by Land, Alexa
He’d been dividing his time between the lab and the ranch, since things were slow in the summer while school was out, and I’d been thrilled when Sage, Will, and Lorenzo became friends. People jokingly called them ‘the throuple’, but it was strictly platonic, despite Will’s secret crush on Lorenzo.
The third member of their little unit joined us, and Lorenzo said, “Let’s do this thing.”
We were sharing a ride down to the harbor, and as we stepped outside, I asked, “A golf cart or the Jeep?”
Their destination was Sarajane’s kiosk, because they planned to spend the day on the water. It was something they did once a week, along with Will’s cat. I thought it was both surprising and very cute that Madame Leota had really taken to kayaking. She even had her own tiny life jacket and a sun visor.
“Definitely the Jeep,” Sage said, “and I’ll drive. Not that I don’t love y’all, but three people in the back of a golf cart is more togetherness than I personally enjoy.”
We all chatted happily on the drive to town, and when we got there, we discovered Avalon was packed. A lot of people had decided to turn the holiday into a four-day weekend, since Independence Day landed on a Thursday. That was great news for the local businesses. At the same time though, I was glad we were getting away from it all.
After our friends dropped us off, we were ferried out into the harbor, where a sleek, white yacht was anchored. Lee had bought it right after he moved to the island, and he’d gone for elegant and understated instead of big and flashy. He’d also named it after me, and by that I meant it was called Psychi Mou, because my man was wonderfully sappy and sentimental.
I started the powerful engine as Lee cast off, and then I slowly piloted us out of the harbor. As soon as we reached the open ocean though, I opened her up. Driving that boat was an absolute thrill, no two ways about it. I whooped with delight, just like every time we took her out, and Lee watched me with a look of pure adoration.
After we made the crossing, we anchored off the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes and sunned ourselves on the deck for a while. Then Lee went into the cabin to get us some beverages, and when he returned with two glasses of champagne, I murmured, “Déjà vu.”
“Really?”
I nodded and told him, “I used to have a fantasy exactly like this, before you and I were a couple.”
“Oh, right. You told me about that once, although I believe in your fantasy we were in the Aegean.” Lee stretched out beside me on the built-in lounger and said, “You know, if you ever decide you want to visit the Mediterranean, I can easily make that happen.”
I took the glass he offered me and turned my head to look at him. “But you still don’t want to return to Greece, right?”
“I’ve been giving that some thought. I don’t think I’d want to return to my hometown. Too many bad memories. But there’s much more to my country, and I’d love to experience it with you.”
“Maybe we can go in November. Business will have slowed down then.”
He smiled at me and said, “Wow. I thought I’d have to work to convince you, since you never want to be far from the ranch.”
“I really want to find more of a balance between life and work. Leaving the country will be a crash course in letting go and putting my full faith in the wonderful people who work with me.”
He took his phone from the pocket of his shorts and said, “I’m buying tickets right now, before you change your mind.”
* * *
We met Rus for dinner when we finally docked. Predictably, he talked about business throughout the entire meal, since he was totally ‘Type A’ and never actually relaxed.
Lee had put him in charge of managing his investments and numerous properties after he closed down the gambling operation, and he’d found lucrative jobs for everyone in his inner circle. As a thank you for his continued support, he then gave Rus his former home, which had also served as his place of business. His cousin immediately sold it for a profit and invested the money, because that was Rus.
When the meal was over, Rus dropped us off at our apartment. Lee had made the choice not to rent out any of the other units in the building for the time being, just because he wanted our penthouse to feel totally secluded. Given how little privacy we had at the ranch, I loved that decision.
As soon as we got inside, I dropped my cowboy hat onto the stand by the door, and Lee kissed my neck and murmured, “Alone at last.”
I grinned and said, “Technically, we were alone all afternoon on the boat.”
“But after that, we had to listen to Icarus drone on and on about money for two hours. I wonder if I used to be like that when I was running my business.”
“If you were, you left it at the door during our weekends together.”
“That’s good at least.”
He kissed me before saying, “I want to take a shower and wash off this sunscreen. Would you like to join me?”
“You’re on your own this time. There’s something I need to do.”
“Okay then. See you in a few minutes.”
While he headed to the bathroom, I went into the kitchen and checked the refrigerator. Fortunately, a wonderful housekeeper looked after the place when we were away, and she stocked the kitchen for us before our visits. I piled some ingredients onto the counter and got to work.
By the time Lee joined me, looking incredibly sexy in just a towel, a cake was baking in the oven and I’d just finished mixing up a batch of buttercream frosting, which I stuck in the refrigerator. He circled the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room and asked, “What’s the occasion?”
“It was your birthday on our first weekend here, but we never got to enjoy the cake I made you, so I decided we needed a redo.”
“Thank you. That’s a nice surprise.”
“I have another surprise for you, too.” I took a half-empty box of condoms from my pocket, held them up to show Lee, and then chucked them in the trash can.
He smiled at me and said, “Really?” He’d wanted that for months, but I’d been hesitant. After working as a prostitute for so long, using condoms was totally ingrained in me. But we’d both been tested regularly and all the results had come back negative, so I knew it was time. When I nodded, he gathered me into his arms and said, “That’s fantastic. Thank you.”
I kissed him before saying, “It’s my turn in the bathroom. Please take the cake out of the oven when the timer goes off.” He promised he would.
I took my time showering and prepping myself for the night ahead. I was naked when I left the bathroom, and I found Lee in the living room, still in just the towel. He’d set up the chess set on the coffee table, and I gestured at it and asked, “Do you want to play?”
“Yes,” he said. “Tomorrow. We’re going to be busy tonight.”
He glanced toward the glass wall, and when I followed his gaze, I had to grin. He’d relocated a large piece of furniture from our playroom to the balcony, and as soon as I saw it, I started to get hard. I murmured, “So I see,” as I dropped to my knees in front of him and parted the towel.
I took his thick cock in my mouth and moaned with pleasure at the drop of precum that was waiting for me. He relaxed as I sucked him, and after a few minutes he said, very quietly, “I have a request.”
I slid his cock from my mouth and asked, “Do you want me to get my wrist cuffs?”
He looked nervous. “Not this time. I, um…I want something else, something we’ve never done before.”
I ran my hands down his thighs and said, “Of course. Anything you want.”
“You don’t know what I’m going to say.”
“Whatever it is, the answer is yes.”
“Thank you for that, and for making me feel safe enough to ask for this.” He took a breath before saying, “Will you please finger me while you suck me? I um, I brought a kit along and cleaned myself up while I was in the bathroom. I tried to apply some lube, too, but I think you’ll need more.”
He
was so innocent and totally vulnerable in that moment, and I pulled him to me and kissed him tenderly. I knew how tough it had been for him to make that request, and I whispered, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll take good care of you.”
He nodded, and then that big, powerful man, the one who needed control and had been hurt so terribly in the past, leaned back and parted his legs for me. I already adored him, but in that moment I thought my heart would burst. It was wonderful when he told me he trusted me. But right then, he was showing me how profoundly true that was.
I found some lube and put it beside me, and then I started sucking him again. Once he’d relaxed and was enjoying himself, I dispensed some of the product onto my finger and circled his hole before carefully pushing just my fingertip into him.
He was clearly nervous, and his breathing was quick and shallow. I took my time and kept up the blow job as I worked my finger very slowly into his tight hole. When I grazed his prostate, he drew a sharp breath. Then, as I rubbed it lightly, he moaned and opened his legs wider.
Minutes later, he gripped the couch and cried out as he came in my mouth. His orgasm seemed intense. It made his body tremble, and when it was finally over, he fell back, gasping for breath. I slid my finger from him and used some tissues to clean him up before whispering, “I’ll be right back, sweetheart.”
I washed up and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and when I returned to the living room he was still splayed out on the sofa. He raised one eyelid and grinned at me, and then he mumbled, “It’s cute when you call me sweetheart.”
I chuckled at that, and when he shifted his position, I stretched out beside him on the couch and put my leg over his. Then I handed him the water, and as he took a drink, I said, “It’s super corny. I know that. But I don’t care, because you need a mushy, ridiculous pet name. God knows the Greek language has provided you with plenty to choose from for me.”
As he set the water aside, he murmured, “That’s very true.” Then he kissed my forehead and said, “I’m going to need some time before we go out to the balcony to enjoy our…let’s call it an entertainment center.”
I grinned at that. “Let’s hope so. It’d be bizarre if you were ready to go a minute after coming that hard.”
He pulled a throw blanket off the back of the couch, draped it over both of us, and kissed me gently. Then he played with my hair as I rested my head on his chest. After a while, he said, “Would you think less of me if I tried to go back to school but found I was too stupid?”
I looked up at him and exclaimed, “Of course not! Never mind the fact that I already know you’re brilliant.”
“There are some things I’m good with, like numbers. But I know there are gaps in my knowledge, science for example. It would be embarrassing if I found I couldn’t keep up with my much younger classmates. Then again, I suppose most of this could be done online, so maybe I’d be spared the humiliation of failing publicly.”
“I think it’s great that you’re considering this,” I said. “How long have you been thinking about it?”
“Remember the first time we visited the marine lab, back in April?” I nodded, and he told me, “Seeing that place and hearing Sage talk about his research made me feel like I’d missed out on something big in my life. I loved school when I was a kid. I was excited to learn new things, and I was always reading. But then I had to drop out in the middle of ninth grade to take care of Rus and everyone else. I used to believe that ship had sailed, but then I started thinking…what if it hasn’t?”
“It definitely hasn’t,” I said. “You know what? A lot of colleges offer great classes through a university extension program, which would give you a chance to explore different fields and see what interests you. It’d be easy enough to travel to the mainland once or twice a week.”
“I’ll need to work my way up to that,” he said, as he rubbed my back. “To start, I think I’ll see about online programs to obtain the equivalent of a high school diploma.”
“I totally support you, however you want to do this.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.” He shifted a bit and asked, “Do you ever think about going back and getting a degree?”
“I definitely considered it in the past. I think it would have been helpful to study hotel management, instead of trying to teach myself from boring, second-hand textbooks. Instead though, I’m getting a daily crash course in the real thing.”
We spent the next hour or so deep in conversation, until Lee sat up, looked at the clock on the end table, and announced, “There’s someplace we need to be.”
“No. Really? But I’m so happy here at the apartment with you.”
“Let’s see if we can make you even happier.”
He stood up, pulled me to my feet, and tossed me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, which made me laugh. When he crossed the room and opened the door to the balcony, I said, “Okay, this is an acceptable level of leaving the apartment.”
Lee put me down once we were outside and told me, “Here’s the plan: I’m going to tie you up and fuck your brains out. If you’d rather not use that contraption, we can do this another way.”
My cock swelled as I walked over to the tall, wooden frame and said, “This is perfect.”
Lee knelt before me and fastened a pair of leather cuffs around my ankles as a warm breeze caressed my bare skin. By the time he buckled my wrist cuffs in place, my cock was pointing straight up. He took it between his lips and sucked it until I was moaning and trying my damnedest not to fuck his throat. He jerked himself off while he was sucking me, and by the time he stood up, both of us were rock hard.
I parted my legs, and he clipped my ankle cuffs to the frame. Then I raised my arms for him, and he did the same with my wrists, so my limbs formed a big ’X’. He stepped back and asked, “How’s that?”
“So damn good.”
He squirted some lube onto his palm and rubbed his hands together, and then he came up behind me and began jerking me off with one hand while he worked me open with the other. It felt wonderful, but I desperately needed more, and I began begging him to fuck me. Finally, he slicked his cock and pressed it against my hole. As he pushed into me, the sound that slipped from my lips was primal and full of need.
He slid in and out of me slowly, and I whimpered impatiently and struggled in my restraints. When he grasped my hips with both hands and started fucking me, I muttered, “Harder.” He did as I asked.
As his hips slammed against my ass and his cock impaled me, he started jerking me off. All rational thought abandoned me, and I was reduced to pure sensation. I almost didn’t understand what I was seeing when a burst of color went off in the distance, way off to my left. A few moments later, another went off to the right. Then three more fireworks lit the night in the center of our view.
I laughed delightedly, and Lee kissed my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “Happy Fourth of July, Beck.”
He went on fucking me while over a dozen fireworks displays went off all around the L.A. basin. As his orgasm built, he started thrusting harder, which made my entire body sway. I murmured, “Fuck yes,” as pleasure totally overwhelmed my senses.
He wrapped his arms around my chest and came in me a few moments later. Then, with his cock still in me, he started jerking me off again. I shot all over the glass half-wall as I bucked against my restraints and cried out. It was so intense that it felt like my body was trying to turn itself inside out. Throughout it all, Lee supported me with an arm around my chest, taking the pressure off my wrists as my knees buckled.
Afterwards, as I shook and gasped for breath, Lee unfastened the hooks that bound me to the frame, scooped me up in his arms, and carried me to the lounge chair. I curled up in his lap as he wrapped a thick blanket around us, and while we recovered, we watched the fireworks displays conclude with exuberant grand finales.
When the last of the shows ended, I cheered and applauded, and Lee smiled and held me tight. Then I said, “Thank you. That was ma
gical.” I grinned and added, “It’s funny, actually. You always make me see fireworks when I come. Tonight, when I literally saw them, I thought I’d lost my damn mind at first.” He chuckled at that.
After a few minutes, I sat up and announced, “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
“Me too.”
We went inside, cleaned up a bit, and put on some briefs before going to the kitchen. I retrieved the frosting and tried to spread it on one of the cake layers, which promptly broke apart, because the buttercream had solidified in the refrigerator. I murmured, “Aw, I ruined your birthday cake,” as I looked at the mess I’d made.
“No you didn’t.” He placed the other layer on top of the uneven, broken one, and it cracked into three pieces. Then he added a boulder of frosting to the top of it, assessed it for a moment, and declared, “It just needs some decorations.”
I nodded in agreement and grabbed some stuff I’d brought from the ranch while he found two forks. Then we both climbed up onto the counter and sat cross-legged on either side of the cake pile. I tried to shake a few multicolored sprinkles onto it, but the little plastic strainer fell off, and the entire contents of the bottle spilled out. I frowned at that, but Lee said, “It’s actually an improvement,” which made me laugh.
I jabbed a handful of long, skinny candles into the cake, lit them, and told Lee to make a wish. He gave me the sweetest smile in the glow of the candlelight and said, “Marry me.”
As I tried to process what had just happened, I stammered. “Wait, is that your wish?”
He shook his head. “The part where you say yes is.”
He blew out the candles, and I blurted, “Yes, of course I’ll marry you!” We leaned across that disastrous confection and kissed each other, until my huge smile made him sit back and chuckle. Then I picked up a fork, fed him a bite of cake, and asked, “How is it?”
Lee met my gaze and said, with total sincerity, “It’s absolutely perfect.”
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