Her face flushed again. "Do you flirt like this with all of your clients?"
"Only you, Cutie Patootie." Honestly, that was true. My dates knew where things would go, and before we traveled, we’d already had a date out on the town. I should have fucked Ashleigh the night we’d had drinks, but I didn’t, and it wasn't because I wasn't feeling it or didn't want to. I did. But I didn't think she wanted to, even though the way she was always blushing told me something different. Plus, having sex would be good for our relationship.
"Yeah, I'm going to say no to cutie patootie too."
"Baby, we'll get there."
When we got to the hotel, I expected it to be a tall building with hundreds of rooms, but instead, we were staying in our own villa, or what the Fijians called a bure. It wasn't on the water as I had seen in pictures, but it was like our own ocean view oasis—a bungalow if you will.
We walked up our private deck, and Ashleigh unlocked the door. We stepped inside, and I was in heaven. The room had dark wood floors and wood paneling on the walls. The king-sized bed had white and brown bedding, and everything was simple but somehow elegant and tropical. There was a little sitting area by the TV too.
"Damn, Honeybee. A man could get used to this."
"I may never want to leave," she admitted as we both looked around.
"Me either, but just one bed?" I smirked.
She shrugged. "I figured since we're dating that we would only have one. I can sleep—"
"I'm messing with you, and you're right. We are dating." Technically, we were. I was being paid to be with her, but all of it was dating.
"Right. So, boyfriend, eat or nap first?" Ashleigh walked over to a table that had what looked like a welcome basket on it while I set our bags down.
"Do they have room service? I could go for eating then a nap," I admitted. I was hungry, tired, and needed a shower.
"I think so." She pulled a card from the basket and then groaned. "Well, it seems the happy couple is excited we're here."
"Yeah?" I asked, grabbing the card.
Ashleigh and guest,
We’re excited you’re here to celebrate with us.
Please enjoy this wine and fruit basket, and we’ll see you at the meet and greet.
— The Future Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Alexander
The note was very general, and I wouldn't have been surprised if every guest got the same thing. I set the note down and cupped her cheek. "Don't let this shit bother you. We're going to make everyone wish they were us."
"I hope so. I really hope we can pull it off."
"Well, for starters, you need to stop thinking of me as your fake boyfriend."
"I'm not," she protested.
"You are."
She rolled her chocolate-colored eyes. "Well, you are."
"No," I corrected. "I'm your boyfriend, even if it's only while we're here. I'm your man, and you need to start thinking that."
"Even in private?"
"Especially in private." If she were open while we were in private, then she would be normal when we were in front of people. Our relationship needed not to feel or look forced. I thought we were on the same page given how our time had been going since we met up at the airport, but now she was starting to become nervous. I didn't blame her, given the circumstances.
"Okay. You're right."
Leaning forward, I brought my lips to hers. I needed to know what it was like to taste her as well as have her relax and get our first kiss over with. And I went for it all, slipping my tongue inside her mouth, and devouring her as though I was starving. She moaned, and I stepped forward, pressing my body against hers as she backed up against the chair. I wanted her to feel what she did to me.
And then the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Sister, sister!"
I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes. "Hi."
"The front desk told us that you'd finally checked in."
"Yes, we just got here."
"Doug and I are going to breakfast with Mom and Dad in an hour. You and your guest should come."
I looked over at Nick, and he arched a brow. I swore I could still feel his lips on mine, and if my sister hadn't interrupted our kiss, I was certain he and I would be naked. Knowing what he did for a living, and the fact that I was a client, I was going to get all of him. "My boyfriend and I need to freshen up first."
"That's fine," Everleigh replied. "It's a buffet breakfast."
"Okay. We'll meet you there."
"Can't wait." We hung up.
I never would have thought she would have the guts to call me. We hadn't spoken in over four years, and now she was acting as though nothing had happened. I sighed and faced Nick.
"Looks like we're eating, then taking a nap."
We both took quick showers. I was trying not to think about seeing Douglas and Everleigh in a few minutes. The entire time I was in the shower, I kept telling myself that I could do it. I could walk into a room with a huge smile on my face and act happy for the couple. It wasn't even because I still had feelings for Douglas. I didn't. I hadn't felt anything for him in years, but to this day, neither one of them had apologized to me, and I felt as though I needed it.
Fuck that.
I wanted it.
"Ready?" I asked as I slipped on my strappy sandals.
"Are you?"
I took a deep breath. "I have to be, right?"
"Are you good with PDA?"
I'd never had any public display of affection besides holding hands, so I wasn't really sure if I was okay with it. I did know that I wanted this sexy man to be all over me, and if it was in front of my family, I wasn't going to push him away. "Yeah. We're in love, right?"
"Yeah, we are, Buttercup." Nick pulled me into his arms and placed a soft kiss on my lips. It felt nice and wasn't like the one before. He definitely knew what he was doing, so I was going to go with whatever he wanted to do.
"Buttercup … I'm liking that one the best so far."
He grabbed my hand, and we started for the door. "Not sure if that's the one or not."
"At this point, I'll respond to anything."
"Good to know, but it needs to be perfect."
"Why's that?" I questioned.
"Because you are."
Jesus, this guy. My face was on fire again as we headed toward the restaurant.
"I love it when you blush, baby, but you're gonna need to check that shit quick."
"I can't help it."
"And that's why I'm going to be all over you. So, get ready."
"I'm ready." I smiled.
He spun me so I was walking backward, kissing me at the same time. Even if it was for show, I was enjoying it. It was also keeping my mind off of what was going to happen in mere seconds.
"Thank you," I said as we pulled apart, still holding hands. I turned and started walking normally.
"For what?"
"The distraction."
"Honestly, I just wanted to kiss you," he admitted.
"Yeah?"
"I want to kiss you all the time."
"I wouldn't be opposed to that." I grinned.
"Good to know." He winked and opened the door to the building.
I took a deep breath and stepped inside. This was it. Nick and I were both going to be acting, and I hoped we could pull it off.
We made it to the restaurant, and instantly, I heard my sister calling my name. I looked over at the table where she was sitting with my parents, and Douglas and his parents, and gave a tight smile.
"You are a twin," Nick stated as though he thought I was lying before.
I snorted. "Yep. Just not identical."
Still holding hands, we walked to the table. Everleigh stood and rushed to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and breaking my grasp on Nick. "I've missed you so much!" she admitted.
"I've missed you too." It was the truth. I missed what we had. Even though we were different, we were still sisters and had been close most of our lives.
We broke ap
art, and my mother and father each hugged me before I said, "Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Nick."
They shook hands as Nick said to my parents, "Nice to meet you. You raised a great woman."
"Agreed," Dad said. He was dressed in golf clothes, and I wondered if it was to impress Douglas and his parents.
"And this is my sister, Everleigh."
"Ah, the infamous sister."
Everleigh snorted softly at the jab, and then quickly recovered as she turned and grabbed Douglas's hand. "And you remember Doug?" she asked me. She fucking asked me!
"Yes, thank you for inviting me to your wedding." I plastered on a fake smile as I gave a mini-wave. I was not hugging him. "And this is Nick."
Douglas and Nick shook hands. "Thank you," Nick said.
Douglas blinked. "For?"
Nick brought me against his side. "For making it possible for me to be this lucky."
Douglas chuckled. "Yeah, sure thing, man."
"It's Nick."
Douglas blinked again. "What?"
"My name. It's Nick, not man."
Douglas's father cleared his throat and stuck out his hand, intervening in the pissing contest. "Samuel Alexander, and this is my wife, Martha."
The men shook hands while Martha reached out her arms for me to step into them. "It's good to see you again, dear."
"You too, Mrs. Alexander."
"All right. Now that we're all acquainted, let's eat," Everleigh said.
"Yes, let's. We’ve worked up quite the appetite since arriving." Nick winked at me, and my face turned hot.
Again.
When Ashleigh told me I was the opposite of her ex, she wasn't kidding. It wasn't because I was covered in tats either. Douglas was a country club snob who needed to get his face punched in. I would never do that, though. Fighting wasn't my thing. I was going into this date knowing I had to make Ashleigh look good, and I was going to show her endless affection. It didn't hurt that I wanted to do it either. I wanted to do it all with her, even if it was just for a week.
"What do you do for work, Nick?" Dougie asked.
I knew the question was coming. It always did at family functions or some sort of party where I was playing a boyfriend, and I had a lie ready and waiting. To be fair, most of the guys in the game said the same thing. "I'm in customer relations for various hotels on The Strip."
"Customer relations?" he questioned. "What does that entail?"
I took a bite of my bacon. "Whatever the VIPs need, I do."
"Like a butler?" He chuckled and looked at his snooty father as though he thought he was being clever. If he only knew that I did do whatever my clients wanted in various hotels on The Strip.
"More like a personal assistant."
He arched a brow. "And you make a living doing that?"
"I'm very well off, but thank you for your concern."
Ashleigh leaned over and whispered, "Sorry," into my ear. I squeezed her knee under the table to tell her that I was okay. I wasn't scared of these men and their questions. I could handle myself.
"The cost of living in Vegas is significantly less than Manhattan," Mr. Alexander stated with a smirk as though everyone in Vegas was rich given the lower cost of living.
"That may be, but I paid cash for my three-bedroom house and my Land Rover." I wasn't one to flaunt what I had, but one look at me, and people assumed I was a lowlife.
"Really?" Dougie asked.
"Like I said, I'm very well off."
"How long have you two been dating?" Everleigh asked, butting in to change the subject.
I draped my arm across the back of Ashleigh's chair as she answered, "It's been about eight months now."
"Really?" her mom asked. "I had no idea."
When Ashleigh and I came up with our story, we settled on dating for eight months. I thought she knew what she was doing by using that timeframe, but now I wasn't so sure since her own mother was confused.
"When we talk, the conversation always seems to be about Everleigh," Ashleigh responded, and I swore that my heart hurt for her.
"That's not true," her mother argued.
"Did you know that I got a promotion at work three months ago?"
Her mom started to open her mouth and then closed it before shaking her head.
"Exactly, but I can tell you everything about Everleigh's wedding, and it's not even my own."
I kissed the side of Ashleigh's head, wanting her to know that no matter what, she had me on her side.
"I need another cup of coffee." She stood and started toward the coffee station. I didn't hesitate to follow her.
Grabbing her wrist, I stopped her. "Hey, it's okay."
"They just frustrate me so much, and Douglas and his father are trying to act like you're beneath them," she groaned. "They piss me off."
I brought her in for a hug. "It's okay, baby."
"It's not okay. I can't even imagine how I’d deal with all this if I had come alone."
"But you didn't. I'm here, and honestly, fuck them." I stepped back and waved my hand in the direction of the table. "We're in fucking paradise, and we can do whatever the fuck we want."
"What I want is to get some sleep. I'm so tired."
"Then let's go get some sleep."
"If we leave, they'll think we're leaving because I'm upset."
"Do you care?"
"I …" She hesitated.
I grabbed her cheeks, so she'd look into my eyes. "We've made our appearance, and I know we have more things to do on the agenda, but we don't need to talk to them anymore if you don't want to. Let them think you're mad. We know the truth, and tonight when we're at the meet and greet, let's drink all the free liquor and have a good time."
Ashleigh thought for a moment. "You're right."
"Great. Now, let's go tell them that we'll see them later."
"Okay." We walked back to the table, hand in hand. "We're going to go to our room. We both didn't sleep on the flight here, but we'll see you all later at the meet and greet."
I grinned and looked directly at Dougie as I said, "We were doing other things," then winked.
We didn't wait for anyone to say goodbye or ask us to do anything else with them. Instead, we left, still holding hands.
"Your parents don't talk much, huh?" I asked as we got closer to our room.
"Not in front of Douglas and his parents, I guess." She shrugged.
"Why's that?"
"I think they think they'll embarrass themselves or something."
"Because they don't have designer clothes and shit?" I arched my brow.
"Or an education. I was the only one to go to college, and Douglas is in med school, and his dad is a lawyer."
"I didn't go to college, and I'd say I'm pretty smart. Maybe not book smart, but I can hold my own."
"I agree, but I meant that my parents probably think differently. Since they met Douglas, they've done nothing but try to be people they aren't. They don't dress like they are going golfing like my father is dressed right now. He's a mechanic who always has dirty hands."
"I bet Mr. Alexander doesn't even know what a timing belt is." We walked up the steps to our room.
Ashleigh snorted. "Probably not."
We changed into clothing that was more comfortable—her in a tank top and tiny shorts, and me in basketball shorts only—and slipped into the king-sized bed. It didn't take us long before we were both passed out.
I was a good boy and kept my hands to myself until I woke up from our nap. I went to the bathroom, and on my way back to the bed, stopped at my bag and grabbed a condom. The chemistry was there between us, and a good fucking would, with any luck, put Ashleigh more at ease. I wasn't planning on keeping my hands off of her at all over the next few days, and once we broke the sex ice, our passion would get showcased in front of everyone.
Hopefully.
Slipping into the bed, I wrapped my arm around Ashleigh's waist and brought her against my body. Her plush ass was warm and inviting as my dick st
arted to harden against the feel of her. She moaned when my hand slid under her tank top and across her smooth skin, working up toward her ample breasts.
"Are you ready to relax more, baby?"
"God, yes."
I pulled her tank up and removed it, feeling her soft skin on mine as she tilted her head back, and I took her lips. Everything about Ashleigh was silky and smooth, and I wanted to devour every inch of her.
Our tongues worked together as I caressed her tits, making each nipple hard. Her ass started to move, rubbing against my dick, and I knew I needed to be inside of her and fast.
"I'm gonna fuck you, okay?"
"Yes," she breathed.
Not moving from my spooning position, I kissed her again. She started to turn onto her back, but I slipped my hand inside of her shorts, going for her clit to stop her from turning. She was dripping, which only caused my balls to ache more. I couldn't wait to feel her pussy wrapped around my shaft as I drove into her—I had been thinking about it since the evening we met.
"You're ready for me?" I smirked.
She grinned back. "Been ready."
"Good to know." I winked.
While I put the condom on, Ashleigh took off her shorts and laid on her side again. I came up behind her once more, kissing and rubbing her breasts again. I was starving for her, my whole body wanting a piece of her as my hands worked her plentiful globes, and my entire body rubbed against her backside. She moved her ass on my dick again, making me hiss as her hot skin caressed me.
"Fuck, baby."
"Please?" she begged.
I grinned. She didn't need to beg, but it made me feel good to know that she wanted me. That she was aching for me like I was throbbing for her. I reached around for her clit again, rubbing in sync with her ass that was still moving against my shaft. Lifting her top leg just enough, I slid inside of her, both of us groaning with pleasure. She was tight and hot and fucking perfect as I sank to the hilt.
We began to move, my bottom arm around her chest, and bringing her back flush with my chest so I could hold on and fuck her hard. I drove into her over and over as her tits bounced and her moans increased. The air conditioning kicked on, and the cool breeze felt like the paradise we were in as it blew across our damp skin.
Paradise & Vodka (Saddles & Racks Book 6) Page 4
