glass of wine and throw my arms around Jeremy.
‘Dance with me?’
He smiles his cheeky smile and cups my face in his palms. ‘How could I not? It’s so great to see you relax.’
He teases a kiss across my lips and I feel weak at the knees, just as I did years ago at university, and I’m thankful he’s holding me tight. My body melts and gravitates toward this man as though he is directly descended from Eros. God, he is smouldering and I regret asking for a dance instead of a quick trip to our bedroom or the rooftop again … Would that be weird, I wonder, in front of Robert? Perhaps not.
‘I just need to return a phone call and I’ll be right with you,’ Jeremy says.
Adam immediately swoops over and takes my hand, distracting me from my delicious thoughts about how I could play with Jeremy’s body.
‘I’ll dance with you, gorgeous girl. Let’s go poolside, the speakers are on out there.’
I glance questioningly at Jeremy. He used to call me GG, or Gorgeous Girl, in our younger years, so how did Adam know to use that moniker? His hands fly up in mock protest. ‘What? I’ve said nothing, just a lucky guess I assume, but it’s the truth after all.’ Jeremy winks and slaps my butt. ‘Go dance with Adam, I’ll be out in a sec.’ My eyes follow his triangular torso as he walks away from me while Adam drags me in the opposite direction.
The night is warm and clear, a half moon sharing the sky with a few stars, as we boogie. And we boogie hard. It feels great to dance, to release my pent-up energy and stress. The music pounds in my ears and the world whooshes around me as Adam, who is proving to be an exceptionally skilled dancer, flips and turns and spins me in multiple directions. Luckily I’ve had quite a few drinks by now so I confidently assume I must look equally proficient given his strong lead. It’s exhilarating.
He leaves for a moment to refresh our drinks and I keep dancing, the music enabling me to fly away from the dramas, to remove myself from reality. My hands are in the air like I just don’t care, dancing and pounding, my feet bare, grooving and moving like there is no tomorrow — until I turn around and notice four male figures watching me intently from inside the glass doors. This distracts my excellent rhythm to such an extent that I stumble over my feet, lose my sense of balance and fall inelegantly, splashing into the pool. How absolutely embarrassing!
Grateful I still have my bikini on underneath my now see-through short summer dress, the men appear poolside, with Jeremy and Robert offering me their outstretched arms to haul me from the water, trying to restrain their chuckles.
‘Not a word,’ I lightly threaten them, as they attempt to hide their smirks. Adam hands me a towel. ‘Thanks.’
Standing slightly back from the others is the fourth man who I don’t recognise but who I intuitively know is the reason I lost my balance. He steps forward.
‘Well, hello, you must be Alexandra. I’m Leo.’ He holds out his hand toward me. I cannot believe I am meeting Leo for the first time like this.
‘Oh, Leo, great. Hi. I’m sorry, um … I’m wet.’ I quickly wipe my hand against the towel so I can shake his hand and see the twinkle of amusement in his azure eyes.
‘I see that. You are also quite a dancer.’ Oh, dear lord, how long had they been watching? Visions of me thinking I looked like a disco goddess quickly vanish and are quickly replaced by the reality of a tipsy mother in her mid-thirties, with two left feet, falling into the damn pool. Okay, now would be a good time for the ground to swallow me up or for me to jump back in the water and stay under with my eyes closed until the men disappear. Typical! Of all the times I could have met Leo looking sleek, confident and relaxed, instead I’m sodden, see-through and in a bikini, my wet hair slathered against my face and body and completely flustered.
‘Just … please … I just need a moment to, you know … sorry. I’ll be back …’ I quickly excuse myself and run into the bedroom to catch my breath and pull myself together.
Leo is here, right now, after all these years. Jeremy’s hero, his mentor. The person who helped him out of the emotional hole he went into when his brother Michael committed suicide and when none of his family and friends could reach him, me included. I’m in awe of this unknown man, even possibly a little jealous of him for being able to achieve what I could not, though grateful nonetheless. But we were so young, I was so young.
I can’t imagine how Jeremy — so strong, so alpha male — will behave with someone he admires so much, when he is the one who is used to being in control. Suddenly this piques my interest, my first and maybe only opportunity to see these two men interact with each other, two men who have had such a profound effect on each other’s lives. Fascination begins to compete with my mortification at my poolside performance. Of all the times …
‘Sweetheart, are you lost in there?’ Jeremy lightly taps on the door before entering the room.
‘That couldn’t have been more embarrassing, J. You could have warned me he was about to arrive.’ I can still sense the amusement beneath the mask he is trying to maintain for my benefit.
‘You were in the moment, AB, letting yourself go, just as you did when you sang and played guitar on our last rooftop together.’ His arms snake around my middle. ‘There must be something about you and rooftops, something seductive and delicious.’ His lips nip my neck. ‘I need to remember that … I’d never interrupt you when you’re in that space. It’s when you are at your most beautiful.’
‘Nice words to hear, but not helpful right at this moment. Leo! After many years of hearing about him and this is how I meet him.’ I indicate my state so he doesn’t miss my point.
‘He doesn’t care, you care. Come on, let me help. I want you back out there sooner rather than later.’
I slide my arms around his torso and kiss his chest. ‘If you help me get dressed, I may never get back out there.’
He guides my meandering hands away from the zip of his cargo pants.
‘You’re incorrigible and still a little tipsy, I see, even after your dunking.’ He pulls the wet dress over my head and begins to dry my body with the towel. A few seconds later, a dry dress is whipped over my head.
‘Jeez, you are moving so fast it’s making me dizzy,’ I complain.
He towel-dries my hair before looking for a brush. ‘You need to meet him properly. He has come back specifically for us.’
Suddenly I feel dread in the pit of my stomach. For us? ‘What do you mean, for us?’
I sit on the edge of the bed as he gently but quickly brushes my hair, something I’d usually enjoy under different circumstances.
‘So we can consider all the options.’
Clearly my time of being free from reality has come to an abrupt end.
‘Okay, you look fine.’ He grabs my hand and pulls me off the bed.
‘Jeremy, what are you planning?’ I sense he is up to something.
‘We’re just talking, Alexa. Now that everyone is here we can work this through.’ He looks directly into my eyes, his hands cupping my face, ensuring I meet his gaze. ‘You know how important Leo is to me, Alexa. Please don’t let me down.’
Talk about playing his trump card! What do I say to that? He plants his arm firmly around my waist and steers my reluctant body out the door. There is only one feeling you have when you are in a position such as this.
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