Fake It Till You Break It

Chapter 2-2

Zane was surrounded by beautiful women all the time. He always had been. He loved them all. Skinny, curvy, blonde, brunette, redhead, all shades of skin, all varieties of height. He didn’t care. Women were fun to look at, and even more fun to flirt with.

Kristen was no exception. She showed up on her own, without a best friend or relative as a buffer, and he was going to love every second of his time with her. She was his favorite kind of woman. Comfortable in her own skin.

She extended her hand to his when she finally reached his side. “It’s nice to meet you, Zane.”

“You, too. Are you ready for this?”

Kristen glanced at the boat and nodded slowly. She carefully took in the others, all in pairs, positioning themselves on the boat. “I hope so.”

“Good,” Zane said with a grin. “We’re going to have fun.”

Kristen flashed him a smile that said she was just as ready for the summer as he was. She slid her sunglasses up into her hair, revealing brown eyes that threatened to draw Zane in and never let him up for air.

Zane helped her onto the boat, although he had no doubt she could handle it herself. She stripped out of the tank top she wore and revealed a tiny triangle bikini top that had him choking on his tongue. She was curvy and lush and full. Her breasts nearly spilled from the triangles that defied gravity holding her up. Her belly was soft and round, no six pack in sight, and he loved it. She was the kind of woman who wouldn’t hesitate to share a steak with him then go out for ice cream.

You know, if he dated or could afford steak.

She shimmied out of her shorts, exposing an equally tiny bikini bottom that tied at the sides. When she settled herself onto the bucket seat next to the driver’s seat, Zane knew he wasn’t going to survive the day.

He adjusted his c**k as he moved around on the boat. He couldn’t talk to his guests while sporting a hard-on, but it was inevitable with Kristen stretched out over the seat. The other men on board would definitely understand.

“Thank you all for coming out today,” he started. “It looks like a beautiful day to be on the lake. We’ll head closer to the middle of the lake where it’s wider and we can get some speed going. It’ll be about a thirty minute ride up, then we’ll start skiing, and then we can swim before we head back. All in, it’ll be about three hours out there today, so I hope you all have sunscreen. If not, I always have some on board.”

Zane eyed Kristen’s lightly tanned shoulders and hoped she forgot her sunscreen. He’d happily give her a rub down.

He started the boat after Danica jumped in and backed away from the dock. He motored slowly past the inlet where stand-up paddle boarders were cruising. When he was five minutes out, he pushed the speed up and glided over the water until he got close to the middle where vineyards and homes much older than him lined the lake.

“That’s Amavita Estates,” Kristen told him, pointing out the vineyard she ran with her family.

When her cousins went on their first tour, they pointed it out to him, but Zane was happy Kristen wanted to tell him where she lived. “It’s beautiful.”

Kristen nodded. “I love it. Best place on the lake. You need to come sometime and check it out. We have a picnic every Sunday. You should join us.”

Zane smiled, wondering what the lake looked like from up on the hill. All the months he’d been in town, he’d never visited any of the vineyards.

“Thanks. I might do that.”

Kristen grinned back at him, solidifying his plans for the weekend.

Zane worked with the brave water skiing virgin who offered to go first. She was in her mid-twenties and said she’d always wanted to learn, but never had the guts. She just beat cancer and decided life was too short to sit on the sidelines, so she was working her way through her bucket list. Water skiing was the fourth item on her list of thirty-seven.

“All right, Maria, it’s harder to start in the water, but without a dock, you’re going to learn the hard way. You can do this. Keep your skis straight and hold on tight. Let the boat do the work for you. Keep your weight back. And when you fall, because you’re going to, let go of the rope.”

“Is it going to hurt?” Maria asked. Her hair was still short and spiky from her chemo, but the light in her green eyes said she was good to go.

Zane grinned and nodded. “Unfortunately, yeah. It’s gonna hurt.”

She laughed. “Good. I like it when I can feel something.”

“Even pain?”

Maria nodded. “Pain means I’m alive. After the battle I had, being alive is better than the alternative.”

“Hell, yeah, it is,” Zane agreed. He didn’t kick cancer’s a*s, but he agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment. He’d been there, done that. Survival was the only goal sometimes. And he survived.

Maria turned to her sister, her partner in crime through the bucket list project, and hugged her. “You’re next,” she said.

Her sister, Becky, shook her head. “Let’s see how you do.”

Maria rolled her eyes, then jumped over the side of the boat into the water. She came up yelling. “s**t, that’s cold! I thought it would be warmer.”

Everyone on board laughed with her, knowing they were going in, too.

Zane helped her get the skis on, then tossed the rope out to her. He reminded her how things were going to go, then slowly pulled away.

“Kristen, will you be my spotter? Tell me when the skier is ready, when they’re in trouble, when they fall?”

Danica gave him a side-eye since that was her job, but she didn’t comment.

Kristen climbed up onto her knees and turned around to face Maria in the water. Zane waited for the word from Kristen, then took off when Maria was ready.

And stopped when she immediately face planted.

Kristen and Zane worked together, dragging Maria, then all the others around the lake for two hours. When it was finally Kristen’s turn, Maria willingly took her place as spotter.

Zane went through the spiel again, even though he knew she’d heard it. She didn’t have any experience water skiing, so he didn’t expect any more from her than he’d gotten from the others without experience.

Kristen strapped her life vest on and jumped into the water. She bobbed right back to the surface before kicking her way to the back of the boat. She grabbed the skis as Zane lowered them to her and floated on her back to put them on, giving him a sexy view of the strip of black fabric between her thighs.

When her skis were on, they kept tipping her back, making her fight to keep her head out of water. She stopped struggling once she had the rope in her hand, like everyone did.

Zane returned to the driver’s seat and eased away from Kristen. Maria gave him the thumb’s up, and he took off.

“Holy s**t,” Maria shouted. “She’s up! Oh, nope, she’s down.”

Zane backed off the throttle and spun around to Kristen. She swam to her skis, collecting them, then worked to get them on again. She gave him smile as he tossed the rope to her.

“You good?”

She nodded. “Absolutely. I gotta get the full experience.”

He chuckled. She was dedicated as hell to put herself through everything she planned to do all summer just for her job. He understand she was part owner, but still. She could have just told people to call him. Instead, she was determined to do it all herself.

He pulled away again, dragging her to her feet for a few seconds longer. Everyone on board cheered for Kristen as Zane towed her around the lake, rising to stand for a few seconds, then falling down.

“What am I doing wrong?” Kristen asked after her fifth or sixth failed attempt.

“Are you leaning back?” Zane asked.

Kristen nodded. “I think I am, at least.”

“Bend your knees, almost like you’re going to sit down. It helps to keep your weight back, even when you think you’re leaning back.”

Kristen nodded. Her eyes watched the back of the boat, her shoulders set and ready.

Zane watched her as he punched the throttle. She leaned back, nearly sitting on the water, but she stayed up. After a few seconds, she straightened her legs and kept her balance, staying upright.

The entire boat cheered for her, and her smile was visible from that far away. Zane pulled her around, going easy on her since she was new. When Maria said Kristen waved them off, he slowed the boat until she sank in the water, then circled back to pick her up.

“If anyone wants to swim, this is as good a spot as any. You can join Kristen.”

“Are you going to swim?” Maria asked.

Zane dropped the anchor to the bottom and nodded. “Always.”

He grabbed the skis from Kristen and reeled the tow line back in. He double checked that everything was okay and everyone was accounted for, then cannon balled in right next to Maria and Becky who were talking to Kristen.

“Aw, come on,” Becky whined when he came up. “You got my hair wet.”

Maria snorted and splashed her sister, and before long, the entire crowd was engaged in an all out splash fight that left everyone laughing.

When everyone finally calmed down, Zane swam over to Kristen and congratulated her. “I’ve never seen anyone take off that quickly before.”

Kristen beamed at him. “Thanks. It’s these tree trunk legs of mine. They’re sturdy.”

“They’re sexy.”

“Hell, yeah, they are. I’m on my feet all day, so I’ve developed some pretty strong muscles.”

“Impressive. What do you do at Amavita Estates?”

“I run the tasting room with one of my cousins.”

“Really?” Zane asked without any trace of humor. “That sucks.”

“Actually, it’s a pretty great job.”

He shook his head. “Yeah, I bet it is. I just thought I had the coolest job ever. Now I find out that you get to drink wine for a living. It’s just not fair.”

Kristen tipped her head back and laughed. Dark, wet strands clung to her throat, splitting the creamy skin that teased him.

Zane wanted to wrap his arms around her and sink into her, but there were witnesses. Paying witnesses. Paying witnesses who could sink his business if he was dumb enough to sleep with one of his customers while they were on an adventure.

He was out of his damn mind.

Zane talked to Kristen for a few more minutes before he chose sanity and returned to the boat. He let everyone swim a little longer then called them all back. He started the engine when they were all on board, then headed back to Ithaca to drop everyone off.

He thanked all his guests for joining him and said he hoped to see them all again. As usual, he suggested they talk to Danica if they wanted to book another adventure with him.

When the crowd thinned and he was left with only Maria, Becky, and Kristen, Zane turned the charm up to high. Women, especially single women, were always the ones who came back for more.

“How was your adventure, ladies?”

“Excellent,” Maria said. “I did it. And that was pretty awesome.”

“You did. Not many people can get up on their first time.”

Becky snorted. “That sounded dirty.”

Zane chuckled and shook his head. “Are you ladies staying in Ithaca?”

Maria nodded. “We are. Can you recommend a vineyard we should go to tomorrow? We want to see a little more of the area.”

Zane nodded toward Kristen. “She’d be a better one to ask. I’ve only been here a few months, but Kristen’s part owner at Amavita Estates.”

Maria swung excited eyes to Kristen. “Really? Do you do tastings?”

Kristen smiled. “We do. I work in the tasting room.”

“Will you be there tomorrow?”

“I will. It opens at eleven. We have a great restaurant where my brother is the chef. We even have an inn, but if you’re already staying in Ithaca you wouldn’t need that.”

“That sounds amazing.”

“It’s beautiful. Right up 89, on the right. We’re on the lake, so our views are unbeatable. If you can come around eleven, I’ll make sure we hold a table in the restaurant for you and ask one of my cousins to give you a tour of the vineyard if you want.”

“Seriously?”

Kristen nodded.

“That’s so cool. Thank you. Wow.”

“Of course,” Kristen said. “Just don’t tell everyone else you’re getting a tour. We don’t do them too often. My cousin, Ryan, works in the fields and would love to show you guys around.”

“Is he cute?”

Kristen wrinkled her nose. “He’s my cousin, but he’s also a volunteer firefighter and doesn’t seem to have any trouble getting dates, so I guess yes?”

Zane laughed at the exchange, wondering what Kristen would say about him.

Maria and Becky headed up the dock with thanks to both of them, leaving Zane and Kristen alone.

“Thank you for this. It was a lot of fun,” she said finally.

“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

She nodded. “Danica mentioned the canoe trip tonight. I think it’s something some of our guests will really like. We get some honeymooners and lots of couples, so it’ll be good to check it out. I can’t come tonight, but I will sometime soon.”

“Did Danica also tell you that it’s a couples kind of thing, so you’ll be in a canoe with me? I mean, unless you bring someone.”

An adorable pink that definitely wasn’t from the sun flushed up her cheeks. She licked her lips and shook her head. “I’m single.”

Zane grinned. “Good.”