Following the ceremony, Dylan was walking through the parking lot when he saw Alice, his girlfriend, beaming with pride whilst leaning against the fender of his BMW. Her smile had always been one of his biggest weaknesses. As he closed the gap between them, he began nervously preening himself – running his fingers through his sandy brown hair and adjusting his clothes. It was completely subconscious behavior on his part. Her smile made him feel as though he was standing under a spotlight at centerstage being evaluated by an unknown audience. Given his natural charm, he loved her smile because there was never anything else that he had found to be so disarming.

Alice, remained cool in the face of his approach. She was an actress and model by trade, and also possessed a certain poise that made the two of them quite the paragon of celebrity couples. She coolly stared at him as he walked nearer and nearer to her, her eyes hidden behind her gradient-tinted sunglasses. Her subconscious reaction to his squirming discomfort was simply to moisten her lips in anticipation of a kiss.

“So? How’d I do?” he asked from about ten feet away.

“You killed it, babe. I had goosebumps!” She took a step toward him and found herself wrapped in his arms with his lips gently pressed to hers briefly.

“Did you get anything from the audience?” he asked, attempting to see her eyes through the sunglasses.

“I saw some parents crying when you were talking about the plans and fulfillment. The grads, as far as I could tell were just riveted. It really looked like they were soaking it in.” As she spoke she also slid her sunglasses up to the crown of her head, silently acknowledging his efforts to make eye contact. “And when you announced the program, everyone was going bananas. Then the gift cards. Seriously, babe, when this makes the rounds in the news you’re going to get so much good will because of it.”

Dylan looked around the parking lot and notices that people are beginning to head to their cars in large numbers.

“Let’s get out of here before traffic gets bad.” He held his hand out expecting Alice to give him the car keys.

“Nope. I’m driving. We are going to the house, right? You don’t have anything else to do in the valley, right?”

“Right. Let’s just get moving though.” He jogged around the silver convertible and hopped the door into the passenger seat, while Alice got in the car more conventionally, by opening the door.

Soon they were on Highway 17 heading for the coast. Dylan kept a condo near the Fieldy Lands campus in Sunnyvale, but Alice much preferred the seaside mansion outside of Watsonville that they had built for their first anniversary. There was something about the view of the of the open ocean from the floor to ceiling windows in the master bedroom that made her feel more at home there than anywhere else she’d ever been. That view, and especially the sunsets it afforded her, had actually taken on a sexual connotation in her subconsciousness. She and Dylan had made love bathed in the rosy and golden hues of the distant sunset so many times that she regularly becomes physically aroused at the sight of a stunning sunset. She would have loved it were it not for photographers and cinematographers always attempting to make use of those hues and calling it the magic hour in her chosen line of work. Deprivation only served to make her appetite more voracious, though, and she managed to enjoy having and not having on equal balance.

Dylan enjoyed watching Alice drive. Her long blonde hair flowing in the wind. Her hand grasping the stick shifter in the center console. From the side, he was also able to see her right eye through the gap between the sunglass lens and her cheek. He stared at it feeling voyeuristic, as though he wasn’t supposed to be seeing that eye darting around. It was the little moments of pleasure like this that made Dylan grateful for the hour and half long commute from the Valley to the mansion. Alice enjoyed the drive for the same reasons, but additionally, appreciated the open roads and forests, things her native Los Angeles didn’t have nearly enough of.

Dylan’s enjoyment of the tableau Alice provided was derailed when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. A moment later, the car’s Bluetooth connection kicked in and the stereo speakers began ringing, and the display screen showed the name Alan Marks, Dylan’s assistant.

“You going to get that?” Alice asked, raising just her index finger off the gear shifter to point at the screen.

“Nope. He knows I won’t answer when the top’s down.” Dylan flashed his charming grin briefly before shifting into a serious tone. “I’ll call him from the house.”

Once at the house, Alice set about having a nice, enjoyable Saturday evening in. First, she changed out of her semi-formal commencement ceremony attire and into a pair of yellow athletic shorts and a plain white tank top. Next, she walked barefoot across the marble flooring of the living areas directly to the kitchen where she chose an opened bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and poured herself a glass of it. She sat down at the counter and began using a tablet computer.

Meanwhile, Dylan paced back and forth on the balcony just off the dining area. He had returned Alan’s phone call.

“We were on the road when you called. What’s up?” Dylan genuinely liked Alan, but found him to be rather sycophantic, a trait which Dylan routinely attempted to correct.

“Well, there’s a lot of good news coming in. The iwantthefight site has already had over ten thousand visitors.” Alan’s voice was always energetic and annoyingly upbeat.

“Ten thousand? There’s like four thousand graduates.”

“Right, sir. We’re sure that a lot of the parents, family and friends have gone to see what’s there. Also, the press has been looking into it as well. It’s not everyday that someone announces out of the blue that they’re just going to give away one hundred and seventy-five million dollars in graduation presents. It’s a big deal, Dylan.”

“The gifts are only twenty-five million. The rest will be legitimate investments that I hope to make profitable. It’s not altruistic if there’s a profit motive.”

“Well, twenty-five million dollars is a lot of altruism.”

“Right, well, was that it?” Dylan leaned down with his elbows on the railing, Monterey Bay spread out before him.

“Yes. The website is getting traffic. Videos of the speech are starting to go viral. There’s already an autotune remix. I can’t believe those are still a thing. Want the link?”

“No.”

“Of course. You’re trending on… Everything. You’re blowing up right now.”

“Alan, stop. It’s Saturday afternoon, I’m at home with Alice, and you’re giving me info I could get in two seconds at my computer if I wanted it. Is there anything that needs to be handled before Monday morning?”

“Umm. No. Nothing urgent. I just thought you’d like an update. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, Alan. I know you’re trying to do your job the best you can, but seriously, you’re overdoing it. I don’t pay you enough for this. What are you doing today?”

By then Alice had stepped onto the balcony and began to rub Dylan’s back as she stared out over the bay as well.

“I don’t really have any plans, you know. Just, probably staying in, I don’t know.” Alan replied over the phone, panicking on the inside because Dylan had cared enough to ask.

“Tonight or tomorrow, I’m ordering you to go do something. In fact, I’m buying. You have a five hundred dollar allowance to do something fun this weekend. Have a fancy dinner, go clubbing, get a massage, head up to Sonoma, go shopping, whatever. Do something nice, and bring a receipt in on Monday and I’ll cover it. Okay? Just go have some fun, and don’t call me again unless there’s an emergency. Got it?” Dylan had turned around to face Alice so that they could silently make faces, flirt with and touch each other.

“Thanks, Dylan. That’s so generous. I just… Thank you.”

“Alright, Alan. Have a good weekend. I’ll see you on Monday morning. Take care.”

“Bye, Dylan.”

Dylan hung up the phone and looked into Alice’s eyes. She met his gaze and held it.

“That was nice of you. Does Santa Dylan have anything for me? He’s being so nice to everyone else today…” Alice was using her pouty, Marilyn Monroe voice, a known weakness of Dylan’s.

“Are you feeling left out? I think I can manage to come up with something you’ll like, but it is short notice.” Dylan chuckled in response, unable to keep a straight face.

“Is it a pile of money?” Alice asked, pressing her body into Dylan’s.

“No. You’re independently wealthy on your own. You don’t need money.” Dylan said, punctuating it with a quick peck on Alice’s lips.

“Is it an experience?”

“It is.” He kissed her again, slightly longer this time.

“I always knew you’d warm up to the idea of having a threesome with another dude! I’m so happy!” Alice joked enthusiastically. “I need to tell everyone that I get two dicks tonight!”

“You’re so crazy.” Dylan said, laughing. He was relieved to have realized that she was indeed joking. “How about just one dick as many times as you want it?”

Alice stared at Dylan, then abruptly crinkled her nose and replied.

“You are a shrewd business man. Deal.”

As she turned to reenter the house, Dylan kept hold of her wrist and pulled her back to him.

“I love you, Alice.”

She melted just the same as the hundreds of other times he’d said those words to her with such earnest sincerity.

“I love you too, Dylan.”

“Can we do anything to get your show cancelled? I don’t want you to move back to LA next month.”

“Unless you can afford to buy the network…”

“That’s just offensive! Internet tycoons don’t demean themselves by associating with old-media.” Dylan feigned umbrage.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s have lunch first though. You’ll need your strength.” Alice then led Dylan by the hand into the kitchen.

At dusk the master bedroom took on a pinkish-gold alpenglow, transforming the sleek, minimalist white, black, and grey color scheme into a warm and inviting space. Through the entire wall of windows the ocean sparkled and undulated with a hypnotic rhythm. At the horizon, the sea, sky and sun all blurred together as a single entity.

On the California King sized bed, Dylan and Alice’s nude bodies also sparkled and undulated in rhythm. Their love making was tender and loving, yet firm and energetic. They both knew what to do, and when and how to do it, thus the pleasure was immense for both of them, however there were no theatrics or exaggerations to be had. The entire mass of skin glistened with sweat, which reflected the elegant colors of the light. This is what Alice had come to crave and desire.

They both climaxed and collapsed onto the bed panting heavily. After catching his breath and giving Alice a sweet kiss, Dylan slowly rose to his feet– despite his weak legs– and crossed the room to a small tabletop bar. Alice’s eyes soaked in the view of his glistening body moving through the ever-fading golden light. Dylan poured himself a glass of Irish whisky. (He had adopted strict drinking habits. Scotch was reserved for business deals and majorly special occasions. Irish whiskey was for occasional drinks at various times. Bourbons, ryes, and other hard liquors he chose for mixers and/or casual outings.)

“Want anything while I’m up?”

Alice continued to enjoy her view for a moment before answering.

“No. You look so good though.” Her voice was low and sultry, and the words flowed slowly from her mouth.

Dylan sort of blushed and looked down. Physically he was of fairly average stature, but since adopting a healthy California lifestyle, he had lost a bit of weight, gotten a bit of a tan, and added a bit of muscle to his frame, which combined to give him a very attractive figure, whether he could reconcile it or not in his own mind.

As he sipped his drink, he stared back at Alice, curled up on her side. She was a prototypical model, tall and slender. Her smallish breasts were firm and perky, with nipples the same shade of pink as her lips. Despite being slender, she did not exhibit much muscular definition, offering instead a creamy smooth and supple body.

The two lovers simply beheld each other from across the room, enjoying every second of it.

Next Chapter: Chapter 3