by Ali Parker
Miss America Teen. Check.
Works with the poor and homeless. Check.
Makes a ton of money through sponsorship. Check.
Heir to a large hotel conglomerate. Check.
No husband or love interest. Check.
She read the article word for word, the message of how great the girl was only causing her to feel more and more like shit. She closed it and chucked it in the sand next to her before pressing her forehead to her arms.
Why in the world would Damon and her not be together? She was drop-dead beautiful and seemed to have everything going for her.
Matt mentioned she was a bitch, but it was hard to picture a bitch working with the homeless and feeding the poor. Bethany let out a long sigh and tried to think about something else. Why had she bought the damn magazine in the first place? She had enough demons to slay where Damon was concerned, and didn’t need to add a hot blond to the mix.
She glanced up as someone approached, the sound of singing preceding them. Her mother.
“Hey baby. Aunt Patty is going to be in later tonight. Something about her flight being delayed. You mind company?”
“Not at all. I can sit up and share my towel.” Bethany started to move, but her mother sat down in the sand next to her.
“I’m good just like this.” She stretched her legs out, her sundress covering far too much skin. Bethany reached over and yanked it up a little as her mom swatted at her hand.
“I had a really cool moment at the airport with Kent.” Bethany glanced at her mom before tugging her sunglasses off her head and slipping them onto her face.
“Oh yeah? Tell me what happened.”
“He just told me that we’re both a blessing to him and that he’s not Dad. He promised to never hurt either of us and he told me to love him enough to come talk to him if I felt like he was slipping on those promises.”
Bethany’s mom lifted her hand to her face and let out a soft cry. Bethany reached over and rubbed her mom’s leg, the years of pain and agony having been a common sharing between them for so long.
“I’m so glad you found him, Mom,” Bethany whispered and removed her hand from her mom. She reached out and took the magazine and tossed it behind her, not wanting to watch Christa smiling up at her any longer.
“Me too.” Bethany’s mother sniffled once before reaching behind them. “Who is this?”
She held the magazine up and turned it to Bethany.
“It’s Damon’s ex. I’ve seen her around the last few weeks, but finding out that she was, or really is, a model is a little deflating.”
“Why? What she does has very little to do with who she is as a person.”
“Yeah, I guess, but she’s insanely pretty.” Bethany pressed her forehead back to her hands, not wanting to dive any deeper in the self-pity pool that hovered just before her.
“You’re much prettier and I’ll point out the obvious for you too… Damon is with you. Not her.”
“That’s true.” Bethany closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the water crashing along the shore. “I wish he were here. I swear just being together has turned me into a basket-case. I hate that I need him to constantly be positive and validating all the time. I’m trying to figure out how to just let him be himself. It’s driving me crazy.”
“It’s all part of the growing process baby. A relationship doesn’t develop overnight and neither does trust nor comfort. You have to continue to work together to dissolve both of your worries and insecurities. Love has the power to do that, but it takes time to develop too.”
The touch of her mother’s hand brushing along her back caused her to relax. She was right. They just needed time and a lack of drama. Bethany mumbled ‘thanks’ and let herself drift into a daydream, Damon the center of it and his need for her insatiable.
She glanced up a little while later to find the beach empty beside her. Her mother must have gone back in at some point. Sitting up, she brushed the sand from her shoulders before moving to pack her stuff up. The sun had started to set, so it must have been getting close to dinner time. She finished putting her stuff in her bag and tugged it over her shoulder, grateful that she didn’t feel the pain of being burnt.
She walked back toward the hotel as Matt walked toward her, his face set in a grimace. Either something was wrong or Erica had cornered him. The former of the two seeming more likely.
“There you are. Shit. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Matt stopped in front of her.
She walked past him, motioning for him to join her. “Let’s walk and talk. I need a quick shower before dinner and have had enough sun for one day.”
“Yeah, sure. I was in the bar, getting one of those fruity drinks you love, you know, in honor of you, and guess who the fuck I saw.”
“In honor of me, huh?” Bethany rolled her eyes at him and stopped outside of her room, turning to pin him with her stare. “Who did you see?”
He reached around her and plucked the magazine from her bag, holding it up and pointing to the pretty model on the front. “Christa. She’s here with her sister’s bachelorette party. I could honestly throw up all of the coconut milk and mashed bananas I just consumed to take the rum down smoothly to my belly.”
“You’re shitting me.” Bethany reached out and took the magazine back, shoving it back in her bag. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“I wish I were. I need to tell Damon, just to prepare him. He can’t stand this chick.”
Bethany nodded, not able to do much more. She reached out and patted Matt on the chest, trying to keep her emotions on lock down.
“Tell him I said hi if you talk to him. I’ll see you at dinner and we can talk more.” She winked and turned, opening her door and slipping inside. A quick shower and she would be on her way to dinner. It would be a long hour of pretending like everything was fine, because she damn sure wasn’t going to let on that she felt any sort of intimidation at all.
The girl was only a model, an heiress, a saint… what was there to be intimidated by?
CHAPTER EIGHT
Dinner was delicious and the company was superb. Matt seemed to have a second sense that she was upset, or should be. He sat beside her the whole night, making jokes and calling attention upon himself, which diverted it from her. She laughed more than she remembered doing for a long time. All of her worries over Christa, her friends, and her relationship with Damon seemed to melt away. Being in the presence of people she loved and that loved her made all the different in the world.
When dessert was presented, Bethany excused herself, the clock on the wall close to her reading eight fifty-five. She didn’t want to miss an opportunity to talk to Damon and wouldn’t survive him being a dick because she was late. His timetable was only set to remind her that he was in charge and for the moment - she was good with that. She needed him to be in charge, to take charge of her.
Matt looked disappointed when she stood up and said her goodbyes.
“What? Dessert just got here. What girl passes up flourless chocolate cake? Is the world ending?” Matt lifted an eyebrow.
Bethany leaned over and whispered in his ear. “The hottest guy I know is calling in five minutes. He’s a bit of a stickler on time. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to tell him that I love him.”
“Oh!” Matt moved back and smiled. “Then get out of here. I totally get it.”
She kissed her mother’s cheek and walked back to the room, her hair down and tickling her shoulders as it danced around her. She felt beautiful in the dress, but it had to be something to do with the ambiance that the beach provided. It was warm and sensual, relaxing and capable of sweeping her into fantasy after fantasy.
Her phone buzzed as she pushed the door to her room open, Damon never missing an appointment, whether it be with her or anyone else.
Flopping down on the bed, she pressed the talk button and held it to her ear. She wasn’t going to let the vacation be ruined because Christa was there. Chances are th
at she was a great person and she and Damon just didn’t mesh well. No need to bring it up and have the focus be on his ex rather than on the two of them.
“Hi baby,” she spoke softly into the phone as weariness clung to her.
“Hi, Beth. Tell me about your day.” He was forever demanding.
“We got here and shortly thereafter I talked Matt off a cliff over Erica being here. Came to my room and talked to her for a minute. Unpacked and then we went to help decorate. I met your Aunt Allison.”
“Oh shit… I bet that was an adventure of sorts.”
“You could say that.”
“Did she boss everyone around properly?”
“Nope. Erica took over and told her very professionally to step back and shut the fuck up. I was impressed.”
Damon let out a short laugh, the deep timbre of his voice rolling over her.
She whispered her thoughts before she realized what she was doing. “I want you here with me.”
“I want to be there too, baby. I will be soon. I’m trying to get all this shit wrapped up so it doesn’t blow up further. I’m putting a Band-Aid on it now, and I’ll fix it for good when I travel to Florida.” He let out a long sigh and Bethany closed her eyes, just wanting to hear him breathe.
“I got to spend some time on the beach and then we had a big dinner. Your brother was the center of attention, which was more than fitting. He’s a total ham.” Bethany moved up on the bed until her head rested on one of the fluffy white pillows.
“Mmmm… did you get some sun?”
She glanced down at herself, tugging her sundress to the side a little. A soft line of darkness showed up where her bathing suit wasn’t. “I sure did. It looks good.”
“What did your bathing suit look like? Did you wear the white one or the black one?”
“I bought a pink one for the trip.”
“I haven’t seen that one yet. Why not?” His voice hardened a little. The sound caused Bethany’s stomach to tighten. He was so fucking hot.
“I was waiting to show you when we got here. I’ll pull it out when you get here.”
“Is it a full piece or a bikini?”
“It’s a bright pink string bikini. Are we really going to talk about my bathing suit instead of something more important?” She let out a short laugh.
“I like talking about what you’re wearing. Helps me imagine how I’m going to slowly strip you out of it.” His voice deepened as static picked up in the background, as if he were moving around.
She didn’t want to ask and break the spell he was slipping under. He needed her. She could hear it in the way he spoke, the things he wanted to know, the demanding tone that beckoned her to tell him what every stitch on the damn bathing suit looked like.
“I’d like that a lot. I wanted to spend hours sprawled out across your big four post bed last night before we left. I kept imagining all the things you would do to me.” She cupped the phone to her ear and slid her hand down her stomach before cupping herself, applying a little pressure and closing her eyes.
“I wanted that too baby.” He moved around a little more. “Let’s give you a little bit of relief now though… hmm?”
“How?” Her eyes opened as her heart began beating faster. Surely he didn’t mean what she thought he did. He was bold and brazen, but she wasn’t sure she could keep up. Nervousness rose in her stomach and rushed upward, threatening to take her voice from her.
“Go lock the door.”
“I can’t. Erica is staying with me.”
“I didn’t ask that, Beth. Get up and go lock the door.”
She let out a soft sigh, but got up and locked the door. “She’s going to be back any minute.”
“Dinner was at seven and Matt’s there. She’ll be back at ten and not a minute before.”
Bethany started to protest, but he cut her off. “What are you wearing? Give me details so I can imagine it.”
“A yellow sundress.” She climbed back onto the bed, her voice shaking slightly.
“And underneath it. Tell me what you have on under your pretty dress.” His voice was steady, the lust in it ever-present.
“A pair of white panties.”
“No bra?”
“No. It doesn’t really allow for it. I had on a bathing suit top earlier, but it’s off now.”
“Mmmmm. I love your breasts. Tug your top down and slide your hands up your ribs, cupping yourself. Let it be my hands, baby. Tell me how much you can hold, Beth. Are your hands big enough?”
She slid her hands up and curved them around the base of her breasts, her hands barely covering anything. “I can’t wrap my hands around them.”
“I can’t either baby. I love trying though. How about your nipples. Tell me the texture. The color.”
Bethany opened her eyes for a second and glanced down, her breasts sitting heavy, her nipples budded tightly simply from the neediness of his voice.
“Dark pink and so hard. I want your mouth all over them.”
“All over you, girl. It’s going to be all over you.”
“Please?” She ignored the sound of her own voice, focusing on his alone.
“The little white panties are still on, right?”
“They are.”
“Good girl. Keep them on. It will increase the pressure I want you to feel.”
“Damon. I can’t do this. I’ve never…”
“You’re not going to do anything you haven’t done before. This time you just get to hear my voice as you imagine it to be me. I need you to be my hands until I can get to you. Can you do that for me? Nothing uncomfortable, just me and you, baby.”
She closed her eyes and sat in silence for a minute, wanting so badly to give in fully to him, but unable to push past her own reserve. He had seen her deep in ecstasy. Would this be any different?
“All right. I’ll try for you.”
“No, Beth, try for us. Just listen to the sound of my voice. Get comfortable and close your eyes. Tug your dress up over your thighs for me.”
She followed his instructions and kept her eyes closed, her breathing shaky and shallow. She couldn’t do this.
“Run your hands over your thighs, so taut and tight. I love your legs, Beth. Squeeze your thighs and let me hear you enjoy it.”
She applied pressure to her thighs, her mind’s eye slowly taking her out of the equation and depositing him between her legs, his hands on her. She moaned softly, letting her legs fall more open.
“Touch me,” she whispered, needing him to mark every inch of her.
“Yeah baby. I’m gonna touch you everywhere. You’re my girl. It’s only me who gets the pleasure of touching you.”
She moaned again, squeezing her thighs harder.
“That’s it Beth. Open your legs all the way, baby. Slide those hands up your thighs and over your smooth stomach for me. I want to spend a whole night exploring you, my lips brushing over your tight little tummy.”
She slid her hand up her thighs and over her stomach, moving them down to cup her sex again. She arched her hips, pressing against her hands as she flooded with lubrication.
“Oh God,” she groaned as she jerked her hips again.
“You’re so needy, Beth. I’m going to take care of that baby. Slip one of your hands into your panties and tell me what you feel. Don’t penetrate my opening. That’s for me… you tell me what you feel though baby. I need to imagine it.”
“So soft and silky… wet.” She arched her hips again, her mind giving her a complete vision of him watching her wickedly as he played with the most intimate parts of her.
“Yeah. Sloppy wet, right?”
“Mmmhmmm. I need you,” she whispered again, starting to slide her fingers down toward the soft pulsing sensation at her entrance.
“No. No slipping your fingers inside of you yet. Tease your clit. Rub the pads of your fingers over it softly twice and then pinch it and tug a little. Let me hear you. Do it, Beth.”
She followed his instruction
s, her body screaming for penetration. The moving in the background on the phone got worse, but she ignored it. She didn’t want to lose him, didn’t want to lose the moment. She needed it so badly.
A groan left her as she touched herself exactly as he prescribed.
“Oh, baby. My cock is aching in my pants for a long night of fucking you. I need you wrapped around me, Beth. You want that?”
“Fuck yes.” She slid her fingers down her swollen lips again, pressing against her entrance as she let out a long groan.
“Let me in. I’m going to take full advantage of that need that’s fucking you already.”
“Yeah. Make it hard and fast,” she whispered and started to press her fingers inside of herself as a knock resounded at the door.
Bethany jerked up and tugged her dress down, her head spinning at how far she had slipped into the moment with him. “Fuck. Someone’s here.”
“Let me in, Beth.”
“I can’t right now, Damon. Erica is probably at the door. We can finish it later. I’ll go into the bathroom or something.” She walked to the door and tugged it open, shock rolling over her as Damon stood in front of her, his eyes hooded, and expression demanding carnality.
CHAPTER NINE
There wasn’t time to react or to say anything. Damon crashed into her, pushing the door shut behind him. He was on top of her, his body hard and more than ready for everything he had promised. Beth wrapped her arms and legs around him, kissing him several times before moving her tongue up the side of his neck.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” She tugged at his shirt as he moved up a little to start removing clothes.
“Making love to my woman.”
“You were on your way here the whole time?” she growled at him and started undoing buttons.