Poolside, I follow Mark to the wide set of concrete stairs leading down into the shallow end.

Holding onto the railing, he starts down, pausing at the final riser to look back at me, his bulge still evident.

I throw my towel onto a nearby chair and join him at the water’s edge. Biting his lip, he looks into my eyes, letting me see the hunger in his.

Then his eyes move to my breasts, with their rock-hard nipples poking boldly through the fabric of my bikini top.

He licks his lips before moving his gaze away to look down at the water.

Oh man, I’m so lost with need right now, all I can think about is what it’d be like to have those arms surrounding me, my fingers digging into those massive biceps, holding on while he pumps his big, hard…ah, God!

He wades down another few steps, stopping to swish the water around with his hands.

Then he looks back at me and holds out his hand, smiling softly. “Come on in, Wee Marie,” he murmurs. “The water’s fine.”

I wade down the stairs into the cool water and straight into his arms. He sweeps me up in them, lifting me bodily, my breasts at his eye level.

He clasps me tightly, holding me close to his chest.

Heart racing, I wrap my arms around his head, hugging it to my breasts. I plant a kiss in his wet hair.

“Ahh, yeah,” he breathes, nuzzling the top of one of my breasts, then the other. “Mmmm,” his baritone purrs with appreciation.

Still holding me closely, he carries me into the water and squats at the knees, submerging us both into the cool, refreshing water, until only our heads are above the surface.

My knees bend naturally to fall on either side of his body. He presses his forehead to mine, and nuzzles my mouth, cupping my ass briefly before running his hands down the outside of my thighs.

Then he grasps my hips and pulls me closer.

I wrap my legs around his body and…oh man…I feel the heat of his erection pressing directly against my pussy through the fabric of both of our bathing suits.

Jesus Christ! My need flares into a sharp pulse, an almost painful throb of arousal.

God help me but I just want this man to fuck me right now.

He moans again, and we share another deep kiss as my soft flesh brushes his bulge, giving my clit a shock of pleasure, like a taste of things to come. His cock jumps against my mound.

And he breaks the kiss, grabs my waist and pushes me away.

He’s breathing hard and a little shakily, his eyes sharp and intent on mine. Regarding me with a serious expression now, he holds me at arms length, easily keeping me suspended in the water.

Grabbing his forearms, I relax and go still, letting him support me, giving myself into his hands.

He duck-walks through the water, steering me towards one of the benches at the side of the pool.

“How am I supposed to resist you?” he murmurs. He positions me on the bench between two of the bubbling underwater jets, then squats in front of me, taking my hands in his and raising one to his lips. “This is why I thought this’d be a perfect first date with you. Buggies, and also, having other people around,” he adds. “Not just because you don’t know me yet, but also, so there’d be less temptation to move too fast.”

His gaze intense, he pauses for two beats before leaning in for another long, slow kiss.

“And I want you to trust me,” he murmurs. “I want you to feel safe with me.”

“I feel pretty safe,” I say, running my fingertips over his submerged skin. “One of my closest friends is about to marry your brother, after all. People in town know you. My family sort-of knows you, through business. You’re not exactly some creeper off Craigslist or something.”

He snorts. “Thanks…I guess.”

“Anytime,” I say, chuckling.

We fall silent again. I run my hands up and down his arms and then across his shoulders, feeling the strength running through him.

He leans in again and I get lost in his kiss, letting his strong but tender mouth devour mine.

Body afire, I hear myself moaning into his mouth, my back arching itself.

His breath coming faster, he nuzzles soft kisses down across my jaw and along my neck, his whisker-y, tickle-y, sensuous mouth and chin laying drops of fire across my skin all the way down to the water line.

Beefy hands follow the curve of my waist to my breasts. Moving in underwater slow-motion, he cups their curves, massaging their hard tips with his thumbs.

The heat, oh the heat! Flaring in my belly and depths.

Eyes half-lidded, I look up into his, finding them fixed on my face, as serious now as a judge. He looks so deeply into me, it feels like his gaze touches me somewhere inside.

Another slow, soft kiss, tongues tangling, his fingers pulling my bikini top away from my aching nipples.

He pinches and rolls them, sending delicious sparks downwards.

A shuddering moan comes from my throat. I’m melting, I’m putty in his hands.

No man has ever done this to me. Okay, granted…I’ve only slept with two of my boyfriends, but neither of those guys ever made me feel like this.

But then again, neither of them had shoulders so wide or a voice so deep…and how could they? They were merely boys my age, while Mark is a full-grown man.

My pussy is throbbing insistently, making my hips writhe in the water. He pulls me closer to him, letting his hands run down the small of my back and into my bikini bottoms, grasping my bare ass.

“Shit, Mark,” I gasp, trying to catch my breath. “I…”

He stops instantly, pulling his hands away. “Okay, baby,” he says. “It’s okay. There’s no rush. I’m just…yeah, it’s cool.” He lets out a chuff of laughter. “Wow…that got steamy fast, didn’t it?” He moves away and takes a seat on the bench next to me. “I’m gonna go ahead and blame you for being so sexy.”

“No, I’m…I mean, I…” I grab his hand with both of mine and sit up, trying to formulate my horny thoughts.

But I can’t get the words out. What words can you say…how can you tell a man you just met that you want him to take you, you want him to ravage you…to bend you over and fuck you from behind like an animal…oh yeah…or for that matter, do whatever he wants to you…because you know that whatever it is…is gonna feel so fucking good?

“Well, how about I get dinner started? That’ll take our minds off, of…um…things,” he laughs, gesturing down at his crotch.

I recognize that he’s still trying to be chivalrous, which somehow makes me even more tongue-tied.

Besides, I’m afraid that if I push it too hard I might come off as slutty rather than sexy.

So I just smile, nod, and agree.

* * *

We dry off and head into the house to get dinner going. I don a gauzy beach cover-up and take a second to fix up my hair and make sure my mascara is still where I left it, and not all over my face. After touching a bit of color to my lips, I go join Mark in the kitchen.

In the midst of tearing open a package of thick chops for the grill, he pauses to lean towards me, pursing his lips.

I happily supply a smooch.

“So, tell me,” he says, slapping the chops onto a platter, “what’s the deal with this charity race thing that the town’s putting on? Everyone knows about it in general but you seem to have an inside angle.”

Smiling, I explain the upcoming event while he seasons the chops.

“I see. In the fall, huh? Cool. And how exactly is Sinclair’s involved? Vehicle sponsor?”

“Well, my father is on the board of the Maple Mills Motorsports Association. Sinclair’s is a contributing sponsor for the event, as well as the car I’ll be driving in the main race.”

He nods towards of package of mushrooms sitting on the counter. “Feel like slicing those up for me?”

“Sure.” I find a knife, open the package and start slicing.

“Sponsoring the event and a driver in the race…isn’t that kind of a conflict?” he asks, cutting some red peppers into strips.

“No. There’s no advantage for us. We have to follow all the rules under the same independent oversight as anyone else. I’ll win or lose the race based on all the same factors as any driver.”

I start washing sweet potatoes to prep them for the grill.

“Yeah? Sounds like they’re doing it up right. So, when do you think the announcement will be made?”

“Dad says soon. As early as next week. Then the ads will start going up.” I pop a slice of raw green pepper into my mouth and munch it.

“And, so…is there an entry fee?”

“Fifteen hundred dollars. There’ll be a website up soon, with all the details. Entrants can register there or at the Speedway.”

“Yeah? Cool. I’ll be sure to check it out. I wonder how many drivers they have already, and where they’re doing their practicing.”

“Some are renting space at the Speedway. Some, elsewhere. Hell, some won’t even train probably. They’ll just show up the day of the race and roll the dice. But my dad’s not like that. He…he’s intense. He wants me to practice almost every night now.”

“Sounds like he’s just trying to make sure you’re prepared. I wouldn’t fault him for that,” Mark says, mildly.

“No, I don’t fault him, it’s just that I…ah, never mind.” Why’d I bring up my dad at all? Quickly, I change the subject. “So, how’s things at the shop? Staying busy?”

“Yes,” he says. “It’s going well, especially for a new business. It helps that Dunlop’s place closed after the old man retired. I’m getting a lot of their clients now.”

“Oh, that’s right! Mr. Dunlop was a long-time client of Sinclair’s. My parents went to his retirement party.”

He takes a beer out of the fridge, twists the cap off and offers it to me.

“Sure, okay. Thanks.” I sip the ice-cold brew, finding it perfectly refreshing.

Opening another bottle for himself, he takes a long swig and then burps behind his closed fist, giving me a wink. “Yeah, everyone knows Marty Dunlop. I worked there for a summer in high school. Actually, one of the reasons I chose the location for my shop is because it’s in the same plaza as Dunlop’s. His clients got used to going there for years and years. When he closed, my shop was right there to pick up the slack. A marketing no-brainer, basically. So far, it’s paying off really well.”

I tilt my head admiringly. “Wow, Mark. Did you learn that in college or are you just a naturally shrewd business man?”

“I didn’t take marketing or business in school. Just automotive. I got Marty’s best employee too, Abraham Metz. He works for me now.” He grins.

“So you’re just a savvy individual then, “ I say. “Cheers to that!” I hold my bottle up and he clinks his own against it.

“Thanks,” he smiles. “I do my best.” His tone is neutral but I notice that his ears turn a pleased shade of pink.

Living with a bunch of men all my life, I recognize a man-blush when I see one. So sweet!

He’s so down-to-earth and natural about it, I have to chuckle, earning another of those boyish grins of his that I’m already starting to love.

Food preparation done, we go outside, where Mark starts the grill. “So, about this race again. You were saying that the purse for the main event is fifty grand, huh? That sounds pretty good.”

“Yes, it should attract some interest. Once word gets out, the slots will go fast.”

“What are the qualification rules?”

I explain those to him.

“Chevrolet or Ford stock cars, huh? No Toyota or Honda or anything?”

“Nope. They want the event to have an American theme. Promote American manufacturing, American values, American pride…you know.”

“Really? Excellent! We should always be promoting America. You might be too young to realize this, but a lot of employment in this country tanked after good-paying manufacturing jobs went overseas.”

“I’ve been hearing it all my life from my father. He wants those jobs to come back to the States, all of them. He wants this country to prosper again. Canada, too, for that matter.”

“Then he’s a smart man. Europe and North America combined were once the economic backbone of the world. We let politicians ruin that and we’ve been paying the price ever since.”

“Geez! That’s, like, exactly what my father says. Maybe you two would get along better than I thought.”

“Better than you thought? You don’t think your father would like me?”

“Not just you. Anyone I date. He’s just…he’s old-fashioned, and my brothers can be difficult, too. Not once you get to know them! Once you get to know them, they’re awesome! But, I’m the only girl, so…yeah.” I trail off weakly, suddenly afraid the looming prospect of an overbearing family will scare him off.

He takes another sip of his beer and then fastens his eyes on me with a serious expression. “Alright. Look…” He rubs a hand across his mouth and chin, making a whisker-y sound. “I might as well be honest and up front with you right now, Marie.”

Pause.

“I don’t mean any disrespect, but I’m not gonna take any shit from your father, or your brothers. Not for any reason. Okay?”