Perfect, he said. What a great evening. I've got all I want. The pool, wine and you.
She looked across at him disapprovingly. You haven't got me, she thought. I'm just a guest. But she couldn't help look down over his chest and stomach to his bulge once more. She was sure she saw his manhood twitch and turned her reddening face away.
Tell me about yourself, she said. You know everything about me. But I know so little about you.
He put his arms behind his head and looked at the sky. Not many people have asked me to tell them my life story.
I'd like to know.
My mom and dad live in LA, in the same house they did when I was born. I've offered to buy them a new house, but they won't budge, so why waste my money. I've got a sister who has three kids and a man who hits her, and a brother who has bi-polar. He lives in a mental hospital most of the time.
Wow. Can't you get your brother-in-law to stop hitting your sister?
I've tried. I set some of my heavies on him once, but my sister went mental. Totally mental. I can't understand it. She kept bleating that it wasn't his fault.
I'm sorry to hear about your brother. That's hard.
Harder for him. It's made my parents’ life so difficult. I think they feel guilty. As for me, I went to high school, graduated and went to the Yale School of Management.
Avaline finished her wine and put the empty glass down on the ground. He still had droplets of water on him, and she was sorely tempted to run her hand over his stomach and grasp his manhood. It was the wine, she told herself.
But how did you get so rich? It's no mean feat.
I bought a piece of land when I was twenty for next to nothing. It was just a speculative deal. Then the military decided they wanted it to use as a shooting range. They paid me ten times what I'd paid for it. After that, I was up and running. I re-invested and bought four apartments in LA. They were pretty seedy when I bought them, but I renovated them and sold them on at the right time. I just kept the circle going. Buy, sell, reinvest. You can see the result. He gestured to the house.
Yes. Well done. I would never have thought to do that.
He turned his head to look at her. His eyes ran over her smooth legs and admired the shape of her thighs. You are different. You are worth more than pure money. You don't have to get rich. A cat appeared from somewhere and began to rub around the bottom of the sofa. That's Duke. He's the boss around here.
So you like animals?
Love them. They are so much more trustworthy than people. He put his hand out and Duke purred as Colten stroked him.
Do you want a family one day? she asked. Settle down with one woman and have some kids?
One day. But I'm only thirty-three. Time is hardly pressing.
Well think about this. If you wait until you're forty when your child leaves college, say at twenty-three, you'll be sixty-three. Almost ready to retire. You shouldn't leave it too long.
A very gloomy outlook indeed, he said.
Edwin came out and asked what time Colten wanted dinner. They settled on eight pm.
They ate in a dining room that was large enough to house a fourteen seater table. It was bigger than a snooker table. They sat next to each other at one end, and Avaline looked over the vast expanse of the unused table and imagined it filled with children, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
After dinner, Avaline was tired. The wine has taken its toll. Thank you for a lovely evening, she said tempted to kiss him.
My pleasure, he said.
When she had gone to bed, he sighed. She was hotter than hot, but for the first time in his life, he didn't know quite how to approach a woman. She just sent out negative signals all the time. He wasn't used to it. But he still had his trump card to play, and that was that he was the boss, and she had to do what he said or leave. But did he really want to play that card on someone so lovely? He might.
After two weeks Avaline returned to work. She and Colten had spent a most evening chatting around the pool. As each evening went past, Colten became more and more frustrated. Every time he tried to lead the conversation towards the bedroom, she refused his advances by telling him it was unprofessional if they slept with one another.
Avaline, Colten shouted. Avaline hurried into his office carrying a notepad. I want you to book a two rooms at the Hilton Hotel in London.
Sure. Who shall I say will be staying?
Me and you.
Er....okay, She looked at him suspiciously.
Why are you looking at me like that? I'm going to look at some deals in London, and I need my PA with me.
But you've never done any business outside the US.
And now is the perfect time to start. The market has reached rock bottom. There are some great deals around in London.
Right, when are we going.
Tomorrow. You'll need to book the flights as well. Me first class, you economy.
Avaline looked a little disappointed, but Colten was in no mood for facial antics. It would do her good to realize how was the boss. She'd had enough of his hospitality. Now it was time for her to feel that she was way down the pecking order again.