Charlotte's Dilemma

by Diane Leyne

  “Thank you, Roy. I’ll remember.”

  Charlotte glanced up and grinned at JJ, who was grinning back down at her.

  “Don’t laugh. He’s totally serious. I can’t tell you how many times he tanned my ass when I was a kid and spending my summers on the island.”

  “Made him the man he is today and don’t you forget it.” Roy waggled a finger in JJ’s direction. “I almost forgot to tell you. We’re having a barbeque Sunday afternoon. You and your nice doctor friend, you’ll come, of course. And you can’t say no, neither of you. It’s been far too long since you been around, JJ. Marie misses you, and I know she’ll want to meet your doctor lady. Two p.m. Sunday. Don’t be late!”

  Then he moved to take their bags and stow them in the trunk of the taxi. Charlotte made to stop him. He was old and her bag was heavy, but JJ stopped her and opened the door to the backseat of the taxi and helped her in and then slid in beside her.

  Roy stowed the bags and slid into the driver’s seat.

  “Where are you two staying?”

  “Sonesta Great Bay,” they both answered at the same time and laughed. Charlotte leaned back and tried to relax, but she could feel JJ, holding her tightly to his side with his left arm, the heat of his bare leg radiating through the thin material of her capris. His right hand reached down and grasped hers, bringing it up to his mouth. Turning it over, he kissed the palm, his tongue pressing against her flesh, drawing patterns on it.

  And then he lowered their hands, pressing her palm against his thigh, his hand on top of hers, pressing it down and squeezing her fingers so she could feel his flexing muscles. His left hand slid down her arm, the backs of his fingers lightly grazing the side of her breast. Her heart beat faster, and she could feel the moisture pooling in her panties. She wondered if he could smell her arousal.

  Chapter 3

  JJ could feel his cock harden. With his baggy shorts, he hoped it wasn’t readily apparent. He looked down at Charlotte and sighed. Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head and chuckled when she jumped. She was going to have to get used to being touched and kissed and petted. JJ was a very tactile person, and he wanted nothing more than to touch every inch of Charlotte’s body with his mouth and his hands, to learn all its secrets and then use them against her as he gave her orgasm after orgasm after orgasm. Or maybe as he withheld orgasm after orgasm until she begged him for release. Yes, he would enjoy doing both. The Dom in him wanted to own her body and make her dependent on him for her pleasure and submit to him when he offered pain. She would soon learn to crave it as, when it was done right, the endorphins released by the pain would enhance the pleasure of her climaxes.

  But he couldn’t get ahead of himself. He didn’t even know if she was a sub. Sure she had taken a job at a BDSM resort, so she must be into the lifestyle, but maybe she was a Domme? She wasn’t acting like one, though, as she let him take the lead. But maybe she was just a Domme sexually? He hoped not. He could play at submission, even letting her be Mistress for a night occasionally and spank him, but most of the time, he expected, needed, to be in charge in the bedroom.

  His laid-back demeanor often fooled people. He wasn’t one of those Doms who expected to be in charge twenty-four-seven. Even on the island and the boardroom, he was laid back and willing to let someone else lead, if they were qualified and had the desire. But in the bedroom and in the playroom, he was a Dom through and through, and just the thought of spanking that luscious ass had him getting hard.

  He started thinking about the multiplication tables. Luckily it was a short ride to the hotel, as he was having trouble with thirteens table, distracted as he was by the feeling of her warm, soft body pressed against his, so he decided to play tour guide.

  “That’s Maho Bay. Maybe if you have time, we’ll head over and watch the planes come in. I can take you on the boat, and we can sit and watch them land. They come in so low, you almost feel like you can touch them.”

  “Is this the French or Dutch side of the island?”

  “Dutch. Your hotel is on the Dutch side as well, as is Dock Martin, where my boat is moored. Roy, here, he lives on the French side, as does Kristoff, but there’s no immigration limitations, so many people live on one side and work on the other.”

  Roy was taking the slow and scenic route and passed through Philipsburg, the island capital, before finally arriving at the hotel, which made JJ smile. The old man was a romantic at heart and had clearly taken a shine to Charlotte and began calling out the names of significant places along the way, pre-empting JJ, to Charlotte’s clear amusement.

  St. Maarten was a small island, and before he knew it, he was pulling up in front of the hotel. The driveway was small, and there was a midsize tour bus blocking the way, but finally Roy maneuvered the small car into place and JJ was helping her out before the two of them moved to the rear of the car, where Roy was popping the trunk.

  JJ helped Charlotte from the cab and shook his head when she started reaching into her purse.

  “I’ve got this and the bags. Why don’t you go check in?”

  * * * *

  Charlotte loved meeting Roy, and what she’d seen so far of the island was more beautiful than she had imagined. The water was just a blue as the postcards, and she couldn’t wait to go swimming. She had hesitated over payment and was appreciative when JJ had urged her to go check in while he dealt with the bags. Roy had given her a big hug and reminded her about the barbeque and made her promise to attend, and she didn’t have the heart to say no.

  But now she was at the hotel desk and unsure again. Judging by his clothes, JJ wasn’t wealthy, notwithstanding the suit he’d been wearing earlier. Maybe she was misremembering the expensiveness of it. If it had been a designer suit, surely he wouldn’t have thrown it away. Maybe it was the hotness of the man inside the suit that had made it look so expensive? Or maybe she just didn’t know much about men’s fashions.

  Hell, he’d come home to work on a boat. That couldn’t pay much. He said he had his own, but she imagined it was like one of those little dinghies she had seen on the water, but even that would cost money to keep up. She wondered where he planned to stay before going back to his job. Maybe he lived in the staff quarters? Did he even have a home of his own? Maybe he was here to spend time with her? Did he imagine she would let him share her room? Did she want him to share her room? Should she insist he get his own? Could he afford one?

  The fluttering in her stomach and points south clearly communicated their thoughts on the matter.

  Hell. She had invited him to come visit her at the Sonesta when she’d landed on his lap on the plane. What if…Hell. She squared her shoulders. She’d invited him. He was young and hot and poor. She was older and horny and had three nights in a room with a king-sized bed that she’d already paid for. She could do this. She’d be a cougar. It wasn’t like he was a kid. He was clearly in his twenties, and she wasn’t exactly Mrs. Robinson. Or maybe that was clearly who she ought to be. She’d invite him to share her room and have three nights of hot, meaningless, commitment-free sex. She could do this.

  Could she?

  A motion caught the corner of her eye. She looked up from filling in the forms at the front desk and saw JJ striding toward her. His body was so perfect. He was tall and lanky, and she just wanted to push him onto the nearest bed and ride him like a pony.

  Jeez. Where had that thought come from?

  She saw that he was pulling her suitcase behind him, his shabby duffle over his shoulder. She saw the well-worn T-shirt and shaggy hair. No way could he afford the Sonesta.

  Impulsively, she asked the hotel desk for a second key and when JJ reached the desk with their bags, she handed him the check-in form to fill out. She noted that his eyes opened wide when he realized that it was a single form for the two of them, but then he pulled a pair of reading glasses out of his bag and diligently began to fill it out. She could see him hesitating and, not wanting to embarrass him, turned and walked to the railing overlooking the re
staurant on the lower level, the pool and the bay beyond. The Great Bay, she presumed.

  Am I crazy? Yes. I am crazy. Crazy with lust. I just met this man, and I’ve invited him to share my hotel room. Maybe this is some kind of obscure PTSD? But he’s sex on a stick. She grinned at her corny expression. But he did kind of remind her of that dancer, Maks Chmerkovskiy from Dancing with the Stars, who’d once described himself that way. He was leaner than Maks, though, just as muscular. He had a dancer’s grace and Maks’s dark good looks, but his eyes were gray rather than brown.

  She yawned. She was a doctor. She should be used to being up for—she checked her watch—not even thirty six hours so far. But when JJ took her hand, she went, allowing him to lead the way, yawning again.

  “Tired, sweetie?”

  “Yeah, I guess. I was in Seattle and took the red eye to Dallas, then Dallas to Miami, and now here.”

  “Did you get any sleep?”

  “I couple of cat naps on the planes, but…” She yawned again.

  “But not enough. Look, the sun goes down around six thirty here, and it’s already after five. The dining room doesn’t open until seven, but the snack bar makes a good hamburger and great pizza. Let’s make it an early night and tomorrow I’ll take you out on the boat to a great private beach I know. We can swim, skinny dip even, and enjoy the sun.”

  “We just got here!” Charlotte felt compelled to protest. “I’m only here for three nights…and you…I…”

  “Yes, and you and I will have two more nights alone here, and then we can decide if we want to find a way to continue, since we’ll both be working near St. Maarten. That is, if you want more than just a three-night stand? No pressure. I’ll take what I can get, but I’m hoping you want more than a vacation fling. One or even three-night stands just aren’t my thing.”

  Charlotte felt her heart skip a beat. Wasn’t it the man who was supposed to want sex and the woman who was supposed to be interested in a relationship? Was he just saying what he thought she wanted to hear? She looked into his eyes. He seemed to be sincere. Suddenly, all of her doubts came flooding back.

  “Look, JJ. I can’t promise you anything.” When he opened his mouth to protest, she held up a hand. “I’m not saying no. I just don’t know. We barely know each other. And I’m, well, I’m a lot older than you.” She turned and looked down at the beach again. There were dozens of hot young things in bikinis frolicking around. They hadn’t spent five years patching up people blown apart by bombs or shot or starved. They didn’t have her baggage. They had hard bodies and no ghosts to haunt them.

  She turned and looked at JJ, but it was his turn to hold up his hand.

  “Charlotte, before you try to foist me off on one of those beach bunnies, remember this. I spent my summers on this island from the age of seven until the age of eighteen. The first time I fell in love, I was fifteen, and it wasn’t a school mate or even one of those beach bunnies, but a rich widow who used to go to the same country club as my dad. Margie Leider. I still remember her fondly. She was thirty-five when I first saw her, bleach-blonde hair and had a body to die for. Her tits were…” He grinned wickedly and held up his hands, miming gripping two large breasts.

  “I was fifteen and so horny I was almost came in my shorts the first time I saw her in her itsy-bitsy bikini. She was lying on a lounger by the pool while her latest boy toy did laps. I had a part-time job bussing tables at my father’s club on weekends to earn pocket money. Dear old Dad believed in hard work, and just because he was well-to-do, he drummed it into me at an early age that I was going have to work for what I wanted because he sure as hell wasn’t letting his son become one of those trust fund wastrels.

  “But back to Margie. She was the woman of my fifteen-year-old dreams. I beat off to fantasies of Margie for years.”

  “Did you two ever…”

  “No. I was just a kid. She never looked at me that way. Besides, she had that hot boyfriend I mentioned. He was twenty-seven, with the body of a Greek god, not a skinny fifteen-year-old who hadn’t filled out yet, with the IQ of a toaster, and he absolutely worshipped her, or maybe he worshipped her money. I was never sure. She was always sweet to me, but I think she knew I had a crush. I think he knew, too, and used to glare at me, or maybe he just knew that he wasn’t going to last long with Margie.” He chuckled. “I think his name was Marty or Mickie or something. I don’t remember. She used to trade them in every year. She liked younger men with hot bodies and not much in the way of IQ. She was a rich widow, and they flocked to her.” He sighed. “Now let’s go to our room and change. You have time for a quick swim before dinner. Then I’m tucking you in and we’ll just cuddle tonight.”

  “How old are you, JJ?”

  “Twenty-seven.”

  “Oh, I thought you were younger. But I’m still eight years older than you are. That makes me a cougar.”

  “Thirty-five.” He smiled with delight. “Same age as Margie was when I first met her. Now I know you want my hot young bod, but that will wait for tomorrow. Besides, you are far too young to be a cougar. However”—he grinned wickedly—“if you want to pretend to be a cougar, I can pretend to be your boy toy. You can take advantage of my youth and innocence and have your wicked way with me. I’ll be helpless to resist your wiles!”

  He waggled his eyebrows at her, and Charlotte laughed and suddenly realized that she liked JJ. He was a nice man. Hot as hell, but nice, too. With that realization, she relaxed. It was like all of her reservations just fell away. She wanted him. He wanted her. They were both adults. It was a vacation fling, not a lifelong commitment. She would enjoy these next few days without guilt, and then they would both get on with their lives.

  Charlotte smiled. JJ smiled back as he handed her the room key, took her other hand, and walked toward the stairs, dragging their bags behind him. They were half a floor up from the lobby level and only a door down from the stairs. JJ waited while Charlotte unlocked the door. Then he pushed it open and waited for her to enter. Clearly his mother had taught him manners, or maybe Roy had knocked them into him. And then Charlotte forgot JJ and everything else for a moment. The view from the window was spectacular. There was a balcony. She opened the door and stepped out. The view was a similar view to the one in the lobby, but even more spectacular.

  She turned to grin at JJ as he stepped out to join her. “It’s beautiful!”

  * * * *

  “Yes it is.” But he wasn’t looking at the view. He was looking at Charlotte. Just for a moment, the sadness in her eyes lifted and she looked almost joyful. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned down and kissed her lips. He’d only meant it to be a fleeting kiss, but her arms immediately closed around his neck and she was kissing him back, pushing her tongue into his mouth, demanding that he respond.

  Pulling her close, he reached down to cup her ass, pulling her body close to his and letting her feel how much he needed her, wanted her. She responded by grinding her pelvis against him.

  “I promised you an early dinner and no sex tonight.”

  “You promised no sex after dinner.”

  “You’re right.” Sweeping her into his arms, he stepped back into the room, pausing to close the curtains behind them. Then he lay her carefully on the big king-sized bed.

  “Last chance to change your mind.” He stood back and waited. His cock was hard enough to pound nails, but he didn’t want to push. She seemed sure now, but she’d been hesitant earlier. He wanted her badly, but he wouldn’t push her into anything she wasn’t ready for. He could take a shower and rub one out, or maybe two, and that would hold him while he took her to dinner and they got a chance to talk.

  Charlotte surprised him by scrambling to her knees, positioning herself in front of him on the floor. Then she reached up and cupped his erection through his pants. JJ groaned as his cock twitched, and Charlotte looked triumphantly up at him. Damn. Maybe she was a Domme, but all he cared about now was getting inside her as quickly as possible.

  “Last cha
nce, Charlotte.” He ground the words out through gritted teeth as she squeezed his cock gently one more time before sitting back on her heels, her expression suddenly serious.

  “I have a confession to make.”

  Oh, crap. JJ took a step back.

  “No, no. It’s not what you think. It’s just, that, well, I’ve spent five years in war and famine zones around the world. It hasn’t exactly been a lifestyle conducive to long-term relationships. Hell, it wasn’t the best environment for short-term relationships. The last time I had sex was three years ago.”

  JJ groaned and backed away. No way could he do to her what he wanted to. Without exaggerating, he knew he was very well endowed, and she was practically a virgin again after such a long period of celibacy. He looked into Charlotte’s eyes and saw the fear and reserve return as she backed away from him emotionally. Then he saw the resolve return.

  “Where do you think you are going, young man?” JJ laughed at her schoolmarmish tone. She was kneeling on the floor in front on him, and instead of looking or acting submissive, she was trying to give him orders. He longed to spank her ass and show her who was in charge in the bedroom, and then he wasn’t laughing any more as she peeled off her T-shirt. His cock jumped almost painfully as she knelt before him, her generous breasts practically spilling from the cups of her bra.

  He wanted to reach out and touch them, push down the cups of her bra and suckle like an infant. He wanted to push his cock between her perfect pink lips and fuck her mouth until he came down her throat. He swallowed hard and then stepped closer to her. He almost jumped out of his skin when she reached for his waistband.

  “Let me…”

  He grabbed her hand, afraid that if she touched his cock again, he’d explode in his pants. But when she started to pull back, he tightened his grip as he saw the uncertain look in her eyes.

  “I don’t understand…”

  “I want to come in your pussy the first time, not your mouth. Since it’s been a while for you, I may have to do some oral preparation. Which, let me make perfectly clear, I will greatly enjoy. Maybe I’ll have to do a lot of oral preparation and some digital prep as well. In fact, I may have to make you come a couple of times with my mouth and fingers so you are relaxed enough to take me inside. When you finally see my cock, I don’t want you to be scared. It’ll fit. We just have to do the appropriate due diligence beforehand.”