Page 58 of The Lawyer
“I’m too busy. Not many opportunities to do nothing.”
“I suppose. It feels so disjointed from real life. Like we’re in a bubble all on our own here. We can do anything, be anyone we want, and there’s nobody to say no.”
My eyes squint open to watch him, hoping those words spur something, but he doesn’t move. He just lies there, basking in the sun. Maybe being quiet is the better way to go. I mean, I'm here. It's got to mean something, right?
All of a sudden, he sits up and pulls his shirt over his head, exposing his muscular back, before standing and shoving his jeans to the ground.
I turn and prop myself up on my elbow, watching his almost naked body move. “What are you doing?”
“Being whomever I like. I choose my twelve-year-old self.”
His grin splits his face, as he takes a few steps towards the edge of the lake and dives right in. He surfaces several meters out, and I sit and watch as he swims leisurely towards the other bank. It's mesmerising. He’s mesmerising.
He swims back and forth, his toned body relaxed and carefree, but after twenty minutes I give up watching and lie back down. He can do that if he wants, but I'm happy to enjoy the afternoon for everything it appears to be—indulgent relaxation with an incredible man.
After a while, raindrops of water splash down over my face and body, waking me from my drowsy state. “Stop it.” I bat him away while giggling, feeling a genuine sense of contentment. With the sunlight silhouetting his frame, I squint to see him, but he stops me with his cool, damp limbs pressed against mine. It stills all thoughts as the sensation fills up every part of me.
He deepens the kiss, drugging me with each slide of his lips over mine. It’s the first time he’s shown affection since arriving here, and it lifts my heart at the possibilities that this visit may hold.
“You taste good,” he murmurs. “Always have.” He takes his lips from me, and I miss them already.
“Come back, come back.” I lift my arms to capture him and keep his lips to mine, but he doesn’t oblige.
“Demanding little thing, aren’t you.”
He pulls away and sits on the blanket looking out over the lake he just swam in, a sigh coming from his lips as he pulls his jeans on. It makes me watch the beads of water dry on his skin in the sunlight, my mind wondering what he’s thinking about.
“Will you tell me what it was like?” I ask quietly, wanting to understand more about his life. “Living here. You shared some at the party. I’m curious.”
He lies back down and rolls to the side, so we’re facing each other, his hair still damp from the water. I keep my focus just off of his eyes, waiting to see if he’ll answer, but silence grows between us again, and I almost give up that he’ll indulge my question.
“Why are you curious?”
“Because you make me curious. I'd like to see behind that façade again.” Because it gives me hope.
But I keep that to myself.
“Mmm. It's not that pleasant, and it’s also difficult to explain. I've been extremely privileged in some ways, not so much in others. No real choice in anything. I didn't even want to be a lawyer at first. I wanted to play rugby. It wasn't a good enough career option, apparently. A waste of time.” My eyes pop out of my skull. A sportsman? “I suppose stifling is a good word for it. The full weight of the Broderick name was placed squarely on my shoulders from the day I could walk, when all I wanted was to live my own life. A few rebellions later, most of which involved a very angry father, and I was offered something to get me away from here. I took it.”
“The States? Keeping criminals out of jail?”
He nods. “Being Landon Broderick over there gave me room to make my life my own without the name suffocating me.”
“But you came back.”
“It was only ever going to be a temporary escape. I knew that. I built a career, made my mark and some important friends, but despite my irritation with them most of the time, my family does mean everything to me. The company needed a new head. Here I am.”
“And what about The Priory? I’ve seen the places you frequent. The Priory isn’t the place for any Broderick.”
“True. However, when your suitors are chosen for you, when your father vets and approves suitable content, one tends to get a little ... off course. And then there's the unenviable task of small talk and dates with those acceptable suitors. That's infuriating enough, let alone the thought that my name makes it hard to identify true intentions.” His eyes look me over as if I’m his next meal. I wish it didn’t turn my stomach and force my breath to catch, but I can’t help my reaction when he looks at me. “Also, there's those proclivities of mine. The Priory served a beneficial purpose. Until recently.”
He rolls away and grabs his shirt, the moment dead, and we’re back to the here and now. Not willing to let this period of openness end, or put it to waste while unanswered questions are dancing in my mind, I ask another.
“Did you book many others? Dancers or girls from The Priory?” I hold my breath for his answer. He was my first private dance; if he believes me or not, I’ll never know, but a part of me wants us to have some firsts together. Maybe this was meant to happen, regardless of the circumstances.
He pulls his shoes on, not looking at me. “Why should that matter?” Because I want to mean more to you.
Another sentiment I keep to myself.
