He looked over his shoulder. “I thought you were gardening—oh. Of course.” He waved his arm at the rain. Then frowned. “Grandpa? It would be Daddy to you.”
I sat on the edge of the bed, just behind him. “What’s this?”
“Some experimental drip,” he said. “They help with my headaches. Or it’s a placebo, I’m still not sure.”
Experimental?I didn’t remember anything about thatin his report.Who had approved that?
“But I feel much better on them. I have more energy.”
“I have zapped some of that from you,”I sighed, feigning guilt.
He laughed and leaned back in the chair to kiss me briefly.“I’m not complaining.”
“What else is there in your therapy?”
He shrugged and looked back out at the rain. “Swimming. I haven’t swum in a while. And then the sauna.”
“We could go swimming,” I said, but he grunted.
“You in a bikini might just drown me.”
“Because I’d take your breath away?”
“Exactly.” He patted his lap. “Come and sit on Daddy’s lap.”
That shouldn’t thrill me, but I did as I was told, catching a glimpse of his phone before he locked it. His screensaver was a very zoomed-in picture of my throat with his hand around it from the motel, in black and white. That wasn’t new, but it made me smile every time.
It wasn’t what filled me with happiness deep in my chest. “Are you…Are you practising your English?”
He stiffened beneath me, and not his cock, his whole body. “No.”
“Yes, you are!” I laughed. “I saw it. The app. Do you want me out of the job?”
His expression became serious, his brows low. “Of course not. No. You’re staying here forever.”
I burrowed myself into his shoulder, careful not to disturb the drip. “True.”
He wrapped his arm around me and started to rock us back and forth. The gentle patter of the rain on the balcony, the grey clouds, and his heartbeat underneath me were so calmingthat I didn’t want to look at my phone when it chimed.
“Is that your other boyfriend?” Zolt joked. “Is that why you won’t look at it in front of me?”
I snorted, even if my heart snagged on the phrase‘other boyfriend.’ Was Zolt my boyfriend? Had I missed that conversation? If he thought he was my boyfriend, did that mean he was?
And if he wasn’t, what else would he be?
I pulled my phone out, already knowing by the sound it had been an email. One I had been expecting.
LIVIE ARMAS to KINGSTON UNIVERSITY TRANSLATION PROGRAMME; ZSÓFIA BACQUE.
SUBJECT: Zsófia Bacque (SN: 2023789) Placement Report 1.
Good morning,
Please find attached Zsófia’s glowing report as well as some clips of her experience,whichI know will impress you. I wanted to add, as there is nowhere in the report form to detail this, that Zsófia has gone above and beyond in every respect of her job. We do not see her as a temporary placement; we see her as a permanent member of our team and are blessed to have her. Her professionalism, her knowledge of the sport, and her personable skills make her the perfect translator that any team would be grateful to employ.
She’s the best intern we have ever had and has worked with our PR team effortlessly and with consistent enthusiasm.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
