Chapter Four
“I have to say that you have gone out of your way to make this trip as pleasant as possible. The three properties had promise, but I’m not sure it’s exactly what I’m looking for. We both know that I’m going to have to get approval from my wife. A happy life is a happy wife or maybe that is just something that has been repeated so often that it becomes a way of life for some.” He stepped from her silver Lexus with the smell of Corinthian leather.
Claire was dressed in a white form fitting ensemble with oversized designer sunglasses to complement the outfit.
“You don’t seem like a man with a lot of stress in your life at the moment. I can only assume that you were able to fix things last night when you departed quickly.” Claire was nudging him for information, but doing it in a way that seemed perfectly natural and innocent.
“I had to make some concessions, but they were worth it. Never trust somebody to do something for you that you can’t do yourself. I try to delegate, but sometimes I have to be there in person to oversee things. It’s the nature of the business I’m in. I suspect that if anybody would understand it would be you.” Eric looked at the property and the differences from what he remembered were like night and day.
“I admit that working for myself has been a pleasure. I don’t have anybody to tell me what to do and I make my own hours. Of course, I have to cater to my client, but I enjoy what I do for a living. It’s almost better than sex. Chocolate can be a woman’s guilty pleasure, but it’s the dollar signs that does it for me.” Claire had her white purse over her shoulder and it was big enough to handle all the paperwork needed to finish the deal.
“I have all this money and I’m not happy. People envy me and wonder what it is like to live in my ivory tower. Money doesn’t make you happy, but I would rather be flush with cash than without.” In the right light, he could see that she wasn’t wearing any underwear with her high beams ready to pierce the lining of the dress.
“I do like what money can buy and my bank account is not even near what yours is. I make a good living and acquisitions like this one can make my month.” Claire opened the door and the classic black and white motif greeted their eyes.
“I like what they have done with the place and it has this modern touch of class. There was only one sliding glass door in the back. It has been replaced with a wall of windows taking advantage of the view. The crashing waves and the white sand beach are worth millions of dollars. You never did tell me the price tag. Not that it matters.” Eric felt like he was transported to a different time where things were simple. Fun was the only thing that mattered.
“I do like the look I see in your eyes, Eric. You’ve gotten lost in old memories. There are a lot more memories that can be made. Don’t you think that you deserve a place that you can call your own? This can be yours for the low price of $20,000,000. It’s the steal of the century. It’s not even listed on the open market and you’re getting in on the ground floor.” Claire slid open the doors and the sound of the water crashing against the shore were causing her to question what she was doing.
The feeling of his hands wrapped around her waist cinched tight and his hot breath on the back of her neck made her feel powerless to resist.
Claire looked down at the beach and could see herself making sweet love in the sand.
“I just wanted to see how it felt.” Eric let her go, but it took an amazing amount of fortitude to pry his fingers loose.
They made their way outside and then down the stairs until they were both taking their shoes off. In the distance, there was a boat bobbing up and down in the water with its sails showing a certain freedom from living on the water.
“I hope you won’t laugh, but I’ve always wanted to cast out amongst the stars. I am very good at sailing. Going from port to port and enjoying other cultures would be a dream come true. I carry this with me.” She pulled out a weathered piece of paper and handed him the photo of the sailboat with her name emblazoned on the hull.
“Play your cards right and you just might find your wish coming true. I get so caught up in business that I don’t take the time to smell the roses,” he said. “I promised myself that I will retire and then travel abroad, but nobody really knows when their time is up. There’s no time like the present. Don’t let anything stand in your way of your dream. Trust me; you don’t want to live with regrets hanging over your head.” Eric was spellbound by not only the beauty of the property, but the woman who looked good enough to eat.
“I’m not sure paradise is in my future. It might be for the short term, but I would probably get bored with a continuous diet.” They held their shoes in their hands, wading into the water and then racing each other to make sure the waves didn’t catch them. It was a juvenile act. They were laughing like kids during spring break.
“Life doesn’t have to be a never ending exercise in futility. I take more insane risks just to feel alive. I know that I have the fate of the company on my shoulders. I enjoy the uncertainty. I don’t think I’ve ever told anybody that before.” Eric sat down with the water dripping off his legs and onto the sand.
“It’s so peaceful here and we both know people with money take this for granted. Those who have lived robbing Peter to pay Paul would find this something they have been working for all of their lives.” She had this feeling of melancholy and looked at her life as a work in progress.
“I should be with a woman like you. I can live vicariously through your eyes of innocence and wonder. I’ve had money all of my life and I gravitated to those who spoke my language. It’s the only reason why I got together with my wife, Michelle. She was a friend of the family and we had so much in common. There was no real passion and the wedding night was nothing more than sex.” He felt relieved to get this off his chest. Not even his therapist could make him open up like this.
“I don’t want you to say anything that’s going to make me yearn for something I can’t have.” Getting to her feet, she wiped off the sand sticking to her legs.
“I could stay in this moment with you trapped in time for eternity. I know reality is going to ruin everything. Buying this place would give me a refuge and I can’t say the idea doesn’t appeal to me. The stillness in the air has me understanding why people go on vacation to recharge. I always thought they were fooling themselves and a week didn’t seem long enough to shed the layers of responsibility.” Eric watched the waves converge and the look of adventure on those surfing the waves had him wondering where his youth had gone.
“I’ve learned the hard way it’s never too late to start over. Reinventing yourself takes more than finding a change of scenery,” Claire said. “Paradise has been right here and you have let it slip through your fingers for too long. This place can open you up to the possibilities. You might scoff, but yoga and meditation are something you should seriously consider.” Her spiel was rehearsed, but this was the first time that she really believed the words coming out of her mouth.
“If you were running the classes, I would be teacher’s pet.” Eric wondered about her ability to stretch more than creativity. The idea of making her feet go over her head was causing him to look at her with fire in his eyes.
“I want to show you where the master bedroom is and how you can utilize the view to rid yourself of frustration and stress.” She went up the metal spiral staircase, looking over her shoulder and knowing that she was giving him more than he bargained for.
With a flourish of a magician, she opened the double doors with the red silk sheets on the bed calling attention to the sexual chemistry in the air.
Walking to the railing, she made sure to put an extra shimmy in her step to make him pant with hungry determination.