Yeah, right.
“And by the idea of contributing to a political campaign," he continues. "I think I'd like to try having a little structure, some boundaries." Caulter slides his foot up the side of my leg again, and I move my leg away.
“You should be involved." My father is stupid enough to fall for Caulter's brand of bullshit? “Structure and boundaries. It's what you need. You see, Ella, I've said this a hundred times. Structure and boundaries are the two most important things when raising children. Look at Katherine. She's a product of that."
"Katherine is a fine example of that, sir," Caulter says, sliding his foot up my leg. This time, I kick him, hard on the shin, and he flinches.
“You know, I'm just really tired,” I say. “The sunshine has taken it out of me.”
“Oh?” my father asks. “Did you go swimming?”
“No, the water is still too cold for me. But Caulter went for a dip out in the lake, didn't you, Caulter? The lakes here can be so refreshing."
My father looks at Caulter. "You just got here this afternoon," he says. "Already taking advantage of the lake?"
Caulter smiles and shrugs. "I just couldn't resist the water."
"I didn't think you liked the beach, Caulter," Ella says.
“Oh, well, it’s the lake, Ella,” my father says. “It's different from the beach.”
“You know, sir,” Caulter says. “A swim in the lake was exactly what I needed to cool off. And I just want to say that Katherine has gone out of her way to make me feel welcome here. It's like we're already family. Bosom buddies."
I choke on my water, prompting a quizzical look from my father. “Wrong pipe,” I gasp. “Could I excuse myself?”
“Go, go,” my father shoos me away. “Caulter, I’m pleased to hear that you’re…” His voice trails off as I walk out of the room and upstairs.
Flopping down on the bed, I think about how in the world I'm going to get through this summer. I can already tell that I’m going to be in a perpetual state of annoyance.
Annoyance and sexual frustration.
I could tell that Jo didn't quite believe it when I said he annoyed me earlier, as I walked away from the dock with her, after pushing Caulter in the lake.
"I don't know," she says. "He's pretty hot." She turns to look at him, pulling himself out of the water and up onto the dock. He makes a show of stripping off his shirt and shaking out his hair, knowing we're looking at him, and I turn away. I'm surprised he hasn't stripped buck naked right there; the prospect of that isn't entirely unpleasant. “I’d do him," she says.
“You’d do Charles Manson."
“Don’t be a bitch, Kate. He’s hot and has a reputation,” she says. “Besides, he obviously has a thing for you.”
“Of course he doesn’t.”
She raises her eyebrows. “He does. And you have one for him, I’d say.”
“I do not." I shake my head. “Emphatically, absolutely no. He’s a disgusting pig who thinks women exist solely so he can go after them. Didn’t you see him eye-fucking you?”
Jo laughs and cocks her head to the side. “No,” she says. “I didn’t. But you were paying a lot of attention to where his eyes were.”
“I’m not talking about it,” I insist. “Caulter Sterling is a no. A huge no.”
“I'm just saying.” She walks toward her car, this total beater she’s had since we were sixteen. “I bet he’s great in the sack.”
“Jo!” My voice is sharp. We're standing in front of my house, where anyone could overhear. But she just grins and shrugs.
“Later, bitch,” she says.
Jo is not right about Caulter. Caulter Sterling certainly does not have a thing for me, unless that thing involves trying to irritate me as much as possible. Or get his dick in me again.
The image of Caulter Sterling's dick flashes into my head and I try to push it aside. Caulter was a one-time deal, I tell myself. That's the whole point of a one night stand -- you never have to see the person again.
Of course, most one night stands don't then show up on your front doorstep to live with you for the summer.
It was one time only.
One time that happened to be really fucking good. Like, mind-blowingly good. The kind of thing you read about in dirty books.
My breath quickens at the thought of Caulter inside me. I can put him out of my head. I don't need to think about that night with Caulter. But once my mind goes there, it can't stop. It doesn't want to stop.