by A. Anders
To Cara’s surprise, Mars blushed. “He’s not bad,” he said coyly.
“That’s all I needed to know,” she concluded with a smile.
For the rest of the day, the two talked, though neither said much at all. Cara did learn that he was from the California Desert. He also mentioned that although he didn’t enjoy his childhood, he sometimes went back and sat staring at his childhood house. Past that, the majority of what they talked about involved the parents who walked by stressfully trying to create the perfect family vacation.
Later while they were grabbing something to eat, Cara considered going back with Mars to his bungalow when the two of them got envelopes from the restaurant’s maître d’.
“What’s this?” Mars asked Cara.
“How am I supposed to know? I got one too.”
Mars opened his envelope and withdrew a card. It was an invitation. It read,
Brik Evander invites you to a two day adventure that you will never forget. Formal Dress.
“Do you know anything about this?” Mars asked Cara.
“I had suggested that we all do something exciting together. I have no idea what he has planned, though.”
“So, this is your doing?” Mars asked with a smile.
“If it turns out to be amazing, then, yes. It’s all me. If it sucks, I had nothing to do with it.”
Mars laughed.
Having gotten Brik’s invitation for the next day, Cara decided to return to her bedroom alone. It took everything in her to walk away from Mars again. Every time she spent time with him, she felt like he was the guy that she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with.
They clicked in a way that she and Brik didn’t. She and Mars could spend the day talking about nothing at all and yet have the best time. She was growing quite attached to him and she couldn’t even imagine ever having to say goodbye.
The next day, when she and Mars met for breakfast, they discussed what Brik could have planned.
“Did you notice that it said formal dress?” Mars asked her.
“I’m a big girl thousands of miles away from my closet. Of course I noticed it said formal dress,” Cara explained.
Mars thought about it for a moment. “Oh. I could see that. Well, I have something that you could wear, you know, if you were looking for something.”
“What’s that?” Cara said intrigued.
“Follow me.”
Having finished their meal, Mars led Cara back to the studio. “Do you remember that dress I made the day after we met?”
“You mean the one that was not at all inspired by me?” She said with a smile.
“Yes. That one.”
“Yeah. I might recall something about it.”
“Well, I might’ve lied. You might have been the one to inspire it.”
“No!” She said feigning surprise.
“No, no. It’s true.”
“I can’t believe it!”
Mars laughed. “Anyway, I was wondering if you might want to wear it tonight?” He asked more bashfully than Cara would’ve thought possible.
Cara became serious as he watched Mars squirm. “Yes, of course. I would be honored to wear your dress.”
“Would you like to take a look at it?” Mars asked humbly.
“Please.”
Mars stepped away from Cara heading to the only locked cabinet. It was the one place that she couldn’t search during the times when she went searching for the dress. As he reached for his keys, Cara thought about how much the dress would say. This was the garment that he had made the morning after they had first hooked up. Was it going to be something trashy or something uptight? Cara braced herself for whatever it might be.
As Mars turned with the dress stretched across his arms, Cara’s heart stopped. It was red satin. It had embroidered flowers across the chest which spread out as it traveled down the dress to its train. The dress was sexy and beautiful and powerful. Cara couldn’t believe that she had inspired such a thing.
“I’ve been working on it ever since the first design. I think it’s done.”
“It’s beautiful!” She said barely stopping herself from crying.
“Do you wanna try it on?” Mars asked quietly.
Cara looked down at the dress as it was transferred to her arms. “No.”
“No?” Mars asked caught off guard.
“I mean, I know it’ll fit. There’s no need to try it on. I’ll just wear it tonight.”
Mars crossed his arms. “Okay,” he said like a papa bird watching his chick leave the nest. “Tonight, then.”
Staring at the dress, Cara suddenly realized, “I have to go.”
“Where?”
“To get ready.”
“His invitation said that we were supposed to meet in the lobby bar in seven hours.”
“Exactly. I barely have enough time to get dressed.”
Mars laughed thinking Cara was joking. She wasn’t.
“Oh. Okay. I guess I’ll see you tonight, then,” Mars said politely.
“I’ll see you tonight,” Cara confirmed.
It had been as Cara looked down at her dress that she realized how much tonight meant to her. This wasn’t going to be just a fun night out with two gorgeous guys. She had feelings for both of these guys.
Cara hadn’t had many boyfriends. She never considered herself the girlfriend type. But both of these guys were special to her. And the last thing she wanted was to screw it up with either of them.
With that in mind, Cara decided to treat the evening like it was as special as it felt. She was going to get plucked and waxed and permed. And if she had time, she was going to wind down with a few hours in the spa. Finding a dress was usually the most stressful part of getting ready. Luckily, she now only had to find shoes to match. The day was starting out like a breeze.
As the time got closer for their group date, Cara’s heart began to race. Her nerves were finally kicking in. She was beginning to realize how much she liked both of these men.
What if something went badly tonight? What if she somehow lost them both? Just thinking about it sent her into a panic. A pair of strong hands on the massage table was the only remedy.
Visiting the salon after the massage, Cara returned to her room with only an hour to spare. Suddenly feeling like she was on fire, she turned up the air conditioning and stripped naked. Sitting on the bed, she remembered what it felt like to be held by Mars. Her breath hitched thinking about it.
She then thought about the way it felt in Brik’s arms. The memory made the flesh between her legs ache. She slipped her middle finger between her engorged lips and enjoyed the heat of it. Squeezing her legs together as she did, Cara never felt more aroused.
With ten minutes remaining before she was supposed to meet her two guys at the lobby bar, she crossed the room to retrieve her dress. She looked at it again. It looked perfect. She couldn’t understand how she could’ve inspired something so beautiful. Was this really how Mars saw her? Cara could never be sure but she liked the idea that it might be.
Holding the dress up against her as she stared in the mirror, she wondered whether or not she should put on underwear. She was torn. Deciding to slip on panties, she chose her red lace pair. It would match the dress. She then slipped the dress on and turned to look in the mirror.
The dress was perfect. The red satin hung from her curves in all the right ways. It made her look voluptuous and seductive. Staring in the mirror she never imagined that she could ever look this way. She felt so beautiful. The only way she could describe it was that she felt like a princess about to meet her two princes.
Putting on her high heels to complete the outfit, Cara concluded that she looked like a movie star at the Oscars. Grabbing her clutch, she did a final swirl in front of the mirror, collected her key card and then headed out.
Waiting for the elevator she suddenly realized that she had made one mistake. Stepping into an empty elevator car, she reached under her dress for her panties and pul
led them off. Stuffing them into her clutch, the panty lines on her satin dress were gone. And the freeness that came with knowing that there would be nothing between her and her men except a thin sheet of satin, turned her on immensely.
Stepping off the elevator, Cara could almost see the bar. As it became more into view, she began to wonder what the night would hold. What did really rich people do to impress others? Cara couldn’t imagine it, but she was desperate to find out.
As Cara rounded the corner, she saw them. They were both standing at the bar waiting for her and they looked like a pair of James Bonds. Wearing black and white tuxedos, they each stood with a glass of something in their hand. These had to be the two best looking men at the resort and somehow they were both hers.
“You look amazing,” Brik told her taken aback by what he saw.
“Yes, you look very good. I’m glad to see I got everything right,” Mars said.
“The dress is perfect,” Cara said with a blushing smile. “And you to look kind of amazing, as well. Brik, doesn’t Mars look handsome?”
Brik looked at Cara surprised. He chuckled nervously. “Yes, he does. He looks very good tonight.”
Mars smiled.
“And, Mars, don’t you have anything nice to say about Brik?”
Mars threw his arm around Brik’s shoulder. “This man always looks good. He knows that,” Mars said looking at Cara.
“Yes he does,” Cara said meeting Brik’s eyes.
Releasing Brik’s shoulders, Mars turned to face him. “So, what do we owe the pleasure of this night? It can’t be to celebrate.”
Cara jumped in. “Actually, it is to celebrate. We’re celebrating how hard we’ve worked and how close we are to the perfect clothing line.”
Mars smiled broadly. “Really? Okay. I have never been one to turn down a reason to celebrate. So, Brik, what did you have in mind for tonight?”
Cara stepped forward taking Brik’s arm. “Yeah, Brik. What did you plan for tonight?”
Brik looked at the two and smiled. “That is going to be a surprise.”
“So, what do we do?” Mars asked.
“You finish your drink,” Brik said pointing to the near empty glass. Mars poured the remainder of the content down his throat. “And now, you follow me.”
With Brik taking the lead, Cara and Mars followed in his wake. When Mars offered her his arm, Cara took it. And when Brik looked back and saw the two, he moved to Cara’s right side and asked her for her other arm. Cara happily gave it.
Crossing through the casino, Cara couldn’t help but notice how all of the women stared at her. They were clearly insanely jealous. It didn’t take long for all of the men to notice them too. How could they not? Cara and her two men made an impressive trio. Cara felt like she was the lead in some amazing movie. She felt on top of the world.
Eventually entering an elevator, she began to literally feel on top of the world. Getting off at the top floor, Brik led the two to the stairs and continued up another flight exiting onto a helipad. Seeing the helicopter waiting for them, Cara turned to Brik and froze.
“What are you doing?” Cara asked Brik nervously.
“Impressing you,” Brik said with a charming smile.
“You don’t have to put me into that to impress me. There are a lot of other ways,” Cara explained.
Brik looked at Cara with sudden realization. “Wait, are you afraid of heights?”
“No, I’m not afraid of heights. I’m afraid of suddenly dropping out of the sky.”
Brik laughed.
“It’s not funny.”
Brik gathered himself. “You’re right. How about this? How about if you hold onto me and I promise, no matter what, I’ll keep you safe?”
Cara’s heart raced as she looked at the helicopter again. She had swum with sharks, but this was something else. She could barely breathe as she stared at the machine’s monster blades. The only thing to snap her out of her trance was Brik’s fingers interlocking with hers.
“I have you,” he told her with a masculine rumble to his voice that suddenly put her at ease.
“Okay,” she said getting a tighter grip on Brik and trusting him.
“Mr. Evander, right this way,” the uniformed pilot said.
Cara’s heart raced anew as she was helped into the helicopter. Taking a seat, her two men entered on either side of her, strapped in, and took her arms. Putting on headphones, the pilot spoke to them as he started the engine.
“Welcome aboard tonight’s flight. Mr. Evander thought that you two would enjoy a tour of the island. So once we make a few rounds with that, we’ll be off to our final destination for the evening.”
Cara turned to Brik with building excitement. “Where’re we going?”
“You’ll see. But don’t worry about that now. Just enjoy the night,” Brik told her again putting her at ease.
Looking over at Mars, who looked excitedly out the window, Cara decided to take Brik’s advice. She was with her two men. Nothing was about to happen to her. More than that, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. She had to make the most of it.
As the roar of the engine lifted the helicopter into the air, Cara dug her freshly painted nails into the hands of her two men. As the helicopter left the safety of the building was the hardest part. But picking up speed as it flew away, Cara started to feel a little better.
Setting a path to just offshore, the tour began with a bird’s eye view of their incredibly lit resort. The copter seemed to hover for longer than necessary. And when Cara turned to Brik to find out if anything was wrong, he immediately squeezed her hand.
“Just wait,” Brik said pointing back towards the resort.
Cara did what she was told not sure what she was waiting for. When she saw it, though, there was no mistaking it. To Cara’s amazement, the lights of the Coliseum-styled resort suddenly changed. Across all of the balconies, the lights spelled out words. It read, ‘Cara Mars enjoy!’
Cara stared stunned. “Did you see that?” Cara said shaking Mars’ arm.
“Yeah, I saw it,” Mars said with a delayed guffaw of amazement.
“How did you do that?” Cara asked turning to Brik.
“It’s one of the perks of owning the hotel,” Brik said with a smile.
Cara stared at Brik completely turned on. He didn’t have to do anything else for the rest the night and he would’ve accomplished what she had asked him to do. Cara was impressed. Looking over at Mars, she could tell that he was very impressed too.
The helicopter next started its path around the border of the island. Every so often the pilot would point out a tour site or a celebrity’s home. Oprah’s and Michael Jordan’s houses were pointed out. So was the home of a clothing designer who Mars knew but Cara did not.
After making a full circle around the island, the helicopter then changed course and headed out to sea. Darkness overtook the trio for ten minutes. Again taking a tight grip on the hands of her two men, Cara sat trying to keep herself calm.
When a light came into view again, it turned out to be their destination. As they got closer, Cara recognized it as a monstrous yacht. Getting closer still, Cara realized that they were going to land on it. The lit helipad seemed so small as they descended, but with the helicopter on the landing deck and the blades slowing to a stop, she realized just how unbelievably large the yacht was.
“I thought I would take you two out for seafood,” Brik said over the headset.
“Seafood?” Mars said with a laugh. “You do know that there were a few restaurants on the island?”
“Yes, but how many of them can say that the food was thirty minutes fresh,” Brik retorted with a smile.
When Cara stepped out onto the deck of the yacht, a light breeze hit her swirling itself under her dress. Remembering that she wasn’t wearing underwear, the sensation turned her on. Making sure to get a hold of each of her guys’ hands, Brik lead them away.
Entering the indoor outdoor lounge, the trio ascended a
flight of stairs and entered a large dining room. The place was incredible. With a mixture of light wood and gold around the room, everything was highlighted with pops of white and hanging crystal. It was as if the finest dining space was plucked out of a restaurant and set afloat.
“Shall we sit?” Brik asked gesturing towards the eight person dining room table.
“Sure,” Cara said almost giddy from everything she had experienced.
With Brik seated at the head of the table, Mars and Cara took the place settings on either side of him. Wine and food came immediately. It had to be the freshest and best tasting meal Cara had ever had.
And when their meal was done and they were left sipping drinks, Brik admitted that he had one more surprise for them.
“What’s that?” Cara asked drunk from the exhilaration of the night.
“I am bringing sexy back,” Brik said with a smile.
“What?” Cara asked confused
“I am bringing sexy back,” he said again.
“What does that mean?” Mars asked finally intrigued.
It was then that the trio heard a voice over the speaker system. For Cara, it was a familiar voice. Initially unable to place it, she searched her mind trying to figure out who it was. Cara’s face lit up when she figured it out.
“He said, he’s bringing sexy back,” Justin Timberlake said as he entered into the room holding a microphone.
Cara could no longer contain her delirium. Her mind was finally completely blown. Standing in front of her was the man who she had had so many fantasies about. And here he was singing his most famous song to her.
Brik whispered into her ear as Justin Timberlake sang. “So, what do you say? Are you impressed?”
Cara couldn’t even speak. Barely able to shake her head, her bright eyes melted in Brik’s before again turning and drinking in Justin Timberlake’s sensual body and rhythmic moves.
After his third song, Justin Timberlake thanked Brik for inviting him and left the stage. Cara looked over at Brik. Her body tingled so much it felt like it would explode.
“I would like to show you something. Both of you,” she said sharing her gaze with Mars.
