Page 15 of Roses for Rosie

There is a momentary lull in the flow of traffic through the door, so I take a few steps toward the signing table. Rosie spots my approach and retreats further into the recesses of the store. She isn’t ready to talk yet, especially not in front of all these people and in her place of work.

I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it. If I had my way, we would cancel this whole event and I would whisk Rosie away to a romantic restaurant where I could have her all to myself. I would let her my secrets and would learn hers. By the end of the night, I would know if what I feel for her is real or if it’s just a figment created by my loneliness and isolation.

But I can’t have my way, not yet. Just wait, Rosie. We are going to have that conversation, sooner rather than later. The draw I feel toward her is too strong to deny. This has to be explored and I don’t want to wait a moment longer than I have to.

I turn back to the endless stream of middle-aged women coming through the door and continue the sexy romance author act, gracing each one with a smile and a warm handshake, adding a spattering of compliments for good measure.

The bookstore is nearing capacity, and the noise level is such that casual conversation is no longer possible. I check my watch again and see that the meet and greet part of the event is coming to a close and the reading part is scheduled to start in a few minutes. I head back to the podium, signaling Vivian as I go. She follows me and takes her place behind the microphone.

“Good evening, everyone! Good evening. If you will please take your seats, the reading will begin shortly.” The excitement in the room peaks as the women cluster in twos and threes and scope out the remaining chairs. A moment later everyone is settled and a hush falls over the room.

“Thank you all so much for coming. Our author tonight needs no introduction. You all know who he is and you’ve all read his book.” Several women hold their copies up above their heads while a few others whistle softly. “Without further ado, I give you the hottest romance author of the year, the man we have all been dreaming about since Moments of Lust was published, the star of tonight’s show, Adam Smythe.” The women clap me up to the podium, shuffling in their seats and craning around the people in front of them to get a better view.

“Hello, ladies. Thank you all so much for coming out tonight. It’s been a pleasure to meet you all. Are you ready to dip your toes into a little romance?”

Raucous applause and yelling greet this suggestion. They know exactly which scene I am talking about, and they love it. I knew they would. Talking to them before the reading gave me a feeling that they needed a steamy scene, not a funny one. I open the book to the appropriate marker and begin.

“The pool behind Joseph’s villa sparkles in the Mediterranean sunlight invitingly. The day is warm and so am I. I wish I could take a dip, but I didn’t bring a swimsuit with me. I settle for taking my shoes off and dipping my toes in the water.

“The water is cool and refreshing, bringing me back to life after a long, hard day. Just having my feet in the water isn’t enough though. I long for more. I look around, nobody else is in sight. I’m alone at the villa. ‘What would it hurt?’ I think, pulling the hem of my sundress up around my knees and sinking my legs into the pool. Heaven, this water is utter heaven.

“Submerging myself in the water suddenly feels like an imperative. I cannot wait another moment. The water calls to me, beckoning me to jump in. But I can’t do that! This isn’t my house, and it isn’t my pool.

“But, maybe I could do it. I’m here by myself. Nobody would ever have to know. I take another quick look around and make my decision. I pull the sundress over my head and drop it next to me on the pool deck. Raising my arms above my head, I execute a perfect swan dive into the deep end. The rush of cold water pushes in on me and draws away the heat of the day.

“I surface on the other side of the pool and shake the water from my eyes, slicking my hair back against my head. Before I can lean back to float though, I see him. I’m not as alone as I thought I was. Joseph is here, witness to my impromptu afternoon skinny dip.

“I want to sink under the water and never resurface. I glance back at my dress on the other side of the pool. There is exactly a zero percent chance that I can swim back to it and get dressed before he notices that I’m naked. His eyes follow mine. When he spots my dress on the ground, his eyes widen in understanding.

“He takes one step toward the pool, shedding his suit jacket on a pool chaise. Another step and his tie is gone as well. One button of his shirt after another is undone as he stalks toward me. With mere feet to go before he reaches the water, he drops his shirt on the ground and unfastens his belt. A moment later he is in the pool with me, his naked body next to mine.

“‘Mind if I join you?’ he asks, belatedly, his hands already roaming over my body, stirring up the cool water and raising goosebumps in my arms.

“‘I was hoping you would,’ I reply, staring boldly up into his eyes.

“His arms encircle me, crushing my body into his as he lowers his mouth to kiss me. I open my lips slightly, inviting him to deepen the kiss. He doesn’t need to be asked twice.”

I pause and look up to the back of the crowd, spotting Rosie standing there, enraptured by the reading. I chose this scene partially because I knew the women in the crowd would eat it up, but also because it is the foundation of the fantasy I have been having about Rosie all afternoon.

Imagining her naked, poolside, in my arms didn’t help me get much work done, but it was certainly entertaining. Now that I am in the same room as her I find my ability to concentrate on the reading severely compromised.

I wish I could stop right here and stride to the back of the store, take her in my arms and deliver the kiss Joseph is about to give Kate. Yes, I would absolutely do it in front of all of these women. I imagine their faces, jaws slack, eyes wide as Rosie and I put on the show of a lifetime.

That would certainly make headlines in those celebrity rags that love to print salacious pictures of me. But that is one picture I wouldn’t mind having smeared all over social media. If it means I can claim Rosie as my own, I would be more than happy to do it publicly.

Rosie breaks eye contact, looking away and blushing. She isn’t ready yet, I remind myself. These people are her friends, this is her job. As ready as I am to sweep her off her feet, this is not the time or the place.

Reluctantly, I turn back to the passage in the book and continue reading until Joseph and Kate wrap up their tryst in the pool. When I close the book and nod at the crowd, they break into applause. I give a little bow and step away from the podium to allow Vivian to direct them to the signing table.

Another hour or two and this will be over. Then I will be free to pursue Rosie with every romantic gesture I can come up with. Perhaps being a romance author with plenty of creative ideas will finally pay off personally.

Chapter 9

Rosie

Adam is staring right at me. He is looking over the heads of a hundred women who are hanging on his every word, salivating at the hot scene from his book he is reading. The look in his eye doesn’t say ‘Have I read enough, should I start the signing?’ It also doesn’t say ‘I am bored in this small town and I want to leave.’ It very much says, ‘I want to press my body against yours while we’re both naked in a pool.’

My cheeks burn, sure that the memory of our encounter in the storeroom is written all over my face. I’m positive that when Vivian follows the path of his gaze, she will see me and will put two and two together. I’m convinced that every woman in the room will soon know what Adam and I did.

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