by Anna Collins
“There are some things that you don’t question, Lucy. You’re my best friend and I know that it might sound crazy, but I believe that I loved you before I met you. I dreamed about your face and I’ve been waiting for my whole life for someone like you to come into it. There’s just no rhyme or reason and I guess I just get this sense of completion being around you. You are that missing piece and I think that I’ve found my way into your arms,” He said while finishing me off and leaving me there to wallow in my post afterglow.
“I’ve…been waiting all my life for this, Devlin. I wanted nothing more than to find my knight in shining armor. You’re that man that is going to sweep me up off my feet and give me a reason to wake up in the morning. You have this way of making me see myself different. It’s not a bad thing. Awakening from a dream into this reality is more important to me that my comfort level,” I said with my thighs now sticking together with the leftover juices that had run down both sides.
“This is a very friendly community. They tend to turn a blind eye to what foreigners do. Kenneth may have taken some liberties with watching what we were doing, but it’s nice to see that smile on his face. We won’t be there for another few minutes. I do believe that you have some unfinished business,” He said with a bit of mystery behind his words.
He presented me with those three fingers from where they were firmly within me. He moved them across my lips and painted my mouth with that special offering. The wetness was a godsend, as my mouth was dry after having experienced something like that.
It was the strangest feeling about the way that I felt for him. When our eyes met the first time, I could only see the smile on his face. I thought that it might be a little creepy, but then I got to know him as the eccentric that I had come to know and love.
“I could say that I didn’t like it, but it’s not like it hasn’t happened before. I was actually naked on your lap the entire time that the party was going on. I may have felt a little uncomfortable, but it wasn’t long before I started to feel like I was supposed to be exactly where I was. I know that there’s nothing that I can do to change your ways. I think that deep down we both know that we are good for each other. There were times that I lost it all. You broke me into pieces and then you put me back together again stronger and more resilient than ever,” I said.
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, Lucy. I may have been there for your transformation, but that was all your doing. You gave in to the one thing that you thought was out of reach. You let yourself feel and didn’t shy away from becoming the woman that you are” Devlin said as he forced those fingers into my mouth.
We had all this afternoon and this room in the trees for two. It was going to be interesting to discover one another’s hidden kinks.
“If I want love, then I have learned from you that I have to take it. When we get together, it’s bound to be awhile before we come up for air again. My body is your playground,” I said.
“There’s something about the way that you crawl across the pillowcase. It’s the way that you look at me like I’m the one that you have been looking for all your life. Normally, I would cast you aside after the one week, but I can’t do that. You frustrate me and drive me crazy, but it hurts, so good,” Devlin said as he held the back of my head and made me take the full brunt of those fingers in my mouth.
I could only stare out the window as he made me gorge on those fingers and the liquid that was coating them. His other hand was lovingly moving through my hair. That was the perfect contrast to the feeling of being used and abused.
“The feeling that you give me is given right back. All you had to do was say that you wanted to play. You turn me on, but I don’t want you to be my secret anymore. When I’m around you, I can’t hide the fact that being around you makes me feel like I'm coming apart,” Devlin said.
I slithered my tongue around each of those three digits making sure that I didn’t lose sight of the bigger picture. I wasn’t going to allow him to pull away until I had everything. There was nothing that was going to be left behind. It was a weird feeling to know that he had me at his beck and call.
Chapter 37
“I would ask for a tip, but I don’t think that I have to, Mon. This has been a very educational experience for me. I do believe that I’m going to go home and surprise the wife with an afternoon delight. You two really don’t have any shame. You make those people that come here looking for paradise pale in comparison, Mon. It is going to be my pleasure to be your guide to all the things that the island has to offer. There’s a particular club that is calling your name, Mon,” Kenneth said as he helped us with the very little luggage that we had.
Devlin had my ticket to paradise and he was that sweet company that I would need to put that smile on my face.
“I don’t know what you expect me to say after something like that. I don’t think that you’re welcome really conveys the way that I feel. I would rather that you didn’t see me like that, but there’s a small part of me that really doesn’t care one way or the other. Devlin is the devil on my shoulder. I think he killed the angel and buried her 6 feet under. There are times that I still feel her clawing from the earth, but then the devil steps on her hand and forces her back down where she belongs,” I said while trying to paint myself out of a corner.
“You guys are going to be, so much fun getting to know. I don’t think that I’ve ever had a fare that had given me this much pleasure in a long time. I want to return the favor. The island is full of beautiful wonders that need to be shared with somebody that can appreciate them. I want to give you a guided tour of those hot spots that are not readily available to the tourists. There is local food out there that will make you think that you have died and gone to heaven, Mon. I’ll be back in the next couple of hours. I’m sure that you can figure something out to do in the meantime,” He said with a smile on his face that was indicative of someone that had a pretty good idea that our days of pleasing each other physically was not even remotely close to over.
“I’m kind of glad that this place was available on such short notice. It’s lucky that we are in the off-season. Any other time, this place would be booked solid. Hurricane season is not exactly good for tourism. I think that you and I should go and see this place that I hold so close to my heart. Don’t worry, I didn’t take her here or even Angelica for that matter. I guess I just didn’t think that they were the right one to share it with. It could also be that we were kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place and had to land somewhere in a hurry,” Devlin said while taking my hand and leading me to the set of stairs that led into the treetops.
“I think you know by now that I would follow you anywhere. There’s really nothing that will shock me anymore,” I said not quite believing the very words that were coming out of my mouth.
“Be careful what you say, or you might be in the position of eating your own words,” Devlin said as he pulled out a blindfold.
“What exactly do you expect to do with that,” I said as he wrapped it around my eyes and I allowed it to happen.
“I think that if you’re going to see this place that you should be revealed to it in a special way. I know exactly where this is going to lead. You have that look in your eyes. I know and you know that what I did to you in the cab was not near enough to satisfy that desire welling up deep down and below,” He said while helping me up those stairs with his hand on my elbow for certain support.
“I watched Kenneth and he couldn’t keep his wild eyes off the road. I don’t know why, but I do trust him and I don’t think that I really consider him to be lecherous,” I said.
“This is a place that never goes out of style. You have that good girl quality with that little bit of spice mixed in there for good measure. This place suits you, Lucy. I’m sorry that I had to take you here under false pretenses. It was unavoidable and let’s just say that you really don’t want to come across the people that I wronged in some way,” Devlin said as we finally came to the
top of the stairs.
With a flourish, he undid the blindfold and let me see where we were going to be spending most of our time.
There was a thatched roof and mosquito netting over the large encompassing king size bed in the middle of the room. A small kitchen was off to the side and all of this was built within the trees. On one side, I could see an expanse of forest with the indigenous wildlife now looking at us as interlopers. On the other side, I could see the pristine Emerald waters and the beaches that were presently whispering to me to come closer.
“You don’t know how good it feels to finally forgive you. I can’t forget the things that you have done, but I don’t think that I would want to. This still feels like a dream. I have to thank you for making me see that I didn’t have to stay the same boring woman that I was. From the moment that we touched down on that island, I was terrified and you didn’t do anything to assuage my fears,” I said with my eyes taking in my surroundings.
“I’m just happy that you weren’t unabashedly balling your eyes out every day and every night for the last week. You could’ve locked yourself up in your room and barricaded it. There would’ve been nothing that I could do to stop you,” Devlin said as he undid the buttons on his shirt due to the sweltering heat from being this high up in altitude.
I could feel my clothes sticking to me and I was anxious to see what he had in mind for a shower around here.
“There is a full bathroom in the room over there. I don’t think that I can keep this to myself any longer. There’s also an outdoor shower down below that gets you in touch with nature in a hurry,” Devlin said while poking me in the ribs with one finger to encourage me to take it for a test drive.
The woman that I used to be was subdued and being held down with metaphorical chains around her wrists and ankles. She was struggling to break free, but the new me was determined to keep her hidden and away from prying eyes.
I wanted to believe that I had gotten rid of her, but I knew deep down that she could raise her head at any second. I didn’t want that and there had to be a way to finally leave her behind. I had no other choice but to accept the Lucy that was standing in front of Devlin.
“I don’t think that I could’ve taken that kind of risk in the good old days. I’m no longer feeling ashamed of my body and I don’t think that I have to hide it any longer. I do believe that I will take you up on that offer and maybe I can convince you to join me,” I said with an obvious invitation that I wanted him to take me up on.
“I don’t know about the rest of my boys, but I think that’s a great idea,” The man said standing with a gun in hand.
“How did you…” Devlin said while looking at these people like they were some kind of mirage.
“How did we find you, Devlin? That’s a bit foolish when you think about who you are asking that question of. Did you really think that you had the resources to get away from me? You really are full of yourself and maybe it’s about time somebody knocks you off that pedestal. I would like to give you the opportunity to give back what you were supposed to give me, but I don’t think that I’m really going to have to bother,” The man with the slick black hair said, as we both stood there and wondered how we were going to get out of this one.
Chapter 38
How could I possibly know that being with Devlin was going to cut to the quick? Was it all that surprising that he had people that were looking to hurt him? I’d known from the very beginning that he was not an easy man to get to know. He had his own way of doing things and be damned anybody that got in his way.
He had a quick temper and he used to enjoy playing with people’s hopes and dreams like a puppet on a string. I was constantly trying to keep up with him and there were times that I thought that I was going to drown. Devlin was the kind of guy that you just didn’t quite know what he was thinking from one moment to the next. He had me always second guessing myself.
We were both tied up to two chairs back to back. The man with the slick black hair was talking very quietly with his men. He was looking back at us like he had won some sort of prize at a carnival. He left us alone to wonder what was going to happen to us. I had thought that we had found a place that we could get to know each other better, but it turned out to be something of a red herring.
“Lucy, I want you to know that I didn’t mean to bring you into any of this. This is something that was part of my past. It was no more than six months ago, but that was at the apex of my depression. I was looking for that one thing that would always keep me exploring my own mind and my ability to manipulate others,” Devlin said as I felt his fingers entwine around mine with the ropes around our wrists.
“I don’t know what I’m feeling and I must be dreaming to be here with you, so close to death that it almost feels like somebody is breathing on the back of my neck. I don’t know why you’ve allowed the past to have that kind of power over you. I don’t know why it even surprises me anymore by the things that you get me into,” I said as my hands were chafing against the rope.
The man with the slick black hair came back over to us with his gun tapping against his forehead. It was obvious that he had come to some sort of decision and now he was letting us wait with bated breath to find out what it might be. His men were standing over to the side and allowing him to take control of the situation.
“I’ve been giving this a lot of thought, Devlin and I think that I owe you the opportunity to make this right. We both know that you probably sold the real artifact to someone for a whole lot more money than you did with me. You thought that you could bamboozle me and make me feel like a fool, but look where the other shoe is now,” He said while looking right at me and making me feel like he had more than just pure motives.
“I don’t think that there’s any reason to involve, Lucy. She has nothing to do with this and I wasn’t even with her at the time of this perceived betrayal. I know that I probably shouldn’t have screwed with you, but I really didn’t think that you were smart enough to figure it out,” He said with an almost comical snicker that wasn’t exactly met favorably by the man with the slick black hair.
“You’re the one that brought her into this by bringing her here with you. You could’ve easily left her at the estate and we probably wouldn’t have even bothered with her. By bringing her here, we know that she means something to you a lot more than Francesca ever could. You have to know by now that I’ve been keeping tabs on you. I’ve been watching and waiting and I thought that the time was right to strike,” He said while moving his fingers along my cheek. It made me cringe to his very touch.
His finger moved down into the cleavage of the blouse that I was wearing. It was a colorful garment that I had gotten from one of the locals. It was form fitting and had room to breathe, which of course this man was taking advantage of. He traced the brief glance that he got of my bosom. His finger felt foreign on my skin like somebody was touching me inappropriately.
“You and I both know that the money means absolutely nothing to me. It’s the artifact that keeps me coming back every time that you have something to sell me. I should have known that eventually you would pull the rug out from underneath me. I heard the rumors of how you do business and I’m not at all impressed,” He said while making us wait to find out exactly what he wanted from us.
“People like us should not have the happiness that others covet every day of their lives. We ruin the people that we come across. We look at these people around us and we feel nothing but contempt for the way that they live their lives in poverty and destitution. We think that they can do better and that if they were given the chances that we were given they would be able to flourish as productive members of society. What we don’t realize is that they don’t have much to begin with. They’re relatively happy. If you look at any one of these people, you’ll know from the expression on their faces that they do not suffer in the way that we have made them out to be,” Devlin said as he tried his best to wiggle free from his restraints.
We
were working together and I found this kind of partnership to be something that I would like to have seen from the moment that he offered his proposal. I could see the reason why he didn’t. He didn’t think that I was ready to step into his world with no regard for the consequences.
“The only thing that you have right in that statement is that I really don’t care about people in general. I’ve always been of the personal beliefs and experience that people have a tendency to let you down. I really thought that you were above that, Devlin. I really thought that we had something of a professional arrangement that was built on a sort of respect for each other and our accomplishments. I will say that you fooled me, but it only takes that one time to sour the milk,” The black-haired gentleman said as he stood there like he was the architect of our fate and destiny.
“We both know that what I did wasn’t right, Desmond. I should have thought of our friendship and what I would do if I were to go against it in this way. I will say that our continued involvement in each other’s lives has been a constant amusement. You may as well tell me what you want. I’m not foolish enough to think that you’re just going to let bygones be bygones,” Devlin said as he started the art of negotiation.
