by Layla Piper
Tahiti Passion
An Exotic Escape Short from
Layla Piper
Cover by James at GoOnWrite.com
Thanks, James!
My best friend Evie bounced up to my desk. “I have exciting news!”
I sighed. She was always trying to cheer me up. “What’s that?”
“You and I are going to Tahiti in two days! I just booked it!”
I sighed. “I’m not going to Tahiti in two days. I have to work, remember?”
“No, you don’t. You have a week off. We leave Friday night.”
I smiled a bit. She was always so stubborn. “You asked Mara for time off for both of us?”
“Actually, she suggested it. You’ve been a bear since the divorce, and we think you need a tropical vacation.”
“I’m not going to be any fun.”
She scowled. “You haven’t been any fun in a long time. What’s new? I’m still your friend and we’re still going. I already bought the tickets. And I got a room in an amazing resort.”
“Fine. I’m bringing a couple of romance novels.”
“Don’t you dare. You need real world romance. You have to get back out there. Really, you need to get some.”
She was probably right. Unfortunately for both of us, I’m as stubborn as she is. “We’ll see.”
We boarded the plane on Friday evening. After I stowed my bag, I sat down next to her and pulled a book out of my purse.
“You’ve got to be kidding. You really brought romance novels on our vacation?”
I grinned at her. “I’m not going to meet a man on the plane. Relax. You want one?” I pulled a second book out of my purse and handed it to her.
She looked disgruntled but settled in to read.
Once the plane finished boarding, I looked up at the flight attendant while he did his safety announcement. I was just about to look back down at my book when the man across the aisle from me waved, catching my attention. I looked over at him and he smiled at me. Dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes. Handsome was an understatement.
He said, “You going on vacation?”
I nodded. Men were not on my list of things to do this week, though, so I didn’t answer. I tried to give him a friendly smile, and then looked back down at my book.
Evie elbowed me and leaned forward to look at him. “Hi, I’m Evie. Don’t mind her. She’s been cranky ever since she got divorced. Her husband cheated on her.” Ignoring the outraged look I gave her, she continued. “Are you vacationing, too?”
“No, I’m headed home. I’m from the island.”
“Oh!” She sounded excited. “Maybe we’ll see you there! That would be so cool. Right, Jessie?” She elbowed me again, so I looked up obediently.
“That would be nice.” I smiled again, probably more of a grimace if I was honest, and looked back down at my book.
Evie growled at me and sat back in her seat. “You’re such a brat.”
I concentrated on my book. The last thing I needed was another real-life heartbreak. At least in the book there would be a happy ending.
When we got to the resort, I couldn’t believe the luxury. There was a gorgeous rocky pond in the check-in area. We had a huge two-bedroom suite with a beautiful view of the island. The infinity pool ran right up to the ocean. It was beautiful. We settled into our beds without even unpacking, and I faded off to sleep immediately.
The next morning Evie demanded I put on a bathing suit and head to the pool with her. Since she was paying for the vacation, I did as she asked. I took a towel to lay on in a beach bag, along with my novel. Once we got there I stretched out on a chaise lounge, covered in sunblock, with my book in hand.
A familiar voice came from behind. “Ah, hello again ladies. Evie and Jessie, right?”
I looked up at Evie. She looked much too pleased. I turned. The beautiful man from the plane stood behind me in a mostly buttoned up white shirt. Intricate black tattoos peeked out of the neck and sleeves of the shirt.
Evie squeaked, “You’re from the plane! I don’t believe we got your name last time because Jessie was being so rude.”
I rolled my eyes.
He grinned. “Lucien. Do you two need anything?”
I shook my head.
Evie said, “Tropical drinks with little umbrellas in them?”
Lucien burst out laughing. “Your wish is my command. You’re going to the bonfire tonight, right?”
“Yes!” Evie answered before I had time to refuse.
“Good. We’ll be doing one of our traditional dances. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
I looked at his muscular arms and chest. It might be good to look at. It never hurts to look, right? I smiled, for real this time. “We’ll be there.”
His eyes twinkled and he winked at me. “Maybe we’ll cheer you up, so you won’t be quite so cranky.”
A blush crept up my cheeks. I had been awfully rude to everyone these past months. “I’m sorry. I know I was kind of a bitch on the plane.”
He shrugged. “I get it. Sometimes we need to get away from it all after a divorce. You didn’t hurt my feelings. I’m gonna go get you that drink.”
I looked over at Evie, who was giving me an appraising look. “Don’t you go thinking you’re going to hook me up or anything. I’m not falling for anyone. Ever again.”
She sighed. “I’m not asking you to fall in love. Just give people a chance. Doug was a jerk. Everyone knows that. An egotistical jackass who couldn’t keep it in his pants. You didn’t deserve that. You deserve so much better.”
“I do.”
She shook her finger at me. “We don’t deserve the treatment we’ve been getting from you, either.”
That hit me hard enough that tears welled up in my eyes. “You’re right. I’ve been taking it out on everyone around me. Especially you.”
She hugged me. “It’s okay. You’re an awesome friend. I knew you’d get over it. We just had to get you out of that office and away from the reminders for a while. By the way, when we get back, that slut he was cheating on you with won’t be in the office anymore.”
That surprised me. “Why?”
“She found out he cheated on her, too, and attacked him in the office. She got arrested and when she gets back, she’s getting fired.”
“Holy cow! Did she hurt him?”
Evie smiled. “Black eye and a split lip.”
A giggle bubbled up out of me. “Damn.”
She shrugged. “He deserved it.”
Just then, Lucien walked back over to us. “Here are your drinks, ladies. Sex on the Beach, just like you wanted.”
Was it my imagination or did he look directly at me when he said that?
After he walked away, Evie said, “I think he likes you.”
I took a sip and grinned. “He’s got a nice ass.”
She clapped her hands. “There’s my old friend coming back. Drink up. We’re going to have some fun at a luau tonight.”
That day we wandered through the small town, stopping at small local shops and speaking to the islanders. We picked up lunch from a local shop. By supper time, I was ready to eat an entire feast by myself.
As we approached the gathering, I kept an eye out for the handsome Lucien. I didn’t see him, and I found myself slightly disappointed. We found a table and sat down, ready to enjoy the show.
The pork and traditional dishes were amazing, but the highlight began after dinner. As the sun went down, fires were lit and the dancers came out. One of the fire dancers looked familiar. Lucien.
The fire played over his skin, golden light highlighting and shadowing his muscles in turn. The tattoos danced in the light as well. It felt magical. Otherworldly. His eyes caught mine and held. I couldn’t look away.
Evie wh
ispered beside me, “It’s beautiful.”
I finally pulled my eyes away and looked at her. Her eyes were wide, but she wasn’t watching Lucien. She watched another man. His hair was longer than Lucien’s, but he was just as beautiful. As they danced and the fire whirled, we both lost ourselves in our own worlds.
Once the dance had ended, the dancers were mobbed by tourists. Evie and I watched them take selfies and laugh with their new fans. Slowly, the crowd thinned. Lucien grabbed Evie’s dancer by the arm and pulled him in our direction.
When he reached us, he laughed at the look on Evie’s face. Her mouth practically watered when she looked at his friend. “What did you think of the show?”
Evie’s mouth moved, but no sound came out.
I took pity on her. “You guys were amazing.” I grinned at my friend. “That’s what you meant to say, isn’t it?”
She shut her mouth and nodded, blushing.
Lucien motioned to the other dancer. “This is my friend Ari. Ari, this is Evie and Jessie.”
Evie reached out her hand, and Ari took it in his. “Nice to meet you, Evie.”
I looked at Lucien, pulling together my courage. “Can I buy you a drink?”
A wide grin split his face. “You can.”
Evie finally managed to speak. “Can I buy you one, Ari?”
He nodded. “I’d like that. Can we get dressed first, though?”
I looked at their nearly naked bodies. “That’d be a shame, but sure. We’ll meet you at the bar in an hour.” I had a thought. “Wait. We want selfies first.”
Lucien signaled another dancer who’d just walked away from a couple in Hawaiian shirts. “Hey, Teiva, take a photo for us, will you?”
The man approached and took my phone, then he stood back and snapped several photos while Lucien and Ari posed.
Lucien gave me a saucy wink before the two left. “See you in an hour.”
Evie grabbed me by the arm and dragged me toward our room. “You’ve got to help me pick out an outfit. Come on! We don’t have much time!”
I sighed dramatically and rolled my eyes.
She looked me up and down. “You’re not wearing that, are you?”
I looked at my shorts and pink top. I shrugged. “What’s wrong with it?”
She made a disgusted sound. “I know it’s been a long time since you dated, but damn girl. You’re so out of touch. Don’t worry about it. I brought enough cute clothes for both of us. Come on.” She dragged me to our room.
We spent the next half hour trying on dresses. Finally, she settled on a sundress that showed off her cleavage but still managed to make her look young and innocent. I decided on a shorter, tighter dress. My long legs looked great in it. Then we did our hair and refreshed our makeup before heading down to the bar.
Lucien’s eyes lit up when he saw me. He took my hand and led me to a table near the large windows. The ocean lapped at the beach outside, lit by lamps along the walkway. Leave it to a near stranger to be the most romantic date I’d ever had.
Evie looked happy, too, as she and Ari sat across from us. The four of us ordered drinks and made small talk for a few minutes before Lucien said, “So, you just got divorced?”
My heart dropped a bit. “Yes.” I thought about how worthless he’d made me feel. He’d slept with one of my coworkers. Maybe more than one. I’d been completely blind to it.
Lucien looked me in the eye. “No one should ever do something like that. You are worth so much more than that.
I shook my head.
Evie spoke up and began to tell the story I wished I could forget. The way she told it, though, made me think about it differently. She didn’t see it as my fault. There was no blame in her tone or words. When she finished the tale, I actually felt better about the whole thing. I’d gotten out of a bad relationship. Maybe I could try again. Maybe.
Lucien’s dark eyes looked into mine. “You were betrayed. One day you’ll find someone who won’t betray you. Someone worthy of the queen that you are.”
I blushed, needing to change the subject. “I’ll buy the next round.”
Evie asked Ari about himself. He told us about life on the island and his friendship with Lucien. Soon they were exchanging stories about their teen years and we were all in stitches with their antics. By the time the bar closed, I felt close to the two men. Like we’d been old friends for years.
Evie said, “Ari, would you like to come have some coffee in our room?”
Ari looked at me. “I don’t want to intrude.”
I looked at Lucien. “You can come too. If you want.”
Lucien grinned. “I’d like that.”
And just like that we were all headed to our hotel suite.
Almost before we’d finished the first cup of coffee, Evie had already invited Ari to “see” her bedroom. They disappeared behind the closed doors.
Lucien looked at me, grinning. “Can I see your room, too?”
I thought about it for a moment. What would it hurt? I wasn’t cheating on anyone. I had a new lease on life, and I might as well begin it by having sex with the most beautiful man I’d seen in ages. I nodded, blushing. “Sure. I’ll show it to you.”
I led him back into my bedroom, wondering what the heck I thought I was doing the entire time. What if he just wanted to see the bedroom? I looked around, noting the bag laying open, still packed. There were clothes laying on top of it. I walked over to clean it up but he caught my arm.
“Jessie?”
I turned to look up at him.
He smiled kindly. “Don’t worry about that. Don’t worry about anything. I think you’ve been very tense.”
I shrugged, nodding.
“Come. Come with me. I’ve got an idea.” He took me by the hand and led me out of the bedroom.
At first, I was disappointed. I’d been looking forward to seeing the man naked, after all. But he led me out of our room and through the hotel to the spa. It was closed for the night. He fished into his pocket and pulled out a key. “You could use a massage. And fortunately for you, I happen to be very good at giving massages.”
“How did you have a key?”
He shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “I own the resort. Well, not just me. My family. I’m the manager of the bar and the spa and am in charge of events. My parents manage the hotel portion.” He locked the door behind us and turned on a light.
My mouth dropped open. I don’t know what I’d been thinking. He’d gone to get us a drink that first day at Evie’s request. That was embarrassing. We’d asked the owner of the resort to fetch us a drink. “I’m sorry.”
He burst out with a chuckle. “What?”
“Oh!” I slapped my forehead. “I meant that we had you fetch us a drink like a cabana boy or something. Yesterday.”
He took my hand and led me into a private massage room. “Don’t worry about it. I asked you what you wanted, remember?”
I nodded and he closed the door behind us. “Now, how about I help you get undressed?”
When I was naked, he took off his shirt. I lay down, face down, on the massage table, putting my face through the pillow. He stood beside my head. “I like vanilla. Do you object to that?”
I lifted my head. He was looking at the massage oils. “Vanilla sounds good.”
He picked up the bottle and said, “Make yourself comfortable.”
I put my head back into the pillow.
First, he swept my hair up off of my back and neck, securing it with a claw clip. Then a cool drizzle of oil trailed down my back. As his hands began to rub the slick oil over my back, I shivered. It had been a while, and his hands felt wonderful wandering over my back. Soon he brought them back to my neck, working out the tension in the muscles of my neck and shoulders.
More oil drizzled and he worked his way slowly down my spine. He’d been right. I felt my muscles slowly relaxing. Next he worked my arms, one at a time. Then he moved to my legs.
As he wrapped his hands around my leg, working the
oil into first one and then the other, he began to speak. “When I saw you on the plane, I was drawn to you. You have a spirit about you. Something warm and inviting. I knew that cuddling up to you would be cuddling up to a fire on a cold night. If I wasn’t careful, I could get burned, but the beauty and the heat would be worth it.”
He moved to my feet. I loved having my feet rubbed, and he seemed to know just the right places to press. He continued to speak and moved to my back again, working the lower back before rubbing oil onto my ass cheeks. “You shine even brighter now. Uncovered.” He dribbled oil down into the crack of my ass and over my thighs. Then he followed with his fingers, caressing gently. “I think you’re like the sunset on the beach and the fire in the torches as well.” He parted my legs slightly, rubbing the oil so near to my center that I could feel the moisture pooling there.
“Roll over.”
I rolled obediently onto my back and he took the clip out so that I could lay my head back. I closed my eyes, reveling in the feeling of the oil dribbling over the hollow of my neck.
He stood at my head and bent to speak close to my ear. “You’re independent and strong.” His hands rubbed gently around my neck before kneading my shoulders. “You’re beautiful and intelligent, too.”
He moved again to the side of the bed and dribbled cool oil over my hardening nipples.
A low ache was beginning in my pussy. I shifted, moaning a little.
His hands roamed over my breasts, gently pinching and pulling at my nipples. “You’re too good to be real.” He slid one hand lower, rubbing the slippery oil over my belly and slipping a finger into my belly button before sliding lower. He put pressure on my pubic bone. His fingers dipped further. As he slipped a slick finger into my pussy, he pinched the nipple in his hand at the same time.
My entire body trembled, my clit pulsed, and I gasped.
Again, he pinched, this time sliding his slippery finger in a tight circle around my clit.
“Oh my God.” I opened my eyes.
His eyes roamed over my body. “I want to please you, Jessie. I want to make you cum.”
“Keep it up and you won’t have any trouble doing that.”
He grinned at me. “Good.” He released my nipple and pussy and moved to the foot of the table. He parted my legs and climbed up onto it, settling himself with a leg on either side and pulling my legs onto his. He scooted close to me, so I wrapped my legs around his waist. He looked to my pussy and licked his lips. Then he leaned out and grabbed the oil sitting on the table beside the bed.
