I half expected to be faced with accusations from at least some of them when we came up for air. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t deny him. Halfway through our sexual marathon, I’d made up my mind to take as much of him as I could get before the bubble burst. There was no use lying to myself; he’d climbed under my skin and placed himself smack dab in the center of my heart, a heart I thought long dead.
But I knew it wouldn’t last, not with my past. It was only a matter of time before he opened his eyes and accepted the truth, that I am damaged goods. And if he doesn’t come to the realization himself, no doubt one of these women here will remind him. Nowhere in my musings did I imagined what was actually taking place.
They were passing me platters of food and smiling like they always do. No one mentioned our absence from the day before. In fact, the only one acting strange was Jason, but not strange in the way I’d expected him to once he was back in the fold. He was very attentive sure, and his hand never left off touching some part of me, whether it was my thigh, my arm, or the way he held my nape, rubbing his thumb up and down the soft flesh there while deep in conversation with the men. But I felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The noise level was such that I could hardly think anyway because here the children sat at the table with the adults. Granted, the thing is huge and goes on for a damn mile, it seems, but there was no separation between the kids and their parents, so the conversations going on around me were interesting, to say the least.
I tried not to act too self-conscious even though I felt like there was a scarlet letter emblazoned on my forehead, but throughout, not one word was said, not even in jest; these people are first class all the way. I was even more surprised that the Lyons allowed their daughter to sit next to me, not the little one, but the oldest, Caitlin, who seemed fascinated by my heritage.
“Did you know my little sister wouldn’t stop talking about you? She thinks you’re her new best friend. So, when are you getting married? I had to put my wedding plans on hold because of the pandemic.” She pouted, but even that infantile move didn’t distract from her beauty.
“Wait, what did you say? Married, what married?” Before she could answer, her sister, who was on the other side of her, distracted her, and the next thing I knew, they were changing seats, and we were talking about something else. Because Caitlin didn’t make a big deal about it, I figured her comment had been general. She probably thinks that everyone gets married since everyone here was hitched.
Catalina talked my ear off about some watch party she was organizing for later, and every once in a while, Jason would squeeze my nape or turn to smile at me as if to remind me that he’s there. All in all, it went much better than my wary mind expected, and by my third cup of coffee, I’d lost some of the starch from my spine.
Jason still had a stupid look on his face when breakfast was over, which he lost when Dr. Lyon sidled up to me as we left the room and invited me down to the beach with him and his friends. “We’re in the middle of something, sir…”
“Boy, I didn’t ask you; you have the look of my son about you, so I know where you stand already. I’m talking to the young lady. This one’s a little different from last time; come tell me what you think.”
I wasn’t sure if I was more interested in the weed or in sticking it to Jason, who seemed annoyed as the doctor led me away to meet his friends who were already ahead of us. “Do the others know that you guys smoke here?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I don’t know; they just don’t seem like the type to smoke.”
“Most of ‘em don’t, especially my son, and he could do with some mellowing out, damn boy is a pain in the ass. Don’t tattle, but most of the women take a tote here and there when their men aren’t looking.
I looked over my shoulder to find Jason scowling at me before he reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me back. “No, Roxana, you can’t.” I started to pull away from him until I got a good look at his face.
“Why not?”
“You’re pregnant!” If he didn’t seem as shocked by the words as I was, I would’ve laughed it off. How absurd.