“Aren’t you the touchy one. Did you have a bad night? Were you just a tad upset that I was sitting on your boyfriend’s lap. You know I don’t want Shane. I’ve known he was all yours from the first day he walked in the room and you practically tripped on your bottom lip.”
“I’m not in love with Shane!”
“Oh my gosh, Lia. Give it a rest. I know about the hotel incident,” Rachel told her with a wicked smile.
“How do you know about that?”
“Like you’re the only one who knows how to get information. I’ve had the employees spying for me forever. I know some things about big brother, too. If you spill the dirt about you and Shane then I just might tell you,” Rachel gloated.
Lia glared at her sister for a moment before turning her eyes back to the road. The rest of the trip to the beach was silent while Rachel gloated and Lia pouted. She was dying to find out what her little sister knew.
*****
“I can’t believe you talked me into this. I have so much I could be getting done this weekend. After the incident a couple weeks ago at the bar, I really shouldn’t trust you guys to take me anywhere,” Ari grumbled as she climbed from Amber’s minivan.
“Quit being such a grump. It’s a stunning day. You really need to get some color on your blindingly white skin, and we all need fun,” Shelly said.
“You’ll have to forgive us someday. How were we supposed to know that the hot waiter slipped you a roofie. We just thought that he was really into you. If anyone needs to have a hot night of sex, it’s you. I’ve never seen anyone with such a stiff neck,” Miley joined in.
“Okay, okay. I’ll drop it if you never bring up Chandler again. I’ll certainly be a lot more careful about what I drink from now on,” Ari grumbled as she felt her face turn red.
Her friends had zero clue about her night with Rafe – her very hot, exciting night. She knew she was tense. It seemed that he’d opened a floodgate of hormones inside her, and she was too chicken to pursue a guy to fill her raging needs.
She really wanted to experience another night like the one she’d had with Rafe. It was beyond hot and still gave her goosebumps when she recalled his touch. She just didn’t want to have another night with him – well, she did, but she was smart enough not to.
“Ooh, twelve o’clock. Let’s go watch some beach volleyball,” Amber said while practically drooling.
The three other women turned in unison, then stood with their mouths gaping open. There were some seriously sexy men wearing nothing but beach shorts and sweat, playing a fast game of volleyball.
“There’s an open spot not far from the net with a perfect view,” Shelly stated as she began rapidly moving to a bare spot on the crowded sand. After a moment’s pause the other three women hurried behind her before someone else could swoop in before them and take it.
“Don’t be a prude, Ari. Drop the shrug and flaunt your great br**sts. You want those hot guys to notice you, don’t you?” Miley asked as she grabbed the knot on the back of Ari’s neck.
Before she could stop her friend, she was sitting on her towel with nothing but the bikini top Amber had loaned her and a skimpy pair of shorts. She felt na**d as she looked around, convinced everyone would be looking at her in horror.
“We better get this lotion on you before you turn into a lobster. You need some color, not a wicked sunburn,” Shelly announced as she squirted some of the ice cold liquid onto Ari’s neck, instantly sending chills down her spine.
“Thanks for warming it first, Shelly,” Ari snapped as the woman rubbed in the lotion.
“Quit complaining. I’m saving you days of pain right now.”
“You wouldn’t have to save me agony if you wouldn’t have ripped off my protection.”
“Oh, honey, you never want to rip off the protection,” Miley said with an evil grin.
“I can’t believe your husband’s ever allow you girls to leave. You’re terrible.”
“Our husbands know we love them more than anything, for some unknown reason. We can look plenty, just as long as we don’t touch. Trust me, girl, our men don’t pass up the opportunity to check out a nice firm ass when it walks in front of them,” Amber said as she lay back and closed her eyes.
“You’re missing the show,” Miley complained as she nudged Amber.
“I know, but Sean was sick last night and I got hardly any sleep. I can stare at hunky guys anytime, but a nap is something I rarely ever get the pleasure to indulge in.”
“Ooh, I like your thinking,” Shelly said as she laid down next.
Pretty soon Ari found herself the only one conscious as her friends laid back soaking up the rays. She’d been sitting in the office all week and had a lot of energy to burn. She didn’t really feel like sitting around the entire time they were at the beach.
As good-looking as the men were who kept walking past, she didn’t feel like simply staring at them all day, either. Maybe she’d attempt to take a swim in the ocean. It was supposed to be pretty cold, but once she got used to it, she could get in a decent work-out.
She stood and began moving toward the water when a couple of women stopped her.
“Hey, we need another person for volleyball. Can you join us?”
Ari turned to politely refuse when one of the women grabbed her hand and started dragging her toward the now empty volleyball court.
“Hi. I’m Lia and this is my sister, Rachel. Thanks for joining us.”
“Um… I’m really not very good at volleyball,” Ari said as she tried tugging her hand away.
“That’s okay. You don’t have to be good. We just need a full team. What’s your name?”
“Ari.”
“Pretty name. It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I was thinking about taking a swim, getting some exercise after being cooped up in the office all week,” Ari said, trying to politely get out of the game.
“Oh, that water is freezing. Besides, a couple rounds of sand volleyball and you’ll be begging for mercy. It’s great exercise, especially for the thighs. They’ll be burning by the time we’re finished.”
“I guess I can give it a go, but when you find out how horrible I am, you’ll want to find a new player,” Ari warned.
She had no clue she was with Rafe’s sisters and they could care less about her volleyball skills. They wanted to find out all the information on her that they could.