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The night I learned about her father dying was indelibly scorched in my psyche. I couldn’t conceive of a wound that deep: the scarring, not formed by her dad dying but by her mother’s accusation. God, I just wasn’t capable of wrapping my head around it.
I didn’t understand until a few days later how much her pain had imprinted on me. After I’d brought her to the airport to fly back to L.A., then driven to my parents’ house, I’d shared her story with my mom and dad over a cup of coffee as I fell apart. My dad had reached his long arms around my shoulders, almost rocking me, and my mom had stroked my back, telling me she was proud, until my tears stopped, and they could discuss how I could support Rakell.
Josh, the driver, maneuvered the boat into the dock at Sparks Water Bar. I was craving a Wet Woody, and this was one of a few places on the lake you could get one. “Mr. Skyler, I’ll just pull up here. I called ahead and got you a seat out on the deck. Hopefully, you can enjoy it in peace. Get the coconut shrimp—they're the best, and the burgers are great here if you're looking for more.”
“Thanks, Josh. I’m going take a quick walk,” I said, pointing to the path hugging the lake. “Need to call my girlfriend. Grab yourself some lunch, get whatever you want, tell them to add it to my bill.”
“Thanks, Mr. Skyler. I think I’ll have a sandwich since it will be a while before we get back to North Shore.” I nodded, but I could tell the kid was stalling. “Mr. Skyler, your girlfriend is beautiful,” he said sheepishly.
I gave him a thumbs-up. “I know. She’ll be here next weekend for the festivities if you're working at any of them.”
“Hell, yes, I’m working. There’s a waiting list of us who want to work. You guys are so good to us, especially Dwayne. He’s the best.”
“Hey, don’t tell him that; he’s already hard to be around.”
Josh laughed.
“Kidding, he’s my best friend, and his skills speak for themselves. Let them know I’ll grab my table after this call.” I shifted on my feet, heading down the path that snaked along the water. I lowered my sunglasses to take in the crystalline blue enclosed by the formidable mountains—a magical gem, this place. I have always felt so grateful that our owners made Lake Tahoe the base for the training season. First, Sacramento during July and August is brutal. Plus, the altitude in Tahoe was like training in Denver, where the Olympic training facility is. While most players needed a few days to adjust, extra water, and they had to be careful with the alcohol, it was a training advantage. Nick, one of our owners, spent his summers here. I’d heard his grandma had a house on the North Shore, but owners don’t usually hang with players during training camp.
Jake: Are you free?...Send
Immediately, my phone started emitting the familiar Dolly song. “Hey, Sweets.” I held it to my ear as I walked, thinking about how excited I was to show her this place.
“Hi, how’s Lake Tahoe?”
“Almost as beautiful as you.”
“Okay you, I’m dying for you, too, no need to sweeten me up,” she hushed seductively.
“I love hearing that you're thinking about me.”
“Always Jake, always. Well, in between meetings and photo shoots, and…”
“Okay, let’s stop with you’re always thinking about me. How was the audition?”
“It was a cattle call. I think I saw twenty women who looked like they had just walked off the cover of some fashion magazine. I wish I had worn more makeup and curled my hair. Ana said not to overdo it, but I definitely felt underdressed and underdone. I mean, I think I did really well. Ana says I would be a perfect fit for this part.”
“I bet you are. Tell me about it. You’ve only said that it is a homewrecker role.” He chuckled, remembering her explanation a few weeks ago when she’d read the script and said they contacted Ana, requesting she try out for another homewrecker part. “Apparently, I give that vibe,” she’d said. Which I thought was ironic. I almost defended it, but the truth was, she’d been an escort, and I bet a good deal of those guys were married. The thought nagged at the back of my head. I knew it wasn’t fair, but can we really control the associations we make with information?
“Mr. Skyler.” It seemed like she addressed me that way every time she was preparing for a smack on the nose. “Whatever do you mean by that? If, sir, you are indicating that my very presence tempts men into walking away from their upstanding lives for a sweet taste of what may be waiting on the other side, well then, sir, I am indeed a homewrecker.”
She cooed with a false Southern belle accent. The film was set in Georgia, so they would film there and in L.A., at the studio. She had nailed the accent. Damn, did that honeyed, dulcet tone, with the sweetly elongated vowels, get my crotch to pay attention. I was impressed that an Australian girl, twinged with a bit of British to her syllables, could ease into a believable Southern accent.
“Bravo, you may need to practice that accent while you ride me,” I poked, but I wasn’t kidding. I’d dated a Georgia Bulldog cheerleader. She didn’t know her way around in the sheets, but I fucking got turned on just listening to her explain how she didn’t really know how to suck cock. I used to say, “Tell me that one more time, then let’s practice.”
Rakell continued, letting that Southern syrup drip right off her tongue—fuck, if I weren’t picturing that mouth telling me what she wanted to do to my cock right before her lips slurped in the head of my fucking demanding dick.
“But I, sir, do not bear the brunt of the feeble impulses of men.” Her breathy chortles tunneled in my ears. Six days and my hands would be all over her, six long, exhausting days, but I knew it would zoom by. “That’s a line from the script with which I took a few liberties.”
“Well, Ms. McCarthy, I love how that Georgia peach rolls right off that decadent tongue. It’s one of my favorite accents.”
She cleared her throat. “Your favorite, mate? Well then…”
I cut her off. “No…no…it’s one of my favorites. It doesn’t hold a candle to the seductive, smooth Australian accent I so love,” I corrected, smirking. She’s so quick.
“Australian accent, smooth? We’re checking your hearing…”
“You sent the tape in just after my birthday, so it’s a good sign that they called you back.”
