Breaking All the Rules

by Abi Walters

  When their stomachs growled, Mia was delighted to see all the ingredients for the Mediterranean salmon dish they had neglected earlier in the week. They ate on the porch overlooking the setting sun.

  “When Mayans spoke of Sian Kaan, they spoke of the place ‘where the sky was born’,” Benson’s deep voice wrapped around her, shortly by his hands. They encased her with compassion and warmth, and she inhaled his familiar scent.

  “I understand why,” She murmured, leaning into him. “I have never seen something as beautiful as this place.”

  Benson remained quiet, placing a tender kiss on her head. He wanted to tell her she was far prettier than the turquoise waters surrounding them. He wanted to tell her he was madly in love with her. Hell, he wanted to drop to one knee and beg her to marry him. Instead, he sighed,

  “I want to keep you to myself all weekend and make love to you until you can no longer walk, but I also want you to fully enjoy your vacation here. The island provides jet skiing, scuba diving, boat rides… whatever you can think of, I can make happen.”

  Mia spun in his arms and looked up at him with eyes that melted the ice in his veins, “We’ll see what we feel like doing in a few days, but tonight I know exactly what I need to make me fully enjoy my vacation.”

  Benson’s body lit with lust as he picked her up with a grunt and carried her through the open doors that led into the bedroom. He had spent most of his day inside of her, yet his body craved more. Mia was glowing under the unobstructed light from the moon. The rise and fall of her chest was promising, her body already preparing for the pleasures to come. Straining against the thin white fabric of the dress were her well defined nipples. He wanted desperately to tear the fabric to shreds and feast on her eager body.

  But when he approached her moments ago on the deck, his breath had caught. She looked like a queen overlooking paradise. No, she looked like his bride. Thoughts of wedding Mia made his chest ache and throat close. She was so damn perfect. The image of her leaning into the breeze with her eyes closed and the dress dancing slowly around her was permanently seared into his brain. He couldn’t ruin the dress, not when it had a special place in his heart.

  Using nearly all his willpower, Benson set her on the floor and carefully lifted the dress over her head. She moaned as the delicate fabric brushed across her hard nipples. The sensation made her eyes flutter and her sex moisten. A slight tap on her rear directed her into the bed, already sporting rumbled sheets. She lay on her back, propped on her elbows, and watched with a tantalizing smile as he undressed before her.

  Benson kissed her thighs, his hands sliding under her and cupping her bottom. He lifted her to his mouth. Her familiar musky scent bore lingering traces of his presence earlier in the day. Impatient, Mia wiggled and tiled, pressing her lips against his mouth. They were soft and swollen, tender to the touch. She cried out as he cried out as he slipped his tongue inside her. After a few strokes of his finger on her clit, her hands found his body and she attempted to tug him away.

  “Come here,” She gasped desperately.

  Licking his lips, Benson slid up her body, kissing her nose before resting on his side next to her. His fingertips lightly brushed over her hard nipples.

  “It’s too much, Benson,” She sighed. “My body is too sensitive for you to touch me right now, but I want to taste you so badly it hurts.”

  “Too sensitive? We haven’t had that problem yet? Are you okay?” His face paled as he looked at her with concern.

  A playful smile etched onto her face, “I’m saying you win, Benson. I’m waving my white flag. You have officially sexed me to exhaustion.”

  When he caught on, his cock sprang back to life, “So soon, precious?”

  “You’re a very talented man, Mr. Ward,” She teased, rising to a sitting position and then draping herself over his body so her face rested near his throbbing member. It twitched in her direction and her eyes gleamed. “But I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

  All their preexisting rules didn’t exist in paradise. There was no need to dominate or possess. Neither worried about who was in charge or what the implications were. Punishments were ruled out in favor of complete bliss.

  Mia reached down and touched her throbbing sex, jerking at contact. She was wet, but her body needed a slight rest from the vigorous activities. Enduring the near tickling sensation, she coated her fingers, and then slowly moved the hand to Benson’s cock. His chest tightened as she wiped the proof of her arousal on the silken heat before licking it from shaft to tip, pausing at the sensitive spot on the underside just before the tip. When Benson groaned, Mia slid back down and suckled on his sensitive and straining testicles.

  Releasing them, she trailed back up with a long lick and positioned herself above him. She lowered her mouth onto his tip and paused. Her tongue swirled around it teasingly. She looked up at Benson, who was panting and grabbing the sheets. He mouthed her name in a silent plea. She smiled around him and hummed.

  “Please!” Benson gasped.

  On cue, Mia took his throbbing member until it curved in the back of her throat. She resisted the gag and held it there for a long moment, floating as Benson swore. She had gotten him to beg, a task that had proven to be extremely difficult. Benson wasn’t the begging type, rather the demanding. Hear the raspy need in his voice as he said please was all she needed to push her over the edge.

  She released him with a hesitant gag, then slid back down again. The erotic noise had Benson twitching inside her mouth. This time, Mia didn’t hold. Rapidly, she bobbed over him. His heart thumped wildly in his chest as he watched himself disappear in her mouth. Her hair was pulled to one side, but a few loose strands dangled in her face. Finally, she looked at him and his balls tightened. Her eyes were full of complete dedication and lust.

  She didn’t break eye contact. Her emerald eyes were the color of the jungle trees that surrounded them. They were clear and focused, tearing into his soul with a hot intensity. Benson felt the building pressure, and with half lidded eyes, erupted in her throat. Mia swallowed and licked his sensitive tip as she pulled away, causing him to jerk. His head was so foggy he barely noticed when she slipped out of bed and dipped into the bathroom. When she returned a few minutes later after brushing her teeth and wiping her slick sex down, he still looked lethargic.

  “You alright, Warden?” Mia teased, sliding next to him and lying her head on his chest. His heart was still thrumming wildly.

  He scowled, “I told you I hate when you call me that.”

  “I know, but you are extra cute when you’re upset.”

  “I’ll remind you of that the next time you’re angry with me,” He said with a smile.

  The light spilling through the window and open doors illuminated his features giving him an angelic glow. He looked more like a Greek god than he ever had. She had tried to find something wrong with his appearance the first day they had met and came up empty handed. Nearly three weeks later, his features seemed just a defined, but the twinkling smile on his face was new. It wasn’t forced or fake. He looked genuinely happy and refreshed.

  A phantom wave crashed on the beach and reality crashed around Mia. She took a private jet to a multimillion dollar home on a privately owned jungle dune in the middle of a Biosphere Reserve in Mexico where she was lounging with her incredibly handsome boyfriend after a day full of hot sex. She couldn’t help but laugh out loud, and a split second later she was sobbing uncontrollably.

  “Mia!” Benson exclaimed with concern. He nudged her to sit up and then he mimicked, pulling her close to him. “Precious, what’s wrong?”

  She shook her head, “I’m just happy.”

  “You’re crying because you’re happy?” He questioned.

  “Don’t make fun of me.”

  He laughed and kissed her forehead, “It’s been a long weekend. Maybe if we get a good night’s sleep you won’t cry tomorrow when we go down to the beach.”

  She released her grip on his arms and sniffle
d, lying back down. Pulling the thin white sheet from its tangled spot at the footboard, Benson covered them and held her close while they fell asleep.

  **********

  Mia didn’t cry the next day when they cavorted down the beach and ran straight into the smooth crystal waters of the Caribbean. The sand was warm between her toes as she ran laughing, peeking over her shoulder to see Benson barreling towards her with playful intensity. His slim cut trunks rode low on his hips as he chased her; the defined muscles of his chest rippling like a glorious distraction. In a swooping motion, he picked her up and carried her into the waters. She braced herself for the cool lapping touch, but it never came. The water was warm enough to flush her skin, especially under the clear sky.

  Surrounded by radiant shades of blue, Mia was certain Benson’s twinkling eyes were the brightest and most beautiful shade of them all.

  They swam until they were ready to eat. Benson grilled steaks, and once they were done, Mia decided she wanted to try out some of the activities the island offered. The Reserve was void of restaurants and shops, offering only luxury lodgings in paradise and a few attractions. They spent the afternoon snorkeling, experiencing the beauty beneath the Caribbean Sea together. When they returned that night they ate shrimp and roasted marshmallows over the fire pit on the deck.

  The flicker of the fire that clicked a bell in her head, for some reason, and she nearly jumped from her spot on Benson’s lap. She turned and her words were rushed and excited,

  “I know we aren’t talking about work stuff, but I keep forgetting. I have this yearly event to go to over Halloween weekend, and I wanted you to come with me.”

  “Monarch’s masquerade ball,” Benson grinned.

  Her face had scrunched, “Yeah. How do you know about the party?”

  “I was wondering when you’d ask me to go with you. I own a majority of the venues in New York. I’m invited every year.”

  “I would remember seeing someone like you there.”

  “Ah, but it is a masquerade, precious,” He teased.

  “You’re no fun,” Her huff turned to a squeal as he stood, lifting the two of them, and then joining their bodies on one of the lounging chairs.

  Right before he took her, he looked down and exhaled, “I am too fun.”

  They spent the next few days following a similar routine, though by Tuesday morning they decided not to leave the comfort of the villa again.

  Mia skinny dipped in the cascading pool on the deck and sunbathed nude, only to have Benson slip between her legs and take her beneath the scorching sun. They were wrapped up in their own paradise. Both were blissfully ignoring the quickly approaching departure day. Wednesday came with a proverbial rain cloud above both their heads. They rose early to capture as much time together as they could before they were needed at the runway later that evening.

  Mia found herself wearing the same wispy white dress she wore on their first night at Casa de la Belleza standing in the exact same spot on the top tier of the deck that overlooked the stunning beach below. She wore a flower crown she had made earlier in the day from plants surrounding the villa. It wasn’t perfect, but she had found a way to weave the stems together and created a white crown with a few pink accents.

  She didn’t want to go back. There was too much complexity on the other side of the plane. Their white sandy shores and turquoise waters would be replaced with a crisp urban city. She would have to trade in her soft beach clothes and bare feet for high heels and pencil skirts. And most importantly, she had to give Benson back to his mogul. She too had a job to return to- one she loved. She would spend her days fighting with press and coordinate events while Benson slowly acquired the entire city of New York.

  They couldn’t stay on their borrowed piece of heaven forever, and the perfect world between the two of them would shatter and simmer and leave her broken. In the real world she couldn’t shelter him from her skeletons.

  Benson emerged from his shower to find Mia standing on the deck. He stopped in his tracks and stared at her in amazement. My bride. She wore his favorite white dress, now with a crown of woven flowers that gave her an effortless beauty. He quietly dipped back into the bedroom and found his cellphone to take a photo of the scene, though it was a memory already tattooed on his heart. They had taken dozens of pictures together while in Sian Kaan. This would one be his favorite.

  He was thankful she was still there when he returned from dropping his phone back off on the bed. Much like their first night, he approached her and wrapped his arms around her. She relaxed at his touch, peeking over her shoulder to glance at him. The glow on her face had disappeared and she looked worried.

  “What’s wrong, precious?” He asked softly, a thumb brushing over her cheek.

  She shook her head, “It’s silly… I just…. I don’t want to go back to the real world.”

  “I would buy you your own private island and sell everything I have to stay in paradise with you, Mia, but you would grow bored within a few weeks. I know you. As much as you love being here and challenging my stamina, you also love your job and the city and your friends.”

  She bit her lip trying to hold back tears, “You are the most perfect man in the entire world, Benson.”

  “I wasn’t lying when I said I would do anything for you,” Benson found her eyes and dared to say the words that had been lost to him all weekend. “I love you, precious.” Silence found them as she stared up in amazed stupor. He continued, his voice barely above a whisper. “It terrifies me, Mia. My parents made me think love was nothing more than a societal obligation. I never knew that these feelings could happen. When I look at you and see my entire world, I am terrified that I am going to screw it up and lose you. I love you.”

  Mia grabbed his face and kissed him hard. She broke away and pressed as many pecks on his lips as she could before the words tumbled out of her own mouth, “I love you, Benson. I love you. I love you. I love you.”

  Relief spread over Benson. His toes tingled. Had he really thought she didn’t feel the same? As if her love wasn’t as obvious as his.

  They didn’t have much time before they had to leave the comforts of the villa, but it wasn’t as if Benson’s own jet would leave them stranded on the island… and if they did, would it really be all that bad? A genuine laugh escaped him as he swept her up and carried her into the bedroom. He was going to show her just how much he really loved her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Monarch Industries was a glass fortress. When she had first seen the skyscraper, she had though the place was truly fit for a king. Or rather, a monarch. But gazing up at the building on Thursday morning, Mia thought the place resembled a high security prison, and her walk of shame to Anne’s office was definitely taking her to the electric chair. As if her own guilt and trembling fears weren’t enough to make the seven minute journey from the curb to the floor that housed her public relations division feel like a slow eternity, the whispers and stares from her coworkers did the job.

  She had tried to wear something that would downplay her newfound tan, but as she stared at her reflection in the elevator, she knew her effort was hopeless. The blue blouse with white polka dots under a green cardigan was held together with a thin white belt. She wore tan pants and only a slight kitten heel. She had even opted for the minimal amount of makeup, though her motives for that lie with how much she enjoyed going without it at the villa.

  No, Mia was glowing. She was glowing and tan and definitely dead.

  Mia was thankful she had arrived a half hour early to work in order to avoid as many coworkers as she could. She knew Anne would be in. And she was. Her secretary was nowhere to be seen and her door was an open invitation. Mia took a deep breath and walked in.

  “Hi, Anne,” She said, careful not to cross too far over the threshold.

  Her boss looked up with a terse expression and waved her in, “Sit, Miss Barnes… and shut the door behind you.”

  Mia winced as she closed the door and sat down
. Anne was a strict first name kind of person. Being called by her last name sounded foreign coming from the normally sweet woman.

  “Do you like your job, Miss Barnes?”

  “Of course, Anne. You know that music saved my life. This company in particular has taken me places I have never imagined I could go.”

  “Except the beach?” Anne’s lips were thin lines as she took in Mia’s appearance. “Do you normally blow off things of importance to you, then? If Monarch Records has saved your life as you said it has, one could assume the company is important to you?”

  “This isn’t fair-”

  “Do you not realize that you and your boyfriend got nearly as much press as the actual musical acts that performed at The Dark Room? On company time you cozied up to the man that single handedly controls a large part of the clubs and venues our artists perform at. What happens when you two break up, Miss Barnes? Monarch Records will lose business. Is he worth it?”

  “It really isn’t like you to say things like this, Anne.”

  “And it isn’t like one of our top PR agents to email me at seven in the morning on a Saturday telling me she is cashing in on some vacation days to spend time with her boyfriend.”

  “I have had a really rough couple of weeks.”

  “I’m not going to accept any excuses from you, Mia. The bottom line is you disappointed me. I have been grooming you to take my position. Did you know that? But now I wonder if this is even the place for you anymore.”

  “I signed a contract, Anne. You can’t just fire me,” Mia’s hands clutched the bottom of the chair.

  Anne’s eyes rolled, “I’m not firing you. As you stated in your email, you rarely use your vacation days. We typically need more than a few hours’ notice to shift assignments, but it was manageable. What is the most irritating and upsetting thing about this whole situation is how you handled it. I know you are upset I took you from the Max Flynn coverage. I know you have been under a lot of stress with Burnside, and I know it probably sucked seeing Grant Ball. But you seemed to handle it all with disregard for the company and your job.”