by Kim Karr
Out of nowhere my pulse accelerated, tripping erratically at the badass look on his face. “Yes,” I whispered, my body quivering but not from the wet bathing suit I was wearing.
He whirled me around and bent me over the bed. “You’re mine, Sadie,” he said in a guttural tone. “And you’re going to stay that way. Now pull your bottoms down so I can prove to you who you belong to.”
I did as he ordered, and without even blinking.
“Palms flat on the bed and don’t move.”
I did as he ordered again and stayed right where I was.
Like that, he fucked me so hard, I no longer thought he was trying to fuck his ex-fiancée out of his system, but the bad out of me.
I wasn’t sure which was better.
I wasn’t sure if I cared.
I wasn’t sure about anything, actually. Only that I came four times and my pussy was numb in the most delicious way. Oh, and that I wished it had been five or six.
See, I really was bad.
SADIE
WE HOPPED IN THE RENTED Suzuki Jeep with a canvas top, and Jaxson cranked the engine.
I glanced over at him, still feeling the pulse of his cock between my thighs. He was wearing a tight T-shirt and worn khaki shorts. He looked fit. Cut. Hotter than hell. And he was amped on adrenaline, as evidenced when he floored the gas.
Barbados was part of the British Commonwealth, so drivers drove on the left, which was hard to get used to. When Jaxson veered off the narrow highway to avoid cars coming in the other direction, my eyes jumped to the deep ditch just inches away from our vehicle, and I screamed in terror.
We were going over.
“Relax,” he told me, reaching to rub his thumb across my cheek. “I told you I would never hurt you, and I meant it.”
I believed him.
We stopped for a late lunch at a seaside island shack. While listening to a cricket match on the radio, we ate mahi-mahi sandwiches with the spiciest yellow-pepper sauce I’d ever tasted and then ate banana doughnuts with coconut ice cream, rum caramel, and crushed pistachios.
The hot, wild, dirty sex had made us both ravenous.
We talked about the most random things and watched grannies in shower caps bathing in the water, gossiping about who knew what as they kept afloat on their pool noodles.
It was cute. Really, it was.
Once we finished eating, we picked up Kelsey in town, and then the three of us drove out to the location I’d selected for the shoot.
The interior of the island was so much drier than the jungle-like coast. It was even hotter.
Kelsey sat in the front. Me in the back. She talked non-stop about her time here, how she’d met Rihanna and gone to a dance club with her. I had to admit, it sounded pretty cool, and I might have asked a few questions if the wind wasn’t so fierce on my face and my mind wasn’t going back to what Jaxson had said, or rather not said.
He didn’t want me to turn myself in.
We passed small, faded houses and seemingly endless fields of sugarcane until we arrived at our destination, and I used that time to argue with myself.
The devil on one shoulder said, “No one knew it was me driving. No one except Simon. Who is a liar.”
The angel on the other argued, “But you hit a boy. A boy. And you have no idea how he is.”
As I hopped out of the Jeep, I knew what I was going to do. My plan wasn’t going to go exactly as planned. I was going to find Riley and see for myself what condition he was in. What I’d do after that, I had no idea. But I knew I’d spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to him—even if it meant doing it behind bars.
"This is paradise," Kelsey shouted to Jaxson as we walked down the stairs to see the most incredible spot in the middle of the rainforest. Spread out before us was an over-the-top, rambling tropical garden built on top of a sinkhole.
Paths wound through towering palm trees, red ginger, birds-of-paradise, and other tropical flowers I couldn’t name. Sculptures of saints and Buddhas were scattered everywhere.
“Sadie found it,” Jaxson told her.
She jumped in excitement. “The pictures that you take out here are going to be amazing.”
They were, of course, because Sundance, the photographer, was taking them, and he was pretty amazing.
God, I was gushing.
I didn’t gush.
Jaxson stayed just behind me, putting his hand on my ass whenever the opportunity rose. He’d ordered me to go pantyless for the day, and of course, I did.
The thrill of it was just too much to deny.
With Kelsey in the lead, we followed a path with a million different types of tropical plants and were surprised to come upon a British family having a proper afternoon tea way out here.
They were thrilled to meet a Sports Illustrated model and asked for her autograph.
While she busied herself with them, Jaxson and I took in the landscape. He leaned over and whispered, “When we get back on the trail, I want you to touch yourself and let me lick your finger.”
My cheeks darkened.
He was so dirty.
“I’m not doing any such thing,” I said, keeping my voice low.
“You or me, babe.”
Babe. The word made my stomach somersault. “You can’t stick your fingers inside me with your client right here,” I whispered.
He raised a cocky brow. “That’s just it. I can. Two if I want. Maybe even three.”
And he was right, he could, and he would. I knew it.
I did as he wished, and nearly came on the spot when he licked my fingers with his tongue. He wasn’t just dirty, he was filthy, and I loved it. Loved him. No, I didn’t mean that. I did not love him. I was just having fun until my time was up.
Tucked away in a private location, Kelsey posed with palm leaves covering her naked breasts or her bare ass. In between takes, Jaxson whispered dirty, dirty things to me, making it look like work commands and not the dirty things that they were.
I came those two more times that I had wished for and a few others, too, right there in the gardens.
It wasn’t like him to be so occupied with me while he worked. I wasn’t sure what was going on. Only that we crossed some invisible line earlier and I could feel the shift of things in my bones.
His possessiveness was palpable.
Sure, Jaxson wanted to keep my mind off Simon and my situation, but it was more.
He wanted me.
And I knew it wasn’t only for the two weeks we had left.
The thing was, he couldn’t have me because I was already taken . . . by the devil himself.
JAXSON
I’LL BE UPFRONT ABOUT IT: driving in Grenada was a bitch.
There were no street signs, no speed limits posted, no real rules. The way to describe it was organized chaos.
And fucking goats were everywhere.
No shit.
Today was day five in St. George. I looked around, keeping two hands on the wheel in case I had to avoid a pedestrian that decided to cross the street.
I swore at the town that was perched on so many hills and surrounded by bright-blue anchorage. Driving through it, I noticed so many financial institutions, and wondered if there were more than both Antigua and Barbados combined.
St. George curved along a horseshoe-shaped harbor backed by volcanic hills. Brick and stone buildings with red-tiled roofs lined the streets.
Heading to the harbor for today’s shoot, I took my time, taking in the streets and the people.
I glanced over at Sadie, sitting shotgun, drinking in the sights. Her hair was up in a messy bun, flying as the wind captured it, her sunglasses big, hiding her expressive eyes. The view was breathtaking.
I’d known her five weeks, and she’d done something to me no woman had ever done—taken over my every thought.
Some might call it love. I wasn’t putting a label on it. I’d loved before, or so I’d thought, but this was different. Something more.
I stopped
for a bunch of teens jamming reggae music to pass and slid my hand under her white dress. Skin so soft, so smooth, and further up, a pussy made of gold. I wasn’t going that far up today though, I had to focus. It wouldn’t be just Sadie, a model, and myself today. I had an entire crew booked on a privately chartered yacht.
Sadie’s brow furrowed and her tanned skin seemed to go pale as she pointed to her left.
The mix of people, animals, carts, and food vendors confused me. What was she looking at?
She was yelling something, but I couldn’t hear a fucking thing, the music from the teens that had stopped directly in front of me to break dance was too loud.
Before I knew what the fuck was going on, she opened the door to the jeep and started to run.
“Sadie,” I shouted, my eyes searching for a place to pull over and go after her but there was a car behind me, people everywhere on the sidewalks and these kids in front of me.
I honked on my horn. “Move it!”
The boys pulled out their empty pockets. Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me. I tried to keep my eyes on the white dress, but it got lost in the crowd as I pulled out my wallet.
I waved a fifty like a dare and pointed to the right. “Get the fuck out of my way and it’s yours,” I shouted.
Finally, they moved, one of them striding beside me to tear the money from my fingers.
As soon as they cleared the road, I pulled onto the sidewalk and jammed the Jeep into park. I had all my gear in here, and I had to secure it, or I knew it would be gone.
As soon as I pulled the top back up, I bolted out and headed downhill. In the direction of Carenage. Finding her on the docks wasn’t going to be easy.
What the hell was she doing?
SADIE
HE WAS HERE.
I’d seen him coming out of one of the banks with an older woman on his arm who looked like Queen Elizabeth. He’d escorted her to her chauffeured car and then took off on foot.
I couldn’t lose him.
Simon McCoy had been dressed in all white, John Travolta style. White shirt, white pants, white jacket, and white shoes. His designer sunglasses couldn’t hide his height, his sandy blond hair, or the fact that I would know him a mile a way.
I didn’t shout his name because I knew he had no idea I was following him. I didn’t care how long I had to follow him; there was no way I was stopping until I caught up with him.
Seeing him was such a shock, I’d jumped at the sight. I didn’t have my phone, my purse, anything. I knew Jaxson would be worried, but I couldn’t give up this opportunity. I had to confront Simon and find out what happened to Riley. Find out why he’d turned his phone off. Find out why he’d lied.
The wharf roads ran along the harbor, and I trailed him as he wove his way toward them.
Nausea curled in my stomach with each step I took. I was worried what he’d say. How Riley was, and yet I had to know.
Wooden schooners were loading and unloading, people were chatting, others selling fresh seafood and snacks.
Simon passed the Christ of the Deep statue and then started up a long dock.
I froze, watching him, as he strode to the end where a fifty-foot yacht stood. Its name was Moongate.
Blood prickled under my skin.
He boarded it. I walked a little further down the dock, hoping like hell he didn’t turn around. He didn’t. He climbed several steps and opened a glass door, closing it behind him.
The wind blew my dress, and suddenly I felt so cold, even under the blaring sun.
I didn’t know that much about yachts, but I knew this one wasn’t going anywhere fast—the mooring lines were still secured.
The closer I got, the more knotted my stomach became. Weeks had passed without this uneasy feeling taking me over, and now it was back more vicious than ever.
Sure, I had to be out of my mind as I boarded the luxury yacht, but I was pure crazy when I pulled the unlocked glass door open.
Simon was over at the wet bar, stocked with only high-end liquor. When he looked up to see me, a mix of surprise and hatred filled his face, but somehow he seemed to pull it together and say, “Sadie, this is quite a surprise.”
“Simon,” I said, my tone barren of anything warm and fuzzy.
“Would you care for a drink?” he asked, more polite than I would have expected.
I knew I shouldn’t, but I was jittery and I could use something to take the edge off. I peered around Simon and pointed to what I knew was the most expensive vodka.
His grin was sinister. “Stoli Elit. Good choice. Rocks?”
“Yes.”
“With a twist?”
“No, thank you.”
There were windows everywhere, natural light streaming through them. The view of the colony of sailboat masts spectacular.
Simon crossed the teak floor to the freezer and took out a bucket of ice. Back at the bar he scooped ice cubes into the rocks glasses and poured. “I don’t think your daddy ever drank something as fine as this.”
His dig was meant to shake me, but I wasn’t going to shake that easy. “No, he preferred the cheap stuff.”
Keeping his expression neutral, he brought the drinks over with napkins and motioned for me to sit on the white wraparound sofa. I eased down onto the cool, white vinyl and took the offered drink. I drank it in one gulp.
“Thirsty?” he said, setting his drink down on a coaster and grabbing the bottle for a refill.
I drank that one, too.
I liked the warm buzz, and I was starting to wonder if I was addicted to this stuff.
He watched me and poured one more.
I took it.
Unbuttoning his jacket, he took a seat in the chair and crossed an ankle over his knee. “So,” he said, “What the fuck happened to you?”
A chill settled into my bones. It was so deep that my entire body felt like one of the cubes in my glass. I stared at him in disbelief. This asshole had no idea I knew anything more about him. I’d play along. “I couldn’t do it.”
“That was pretty fucking obvious,” he hissed.
“I took Sarah’s identity and came down here. What about you? Did you sell my stuff and get the money for Riley?”
He started to laugh but stopped himself. “I sold your shit, but I didn’t give the money to Riley.” He patted the arm of his chair. “I have a lifestyle to keep up with.”
It took every ounce of strength I had not to lunge for him. “What’s your game, Simon? What do you want from me?”
He took a slow sip of his drink and over the rim, he said, “Everything.”
I stared numbly at him. I was so far out of my league. “I don’t understand.”
“No, you don’t,” he said, pity strong in his tone. “And for the life of me, I don’t understand why. I sent you that box of your old man’s.”
“You sent that?”
He tsked. “All you had to do was open it. Read his diary. The one he wrote while in prison. And then you would have understood it all.”
“Where’s the other box?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care. That one had the only thing I cared about in it, and getting it was a bitch.”
Every muscle in my body tensed. “What do you mean?”
He shook his head and took another casual sip of his drink. “Can’t say, but you really should read your father’s words. Fascinating stuff he wrote when he was sober. Might give you a run for your money.”
“Where is it?”
He set his glass down and leaned forward. “At Harvey’s. Waiting for your return. I have to say, I didn’t expect you to run. That was a surprise. You were always so good, I didn’t expect you to be that bad.”
“That’s just it. I couldn’t do what you wanted me to do.”
“That’s obvious. You know, I knew you were good, but I never thought you were naïve.”
Anger like I’d never felt made me clench my fists. I wanted to hit him. Slap that smug smirk right off his face. “Stop with the games,
Simon. What the hell is going on?”
He sat back with a cocky grin on his face I wanted to wipe off. “Do you really think my old man and Harvey stuck by your father out of friendship?”
Confusion furrowed my brows.
“They had a secret, and your old man was the weak link. Everything went to shit because of him, and let’s not forget goodie-two-shoes.” He pointed to me.
Recognition I couldn’t hide showed in my eyes.
“Didn’t think I knew it was you that blew up our town, did you? That it was you who ruined my life.”
“I did what I had to do to save those people. My father shouldn’t have been flying in his condition.”
“He shouldn’t have been flying period. The paranoid bastard that he was right up until the end was a detriment to society.”
I felt my stomach twist. What did he mean, right up until the end?
He shifted in his chair. “Oh, and when you decide your little vacay is over and return to the reality you fled from, I left a little something extra at Harvey’s, for old time’s sake.”
“What?” I barked.
He waved a finger at me. “Calm down.”
“What did you leave?” I demanded.
“My phone.” He said it with a smile.
Confusion furrowed my brows. “Why would I want that?”
“On it is a little video of the night you were driving in the rain. You remember that night, don’t you?”
I jumped to my feet. “You sick bastard!”
He rose to his full height and glared down at me. “I think it’s time for you to leave, Sadie.”
He was right.
I looked around at how alone we were. I knew I had to leave because if I didn’t, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d escape in one piece. He wasn’t the same boy I knew. Or maybe he was and I just never really knew him.
What I did know was Simon was indeed a psychopath.
I took a step back, and then another. My legs felt like jelly. My body uneasy and my gait unstable. At the door, and only after I’d opened it, I asked, “What happened to Riley?”