Page 48 of The Sea Witch's Son

That one hurts more than I care to admit.

“What are time trials?”

Gus grins at me over his shoulder, “It’s the pre-season meet. Sets the tone for the year and we get to watch Marlin kick ass.”

I look out over the railing to the swimmers warming up below. Most of the guys are wearing competition suits, the skintight shorts running down to the top of their knees. It’s a lot more coverage than a speedo, but it doesn’t leave much to the imagination.

The pool is packed, the guys diving and hopping out of the water in some chaotic form of warm up. Arms plow through the water while long bodies push off the wall in an endless circle of laps.

I’m getting dizzy just looking at it.

Gus keeps moving forward, barreling his way past people until we reach a group of gym bros. Almost all of them are wearing loose tank tops and gym shorts to show off bulging muscles and thick legs.

“Don’t bore yourself with those empty skulls.” A sultry purr hits my ear, “Come along with me.”

Calista places a hand on my lower back and steers me to a nearby bench. I stiffen at the intimate gesture, but she doesn’t seem to notice.

“Gus was lying through his teeth. He’s here for the same reason we are.”

“And what’s that?”

“The naked men, of course.”

Her hand brushes my ass and I quickly drop onto the bench. Calista settles herself down beside me, casually pressing her thigh against mine.

“This is the only time you’ll see more than three girls in a room.” She nods to the group sitting on the bench in front of us, “Our swimmers have quite the fan club.”

I sweep my eyes along the bleachers, and sure enough, petite bodies filling the spaces between the hoards of men. Still a significant minority compared to the testosterone packed into the chlorinated arena, but it is easily the highest number of women I have seen to-date.

“Why are there no girls in this town?”

“Most fathers have a soft spot for their daughters, so they ship them off to a safer place.” Calista sighs heavily, “The men here have a tendency of taking what they want when they want.”

She reaches over and strokes the bruise on my neck. Her touch is surprisingly gentle when she caresses the faded bite mark.

“They can be so cruel. So merciless in their pursuit.”

There’s an emotion hidden just beneath the mask of her beautiful face that I can’t quite decipher. She leans in closer, those painted lips coming dangerously close to my own.

“Men can be useful, entertaining even, but we both know the truth.”

I swallow drily, “Which is?”

“We don’t need them. For business or for pleasure.” Her eyes flick to my lips, “Women are fully capable of achieving it all on their own.”

My cheeks flush at the memory of the other night. Calista smiles, misreading my blush as arousal.

“I can teach you so many things, Melody. Show you places you haven’t discovered yet.” She leans in, her breath hot against my skin, “Just you and me in a queen bed. I’ll make sure you finish first.”

A beep echoes through the arena. I jump in my seat, feeling flustered and confused and terrified of the woman beside me.

Calista squeezes my thigh, “Think about it.”

The rowdy group behind us stands up and cheers. I quickly shift away, breaking the connection between our bodies.

“Let’s go Marlin!”

Gus lets out a hoot and a few guys stomp the floor. I look out over the railing and watch the swimmers haul themselves out of the water. Long, lean bodies amble around the pool deck, grabbing towels and rubbing themselves down.

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