Domino Effect

by Kristin Mayer

  “Do you like what you see?” I asked, keeping my eyes closed.

  His warm voice purred close to me. “I do, but I don’t want you getting burned. I’ve got more sunscreen for you.”

  “What about you?” I could hear the cap opening, then the squirting of liquid.

  “I put on more up in the room.”

  I pouted. He chuckled. “Well, you can put some on me after I finish.”

  I grinned at his words.

  “Feels fantastic. I think I could go to sleep,” I said.

  “Roll over and I’ll get your back first.”

  I did as he asked, and Brandt came to straddle my ass without putting much weight on me. I felt him untie the tiny strings to my black bikini. His strong hands worked my back like magic as they added sunscreen. I was on the verge of dozing when his finger brushed the side of my breast and my body sprung to life. As the sunscreen was evenly spread, his fingers grazed a little farther twice more, coming within inches of my nipple. I squirmed as the need begin to build in my core.

  “Flip over. Keep your eyes closed.”

  Brandt moved to the side, and I turned back over. I felt a pull on the side of my bikini bottoms. I liked where this was going. Brandt lifted my legs and sat on the lounge chair. He lowered my legs, scooting forward, draping a leg on each side of his hip. I could feel he was naked as his erection touched my entrance. I squirmed.

  “Brandt…”

  “We need to finish getting your sunscreen on.”

  He started in rubbing my lower abdomen and worked his way up to my belly button. My stomach did a flip as he caressed it. I relaxed and gave in to the pleasurable torture. When Brandt’s hands reached the bottom of my breasts, he pushed into me unexpectedly and my eyes shot open.

  Brandt’s blue eyes burned with passion as he slid in farther. His fingers made it to my nipples, and my back arched. I could feel Brandt inside me. The thick ridge brushed against my walls. Moving his hands to my back, Brandt brought me into a sitting position, straddling him. The penetration was deeper; the pleasure was more intense.

  My feet rested at the sides of the lounge chair. Brandt’s mouth captured mine as I began to push off and slam back down. We swallowed each other’s cries of pleasure as we rode ourselves to ecstasy, knowing anyone walking by would hear us in the thralls of passion. My body warmed as the sensations worked their way through every inch of me.

  Brandt nipped my lip as he fell back and I collapsed on top of him. We were both breathless. “I don’t think I’ll ever tire of being inside you, baby.”

  I kissed his chest. “I’ll never tire of having you inside me. I love being yours.”

  “You’ll always be mine.”

  The waves lulled us into a peaceful slumber.

  We were sitting on a long pier as the sun set in the Caribbean. I loved sunsets. All the men were in khakis and cream linen shirts. Nora, Adam’s mom, Ainsley’s mom, and I all wore pale lilac dresses in different styles. The groom and the bride stood under a trellis filled with light purple and white flowers. The scent of the flowers was heavenly when the wind changed directions and blew our way for a moment. Ainsley was in a simple white shift dress that waved gently in the Caribbean wind. Ainsley had a purple flower tucked behind her ear as she looked up at Adam. The bride and groom couldn’t stop looking at each other as pure joy radiated from everyone in the group. This was love—I knew, because I had it.

  The preacher announced, “You may now kiss your bride.”

  Adam bent down and took Ainsley’s face in his hands and gave her a kiss.

  As they sealed their vows, Brandt leaned in and whispered, “You’re my forever.”

  I glanced at Brandt. “And you’re mine.”

  We stood and gathered around the happy couple. Adam held Ainsley close to him.

  Brandt went up and slapped him on the back. “Congrats, man. I’m happy for you.”

  “Thanks, man. Who would’ve thought a year ago we’d both be with the women we loved, happily married, and have sold the club.” Adam shook his head as if he was lost in all the memories.

  Brandt brought me to him as the coordinator walked up and discreetly said, “I have the cake and champagne set up, per your instruction, for whenever you’re ready.”

  Ainsley and I both laughed. The coordinator had been given explicit instructions to keep the reception as short as possible. Adam and Ainsley were having a reception back home, so Adam had requested that this one last five minutes or less to get to the—as he put it—a-fan-fucking-tastic honeymoon. Ainsley had agreed, and now they were headed to the simple cake table.

  Feeding each other cake, the couple interlocked their arms and sipped from each other’s glasses. We clapped as they finished. This was what dreams were made of. Part of me hurt that Wesley wouldn’t get his happily ever after, but he would heal and find himself again. Last week, he’d put his house up for sale to take a job in Florida. He told me he needed a fresh start. I’d miss him, but I understood. Things would be okay.

  Adam cleared his throat. “Thank you everyone for coming. We’ve loved spending the last couple of days with you. Ainsley and I are fortunate to have such good friends, but now it’s time for the honeymoon.”

  Ainsley playfully slapped him on the chest and everyone laughed. Adam gave her an innocent look and shrugged as if he couldn’t help it. Earlier, I’d heard the coordinator tell Adam she’d found a Tantra Chair to add to the honeymoon suite. Brandt had high-fived Adam while Ainsley and I rolled our eyes. Thank goodness, the parents hadn’t overheard that part of the conversation.

  Adam picked Ainsley up, cradling her in his arms, and strolled off toward the resort. Everyone cheered. Ainsley looked back and waved happily swinging her feet.

  Nora walked up to me and said, “Hey, I’m going to Skype with Jude. It’s been hard to connect the last couple of weeks, so wish me luck.”

  “Sounds good. How’s his dad?”

  Nora had gone with solid black hair for Ainsley’s wedding. She looked down. “No change. His dad talked him into learning the family business while he’s sick. I don’t know what to make of it. I miss him, and he misses me. Somehow we’ll figure it out.”

  I gave her a hug. “Don’t give up hope.”

  “I won’t.” Nora looked at her watch. “I should go.”

  Making a shooing motion, I said, “Go. Good luck.”

  She waved as she began running. “Thanks.”

  I said a silent prayer that they’d find their way back to each other. Knowing what it was like to be away from Brandt had me hoping that Nora would never know that pain.

  Brandt brought me to him, and we walked out to the end of the pier. “What are you thinking about, baby?” he asked

  “How happy I am. How lucky we are. How one little misstep could have left us on totally different paths that didn’t include each other.”

  Brandt held me as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. His blond hair was blowing as he stared out. “I never imagined I’d be this happy again, or that what we had could be topped if we were ever fortunate enough to find our way back to each other. But what we have now is more than I ever imagined. Being right here, right now, in this moment, makes all the pain worth it. All the tribulations we faced, made us stronger. I love you, Nikola Mattox. You’re it for me.”

  “I love you, too, Brandt Mattox. You’re my everything.”

  So much had happened over the last year. I’d experienced heartache, loss, despair, joy, love, and happiness in all forms.

  One small movement can impact the rest of your life, like a set of dominoes lined up one after another. It’s only when you step back and see the big picture that you realize the damage you’ve done—it’s in that moment that you can you right your course and return to the path you were meant to be on all along.

  THREE YEARS HAD passed since I’d married the woman of my dreams. I sat back in my office on a call with Adam. We’d hung up with a potential new client a few minutes ago, and now we were rec
apping everything needed to be done to secure the account. A couple of months after selling Club Envy, Adam and I were going stir crazy, so we started on a new adventure together—a security company. With all the practice we had at the club, monitoring and tracking, we could put together effective systems and sell them for a hell of a profit. Clubs were our largest clientele base. In three short years, the security business we’d started had become more profitable than Club Envy had been.

  Club Envy was still going strong and had grown to ten clubs in ten different states in the last three years. None of us had been back since our last day there. I wanted to remember the club as it was when we owned it. That would always be Club Envy to me.

  “Okay, Brandt. You have the notes. We can start on this next week. Ainsley wanted to know if you guys were still coming over at five.” Adam’s voice on the phone broke me from my thoughts.

  I looked at my clock. It was three-thirty on a Saturday afternoon. “Yeah, we’ll be there. How’s Ainsley feeling? Nikola wanted you to know we could do it here if Ainsley is too tired.”

  Adam blew out a breath. “She’s good, but I’m a fucking wreck, waiting for our baby boy to get here. She said Nikola had threatened to take away her laptop if she didn’t stop working.”

  Ainsley was due with their first child any day now; Adam was beside himself with happiness. Nikola and Ainsley had become business partners about two years ago, after Ainsley had put in a year as an employee, seeing if this was the career she wanted. They were constantly turning away clients due to workload, but, for now, they wanted to keep it just the two of them so they wouldn’t have to manage employees. Maybe someday they’d expand, but the girls liked being in total control for now as well as being able to keep lighter schedules.

  “You’ll be fine. Adam, you’re going to be a great dad. Did you get my package that arrived yesterday?”

  “You’re an asshole.” I laughed a good hearty laugh. I’d found a T-shirt place that did custom orders. I’d sent Adam a T-shirt that said, I pretend to be Prince Lir. He was never going to live down singing the songs from The Last Unicorn.

  I shut off my computer as I heard some stirring in the front of the house. “I know deep down you love it. You don’t have to hide your excitement around me.”

  “I’m calling your wife next week to get dirt on you. Just wait.”

  Ainsley’s voice came through the other line.

  “I’m on my way, baby. I’ll get it.” Adam started talking to me again. “I’ve got to go help Ainsley. I’d sleep with one eye open if I was you.”

  “See ya in a bit. I’ll be waiting for my payback.”

  Adam cursed as he hung up the phone. Pulling out my new T-shirt I’d ordered, I smiled. It was a surprise for Nikola. I walked toward the living room, where I could hear Nikola talking. Our home was full of pictures and warmth. Nikola and I had built a home that would have laughter and love reverberating through the walls—always.

  I came to the doorway and watched Nikola speaking to our little girl, Anne. She was just over a year old and looked so much like my love. When we’d found out we were having a little girl, we said the name at the same time. This morning, Anne had been with Nikola’s parents. They’d moved back from Asia as planned. Since then, they’d been an active part of our lives. We had my family and Nikola’s over often. Nikola loved that our little girl was surrounded by so much love.

  Everything was as it should be.

  Nikola talked to our daughter. “What book do we want to read after naptime today? Do you want to do The Very Hungry Caterpillar? You slept so hard. Did you have fun with Grandma and Grandpa today?”

  Almost every day after naptime, Nikola and I would have story time with Anne. Her little pudgy arms waved in excitement as she squealed in delight, hearing her mom talk to her.

  Nikola saw me, and her eyes shined as she spoke to Anne. “Hey there, you’re daddy’s done working.”

  Anne looked my way and started flailing her arms as she made spit bubbles in excitement. Her pink bib was already wet from all the drool she had produced since waking. I never understood how something so small could create so much mess. I loved her. Anne lit up my life in a way I never dreamed.

  “Hey there, baby girl. Daddy missed you. Did you have good dreams?” I cooed.

  I took Anne in my arms and kissed her cheek. I loved her baby smell. Anne slobbered on my chin as she tried to kiss me back.

  Nikola laughed. “Oh my gosh, is that a shirt from the online store you found? The one you ordered Adam’s from?” I grinned as she read what my shirt said out loud. “The Magic 8 Ball Loves Me.” Nikola sat on the brown leather couch and said, “You have definitely come to the dark side.”

  Wiggling my eyebrows, I sat while she picked up the remote and whispered in her ear, “I think we should wager on a striptease again.”

  She kissed me. “Deal. After bedtime, prepare to face that blue triangle of truth.”

  Please, Magic 8 Ball, be my friend again. You’ve been there for me, buddy. I’ve got your back.

  Anne made an impatient noise as she looked at the television. She knew what was coming. Nikola pressed a button on the remote control. Grandmama came on the screen. Grandmama had recorded several stories for every age on the videos she’d done prior to her passing. Seeing the familiar kitchen brought back so many memories. After we’d returned from the Caribbean, Nikola had decided to donate the house for Quentin to use for his work as a sponsor and as a halfway house. Grandmama would have been pleased that her home was being used to help people get their lives on track. I still met with Quentin, but I knew I’d never use again, no matter what life threw my way. There was too much at stake to ever even think about going back to drugs.

  Grandmama’s familiar voice came on the television. She wore a white sweater, and her blonde hair was perfectly done. “Hey, little one, is it story time? What should we read today?” There was a pile of books on the counter that Grandmama sifted through before picking up the white cardboard book with the green caterpillar on it. Our daughter moved her limbs about excitedly when she saw the book on the screen while in my lap. Grandmama continued, “This is one of my favorites by Eric Carle. Let’s see how hungry the caterpillar is. Are you ready?”

  I glanced at Nikola, and she gave me a brilliant smile. I positioned our little girl half on my leg and half on Nikola’s. Nikola leaned her head on me and let out a contented sigh. “This is everything I’ve ever wanted in life.”

  I kissed the top of her head. “This is everything I dared to hope for. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Everything in this room was my life.

  My world.

  My everything.

  CANCER IS A terrible disease that has affected so many lives. The never-ending effects of this disease are cruel and unyielding. My heart, thoughts, and prayers go out to anyone that has ever had to deal with cancer in any form

  I lost my Grandmama and Grandaddy to lung cancer. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about them.

  One day, I hope there is a cure. That is my dream.

  Trust Me

  (Book One of Three in the Trust Series):

  A difficult year filled with loss and heartache leaves Allison Scott withdrawn and emotionally disconnected. When she is finally ready to move forward with her life, she embarks on a getaway vacation to Miami, determined to find healing from the painful memories in her past.

  Damien Wales also has a tragic past that has left him a cold and distant person. However, the moment he sees Allison, he’s inexplicably drawn to her, and he is a man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

  A sunset stroll brings the two together. Allison feels an undeniable attraction to Damien, but she’s hesitant to get close to anyone. Damien will do everything he can to keep Allison in his life, but his overprotective and domineering demeanor might just push her away. When Damien’s dark past begins to collide with his present, Allison’s life is put in danger. Da
mien must keep her safe, but some things are just out of his control.

  Trust Me is the first book in the Trust Series.

  Available Now

  Love Me

  (Book Two of Three in the Trust Series):

  Engaged and happily in love, Allison Scott and Damien Wales are looking forward to joining their lives together as one. Coming from a mournful year after losing her parents, Allison is ready to heal and move on to the next chapter with the love of her life.

  But Damien’s past continues to threaten their future. A man once obsessed with Damien’s sister is now after his one and only love, Allison. The woman who came before Allison is determined to captivate Damien’s heart. And Damien’s best friend is somehow playing a part in it all.

  One is a murderer, and Damien and Allison discover they can trust no one but each other. When Damien’s history endangers Allison’s life, their relationship is pushed to its limits, and they must determine if their love can overcome any obstacle or if circumstances will force them apart.

  Love Me is the second book in the Trust Series.

  Available Now

  Promise Me

  (Book Three of Three in the Trust Series):

  With her best friend happily married and now pregnant, Sam Matthews should be overjoyed. Instead, she can only see what is missing in her life. Pushing her emotions aside, she retreats to a piece of her past that she’s kept hidden, something that even her best friend knows nothing about.

  Taking a step into her future, Sam moves to North Carolina where she once again encounters Mark Robertson. He is persistent and hard to resist, and little by little, he uses his charms to break through Sam’s walls.