He’s shocked. He’s sitting far back in his chair with a mixture of disbelief and anger on his face. ‘That was a little childish, don’t you think?’

‘I’m sorry,’ I scoop my bag up. ‘I didn’t mean it.’

John joins us again and breaks the uncomfortable silence that has fallen between us. ‘They’ll be an hour,’ He slips his phone back in his pocket. ‘Before I forget, we’ve had a further three memberships cancelled.’

Jesse’s eyebrows rise in curiosity. ‘Three?’

‘Three,’ John confirms as he walks towards the door. ‘All female,’ he adds, leaving the office.

I watch as Jesse’s elbows hit his desk and his face falls straight into his palms. I feel rotten. Dropping my bag, I make my way around his desk and push him back in his chair before sitting on his desk in front of him. He watches me as he chews that lip. ‘I’ll sort allof this out,’ I signal to the paperwork everywhere. ‘But you need to get someone on this. It’s a fulltime job.’

‘I know,’ He clasps my ankles and pulls them up so my feet are sitting on his knees. ‘Go for a swim. I’ll make a start on this, okay?’

‘Okay,’ I study him closely and he studies me studying him.

‘Go on, beautiful girl. Spit it out.’ He’s smiling a little.

‘They’re withdrawing their memberships because you’re no longer available to fu…’ I bite my tongue. ‘To have sex with.’ That makes me immensely happy and it’s obvious.

‘It would seem so, wouldn’t it?’ He narrows his eyes on me. ‘I can see this pleases my wife.’

I shrug, but I can’t hide my pleasure at this news. ‘What’s the ratio of men to women?’

‘Members?’ he asks.

‘Yes,’

‘Seventy thirty,’

My mouth drops open. I remember Jesse saying there were roughly fifteen hundred members. That’s a thousand women who are potentially after my Lord. ‘Well,’ I brush off my shock. ‘You might have to turn The Manor into a g*y club.’

He laughs and dangles my feet back off the desk. ‘Go take a swim.’

* * *

The changing rooms are empty. I wriggle into my bikini, remove my diamond, re-tie my hair high on my head and stuff my things in one of the wooden walnut lockers. In all of the time I’ve been with Jesse, I’ve never used the spa and sports facilities, but I’m reliably informed that there’s no skinny dipping allowed, so I’ll brave it and put Jesse to the test at the same time. I wander through the area, looking for any sign of life, but it’s completely deserted. It’s lunchtime on a Sunday. I would have thought it would be a peak time for members to utilise this part of The Manor.

Stepping into the huge glass building, I scan the area, finding all of the Jacuzzis, the huge pool, and the sun loungers are empty. It’s eerily quiet, the only sound a distant hum of water pumps. Laying my towel on a plush wooden sun lounger, I gingerly take the first step into the water and sigh. It’s tepid. Lovely. I wade down the rest of the steps and push myself into the water and start a breast stroke to the other end of the pool.

I’m relishing in the calmness and quiet as I swim length after length, no one joining me, no one venturing in to use the Jacuzzis, and no one coming to relax on a sun lounger. But then I hear movement, and I stop mid-length to see who appears from the entrance that leads to changing areas. My eyes flick from the male to the female entrances, and then Jesse emerges, wearing a loose pair of black swimming shorts. I sigh in appreciation, and he blasts me with his smile, before diving straight in, his body stretching out, making minimal noise or splashing as he slips below the surface. I float in the middle of the pool and watch the shadow of his tall body approaching me under the water until he’s right in front of me, but he remains submerged beneath me.

Then I feel his palm wrap around my ankle, and I squeal as I’m yanked under the water, just catching a lungful of air before I disappear, my eyes naturally clenching shut. His lips meet mine, his arms surrounding me, and he rolls us around under the water, our skin slipping all over each other, our tongues dancing wildly.

This is nice, but I’m rubbish at holding my breath, and he must be gasping for air, having been down here a lot longer than me. I pinch him to indicate my depleting breath, and my lungs scream a thank you when we surface, my legs clenching around his waist and my arms around his shoulders. I try to grab a hold of my bearings and attempt to open my eyes, and when I do, I’m greeted by a dirty great big grin. I know he can’t touch the bottom himself, so he must me treading water frantically with my dead weight clinging to him. You would never know it, though. That’s even if he is. He looks like he’s just floating effortlessly in front of me.

I push his wet hair from his face and match his grin. ‘You closed the pool, didn’t you?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He shifts me around to his back and starts swimming to the side. ‘It’s never busy at this time of day.’

‘I don’t believe you.’ I rest my chin on his shoulder. ‘You couldn’t stand the thought of me in a bikini and others seeing it. Admit I’m right.’ I’ve got my Lord worked out.

He reaches the edge of the pool and pulls me from his back, pushing me up against the side. ‘I love the thought of you in a bikini.’

‘But for your eyes only?’

‘I’ve told you before, Ava. I don’t share you with anyone or anything, not even their eyes,’ He slides his hands down my sides and onto my thighs. ‘Just for my touch,’ he whispers. It makes me immediately clench my thighs as he leans in and kisses me gently before scanning my face. ‘Just for my eyes.’ His finger slips into the side of my bikini bottoms, and I hold my breath as he strokes me softly. ‘Just for my pleasure, baby. I know you understand me, don’t you?’