Tragically Flawed

by A. M. Hargrove

  “You have exceeded any dream I ever could have had about you, love.” He kissed her lightly on the lips and said, “That was fucking amazing.”

  She laughed, while she still panted, and said, “Yeah, it was fan-fucking-tabulous. Who knew? I mean, I didn’t. Shit, Shan!”

  He said, “Shit, Shan,” and they said in unison, “and shine-ola!”

  “That’s my goal, you know.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “My goal is to make you laugh every day. I love to hear the sound of your laughter.”

  She giggled and his lips cut off the sound coming from her. His fingers found her nipples and teased them until she sighed.

  “I have a new sound I’ve added to that now too.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Uh-huh,” he said into her mouth as he kissed her again.

  “And what would that be, Mr. Shandon?”

  “The sound of you climaxing.” He kissed her and then set her on the seat next to him as he stood.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get us a glass of wine. We need to replenish our fluids.”

  Riviera was treated to an excellent view of his very fine derriere as he stepped out of the hot tub. She grinned as she thought how she’d love to mold her hands around him. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and kept smiling as she thought about how great Shan made her feel. The sound of the sliding door signaled his return.

  He immersed himself in the vision that lay before him. Riviera’s breasts were screaming for his attention as they floated on the water, nipples rosy and puckered and begging for his tongue to lick them. “Damn, Riv, I’m getting hard again just looking at you.”

  He climbed in the tub and wasted not one second before his mouth pulled on her rigid peaks.

  “Already?”

  “Yeah, already.”

  “Hmm, I guess we might have to do something about that then, huh?”

  “It’s not too much? I don’t want you to be sore.”

  “I don’t care. I want you, Shan.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Shan, do you want me?”

  “Riviera, I always want you.”

  “Then stop wasting time.”

  Turning her sideways, he dropped her left leg down and cradled her with one arm; using the other hand, he guided himself back inside of her.

  “Put your arm around my neck, babe.” And then, “Is this good for you?” he asked.

  “Oh yeah,” she said. He held her against him with the palm of his hand, the heel pressing against her, increasing his friction and making her gasp.

  She caught his rhythm and used her one leg and hips to match him as he moved faster. Shan was hypnotized by Riviera. He watched himself move in and out of her, and the way her eyes were half closed and her lips parted made Shan want to do her all night long. It was the most amatory and sensual thing he’d ever experienced. Following his eyes, Riviera first placed her hand on his, on the one that was stimulating her, and then moved it up to his nipples and rolled first one, then the other between her fingers.

  Shan sucked in his breath, and then made that deep growl in the back of his throat. Riviera sensed every nerve ending respond to him.

  “Shan, I’m not going to last on this one,” she cried.

  “That’s good, baby.”

  “I want you to come with me.”

  “I am.”

  Neither of them fell off that so-called cliff, but dove head first into the land of orgasmic heaven. Afterward, Riviera tucked her head into Shan’s neck and kissed him gently. He brushed her wet hair off her face and neck and hugged her close to him.

  They sat together, silently, neither of them feeling the need for words. Their minds whirled with thoughts of what had just happened between them. Shan’s insides felt repositioned somehow. It was as though his heart had been put back in the place where it belonged. He knew things had changed irrevocably for him.

  Finally Shan broke the silence. “I don’t want to share this with anyone, Riviera.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He touched her between her legs and said, “Promise this is only for me from now on. The thought of another man having any part of you has no place with me.” His words were rough and proprietary.

  “You mean you want us to be exclusive?”

  “That’s exactly what I mean.”

  “Well, I sort of assumed that when I agreed to have sex with you. I guess I thought you did the same.”

  “I did. I was just confirming it.”

  Shan didn’t want her to go home. He wanted to hold her against him in his sleep. Riviera wanted to feel safe, like she did now, forever. Thinking she’d never felt this secure before, she savored the moment for everything it was worth.

  Not really wanting to, but knowing he must, Shan said, “Babe, we should probably get out of here before we’re permanently pruned.”

  He felt her body vibrate with her giggle. She was surprised when he stood up, lifting her as he did and sliding out of her at the same time. Carefully stepping out of the tub, he walked over to the cabinet and pulled out towels. First he cocooned her in one, and then he grabbed one for himself.

  They walked back to his bedroom where he grasped her hand and implored, “Stay with me tonight. Please.”

  She looked at him and smiled. “Yeah?”

  “Oh yeah. I want to wake up with you in my bed.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. Please say yes, Riv.”

  “Okay. But can I borrow a toothbrush?”

  Shan laughed with relief. “I think that can be arranged.”

  He drew her into his bathroom. Opening one of the many cabinet doors, he showed her where everything was, including a brand new toothbrush. “Take your time, sweetheart.” Then he closed the door behind her.

  Riviera smiled to herself. When she finished her business and walked out, Shan wasn’t there, so she slipped into bed and waited. He joined her a couple of minutes later, and gathered her next to him.

  “Thank you for staying with me.”

  “Thank you for asking. Shan, thanks for everything. You’ve made me feel so special.”

  “You are more than special, Riviera.” If she only knew how special she truly was to him, he wondered what she’d do.

  “I can almost believe it when you say it. It’s hard for me to believe now that I was so afraid of having sex with you. Now I feel like I can’t get enough.”

  Rolling on his side, he looked at her. “You had good reasons for your fear. But I hope you know how much it means to me that you shared that part of yourself with me. And another goal of mine is to make you believe in yourself.” He still troubled over how someone would’ve dared treat her badly. It tore at his heart.

  “I have something to ask you,” he said, sliding his palm up and down her arm.

  “What is it?”

  “Will you accompany me to the auction? I’d like to acknowledge you for all the work you’ve done on the house. I think it will help with your business too. But I’d like you to be my date nevertheless.”

  Riviera beamed. “Really? You want to take me?”

  He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “Of course, I want to take you. I wouldn’t want to go with anyone else. If you don’t go with me, I’m going alone.”

  “I’d love to.”

  “I can’t wait to see you all dressed up. You’ll look incredible.” He scrunched up his face for a second. “You know, you look incredible all the time, even with paint on your face. I especially love it when you have your paintbrush tucked in your hair.”

  “Oh, I’m sure.”

  “Riviera, trust me. I know what I’m talking about.” He kissed her knuckles.

  She stifled a yawn and he chuckled. “Am I boring you?”

  “What? No!”

  “I’m just kidding. It’s late. Let’s go to sleep.”

  He tightened his hold on her and she snuggled into his neck again, inhaling deeply.


  “Riviera?” he whispered.

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you sniffing me?”

  “Yeah,” she snickered.

  “Why?”

  “Because you always smell so good and I love it.”

  “Hmm. I’ll have to remember that.”

  She smiled to herself as she drifted off to sleep, feeling safe and warm for the first time she could remember.

  Chapter Seventeen

  How Much?

  Riviera stretched her arm to find an empty space next to her. The sun streamed into the room as she opened her eyes and discovered a note on the pillow next to her.

  My Riviera,

  You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t want to wake you. There’s coffee on and help yourself to whatever you want to eat. Please make yourself at home. The keys to the Mercedes are on the island in the kitchen. It’s yours for as long as you want. The security code to the house is 99225* so just set it when you leave. Take the key I left for you so you can come and go as you please. There is also a code to get in and out of the community. It’s 3321#. The pass on the car will get you in and out of the main gate at will. Last night was the very best I’ve ever had … if you’re wondering. Please call me as soon as you can.

  Yours,

  Shan

  Riviera read the note several times, a huge smile on her face. Then she covered her face with her hands, as she remembered the things she and Shan did the night before.

  Oh, of all the crap I’ve been through, how did I ever luck out with him? That man is truly gifted. Sex-god gifted.

  Still beaming, she grabbed his pillow and held it against her face, inhaling his scent as visions of Shan began to warm her. She rolled over to see what time it was and gasped. It was nine in the morning. She scrambled out of bed and dashed to the shower. How in the heck had she slept so late? She never slept past seven. Taking the speediest shower she could (which was quite unfortunate for Shan had a very luxurious shower), she noticed how tender she was in a certain part of her body. When she did, she stopped and got a silly grin on her face. She’d never been on Cloud Nine before, but she certainly was today.

  She had no clothes other than last night’s outfit, so she borrowed something of Shan’s. In his closet, she found sweats and a sweatshirt. Even though were huge on her, she didn’t care.

  She unlocked the Mercedes and took a seat behind the wheel. It drove like a charm, as sleek as could be. Riviera thought about how easy it would be to get used to driving a car like that.

  Not wanting to mess up anything inside, she didn’t turn on the radio. Everything was hi-tech and she was afraid she’d hit a button and her seat would eject her. Then she worried about where to park the damn thing. She didn’t want anyone to scratch it. When she noticed Amie’s car still parked out front of the their unit, she got excited.

  “Well, hello there!” Amie shouted as Riviera ran in the house.

  “You won’t believe what I drove home! You gotta check out these wheels.” Riviera grabbed Amie’s arm and dragged her out of the house.

  “He let you drive this car?” Amie asked in total shock.

  “Yeah. And you wouldn’t believe how good it rides.”

  “Well, it ought to. Do you even know what this is?”

  “Well, yeah. It’s a Mercedes.”

  Amie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Riv, but do you know what kind of Mercedes?”

  Riviera screwed up her face and squeaked, “No.”

  “Girl, you just drove a Mercedes CL65. Do you have any idea how much this car cost?”

  “No clue.”

  “Well, this one is pretty tricked out, from the looks of it. My guess would be somewhere in the vicinity of two hundred.”

  “You mean two hundred thousand dollars?”

  “You got it. And maybe more, depending on how much he’s got into it.”

  “Holy shmokes, Ames. Why would he let me drive it?”

  “You tell me, babe.”

  “Jeez, you sound just like him now.”

  Amie’s brows shot to her hairline. “He calls you babe?”

  “Yeah. A lot.”

  “Man, oh man, Riv, you guys are in deep.”

  Riviera grinned and said, “Oh, Ames, we certainly were last night.”

  Amie grabbed her friend by the shoulders and gave her a shit-eating grin. “You didn’t?”

  “Oh yes we did!”

  “Show your mama some love, baby!” Amie held up her fist and Riviera bumped it, laughing.

  “Well?”

  “Well what?”

  “How was it?”

  “Amie, you don’t expect me to kiss and tell, do you?”

  “Hells yeah, I do!”

  Riviera howled. “I can’t, but I will say he’s the sweetest man I’ve ever known.”

  “Hearts are breaking all over the USA because of you, girl.”

  “Would you be serious?”

  “I am, Riviera. Benjamin Shandon is very exclusive about who he dates. Run an Internet search on him if you don’t believe me. He’s filthy rich, rarely dates, is never seen with women in public, and has extremely discriminating tastes. He’s smart as hell, is known to be ruthless with his subcontractors because he’s a perfectionist, and is the biggest contributor to Shelby’s Shack. If it weren’t for Shan, we wouldn’t be in existence. I’ve often wondered if we should change the name to Shan’s Shack.”

  Riviera now wondered how she’d ever gotten his attention. He was so many rungs above her in the ladder of success—what in the world could he see in someone like her?

  “I know what you’re thinking and stop it already. You, my friend, are every bit as talented as he is and while you didn’t come from money, I have all the faith that you will be famous one day. Mark my words.”

  “By the way, he asked me to the auction.”

  “What?” Amie screeched. “And you were gonna tell me this when?”

  “I sort of forgot.” Then she groaned. “I don’t have a thing to wear.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about that. There are tons of consignment shops here or even in Aspen. We can take a road trip and pick something up. I need to get a dress too.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah!”

  “Oh hell, speaking of, I gotta get a move on. I’m super late as it is.”

  Riviera ran back inside and changed. “I’ll catch you later,” she yelled as she dashed out for work.

  *****

  Her phone rang as she drove to work. She answered it without bothering to check the caller ID.

  “Hey, sleepyhead,” Shan’s sexy voice came across the line, warming her all over.

  “Hey, you. Why didn’t you wake me? I’m so late!”

  “I didn’t have the heart. You looked like an angel lying there. And besides, you’re the boss, so who cares?”

  “I am not, you are. And by your own admission, you’re an asshole and extremely difficult to work for.”

  Shan laughed. “Oh, I think you’ll see me in a different light. So, are you in the Mercedes? I wanted to teach you how to sync your phone.”

  “No way. I left it at my house. That car scares me.”

  “Why? I want you to use it. I’m worried about you riding around in your car, Riviera. I think you need a different one.”

  She bristled at his comment. “Shan, you’re right, I do. But when I get one, it’ll be one of my own choosing, and one I buy for myself,” she snapped.

  “Hey, I didn’t mean to offend you. I apologize. I got concerned when you told me how you worried about your car not making the trip out here from Chicago. Please forgive my boldness.”

  Riviera sighed. “No, it’s me who should be apologizing. Here you’re trying to do something really nice and I jump all into your shit for it. I’m sorry, Shan. Thanks for being so considerate. I just have this thing about not being tied to anyone for anything. You understand why, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do. But don’t feel tied to me for this. I didn’t do
it for that reason. Are we good now?”

  “Yeah,” she grinned.

  “Well, how about this? Why don’t you use the Mercedes until you can get another car?”

  Without thinking, she said, “I can’t do that. Shan, that car is way out of my league. I barely knew how to start the damn thing.”

  “Okay. We have a couple of other options, but we can talk about them tonight.”

  “What’s tonight?”

  “I’d love to cook you dinner at my place. Are you up for that?”

  Riviera grinned. “Yeah, and I’ll drive your car back to you. What time?”

  “Six?”

  “Sounds great. I’m headed back to the auction house. I’m putting everything else on hold until I get those walls redone. See you then.”

  By the time they ended the call, she was pulling into the driveway of the auction house. She was still furious about the vandalism, but she needed to stuff it down so she could work. It wasn’t a difficult job since it was all a repeat of what she’d previously done. Her mind was on the upcoming evening with Shan, as she painted and listened to her music all day.

  Shan was on several worksites, and everywhere he went, his crews wondered what the heck was wrong with him. They had to repeat everything they told him, and he wasn’t paying them the least bit of attention. They joked about how an alien invaded his body—he looked like Shan but he sure as hell wasn’t acting like Shan.

  Marsha Sue cornered Shan and forced him into meeting her to discuss one of the homes she was working on. It was his final stop of the day and he’d been dreading it. When he arrived, it was just the two of them.

  No sooner had Shan walked into the house that Marsha Sue, without preamble, launched into how terrible Riviera’s work was. She told Shan she was getting all kinds of complaints from her clients and that she wanted him to fire her and look for another painter.

  “Marsha Sue, I find that hard to believe. All of your clients are mine as well. I go over every single item with them at closing and have them fill out a survey. Riviera’s painting always gets the highest possible scores from them. I will not fire her. If you can’t work with her, then perhaps I need to look into finding another decorator to handle my homes.”