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Once we’re all aboard, the crew motors us away from the harbor, shouting commands to each other in that specialized language they use. I stand a ways back, watching Bella charm Kent with Dillon looking quite sportsmanlike himself. After a little while, I stroll up to the group, dramatically drawing Bella back to my arms in front of Kent. I tuck her windblown hair behind her ears and kiss her gently, listening for the familiar sounds of Kent's camera.
“Oh, you guys make a great couple,” he sighs wistfully. “Bella was just telling me that you to plan to go to New Zealand this winter. What a great trip!”
“Totally her idea, too,” I say, wondering when she came up with that one. It's news to me, but I think it would actually be nice. I wouldn't mind hiking some of those mountains, and I know Dillon enjoys attending to go camping every once in awhile. The isolation, certainly, can't be beat. We could hide among the sheep.
“He gives me anything I want,” she coos. “After New Zealand, can we go to Easter Island?”
“Anything you say, Bella,” I answer immediately, hoping she'll keep this up.
I wouldn't mind having a list of things that she'd like to do. It makes it easier than guessing, anyway. We could do New Zealand, then Easter Island, maybe even Madagascar, since it seems like she's kind of intellectual about her travel locations. She didn't say Paris or Rome, which is what most people fantasize about — the touristy comfort of America in Paris-shaped packaging, I always thought. She's talking about places where we have to really work to see the sights, really have to experience something out of the ordinary.
“Mayan pyramids?” I suggest.
“You read my mind!” she exclaims, jumping up and throwing her arms around my neck. I hold her tight, quickly becoming excited at the combination of sunscreen and sweat on her skin. Feeling her long legs bouncing against my hips is turning me on a frightful amount. I'm not actually sure I want to wait that long. What kind of trouble would I get in if Kent suddenly fell overboard?
“You two make a great couple. It's just perfect,” Kent sighs.
“Aren't they, though?” Dillon smiles, his cheeks dimpled strongly. He seems to really mean it. That makes me happy too.
After a few minutes, we retire to the galley for a quick round of mojitos prepared by our chef. We’ve also got some freshly made ceviche and spring rolls to snack on. Then Dillon pulls out his phone. His eyebrows go up.
“Hey… check your alerts,” he smiles at me. I slide my phone out of my back pocket and glance at it. There's already a picture of us, standing on the prow of the boat. Bella's arms are folded behind my neck and she leans into me, arching her back. Our smiles are mirror images of each other, as Chicago skyline is sunlit and beautiful in the background. Sparks of light reflect off the surface of the lake.
“Wow… you look beautiful, darling,” I say, surprised, angling the phone toward Bella. Her eyes go wide as well. “How did this picture already get on the Times?”
Kent winks at me, smiling impishly. “Fastest fingers in the east!” he declares. “I sent your pictures over to my editor right away. I’m not about to get scooped again!”
“Smart guy,” Dillon nods approvingly, toasting Kent’s shrewdness.
I remember that I'd heard that there were several people who had gotten the pictures of us and the Congresswoman… I'm starting to wonder of Kent was one of them. In the world of gossip, the first one to spike the ball in the end zone gets to claim credit for ever more. I never really thought about pictures going up while the event was still happening, but I suppose I should have.
“Look at us… that's a nice picture. We should have that framed,” Bella smiles at me.
“Love for the Riordan heir?” I repeat, reading the caption aloud. I watch Bella's throat as she swallows, and I deliberately avoid glancing at Dillon. He's been doing so good, I don't want him to negatively react to Kent’s artistic license. Love? That's a bit of a liberty he's taken.
I never said I was in love.
“It just leaps off the page!” Kent smirks. “Everybody can see it. You guys have this magnetism when you're together. This energy! You make a person really believe in love!”
"Well, what can I say?" I respond gamely, pulling her closer to me again, holding her in front of me. Slyly, I bounce my hard-on against the pit of her back. She responds by nudging me with those round, ripe buttocks, letting me know that she knows how hot I am for her.
Kent is so proud of himself, we can't shut him up for the next hour until we get back to the dock. Meanwhile, Dillon, Bella and I are on our very best behavior, milking the rest of his time with all the romance one person could stand.
I presume he will post a follow-up story, in the next few days. He seems enthused to be the first person who's declared this a real love affair. He'll probably have us married off and pregnant by the end of the week. Maybe not in that order.
We sail back to Burnham Harbor, leaving Kent on the dock and posing just one more time for another few pictures for him. After he's done with that, he steps back and gazes lovingly at the boat, making me wonder if I shouldn't have let him spend a little more time on it, just to see how much more flattering he would be in his write up.
“Tommy, why don’t you guys take a walk?” I ask the hired crew. Tommy glances at Bella and smirks, accepts a few hundred dollars in gratuity and whistles to his other crew members. They clamber off the boat, leaving us alone.
“Below deck, both of you,” I bark, doing a rather paltry imitation of a sea captain.
“Yes, sir!” Bella smirks. I drop into the galley entrance, sliding the panel doors securely and closing us inside.
“Gee, it's pretty nice in here,” she muses, looking around and touching the dials and displays, the wood cabinetry. “I didn't realize sailboats had such luxurious, um — um --”
“Quarters,” Dillon smiles.
“Quarters,” she repeats, smiling back at him. “That makes sense.”
