by Megan McCoy
“You do know you’re not as charming and irresistible as you think you are, right?” she asked him, rolling her eyes and repositioning herself so her body was no longer pressed so tightly against his, pushing her luck.
“I’m not trying to be either, Monica, so if you find me that way, then it’s all on you, don’t you think?” Dominic asked, looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. “You’re really pushing it, by the way. We might not make it out of the club, keep it up and see what happens.” He moved one of his massive hands to her ass and squeezed.
She could see how serious he was about disciplining her right there in the club, but still she pushed on, she had never been so turned on in her life! “Hmph, you are quite the wordsmith Dominic, is this the way you talked your way into my suite AND my bed the other night?” Monica asked, allowing him to move her all around the dance floor in time with the music.
Dominic laughed an ominous laugh. “Again, Monica that was all you. I decided to walk you and Tracy back to your suites because I was somewhat responsible for your altered states, and you invited me in,” he explained simply, looking down at her, his jaw jumping even more.
Monica began to feel the effects of that glass of Christmas cheer she drank, adding to her hot and bothered state as she looked up at him. “And is that a normal thing for you to do?” She hoped she didn’t sound as jealous as she felt at the moment, imagining him ‘walking’ other inebriated women to their rooms.
Dominic’s stared deeply into her eyes while she waited for him to answer, she could tell she had struck a nerve, even his ominous grin was gone. He was giving her that same dark look as he’d had on the boat.
“For the record, Monica, that is twice now that you have questioned my character, I thought we put this subject to bed on the boat. I told you then I don’t like it,” he reminded her, still staring into her eyes as they continued to dance. “For your information, nothing is normal about anything I have done concerning you. Why don’t you and I take a little walk to discuss some things.” He led her off the dance floor and out the door near the bar.
Dominic gripped her hand tightly as he led her away from the club and down the beach in a purposeful stride; she was quick-stepping to keep up, additionally hampered by her heels on the sand.
He switched directions suddenly and snatched her into a small cave with a tiki torch lighting the mouth of it. If she had been walking alone, she would have walked right past it without even noticing it, it was far enough away from the beach to go unnoticed.
“Now Hummingbird, why do I get the impression you are provoking me on purpose?” Dominic asked her forcefully, he was leading her even deeper into the cave. He stopped when the light from the tiki torch barely cast light.
Monica looked around quietly, the only sound she could hear was the lap of the waves outside the cave and their breathing.
“Oh no, Monica, now is not the time for you to be quiet. I believe I asked you a question.” Sitting down on the cave floor, still holding her hand, he pulled her down beside him.
“I don’t know,” she said nervously, she could barely see two inches in front of her and it was disorienting, what the hell was he about to do to her?
“Funny, I don’t remember you being this quiet or this nervous when you were calling my character into question,” Dominic mused.
Monica jumped when he ran his hand down her face, and then down her arm. The fact that she couldn’t really see was messing with her.
“Shh, easy Hummingbird, I promised you that you would always be safe with me and I meant it. I would never do anything to hurt you or put you in harm’s way. Teaching you a lesson, on the other hand, is another thing,” he reassured her, touching her in random places on her body.
He gently touched her face in the dark again and leaned forward brushing his lips against hers. She sighed against his mouth and leaned forward to deepen their kiss, when all of a sudden, he snatched her across his lap and smacked her hard on the ass.
“Whoa! Dominic, what the fuck?” Monica screeched, trying to move, but he rested one of his arms across her back holding her in place, he used his other hand to move her sundress high on her waist exposing her thong clad ass.
“You were warned, Monica.” Dominic started touching her in random places again, her arms, the back of her legs and neck, he even managed to lean forward and kiss her on the forehead all while keeping her pinned across his lap. “And I don’t make idle threats.”
He gently blew down her back, causing her to arch it and moan, then smacked her again, four times in rapid succession. Her entire body ignited and broke out in chills, the feeling of untamed want and desire beginning to swirl inside of her, moans of lust rose from her body and bounced and echoed around the dark cave as Dominic went back to idly touching her and she braced herself for the next set of smacks.
Monica closed her eyes tight and bit her bottom lip, as Dominic’s huge hand came back down on her backside, harder and harder, over and over again, until the stinging on her buttocks became an angry throbbing. The mixture of pleasure and pain was incredible and as much as the dark part of her mind was tempted to provoke him again and continue her delicious punishment she couldn’t take any more, her ass was burning angrily.
“Dominic, please,” she moaned trying to move her ass away from his hand. “I’m sorry for insulting you and it won’t happen again, I learned my lesson, I promise.”
He smacked her soundly on the ass three more times before moving his arm from across her back and helped her sit up, the last three punishing smacks had been the hardest of all.
“Now to be clear, I will do whatever is in my power to always make you feel loved, to make you feel safe, but I will not tolerate disrespect or disobedience of any kind, ever. The punishment I just gave you is nothing compared to the one you’ll get if I have to remind you of these rules again. Do you think you can handle that, Hummingbird?” he asked pulling her into his arms and onto his lap.
“Yes, I think I can handle that, Dominic.” Monica had a wicked smile, as she rested her head on his chest. She knew he couldn’t see it and she was already looking forward to pushing him again and finding out what her next punishment would look like.
Chapter 8
“No Sissy, the three gifts with green ribbon are Mom’s, red are yours, and Dad has the white ribbon with green trees on it,” Monica explained, checking her reflection in the mirror the following morning. She was wearing a floral romper she’d bought specifically for the trip, she figured her flat sandals with the straps that snaked up her calves would be perfect to wear with it. She was meeting Dominic to have a ‘talk’, he said he wanted to tell her all about what did happen the other night.
Celeste had called Monica in a panic, she was trying to label all the Christmas gifts Monica sent home, but couldn’t remember which were whose.
“Okay, I’ve got it, are you sure I didn’t wake you up? From the pictures you’ve been sending me, I am convinced you are up all night and sleeping in late every day.” Celeste said over their video chat.
Monica could see she had her phone propped on her pillows on her bed; she was filling out gift labels surrounded by presents. “I’m going down to the pier in a few, so I was already up. Besides we’re only here for two weeks, so Tray and I are trying to do and see everything we can.” Monica pulled out her silver spiral earrings and pushed them in her second holes, diamond studs sparkled in her first ones, as she sat down to put her sandals on.
“I heard that, live it up!” Celeste said looking over her shoulder at the camera for the first time since they started talking. “Hold up, Monica. Where the hell are you going dressed to kill so early in the morning?” she demanded, tossing her pen aside and picking up her phone to see her sister more clearly.
“Celeste, what the hell are you talking about? It’s a romper and some sandals,” Monica said, looking at her phone with a frown.
“Girl, bye! That outfit ain’t ‘just’ anything. You look like a woman on a mi
ssion, so tell me, Sister Dear, who’s head are you trying to turn this morning?” Celeste asked her with a cackle.
Monica rolled her eyes, tried to keep the smile off of her face and failed miserably. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Talk to you later, Sissy!” Monica sang and hung up the phone before grabbing her sunglasses. If Celeste reacted that way, she couldn’t wait to see how Dominic did.
She snapped a quick selfie, sent it to Tracy as she grabbed her key card, dropping it in her beach bag along with her phone, then walked to the elevators that led to the beach and the pier.
Monica saw him standing on the pier, pacing back and forth, as she quickly approached. He had his hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and was wearing jean shorts, a crisp white tee shirt and sandals, but damn, he looked good.
Dominic smiled as she approached, his eyes shined behind his gray tinted sunglasses. “Good morning, Monica,” he said, softly strolling towards her.
“Good morning, Dominic. I’m sorry I’m a little late, I got turned around; somehow I took the wrong elevator and ended up by the pool,” Monica explained, stepping close enough to smell the scent of musk, sandalwood and spice that was one hundred percent uniquely him.
“No worries, you are well worth the wait, you look beautiful every time I see you, but even more so today. You are breathtaking.” He grabbed her to him in a hug, before taking her by the hand and leading her down the pier.
Dominic stopped at the end of the line of boats, including the one they took out snorkeling the other day, and stepped up on a small sailboat before helping her onto it as well.
“Are we going to talk out on the water?” Monica asked, squinting against the glare from the pristine white sails.
“No, but this is how we are getting to where we are going to talk,” he told her as he helped her to one of the small seats and handed her a life jacket. “The other side of the resort is really beautiful.”
Monica sat down gingerly, her backside was still sore from the night before, and slipped on her life jacket, biting the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. She pulled her phone out and debated on messaging Tracy. He knew she was with Dominic but she needed to give him more information.
“Don’t worry, Monica, as soon as we get to the other side you can drop a pin for Tracy so he knows exactly where you are,” he said, eerily knowing exactly what she was thinking about.
How could someone she had only known for such a short amount of time know her this well already? “Okay, sounds good. I have just one more question before we get there though, whose boat is this? I don’t want you to get into trouble.” As they got underway, she lifted her camera to take a few more pictures to send Celeste.
“Mine, I sailed it over this morning. Now relax and enjoy the view,” he told her, smiling at her again, before going to back to focusing on steering the boat.
Monica sighed, dropped her phone back in her bag, and sat back looking at the sky. Damn! Santa was really hooking her up this year.
About thirty minutes later, he skillfully pulled his boat into the pier on the other side of the resort and brought the sails down.
Monica stood up and stretched, before taking off her vest while looking at the beach. Dominic was right, this was so much more beautiful than the other side of the resort. There were gauzy curtained private cabanas, and walkways scattered around, she even saw a waterfall in the distance.
“Oh wow, this is amazing! I know what I’m booking the next time I come out here,” Monica said, taking it all in excitedly.
Dominic finished securing the boat and helped her onto the pier. “You’re still here and already planning to coming back?” He stepped out next to her; she noticed he had a backpack on one shoulder as he took her hand.
“Yes, of course I’m coming back, it’s even more beautiful here than I originally thought! I have to bring my sister Celeste down here. We went shopping in Bridgetown yesterday. Oh, my God, just when I think I have loved every little thing I’ve seen here, I see another building, or mural, or beach or something. I heard it was beautiful here, but this island continues to take my breath away. Just look at this, it’s like a living in a postcard!” Monica enthused, talking a mile a minute, walking down the pier with Dominic, spreading her free arm outward to encompass all she was seeing.
“Interesting. I don’t think I have ever encountered anyone from the States who seems to love it here like you do,” Dominic stated, looking out at the beach. “Let’s find a good spot to talk, shall we? Oh, and don’t forget to drop a pin for Tracy, I would hate for him to worry about you.”
Chapter 9
Monica dropped down on a bench near the waterfall she had seen from the pier and winced. She caught Dominic looking at her with a know it all smile regarding her discomfort.
“Again, my breath is taken away.” She stood up again, and pulling out her phone, she started moving in slow circles, taking pictures of everything surrounding her, the trees, the birds, the flowers, everything. She wanted to have enough pictures so that when she was back in Florida, she would be able to open her phone and remember Barbados.
“Mine too,” he said softly, moving closer behind her. “You have no idea how beautiful it is to see my home from your point of view.” He reached out and dragged his finger down her arm.
Dominic’s touch gave her instant chills and reminded her of the previous night in the cave, she looked over her shoulder at him, lowering her phone as she turned to face him. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are, Dominic?” she asked, reaching out and finally touching his hair, it was even softer than she’d imagined.
“I have to admit no one has ever called me beautiful before. Handsome? Yes, I hear that a lot, but never beautiful. That is most definitely a first.” He chuckled softly, taking her by the hand and sitting down on the bench, he guided her next to him.
“I’m so sorry, Dominic, I have no idea why I even said that,” Monica admitted and reached down to put her phone back in her bag, blushing. She couldn’t believe she’d just told a man he was beautiful. What the hell was wrong with her? Maybe this damn island air was fucking with her brain functions or something.
“It’s okay. I honestly don’t mind it, Monica; and coming from you, I take it as a compliment. Now I promised to tell you what happened between us the other night, so why don’t I get started?” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.
“Please do. I have been racking my brain trying to remember and I’ve got nothing. The last thing I remember was karaoke,” she admitted turning to look at him.
“Yes, we sang ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ together. Then you said you were tired and wanted to go to your suite, so we dragged Tracy away from Julius and walked him to his room first. Then I walked you down to the other end of the hall to your door, and you asked me if I’d like to come in for a while.” He paused, opened his backpack and gave her a bottled water and took one for himself before he continued.
“Monica, we talked for hours. Well, you talked and I listened. You told me all about your family in Colorado and your dental practice in Florida. Also, how you hated that you’d wasted so much of your time and energy with someone who didn’t seem to have the capability of loving anyone besides himself, and how unfulfilled that relationship had left you. You had tears in your eyes when you told me that, since you broke up with him, you knew you’d failed and now you could never go back home because of it. You asked me was it wrong for you to want to be loved the right way, to feel cherished and special. That’s when you told me it initially made you sad when you thought I had the wrong table when I said Hummingbird, because you realized you were never special enough to your ex for him to ever call you by a pet name. And how you wished you could be someone’s Hummingbird or even their baby.” He uncapped his water and drank some to let her take in all he had just said.
Monica wanted to dive into the waterfall and just disappear, how embarrassing! She had drunkenly poured her heart out to a complete stranger. Who the hell does that? Oh
, she does obviously.
“Oh my God, Dominic, please tell me that’s it. Tell me I didn’t say anything else that embarrassing! What the hell was I thinking?” She covered her face with her hands. “You must have been so uncomfortable listening to all of that, I’m so sorry.”
“No, actually I was happy I was able to be there when you obviously needed someone. I could tell you had been holding all of that in for a long time,” he told her with a shrug. “You didn’t say much more after that, because you threw up. Emotions and huge amounts of alcohol don’t really mix, I guess. Anyway, I helped you to the bathroom and passed you my shirt through the door because I wouldn’t have felt right going through your things to find you something to change into. After that, I helped you get into bed when you came out of the bathroom. Then I went in, cleaned up your bathroom, bagged your dress and bra up and hung them on the door for laundry service. I was going to leave, but I was afraid you might get sick again, and besides, I thought you needed someone to be there when you woke up.”
“So, you felt sorry for me?” Monica snapped, feeling a little anger mixing in with her embarrassment. “I don’t need your sympathy, Dominic, then or now. I was just emotional, but I can assure you I will be all right and I will get through everything that’s waiting for me at home without your pity!” she told him sharply, pulling her hand from his.
His dark look was back. “Be easy, Monica and check that attitude. There are plenty of caves around here to use, if necessary,” he warned, his jaw jumping angrily. “If anyone should be allowed to have an attitude through all of this, it’s me. A blind man could see I have been attracted to you since I brought that first Hummingbird to your table. Yet you insist on throwing accusations my way, even though I have had nothing but your well-being and best interests in mind.” He finished his water, reached over and opened hers for her. “I helped you to your room, I stayed and listened because you asked me to. Because for the first time in a long time I was attracted to someone. It’s been years since I felt this strongly about anyone, especially this fast. I don’t know what it is about you, but from the first time I heard your voice, I have wanted to be with you, to care for you and I’m not just talking physically, either,” he stated matter of factly.
