Page 48 of Becoming His Muse
The song morphed into something slow and sexy, and Olani wrapped her arms around his neck as his hands went to her waist. He followed her this time, conforming to the slow winding of her hips. From the corner of her eye, she saw someone approaching them, and when she glanced over, she saw it was one of the women who’d been switching partners during the last song.
The brunette gyrated over to them, and she placed her hand on one of Elion’s arms as if she was about to snake her way into the mere four inches between them; Olani removed it.
“No, ma’am,” she told her over the music because she wouldn’t share her dance partner to a song this intimate, and she wouldn’t share this man at all.
She knew her man was fine and was aware of women looking at him when they went out. That did not bother her. She had a look but don’t touch philosophy, and as long as it was adhered to, they could look all they wanted. She couldn’t fault them; hell, she stared at him too sometimes.
Her attention turned from the brunette to Elion, an unmistakable dismissal, and she ran her fingers over the hair at the nape of his neck. One of his hands slipped down to grip her ass, pulling her closer and eliminating the small space between them.
They danced to several more songs before ordering another round of drinks. She knew it would be her last. She didn’t want to get sick from drinking on an empty stomach. She figured they would stay another hour, and then she would see where he planned to take her for dinner.
One of Elion’s hands rested on Olani’s thigh as he drove them to their dinner destination. They’d left the dance spot a little before eight, and he was glad she’d agreed to a late dinner. They were minutes from their destination when she sat up in her seat, trying to make out the passing scenery in the dark.
“Are we having dinner at the vineyard again?” she asked.
He glanced at her before turning his attention back to the road. “No, we aren’t.”
He turned off onto an unmarked dirt and gravel road surrounded by trees a mile before the vineyard. They drove another two miles down, and he made a right onto another unmarked path. They continued a few hundred yards, and the trees opened to a dock.
“I’m going to make you dinner on my houseboat,” Elion informed, putting the car in park and turning to watch her lean closer to the windshield.
He killed the ignition, got out of the car, and dropped his keys into his pocket. He went around and opened her door, helping her out.
“It’s pretty. I like the exterior color,” Olani stated, as he led her toward the boat. “But aren’t you afraid someone will try to steal it?”
“They can try, but it’s too wide to get through the path we took, and trees surround the lake,” he responded, helping her off the dock and onto the boat. Elion keyed in the numbers on the digital lock, and it clicked open. He reached in and turned on the lights, stepped aside to let her in first, and closed the doorbehind them. “There aren’t too many people who know about this little lake.”
He watched as she looked around the space. They’d entered the living room, which also housed the navigation controls. He’d wanted to utilize the area as much as possible when he’d chosen the furnishings and opted for a couch against the right wall, with a desk and chair against the left wall. The desk doubled as another place to eat if he felt inclined.
The living room flowed into the kitchen, separated by barstools. He’d chosen an apartment-sized fridge, three-burner stove, and placed a small microwave on a corner cabinet. He’d gone with the same shade of dark blue for the cabinets as he had for the boat’s exterior. It had plenty of counter space for the size and fit two people comfortably. Across from the kitchen were his air conditioner and heater, both small units were enough to keep the entire boat at whatever preferred temperature.
He placed his hands on her waist and walked her forward, through the living and kitchen to the bedroom in the back. Elion had chosen a full-sized bed that fit snuggly against the right wall. He always spent his time on the boat alone, so he needed little more than that. There were drawers for storage under it. A pocket door allowed for privacy when required, and the bathroom took up the back of the boat. It was simple. The glass shower was along the left side of the wall. The counter and sink were in front of the entry and the toilet was between the two.
“It’s so cozy but still very sleek,” Olani stated as they walked back into the kitchen, and he helped her onto a barstool. “I didn’t think it’d be this spacious.”
Elion opened a cabinet, pulling out two wine glasses. He placed them on the bar in front of Olani before he grabbed a sweet red from the refrigerator. It was spacious enough for two and could fit three fine, but he wasn’t so sure about anything other than that.
“I wanted something that would accommodate me comfortably,” he responded.
“You succeeded.” She took a sip of her wine. “How’d you find this lake if not too many know about it?”
“Shaw owns it.” Elion returned to the refrigerator and took out the ingredients for a chicken stir fry. It would be quick to prepare and delicious. “When he bought the land for the vineyard from the previous owner, it was much larger than he thought it would be, and they owned this private lake. It’s around two miles and curves behind the vineyard but is hidden by trees. As a child, I loved being on the water with my dad and asked if he’d oppose me building a dock and having a houseboat built.”
He’d been lucky enough to have a good friend like Shaw because there were no bodies of water in the city, so the private lake outside the city limits was a gem.
“You had it built on site?”
“I did. We would have had to cut down trees to have one brought in and decided to bypass doing that.”
He asked her to tell him something he didn’t know about her as he always did when they spoke, and he listened as he cooked, laughing now and then.
When the food finished, he plated it, putting one in front of her and the other at the place beside her. He poured more wine into both glasses and took a seat. Elion told her about the two artists he’d narrowed it down to share his next exhibit with. He hoped to have a decision within the week so they could start getting their pieces together.
“I’ll help with the dishes,” Olani stated once they finished dinner.
“You’ll sit there and look pretty for me,” he responded, running the water in the sink.
“Fine, but you probably should take your shirt off. To keep it from getting wet.” She smiled at him, and he chuckled.
