“So all I’m saying, Ethan,” she continues, “is if you plan on showing me something I’m going to enjoy, I better really enjoy it this time, okay ?”
“I’ll give you million dollars if you don’t .”
She rolls her eyes .
“Seriously,” I tell her, sliding toward her, my fingers finding her skin again. I love that touch. It sizzles. “If you do not completely enjoy your afternoon, I will give you one. Million. Dollars .”
She presses her lips together in dismay. They look like pink, thick, waxy flower petals. Blowjob lips, with a tiny little kitten tongue to match .
“You’re terrible,” she protests in her tiny voice .
“The worst,” I agree .
We drive through the city for a few more minutes, silent and thinking. What should I say to her? I want to bring out all the lines I would use on any woman, the carefully crafted bravado, the flirting that seems to work so well. Something about her makes me stop .
“So, how long has it been?” she finally asks .
“Years, I suppose,” I shrug. “Too long .”
“Too long,” she nods .
The driver brings the Rolls through the Marina, stopping in front of our slip. As the car door opens, the smell of salt and cries of seagulls fill the car. Ava puts her sunglasses back on, shading those beautiful blue eyes from me again. She steps out and I hear her gasp just a little .
“Is there a problem ?”
“Is that yours?” she asks, gesturing .
“Yeah… I thought we could go on my boat for a while. It’s a beautiful day. Hate to waste it .”
“Your boat?” she asks, incredulous. “That’s not a boat, Ethan. That’s a… a ship or something. That’s a frickin’ yacht ! ”
“I suppose you can call it that,” I laugh, pleased to see her shy, awestruck smile. That’s kind of nice. I don’t know if I’ve ever made her make that expression before .
We board, nodding to the captain and crew and following the curve of the portside toward the front, where deck chairs line the lacquered floorboards. The wind twists Ava’s pretty dress around her thighs, offering me tantalizing glimpses of her full, dimpled butt cheeks, straining against the fabric of her bikini .
“Ethan, this is crazy,” she murmurs, eagerly leaning against the rail as the boat begins to motor away from the dock .
“You can see why you didn’t want to miss it,” I explain. “When’s the last time you were on the water ?”
“Oh I don’t really… I mean, I went to the beach sometimes with my friends. With Bea. But I’ve never ever been, you know, on anything like this .”
“I suppose I just saved myself a million dollars then, huh ?”
She looks confused for a moment, then remembers the deal I made her about enjoying herself. She smiles shyly, showing me those deep, deep dimples .
“You’re different,” she muses, turning away from me again to look out at the San Francisco Bay as it comes into view. I hear the engines rev up as the captain increases our speed, pushing us deeper into the bay where the wind makes the water choppy, even on the nicest of days. Sa
n Francisco wasn’t blessed with the best weather. It’s not Sonoma or LA. It’s cold most of the time here. That’s why sunny days are the sort of thing you don’t pass up .
“I’m not different at all,” I answer, looking out at the hills, trying to see it the way she sees it .
She shrugs. “You’re nicer, I think. I liked your speech, by the way .”
“Nicer? I don’t think you realized how nice I always was. But I’m glad you liked my speech. Which part did you like ?”
She glances at me, inhaling sharply. “Well, I mean… the whole thing. The whole speech. It was really good .”
“You know the Marines taught me how to extract information from prisoners .”