Withstanding the Enemy

Ten Chance

Chance…

A strong chlorine odor fills the air and whips around me as I follow Emma to the high-top table, where she deposits her backpack onto the chair.

I watch her nervously turn halfway, diverting her eyes from me.

“I will be fine here, alone. I swim all the time without anyone watching over me. So … so … you can go now.”

I notice her strong grip on to her backpack. Her eyes dart to the locker room doors.

“You know I can't just leave. My orders are to stay with you at all times.” I shrug my shoulders in an attempt to ease her discomfort. “I have work emails that I need to send, so I’ll just hang out here.” I pull out a chair and sit.

I’m not going anywhere. I’d miss my own funeral to see Emma in a bikini…

Her blue eyes blaze in frustration and her bottom lip curls up. “I just don't understand, why now, after swimming here for two years? Now, he wants someone by my side at all times?” She crosses her arms causing her cleavage to push up.

I feel my shaft stand to attention making it difficult for me not to look down and give them my full, undivided attention. I focus on her pouty expression, thinking it’s a safer choice. And the thought of pulling on her bottom lip with my teeth hits me hard. s**t, even her pout is sexy as hell.

“Rick was very clear that I am not to leave you alone. I'm here to ensure your safety.”

“Then he should guard me from himself,” she says sarcastically before letting out a sigh. “Fine but you have to look away until I get into the water—”

“Okay, I hate to see anything I haven’t seen before.” I laugh.

She huffs. “I didn't think about you being here and I brought my favorite swimming suit and its skimpy and I don't want you to see…” she says quickly and her cheeks grow rosy red.

I hold up my hands in surrender. “Okay … okay, Emma! I won't look.”

“You promise?” Relief floods her face and she sucks in her lip—biting it nervously—the same lip I was just envisioning myself biting.

“Yes, I promise! I won't look.”

She picks up her bag and heads to the locker room to change.

Concentrating on my phone, I open my emails. I see one from The Lieutenant and know he is looking for an update on Rick. Deciding to avoid responding, I toss my phone down. I haven’t explained to him my new position with Emma, and I wasn’t in a hurry to either.

The doors of the locker room swing open and Emma emerges in a sky blue towel. She walks to the edge of the pool with her towel wrapped tightly around her. Her beautiful face blushes as she avoids looking in my direction. She has no idea just how breathtaking she is.

She sits down at the edge of the pool with her back to me and dips her legs into the water. I study her braided hair which reaches almost to her waist and the thin tiny peach strap of her swimming suit tied behind her neck.

I picture myself untying the thin strap and letting it fall down her back, sliding it down her shoulders to bare her full breast.

God help me.

“Don’t look,” she says in a low, barely audible whisper.

I close my eyes. “My eyes are closed.”

In my mind, I envision her unwrapping her towel. She said skimpy … how skimpy? My imagination reels with the possibilities.

The sound of water splashing bounces off the walls and I open my eyes. My eyes dart to the rippling of the water as her head breaks the glassy surface coming up for air.

I watch as she swims graceful laps and I am mesmerized to watch her look so free.

On her fifth lap, she stops at the opposite end of the pool and hugs the side. The water ripples around her doing nothing to conceal the perfect curves of her body. I stiffen in my seat. Perfect.

I force myself to look away as my shaft hardens. Control yourself… I pick up my phone deciding to focus on the dreaded email. I begin typing my reply to update on the new job change, the whole time thinking about the beautiful woman in the pool making me stumble over my text.

The sound of water dripping onto the floor causes me to look up. Emma is lifting herself out of the water using the ladder. As if in slow motion, she rises step-by-step. The water glistens down her pale, silky skin and I follow her body. Her little string bikini is no longer imaginary as it comes into view. Her arms move up the ladder’s handle revealing just how skimpy it is.

Goddamn. My d**k hardens to full attention.

She takes another step and the beautiful curves of her hips comes into view—a matching bottom with a little bow holding it all together. How little effort it would take to untie. Just one little tug…

Her full, shapely legs lift from the water, making me shift in my seat. Just the sight of her turns me on and I adjust the evidence of just how much. I feel like an inexperience high schooler, unable to control my libido.

I look up to her beautiful face. She is oblivious to what she is doing. Her earlier demand for me to close my eyes is clearly not on her mind right now. And f**k me, I will seize the opportunity.

Just about the time she reaches her towel, realization hits her face. She jets for her towel and quickly covers herself.

“Uggg…” She shies in frustration. “I wasn’t thinking. Did you see me?”

I look back to my phone. “Hmm—what? I’m working on an email.” I lie, not wanting to make her more uncomfortable.

“Don't lie! I felt you looking at me,” she says sounding irritated.

I stand up and walk over to her, watching as she shrinks the closer I get. Facing her, I say, “Yes I was. You’re beautiful, Emma! Why are you ashamed of your body?”

She hugs her towel tighter and I can feel her withdrawing. I want to show her what I see. Cautiously, I raise my hands to her shoulders where her towel wraps around her. I hook my fingers on each side and run them to the middle where her hands grip the towel. Pausing for a second, I take my time—trying not to scare her. I lightly pull the towel open and her hands shake, but she does not stop me; instead, she averts her eyes.

I pause. “Why are you scared of me looking at your body?”

She doesn’t answer, so I try again. “Emma, what are you so afraid of? I have told you that I would never hurt you. You can tell me to stop and I will.”

It feels like an eternity passes before she speaks. “I have marks on my body from things Rick has done to me.”

BOOM! It feels as if she just dropped a bomb. f*****g Rick…

“I won't go farther but I didn't see any marks on your body. If you’d let me, I would like to see these marks…”

Her eyes tell me that she won’t resist me, and she nods her head slightly. I pull open the towel. Control yourself, Chance. I fight the urge to pounce on her beautiful body. f**k, she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!

I take a deep breath and look over her flawless curves. “Emma, your skin’s flawless.”

This time, it’s her who opens the towel for a better look. I shake my head. “Nothing.”

Her eyes fill with tears and she drops the towel—letting it fall to her feet. I can't take my eyes off her face, wanting desperately to wipe away her tears as they stream down.

“LOOK!” she says angrily.

I snap my focus back to her body, trying to see anything that could resemble a scar. I scan her flat stomach to the top of her hip. All while dreaming of kissing that smooth, silky perfection.

I force myself to focus. I look to her right hip, just under the little bow of her suit and see a dark purple mark. Stepping closer, I slide my finger under the bow for a better look. She gasps as I move the bow down, revealing a heart shape birth mark. Sexiest f*****g thing I have seen.

Regrettably, I move the bow back in place and take a step back, finding air again as I inhale, not even realizing I had been holding my breath.

Our eyes meet. “I’m sorry, Emma. That is the only thing I see and to me it looks like a birthmark.”

She doubles over, picks up her towel and wraps it around like a security blanket. “That’s NOT IT!” she snaps and runs back to the locker room.