I watched Garrett last night from the window of his bedroom, eating his dessert and then taking his shirt off. It was dark, but there was just enough light to see the planes and angles of his defined body. I shouldn’t have looked. He angered me, but I couldn’t resist the pull to watch him.
As he moved off to the water, I could only see a speck out that far. At that point, I stopped.
Showering did nothing to help the conflicted feelings inside of me. Garrett said he was going to break me. To me, that was a bad thing. But if he were so bad, then why did he make me a fancy dinner and put it out on the beach? Actions spoke louder than words, and his actions didn’t scream he would hurt me.
He’d been nothing but kind to me, and I didn’t know which way to take that. Good or bad.
A hand drifted up and cupped my breast, rolling my nipple. My body electrified as he continued, then groaned in my hair. His hard length pressed into my back, and my traitorous body wanted him. Just to forget what a mess my life had become and get lost in a man would be a release.
His other arm under me moved, and his fingers crept down my stomach. Desire rolled around my body. It felt so good, and I just wanted to escape for a little while. Maybe feel something other than scared, pissed off, or stressed.
Something told me Garrett knew what he was doing, and judging from his hands he did.
My eyes closed as I soaked in the feel of this hands on my body, drinking in every second like a woman who’d been in the desert for years. Keep dreaming, I told myself, and don’t wake up because this moment was good, too good.
I didn’t want it to stop. Need built inside of me like never before.
His fingers hit the target, and I leapt from the bed, surprising myself at my quickness.
Ecstasy hit and boom, so did reality. Yes. Like a crazy cartoon character who just had a horn the size of Texas blown in her ear. Racing to the bathroom, I didn’t look back, shutting the door and leaning my back against it.
What in the fuck was the matter with me?
This man was holding me captive on this beach, all the while taking direction from Mr. Beacon who wanted God knew what from me.
My mind was seriously jacked up.
The worst part, I liked it.
Never would I admit it to a single soul. But it felt so good to have a strong man who knew what he was doing touch me.
It had been a long time since one knew directly how to find the spot to arouse me. Garrett had no trouble at all.
He was the bad guy. He was working for Mr. Beacon.
This was not some romantic idealization, and I was not sleeping with Garrett whoever-he-was.
I went to the sink, washed my face, brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and did my business. Promptly, I focused on getting my shit together. Garrett might have held the power over my body momentarily, but the war of my heart and mind would be the victory I would claim. Without missing a beat, I flung the door open, and I didn’t even look at the bed as I marched out of the room and down the stairs.
He could’ve been asleep for all I knew, but with Garrett there was no doubt he was wide awake just waiting for me to come out. That wasn’t happening. I would not give him the opportunity to weaken my defenses, traitorous body be damned.
Head high, I needed coffee and set off to do just that. In the kitchen, I remained on my mission, scooping in the grounds, adding water, and hitting the button. I focused on the task in front of me. Get caffeine, and my head would clear.
There was a phone off to the side of the kitchen, and I darted there, picking it up and hearing no dial tone.
Dammit.
Disappointment flooded me. Was Mr. Beacon following through on his side and getting my mom help? Were my parents alright? It was killing me not to know if all of this was for nothing. If I could hear my mom’s voice, I knew it would help me endure whatever came next from Garrett.
“Doesn’t work, kitten.” I jumped out of my skin, turning so fast the phone cord hit me in the back. Garrett stood there in gray and white board shorts and nothing else. His tattoos were truly works of art and seemed to enhance his body lines. I forced my eyes not to trail down his chest, setting them only to his. It was painful not to look.
“I want to call my mom.”
His head shook. “No can do. You have to earn those.”
What the hell? Was he punishing me? I didn’t ask him for the orgasm, so I shouldn’t have to return the favor. “Earn them? What do you mean? I get a minimum of one call a month. I haven’t even had a call to let them know I arrived safely.” The terms never laid out when my call would happen, but surely he understood I needed to touch base with my family.
He lumbered up to the counter, then reached up and pulled down two mugs. He set them down on the counter next to the partially filled pot.
“You do what you’re told, you earn those calls.”
“No. Mr. Beacon said I could call them.”
He smirked as if he knew exactly what Mr. Beacon told me. His response proved it true. “Kitten. You have one call a month, one a week if I feel generous, and that’s only if you earn it. You signed it. Not me.”
Garrett was right, and I hated it. Hated him.
“Alright, warden, can I at least go out to the beach today?”
Space, I needed space. He couldn’t deny me that, right? While I was here, I would treat it like a resort. Spend my days on the beach getting a golden glow and my nights sleeping until enough time passed and I could plant my ass in the sand again.
A small grin played at his lip. “Only if you wear a bikini.”
Feeling spiteful, I gave him a grin. “Oh I will, but it’ll be covered with a t-shirt.”
He shook his head. “That’s a damn shame. That ass and those tits would look amazing in a barely-there bikini.”
He lifted the pot and poured me a cup. I located the sugar and put three in, stirred, and moved to the other side of the counter to put some distance between us.
“So?”
“Like I said. Bikini and nothing over it. Then yes. You can.”
“And if I don’t?”
His head shook, and something changed in his eyes. Something that made me want to take a step back from him even though I was up against the cabinet.
“You don’t want to find out.”
From the menace pouring from him, something he did not show me yesterday, I felt it prudent to listen. Maybe then he’d leave me alone.
“Fine. I’m going now.”
“Oh, kitten.” My steps faltered as I turned to him. He lifted his fingers to his nose and breathed in deeply. “You smell good enough to eat.”
My entire body shivered. I was both turned on and mortified. At that, I turned and dashed from the kitchen to change and get the hell out of this house and away from Garrett.
All the while, I could hear his chuckle.
8
Garrett
The thing about my profession, details were everything. One line could change the entire course of an agreement. Enissa had no clue the amount of power she gave to Charles Beacon. She had no clue that her short-term plan had a renewal clause.
While she was smart and no doubt read the document, I don’t think she truly fathomed the small details. Honestly, I wasn’t so sure the bastard rigged the document to have more pages than she signed because her initials weren’t found on the bottom of all the pages. I would ask her about this later. For now, I had the situation under control. Bottom line, she agreed to a contractual relationship with Charles Beacon. The details didn’t matter, not to a man like him.
She sold her body to the man no matter how she viewed it; that was his take on it.
In fact, I knew she was too centered on getting her mother the help Beacon offered to really think about the long-term effects.
It was bullshit.
To prey on someone’s darkest days was unforgivable. Beacon was a monster, whether he agreed or not. He was not my problem right this second.
Nope.
The way she relaxed against me when she thought she was dreaming, the way her body came alive with simple touches, told me everything.
I wanted her.
I couldn’t and wouldn’t deny it.
I wanted her to tremble.
I wanted to take her to heights she never thought possible.
And her body, her reaction; well, she wanted me too. She just wasn’t ready to admit it yet.
A thought hit me, and it moved me from the kitchen and into my guest room. From the armoire, I grabbed the items I would need and moved them to the nightstand of my bedroom. The day would come, and I would show her immense pleasure. While that day might not be today, I might get lucky and it would. Either way, I needed to be ready.
Looking outside, I noticed Enissa was down at the water … in a t-shirt.
Defiant kitten she was.
It made me hard.
Willing my cock to rest, I smirked when she turned her back to me. For a moment, she stared out at the ocean. For a moment, I wondered if she would keep the shirt in place and give up the opportunity to earn her phone call. It took a beat longer than I expected, but finally I watched her lift the shirt over her head and toss it to the beach. She was in the bikini. It was casual, black, full coverage over the plump globes of her ass.
The design of a tattoo was noticeable, but from this distance I couldn’t make out specifically what it was. It wasn’t a tramp stamp but rather something that covered the side of her hip and into her rib cage.
Later, I planned to know every detail of her ink.
For now, I was allowing her space while I attended to some business.
Heading back to the kitchen, I finished my coffee all to avoid watching the beauty on the beach as she took some time to sort her head. I could be a dick and crowd her more, but my end-goal here wasn’t to fuck with her head more than necessary.
A deal was a deal, and tomorrow morning she would find the phone she picked up this morning did in fact work. Moving to the jack, I popped the cover open and plugged the plastic piece back in place, reconnecting the line so it would work for her.
Going to my office, I unlocked the door and went straight to my desk. Powering up the computer, I checked my email. The usual business correspondence took up most of the lines. Then, there was Charles Beacon. I laughed at the subject line of his most recent attempt to contact me.
You owe me an update!
Wrong.
I didn’t owe anyone a damn thing.
He wasn’t worth the time or energy, so I simply ignored the email as I had done the previous ones he sent along with his calls. He would learn soon enough. I was certain by now he had figured out who held the power.
And it wasn’t him.
Opening the email that was important, I scanned the file sent to me, sat back in my chair, and relaxed. Things were falling into place.
Attending to some work that I could have put off but didn’t, the hours passed by. When the coffee had long since worn off and my stomach growled in hunger, I locked up the office and went to the kitchen. It was lunchtime, and both of us had skipped breakfast.
Looking outside, I found Enissa still on the beach. She was now out of the water, laying in the sun. Pouring two glasses of cucumber mint water and making two sandwiches, I plated things on a tray and made my way down to her. She slept peacefully on her stomach with her hair pulled up on top of her head and facing down with her forehead resting on her forearms crossed over each other. As I sat the tray down, she didn’t move. She was laid out on a blanket with the sun glistening down on her flawless skin. I drank her in. Her tattoo that caught my eye earlier was of a birch tree, and my mind wondered why she chose this particular tree.
Sitting quietly as to not disturb her, I got close in a way that I was almost hovering over her. Pulling a piece of ice from my glass, I pressed it to the back of her neck and trailed it down her back. She moaned but didn’t make a movement. Much like this morning when the change in her breathing let me know she was awake, but she hadn’t yet fully come to her senses, I knew she was coming to alertness.
Shifting, I laid over her, but held my body off hers as I moved my head and pressed my lips to the soft spot just behind her ear. She rose up under me, no doubt feeling my arousal when her ass hit my crotch.
“Shhhh,” I whispered. “Relax, kitten, and just feel for a moment.”
Her breathing stopped. In an attempt to put space between us, she dropped back to the blanket. I held my core in a plank position but allowed my hips to drop lower so she could still feel every bit of what she did to me.
“Can’t you just leave me alone?” she muttered, twisting her head to give me a side-eye.
I tsked. “Now, kitten, what fun would that be? Plus, I brought you water and food. You must hydrate,” I said, lifting off her after pressing a small kiss to her temple.
As I moved, she rolled from her front to her back. Seeing her tits almost pop out of the top of her bikini had me groaning in response. She sat up on her elbows as I picked up the glass of cucumber mint water and brought it to her lips.
“I can hold my own drink.” She began to shift as if to take the glass.
“Let me,” I asked as I tilted the glass, and the cold liquid hit her lips. She tried to fight drinking by keeping her mouth closed, and then it spilled down onto her breasts.
“How do I know you aren’t going to drug me?” she asked, and I laughed but didn’t reply. If I wanted to drug her, I would have done that last night when she freely ate the meal presented to her.
Instead of pointing this out, I dropped my lips to her chest and licked the liquid from her body.
She trembled under me, and I relished the reaction.
Oh yes, she would be fun.
When she relaxed, I pulled away. Rather than give her the glass or even put it back to her lips, I took a large gulp, making sure to hold a piece of ice under my tongue. Her eyes were wide. Her breathing had picked up. I sat the glass on the tray before I leaned in.
Pressing my lips to hers, I let the minty liquid escape my mouth and fall to hers. She opened and I took the advantage, allowing small amounts of water to fall into her mouth. As she swallowed, I moved my tongue to dance with hers. As she relaxed I kissed her, allowing the small pieces of ice to roll between us. Moving my hand, I cupped her face and let my thumb rest on her neck. I could feel her pulse pounding wildly as she finally began to kiss me back.
Wild.
Raw.
Unyielding.
I gave, and she took. I took, and she gave. We went back and forth as the ice quickly melted. I could taste the salt from the ocean, and I only wanted more.
She pulled away.
I allowed it with a smirk.
“Hydrate,” she said with her voice cracking. “I need to hydrate.”
Again, I didn’t give her the glass but instead lifted it to her lips. She took the drinks greedily this time.
“I’ll taste you, kitten.”
She looked at me wild-eyed. She was both aroused and afraid.
“I’ll taste your lips again. I’ll taste you on my fingers … again.” I paused to let it all sink in. Leaning in close, I whispered so she could feel my lips brush up against her earlobe, and my breaths came down hot on her neck as I continued to tell her what was to come. “And, kitten, before the week is done I’ll taste your sweet pussy as you come on my face.”
And I would taste her, that I was determined would happen sooner rather than later.
9
Enissa
My body trembled with need hours after our encounter on the beach. In the shower the hot water ran down my body, the steam rising around me. A normal person would probably take a cold shower, but not me.
No. Hot. Hot. Hot.
Maybe I could scald his feel from my flesh. I had to do something because frankly no man should have this kind of effect on me in my situation. It was absolutely absurd to get so turned on by him, but that was my rea
lity.
Standing under the spray, I wished it would wash everything away from me. This deal. My mother’s sickness. My father’s choices. Me … here. All of it.
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the case. Life situations didn’t just disappear like in some kid’s fairy tale. Life for sure wasn’t like that.
No little girl grows up thinking, ‘hey, I’ll trade myself to some crazy fuck.’ While there was a very good reason for it, it was not ideal. The pained look on my parents’ faces when I left still haunted me. They were dead set on this not being an option, but it was the only one we had. We had already exhausted every other avenue. I had maxed out my credit and so had my parents. Something had to give, and I was that something.
My mind started to think about what kind of man Charles Beacon was to even think about a deal like this. Dwelling, wondering, none of it would change my circumstance, so I shut down those thoughts quickly.
Bottom line: I’d do anything to help my mom.
Seeing her so sick, some days not being able to hold up her head, was a huge blow. She was so full of personality and the kindest woman I’d ever met. She was the strongest woman, like a superhero. My whole life she had been my rock; now I would do what I needed to in order to be strong for her.
All she ever wanted was for everyone to get along.
Mom had a sister, but they were estranged. Her sister had serious problems and blamed them on my mother. Even when we found out she needed a bone marrow transplant and a sibling would be the best bet for a match, she turned her back on my mom. It wasn’t easy to swallow down the pain and even reach out to her. We did it, and in the end she wouldn’t even get tested to find out if she could save my mom.
She had a brother, but he had died. Couldn’t get healthy cells from a dead man.
I was tested, but we weren’t a match. I’d wanted so badly to be able to do something because all I felt was helplessness. When someone you loved was sick and it was beyond your control, you wanted to do anything and everything to help them.
Then when there was nothing you could do, the feelings of desperation overwhelmed you, wanting to fix or help. I’d even looked into how to make her happy hospital gowns. Unfortunately, my sewing skills were horrible, and they were expensive to buy.
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