Page 87 of Taming a Menace

“You know I like to beg for it.” He winked.

His eyes bore through me as his hands gripped my ass. I put my hands on the ground so I could push myself up and off of him, but he held me in place. I couldn’t help but to laugh. I felt so silly when I was around him. All I did was laugh and giggle.

“Stop playing,” I fussed.

“I thought you wanted to give these folks out here a show. I was ready to go.”

“Whatever, let me up.”

He moved his hand, allowing me to get up. I sprang to my feet and took the few steps it took to get my feet in the water again.

“Come in the water for a while,” I suggested.

“Naw. I’m about to rinse off then go over there and lay down until about four thirty. I need to be at the venue by five thirty.”

“You are not too cool to get in the water, Keywan.”

“I might not be, but I’m not messing with that water or the sharks in it.”

“Really, Key? You’re scared of a little water?” I asked, splashing him with water just to get under his skin.

“Oh you wanna play dirty?” he asked, laughing as he splashed me back.

We went to war splashing and trying to dunk each other’s heads in the water. I jumped on his back and tried to pull him down into the waist deep water with me. We fell over when he tried to dump me. I laughed like hell when he splashed water in my face then jumped up to run. I chased him and jumped on his back again. We were frolicking and playing like little kids, and I couldn’t have been happier.

I had never had so much fun just existing. We didn’t have to spend a lot of money or go anywhere extravagant. It just felt good being around him. Maybe this was what it was all about. When I got out of my head, things with Keywan were effortless. If this was what I had to look forward to maybe I had been worried for nothing.

Keywan carried me on his back as he walked over to the lounge chairs he’d drug out there for us to sit on. By then I didn’t mind sitting down. I was exhausted. I couldn’t remember the last time I had run for any reason at all. He sat me down on one of the chairs then grabbed a towel off the back of the other.

“See that wasn’t so bad. No sharks,” I said.

“Hmph, not that we could see anyway.”

“I don’t want to hear that, Mr. Glover. You weren’t even thinking about sharks. You were frolicking and playing just like me.”

He scoffed. “I’m pretty sure I’ve never frolicked in my life.”

“Yeah right. You know you were having fun.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t have fun. I said I wasn’t frolicking.”

“Whatever. Now you can get your beauty rest.”

“Scootch,” he said, nudging my side as he scooted onto the lawn chair with me.

“Uh-uh, we’re too heavy to get on this thing together.”

“No we’re not, ma’am. You can’t be no more than a hundred and seventy-five pounds. I can bench press your ass.”

“First of all, where did you get your statistics? Second, thank you for the compliment but try two twenty.”

“I can still bench press your little ass. It don’t matter how much you weigh. We’re up here now,” he said, getting comfortable and resting his head on my chest as if I hadn’t told him to get up.

“When we crash to the ground don’t say a word,” I warned him.

“I wasn’t planning on it. I’m about to lay on these pillows and catch me a few winks. I got all the cushion I need for the fall. I’m good.”

“Whatever.” I giggled.