Strategically Scandalous [18+]

8 - The Fiancee

I tossed and turned in bed, the soft sheets caressing my burning skin. I clenched my fist holding the cushion behind my head, a desperate attempt to keep myself anchored to reality but my mind was already swimming in a dark oblivion, where Dorian's ghost like silhouette was relentlessly sending waves of pleasure into my core.

I jumped awake, beads of sweat rolling down my forehead and my chest heaving. I wondered if I had screamed like I did in my feverish dream.

The sun was already up in the sky, illuminating the unfamiliar blue bedroom. A soft breeze made the curtains dance, the smell of the ocean tickling my nose. I could feel my heartbeat slowing down, realizing that it was all just a dream and that no one was here with me.

I hadn't seen Dorian Ward in more than a week, he hadn't even reached out to me while I handled the Grace Harbor situation with the media, which was so uncharacteristical of him. He usually enjoyed questioning my decisions and making me doubt myself...

I interpreted his stubborn silence as a clear and definitive way to cut the illicit ties that had formed between us. But even if I did my best to accept that and move on, my brain sure wasn't letting go of him that easily, heating up my nights with steamy dreams of what could have been if we hadn't been interrupted that afternoon in his office...

I got up, in need of fresh air to forget about how real his caresses felt in my dream. I looked through the window, the calm blue water of the ocean seemed to be exactly what I needed to cool off and start my day clean of intrusive thoughts and fantasies.

I reached for my suitcase and pretty much emptied it on the wooden flooring before I finally found the two pieces of my bikini. I changed from the large t-shirt I had slept in to my swim suit, covering it up with a thin white dress, just to not look like too much of a coward if I decided to not dive in the water because of its coldness after all...

The beach house was quiet, there wasn't any sign of Daniel nearby as I walked downstairs and to the terrasse. I moved across the wooden deck, feeling the morning sunshine warm my skin. I took the stairs that led to the white beach, my feet instantly digging in the sand and closed my eyes for a minute, just to properly enjoy the perfection of the moment, the ocean's soft waves and the seagulls' song in the sky.

Dry sand turned to damp the more I approached the ocean and, when a wave crashed and cover my feet, I shivered from how cold it felt. I stayed like that for a moment, allowing the water to come and go and getting used to its temperature before I felt brave enough to move closer.

I had water to my knees when it finally occurred to me that that morning, freezing, soak in the ocean wasn't such a good idea after all but I was too stubborn to give up now. I balled my fists and kept going until I lost my ground and my head briefly got underwater. The coldness cut my breath for a moment, but I couldn't deny that it felt invigorating.

I pulled myself out of the water, much faster than I had entered it. My dress was soaked and sticked to my frame, weighting down every step I took in the already unstable sand of the beach. I climbed up the stairs to the terrace, taking one last look at the ocean behind me. So big, so blue, so beautiful.

I took a deep breath of air that felt so much cleaner than New York City's, feeling the rays of sunshine washing over me and already warming up my wet body.

"I think you had a good idea, we should definitely supervise it together before the big day." A voice said, accompanied by the sound of high heels clicking on the floor, making my blood freeze even worse than the ocean did.

I turned around, terrified but not surprised to see Katja Padlov step out onto the terrasse. Her gaze lit up as she took in the swimming pool and it's surrrounding, instantly pulling her phone from her handbag and taking a picture of the view.