Out of anyone else's mouth, those words might sound cocky. A boastful flex. But I pick up on a sad note in his voice.
"How about you? Did you and Robbie grow up here?" he asks.
"We did," I say. "A few miles away."
"Did you spend much time at the beach?"
I drop my gaze to avoid stepping on a few scattered, broken-up shells. "Uh, no."
After a few more paces, Anson asks, "There a reason for that?"
Yeah, there's a reason, alright. But do I tell Anson and risk looking like an idiot in front of the guy I'm meant to be training and 'inspiring' onhiswellness journey?
I decide to do it. Might be a good way for me to make him more comfortable and earn some trust.
"I love the beach," I begin, between a few deep exhales through my nose, filling my lungs with salty air. "Unfortunately, growing up, I never had a beach body."
Anson frowns. "I'm not sure I follow."
"I was a fatty, and the few times we came to the beach with Mom, I was teased and picked on by the other kids so badly it made me stop coming. Same goes for PE class and swimming carnivals at school. Total no-go areas for me."
A firm hand settles against the small of my back. "I'm sorry that happened to you."
The words linger between us, mixing with the sound of the waves. But even better? Anson's palm lingers on my back.
5
Anson
I pull my hand away after way too long. Hearing Jarvis's story made me feel for him, and my 'I'm sorry that happened to you' felt hollow. Sometimes, a simple touch can convey more than words.
Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, you old perv.
Shame floods my body as I shove both hands into my short pockets and stare straight ahead. My sex drive has been near zero since the accident. Even prior, I didn't date all that much after my divorce. Business consumed every aspect of my life. Physical release was a distraction, something relegated to a quick wank in the shower every few days before setting off to run my empire.
My heart starts beating so hard I'm convinced Jarvis can hear it,see itpoking through my polo. But he seems fine, taking the world in with a hint of a smile playing on his lips. His default expression because he's a nice, young man, oblivious to the fact the guy walking beside him fisted his cock to an imaginary scenario of running his hands up and down his beefy body,exploring every square inch, desperate to turn his readiness to smile into a series of filthy groans, and shit—I need to stop this line of thinking right damn now because these shorts were not designed to conceal boners.
"Do you spend much time at the beach nowadays?" I ask.
"Not as much as I'd like. I've accepted my body. Well, as much as anyone can. I'm working on loving myself as I am. But I'm coming out of a rough patch, so my focus now is on work and helping others achieve their wellness goals."
"That's very noble."
"Don't get me wrong. I want to make money someday. Lots of it. But in a way that helps people and isn't just about profit. I'm so inspired by Robbie, how he's growing his wellness brand. And Dunlop, too. Opening up that aged care facility. And you."
"Me?"
"Yeah." He clears his throat, the easy curve of his lips flattening, and for the first time, a hint of uncertainty crosses his face. "I've been reading up about you online. How you took over your dad's business. Grew it into this hugely successful company. That's really rad."
"It came with a heavy price, unfortunately."
"Do you regret it?"
I glance out at the waves, unused to not only talking so much to someone, but to someone who just seems to say whatever's on his mind. After the smoke and mirrors of decades in the business world, and the self-imposed isolation of these past few years, it's quite a change.
"On the whole, no. I'm very proud of what I achieved. People always talk about the company, but what they fail to realize is that my greatest achievement was finding good, decent people who shared my values. It was always a team effort. I was just the front man."
Until my brothers tried to steal the company from me, but that's not something I want to get into right now. Betrayal always cuts deeper when it's done by blood, but what can you do? You can't change or control anyone. That's one big illusion I've let go of in life. It kills me that my brothers turned on me since we used to be so close growing up, but what alternative do I have other than to accept what's done is done?