“Zee, this is one hell of a place,” Roger said, floating on his back in his pool.“How did you swing it?”
“That’s what happens when you don’t have an ex-wife who bleeds you dry,” Nico said.
“Hey, that’s two wives, buddy,” Roger retorted.
Zee pushed off the wall and dove under the water, silencing the noise before resurfacing next to Nico.“We got lucky.You know I always wanted a big house.”
“There’s a big house and then there’s a mansion,” Roger said, whistling.“This pool is nice though.I don’t know why I didn’t think of having an indoor pool.”
“It’d ruin the aesthetic of your cattle ranch,” Nico said.
“True.”Roger nodded his head, and Zee could see the man’s bald spot and felt an irrational flash of pettiness as he brushed his hand through his full hair.
The doors clicked open as Ella entered, her hands full with a tray.
“Thank you, dear heart.”
“Hey, thanks, Ella!”Nico called.
Ella put the tray on the table.
“You’re welcome.”
He smiled at her, hearing the ‘Master” in her tone.He brushed his knuckles along her back, feeling happy but his peace quickly turned to annoyance as Roger jumped out of the pool, brushing his arm against Ella’s.
The man always was a bit handsy and it irked Zee.
But Ella shook off his touch, and coming over to him, she dropped a kiss on his cheek.
“I’m going to call Annie again.”
Zee heard the tiredness in her tone and brushed a kiss on her soft lips.“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
“You’re so lucky, Zee,” Nico said, biting into a sandwich when Ella left.
“I wonder if he could still beat us.What do you figure, do you want to race?”Roger asked.
His back muscles protested, but he wasn’t backing down; he got off his chair and jumped into the water.
“Still remember how to do the butterfly, old man?”Roger splashed water at him and Zee shook his head and splashed him back.
“I don’t know.How are you at the backstroke these days, Roger?”
“The only thing he’s stroking is his dick.”
Nico jumped back into the pool, swam four feet, and Zee found himself analyzing the man’s movement because he couldn’t turn it off.They all might be old and grey but they were one percent of athletes once and you can’t turn that off.
“Backstroke then, winner buys breakfast?”Roger asked.
“Yeah, I’m in,” Zee said.
“Positions, boys!”Nico cried.
Zee swam to the wall, knowing he’d pay for this in the morning but not caring at all.
“Ready!”
