I smile. Leave it to my secret lover to butter up my boss and earn me some brownie points. “Thank you. I really feel like I’m starting to get somewhere with Mr. Douglas.”
My grin widens even further knowing that Tyke appreciates the method of therapy we’ve been using.
Randall opens the doors to the first van. “Dr. Shepherd and Timothy will be in charge of this bus. I’ll need the following people on this one: Rosa, Elaine, John...”
“That’s my cue,” Wayne says before throwing, “Keep up the good work, Frannie,” over his shoulder.
Randall turns to the rest of the group and tells them they are in the other van with him and I. Tyke grins as he heads to the van I’m in, while Josie calls shotgun and races toward the front of the van like a little kid.
It takes us about an hour to get to the quaint little town where the art show is being hosted. I’ve been to several art galas with my parents, but I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited than to go to this particular one, and it has nothing to do with the artists. For the first time since I’ve met Tyke, we’re away from Serenity Hills. It’ll be nice to pretend, if only for a little while, what it might be like if we could be in public together.
Although walking through the halls of the art gallery as a huge group kills the illusion that we’re alone, Tyke stays next to me throughout the entire tour.
Standing next to him is the hardest thing in the world. All I want to do is reach out ever so slightly and touch him to let him know that he’s on my mind, but I can’t. Not here. Not now.
Tyke tilts his head, studying the painting before him intently, scrutinizing what it could be conveying. The other clients stand in front of us, blocking us from the direct sight of Wayne, who is lecturing the clients on what he thinks the painting of two little children could mean.
The group moves on to the next exhibit, and it’s of a photo of a couple lost in the throes of passion. My pulse increases and my chest heaves as it evokes the memory of Tyke and I together.
The photo must have sparked the same memory for Tyke because he hooks his pinky around mine. My heart thunders in my chest at the feel of our skin connecting. This is completely inappropriate, but I don’t care. This small touch is already sending my body into overdrive.
This small touch is so comforting, knowing that he’s thinking about me, too.
As quickly as the moment comes, it fades away when Wayne leads the group onto the next painting, and Tyke releases me.
The rest of the tour goes on much the same—simple touches when we’re sure no one is looking. I’ll admit there’s a certain adventure in our little game, dangerous yet thrilling, but it’s making me all the more anxious to have Tyke again. By the end of the exhibit, I’m so turned on it’s hard for me to see straight.
Tyke must feel the same way because he leans in and whispers, “I have to have you.”
My knees nearly buckle as the urge to drag him into the nearest secluded corner and allow him to have his way with me hits.
“Can you meet me by the fountain?” he asks and I nod.
The entire trip back to Serenity, my body is ablaze with anticipation. Knowing I’m going to have Tyke again is making me embarrassingly wet. We sit next to each other but have to refrain from doing anything that would give us away. Josie could turn around any moment, or Randall could glance up in the rearview mirror at the wrong time, and we’d be so busted. Not to mention the fact that I have Arnold squished next to me, on the other side.
“What was your favorite exhibit?” Randal asks openly to anyone who wants to answer.
“The picture of the people fucking,” one of the male clients shouts from the back. “That shit was hot.”
Tyke and I look at one another and burst out laughing, knowing that was the very painting that got us turned on.
Finally, we make it back to the facility, all piling out and saying our goodbyes as everyone heads to their rooms to rest up before dinner. Tyke and I walk far enough apart so as not to draw suspicion, but each of us knows what lies in wait for us.
I make it back to the cottage and practically run into my bathroom to freshen up. I shove my hair into a cap and jump into the shower, quickly scrubbing every inch of me down before running a razor over my legs and nether regions.
After I’m dressed in a sundress, I head to the fountain, the crisp evening air caressing my freshly washed skin and jolting every nerve in me awake as I sit down on a bench and wait for Tyke.
I casually flip through the book I brought with me to look busy as I wait. It doesn’t take long before I see Tyke making his way down the path.
He grins the moment he spots me, but looks around cautiously before rushing down and scooping me up in his arms. “God. You don’t know how hard today was, not being able to hold you.”
I wrap my arms over his shoulders and toy with the hair on the nape of his neck. “I think I have a pretty good idea.”
He crushes his lips to mine and then sets me down. “Come on. I made sure I wasn’t followed, but we won’t have much time.”
He begins to pull me into the woods, but the idea of being out in the open again scares me. We got lucky last time. I think it’s better if we don’t push our luck.
I pull back on his arm and he turns to me, a perplexed expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”
I tip my head toward the cottage. “This one’s mine. I think it would be much more private.”
He glances around and then smiles. “Lead the way.”