Fighting Perfection (The Perfection Series Book 2) (4 page)

     I groaned and heaved myself up from the bed to grab my own swim suit and transform myself into something half as human-looking as Grace. 

     Once we were all ready and properly caffeinated, we set out to find Zach and the houseboat that was to be our home for the next two nights.  We drove over to the office for the company that leased the houseboat to Zach and obtained the information on where we could find the boat. Zach had done a dismal job at describing their location.  With the help of a very friendly, fifty-something-year-old leasing agent who leered at Grace the entire time we were there, we eventually found where we were supposed to be.

     As we walked up to a dazzling seventy-two-foot boat that sported a beautiful U-shaped wood bar under a large cabana-style top on the upper sundeck, a tall, well-muscled guy with rich brown hair and aviator shades ran down the ramp to scoop Jessica up in a big bear hug and swing her around.

     “Zaaaaaach!!!!”  Jessica screeched.  “Put me down right now!”

     After another spin, he set her down where they both wobbled a bit with their arms slung over each other’s shoulders, giggling like little kids.

     “Zach, I’d like you to meet my three besties, Mimi, Liz, and Grace.  Girls, this hunk of studliness is Zach Ritter.”

      We all smiled and greeted Zach with giggles of our own.

      Zach put his hands together and bowed slightly from the waist.  “Welcome to the flight deck ladies.  You’re welcome to stow your gear in the cabin on the first level, then head up top to the cabana for some beverages and debauchery with the rest of us.”

     A deep voice called from up above.  “There are no planes here, moron.  Therefore, it’s just a deck.”

     “We’ll see who’s flying over the side later on, Jammer!”  Zach said as he raced back up the ramp ahead of us, probably to wrestle with the owner of the voice.

     The girls and I looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders.  We started in the direction Zach went up onto the boat and then into the cabin on the main deck to put away our stuff.  Our jaws dropped when we saw all the gleaming blonde wood and oversize cushions in the room.  There was yet another bar in the salon-like entryway, several chairs, and a couple sofas scattered about.  From what I could see, it looked like there were two bedrooms in the back.  It was definitely a house on the water. 

     After dropping our bags in a discreet corner, we headed up to the cabana area.  Sitting around the bar in various chairs and lounges were two other guys and two girls.  One guy was seated at the bar with his back to us, while Zach was standing behind the bar with a Budweiser long-neck in his hand.  His sunglasses were now dangling from the neck of his white undershirt, and I could see he had a beautiful pair of bright green eyes in his tanned face.  He took a drink from his bottle before lowering it and smiling as he pointed to each person with it. 

     “That guy over there on the chaise is Ethan,” he pointed to another tall, muscular guy with brown hair, brown eyes, and tattoos all over his arms and chest who gave us a polite wave.  “The lovely lady in the chair next to him is his girl, Cecilia.”  She giggled drunkenly and wiggled her fingers at us.

     He pointed at the next guy who had ginger hair and freckles all over him and was cuddled up with an older, tall woman with big, blonde, overdone hair and make-up, as well as big, overdone, um…assets packed into a tiny red bikini.  “That loser over there is Pumpkin.  The girl is, umm…uh…well she’s a N.A.G., and I don’t remember her name.  She’ll be gone tomorrow so it doesn’t really matter.”

      Liz, Grace, and I looked at each other and mouthed the words to Jessica, “Pumpkin?  Nag?”  She shook her head and whispered, “I’ll explain later.”

    Zach then pointed to the guy at the bar just as he swiveled around to face us.  My vision tunneled as I looked at him.  “This guy is Jammer,” Zach said, just as I whispered the name “James.”

     Simultaneously, James looked at me and exclaimed, “Ana!”

     Zach looked back and forth between the two of us and said to me, “I thought Jessica said your name was Mimi.”

     I stood there and squeezed my eyes together as I balled my hands into fists.  Now what was I going to do?  Way to go, Mimi.  Why didn’t you come clean when you had the chance?

    Jessica nudged me with her elbow as I opened my eyes and looked at James with a look of apology.  “Mimi, what’s going on?” she asked.

     “What’s going on,” James said, “is I met this ‘little lady’,” he choked out the words mockingly, “last night.  Only she told me her name was Anastasia Steele.”

     Everyone except James, Zach, and I started laughing hysterically.  Zach looked at everyone and said, “It’s funny, but is it really that funny guys?  I mean come on.  Shit like this happens every day.”

     Pumpkin wiped his eyes and said, “Don’t you guys know who Anastasia Steele is?”  When the guys shook their heads no, he started laughing again.  “You know, from Fifty Shades of Grey?  She’s the main character.”

     James just looked at him.  “I’m worried that you know that, dude,” he finally said.

     “Oh, come on.  One of the N.A.G.s dragged me to see the movie.  It was kind of hot.  We had a good time afterwards.”

     I pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger ready to die of embarrassment.  “I didn’t expect to see you again, James.  I’m sorry.”

     “Don’t sweat it, Ana—I mean, Mimi,” he said leaning back against the bar with his arms crossed against his chest.  His words were dismissive, but his eyes on me were hard.  I didn’t know what else to do so I just looked away.

     Zach cleared his throat, then introduced the rest of the girls to everyone.  “How would you ladies like an ice-cold beer?”  Everyone accepted, then found seats around the cabana and joined in the chatter that had started back up.  Except me.  I found a seat slightly apart from the group and sat there sipping my drink while looking out at the water.  I had the sneaking suspicion this was going to be an uncomfortable trip for me.

    After finishing his beer, Zach decided we should go out onto the water for a little while so he started up the engine, and we made our way slowly out onto the lake.  The girls were having a good time with everyone else, getting to know each other, and making conversation.  I continued to keep to myself as much as I could, contributing only when someone spoke directly to me.  I was pleasant but far from an enthusiastic participant.  James seemed to keep his distance as well. 

     After a time, I decided I’d retreat to the lower deck to retrieve the book I’d brought with me and try to sun myself there.  After liberally applying enough sunscreen to protect a vampire, I lay back on one of the super-comfortable lounge chairs and cracked open my new Alice Clayton novel.

     I was knee-deep in “Nuts” when I felt a shadow pass over me.  I looked up to find James standing above me, hands on his hips, and an unhappy look on his face.  I shrunk down a little in my seat and closed my book.

     “Hi James,” I said in a weak voice.  “Look, I’m really sorry.  I thought about telling you the truth when we were outside the casino, but at that point it seemed too late, and I really didn’t think we’d see each other ever again.”

     He huffed out a breath and sat down on the edge of my lounge chair, his forearms resting on his knees.  “I really want to remain angry with you, but I remember how unfriendly you were when I first introduced myself to you.  I’m sure you were just hoping I’d go away.”

     I cringed a little bit more, my face probably going bright red.  I wrinkled my nose in response.

     “Yeah, I thought so.”  He rubbed at his brow for a moment and then looked at me and said, “Why don’t we just start over?  I’m Jim Calloway, but my close friends call me Jammer.  You can still call me James.  I kind of like it.”

     I smiled and said, “Mimi Ashcroft.  I’m very pleased to meet you for a second time.”

     Just then a loud whoop followed by a very large splash sounded out.  It was followed by cheers and applause from the upper deck.  The engine to the boat shut down as James and I stood and looked over the side of the railing.  Pumpkin was flipping around in the water hooting and hollering.  Soon, a shriek trilled around us and the next thing we saw was Grace flying through the air into the water.  As soon as she surfaced, she swam over to Pumpkin and threw her arms around him.  I didn’t know what had transpired, but I didn’t think the blonde bombshell that had been wrapped around him earlier was going to approve.

     James grabbed my hand and said, “Come on, it looks like they’re using the waterslide.  Drop your book and let’s go have some fun.”

     I did as he said and then followed him as he trotted up the stairs leading to the upper deck.  By that time, Zach had joined everyone and was stripping off his shirt in preparation for his trip down the slide.  Jessica sidled up to us with a huge grin on her face.

     “What do you think, Mimi?  Wanna take a trip down?”

     “Hell yeah, she does!” James exclaimed.

     “Um…” I wavered.

     “Oh come on, Mimi,” Jessica pleaded.  “Even Liz is going for it.  We’re here to have a good time.  Let your hair down and have some fun!”

     “She’s going,” James insisted.  “Don’t you worry about that.” 

     “There you go again with that complete confidence,” I said.  “How can you be so sure?”

     “Like this!”  He grabbed me, threw me over his shoulder, and trotted over to the slide.  The next thing I knew I was seated with him behind me, and we were zipping down the slide together.  When we reached the bottom, we launched into the air and landed with a spectacularly large splash a few feet apart.

      I surfaced with my back stinging as though a million needles had been thrust beneath my skin, I’d hit the water so hard.  I had the sudden sense that all was not right, however.  I felt as if something were missing--something like my bikini bottoms.

     I began scanning the water for signs of the wayward scraps of fabric just as James began a quick stroke toward me.  Growing frantic, I screamed for him to stop when he was about three feet away.  I furiously tread water, thrashing about trying to catch a glimpse of the bright blue material that previously guarded my modesty (okay, well it covered the important bits anyway), with my anxiety rising higher and higher.  What the hell was I going to do?  How on God’s green earth was I going to get back on that boat and to my shorts without anyone seeing my bare ass?  Especially James?

     “What’s the matter, Mimi?  What’s wrong with you?” James asked, now looking around himself. 

     “Erm…I, uhh…,” I stammered.

     Just then my beautiful blue bottoms surfaced between us, bobbing for all the world like a buoy.  James’ eyes zeroed in on them.  He looked to me, then back at them before a slow smile spread across his face.

     “Those look a little familiar,” he said.  “I think I’ve seen them somewhere before.”

     I darted forward and grabbed them before he could move.  I gave him a look of warning lest he get any bright ideas to try to take them from me.  He threw his head back and laughed loudly.

     “What kind of guy do you think I am, Mimi?  I’m not going to steal your panties.  Trust me, you’ll give them to me before I’d ever try to take them from you.”

     I gave him another look of warning before inspecting my bottoms to see why they came off in the first place.  As I feared, they didn’t simply come untied at the sides.  Noooo.  The ties ripped away from the back panel, I assumed during the hard landing in the water.  So, I still had the same problem as before.  Sure, I could wrap them in place but I’d still have to hold onto them.  That would make swimming a little difficult, not to mention climbing the ladder back onto the boat.  Fuck.

     “Problem?”  James inquired with a mildly-amused look on his face.

     “Yes!” I said exasperatedly.  “The ties on my bottoms have torn off.  Not only are they ruined, I can’t exactly put them back on.”

     “I’m failing to see the problem here,” he said with a wink.

     “James!”

     “Okay, okay.  Let me think for a moment.”  James tilted his head to the side in thought, then looked at me with a bright smile on his face.  He pulled his hand from the water and snapped his fingers.  “I know just what to do.”  He then proceeded to remove his swimming trunks.

     “Oh my God!  What the hell are you doing!  Get dressed right now!” I screeched.

      “Relax, Mimi.  Put these on,” he said, tossing his wet shorts at my face.  They landed with a wet flop on top of my head.  Gingerly, I pulled them down and held them in front of me.  James was at least six inches taller than me and outweighed me by fifty pounds.  These were going to be a little big, but I was desperate enough to try it.  However…what was he going to wear?  James was a damned good-looking man, but this wasn’t exactly the situation I imagined where I’d get a gander at Little Jim.

     “I know what you’re thinking.  We’ll swim back to the boat.  You go on up and get dressed, then come back and throw my shorts down to me.”

     “Oh.  Whew.  Okay.  That’s a good plan.”

     “Problem solving under pressure is part of my skill set, Kitten,” he chuckled.

     “Don’t you dare call me that again,” I said as I struggled into his shorts while trying to stay afloat.