“How’s it going?” she asks.
I sigh loudly. “That is a very good question.”
She giggles. “I knew you’d meet your match one of these days.”
I throw a generous amount of vibrant blue bath salts into the water. “Well, he’s not what I expected.”
“You slept with him, didn’t you?” she says.
“What the hell? How did you know?”
“I didn’t,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice. “But I do now. So? How was it?”
“It was freaking amazing,” I admit. “You know how they say the earth beneath my feet moved. Yeah, there was an earthquake underneath my butt. I know it’s a bad idea, and I know I’m living the cliché by sleeping with the boss. And I did remind myself of all of the reasons why sleeping with him is a bad idea, but everything I know and believe passionately becomes a puff of smoke that blows away when I’m with him.”
“So what are you guys going to do? Make a go at it?”
I bite my lip. “No, he told me clearly he’s not into long relationships. We’ve agreed that we’ll have fun while we’re here. You know, get it out of our systems so that when we go home, we can go back to a professional relationship.”
“So you’re getting half of the Macau. You’re having fun with someone you click with. And yet I get the impression you think it’s a bad thing.”
“I … I’m not sure it’ll be out of my system by the time we come home. Or ever. I’m scared I’m letting myself fall for him,” I admit slowly.
“Right,” she says with a sigh.
“What should I do, Raven?”
“I learned a long time ago, that you must never help anyone make a decision on something like this. Only you know what is best for you, Cindy. I’ll always be here for you.”
“To pick up the pieces?”
“Or to celebrate because you took what you wanted with both hands and to hell with the consequences.”
“Thanks, I feel so much better now,” I say dryly.
She laughs. “You’ll thank me properly at your wedding.”
“Very funny.”
“Stranger things have happened, Cindy. Look at what happened to me.”
“You know what?”
“What?”
“I miss you, Raven. I really do. And I can’t wait to see you again.”
“Well, I’ll be coming to London soon. Let’s have a pizza night like the good ole days. Just you and me.”
“Okay,” I say happily.
We chat for another couple of minutes, then I end the call. I go back into the bedroom and strip off. Leaving my phone on the bed, I go into the bathroom again. Shutting the taps off I pour essential oil into the bath tub and climb into the gorgeously hot, sweet smelling water.
I sit down, enjoying the silky feel of the water on my swollen pussy. Laying back I close my eyes and relax. Raven is right. If I’m going to get hurt, I might as well have fun along the way. That way I’ll have nothing to regret. I took the bull by the horns. So what if I lose a little blood along the way. There is majesty in dying on the horns of the bull.
I lay in the bath, and my mind goes to the way Alex’s eyes are so intense when he looks at me. The way his kisses taste. The way he lights my body up in ways I never even knew were possible. I can’t help but smile as I remember the way I felt wrapped up in his arms.
I’m in so much trouble here.
I am already in way too deep.
I force myself to think about something else, but it’s hard. Eventually, I give up and get out of the bath. I wrap myself in a large white towel and go to the bedroom. I dry my hair and slip on a pair of leggings and a comfy top.
I think I am more than a little disappointed that Alex never came to me.
My intention is to go through to the lounge and watch a movie, but when I look at the bed, it looks so comfortable, so inviting … and I really am exhausted.
I move to the big beautiful bed. There are no ghosts in the daytime. I tell myself I’m just going to lay down for five minutes. Who sleeps on such a beautiful day? The sun is shining in through the tall windows.
I have barely laid down when my eyes close and I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Cindy
I wake up and stretch, relishing the feeling of my spine cracking. Then I sit up feeling refreshed and rested. The nap has done wonders for me. I glance out of the window and my jaw drops when I see the summer sun is already so low. No, that can’t be right. It’s still morning time surely. I look at my watch, sure I must have made some mistake, but no, I haven’t. It is almost six p.m.