Picture Perfect (The Wilsons) (10 page)

Lea lost her casual façade and looked a bit worried. “Why are you so angry?”

“I’m not.” He sighed, and wiped off the frown. “But why did you skip breakfast? You could’ve at least sent me a message, you knew I’d be in the breakfast bar.”

This time she had the grace to look guilty. “I’m really sorry. I hope you didn’t wait too long for me.”

“Well, it’s been two hours now. What’s going on?”

“Um… I just… I wasn’t feeling too well in the morning and had some cereal in my room.”

“Hmm. Ok. Why don’t I come with you to the beach then? We can catch up there.”

Now she looked truly stricken and hemmed and hawed for a bit. Finally she said, “Look. I don’t want to be rude. I just… I think it’s best if we don’t see each other any more.”

Adam laughed happily. “Is that what’s bothering you? We don’t have to see each other! We can just hang out as friends.”

“Um… I don’t really think… I don’t think we should.”

He looked at her in silence for a moment and finally said, “Is everything ok? Did I do something to offend you?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Adam felt his annoyance rising again. “I know I’m not your type and I’m not asking for everlasting commitment. But if you don’t want to hang out, or even talk to me again, that’s fine too.”

He was seething but there was nothing else to say. He felt magnetically drawn to Lea, he wanted to spend almost all his remaining time with her, and failing that, at least part of each day. But if she wanted to stay away from him, that was her choice.

“Look, Adam - ”

“No, it’s fine.”

“I didn’t mean to - ”

“It’s fine, really,” he said lightly. “It’s just that now I have no one to share that Skyfalls dinner voucher with.”

He laughed lightly, as if he’d made a bad joke, and he saw the guilt crossing Lea’s face again.

“Well, ok,” she said, hesitatingly, “I guess I could go to one dinner with you. But then, we can’t see each other any more. I’ll be honest, I’m worried I might fall for you.”

He stared at her, trying not to reveal his shock. “Oh, ok.”

Lea walked away, and what Adam turned what she’d said over and over in his mind. So she’d felt something too, it wasn’t just him. But if that meant that she’d run scared from him, it wasn’t worth much.

The irony was evident to him, but he didn’t really know what to do. He didn’t want to hurt her, and if this was why she wanted to avoid him, he’d leave her alone after tonight’s dinner.

***

Skyfalls was a beautiful, semi-outdoor restaurant. They chose a table on the veranda, near the rocks with the gorgeous
, gushing waterfall. A view of the beach stretched out in front of them and they both warily ordered appetizers, seafood mains, and chocolate mousse dessert.

“I need to apologize,” Adam said, “This is the last time we’re hanging out. I didn’t realize you felt that way. And you’re right, nothing could ever happen between us, we’re so wrong for each other.”

Lea smiled with relief. “Exactly. You’re leaving after two weeks to some crazy place where you’ll probably get shot again. You might not even live next time.”

They both laughed like it was a big joke, and Adam said, “Yeah, and you need to find someone as boring as you to settle down with, some dude with a
matching electronic agenda and busy job.”

“I’m not boring! I’m just organized.”

“Sure, say that often enough and it’ll come true.”

They grinned at each other, happy to have fallen back into their old, easy companionship.

Their appetizers arrived, and Adam tried one of the prawns. “Tell me about your family,” he said, “You already know all my dirty secrets.”

For a moment, Lea wondered why she’d
bother confiding in him, but she figured,
why not
, and began to tell him all about her large family.

Her father, Kevin Wilson, had founded Zetta Crop, a multi-billion dollar enterprise which was headed by her brother Max now. He’d gotten engaged recently, and he and his fiancé Amy were busy planning their wedding. Her brother Matt also worked at Zetta as an attorney, and her sister Violet was a fashion designer, and Mary was a journalist. Mel and Mark, her cousins, had lived with them when they were growing up, after their parents had died in a sudden car crash.

Adam nodded along, asking questions occasionally, and then she remembered that she’d never asked what happened to his mother.

“She’s living in Italy now,” he said drily, “With her latest boyfriend.”

“Do you keep in touch?”

He sighed. “Not really. I don’t see the point, and it’s not like she’s eve
r been really interested in me.”

Lea felt a pang of dismay and guilt – she had such a wonderful family, and she wished Adam could’ve had the same.

But then he asked her about her work, and her eyes lit up and she started explaining all about how she’d gotten started trading, and how she’d set up her hedge fund and gotten her first clients. It was challenging work, but she was good at it and loved it. “Much like you,” she added, and Adam laughed in agreement.

They talked and laughed for hours, and stayed in their seats, lingering over their cups of once-steaming decaf, until most of the patrons started leaving and the staff looked like they’d be happy to pack up.

“I guess we should get going,” Adam said, reluctantly, and Lea agreed, feeling just as reluctant to leave.

The evening had been going swimmingly well and she wished it could continue forever.

They stood awkwardly, side by side in the elevator, neither looking at the other.

Adam walked her to her room, and she turned around.

“Well, I guess this is it,” he said, with the hint of a smile. “Goodnight. Goodbye.”

So this was goodbye. Lea couldn’t help turning her face up a little, and he leaned down.

It was meant to be a polite, chaste, good-bye kiss, but when his lips came down on hers, it was anything but. Their kiss deepened and grew more passionate, and somehow Lea managed to swipe her key-pass and open the door.

They stumbled into the room, neither of them doubting for a moment what they wanted. It was too late for proper thoughts, or regrets, or musings on the future. Instead, they ripped off each others’ clothes, trailing a path of formal dinner-wear and underwear until they tumbled into bed, naked and hungry and impatient.

Lea’s eyes were closed. They shared another deep kiss, before Adam began trailing his lips slowly down the length of her body, pausing to suck and tease her nipples, and then dropping kisses along her lower stomach. Lea raked her fingers across his back, and caressed his broad, strong shoulders, and he began to tease her clit, stroking it and making all her nerves stand on end.

“No,” she moaned. “Please don’t tease me, I need you, I want your cock inside me.
Now.”

He was already hard and wasted no time in obeying her wishes. Her legs were soon wrapped around his waist, and he positioned his hips above hers.
He held his cock in his hand and rubbed its big head up and down her wet pussy lips, teasing her with it until she thought she would scream.

She felt his cock enter her, slow and sexy, pushing in deeper and deeper. It was hard as iron as he went down deep and glided out, then back in again, a little deeper each time. Her pussy stretched around the big shaft, and she panted with desire, loving the full feeling of his cock all the way inside her, sliding in and out.

Slowly at first, and then faster and more rhythmically, Adam fucked her. Lea spread her thighs as wide as they would go, opening her insides to the pleasure of his hard dick. Lying spread-eagled on her back, she let herself grow used to his rhythm and then began to move, answering each of his thrusts with the movement of her own hips. They rocked together in a smooth rhythm, his cock drilling deeper inside her to her very depths as her flesh expanded to take more and more of him.

Lea
was the first to come. She felt everything around herself turn dark, and the waves of pleasure rocked through her body. She felt the release flooding through her veins and she shrieked out loud, thrashing involuntarily as her climax took over her. Adam gave one last determined thrust and she felt his cock throb rhythmically inside her as he enjoyed his own pleasure. They lay coupled for a few minutes panting before Adam settled on his back and wrapped his strong arm around her.

Lea wanted to say something, but she was too busy enjoying the relaxed bliss that came over her.

She heard Adam murmur softly, “I’d rather not say goodbye now.”

Feeling completely exhausted and contented, she managed to murmur something non-committal, before her breathing deepened and she fell asleep.

***

Adam’s alarm went off at seven the next morning, and woke him up instantly.

He needed to get dressed and take all his stuff and then head to Conference Room 1, but for now, he took a few moments to watch as Lea fluttered her eyelids and woke up sleepily. Once again, he had that feeling that someone had punched him in the stomach. Lea looked so beautiful and vulnerable, and he wanted to take care of her.

When she finally looked at him, Adam leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I have to go,” he said, regretfully.

She yawned and stretched slowly. “Why?”

His eyes lit up. “The hotel’s having this ‘Learn Photography’ workshop and their instructor bailed! So they found out I took snaps at Stacey’s wedding, and they looked me up online and found out I’d won some prizes and stuff for my work, so now they want me to teach the stuff! So I’m heading there now.”

Lea yawned again. His enthusiasm was cute but a little annoying so early in the morning. “Well, I’ll see you later, then.”

His heart almost skipped a beat. “Yes, I’ll see you then. Meet
me at the bar at six?” He would’ve suggested dinner, but he didn’t want to press his luck.

“Sure, whatever.”

Lea turned on her side, obviously trying to get back to sleep.

“I’m leaving you my number, call me if you can’t make it, I don’t want to get stood up again!”

He said it jokingly but Lea was already half-asleep, so he kissed her on the cheek, got dressed, and slipped out of the room.

***

The day went well for Adam. He had a small class of ten people, tourists who wanted to take better snaps of their holiday, and maybe some nice, artistic portraits of their loved ones. They were all quick learners and interesting people whom he enjoyed hanging out with during the breaks, and the time flew past quickly.

On his lunch break, Adam wondered about Lea. That feeling he’d had this morning – and this constant ache that reminded him he wanted to see her again, be with her again. It hurt just being away from her.

He’d never felt this way before, and he wondered if Lea felt it too. She might – after all, she’d agreed to drinks. He didn’t want her leaving him, and he knew he’d do whatever he could to stop that.

There was only one possible explanation for the way he felt, he decided – he was in love. Sure, it was inconvenient and impractical,
but he’d heard of “love at first sight”. He’d never believed in it before now, but he knew that Lea affected him in a strange way, he wanted to be with her always, and he’d let her know how he felt.

After class was over, Adam rushed out to the florist
’s, and bought a dozen red, long-stemmed roses. He rushed back to the hotel, showered and changed, and hurried to the bar. He was running a few minutes late, but Lea hadn’t called, so hopefully she was waiting for him.

There were very few situations that made him nervous, but he rehearsed the words in head –
I love you, Lea. I think we should be together.

He tried to prepare himself for an off-hand rejection, and thought about what he could say to convince her. Sure, it might be over in two weeks, but they’d have shared this special time together. Maybe it would work, they might try to get it to work. Love had survived in stranger situations, so why not theirs?

***

Lea hadn’t realized that Adam was a few minutes late, but when she saw him standing at the door, her heart soared and she smiled broadly. But then she saw the bunch of flowers in his hand, and thought back to her decision, and wondered if she should feel guilty.

There was no need, she decided. If anything, she should be annoyed – Adam knew how she felt about him, and had used that to get her into bed with him again. She needed to move on, and the decision had been made easier by the man sitting next to her.

Adam glanced cursorily at the man sitting on her left at the bar, and then focused all his attention on her.

“These are for you, sweetheart,” he said.

“Since when do you call me sweetheart?” she said, laughing, but secretly pleased. If he’d just been using her, he was doing a great job of pretending to care.

“Hi,” said her companion, extending his hand, “We haven’t met. I’m Ted.”

If Adam was nonplussed, he didn’t show it, and shook Ted’s hand politely. “Adam. How do you know Lea?”