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It seemed laughable, the way society placed everything, right down to the material of underwear, into a box they deemed appropriate. In the grand scheme of things, the logic didn’t really hold much weight.
The smell of chlorine was pungent in the halls the moment they stepped off the elevator and only grew stronger as they grew closer to the room, enclosed with heavily-tinted glass that made the inside of the swim area appear as if the lights had already been turned out for the evening.
Inside, it was far brighter, but still muted as there was no natural light, but rather the yellowed overhead canisters embedded in the tall ceilings.
The Olympic-sized pool was still, aside from the soft ripples that coasted along the surface from the filter system that cranked away day and night. Unlike the outdoor pool that was popular in the summer, this one was surrounded by cool slabs of square stone the color of mud that seemed to reflect off every surface, giving the entire room a drab seventies feel. Only the white lounge chairs set out every few feet and the complimentary blue-and-white striped towels that draped casually over their arms broke it up and brought it back into the present.
Sabrina had never been impressed with the accommodations, but finding an apartment building with the amenities she enjoyed here, at a reasonable price, were slim. That wasn’t to say she used any of them often, or in some cases at all, but she liked the idea of having it all at her disposal if she wanted to, and tonight, she did.
Walking around the entire length of the pool and settling on the end that would give them the best direct view of the windowed wall they’d come in through, in case they had any unexpected visitors, the four of them claimed chairs and pulled them closer together so they’d be within arm’s reach of one another.
Sabrina moved to sit, but a hand on her waist, pulling her up, stopped her in her tracks.
“Where do you think you’re going? Pool is this way,” William said with a mile-wide grin that made Sabrina’s heart flutter.
“I don’t usually swim,” she said dumbly as she allowed him to tow her to the water’s edge.
William appeared as shocked as his words sounded. “What do you think a pool is made for? For that matter, why would you buy a bathing suit if you don’t get in the water?”
Sabrina opened her mouth to utter some lame excuse that she was intent on winging because there wasn’t any real excuse that she could devise off the top of her head that would make any sense, when suddenly, her feet left the cool tile and she watched in horror as the water rose up to meet her.
The shock of the cold liquid encasing her body was enough to suck the oxygen from her lungs, and Sabrina felt a panic rise inside of her that she’d never experienced before. Immediately, her arms and legs began to flail as she sought the surface and the life-giving air she so desperately needed.
Gasping and coughing water from her lungs, she scraped at the wet hair matted to her face and obstructing her airways as if she’d been cocooned, and all the while, she could hear an argument ensuing.
Oliver and Conner were laying into William, not at all happy about his little prank.
“That was a dick move.” Ollie was outraged.
“You’re lucky she can swim. Honestly, Will, grow up.” Conner didn’t sound any more pleased than his brother, but there was no malice in his voice that she could detect. Only disappointment.
Once she could see again—and breathe again—Sabrina glared at William so hard, she was surprised he didn’t burst into flames on the spot.
At least he looked properly chastised. With pursed lips and his hands planted on his hips, he stared down at her as if he weren’t sure what he should do next.Maybe holding her head under the water until the bubbles stopped would make him happy, she thought snidely. But just as quickly as her anger had risen, it disappeared.
She wasn’t even that upset. Sure, he’d caught her off-guard and she’d taken in a lungful of water because of it, but she understood that Will had just been messing around. It was his smile that tipped her off to the kind of man he really was. It was always there, cocky and sure, and tonight, instead of being the uptight businessman she’d learned him to be, he’d let his real self loose.
She just hadn’t been expecting it.
Schooling her expression, Sabrina crooked a finger at him and smile demurely, welcoming him into the water with her.
Suspicion rose on William’s face as he crouched down at the pool’s edge. Accommodating him, Sabrina waded over until she was standing just out of reach.
“Sorry, angel. It was supposed to be a joke.”
She shrugged as if it were perfectly fine. “No harm, no foul. Why don’t you come in? The water’s fine.”
“So you’re not mad? My brothers sure are.”
“Meh.” She shrugged again. “It’s just water. Besides, it’s not like I died.” She crooked a beckoning finger at him again.
Still wary of her intent, but being the man that he was, William braced his hands on the tile floor and kicked his feet out, submerging them in the water before lowering his entire body into it.
Sabrina’s pleasure that he’d listened to her siren’s call displayed on her face in a grin that matched his, and if he were viewing her clearly instead of through lust-filled lenses, he might have seen her true intent. Instead, as Sabrina backed away, he followed, until they were too far from the edge of a quick getaway. That’s when she decided to come closer again, to close the distance…while his guard was down.
Looping her arms around his neck, she pulled herself up close and personal with his body so they were flush, skin to skin. “You’re rotten, you know that?”
William had that look of adoration in his eyes as he pushed the matted hanks of hair back from her face. “I may have heard that once or twice before. I really am sorry, angel. I wasn’t thinking.”
