Cam smiled, showing off perfect white teeth. ‘Sure thing, Brad.’
Brad stood up. ‘Girls, if you’ll excuse me. I’ve taken the liberty of organising a boat trip tomorrow, so can you meet me on the jetty at nine o’clock sharp?’
Madison and Sapphire looked at each other and nodded excitedly. Brad was getting up to leave when Simonetta spoke. ‘Signor Masters, when is the party?’ She smiled seductively. ‘I’d like to look my best.’
Sapphire and Madison looked at each other again. In the heat of the moment, they had forgotten about the party.
Brad smiled smoothly. ‘My mistake, I should have let you know. It’s tomorrow evening, so you’ll have lots of time to prepare after the boat trip.’
‘Is it being held here?’ Simonetta persisted. She had seen no sign of caterers, florists, or any of the usual activity you’d expect to be involved with Brad Masters’ fiftieth birthday party.
‘Yes, it’s being held here. Now, I really must make those calls.’ Brad smiled at the table. ‘Goodnight, everyone. Sleep well and I’ll see you in the morning.’
The door closed behind him and all four looked at each other. A wicked look crossed Cam’s face. ‘You guys like to swim?’
‘I haven’t got my costume,’ said a slightly panicky Sapphire five minutes later. They were standing by the side of the infinity pool, the starry sky above like a velvet blanket studded with diamonds.
‘Don’t be so lame, Sapphire. Who needs a bikini?’ said Madison. Sapphire watched open-mouthed as the American girl peeled off her dress and stepped out of it, to reveal lacy knickers and a bra. Cam’s eyes gleamed in appreciation as they swept over her lithe body.
‘Last one in’s a total loser,’ she said, then dived elegantly into the pool.
Sapphire watched as Cam peeled off his T-shirt and her tummy did a funny little flip. It was like he’d just walked off an Abercrombie and Fitch billboard. His body was a work of art: broad, defined shoulders and a six-pack that tapered into a small waist. Sapphire couldn’t help staring at Cam’s flat, muscled stomach, where a fine line of hair from his belly button disappeared into the top of his shorts. Cam caught her looking and she blushed bright red. He raised an amused eyebrow.
‘Coming in?’
Sapphire shook her head quickly. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘OK.’ Cam turned and, with a whoop, launched himself into the pool.
‘Cam, you just soaked me!’ Madison screamed.
‘Well, we are in a swimming pool, Madison,’ he pointed out. ‘It’s kind of inevitable.’
Sapphire came and sat down, dangling her legs in the water. It was wonderfully cool and she wiggled her feet.
‘You’re making it very easy for me to pull you in,’ Cam told her, a wicked glint in his eyes. Suddenly he looked past Sapphire and his mouth dropped open. Sapphire turned and saw Simonetta shimmying along the side of the pool towards them. Her long limbs moved with the grace of a cat; her black hair gleamed in the moonlight. Sapphire’s eyes widened as she saw that, save for a tiny G-string, Simonetta was practically naked. Embarrassed by the sudden amount of flesh on show, Sapphire averted her eyes as she walked past.
‘How easy it is to make you blush, little creature,’ Simonetta murmured. Pausing to stretch and yawn, showing off her full, firm boobs, Simonetta climbed down the steps into the pool. She ducked her head under the water, coming up like some kind of beautiful sea nymph. Flashing a smile at Cam, she started to do a graceful breaststroke to the other end of the pool. After a moment, he followed.
Madison swam over to Sapphire.
‘What a slut!’
Sapphire remained silent, as Simonetta and Cam swam into a corner and started talking.
‘Talk about desperate. Guys hate girls throwing themselves at them,’ Madison sniffed. Suddenly, she pulled her bra down to expose a pair of perky boobs.
Sapphire half-laughed in shock. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Mine are better than hers, aren’t they?’ Madison demanded.
‘Er…’ Sapphire said, trying not to look at Madison’s dusky pink nipples. To her relief, Madison pulled her bra up again and glanced jealously down the pool. Simonetta and Cam’s heads were close together, barely a foot between them. The air had suddenly taken on a charged feeling that made Sapphire feel uncomfortable, out of her depth.
‘I think I’ll go to bed,’ she said.
‘Don’t leave me,’ Madison implored.
‘Really, I can’t keep my eyes open,’ Sapphire lied.
Madison shot another jealous look at Cam and Simonetta. ‘Whatever, this is a suck-fest anyway.’ Muttering under her breath she climbed out and stalked off.
‘So,’ Cam said with a lazy smile. ‘You go skinny-dipping often?’ His eyes strayed again to Simonetta’s breasts, just out of reach beneath the water. Simonetta dipped her hair back in the pool again, coming up with it sleek and sexy against her head.
‘This is not skinny-dipping, I am still wearing clothes.’
Cam raised an amused eyebrow. ‘You Italians have a funny dress sense.’
She smiled seductively. ‘And you Americans are far too uptight.’
Cam laughed, but his eyes had taken on a hungry, intense look. ‘You’re a very beautiful girl, Simonetta.’
‘I know.’
‘And very confident.’
Simonetta noticed his breathing had got more husky and shallow. She arched her back again and ran her hands through her hair. Cam bit his bottom lip and moved towards her.
‘Simonetta…’
Simonetta smiled. He was wriggling on the hook like a fish.
‘I have to go,’ she suddenly announced.
Cam looked stunned. ‘What?’
She gave him an amused, haughty look. ‘A model needs her beauty sleep.’ She pushed off and glided gracefully back across the pool.
Cam stopped her. ‘Wait! You’re leaving just like that?’
Simonetta turned and saw the lost expression on his face. Men – they were all the same! So easy to manipulate, so easy to tease. And now she’d proved that a world-famous R&B star was no different. It reinforced once again Simonetta’s knowledge that she was irresistible to any man.
Now that she knew she could have Cam, she had instantly lost interest. ‘Ciao, darling,’ she breathed.
‘There’s a name for girls like you,’ Cam said, but he sounded more disappointed than angry. He knew he’d just been played by Simonetta. He watched her lithe form emerge dripping from the water, this time her hands covering her assets.
Simonetta turned and dropped him a slow, seductive wink. ‘There’s only one name for me. It’s Simonetta.’ One day, she thought to herself, you’ll see it everywhere. ‘And now, I’m going to bed.’ Grabbing her clothes, she slid off into the darkness.
‘Jesus!’ Cam exclaimed, then dived under the water. He needed a cooling off.
There