I swam a few laps and then over to the edge of the pool near her lounge chair where she was reading a beat up old paperback. I hooked my arms over the edge and grinned up at her legs. Her long, surprisingly tan legs.
That's right. She went to UCLA. Sunny all year round. Even more so than Sonoma.
"My eyes are up here Clay."
I laughed. I loved that she wasn't intimidated by me. Never had been. Lots of girls were, even the rich and beautiful ones.
"I know where they are."
She rolled her eyes at me. And went back to her book. So I went back to perusing her amazing, perfect, delicious looking body.
She kept ignoring me. It wasn't just a show either. She was genuinely trying to read her book.
So I did what any reasonable guy would do.
I splashed her.
"Hey!"
I grinned and ducked under the water. When I came up she was saying something.
"What?"
She glared at me.
"Nothing."
"So did you get a job? In your little short shorts?"
She scowled.
"No. But I think I found something. I might start helping out around here if it doesn't pan out."
My stomach sank. I did not want her to be a servant here. Still, it would make her at my beck and call... that could be fun. But she would be out of reach then. There was an unspoken rule about messing around with the help.
As it was, she was kind of in a gray zone. Not that it was going to stop me from getting what I wanted. Nothing ever did.
"Where?"
"Where what?"
"Where did you find a job?"
She sighed, looking embarrassed.
"The club."
"Wait, my club?"
She nodded sheepishly.
"It was the only place that would take me without experience."
It was absurd, the shot of lust that went through me at her words. I wanted to be the one to give her experience. Even though I knew that's not what she meant.
"I'm sure you'll get it. Do you want me to put in a good word?"
She looked alarmed.
"No, absolutely do not do that."
"What's wrong Nevada? Don't want to owe me any favors?"
She frowned and started to gather up her things.
"Come on, don't be like that. Come in the water. You know you want to. It's hot as hell out here."
She gave me a look and sighed, setting her things back down.
"You would know."
I laughed. She'd basically just called me the devil. I probably deserved it though hardly anyone would ever say something like that to me. The girl had sass to spare. I leaned against the back of the pool and watched her gracefully dive in.
I'll admit it.
I was hoping her top would come off.
No such luck.
She did a few laps. I was surprised at how good her strokes looked. She looked like an excellent swimmer. Actually, as far as I could tell, she did everything well.
It was kind of funny that I'd never noticed that before.
"Did you swim at school?"
"Sometimes."
She was treading water in the deep end. She smiled at me and dove under the water. She came up again in the shallow end.
"Party much?"
"Not really. My mom would kill me if I didn't keep up my grades."
Good. For some reason I liked hearing that. Even though I usually hated goodie two shoes. Not that that's what she was exactly...
"Got a boyfriend?"
Now she rolled her eyes at me.
"No Clay. God, you sound like someone's dad!"
I bit my tongue and let the relief wash over me. I wasn't sure why I cared. Even if she'd had a boyfriend, it wouldn't stop me from trying. I'd been about to say something about how dad's didn't always automatically give a shit. Mine sure didn't.
She didn't need to hear that though. Even an insensitive dad was better than not having one. I knew that.
I also knew people at school at made fun of her for having a single mom. And for being poor. And for being flat chested.
Well, they'd be eating their words when they saw her this summer, that much was for sure.
And if she was at the club, everyone would see her.
She'd be beating guys off with a stick.
Fuck. I didn't like the sound of that at all. And what if she chose one of them instead of me? It seemed unlikely with all the years she'd obviously adored me, but who knows? Maybe her school girl crush was gone for real.
I got out of the pool and lay back, thinking and watching her.
It was going to be a long summer. I just hoped it was a long summer of sex with Nevada.
Nevada
I'm not going to lie. It was gratifying to see Clay so taken with me. What's not gratifying is how damn sure of himself he was.
He was just flirting with me anyway. I doubted he actually meant anything by it. He could, and probably did have fifty girls as speed dial booty calls. And that was so, so not my style.
Especially considering the fact that I was a virgin.
But I would rather die than tell him that.
I would just have to avoid him as much as possible. That's what I kept telling myself anyway. I just wished he wasn't so achingly beautiful. In a not-fair-knows-he's-God's-gift-to-women kind of way.
Ugh.
I spent another hour at the pool, just because I couldn't seem to bring myself to leave. Besides, once I was working it wasn't not like I will have time to just lay around and swim or sunbathe. Not like all the other kids in this town.