by P. G. Van
“Sure, assignments are important,” Neel said, his voice croaky.
“I don’t want to miss the fun, that’s okay,” I smiled at Neel and caught Reyan’s annoyed expression from the corner of my eye. I made sure I shook my head enough for him to know I wasn’t ready to leave.
Reyan: What are you doing?
Me: I can’t leave Neel
Reyan: Really?
Me: My loving cute boyfriend
Reyan: The fake one…if you go with me I will show you how a real boyfriend is like…
Me: Really? What will a real boyfriend do on a plane?
Reyan: I will start my kissing you in more than one way…
Me: And what would that be?
Reyan: French and Australian style..
Me: I know the French, what’s the Aussie style?
Reyan: Just like the French kiss but…
I held my breath and waited as my screen indicated that he was still typing.
Me: But what?
Reyan: It’s just like the French kiss but it’s down under.
Shit!!!!! I am going to melt
I turned off the screen on my phone and held my phone tightly as I felt moisture pool in my folds down below. Reyan had a way of catching me off guard and was capable of turning me on in an instant.
Reyan: I know you want it baby and I know you are thinking about it…
Me: No, I am not..
Reyan: Think about how easy it would be for me to reach you under that little dress.
I turned off the screen and put my phone away on the table with the screen facing down. My phone kept beeping for a few minutes and stopped. I took a deep breath and looked at the side table where Reyan was sitting and, to my surprise, he was gone. I scanned the small banquet hall for him, and I lowered my eyes when I felt him behind me. I took in the smell of his cologne and fought with myself to stop myself from turning around and looking at him.
“Congratulations again guys,” he said addressing the newlyweds and then turned slightly while still being inches away from my back and added, “Beautiful wedding, Mr. and Mrs. Shah!!”
“Thank you Reyan, I am so glad you were able to make it to the wedding,” Neel’s mom said smiling at him.
“Mom and dad send their regards and apologies for missing the wedding,” Reyan said casually.
“It is the season of Indian weddings so we understand,” Neel’s dad held his hand out. Reyan leaned forward slightly, and I felt his thigh brush against my back.
“I am going to take off now, I need to be back in San Francisco for a meeting,” Reyan said and at the same time I felt a slight tug on my hair, and I knew he was pulling on my hair.
I took a deep breath and turned around to look at him and said, “Take care, Reyan, and thank you for the ride here.”
I suppressed a giggle when I saw a grim undertone take over his expression, but he ignored me and looked at Neel.
“Hey dude, I got to go talk to these Australians at seven today. I will see you when you get back.” His tone was cool, but he managed to set my being on fire.
I held my breath at the implication in his sentence and refused to give in and tried hard to manage my casual manner.
“Reyan, can you take Vinnie back to San Francisco with you? She needs to finish up her assignments,” Neel said smiling at Reyan.
What the heck?
“Not a problem, but I am not sure if your girlfriend is ready to leave your side,” he mocked wanting me to reach out and bite his lip.
“You should go with Reyan, Vinnie. School is important. Neel will be fine with us,” Neel’s dad teased.
“Vinnie, I’ll make sure Neel is not hitting on any other girls when you are not around,” Annie offered giggling.
I laughed unable to control myself and finally gave in to Reyan’s plan to get on the plane with him. I said my goodbye’s to Neel’s family and started to walk towards the elevator.
Reyan followed me closely and said under his breath, “You are in so much trouble.”
“Ooh…I’m scared,” I retorted laughing.
“As you should be,” he snarled.
“You don’t need to follow me around, I am gonna go grab my bag.”
Reyan wrapped his fingers around my elbow and started dragging me towards the main entrance, “Your stuff is already in the car, let’s move.”
“Fine…don’t drag me. I am going to have my boyfriend tackle you,” I laughed getting into the back of the limousine.
I felt Reyan’s lips on mine as soon as the limo driver closed the door. He sucked the air out of me with his firm lips slipping his tongue through my lips.
“Everything is a game for you, huh?” he asked nipping on my lower lip.
“Makes it so much more fun, don’t you think?” I gasped against his lips feeling his erection against my belly as he pulled me closer.
“You will not get the Australian kiss for being a bad girl,” he whispered running his tongue on my outer ear.
I moaned fisting my fingers in his hair and pressing his head closer to me.
“I can tell you are already wet.”
“No, I am not,” I lied enjoying the sexual banter.
“Liar, liar, panties on fire,” he groaned against my neck.
“You’ll never find out,” I teased.
“Nice try. You are still not getting the Aussie kiss,” he chuckled.
He knew me too well.
“Fine, don’t. I don’t want anything from you,” I wiggled out of his arms and moved to one side of the seat.
“Wait till you get into the plane,” he challenged.
“We’ll see…Oh, and did you tell everyone about us?” I asked cheerfully.
“What about us?” he mocked enjoying my ‘I got caught stealing’ expression.
“Ummm…that we are kind of...”
“Kind of?” he prompted.
“Errr…sleeping together,” I whispered.
“They don’t need to know about that, but I told them I like you,” he winked.
“You didn’t tell ME you liked me,” I snorted.
“Did I not show you enough last night for you to know how much I like you?”
I blushed looking out of the window unable to look into his eyes.
What a softy I had turned into.
I felt Reyan’s palm on my thigh a few minutes later, and I turned to look into his smiling eyes feeling my heart rattle inside my chest.
“Why are you so caught up on telling the guys about us when we are still trying to figure out things between us?”
“Reyan, you won’t understand,” I said softly.
“Try me, babe.”
“I haven’t had a single friend who I genuinely cared about since I was seventeen and Annie…Annie is such a sweetheart. I would put up with you even if you were a sadist just so I can have her in my life.”
“Wooow, you aren’t sleeping with me to be with your soul sister are you?” he mocked.
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“I don’t understand you two…you two are so different, yet so similar,” Reyan observed.
“Yup, like twins,” I laughed taking his palm into mine.
“Fine, I get it. So do you think I should confess that I am a sadistic serial killer since I know you’ll stick around for Annie?”
“It’s not funny, Reyan. I can’t afford to lose that girl at any cost,” I said firmly.
“Stop baby,” Reyan’s voice was soft yet commanding.
I looked into his eyes in silence.
“I promise Vinnie, no matter what happens between us, I won’t take Annie from you and do you promise to do the same?”
“Yes, I don’t want anybody to be affected by what goes on between us, including Meg.”
“Yes, my baby sister,” Reyan chuckled looking out of the window as the limo pulled up next to the private jet.
Reyan held the door open for me, and I sat looking at him refusing to get out of the limo.
“I am not
getting out unless you promise an Aussie for me.”
“Nice try, you are not so easily off the hook,” Reyan snorted.
“Don’t make me beg baby,” I whispered provocatively.
“You will be doing a lot of that today,” he challenged.
“I am not going then.” I sat adamantly in the limo.
Reyan laughed and said, “I will give you a few ideas as to how you can get an Aussie if you step out of the limo right now.”
“I can’t wait,” I cheered jumping out of the limo right into his arms.
Chapter 16
My eyes flew open and tears started to gather when I remembered the last thing I saw in my sleep before I woke up. I saw my mom and dad walking along the beach and they kept walking and would not stop. When I finally caught up with them and took their hand, they looked at me like I was a stranger.
“Mamma,” I whispered and felt Reyan move in his sleep. I lay in bed feeling the warmth from him but my heart was frozen with pain from the dream. I sniffled, and the tears rolled down my cheeks at the memory of my mother’s face.
Reyan jerked in his sleep as if he sensed something, and I felt his strong arms pull me to him kissing away the moisture on my cheeks.
“What is it baby?” he asked burying my face into his chest.
“I saw…I saw my mom and dad,” I managed to utter.
“That’s a good thing baby, they are thinking of you.”
“My mom didn’t recognize me. She looked at me like I was a stranger,” I sobbed unable to digest the feeling.
“Vinnie, go easy on them baby. They saw you last when you were ten and now you are thirteen years older and that much more hotter,” Reyan cooed.
“Not funny, Reyan,” I mumbled relief sweeping over my body.
“It’s true. I’m surprised your dad didn’t ask you who I was and what I was doing in your bed,” he teased.
“My dad would have been one tough guy if he were around,” I mocked tightening my hold around him.
“Why do you think they came to see you today baby?”
I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, “It was today, thirteen years ago, that mom and dad last talked to me and the same day they had the accident.”
“Reyan, why did they go without me?” I asked anger brimming my voice.
“Hey, what about me? What would I do if you had gone on that trip with your mom and dad?” he grumbled.
“I know, I want everybody. I want my mom and dad, Meg and Mami (aunt), Annie, Neel, Eddie, Chloe, Dave, and you,” I declared.
“Great, and I am at the bottom of that list,” he observed.
I took my lips to him and asked, “Aren’t you glad you are on the list?”
“We’ve been together for three months, and I am fighting to be on that list everyday,” he complained.
“The best three months of my adult life, Reyan.”
“Would you give up those three months for anything?”
“I would give up an entire year if I can get one day with my mom and dad,” I said softly.
“Good to know that I am still at the bottom of the list.” Reyan snickered getting out of the bed.
“Reyan, it’s complicated.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he teased walking towards my bathroom. Reyan and I had not looked back since the time we got back from Neel’s brother’s wedding.
After a memorable plane ride, we talked for hours about how we were going to move forward and spent hours negotiating how we would make time for each other. The paranoid me even got him to sign a contract about how we would spend equal amounts of time at my place and at his apartment. We had agreed to consider moving in together when we were both ready, and I always knew in the back of my mind that I would never be ready for it.
I cut back on the hours I spent at the bar so I could be home with Reyan and attend some creative writing classes at the city college. My aunt was super excited when I introduced her to Reyan, and she was thrilled that I had started writing again.
Something about Reyan drove me wild and just in a couple of months I had finished three of my unfinished stories. I gave my first drafts to Annie and Meg, and they both had the exact same reaction when I told them they were my beta readers. They both had tears of joy and could not contain themselves.
Annie had called me later that night and would not stop sobbing on the phone scaring the crap out of me. I was relieved to find out she was reacting to the character’s emotions when her child goes missing. Encouraged by the reaction from the girls, I worked on completing my other stories.
“What do you want to do today?” Reyan’s voice cut through my thoughts.
“I want to be in bed all day, and I’ll be okay with you next to me,” I winked.
“I know we would both like that, but I want to do something with you today and tonight,” he said coolly.
“And that doesn’t involve us being in the same bed?”
He chuckled and shook his head.
“Now I am intrigued.”
“Good, pack some clothes and the basics, and we are going to drive down Highway 1,” Reyan said bringing his lips to me.
“I don’t want to ride on the bike or your fancy Ferrari,” I mocked.
“Okay, I guess I’ll have to beg, borrow, or steal a vehicle of your choice and what would that be?”
“I don’t know. You figure it out based on our destination,” I laughed and stepped into the bathroom to shower.
An hour later, Reyan and I got out of the cab that brought us to Pier 39 from my place.
“Why are we getting off here, Reyan?” I asked surprised.
“Your vehicle of choice is ready to take us to our destination,” he chuckled.
“Oh…I thought the cab was it and you know I would have been totally okay with it. I just didn’t want you to drive today,” I said picking up my pace to keep up with him.
“Yes, my girlfriend keeps me up all night.”
“Okay, kids around here, watch what you say,” I warned as we walked past families with little children. He led me through one of the side entrances of the pier that took us directly to the back of the pier. The back of the pier was one of my favorite spots to hang out on a sunny day so I can see the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge clearly.
I followed Reyan along the back of the pier, and my eyes widened when he took a step away from the path to walk onto one of the docks.
He turned to look at me and said, “This is what I hope you had in mind.”
I looked in awe at the huge boat and told myself that it’s not a boat but really, a yacht! It looked magnificent gently bobbing from the ripples in the bay.
“Shit!! Reyan, not what I meant. Let’s go take a cab.” I let go of his hand and turned on my heel to walk away from the intimidatingly gleaming boat.
Yacht Vinnie, yacht!!!
Reyan grabbed me by my waist from behind and planted a kiss on my cheek and whispered, “I’ll give you an Aussie if you get into the yacht.”
“No, I don’t want an Aussie. I can’t go on that thing…I don’t like bobbing objects.”
“All the more reason to go on it then,” he chuckled not letting me go.
“I don’t want to go on it Reyan. I threw up the last time I was on one.” I gritted my teeth.
“Okay and when was that?” he asked laughing.
“Ummm...I was nine.”
“Boats were very rocky back then, this one right here is rock steady. If you do throw up, then I will clean up the mess.”
“Reyan...” I whined.
“I know you trust me baby, trust me just a bit more today,” he urged.
“Okay,” I smiled as he planted a kiss on my forehead.
“Hey Reyan!!” a male voice called out from the deck of the behemoth boat.
“Hi Christian, how are you?” Reyan waved to an elderly man who seemed extremely enthusiastic about being on the boat.
Reyan led me down the dock towards the back of the yacht, and the elderly
man was waiting for us, his face beaming.
“Christian, thanks for accommodating me on such short notice,” Reyan smiled at him.
“My pleasure, Reyan. Anything for you,” Christian said smiling and asked, “Who is this beautiful lady that almost ran away from you a few minutes ago?”
I smiled, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat.
“This is my girlfriend, Vinnie. Vinnie, Christian is our captain.”
“You are one lucky guy,” Christian cheered reaching out to give Reyan a fist bump.
“Ready to come onboard, Vinnie?” Christian reached out and gave me his hand, but I stood frozen looking at him.
“Reyan, I can’t even get her to touch me. Maybe you should come onboard and bring her in,” he teased.
“Can’t take that risk Captain. You know she can run.”
“Reyan, I can’t do this,” I shuddered as I whispered.
“Vinnie, every time you do something that scares you, it will make you all the more reckless,” he crooned.
“I know…I want to...”
“Is this scarier than the time I tied your hands to the bed the first time?” he whispered.
A thrill ran through my body bringing joy to me at the memory of that interesting night, and a smile surfaced on my face.
“That’s what I am talking about, let’s go,” he encouraged.
I took a deep breath and looked at the elderly captain looking at me with his crystal blue eyes. I reached out and took Christian’s hand and said, “I trust you with my life.”
Reyan started laughing when he caught the surprised expression on the captain’s face.
“I’ve never had anyone say that to me, Reyan. She is something,” Christian chuckled as he helped Reyan step on to the yacht.
“Welcome aboard The Emiliana, the forty-seven-foot Italian cruiser. We will be heading south on the Pacific Ocean today, and you two have the entire place to yourself. Enjoy!!” he said winking at us.
Reyan smiled at the captain and led me to what seemed to be a full mini kitchen setup right next to a table for two, a TV, and to the far end, a nice cozy decent size bed.
He opened the miniature fridge and pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to me.
“All I want you to remember is that you are with me and forget about where we are,” he said watching me gulp down the cold refreshing sparkling water.
