Rock Hard SEAL: A Navy SEAL & A Virgin Romance
CHAPTER ONE –ABIGAIL
“Hold on to your panties! This trip will be one to remember, and if all goes as planned you’re going to come back a whole new woman, Abigail Carter. I can promise you that. Heck you’ll probably have a hard time even walking straight after Madrid is through with you.”
“Stop it, Libby.” A blush stained my cheeks when I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one around us had overheard. Luckily, the lunch crowd was loud enough to drown out most of our conversation. I turned back to look at Libby who shrugged her tanned shoulders. “What is wrong with you? Don’t say things like that out loud. You never know who's listening to us.”
Libby rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Chillax’ girl! I think your Dad has made you a bit too paranoid and sheltered from all those bodyguards with sticks up their you know what. I’m just saying I want you to prepare yourself to let loose for once in your life and what better time than this trip to Madrid with your best friend?” Libby asked. She grinned at me. “Think of it this way. This trip is your first real trip unsupervised. We are going to have a damn good time, Abi. I’m telling you.”
“I have no doubts that we will,” I replied with a grin. Excitement bubbled inside of me just thinking of it. Ever since I was five, I could remember a bodyguard always walking alongside me. Having a Dad who prosecuted terrorists on behalf of the United States government had a tendency to attract threats. Being the protective man my had always been, he took no chances when it came to the safety of my Mom and I. The bodyguards were always there.
It wasn’t until I hit college that I realized, with aggravation, that most of these guards had a tendency to relay information about every small detail of my life back to my Dad. It made dating a bit complicated, since most of the male population at Harvard knew exactly who my Dad was. From day one, guys were terrified to even go anywhere near me. The burly and big muscled bodyguards didn’t exactly make for attractive accessories for a petite gal like myself to flaunt around. All I’ve ever wanted was to be normal for a change.
Don’t get me wrong. I was always grateful for the hard work my Dad put into his career and constant efforts to ensure the safety and security of Mom and me; though, I would have given anything to just breathe a little. Growing up, that never really happened for me.
Not this time though. A jittery feeling filled me thinking of it. This time, I was on my own finally. It was liberating.
“Our postponed spring break,” Libby said, taking a sip of water. “At least we can do this before our jobs start up here in Manhattan.”
“Thankfully,” I said. “I know my Dad too. He’ll give me cases that keep me too occupied to think of anything else.”
“That’s why I’m telling you we are going to find a sexy Spanish man to please you over the next three months.” Libby sighed dreamily as she twirled a golden curl around her finger. “Three months in Spain is terribly romantic. Maybe I’ll find a Spanish lover too. Oh… what if we found brothers? How cool would that be?”
“You will, but who knows about me. We know I’m not exactly a natural,” I said and gave Libby an envious look. She had killer tanned legs, long blonde curls, and looked fresh and put together no matter what time of the day it was. “You won’t have any problems attracting a Spanish man or any man for that matter. You don’t have problems in that department at all.”
“Neither do you,” Libby said. “You’re gorgeous, Abi. They are going to eat you up over there. Literally!!” Her laugh was contagious, but it was lost on me. My thought threatened to consume me.
I played with the ends of my hair nervously. I was the only one out of my circle of friends who had zero experience when it came to men. The last guy I had kissed was after a study session for my English Lit sophomore final. Naturally, the bodyguard at the time who followed me around reported that back to my parents. It was the awkward lecture afterward that deterred me from ever trying something again, though I thought about it all of the time.
And now, at twenty-two years old, I was still a virgin and fucking terrified of sex. The only things I’d been exposed to came from living vicariously through Libby who gladly filled me in on tricks and such.
I longed for it though— desperately. I was such a romantic nerd when it came to imagining my first time. Maybe on a bed covered in rose petals? I shook my head at the ridiculous thought. That wasn’t real. Most men, according to Libby, would do it anywhere you offered it. A bathroom? A closet? The back of a movie theater? Done.
I smirked at the thought. What would it be like to give myself over to the heat of passion? Not giving two shits about where we were because I absolutely had to have him and he wasn’t willing to take no for an answer? My pulse sped up at the very thought.
“We’ll see about that. That’s not my priority because this trip is all about our time together before we have to enter into the real world,” I said breathily, trying to pull my head out of the gutter and put myself together enough not to give away my secret desires. The real world sounded rather terrifying if I were being honest with myself. My father had moved and shifted every area of my life since I was a little girl, and now I would soon be on my own.
An odd sense of relief raced through me, decimating the lingering fear. Where my father went after terrorists and horrible men in his practice, I wanted to do something totally different. I wanted to help bring justice to those who were hurt by an abusive parent or spouse, or maybe help set up protection for those who couldn’t do it themselves. Being in the legal system with my degree and my father’s last name was going to get me far in life, but not in the way he wanted it to.
Where he was focused on rising to the top and stomping out crime, I wanted to offer my services to those that needed it the most but rarely had the ability to find it. He was going to shit bricks when the time came for us finally to sit down and talk about my future plans. No matter what though, I was heading in the direction of my heart. Money be damned.
“Hey. You still with me?” Libby gave me a quirky smile.
“Hmm? Oh yeah. Just thinking about our trip.” I ran my fingers through my hair and forced myself to focus back on her. “We’re going to go sight seeing right?”
“Yes. Tons of that as well! I bought a polaroid camera to bring with us since neither one of us plan on using our phones, right?”
“Right,” I said, nodding. “No Facebook, Twitter, or Instagramming our moments in Madrid. We are there to enjoy it. We’ll create memories in our minds.”
“You got it,” Libby said. “Now, let’s—”
My cell phone buzzed on the table between us, interrupting Libby. I glanced down at the caller ID. Groaning at the number, I looked back up at Libby apologetically. “I’m sorry, Libs. I’ve got to take this. You know how my Dad gets if I don’t.”
“I know. He freaks out.” Libby rolled her eyes with a sigh. “I think he’s where you got all your paranoia.”
I rose from our table with my phone in hand. “Just give me a minute. Order a chicken salad with no croutons and dressing on the side for me if our waiter comes before I’m back.”
The small restaurant and patio were packed, but I managed to somehow squeeze my way out past the hostess station. While it was tempting to let my Dad’s call go straight to voicemail, I knew that he’d repeatedly call until I answered, or better yet, he’d send someone to look for me. That was always a fun encounter seeing that I was in my early twenties now. Everything suffered due to my Dad’s overprotective attitude. Especially my pathetic love life.
“Hi, Dad,” I said, leaning up against a light pole. “What’s up? I’m out eating lunch with Libby right now, so—”
“I’m glad I caught you both then,” he said, smoothly. “I need you to come into the office today. There is something that we need to talk about.”
Suspicion filled me as chill bumps raced across my skin. Nothing ever good came from my Dad wanting to see me at his office. “About what?”
“We’ll talk about it once you are here. Where are you exactly?” His tone was filled with a tension I’d become quite accustomed to.
I rattled off the furthest restaurant I knew from my Dad’s office in Manhattan to spare myself some time with Libby.
“I’ll expect you in an hour then,” he said. “See you in an hour.”
Not phased by his shortness, I slid my phone back into the pocket of my pants. My Dad was never the type of person to waste any time on the phone with chit chat. His job made him curt and cold at times, but I knew my Dad loved both my Mom and I more than anything in the world. The money he spent on our protection was one of the many signs.
I had no idea what my Dad wanted, but I didn’t plan on rushing over there to find out. I didn’t want to think about the dread growing in my stomach either.
“What’d your Dad want?” Libby asked when I sat back down across from her.
“I have no idea.” I shrugged and grabbed my water glass, taking a quick sip before pulling myself back up to the table. “I told him I was across Manhattan, so we have an hour to do some shopping after lunch.”
Libby grinned at me. “See,” she said, swatting my hand playfully. “You’re going to do fine over in Spain. You know how to keep certain things a secret.”
“I’ve had a friend to teach me a thing or two,” I replied with a grin on my face.
We spent the next hour finishing up our lunch before hitting two stores. Libby hugged me goodbye through the shopping bags on her arm before hopping into her own cab. I told the cab driver to take the long way to Carter & Law. I needed the time to prepare for what my Dad wanted to talk to me about in the middle of the afternoon. He never called during the work days unless it was an emergency.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t good, and I had a gut feeling the conversation wouldn’t end happily either.
But at least I had my trip to Spain to look forward to, and nothing could get in the way of that.