by Margaret Kay
Lambchop rejoined the group after lunch. They were all at the beach. Michaela stood atop the paddleboard. She and Kaylee appeared to have mastered it. He was disappointed that he hadn’t been able to be a part of it and there to cheer her on. Mother and Annaka were in a two-person kayak. He retook his seat beneath the umbrella just as Sloan pulled himself from the water and approached.
“Hey, we wondered where you’ve been,” Sloan greeted him. “We just ordered lunch.”
“I already ate,” Lambchop said. “There was food out at the restaurant by the pool. Looked good, so I had a quick bite.”
“Is everything okay?” Sloan asked, getting Sherman’s attention, who sat nearby. Brielle too was in the water.
“Yeah, why do you ask?”
“Michaela confided in Brielle that something happened between you two, had words?” Sherman piped up.
“No, it’s fine,” Lambchop said. “Did she tell Brielle what it was about?”
Sloan and Sherman exchanged glances laced with smiles.
“Fuck, yeah, I guess she did,” Lambchop moaned.
“She feels foolish, knows she overreacted. Cut her a break,” Sloan urged him.
“Good to know. Thanks.”
When Michaela returned to the lounge chairs, Lambchop acted like nothing had happened. He treated her the same as he always did. He complimented her on mastering the paddleboard. The entire group had dinner reservations at one of the on-property restaurants for nineteen hundred. The following evening would be a traditional luau that the entire group would attend. Perhaps the night after that he could have dinner with Nevaeh. He was looking forward to having drinks with her before dinner.
As the group dispersed, each of them heading back to their own rooms later that afternoon, Michaela stopped him. “I am really sorry about what happened earlier.”
“Me too. Are we okay? Our friendship means a lot to me.”
“Me too,” she swore. “I can forget about it if you can.”
“Done,” he assured her with a small smile. “I’ll see you at dinner.” He walked back towards his room.
Lambchop approached the sports bar. He was dressed in khaki dress pants and a crisp white button-down shirt. It worked well for this date and for the formal steakhouse where the group would eat dinner that evening. Nevaeh greeted him as he entered. She wore a dress that hugged her every curve. Her hotel name tag was pinned near one of the spaghetti straps that held the plunging neckline up.
“Hello. You look lovely,” he said.
She took hold of both his hands. “You look very nice this evening as well. Do you have dinner plans?” She knew there were no reservations under his name for any of the restaurants on the property.
“Yes, I am meeting a few colleagues later for dinner.” He didn’t elaborate. She seemed to think he was traveling alone. He’d let that misconception remain with her for the time being.
“Very good,” she said. She motioned him deeper within the establishment. “I have a table for us back this way.”
He followed her in. The table was tucked into a private corner, behind plants and a television monitor. They sat beside each other. The television displayed six different screens in one. On it were several horse races, three basketball games, and a poker tournament.
“Wow, that’s pretty slick,” he remarked.
“If you’re of a mind to, you can place bets from here,” she said, motioning to the computer embedded in the table.
“I will pass, thank you. I don’t wager on anything I am not in direct control of.”
“You strike me as a man who plays cards.”
Lambchop smiled. “A few friends and I have been known to play some poker.”
Oh, he was coy, she thought. Didn’t want to advertise that he was a gambler. She would never mention Martin by name to one of his players. If this guy didn’t figure out that Martin had sent her, he soon would.
The server came, and they ordered drinks. She noted that he only ordered a beer. Hum. He wanted to keep his faculties. She wondered if the associates he was meeting later meant that he had already lined up another game. Martin had not told her he needed her to deal that evening, yet. He was known for last minute demands though. Usually, Martin gave her a day or two to cozy up to a whale before the big game.
“To new friendships,” Lambchop said, holding his beer up to her.
She tapped her wine glass to his beer bottle. “I look forward to getting to know you better, Landon.”
They talked for nearly two hours. The conversation flowed effortlessly. He dodged the question of what he did for a living by citing he was in the personal security industry. He found her to be a warm and interesting person. She’d traveled quite a bit and had stories of tourist destinations all over the world. His weapon was holstered on his ankle. He didn’t expect for her to wrap her arms around him, but he didn’t want his gun to be inadvertently bumped or felt by her.
She noticed that he checked his wristwatch a few times. He had a specific time he had to depart for dinner. The other thing she noticed was that he wore his watch with the face on the underside of his wrist. After his eyes flickered to view the time, she took hold of his hand and flipped his hand palm up. “That is an unusual way to wear a watch,” she said, her fingers caressing his hand as she spoke.
Lambchop’s dick instantly hardened by how Nevaeh fingered his hand. “Yes, I suppose so,” he said. He didn’t elaborate. Her skin was soft. She leaned towards him. He smelled the floral scent of her perfume.
“You intrigue me, Landon Johnson,” she whispered. “In my position, I meet a lot of people. Few men pique my interest as you have. I know you have to go soon, to meet your colleagues for dinner, but I sure would like to plan another time for us to continue to get to know each other.”
He gazed into her eyes and his heart swelled. “I’d like that very much.” He realized they still held hands. He gave her hand a squeeze and then brought her fingertips to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles.
She grinned a flirty expression. A sensation of desire skittered through her. She tingled in places she hadn’t felt a sexual thrill in years. No, this assignment from Martin would not be unpleasant at all. “Are you tied up all evening? I’d like to continue where we left off later if you’re available.”
“I can be,” he said. “Is eleven too late?”
She smiled again. “No, that is perfect. Please tell me if I’m being presumptuous, but I’d like privacy to continue our discussion. I am a hotel employee and do need to project a certain level of discretion. Could we have a nightcap in your suite?”
“I would not want to risk you getting in any trouble by spending time with me.”
“I would not. But as I said, discretion is key. I really like talking with you. You seem to be a good man. There aren’t many like you out there.”
Lambchop nodded. “Sure, my room it is.”
“Would it be alright with you if I let myself in if you are not back yet when I arrive? I wouldn’t want to be standing out in front of your room door for any length of time.” Never mind that it was very private, which was the point of moving him there to begin with.
“Sure,” Lambchop agreed.
He was aware of the smile that curved his lips as he walked through the resort towards the steak house, where their dinner reservations were made. Kaylee had taken care of everything. He was the last to arrive. He took his chair, beside Michaela. It was a three-hour long dinner. Even though they had agreed to disregard the incident in the water, things still felt uncomfortable between Michaela and him. It made him sad. He prayed tomorrow it would be like it was. He hadn’t been lying. The friendship they had was important to him.
After dinner, Michaela excused herself, citing that she was tired and wanted to make it an early night. The two newlywed couples went off on their own as well. Lambchop was left standing outside of the restaurant with Mother and Annaka watching Michaela’s back as she left. He wished he had a way to get a hold
of Nevaeh to see if she was available earlier. He had an hour to kill before he would meet her.
“Do you want to grab a drink?” Mother asked.
“Sure,” Lambchop agreed. He wasn’t ready to be alone to stew on the state of his friendship with Michaela.
Annaka took that moment to use the restroom. She’d meet them in the bar near the pool.
“You don’t need to hang out with me if you’d rather be alone with Annaka,” Lambchop said as the two made their way towards the same outside bar they had enjoyed the previous evening.
Mother snickered. “You can only spend so much time in bed.”
Lambchop laughed. He wouldn’t know. “Or a romantic walk on the beach or through the gardens, or just sitting on your balcony listening to the waves and relaxing.”
“So, are you going to tell me what the fuck happened with Michaela today?”
Lambchop groaned. He was not one to talk about his personal life, even with Mother, who was his best friend. “It wasn’t that big of a deal and even Michaela says she overreacted. I’m sure tomorrow everything will be fine. But she again made it very clear we are just friends, and that is how it will remain.”
“Damn,” Mother winced.
“I met a woman though, had drinks with her before dinner.”
Mother chuckled as they approached the bar. “So, what are you, the new Birdman in training?”
Lambchop chuckled. Sherman had a reputation of being quite the player before he met Brielle. “Not even close. Her name is Nevaeh, and she works as a concierge here at the resort. She’s very interesting, has traveled a lot. I enjoyed spending time with her.”
“So, just like that you’re going to move on?”
They ordered their drinks and sat at one of the tables. “There is nothing to move on from. Michaela is what she’s always been, just a friend. But I’ve given myself permission to be open to other possibilities. That’s all.” He was glad he shared this with Mother.
Lambchop opened his room door at exactly five minutes till eleven. Nevaeh sat on the couch. She had a bottle of scotch on the table and two glasses.
“Hello,” she said, rising and crossing the room. She gave him a brief embrace and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I hope you don’t mind I took the liberty of choosing a beverage for us.”
“No, not at all,” he said, taken somewhat by surprise.
“Look, Landon, I don’t play games. I believe in being direct and believe that telling people what I want is the best policy. Life is just way too short to not be up front. I like you. I’m attracted to you and I want to get to know you better.”
He gazed at this honest beauty before him. He respected her approach. He felt the smile spread on his face.
“Plus, you are only here for a short time. A few days of coy flirting and deprivation serves no one’s interests.” She laid her hands onto his solid chest.
Lambchop’s skin tingled beneath her touch. His dick came to life. This woman ignited a passion in him that he’d kept buried for a long time. If he were being honest, he had that desire for Michaela, but she’d made it abundantly clear that they would never share that type of relationship.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close. “I like the way you think.”
Their lips met, and a fire engulfed every fiber of his being. As her hand caressed down his chest, her touch elicited a primal response within him. By the time her hand cupped his erection, he was already out of his mind. He didn’t even recognize the sound of the moan his throat emitted.
She stepped back and drew him by the hand over to the table where the poured drinks sat. She dipped her fingers into the glass and then sucked them dry between her lips. She repeated it, this time feeding her fingers into his mouth. He caressed her fingers with his tongue and sucked them erotically.
He watched as her eyes rolled back in her head. “You make my knees weak,” she moaned. “You sure know what to do with your tongue.” She took his hand and fed his index finger into her mouth. She licked, sucked and bit down on it with a crushing force. Her eyes led his to the tented front of his pants. She smiled an erotic smile behind his hand, his finger still held in her mouth.
Lambchop’s thoughts were overloaded. What she did to his finger in her mouth made his cock throb. He hadn’t had a blowjob or made love to a woman in longer than he could remember. Through the thin fabric of her dress, he saw her peaked nipples. Her eyes were dilated with desire. He was sure his were as well. He pulled his fingers from her mouth and then captured her lips. His tongue explored every centimeter of the warm, wet space that tasted of scotch.
He was barely aware of her hands unbuttoning his shirt until her hot fingertips raked over the flesh of his chest and shoulders. Her pelvis was flush against his. He appreciated her long legs that aligned their body parts so perfectly. He allowed himself to fully enjoy every sensation. It wasn’t until she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants that he pulled himself from the blissful fog in his brain.
He gently stopped her hands and stepped back. He motioned to the couch. “Let’s have that drink and get to know each other better.”
Nevaeh gazed at him with uncertainty. No man had ever stopped her advances when she was freeing his cock from his pants. She knew he had been getting into it. His eyes were still dilated, molten dark brown pools of lust. She wondered what was up with him, in addition to his cock.
She lifted her glass and held it up to him as he joined her, sitting beside her on the couch. “I do look forward to getting to know you better.”
He tapped her glass with his. “Me too.”
She watched him drink. “Did you have a nice dinner with your colleagues?” If it had been a card game, it had been a fast one. Perhaps he had another person such as Martin on the island setting up another game for him that he had touched bases with. Or maybe he had a money man who would front him the cash for the game that he had to meet with before it.
“I did, thank you,” he replied. “We ate at the steakhouse here at the resort. It was excellent.”
“Yes, the selection of the cuts of meat and the chefs at the steakhouse are top notch,” she agreed. “You will have to try the Italian restaurant during your stay as well. It is very authentic.”
“I have plans tomorrow night, but maybe you can join me at the Italian restaurant the following evening.”
“I’d like that.” She smiled and then sat her glass down.
She leaned in and kissed him again, savoring the softness yet strength of his return kiss. She glided her hands over his muscular, bare chest. She had to remind herself that he was an assignment, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the time with him. She let him press her to a reclined position as he trailed kisses down her neck. Her hands greedily took in the feel of his heated flesh.
Lambchop was lost in the incredible sensations he enjoyed as he kissed and caressed Nevaeh. His wandering hand confirmed that she wore no bra beneath the thin fabric of her sundress. Her skin was silky soft to the touch as was her hair. He couldn’t get enough of her.
A vibration from the coffee table broke through the lust. “That’s my phone,” she said. “I have to get that.”
He reluctantly pulled himself from atop her. She rolled up and grabbed her little black purse. He watched her frown as she viewed the caller display. Then she stood and paced over near the door.
Distress filled her as she pressed accept on her phone. “Hello,” she said in as even of a tone as she could force. It was of course, Martin.
“I need you to deal. I finally got a game put together, though my one guest isn’t returning my calls.”
Her eyes flickered to Landon. She wondered what that was about. What kind of game was he playing? She’d vaguely offered a card game to him a couple of times, something any other whale would jump on. Was he playing multiple organizers? If so, he didn’t know how dangerous Martin could be.
“Of course,” she agreed. “Just tell me when and where.”
“Now,
main tower, room three-seventeen.”
Dread and frustration slammed into her. She’d been enjoying her time with Landon. She felt things from his touch that she hadn’t felt in years. He was attractive and seemed to have a kind heart. She’d even wondered if he could help her. “Of course. I’m on my way.” She disconnected the call and turned back to face him. He of course, had heard her end of the conversation. “I’m very sorry, but duty calls. VIPs are given twenty-four-hour concierge service, though I rarely get called after eleven.”
Though he felt disappointed, he understood. “Of course. It was nice to spend this time with you.” He stepped into her and his lips brushed over hers. “I look forward to the next time I can see you.”
