He loved the attention and we took off into the display arena. He seemed to be in a good mood, and he remembered the circuit perfectly as we sailed around the pool. I smiled and waved at everyone as we glided effortlessly through the water. I couldn’t see faces—we were moving too fast for that—but once we’d made the first round, I gave him the next command and leaned forward on his back. I held my breath, then we dove to the bottom of the pool for half a circuit and popped back up to the sound of wild applause from the crowd. I slid off and he circled the pool at full speed, then leaped straight up out of the water. He must have jumped eight feet into the air before he crashed down and showered the front rows in huge wave. He was amazing! I clapped and laughed at all the people with their clothes soaking wet. Then he raced to the side of the pool for a treat from Bobbie Jo. After he’d swallowed a few fish, I patted the water twice again and he swam up beside me. “May I have a ride?” As we’d practiced, he shook his head, no. Bobbie told the audience what I was saying and explained his response.
She offered him another fish and I laughed as I patted the water again. He came back and I pleaded for another ride. This time, he nodded ‘yes’ and I slid on. We rode a figure eight around the pool. He was a little faster than what we’d practiced in training, but it was totally exhilarating.
“Okay, let’s try another dive.” I squeezed him with my thighs and he dove us under the water again. This was the long dive, so I took a big breath of air and wrapped my arms and legs tightly around him. I trusted him—I knew he would make sure I came back up okay. Down, down, down we went. Singh played and showed off his muscles and his swimming skills. Just when I was about to run out of air, he took us back up just in time to a standing ovation. I dismounted, stood in the shallow side, clapping for Singh. He stood up in the water on his powerful tail and moved back and forth to say thank you.
“Come on, Singh. Let’s get a snack!” He slid gracefully back into the water and together we swam to the side of the pool to get some fish from the bucket. I handed them to him and David handed me a towel. He smiled proudly, but didn’t say a word. We rarely talked anymore after the hospital incident, and I was okay with that. I dried my hair while Bobbie Jo wrapped up her part of the presentation and reminded everyone that there were plenty of cocktails and a buffet inside. I was starving and hoped I’d get something to eat soon.
Mills raced toward me. “Pepper! Pepper! Oh, my God! You were awesome! I loved that! Can you show me how to ride a dolphin?”
“Thanks, Mills,” I grinned.
Dad hugged me and kissed my forehead. “Daughter, you were amazing. I’m speechless at how well you did.”
Charlotte stood by his side with a big, beaming smile on her face. “You gave me goose bumps watching you ride like that. So brave. We’re so proud of you, Pepper. Congratulations on a great performance. Do you need help getting dressed?”
Before I could answer, Mills chimed in, “I’ll help her. Come on Pepper. Let’s get you dried off.”
I could see Charlotte was disappointed, so before I walked away, I said, “Thanks for the offer, Charlotte, and I’d love a diet soda if you can find me one.”
Her smile broadened and she was obviously pleased she could help. “I’m on it!” I was disappointed with the way Mills treated her. There was no need for her to be mean, but they’d have to work it out between them. I’d always found her to be warm and kind—and anyway, I wanted my dad to be happy. I liked her.
I was glad Mills was going with me to the locker room, though. I didn’t want to risk running into Jonathan Church again. I told Mills all about it and she was as shocked as I was. “He’s gone too far now. I’m worried for you, Pep. You need to tell Gabe.”
“I will, but don’t leave me, please. I have to get a shower real quick, and then I’m going to put that other dress on.”
“Okay. I’ll watch out here, but don’t take too long. I’ve got mace in my purse and I’m not afraid to use it!”
“Well, don’t mace Charlotte. She’s bringing me a Coke,” I joked.
“Rats! Okay, I won’t.”A few minutes later, I’d washed my body, shampooed my hair carefully so I wouldn’t tear out the two stitches, and then wrapped it in a towel on top of my head. Charlotte came up with two drinks, one for Mills and one for me.
“Thank you,” I said to her as I wrapped another towel around me.
“You’re quite welcome. I’ll see you girls downstairs.”
Mills stuck her tongue out at the door after she’d left.
“Why are you acting like that? She’s a nice lady and she makes Dad happy.”
“Dad belongs with Mom, Pepper.”
I slid into my bra and panties and continued to dry my hair. “Surely you are joking, Mills. You don’t believe that, do you? Evangeline is a train wreck, and I don’t think she’d want him if he came to her with a dozen roses, a diamond ring and a fortune anyway. No, wait…he’s already given her all that and she still didn’t want him. Please don’t fall for that fantasy. Has she told you that, by the way?”
“No, she hasn’t.” She looked down at her emerald green high heels. “I just thought…”
“I know what you thought. Believe it or not, I used to think it, too. Did you know for a long time I blamed Dad for not making her happy, but it’s not Dad, at least not completely. She wanted to be free. She wants a different life than he has, than we have. She didn’t want to be a family with us, Mills.”
I stepped into my purple dress and pulled it up over my hips and then my shoulders. I saw her wiping tears from her face, so I hugged her. “Aw, honey. I’m sorry. Maybe I’m being too harsh. I don’t like it, either, and I wish things were different as well. You know what Gabe told me?”
“What’s that?”
“He said that I needed to love her for who she was and accept her, because there was nothing I could do to change her. That had to come from within. As long as she’s happy with her life, that’s the way it will be. It’s hard. I’m having a hard time doing it, I won’t lie, but we can do it.”
“And we have each other, right?”
“Right, we most definitely do.” She dried her tears and helped me finish getting ready. Thirty minutes later, we were walking down the stairs together
The aquarium area was full of men in tuxedos and ladies in cocktail dresses. The place sparkled with glass jellyfish and sophisticated coral designs. I hated to admit it, but Sophie had done a remarkable job with the décor—it was elegant and beautifully done, and if I’d liked her, I would have told her so.
I felt like a million bucks with my damp hair in an updo and diamond earrings in my ears. You’d never have known I’d just been flying around a pool on the back of a dolphin. I couldn’t believe it when the applause started. First it was just a few, and then a few more, and then hundreds of people clapped their hands enthusiastically for me. Gabe walked to the foot of the stairs and held out his hand. He looked more handsome than I’d ever seen him before. His tux fit perfectly across his broad shoulders and for a second, I thought about getting lost in his arms and his kiss.
“Great job, Pepper. You look amazing in that dress.” I waved at everyone, then smiled at him and took his hand. I’d never expected this kind of attention from a crowd. My hand flew to my chest and I blushed. Happy tears welled up in my eyes. This was such a great feeling and I never wanted it to end.
Chapter Ten — Gabe
“Do you want some breakfast? I’m a helluva cook,” I asked Pepper as she lay next to me. I hadn’t slept with a woman in a long time, and waking up next to her was incredible, though I wasn’t sure I was quite ready to get used to it.
She smiled at me and ran her hand through her long, blonde hair. God, she was sexy in the morning. “I really need to go. I’m not doubting your cooking skills,” she laughed. “I just have a ton of things to do today.”
“On a Sunday?”
“Yeah, I know. Honestly, Dad and Charlotte want to talk to us girls. Family meeting stuff. I think
they may be getting married, but I don’t know.”
I pulled her close to me. I wanted to kiss her and make love to her again. “Are you sure you have to go…” I traced my hand down her neck to her tit. “…now?”
She took my hand and slid it down her stomach until it landed just between her thighs. “I bet you could make me stay.” Her eyes twinkled and I knew I had her—or she had me—and I was damn glad for that. My dick had a morning hard-on and after making love with Pepper all night, I knew she was my only release. She was what I wanted.
I slid my fingers between her lips and teased her clit. I hadn’t been intimate like this with very many girls in my life. Yeah, I’d fucked them, but not like this. I loved touching Pepper’s pussy. Her lips, her clit, everything. I slid my fingers inside—she was so wet and I had this overwhelming urge to taste her. To lick her warm, creamy wetness. I moved my lips down her body and left little kisses on her breasts and stomach until I reached my final destination—her wet pussy.
“Gabe…” she moaned when I licked her swollen lips. I wanted to devour her, taste her, eat her alive. The smell of sex on her was intoxicating. I spread her lips apart with my thumbs and found her beautiful little clit, then I sucked it into my mouth. She grabbed my hair and pulled me hard against her. I loved driving her wild. She was so uninhibited, so free. If Pepper knew how to do anything, she knew how to enjoy sex.
“Oh, God, Gabe…fuck. Suck it.”
My cock was as hard as a rock as I licked and sucked her pussy, and with every moan and squeak I heard, my lust for her was compounded with more desire. I slid my fingers in and out of her pussy while I licked, then Pepper arched her back, garbled a few words and shook and pleaded as her creaminess covered my face. God, she was beautiful. Total release. I sucked her until she’d finished then gave her a final long lick from her asshole, up her pussy, across her tummy and ended up with a soft, sensual kiss on her neck.
“You okay?” I asked her, though I wasn’t expecting an answer.
“Yeah, fuck…” she whispered.
I bent down and kissed her soft lips, her wetness still on my face, “God, I want to fuck you so bad, Pepper Anderson.” Her whole body was pink, flushed, trembling.
She looked up at me with dreamy eyes and replied, “Then fuck me, Gabriel Gregory. Fuck me good…and fuck me hard.”
Wow. She didn’t need to tell me twice. I reached over to the nightstand, grabbed a condom and within seconds, I was balls deep in the most beautiful girl I’d ever met.
Her legs wrapped around me and I pumped my rock hard cock into her. I was afraid I might hurt her, but her cries of ‘fuck me’ and ‘harder, Gabe’ let me know she was enjoying it as much as I was. She shifted and offered me a nipple to suck. I grabbed her ass hard with both hands and I plunged into her as I sucked her pink nipple into my mouth.
“Harder,” she said, and my orgasm came screaming through me as I fucked this sweet girl. She held my face in her hands. “Look at me,” she said and I came with her, bucking and moaning as we stared into each other’s eyes.
“Pepper!”
“Gabe!”
I crashed into her, panting, gasping, my whole body rocking against hers. We lay there spineless, boneless as our climax subsided. I rolled off of her and she moved to lie next to me. “Wow, Gabe, you’re amazing.”
You’re pretty amazing yourself, but I thought I might hurt you.”
“Hurt me? God, no! I love it hard,” she giggled, and I could see her cheeks flush. “I’m a proper princess outside the bedroom. Haven’t you noticed?”
I bent to kiss her forehead. “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”
The phone buzzed on the nightstand and brought our fun to an end—it was time to get out of bed and start the day. I knew Sophie would’ve taken care of the clean-up at Sea Lab, but I still had to get up and be Mr. Responsible again.
Pepper picked up her phone and swiped the screen. “I’m sorry, Gabe. That was amazing, but I really have to go. Mills is wondering where I’m at. I bet she’s worried sick.” She punched in a reply text and sat up. “I’ll shower at home. Can I keep this? I’ll bring it back later.” She gestured to my t-shirt, which she was still wearing from the night before. I hadn’t even noticed it earlier.
“Sure! It’s all yours!” Just the thought of her wearing it home made me feel like I’d won the lottery. “…and call me this afternoon. Let’s go to the beach. See if Mills wants to go, too.”
She smiled sweetly. “That sounds perfect. I’ll tell her, and it sounds like a date.”
“Later, sexy Dolphin Girl.”
“Later!” She walked out, and I got up and headed for the shower. Damn! I was crazy about this girl and it was too late to talk myself out of it. She had a warm personality, was interesting, kind and funny. A truly wonderful woman if you took the time to get past the pretty face and the designer clothes. I thought about our lovemaking, about how curious she was—uninhibited and always honest. I really liked that, but it was more than physical. Wasn’t it?
I got out, dried off and reached for my clothes. It was a shorts and t-shirt day—my kind of day. The fundraiser had gone well and it looked like we’d reached our goal, but I wouldn’t know for sure until Monday when the accountants had crunched all the numbers. There was no doubt—the success of the event had been largely due to the fantastic display Pepper had put on with Singh. She had no idea how much people had loved her performance. She was Pepper Anderson, she rode dolphins, and she did it well. I was so proud of her.
My phone rang and I was surprised to see Sophie’s name pop up—not this early, anyway. “Hey, Gabe! How are you?”
“Good, just getting dressed. What are you doing up so early, Sophie? I thought you’d still be in the bed.”
“No, I’ve got a lot to do before I head back home. I’m going to the Gulf Coast. How about breakfast?”
“Let’s see…what time is it? Only nine? Yes, I can do that. I don’t have anything planned for this morning, sounds great. Where do you want to meet?”
“Destiny Beach is your town, Gabe. You tell me.”
“Okay, I’ll see you at Seashells. That’s right down the street from Sea Lab, about half a mile on the left. They serve a great breakfast.”
“Sounds like a date.” She hung up and I stared at the phone. I’d heard that phrase twice today already and I hoped she knew this definitely was not a date. I shrugged and slid the phone into my pocket. She doesn’t really think this is a date, does she?
I skipped down the stairs and stopped by the kitchen to talk to the housekeeper. “Could you make a picnic lunch for me, please? It’s for three. Well, make that four people. I’ll be back to pick it up at noon.”
“Okay, Mr. Gregory. No problem. Are you skipping breakfast?”
“No, I’m going out for breakfast with a friend. Thanks so much.” I walked out the door, whistling and feeling great about life.
Sophie met me Seashells. She appeared to be a little overdressed for a Sunday morning, but she looked wonderful, as usual. “Hey, handsome, going to the beach today?”
“Yeah, later on. I’m taking Pepper.”
“Boy, she just can’t stay out of the water, can she?”
I laughed nervously. “What do you mean by that?”
“Let’s go eat.” As we walked in, the food smelled delicious and we were seated immediately at a window that overlooked the deep green water of the Gulf. I loved the ocean, though I didn’t get to play in it too much nowadays. I was looking forward to that today with Pepper. We ordered orange juice, coffee, croissants, bacon and eggs. Simple—but delicious.
“I think I need to tell you something, and you may not like it,” Sophie said.
“Okay, tell me.”
“Last night, when I went up to the locker room to get Pepper for her performance, there was a man in the locker room. He seemed very familiar with her. In fact, I got the impression that he really knew her, if you know what I mean.” She raised an eyebrow as she said it, which furrowed
her smooth, pale skin. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“What do you mean? You caught them doing something?”
“No, I mean, he was trying to touch her hair, but she stepped away from him, maybe when she saw me.”
“What did he look like?”
“Dark hair, handsome, of course, and wearing a tuxedo. I didn’t catch his name, but it looked to me like Pepper may already have a boyfriend and I don’t want you to get hurt. You know I love you, Gabe.” She reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
Immediately, I realized who she was talking about and I smiled at her. I wasn’t worried a bit. “That’s her ex-boyfriend, Jonathan Church. He can’t handle the fact that she’s not with him anymore. There’s no way she’s fooling around with him.”
Sophie seemed disappointed that I didn’t lose it over her news, and that surprised me since I’d never known Sophie to be a gossip. “I don’t know, Gabriel. They really did seem overly familiar.”
“You said yourself that she stepped back, stepped away from him. That they weren’t doing anything together, right?”
“No, they weren’t, but…” Before she could finish, my phone rang and I slid it out of my pocket and answered it.
“This is Gabe.”
“Hey, dolphin lady here,” she chuckled. “I meant to tell you earlier, I had a visitor last night.”
“Let me guess…Church?”
She laughed, “Yes, how did you know?”
“Let’s just say a little birdie told me. Are you okay? What happened?”
“Nothing, really. Thankfully, you’re friend Sophie came in so nothing could happen. If you see her, tell her thank you. By the way, I talked to Mills. She wants to go beaching with us, but can Fallon come, too?”
“Sure, I planned a picnic for four anyway. Can you guys be at my house at noon?”
“Yes! Thanks for the invite, Gabe. I’m so looking forward to it.”
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