JENNIE

"Good morning, Miss Kim."

"Lisa…" Although I'd expected her and she's right on time, I'm still completely thrown at seeing her. Does my hair look okay? My outfit? I got changed three times this morning after waxing and grooming for hours and I still don't feel the light-yellow bikini and sheer, white kaftan are good enough. I've tried my hardest to look like I haven't made an effort at all, like I'm just lounging by the pool after waking up like this. In reality, my hair's been styled, I've painted my nails, I put on some makeup—just enough for it to look natural—and I'm on my third coffee because I've been up for so long. The attempt to ban her from my thoughts last night failed, and instead, I dug out my vibrator that hadn't been used for a decade and literally waited for it to charge while I stared at her pictures online. Now that she's here, I have no idea what to do with myself. "How are you?" I ask, my voice high-pitched while I force an awkward smile.

"I'm great. It's a beautiful day, right?" Lisa smiles back at me from across the pool. "How about you?"

"I'm good, thanks. Just finishing off some stuff before I head into town." That's a lie, but I don't want her to think I have no plans, so I've carefully orchestrated my setup and placed my laptop under the big, white parasol at the end of the long dining table.

"I won't keep you, then," Lisa says.

"No, I didn't mean it like that." I cringe at the words that leave my mouth at an almost desperate speed and volume. "Would you like a coffee? I'm going to make one for myself."

"Sure, why not? Thank you." Lisa inspects the pool and picks up the big net she's brought along. Last night's storm has blown leaves into the pool, and to my utter delight, she starts walking up and down the length of it to scoop them out. Her legs are tanned, her shorts showing off her toned thighs. Her biceps flex as she drags the net along. It's not an easy job; I've done it myself a couple of times, and it took a lot of strength. She must be strong…

"Cappuccino?"

"Yes please, no sugar."

I watch her from the kitchen as I pretend to re-fill my own cup and make her a coffee, taking my time so I can indulge in her. It wasn't like this on Monday. I wasn't so consumed with her until I found out she was an escort, and until I knew for sure that she was into women. Am I into women now? That's a very interesting question as I'm clearly into Lisa.

"Here you go." My gaze drops to her hands as she takes the cup. My first thought is that they're surprisingly delicate for someone who does manual labor, but then I remind myself this isn't her only job and that she must take very good care of them.

"Thank you." Lisa takes a careful sip and when I clumsily linger, drinking my lukewarm coffee, she turns toward the beach. "You have an amazing view. I service a lot of pools along this strip, but I haven't seen anything quite so exquisite as this."

"Yeah, it's pretty special. The morning light is beautiful when it hits the dunes."

"Do you go to the beach a lot?" she asks.

"I went for a walk last night, actually, in the storm. It was nice."

She nods and when her eyes meet mine, I feel arousal stirring. "I sat on my balcony out myself, walking back from a job after work. I love stormy weather."

"Oh… Do you work at night, too?" I ask, although I have a pretty good idea of what she's been up to.

"Sometimes." Lisa puts her cup on the bench along the front of the small pool house that contains a bar and a pool table and picks up the net again. "I work when I can. I have a young daughter, so I plan my schedule around the sitter. Luckily, Pool Masters are pretty flexible."

"You have a daughter?" Nothing could have baffled me more, but I manage to keep my surprise to myself.

"Yeah, she's four. Do you have kids?"

"I do, but they're a lot older and they've moved out. My son is twenty-two. He's traveling with his girlfriend at the moment and my daughter is seventeen. She started her first year at NYU."

"Oh." Lisa looks puzzled. "You don't look nearly old enough to have kids of that age."

I chuckle nervously at the compliment, playing with a lock of my hair. "I was young when I had them. I'd just turned eighteen when James was born."

"Wow. And now you're…" Lisa pauses. "Divorced? Do you mind me asking? I just assumed, since you changed your name."

"Yes, I'm divorced," I say. "My ex-husband moved a couple of blocks down the road to live with our interior designer."

"Fuck…" There's a hint of disgust in Lisa's tone, and she winces. "Sorry to hear that."

"It's okay," I say. "Time for me now, I suppose. I just need to figure out what's next." There's an awkward silence, and I realize I've shared way more than I should have with someone who's only come over to take care of the pool. This, really, is the moment I should leave her to do her job. "Well, I'd better get back to what I was doing. Let me know if you want anything else."

"I appreciate that, but I'm good." Lisa points to the big bottle of water next to her toolbox. "The pool will look sparkling in an hour if you want to swim. I'm adding some chemicals; they just need to settle before you can go in."

"No problem, I'll wait." I shoot her a smile and make my way back around the pool and into the kitchen. Inside, I lean back against the fridge and clutch a hand to my chest. My hands are shaking, and I feel breathless and funny inside. I've never felt like this around anyone. Not when Mark and I first met, not on our first date, not even when I first slept with him. Fuck. I really do have a thing for Lisa.