Page 17

Roxanne

W hen Leonard invited me to spend the day with him and his friends, I didn’t imagine waking up at six in the morning for a limo picking me up at seven. But here I am. On the dock, waiting for Raphael’s bodyguard to secure the boat before heading out for a sailing trip.

“Is this something you old people do all the time?” I ask, yawning.

Raphael chuckles while Leonard fights a smile pulling at his lips.

“What?” Elijah asks, grinning.

“Waking up before noon on Saturday,” I explain.

“Yes, it’s something they do a lot,” Mia, Elijah’s girlfriend and around my age, answers.

“Hey! I’m not that old!” Silver complains.

“Yes, you are,” I answer, with Dakota and Mia nodding in approval.

Thank God there are a couple of girls my age, or I would be bored to death listening to these career men talking business all day.

Aaron and Raphael laugh as Leonard scowls.

“What? You didn’t think you were young, did you?” I raise my eyebrow, challenging him.

“Jesus. And I invited her,” he murmurs under his breath, making everyone laugh.

The truth is, I’m happy to be here. After my meltdown at the rage room, Leonard went easy on me.

He reduced our office hours, took me out for lunch more often, and even some dinners.

And yesterday, he invited me on a sailing trip he had planned with his friends.

It’s like somehow I stepped up to be part of his circle—a stark difference from the guys I was hanging out with until a few weeks ago.

“You can go.” Raphael’s bodyguard gives us the thumbs up.

I grab my bag from the dock and follow the others toward a sailboat. Leonard gets in first, then helps us jump into it until the eight of us are all on board. Raphael, Aaron, and Elijah help with the ropes while Leonard stands behind the boat’s wheel.

“Where’s the captain?” I ask when I see him tampering with the instruments.

Leonard frowns. “What do you mean?”

“Who’s…driving this thing?” I wave toward the massive boat.

“I am.” His face contorts with confusion.

“You know how to do this? I thought there was an expert helping us.”

He points toward Raphael and the others busy helping him sail this boat. “We do it all the time.”

“Of course you do,” I murmur as I reach the girls sprawled on the bow.

I sit between them, and I don’t miss the curious glance Silver gives me.

“So, I’m happy you two are getting along,” she says, nodding toward Leonard.

I glance toward him, and my breath catches in my throat. He is gorgeous in his khaki shorts, polo, sailing shoes, and sunglasses. Even dressed more casually, he has a sophisticated bearing that’s difficult not to notice. His tanned skin almost glows in the morning sun.

“Getting along is a strong statement. We tolerate each other,” I point out, and they all exchange a look I can’t figure out.

“What?” I ask, confused.

“If he asked you to come, he likes you,” Dakota explains.

“He’s very protective of his free time and picky about the people he surrounds himself with,” Mia chips in.

I shrug, attempting to brush off their insinuations. I don my sunglasses and lie down, hoping to bask in the sun’s warmth, but their words persist in my thoughts. I never anticipated this invitation to carry such weight, or I would have thought more before accepting.

It takes us half an hour to leave the dock and the harbor. When we finally hoist the sails, a light breeze helps us move smoothly over the flat ocean. It’s a perfect day to be out at sea.

“Here we go,” Mia giggles and the others follow suit.

I turn my gaze toward where they are all looking and grinning, and my mouth goes dry. All the men have taken off their t-shirts, giving us a view worthy of the best swimsuit ad. How many times do they hit the gym to have those bodies?

“This is not fair. You can drool over your partners, and I should just shut my eyes?” I complain, and they laugh.

“You can always check out Leonard. It’s not that bad, is it?” my sister suggests, and my eyes automatically land on him.

He is a piece of art. With his suit on, he is sexy, but without a shirt, he is just perfection made flesh.

His biceps slightly bulge, gripping the helm, and his pecs are so defined that I would trace that curve with my fingers for the rest of my life.

And those abs? Is it even possible to have an eight-pack?

“No. I cannot.” My tongue trips on the words.

“Why not?” Dakota asks. I turn toward her, sheltering my eyes from the sun and studying her curious face.

“What do you mean why not? I work with him. I can’t just stare at him like he’s a piece of meat.” A very, very hot one.

They giggle, and my sister playfully pushes my shoulder. “Come on. You have noticed how sexy he is. Don’t play dumb,” she challenges me.

I’m not used to talking with my sister about men, especially those I work with for the most part of the day.

I can’t start to think of Leonard like that, or I won’t be able to focus on my job.

However, it might be too late. Every single rippling muscle is branded in my brain, living rent-free in each one of my wet dreams.

“Yes, I noticed. I’m not blind. But I can’t look at him like that.” It comes out like a whine.

The girls laugh at my expenses, and I cover my burning face with my hands. And it’s not because of the sun.

“Why not? It’s not like you’re jumping him. You’re…window-shopping,” Mia suggests, and we burst out laughing.

“Do you know how hard it will be to work with him after seeing what he hides under those suits?” I point out.

“Well, that’s easy. Ditch the suits and bend over his desk!” she giggles.

“Mia!” I scold, but there is no seriousness in my tone.

They all giggle like schoolgirls, and the guys turn toward us with curious looks.

“Don’t worry, honey! I was telling them about the first time we used your desk,” she hollers toward Elijah, and a flash of lust crosses his eyes. A grin appears on his face.

“What are they talking about?” Leonard asks.

Elijah smirks at him. “Sex. They’re talking about how I bent over the desk and fucked the shit out of her,” he explains so casually that I’m baffled.

“Elijah!” I scold.

Mia laughs, and I turn toward her. She doesn’t look upset about her partner telling others about their private life, and I’m surprised.

“We have sex in front of other people at the sex club. I don’t mind if he talks to his friend about it,” she explains, and it’s like she just slapped me across the face.

Seriously?

“Too much information, Mia. She’s not used to our conversations yet.” My sister looks at me sympathetically.

I open my mouth a couple of times, trying to think of something intelligent to say, but my brain has gone blank from the turn this conversation had taken.

“And I thought I was the one living the teenage era because I shared an apartment with a bunch of hormonal guys. You’re like puberty on steroids.” I’m finally able to elaborate on my thoughts.

“Well, when you start to date men instead of boys, things improve in that department too.” Dakota’s smug smile is unmistakable. We all get the idea of how Aaron is in the sack.

“Jesus, I need to find a man ASAP, or I can’t keep hanging out with you,” I murmur, and the silence that follows is almost comic.

The girls are all staring at me like they know something I don’t.

“What?”

They are so synchronized, turning toward the boat wheel, that what they are suggesting would almost be comical if it weren’t terrifying.

“No, absolutely no,” I say resolutely.

“Why are you so stubborn? We see how you look at each other. You’re already fucking with your eyes. Bring it on a physical level,” Mia pleads like her life depends on my romantic status.

“What movie are you talking about? We’re doing nothing with our eyes,” I point out.

My sister snorts. “We almost hit the dock when you took off your dress because Leonard couldn’t keep his eyes off you.”

“That’s absolute bullshit.” Is it? I turn toward Leonard and catch him checking me out.

Am I missing something here? We are constantly fighting, always at each other’s throats. Yes, I find him hot, but that doesn’t mean we have to complicate things. And when Leonard leaves the helm to Raphael and strolls toward us, I can feel all eyes on me.

Did he hear our conversation? It’s possible. I mean, the wind can carry voices. But he would have said something, right? His shadow lands over us and I’m sure I’m not breathing at all.

“We’re going to drop anchor in a few so we can eat. Are you okay with that?” he asks no one in particular.

I keep my mouth shut because I don’t trust my voice to be firm right now.

“Sure, do you need help?” Silver asks.

He smiles sweetly at her. “No, stay here and enjoy the sun. It’s just sandwiches; we can manage.”

He turns around and walks away while I’m almost purple from keeping my breath.

“You can breathe now,” Mia teases.

“Who? Me? I’m perfectly fine,” I lie.

They laugh, calling out my bullshit.

When they call us, we join them and sit around a basket full of sandwiches, fruit, and various sweets some of their chefs prepared.

I’m the only one who doesn’t have a personal chef on my payroll, and I have to admit it’s something I would consider if I were rich. Preparing meals is not my strong suit.

“This is amazing,” I moan, biting on a tuna and cucumber sandwich.

“That’s my favorite too.” Leonard says, almost whispering in my ear.

I’m so close to him I’m practically sitting on his lap. There is not much space for eight people to access the basket, so I can’t complain about the situation. It’s him or one of the other men, and I don’t think their partner would be happy about that.

“Thank you for inviting me. I’m having fun.” I haven’t had a chance to tell him this yet, but I’m really relaxing and enjoying my time outside.

“I’m glad you came. I would have felt guilty knowing you were bent over the computer working on a Saturday.” He winks at me.