Vickie swallowed, not sure she wanted to believe what Courtney was telling her. She had gotten a call from Courtney that morning, and since Dan had taken advantage of the membership he still had active at a local gym to go work out, she had suggested that she and Courtney meet for breakfast at their favorite café. Now she was glad they had.
“Come on, Courtney. Did he really look that good?”
Courtney didn’t hesitate shaking her head. “Yes, he looked that good. You’ve met Grey and you know how sexy he is, then consider a man just a year or two older but even sexier.”
An image flashed across Vickie’s mind, and the only word she could think to say was, “Wow!”
“Now you see what I mean.”
Vickie nodded as she chewed on her muffin. “And you’re having dinner with him tonight?”
“Not if I can get out of it.”
Vickie stared at Courtney like she’d lost her mind. “Why would you want to get out of it?”
“Because I don’t believe he’s true.”
Vickie frowned. “What do you mean?”
Courtney sighed. “Vickie, how many men do you know who would just walk up to a woman they’d just met and declare themselves? A man of the drop-dead gorgeous kind. A man already established in a career. A man who already has it going on. One who would be every woman’s dream man.”
“So you think he’s stringing you along?”
Courtney shrugged. “I don’t know what he’s doing or thinking that he’s doing. And I prefer not sticking around to find out and set myself up for another disappointment.”
Vickie didn’t say anything for a moment while she took a sip of her coffee, thinking about what Courtney said. “Considering the fact that he’s Grey’s brother, and Grey’s such a nice guy, don’t you want to put that in Lake Masters’s favor and believe he’s okay?”
Courtney sipped her orange juice before saying. “Grey might be Lake’s brother, but he’s not his brother’s keeper. I can’t assume that Lake’s a nice guy like Grey. Look at Charlie, Dan’s brother. That one night you talked me into seeing him was the date from hell.”
Vickie threw her head back and laughed, remembering. “He grew hands that night, didn’t he?”
“That’s not the only thing on him that grew. I don’t know how many times he told me he had a hard-on and needed my help to make it go soft. The man was as obnoxious as they come and is a perfect example that family members can be as different as day and night.”
“Okay. Okay, I admit Charlie was and still is an asshole,” Vickie said, grinning. “But what if Lake is what he claims to be? A man who knows what he wants. A man who’s made up in his mind that what he wants is you. And before you say bullshit to that very idea, just listen to me for a minute.”
“All right, I’m listening.”
“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately? Courtney, you’re beautiful and have a lot to offer a man. And it could be the reason you’re still single and unattached is just like Lake Masters said. Maybe he’s the one you’ve been waiting for.”
“I doubt it.”
“But are you sure?”
“No, but it stands to reason that he’s wrong.”
“But what if he’s right and you’re the one who’s wrong? What if you’re letting your past disappointments interfere with finding the one man any woman would want to have? What if this is the man for you? The man you deserve. The man created just for you.”
A part of Courtney thought Vickie was getting just a little carried away, but her best friend had her thinking. And then there were those weird emotions she just couldn’t shake. Memories of Lake Masters and just what a look from him could do to her flowed through her mind, made
her insides quicken at the thought. But the image that wouldn’t go away was the one when she’d first seen him. At that moment her breath had actually caught and a tingle had taken over the lower part of her body.
“So what are you going to do, Courtney?”
She knew what she wanted to do. She would just keep her guard up and not let it down.
“Courtney?”
She glanced across the table at Vickie. She sighed deeply before saying, “I think I’m going to take a chance. But in no way am I going to be taken in by this guy. I will keep my guard up and not let it down.”
Vickie smiled. “I’m glad you’re going to dinner with him, and I know that you’ll be able to handle him,” she assured her.
Courtney took another sip of her orange juice; she felt confident that she had everything under control and, just like Vickie said, she would be able to handle Lake Masters.
“Willie Baker was quite taken with you, Peggy.”
Peggy glanced up from viewing all the photographs of Toni’s week-old grandchild. Being the proud first-time grandparents, Toni and her husband, John, had taken over a hundred pictures.
“Peggy?”
“I heard you, but I don’t know why you would think that. I’m glad his final decision went in our favor, but I merely did what you instructed me to do, which was to
impress him enough to consider Orlando for the location of the amusement park.”
Toni smiled over at her friend. “No, I think you did more than that. I meant it when I said I believe he was quite taken with you. And the reason I think that is because he sang your praises a number of times. More times than were needed.”
Peggy took a sip of her coffee, deciding not to tell Toni that she’d been quite taken with Willie Baker, as well. He had been utterly charming in a way she wasn’t used to with a man. Even with all his money, he hadn’t come off as overbearing and arrogant.
“He’s coming back to Orlando next week.”
Peggy met Toni’s gaze. She knew that look. “Okay,” she said, setting her coffee cup down. “I don’t know what’s going through that mind of yours, but let it go.”
“I can’t. I know what Joe’s betrayal did to you, and I don’t want you to think that all men are like him.”
“I don’t think all men are like him, Toni. I admit that sometimes I feel I gave him some of the best years of my life, almost thirty of them, only to be kicked to the curb for a twit young enough to be his daughter, but I’m over that now. I’ve moved on.”
“But without a man.”
“I’m not looking for one.”
“But what if one is interested in you?”
Peggy’s stomach plummeted at the thought that Willie Baker could actually be interested in her. “Then I would tread into that territory with caution.”
“But you would tread?”
“Yes.”
Toni leaned back in her chair with a satisfied grin on her face. “That’s good to hear, because when he said he was coming back to Orlando, I decided to have a little dinner party, and you’re the person I paired him with.”
“You did what!”
“You heard me.” Then Toni quickly asked, “So what do you think of my precious grandchild?”
“So the reservations have been made?” Barbara asked Ron excitedly over breakfast.
He glanced over at her with a forced smile. “Yes, everything has been finalized. I’ve gotten someone to cover my classes for those two weeks, and we’ll fly out on Thursday.”
Barbara reached across the table and captured her husband’s hand in hers. “Thanks, Ron, a trip away from everything is exactly what we need.”
He swallowed, suddenly feeling like the asshole his sister-in-law once accused him of being. He didn’t want to consider what Peggy, or anyone else for that matter, would think of him if they were to find out that the woman he was involved with would be going to Hawaii, as well—compliments of him. Most men would consider it bold. To others, it would be a stupid move, totally disrespectful of the woman he was married to. But at the moment, the only thing he could think about was the blow jobs he wouldn’t have to miss getting. The freaky sex he would continue to indulge in. It was a damn risky move on his part, but worth it if he could pull it off.
A thought flashed through his mind: What if he didn’t pull it off? What if he got caught? He didn’t want to think what Barbara would do if she found out she’d been screwed over, made a fool of, yet again. His wife was usually mild-mannered and easygoing, but he’d seen her riled up over his women in the past, and she did say that if he ever cheated on him again, she would kill him. Of course, he didn’t believe she would go that far, since she wasn’t the violent kind.
“Ron, don’t you agree?”
It was then that he realized he hadn’t made a comment to her earlier statement. “Yes, I agree, which is the main reason I moved forward with it.”
“Thanks, Ron.”
“Don’t thank me, baby. I’m doing it for the both of us.”
He saw that look in her eye. Knew what she was about to suggest and decided he wasn’t in the mood. At least not with her. “I need to take my car to get serviced this morning. Since I didn’t make an appointment, it might take a while, but the Florida Mall is right next door. Would you like to go with me and while we’re waiting on the car you can help me look for new golf clubs to take to Hawaii with me?” The only reason he had suggested she come along was because he knew she’d already made plans to spend a part of the morning with her sister at some spa for a day of beauty.
“I’d loved to, honey, but I’m meeting Peggy in a little while. But if you really want me to be with you, then I’ll—”
“No, that’s fine. After I get the car back, I plan to stop
and check in on Courtney. She’s been making herself scarce lately.”
“You’ve noticed.”
He met his wife’s worried gaze. “How can I not notice? I plan to have a talk with her. I think she needs to understand and accept that how we handle our personal affairs is really none of her business. She has her life to live, and we have ours. But then I also want her to know that we love her and will always be here for her.”
He got up from the table and pulled Barbara into his arms and hugged her tight and kissed her lips before saying, “And that you and I will always be here for each other.”
A few hours later, Ron was shrugging out of his clothes, which he proceeded to place over the back of the leather recliner in the bedroom. Ashira was already in bed, waiting on him.
“I was surprised when I got your call. It’s a Saturday morning,” she said, stretching her naked body atop the covers.
His gaze raked over her as a smile touched his lips. He knew what she meant. Usually his visits were in the afternoons, on his way home from work when Barbara assumed he’d gotten delayed at a staff meeting or something. But today he had been bold. Since Barbara figured that with his car in the shop being serviced he was stranded, he decided to use that time to his advantage. What she didn’t know was that he had made arrangements to use one of the dealership’s rentals.
He walked over to the bed. “I’m full of surprises, like this,” he said, dropping the airline ticket on her naked chest.
She scrambled up, and her eyes widened when she saw what it was. He watched her face light up with excitement. “So I am going?”
He laughed. The happiness on her face was pure delight. “Yes, you’re going. I’m flying you in a day early, so you’ll be there when I arrive.” His features then took on a serious note. “There will be rules, Ashira. Rules I expect you to follow. Under no circumstances is my wife to find out about this.”
“Hey, don’t worry, I can keep a secret and I can follow rules,” she said smiling, inching toward him and placing her arms around his neck, making the tips of her breasts, perky and firm, come to press against his hairy chest. “And I’m going to make sure you never regret taking me along.”
He liked the sound of that. “And what else will you do?”
Her smile widened. “I plan to be at your beck and call while I’m there. All you have to do is manage to get away from your wife periodically.”
He nodded, hoping that wouldn’t be a problem. But still, he wouldn’t let being with Ashira go to his head while he was there. Although his wife lacked the skills to keep him satisfied in bed, he cared for her deeply and wouldn’t want to do anything to intentionally hurt her. Then again, what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.
He was glad that, although Barbara had found out
about his last affair with a woman name Melissa Langley, she hadn’t known about Ashira, mainly because he was in the process of dropping Melissa for Ashira. Therefore, if Barbara and Ashira were to run into each other at the hotel in Hawaii, he didn’t have to worry about them recognizing each other.
Now if he could only get Melissa to leave him alone. She had been waiting for him in the parking lot when he got off work a few weeks ago, asking if he wanted to go with her to the doctor next week. She would be having a sonogram to determine the sex of the baby. Before he could stop himself he had told her in no uncertain terms that he wouldn’t go to the doctor with her and didn’t give a royal shit what sex the baby was. Melissa had lied to him; had told him she was on birth control. In his book she had intentionally gotten pregnant and he didn’t want to have anything to do with her or the child. He would take care of it, send her a check each month, but that was as far as his involvement would go.
Evidently Melissa hadn’t understood what he’d said because she had sent a photo of the sonogram to his office yesterday, along with a note saying they were having a boy. He had called her to tell her not to send anything else to him, and he had to hang up on her when she’d proceeded to curse him out.
“So, what do you want today, Ronnie?” Ashira asked breaking into his thoughts. “Your every wish is my command,” she leaned up and whispered, and then took the wet tip of her tongue and slid it down the side of his face, around his lips and ears.
His aroused body got even harder. All thoughts of Melissa’s foolishness vanished. “You know what I want. I only have a couple of hours, so make it worth my while.”
She grinned and leaned back. “Don’t I always?”
And then she pushed him back on the bed and put her mouth to work, just the way he liked. When she took him into her mouth, he closed his eyes and lifted his hand to grab hold of her hair, to make sure her wicked mouth stayed locked in place on him. No woman could work her teeth, tongue, and gums like her. He’d thought Melissa was terrific, but she didn’t come close. Ashira was causing a quiver of sensations to overtake him that went all the way down to his bones, releasing any erotic needs he had and surrendering them to her. No matter what he asked her to do, she did it without blinking an eye. It always amazed him how giving him a blow job could make her come, as well.
And what was a real turn-on was in knowing she enjoyed giving him pleasure. She would work him over with a physical intensity that could push him over the edge each and every time, but then she reveled in the sex he gave her, too. She had no complaints, so it was a win-win situation for the both of them. Besides, he was free with the money when it came to her. Already he purchased new carpeting as well as every piece furnishing this room. So far as he was concerned, this bed was his.
His entire body jerked when her mouth became more intense, and then with a concentrated effort she pulled everything out of him, and automatically his body exploded in one hell of an erotic volcanic shakedown. He
heard himself utter her name over and over while he loosed his hold on her head, and knowing he’d probably at some point caused pain, he began gently massaging her scalp with his fingertips. And then she came, a climax of gigantic proportions. Her body jerked a few times while she continued to lick him clean. He stroked the side of her face while inhaling the air that was filled with a mixture of her perfume and heavy sex.
He wasn’t through with her. He intended to ride her good while she was drenched in wetness from her own orgasm. He quickly changed positions and moments later he was thrusting in and out of her from behind, just like a madman. But then that was just how he felt. And when he came again, he gritted his teeth and held himself inside her, making sure she got some of him from both ends—just the way she liked.
When she screamed again, he tightened his hold on her hips and came again. And his mind filled with thoughts of having sex with her in Hawaii. It was a risk worth taking.