Maria smiled at me, her plump pink lips glistening with a dense sheen of shiny gloss. The twenty-two-year-old Cuban-born bartender stood all of five-feet-two-inches tall with lush dark hair that spilled over her shoulders in silky waves. She had hazel eyes, a pert nose, and guys hit on her every five minutes, present company included. The knock-out-hot Latina had a penchant for tight tank tops and painted on jeans. Today was no exception. Her tight cleavage burst from a top that looked a size too small, even for her petite frame. Her jeans, rough and faded, had holes littering her thighs and her tight, firm ass practically popped the seams.
The corners of her lips ticked up in a slight smile. “Not judging. Just checking.” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the bar, and flashed me a front-row view of her tight cleavage. “Is it true you’re hunting for Butch’s treasure?” she whispered.
My stomach dipped as I drank in her sumptuous curves. It was her words that threw me off. I would donate a kidney for ten minutes alone with the lovely Miss Anderson. Alas, she had spurned my advances. My pickup game had taken a serious beating since my father’s death. It was as if my heart wasn’t in it like it used to be. “What makes you think that?”
Maria rolled her eyes. “Do you think no one saw you and your big titty sidekick leave before sunrise?”
I grinned at her apt description of Brooke. “I didn’t know anyone was paying attention. Just because Brooke and I left before dawn doesn’t mean we’re hunting for Butch’s treasure. Maybe we went on a fishing trip?” I sipped on my beer and my gaze wandered straight down her top.
If my leering bothered Maria, she didn’t let on. Rather, she squished her boobs together, causing her lightly bronzed flesh to practically burst from her tight black top. Deep down in the murky shadows of her audacious cleavage, I spotted a black clasp and the edges of her black lace cups.
“Fine. Don’t tell me,” Maria said as she stood upright and shrugged. “You make a terrible liar, and Ms. Carson over there will see right through you.”
“Bella’s here?” My body stiffened, and I locked my gaze on Maria while she giggled happily.
“You should see yourself,” she said, still laughing. “Your face looks like you just swallowed a mouthful of piss.”
My shocked expression turned into a stony glare. “How long has she been here?”
She shot me a flirtatious grin. “About an hour. She’s been waiting for you.”
“Can you pretend to be my girlfriend?” I asked. “Maybe I can use a French kiss between us to distract her.”
Maria rolled her eyes. “You need to work on your game, Trap. Besides, you’re too old for me.”
I sighed. “If I had a nickel for every time I heard that….”
She cocked her head and stared me up and down. “Then again, you are very handsome.” Once again, she leaned forward on her elbows and flashed me dangerous levels of pure cleavage while showcasing her pearly white, perfectly straight teeth. “I’ll tell you what, if you’ve paid any attention to my actual words over the last few months, then you’ll know exactly how to win me over. I’ve told you… more than once.”
“What? You have?”
“I thought you would have picked up on the clues. After all, you are a treasure hunter.” She leaned so far forward, I could smell a faint scent of jasmine floating from her hair and the sweet, fruity gloss covering her lips. Those lips looked so soft and moist, I nearly jumped out of my skin. “Do you want to claim this treasure, Trap Ashford?”
I licked the dryness from my lips. My heart pounded and my knees went slack with lust. “You know I do.”
She stood and stepped back from the bar. “The clues are all there, pappi. Follow the breadcrumbs and meet me in paradise.”
I gawked at her while I scoured my brain, replaying every conversation we had ever had. But my memories were hazy with booze-fueled amnesia. I was normally halfway, or even all the way, drunk whenever we got into deep conversations. I had memorized every line of her face and every curve of her incredible body, but our conversations were a blur. “Give me a hint?”
“I already have,” she said. “Now you should run along and talk to the lady treasure hunter. She’s staring over here right now.” Maria blew me a kiss and turned her back, purposely shaking her ass that was tight enough to ruin lives.
I sighed and stared after her. “Fuck my life,” I whispered out loud before I turned and gazed across the bar.
Chapter 6
Beyond the pool table and past the dartboard, a gorgeous brunette smiled and waved at me from one of the three booths lining the back wall.
I picked up my beer and made my way across the bar before sliding into the booth across from Isabella Carson. “Evening, Bella,” I said. “To what do I owe the honor?”
The corner of her lip turned up in a half smile and her blue eyes leveled me. “A girls got to drink somewhere.” Her smile faded, and her eyes warmed. “I’m sorry about Butch. Cancer is a bitch.”
Before he took on Brooke, Isabella Carson was Butch’s treasure hunting partner. At thirty-two she was three years my junior but looked like she hadn’t aged a day since she left my father to strike out on her own three years ago. We had fooled around exactly one time on a drunken night during her going away party Butch had thrown for her right here at the Parrot. Without a word, she had slipped from my bed shortly after sunrise the next morning. Since then, she pretended the night never happened and spent most of her time avoiding me.
Six months ago, Bella had paid her respects at Butch’s funeral, which was the last time I saw her. The tears she shed that day surprised me, but I don’t why it would. She and Butch had a close working relationship right until she struck out on her own. Maybe it was how we left things that left a sour taste in my mouth.
Bella wore her dark hair in a high and shiny ponytail and her smooth porcelain skin looked flawless even under the grim lights inside the Parrot. She wore bright red lipstick on her pleasingly full lips, and she radiated high-class beauty in an untouchable kind of way. She was a princess and acted like one. Or at least she had back in the days when she ran around with Butch and I.
Miss prim and proper wore gold earrings and a gold necklace with a sapphire pendant dangling between her big breasts. Unlike most of the women I associated with, Bella chose not to highlight her considerable assets. She wore a loose-fitting white silk blouse and a pair of black shorts that revealed her toned, athletic legs. Or at least they had when I checked them out on my way across the bar.
“Thanks,” I said solemnly. I raised my bottle of Sol. “To Butch’s memory.”
“To Butch,” she said, and clinked her beer bottle against mine.
We each took a deep swallow, and I relaxed, sinking back into the booth while I studied Bella’s beautiful face. “You’re not here to relive old times,” I said, making it a statement rather than asking a question.
Her cheeks flushed red, and she averted her gaze. “I suppose that is the elephant in the room.” She let out a long sigh and looked me square in the eye. “I’m sorry I ran out like I did.”
I turned my beer around in circles while I searched for the right words. “Bella, the running out never bothered me. It was the three years of silence that followed.” I met her gaze and my eyes never balked. “I thought we were friends.”
“We were friends,” she said. “We are friends. I freaked out, okay? I never meant for that to happen and….” She shrugged and sighed.
“And you wish it never had,” I said, finishing her sentence for her.
“I didn’t say that,” she said. “I wanted you.” She let out a short, humorless laugh. “God, I wanted you for so long.”
“Then what happened?” I asked.
“I never told you,” she said. “At the time, I was in a pretty serious relationship. When I woke up next to you, I felt horrible about the cheating.”
My thoughts turned to Brooke, and a pang of guilt washed over me. I was pressuring her to do the same. “Sorry. I didn’t kn
ow. That explains a lot.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and she let out a held breath. “I came clean with Luke… that’s his name. He tried to forgive me, but it was too much to overcome. We didn’t make it.”
“Sorry,” I said. “If I had known….” If I had known, I still would have pursued her. In fact, that she was in a serious relationship made the whole thing even hotter in my sick, twisted mind. “If I had known, I probably would have come for you sooner. I’m broken that way.”
“But you’re not a liar or a cheater,” she said. “Which is more than I can claim.”
“I don’t see a ring,” I said. “Still single?”
She looked down at her left hand and smiled at me. “No ring and no prospects.”
“Is it wrong for me to be glad I’m not the only one alone?” I asked.
She laughed with genuine humor. “No. I’m glad you’re alone too.”
I extended her my hand. “Can we be friends again?”
She took my hand and shook it. Her skin was soft and warm. It was the first time since that night I had physically touched her. “Friends.”
“Now that we’ve buried the hatchet, why don’t you tell me why you really came.” I sat back and studied her reaction.
Her cheeks turned red, and she averted her gaze before stealing a quick glance at me. “You can still read me like an open book.”
I shrugged. “What’s up?”
“Is it true what everyone’s saying? About the treasure I mean.”
At least now I knew where Maria got her information. “No offense, Bella, but you’re the competition. You know the score.”
“Right,” she said. “I know, but… I’ve been busy. I’ve chased down my own leads and I thought we might… you know… share information.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I show you mine and you show me yours? We did that three years ago.”
She grinned and shook her head. “At least Trap Ashford never changes.”
“Why now, all of a sudden? Butch has been chasing shadows for years, but today of all days you come and see me?”
“I know that you and your dad spent the last year of his life searching for the Lady Dancer. I think you found it.”
My stomach dipped, and I did my best to maintain a poker face. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I didn’t find her,” I lied.
She studied my face with her big, blue, beautiful blue eyes, then nodded. “If you say so. But just so you know, there are four pieces to that treasure map, and I know where to find one of them.”
Now she had my full attention. I sat up and leaned forward. “Who said anything about a treasure map? And if you know where to find this so-called map, why haven’t you scooped it up?”
Bella grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She picked up her purse and dug inside before coming away with a business card. “When you change your mind, call me.” She slid the card across the table and stood to leave.
I picked up the card and eyed her. “I sure wish I could trust you.”
“The treasures big enough for us to share,” she said. “Don’t get greedy, Tim.”
She hadn’t called me Tim in years. Hell, nobody called me Tim except Bella. My stomach swam, and I wanted to pull her back onto my lap and hug her tight. But I resisted like I always did. “My dad died penniless despite being one of the greatest treasure hunters of all time. I’m not greedy. I’m wary. Before we do any business together, I would need a written contract.”
She nodded at me appraisingly. “It looks like the apple fell a little farther from the tree then I thought.” Bella turned to go and glanced at me one last time. “I meant what I said about us. I want to be friends again if that’s even possible.”
I turned her card over between my fingers and held her gaze. “Anything is possible.” But I wasn’t holding my breath. I only believed part of what she said, and I sure as hell wasn’t stupid enough to turn over the information I had on the wreck just because she batted her eyes at me.
“Bye, Trap,” she said. “Don’t wait too long to call me.” Then she turned and left me alone to drink.
Chapter 7
Bang. Bang. Bang.
My head pounded with the aftermath of last night’s bender, and I rolled over on my bed praying the sound I heard came from inside my head.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
I groaned and wrapped a pillow around my ear. It was definitely not coming from inside my head. Was that a knocking sound? I struggled up onto my elbows and peered at my phone. It was 8:30 am, and I had missed several calls and texts.
Bang. Bang.
This time, a muffled voice followed the sharp knocks. Someone was adamant about seeing me.
“Hold on,” I yelled at the door, causing my head to throb. Was it Bella coming to make another play? Or Brooke? She was an early riser. Or better yet, maybe it was Hazel. I slung my legs over the bed and staggered across the boat, while I fought away the pounding in my head.
I reached for the door handle and pulled it open. “Lindsay?”
“Good morning to you too, baby,” Lindsay Monroe said, smiling at me brightly while radiant sunlight burst through the door behind her.
Lindsay Monroe was my dad’s ex-wife, which, at one point in my life, made her my stepmother but only on a technicality. At thirty-eight, she was only three years older than me, which hardly qualified as mother material. But that didn’t stop her from milking that joke dry. That said, the blonde bombshell didn’t look a day over thirty, and my old carnal cravings instantly came roaring back.
I stood before her wearing nothing but my boxers, and my morning wood jutted out prominently. Meanwhile, my cock, an apex predator if there was one, visibly twitched with unhinged desire.
Lindsay’s gaze flickered down to my swollen cock and back up again before her big green eyes met mine. “Can I come in?”
“Yeah. Sorry.” I held the door open and watched the certified MILF stroll into my cabin. She stopped inside and took in my very abbreviated decor.
“This place needs a woman’s touch,” she said before she turned back around to face me.
She wore her golden blonde hair piled high atop her head, and her lips glistened with the slick sheen of pink lipstick. Her golden complexion was as smooth and flawless as I remembered, and my cock stiffened just looking at her.
Lindsay wore a plain white V-necked t-shirt that showcased her billowing cleavage. Even the edges of her white lace bra were clearly visible. She wore a pair of matching white shorts that hugged a thick heart-shaped ass that I would have plowed even in the deepest blizzard. I didn’t know if was irony that her last name was Monroe or that she had shaped her persona around the legendary beauty, Marilyn Monroe, but she bore a striking resemblance to the late great sex symbol.
I had spent the last twenty-four hours taunted by one extraordinary beauty after the other. All of them were off limits or wanted nothing to do with me. It seemed this morning the hits just kept coming. Not only was I hungover, but I had the queen of cock tease, my dad’s ex-wife, strutting around my boat, rubbing it in my face.
She and Butch lasted for one short year, but their friendship continued long after. They had started a tattoo parlor together, which Lindsay got in the divorce. But she was no tattoo artist. It was my dad with the mad skills. People had come from far and wide to get a Butch Ashford original. But after their divorce ten years ago, he never did another tattoo. He said it reminded him too much of Lindsay.
In the end, Lindsay’s seven-year-old daughter Samantha demanded too much attention and Butch couldn’t keep up. Butch did great with older kids, but the younger ones, he didn’t know how to handle.
I was twenty-two when they married, which made Lindsay a very much in her prime, twenty-five-year-old hottie who I had spent countless sleepless night masturbating over. The woman who stood before me had aged very little from the hot young mommy I remembered.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said, stealing another glance at my cock.
>
“I have seen a ghost,” I said before I shut the door behind her. “I can’t believe you’re here.” Like Bella, I hadn’t seen Lindsay in the six months since my dad’s funeral.
“Can’t a mother come check on her baby boy?” she asked, grinning at me sarcastically.
I swallowed away the lump forming in my throat and steadied my ragged breathing. She wound me up like no other, and my cock throbbed with naked desire. “Jesus, Lindsay. We’re only three years apart. Is everything okay?”
“I woke up las night worried about you. I called you and texted you a million times and you didn’t answer.” She let out a huff and stared at me, her face a mask of concern. “Then I heard you went out chasing that stupid treasure.” She frowned and shook her head. “Don’t waste your life the way your dad did.”
“You’re here to nag me?” I asked.
She folded her arms over her chest and eyed me for a long time before she spoke again. “Trap, do you want to fuck me?”
“What?” My cock twitched so hard I thought I might stain my briefs. I wanted her on a level that didn’t even calculate. She was an impossible dream. No, she was a fucking legend in my deepest, darkest fantasies. “No,” I said, lying to her face before I licked the dryness from my lips.
Lindsay strolled past me and perched on the edge of my bed. She smiled at me warmly. “That’s too bad. What got me started was the most amazing dream.” Her eyes glazed over, and she smiled, as if lost in space. “I thought you might have an itch that needs scratching. Al those stolen glance at me.” She turned her gaze on me and smiled. “I loved it when you looked at me like that.”
My cheeks burned, and my heart beat so fast I thought it would collapse. “Looked at you how?”
She raised an eyebrow and trained her smoldering green eyes on my cock. “Like if you didn’t have sex with me, you might explode. Believe me sugar, I wanted you right back.” Her sugary sweet southern drawl drew me like a homemade honey cake.
“Butch,” I said, and she nodded.
Lindsay’s expression turned wistful. “It would have killed him if he ever found out I had the hots for his pride and joy.”
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