Page 63 of Tease Me

As I detailed how explosive that ride had been, I wrote,Top of the Bucket List,beneathmy sexy firemanin theheader of the page.

August sure was turning out to be an exciting month.Actually,every month this year has been exciting. And risky. I’d nearlybeen caughta few times now.

Was I dancing with fire? Probably.

Could I keep this challenge going?

If it made me feel like I did right now, then hell, yes, I could.

I closed my diary and stepped back out onto the balcony.

Seconds later, a dolphin launched from a distant wave.

Smiling, I clutched the railing, and for the hundredth time this year, I appreciated just how good life had become.

Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that my wonderful life was about to come crashing down.

Chapter Nineteen

Saturday slipped into existence without any fanfare, and as the smallhours of the morningticked by without any work to occupy my mind, my brain hit frenzy mode, skipping from one crazy thought to the next.

It had been six days since my raunchy sexcapade in the elevator with the fireman, and my emotions had been all over the place ever since. I just couldn’t get it out of my head how lucky I was that I hadn’tbeen caught. I’d never done anything like that. Until this year, that was.

Was Memphis corrupting me that much?

The answer was a resounding yes.

Did that upset me? That was where my dilemma came in.

Maybe Memphis had been in me my whole life, yet she’dbeen stifled.

Bloody hell! I’m referring to Memphis as if she’s another person.

I really should be admitted to the loony bin.

Needledick arrived twenty minutes late, and after the handover, I took the elevator to my room.I showered, dressed in my bathrobe,andmade myself peanut butter on toast for breakfast, matched it with a strong coffee, and strodeoutto my balcony to eat.

A bunch ofyoung kids were doing a surfing school at the edge of the breaking waves. Their surfboards were as big as they were, yet theyhandled them with ease. I guessed they were no older than ten. A group of adults hovering nearby faced the kids, and I assumed they were the parents. My thoughts drifted to Clayton and Telitha.

He’d said he sat back and watched while his daughter played with the dog on the beach. Maybe that was what parents did.The only other couple I knew with kids was Calvin and Lolita, and theyweren’t the sit-back-and-watch kind of people.Not with anything.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was a golden ball high off the horizon, and there was barely a whisper of a breeze. It looked like thousands of people were already enjoying the fabulous last-of-winter weather. I finished my toast and held my warm mugin my handas I reflected on the boring week I’d just had. Maybe my week was boring because I didn’t spend the entire week searching for my next passion partner.

Henry had kindly filled that role when he’d phoned me two weeks ago to invite me on a date today.

And that was when my next mental debatecame barrelinginto my tumultuous thoughts. Henry had called it a date. What would he think if he found out about my other ‘dates’ on this year-long challenge?

I shook my head, trying to free my mind of the unanswerable question, but my brain just wouldn’t switch off. It was a wonder I was even functioning.

This double-identity thing was winding me up.I just hopedthatwhen this year was over, I’d still recognize myself.

At eight o’clock, I strolled back inside, washed up my dishes, andas Ibrushed my teeth, I stood in front of my closet and tried toworkout what to wear for this date.

Henry said to wear something comfortable, and whilst jeans instantly sprang to mind, I rememberedthat was what I’d worn the last time I’d seen him. A hot flush coursed through me at the memory of what he’d done to me in my jeans. Maybe he planned on more of the same. I diverted from the jeans and flipped past one dress after another in an attempt to make a choice.By the timeI’d decided, my mouth was full of toothpaste foam, and I raced to the bathroom to rinse off.

The dress I chose was a long maxi with a simple line of elastic that secured it below my bust.The sleeves were fitted,three-quarter length, and the dress was an interesting color—not quite olive, not quite steel grey. After I put it on, I went to my jewelry collection and chose a chunky set of wooden beadsthat wasweighed down with a large orange crystal.

When the beads fell between my breasts, Iwas remindedof the last time Henry had played with the pearls I’d worn.Thiscemented my decision on the necklace.

---