Page 62 of Vine

The ping of Max’s text was timed to perfection. I could ignore it, of course, pretend I hadn’t seen it. But Max was persistent. Knowing him, if I didn’t reply, he’d be round here hollering for me. With a shaky finger, I tapped it.

I’m worried about you, la mer Caspienne.:)

I was worried about me too. With a sigh, I wandered shakily back into the vines and settled on a patch of grass. Shouts and laughter from the crew drifted across as the humdrum of checking the sound and lighting began. I had a few minutes before anyone noticed I was missing. Enough of a time window to text Max, or to cut myself, but not both.

Screwing my eyes shut, I pictured him out on the oyster boat, hard at work, his straggly hair flapping around his face in the stiff breeze. Those big powerful arms, like fallen logs, hauling sacks of oysters around as if they were two-pound bags of sugar. And worrying about me.

Mustering every ounce of willpower I had, I thumbed a reply.

I’msurviving,I wrote.I’vesurvived my first skirmish with Jonas. Just.:)

Three dots appeared and vanished as he typed, then,Some people have to hurt other people to feel powerful. Remember that.:)

My breathing evened out. As my urgent need for a razor faded, so did my panicky nausea. Some people were powerful without ever realising, I nearly answered. Yet wouldn’t harm a fly.

Wesaw some dolphins this morning, he added.Off to the east side of the bay. Bottlenose. Seven or eight of them. I’ve been reading about dolphin reproduction recently. The males have penile slits so they can retract their penises. It improves hydrodynamics.:)

I shook my head, smiling despite myself.How did he do it? How did this man centre me so effortlessly?

Nice sexting, Max! Are you attempting to seduce me with this dirty talk? Because it’s working. We’ll be trading nudes next.;)

I deliberated over the last emoticon, not sure if Max’s lexicon extended to winky faces. Playing safe, I deleted it. The three dots appeared again.

Yes. We could do that. I have a good one of a hot US football star wearing just his jock strap I can send you.:)

I burst out laughing, so much I struggled to type.I was thinking more along the lines of a picture of you?:)

A longer pause before he answered. Oh my god, was he actually contemplating it?I’m on the boat with Nico and one of the farmhands right now. Exposing my penis to them would be a violation of social norms. Sorry. But I can be nude for you later.:) :)

I’ll look forward to it.X

Three dots and then,XXX.

Picking a leaf from the nearest vine, I rubbed it between my fingers, bringing it to my nose. Sharp and tangy, an almostherbal scent. In a cloudless sky, the sun beat down on my back. The air held a fresh honey warmth and patches of blue sea poked through the rows of vines. Somewhere on it, Max was dipping his nets, or whatever oyster fishermen did, and thinking of me.

And, knowing that, the afternoon of filming, of having to confront Leigh and Jonas, suddenly felt a little more bearable.

CHAPTER 23

MAX

No way was Caspian getting a nude. How did you go about photographing them anyway? It’s not like I could ask Nico or Éti to hold my phone, and I had never purchased one of those phone tripods. And did he want a full-length shot, in which case I didn’t own a mirror long enough, or just my chest or my belly or my dick? Erect or flaccid? Did he want my backside as well? Two nudes? Far too many ways to fuck that up, andPerfect Peachwas no help whatsoever.

A bit weird that dolphin talk got him horny, though.

To distract from spending yet another afternoon worrying about Caspian, when we got back to shore, I tracked down my dad. He was where I usually found him when he wasn’t with us on the oyster beds: in his tool shed, tinkering.

“Where’s your friend?”

“He’s filming. I’m meeting him later. I told him I needed to talk to you about work.” I hefted myself onto the bench, angling with a view of the garden so I could watch Noir mooching about.

“Do you?” My dad rummaged through his toolbox.

“No.”

“Did you contact that supplier in Bordeaux about the extra order?”

“Yes.”

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