Beneath The Orange Sunset ✔️

49

~49~

Signing up for kids was not the only desire in Samuel's wish list. He felt like he was getting sucked in Emile's web each day and the only way to escape was to win the war.

His ultimate wish was to win Emile.

Lately, there have been several positive development - Henrietta and Husein. All he needed to do was put the pieces together and plan wisely ahead of the enemy.

After having their meal, both men lounged at the pool area. While Samuel prided himself with different swimming strokes, Maxime watched sipping red wine from a  glass cup at intervals. A chilled canned beer and a fancy nylon bag was resting on the table.

Maxime's eyes drifted to and fro the pool admiring the man in the water. He began to wonder why he never learned how to swim at his younger age. Was he scared of drowning? He just didn't vibe with the idea at all or maybe there was no opportunity to learn it.

He'd spent half his life learning the economics of business accompanying his father to various highly classified meetings all over France. It seemed clear that he never had such time to learn swimming or any other hobbies at all.

Not to mention the accident that totally crippled what was left of him.

He relaxed back on the chair when Samuel leapt out of the pool. He watched him pick a towel on the empty chair and began drying his wet hair. He glared at Samuel's wet body.

"Teach me."

"What did you say?"

"Teach me how to swim."

"Why?"

"You swim so well. I want to learn."

"Well it's too late." A smile danced on Samuel's lips as he awaited Maxime's reaction.

"You mean I'm too old to learn?"

Samuel leaned over towards Maxime and studied his face for a moment.
"Yeah. Sort of."

Maxime pouted. "Seriously."

"Just joking," Samuel said. He opened the canned beer freeing creamy bubbles from the hole. "I will teach you but not now. Not here." Samuel hung the towel on the back of the chair. He flexed his arms and rotated his torso, left and right.

"When we move to our own house then I will," Samuel lifted one of the white chair and moved it beside the young man. "What do you think?"

Maxime got distracted by Samuel's almost naked body. The black pant he was wearing was still wet and sticking to all parts of his hips. Water dripped down his chest to his inner thighs.

"That's a good idea," he said squinting his eyes once again at the snakelike veins running under Samuel's skin at strategic areas of his trimmed body. "Can you sit down, you're obstructing my view."

Samuel reluctantly sat on the chair and put his right leg across the other.
"How much do you think it's going to cost to buy a house like this?"

"Are you really thinking about that?"

"Yes. I am." Samuel replied in a serious tone.

Maxime tilted his head, processing the highest price for a modern mansion.
"Millions of dollars."

"Give me a range."

"Five to ten million. You don't want to go there." Maxime let a cocky smile hang on his face.

Samuel took that statement as a challenge.
"You think I can't buy you such a house?" He inquired.

"Of course you can," Maxime replied trying not to be realistic. He knew Samuel earned about sixty to a hundred thousand dollars a year. it was absurd to think that he could afford such an expensive house. "But it will take time."