The sun blazed down on Dina’s parents’ backyard, turning the pool area into a shimmering oasis of heat and temptation. Dina, all curves and confidence, lay sprawled on a lounger by the water, her skin glistening with a fine sheen of sweat. She’d ditched her bikini top and bottoms an hour ago, letting the sun kiss every inch of her bronzed, unapologetic body. At twenty-five, she knew exactly what she had and how to wield it—a weapon of mass distraction, honed to perfection.
“God, it’s hotter than a sinner’s confession out here,” she muttered to herself, a smirk playing on her full lips as she adjusted her oversized sunglasses. She stretched languidly, her back arching just so, knowing full well that even if no one was watching, she was her own best audience. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught it—a flicker of movement in the second-story window of the neighboring house. A shadow, quick and clumsy, darted behind a poorly drawn curtain.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” she purred under her breath, her smirk widening into a wicked grin. She didn’t turn her head, didn’t give herself away. Instead, she let her gaze linger on the window through the dark lenses of her shades, pretending to be absorbed in the latest issue of some glossy magazine she hadn’t even opened. Her mind, however, was already spinning with mischief. “Looks like I’ve got myself a little voyeur. How... adorable.”
Dina shifted on the lounger, letting one leg dangle over the side, her movements slow and deliberate. She knew the effect she had, and if this peeping whoever was going to get a show, she’d make damn sure it was one he’d never forget. She reached for the bottle of sunscreen beside her, squirting a generous dollop into her palm before rubbing it into her skin with exaggerated care, her hands gliding over her thighs, her stomach, lingering just a tad too long at the curve of her hips.
“Let’s see how you handle this, Peeping Tommy,” she thought, chuckling to herself as she coined the nickname. “Hope you’ve got a good grip up there, kiddo.”
Another furtive movement in the window confirmed her suspicions. Whoever was up there—and she was betting it was the scrawny teenage son of the new neighbors who’d moved in last month—wasn’t exactly subtle. She could practically feel the nervous energy radiating from that room, the awkward fumble of someone who didn’t know whether to look away or keep staring. And Dina? She thrived on that kind of power.
Sitting up slowly, she let her hair cascade over her shoulder as she stretched her arms above her head, her chest pushing forward in a pose that was anything but accidental. “Come on, Tommy,” she mused internally, her lips twitching with amusement. “Don’t be shy now. You’ve already committed to the crime. Might as well enjoy the view.”
That’s when she decided to up the ante. Swinging her legs over the side of the lounger, she stood, her naked body on full display as she sauntered toward the edge of the pool. She dipped a toe into the water, then bent over—oh so slowly—to adjust an imaginary something on the ground, giving the window a perfect, unhindered view of her backside. A muffled thud from above told her she’d hit her mark. Probably dropped something in his panic, the poor boy.
“Gotcha,” she whispered to herself, straightening up with a triumphant grin. But teasing from a distance was only half the fun. Dina wanted to hear the stammer, see the blush. She wanted to own this moment completely.
Turning her head toward the window, she slid her sunglasses down her nose, locking eyes with the shadowy figure she could just make out behind the sheer curtain. Her voice, when she spoke, was loud enough to carry, dripping with honeyed menace and a teasing edge sharper than a switchblade.
“Hey, Peeping Tommy up there! Yeah, you, with the shaky hands and the guilty conscience. I see you. Why don’t you quit hiding behind Mommy’s curtains and come down here like a big boy? Or are you just gonna keep playing hide-and-seek with your... enthusiasm?”
A strangled noise—something between a gasp and a choke—echoed from the window, and Dina bit her lip to keep from laughing outright. The curtain twitched, and a pale, freckled face appeared, wide-eyed and red as a tomato. He couldn’t have been more than eighteen, all gangly limbs and nervous energy, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
“I—I wasn’t—I mean, I didn’t—” he stammered, his voice cracking under the weight of his own mortification.
“Oh, save it, sweetheart,” Dina cut in, planting a hand on her hip as she stared up at him, unbothered by her own nudity. If anything, it only made her more commanding. “You’ve been caught red-handed. Or should I say... otherwise occupied? Don’t worry, I’m not mad. I’m flattered. But if you’re gonna stare, at least have the guts to do it up close.”
His eyes bugged out further, if that was even possible, and he gripped the windowsill like it was the only thing keeping him from tumbling out. “I—I’m sorry, I just... I didn’t mean to... I mean, you’re... uh...”
“Stunning? Irresistible? A goddamn vision?” she supplied, her tone mock-helpful as she tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Pick one, Tommy. Or all three. I’m not picky. But I am waiting. So, what’s it gonna be? You gonna stay up there, trembling like a leaf, or are you gonna come down and face me like a man?”
He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he struggled for words. “My name’s not Tommy,” he finally managed, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s... it’s Ethan.”
Dina arched a brow, her smile turning positively feral. “Cute. Ethan, then. I like that. Rolls off the tongue. Now, Ethan, I’m giving you exactly five minutes to get your skinny little self down here by this pool. If you’re man enough to watch, you’re man enough to talk. Don’t make me come up there and drag you out myself. Trust me, I’m not above it.”
Ethan’s face went from red to ghostly white in record time, and Dina couldn’t help but laugh—a low, throaty sound that carried all the promise of trouble. She turned away from the window, giving him one last lingering view as she sauntered back to her lounger, her hips swaying with every step.
“Clock’s ticking, Ethan,” she called over her shoulder, settling back onto the chair with the air of a queen on her throne. “Don’t keep a lady waiting.”
As she reclined, her mind buzzed with anticipation. Would he take the bait? Would he scurry down, all nerves and apologies, or would he hide until she had to make good on her threat? Either way, Dina was in control, and she relished every second of it. The game had just begun, and she was playing to win.
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