Our Friday was spent together, enjoying every single second of the day. We slept in until late morning, then had breakfast and coffee in our room. We ate in our underwear instead of rushing to get ready for the day like we usually would. The coffee was great, and the food was perfect. Both of us ate until we couldn’t hold another bite. We took our time showering and getting dressed for the day.
We wanted to hit the beach, but she wanted to do some shopping first. I’m not much of the shopping type, but I went along to be in public with her. We went to one of the largest malls I’ve ever seen, where we walked hand-in-hand as we did some window shopping. Neither of us actually bought anything, but I think it was more about being out of our bubble together.
We shared a cinnamon-sugar pretzel at the food court and talked, teased, and touched as much as we could. Nobody around us was in on our little secret—they didn’t even know there was a secret—but it made me realize how much I’d been missing by living the way I had been.
It was nice getting to be with someone. I remembered how much I enjoyed going out, doing things that didn’t revolve around work or drinking. Things felt easy for the first time in I didn’t know how long. I felt lighter, as if I were learning to walk all over again. Being with Sasha was definitely something I could get used to.
“I like this,” I told her as we lounged on the beach together later in the day.
She looked over at me. “Like what? The beach?” She nodded. “Me too. It’s pretty here.”
“No, I mean, I like getting to be like this again. I forgot how much I enjoyed doing things with someone else.”
She laughed. “You mean, you forgot how much you enjoyed life when you’re not working?”
I took her hand in mine. “This isn’t just enjoying not being at work. For the longest time, all I did was work or get drunk. I was miserable. I forgot how good life can be when you’re happy, when you have someone by your side to enjoy it with. You made me open my eyes.
She smiled. “I’ve enjoyed spending all this time with you, too. It might be hard going home where we have to go back to pretending that we’re not together.”
“I don’t even want to think about it. We’re here. Let’s enjoy it.” I placed my hand beneath her chin, and as I spoke that last sentence, I slowly moved in closer until I could press my mouth against hers.
She kissed me slowly, but it was an intense kiss that told me that what we were doing meant just as much to her as it did to me.
We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on the beach. Around dinnertime, we decided to head back to the hotel to freshen up so we could go out for dinner instead of eating another meal in our room. I had my glass raised mid-way to my mouth when she walked in wearing a light pink dress, causing my entire body to freeze as I watched her move closer to me. The dress was sleeveless and fitted, with a plunging neckline that dipped below her belly button. The dress’s skirt was long and flowed around her in layers of sheer fabric. Her dark hair was curled and pinned into a fancy updo, and her makeup was done with a light hand, enhancing her natural beauty rather than covering it. If I had to imagine what a real-life princess would look like, it would’ve been her in that moment.
She must have noticed me staring because the pink of her cheeks darkened slightly as she asked, “What do you think?” She held the sheer fabric out at her sides and twisted from side to side.
“Wow,” I breathed, setting my glass on the table as I passed it, walking toward her. “You’re gorgeous.” I shook my head clear. “I mean, you’re always gorgeous, but tonight you’re…” I didn’t know what word to use. “I… I’m speechless.”
She laughed softly. “I’ve never seen you speechless before.”
I chuckled. “I’ve never been speechless before.”
She smiled up at me, making my heart leap to life the second our eyes met. “Is that a good thing?”
“This time, I think it is,” I said, placing my hand under her chin. She tilted her head back as I leaned toward her, capturing her lips with mine. After the fun we had in the bathtub early that morning and having her nearly naked all day on the beach, you’d think seeing her fully dressed wouldn’t do anything for me. Butit did. And somehow, I wanted her more than I did watching her rub tanning oil over her half-naked body.
She was quick to break the kiss, letting out a laugh as she swatted me away.
“I’m hungry. Feed me, and then maybe I’ll have the strength to take care of your problem.” Her eyes dropped to the pronounced bulge in my pants.
I couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. At my age, there wasn’t any reason for being hard just from kissing her, but that’s precisely what she did to me.
“Alright, let’s get some dinner.” I took her hand and led her toward the door.
I called in a favor and managed to get us into one of the best five-star restaurants in town—the kind of place that’s booked months in advance—but since it was a last-minute request, there was no guarantee that we would be seated on time.
“Mr. Quade sends his apologies for the delay. If you want to wait at the bar for your table to clear, drinks are on him,” the hostess told us after we’d been waiting a few minutes.
“Thank you.” I wrapped Sasha’s arm around mine and led her over to the bar. We were greeted immediately by the bartender, and the two of us ordered a drink to wait with. My phone began to ring from the inside pocket of my jacket, and when I removed it, I found Monica’s name on the screen. I looked at Sasha. “It’s Monica. I should get this in case something is going on with Sophia.”
“Go,” she insisted, nodding me on.
I turned for the exit as I put the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Hi, Daddy,” Sophia said.
Hearing her sweet voice brought a smile to my face. “Hi, princess. What are you doing?” I asked as I exited the restaurant so I didn’t disturb anyone.
