Page 25 of The Perfect Deal

On the other side of the fire, I struck up a conversation with Sam and Myra, but I wasn’t really listening to a damn word my coaches had to say. No, my thoughts were on the beautiful girl across the way and how empty I felt inside knowing I’d never be in a position to claim her as mine. None of it was fair, and I hated it for us both.

Once the sun went down, I saw several yawns from the kids. It was getting late, and they had to get up early. I was just about to tell them to go back to their cabins and have a good night when Karrie appeared in front of me, a tight-lipped smile on her face. “Josh, don’t you think it’s time we sent the kids to bed? It’s late.”

“Uh, yeah,” I told her. “I was just about to do that.”

She cocked her head to the side, like she didn’t believe me. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll go start gathering my girls up.” She trotted off, and I tried not to shake my head at her. The woman had control issues.

I made an announcement, letting the campers know they needed to get to bed. I wished them all goodnight and waited for them all to make their way back to their cabins before I headed to my own.

I couldn’t get Liberty off my mind, though. Even after a quick shower and a check of my emails, I found myself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking of her. Eventually, I nodded off to sleep, and within a few seconds of the beginning of my dream, I knew there was no way this was reality, but I went with it.

We were at camp, but all of the kids were off somewhere else. Liberty and I were down by the lake, and she was wearing a skimpy string bikini. It showed off her magnificent, athletic body. From her tiny waist to her flat stomach, very little was left to the imagination. I sat on a beach chair, reclining in the sun, watching her climb out of the water, droplets of water dripping from her glistening body.

“You should come into the water with me. It’s so warm,” Liberty said as she walked toward me, looking like a supermodel as she swayed her hips.

“The view from here is spectacular,” I told her.

She didn’t stop when she reached my chair. Instead, she straddled it, creeping her way up the length and then dropping down onto my lap. Immediately, I hardened beneath her. Noticing, she began to rub herself back and forth along my shaft. “Do you like that?”

My hands slid up her wet sides to her breasts, my thumbs finding her nipples beneath the taut fabric of her bikini. “I like you.”

Liberty lowered her head to kiss me, and then suddenly we were both naked. I wasted no time pushing inside of her. I could feel her tighten around me as we began to buck wildly, up and down, giving the beach chair a run for its money. I continued to play with her nipples, which were amazing now that I could see them. It was difficult to release her luscious lips, but I managed so that I could flick my tongue against her hardened peak. She began to cry out, begging me for more. “Don’t stop, Joshua. Fuck me harder,” she begged, her head falling backward as she climaxed.

I felt myself beginning to orgasm as well. I wanted nothing more than to come at the same time as this beautiful woman I’d spent all these years chasing, but just as I hit my apex, the sound of my alarm going off had my eyes flying open and my arm flailing to stop the noise.

Lying on my back in my bed, I tried my best to catch my breath, feeling like my lungs were on fire. “Oh, god,” I mumbled, dragging a hand down my face. Even though I’d known I was dreaming, it had all felt so real. How was I going to face Liberty after a dream like that?

More importantly, how was I going to go another day without actually fucking her? After a dream like that, it was going to be impossible to look at her and not think about how good she’d felt, or how amazing she’d tasted. No, this was going to be even more difficult than sneaking around behind Landon’s back had been.

It took me a few minutes to get out of bed. When I did, I made my way to my shower, thinking I should probably keep the water pretty cold, but I didn’t. Instead, I jerked off in the shower, my mind on Liberty’s amazing body while my hand did what I wouldn’t allow her to do. In the end, it was probably better to get it out of my system before I had to see her face to face.

At breakfast, I did my best not to make things seem awkward. I waved hello to her from across the room before fixing my plate, piling it high with bacon and scrambled eggs, and then finding a seat at one of the tables far away from her. I’d have to talk to her at some point today so it didn’t seem weird, but at the moment, I had no idea what to say.

“We on for this afternoon?” one of my coaches, Pete, asked as I prepared to take my tray up to the window.

“As far as I know,” I told him. “I’ll double-check with Myra, but she said she’d get the slides and other inflatables up before we’re done with basketball practice.”

“Cool,” Pete said, extending his fist for me to bump. “This is always one of the most fun experiences we have at camp.”

“I agree,” I told him, heading over to check with Myra. She confirmed she had a team to help her get our surprise set up while the rest of us were at basketball practice.

Out on the courts, the sun glared down on us, and it was even hotter than it had been the day before. Thankfully, we didn’t have a full day of this planned. After lunch, I let the kids work off what they’d eaten for about an hour and then blew my whistle.

“All right, kids. I feel like we’ve gotten enough basketball for one day.” I could see anticipation lighting up the faces of several of the kids who’d been here the year before and knew this announcement would come out of nowhere—eventually. It was a little earlier than it had been in previous camps, but on a hot day like this, it was perfect. “This afternoon, we’ll be having our annual lakeside waterslide party!”

A cheer went up among most of the kids. The newbies all looked confused, as did Liberty. I smiled at her, and she grinned back, but she didn’t know what I was talking about. “Go get your swimsuits on, and let’s meet at the lake in one hour.”

With that, I sent the kids off. The ones that knew what was up filled in the others. Their excited chatter made me smile.

I headed off to get my swim trunks on, deciding to wear a swim shirt as well in order to keep from getting burned. Reaching the lake before the kids, I checked over everything Myra had done. Of course, it was perfect. “I’ve got plenty of people assigned to lifeguard duty as well,” she told me. “We’ve got six staff members who are also certified lifeguards.”

“You’re the best,” I told her, giving her a high five.

A few minutes later, the first kids arrived. I turned on some music over the loudspeakers, and they took off running for the slides and other inflatables. The lake was always fun, but with these extra amenities, the kids were going to have a blast. We had a shaved-ice truck on the way as well, so they’d get to have a treat before we went in and got ready for dinner, which would be a little later today.

Once the party was underway, I spied Liberty taking pictures over by the gnarliest of the slides. She was laughing, watching the kids pop up into the air before plummeting into the lake. I couldn’t wait to see those pictures. They were sure to be stellar.

“Hey.” I waited for her to acknowledge me, which she did with a smile. “How’s it going?”