by Mia Carson
“Well, stop writing one,” the girl grinned. “For so long you have ignored him as I forced myself onto him, and now you expect me to sit back and miss all the gossip?”
“There is nothing to tell,” Claire said as she turned the water on.
“Really?” Amy said in disbelief.
“Okay, we have dinner plans later, if you must know.”
Amy squealed and clapped her hands. “So, are you going to wear the emerald he gave you?”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” Claire said.
“Can I see it?”
“Yes, if you’ll leave me in peace. It’s somewhere on the dresser,” she told Amy. A few seconds later Claire heard a scream and Amy rushing back into the bathroom. “Is this it?”
Claire pulled the shower curtain back and looked at the emerald. “The one and only. Please hand me a towel.”
Amy handed her a towel. “You should wear it tonight.”
Claire toweled herself off and stuck her head out of the shower curtain. “Really? Are you serious?”
“Yes. It’ll show him you’re interested.” Claire grunted and walked back to the room. Amy followed closely behind. “What are you wearing?”
“Have you always been this annoying?” Claire asked as she patted her hair dry.
“Have you always gone out with a billionaire? This isn’t your everyday occurrence.”
“I don’t about his money,” Claire said. “I don’t want anyone’s money.”
“Maybe, but you have to admit it’s nice to date a really rich guy,” Amy said.
“I don’t know. I haven’t dated one,” Claire replied.
“Anyway, when you do start dating him, you’ll be in his company and certain things will be expected of you,” Amy said.
“Certain things will be expected?” Claire asked. “What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying that because I am not a billionaire I don’t have proper social etiquette?”
“No, that’s not what I am saying,” Amy said quickly.
“Well, what are you saying? That I’m not good enough for him?”
“I never said that,” Amy said.
“Whatever we’re doing is just for a few more days. In a week, Chance will be nothing more than a distant memory.”
“I guess,” Amy said. “But try to be nice to him tonight.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“See you. I have a hunk of a man waiting for me in the lobby,” she smiled and started walking away before Claire could respond.
“You what?” Claire laughed as she tried to grab her. “And here you are drilling me about a man. Tell me more!”
“No news yet,” she said as she reached the door. “But I will fill you in later.”
Claire laughed when the door abruptly closed behind Amy. Her thoughts drifted back to the suggestion she had made earlier. What was she going to wear? She went to her suitcase and started rummaging inside until she found a white spaghetti strap dress that fell to her knees. It had a low neckline which allowed just enough of her breasts to be covered and just a hint of cleavage peeking out. She glanced at the black box, thinking of the emerald stone, but decided not to wear it; she didn’t want to send the wrong signals.
Time flew faster than Claire had imagined, and before she knew it, the sun was setting. Dinner was usually at seven, so she assumed Chance would be at her door by then. She readied herself in anticipation. And right before seven, she broke down and put on the necklace.
At exactly seven, she heard a knock at the door. She skipped a few steps, then paused as she tried to still her beating heart. She took a deep breath and opened the door to a rather dashing Chance on the other side. He was sporting a pair of soft, denim pants with a white shirt that had three buttons at the top opened to reveal a rope necklace that had what looked like a shell as a pendant. He looked handsome, and his smile completed his outfit.
When he saw her, he whistled. “I didn’t know emerald would look so good against hazel and white,” he grinned and held his arm out for her. She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and pulled the door closed behind her.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said to him. She wanted to add that he looked sexy and she was sort of happy to be hanging out with him, but that was mushier than she wanted to be.
“I had no idea I’d actually get the chance to be here with you,” he told her as they sat for dinner. “Especially after Amy told me about…him.”
“Let’s not talk about that,” she murmured, looking down.
“I’m sorry,” he told her. “But I want you to tell me about it whenever you feel you can talk.”
“There is nothing to say, really. We were together for over three years, we were supposed to get married, and the day before, I caught him cheating on me. The end.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said, looking into her eyes. “Okay, no more depressing talk. Let’s drink some wine and forget about everything bad.”
Claire smiled at his words, but her heart had been reminded of the hurt. But the evening refilled her happiness, and soon she was laughing at Chance’s stories about his adventures and misdeeds. She had never imagined she would enjoy herself so much in his company, but she did. By the end of dinner, she was completely comfortable with him, and she had even started fantasizing about him.
They danced to a live band playing, and when he held her close, she felt the ground move under her feet. His touch sent volts of electricity racing along her spine. Chance didn’t seem to notice her discomfort, or if he did, he had a good way of hiding it.
“Did you enjoy your evening?” he asked her when they stood outside her door at the end of the night.
Claire leaned against the doorjamb and folded her arms. “It wasn’t what I expected. I must say, I thought you would be a complete asshole.”
“Oh, so I guess I was only half an asshole,” he teased.
“Maybe just a little,” she giggled. “But not too bad.”
“Would you mind terribly if I kissed you right now?” he asked.
Claire’s heart flipped as he spoke the words. She felt her body rising from the ground, and she held onto the door for support. She couldn’t recall if any man had ever asked her permission before he kissed her.
Claire felt him lean forward, holding her eyes with his, blue on hazel, and brought his lips to touch hers, softly and gently. Then she closed her eyes as they touched. She felt his breath on her skin, and it intensified the deeper she got into the kiss. His hands touched her body, and she felt him shiver like he could hardly contain himself. Then he ended their kiss.
Claire’s eyes opened a few seconds after Chance parted his lips from hers. Then, so lightly, he traced her throbbing lips with his index finger as he bit his. Claire noticed him looking behind her at the bed and she nodded. He looked at her, his eyes asking her if they could go into her room. She nodded again, and he held her as he gently nudged her into the room and towards the bed. They stood in her room kissing, and just when Claire thought he would make a move and take off her clothes, he broke the kiss again.
“Thank you so much for dinner,” he said. “But I need to leave you to get some rest.”
Claire wanted to scream at him for abandoning her, abandoning her throbbing body, but wasn’t that what she had wanted? A man who would not pester her for sex until they got married? Funny how she hadn’t wanted to have sex with Trent even after years of dating him and while engaged to him, but now she was willing to give up her virginity to a man she had just met. She looked at Chance, and instead of disappointment, she was grateful he was able to control himself and stop things before they went too far.
“Thank you for a great day,” she said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
***
Claire jumped out of her sleep with a smile on her face and a glow deep inside her. She remembered how that used to feel so many years ago; she felt especially blissful this morning.
She threw the covers back and leapt from the bed. She
checked the clock on the bedside table and saw that it read a quarter to seven. Her alarm had been set for nine. She sighed and went to the bathroom; she might as well wash up. She wouldn’t go back to sleep. As a matter of fact, she couldn't remember the last time she’d felt more awake. Her mind snagged on Chance, and she remembered how his lips felt on hers. She touched them in lieu of the actual kiss she would have preferred.
It was too early for breakfast, so she pulled the robe tighter around her and ventured onto the balcony. She slid the lattice doors back and saw Chance doing the same. The sight of him left her breathless, and she gripped the door, watching him watch her. His lips curled upwards, and her heart skipped several beats.
She eventually found her voice and mobility and moved to the rail as well. "I find it a strange coincidence," she told him and folded her arms.
"What?" he asked her.
"That you just happen to be in the room directly across from mine," she replied, laughing.
“I needed to keep an eye on you," he said nonchalantly. “Besides, it’s a nice view from here.”
Claire blushed at his insinuation. "I bet," she giggled.
"So, what are your plans for today?" he asked her.
"I'm doing it," she said and waved her hands around.
"You have got to be kidding me," he said. "You want to stay in on a day like this? Come on!"
"Well, Amy is busy, or I think she will be, and so is my mom. I think I’m on my own,” Claire said, hoping he’d take the bait and offer her company.
“Not with me around,” he beamed. “I can find something for us to do.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yes,” he told her. “Right after breakfast?”
“Why not?” Claire shrugged. Not like she had anything better to do. She hadn’t seen Amy for a while, and the last time she had, she had been with some guy. Chance wasn’t a bad way to spend the day, so she waved and went back inside.
She had just finished dressing and was heading downstairs when she ran into Willow in the hallway. “Mom?”
“Why does that sound as if you aren’t certain?” Willow asked.
“Because I haven’t seen you much since we got here,” Claire said. “That mystery guy has made you wild.”
Willow blushed and fluffed her hair. “Perhaps.”
“And I take it you are off to see him now?”
“As a matter of fact, I am,” Willow said. “You should probably do the same. I’ve seen a lot of good looking men out here.”
“Mom!” Claire exclaimed with a laugh. It was embarrassing talking about men with her mom.
“Just have some fun, Claire. Please? For me.” Willow kissed her on the cheek. “See you later.”
“Bye, Mom,” Claire replied. She turned to Amy’s door and knocked. There was no answer. “Amy!” She could hear shuffling inside, so she placed her ears at the door to discern what was happening. “Amy!” she called again and pounded on the door.
“Hold on,” she heard a muffled voice say from the inside before the lock clicked and Amy stuck her head out the crack.
“Yep!” she said, clearing her throat. “What?”
Claire narrowed her eyes and tried to look around Amy. She shifted to her right to prevent Claire from seeing inside. Realization hit Claire and her mouth fell open. “Is there a man in there?” she asked in shock.
“Uh-huh,” Amy giggled.
“Oh, my God.” Claire tried to look again.
“Get back,” Amy said and gave her a little shove into the hallway. “So, I need to…um…get back,” she whispered.
“Okay,” Claire laughed. When Amy went back inside, pangs of loneliness hit her, and she was suddenly eager to see Chance. It seemed as if her mom and Amy had deliberately set her up with Chance, but she knew that wasn’t possible. She headed downstairs to get breakfast.
“Ready?” she heard a voice say on her left. When she looked, he dodged her and came up on her right.
“Chance, you can be such a kid,” she smiled to ease the sting of her words. “Have you already eaten breakfast?”
“We can do that elsewhere,” he told her and took her hand.
“Where are we going?” she asked him.
“You’ll see,” he told her with a wink.
He led her to a limo waiting for them and ushered her into the back. He followed after and told the driver to take them to the marina. Her eyes widened when she saw the boats and yachts lined up there, and she looked at Chance expectantly.
He helped her from the car. “Let’s go see St. Lucia in style.” Claire gripped his hand nervously as she followed him.
They got on a yacht named Rosie, and he whispered something to a man standing on the boardwalk. The man nodded and walked away, and Chance signaled for her to follow him. When Claire stepped onto the main deck of the yacht, she felt as if she had been transported to a different world. If she had been blindfolded before boarding, she would have mistaken the place for a five-star hotel.
“Wow,” she whispered as she looked around and followed him to the lower deck. “Where did you get this? And how much did you pay to rent this? Chance, this is too much,” she started, feeling guilty he might be spending that much money for her when they would separate in a matter of days.
“It’s not rented,” he explained as he walked to the bar in the corner and poured himself a drink.
Claire’s eyes widened at his announcement. “This…it’s…” she stammered as she struggled to find words.
Chance smiled at her. “This belonged to my mother. Dad gave it to her for her birthday some years ago. She willed it to me.” He turned to her with a smile and offered her a drink.
“What happened to your mom?” Claire asked.
“She died. Years ago.”
“I’m so sorry, Chance.”
“Thanks, it’s okay. But yeah, she wanted me to own the boat, so now it’s mine.”
“She must have been amazing.”
“Yes, she was. But Dad needs to move on and find happiness soon. He’s long overdue,” Chance said. “But come on, take off your shoes and kick back.”
Claire laughed. “So your mom got this for her birthday? Wow. The best gift I ever got was a trip to the spa.”
Chance laughed as well and sputtered in his drink. “Now you made me mess up my good shirt.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that is the best one you have,” she replied sarcastically.
“It was. I wore it especially for you.”
“I can imagine,” Claire said. Then the vessel shook as it moved onto open waters. She tried to hold on to a nearby railing.
“You okay?” Chance asked, moving close to her and holding her.
Claire felt her throat dry out as a sudden heat surged through her body and ended between her legs. This would never do! She hoped he didn’t notice her reaction to his touch. She tried to distract him by talking. “I hope I don’t get seasick.”
“You won’t; Chris is one of the best sailors I know. You want to go back up top?”
“Sure,” she said, wondering what he had in store for her up there.
Chance held her hands and led her up the one flight of stairs and onto the main deck again. There she found breakfast ready and waiting. She turned to him and smiled.
“This is nice,” she giggled. “Must be nice to own a boat.”
“Very nice, actually,” he smiled as he led her to the table and pulled a chair for her. Every kind of breakfast food was represented on the table, and she indulged in a few familiar goodies. “Are you watching your weight?” he asked as he stuffed just about everything in his mouth.
“I’m never on a diet; however, not everyone can eat like that and still look the way you do. As a matter of fact, women put on weight much easier than men.”
“That’s because we are more active. We don’t just stand around and stare at the mirror,” he teased.
“Oh, I don’t do that,” she defended. “It has to do with our makeup.”
Claire
could hardly believe how easy it was to be around him. He made her feel simply good. It wasn’t just his beautiful face; he had a stubborn and persistent streak she loved. There was something special about him, and she wouldn’t mind getting to know him a little better. Suddenly she realized they had been quiet for some time, and he was staring at her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked him.
“I just love the way you laugh,” he admitted. “It makes me want to make sure you always do.”
“I will be leaving here in four days. Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” she asked. “Who knows if I’ll see you again.”
“You will,” he told her. “You certainly will.”
There was a long and uncomfortable silence filled with thoughts floating around in the vacant space. Claire wasn’t quick to admit it, but there was no denying she wanted to be with him in that moment. She could see that he wanted her, too, but she wasn’t about to blow her cover. As far as he knew, she was hard-headed, so she would leave the work to him.
She could see it in his eyes that he was trying to read her thoughts because they showed visibly on her face, and she wasn’t surprised when he got up and kissed her. Claire’s lips parted, and she received him gladly. She closed her eyes and forgot about everything that made her sad and all the reasons she had come to this beautiful place. All she could think about was Chance and the way his lips moved over hers. Her hands involuntarily went up, locked at his nape, and pulled him closer.
Suddenly he rose and took her hands to lead her to a room. He passed the bar she had seen earlier and opened a door with the most elegant décor. Her heart was racing as she realized what was happening, but she had no intention of stopping him. He looked at her as if to get her consent, then he started kissing her again. He tugged at her lips with force as all his needs hit the surface, and he pulled her aggressively towards him. Claire slammed into his hard chest, but she showed no signs of discomfort as she allowed his free hand to roam her body.
She shifted on her legs to quell the rising tide of need. She was breathing hard by the time Chance slipped his hand inside her blouse and covered her left breast. He moaned then, and Claire let her head fall back and moaned when he buried his head at the base of her throat. His tongue danced along her skin as his finger tickled her taut nipples. When he let her go and led her to the bed, her hands were working at unbuttoning his shirt. She bit her lip when she did, and he watched her work. When she was done, he did the same, taking meticulous care to remove her top slowly and gently.
