He snorted. "He can try." Linking hands with her, he nodded toward the recreation area. "Let's go join the fray."
--
It was utterly exhausting, and tons of fun. She went where she was needed, and by late morning, that was the tennis courts. A few braver souls came to learn about the game, and then, when others saw them having fun, they flocked over as well, such that having a third instructor was useful. She wasn't on Maryann and Chuck's level, but she was a good player and knew enough to provide basic instruction.
Most had basketball hoops in their neighborhoods, so throughout the day there was a regular rhythm of sound coming from that area, the echoing metallic sound of baskets being made, the shouted directions and exclamations as the boys passed and feinted. The arcade area was likewise well attended, with a profusion of beeps, explosions, gunfire and theme music from the various machines drifting out the open doors of the building.
There were a few who didn't swim, but teaching that wasn't difficult for a pair of SEALs. Neil and Lawrence took turns giving lessons. Watching them, she thought about being in the pool with Dale, just the two of them. In the water, she expected he'd be far less concerned about his leg, the buoyancy compensating for its lack. She'd twine her legs around him, his arm cinching her close, nothing between them but water droplets . . .
She brought herself away from that with a firm shake. Definitely not the environment to be having such thoughts.
Dale was like her, floating from station to station, pitching in where needed. Since Lynn and Beth kept a good eye on the snacks and drinks, Athena wasn't surprised she had very little to do for that area. She was surprised by how well the boys cleaned up after themselves, but apparently that was one of the rules Neil and Lawrence had set. Her suspicion was confirmed the first time a boy missed his three-point throw of his wadded up napkin into a trash can and tried to walk away without dealing with it. The sharp-eyed Neil caught him by the collar and brought him back to pick it up. Then he made him do ten push-ups right there, to the good-natured teasing of the other boys.
It was then she noticed one boy who kept coming back to the snack tables. He'd caught her eye several times, because he'd merely been wandering from place to place without really getting involved in anything. He'd watch the other boys engaged in activity, and then move onward. It made him look like he was participating when he really wasn't. The men had noticed it as well, trying to draw him into things, but he'd preferred to stay on the periphery. Now, as he went by the snack table once more, glancing around to confirm he was by himself, she put together what he was doing.
When he was ambling away from it once more, she intersected his path. "Jason?"
He looked surprised that she remembered his name, but that had been the point of her questions about each of them, helping her mark their names in her mind. It was an effective tool for fund-raising parties. She'd asked him his favorite thing to do, and he'd said basketball. Yet he wasn't at the courts. He was a tall boy for his age, taller than her, and had the beginnings of broad shoulders. From the way he studied the ones playing basketball, she expected he was a good player.
"Yeah? I mean, yes ma'am?" He said it dutifully, obviously coached by Neil and Lawrence, but not really sure of the importance of the honorific.
"I notice you're not joining the other boys."
"I'm not really into all that." Yet his eyes tracked the boys in the pool, visible since she'd had the staff latch open all the entrance doors so the pool house was a pavilion today.
"Why are you hiding food in your clothes, Jason? It's all free, and you can have as much as you like. There's no reason for you to worry about that."
His gaze cut back to her. Before the hard, defensive look to his mouth could become a denial, she held up a hand. "You're not in trouble. Food isn't the same thing as electronics or a pair of high-tops. You're taking it for someone, aren't you?"
Behind him, she saw Neil and Dale had noticed their conversation, registered Jason's tense shoulders. She gave them a subtle head shake, telling them she had this under control and didn't want their involvement.
When Jason set his jaw, she nodded. "It's good of you to look out for them, whoever they are. Why don't we do this? Put back what you're carrying and just focus on having a good time today. I promise, before you leave this afternoon, I'll take you to the kitchen, and we'll make up a box of food for your family. That's what we planned to do for everyone, but if you need it, we'll put extra in yours. Neil and Lawrence are taking you all home, so they'll make sure you have additional hands to carry it."
At his suspicious look, she reached out, laid a light hand on his arm. He didn't skitter away, but he stared at it like he wasn't sure if it would bite him or not. "Jason, can you look at me? Meet my eyes?"
He did it, and she nodded in approval. "You look like you have a lot on your shoulders," she said gently. "You're not betraying those you love by taking a day for yourself, by rewarding yourself for your care of them. Go have fun with the others, and let us help you take care of them today. All right? Can you trust us enough to do that?"
The uncertainty that entered his gaze made his expression far bleaker than a thirteen-year-old's should look. It twisted her heart, but she kept her attitude matter-of-fact. When they'd been arranging the event, Lawrence had called and given her a lecture, his tone amusingly not too much different from what he'd used on the boys when they were lined up outside the bus.
These guys go through hell every day where they live, but they don't need your pity. To get out of their world, they're going to have to learn to pull themselves out of it, and the right way, with honor and integrity. Strength of character. You don't get that from being babied or pitied.
"So, that's decided," she said. "Put the food back on the table, and change into a suit. All right? The pool temperature today is too good to waste."
A small smile appeared on his face, nervous and wary, but there. "Yeah, okay."
"Yeah, what?" She gave him a little pinch on his arm and won a small smile.
"Yes, ma'am."
"All right."
She didn't watch him return the food, but when she was a suitable distance away, she glanced back. He was headed for the changing room. He fell in with a couple of boys coming from the arcade who'd decided it was time to do the pool. He seemed a little easier, exchanging banter with them. One good day might not change his view of the world, but as she well knew, one good day could make a lot of bad days more bearable.
The rest of the day was a blur. Dale teased her about it, but in truth, she was having as good a time as the kids. The boys also became far more comfortable around her, though she noticed the men were quick to correct any who became too familiar. She understood they were making sure the boys saw her as an adult to respect, not an easy mark. Though she adjusted her behavior accordingly, she couldn't resist an occasional hug of a younger boy or teasing the older ones right back as they made comments about her being a "rich white lady" who couldn't play basketball or beat them on the Star Wars arcade. She impressed them with her serve on the tennis court, however.
She conducted a handful of tours through the house and grounds. A couple of boys had more than a passing interest in her library and the gardens. One asked her specific questions about the art pieces scattered throughout the house. Finding out he was an accomplished graffiti artist, she showed him some of the books she had about art history and let him hang out in her reading room to look through those.
She'd been told plenty of times she'd be a good mother. She knew the best way to interact with children was to be attentive and not patronizing, and project a firmness that came with the expectation of respect on both sides. By teaching children like this about a world larger than their own, they were learning the behavior that would help them succeed, if they developed that critical strength of character Lawrence had mentioned.
It made her think of the submissive cravings she'd kept so well hidden, channeled into something else for so long. Dale had
helped bring her into that world, and was showing her she could exist there and still keep who she was. Actually, she could be more of who she was, by integrating both. When the graffiti artist paged through one of the books, he unconsciously dropped his tough street talk and attitude to ask questions and respond to her own enthusiasm about it. Everyone assumed disguises to cope, to meet expectations. How rare a gift it was, to be truly oneself with another.
She'd been able to be herself with Roy, except that one part. Could she be all of herself with Dale, not just the submissive side she was exploring?
Take your own advice, Athena. Just enjoy the day, and the time you have with him. This was her first relationship after her husband's death. It was possible it was nothing more than a bridge to what she'd eventually settle on, but she didn't like the word settle. Did she still feel Dale was too larger-than-life to be a permanent part of her life, that the strong Master was merely her tour guide on a fantasy?
When she had that thought, she was leaning against the chain-link fence at the tennis courts. Turning her head, she saw him on a bench by the basketball court, calling out encouragement or insults while Neil played a scrimmage with several of the kids. One of the younger boys was sitting next to Dale, unconsciously mimicking his pose as they razzed the players together.
Dale's concentration was on the game, his expression changing for quick smiles or sneers as Neil threw back insults. His body language was easy. He was having a good day. She had intimate knowledge of that body. She'd likely have intimate knowledge of it again sometime very soon. Maybe tonight. They hadn't slept in her master bedroom since the bed had been changed.
The first night after Hector and his men had done the switch, she'd gone to the guestroom. Lynn hadn't yet changed out the bedding, so she'd slipped under the covers of the bed that had been hers and Roy's for so long. But the bed was in a different room. The surroundings changed the feeling of it, telling her she'd made the right decision.
Though she'd shed a few tears as she returned to the other one, she'd since become used to the different feel of it. Even so, each night when she lay down to go to sleep, she ran her hand over the empty side, registering how it was no longer sculpted by the hollows Roy had left there. Would Dale be part of her life long enough for that side of the bed to bear his imprint? An imprint that would deepen from nights of passionate lovemaking, expand from her sleeping close to him, draped over his body. Or would it bear a couple of different imprints over time?
Her mind recoiled from that thought. She was amazed she wanted Dale there so soon, but perhaps it said something about her state of mind toward him that if she envisioned anyone there, it was him. She wasn't sure she had the strength to be involved with a man who didn't understand her the way Dale seemed to know her.
Deciding she was just worrying herself without purpose--because none of her thoughts changed a damn thing about her feelings or actions today--she threw herself back into play with the boys.
--
By the time they all settled down for pizza and movie time in the theater room, she was worn out, but in a good way. When she was sitting on the back wall, Neil and Lawrence came and sat down on either side of her. She offered them both a smile, noting they didn't look as tired as she was, but it was obvious the boys had given them a workout.
"You are utterly awesome," Lawrence stated frankly. "The kids have had a great day."
"That's your doing," she said. "I just provided the venue. I had a great time, too. I've been thinking about making it a monthly event."
"Not weekly?" Neil teased. Close up, he had tawny brown eyes and close-cropped sandy hair, as well as a sprinkling of freckles. If he wore a bill cap and she saw him lounging shirtless in a bass boat on the bayou, it would match her image of him as a Louisiana good old boy, reinforced by the drawl to his words. She chuckled.
"I'm not energetic enough for that, but I think we could work out doing something like this on a regular basis with the Y. There's a city grant to fund inner-city youth programs and . . ." As she fell into a conversation with them about that, another idea sparked in her mind, one she filed away to discuss with Dale at a later time.
Speak of the devil. He'd appeared at one of the entrances to the theater and was scanning the room, even as he engaged a few of the boys in conversation. When his gaze latched onto her, making it obvious whom he was seeking, her body and heart tightened in all the right places. Seeing him at a distance all day, not being able to touch or kiss him the way she wanted, but getting close enough to enjoy his scent, the sound of his voice, all that was enough to spike her libido.
Watching him work with Neil and Lawrence had just enhanced it. All three of them were powerful, charismatic characters. Their clean, direct communication, the dry humor they enjoyed, and an unmistakable sense of brotherhood that synced their movements and thoughts in a fascinating way, increased their magnetism. It gave a woman a good feeling just to be around them. Though Dale had said Neil and Lawrence were still single, she couldn't imagine how difficult it was for the wives and children of such men, having them half a world away, deployed on dangerous missions for months at a time. Maybe she'd plan another pool day for Dale and his fellow SEALs and their families.
While her motives were certainly pure, she couldn't help imagining her pool area full of muscular men like these three. Playing pool volleyball, muscles sleek and wet, swim trunks weighed down so when they went up for the ball, she'd see that strip of pale skin below the hip bone, the upper curve of tight buttocks . . .
She imagined the three of them surrounding her, Dale commanding her as her Master as Neil and Lawrence removed her clothes, all three of them touching her, kissing her . . .
She started out of the unexpected daydream. Being shared was something she'd never contemplated, and she didn't think she was really doing so now. It was just too nice a fantasy to resist, given that she was being flanked by two sweaty, muscular young men, and she had her Master eying her across the room the way the boys had eyed the juicy burgers and fries she'd provided for lunch.
When Dale moved in their direction, she noticed his gait was more pronounced. He'd been on his feet quite a while today, doing a variety of physically exerting tasks. However, his expression said he wasn't going to give her time to nurse that thought. As he drew closer, he offered his hand. She immediately put her hand in his grasp, let herself be tugged to her feet. That first touch was so welcome, it shivered across her skin. He registered it, his blue-green eyes flickering.
"If you two don't mind, I'm going to take Athena off for a little break. She looks beat."
"And if we do mind?" Neil teased him, latching onto the hem of Athena's T-shirt as if he was going to tug her back down on his knee. It was so close to her fantasy, her body responded to the flirting, her fingers tightening on Dale's. "She's too awesome, Master Chief. Lawrence and I have decided to keep her."
"I'd rethink that, son. This old frogman is more than capable of taking both your legs off at the knee." Dale gave him a half smile, but he moved Athena decidedly into his grasp and away from them, making the other two men grin.
"You ever get tired of his cranky and overbearing attitude, Athena, you know where to find us," Lawrence put in helpfully.
"Yeah. In an unmarked grave, you keep that up." As he guided her out of the theater, Dale threw a look over his shoulder, leaving them chuckling.
He guided her with purpose away from the recreation area, into the northwest gardens and well away from the area the boys occupied. Bemused, she saw he was headed to one of the potting sheds placed at strategic points through the extensive grounds. The moment they reached it, he pushed her against the outside wall, his mouth capturing hers with hot hunger. She made a matching sound in her throat and gripped his shoulders, hanging on. She was tired, but need was pulsing between her legs, in the aching cavern under her breasts, all of her craving to be filled by his touch, his desire.
"Christ, I've wanted to do that all day. C'mon." Now he opened the
shed door, drew her into the small space with him and closed it securely. Enough light came through the window to allow the moonlight and solar lights to frame his silhouette. As her gaze shifted to the floor, she saw two spare lounge chair pads had been laid out, covered with a trio of towels. He'd even smuggled out a couple of throw cushions to use as pillows. He'd prepared for this. The knowledge only intensified the needy feeling inside her.
He wasn't ready to take her down yet, though. Instead, he lifted her onto the workbench. This was the shed where Hector kept his tools, and there was a vise on either end of the bench. Dale looped something around her wrists, zip ties for tomato stakes. He threaded two lengths of ropes through them before cinching the ties to a more snug fit. Tugging one of her arms toward the end of the workbench, he secured the rope ends in one vise, turning the handle so it clamped down, held them fast. Then he did the same to the other side so she was sitting on the bench, her arms spread out to her sides and held by both vises. He did it so efficiently, with no wasted effort, it took her breath away. She had no time to react. Well, her mind didn't. Her body reacted with eager pleasure.
"Dale . . ."
He pushed up the T-shirt, shoving her bra cups down to capture her breasts in his hands. She moaned, pressed into his grip. When he put his head down, nipping at her throat, he squeezed her curves. "I'm feeling a little mean, girl. I caught you hanging out with those two young studs, and I think it's time I remind you who your Master is."
The rough threat made her arch into his touch even more. She turned her head, trying to tease his brow with her lips, the tip of her tongue, and then made a soft cry as he bit her throat. When he lifted his head, locking those blue-green eyes upon her, she grasped the challenge with both bound hands. Tossing back her hair, she gave him a sultry look.
"How can you do that if I'm up here, rather than down on my knees where I can serve my Master best?"
He muttered an oath. Rather than responding with words, he pulled open her jeans and slid his hand into her panties. He'd made her wet merely by looking at her in the movie room, but he tsked at her slippery state, giving her a stern look. "Just as I thought. You were fantasizing about them, weren't you?"