39 - Joanna

39

Joanna

The medical office attached to the lobby was also the room where the lifeguards hung out while rotating their shifts by the pool. Two Jamaican lifeguards jumped up from their chairs and immediately took charge of my care, poking and prodding and examining my ankle.

While they worked, I thought about what had happened. Austin was a good-looking guy—that was undeniable—but I hadn't really looked at him beyond that. Now I felt a much deeper attraction. I knew it was the bullshit damsel-in-distress feeling, which was frustrating. But that didn't make the attraction go away.

And there was Landon, sitting in a chair in the corner watching with concern while the lifeguards wrapped my ankle. We absolutely had a connection now, a connection that was much stronger than when we made this agreement two weeks ago. He didn't need to be here, yet he refused to leave; and it wasn't just to maintain the appearance of a caring boyfriend, either.

Then there was Theo, who had wanted to help on the beach but was forced to watch rather than blow our cover.

This honeymoon was quickly going off the rails. Thankfully we were only here three more days.

The lifeguards gave me some painkillers, along with an anti-inflammatory topical cream I could rub directly onto my ankle. With a recommendation to ice my ankle several times a day, they sent me on my way with a pair of crutches.

Landon went to inform his family that I was fine, and I hobbled straight to the nearest bar. If anyone needed a drink, it was me. The only annoying part was that after pouring my beer, the bartender faced me and stared at the glass as if he thought he might catch another creep trying to slip something into it.

"Margarita, please," Marisa said while taking the stool next to mine. "How's the ankle?"

"Not broken."

"Oh thank goodness ," she said. "I would never forgive myself if my honeymoon caused you to miss Boston next April."

"Thankfully that's not a concern," I replied.

She accepted her margarita, then looked around conspiratorially. When she was certain nobody was around, she leaned in and whispered, "I know your dirty little secret. You've been careful, but I've noticed who you've been spending time with."

Panic seized my body. Had Theo and I made too much noise in the rooftop hot tub? Or had she noticed Theo's concern for me at the beach today? I took a long pull from my beer and tried to remain calm.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I winced internally. What kind of a response was that?

"Oh come on," she teased. "You can tell me . Out of everyone here, I understand. Believe me!"

"What exactly are you suggesting?" I asked carefully.

Marisa giggled. "You have a big crush on Austin! It was obvious when he was carrying you on the beach."

Whew. Relief soothed my body like the painkillers currently swirling around in my stomach. As long as she didn't know about Theo, I was okay. "Oh, that… I barely know him."

"I've seen you two chatting when you think nobody is looking. You've been flirting, " she insisted. "I heard about the prank you pulled on him, signing him up for that hike. Nobody does that to someone they barely know. It's okay! Austin is a really great guy. I should know: I dated him for a month, and he's been my best friend for a decade. But you don't want to get involved with him."

"I don't?" I replied. Then I added: "I mean, I don't want to get involved with him."

"Good, because he's afraid of commitment," Marisa explained. "I've set him up with women over the years. Some of my best girlfriends. He'll date them for a few weeks, but then he tells them he doesn't want anything serious. I think he wants to stay a bachelor forever."

"Oh, wow," I said.

"I just wanted you to know. Just in case."

"Thank you. But it's fine, honestly. Austin was sweet for rescuing me on the beach today, but Landon and I really like each other."

"Oh." Marisa blinked in surprise. "Okay, I guess."

I frowned. "Why do you say it like that?"

"It just seems like you and Landon have had a weird vibe this trip, that's all. Maybe I'm reading too much into it! My love radar is all out of whack because of the wedding." She gave me a hug. "I'm just glad your ankle is okay!"

I watched her hurry off with her drink. When I turned back around, the bartender's eyes were laser-focused on my beer.

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm literally the only person here," I said.

He shrugged and turned away, pretending to examine the liquor bottles behind the bar, but he still glanced in my direction way too often.

Between my twisted ankle and Marisa's oddly accurate suspicions, I didn't feel like going out to dinner that evening. "You go without me," I told Landon back in the hotel room. "Tell them I'm resting my ankle."

"Are you sure? We're eating at the fancy French restaurant. The one above the lobby."

"I'm positive. Thanks anyway."

Landon looked like he wanted to say more, then shrugged and got ready for dinner. The French restaurant at the resort had a dress code, so he put on a button-down shirt and tie. I was fiddling on my phone with my leg propped up on the couch, but I stole a few glances of him when he wasn't looking. He looked sharp .

"Text me if you change your mind, or if you need anything," he said as he left.

It was nice to be alone. The room was quiet, and it was cool enough outside that I opened the doors to the balcony to let fresh air in. I propped my ankle up and ordered room service: a plate of chicken tenders and two orders of fries, the same meal I would order off the kid's menu when I was a little girl. While waiting for the food, I wondered if I should spend the evening reading my book, or watching TV.

Theo texted me before I could decide.

Theo : How's the sexiest woman in Jamaica doing?

Me : I don't know, you'll have to ask Danicka.

Theo : LOL. She's kind of a milf, but definitely not sexier than you. Landon said you didn't feel like coming to dinner. Everything all right?

Me : I didn't want to use my crutches to get all the way over there. Besides, after all the excitement of today, it's really nice to be alone.

Theo : That's too bad. I was looking forward to seeing you in a dress.

Me : You should: my ass looks amazing in the dress I was going to wear.

Theo : Your ass looked amazing while I fucked you in the hot tub yesterday.

Me : Yeah?

Theo : Fuck yeah. Especially when I came all over it. It's all I've been able to think about.

Me : Now you've got me thinking about it.

Theo : Want some company? I'm sitting at the kiddie table with Chloe and Peter, and they're boring me to tears.

Me : You'd rather be here, coming all over my ass again?

Theo : Yes

Theo : Yes please

Theo : That's EXACTLY what I would rather be doing.

Theo : I don't even have to come on your ass. I'm not picky. I'll come on your tits, mouth, face. Even your feet, if you're into that.

Me : LOL

Theo : What I'm trying to say is I want to come somewhere in your vicinity tonight. I'll even abandon the filet mignon I ordered.

At that exact moment, I wanted nothing more than to have Theo visit my room and fuck my ankle pain away. But I was still a little shaken by what Marisa had said.

Me : Tempting, but it's probably not a good idea. If you leave early, someone might get suspicious.

Theo : Want to visit my room tonight? You still have the room key.

Me : I want to, but that's not very practical. I'm not exactly stealthy clicking around on my crutches right now.

Theo : Fine. You're no fun. I'll jack off in my hotel room instead.

Me : I'll make it up to you another time. Oh, and the answer is throat. I want you to come down my throat until I'm GAGGING on your come, just like at the rehearsal dinner.

Theo : Fuck. Now I'm rock-hard in this nice restaurant. I'm surprised my hard-on isn't raising the table up.

It was too bad: imagining Theo's hard cock made me even hornier than before. But I couldn't lose sight of the reason I was here in Jamaica: to get a job at DefTec. The trip was half over. I could last a few more days.

To make Theo feel better, I turned my phone camera on and pulled my top down to show as much cleavage as possible. I wasn't satisfied with the photo, so I removed my top and tried taking a sexier photo in just my bra.

Right as I snapped the photo, the door to my room opened and Landon strode in with several heavy plastic bags in each hand. His eyes widened when he saw me on the couch in my bra.

"Fuck! Sorry!" He turned his back to me.

"What happened to knocking for each other's modesty?" I asked while hastily putting my shirt back on.

"You said you were going to hang out on the couch! I didn't expect you to be doing… whatever you were doing." He peeked over his shoulder.

"I'm decent, you can turn around. What are you doing back so soon?"

"I didn't feel like hanging out with my family tonight. And I felt bad that you were all alone. So I ordered some food to go for both of us." He held up all the bags.

"Jesus, did you order everything on the menu?"

"I got the surf-and-turf for me," he explained while unloading the contents onto the table. "And I didn't know what you wanted, so I got three different entrees. If you really want the surf-and-turf, I'll share mine."

I smiled at him. "That's really sweet of you, but I actually just ordered room service."

Landon shrugged. "Good thing all the food is included." He opened one of the other bags. "I also ordered three different desserts. And the manager threw in two bottles of wine: a white and a red. What do you want first?"

Landon fixed me a plate of a little bit of everything: salmon, steak, pasta, and fried mozzarella sticks. While he did that, I sent the sexy photo to Theo and then turned Do Not Disturb on, just in case Landon saw him respond to me. The bar in our room only had two wine glasses, so he filled one with red and the other with white so we could share. We happily began munching on our feast while watching reruns of The Office on TV.

"I have some bad news," I said after finishing the salmon and moving to the pasta. "I talked to Marisa earlier today. Or rather, she talked to me. She said she's picking up a weird vibe from you and me. Like our relationship isn't going well."

"Shit," Landon cursed. "I thought we've put on a pretty convincing show."

"Me too!"

Landon loosened his necktie with one hand. "Should we dial up the romance around everyone?"

"Maybe. Feel free to grope my ass more in public."

He let out a very long sigh. "If you insist. I'll make that sacrifice."

"You truly are a hero," I said dryly.

He smiled and took another bite of steak. "Hey. I probably should have asked this before now, but… are you dating anyone?"

I stiffened. Why did he want to know if I was dating someone? Was he interested in me? The wine and painkillers were going to my head, because suddenly I felt a flurry of emotions: confusion, concern… and a little excitement.

"I'm not dating anyone," I replied. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged and answered while watching the TV. "It's just that… you looked like you were taking a sexy selfie when I walked in. I just thought that maybe you were sending it to someone."

Shit. Of course it was obvious what I was doing. I should have thought of an excuse before now.

"I'm not dating anyone," I repeated.

Landon chewed his steak, swallowed, and then sipped the red wine. "What about that guy you saw two weeks ago?"

"What guy?"

"When your brother Jack told you about me. He said you were on a date with someone. I just thought maybe that's who you were taking the selfie for."

Theo . He was talking about the date with Theo. Which, incidentally enough, was exactly who I was sending the sexy photo to.

Why was everyone so damn observant today?

I took the wine from Landon and sipped. "That was a first date, and the night actually ended early. I haven't… gone on a date with him since then."

All of it was the truth, but I still felt guilty for lying about it. Which was dumb, because I didn't owe Landon anything. He was just a random guy who meant nothing to me.

But that felt like a lie, too.

"Sorry for intruding. I was just curious," Landon replied.

"It's fine."

"All right," he said.

"Okay, then."

We ate our food in silence for a minute. Two minutes. It was starting to get awkward.

Then Landon put his arm across the back of the couch behind my head and twisted to face me. "You mean a lot to me, Joanna."

I blinked. "Really?"

"We have something special," he said in a deep, confident tone. "Both of us know it. This isn't just a fling. It's something more than that."

My throat tightened. What was happening right now? I was buzzed from the wine, and everything he was saying made sense. It all sounded wonderful to my ears. I found myself leaning toward him slowly, transfixed by his words.

"It's only been two short months, but I care about you deeply." He put his hand on my thigh, fingers curling inward. Inches from my panty line. "Tell me you feel the same way too."

"I…" I swallowed hard. My body was coming alive in a wonderful way. "I… I think I feel the same way, Landon."

Suddenly he shook his head and his tone completely changed. "No, you need to be more convincing than that. Say it confidently . So people will believe it."

This was all an act. He was practicing how to appear more romantic as a couple. "Sorry," I said, giving myself a visible shake. "Okay, how's this?"

I stared deeply into his eyes and searched within me for what to say.

"I feel the same way. I thought this was just a casual thing, but these past two… months… I've grown so much fonder of you. I can see myself falling for you, Landon."

"Great!" he replied. "That was much better."

"Good. I'm not a very good actor…"

"It was almost enough to convince me, and I know this is all fake."

His arm was still across the back of the couch, and his hand lingered on my thigh. My gaze was locked onto his dark eyes, which felt like they were penetrating my soul. Staring into my mind and reading my thoughts.

My pulse raced. What was he thinking? Couldn't he sense the electricity arcing from his body to mine where our skin touched? Didn't he know just how badly I wanted him to kiss me right now?

Just when I thought he could read my mind, a knock came at the door.

"Weird. Who's that?"

I panicked as Landon got up and went to the door. I quickly checked my phone: I had nine texts from Theo. If he randomly showed up at my door, would we be able to pretend like nothing was going on between us?

But when Landon opened the door, it was one of the resort staff with a silver tray of food. "Room service!" she announced cheerfully. "It looks like I have the wrong room, since you already have quite the buffet in here…"

We laughed and told her that she had the right room. And when she was gone and we were alone again, Landon sat a little bit further away from me on the couch.

Whatever moment we had almost shared was gone.