let me…”
“No way.”
He had to kneel to pull the spandex over her hips, down her legs. She helped him by kicking it off. And she was naked, gorgeously naked. Small but full breasts, a narrowed waist, beautiful limbs. Since he was still on his knees, he kissed her belly, her abdomen, her middle. She tasted like salt water and woman. She was taut and supple at the same time. He felt a yank on his hair. “Up,” she said.
“It’s up all right.” He stood then pressed his groin into her. “It has been since you stepped onto the boat.”
She undid the tie of his trunks and started to push his suit down. Meanwhile, he kissed her neck, untied her ponytail, and though her hair was wet, he ran his fingers through it. He felt his trunks fall, and he too kicked them off as she had.
Then he picked her up. The sensation aroused her. They made it to the lower cabin. She held on tight, her face buried in his neck. He stumbled when she sucked at his skin, but when he reached the main bedroom, and said, “Fuck.”
“Uh-huh,” she laughed. “Let’s.”
“No, the beds aren’t together. It forms a queen.”
“All we need is some flat surface, Paul.”
He found one. And their world exploded.
* * *
Afterward, recrimination descended on them. He was flat on his back and she lay face-up, too.
Then she rose and braced her arms on his chest. “What did we do?”
After a bit, he answered. “Lay down again, so I can hold you.” She fell back on the mattress, then settled against him, with his arm clamped around her.
He turned on a light, as it had gotten dark.
“Hmm,” she said. “This is nice.”
He kissed her head. “Oh, yeah. Let’s stay like this for a bit. I want to treasure the sensation.”
They were quiet a long time.
He rubbed her arm, up and down, his fingertips grazing her. Finally, he spoke. “I think the question is, ‘What are we going to do now?’”
She nuzzled into his chest. “I think the question is, ‘Why did we do this?’”
“We certainly weren’t thinking straight.”
“It was the champagne.” She mumbled the words, not believing them for a second.
“It was the sun.”
“It was how you looked out of a suit and tie.”
She felt his chest rumble. “You, too. For the suit.”
Again, they quieted.
Then Hayley rose again on her elbow, stared into eyes that were satisfied. “There are so many reasons to regret this.”
“We were chided by our bosses, forbidden to work together. How can we end up a couple?”
“Think of the conflict of interest,” she added. “If we continued this and former clients, especially those who lost, found out about us, they could suggest we tanked the verdict for each other. Even though we didn’t, the suspicion, the scandal could ruin our careers.”
“We do have equal numbers of wins. That would support the theory.”
She played with his chest hair. “Should I say, ‘This was great while it lasted?’”
“Should I say, ‘This can never happen again.’”
Hayley felt emotion well inside her at the notion, and his fist curled on her arm at the thought.
“We don’t have a choice, honey.”
“I know.”
Paul’s body turned tense. “I’m not satisfied with once.”
“Me, either.”
“And after tonight, we go our separate ways?”
“Yes, but I want one night together before that happens.”
“I do, too, Hayley. I do.”
Chapter 3
* * *
Wearing a ballcap and sunglasses, Paul drove around the Greenpoint neighborhood in Brooklyn, about twenty minutes from where he lived. He buzzed down the windows of the ordinary car he’d bought to go unnoticed, so he could soak up the sounds and scents of the Polish culture. A band playing the mazurka and the polka partner dance sent its music into the streets. Smells of bread, sausage and sauerkraut filtered over to him. The area was home to a large Polish-American community, but it had been invaded by trendy shops and restaurants. Still, traditional Polish shops thrived.
Paul made this trip every so often since he came back east. His heartbeat sped up like it always did when he performed this macabre ritual. To dilute the negative thoughts, he considered stopping for dinner. But he decided not to since he could run into any number of people in his family. Most of his brothers and sisters lived nearby. Some of their older kids could be working in any establishment.
Chiding himself for wanting to stop, he continued on, steered away from the commercial area and took a right onto Fourth Street. As he headed down it,