"But I always drive," he said even as he admired Pepper's outfit and attitude. Legs were always a plus, and so was taking charge and making him sit back and enjoy the drive. She always had things under control, but she so rarely grabbed the upper hand. It was almost as fascinating and erotic as - hot damn he felt better already - the white bikini. "I want this on the record that I am relinquishing control of the steering wheel under protest," he said as he climbed into the passenger seat. "And I will take control back if you do not drive to my satisfaction."
As she did, fast and focused, he was almost grateful he didn't have to; watching her drive felt like another reward. And sure, this whole thing was too rural for his liking, but what was a guy to do when his girl showed up in a white bikini and grabbed the keys?
He mused over the immediate possessive pronouns - but of course she was his girl, she was his PA and had been for ten years, and he'd succeeded in driving off the competition, so that had to make her his. By then, she was ordering him around some more and preparing for a hike, and he followed her lead with a shrug: he didn't have much to abandon in the car, but he kept the cell phone and Leatherman (because you never knew when you were going to need a pliers, screwdriver, dinky pair of scissors, and sixteen other useful tools).
And then they were off hiking, and he was just about to open his mouth to say that he could have uploaded coordinates and flown the armor here, but then she was taking his hand and showing him the lake, and he shut up.
He didn't have to like the mountains on principle, but there was something to be said for the privacy of rustic locations. Watching her strip as she rattled off her orders, he grinned even as he followed suit: and he was very glad he'd decided against the Speedo, because this was a mountain lake and shrinkage was not what he was going for here. "You know, you could have just asked me to do this any time," he had to tease. "I would have loved to see you in a white bikini and helped you with your sunblock." Nothing he hadn't done for others he wasn't near as...was the word he was looking for 'intimate'?