Page 18

She walked along the boards and felt a swell of exhilaration as she neared the forty-one-foot Jeanneau she kept docked at thepier. It was a beauty and often a challenge to skipper alone, but Piper loved a challenge. She stepped on board and went below. A small basket of fruit sat on the table, and she opened the refrigerator door to find a variety of cheeses along with a bottle of white wine inside.
“Permission to come aboard, Captain?” Leo’s deep voice called to her.
“Permission granted,” she said, laughing, as she climbed the stairs to the upper deck.
“What a great boat,” he said, running a hand along the shiny railing. “You handle this all by yourself?”
“I do, but it can be a lot, especially docking and tying up. It’ll be good to have your help. But we’re lucky—the water’s like glass. It’ll be so peaceful out there today.”
They worked the lines together, and Piper maneuvered out of the slip, setting sail. They sailed the Sound in silence, and she noticed Leo’s shoulders relaxing as he leaned reflexively into the gentle motion of the boat. After an hour, she tacked closer to shore, set the anchor, and joined him.
“Enjoying yourself?” she asked him.
“I can’t think of any place I’d rather be than on this little bit of heaven with you.” He reached his hand out to hers and pulled her gently onto his lap. “You make me happy,” he said, and his lips touched hers.
The kiss was long and deep, and Piper felt a stirring inside of her that was almost painful.
“Let’s go below.” His lips were now against her ear, his voice low and husky.
Together, they hurried to the stateroom. Piper turned to him as she reached the bed and paused, waiting for him to undress her. He understood, lifted the T-shirt over her head, and immediatelyhis hands were unfastening her bra, freeing her breasts. He caressed them, first with his hands, then his mouth. Piper let out a moan and lay back on the bed. She had never felt such intense desire. They made love as if starved—urgently and passionately. After a second, more languorous time, they fell asleep to the soft rocking of the boat.
They awoke hungry, and Piper wrapped a leg over his. “How about some food and a glass of wine?”
“I don’t know. Can’t we just stay in bed forever?” He kissed her, pulling her body closer to his.
“You can come up for air, Mr. Drakos. We have all day.” She ran a hand across his belly, nestling her head against his chest.
“I want to know everything about you,” he said. “What your dreams are, what’s most important to you, all the things you care about.”
“Ah, let’s see... I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I know that sounds like a cliché, but I really mean it. I believe in the basic goodness and decency of most people. Sometimes you just have to help them connect to that part of themselves. It’s very gratifying.”
Leo kissed the top of her head as she lay against him. “You’re a wonderful woman, Piper. I feel like I could face anything with you by my side.” After a while they got up and dressed, then devoured the cheese and fruit. Piper poured a glass of wine for each of them and took a long swallow of hers.
“We should probably pull up anchor,” she said. “It’s getting late, and I want to get back while it’s still light.”
“All right. But first . . .” He took her hand and pulled her back toward the bed, lifted her T-shirt over her head once more, and pressed his body against hers. They fell onto the bed together, locked in each other’s arms; his mouth hungrily found hers. Shecould feel the flush of heat surge through her entire body, as they made wild love.
They sailed back in companionable silence, speaking only when she needed help with the lines. After they had docked the boat and disembarked, they left Piper’s car at the club and took his car to her house.
“I’ll run upstairs and change for dinner. I won’t be long.” She rose onto tiptoes and kissed him as they stood in the entrance hall. “There’s a bottle of red in the kitchen. Go pour yourself a glass while I change.”
“I think I’d rather follow you.”
“Down, boy,” she said with a laugh.
True to her word, she was back downstairs in ten minutes, her shorts replaced with a long, white slip dress. She’d released her hair from its ponytail, and it hung loose and straight to her shoulders.
“Beautiful,” he said appreciatively as she descended the stairs. “You are absolutely glowing.”
She smiled at him. “A certain gentleman is the reason for that.”
They left the house hand in hand, and as she settled back into the passenger’s seat of his car, she replayed their lovemaking in her mind. Things had changed on the boat this afternoon. The relationship was at a completely different level now—intimate and private. They had the whole evening ahead of them, and she knew beyond a doubt that he would stay until morning. It would be perfect... and she couldn’t wait to have him all to herself all night.
16
Joanna
The week after the moving van had showed up, I called Leo every day, but he wouldn’t listen to reason. Celeste advised me to give him some space, a chance to see what he was missing. She told me she’d had clients whose husbands had acted the same way when they were in the thrall of an affair, but that after a while they’d come to realize what they had in their wives. But I couldn’t afford to wait any longer, with someone as aggressive as Piper inserting herself, and planned to go to the house to confront him. Before I could, late one afternoon the doorbell rang, and I opened it to see a woman standing there. She asked me my name then handed me an envelope. I realized too late that she was a process server. My hands shook as I read the document that announced the end of my life with Leo. He was severing our relationship with the ruthlessness of a shark. No call to warn me, nothing to let me know that he was making it official.