Page 125 of Naughty Nelle

CHAPTER 16

Sarah

I’d never been in a convertible before, let alone a Bentley. I was loving every minute of it. As Ari zoomed uptown along traffic-free Park Avenue, my ponytail whipped across my face. My eyes darted from the sun-lit skyscrapers to the car’s rich leather and veneer interior, and then over to Ari’s gorgeous but unreadable profile.

“So, come on, tell me where we’re going,” I begged him. We were getting close to his apartment.

“If I tell you, will you play with my Pac-Man?”

While it was way too early in the morning for one of his sexual innuendos, my eyes roamed down his beautiful body and I instantly flushed at the sight of the big bulge between his legs. Tingles rushed to my pussy.

“Sure,” I stammered. “But not in front of your son.”

Ari broke into a smile. “Southampton. I have a house there.”

Southampton was the summer playground of New York’s elite. It figured that he would have a second residence there. My stomach bunched up with nerves. Two questions pummeled my head: 1. What was I going to wear? (I didn’t exactly come packed for a weekend at the beach), and 2. Where was I going to sleep?

I put my mental ramblings on hold when Ari’s stately Park Avenue apartment building came into view. His adorable son Ben was already standing under the awning, holding the handle of a small roller bag in one hand and the toy train I’d given him in the other. Dressed in khaki shorts, an oversized Spiderman T-shirt, and a New York Yankees baseball cap, he waved to us as we pulled up.

“Isn’t Luisa coming?” I asked Ari.

“No, I’ve given her the rest of the holiday weekend off. Olga and her husband Vadim will be waiting for us at the Hamptons house.”

More of Ari’s staff.

The doorman helped Ben put his bag into the trunk, and then the little boy hopped over the rear window into the backseat.

“Buckle up, buddy,” Ari said.

“Sarah, it’s so cool you’re coming with us,” replied his obedient son.

Ari chimed in before I had a chance to utter a word. “Yes, it is so cool she can come.”

I jerked my head in his direction, raising an eyebrow. What did he mean by that? While his vision remained focused straight ahead, he was well aware my eyes were on him. The corner of his mouth again curled into a wicked grin that sent a pang of desire to my core.

We spent the next two and a half hours cruising along the Long Island Expressway and later Sunrise Highway at eighty miles an hour, listening to music that Ari had programmed for the trip, which included selections by Frank Sinatra, Bob Marley, and James Taylor. I liked Ari’s taste in music; it wasn’t that heavy metal stuff or annoying rap crap that so many guys listened to. It was mellow, mature, and soulful.

There wasn’t much traffic as most New Yorkers had left yesterday to get an early start on the three-day Memorial Day weekend. The sound of the wind whipping against the car and the loud music made conversation virtually impossible. Fortunately for me, the combination had a calming effect, allowing me the bliss of mindlessness, instead of my normal stream of worries. Ben quietly played games on his iPad, which I learned was a birthday present from his father, while Ari stayed focused on the road. I glanced over to him occasionally, admiring his tanned biceps and the way the wind ruffled his golden hair. I had to resist the urge to run my fingers through the silky, glistening strands. God, he was gorgeous.

We finally exited the highway and began traveling down a more rustic road. After twenty or so minutes and several turns, the unmistakable smell of the salty ocean mingled with the fresh, fragrant country air. We passed a sign that read “Welcome to Southampton,” and a few turns later we were cruising down an oceanfront road lined with mansion after mansion. We soon pulled up to a massive electronic gate that opened like the wings of a butterfly after Ari hit a button on his elaborate dashboard. Ben shouted out, “Yay! We’re here!”

Upon entering the property, the car traversed a long, pebble driveway that wound past pastures of grass, beds of roses, and other wildflowers. Finally, we pulled up to a rambling two-story gray shingle house with wraparound white terraces. Despite its grand size, it wasn’t at all pretentious.

A big-boned woman with high Slavic cheekbones and a man who resembled Charles Bronson in his heyday instantly came out the front door to greet us. They both looked as if they were straight out of Central Casting for Russian secret service agents. The woman was clad in a black maid’s uniform that was identical to Luisa’s, and the man wore tight black jeans with a T-shirt that exposed his body-builder physique. Ben jumped out of the car to hug the woman and high-five the menacing looking man. They must be Olga and Vadim. The Southampton staff.

Ari hopped out of the car and opened my door before I had the chance. My Trainman was always the gentleman. He then unlatched the trunk of the Bentley as Olga and Vadim promptly joined him. Ari handed Vadim the luggage, which included a pink overnight bag with tan leather trimmings. Mine?

With his hand pressed on my lower back, Ari ushered me inside the house while an excited Ben skipped ahead of us. The lodging was quite the opposite of Ari’s intimidating, formal Park Avenue apartment. It was the kind of place that, after a long day of sun, you could curl up with a good book and relax. White slipcovered seating arrangements were scattered on bleached hardwood floors, and nautical-themed paintings lined the all-white walls. Everything was connected by accents of blue. The color of the ocean. The color of Ari’s eyes.

“Saarah,Olga will show you to the guesthouse.”

So, that’s where I would be sleeping. In my own room. In my own bed. In my own house. Detached from him.

“Please put on a bathing suit,” he ordered. “That’s all you’ll need. We’ll be going to the beach following lunch.”

So, he had packed a bathing suit for me. A bikini or a one-piece? And what other things would I find in my bag?

As I followed the housekeeper through French doors out to the back of the property, my eyes took in my surroundings. An endless emerald green lawn surrounded a large rectangular swimming pool that shimmered a soft blue in the sunshine, and to the right was a tennis court. I had seen pictures of houses like this but had never in my life thought I’d actually step foot in one. Let alone be staying in one.

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