Tossing down his fork, he stood up, adjusted himself and forced his mind to concentrate on business matters he had to attend to for the day.
After feeding the dog and puppies, Darcy wandered down to the beach, wondering what she could do to pass the time. The dogs followed behind, eagerly chasing the ball as she threw it along the beach. The waves were lapping at the sand, calling to her and she let her toes sink into the sand as the water rushed up to her feet, then receding again. After several minutes of increasing the depth, she simply dove into the water, enjoying the relaxation of the waves as they carried her to and fro on the surf. She was about to walk out, her shorts and tee shirt plastered against her, but the small building to the left caught her eye. She’d missed it earlier because it was hidden by the lush vegetation that was creeping around the gorgeous beach. But when she peeked inside the unlocked building, she yelped with excitement. Inside, there were so many beach and surf toys she couldn’t believe her luck. The surf board was one thing she immediately dismissed, but when she noticed the wind-surfing board, she bit her lip in indecision. She had no idea how to windsurf, but it seemed like an easy enough endeavor. And it would be relatively straightforward to sail on the board, she thought.
Taking it out was harder than she’d anticipated because of the weight and awkwardness of the board, but when she got it into the water, it was much more manageable. Getting the sail up was a whole other issue though. Placing the pole into the board’s hole correctly was fine, but standing on the board and pulling up the sail with the curved handle was difficult.
Darcy had a great time trying to master the contraption. For the rest of the morning, she worked hard at balancing, standing up, then pulling the sail towards her with the string, then the handle. Several times she thought she’d gotten the swing of it, only to be tossed right back into the surf. Over and over, she jumped back up on the board, determined to master the sport, knowing her friends would never believe it of her.
Sergei watched from the window of his office as the woman who had distracted him all morning tried once again to work the windsurf board. What she lacked in skill, she more than made up for in determination, he’d give her that. His only consolation was that she wasn’t wearing one of the bathing suits his secretary had obtained for her. He could just imagine how distracting she would be if she was wearing a skimpy bikini instead of the tee shirt and shorts she was in right now.
When she came out of the water, tugging the board and sail behind her limply until both rider and board were firmly on the sand, he almost laughed when the bathing beauty simply plopped down on the soft sand on her back, every part of her showing her defeat. She even kicked the board a moment later, then cringed when the hard board hurt her tender foot. He had no idea where all the dogs came from, but she seemed to know them as they licked her face and nudged her hands, eager for some of her attention.
He chuckled when she rolled over and propped her head on her forearms, then forced himself to turn away. Cursing under his breath when he realized that he was fully erect, just from watching her stumble around in the water. Good grief! Couldn’t he control his own body? With her clothes on and her hair a mess, she wasn’t even trying to be enticing and she was giving him more sexual frustration than any woman had ever done in his life. Even when he’d been a raging teenager, he’d been more in control than he was now.
Pushing her out of his mind, he re-focused on the conference call that was ongoing despite his inattention.
Darcy let the warm sunshine heat her body and lull her into a deep sense of relaxation with the momma dog by her side and the puppies curled up on her back or near her waist. She should get out of the sun, knowing how her pale skin burns easily, but she was just too relaxed right at the moment to bother.
An hour later, she sat up when she felt a wet tongue on her nose, startled and aware that she’d fallen asleep. The sun had shifted so she was partially in the shade, but she knew she’d burned a bit on her arms and the half of her face that had been in the sunshine.
“Good girl,” she said to the momma dog, patting her head as the animal wagged her tail in excitement.
She couldn’t believe what she’d done! As she stood up, she looked around, trying to get her bearings after the deep sleep. It was the middle of the afternoon now and she needed to get inside, out of the sun. And it wasn’t good for the puppies either, she thought, then relaxed when she saw them curled up on top of one another in the shade, sleeping happily.
Pushing the heavy board and sail back into the shed where she’d found it, she padded up the pathway to the house, all five dogs behind her. In her room, she showered off the sand and salt water, gave the dogs another rosemary infused flea bath to ensure that all the fleas were gone, then changed into a dry pair of brown shorts and white tee-shirt, this one a bit more form fitting than she preferred, but it would work.
After feeding the animals again, giving them all a tummy rub and lots of attention, she left them to yet another feeding which she knew would be followed by one more nap.
Now that her entertainment was occupied, she felt a bit more alone and bereft. Strolling through the library, she found a book she’d been meaning to read for months but had never gotten around to purchasing for one reason or another. No time like the present, she thought as she picked up the heavy book and wandered through the house, looking for a comfortable place to sit down and read. She found a gorgeous looking sun room with deep cushioned chairs and lots of pillows. Curling up in one of the chairs, she opened the book and was instantly absorbed in the saga of a young British girl growing up in poverty, how she moved from job to job, trying to find happiness but missing it at every turn.
The sun was setting over the horizon and Darcy was still curled up on the chair, unaware of the time or the fact that the entire household staff was now looking for her.
When Sergei stormed into the room, passing through to the door on the far end of the lovely room, Darcy stood up, hiding the book behind her back. Hiding the book was simply self-preservation since it definitely didn’t fit in with the image she had of a flighty, emotionally desolate party girl.
The movement of her standing caused Sergei to stop mid-stride and look to his left, his eyes slicing into her. “Where the hell have you been all afternoon?” he demanded.
Darcy took a step back, stunned by the instantaneous anger that she didn’t feel she deserved. “Excuse me?” she asked, instantly offended by his tone and too shocked to hide it from him. As a child, when things became out of control at her father’s house, she’d reverted to manners to cover up for whatever ranting her father was doling out. That habit had transferred to adulthood, and she hid behind manners whenever she needed cover. But often the hiding came across as snobbish and aloof, not very warm and friendly characteristics. That was okay on the dance floor and had brought many men to their senses when they started to get too friendly with their hands or intentions. But in other situations, she’d been hurt by other people’s rejections.