by Emily King
“What made you decide to become a lifeguard?”
Amy finished eating a bite of taco before replying. “Basically, it was something I thought about pursuing when I was younger but didn’t happen until just this year.”
“Really? I kind of thought you’d been a lifeguard forever. You look so poised on the deck of your tower, like you’re confident that you can handle any problem that comes along.”
Amy smiled. “That’s really nice to hear. A lot about being a lifeguard feels like second nature to me. I did the junior lifeguard program every year when I was younger, and it became a part of me. But then things got a little complicated.”
Between bites of food and sips of wine, Amy explained about her history with Peter, going away to college with a swimming scholarship, and letting herself get swept up in the family business.
Sarah listened attentively, enjoying learning more about Amy.
“One day last year, stuck in traffic yet again on my hour-long commute to my dealership in Santa Ana in order to spend my day doing something I can’t seem to enjoy like the rest of my family does, I decided that I needed to make a change. So, I got myself in shape to do the lifeguard tryouts earlier this year and was fortunate enough to get hired. Now I get to do a job that I enjoy.”
“I think that’s really great,” Sarah said.
“Thanks. Me too. I’m much happier now.” Amy paused. “My family is less than thrilled with my job change, though.”
“Are they afraid for you? Afraid that you might have to risk your life?”
“If they are, they haven’t mentioned it. I don’t think they take my new job seriously.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. We argued about it earlier today, as a matter of fact. I told them that I want to sell my dealership. The idea that I would leave the family business is difficult for them to understand.”
“That’s too bad. I’m sure you could use their support.”
“Yeah.” Amy sighed. “And that’s not the only stressful thing about this. Another problem is that I need to find a buyer in the next several months if I’m to keep my job as a lifeguard.”
“Why is that?”
“I’m still paying off the loan for my dealership. To meet the terms of the loan, I rely not only on profits but also on my general manager salary.”
“Do that mean you’ll have to return to working at your dealership if you don’t find a buyer soon?”
“Yes.” Amy ran her hand through her hair and looked away. “I guess I didn’t plan my job change very well. But when the opportunity of lifeguard tryouts came along, I had to seize it.”
“It sounds like you did what you needed to do.” Sarah reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I wish I could help.”
Amy smiled and returned her squeeze. “You are helping. Just by listening and understanding my choice. I appreciate it.”
Sarah smiled and sipped the last of her wine.
“Would you like another glass?” Amy asked.
Sarah shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m a bit of a lightweight where drinking is concerned. Any more than a glass will give me trouble sleeping.”
“Me too, actually. I’ll go get us some water and get our dessert.” She stood and picked up their empty glasses.
“I’ll help.” She collected their empty plates.
A few moments later, they returned to their seats at the balcony table, each with a dessert dish of the cubed cantaloupe and a glass of water. The sun had dipped low on the horizon over the ocean, and the air was a little cooler. A small shiver ran through Sarah.
“Are you cold? Should we go inside?” Amy asked.
Sarah shook her head. “No, the evening is too nice. I’ll be okay while we finish eating.” She picked up her fork.
“All right, but let me at least get you a sweatshirt. I think I might need one, too. Just a sec, I’ll be right back.” Amy went into the condo. She returned, handing a sweatshirt to Sarah and putting one on herself before sitting back down.
Sarah put the sweatshirt on and immediately felt warmer. The one Amy had put on looked familiar. “Isn’t that—"
“Your sweatshirt that I’m wearing? Yeah,” She answered with a smile. It was the sweatshirt Sarah had lent her after their first night together. “I can’t part with it just yet. It smells too good. Like you.” She gazed at her.
“Is that so?” Sarah asked softly, holding her gaze.
“Yes. Even if the fragrance on it is fainter now.”
“Hmm, we should do something to fix that problem for you,” Sarah said, tapping a finger to her chin as if in deep thought. “I could try sitting a lot closer to you and see if that would help.”
“Okay.” Amy scooted her chair over a little to make room on her side of the table.
“Actually, I had something else in mind.” She arose from her chair and walked the couple of steps to her. She trailed one hand across Amy’s shoulders and then draped her arm around her as she lowered herself to sit sideways across her lap, pressing close to her. “Do you think this will help?”
“It will help something, all right.” Amy encircled her with her arms and nuzzled her neck.
Sarah slid her fingers into Amy’s soft hair and around to the back of her neck, enjoying the sensation of her warm lips on her throat. “Oh, but wait a moment,” Sarah said.
“Hmm?” Amy asked distractedly as she paused and looked up at her.
“Let’s not forget about dessert, now,” Sarah said. With the fingers of one hand, she reached for a piece of cantaloupe from Amy’s dish and held it up. “You don’t mind if we share, do you?” A drop of juice fell to her wrist. She licked it.
Amy went still, watching. “Um, what? Uh, no, go right ahead.”
Another drop of juice fell, and Sarah licked that one too. Then she slowly opened her mouth and placed the cube of melon inside, ending with a suggestive flourish of her tongue and lips on her finger.
Amy’s eyes darkened.
“Mmm, this is good melon.” Sarah sighed in pleasure while she chewed.
Amy’s lips parted.
“Oh, that’s right—we were going to share.” Picking up another cube of melon, she brought it toward Amy’s parted lips. Slowly, she rubbed the juicy cube of melon across the surface of her bottom lip. Taking the melon away, she traced the same path with her tongue, licking and sucking the juice from Amy’s lip.
Amy moaned, tightening her arms around her and returning the kiss. After a nice, long kiss, she broke away to look at her. “Do you mind if we take the rest of dessert inside?”
Sarah leaned back in the circle of her arms and smiled. “Not at all.” She took the dish of melon and stood up. “Because I’d love to undress you and then eat a few more of these pieces off your body.”
“Oh, my God,” Amy said, sprawling dramatically in the chair.
Sarah laughed and walked over to the sliding glass door, opening it. “Don’t you want to come?” she asked, arching an eyebrow as she waited.
“You have no idea how much,” Amy said, quickly standing.
“Oh, I think I do,” Sarah said and walked into the condo with Amy right behind her.
Chapter Eleven
Sarah poured herself a large mug of coffee from the carafe in the teachers’ lounge.
“What are you doing? That stuff is deadly!” Justin exclaimed.
“I know,” Sarah said, stifling a yawn, “but I was too tired to make my own this morning.” She slid into a chair across from him at the table and took a large sip of the coffee. “I had a bit of a late night last night.” She felt her lips spread into a smile at the memory of dessert with Amy.
“The good kind of late night from the looks of it,” he said. “Do tell.”
“It was a good night—I was at Amy’s place.”
Justin’s jaw dropped. “You finally went to her place? She let you see it?”
“Mm-hm.” Sarah took another sip of coffee to draw out the suspense.
“Come on, t
ell me,” he said. “Was it as bad as you thought? Did you walk in, take one look, and say, ‘What a dump’?” he said in an excellent Bette Davis imitation.
Sarah laughed. “I wouldn’t do that.”
“Oh, you know I’m just teasing.” He touched her arm. “But really, what was it like?”
“It’s a beachfront condo.”
“What!”
“It’s true,” Sarah said with a nod.
“How does a lifeguard have a beachfront condo?”
“I’ll tell you how, because I found out something else from her yesterday, too—her last name is Bergen.”
“Bergen,” Justin repeated. He squinted at her. “Bergen. As in Bergen Motors?”
Sarah nodded and drank more coffee.
“Ah, that explains the condo.” He paused. “But if she’s a Bergen, what’s she doing as a lifeguard?”
“It’s complicated,” Sarah answered. She chuckled to herself when she realized that she sounded like Amy. “Basically, she tried the family auto business but doesn’t like it. Being a lifeguard is her childhood dream, so she went for it this year and is trying to sell her dealership.”
“Huh,” Justin said. “Well, good for her.”
“Yeah, I think so, too.”
“Why didn’t she tell you about herself sooner?”
“I guess she’s had some clingy girlfriends, so she keeps quiet about things until she knows someone better.”
“Oh,” Justin said. “Is that the only reason?”
“And she was wary of me because of my time with Robin.”
“Oh,” he said again. “I can see how that might have concerned her.”
“Yeah, so I can’t be too mad over it, even though I’d told her I’d learned from my mistakes with Robin.”
“Well, what about you with her? Is she another Robin?”
“No. She’s nothing like Robin, thank goodness.”
“That’s good. I’m happy for you then.”
“Me, too. I had a great time with her yesterday. The fling was fun, but dating and getting to know one another feels a lot better to me.”
“But…if she’s going to keep secrets like that, aren’t you worried that she might do it again?”
Sarah frowned. “I hadn’t thought about it. What kind of secrets?”
“I don’t know—that’s why they’re called secrets.”
Sarah shook her head. “Not helping.”
“Sorry, I was just saying…”
She sipped her coffee. “That’s okay. I know you’re only watching out for me.”
He nodded.
“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, but I’ll be careful.” Careful, but not suspicious. Sarah wasn’t going to go looking for problems. “So what did you and Ron do this weekend?”
Justin smiled. “We had a great time, too. We drove up to West Hollywood for brunch yesterday and then went to a revival house showing a double feature of Into the Forest and Dead Ringer.”
“Ah, that explains why your Bette Davis imitation was even more spot-on than usual.”
He grinned.
She drained the last of her coffee and stood up. “Going to the movies sounds fun. I haven’t been in a while.”
He stood up, too. “You could always go to one with your new girlfriend.”
“You’re right, I could. Because I do have a girlfriend now, not just a fling. I wonder what kind of movies she likes.”
“I don’t know, but we better get headed to our classrooms. And just think, only two more weeks until school is out.”
Sarah smiled at the thought of summer break and more time with Amy.
Chapter Twelve
Amy stood in her walk-in closet in dress slacks and a bra. She couldn’t decide which shirt to wear for tonight’s date with Sarah. Already having put on and taken off one shirt, she was now flipping through the others hanging on the rack. Today, the Friday of this first week of June, Sarah’s school had let out, and Amy was taking her to a nice restaurant to celebrate the start of her summer vacation. The restaurant was near the beach and only a couple of blocks from the pier, but it served food that was far nicer than the usual beach fare that most of the restaurants there served and Amy was dressing for the occasion.
Since their impromptu dinner date at the condo, they had gone out to eat at a couple small cafés. The dates at the cafés had been fun. She and Sarah had each taken the other to their favorite place for fish tacos and then seen a movie. While both cafés served good fish tacos, it was agreed that the ones at the condo had been the best. As for the movies, the first had been a romantic comedy that had been pretty entertaining. The second had been a thriller with too many special effects, but the lead actress had been hot, so they had both enjoyed it anyway.
This would be their first date in a more formal setting and somehow it seemed more important. Maybe that’s why it was making her a little nervous. Going on dates for tacos and movies didn’t require wearing anything dressy, so she had yet to wear anything other than shorts and casual shirts around Sarah. She wanted to take extra care to look nice for her tonight. She reached for another shirt, put it on, and stepped out of the closet to inspect herself in the mirror. Like the first shirt, it didn’t quite work. She took it off and discarded it next to the other.
She was running out of time. Maybe a sweater would be the thing to wear. She walked over to her dresser and opened the drawer where she kept her summer-weight sweaters. Choosing one, she pulled it on. She checked her reflection in the mirror and debated whether to try on a different one. But she needed to leave. She grabbed her keys and wallet, petted Sandy goodbye, and headed out.
When a knock sounded at the door, Sarah eagerly got up to answer it. Amy was right on time to pick her up for their date. She cut a dashing figure in dark slacks and what looked to be a designer sweater. The sweater’s lightweight fabric clung to every curve of her strong and supple torso and its bold stripes of alternating navy blue and navy heather served to highlight her athletic shoulders, full bust, and trim waist. Three-quarter sleeves that Amy had pushed up even further revealed a tantalizing portion of her toned arms. It was a good thing that Sarah’s roommates were home for once, or she might not have been able to resist the temptation to pull Amy into the house and make them more than a little late for tonight’s reservation. Sarah settled for greeting her with a kiss; there would be plenty of time for more later.
“You look amazing in that sweater.”
“Thanks, you look amazing yourself,” Amy said, her eyes sweeping over Sarah. Sarah was gratified by the compliment because she had sifted through dress after dress in her closet tonight before selecting this shift dress patterned in shades of blue. She wanted to look good for Amy on their first date in a nice restaurant and knew that the back darts on this dress made it snug in at her waist to flatter her figure and that its split neckline allowed a tasteful glimpse of cleavage.
Amy drove them to the restaurant and pulled up in the drive. A valet immediately stepped forward to open the door for Sarah and another hurried over to do the same for Amy. If valet service was this attentive here, it must be a very nice restaurant. Sarah stepped out of the SUV with a smile of thanks to the valet and moved to the sidewalk to wait for Amy. Amy handed off her keys to the other valet and, arriving at her side, placed a hand at the small of her back and escorted her up the walkway to the restaurant.
The interior was lovely, with cream-colored walls above wooden wainscoting. Wide, bowl-shaped pendant lights hung from the recessed ceiling and cast a soft glow on the tablecloth-covered tables and upholstered chairs. Picture windows that were partially covered by sun shades in a muted color supplied a view of the beach and ocean. It was wonderful, and even more wonderful to be here with Amy.
The hostess guided them to their table and left them with menus, a wine list, and a list of specialty cocktails.
Sarah perused the list of cocktails. It was varied, and many of the drinks listed contained herbs, house-made syru
ps, and other fresh ingredients. “These all sound good. I think I’m going to try one.” She looked across the table at Amy. “That is, unless you’d like to order a bottle of wine.”
“No, go right ahead. You know me—I’m probably just going to order some mineral water. But I’d love a taste of whichever cocktail you choose, if that’s all right.”
“Sure. You know how much I enjoy sharing with you.” She held Amy’s gaze and gave her a wink and was rewarded when Amy blushed. She felt her own face heat at the memory of sharing the cantaloupe that other night, of trailing a piece of the fruit over Amy’s breasts and around her nipples and licking the juice from her skin, and then repeating the process as she got lower and lower until she was exactly where she wanted to be. And then experiencing Amy doing the same to her.
A corner of Amy’s mouth twitched into a smile. She clearly knew what Sarah was thinking.
Their waiter appeared tableside. “Good evening. What can I get you to drink tonight?”
Sarah cleared her throat. “The raspberry vodka gimlet, please.”
“And for you?” The waiter looked to Amy.
“Mineral water,” she answered. The blush in her cheeks and hint of a smile lingered. She looked beautiful.
The waiter recited the night’s specials before departing. Amy picked up her menu to consider the rest of the choices, as did Sarah.
“Since we didn’t come here for fish tacos,” Sarah said, “I was planning to branch out and order something other than fish, but the wood oven-roasted halibut with Meyer lemon buerre blanc sounds too good to pass up.”
Amy nodded. “I was thinking the same thing about the wild king salmon with summer chanterelles. Maybe I’ll go all in and order a seafood appetizer as well, because the crab-stuffed squash blossoms sound delicious.” She set her menu aside.
“They do. Can I try a bite?”
“Sure. You know how much I enjoy sharing with you, too.” Amy held Sarah’s gaze and gave her a teasing smile.