There's a twinkle in my eye. I can't see it, but I feel it. Lucia does too.
"Oh my God. Are you guys like, hooking up? You met literally ten minutes ago."
I laugh. "Yeah. Crazy, right?" The words come out so breezily she has to do a double-take.
Flynn, me, Flynn, me. "Oh my God. You're serious. Flynn, this girl's a virgin. You have to be careful."
I smack my friend on the thigh. "Lucia!" I shriek. "You can't say things like that."
"Why not? It's the truth. I don't want you to get hurt. Flynn, are you going to hurt her?"
He shakes his head, raises a hand, "Scout's honor. I would never.”
"You were a Boy Scout?" I ask.
He shrugs. "Maybe. That's an all-American thing too. Right?"
I laugh. "Yeah, it is."
"What kind of dog do you want?" he asks me.
"A French bulldog," I say without hesitation.
He shakes his head. "Oh Fifi, what are we going to do with you? That's a terrible idea."
"It is? Why? They're so cute."
"Yeah, but they're not runners. You need a dog that you can put on a leash to run with you. How far do you run?"
He looks down at me, looking me over, taking in my legs, my thighs. My skin prickles. I'm in ice-cold water, yet I feel all hot and bothered in the most luxurious way.
"I run maybe five miles a day."
"I like it," he says. "We can be running buddies."
Lucia snorts, "More like fuck buddies."
I drop my mouth wide open. "You can't say that either!"
"Why not? This girl..." She looks at Flynn, resting a hand on his shoulder. "She's the best. She's that one-in-a-million kind of girl who's like a sliver of sunshine that brightens up a room. I mean, look at those freckles, those dimples, my God."
Flynn nods, serious. "I couldn't agree more." He's not joking. He thinks it's true. It's like he sees me like my best friend does, but also like the object of his desire. God, I like the sound of that.
"So what are you two waiting for?" Lucia asks.
I take in a sharp breath. "What do you mean? Like we should just go have sex right now?" I ask, looking between them. "I don't know how this works. I told you I'm a virgin."
"Actually, you didn't. She did," Flynn says, cocking a brow at Lucia as if they're in on something. Maybe they are, maybe this is all a setup.
"Did you hire him to come here?" I ask her. "Did you find some stripper at the casino to pop my cherry?"
She laughs. "Oh my God, I would never do that."
Flynn frowns. "Would you do that?"
"Do what?" I ask.
"Would you sleep with a stranger?"
"I thought that's what this whole thing was about," I say, laughing.
"Do I feel like a stranger to you?" he asks.
I shake my head. "Is it weird to say no?"
He smiles. "No, Fifi, it's not." He hands Lucia my empty piña colada and his beer glass. "Sorry, Luce, we got to go."
She laughs, loving this. My best friend has been waiting for me to get laid for a hell of a long time. It's like we're making her day. "What are you going to do?" I ask. "We're supposed to hang out tonight."
"Don't worry about me," she says. "I'm sure there's some way I can pass the hours. Do you have any friends, Flynn? Any other bodyguards?"
"Actually," he says, "I have a buddy, Tommy. He's coming in later."
"Perfect. Fifi, text me the number of this bodyguard man, okay?"
I laugh. "Okay."
Flynn takes my hand. "See you later," he says to Lucia as we swim out of the pool.
At the cabana, we pause as I grab my kaftan, throwing it on and sliding my feet into my flip-flops.
At a lounge chair, he grabs his t-shirt. "You good?" he asks.
I nod. "I think so."
He smiles. "Good," he says, then he wraps an arm around my waist and he tilts my chin.
His mouth lowers, meeting mine.
I close my eyes. I let this man kiss me, already imagining all the other places I want his lips tonight.
5
Flynn
In the elevator, Fiona tells me we need to text Lucia with Tommy’s phone number.
“I don't have my phone on me,” I tell her. "I left it in the hotel room."
She nods. "Okay. But we can't forget."
I smile. "You're a good friend."
She shrugs. "I try to be. I feel bad, I made plans with her and look at me now.”
I chuckle. “In an elevator going to the room of a man you just met.”
"You make it sound so sinister." She bites her bottom lip. "Should I be worried?"
I shake my head. "No." I add, "I'll take care of you."
Her cheeks redden, and her eyes flare with desire. "I believe you."
"Good," I say. “Because I mean what I say, and say what I mean.” The elevator stops, the doors slide open and suddenly we're on my floor. I take her hand, leading the way.