She was afraid that Zach would mention to her parents where she was. He knew them, if only casually. And once they found out where she was, the gig would be up and they’d drag her back to New York.
Jay suddenly looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. “There you are.”
Just his smile made her all giddy. “Hey.”
Zach turned as well, grinning. “Morning again, Tara.”
“Morning, Zach.” As casual as she could, she walked up to both of them, feigning interest in the various instruments on the bridge. “Nice boat.”
Zach rubbed his hand over the mahogany-lined dashboard. “Yeah, not bad, huh? I know the builder.” He glanced at Jay. “Do you wanna take the helm for a while, Jay, while I entertain our guest?”
Jay stared at him for a moment, before replying, “Sure, why not?”
Zach motioned to the comfortable benches at the stern. “It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“Good, thanks for asking.”
Even though she would have preferred to stand next to Jay as he operated the boat, she had no choice but to follow Zach’s invitation and take a seat on the white cushions that lined the built-in bench. She sat down in the corner and stretched her legs out on the bench that ran alongside the port side of the yacht, trying to appear relaxed.
“And you? Enjoying the summer?” she asked as Zach sat down, stretching his legs out in front of him.
Zach smirked. “Clearly not as much as you are.”
He cast a knowing look in Jay’s direction, as if that was necessary. She knew exactly what Zach meant by his words.
“Hey, don’t get me wrong,” Zach added quickly. “He’s a nice guy. I wouldn’t let him use my boat if he weren’t. I just never thought he’d be your type.”
“And why is that, Zach?” she challenged, feeling combative all of a sudden.
He instantly lifted his hands in a show of surrender. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it as an insult. I guess I was just a little surprised to find you here with him. He never mentioned a girlfriend.”
Ashamed at her outburst, she sighed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get him in trouble.”
“In trouble?” Zach appeared surprised.
“You know, if it’s not okay with you that I spent the night, I’ll just leave. I don’t want you to blame Jay for it. I was the one who came on to him. He really had no choice.”
Zach pinned her with an inquisitive stare. “You surprise me, Tara. I always thought you were the withdrawn type. Guess I was wrong, and I’m not wrong very often.”
She shrugged. “It’s not easy living under the scrutiny of a society that expects certain behavior. It makes us pretend one thing when we want to do something entirely different.”
“We all live under certain constraints, no matter how much money we have. Or don’t have.” He glanced at Jay whose back was turned while he expertly maneuvered the yacht through the swells as if he’d done so his entire life. “Personally, I don’t give a rat’s ass about the opinion of so-called society. Apparently you don’t either. It’s refreshing to meet somebody like that. Shame that it appears I’m too late to make a play for it. Or am I not?”
He leaned closer. Was he flirting with her? Instinctively, she avoided eye contact and looked back to the shore as if admiring the coastline.
She gave a laugh, deciding not to take him seriously. “Really, Zach? You never showed any interest in me before, if I recall correctly. And now, because I’m dating your employee, you’re suddenly interested?” She rolled her eyes. “That’s just classic. You only want what you can’t have.”
~ ~ ~
Jay throttled down the engine to slow the boat as he turned into a quiet bay. He’d been unable to follow Zach and Tara’s conversation due to the noise of the engine and the wind blowing past his ears. He made a mental note to speak to his engineers about reducing engine noise.
He surveyed the area ahead of him and spotted a public dock where they could tie off, with a short walkway that led to a restaurant where they could have lunch. Now that the yacht was coasting into the sheltered bay at less than two knots, he was able to hear Zach and Tara’s voices more clearly.
“…and some men just can’t take no for an answer.” Tara’s voice sounded agitated.
Had Zach made an overt pass at her and wasn’t accepting the fact that she wasn’t interested? Involuntarily, Jay looked over his shoulder. It didn’t appear as if Zach was sitting too close or trying to put the moves on her. Instead, he appeared interested in what she had to say.