After Tyler leaves with Amber, I’m still not ready to say goodnight to Rori.

“Can I interest you in another drink?” I ask, gesturing towards the bar as I put one hand on her lower back. I try not to look too hopeful, but it’s hard.

Rori tenses. Her face twists wistfully, but then she shakes her head. “I probably shouldn’t. I’ve already had two glasses of wine.”

“Afraid you might do something you regret?” I tease. Rori doesn’t laugh.

“Yes.” Her voice is earnest. She tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ears, runs her tongue over her lips. She must have reapplied her lipstick at some point when I wasn’t looking, because they’re once again colored in the most flattering shade of light pink. She gazes up at me. “Well, not exactly regret but ... I think we both know what might happen if we have another drink. I don’t know if it would stop at kissing this time.”

I swallow. Hard. Her words are so honest that they take me by surprise. She’s right, of course, but I guess part of me was secretly hoping that’s exactly what would happen. Contract be damned. Ever since the moment she’d stepped out of her apartment building wearing that dress, those shoes, looking the way she does and smiling at me so tentatively, like she wasn’t quite sure she was doing the right thing ... well, all I’d wanted to do was slide my hands up under the skirt of her dress, along her creamy thighs and to the warm spot between them. She looked perfect tonight. Absolutely perfect. And resisting her hadn’t gotten any easier as the night wore on.

“I guess you’re right,” I say reluctantly. I still don’t want to let her go though. I’m not ready for this to be over. “Do you want to take a walk then? I could show you the rest of the grounds.”

Rori smiles. “That sounds safe enough.”

I hold out my elbow and she links her arm through it. The feel of her small hand on my forearm sends a jolt through me. Christ. Why, even after all these years, does she still have this effect on me? There’s an entire planet’s worth of women out there, and yet Rori is the only one who’s ever been able to elicit this kind of response from me. It isn’t physical either — or at least, it isn’t just physical. There’s something about her that awakens every part of me. My senses feel brighter, sharper. My brain feels more alert. My heart seems to pick up a slightly different rhythm. It’s like seeing color for the first time after living in a world of black and white.

In order to keep myself from scooping her off her feet and carrying her to my car, I instead force myself to start walking. I lead her not out the front doors we came in through, but down the hall and towards the back, where a huge pavilion overlooks the golf course. The view is breathtaking, and I’d been struck by it myself the first time I came out here, a couple of weeks ago when Tyler had invited me out for drinks at the bar. In New York, it’s rare to see this much green, unless you happen to have a view overlooking Central Park. And now, with the sun setting, the green of the golf course is set off by the blazing pinks and oranges of the sky, by the smell and feel of twilight coming fast upon us.

“Wow.” Rori stops walking as we get to the edge of the pavilion. There are stone benches lining the edge of the patio area, and I think about stopping with her here, but there’s something else I want to show her first.

“Come with me,” I say. My voice sounds huskier than normal, even to my ears, but I chalk it up to too much scotch. Rori’s arm is still linked through mine, and she lets me lead her off the pavilion and down a stone path that skirts the golf course.

We walk in silence, though somehow it doesn’t feel at all awkward. It’s companionable, and for a second I have the strangest mental image — of Rori and I in our seventies, taking our evening constitutional after a dinner out. I picture her with grey hair, lines around her eyes and mouth, me with a beard made up of silver bristles. The image makes my stomach flipflop and I push it away. What an odd thing to think about. Maybe I can chalk that up to too much scotch too.

I hear the water lapping softly before we actually come upon the pond. It’s technically part of the golf course — one of the lateral water hazards — but right now we’re on the far side of it, nestled in a grove of trees. Tyler had shown me this spot on our first tour. And yes, he may have mentioned that it made a nice spot if you ever needed to get a lady alone. Even though it has a path leading up to it, almost no one seems to come out this way. Most people seem to stick to the main path and simply go between the main building, the club house, the golf course, and the spa. But me, I like these little hidden gems. And I like being alone with Rori, out of sight of the rest of the club.

“Wow,” Rori says again. I think that’s the only thing she’s said since we came outside. I sneak a glance at her as she gazes out over the water. It’s a surprisingly large pond, and on both sides of it, the grass is emerald green and perfectly groomed. On our side only, there’s a thatch of trees. Willow trees, mostly, the kind that hang down dramatically, draping around us and giving off the feel of a romantic southern city.

“Not such a bad place, is it? I mean, aside from all the rich snobs.”

Rori laughs. “No, I suppose it’s not so bad at all. I can see why you’d want to be a member.”

She’s standing beside me, still looking out at the water. I sneak another glance at her profile, and find her face relaxed, thoughtful. There’s something wistful in her eyes, but I imagine that’s the pull of the natural beauty of the place. I feel an urge to wrap my arm around her waist, pull her close to me, but I fight it off. I don’t want to do anything to ruin the moment, and Rori pulling away and running back to the clubhouse would definitely ruin the moment.

I force myself to take my eyes off her and focus on the lake. It really is beautiful out here.

“So you and Tyler have been friends a long time,” she says, breaking the silence.

I tense. I’m not sure where she’s going with this. “Yeah. Since college.”

“Technically, I’ve known you longer.”

I grin. “Yes, technically you have.”

“But I still don’t feel like I know you.” She turns to face me, and her expression is serious. I swallow.

“Not a lot of people do,” I say.

She nods, as if this makes perfect sense. “And Tyler?”

I shrug, look out at the pond again. “He knows some parts of me.”

“The parts you let him know.”

Her words cut through me. It’s an incisive observation, but then Rori has always been perceptive.

“Yes.” No point in lying.

“What about me?”

I turn to face her. Her hazel eyes are earnest, if a little unsure, but she holds herself steady, shoulders back.

“What do you mean?” I feel like there’s a lump in my throat.

“What parts do I know?”

I shrug. It’s reflexive. “More than most.”

“It doesn’t feel that way. Sometimes it feels like I never really knew you at all.”

She says this quietly, without any accusation. Like it’s a simple statement of fact. I could point out that our contract makes this kind of discussion strictly verboten, but I don’t. Instead I do something else that’s not supposed to be allowed. I pull her into my arms.

She gasps a little as my hands slide around her waist, and as I pull her so that she’s pressed against my body. I can feel her heat already, even through the suit I’m wearing. Her curves nestle perfectly against me, and even though she puts her hands against my chest, it’s more for balance than to push me away. For a minute I hold her like that. Both of us just breathing and looking into each other’s eyes. The sun is almost completely set now, but there’s enough light left in the sky for me to make out the fine features of her face, the way her eyebrows knit, the way her perfect pink lips part, the way her chest rises and falls against me.

I lean in and kiss her. It’s gentle at first, a sweep of my lips across hers. A graze. A glance. She’s just as tentative, moving her lips only lightly against mine. Both of us are hesitant. Uncertain. My body feels like a tight coil, kinetic energy ready to explode, but I move as if the opposite was true. As if I had all the time in the world, as if I had the unwavering belief that this is the right thing to do.

The truth is, I don’t. I have no idea if I’m not completely fucking everything up. All I know is that there’s a part of me that wants this, that needs this as much as I need air and water.

And slowly, slowly, slowly, it happens. The kiss unfurls. Rori leans in closer. Her lips press harder against mine, parting. My hands slide to the back of her head, my fingers twining themselves through the neat twist of her hair. She lets out the softest of moans, and then my tongue is in her mouth. Tasting her, tempting her, toying with her. And she gives as good as she gets. Her tongue caresses mine, her breasts press against my chest. Her hands have moved to my back and I can feel them stroking my muscles through the fabric of my shirt. I suddenly want to shrug off my jacket, rip off this shirt and let her feel my skin against hers — but I’m guessing the club has rules against that.

Not that our own contract would allow for it either. But our contract doesn’t allow kissing either and it doesn’t seem like either of us are too concerned about that at the moment. No, in this particular moment, this feels like the exact right thing to be doing. Kissing Rori feels like the thing I was born to do.

I pull her closer to me, knowing she can very well feel the effect she has on me. She grinds in closer, and I decide to hell with the club’s rules. I let my hands roam down her back, over the soft fabric of her dress, until I reach the round curve of her ass. I cup it in my hands and lift her, just a little, bringing her in tighter against me. The skirt of her dress rides up and I can feel her soft skin under my hands now. It’s warm, the way everything about Rori is. I want to feel that warmth everywhere. I need it.

I part her thighs, dipping in to find her cleft from behind. Her dampness instantly coats my fingers, sending another jolt of blood straight to my cock. I can already imagine the sweet taste of her on my tongue, coating my shaft as I fuck her, dripping down and soaking my balls.

I groan as Rori presses harder against me.

“Wes,” she breathes.

I find her entrance and circle it, smoothing her wetness over my fingers. She squirms and I ease the tip of my finger inside her. Her muscles immediately clamp down on me, as if they’re trying to draw me deeper inside.

“Wes,” she breathes again, her lips hot against my neck as she lays her head on me.

“All right, folks, let’s wrap it up.”

The voice cuts into our moment as effectively as a bucket of cold water. Rori pulls away with a gasp. We both whip around to see an aging groundskeeper, perched on a ride-on lawnmower, shooting us a glare.

I’m taken aback for a second and so is Rori. She smooths down her dress while I give the groundskeeper a quick salute. Understood. He gives us the once-over again but then whirs away on his Husqvarna.

Rori and I both stand there for a minute, panting, considering each other and what just happened.

Before I can say anything, Rori turns away.

Her back is to me now, but she doesn’t move, doesn’t run off this time. I close the small distance between us, pressing my chest to her back. I can smell her hair now, like honey and jasmine.

“Wes,” she says again. My name on her lips makes me feel like I’m coming apart from the inside.

“I know.”

“It’s just...”

“I know.”

We stand like that for I don’t know how long. I don’t touch her, other than to let my chest graze her back. I can feel her shoulders heave as she breathes. She wraps her arms around herself, even though it isn’t cold out. The sun has completely set now, and the only light is from the lampposts on the course and from the stars above. The pond is lapping gently and it mingles with the sound of our breath and the breeze through the willows. It’s perfectly romantic, except for the fact that this isn’t supposed to be happening. Rori and I aren’t supposed to be doing this. And yet right now, it’s the only thing I want in the world.

I move my hand to her neck, smoothing away a stray auburn tendril that’s fallen from her twist. Rori shivers again, then spins suddenly to face me again.

“This is going to sound weird but …” She takes a deep breath. “Would you like to come to a wedding with me?”