by M. H. Soars
I’m beginning to get hard again, and since I’m still sheathed inside of her, I grind my pelvis against hers. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to make you spill your secrets?”
“Nothing, but you can certainly try.”
Twenty-Seven
SAYLOR
The week has gone by in a blur between helping Liv with the final preparations for her wedding and spending time with Oliver. Tonight is Liv’s bachelorette party and the wedding itself is in two days.
My stomach is already in knots thinking about saying goodbye to Oliver. I knew that I would pay a high price for this week with him. My heart is bruised and our time is not even up yet. But what choice do I have? He made it clear that it was only one week and even if he wanted more, I couldn’t give him that. It wouldn’t be fair.
I force my mind off of Oliver and try to focus on the conversation Emma and Kennedy are having, something about Skylar, Ken’s co-star in her debut movie. We are all in Liv’s room, getting ready for her last night out with the girls as a single woman.
“Come on, Ken. Dish the dirt, spill the beans, tell me that at least your on-set kisses were real.”
“For the umpteenth time, Em. Nothing happened between Skylar and me. We’re only co-workers. He has a girlfriend.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
Kennedy turns to me with pleading eyes, “A little help here.”
I raise my hands. “Keep me out of that.”
Kennedy throws a pillow at me. “You suck.”
“Ken, it would be more than okay if you’d slept with Skylar. It’s quite common for co-stars to hook-up. Long hours, often far away from home. All it takes is one drink after work, and bang, sparks fly.” Emma slaps her hands for effect.
Kennedy does the roll-eyes-shake-head combo movement. “Okay, Emma. No more day time soap operas for you.”
“You forget that my father is a lawyer in Hollywood. He has represented half of those celebrities in divorce cases. I’ve heard plenty of stories. Dad probably knew that Brad Pitt was screwing Angelina Jolie even before it hit the tabloids.”
Kennedy crosses her arms and glares at Emma. “Well, I didn’t sleep with Skylar. He’s a jerk.”
I shove another glass of champagne into Emma’s hand so she will stop harassing poor Kennedy.
Kimmy’s cell phone flashes and she complains that Owen is being a pain in the butt, trying to impose a bunch of rules on her tonight. I laugh because Owen clearly hasn’t learned yet that no one can control Kimmy.
“No way!” she says and we all look in her direction. “Girls, come check this out. Owen sent us a video message that he insists we must see before we head out.”
Kimmy places play and Sebastian, Oliver, and some other guys from the wedding party appear on the screen, dressed up as firemen, shirtless firemen. The camera focusses on Owen.
“Liv, baby sister. I know you are about to head to your last night of wildness as a single woman and that it may include visiting ahem, some exotic clubs for ladies. So we wanted to make a video to remind you,” Owen gets closer to the camera. “Yes, you too, Kimmy. That no matter how hunky and ripped those strippers are, they won’t compare to us.”
Owen steps back and the camera zooms out. Sebastian, Oliver, and everyone else get in position. A second later, the song I’m sexy and I know It begins to play. And what do you know, they dance to it, male strippers style.
“My eyes. I cannot unsee that,” Kennedy says.
“That needs to go on YouTube.” Emma laughs.
I can’t believe they pulled that shit. Makes me wonder what kind of stunt they’ve prepared for the wedding ceremony.
We laugh so hard that we cry and a make-up freshen up is needed. Once Kimmy finishes retouching Liv’s eye shadow, we are finally ready to hit town. We’re going all out with skin tight dresses, high heeled shoes, and sparkles, lots and lots of sparkles.
Before we even hit the main foyer, we are already garnering appreciative glances from the opposite sex.
“Liv, you can only look, but you cannot touch. Send all the hotties my way.” Emma pulls her dress down so her cleavage is more evident.
“Hey, you’re not the only girl flying solo tonight. I want some booty, too,” Kennedy replies.
“Fine. I’ll share the bounty.”
Liv and I look at each other, and I don’t know if it’s the champagne we drank in her room, the guys’ video, or if it’s just the euphoric feeling in the air, but we are hit by a fit of giggles and we cannot stop. When the elevator’s doors open and we walk out onto the main lobby, we are still laughing.
It takes me a moment to notice that Sebastian and Oliver are there, and when my gaze connects with Oliver’s, my laughter dies a little. His gaze drops to my feet, slowly making the ascent up my body. When his eyes find mine again, there’s so much heat in that stare, that it feels like I’m going to combust on the spot. And the revolution in the pit of my stomach? It’s not butterflies running rampant in my belly, it’s the whole damn zoo.
I’m too dazed, caught in Oliver’s web, that I only notice that Liv has left my side when I see Sebastian catch her in his arms and twirl her around. No one can mistake that those two are in love. They are staring and smiling at each other like there’s no one else in the room. There’s a sudden pang in my chest. I will never have that. There won’t be enough time for me to find my soulmate and run off into the sunset. It’s the first time since I made the decision to forgo surgery that I actually second guess my choice.
Suck it up, Saylor.
Pushing the morose feelings aside, I take my time breaching the distance between Oliver and me. I don’t do it only to tease him, but to give myself time to recover from my pity party.
“Did you like the video?” he asks when I stop in front of him.
“It wasn’t bad.” I lean closer and I’m assaulted by the heady scent of his citrus aftershave. I fight not to rub my legs together, but I do lick my lips before I whisper in his ear, “I want a private show later.”
Oliver smiles, a seductive grin that turns my body into a quivering mess. I take a couple of steps back before I end up attacking the guy.
“Ready to go, ladies?” Kimmy asks and I’m mighty glad for her timely interruption.
The problem with Kauai beach is that there aren’t wild dance clubs with bright laser lights and loud bass, so our best alternative is to head to a place with tasty and strong cocktails and some live music. We head to Tommy’s Barefoot Bar on the east side of the island, overlooking Kalapaki Beach. It’s definitely more mellow than if we had gone out in L.A., but you can’t beat having drinks with your best friends right on the crescent shaped beach and surf break.
Among the party people are also Lloyd and Mellie, Liv’s former co-workers from her time in London. I remember them being loud and insane. Tonight, they are on top form. Everyone gets drunker and drunker as the evening progresses. There’s a live band performing, but tomorrow I won’t be able to tell what songs they played.
We’re in the middle of the dance floor, when the last person I would expect to see here approaches our little, enthusiastic group. Derek, Liv’s ex.
He heads straight to Liv, who has her back to him and doesn’t see the gorgeous man until he taps on her shoulder and she turns around. I stop dancing and watch them closely. Their break-up was not the smooth kind. Derek wanted more than Liv could give at the time and she ended things. The relapse a year later didn’t do anything to improve their relationship. But Liv surprises me when she engulfs Derek into a drunken hug.
“Oh my God, Derek. What are you doing here?” she shouts over the music.
“I’m attending a pharmaceutical conference.”
Two younger guys stop on each side of Derek, catching his attention.
“Liv, I don’t think you ever met my cousins, Phil and Cameron.”
She says a quick hello to them and brings her attention back to Derek, smiling from ear to ear. She’s definitely too drunk.
; “What are you doing here, if you don’t mind me asking?” he says.
Before she can answer, Emma throws an arm over Liv’s shoulder and does it for her. “It’s Liv’s bachelorette party. She gets married in two days!”
Derek’s gaze returns to Liv’s face and he has either truly moved on, or he has the best poker face in town. He doesn’t look pained, but he doesn’t look happy either. So fucking Switzerland.
“I guess congratulations are in order then.”
“Hi Derek, long time no see.” I take a step forward and catch his attention.
He blinks a couple of times, as if he had been in a daze before. He leans forward to hug me, which is a surprise, but again, he dated my best friend for two years, and we got along great.
“Saylor, I didn’t recognize you.”
I touch my blonde locks. “It’s the hair. I finally decided to return to my natural color.”
“You’re hot,” one of Derek’s cousins says.
Derek puts a hand on the kid’s chest and pushes him away from me. “Okay, okay. It’s time for us to go. I need to get these two back to the hotel before they get into trouble.”
“Where are you staying?” Emma asks.
“At the Grand Hyatt.”
“Oh my God. Small world. That’s where we’re staying!” I want to kick Emma for her big mouth.
Derek doesn’t add anything to that. He only gives her a tight smile before saying goodbye to our group.
Great. Sebastian will love to learn that Liv’s ex is staying at the resort. Hopefully, they won’t cross paths. I laugh at my naïve thoughts. Of course they will bump into each other. Murphy’s law and all.
I push Derek out of my head and enjoy the rest of the evening which includes more dancing and more delicious cocktails. I think we’ve tried everything on the menu. It’s hard to tell who is the drunkest in our group. Liv can barely stay upright, and she’s now leaning against Lloyd, laughing at something he said.
I lean against the bar and order a glass of water. While I wait, I fish my phone out of my purse. There are four missed calls and ten text messages from Oliver. My heart thumps loudly in my chest as giddiness takes over the muscle. For fuck’s sake. Alcohol amplifies everything. I read the texts first and they are all silly. He tells me how much fun the guys are having at Sebastian’s bachelor party, and how his party is better than mine. He must be drunk out of his mind too.
I listen to the voice messages as I drink my water. Those are way more naughty with Oliver describing exactly what he wants to do to me tonight. The last voice message he left five minutes ago. In it, he says he’s back at the hotel and he’s waiting for me.
It’s not even midnight yet, but I guess for Kauai’s standards, it’s pretty late. I should ignore his booty call and only go back to the hotel when everyone is ready to go. But Oliver’s stupid messages were so descriptive, they made me fucking horny.
I touch Kennedy’s arm to catch her attention. “Hey, what do you say we head back to the hotel now? I think Liv is one moment away from passing out. I do not want to carry her ass to her room.”
“Oh, thank the Lord you wanna go. I’ve been ready for the past hour. I didn’t want to be the party pooper.”
Decision made, we hurdle everyone toward the front of the bar and split into two cabs. Liv ends up in the car with Lloyd, Mellie, and Emma, and I ride with Kennedy and Kimmy. Their taxi takes off first, and by time we arrive at the hotel, there’s no sign of them in the lobby. Good, they must have gone to their rooms already. I was afraid someone was going to demand we continue the party in one of the resort’s many bars.
Kennedy and I are staying on the same floor, and when I don’t exit the elevator after her, she looks over her shoulder.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“I have other plans.”
It takes a moment for her to catch on. “Oh. Well, have fun.”
The doors shut again and by the time I arrive on Oliver’s floor, my heart is already jamming at full speed inside my ribcage. I feel nervous like a high school girl sneaking out to see her boyfriend. Such a stupid feeling, everyone knows Oliver and I are hooking up.
I find Oliver’s door open a crack and push it inward slowly. The nightstand lamps are on, infusing the room with a warm glow. On the massive king size bed, Oliver is waiting for me, completely naked and with a raging boner already. Well, not completely naked, he kept the tie loose around his neck. A burst of laughter goes up my throat. He has surrounded himself with red rose petals.
The snort escapes my lips and Oliver makes a fake, hurt expression. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“You did all that for me?” I approach the bed with baby steps.
Oliver gives me a crooked smile. “This whole wedding business has inspired me.”
His gaze travels down my body, and it feels like a hot caress. “God, you are so fucking beautiful.”
It’s not the words, but the manner in which he says them that makes my face flush. I’ve been called beautiful before, but not like that, as if he can’t believe that I’m here for him, as if my beauty causes him actual pain. Everything with Oliver is so intense.
I pull the invisible zipper down, and let the dress fall down my body. Oliver watches me undress without blinking, the glint of hunger in his eyes unmistakable. The microscopic underwear goes down next and the only accessory I keep as I join him on the bed are the fuck-me-heels I’m wearing. Hey, if he’s keeping the tie, I’m keeping something too. I straddle him, my overheated core brushing against his erection. He hisses and grabs my ass, guiding me where he wants me to go.
“Not so fast, cowboy. I’m the one riding you tonight.”
I grab his tie and pull it toward me until Oliver’s face is leveled with mine. I kiss him softly, just a brush of lips as I rotate my hips, grinding my pelvis against his. I’m so turned on, that I can come easily without doing much else. But Oliver has no patience tonight. He grabs a handful of my hair and attacks my mouth. The kiss is too intoxicating, or maybe I’m the one who is too intoxicated. It doesn’t matter, the frenzy can’t be stopped, the need must be satiated. I push him back on the bed, keeping a hand on his chest so he won’t move. With my other hand, I guide his swollen cock to my entrance, and slowly, I bring him home.
Twenty-Eight
SAYLOR
I wake up with the sound of my phone blaring non-stop. I really should start to put the damn thing in silent mode when I want to sleep in. Next to me, Oliver stirs and pulls me closer to his warm body.
“Kill that bloody thing, will you?” he says.
I raise my head from the pillow and with my eyes half open, I try to locate the pesky device. It’s dark in the room, and I’m too lazy to actually get up to search for it. Plus, my head feels like it weighs twice as much as usual. How much did I drink last night?
Another sound mixes with my phone’s ringtone and Oliver groans. Someone is calling him now. Are we late for something? I rack my brain and come up empty. No, there’s nothing planned for this morning. It would be a stupid move to plan something for the morning after the bachelor/bachelorette parties.
Ignoring both devices seems futile as whoever is calling us is pretty persistent. I untangle myself from the sheets—and from Oliver—and get out of bed. My phone is where I left it last night, inside my purse. I glance at Oliver who also has gotten out of bed to get to his phone.
“It’s Liv.”
Oliver looks up. “Bas on mine.”
A sliver of apprehension drips down my back. It’s very strange that the bride and the groom are calling their best friends so early in the morning. Did something happen? I press the green button before the call can go to voicemail.
“Liv?”
“Oh, Saylor. Thank God. Something terrible happened. You have to help me.” I can tell by her voice that Liv is crying.
“Slow down. What happened?”
“Bas. He…oh God. He caught Derek in bed with me this morning.”
“What?!”
“Bloody fucking hell!” Oliver shouts from this side of the room. He’s on the phone as well, most likely talking to Sebastian.
“What was Derek doing in your bed?” I hiss.
“I don’t know! Blue, I swear I didn’t sleep with him. I would never do that to Bas.”
“Okay, okay, calm down. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for it. What did Derek say?”
“He doesn’t remember a thing.”
Of course he doesn’t. I pinch the bridge of my nose as I begin to pace.
“Is he still with you?”
“Yes. Kimmy is on her way with Owen. I’m afraid he’ll punch first and ask questions later.”
“Okay. I’m coming over.”
I end the call and start dressing. I stop when I sense Oliver glaring at me.
“Your friend is a piece of work,” he says through clenched teeth.
“Wait? Do you actually believe Liv would do such a thing to Bas?”
“He caught her in bed with her ex!”
“You are a fucking moron. You should know that things are not always what they seem.”
“Whatever. I’m going to find Bas before he does something stupid.”
Oliver’s reaction leaves me speechless. With jerky movements, I pull my dress back on, and carry my shoes in my hand. The underwear I have to leave behind, can’t find it fast enough, and I need to get out this room before Oliver says something that will really piss me off. He doesn’t try to stop me as I pull the door open with too much force and march out of his room.
By the time I get to Liv’s suite, Kimmy and Owen are already there. Owen is yelling at Derek who just takes it all in with a look of confusion on his face. Fuck, he truly doesn’t remember a thing, but it doesn’t help his case that he’s only wearing his underwear.
I hug Liv who hides her face on the crook of my neck and keeps repeating that she didn’t cheat on Sebastian. Like I doubted her for a second.
“We’re gonna sort this out, chica,” I say.
