by Bobbi Romans
Damn, busted gawking.
“Ladies and gentleman, please be seated, and we will begin serving.”
Heads turned as the Marquis entered the hut and joined them. He too was bare-chested, and adorning each of his flat brown nipples was a small golden hoop. Everything about him seemed so wild and raw.
Khara, who’d gone to his side the moment he entered, silently linked arms with him.
Behind them another man slunk in, trying to be inconspicuous, no doubt over his tardiness. He sported a short black military cut as sharp as the abs running his belly. He too only wore swim trunks, which by definition counted as clothing but by skin tightness left little to the imagination. He damn well caught P.J.’s attention and winked while nodding his head in invitation to join him, which she readily accepted.
The slight brush of warm fingers across Heather’s night-chilled skin had her turn to become nose-to-nose with the Marquis. She hadn’t noticed before, but like Mick, he had green eyes. Where Mick’s were vibrant and sparkling, the Marquis’s were deep, darker, and far more intense. Closer to jade then the emerald of Mick’s.
“May I accompany you to your seat?” His voice was deep and utterly sexy. He was a man who no one doubted had been there, done that, and mastered it.
Like the chicken shit she was, all she managed to do was nod. And when his hand gentled across her elbow, sparks shot through her system. He seated her next to himself and across from J.D. and the near-naked chick hanging over him.
The girl leveled her gaze from J.D. to the Marquis as she purposely leaned over far enough her tits nearly spilled from the teeny triangles covering them. J.D. didn’t seem to mind the loss of affection as she did her best to gain the Marquis’s sole attention.
Wouldn’t ya know, her introductions proved her name to be none other, than Candy.
Uh, barf.
Soon more half-dressed, oddly silent Inhibition-X employees arrived bearing one decadent dish after another. The booze was ever-flowing, and she hadn’t a clue what she was drinking, only that it was frosted, fruity, and oh so heavenly.
Before she realized what she’d done, she’d bypassed her limit by, oh, two or three drinks. She wasn’t drunk but was more than buzzed and floated happily somewhere between the two.
“So tell me, what brought you to our lovely island?” The Marquis’s gaze captured hers, and her nipples beaded on contact.
Chapter Eight
“Oh, I won a contest,” she answered lamely.
“Is that the only reason?”
Before she could answer a high-pitched, drunken laugh broke the moment. Candy was well past intoxicated and now pawed all over Morgan, while J.D. seemed content in his conversation with the woman who’d been chatting with Morgan earlier. Movement from the corner of her eye caused her to catch P.J. and the dark-haired gentleman leave. Part of her worried for her friend, and the other part reminded her they’d come to get wild. She’d caught the hurt in P.J.’s expression toward Morgan, before she smiled brightly to the dark-haired man.
“Do not worry for your friend. The island has never held an unhappy visitor yet,” the Marquis promised.
“You just opened,” she reminded him.
“Touché. But in this short time, we’ve only created happy visitors.” His smile eased and warmed her all at once.
She’d almost call the night perfect, but witnessing the foreplay between Morgan and Candy began to sour her mood. As if sensing her emotional shift, the Marquis suggested a moonlit stroll.
She allowed the Marquis to assist her to her feet. The night air would do her good, as her legs wobbled a bit beneath her.
“What brought you to work here?”
“I am the founder,” he stated proudly.
“Wow. I’m impressed. What prompted you to create the, uh, theme of the island?”
“Let us just say, life is short and should be lived to its fullest.”
She thought she caught a flicker of sadness cross his face, but between the dark of the torch-lit path and stumbling upon P.J. playing tonsil tag with her new friend, she didn’t get a chance to think more about the moment.
P.J. never even acknowledged them standing there.
“Come, your friend will be fine.” His arm wound around her waist, but not in a constrictive or pushy manner, only in encouragement to continue on their walk.
She nodded and took in the Marquis. Even if for only the moment, she had this exotic mysterious man all to herself. For a brief second, she wondered about her phone, which she’d left back in their room, and whether her real mystery man had ever texted back.
Didn’t matter. Her sexting partner was no doubt snoozing through some convention thing or another. He might even be hooking up with someone. She’d never be the wiser if so.
“Something or someone on your mind?” the Marquis inquired.
“Oh no. Taking in the night is all.” She’d no intention of going into her issues about a stranger with a stranger. Things were complicated enough.
The distant sounds of a waterfall broke into her thoughts. Between the moonlit stroll, the rich fragrance from the flowers, drinks, and charisma from the Marquis, everything became almost too intoxicating. The air took on a heavy quality.
“You never truly answered me earlier.”
She gave him props in the perception department. He read people damn well.
The waterfall suddenly came into view and she found herself trying to form coherent, yet vague enough, words to pacify his curiosity when he whipped off his sari. He laid the scant fabric at the base of the lagoon and sat, patting a spot next to him.
“Here. Sit, relax, and soak in the peace of the island.”
He was bare-ass naked, and he expected her to chill? His body was perfection, golden, hairless, and hard in all the right places, and no way in hell would she stand any shot at finding any Zen around him.
Wow.
“I, uh…” She fought to keep her gaze above his chin, and damned if her vision didn’t take on a life of its own and dip down briefly.
Keep ’em up. Keep ’em up.
“I hope I haven’t offended you. It certainly wasn’t my attention, but here on this island, we quite often take the luxury of being completely free.”
“N-o, no. Nope, not offended here,” she stuttered.
“Many visitors ditch their clothes on arrival and remain nude for their entire trip.”
“Yeah, I saw a few I suspected were nude at dinner. The table blocked whether they were or weren’t, and I wasn’t about to ask.” She nervously sat on the silken sari as he rose and strolled out into the lagoon and disappeared beneath the water.
Within moments, he surfaced just at the base of the falls. Much like the area where she’d discovered the happy couple earlier, this area also featured lit tiki torches, which cast enough light to walk safely but not enough to make out every detail. The water he’d emerged from appeared black, though no doubt during the day it would be turquoise.
“Come join me.”
“Oh, well…I—”
He barked with laughter. Taunted her as he dared her to join him. Maybe it was time to pack away the girl from yesteryear who was afraid of her own libido and finally let go. For once let whatever, simply happen. No overthinking or worrying about what tomorrow would bring.
Tossing caution into the humid night’s wind, she stood, stripped, and entered the water.
When she surfaced, the Marquis was nowhere in sight. She took a few strokes in the direction he’d gone, which put her close enough to the falls that the mist rained down on her like a warm summer shower.
A subtle brush against her leg startled her. Then strong hands ran up her legs, and he broke the water’s surface right before her.
Chapter Nine
Again she got the notion he sensed her wariness, as he swam off and stopped under the falls.
“This is my favorite place. Right here. Under the stars of the sky and rain from the falls. Pure heaven.”
She’d readily admit
the sight did appear otherworldly. The man plus nature plus the general atmosphere of the island created something spectacular.
“Come, join me and decide for yourself.” He urged but didn’t push. It was her choice. She got that.
Nibbling her bottom lip as she treaded the warm water she decided she didn’t want to carry home the regret of not joining. A few laps and she too experienced the wonder of the falls. The water didn’t fall harshly but rather in a soft cascade that caressed the skin and senses. Glancing skyward proved the Marquis true in his statement.
This was heaven.
“Wow, this really is pretty spectacular. You come here and do this often?”
“As often as opportunity allows.”
Their legs touched as the water seemed to bring them closer, yet the Marquis made no move. With the night creatures making their songs, and the white noise of the falls, she understood he waited for her to come to him.
When their hips met and they were bare skin to bare skin, she maneuvered around until she faced him, and the falls splashed around them, but not on them. Her breasts slid against his smooth, muscle-rippled chest, and her nipples hardened at the slippery contact.
His gaze bore into hers, pushing her to come out of the shell she’d hidden in for so long.
Her hands went to his shoulders in search of a place to anchor while she leaned in and ran her lips across his. Not a kiss as much as a test. Still he remained immobile, allowing her to choose each move. So she dove in for more as courage overrode fear. She outlined his mouth with her tongue before toying with the seam, coaxing him to open and accept her, which he did. She’d had many kisses in her time, but none with a near stranger who forced her to be the brazen one.
Soon, not even the water of the falls could chill the heat burning within. The Marquis brought his hands to her ass and urged her higher in the water and forward until his cock slid between the lips of her pussy. He’d not fully entered her, but rather glided over her clit to tease her senses with what she wanted. Each time he passed her entrance, she mourned the empty feeling, but then he’d nudge her swollen button and her body would hit supernova status, wishing he’d continue his ministrations there. His grasp on her ass shifted until his hands were on her thighs, and he brought them around his hips. She locked her ankles about his waist and circled her arms around his neck. She dug her fingers through the length of his hair, working the hair band loose. As her tongue roved and rolled with his, he thrust in a manner that had him slipping up against her clit again. The spark that had simmered now engulfed her. Need built as her pussy pulsed with the desire to be filled. His tempo quickened as the kiss became raw and savage. Water slapped at them and in between them as she canted her hips in offering.
His mouth left her to nibble at her neck, a place that had always been one of her most erogenous zones and that damn near every boyfriend had passed by with a mere hickey here or there only to be neglected from then on out.
“Please…need. So bad, need,” she begged, no longer caring how she might sound.
“Come, I will ease you into release.”
She didn’t quite understand what he meant by “ease her into,” or why he didn’t take her right then. One small twist of her hips coupled with thrust from his, and oh sweet mercy she’d finally get what she needed.
Instead he urged her back into the water until she floated before him, and he swam them to large flat rock at the side of the falls. He picked her up and placed her on its cool, smooth surface as his mouth zeroed in on an aching nipple. When the moist heat encompassed her distended, achy nipple, she damn near cried out. One of his hands came to play with her nub while his lips continued to make magic with her neglected nipple.
“Yes,” she hissed as her hips rocked against his hand. “More,” she begged, arching her back so her breast pushed against his face. ”Harder,” she demanded, not caring that she’d been reduced to one-word statements.
His mouth left her breast, and he pressed her body down on the rock. Even if the stars hadn’t been so bright, she’d still be seeing the sparkling orbs.
Those fingers of his continued to play homage down south, but now they had a partner—his tongue. The Marquis suckled her clit while he slipped a finger within, working the digit in and out of the area long abandoned. When he maneuvered a second finger within her, the tightness coupled with the constant nibbling and lapping on her clit shot to her the edge. Her body grew tight. Her skin became hypersensitive, and orgasm was but a whisper away.
“Play with your breasts, Cherie. Roll your nipples between those delicate fingers of yours.”
She hesitated only a moment before complying with his wish.
“Yes, that’s right; make those pink pearls blush for me.”
His sultry words heated her as he shifted his mouth back to feasting. The added sensations sent her over the cusp. She screamed and writhed on the rock, and the Marquis pinned her hips immobile as he continued his magic.
As she shuddered from one of the most fantastic orgasms of her life, the Marquis finally released her hips, kissed her clit, and joined her in lying across the giant stone.
“Cherie, thank you for sharing such a moment with me.”
He’s thanking me?
“Um, I rather think I should be thanking you.” She rolled from her back to her side to stare at him. Though she was sated, he hadn’t asked her to reciprocate, nor had he ever entered her. She felt awkward. Should she bring it up? Ignore the fact they hadn’t fucked?
“I can see you’re back to rethinking things. You wear your expressions.” He grinned at her.
“I, well… We didn’t. I wanted—” she began.
“Alas, we had no protection. I would never make love to a woman without one.”
Oh snap. Thank God he’d kept his senses—she hadn’t even thought about a condom. She was always the one who insisted. Kept them in both her purse and nightstand, just in case. Yet here, with him, on this island, they’d never even flickered to mind.
“Thank you for thinking of that. I’m very much the type of woman who’d—”
Again he cut her off. “I have no doubts you aren’t. The island, well, it has a way of shedding people of their fears. Accepting their inner desires for what they are, and not hiding away, out of concerns for what others may think. As such, remember the huts I mentioned that are left open to the guests?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“Well, each one, plus all of the bathrooms, are fully stocked,” he said with pride.
“Smart thinking.”
He grinned even wider. “I like to think so.”
Chapter Ten
She padded into the hut, keeping quiet in case her friends were sleeping. Even before pushing the bedroom door open, she knew at least P.J.’d come back. Soft light filtered under the door.
“Hey, you. Where did you take off to?” P.J. asked, sitting up and no doubt taking note of her wet hair.
“Went for a swim.” She wasn’t sure yet how much, if any, of her encounter with the Marquis she wanted to share with her friends. “How’d things go with, uh…the cute dude?” She’d never caught his name and hadn’t expected P.J. back, figuring she would spend the night with the man from the dining hut.
“Trent? Oh, things went fine.”
P.J. didn’t appear overly enthused.
“Fine? That’s all?” Heather sat on the edge of P.J.’s bed. “Anything you want to talk about? He didn’t turn into an ass or anything, did he?”
“Oh no. Trent steamed things up yet remained a perfect gentleman. He’s cute, he’s funny, and he’s sexy as hell,” she stated.
“But?”
“I don’t know. I just didn’t feel it,” she said, turning her face so the wonderment in her eyes became visible.
“You mean he wasn’t Morgan?” Time to push the Morgan boundary and force her friend out of her shell as the Marquis had for her.
“Morgan?” P.J. tried to feign being shocked, but her act didn’t fly.
“Girl please. You’ve admitted as much to me in the past. Sure you were tipsy at the time, but the way you look at him and he looks at you…sparks are smoldering.”
P.J. shot her a wide-eyed glare.
“Don’t even think about lying. We share everything. Remember our pact? We’d never lie to each other. Best friends don’t do that,” Heather reminded her as P.J. worked her bottom lip between her teeth. The telltale sign she was about to spill the beans.
“No. He wasn’t Morgan. And while I’ve tried to push this illogical crush behind me, I guess deep down I thought the island would, I dunno, be so magical we would fall into bed together or something.”
“You’ve watched The Blue Lagoon too much,” Heather teased, trying to lighten the tense mood.
“Maybe,” P.J. offered quietly.
“Or maybe he’s waiting on you to give him a sign to go for it?” she suggested, remembering the way Morgan had looked at P.J.
“Yeah right. Did you see him at dinner with Barbie?” P.J. asked, standing to pace the room.
“Candy,” she corrected.
“Are you fucking with me? Candy? Shit. He was all over her. Practically drooled in her cleavage. And he’s not here, is he? So where else would he be?” P.J.’s voice went up an octave. Never a good sign.
“Well, maybe he’s at the bar the Marquis mentioned being open twenty-four hours a day. I bet they’re knocking back a few before turning in?” Sure, the suggestion sounded lame, but the idea remained a valid possibility.
“Did you not see them together? No. They’re shacked up somewhere. Oh damn. Remember what the Marquis said about the themed huts? I bet he’s in one of those. Come on.” P.J. grabbed her arm and dragged her to the doorway.
“Wait a minute. You aren’t going to do what I think you’re going to do, are you?” Oh shit. This wouldn’t end well.
“No. We are going to do what you’re thinking we are doing.” The mischievous grin P.J. shot her made her gut do somersaults.
“P.J. Think about this. We don’t even know where all the huts are. And you want to traipse around the island, after dark, snooping them out?”
