Eventually we were toweling each other off, exchanging little kisses and cuddles that were making me crazy, but not as much as her little giggles and bright eyes were.
She went back into the bedroom to get dressed, and I sat down heavily on the toilet lid, my hand running through my short hair as I tried to collect my thoughts. I couldn’t help the silly grin on my face, but still the demons still whispered at me from the corners of my mind. She was going to go back to school and forget about me. Just another spoiled rich girl looking to walk on the wild side for a few days before going back to her safe, comfortable life.
But this time, the demons were failing to convince me. Or maybe I just desperately wanted them to be wrong, I wasn’t sure. I remember reading somewhere that people will more easily believe things they wish to be true, or fear to be true, and I knew I was caught right in the middle of that statement. I wanted this to be real. I wanted a relationship so badly, something I hadn’t been able to admit to myself since Gillian had left.
But at the same time the more I wanted it, the greater the fear. That scared little girl inside of me never wanted to go through that kind of pain again. I was terrified of it. Me, the big bad butch, badass metal-slinging lifeguard, was absolutely petrified of having her heart broken again.
So which was it? Was I imagining this could be something real, or was I sabotaging something really promising because of my fear? My fingers raked through my hair over and over, hopes and terrors jousting in my brain.
“Sweetie? You gonna be much longer? We don’t want to be late.”
Aly’s voice ran like water over my jangled nerves, her sunshine breaking through the clouds in my mind. And I, for a wonderful, albeit brief, moment of clarity, I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be with her, so I stood up, wrapped myself in a robe and walked back into the bedroom.
Aly was putting in a pair of earrings, her soft brown hair pinned back, showing off her perfect neck. She wore a white and blue off the shoulder blouse, one with those poofy short sleeves and a ruffled bust line, all over those form fitting blue jeans. The creamy white skin of her shoulders and chest was flawless, and the curve of her hips made me shudder.
“How do I look?” She turned in a playful circle, arms outstretched like a little girl in her first Easter dress.
She was a vision. I saw her mid twirl, frozen for all time in one of my sculptures, happiness radiating from her forever, but all I could say was, “Aly… wow.”
She grinned innocently and skipped over, kissing me on the cheek. “Thank you, sweetie.” She stepped away and tried to look stern. “Now get dressed. I don’t want to make a bad first impression.”
“Ok, fine, but not while you watch, you’re too distracting.”
“Alright.” Aly pouted and walked past me out to the sofa, grabbing my butt as she did. I threw on some underwear and a tight pair of black jeans that really showed off my ass. Two could play at that game, after all. I picked one of my best, silkiest button downs, which I thought emphasized what breasts I had to full advantage. I stepped back in the bathroom, messed with my hair a minute, and decided to call it good.
“OK, ready to go?” I walked around the sofa and watched Aly’s eyes go wide.
She grinned up at me. “You look amazing.” I was feeling a little smug until I stood up, a wicked grin on her face. My breath caught as she stepped closer, rising onto her tiptoes, lips inches from my ear. “I’m going to be thinking about getting you out of those clothes all night.”
With that she planted a tongue intensified kiss on my neck that made me shudder, and headed towards the door to put on her shoes.
I drew a deep shuddering breath before I followed her. That girl had me wrapped around her finger, and we both knew it. And I loved it.
We made our way down to Jen and Vicky’s front door and I rang the bell. Usually I’d just go in through the garage, but I wanted this to be a little more formal. Her hand slipped into mine as she let go a deep breath.
I looked down at her. “Are you nervous?”
She grinned shyly. “A little.”
“Aly, if this is too fast…”
“No, no, I’m fine. I want to meet your friends.” She squared her shoulders and turned toward the door, which began to open.
“Hey!, you guys are just in time!” Jen stepped back from the door and Aly entered as I followed.
“Aly, this is Jen, my boss and my friend.”
“It’s a pleasure, Aly.”
“Thanks, same here.” Aly was really looking up, as Jen was six-two.
“Well come on in, have a seat, can I get you something? Coffee, Beer, Water?”
“Sure, I’ll take some water.” Aly sat on the sofa and smiled up at Jen, who nodded and headed into the kitchen. As I sat down next to she pulled my arm around her. “Jen is really tall.”
“Yeah. You see those over there, right?” I pointed to a wooden and glass cabinet. A number of trophies and medals were tastefully displayed in the lit interior.
“Wow.” Aly leaned forward, taking them in. “She was really into volleyball, huh?”
“Actually, I was a professional for eight years after I left school.” Jen handed Aly a water glass and me a beer before sitting down and crossing her long legs.
“Professional? Really?”
“Yep, until I tore up my shoulder. I was good though.” She pointed to a picture on one of the shelves, where a younger version of herself was standing on the beach in a sport bikini, her arm around the shoulder of a shorter, darker haired woman, attired the same and wearing sunglasses. They both had one hand on a huge trophy, while Jen’s partner held a volleyball, with the brand logo blatantly displayed.
“Did you ever play in the Olympics?”
“No, I wasn’t really good enough for the national team in indoor, although I worked out for them a few times. I was better on the sand, and unfortunately my partner was Canadian, so during trials I always had to find someone else, and it was never the same. Still, I got to travel the world, made some good money and picked up a souvenir or two along the way.”
She nodded toward the kitchen, where a voice with an exotic accent sounded. “Are you calling me a souvenir again?”
I heard Aly gasp as Vicky entered the room, wearing an oven mitt and apron. This was a common reaction around Vicky, who was, in a word, stunning. She had smooth olive skin with lustrous hair of the deepest brown. Combining those with sparklingly bright green eyes and a perfect hourglass figure, she was a knockout. Her rich Brazilian accent topped everything else.
“Yup. Hi, sweetie. Aly this is my wife, Vicky”
Vicky unsuccessfully tried to hide the girlish glee on her face. “Aly, bem vindo, welcome to our home.” When Aly took her offered hand Vicky pulled her to her feet, kissing her on both cheeks before turning back to Jen. “Oh, she is lovely.”
Aly’s cheeks colored. “Thanks for having me.”
Vicky clapped her hands. “It is truly our pleasure. We worry about this one sometimes.” Vicky smiled and looked at Aly a moment longer before heading back into the kitchen. A moment later her voice drifted back into the living room. “Meu amor, could you help for a moment?”
Jen popped up from her chair. “Just a sec, ladies.”
Aly sat back down and cuddled into my shoulder. “Vicky looks familiar.”
“Yeah, remember the ‘Persuasion’ commercials? The perfume one with the woman in a bikini walking through a waterfall and coming out in an evening gown?”
Aly covered her hand with her mouth. “Oh, my God!”
“Yup. You’ve seen her on billboards and in TV shows and movies, too, generally as a background babe.”
“Background babe?”
I chuckled. “Sure, you know when James Bond walks by the pool and there are three or four stunning women in the background?”
“Ahh, like the bad guy’s girlfriend?”
“Exactly.”
After a few more minutes Jen popped her head and called us in to dinner, and for the first time I noticed the aroma emanating from the kitchen. I should have known Vicky would be making my favorite, rich beef and mushroom stroganoff with mashed potatoes. I know most people serve stroganoff over noodles or rice, but I’m from Idaho so, potatoes.
I won’t bore you with all of the dinner conversation, but it would be safe to say that Aly was the center of their attention. She adorably recounted our meeting and that first lunch where I’d kissed her.
“Oh, God, even that one I could feel all the way to my toes.” Aly looked at me with the sweetest smile, her eyes soft and adoring, head tilting to the side. It made my breath catch that anyone could look at me that way. My mouth quirked up into a smile and I gazed back at her like an idiot. It was so easy to lose myself in her.
Moments later Jen’s chuckle brought me back to Earth. It also triggered all the blood in my body to rush into my cheeks.
“Aly, I can honestly say I’ve never seen her like this.” Jen said, while Vicky nodded her agreement.
Aly just kept looking at me. “What can I say? I’m irresistible.”
She was just like that, cute, funny, and by the end of dinner Aly had them both completely wrapped around her little finger. And they weren’t the only ones. Afterwards we decided to break out a board game, Ticket to Ride, which Aly had never seen before. It’s sad how many people haven’t.
Anyway, Aly got her first taste of how competitive I could be, and Jen, a former professional athlete, was the exact same way At least now Vicky had someone else who didn’t take things quite so seriously. Of course, not being overly competitive does not mean that Vicky wasn’t trying, and being really smart on top of absolutely gorgeous was a big advantage, so she smoked us all.