“We are now down to 9 women, and the rules are changing this week. There will still be a one on one date with Liam, but the group dates will also include the woman from the one on one date. There are some big social season events coming up, and it is important for everyone to be in attendance.”
Chad continued on. “The group date this week will be the annual Regatta, and you will all be racing for your own houses. The Regatta commemorates a time when Cordonians rose to the occasion and used their boats to bring supplies to their neighbors across the sea after they were devastated by a tropical storm. But before that is the one on one date with Liam. I will now leave you with the date card.”
Madeleine, as usual, was seated next to Chad and grabbed the date card from him. Riley knew Madeleine kept thinking her turn had to be coming, and she got upset every time it turned out not to be her. She didn’t say a word, but Riley could see the disappointment in her eyes when she opened the envelop and saw Riley’s name on it.
“Riley,” Madeleine read with a straight face. “Get ready to see Cordonia from a different perspective. -Liam.”
There was a lot of speculation as to what the card meant. Names of different places and landmarks were thrown around. Towers, seaside cliffs, a rooftop restaurant. Riley didn’t really care what it was, she just wanted to have a good time with Liam without it being awkward.
Riley got ready for her date after lunch and was picked up by Bastien. She was a little disapointed Drake wouldn’t be there, but the more she thought about it, it was probably for the best. If Riley was going to try and make her relationship with Liam look real, she was going to have to do some things Drake would not want to witness. She had told Drake what this may entail, and he said he was okay with it, but he still didn’t need to see it.
Bastien brought Liam out too the limo and Liam was already waiting inside.
“Good afternoon Riley. You look stunning.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips.
“Thank you, Liam.” Riley was wearing a white and floral dress with a sheer overlay on the skirt from Ana’s collection. “You look pretty good yourself,” she said, and she meant it. She could still appreciate how attractive Liam was. He was wearing slim fitting navy blue chinos and a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to mid forearm. “Do I get to know yet what we are doing today?”
“Not yet. We’ll be there soon enough.”
Not long after, they pulled up to a wide open field with a helicopter in the middle.
“Ahh, now it makes sense. Seeing Cordonia from the way up high perspective.”
“I choose this date specifically for you because I know you haven’t gotten to see much of Cordonia yet.” Riley noticed a flicker of something in Liam’s eyes. Sadness? Regret? She wasn’t sure, but before she could figure it out, his warm smile was back and they set off in the helicopter.
Riley braced for takeoff. She was a little nervous to fly under any circumstances, but especially in a helicopter that that was much smaller and felt less secure than the commercial jets she was used to. Liam must have sensed her anxiety because he put her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. She felt like maybe she should pull away after they were up in the air and she had calmed down, but Liam didn’t let go and she was content to remain that way.
Liam played tour guide and had stories for just about everything, most of them including Drake. Riley was glad to hear Liam talk about Drake freely, without pain or hesitation. Whatever feelings there were or weren’t between Riley and Liam, Liam seemed to be able to separate that from his relationship with Drake.
“See that marina over there?” Liam pointed out the window. “That is where the regatta will take place. I used to love sailing, but now that is one day a year I do not look forward to.”
“Why don’t you like sailing any more?”
“When Drake and I were teenagers, we snuck out one night and went sailing, just the two of us.”
“I’m picking up on a theme of you and Drake getting into trouble together,” Riley laughed. “If I had to pick the bad influence, my money would be on him.”
“You could say the ideas were mostly his, but it didn’t take too much convincing. There was always so much I wasn’t allowed to do, that if not for him, my teen years would have been rather dull.”
“So what happened?”
“We weren’t smart enough to check the weather before we left. A storm blew in and we couldn’t control the sail. The boom swung right at me and knocked me into the water. Drake didn’t hesitate to jump in after me. He saved my life.
“Wow.” Riley could have elaborated on how Drake seemed to be born to be a knight in shining armour, but she was very aware of the cameras this time.
“Then to make it even worse, the boat capsized and we had to swim it back to shore so we wouldn’t get caught.”
“I suppose I can see why you aren’t a fan of sailing anymore. I have never actually been sailing. I hope Maxwell and Bertrand know what they are doing because otherwise, I’ll be lost at the regatta.”
“Hmm,” was all Liam said in response.
“What?”
“Oh nothing important. Just thought of something related to the regatta I need to do when I get back. But I’m sure Maxwell and Bertrand will hire some crew members to help you out.”
They finished the tour and Liam took Riley to one of his favorite local restaurants. It was quaint but romantic, and Liam had rented out the whole thing. They had traditional Cordonian cuisine and the conversation flowed easily throughout dinner. Riley’s nerves kicked in because it felt like it was getting close to the part of the evening where if they were going to kiss, this would be the time. Of course it wasn’t required, but it kind of felt like that’s where it would naturally be heading. And after realizing she was most definitely filmed kissing Drake, she needed to do all she could to make it look like she was here for Liam.
“I’ve had a wonderful time today Liam. Thank you for being my tour guide and sharing your stories with me.”
“I couldn’t have asked for better company, and I enjoyed getting to know more about you as well.” Liam leaned in closer and Riley’s pulse quickened. He brought a hand up to her cheek and drew her towards him. Their lips met with a kiss that started out soft and tentative, lips barely grazing until they both sensed it was okay to take it further. Liam wove his fingers though her hair and their mouths parted, kissing deeper and more passionately. When they parted, much more time had elapsed than was probably necessary to make it convincing. If Liam was only acting, he was doing a damn good job.
Riley’s emotions were all jumbled inside. She knew this was as far as it would go, and that Drake was prepared for the possibility of this happening, but part of her still felt like she was betraying him. Maybe that’s because she hadn’t expected to feel anything. But the truth was, the chemistry she had with Liam never went away. Riley had mistakenly thought that once she ended things with Liam, she would only think of him as a friend. It was hard to understand, but she still had no doubt in her mind that what she felt for Drake was stronger than what she could ever feel for Liam. She wasn’t wavering on that. So if that was the case for her, hopefully it was the same for Liam as well. She knew Liam had felt something too, but hopefully, at least eventually, Olivia would have the biggest piece of his heart.
The date pretty much ended after that. They rode back to the palace in limo, both much quieter than they had been all day, but the silence didn’t feel awkward. Liam dropped Riley off at her door with a chaste kiss on the lips and said goodnight with a smile that didn’t feel forced. Riley would cling to that to believe that however Liam felt about everything, he was doing okay.
Riley FaceTimed Drake once she was ready for bed. He answered right away and she wondered if he had been waiting for her call.
“Hey stranger. I hardly knew what to do with myself since I didn’t have to follow you around all day. You were gone quite awhile. How did things go?” Drake asked.
There was no sense beating around the bush. She could refrain from telling Drake so he wouldn’t have to know, but then he would probably find out anyway when the show came out in a few weeks. It was much better for it to come from her. “I kissed Liam…for the show of course…but I needed you to know.”
Drake’s smile faded. “Oh, well I knew that might happen.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sure its not what you want to hear, but I want to be honest with you. I need you you to know that I care about you..a lot. No matter what happens for the show, you are the one I really want.”
“I care about you a lot too. Riley. Thank you for telling me.”
“Not to change the subject, but it’s weird to hear you call me Riley. I think I can count on one hand the number of times you have called me by my first name.” Riley thought back to those times, and it was always in a more intimate or serious moment. She also realized that he never called anyone else by their last name. She had a hunch as to why but she wanted to hear him say it. “Why am I the only one you address by last name?”
“You are really going to make me say it, aren’t you?… Fine, I didn’t want to like you. Liam stuck me with you, and I wasn’t too happy about it. I was skeptical about your motives for being here before I even met you. But then even that first night, you started chipping away at me, no matter how hard I tried to keep you out, and I knew that if I let you in, I would like you more than I should. So I started calling you Bennett to try and keep a distance between us, which was a complete an utter failure.”
Riley chuckled. “I kind of like it now. It would just be too weird if you started calling me Riley all the time. Plus now that you actually admit that you do like me, it kind of feels special.”
“Heh. I guess it’s our thing now isn’t it?”
“Yes, so you better be careful. If you start calling any of these noble ladies by their last name, I’ll know something’s up.”
“Don’t worry Bennett. You know you are the only girl for me.”
“Good, I hope it stays that way.” Riley yawned. “It’s late. We should probably call it a night.”
“I was kind of hoping we could stay on a little longer. I keep thinking about last night when you left me hanging.”
“What are you trying to say Drake?” Riley asked, knowing exactly what he was getting at.
“Well to start, I think you are a little overdressed.”
“Oh, really? What about you?“
Riley could see that Drake was already shirtless. He shifted on the bed and then held the phone out to pan across his entire body. “There, is that better?” He had removed whatever clothing had been on his lower half, and she could see that he was already half hard. Even at that, his size was impressive. She was aching to feel him again.
“I have no complaints,” Riley said with a smirk.
“Your turn…It’s only fair.”
Riley stood and propped her phone up so Drake could get a full view. She teasingly stripped her pajama top and then the bottoms. “What now?”
“You are so fucking gorgeous. It’s taking all the strength I have not to come down to your room and have my way with you. But since I can’t do that, I want watch you play with yourself. Will you do that for me?” Drake pleaded.
“I see you had ulterior motives when you got this phone for me, didn’t you Mr. Walker?”
“It’s not the only reason, but definitely one of the perks.”
“I suppose I could it for you.” Riley had never been asked pleasure herself in front of anyone before, but she wanted to do it for Drake. And who was she kidding, it was also for herself. This wouldn’t be the first time she got herself off because of Drake, just the first he would know about.
Drake set his phone up so his hands were free and Riley could see his full body as well. “I want you too feel yourself. Tell me how wet you are.”
Riley laid back against her headboard. Her fingers glided easily through her slick folds. “I’m so wet for you Drake. I wish you could feel it too.”
Drake groaned and grabbed hold of his hard length, waiting for Riley to continue. Riley plunged two fingers inside, coating them completely before moving to rub slow circles over her clit. Drake moved his hand up and down his shaft in response. “You are so sexy. You are doing such a good job for me. Keep going, I want to watch you come.”
Riley continued, gradually increasing her pace as she got closer, occasionally letting quiet moans escape, causing Drake to respond in return. She could tell he was getting close as well. She brought her other hand to her breasts, caressing them and pulling and twisting her sensitive buds between her fingers, sending additional jolts of electricity straight to her core. She couldn’t hold back any longer and didn’t want to. “Drake, I’m going to come.”
“Yes, come for me, Riley.”
Her body obeyed his command and intense waves of pleasure pulsed through her core as she cried out, “Oh, fuck…yes!”
Seeing her find her release was enough to push Drake over the edge. She watched his cum spurt across his bare chest. “Mmm,” Drake moaned. “you are such a good girl.”
They stared at each other in silence as they both came down from their high. “I still wish I could be with you, but this is the next best thing. This might sound silly, but can we keep the call open? I want to fall asleep next to you, even if only through a screen.“
“Anything for you Bennett.”
Riley laid down “next to” Drake. She fell asleep fast, her body sated and her heart full.