Cassie rolled over again, this time with her back to him. He ran his hand down her long, sensual back and admired her perfect butt, which was barely covered by the tiny bikini bottom. He kissed the back of her neck and whispered, “Wake up, sleepyhead. Let’s swim and then go get some lunch.”
“Ummm. Okay. It’s so beautiful here, I could sleep all afternoon.”
He got up and pulled her up off the towel. “Let’s go.” He took her hand and led her into the warm water of the lagoon. It was the clear blue of her eyes. The waves breaking on the shore were small but choppy, and he urged her out past them. When the water started to get a little deeper, he pulled her into his arms and cupped the cheeks of her ass in his hands until her legs naturally wrapped around his waist. He looked into her eyes for a moment before he crushed his mouth to hers. He took possession of those soft lips with a kiss that rocked him to his soul. The desire to be buried in her hot pussy was pooling below his waist. When they came up for air, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Cassie, I’m sorry for what I did to you all those years ago. I’m not going to go on and on about it, but I want you to know I’ve always regretted my actions that night. I hope you can forgive me and give me another chance.”
“I don’t know, Beau. I don’t know if I can trust you not to screw me over again. I’m confused, and I don’t understand how I’m feeling right now. I’m still mad as hell at you, but you touch something inside me that no one else has ever touched.” She shook her head in bewilderment.
“Did you think when we made love all those times that I was looking to screw you over? I can promise you that I wasn’t. I was confused by you, annoyed by you, excited by you, but I never wanted to hurt you. I wanted to spank your butt a couple of times, but that’s not the same thing.”
“Do you remember that beach party at Devon’s parent’s cottage on Tybee Island that summer before senior year when I was working at the club? It was great—the music, the bonfire, all our friends. We had so much fun. And then we dated all of my senior year whenever you could get down from Atlanta. You were so cute, such a gentleman, and very attentive. I never could have imagined you would want to hurt me like that.”
“I didn’t want to hurt you. I made a stupid mistake, and believe it or not, it’s affected my life to some extent as well. Not that I thought about it all the time. I won’t lie to you to make myself look better. But I never did forget it, and when I did think about what I’d done, I felt like a real shit. Please forgive me.”
He kissed her again, and when she sank into him, he untied the strings of her bikini bottom. He re-tied the strings and put it over his arm so it wouldn’t float away on the waves. He watched her reaction carefully, and when she didn’t protest, his heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t said she forgave him, but she wasn’t stopping him either.
Her center was now crushed against his middle, and his erection was straining to get free. He pushed his trunks down and secured them over his arm as well. Now they were skin-to-skin under the water, and there wasn’t a soul in sight. The rocking motion of the waves and the feeling of her body pressed to his was sublime. He could spend the rest of the day right here with her thighs locked around his waist. Only one thing would make it better. He lifted her into position and thrust his hard cock into her warm pussy. The shaft of pleasure that sizzled down his spine made his legs weak. He braced himself against the roll of the waves and began to rock her with short, hard thrusts while he gripped her hips. He lowered his head and nosed the scant coverage of her bikini top aside and took the salty tip of her breast into his mouth. She groaned, and he thought he would lose it. This was the one woman who had the power to rock his world. He’d made love to a lot of women in a lot of places, but he knew even if they went no further than this moment, it would always be one of the highlights of his life.
* * * *
Cassie threw her head back and gave him her throat. She couldn’t stand to keep looking so deeply into his eyes as he entered her. She was afraid of what she saw there, afraid to trust her own judgment and emotions, never mind his. The intimate caress of his hard cock in her hot pussy was enough to send her over the edge, but she held back. She wanted these moments to last forever. They might be all she ever had of him from now on, and she knew these memories would be precious no matter what happened between them. He continued to pump into her as his husky voice whispered sweet nothings in her ear in the sexy Southern drawl she couldn’t resist. Her breath quickened, and she exploded into an exquisite climax as she convulsed around him, milking his thick shaft with every thrust. His hard cock pulsed his release as he kissed her with a fierceness that took her breath away. She rested up against his wet chest until their hearts stopped pounding. Finally, they both floated in the warm waves, their hands clasped together, content to drift in the warm surf as they watched the puffy clouds pass by.
* * * *
Cassie and Beau walked hand in hand back to the beach where they had anchored the Yellow Fin. Devon and Sy were sunning on the spread-out beach towels holding hands. Cassie could see that they had been as busy as she and Beau had been. There seemed to be a lot of that going around. She smiled at both of them but didn’t say a word. They unpacked the picnic lunch that the galley on the Dolphin had provided and sat down to eat. They talked about the beautiful fish and the stunning coral formations they had enjoyed that morning, but nothing was said about the fact that Devon’s bikini top was on inside out.
They dove the reef for another hour, and when they were back aboard the Yellow Fin, Beau said, “We’ve come this far south, and we have to go right past the Tulum ruins which are on the coast on our way back to Cozumel. It wasn’t light enough to see much of anything this morning when we went past. Why don’t we stop for a look?”
“We probably won’t have too much time to spend, but that’s a great idea. It would be a shame to be so close and miss them.” Cassie was delighted. Anything that extended the wonder of this day was good with her.
“Don’t worry. These Quad 350 Yamahas will get us there in no time,” he said, and to prove it he jammed the throttles forward and the big boat leaped on to plane. After giving them all a thrill, he throttled back to cruising speed, and they enjoyed a smooth ride to their destination.
Beau pulled in at the Sian Ka’an visitor’s center so that they could pick up some literature about the reserve and some tee shirts before they continued up the coast to anchor off the Tulum site. The ruins perched on the cliffs towering over the beach were an imposing sight.
Cassie dug her guide book out of her backpack. “‘Tulum dates from the late thirteenth century, the Mayan post-classic period. It was a seaport and the only Mayan city built on the coast. They traded mainly in jade and turquoise, and it was one of the few cities protected by a wall.’”
Devon and Cassie put clean tee shirts and shorts into water-tight plastic bags before they waded ashore where they quickly slipped the clean clothes on over their bikinis. The guys put clean shirts on over their swim trunks. The afternoon was warm, and they would be dried out in no time.
“I must look like a wreck. My hair is full of salt. Devon, can you help me braid this mess?” Cassie knew the comb and brush she had packed in her backpack would be useless against the salt-stiffened curls that had now been snarled by the wind. It would take some major conditioning in the shower tonight to get all of the knots out of the blonde mess.
Beau stepped in. “I’ll do it.”
Cassie grinned. “What do you know about braiding hair?”
“Don’t smart off, missy. I know stuff.” He was grinning as he finger combed the tangled mass and eventually had it tamed into a somewhat respectable braid.
“I’m impressed. You are good for something besides great sex.”
He laughed as he reached down and smacked her butt. “Watch it. It’s a long swim back to Cozumel.” He pulled her to his chest in a bear hug that nearly pulverized her ribs. She hated to admit it, but it felt wonderful to be crushed in his arms, and she glor
ied in the moment, storing it away to examine later like a treasure.
* * * *
The trip back to Cozumel was relaxing. They were all tired, and the sun and water had taken their toll. They had enjoyed the time they had to spend at Tulum and would have loved to have had the whole day there. Unfortunately, they had to get back in time for the Golden Dolphin’s departure at nine o’clock. Beau and Cassie sat at the helm while Sy and Devon cuddled on the bench seat in the stern as the powerful boat cut through the water at fifty miles per hour, and the GPS took them safely back to Cozumel.
“You never answered my question about how you got involved in BDSM. I’d like to know.”
“In grad school, a friend took me to his dad’s club in Atlanta several times—the one I belong to now—Peachtree. It was a totally different experience—a real eye-opener, and I had a great time. To tell you the truth, I was disgusted with the way Samantha had played me back in sophomore year, as well as the antics of some other women I’d dated over the years. Samantha and I broke up a few months after the prom night incident, by the way.” He stopped to gather his thoughts. “I’d been dissatisfied with how things were going for me but really didn’t know what to do to make a change. Women just seemed to use sex like a club over my head. I wanted to take back control of my relationships. I think the culmination came when I got engaged just before I finished my second master’s. Once the ring was on her finger, Cynthia and her mother ran me ragged, and I didn’t like it or the man I had become. She was a real Southern belle, and her mother was beyond description.”
“All Southern women aren’t like that, you know.”
“I know that, but while I thought I loved her, I didn’t particularly like her or the way things were going. I foresaw just more of the same over the next fifty or so years of marriage if we made it that long. I just knew she would eventually become her mother. I didn’t want a life like that, so I broke the engagement. It got ugly for a while, but I stuck to my guns. Hell, I was young and relatively inexperienced in the wiles of Southern women, and it was a long time ago.”
“I can see that would have been difficult to get out of once you were in it.” She smiled. “Some women have jaws like alligators, and they don’t let go of the prey once they have it.”
“No kidding. That’s a very apt description of Cynthia and her mother. They sure didn’t want to let go of me or my trust fund. I could see a life of misery staring me in the face, so I got out of Dodge.”
“So how did the BDSM thing work out for you?”
“After the situation settled down, and I had time to analyze exactly what had been happening to me, I remembered the whole Dom thing that Kevin had introduced me to. It just seemed to make sense. I wanted to be in control of my relationships, to be the captain of my own ship, so to speak—physically as well as emotionally. After I started working in Atlanta, I began going to the club with him again, took the Dom training, and joined about a year later when a membership opportunity came up. My grandfather had given me a substantial amount of money for graduation, and then again after I got my master’s, so I used some of it to join Le Club Peachtree-Atlanta.”
“You became a Dom because your fiancé gave you a hard time? That seems a little extreme. Actually it sounds a little crazy.”
“No, it wasn’t just that. It was a combination of several factors at just the right time. Sort of a perfect storm, I guess. I knew the kind of man I wanted to be, and I took steps to become him. Remember, this took place over a span of time, not just a few days. I didn’t just decide to become a Dom in one day. How did you get involved?”
“Whoa, wait a minute. I’m not really that involved. Devon is the member of Le Club Waterfront-Savannah. She won this cruise in a charity raffle and invited me to come along. I had visited the club as her guest a few times, just as an observer, and while I found it interesting, I had not decided to join or anything. I took the sub training with Alex because I admit I am interested. I have enjoyed the journey so far, but I don’t know that I’m ready to sign up for the long haul.”
Beau grinned. “So, you’re an innocent bystander? You’ve done very well so far for a beginner. That’s interesting.”
“I didn’t really want to come on this trip, but Devon is a force of nature. She wasn’t letting me off the hook. I never make plans around…” Cassie stopped. “I just wasn’t sure I wanted to go on a BDSM singles cruise.”
“What were you going to say, Cassie?” She got a stubborn look on her face, and it looked like she was slipping back into mystery woman mode. “Better tell me now. Don’t make me have to play the Dom card to get it out of you because I will, and you might not like the results.”
“Okay. You asked for it. I almost never make plans that include May 22nd, the anniversary of prom night. Satisfied?”
“Not by a long shot, babe. I’m sorry for what I did back then, but I hope you are not going to keep beating me over the head with that club.”
“It wasn’t my intention to beat you over the head with it. If you will recall, I didn’t want to finish that sentence. I’ve had to grow up as well and become a different woman. I tried to not let what happened influence my view of men or make me a victim. I don’t know how well I succeeded. Work in progress and all that. That incident has colored my perceptions of relationships for all these years. Nevertheless, I haven’t spent every day of the last fifteen years agonizing over what happened that night. I’ve gotten on with my life as well. I’ve had relationships. I have my family and a very successful business. I managed to live my life without you and my senior prom.”
They lapsed into silence. He knew he had a lot to think about, and so did she. This woman did not forgive or forget easily judging by the caustic tone of her voice.
* * * *
It was dark by the time they pulled up to the dock in San Miguel. Cassie grabbed up her backpack. She stuffed a few things including a beautiful conch shell she had found and her souvenirs into the bag. She was tired from the long day on and in the water, and she desperately wanted a long, hot shower in the fabulous bathroom in her cabin and a good night’s sleep. She also needed some distance from Beau. He was a bit overwhelming. It looked like Devon would be spending another night with Sy as they walked up the dock arm in arm. She was happy for her friend, and she hoped it worked out for her. She just wasn’t sure she wanted to continue a relationship with Beau. It might be too dangerous to her heart and her self-esteem. She still didn’t trust him. She was beginning to wonder if her attitude was more about her nature, or who she was inside, and less about being stood up for prom. She would have to think about that.
Cassie could see that Beau had a sharp edge. It was just under the surface in everything he did. If she hadn’t known that he was a Dom and involved in BDSM, she would think he was just a super-alpha male. He didn’t bully people, even women, but they all just seemed to do what he wanted them to do—even her, and she was the least likely of all women to want to please Beaumont Bainbridge. He just had that effect on people.
Chapter Thirteen
Aboard the Golden Dolphin at Sea in the Caribbean Sea, May 18, 2014—Sunday afternoon, Day Nine of the Cruise
The Golden Dolphin had departed Cozumel on time at nine o’clock the night before. They made way southeast into the Caribbean Sea headed for George Town, Cayman Islands, the next port of call. The ship would be at sea for a full day, arriving Monday morning.
Cassie slept late on Sunday and had breakfast alone on her private deck. She wasn’t ready to face Beau and all the other passengers on the main deck. Things had been very intense between Beau and her, and she needed a little distance from the situation and time to think. She planned to sun bathe, read, nap, sketch some ideas for new jewelry pieces, and just veg on her deck. Maybe she would make an appearance up top that evening.
Devon poked her head in Cassie’s cabin around ten thirty. “Do you want to come up on deck for breakfast?”
“No, thanks, Dev. I’ve eaten already. I think I
just need a little time to myself to process. I want to get some sun and condition this mop on my head.” Cassie had massaged some heavy coconut oil conditioner into her hair and braided it out of the way.
“I know what you mean. A lot has been happening and really quickly. Call me on my cell if you need anything or just want to talk. Sy and I are going to spend some time on deck.”
Cassie wasn’t surprised to see Devon pop in again to check on her at noon. “Ready for some company or lunch?”
“No. I’m enjoying my solitude. You have to be ‘on’ all the time when you’re on the main deck. I’m just reading and doing a little sketching.” She put her sketchbook down on the table.
Devon picked the sketchbook up and closely examined the work in progress. “This is gorgeous, Cassie. Are you going to use turquoise or some other stone?”
“I think a mixture of inlaid turquoise and a light-green jade for contrast. I’ll use bronze and maybe some gold for highlights between the stones. It’s a sun design, sort of like we saw at Tulum. I think it needs a pair of hanging turq and jade earrings to match. I can’t wait to start on it when we get home. I’ll see you guys for dinner. I think I’ll dress up for dinner tonight and come up then.”
“Well, I can tell you that Beau has his eye out for you, but he doesn’t want to ask where you are or what you’re doing. I think that boy has it bad.”
“It will do him good if that’s the case, but I doubt it. He’s managed to live without me for fifteen years. I don’t see that changing in just a few days.”
Cassandra's Revenge [Golden Dolphin 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 11
