by Mia Ford
I started working on a new project, a series of hotels that were going up in tropical locations and were sure to be successful. They were the perfect mix of comfort and luxury in places that would offer virtually unlimited activities for guests, and one of my benefits is that I’d get to stay in them anytime that I wanted. I had a lot of choices for vacations because of this job, wondering why I didn’t take more for a moment. I could do that for Caroline, though the idea of being alone with her scared me right now.
I finished the design of the lobby, offering a bar and restaurant as well as a spacious front room. It would offer a library as well as a movie theater for guests. It was going to be stunning, and I smiled at the design as I moved on to the rooms. They were large with balconies that overlooked the water and beaches, offering a place of sanctuary for the guests. They could dine there, have coffee, and even sleep with the space that I was offering.
I found the time passing quickly and glanced down at the clock on my monitor to see that it was approaching evening. I blinked and felt grateful that I loved my job before I thought about dinner. I knew that Caroline loved Thai food and there was a great place on the way home that I could get take out from. She would more than likely be home studying and we could eat in the living room as we often did.
I realized as I waited for the food that was something I loved about having her with me. I enjoyed the time spent together, and I didn’t want to tarnish it with my new carnal thoughts of her. I took the bags to the car and drove home as I thought about everything that was happening, realizing that it might stop when she moved out of the house and started her own life.
Chapter Five
Caroline
I glanced up from the couch where I was studying as the garage door opened. I smelled the food before Perry looked into the room from the kitchen and held up the familiar bag. “Sound good?”
“You read my mind,” I answered as I stood and stretched, setting my book carefully down before I walked into the kitchen. I was wearing some loose pajama pants and a clingy tank top, trying to find a healthy level between comfortable and teasing in my clothing. I knew that I had full breasts that men often ogled and I should think harder about that here, but I wore a sports bra underneath so my all too sensitive nipples wouldn’t show. I loaded my plate with all my favorites and returned to the couch as he grabbed a beer and followed. “How was work?”
“I got a lot accomplished. That new resort is going to be beautiful,” he told me as I smiled and nodded. “I might have to take a vacation once it’s built.”
“You aren’t good at those, but you should be. You have designed so many amazing places, Perry.” My eyes were hard on him as he sipped from the bottle and looked back at me.
“I know. I was thinking that I needed to relax more today while working. Maybe we can get away to celebrate your graduation?” He had suggested before his eyes widened and something that looked like regret crossed his face.
“Seriously?” I asked with a smile on my face, one that was more than just being grateful. I wasn’t sure if he was playing a joke or not, but the idea of a vacation with Perry made my body heat up.
“Sure,” He sounded confident in his response. “We can take a week or two and go anywhere you want.” Perry offered as I chewed my noodles slowly. Jesus. He knew how much I liked the ocean since we didn’t live close to it and I knew that I could bring all my little bikinis. I couldn’t stand the idea of other men looking at me other than Perry, but I would make sure I packed my best ones.
“I’ll think it over since I still have a couple months of school. Thank you, Perry. I know how much you like to be home.” My eyes were warm and happy as I looked at him.
“This is for both of us. I need to learn to enjoy all that life has to offer,” he replied, looking back at me. We continued to eat as he watched a rare full hockey game while I read a book, taking notes as I glanced at him from time to time. I knew that he couldn’t read my mind, but some deep thoughts were going on behind my eyes. Perry made his way to bed first, making me soon follow as I watched some porn and masturbated to it furiously as I imagined what it would be like with him in some paradise.
He went into the office at the usual early hour the following day, seemingly determined to stick to a schedule. I knew that he needed that to live his life the best way that Perry knew how: working. I wondered why he looked tired though as he smiled and left quietly in the morning just after I woke up.
The weeks passed a lot of time working hard on my studies. Perry knew that it was hard the last year and gave me room and support as needed. He knew that I wanted to finish my college career with top grades.
I admitted a week before graduation that I’d looked into resorts and decided on one called The Brando in French Polynesia. He did some research after my confession and agreed that it was gorgeous. The resort was very private. It seemed like more of a romantic setting to me, though there was a lot to see and do. We could make it just a trip since families probably went there all the time. We were a family, right?
Perry booked the trip for a month out, shocking me when he told me that he set aside three weeks away from home with the knowledge that he could work there if absolutely necessary. I thought that it would be good for him as well, which is why I showed so much excitement at the extra time even as I wondered if any of the amount would feel like too much with my feelings for him.
I acted thrilled when he told me the dates. I was mostly done with classwork and went shopping for some vacation clothes. Perry picked the beginning of May to leave since I worked so hard to get ahead and graduation would be done. We could both really relax.
Perry smiled as I brought home shorts, skirts, and shirts to wear. There were also new swimsuits that were sure to torment him, and I was surprised to see him excuse himself quickly to go upstairs as I held them up, looking uncomfortable.
Perry was becoming an addiction to me, and I regretted the trip momentarily as I stepped under the hot water of my shower again. How could I bear it when we were virtually alone in that place?
We got through the days by working a lot and focusing on my graduation. We both felt my parents with us as he sat alone and watched as I crossed the stage with tears in my eyes. Perry told me many times that he was so fucking proud of me, making me feel a little guilty for my feelings that were developing for him. My friends told me that I glowed when I smiled and took the picture up there and he stood back afterward to watch me embrace my friends and closest teachers. Did he think the same thing?
He took me to my favorite seafood place and ordered a small bottle of their best champagne to toast with as I smiled at him. I knew that he was determined to make this a special night and I smiled as he slipped a small, wrapped gift across the table. “Perry, what is this?” I asked as I took the silver wrapped box and stared at him.
“Just open it,” he told me in a raspy voice as I leaned forward and tore carefully at the paper. It was a red box, and I opened it, peering inside as I struggled to see what it was in the dim light of the room. There was a candle at the table, and as I turned the box over to slide a chain with a pendant in my hand, I gasped softly.
It was a necklace in the shape of a delicate diamond teardrop that sparkled in the amber glow of the candle. I recognized it, and tears filled my eyes as I remembered my mom wearing it sometimes. “Mom’s necklace?”
“Not only that. That was a gift for their first wedding anniversary. It was before the company really took off and Mila always said that she preferred this over everything from Tiffany’s after and she wanted you to have it on a special occasion if they were ever gone.” His eyes shimmered with tears as he swallowed. “None of us expected anything to happen. I’d give anything to have them here in person tonight, Caroline. I feel like a poor substitute.”
“You are why I am celebrating tonight. I would never be here without you.” I reached across the table to cover his hand with mine, feeling sparks against my skin as our gazes locked. “You gave u
p your life for me.”
“I did the only thing I knew how to. I gave up nothing,” Perry insisted as I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. The waitress set the bottle down as she eyed our joined hands, pouring it for us as she asked if we needed a moment to decide. I noticed that Perry didn’t make any effort to separate from me, giving the woman the distinct idea that this was a date. I could only imagine what she must think with both of us looking so emotional. “Yes, we’d like that.” She disappeared, and we parted slowly as I licked my lips, his eyes following the movement.
I looked at the necklace again for a long moment before securing it around my neck only to trace it with my fingertips. Perry handed me one of the glasses and paused as he seemed to think about what to say. “Here is to all of your hard work and your focus, Caroline. You have made me so proud, and I know that they can see all of this. Here’s to the future that you are going to have and all of your future success.” I raised my glass, and we clinked them together as a tear slid down my cheek.
“Again, because of you. You didn’t leave me alone,” I said with a trembling voice. “I love you for that, Perry.”
“I love you, too. Always have,” Perry told me, reminding me of how long we’d known each other and what he meant to me. We sipped the bubbly, dry liquid and I laughed as I set it down to dry my eyes.
I opened my menu to read the selections, still playing with the pendant. I went with the usual choice of steak and crab legs while Perry chose the Shrimp Alfredo. The waitress smiled as she glanced between us, assuring us that she’d bring the food over soon.
“Thank you for this…all of this.” I had gestured with my hand before I took a long swallow of the champagne. “I have no idea how to ever thank you properly.” I had many ideas, but they were nothing that I would admit to him.
“It’s a pleasure to see you smile,” Perry told me as I swallowed the lump in my throat. Would my parents hate me for feeling this way about him? Would they support me? “I took a closer look at The Brando. There is a lot to do. Think you’ll be up to most of it?”
I hated talking about it sometimes. I felt like I was taking advantage of his already generous nature when I told Perry yes to the trip. “I think so. Scuba diving might not happen, but I do want to snorkel over the coral and all the sea life. I want to swim at Mermaid Beach and explore every inch of the grounds.”
“That all sounds great to me,” Perry agreed as he slowly sipped from his glass. I knew that he was going to stop since he was driving us home, leaving me to drink most of the bottle. “It is a lovely area and sounds like we’ll have a lot of it to ourselves.”
“I like that idea better than a crowded beach with a million people,” I murmured with some regret as he smiled at me.
“I prefer it as well.” I touched the necklace again, feeling it rest against the burgundy material of the cocktail dress that I wore underneath the gown. All my friends and I went shopping for them together and planned on meeting up later if we weren’t too drunk. That was not possible as I eyed the bottle and took another sip. We had a lot of plans before leaving on the trip.
I was good and buzzed when we finished eating, and I held onto Perry’s arm as we walked to his car. I giggled and chatted as I leaned closer to inhale his scent, wondering if I was imagining things as he stiffened beside me. Perry opened the door to his car, helping me inside as his hand brushed against my bare back.
I shivered, feeling my nipples harden against the dress before he jerked his hand away. I wanted him to keep touching me, to slip my dress off when we arrived home and do it everywhere.
Once we arrived home, Perry told me that he had something to do and left quickly. Of course, he made sure that I didn’t need anything first. I stumbled up to my room and slipped off the dress, managing to find a tank top and some shorts before I stumbled downstairs. I turned on the television, finding something on one of the movie channels that I watched with blurry eyes.
I wanted Perry here with me. Sober, my need for him was strong, but after a little alcohol, it was nearly unbearable. I stared at the people on the screen as they dropped all their clothes and started to have sex, making me moan as I slid my hand between my legs. I didn’t know if I was alone other than the memory of his leaving so fast, but I stroked my clit as the man drove his cock into the woman hard and rough.
I was a virgin but thought that I wanted Perry to treat me that way. I moved my hand down, slipping a finger inside of myself as I kept playing with my clit, gasping as the pressure built up inside of me. I moved deeper and was soon coming as I cried out Perry’s name in a broken voice, relaxing as warmth washed over my fingers and against the shorts that I was wearing. The need to have him inside of me nearly made me weep as I curled my body up into a ball, watching the screen in silence.
I knew that I should get to bed, but I dozed off on the couch, wondering where Perry was.
Chapter Six
Perry
Once she touched my hand, I was done for. The heat that flowed between us was unlike anything that I ever felt before, and I froze as the waitress brought the champagne. I knew what this looked like, that I should stop but I needed the contact too much. It wasn’t until after that I found the strength to move and make an effort to make a toast.
Caroline looked as disappointed as I felt for a fleeting second before she slipped the necklace around her neck, making me feel emotional all over again, this was an intense day for me, and I raised my glass as I thought about what to say.
I played back the entire day, from breakfast to the moment she walked across the stage, easily the most beautiful woman in the auditorium. I remembered the way she hugged her friends and teachers, as well as the way the guys looked at her. A part of me wondered how many of them felt her wrapped around them, but I pushed it away. That didn’t matter since these people were closer to her age and much more appropriate for her.
I also felt the eyes of the women lingering on me, but I paid them no attention. There was only one woman here that I cared anything about and she was watching me as an older blonde brushed against me, surprising me when she wanted to leave for dinner after that. Caroline murmured something about making the reservation, but I didn’t have a set one. I reserved a table for the night, which was easy since I designed the building. They let me in any time that I wanted.
I walked her to the car, taking in her tight calves in the black pumps as she strode ahead of me, seemingly angry. “Are you okay?” I called out to her as she turned and smiled over her shoulder.
“Of course I am. It’s my graduation, isn’t it?” She questioned me with a bright smile on her beautiful face. She seemed fine when we were at the table and toasting, settling into the meal and ordering her favorite plate. I thought that my toast sounded stilted and not at all like what I intended, but it seemed to make her cry.
I felt the surge of emotions as she told me that she loved me and I couldn’t help but to say it back, trying to remind myself at the end of the nature of that love.
We chatted idly about the trip, and I sensed some discomfort on her part about it. I was certain that she felt guilty about the cost of it and brushed it off as I asked her what she wanted to do. The clothes that she’d purchased were perfect for the trip if not too revealing for me, particularly the bright colored swimsuits. I knew that she’d be stared at constantly and the alpha male in me wasn’t ready for that, much less the part of me that always felt the need to protect Caroline.
She had worked hard at the gym at a young age and looked great as a result. We both ate relatively healthy and kept ourselves in shape and in summer vacation clothes, Caroline was going to be a cock tease for every man within a few feet from her. For that matter, women too though I didn’t think that was her thing.
I knew that she was well on the way to being drunk when we left, giggling, and chatting as she pressed close to me. I felt her hold tight onto my arm as she leaned close, tensing as my body responded to her all too quickly. When I helped her i
nto the car, I felt her soft, hot skin against my hands all over again and knew that I couldn’t take it any longer. I closed her door after removing my hand from her body, texting a massage therapist that I’d seen a few times when I was looking for something extremely casual with no strings attached. We’d never had sex before but tonight was going to be different since I hadn’t been with a woman for a few weeks since realizing my feelings for Caroline.
I had to work her out of my system lodged deep inside of another woman’s pussy, and Brianna was my first choice. I knew that she was a professional and that I could get what I needed and leave.
I drove her home, trying not to be too aware of her sweet scent and the fact that she was drunk. Drunk meant vulnerable and knew from her actions tonight that she’d give herself to me without any hesitation. I didn’t want it that way with Caroline, so I was going to make sure that she was safe before I left. Hell, she’d better be passed out and alone. I didn’t want anyone else touching her either unless it was her own hand.
That I wanted to see, nearly making me consider staying home. Instead, I brought Caroline into the house and made sure that she was going to stay home, explaining that I had somewhere to go for a bit. Her face fell, but she told me that she was just going to change and watch some television and enjoy the buzz. I watched her head upstairs and then come back down before I quietly left, hard as a rock.
I got into my car and drove to Brianna’s apartment, using my navigation to get there since it had been a while. I parked in the lot and went to knock firmly on Brianna’s door, watching as she opened it dressed in a short black dress with a tank top wrapped around her neck that offered plenty of her cleavage. “Feeling tense?” She asked me as I strode in, heading past the spare room that she used as a massage room to the next door down. “Perry? That’s the bedroom.”