Skinny Dipping (37 page)

“You’re hilarious,” Matthew said, gasping to take a breath “I love it when you get all mad and vindictive for no apparent reason.” He smiled and she couldn’t help but return one.

“That’s not quite true. I get mad for perfectly good reasons.” Although since Matthew was acting so nice, she wondered whether she really did have good reasons.

“I wish you’d tell me what they were,” he said, suddenly serious. “I do miss seeing you, and having fun with you. So are you going to have dinner with me or not?” he asked. She’d forgotten how direct he could be.

She shrugged. It was time to deal with what happened between them. Dinner she supposed could be fun, even if they were only in the ‘friend’s zone’. At least they would still have that. “I suppose I will.” She wondered whether she should come clean about her availability, since he was being quite lovely. Since she’d been delegating her work out, she’d be quite free to see him earlier than nine. She’d be ravenous if she waited to eat until so late.

“Excellent, I’ll see you at nine-fifteen. Don’t be late,” he said and swivelled abruptly on his heels, not waiting for her confirmation. He wasn’t playing games anymore. Clever man.

As Sophie watched Matthew get in the elevator, to leave the building, she felt someone watching her. She looked around and realised Bradley was in the foyer too, his gaze settled on her. He cornered her as she was about to go to her desk. “Everything going okay with the Silver Account? You two seem to really click.”

Sophie nodded, noncommittally. “Yeah, I guess we do.”

“Any news on the hotels?”

“I don’t think we’ll get it.”

He sighed loudly. “Can you please arrange a meeting with me within the next few days? Get Jessica to set it up when we’re both free. Jessica can book somewhere nice.” That was weird, but she nodded and when she got back to her desk she gave Jessica the message.

***

Despite herself Sophie went home and got changed before arriving at the
Highbury Aquatic Centre
. She spent an age putting on her makeup, and a new flowing dress that Matthew hadn’t seen before, pale pink in colour. The dress was somehow gathered, making her look like she had a curvy figure.

She arrived at the centre early and walked around the block twice, trying not to seem too eager. But finally hunger forced her to push the door open. If they were only friends, what did it matter if she was early? Why should she stroll around in the dark waiting for him to finish up?

She pushed the reception door open. Matthew looked up from the counter.

“You’re early.” His eyes twinkled playfully. “I thought you were incredibly busy, I haven’t yet shut shop.”

“I’m starving.” She stood by the door way, leaving it slightly ajar, not wanting to seem too keen or too desperate. “I can wait outside it you like?”

“No come in, I don’t mind at all,” he said with his eyes scanning her outfit. “It’s been quiet tonight. So quiet I let Eve go home early. But you’re in luck – since all my clients have gone home, I can lock up now. Want to help me out so we can get out of here?”

“Sure,” she said, slowly and looked down at her high heels wondering what the ‘lock up’ of a swimming centre consisted of. “So you lured me to your pool to work for you….” She supposed locking up just included shutting the door firmly behind them when they left for dinner, her stomach growled. “Rather than to thank me for all my hard work,” she joked.

He shot her a mischievous look, a smile reaching every corner of his face. “Just because you look utterly beautiful doesn’t mean you can’t help me turn the lights off. What do you say, princess?”

“Oh, well,” she said, feeling quite flustered at the compliment. “You shouldn’t say things like that. And of course I can help you turn lights off.”

“Say things like what?” he asked, his voice loaded with innocence.

“You know what I mean,” she said.

“I don’t believe I do.” He skirted around the reception, and walked through the turnstiles and into the pool centre. Sophie followed him and watched as he leaned into the swimming pool and gathered up the floating lane dividers with his muscular arms.

The pool was eerily silent, and absolutely void of customers. She hoped her campaign would help. Although the centre had been busy most nights when she’d been there practicing. She supposed it was just because it was winter and a particularly cold day. People had been too scared to jump in.

She followed him as he packed the pool equipment away in a cupboard. He strode to the male changing room where she followed and hovered outside. She poked her head inside and watched him by the entrance doorway.

“Don’t you want me to tell you that I think you’re beautiful?” he called out as he bent down and picked up towels which had been left by forgetful customers.

Sophie didn’t know how to respond; his words were flirtatious and perplexing because they were in the friend’s zone. She’d just gotten used to that and now she felt confused.

As Matthew turned off the lights in the male changing room, Sophie thought of a way she could help out.

“I’ll get the lights in the women’s changing room,” she said, racing from the male changing room.

Matthew followed her closely and even went inside the ladies.

“What?” he said at her shocked look as he picked up a single shoe from the floor, another piece of lost property.

“Guys aren’t supposed to be in here.”

“It’s a clean up. No one’s actually using the changing room. My, my, my.” He stared at her. “You are definitely a princess. Look how flushed you’ve become.”

“I’m not flustered.”

“Sophie, are you a prude? I wouldn’t have picked that,” he teased.

She switched the light off and left him chuckling to himself in the darkness. She felt her cheeks heat as she moved toward the swimming pool grandstand.

“Princess, are you afraid of being a prude?” She heard him yell out.

She sat down on one of the grandstand seats, suddenly agitated. She certainly wasn’t a prude. “I’m daring,” she yelled out to him. She stood up then sat back down, looking at the pool glittering below the vaulted skylight.

He appeared from the women’s changing rooms and she stood up, leaning quite coolly on the grandstand chairs. “I’m daring and I’m certainly not a prude,” she insisted.

“We’ll see,” he said with a dangerous glint in his smile and turned around on his toes. “I’m pretty much done, I just need to put these items in lost property and we can go. You never know when someone comes to claim their things – especially the kids. They lose things all the time. It’s very annoying.”

She nodded her head. “Take all the time you want and I’ll just sit here being prudish, twiddling my thumbs and waiting for you,” she continued. “Though you must admit, I helped create a definitely non-prudish campaign for your swimming centre. It was very daring I’ll have you know.”

He shot her another one of his dangerous smiles. “Okay,” he said and disappeared into one of the back rooms.

“Where are we going tonight?” she called out to him, feeling slightly miffed at him.

Then an almost gasping sound filtered around the pool, like a generator switching off. All of the lights in the auditorium went out.

Sophie stood up abruptly. It was dark. Pitch black dark. After a moment, her eyes adjusted to the moonlight streaming in through the vaulted skylight, casting everything in dim shadows.

“You all right princess?” he chuckled, his voice echoing in the darkness. “You knew I was shutting down the shop. Turning off the lights. I did mention that.”

“I’m fine,” she said, sliding along the grand stand seating.

She heard his footsteps first, then saw his figure, moving in the blackness. At first only his outline was visible and her eyes were still struggling to adjust as he appeared directly in front of her. He must have done the same thing thousands of time, roamed round the pool because he found her standing by the grandstand quite easily. Matthew the super swimmer. Matthew the man with the night vision. Matthew with all his godlike abilities and incredible good looks, stood in front of her. She could hear his breathing and smell his aftershave.

A silence grew between them. “I have a few ideas of where we can go tonight, did you want to hear them?” he asked.

“Excellent.” She took a step forward, hoping to follow him out of the pool centre. Matthew could be her guide. But she had stepped right into him because he simply just stood there. He stood very still, and remained very silent.

Slowly, his hand took hers. He pulled her close toward him. Her breathing was suddenly very quick. Then she felt his lips on hers. He began to kiss her intensely and she couldn’t help but respond.

She pulled away, panting. “After tonight, are you going to… ” her voice wobbled. “Reject me again?”

“I wouldn’t call it a rejection,” he said, gently kissing her forehead, then her nose, and her eyebrows. “I didn’t want you to think I was taking advantage of you when you were vulnerable with your Dad in the hospital. I wanted us to be, you know, special. The timing right and everything.”

That made sense she supposed, and then his mouth was on hers again. His tongue probed, soft and gentle. She pulled away; this was moving very fast. Too fast.

“I thought you were taking me out, to thank me for my hard work?” she said, even though her arms were firmly round his shoulders, and then sliding over his tapering back and down to his exquisite torso – one she’d seen in swimming trunks many, many times. Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the dim light. He was so incredibly handsome. His eyes were flashing a brilliant blue.

“If you want? I thought we were having quite a lot of fun here. You were showing me that you weren’t a prude.” He was kissing the nape of her neck, sending shivers running up and down her spine. She felt his hardness pressing against her.

She laughed. “Well, well. I think you might need to find a way to cool down if we’re going to go out somewhere.”

“Really?” he said, chuckling.

“Really.”

“Cool down with me,” he said suddenly, and through the darkness, she noticed he was starting to unbutton his shirt. “Take your kit off with me.”

“Here? No chance.”

“Well. If you want to…” His hand ran over her breasts. “I can take your kit off for you instead?” She threw her head back and laughed as his hand began circling over her nipple.

“I dare you. Dare you to shed your prudish ways,” he breathed, chuckling as he teased her. Then he stopped and took a step back away from her. She could see him unbuttoning his trousers. “Come on. Take the Silver Swimming Centre challenge. Dip with me.”

“I’m scared of the water.”

“What baloney. You
used to be
scared to the water. I’ll be there very close to you. You won’t be able to get me away from you. I promise you that.”

“I think it’s easier if you just kiss me out here.”

“Come on. I dare you.” Matthew removed one sock with an element of showmanship. “It’s a physical challenge, Sophie. You asked me to cool down and I will. But will you dare to step up? Show me your true colours?”

A fear was growing in her chest. If she jumped in the water, would anything go wrong? No. She’d jumped in the water like Eve had shown her many times and she could handle it. She could tread water. She could even stand on the bottom. She could jump in. She could rise to the challenge. She was not a prude.

“A challenge is a challenge,” Matthew mused.

Sophie moved silently and quickly. She slid her dress off over her head, then removed her high heels and slid her underwear to her ankles and discarded them on the floor.

She was breathing very heavily as she ran to the edge of the pool. Excitement and fear rippled through her body. Her stomach flipped, somersaulted, practically gyrated inside her. She had to fight the fear and trust herself. And of course, trust Matthew because he’d be there. He said he’d be there.

Sophie jumped. A thrill went through her and she heard herself scream as she chanted positive thoughts in her head.
I love swimming. I love swimming. I love swimming!

She felt the water rush round her body, and instantly found her feet. Trying to keep her calm, she fought off the darkness, the scary water. She stood up in the water. She was in control. Her feet were on the ground, her nose above water. She was safe.

She heard a splash from the other side of the pool as Matthew dove in. Through the dimness, she made out his figure torpedoing toward her.

His head broke through the surface, only inches from her. He shook droplets of water from his hair. There was a strange stillness between them. Neither of them moved. Her heart was fluttering like a frightened bird.

She felt a sense of danger and it wasn’t just because she was fighting off visions of choking on the water in the dark. The greater danger seemed to be all about Matthew. Danger of getting caught naked with him in a public pool (it didn’t matter if he owned it). Danger of being starkers and Matthew seeing her body and not liking it. Danger of being the subject of his predatory stare. Danger of being almost one hundred percent in his mercy because she wasn’t completely on the same level of comfort there in the water. Danger of her feeling absolutely lustful. Danger of succumbing to the excitement building in her body and wanting him – badly. Danger of feeling herself actually falling for him again, liking him.

What if he rejected her again?

She felt an intense hunger soar through her as his head bobbed in the water, centimetres from hers. Danger forgotten, their lips connected with ferocity. Their bodies responded with urgent longing.

He stopped kissing her and picked her body up like she was as light as a rag doll. He carried her, gliding her over the water and took her to the step.

The trusty step. The step which kept her safe for so long against the demands of Matthew’s swimming lessons. But now this was the sacred step where desire was rising.

Placing her on the step, he lay her down like an offering on an alter table.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, mesmerised.

Feeling somewhat safer on the step, and not quite in the water she began kissing him greedily. And then things became quite out of control, a frenzy of pleasure as they groped at each other. She felt her legs spread slightly apart as his hand and fingers probed, and explored her. She was about to guide him into her, when through the darkness, a light flashed on, bouncing into the pool area.