by S. E. Rose
I turn to meet her, plastering on my best friendly smile. “Just enjoying the view from up here,” I say.
“Well, you two are missing the party, so come on down, unless you want Eric to bring our drinks up here,” she adds as she looks around assessing the area for its party potential. It takes every fiber of my being not to strangle her snobby ass.
“I suppose we could hang out up here, but—”
“No, no, let’s go downstairs,” Zach says, cutting her off. She gives him a big smile that has my hand itching to punch her in the face. How I keep controlling myself from throttling her, I have no idea.
“You coming?” Zach asks me.
I nod. “In a minute, I just want to get some photos from up here,” I say as I hold up my phone. He nods and follows the girls down to the party room.
I take a moment for myself, breathing in the salty sea breeze and feeling the warm sun on my face. Then gathering all my wits about me, I head down to join the others.
I grab a piña colada and sit down next to Number 4. I find her the most tolerable of all the bridesmaids aside from Number 3. She goes on and on about her upcoming wedding. I half listen, I mean I really try, but I keep sneaking glances over at Zach who has been cornered by Felicia and Number 2. Grant and Harrison have taken up residence at the bar, making small talk with the bartender. There’s a small group of people dancing and two or three out on the deck sunbathing.
“So, anyhow, I just know our wedding will be perfect. I’m sure after the negotiations are done, Lee and Maggie will need to get away,” she says. And suddenly, my mind comes back to the present.
“Negotiations?” I ask.
She throws her hand up like no big deal. “Oh, you know, Lee’s grandmother is trying to make a merger happen with Felicia’s father and Maggie’s dad is like the middle man. I don’t really understand it all, except Mags says if she can’t get it all done, then she may miss my wedding. But I have full confidence that she will be able to be there,” she says.
Number 4 has suddenly become my new best friend.
Chapter 11
It takes me the better part of a minute to remember her real name. Number 4 is Candace Wellingbrook.
“Candace,” I start.
She gives me a genuine smile. “Please, call me Candy. Only my father calls me Candace,” she says.
“Well, then, Candy, let’s go to the bar. I had this amazing drink yesterday. You just have to try it,” I say to her. That part is true. I did have this great drink at the bar last night. It was coffee, with chocolate vodka and Kahlua.
“So, how long have you known Maggie?” I ask her as the bartender whips up our drinks complete with a little whipped cream and shaved chocolate on top.
“Let’s see…I met her at camp when we were twelve. Felicia was there too, although they were already acquainted,” says Candy.
“Cheers,” I say to her as the bartender hands us the drinks.
“OMG! You were right, this is amazing!” she squeals.
“So, it’ll be crazy if Felicia’s dad’s company, Maggie’s dad’s company, and Lee’s grandmother’s company are all merged, huh?” I say to her as nonchalantly as possible.
She’s three giant gulps into the beverage now and nods enthusiastically. “I suppose so. I don’t really follow all that business stuff much. Daddy says its men’s work,” she says.
Oh, dear God, she’s the complete Stepford wife. I try my hardest not to choke on my drink. “So, what is it that you do?” I ask her.
She smiles sweetly. “Oh, Mummy has had me doing dressage for years, but that’s only till I get married,” she adds and looks off dreamily.
“Oh, so who are you marrying?” I ask her.
“William Thackery. It’s a good match,” she adds.
This time, the drink goes down the wrong pipe. I cough. I feel a hand clap me on the back.
“You OK, Reagan?” Grant asks.
“Yep,” I manage in between coughing fits. “All good.”
I internally sigh, Miss Debutant is not going to be of any more help, unless I need to know the proper way to fold a napkin and how to walk with books on my head, or apparently dressage.
The universe smiles upon me for a moment as the captain comes over the loudspeaker to announce that we are pulling up at some reef whose name I miss and that anyone wanting to participate in water activities should be on B Deck in five minutes.
“Oh, I better go get ready,” I say to her. She frowns.
“You’re going in the water?” she asks.
I nod enthusiastically.
“But your hair?” she says, slightly horrified.
I shrug. “I’ll wash it when we get back,” I tell her.
She’s still looking at me like I have two heads as I walk away and give her a little wave.
I find B Deck and toss my sundress on a lounge chair. I pick out snorkeling gear from a giant box of equipment just as the vessel stops and drops anchor.
A guide comes out and explains the activities. Apparently, his sole job is to provide fun for the passengers and take us on a guided snorkel trip, if we want.
“I think I’ll just swim around on my own for a bit,” I say to him. He nods.
I don’t wait for anyone else, I jump into the water after gearing up. I rinse my goggles and put them on, and then look around in the water. We are near the edge of the reef. So, I swim out over it, looking at fish as I go. I don’t bring my camera as I just want to enjoy the moment.
I spot all kinds of tropical reef fish, eels, lobsters, and I even see a nurse shark and a stingray. I’m so enthralled by the wildlife, that when something grabs my leg, I nearly jump clear out of the water.
I turn to find Zach next to me. I pop up out of the water.
“Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!” I cry out.
He chuckles. “Sorry, I was trying to get your attention, but you were very transfixed by the fish,” he says.
“So, any intel from Felicia?” I ask him.
“She made a few weird comments about conquering the world with friends, but no, I didn’t get any good intel. You?” he asks as he treads water inches from me. My eyes rake down his chest. I look back up at him and shrug.
“Candy, Number 4, said something about Felicia’s dad’s company, Maggie’s dad’s company, and Lee’s grandmother’s company merging or something, but apparently she’s just a 1960s housewife, so she doesn’t have any real intel,” I say with a sigh.
Zach laughs. “Well, that is interesting,” he says.
“I feel like we all just keep circling something, but it’s still covered in fog,” I say as I tap my lip.
“Reagan,” Zach growls.
I look up at him.
“Stop tapping your lip, it’s driving me crazy,” he says, looking around to see if anyone is nearby. We are alone on the reef. The ship has turned in the water where it is anchored, so the back side where everyone is partying is now facing away from us. “Come here,” he adds as he swims toward the bow of the ship. I follow him until we are against it. No one can see us at all from where we are.
He presses me against the cold material of the boat, and his body covers mine. “This game of charades is killing me,” he says. “When will Grant come out?”
I shrug and bite my lip. “He can’t. He’ll lose it all,” I say, peering up at him.
He presses his pelvis into mine, and I moan slightly at the feel of his cock against the apex of my thighs. He grinds himself against me, and I do the same, looking for some kind of release. His mouth closes over mine, and he kisses me with such fervor that I see stars behind my closed eyelids. Something in me snaps as I grasp his strong biceps. I un-bashfully grind harder against him, pressing myself into his thigh. I’m so close. One of his hands releases me from around my waist. It finds first my breast, squeezing a nipple until I gasp into his mouth. Then it travels down my belly. His fingers part my bikini bottom from my skin and slowly crawl down until they separate my folds.
“Christ, you’re wet,” he growls into my mouth.
“We’re in wa—” I start but don’t finish as he presses a finger into me while circling my bundle of nerves with his thumb. His mouth captures my cry as he begins to fuck me with his talented finger.
“Yes, come for me,” he whispers against my lips as he licks them and then plunges his tongue inside my mouth to dance with mine. I lose sense of our whereabouts as I grind his palm, seeking relief, and when it comes, dear God. His lips seal over mine to capture my moans of pleasure. His finger strokes once, twice, three more times before he pulls it out of me and adjusts my bikini bottoms.
He brings his finger to his mouth and sucks it. “Christ, woman, I can’t wait any longer. Tonight,” he says in a gravelly voice.
“Tonight,” I repeat. He kisses me once more before he lets me go. I hear voices approaching the boat from the other side. I let my body sink into the water, relishing the post-orgasm release. Suddenly, Zach is there with me, beneath the surface. We stare at each other, fuzzy in the salt water. And then I pull him to me and kiss him. Oxygen passes between our mouths as we fuse them together. I reach into his shorts and grip his erection. I moan against his tongue. I haven’t seen his cock yet, but feeling it, I just know it’s perfect, just like the rest of him. He thrusts against my hand. I pull away from him and gulp air before I push down in the water. Even in my fuzzy water view, his cock is as magnificent as I thought it would be. I lean forward and take him in my mouth. He jerks but I hold onto his hips, sealing my lips around his hot, hard skin. I lick and suck within the vacuum I’ve made. He begins thrusting against my mouth as his hands come up to hold my head. I let him fuck my mouth until I feel his balls tighten. His hands try to push me back, but I shake my head, letting him know I want him spilling his seed in my mouth. He lets go, and his essence mixes with sea water as it fills my mouth. I throttle to the surface and gasp for air.
His hands immediately fly to hold my jaw.
“Are you alright?” he asks, looking concerned.
I grin. “I’m fine. Just need a little air,” I say with a smile.
He tenderly wipes my lower lip, before gently kissing me. He smiles at me as he backs up in the water.
I smile back. “What?” I say.
He shakes his head. “You’re…different,” he says slowly.
I frown.
He chuckles. “Different in a good way, my little decoy,” he says softly. “Back to the game,” he adds and motions me to wait while he swims back first.
I suddenly feel like a teenager with a giant crush on the most popular boy at school. Only this time, that boy likes me too.
I push my goggles back down and dive deep into the water, and almost right into a turtle.
“Sea turtle,” I shout. “Several,” I yell again as I look to see a handful of sea turtles swimming by me.
Suddenly, there’s a lot of people hovering from above the boat and others swimming toward me. Everyone is talking excitedly, and I pop my head back in the water to watch the majestic creatures go by. I try to keep up with them, but they move too fast. I glance over, and Zach is right next to me. He grins like a kid in a candy store, and I grin back at him. Shit, I am so screwed.
The turtles eventually get too far from us, and I turn to find Harrison, Grant, and Zach right behind me.
“You’re a fast swimmer, Reagan,” Harrison pants.
“She was on the high school swim team,” Grant says, also catching his breath.
“That was awesome!” Zach pipes in.
I grin. I can see Harrison’s hand on Grant’s thigh beneath the water. I haven’t been able to have girl talk yet with him, but I have a sneaking suspicion that things are heating up between those two.
We swim back to the yacht where the staff hands us towels and shows us to the showers to rinse off and change. I decide to lie out on the top deck instead. I’m just about to fall asleep when I hear someone come up next to me. I open my eyes to find Grant.
He grins and sits down.
“You look like the cat that swallowed the canary,” I say to him. He shrugs.
“I just took a shower,” he says. “With Harrison.”
I sit up and look around, but we are completely alone. I swat his arm. “Grant, dude, you need to be more careful.”
“No one suspects a thing. We’re fine,” he says and hands me a drink.
I roll my eyes…only the sixth hundredth eye roll for this trip.
“I can’t do my job as a decoy if you keep sabotaging the plan,” I say to him giving him a pointed look.
He raises his hands in defeat. “Point taken,” he says. “We’ll be more careful.”
I roll over to my front and look at him. He seems genuinely happy.
“You really like him, don’t you?” I say to him.
“I mean, I don’t know. I’m having fun with him, that’s for sure,” Grant says. “You know I can’t…I mean nothing can come of this.”
I frown and reach out a hand to Grant. “Grant…you can’t live like this forever. Besides, your grandmother will die someday, and then what?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “I just want to enjoy this week, OK? I’ll worry about it later,” he says.
I squeeze his hand. “Don’t throw away something with potential,” I say softly.
He gives me a pained look. “We’ll see, OK?” he says. He smiles but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. I hate seeing him like this. He’s putting on a good front, but I know he’s hurting. I know he likes Harrison. So now I’ve just assigned myself a new task. Find out if Harrison likes Grant.
I’m contemplating this when I realize Grant is still looking at me. He wants the deets on Zach.
I sigh. “I didn’t sleep with Zach. Yes, I like him. No, I don’t know if anything will happen after this week. Yes, I’m having fun. And, yes, if you want to switch roomies again, I’ll be down with that,” I say.
That gets me a real laugh and smile from Grant.
“Noted,” he says.
“Come on,” he says as he stands. “We have more intel to gather.”
Chapter 12
Zach
“Soooo?” I ask Harrison as we sit in a lounge on the second floor of the yacht, away from prying ears, which was an undertaking considering Felicia has been strapped to my shoulder since I came back from snorkeling. I really just want to spend more time with Reagan. She’s the most enjoyable thing that’s happened to me in a while, and I don’t want to waste a second of time with her this week, at least that’s what I decided after I kissed her a few minutes ago. Jesus, I’d have fucked her right there in the water against the ship if I hadn’t pulled myself together.
“So, what?” Harrison says, giving me a sheepish look.
“Come on, man. I know you are into Grant. I mean shit, before I left the room the other night, you guys were entirely too handsy, and I’ve seen how you keep looking at each other. He wasn’t a one-night stand for you. I can tell,” I say.
Harrison shrugs. “I don’t know what’ll come of it. I do like him. He’s just my type,” Harrison finally admits out loud.
“So, go for it,” I tell him.
“But his grandmother,” Harrison snarls under his breath.
“She won’t live forever,” I point out.
I hear footsteps, so I drop it. I turn and a moment later I see Felicia coming up the stairs.
“Great,” I mutter under my breath.
“Have fun with that,” Harrison says softly with a chuckle.
“Fuck you,” I whisper.
“Intel, fuck face, Intel,” he quips as he walks away.
“Well, hello there,” Felicia says.
“Oh, hi,” I answer. Internally, I’m cringing. I don’t like this woman. She’s playing games along with Maggie. I just need to figure out what those games are.
“You snuck off. You and Harrison catching up?” she purrs as she sits down next to me rubbing her leg against mine.
“Yeah. We don
’t get to see each other often. It’s nice to catch up with old friends. Do you and Maggie get to visit often?” I ask her as I stand to go get us drinks. “Drinks?” I add, motioning to the stairs. She shrugs.
“Sure, I guess,” she says, looking a little disappointed.
We sit down at the quiet end of the bar. “So, you and Maggie?” I remind her of my question after we order drinks.
“Oh, yeah, I mean we see each other quite often,” she says. “Mags is my best friend.”
“That’s nice,” I say. “I hear they are planning to make the Hamptons their permanent residence.”
“Well, I mean if Mags has anything to say about it, they’ll also have to keep the apartment in the city,” she says.
“Oh?” I prod.
“Well, I mean they are all but sealing their families’ fates with this merger. I mean with the marriage and all,” she covers herself quickly.
I weigh my options. Do I call her bluff now or later? I take a sip of my scotch, while I contemplate my next move.
“Word amongst the inside group is that there will be a merger including your family,” I say. Her eyes widen for a split second, and then narrow.
“How do you know that?” she asks, her voice suddenly dropping in volume.
I shrug. “I’m one of Lee’s closest friends, but I also have other friends,” I add.
“Well, Lee hasn’t really been involved in any of that. His grandmother still runs the company. He just gets some of the money,” she scoffs.
“But any potential would be locked in by not only the marriage but any kids they may have, right?” I ask, throwing a shot in the dark.
She almost spits out her drink. “I mean…that…I’m not sure what you mean,” she says, stuttering her way through a response.
I hand her a napkin. “Well, it’s really none of my business. I do some business with Lee’s family, but their business mergers won’t make or break my PR company. Besides, if they merge with your dad’s company, I imagine that will be very good for my business,” I state.
She nods. “Any company mergers with ours tend to benefit all our subcontractors, Daddy usually sees to it. He makes sure only the goods one are left by the time the merger happens, so you know, no hard feelings,” she explains suddenly puffing her chest with pride. Interesting.