by Diane Leyne
She was glad he didn’t come. Glad. She rolled over and checked the clock again. It was 2:00 a.m., and she was still wide awake.
Relieved. Yes. She was relieved. He’d taken the hint and hadn’t come by, so she didn’t have to break up with him. It was really easier this way. She wouldn’t have to dump him. She fluffed her pillow and then punched it twice before pressing her face against it and letting out the tears she’d held back since she’d seen JJ playing with Lydia.
He’d looked so happy and carefree with Lydia. With her, Charlotte, he’d looked like that back on St. Maarten, but since they’d gotten to Libertine Island, he’d gotten more reserved, tense even, and she knew it was all her fault. He didn’t like sneaking around. He thought she was embarrassed to be seen with him.
She rolled over onto her side. Was she? Maybe. He was just a kid, a big, beautiful, overgrown kid. She was too old for him. He would eventually leave her for someone closer to her own age. She had to protect her heart.
But why was he playing with Lydia? She was older than Charlotte. Did he really prefer older women? Was she, Charlotte, an idiot for not giving him a real chance? Probably, but it was too late now. No matter what the problems, he’d come to her every night, until now.
It was now close to three, and she had to get to sleep. The clinic on the island wasn’t open until two tomorrow, so she could spend a few hours on St. Maarten at the Jesperson Clinic. It specialized in children and expectant mothers. Caleb had volunteered two half days a week to give back to the community, and she wanted to continue the tradition. Duncan and Andie both were enthusiastic supporters of the clinic and encouraged her to set her office hours so that she could spend time at the clinic.
Caleb had taught her to use the boat. The first time, he’d driven and had her drive back. The next two times, he had her drive both ways. This was going to be the first time she went out on her own, and she was both excited and nervous. It would be good for her, though. Having to concentrate on boat safety would keep her mind off JJ.
Now if she could just get some sleep.
Chapter 12
The morning came all too quickly. Charlotte felt almost drunk she was so tired. She’d managed maybe two hours sleep. She was used to operating on little sleep. It had been like that in med school, and it had been like that in Doctors Without Borders. But she hadn’t been sleeping well the last few days, and it seemed to be hitting her worse than usual.
Charlotte grabbed a shower.
It was a bit cloudy out and a light breeze was blowing. The weather was warm, and it was a great day to be out on the water. She could see why JJ preferred boats to working in a stuffy office. The only smudge on the day was that the boat she usually used was being serviced, so she had to take out Libertine 3. It was small and zippy, though. Fred, who was on morning shift, had given her a quick lesson and now she was speeding toward Dock Martin. Once she tied up, a short walk and she’d be at the Jesperson Clinic.
It would be nice to be dealing with real patients for a change. It had only been a couple of weeks, but nothing but sunburn and rope burn gotten a little dull after a while. She didn’t even have a good hangover to deal with. They were pretty darned stingy with the alcohol at the Resort, because when people had whips and chains to play with, it was important that they do so safely and responsibly, which made it important that they didn’t get intoxicated and do something they’d regret later.
She would have to send Caleb a thank-you note for hooking her up with the clinic. At first she had wondered about his insistence that she check the place out, but now she understood. The patrons and staff at the resort were nice people, but the job was not challenging. In fact, unless something changed, she was unlikely to extend her contract. Maybe it was better that she wasn’t with JJ. He loved the island and his work.
She could see the clinic now. It was only a few blocks from the tourist section, but it was a world away. There were no tourists with ouchies. These were real people who needed medical assistance. There were a couple of local doctors who worked in the clinic. They couldn’t afford to hire another doctor and were grateful for her help.
In turn, she was grateful for the chance to help. It made her feel useful in the same way working with Doctors Without Borders did, but without the famine or bullets.
Just as she walked up the steps and before she could even reach for the doorknob, it opened, and to her surprise, Lydia and Cy walked out.
When Lydia reached for her with a big hug, she couldn’t help but hug her back. “So, how was last night’s session? Was it everything you hoped for?”
“It was good. It has been a while since I’ve had a good flogging. Cy has always been willing but too afraid of hurting me. I couldn’t seem to convince him that’s what I wanted, what I needed.”
Lydia reached out and clasped Cy’s hand. They smiled at each other, and Charlotte felt her stomach clench. They were so in love and not afraid to show it.
“I think I’m finally starting to get it. I’ll never get a charge out of causing pain. But I see now just how much pleasure that impact play can give my Lydia, and I can learn to do that for her. We’ve extended out booking for a whole month. We won’t spend the whole time at the resort. We’ll go off for a few days at a time, exploring the nearby islands and then we’ll come back and I’ll have another lesson. I think I’m going to need a lot of training with the tools of the trade. We asked the young man from last night to help, and he’s agreed to train me.”
“JJ.”
“Yeah, JJ. He’s a good man. You should try to nab him before someone else snaps him up. I’ve seen how he looks at you. He’s definitely interested in you, young lady.”
“Not so young. I’m eight years older than he is.”
“And I’m ten years older than Lydia and look how happy we are.”
“It’s different when the man is older.”
“I can’t believe you just said that, doctor. Why is it okay for me to be older than Lydia but not for you to be older than JJ?”
Charlotte found herself at a loss for words, so she answered the easy part of the question. “He’s not my young man. He’s…” She wasn’t quite sure how to continue.
“I’m so sorry, but we have to go.” Charlotte was grateful for Lydia’s interjection. “We have a reservation at CocoBerries. If you have never been there, it’s amazing, but they won’t hold our table. They do an amazing brunch seven days a week.”
“No problem. But, I have to ask, this is a medical clinic. Are you two okay? I could have seen you back on Libertine.” She saw them exchanging glances and realized she might have put her foot in her mouth. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“Oh, dear. It’s not that. We’re both fine. We just wanted to make a little donation to the clinic, so we came by to find out what they needed. The doctor in charge tells me that having a new ultrasound machine would be useful, so that’s what we are going to get them.”
“Yup.” Cy patted his breast pocket. “We have all the information on just what they need. We’ll have it shipped down. But”—he smiled—“maybe we can talk later. The doctor seemed pretty hesitant to tell me everything that they needed. Didn’t want to sound greedy or something, but I have more money than I know what to do with. I want to help. Maybe we can have a sit down later today and you can give me a list. You probably have a good idea of what they need.”
“I do indeed, Cy, and that’s unbelievably generous of you.”
“Well, Jesperson can’t fund this place singlehandedly, although I know he’s…yes, yes, Lydia. I know. We have to go. Charlotte, do you have any time to chat this afternoon? I’d like to place the order this afternoon and see if I can get everything shipped down here next week so we can hand it over before we leave.”
“That would be wonderful, Cy, Lydia. I’m only here for a couple of hours this morning. I’ll be back on the island at one at the latest. Maybe we can meet in the lounge at one thirty?”
“See you then.”
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* * * *
JJ walked down the path after a punishing workout. He had planned on working on Libertine 3 which had a wonky fuel gauge, but that fool Fred had given the keys to some guest who headed over to St. Maarten for the morning. Hopefully they were back now. He looked up at the sky. A storm was brewing, a bad one, it looked like. It wasn’t the season for hurricanes, but that didn’t mean Mother Nature couldn’t kick their butts in the dry season, if she felt like it.
He was surprised to see Lydia and Cy at the dock.
“I hope you two aren’t planning on taking one of the boats out. It’s going to rain buckets soon.”
“We were out this morning. It’s Charlotte we’re checking on.”
“What do you mean?”
“We ran onto her at the clinic this morning. She told us she’d be back by one at the latest and meet us in the lounge at one thirty. It’s past two. Cy just got off the phone with the clinic, and they said she’d left before noon. We’re worried, JJ. She doesn’t know much about boats, and she’s out there alone.”
“Fred! Which boat did you give Charlotte?”
“Boat three.”
“Shit.” He looked at Lydia and Cy. “I’m going after her. I’ll take my boat. Can you call Mike and have him take The Libertine out?”
“But how can you find Charley?”
“GPS. All the boats are equipped. I can get to her faster with my boat, but it’s not big enough to tow her back if she’s run out of gas. That’s why I need Mike.”
“Do you want us to come with you?”
“No, thanks. I’m good. You go get Mike.”
* * * *
JJ felt his heart pounding in his chest as he cast off and turned on the locator, praying that Charlotte’s signal would be strong enough for him to follow. He’d acted a lot more confident with Cy and Lydia than he felt.
There it was. It didn’t appear to be moving. Hopefully that meant that she’d run out of gas and thrown out the anchor and not that she’d gotten into trouble and the boat had sunk.
“Tell Mike she’s at the southern end of Sunset Cove over on Sunnyvale Island. We’ll meet him there.”
He let the throttle out without a backward glance as the first drops of rain began to fall. He needed to get to her quickly. The Libertine 3 wouldn’t be safe if the storm hit before he got to her.
It was the longest fifteen minutes of his life until he rounded the island and her boat came into view. It was riding low in the water, but he could see her methodically bailing water from the little boat. The sound of the rain and waves had somewhat covered the sound of his approach, but now he was close enough that she noticed his approach. He cut his engine to maneuver closer, and he could see clearly the moment that she realized that she wasn’t alone and stopped bailing long enough to turn around and catch a glimpse of him. He saw her smile brightly and wave and then frown again and start her bailing efforts. She’d clearly drifted into the rocks after she’d run out of gas. But she looked like she was okay, or she was for now. The boat was noticeably low in the water, but it still riding high enough in the water that it wasn’t in imminent danger of sinking, but the rain was coming down harder.
He reached for the radio.
“Mike, it’s JJ. Found her. Over.”
“Where are you? Over.”
“South end of Sunnyvale. Looks like she drifted onto some rocks and is taking on water. She’s riding a bit low, but sinking doesn’t appear to be an imminent risk. I have plenty of time to bring her on board with me. Don’t bother coming out, no use both of us being out in this. You can tow it back after the storm passes. I’ll bring her on board my boat and we’ll shelter in the cove until the worst of the storm passes. Over.”
“Roger that, JJ. See you in a couple of hours. Over.”
* * * *
In the end, it hadn’t been as bad as he’d thought. Charlotte kept a level head. The boat hull had a small scrape on the side from being pushed against some rocks after it had run out of gas. He couldn’t see a hole in the hull from his vantage point, but that didn’t mean anything. He frowned. Maybe it was just the rain water she was bailing out.
He let his boat drive closer. Charlotte stopped bailing and turned to watch.
He threw the rubber bumpers he usually used to dock over the side of the boat so he could get right up against her boat. Before he could even cut the engine or throw the anchor or even a rope to tie the two boats together, she scrambled across to his boat, nimble as a monkey.
His heart that had finally stopped trying to beat its way out of his chest started pounding again.
“Are you trying to kill yourself? You couldn’t wait two minutes for me to make sure the boat was steady and give you the signal? Don’t you think I’m man enough for that?” He dropped all the items he was carrying in order to grab her upper arms and give her a hard shake for scaring him. He expected her to yell or struggle, but she just stood there and waited. When his hands fell to his sides, she shocked him a third time by reaching up and pulling his head down for a hard kiss. Then she proceeded to thoroughly and passionately kiss him until he felt weak in the knees.
He’d expected her to struggle, but she had just taken charge. He acknowledged to himself that one part of him had hoped she’d react like the typical damsel in distress and cry and fall at his feet in gratitude or something, but clearly the whole experience had caused her to have a huge surge of adrenaline and now he was the recipient of need for action. He relaxed and leaned into the kiss and let her take charge.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she finally relaxed. Actually, she did more than relax. It seemed like her knees gave out and she sagged against him, her body starting to shake. Yup, she’d had an adrenaline surge, and now that it was wearing off, she was going to collapse soon. His boat was too small to ride out the storm on the water, so he had to get her off the boat and onto dry land.
“We have to get a shelter. This rain’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
Helping her to sit, he maneuvered his boat until it was safely away from her marooned one and drove it toward shore. The boat had a flat bottom and the water was shallow. He brought the boat as close in to shore as he could. Then dropped the anchor and hopped out. Grabbing the anchor, he pulled and tugged until he got the boat as far into shore as he could.
Again, Charlotte hadn’t waited and was standing on shore watching. At least she hadn’t tried to help him pull the boat in. He glanced at her as he walked up the beach, not waiting to see if she was following him. The island was unoccupied, but this cove was a popular place for tour companies to bring tourists looking for an isolated play to swim and sun. There wasn’t any running water, but there was a small hut that would keep them out of the rain, and, if they were lucky, there would be loungers and maybe even some food.
The rain was making it hard to see, but there it was. With a shout of triumph, he grabbed Charlotte’s hand, pulling her toward the shelter behind him and tried to steel himself against showing her just how scared he’d been when he rushed out to look for her.
He was not going to make love to her. He was not going to make love to her. He was not going to make love to her.
* * * *
Of course his resolve had lasted only as long as it took them to open the door and throw their clothes off. He’d thrown her down onto the lounger and was inside her before she’d drawn a full breath, fucking her hard. She held on tight to him, moving her hips toward his in perfect synchronicity, seeming to need this as much as he did. It wasn’t long before he felt her pussy clamp down on his cock, milking him as she bucked under him, her climax hitting hard. It triggered his own release, and he held himself deep, shooting rope after rope of cum inside her.
Pulling out, he moved them both into a sitting position. “You scared the hell out of me, woman, and for that, you need to be punished!”
Pushing her down over his lap, he hesitated for a moment, giving her a chance to object, but she just gripped his calf a
nd waited. He pushed her thighs apart, looking at his cum seeping out of her. His cock pushed against her side, almost throbbing in its need to get back inside her, but he had a punishment to dole out first.
Without warning, put brought his hand down hard against her round, perfect right ass cheek, and then he did the same to the right. Over and over, the blows rained down as all of his fear and worry and frustration came pouring out. It was only when the first drops of water splashed down on his hand that he realized he was crying. They were both crying.
Running a soothing hand over her heated ass, he dipped a finger down between her cheeks, burying it deep inside her. She was so wet. He fucked her gently with his fingers, occasionally scooping up some of her cream and then rubbing her distended clit. He could feel her climax starting to rise again as she tried to press harder against his fingers.
He brushed away his tears and pulled her up of his lap and lay across her body. This time, he went slower, teasing her with his cock, pushing it just inside her entrance and holding still and then pulling out again until she was begging for him before starting to stroke harder and faster inside her until they both came again.
Afterward, they lay spent in each other’s arms. JJ pulled her close. She hadn’t objected either to the spanking or the fucking. In fact, she seemed to welcome both.
They were laying together, arm in arm, cuddling together in the afterglow in a single lounger. He was hungry and thirsty, but he didn’t want to move. It felt so good just lying there, hearing the rain beating down on the roof, the rest of the world a million miles away. He shifted a bit, turning onto his side and spooning Charlotte, preparing to take a nap.
“Are you just planning to go to sleep?”
“You wore me out, woman!”
“I’m afraid that my baser needs must take precedence when my life is in danger. Right now, I need to use the restroom and then I need something to eat. My stomach’s growling.”