I press my thighs together, kicking myself as I desperately try to focus on the science. Why did I think this was safe territory? He talks about building pressure and things getting filled, and all I can think about is the personal crevice I’d love to have him explore.
“… we know the dolomite formed bulges near the surface…” Christ almighty. “… I’m just not sure how deep I’ll be able to reach…” Yeah. I know he’s talking about rock samples. Do I care? Hell, no. I just really wish I hadn’t forgotten to pack my vibrator.
5
WES
Corinne nibbles at a fig, listening to me talk, but her eyes are cast down, and she’s fidgeting in her seat. Jesus. I’m an asshole. We’ve been talking about the lake, the bedrock, and soil composition for ages. I’m pretty sure I’m in danger of boring her to tears. “I’m sorry,” I say, interrupting myself. Corinne glances up, eyes surprised.
“Why?” She licks a glistening drop of golden honey from her lip and I just about die. I blink at her, forgetting every word I’ve spoken.
“What?” I ask.
“You just stopped in the middle of the thing about the Precambrian layers and you said you were sorry,” Corinne squints at me. “Are you okay Dr. Napier?”
“Oh, right.” I’m a smart guy, but Corinne has the unique ability to turn my brain into tapioca pudding with a single gesture. Or lick. I clear my throat. “I just realized I was rambling. You worked all day. I’m sure you weren’t looking for extra lectures, but you got stuck with your professor.”
Corinne snorts out a laugh. “What’s so funny?” I ask, returning her grin.
“You calling this ‘stuck.’ It’s not like you tied me to the chair and forced me to listen, and I’m not polite enough to stay somewhere I don’t want to be. Trust me, I could have gotten up and walked out anytime I wanted. Besides, if you think I’m not here for extra lectures, you don’t know me at all.”
“Even after a long shift pouring drinks?” I ask, loving the way she looks at me.
“Especially after that! And don’t forget I did some throwing of drinks too.”
“Really upped the excitement there, huh?” I chuckle, taking a sip of my now-warm beer. Lights flick on overhead, zig-zagging over the patio. We both glance up, and it’s only now that I realize the sun is setting behind the mountains and the patio is filled with guests. The bubble we were in seems to pop. Maybe it’s the new, romantic lighting, maybe it’s all the ears around us. Either way, the shift is palpable.
“I was going to walk down to the lake,” I tell her. “But I guess it’s getting late.”
“I haven’t actually been down there yet, if you can believe it.” Corinne swipes a little drizzle of honey from the empty platter and licks it off her finger. Every red blood cell in my body stampedes south. “But now I’m kind of dying to. Do you mind if I tag along?”
I’m over here dying for a completely different reason. Corinne gets to her feet, but I stay in my chair. Standing is absolutely not an option. Not unless she’d like a visual presentation on what she does to me.
“You know what? I might have another beer. The lake can wait until morning. Let me buy you a drink.”
Corinne bites her lip. “If you’d rather go to the lake by yourself, that’s fine. I didn’t mean to… I should probably head back to the staff cabins for the night.” She backs away from the table, bumping into a chair. The metal legs make a brutal scraping sound against the stone and she nearly topples right over it.
I start to stand, the instinct to catch her too strong to fight. But in my haste, I forgot that there was an excellent reason I didn’t stand in the first place. That reason jams into the bottom of the table and I have to bite my lip to keep a whimper at bay.
“Have a good night, Dr. Napier.” Corinne rights the chair and hurries down the stone steps. She doesn’t look up or wave, just speed-walks away from me as fast as she can.
“Fuck,” I mutter, watching her disappear behind the lodge. I drop my face to the table. That went just about as bad as it could have gone.
“Oof. That was slick,” a man sitting to my right says sarcastically.
“Yeah. Thanks.” I close my eyes and wish for death, but apparently there’s no mercy in Virginia this time of year.
Once my situation is no longer at risk of putting me on a sex offender registry, I stand and drop a twenty on the table for the server. Corinne comped my beer, and the chef brought out a massive plate of food, but the server that re-filled my water about eight times should still get something.
It’s only then that I notice the small roll of black fabric in Corinne’s chair. I unroll it and realize I’m holding her apron. I should take it back to the bar... but they look pretty busy over there. I rub the fabric between my thumb and forefinger. I could just wait until I see Corinne again, I reason. That way, I don’t have to bother anyone and I can be sure it’ll get back to her. Hanging onto the apron has nothing to do with the fact that it was tied around her body. None whatsoever.
***
I’d say I slept like shit, but that would imply that I slept. At all. I stared at my ceiling until the resort fell silent. And I stared at it some more. At one point, I definitely heard an owl, but other than that, it was just hours and hours of ceiling scrutiny until the sun pierced the curtains of my cabin.
How could I have fucked up so badly last night? I’m not some kid who’s never spoken to a woman before. I’m closer to forty than thirty-five and I’ve been in and out of relationships. They may not have been very fulfilling, but they were stable.
The point is, I know how to act around women. All of them except Corinne. Something about her just scrambles the synapses in my brain and turns me into a brainless, drooling mess of testosterone and want. I’m going to find her and apologize. I can’t exactly explain why I couldn’t stand, but I can apologize for the misunderstanding.