“Don’t let Maria Rosa scare you. She’s not really as crazy as she seems.”
CARTER WAS A LIAR.
“Meu filho Americano!” Maria was wearing a bright-colored house dress as she took Carter’s face in both of her hands, planting kisses on each of his cheeks. An aroma of saffron and other herbs and spices filled the air.
Carter introduced me. “Maria, está é a minha amiga, Kendall.”
God, he sounded sexy. Even if the only thing I understood was my own name. He’d even used an accent to say, Kendall, lingering on the L a little at the end.
Maria looked me up and down, a thin black moustache expanding across her upper lip as she smiled. “Aha! Você nunca trouxe um amigo antes…”
I turned to him. “What did she say?”
“She’s pointing out that I’ve never brought a friend here before.”
“Exactly how often do you stay here?”
“About every other time I come to Rio. This place feels sort of like a home away from home to me.”
The chattering sound of an animal suddenly registered. Before I knew it, a weight landed onto my back, nearly causing me to topple over from the impact. Then, I felt a spray of warm liquid on my neck.
I stiffened and waved my hands erratically. “What is on me? Get it off of me!” I screamed. “Get it off!”
The creature let out a series of high-pitched screeches as its nails started digging into me. Carter was laughing hysterically as he lifted the thing off of my back.
When I looked over at him, I discovered the animal was a tiny…monkey. Maria Rosa was shaking her head almost dismissively and saying something in Portugese.
Carter couldn’t contain his amusement. “Maria apologizes. Capuchin monkeys sometimes piss on people to mark their territory.” The monkey let out a loud squeal as if to agree with Carter.
“I have monkey piss dripping down my Roland Mouret. This is just fantastic.”
“That shirt needed to be washed anyway. Don’t worry. I’ll clean you off nice later.”
His words sent chills through me. As much as this situation was freaking me out, I couldn’t help my attraction to Carter as he stood there towering over me, still dressed in his pilot’s uniform. The monkey was now comfortably perched on Carter’s shoulder.
When Carter smiled at me, I again took notice of the dimple on his chin, and my demeanor softened. “How come he’s not pissing on you, Captain?”
“Because we’re old friends. Aren’t we, Pedro?” The animal flashed his teeth. I could have sworn it laughed before hopping away to the other side of the room.
Maria seemed upset about something as she spoke to Carter.
“What is she saying?”
“She didn’t realize I was bringing a guest, wanted to make sure I knew that the only other spare bedroom is being rented out. She says we’ll have to share a room.”
“I’m not okay with that.”
He whispered, “We’ll figure it out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out, Carter.”
“Let’s just go to the room and relax for a bit. I need to get out of this uniform and take a nap. Then, I want to show you the beach before dinner.”
“This isn’t going to work…sharing a room. I need to find a hotel.”
“Perky…you didn’t follow me all the way to Brazil only to leave me now. You can say you’re going to get a hotel, but the fact of the matter is, you don’t want to be alone. You wouldn’t be here if you did. Now calm your tits and come with me to our room. Believe me, even if I wanted to take advantage of you right now, I haven’t slept in eighteen fucking hours. I need to crash.”
As I quietly followed him down the hallway into the corner room, I cursed at my inability to argue this. He’d safely flown that gigantic plane all the way to Brazil. My life had been in his hands the entire time. He had a point; he needed to sleep. Honestly, I was tired from the flight, too, and I hadn’t even piloted the plane.
The room was small but charming. A bright red bedspread with embroidered purple flowers made of yarn was draped over the queen-sized bed. A single window letting in a cool breeze displayed a nice view of the water in the distance.
There was a bathroom off of the room with an antique white ceramic tub. I noticed fresh flowers on the edge of the sink along with a variety of soaps.
“This is cute. How did you ever find this place anyway? It’s really off the beaten path.”
“I was driving around one day, exploring Rio. I got out of my car to take a walk and smelled Maria’s cooking through the window. I basically followed my nose. When I discovered she rented rooms, I cancelled my reservation at the other place and stayed here. I’d choose this any day over a hotel.”
“You said you only stay here half of the time. The other times, you opt for the big hotel?”
He hesitated. “I come here when I’m alone. I go to the hotel when I—”
“Never mind.” I held out my palm. “I get it.”
The hotel was his fucking ground, probably with the stewardess of the week. I didn’t want to hear anymore.
“Why did you bring me here then?”
“I wanted to show you the authentic side of Rio. I feel responsible for you being here. The least I could do is be a good tour guide.”
“How long are you here before you have to fly again?”
“Two days.”
My stomach sank. That wasn’t very long at all.
“Then where are you off to?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t checked the itinerary.”
“Two days here…” I repeated.
“Yeah. So, let’s make the most of it.”
Carter began to unbutton his crisp white captain’s shirt. He hung it up in the small closet. His bare chest was just as perfectly contoured as I’d imagined it. I got the sudden urge to lick a line straight down from his chest to his navel and down the thin happy trail of hair leading into his black dress pants. He was bigger than most of the guys I’d dated. I could only imagine how the weight of his body might feel pressed down over my petite frame. I wanted to feel the weight of him on me, and that was not where my head should have been. I’d almost forgotten that the purpose of this trip was to try to straighten out my life, not complicate it further by falling for someone I couldn’t be with. It wasn’t going to be possible to be with any man in the near future if I went ahead with my plans.
Carter lifted a brow, a silent acknowledgement that he took notice of my ogling him. I suddenly looked away, although he’d already caught me in the act.
“Let’s get you out of those clothes,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll be right back.”
What?
He retreated to the bathroom and closed the door. I could hear him peeing. Then, the bathwater ran for the longest time. Sitting on the bed with my back still soaked in monkey piss, I wondered what was taking him so long.
The door creaked open. Carter exited, still shirtless and now barefoot, wearing nothing but his black trousers. He’d left them unbuttoned at the top.
So incredibly hot.
I cleared my throat. “Did you take a bath?”
“No, I was preparing yours. Whatever’s bothering you is written all over your face. You’re very tense. That’s been the case from the moment I met you. You need that bath more than I do right now.” He slowly approached and put his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s just forget about our troubles for a couple of days. Stop overthinking this room situation. You have my word that I’ll keep my hands to myself. I won’t try anything if that’s what you’re worried about—unless you ask for it. Until then, no monkey business. Well, not figuratively at least. There will be an actual monkey from time to time.”
I broke out into laughter. It felt good. How did this situation become my life?
“What do you say? Will you just chill with me, Kendall?”
God, I really did want to just relax and enjoy these two days.
For
the first time, I glanced over at the bathtub and really took notice of what he’d done. The foamy bubbles had risen to the top. Carter had lit two small candles and placed them at the windowsill above the tub. He might have been a womanizer— stewardess fucker—but he was damn smooth…and sweet.
Without saying anything further, he collapsed stomach first onto the bed. My eyes were glued to his ass as he grinded into the mattress, practically making love to it. “Fuck, this bed feels good,” he muttered. Carter let out a groan that sounded almost orgasmic. Spreading his arms out wide in the shape of a T, his back was rising and falling as he relaxed into the pillow.
I took a moment to admire that sculpted back, realizing how much I wanted to lie on top of it like a carnival ride as it moved up and down.
When I’d assumed he was safely dozing off, I faced toward the wall and lifted my dirty shirt over my head, tossing it onto the ground. I tiptoed into the bathroom and undressed.
Immersing myself into the warm water, I closed my eyes and breathed in the steam. I felt like I’d been transported into another world. I suppose that had happened—a strange place with a strange man. And a monkey. Even though I couldn’t explain it, somehow being here at this point in time felt exactly right.
I’d left the door open somewhat because I assumed Carter was asleep. So when I heard his sleepy voice, it sent a shiver down my spine.
“I’m glad you chose Rio, Perky.”
I’M PRETTY SURE MY DICK woke me up as if to say, “Dude, look what you’re missing.”
The shades were down, the room was dark, and I was hard as fuck.
What time was it?
The clock showed four-thirty in the afternoon. I’d been napping for two hours. As I looked to my left, the reason for my painful arousal became abundantly clear. My brain may have been sleeping, but my body was fully aware of the fact that Kendall’s tight ass was planted against my side as she curled into the bed.
Fuck me.
She’d been lying down next to me all this time. Maybe she did trust me after all. That was probably her first mistake. Two days with this girl, and I’d promised to be good? Smart.
I knew nothing about her, yet from the moment she entered my consciousness, she’d been all I could think about. This might seem hard to believe, but I’d never actually picked up a woman in an airport before. Yes, I’d fucked my share of co-workers, but that was sort of par for the course with being a pilot. The single members of the crew fucked around with each other, plain and simple. Hooking up with flight attendants during LAYovers had seemed exciting in the early days of my career. Over time, though, it had become stale and monotonous. It was all too easy. I liked a challenge, and Kendall was the first woman in a long time who played hard to get. That made me hard.
I was shocked to see her at the airport. I’d been thinking about her the whole flight, secretly hoping she was on it, but never really believing she was. I certainly never thought I’d end up lying in bed with her.
Kendall Sparks.
Who the hell are you?
Why do I need to know so badly?
She was complex; that was for sure. Just when I thought I had her pegged as an uptight rich girl, she announced she rarely wore a bra. The more she spoke, the less I knew what to make of her. All I really knew was that I was incredibly attracted to her and really freaking happy she gave me the chance to see her again.
My eyes trailed down the length of her lithe body. God, how I wanted to nestle my face in the back of her neck and bury my nose in her hair. I needed to get rid of this stiffy before she woke up, though.
Quietly lifting myself off of the bed, I headed to the bathroom to rub one out. The first thing that caught my eyes was her white panties lying on the floor.
Fuck me.
I picked them up and held them in my hand for a few minutes. They were small and delicate just like her. I couldn’t help the urge to smell them. Taking in a long whiff of her scent, I wasn’t prepared for my reaction. Her smell was addicting and only made the need building within me uncontrollably stronger.
I turned on the water and let it fill up. Lying back in the tub, I placed her panties over my face, imagining her pussy there. Don’t judge. I took my cock out and began to stroke myself. If this was wrong, I didn’t want to be right.
I took in another deep breath of her sweet feminine smell as I jerked myself harder.
Was I a sick fuck?
I didn’t care.
Telling myself no one was being harmed in this process, I kept at it, needing to get rid of the sexual frustration that had been building from the moment I first spotted her perky little nipples at the airport.
It only took me a matter of seconds. I came hard all over myself, panting as I collapsed farther back into the tub.
After a few minutes, I still couldn’t move. That was when I heard her voice.
“Carter?”
I shot up and threw her panties across the room. “Coming! I mean…be right there. Just need to take a quick bath.”
After that, I washed up as fast as I could.
Kendall was sitting up on the bed when I reentered the bedroom. I felt a little guilty for what I’d done but still would’ve done it all over again.
I held my towel around my waist to prevent it from falling. “You ready to explore the beach? We’d better get going before the sun goes down.” I couldn’t help noticing the way she was checking me out.
Fuck yeah. There may be hope after all.
“Yeah. I’d love to head down there.”
Kendall slipped into the bathroom to change into her bathing suit. When she came out, she was wearing a casual cotton sundress over her bikini.
I’d changed into my swim trunks and put on a plain white T-shirt.
When we emerged from the room, we had to pass through Maria Rosa’s main living area to get to the front door.
When Pedro leapt toward me, Kendall instinctively ducked. The monkey hopped up onto my shoulder and began to nip at my hair before practically flying away again.
Kendall was caught off guard when Maria suddenly led her by the hand to a table in the corner of the room.
Oh shit.
We’re never getting out of here now.
“What’s going on? What is she saying?” Kendall asked.
Not wanting her to get even more freaked out when we’d first arrived here, I’d chosen not to immediately tell Kendall that Maria was actually a psychic and clairvoyant. The majority of her business came from people who walked in off of the street for readings. I translated what Maria was trying to convey to her.
“Maria’s a psychic. She said she’s sensing some negative energy surrounding you.”
Kendall swallowed. The fear in her eyes was palpable. We both watched as Maria took both of Kendall’s hands in hers. The old woman’s eyes were closed as she concentrated. I continued to decipher what she was saying as best I could.
“Maria says she’s seeing a baby…and it has two heads.”
Kendall’s head whipped toward me. “What?”
I struggled to understand Maria’s ramblings, which were a bit fragmented.
“There’s a curse that’s been put on you, one that you may not be able to rid yourself of without her help. She says there is something going on involving a baby and that the baby or you could be in dire danger if the curse isn’t removed. I don’t understand what she’s talking about with the two heads.”
I had to say, as much as I loved Maria, this shit she pulled always creeped me the fuck out. One night as I was getting ready to leave for the airport, she cornered me and told me that there was a dead girl on the other side who was coming through and wanted to speak with me. I freaked out so badly thinking it was Lucy that I almost never came back here again. Thankfully, Maria never brought it up after that day.
I decided to play around a bit to deter Kendall from getting too weirded out. “She said in order to remove the curse, you have to kiss me.”
“Are you serious?”
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My expression gave me away, and she rolled her eyes.
I listened more closely to Maria. “Okay…I think I’ve been translating wrong. She doesn’t see a baby with two heads. She sees a baby, but the head of the baby is actually a coin with two sides, heads and tails. Does that make sense to you?”
Kendall turned pale. Either Maria was freaking her out, or something about this crazy shit was actually resonating with her.
I continued translating. “This represents a decision having to do with money that may also involve a child in the future.”
Kendall placed her head in her hands. This was upsetting her. I needed to get her the fuck out of here.
I turned to Maria. “Vamos à praia. Podemos terminar mais tarde?”
“Come on. It’s getting dark. I just told her we’re heading to the beach.”
She’d been quiet most of the short walk down the steep hill that led to the water. I needed to get her to open up to me a little or at least get her to relax.
Playfully pulling on her ponytail, I asked, “Are you alright?”
She forced a smile. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“That shit Maria was saying…did it make any sense to you?”
To my surprise, she nodded yes. “Somewhat.”
“You want to talk about it?”
“No. I really don’t. I just want to try to have some fun while we’re here.”
“Fair enough.”
The sun was starting to set. It was getting too late to really enjoy the beach. When we’d arrived close to the shore, the people around us started clapping.
“What’s going on?”
“They’re not clapping for us.” I chuckled. “There’s a tradition here, that when the sun slips below the horizon, everyone stops, stands and claps.
“That’s pretty cool.”
“It would be nice if people appreciated life and nature more often like this, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes.” She grinned. “Definitely.” She looked around in amazement, and I truly loved watching her face as she took everything in for the first time.
Playboy Pilot Page 3