by KB Winters
“That’s wonderful, Dylan. I’m so proud of you. I was thinking, I need to ask for you to go on vacation every year for my birthday,” she said with a laugh.
“You have a year to think about it. I’m sure you’ll find something at Tiffany’s long before that,” I said, although we both knew that she got whatever she wanted. She didn’t abuse it, of course, but what was the point of being a successful businessman if I couldn’t spoil the people I loved.
“I’ll be looking forward to Thursday. Have a safe flight home.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll see you then.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up.
It would be nice to go home again. I missed the hustle of the office—although I was a little apprehensive to see what mess they’d made in my absence. I’d left my second in command, Trevor, in charge for the week. I was sure he could handle it, but there were blatant differences in our leadership and organizational skills that I was sure I would need to attend to.
My thoughts started drifting so I got up and decided to get the rest of my packing done, mostly in an effort to keep my mind occupied. If I didn’t keep busy, the second I left my mind unguarded my thoughts returned to Ellie and the pain and anger on her face as she stormed out of my hotel suite.
I groaned and rubbed my hand down my face. It was a mystery as to why it was affecting me so much. Back in New York, my escapades were a little more low key. I met women in bars, coffee shops, clubs. The usual places. We would share a night, sometimes two, and then I would pull away. I made my intentions very clear at the beginning—I was not interested in a relationship. It was a no-nonsense conversation and if they accepted my terms, I’d fuck them like they’d never been fucked before. Other than a few stragglers who’d been convinced that all it would take was the so-called right woman to make me change my wicked ways, they all seemed to think the arrangement was more than fair.
Sure, it had led to a few less-than-ideal encounters over the years. A few drinks thrown in my face at the suggestion, and more than a few character assaults. But, in the end, it was more than worth it to be transparent at the beginning and not have to deal with the fallout and messiness of a break-up down the road. If both parties went into it knowing what to expect, it was better for everyone.
So, then what the fuck had happened with Ellie?
I shook my head. I didn’t have the answer for that. At least, not yet. Normally, it was easy for me to tell a girl my intentions. But with her, things had gotten away from me before I’d even thought about it—which was unnerving to say the least.
I pushed it aside and returned to packing. I was setting in the last few items when my knuckles brushed against something smooth. I looked down at the red, silk scarves I’d tied Ellie’s hands with the first night we’d been together. I tossed a shirt over to cover them up, hoping it would still the onslaught of memories coming to my mind. The way her blue eyes grew wide at the sight of the restraints. How she nibbled her lower lip as she tried to decide what she wanted. Her lips parting as I spread apart her thighs and stared at her beautiful pussy.
“Fuck.” I slammed the suitcase shut and forced myself to stop. My cock was hard as a fucking rock in my pants just at the memory of her face, her body…
God, her body. Every lush curve. The sweet scent of her perfume. The way she subtly tried to shy away from me, and then the absolute rush when I forced her to push past her own boundaries and give into me.
I could have fucking done anything I’d wanted to her. She’d wanted it so badly. A smile crept across my face, thinking of her ass. Her big, beautiful ass.
My cock was aching for relief and I knew I’d passed the point of no return. The need had built up too strongly to ignore. I stripped out of the athletic shorts I’d thrown on when I rolled out of bed and strode into the bathroom.
I cranked on the shower and stepped inside while the water was still chilled. I needed it to shock me, to bite into my skin, in hopes that it would clear my obsessed mind. I’d never been this tangled up over a woman before. I didn’t have some sad, one that got away story, or some dream of perfect love that would last forever. I didn’t believe in love at first sight, soul mates, destiny or any of the other shit that Hallmark used to sell on their cards or their movie of the fucking week.
No one I knew was hung up on fairy tale love. My mom was constantly badgering me to find a nice girl, settle down and have some kids. But that was normal, right? It was in the mom handbook or something. I knew she didn’t believe in any of that garbage. She knew relationships were hard work and that love didn’t come easily. She probably just wanted grandkids to play with.
None of my friends were looking to get married or meet the one. And of the people I knew that were married—half of them were having affairs and the other half wished they were.
Nothing had shown me that a relationship was worth the time, effort, and risk of heartbreak and pain.
Besides, who was to say Ellie and I could even have had a relationship? If that was even what she wanted?
She’d seemed so shocked when I’d told her it was over and that she needed to leave. But why? What had she been hoping for? We lived in different states, for fuck’s sake. Weren’t all long distance relationships doomed to fail, anyway?
I squared my shoulders and nodded in agreement. Yes, I was doing the right thing. For both of us. I was saving us from the inevitable pain and heartache.
Unfortunately, all my internal musings had seemed to do was glue her memory even harder in the front of my mind and I couldn’t stop the mini-flashbacks I was having. Ellie tied to the bed. Ellie shaking and trembling right before I got her off. The taste of her champagne kisses.
Fuck.
I took my cock in my hand and started to stroke it, telling myself it was her hand. I closed my eyes and completed the background for my fantasy. We were back out on the patio, at night. She was naked and on her knees in front of me, stroking me and teasing the tip with her supple, full lips. She was waiting for me to give her the command to take my entire shaft into her perfect, pouty mouth. I could look down and see her breasts, bouncing as she moved her hand, faster and faster up and down my shaft.
“Suck it.” I’d say and her lips would part and she would suck me in her mouth. She would look up at me with those eyes just like an angel, but suck my cock like the devil. Her cheeks would hollow and her head would bob up and down, over and over, faster and faster. Her tongue tracing every inch, as much as she could take.
“Oh, fuck!”
I groaned as I came into the spray of the shower. Fantasizing about Ellie got me off in record time. My ass cheeks tightened and I shuddered against the tile. My cock softened in my hand and when I finally caught my breath, I opened my eyes and told myself to wipe her from my mind. That was the last time I would let myself think of her like that. By this time tomorrow, I would be back in New York and could pick up some cheap fuck at a bar and be back to my normal self.
But, in the back of my mind, Ellie was still there.
Chapter Two — Ellie
On the way back to my room, I’d kept glancing behind me to see if Dylan was chasing after me. I kept waiting for him to grab me back in his arms, and tell me he had made a mistake and that he was wrong. I paused at the door, staring down the empty hallway for a moment before giving up my last shred of hope and swiping my key card.
Inside, the lights were still off and the room was mostly dark thanks to the blackout shades on the windows. I tiptoed to Dixie’s bedside and found her in the same position as she’d been last night when Dylan and I had left her to go back to his room. Her breathing was soft and slow. I knew she was out cold and I didn’t want to wake her, even though I was desperate to talk to her and purge what had just happened to me. She was my best friend and I always told her everything the minute it happened. I had come to rely on her for comfort and a good man hating-statement or two in a moment like this. I brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face, hoping she might stir, but she didn
’t seem to notice.
I started to wonder how much of the night before she was even going to remember when she woke up. I shuddered to think what else might have gone down if Dylan and I hadn’t gotten her away from the monster she had almost hooked up with.
I turned away from her, and went back to my bed and threw my purse down before stripping out of my dress. I held it in my hand for a moment, smelling Dylan’s cologne that had embedded in the soft fabric. I gave myself one minute to soak it in before hurling the dress at the floor in a crinkled ball. I knew I would never be able to wear it again.
I might as well just throw it directly in the trash and save myself the step of doing it when I get home again and unpack.
In the end, I stepped over it and went to the bathroom, eager to scrub off every trace of Dylan. The smell of him on my skin was making me insane and if I ever wanted to think clearly again, I needed to get him out of my system. The shower kicked on and I stared at my reflection in the mirror while I waited for the water to warm. For the second time since getting to the island, I didn’t recognize the girl looking back at me.
How had I let things get so out of control? What did Dylan have that made me lose all inhibitions?
I shook my head and pressed my eyes closed. I didn’t know, and asking some shadow version of myself in a mirror wasn’t going to get me any answers. I stepped into the shower and let the blessedly steamy water run over my body. Sometimes, a hot shower was all you needed to clear your mind. I was starting to feel better until I noticed all the bruises starting to form on my hips. I matched my fingertips up against them and couldn’t stop the assault of memories and sensations from rushing back to me.
Dylan had gripped my hips so tightly as he slammed into me, over and over again. I’d screamed out, clawing at his strong back, begging for more.
Playing it back was almost embarrassing. I’d never been so vocal in bed with a guy before. I wondered if the entire hotel had heard what we were doing. It was a fancy hotel, but thick walls could only muffle so much. Listening to us go at it must have been like something out a movie.
“Yeah, a porno,” I muttered to myself.
I got out of the shower and toweled off before further inspection of the marks in the full-length mirror. There were red marks on my ass from the spankings as well as more bruises from where he had gripped me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the fact that he had literally left a mark on me. Running my fingers over them both excited me and made me nervous. I had so thoroughly enjoyed every second of our night together, more than I’d ever expected. In a short span of a weekend, Dylan had pulled me so far out of the box that I couldn’t even remember what the box looked like.
And I wasn’t sure I wanted to remember.
That was the scary part.
“Ellie?” Dixie mumbled, her face still halfway mashed into her pillow as I left the bathroom.
“Hey, Dix. How are you?” I said, careful to keep my voice low.
“What happened?”
I pulled on an oversized t-shirt. “You partied a little too hard last night.”
“Yeah, I kinda figured that part out. This raging headache clued me in.”
“We gave you some aspirin. Do you want more? It’s been long enough.”
“We?” she asked.
A hot bolt of guilt shot straight through me.
“Sorry, I meant I gave you some aspirin.”
“Uh-huh. Remind me to get back to harassing you about that in a minute. I think…”
Before she could finish her sentence, she was up and lurching towards the bathroom. She thankfully got the door shut, but I could still hear her throwing up.
“Yuck,” I muttered under my breath. So much for getting a day at the beach. I’d be lucky to get her out of the room at this rate. I opened the blinds and a window to get some fresh, ocean air circulating—it also helped drown out the sounds.
Dixie emerged a few minutes later, drinking a cup of water and holding her head. “I’m such a fucking loser. Why do I do this to myself?”
I didn’t have an answer for her.
She sat down on her bed and leaned back against the pillows. “You know what, Ellie?”
“What, honey?”
“I think my picker is broken.”
“Your what?” I asked, arching an eyebrow at her.
“My man-picker.”
“Aha. Well, I hate to break it to ya, but I think it’s been broken for awhile now.”
“I suck,” she said.
I laughed softly. “Don’t worry, Dix. I always got your back.”
“Thanks.”
I got up and started getting dressed. I wasn’t sure what Dixie and I were going to do all day. I knew she felt like shit, but it was our last day of vacation and I wanted to soak it in. I was determined not to let Dylan—or rather, the memories of Dylan—ruin our last day in sunny paradise. I needed to stock up on enough Vitamin D to get me through the rest of the DC winter.
“Wait a second! Did that Dylan dude really give you a diamond necklace? Or was that some freaky, alcohol-induced dream I had?” Dixie asked, sitting up straighter on her bed. Her eyes suddenly alive and wild with curiosity. She looked like a lion staring at a big, juicy steak.
“Not a dream.” It was all I could bring myself to say. My mind flashed with the image of Dylan’s face as I’d thrown it down on the bed.
I probably should have kept it. If for no other reason than I could have probably sold it and made enough money to take some of the pressure off. My parents were paying for my school, but I hated going to them for every little expense. I’d secretly taken a job at the school library to make a little extra cash to help pay for things. Dixie was at Georgetown on a scholarship with the rest paid for in loans. Sometimes, when she’d run short, I’d cover for her.
She’d kill me if I told her I’d returned the necklace. So, I decided to leave that part out of the story.
“Tell me everything!” she said, jolting me back to reality.
“There isn’t much to tell, really. He took me to the gala, but we didn’t end up staying very long.”
“Cause he wanted to take you back to his room and pleasure you with his big fat juicy cock!” She was practically squealing with delight.
“No, Dix. We didn’t stay because I had to get your drunk ass away from some guy who wanted to date rape you!”
Before the words even fully left my lips I already regretted snapping at her, and when I dared to look over at her, it was like a thousand tiny knives ramming into my chest at the broken look on her face.
“Wow. Elle, I had no idea I was such a burden. I’m sorry I got in the way of your magical, princess date night. Thing.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I started to go to her, but she got up and crossed the room to lock herself in the bathroom.
I knocked lightly on the door. “Dix, I’m sorry. Please come out.”
“Leave me alone, Ellie. I’m obviously not worthy to hang out with you and Richy Rich anyway.”
I bit my lip for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. I knew she wasn’t going to be easy to convince that I hadn’t meant it. And maybe that was because in some way, I had. Things had been going really well with Dylan at the party. Maybe if we’d been able to spend more time together, outside of his hotel room, we would have bonded over something other than sex and it would have been harder for him to toss me aside like leftovers.
Who am I kidding? Dylan was not the kind of guy to actually want to date a girl like me. Hell, I’d been shocked to find he even wanted to sleep with me. If anything had scared him away, it was my too-big thighs or the muffin-top when I sat down or wore jeans that were too tight.
He was drop-dead fucking gorgeous and probably far more used to dating super models, actresses, and socialites. Picturing him with some perfect, size two blonde on his arm made so much more sense than him being with me.
I knew it was true and sometimes, the truth hurt.
And now, I’d l
et him get in between me and my best friend.
“Dixie, please, let me in. I need to explain.”
“I’m seriously not interested. Why don’t you go see what your boyfriend is doing today?”
I pinched my eyes shut as a new wave of disappointment washed over me. I hated myself for even wishing it—but a part of me did want to be with him until he left to go home.
“Because he doesn’t want me. That’s why.” I tried to keep it together, but my voice cracked slightly at that statement.
Dixie was silent on her side of the door, but after a minute, the handle jiggled underneath my palm and I backed off to let her come out.
“What do you mean, he doesn’t want you?” Her eyes were still wide, but they had lost the angry edge.
“He kicked me out of his room this morning and told me he didn’t want anything else with me. I was just a fling. Some vacation trophy, I guess. Although, seriously, how much of a trophy is all this?” I gestured down at my body.
Without another word, Dixie wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.
Chapter Three — Ellie
“All right, now that we have the proper supplies, go ahead and tell me what happened,” Dixie said.
We’d left the hotel room to go down and enjoy one last trip through the breakfast buffet. I’d loaded my plate up with pancakes, waffles, fruit, and bacon without flinching. When I’d first found out about the trip, I’d gone on a crazy juice fast to try and get beach ready. In the process, I lost five pounds, and so as we made our way through the line of delectable foods, I’d given myself permission to regain as many of those pounds as I wanted.
If I were going to be alone—at least I’d be well fed.
Dixie had retrieved huge mugs of coffee and a plate of plain toast for herself. She was still feeling a little queasy and didn’t trust her stomach to tackle the full bounty of the buffet.
“I don’t know. It seems so stupid now,” I started, before biting into a chunk of pineapple. “We were at the gala, talking and drinking. It was all going really well. I’d been looking for you all night and he spotted you dancing. I knew you were…” I trailed off, unsure how to proceed. I didn’t want to risk her getting offended or hurt.