?”
“Even better than I expected.”
He gave me one of his rare smiles. “Good. I have reservations for the Bluewater Bistro.”
“Am I dressed okay for that?”
He put his hand on my lower back and peered at me over his sunglasses. “You look perfect. A sundress is always right on the island.” He pushed a lock of my hair behind my ear. “Next time we’ll sail here.”
“How long does that take?”
“It’s a full day trip.”
“I look forward to it.” I had enjoyed being on the open water. If Richard was still willing, I would take him up on his offer to teach me to sail.
“I keep a car on the island,” he said, “but I think we’ll use a ride share this time so we don’t have to worry about parking.”
It hit me just how wealthy Richard was. I knew objectively that he was a billionaire. But to casually mention that you keep a car on an island for convenience … it was not a concept I could easily grasp. As someone who’d never owned even one car, having multiple was incomprehensible.
We got a ride into town and the seafood restaurant was on the wharf. We were seated on a wooden balcony overlooking the water.
“Do you mind if I order for you?”
Why was he asking? He had every right to choose my food while we were out together; it’s what we agreed to.
Was he being polite? Did he think I hated it when he chose for me? If a typical boyfriend ordered lunch for me without asking, I’d have a real problem. I would absolutely object to that kind of control.
But Richard and I had entered into this willingly, with our eyes open to the possible pitfalls.
“Thank you for asking. That’s nice of you. And no, I don’t mind if you order for me. So far I’ve loved everything I’ve eaten at your house.”
“I do have a great chef.” Richard flipped the menu open. “I don’t know why I’m looking at this. I know what we’re having.”
He ordered several entrees for us to share, which included lobster, crab cakes, cast iron garlic shrimp, and pan-fried calamari.
I tried all of it. “The crab cakes are my favorite, hands down.”
We took our time with lunch, sampling each dish. At one point, Richard lifted his napkin to my mouth and wiped my face.
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
“It was just a tiny bit of cocktail sauce,” he said. Then he rubbed his thumb over my cheek in the same spot.
I exhaled. Like everyone else in the world, I was familiar with the phrase, get a room. But never had I thought it would apply to me.
Warmth flood my belly. I turned my cheek until his thumb was against my lips. I parted my lips slightly.
Richard leaned in to speak directly into my ear. “Tonight, I’m going to bend you over my sofa. I’m going to tie your hands behind your back. I’m going to pull your dress up over your beautiful bottom and then I’m going to push inside your tight little body.”
I closed my eyes. I ached with arousal. “I want you to.”
Richard pulled away. He coughed while I took several gulps of water to cool off. “I look forward to it,” I said. And that was the truth.
Having seen most of LA from the inside of a bus, I wasn’t accustomed to riding in a car. I usually studied on the bus, if I wasn’t asleep. And if Bella was with me, I paid attention to her. Now I had time to gaze out the window.
After we’d returned from Catalina, Richard had put me back into his car and started driving. Now we were headed east, but I couldn’t tell where we were going. I knew Richard wanted to surprise me, so I didn’t ask.
Within minutes, I recognized the outside of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
“Are we here to see Bella?”
He pulled the car right up to the drop off area at the front doors. “Yes.”
As much as I treasured our date, I wanted to see Bella every day while she was in the hospital. I threw my arms around him. “Than
k you.”
He patted my back. “You’re welcome.”
“Are you coming in with me?”
“No. As much as I want to spend time with you, I don’t want to take time away from your sister. I know you want to be with her.”
I was disappointed. I wasn’t ready for our time together to end. Our day had been magical, thanks to Richard. And I knew Bella would enjoy meeting someone new. But it was just as well that he didn’t come in yet. Bella formed attachments to people quickly, and I wanted to be sure things with Richard would work out before I introduced her.
“I had an after snack catered. It will be delivered to Bella’s room at noon. Spend the afternoon with her, and my driver will be back to get you at 5:00 pm. Someone will help you get ready, because I’m hosting a large party at my house tonight. It will be another test for you, to see if we both want to continue with the trial. I’ll need you to handle yourself among wealthy and well-connected people. I’ll need to see how your present yourself to people who will assume you’re my significant other.”
Hearing the words ‘test and trial’ come out of Richard’s mouth was like having a bucket of cold water dumped over my head. I had temporarily forgotten that the connection between us wasn’t guaranteed. He could decide I wasn’t what he wanted at any time, and end it.
I shouldn’t let myself forget that again.
A test, to see how well I interacted with wealthy people?
Well, that sounds fun. I can’t imagine anything could go wrong. Just me, a student living in poverty, and a bunch of business magnates.
I would need to be prepared. “How should I say we met?”
Richard tapped a finger against the steering wheel. “You know, I hadn’t thought of that. The truth is obviously out of the question.”
“When I was waiting tables, my customers love college stories. What if we say we met at Cal State? Do you ever visit that campus?”
“That is an excellent idea.” Richard pulled out his phone and hit the calendar app. “In fact, I was there recently to participate in a scholarship program for business majors.”