Chapter
22: Perfect Day
Sara
didn’t know how she got coaxed into putting on a red two piece bathing suit,
but for some reason, she liked it, especially after she walked out of the
bathroom and saw the look on Van’s face. She only wished she had a camera to
capture that “my GOD!” expression, complete with bugged out eyes and dropped
jaw. She smiled shyly, then went over to the closet and pulled out a red wrap
that matched her bikini.
“I wish
you’d stop looking at me like that. It’s making me want to change into a
pair of track pants and a sweatshirt,” Sara replied when she saw that his
expression hadn’t changed.
Van
couldn’t help gawking. Sara was too beautiful to cover her body with so much
clothing. She desperately needed to show more, and he was the one determined to
change her style. “Don’t even think about it,” Van warned as he stood up
from her bed and walked up behind her. He moved her hair away from her neck and
kissed her softly.
“Mmmm…”
Sara moaned, leaning into him for maximum pleasure. Van’s hands wrapped around
her waist and rested on her bare stomach. As the degrees began to rise, Sara
became immersed in his soft caresses, half of her mind telling her to push him
onto the bed and rip his clothes off, while the other half told her to stay put
and let the pleasure keep coming slowly. Unfortunately, both parts were quickly
silenced when the Van’s cell phone began to ring.
“We
seriously need to turn those things off when we’re around each other,” Van
said as he pulled the obnoxious object out of his pocket and answered,
“What?”
“Where the hell are you?” Deaq yelled. “You’d better not be screwing around with Sara while I’m stuck filling out all this paperwork.
Sara
grabbed the phone and yelled back, “Screw the paperwork! Get you ass out of
the office and join us for a day out on the beach. You know, to celebrate the
closing of this case.”
“Have
you lost your mind?” he asked her.
“No, we
all need a break. It’s been a tough case, and frankly, I don’t feel like
working today,” Sara answered.
Van
grabbed the phone back and teased, “Come on, Deaq. Loosen up a bit. She’s
got a point.”
“Van,
you know how much I hate the beach. Wait, wrong word… I despise the beach and everything about it. So unless you’re gonna
bust someone there, I won’t willingly go,” Deaq explained.
Sara took
the phone out of Van’s hands once more and said, “We’ll see you in fifteen
minutes. You’d better be ready.” And with that, she hung up. Turning to Van,
she asked, “What’s with him and the beach?”
Van tried
to suppress a laugh as he replied, “You’ll see.”
*~*~*
“How did
I let you two get me into this?” Deaq mumbled as he followed Sara and Van down
the beach to the ocean’s edge, carrying a surfboard, something he thought
he’d never lay his hands on ever again for as long as he lived. The last time
he had been made to surf was when a whole case depended on the lifestyle. If he
had declined the offer, he and Van probably would have been killed on the spot.
Now it was different, now he had been forced into it by his so called friends.
“Trust
me,” Van said as Deaq came up beside him. “It’ll be all worth it soon.”
Sara was
ahead of them, not paying attention to their conversation. She dropped her
surfboard and towel onto the sand and proceeded to take off the shorts and tank
top she had put on before leaving the apartment. It felt good to get rid of them
in the mid afternoon heat.
“DAMN!”
Deaq exclaimed, barely keeping his voice down when he caught sight of Sara’s
body. The little bit he saw earlier at the Candy Store was nothing compared to
this. She was drop dead gorgeous for the lack of a better description. “You
lucky son of a bitch,” he added, turning to Van. “No wonder everyone seems
to like her. She’s… she’s… I don’t even know if words can describe
what she is. She’s just Sara, goddess of the world.”
Van
laughed lightly as he replied, “Aren’t you glad you came with us?”
“I’d
be a little happier if she had a twin sister,” Deaq said, ending the
conversation before it went any further.
“Hey,
guys, you gonna join me or what?” Sara called as she made her way to the
water’s edge, testing it before she even stepped in. Before she even knew it,
Van had run up behind her and grabbed her around her waist, picking her up and
carrying her into the waves. “Put me down!” Sara was screaming between fits
of laughter. “AHHH!!! Don’t you dare!” she yelled when he threatened to
throw her into the water.
“Oh, I
will!” Van taunted as he swung her around, ready to let her go.
“Van,
NO!” Sara shrieked when her body left the comfort of his arms and landed in
the cool water, head first. She resurfaced, gasping for air and glaring at him.
“Son of a BITCH!” she yelled, making a b-line straight for him. She
pummeled him, knocking him into the water. Both were now sitting in knee high
waves laughing like lunatics.
“I hope
you learned your lesson,” Sara said between laughs as she stood up slowly and
walked back to her towel. “Never piss off Sara Pezzini.”
“I
learned,” Van replied as he wrapped his soggy arms around her and gave her a
big kiss. As he pulled away from her, he added, “Now that I’ve gotten that
off my chest, time to teach you something.”
“You’re hell bent on giving me a surfing lesson, aren’t you?” Sara asked as she grabbed her towel and wiped her face with it.
“Just
about as hell bent as trying to get you to show a little more of that beautiful
skin of yours,” he answered, grabbing his surfboard and heading back into the
water. Sara gave Van a shocked look, but unfortunately with his back turned
towards her, he didn’t see.
Just
before Sara joined him in the surf, she turned to Deaq and asked, “You gonna
join us or what?”
He looked
up at her, smiled sweetly, then replied, “Not a chance in hell.”
“Why
not?” Sara questioned, still standing in front of him.
“Call me
the stereotypical black man who doesn’t enjoy water sports,” Deaq answered.
“Oh,
come on!” she whined. “I’m out here in a teeny weenie bikini that’s
probably gonna fall off in the water if I wipe out. It’s only fair that you
joined me.”
“Sara,
don’t send me on a guilt trip,” he warned. “Surfing is not my thing. I
didn’t like it the last time I tried. What makes you think I’ll like it this
time?”
“Fine,
suit yourself,” Sara shrugged as she grabbed her board and ran to the
water’s edge. She really didn’t wanna get into a fight over something so
stupid. Lately, she had been choosing her battles wisely, and was glad to
finally have a little bit of peace in her life. As she stepped into the cool
water, a shiver ran up her spine. It felt good for once, to be away from the big
city crowd and just enjoy herself with her friends. She only wished that Danny,
Gabriel, and Vicky were here.
“Sara!”
Van called to her for a few feet away. She snapped out of her reverie and swam
to him. “You ready?” he asked once she was beside him. Sara nodded.
“Alright, we’ll start off easy then work our way up to the harder stuff.”
‘Here we
go,’ Sara thought as she climbed onto her board.
And so it
began, a day full of falling into the crashing waves. It took her a little while
to get her balance on the board, but as soon as she had mastered that,
everything seemed like a piece of cake. Van continued to teach her several
different techniques that she couldn’t possibly memorize in one day, but
promised herself that she’d try to get it all by the time she left for
Sara was
laughing as she walked to her towel and collapsed on top of it, breathing
heavily from her excursion. “Deaq,” she panted, turning to him. “You
missed out. I think that’s probably the most fun I’ve had in ages.”
“Believe
me, watching was just as fun,” he suggestively replied.
Sara’s
mouth dropped in mock shock as she whacked him in the arm. “I belong to Van,
remember?” she asked. “Besides, why would I want to trade him for you?”
“Ouch,”
Van laughed as he flopped down beside her. He wrapped his arm around Sara and
held her close. “Did you hear the lady? She prefers me over you.”
“Well,
she preferred Ian over you a few days ago,” Deaq shot back.
“Hey,
hey, hey,” Sara quickly interjected, feeling the beginnings of a fight
brooding. “No more wise cracks from both of you smart asses. Time to just sit
back and relax.” She settled into Van’s embrace, only slightly changing her
position as she melded into his arms. This definitely felt good, especially
since sunset was just a few minutes away.
They
watched together, Van’s face embedded in her hair, picking up the scent of
Sara’s salty body and savoring it as he savored every other little thing about
her. He kissed her neck as she leaned into him, a shiver running through her
body as the earth slowly began to cool for the evening. He held her closer,
keeping her warm in his embrace.
Sara
sighed deeply, the smile growing on her face as she felt Van’s lips continue
their exploration of her neck. She loved the way he kissed her, the way he held
her, and the way he always knew how to make her feel so wonderful. He was
definitely the kind of man she had been looking for, even though their first few
days together had been rocky ones. But now everything was perfect, and she
wanted it to stay that way.
“What
would you say if I wanted to take to you a very expensive dinner tonight?” Van
whispered as he reached her earlobe.
“I
don’t you, you haven’t said it yet,” Sara teased.
“Okay, would you accompany me to dinner tonight?” he asked.
“I would
love to,” she replied, turning and kissing his soft, salty lips.
“Are you
guys finally done being mushy?” Deaq questioned, interrupting the moment.
Van and
Sara both rolled their eyes. “Yeah,” they answered in unison as they picked
up their stuff and headed to Van’s car.
“Good,
because I was really getting sick of it,” he replied.
“Shut up, Deaq,” Sara retorted.