Chapter Fourteen

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RAPTURE.

Named for the emotion of intense pleasure or joy, the leased Tahitian island had proven a marvellous success. Almost as pretty as Goddess Isles, the bamboo pier, groomed beach, and coconut palms welcomed us as a staff member from Calypso ferried us to shore, thanks to the onboard speedboat that lived in Calypso’s belly.

Cal and Jess had decided to take the jet ski and head to Pape’ete a few kilometres away. To go shopping in local markets and have an afternoon just the two of them. Jess had spoken to Tasmin last night via Skype for over an hour, so I guessed their choice to be alone had something to do with Q, adoption, and if their futures were about to change.

“They haven’t cut down the ripe coconuts,” Sully muttered as the sleek boat slowed its engines, ready to moor along the pier. “If one of them falls on a guest’s head, they’ll sue.”

Pulling out my notepad—that I’d brought for this very purpose of suggestions to pass onto Sophie—I jotted it down. “Prune coconuts. Got it.” I tapped his shoulder with my pen. “Anything else?”

“Yes, jot down a very important task.” His face became deadly serious.

I poised my pen over paper, a little worried that I’d forgotten something paramount. “What is it?”

A roguish glint appeared in his stare as he whispered, “Give your husband a blowjob as thanks for socialising with people.”

I laughed as the staff member lassoed us to the bamboo platform and gave me his hand so I could climb out safely. “I’ll put it at the top of the list.”

“You do that.”

I let the crew’s member’s hand go. “Thanks for your help.”

“No problem, Mrs Sinclair.” He nodded at Sully as my husband leapt up behind me. “I’ll wait here for you, sir.”

“Thanks.” Sully pushed his sunglasses higher up his nose. “We won’t be long. An hour, tops.”

“Sure.”

Taking my hand, Sully guided me toward land, swallowing his groan as our chirpy, gung-ho manager for Rapture arrived. She jogged down the beach with sand flying from her sandals, red hair tied in a neat bun, and a cream suit far too stifling for this sort of humidity but professional all the same.

“You’re here!” She waved, jumping onto the pier and closing the distance between us. “How was your trip? Good? That boat you had delivered is outstanding. Had its inaugural cruise this morning with a couple who needed some space to scream it out. It drove like a dream, according to the skipper, and the couple who rented it seemed to like it enough. They’re currently in Euphoria, which is an improvement as they’ve been here three days and were adamant they wouldn’t dabble in VR no matter what therapy they had to endure.” She looked down at her phone, bringing up her own list of things to go over. “Villa Halcyon had minor plumbing issues, but it’s fixed now. Villa Paradise had to be fumigated because of an ant problem, and Villa Frangipani has been extended to include an in-house Euphoria playroom for those couples who want that extra bit of luxury and freedom.” She sucked in a breath, ready to go again.

I held up my hand. “Sounds like you have everything under control.” I smiled kindly. “Thank you for all your hard work. The spread-sheets and customer reviews you’ve provided are wonderful.”

She beamed, her red hair and freckled skin making her a perfect candidate for sunburn and pleased blushes. “Thanks. I’m honoured you hired me, seeing as I know I’m not the typical middle-aged man who’s normally the stereotype for manager.”

“It’s because you weren’t a middle-aged man that Eleanor hired you,” Sully muttered. He covered up his ire at being in public places again with a quick smile. “You’re doing a great job. We appreciate it.”

Sophie nodded and blushed again. “You’re welcome.” Putting her phone into her blazer pocket, she clapped her hands. “Sorry, here I am rabbiting on when we’re still on the pier. Come. Please.” She headed back toward the beach. “What would you like to inspect first? We currently have eighty percent occupancy, so the main areas like the swimming pool, restaurant, waterfall therapy rooms, and spa are most likely in use, but we can always wait.”

We followed behind.

Sully dug his hands into his pockets and cocked his head for me to catch up and walk beside Sophie. It always surprised me how a man like Sully, who was used to being the boss’s boss’s boss, could give me the reins to this place.

He never interrupted when Sophie reeled off figures on the phone. Never contradicted me in our online conferences. Never argued his opinion when interviewing marriage counsellors or approving the shortlist of new chefs and cleaners that Sophie had found locally.

He wanted me to be in charge—almost as if it turned him on to see I was just as capable as him in running a multi-million-dollar company.

Blowing him a quick kiss, I joined Sophie and prepared to listen to her stream of facts, updates, and suggestions.

* * * * *

“So, as you can see, we followed your previous schematics and ensured the two extra Euphoria rooms all follow safety and hygiene requirements.” My heels clacked beside Sophie’s as she led me around the room, opening cupboards with fake furs, textiles, and other props designed to ensure the virtual reality that people dabbled in was as real as we could make it.

The harness that Sully had once strapped me into unwillingly on Goddess Isles had been cloned and hung here, and the trolley that held all the sensors that Sully had copyrighted in their black boxes with their purple orchid stencil waited to be used on guests fighting to save their marriages.

They had the option of all sensors or just the basic eyes and ears. If they wanted to fuck someone who wasn’t their spouse, to see if guilt made them fight for what they’d lost, then the skin oil, taste masker, scent scrambler, and finger print sensors were recommended.

According to our head psychiatrist and counsellor, Dr Jane Milnor, the couples who arrived with divorce papers already signed always opted for all sensors. However, out of the two thousand or so couples who’d been treated on Rapture, only a fraction had continued with a divorce. The rest faded out the sensors until a play in Euphoria was exactly like what Sully and I enjoyed. An adventure for both in a totally different setting but not with different people.

“And everything is working okay?” I asked. “The new codes that we send through aren’t glitchy? Is the new computer programmer able to add enough depth and detail to fantasies that guests request?”

“Yes.” Sophie nodded eagerly. “We’ve had nothing but good reviews. The technology works seamlessly.”

“And the therapy sessions? Are people opting for those, or do they prefer to let their bodies fix their issues?”

“Oh, no, you’d be surprised.” Sophie tapped her phone, pulling up data and figures. “When we first opened, only sixty-eight percent of people used the complimentary therapy sessions. A lot of them just came for the virtual reality. However, according to figures last month, we are getting more and more people who want to make their relationships work and are prepared to do the mental, emotional, and physical requirements. Eighty-nine percent last month participated in sessions we provided, and this month we currently have over ninety.”

“Wow, that’s fabulous.” I turned to Sully who stood leaning against the tiled wall, his blue gaze locked on me with a smug smile on his face. “What? What is it?”

“Nothing.” He pushed off from the wall, his gaze turning darker, hungrier. “Just watching my wife at work.”

Goosebumps ran over my arms. His voice turned me on, and his stare made me wet. I scowled and flicked my hair. “Don’t distract me.”

He chuckled. “Can’t promise anything.” Moving closer, he murmured so Sophie wouldn’t hear, “Seeing you so corporate is turning me the fuck on.”

I shivered as he stroked the back of my hand. “And there you go, distracting me.”

“I’ll ask Sophie to leave.” His gaze dropped to my chest, making my nipples pebble. “We can test-drive Euphoria, Tahiti style.”

“Our marriage doesn’t need any help in that regard.”

“No, but you’re yet to complete that highly important task I told you to write down.”

I lowered my eyes, sweeping my stare down his biteable body. “Behave and I promise my lips will be around your—”

A noise sounded behind me and a door swung open. I spun around, staring at an older man and woman as they tumbled out of another Euphoria playroom that’d been in session when we first arrived.

Oh, my God!

“Hello, Mr and Mrs Grace. Everything went well, I presume?” Sophie clasped her hands in front of her, smiling at the couple who looked rumpled and well-satisfied.

The couple who didn’t belong together.

The couple who I would never look at the same way again.

“Mum?” My eyes flashed between them. “Dad?”

“Ross?” Sully barked. “Deborah? What the—”

My father turned bright red, slamming to a stop and dropping my mother’s hand. Running his fingers through his hair, he struggled to hold eye contact. “Ellie! What a coincidence!”

I shook my head, struggling for words. “A coincidence? You know we own this place. I told you the last time you stayed with us. You even offered a few suggestions on the guest villas.” I sucked in air. “What the hell are you doing here?” I blinked at my mother who gritted her teeth and kept her head high and mighty, her brown hair interspersed with streaks of silver. “And together, no less. You guys divorced ages ago. Mum, you married whatever his name was in England.”

“Trevor and I broke up four years ago.” She sniffed. “I buried myself in work, and I’ve steadily been burning myself out ever since. I...I called your father a year ago for moral support. And well...”

“We became friends again,” my dad mumbled. “She needed a friend.”

“But she cheated on you.” I moved toward them, hating that we aired family laundry in front of my manager but unable to stop myself. “You were heartbroken, Dad.”

“I made a mistake, Eleanor.” My mother wrung her hands. “I’ve regretted it every day of my life. I apologised to Ross, and I was content with just being friends. I didn’t want to hurt him again, but...I need him, Ellie. He keeps me calm and doesn’t let me use work to bury my problems. I love him.”

I crossed my arms as Sully stayed silent and supportive beside me. “So you guys are getting back together? Or are you using this place as...what? A lusty vacation?”

My dad blushed bright red again, making me wonder what fantasy they’d played in. What fetishes had they shared?

God, don’t think about it!

I shuddered, blocking my mind from the inhibitions that Euphoria brought out in people and the fact that my parents had dabbled in Sully’s creation.

Did they take cinta?

Gah, stop it!

I groaned and forced myself to be an adult. “Look, it’s none of my business. It’s—”

“We’re here because, as much as I still love Deborah and she loves me, I have trust issues. I was fine being her friend, but things...happened between us.” My dad swallowed before taking my mother’s hand. “I mentioned this place to her and all the good work you’ve done helping others reconcile. I told her that if we stood a chance at being together again, then we had to put in the work and see if we could salvage our past.”

“And how’s it working for you?” Sully asked, his eyebrow cocked in interest. “Is our concept working for someone who’s tried it first-hand?”

My mother was the one to soften and answer, “We arrived a week ago. The first therapy session was hard. Being honest with one another was definitely abrasive and opened old wounds for both of us. But...”

“But by the fourth session, the counsellor helped us come to terms with how simple marriage is,” my father said. “If you can forgive and forget; if you’re strong enough to trust again, then the rest is just noise. And when we tried Euphoria for the first time yesterday, well—”

“Ross.” My mother sniffed. “They don’t need to know what we think of Euphoria.”

“No, it’s fairly obvious.” Sully chuckled, glancing at his phone as it buzzed with a new message.

“I think I might leave you guys to catch up,” Sophie said very brightly. “I’ll be in my office, Mr and Mrs Sinclair. Please let me know when you’d like to resume.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Sully cleared his throat. “I’ve seen enough.”

I narrowed my eyes in his direction. “But we haven’t seen the updated villas.”

“Radcliffe just sent me a text. He wants to go over the security. He’s asked if I’ll join him.” He gave me a quick kiss on my cheek. “I’ll leave you guys to have a family reunion. I’ll see you soon.” Striding forward, he kissed my mum politely on her cheek before shaking my dad’s hand. “Pleasure to see you both. I hope this island gives you back your happiness.”

“Thanks, Sully.” My father patted my husband’s arm. “I can say it absolutely has.”

“I’m glad.” Bowing his head, Sully strode from the building, followed by Sophie, leaving me alone with my blushing parents. Seemed his excuse about security with Radcliffe was a highly convenient excuse to run from this uncomfortable situation.

“So...” I shrugged.

“So...” My dad swallowed.

I cracked a smile, rolling my eyes at the absurdity.

My parents.

Getting it on thanks to a VR sex tool that Sully once rented to nasty men and unwilling goddesses.

If only they knew.

“Come.” I held out my arm toward the sunshine spilling inside. “I think we need a drink, don’t you?”

My mother let out a nervous laugh, and my dad strode forward to gather me in a hug. “I missed you, Ellie Pie.”

“Missed you too.”

Slowly, my mother joined in, hugging me and Dad softly, healing our family that’d been broken for so long.

Turned out, Rapture not only had the power to fix marriages but also relationships between children and their parents.