The Hazards of Skinny Dipping Read online

  “Of course not.”

  “Are you positive?” He moved his hand up my arm. “Because I thought we already established we were exclusive.”

  “We are.”

  “Okay. Just making sure we were on the same page. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  “Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow?”

  He let out a deep breath. “All right. Dinner first?”

  “I work again.”

  “Two nights in a row?” He leaned in closer to me.

  “That way I get weekends off.” It was hard to think with Dylan so close to me. Why did he still have the ability to affect me so much?

  “Then lunch. It’s about time I take you out.”

  “I can do lunch. I have a break between classes at noon.”

  “Are you on the main quad?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Same. I’ll meet you outside Sanders Hall at twelve.”

  “Great, I should get back to work.” I glanced over my shoulder. Reed was staring.

  Dylan leaned over to whisper in my ear. “And don’t forget you’re all mine after work tomorrow night.”

  “All right. Have a good night.” As I turned, he grabbed my ass.

  When I turned back, he held his hands up in defense. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

  “Sure.” I rolled my eyes and went back to the register.

  Reed looked pissed, but I could tell he was trying hard. “I’m going to keep my mouth shut.”

  “Good.”

  Twenty minutes later, Dylan and his friends left. He waved on his way out. I waved back. I let out a sigh of relief when the door closed behind them. The rest of the night went by in a blur, and before I knew it, I was getting into Reed’s Toyota Tacoma so he could drop me off.

  “Are you still annoyed at me?” He put his key in the ignition but didn’t start it.

  “No.”

  “Really?” He took his key out.

  “I know you didn’t mean it. Dylan can be a jerk.”

  He turned in his seat to look at me. “Dylan’s more than a jerk. He’s dangerous.”

  “Dangerous?”

  “Yeah. First, it’s telling you what to do, then it will be cutting you off from your friends. This is just the beginning.”

  “Reed, you’re really reading too much into things.”

  “I’m not.” He angrily buckled his seatbelt.

  “How would you know? And what do you care? You don’t even know me.”

  “I do know. Trust me. And why do I care? I don’t want to see a nice girl get hurt.”

  “What if I’m not a nice girl? Maybe I don’t mind it.” I crossed my legs.

  “Listen to yourself. That’s bullshit. You deserve better.”

  “No, you listen. I’ve wanted Dylan to notice me for years. He finally has. I’m not screwing it up.”

  “Why him? What’s so special about him? You can get other guys.”

  “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

  “It’s because he’s rich, huh? You’re willing to let him buy you.” He started the car.

  “Buy me? You make it sound like I’m a prostitute. He’s not buying anything. He hasn’t spent a dime on me.”

  “And that’s okay? Don’t you think you at least deserve a guy who takes you out?” He smacked his hand against the steering wheel.

  “He’s taking me to lunch tomorrow.”

  “And that makes it all better. Right.”

  I moved to open my door.

  “Where are you going, Juliet?”

  “Home.”

  “Let me drive you. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just think you deserve better.”

  “That’s not for you to decide.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll keep my mouth shut from now on.”

  “Will you?” I turned to him.

  “I’ll try. That’s all I can promise.”

  We sat in silence as we drove toward campus.

  “Do I still have a job?” I asked tentatively. The silence hadn’t been the comfortable kind.

  “What? Of course you do.”

  “I didn’t know…you seemed pissed.”

  “I’m not going to fire you. You’ve got a job.”

  “Thanks.” Despite my annoyance, I knew I wasn’t going to find a job as good as Al’s anytime soon.

  “I’m guessing you don’t want me to kill him?”

  “No. I don’t.”

  “All right.”

  “Good night.” I opened my door.

  “Take care of yourself.”

  “You, too.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Subject: Hi again

  Dear Juliet,

  I’m having fun. What about you? Is college all you hoped it would be?

  Your Older and Wiser Cousin,

  Amy

  Dylan didn’t notice my approach. He was on his phone yelling at someone about something. I took a seat on the bench right next to him, not sure how long he was going to be. The quad was packed, and I enjoyed people watching. One of the things I found so interesting about college was how differently people dressed—especially girls. Some girls went to class in sweats or pajamas, while others were dressed to the nines. Left to my own devices, I’d be in the middle, but unless I wanted to be shunned by my house, I had to make an effort. I figured I looked decently cute in a casual sundress. At least flip flops were always appropriate.

  “When did you get here?” Dylan pocketed his phone.

  “Just a few minutes ago.”

  “You should have told me.” He held out a hand to help me up.

  I accepted his hand. “I didn’t mind waiting.”

  “You never have to wait on me.” He led me over to where his car was parked.

  “Do you usually drive to class?” Considering how close the frat houses were, it surprised me.

  He gave me a disbelieving face. “Of course not. I knew we were going out.” He held open my door for me.

  I got in, glad when Dylan turned the AC on full force. The leather seats were hot against my bare legs, and I awkwardly tried to pull my skirt down as much as possible.

  “Are you in the mood for sushi?”

  “Oh. Sure.” I wasn’t the biggest sushi fan, but I didn’t hate it or anything.

  “Nice.” He put a hand on my leg as he pulled away from the curb. “I’m glad I finally get to take you out.”

  I didn’t like the way he said it. As if I was the one making it difficult. “You and me both.”

  “I owe you, don’t I?”

  “Don’t say it like that.”

  He squeezed my leg. “I don’t want you to think I can’t take care of you. I’m going to take good care of you.”

  I got this warm feeling when he said it. I liked the thought of being taken care of by Dylan.

  “I know.”

  He parked in front of the restaurant. I got out of the car, content to let him lead me inside. We walked through a beaded curtain, and as the hostess led us over to the table, I tried not to laugh at the strange sci-fi music playing from speakers somewhere. It definitely was a unique place. We got a booth in a corner, and I scanned the menu.

  Dylan gave me a serious look. “I want to talk to you about something.”

  “Yeah?”

  He didn’t answer right away because the waitress came over to give us water.

  As soon as she left, he put down his menu. “You don’t have to work at Al’s if you don’t want to.”

  I sipped my water, unsure where the conversation was headed.

  “You’re doing it because you need extra money…but you don’t have to.”

  “I don’t mind it. It’s an easy enough job, and I can usually get some studying done.”

  “But—”

  He was interrupted when the waitress returned. Dylan quickly rattled off an order. “We’ll have a volcano roll, spicy eel, rainbow roll, and a crunchy shrimp. Does
that sound all right?”

  “Oh. Sure.” At least I’d heard of crunchy rolls. I liked those.

  He waited until the waitress left. “As I was saying, you don’t have to work there. I’m going to be paying for everything on our dates, and I’d love the excuse to spoil you.”

  I felt blood flooding to my cheeks. “Spoil me?”

  “Yeah. Like I said, I’m going to take care of you.”

  “Dylan, I’m not poor. I’m just working to make some extra money. It’s not a big deal.”

  “But I’d rather you had more free time. Three nights a week is a lot.”

  “It’s not that much. Really, it’s fine.”

  He reached across the table to take my hand. “At least think about it, okay?”

  “Sure. I’ll think about it.”

  “Good.”

  I had no intention of quitting my job.

  Chapter Fifteen

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Subject: The meaning of life

  Dear Amy,

  College is nothing like I expected. I’m still not sure if that’s good or bad.

  Your ‘Maybe I should be a Philosophy Major’ Cousin,

  Juliet

  “What do you want to do Saturday night?” Dylan ran a hand through my hair as we lay in his bed. For once, he hadn’t fallen asleep. It was already late September, and I couldn’t quite accept it. The semester was flying by.

  “Saturday? I have a mixer that night.”

  “Mixer?” He tensed. “With what house?”

  “Kappa.”

  His face crinkled up in distaste. “You can’t go to that.”

  “Does that mean you’re skipping the mixer you guys have with the Sigmas on Friday?”

  “No. I have to be there. I’m the fraternity president.”

  I moved out of his arms. “It’s okay for you to go to a party with another sorority, but I can’t go to one with a different frat?”

  He reached out to me. “It’s different. I can keep girls off me. You can’t keep guys away. Besides, I already told you why I have to go.”

  “I’m a pledge. I have no choice.”

  He didn’t say anything for a moment. “If I agree to skip mine, would you skip yours?”

  “I thought you couldn’t miss it.”

  “I can if I’m out of town.”

  “Out of town?” I let him pull me back into his arms.

  “Yeah. Let’s go out to the beach. We could use some time away.”

  “I’ll see if I can get excused.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “How?”

  He smiled. “It won’t be a problem.”

  ***

  The relaxation I always felt on the drive to the beach set in as soon as we turned onto Main Road. Nothing drastically changed at that spot. We still passed occasional restaurants, stores, and plenty of cars, but it was always the point where I said to myself, “I’m on vacation.”

  “Would you mind if I turned off the AC?” I was dying to roll down my window. We were still over twenty minutes from the beach, but I wanted the fresh air.

  “Sure.” He reached over at the same time I did. I moved my hand, letting him hit the button. He took my hand in his before opening my window for me. I looked outside, loving how familiar everything was. I’d been going to the beach for longer than I could remember. No matter what else was happening in life, my family always went for at least two weeks every summer, and usually a few other times during the year.

  “What are you thinking about?” Dylan rested our entwined hands on my leg.

  “Just how much I love the beach.” We were getting closer. The dense canopy of leaves created by the live oaks managed to block out most of the sun, but it did nothing for the humidity. I didn’t mind.

  “Me, too. My dad actually talked about selling our place a few years ago, but I talked some sense into him.”

  “How’d you manage that?”

  “I reminded him of how good of an investment it is.”

  “Oh. That makes sense.”

  “I’m so ready for this weekend. I feel like I’ve hardly seen you the past few weeks.”

  “I spent two nights with you this week.”

  “Two out of five isn’t great.”

  “I would have thought you’d want space.” I looked back out the window.

  “No. I want you in my bed. I sleep better that way, and I swear you’re like a drug. I can’t get enough of that body of yours.”

  My stomach tightened. I still loved hearing how much he enjoyed my body, but I just didn’t get it. He’d been with plenty of girls before. I couldn’t be that special. I enjoyed his body too, but the sex hadn’t gotten any better.

  “This is such a good time of year to go to the beach. It’ll be practically empty.”

  “I’ve never been here this time of year.”

  “You’ll like it. It’s not as hot, but the water is still warm.”

  “Do you want to head down to the beach today? Do you think we’ll have time?”

  “Definitely. It’s not even three-thirty.”

  Dylan seemed so relaxed, and I hoped getting away from school would bring back the Dylan I knew. The one who laughed all the time, the one who liked to sit and talk.

  “Good. I’m ready for some sun.”

  “Well, I’m ready to see you in a bikini again,” he said suggestively.

  The rest of the trip moved quickly. Dylan turned on some music, and he didn’t seem to mind that I wasn’t being talkative. It was strange to drive into Dylan’s driveway instead of my grandparents’.

  “Finally.” Dylan got out and immediately went around to pull out our bags. I noticed that he’d packed more than I’d expected.

  “Ready?”

  “Sure.” We went in the back door, the same door we’d entered after our skinny dipping experience. Dylan definitely remembered it. The smug smile tugging at his lips made that readily apparent.

  I followed him as he dropped our bags off in his room.

  “I have a present for you.” He dug into his large, black suitcase. “I can’t wait to see how you look.”

  “Is that a thong?” I barely choked the words out as I examined the tiny pieces of pink fabric.

  “Yeah, I’ve never seen you wear one before, but I love that ass of yours. This way you get to show it off for me.”

  “Okay…moving on from the bottom, do you really expect me to wear a top this small? There’s a reason I stay away from triangle tops.”

  “It’s your size.”

  “Dylan, I, uh, appreciate the thoughtfulness, but the bikinis I have are skimpy enough.”

  “They can’t be that skimpy if you felt comfortable walking around in one in front of my whole frat.”

  That again. “Do you really want me to wear this?” I held up the top.

  “Yes. I really do. It’s only going to be us out there. If anyone else actually uses the beach, you have my permission to put on more clothing.”

  “Fine.”

  Dylan pulled his own, perfectly normal sized swim trunks out of his suitcase. “I want to enjoy the effect, so I’ll get changed in the bathroom.”

  I reluctantly got undressed, cringing at the thought of putting on the tiny bottom. I hated thong underwear, and loathed even the thought of wearing something like that outside. Dylan walked out of the bathroom. I tried to focus on the view rather than the sorry excuse for a swimsuit I was wearing beneath my pink dress. “Take off the cover-up.”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t fit right.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.” He moved to take off my dress himself, and after considering putting up some resistance, I gave in and let him pull it off.

  He took a step back. “Damn, you look incredible.” His eyes widened, and I hoped he’d get side tracked enough that he forgot about going to the beach. “I need the full effect.” He moved around behind me. I knew it was coming, but I jumpe
d when he grabbed my very exposed ass.

  “Can I change now?”

  “Change? We haven’t even left yet.”

  “Dylan, I can’t wear this out of the house.”

  “Sure you can. Do it for me.” He put his hands on my arms. “I don’t ask you for very much.”

  “Why does this matter so much to you?”

  He moved his hands up to my shoulders and looked me directly in the eye. “Why does it matter to you? I like the way you look in it, and I want you to wear it down to the beach. Is that really so much to ask?”

  “How about we compromise? I’ll wear the top with a different bottom.”

  “You really hate wearing a thong that much?”

  “Would you want to go out with your ass hanging out?”

  “No, but then again my ass doesn’t look as good as yours.”

  I laughed. “Deal or no deal?”

  “Deal. But you’d better move fast. I can’t keep my hands off you. If you want to hit the beach, we need to go now.”

  I opened my own bag, pulling out a black bikini bottom that suddenly seemed incredibly covering. I ran into the bathroom and changed. Much better.

  “All right, let’s go.”

  We grabbed some beach towels from the closet and headed out. We walked the boardwalk over to the beach. I took in the sights: the lagoon, the tall beach grass on the dunes.

  “Is this okay?” He stopped about halfway down the beach.

  “Perfect.” I opened my towel and spread it out. Dylan put his down right next to mine, overlapping them slightly.

  “You weren’t kidding about it being empty.” I lay down on my stomach, immensely glad to have a full bottom on.

  “I told you.” He stretched out next to me with his head only inches from mine.

  He kissed me lightly before letting out a sigh.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. It’s just stress.” He rolled over onto his back.

  “Anything in particular?”

  “Just work stuff. You know I’m going to work for my dad after graduation, don’t you?”

  “Yeah.” I leaned up on an elbow.

  “I’m not really looking forward to it. Neither is he.”

  “Then why do it?”