by Anna Collins
Chapter 7
I watched him carefully and relived every moment in my mind like a movie playing in my head. I had to put an ice cube under my dress to soothe the friction burn of our thighs rubbing together. It felt good, but not as good as the way he had turned my body inside out. His focus was not necessarily on his pleasure, and this was a two-way street; it was a little confusing for me. It was always about the man. I was starting to learn it shouldn’t be like that. It should always be a reciprocation of pleasure. I needed Casper to come into my life to show me what I had been doing was wrong in my love life.
It was 2:00 PM and a man of his word, he stopped everything he was doing. He came to me, gave me a kiss on the lips and held me close. “I’ll be back tomorrow, unless of course you ‘need’ me before then,” He said with emphasis on the word need, making my whole body crave to have him one more time.
“Give me 3 hours and then come back and take me to town. You’ve been here long enough to know some great spots to eat and what food is going to dance on our palate. If you play your cards right, you could be on the receiving end of one of the best blowjobs of your life. I might need a refresher course and some guidance, but I don’t think there is anything you can’t give me,” I said with him slapping my ass, making me jump in place from his overanxious display of affection.
“I know a few places. I think I’ll take you to a hidden hot spot not many people know about. It’s actually not a restaurant. It’s a family; they have me come over for dinner every so often. I can’t say no and I think they would get a real kick out of me bringing a woman along I care about,” He said not fully realizing the strength of his words and the way he had just admitted I was more to him than a flight of fancy.
“I figured as much, but I’m not sure it’s appropriate for us to crash somebody’s dinner. I’ll leave it in your hands. I have some work to do and to say I have been given inspiration would be a great understatement. I thought paradise meant some quiet contemplation, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Add a handsome and rugged man, and it becomes something more. If you’re lucky, I might even cook for you, but not until I get better acquainted with Balinese culture. I have a few ideas, but I want to perfect them before I make you my guinea pig,” I said as he lifted me into the air like I weighed nothing at all.
“Even paradise needs some extra little touch to bring out the true meaning of the word. You have done that for me. I’m hesitant to keep this going, but I don’t think I can let you go easily. My soon to be ex-wife has always wanted me to take things up a notch in the bedroom. I grew up with a father who was a Reverend. He was always touting fire and brimstone from an early age. My mother would wash my mouth out with soap whenever I took matters into my own hands. She called what I did dirty and said no woman would ever want to be with me. My ex-wife Judith was the one to introduce me to what my mother considered taboo. I think if I allowed her, she would have had me doing all sorts of interesting things. If I were more open, she wouldn’t think of stepping out on me with young enough men to be her sons,” He said revealing his age, making me look at him as if he was the fountain of youth.
“You certainly don’t look like you are in your forties. You have a fresh complexion; maybe being in paradise really does agree with you. I thought you might be in your early thirties. I almost feel like you’re robbing the cradle, but I’m old enough to know better. It takes two to tango,” I said, not wanting him to leave but needing him to give me my personal space.
“I take good care of myself; I eat right and make sure I don’t do anything to jeopardize my health. It was all working out exactly as I intended, but then the bottom fell out. My wife showed no more interest in me than a casual glance at breakfast. Sex was restricted to birthdays and holidays; it was very unfulfilling. Our sex life was nothing like what I have with you. There was one time I gave her an inch, and she took things a little bit too far by bringing in another man. We got into a terrible fight and instead of pleasure, we found ourselves in the emergency room talking to the police and leaving out pertinent details of the reason why we had gotten into it in the first place,” He said giving me small tidbits of information I was trying to put into perspective.
“You really do need to go now. If you don’t, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to jump on you and pull you into the bedroom for a couple of hours. We have time for that. I made a plan, and I’m going to stick to it,” I said trying to push him, but finding it was like trying to move a rock.
“I will go, but on the condition that you let me read the first chapter,” He said as I looked at him with confusion. I had not mentioned I was there to write something.
“How did you…?” I said as he cut me off with that same passionate kiss he had delivered earlier.
“You’re not the only one fishing for details. I was talking to Joseph, and he mentioned something about you getting away from it all. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that until you slipped saying the exact same thing, adding you found inspiration. Either you were writing or painting. I don’t see any paints or an easel. I do hope it’s a steamy romance; with the main male character to be a rugged older man who has a way of bringing out the woman in you. Or should I say the main female character of the story,” He said as I looked at him with fierce determination and giving him reason to walk away before I showed him the animal underneath.
“You say you don’t want people to know your business, but you are sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Nevertheless, there’s no way I can stay mad at you, so take that sweet ass out of my sight. Before I use the flag between your legs to mark my territory,” I said knowing I shouldn’t have said anything; I was only tempting him to carry me back into the back bedroom.
“I hope you get a lot of work done, but I don’t see how you can with my face and my body running through your mind. It could be exactly what you need, and personal experience is really the only way you can convey those feelings to others,” He said as he went back to his jeep.
He stayed there for quite some time with the engine running and maybe he had too much of me to think straight. I knew I had too much of him and I was waiting on pins and needles until the moment he would come back and show me his smiling face. After dinner, I was going to be a woman of my word, but what he didn’t understand was that I had a few tricks. The one thing any boyfriend would tell you is I enjoyed going down more than anything. I just didn’t want them to be awake at the time; I liked the freedom to explore and not have to worry about them trying to take control away from me.
To get my mind off of Casper, I went in, grabbed my fully charged laptop and took it down to the beach. I could not get over the feeling of being here compared to the overwhelming crushing depression I felt when I was working in Las Vegas. It was supposed to be a place where dreams come true, but mostly it was where dreams die.
I took a page from my own life, making the main character a woman tired of living a mundane existence. She was a woman who had a husband unable to give her the respect she deserved. She had the same character traits I did. It was a man on the white horse at the stable who gave her those butterflies. He would come to her with the sweetest smile and a strong, firm hand. They would strike up a conversation with sparks all around them.
I had the first three chapters completed when I saw a looming shadow behind me. I lifted my face from the keyboard and saw Casper standing there with his arms crossed. He was smiling. I looked down at the time on my computer to see 3 hours had gone by just like that. It didn’t feel like work; the words flowed through my fingertips like they were an extension of my mind.
“I tried calling you from the deck, but you didn’t hear me. I thought you would only have one chapter down, but it appears you already have three. It’s getting late, but I would really like to have the first right of perusal. I’m sure you can take constructive criticism. It’s obvious from the first few lines I see, looking over your shoulder; you have a real knack for making a story come to life. I’ve arranged f
or dinner, and they are quite anxious to meet you. They thought I was joking. They want to see you’re not a figment of my imagination. We don’t have to be there for another hour, so that should give me plenty of time to give those first three chapters the once-over,” He said stretching out his hand to help me to my feet.
“I don’t know why I’m so nervous for you to see what I have written. I think it’s some of the best stuff I’ve ever done. I see now what they were talking about when they said you need to live a little before you are able to write about it. Let’s go back up to the deck. I promise to give you a bit of space so you can read in private,” I said thinking I was probably going to find myself walking around him while wringing my hands, looking to see what his reaction to the dialogue would be.
He wasn’t saying anything, and I noticed he had some scars on his back and shoulders. I would’ve thought after being intimate I would have noticed something like that. But, it did not capture my attention. I was close to touching each one and finding if he would twitch or cringe when I made contact with that sensitive piece of skin. It was a miracle I didn’t scratch down his back. Otherwise, I might have caused him too much pain to endure.
“I feel like you are stalling on purpose. I’m not sure why; it could be because you want to let me twist in the wind. You can’t possibly be getting some crazy thrill out of making me wait. Then again, I really don’t know you or how that devious little mind of yours works.” I said while staring at his back, trying not to be too obvious about it.
With an exasperated sigh, he finally put down the three chapters I had just completed. He turned to face me, making me jump back from the surprise of his sudden maneuver.
“I had a feeling I was going to like it. Those first few paragraphs really did set the tone for the climactic buildup. It’s very subtle, and it keeps you wanting to read more. I’m not usually one to read the romantic material, but I might just change my mind for you. The words just jump off the page, and the characters seem real. I want to see what is going to happen next. I haven’t seen any of your other work, but I would assume this one is better than the rest of them. I would have to think I have something to do with that. I’m sure I can make myself available to give you a more in-depth research tool,” He said as he got up and let me bask in his praise.
Chapter 8
I was as excited as a schoolgirl, and I couldn’t keep myself from smiling the entire time he was driving me to this house. I didn’t know what to expect. According to what he had said earlier, this was not a restaurant. It was a family willing to adopt him. They apparently found him fascinating and wanted to pick his brain about his culture. I had forgotten the locals would consider us foreigners here.
“The one thing I have to warn you about is that the man of the house is pretty strict. I’m not sure, but I don’t think he actually accepts I have been invited to dinner from time to time. I know I’m not welcome, but the wife doesn’t feel the same way. Usually, I wouldn’t go anywhere where there is tension in the air, but the food is just too damn hard to resist,” He said while awkwardly looking at me from where he was sitting as if he was trying to gauge how he was supposed to proceed after making me scream like a banshee.
“There’s no reason why we have to dance around the elephant in the room. I enjoyed myself and what we did gave me the inspiration to put it down on paper. You mentioned you would be available for more research and I’m going to reluctantly, take you up on your offer. I want this thing we have between us to be unpredictable. I don’t want the same boring overtures like flowers and chocolate. You have to think outside the box and surprise me with not only little gifts of your admiration but also different locales where we can show each other the way we feel.” I said knowing if I was going to do this, it was going to have to be something spectacular and not the run-of-the-mill island romance.
“I think I can come up with a few ideas. I would say you’re going to make me work for it. If you weren’t worth it, I wouldn’t even bother, but I can’t seem to get you out of my head. Working near you for the next week is going to be like setting a match on gasoline. I have no idea how we’re going to stay away from each other without bursting into flames,” Casper said as his words betrayed the seriousness of what had transpired on those forgotten paths.
He obviously didn’t want me to worry and hadn’t mentioned the incident. I wasn’t sure how to bring it up in casual conversation. That land rover should not have been anywhere near those paths. Something was hanging in the air, a hidden truth he had yet to reveal in its entirety.
“You have work to do, and I have work to do, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make it more exciting by taking our physical relationship a bit further. I’ve hidden from the real world long enough. It’s time for me to eke out a little bit of happiness for myself. I don’t know how I’m going to get this manuscript published. I need somebody to give it their undivided attention without pushing it aside like other manuscripts have come in unsolicited,” I said not really understanding why I was even mentioning it. It wasn’t like he was going to be able to do anything about it.
“I have been giving it some thought, and I might have a friend of a friend who might be able to expedite things for you. That’s only on the condition that they like what they read. I don’t see it being much of a problem. I don’t usually find myself drawn to the pages of those books with men with their shirts off and the wind blowing in the breeze,” He said apparently referring to Harlequin romances. I was trying to break into that genre.
“I really don’t need you to promise me something you can’t deliver. We have a good thing going here and I don’t want to ruin it. I certainly don’t want to get my hopes up. I have had them dashed several times already. Each rejection is like a cold hard slap in the face or maybe more like a deep knife in the chest. I love what I do, and I only want to share it with the world. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be paid quite generously, but my primary objective is to give those people trying to escape from their lives something to live vicariously through,” I said as we came to a stop on a dead-end street.
There was an iron rod gate across the driveway, and he literally had to announce his presence by ringing the intercom. That was not how most of these locals lived; they probably were better off than most. I heard water in the distance and from my vantage point; I could tell this home was built to stand up to any natural disaster. It was made of white stone and had the craftsmanship of someone who took pride in his work. It must’ve been a meticulous task.
“I failed to mention that the family is loaded. I don’t really know what he does for a living, but I seem to recall him saying something about import and export. I feel right at home here. I’m sure anybody living on the island would love to be in my shoes at this moment,” He said as he had a brief static-filled conversation with somebody on the other end of the intercom.
This was not what I expected. I thought we were going to be greeted with a neighborhood feel, but this was restricted and had the makings of somebody paranoid enough to sequester himself and his family to solitude.
“I really don’t know what to say. It bothers me you kept this to yourself. I’m afraid of what other secrets you might have. Do I have anything to worry about or is my radar completely screwed up?” I asked him, but received only silence as a response.
“I can’t believe, not even for a second, you would want to know everything without any kind of mystery. When I feel more comfortable talking to you, then I’ll be more than happy to reveal my life story. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the way it is. There are too many people who know my business as it is. I’ve been careful, but sometimes I have a tendency to have a slip of the tongue when I drink too much,” Casper said as the gate swung open. We drove down a driveway long enough to take months for someone to complete by hand.
The intricate pattern of the stones was unlike any design I had seen on the island. There was something unique about this. It was as if it was full of sno
wflakes, but no two were the same. The house was hidden underneath the trees, and you wouldn’t see it unless you were invited or standing on the road. Even those from the sky would only get a brief passing glance and not the full scope of how this place took on a life of its own.
“I thought I was ready for this, but maybe I’ve only been deluding myself. For you to feel at home here of all places, it makes me believe you come from money. The finer things in life are not easy to obtain around here. It doesn’t look like they have a need for anything. I have to wonder why the locals haven’t taken exception to them acting all high and mighty,” I said while fishing for more information about the mystery man who had made my body sing to the caress of his hands and the very proficient weapon he had between his legs.
“All I ask is that you be open to the possibilities. What you see of me is only scratching the surface. If you are so scared of what you will find, then it might be better to use this time to reevaluate our relationship. I’m not even sure I can call it a relationship. I know I don’t want to be without you. For the first time in my life, I find myself drawn to another woman other than my wife. Of course, I look at other girls, and there’s no harm in that. I just never had any interest in doing anything, except for bringing about some fantasies in the bedroom,” He said as we stepped out of the jeep and were greeted by the double door swinging open.
