The Education of Sebastian & the Education of Caroline (20 page)

I changed into my bikini and headed out to the pool with my notebook, sketching out some more ideas and refining my questions. I was so absorbed in my work—my work, not my hobby—that it was several moments before I realized that someone was standing over me.

“Your mineral water, ma’am.”

I looked up to see Sebastian smiling down at me.

“Hi,” I whispered.

“Hi, yourself. Meet me in the women’s locker room in five minutes. There’s a door at the back that says ‘Private’. I’ll be waiting.”

My mouth was still hanging open as he walked away, desire shooting through my body. I took a sip from the frosted glass and stood up as casually as possible on shaky legs.

The locker room was mercifully empty. I made my way to the back, glancing over my shoulder every other second, my heart rate accelerating with every step.

I pushed open the door marked ‘Private’ and peered into the gloom of a large storage closet. I gasped when Sebastian’s hands pulled me inside.

He didn’t speak, not with words.

His lips burned on mine and I felt his hands everywhere, drinking me in, pulling me in, heating my blood.

I ran my hands down his chest and then around to his back, pushing them up under his t-shirt to feel his taut muscles and the warm, smooth texture of his skin beneath my fingertips.

He gripped my hair jerking my head back, running his teeth across my neck. I don’t know if it was the dark, or the confined space, or the sense of danger, but Sebastian’s movements were more confident, more assured than ever before, and I was swept away.

I felt the straps of my bikini top suddenly loosen, the thin fabric falling away. His mouth moved from my neck, across my chest and then he ran his tongue between the valley of my breasts and down to my stomach, where he knelt.

He hooked his fingers into my bikini bottoms and tugged them down. I stood naked before him in the dim light while, in his own way, he worshipped my body.

He stood up slowly, kissing me all the way.

I gripped his shoulders, feeling his muscles bunch under my hands as pleasure shot through me. I tugged on the material of his t-shirt, desperate to connect flesh with flesh. He stood quickly and pulled it over his head then crushed me to his chest and kissed me with increasing urgency. I had never felt so desired, never wanted a man as much as I wanted Sebastian at that moment.

He pressed himself into me and I knew that he was as aroused as I was.

My fingers scrabbled at the front of his shorts and I heard his soft gasp. With one, swift movement I pushed his briefs off his hips and reached down to grip him in my hands.

He groaned again then abruptly brushed my hands away. He bent down and pulled out a condom packet from his shorts. The sound of the foil tearing seemed so loud, I half expected someone to bang on the door and demand to know what we were doing.

Sebastian straightened up and fastened his hands on my hips, lifting me up suddenly. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he thrust into me, making me cry out. I clung onto his shoulders as he pushed me back against the wall, moving hard and fast, his face buried in my neck, his breathing becoming ragged.

Behind my bare back, I felt the doors of a cupboard. The contents rattled alarmingly as Sebastian pounded into me.

The rawness and urgency of our love-making pushed me over the edge and I climaxed around him, made breathless by the extraordinary turn of events. Four minutes ago I had been working quietly by the pool.

I felt Sebastian slam into me one last time and he cried out softly then sank to the floor with me cradled on his lap.

I stroked his face in the dark. I thought I felt tears on his face but I couldn’t be sure.

I laid my hand on his chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart slowly return to normal.

“I love you,” he breathed, placing gentle, loving kisses on my lips. “I love you so much.”

We lay there for some minutes, cocooned by the dim light creeping through the cracks around the door.

“You have to get back to work,” I said softly.

He sighed. “I know.”

“We have the whole weekend to look forward to.”

“I have to work all day Friday and Saturday,” he said sadly.

“The nights are still ours.”

“All night.”

“Yes.”

I felt his lips turn upwards in a smile and he kissed me.

I slid off him, wincing slightly. I’d enjoyed his aggressive love-making, more than enjoyed, but I was feeling a little sore. I didn’t care: it was a small price to pay.

We both had to scrabble around in the dark to find our clothes. I couldn’t help laughing to myself—there certainly wasn’t much dignity in it, but damn, it was hot!

We listened carefully at the door but at that time of the day the locker room was still empty. I don’t know what we’d have done if it had been busy—we could have been stuck there for hours! Hmm, that didn’t sound so bad.

Sebastian quickly pressed his lips to mine then snuck out first. He looked his usual, handsome self, although perhaps a little more flushed than usual.

I, on the other hand, looked as if I’d just had rough sex up against a cupboard door in the dark. I stared in the mirror at my reddened face, neck, chest and back, and at my once neat ponytail which was lopsided with half my hair coming loose.

I spent a few minutes splashing myself with cold water, trying to return my skin to its usual olive tones, and combed my hair out with my fingers. Eventually I felt composed enough to leave the locker room. As I walked back to the pool, I imagined that everyone I saw knew
exactly
what I’d been doing. I felt as if I had a sign pointing at me shouting ‘Locker-room Slut!’.

I slid onto my sun lounger and gratefully took a long drink of my mineral water. I picked up my notebook and pencil and tried to concentrate but my thoughts were well and truly scattered. I couldn’t believe what I’d just done. It had been so intense and exciting and so completely out of character for me. Although I wasn’t entirely sure what my character was anymore. I’d meant it when I’d told Sebastian that it wasn’t David’s fault; that I’d let him take control and allowed him to take away the essence of being me. I’d been a sleepwalker through my marriage: we both deserved better—David as well as me.

I wondered again what David saw in me—had he seen something when I was 19 that was no longer there? Or did he simply prefer a submissive, compliant, bovine wife? And what about Sebastian? Why did he want me? Was it more than just sex for him, or was I being naïve? He said he loved me but…

“I see you’ve been catching some sun—my, you’re looking a little red, Caroline.”

Donna’s kind face was looking down at me.

“Oh, hi Donna,” I said, my voice sounding a little more high-pitched than usual.

“And this is Shirley.”

“We’ve spoken on the phone—it’s nice to meet you in person.”

I stood up to give Donna a quick hug and to shake hands shyly with Shirley Peters who was short and dark haired, and had mischievous hazel eyes; the resemblance to Ches was obvious.

“It’s good to meet you, too, Caroline. I’ve heard so much about you already. You’ve made quite an impression on the boys. Ches couldn’t wait to show me your article.”

She laughed lightly. “My son is certainly a fan and I have my suspicions about Sebastian.”

My face froze as she winked at Donna. “It’s like having a second son—I swear Sebastian spends more time at our house than he does at his own. Hmm, well, not so much lately: Ches thinks he’s got a girlfriend, although I don’t know why it’s such a secret.” She sighed. “Well, maybe I do—I can’t imagine him wanting to bring a girl home to meet Estelle and Donald.”

Donna nodded sympathetically and settled herself in a deckchair under the large, colorful sun umbrella. Shirley headed for the locker room to change into her swimsuit.

“How was your meeting at
City Beat
?”

I couldn’t help smiling at Donna—she really was interested in my writing. I showed her the article and watched her face as she read it in detail.

“You’ve really caught the spirit of surfing, Caroline,” she said. “And that’s a super photograph. Oh, look: Sebastian still had his long hair there. I wonder why he cut it? I suspect that his father had something to do with that.”

Shirley returned wearing a purple and orange tankini.

“What are you suspecting?” she asked, her voice laced with curiosity.

“Oh, we were just talking about Sebastian’s buzz-cut.”

“Oh, that,” said Shirley darkly. “He wouldn’t say anything to Ches, but we definitely got the impression it wasn’t voluntary. All the girls at school were crazy about Sebastian, according to Ches. I think if they weren’t such good friends he would have been a little jealous—well, more than a little. There was even something in the yearbook about Sebastian’s long hair, if you can imagine that.” She frowned. “And did you see that bruise he had on his cheek last week?”

She sucked her teeth.

“Hey, Mom!”

Ches was walking toward us in his shorts and polo-shirt uniform. He grinned at his mother and gave her an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

“Chester, honey! Just in time—Donna and I are about to expire from thirst.”

“Hi Donna, Caroline,” he smiled, but whatever he saw behind us made his smile falter. “Hello, Mrs. Hunter.”

Sebastian’s mother weaved her way toward us—it was clear she’d spent some quality time at the bar.

“Donna,” she slurred. “And friends.” She looked at me, “the won-der-ful Caroline Wilson. I almost expected you to be walking across the water in the swimming pool, not lying next to it.”

“You’ve been drinking, Estelle,” said Donna sharply. “Perhaps you should rest on the veranda where it’s cooler.”

“Yes, let’s put the embarrassing drunk where she won’t bother anyone; let’s hide her out of the way,” sneered Estelle. “You sound just like Donald.”

Donna turned to Ches and spoke in a quiet voice. “Is Sebastian here? Can you get him, please.”

Ches nodded and walked away quickly.

Estelle picked up my copy of
City Beat
and tried to focus her eyes on the photograph. Suddenly she tossed the newspaper into the pool.

“You don’t fool me,
Mrs. Wilson
,” she snarled. “You were a stuck up bitch nine years ago and you haven’t changed, have you? You’ve just polished up your act. But you don’t fool me.”

“Estelle! Keep your voice down,” ordered Donna, as other people around the pool began to stare. I was frozen on my sun lounger, terrified of what Estelle might say next.

She scowled at me then turned her glazed eyes to Donna.

“You don’t tell me what to do, Donna. I don’t even know why you like her. She pretends to be so sweet and pure—but she isn’t. Flaunting herself everywhere, ingratiating herself. Well, she doesn’t fool me. She’s nothing but a…”

“Mom!” Sebastian’s voice was tight with anger as he walked toward us. “What are you doing?”

Ches stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder, seeming to restrain him.

“Mom, you’re embarrassing yourself,” he said, coldly. “I’ll drive you home.”

Estelle whirled around and slapped him hard. I couldn’t help gasping as my hand flew to my mouth and I started to stand up.

Sebastian’s eyes were almost black with fury. Ches gripped his arm and tugged him backward.

“Come on, buddy, walk away.”

A sudden silence descended, horrified eyes staring at Estelle.

Slowly she came to her senses and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she took in the shocked faces turned in her direction. She straightened her purse over her shoulder and staggered off.

“What the hell was
that
about?” whispered Shirley.

Donna sighed. “I don’t know: but her drinking is getting worse. Donald will have to do something.”

Shirley scoffed at the idea. “Donald doesn’t give a shit about her—word is that he’s been seeing some young civilian nurse.
Seeing to her,
probably.”

Donna shook her head slowly. “God knows those two should have divorced years ago. It would have been better for Sebastian if they had. Poor boy; I hope he’s okay.”

“He’s got Ches with him,” said Shirley softly. “He’ll be ok: he’s used to it.”

My heart lurched painfully. I desperately wanted to wrap my arms around Sebastian to comfort and protect him, but I couldn’t. It hurt so much. And then a more painful thought crossed my mind—maybe he wasn’t running
to
me; maybe he was just running away from
that
. And if he was, I couldn’t blame him. Besides, couldn’t he say the same thing about me and David?

I didn’t want to believe it, but once the thought was there, it seemed more plausible than to believe that Sebastian would want to be with me.

He had opened my eyes to a world of possibilities, to a world where I could be loved for myself, but would my new life be with him? I was afraid to hope.