Page 51 of A Foolish Work Flirtation

His eyebrows raise. “Why would I be angry?”

“Because I’m not falling in line and doing what you want.”

“I’m not shallow enough to become angry simply because someone sets a boundary. I understand why you’re insisting on keeping our relationship private. The issue for me is transparency. I don’t want to hide things. I grew up that way. And I can tell you from personal experience that nothing good comes from it.”

I swallow. He’s right. I turn and grasp the handrail as I look out at the sea. I’m not ready to let go of him. What we’ve shared is so all-encompassing and so passionate that I feel lost and powerless without it.

“Don’t backtrack, Immy. You set a boundary and need to hold it. It’s in your best interest.”

I don’t turn. “Why can’t I have both? I want to be with you, Alex. But I also want to be respected and stand on my own.”

I hold my breath while I wait for him to fold his arms around me. But he doesn’t. He stays at the helm, watching the ocean. Until I hear him say, “It’s the problem with fooling around with someone at work. Eventually, a choice has to be made.”

Where does this leave us? Is he really going to cut things off between us? I continue looking out at the ocean and wiping a few tears away, carefully managing my breathing. I can’t imagine he wants an emotional scene right now. I’ve had enough of those in the past. When I cry, instead of taking me in their arms, past boyfriends become more adamant about taking some time apart.

Why do I always want the relationship more than they do? This time, I’m not playing that game. I’ll not insist that I can compromise so the entanglement can continue. I’ll put myself first and decide what I want from all this. But I have to make myself do so because it feels so at odds with who I am.

14

Free Diving (Alex)

Iclosely watch as Immy checks her equipment and gets into the water from the dinghy. Everything about her fascinates me. Even her brave insistence that she needs more from me. That she doesn’t want to be seen as my latest fuck. But I’m not that bloke.

She’s better off without me. I destroy relationships and keep others at a distance. If I can keep her from getting too close, we can find a semblance of normal. Maybe it will be only an occasional hookup, but if she doesn’t expect too much, we can enjoy this irresistible pull between us.

I slip into the water and follow her into the deep underground hole. She is preceding along the route I outlined, occasionally glancing at me for direction.

The dive is textbook so far, with a range of eels, fish, and sea urchins floating by. Immy is being slightly cautious while using the techniques she has learned. With a little more experience, she’ll be an excellent diver.

She points to a large sea turtle, and I slow my pace to let it pass us. Watching the depth, I encourage her to get to a hundred feet before gesturing for her to head up.

When we surface back at the dinghy, I can’t wait to share her excitement. I’ve taken many divers out over the years, but I don’t usually feel invested in their experience. With her, I want her to be energized by the exploration and want to do it again.

She doesn’t disappoint. After removing her regulator, she says in a hurry while treading water, “I didn’t know we would see so many creatures. In the other dives, we must not have gone deep enough.”

I lift myself into the dinghy and reach back to help her onboard. “Sam took you to the open sea to work on water skills. This free dive is different. The deep hole is more protected, so there is more to see.”

She grasps my arms and says, “I loved every moment. I want to go deeper.”

As I unzip my wet suit, I smile. “We’ll do another dive tomorrow. It’s important to dive in stages so you gain experience without taking unnecessary risk.”

She unzips her wetsuit. “A bonus is that being underwater didn’t worsen my sunburn.”

I start the small engine. “You’ll have to limit your sun exposure.” I look away from her. The slightest interaction with her has my body humming with desire. It takes almost nothing to feel a rush of blood to my groin when she is close. If she touches me in the slightest way, I’ll be incapable of pulling myself together. It is completely out of my realm of experience and can’t be good. I can’t remember ever being so infatuated with someone.

I speed back to the sailboat, which makes conversation difficult. I thought we would spend a couple of days out here on the boat, but now I’m reconsidering it. If she insists on keeping our association secret, I need to move her firmly into the employee ranks and not let myself sink deeper into something with her.

After climbing back on board, I remove my wetsuit and use the handheld outside shower to rinse off. Immy does the same, and I move onto the deck, grabbing a towel and drying off. I pick up another towel and toss it to her when she finishes.

Her wet bikini is unbelievably sexy. When she turns away from me, I enjoy the sight of the wet fabric clinging to her feminine curves. I make myself check messages from Sonia. I’ve cleared my schedule for the next ten days.

“Is everything okay?” Immy stands nearby with a towel wrapped around her hips.

I run my hand through my wet hair. “Not really. I took the next ten days off, thinking we would spend time together. But now, I’m thinking you should go to sailing school, and I should go back to work. The problem is I gave someone more responsibility, a raise, and called someone else in from vacation.”

Immy crosses her arms and smiles. “Maybe you need a break.”

I shake my head slowly. “No, I prefer to stay busy. I’m not one to laze around.”

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