by Nikki Wild
Danielle laughed at his suggestion. She loved his sense of humor and wit. He was such an extraordinary man…… And best of all, he really was all hers.
Twenty-Five
In bed the next morning, Dani rolled over and noticed the clock on the nightstand said 10:25AM. She glanced over at Shane and noticed he was sound asleep so she gently shook him until one of his eyes peeked open.
“Honey, you need to get up. It’s late – the morning’s half over already.”
Shane didn’t budge. “It’s okay Danielle. Don’t worry about it,” he said groggily.
“But aren’t you super late? Don’t you have meetings to go to?”
Shane slowly sat up and yawned. “Nope. My work is done here. The harassment suit is being settled out of court. Didn’t you hear me on the conference call early this morning? The attorney for the four plaintiffs accepted our offer.”
“No I didn’t hear you at all. I must have been zonked out. Well that’s great. But what happened all of a sudden? I thought the company was at a stalemate as far as negotiating a settlement?”
“They were at a stalemate. But only because unbeknownst to me, the company didn’t want to take financial responsibility for the actions of the slimy dick-wad manager who was in fact harassing the four women. I watched the surveillance videos and interviewed the pervert myself. There was absolutely no defense for his predatory and discriminatory behavior; just a ‘good ol’ boys’ club protecting him. I fired his despicable ass yesterday. I didn’t want to talk about it last night because the whole thing made me sick and I didn’t want to ruin our perfect evening.”
“It was perfect Shane. The opera was sublime and the dinner was out of this world. It was totally magical. Thank you again for the wonderful surprise.”
“And I’m happy to say my other surprise panned out as well. I wanted to be spending the week in Sydney by your side, not sitting in meetings listening to a bunch of suits arguing in favor of some lecherous asshole. Now we’re free to spend our time in Australia together in any way we choose.”
“That’s so wonderful. So why was it even necessary for you to come over and settle this? Why didn’t the company just pay the women and end it?”
“Because they wanted to pay the women only half of what they were asking for which of course was rightfully declined. It was insulting. I had the power to authorize the plaintiffs’ proper settlement which I promptly did once I gathered all the facts.”
“That’s my man,” Dani said proudly. “You gave them the full amount. You’re incredible.”
“No I doubled the amount they were asking for actually. I wanted to make a loud and clear statement on behalf of Tanner International to show our position on the treatment of women within our company.”
Dani was floored by the conviction of Shane’s words. At that moment she realized it would be practically impossible for him to amaze and impress her any more than he just had in the past twenty-four hours.
She threw her arms around him and kissed him as she marveled at the man she was just now beginning to understand on a much deeper level.
Dani and Shane spent the next four days living it up in Sydney; dining at the finest restaurants, playing darts and sampling Aussie ales at the quaint pubs, strolling down the romantic waterfront walkways, and checking out the local music scene. They were having a fabulous time vacationing “down under” without the slightest care in the world.
To Dani’s delight the time had arrived for them to finally head up to the Great Barrier Reef to go diving. They boarded the Tanner jet for the short flight up the Australian coastline and Danielle planted herself excitedly in a window seat. With her nose pressed against the window, she could hardly wait to see the famous reef from the air. While the plane lifted up off the runway she mentioned to Shane how her stomach was feeling funny. He smiled and rested his hand on her abdomen.
“Hey you don’t suppose we already have a child in there do you? I guess it’s gotta be possible with all the rabid fucking we’ve been doing.”
Dani laughed in agreement. “Of course it’s possible. We’ve certainly been working hard at it.”
The words had barely left her lips when she had a sobering realization. The possibility of her actually being pregnant was very real indeed, which meant she could not go scuba diving. The Great Barrier Reef would just have to wait. Her heart sunk. Her lifelong dream was so close but how could she take the chance and go diving? If anything happened she’d never forgive herself. She tearfully relayed her fears to Shane.
“Are you sure it would be that dangerous this early on?”
“Maybe nothing would happen at all. But what if it did? How could we live with it?”
“Why don’t we do a quick internet search on scuba diving and pregnancy?
Shane took out his phone and started checking out the available info on the subject. After about two minutes he looked up at Dani with a grim face.
“All the diving sites recommend against diving while pregnant. Period. Some women do it and report no problems but there is not enough data to prove it’s safe. I guess that’s that. I’m so sorry Danielle. I know how much you were looking forward to that dive.”
Dani bit her lip and steadied her voice in an attempt to hide her overwhelming disappointment from him.
“Well I guess I can still have a nice time watching you dive from the boat. I suppose I can also still snorkel too.” She tried her best to feign enthusiasm but Shane saw through it.
“Danielle there is no way I am diving in that reef without you. I would not get a shred of enjoyment out of that. We’ll simply come back another time that’s all. Now I’m going to tell the pilot to change course. I’ve got a different destination in mind.”
“A different destination? What different destination?”
“Just because you can’t dive doesn’t mean we have to go home yet. How does Fiji sound to you? It’s warmer there too – probably about 80 right now……nice warm water too.”
Dani was ecstatic. She could happily accept that substitution.
“Do you mean it? Fiji sounds fantastic. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you Shane Tanner. I love you so much.” Her eyes were welling up again but they were happy tears.
“Are you kidding me Danielle? Having you in my life is truly humbling. Every day I wonder how I could be deserving of a woman of your caliber. A woman who puts the mere possibility of our child’s existence ahead of her own needs and desires? Even ahead of her own dreams….. I can’t tell you how overwhelmingly touched I am by that level of love and sacrifice.”
He took Dani in his arms and kissed her tenderly.
“I love you so much Danielle.”
Shane dabbed her eyes with a tissue and then headed to the cockpit to notify the captain of their new flight plan. Dani could feel the plane veering to the east and heading away from the Coral Sea.
Twenty-Six
Shane used the extra couple of hours in the air to research Fiji, secure the perfect accommodations, and create the most romantic getaway possible for Danielle. In all his travels, he had never visited there before and was as excited as Dani at the thought of being totally alone together on a tropical island. He arranged for them to stay at a private overwater luxury bungalow located on a crystal clear blue lagoon.
A car service met them at the airport once they landed in Nadi and drove them to their secluded love nest on a remote stretch of pristine beach. Their host met them with some soothing kava tea and assured them they would have nothing less than five-star service during their stay while simultaneously enjoying complete and total privacy; nobody would bother them for any reason unless called.
Dani ran excitedly up the spiral bamboo staircase and threw open the door of their luxury 2000 square foot “hut “on stilts.
“Oh my god Shane this is unbelievable. Look at our terrace!” She opened the French doors and stepped out onto the wood deck that overlooked the gorgeous azure water of the lagoon - only ten feet below them
. “Isn’t it breathtaking?” she cooed.
“Yeah I have to say this is exactly what the doctor ordered; a beautiful relaxing place to unwind with the most beautiful extraordinary woman I’ve ever known.”
Shane took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Every day he spent with Dani reinforced his absolute certainty that he had really never stopped loving her and he had made a huge mistake in trying to deny it all those years. He deeply regretted listening to his father and putting business first and was now determined to make up for lost time.
“Danielle as soon as we return home we need to seriously start making concrete plans for our wedding. I don’t know how much longer I can go without you being my wife.”
Shane kissed her again and undid the neck clasp of her halter-top, allowing the straps to fall free and release her amazing sun-kissed breasts into his hands. He caressed their fullness and kissed her excited twisted little pink nipples.
“You’ve made me happier than I ever thought possible Shane and I can’t wait for you to be my husband.”
Danielle traced the hardness of his aroused dick with her thumb and massaged the length of it through his jeans.
“Besides, I have no choice but to marry you,” she teased.
“Why is that lover?”
“Because I’m a slave to your cock,” she purred in his ear.
“I think you’ve got that backwards. You’re the master of my cock.”
He undid his pants and freed his magnificent member, pressing it tightly against the denim of her revealing little cut-off shorts. Shane slipped two fingers past the sliver of fabric that stood in the way of her hot little opening and dipped them into her wetness.
“And you’ve got the only pussy in the world that I want.”
He slid her jeans down her luscious hips and kissed the small mound of perfectly trimmed beaver.
“Oh yeah…. no panties…...just the way I like it. Fucking beautiful.”
Shane teased her clit with his tongue until he could see she was on the edge of coming. To Dani’s complete surprise, the next thing she knew he was spinning her around and bending her over the bamboo railing. Then he slid his cock in from behind and began fucking her slowly and teasingly while the two of them gazed out at the gorgeous tropical inlet in front of them.
“Oh yeah…….just the way I like it,” said Dani. “Fucking outside.”
Dani’s sensual hips responded by gyrating ever faster on his dick, triggering Shane’s deeper and harder thrusts into her. He clutched her tits with both hands as he felt his powerful climax start to surge from deep within him. Dani’s back tightened and arched as she came at the exact moment his seed burst into her.
The two sweaty lovers clung to the balcony together for a short while before they separated. Then Shane cast off the rest of his clothes to the wooden deck and did a perfect swan dive into the lagoon below. Dani laughed and stripped as he emerged before doing a surprise cannon ball into the water beside him, catching him off-guard with a giant splash.
Danielle and Shane played for hours on their own private beach without a stitch of clothing on, frolicking in the water like children. Without a worry in the world, they chased each other in and out of the warm gentle surf and fell laughing in the wet sand, entwined each other’s arms. The tropical paradise was their playground where they made mad love all afternoon because they were indeed madly in love.
For both of them it brought back memories of that magical summer they spent together on Oahu.
“I seem to recall a girl I once knew who was a bit nervous about fucking outside,” Shane teased. “Now I hear she can’t seem to get enough of it.”
“I remember her,” said Dani. “Luckily, she met this incredibly bad boy who talked her into doing all sorts of naughty things……”
“You don’t say? You don’t happen to have her phone number do you? I love slutty girls.”
Dani responded with a smile, “No. Sorry. She’s off the market. I hear she’s engaged to some smokin’ hot rich guy with an incredible dick.”
Danielle laughed and took off running down the beach prompting Shane to chase her once again.
Twenty-Seven
Danielle and Shane spent five glorious days in their tropical love nest, still focused on baby–making, and having the most romantic vacation of both their lives. They hated for their island bliss to end but business beckoned back at their own island home. There was the still the matter of the disturbingly unsettled Lanai land acquisition and the fact that Shane had yet to hear from his father, which pleased him but was at the same time disconcertingly suspicious.
Through Margie’s emails, Shane had a sense that things were not going smoothly with regards to the purchase of the Lanai property. But he suspected his overprotective secretary wasn’t quite giving him the full picture of everything that was going on with the important deal in an effort to shield him and Danielle while they were vacationing - and he could hardly fault her for that. In fact, the more he thought back on the fabulous time the two of them had just spent together, the more grateful he was that Margie had spared him. He decided to call her and thank her during the ride from the airport back to Kaanapali.
Margie was so thrilled to hear from him she invited them to swing by her place, saying she had a big surprise. Despite their travel fatigue and the fact that it was almost 8PM, they decided to indulge her request. They had shopping bags full of gifts they wanted to give her and May plus Dani was also dying to see her old house and neighborhood again.
As they approached the porch of Dani’s house they could hear Auntie May singing and Hawaiian ukulele music coming from the backyard. They went around to the side gate and let themselves in as they followed the sound to the back patio. To their utter surprise they discovered Margie in a grass skirt and coconut shell bra doing the hula to May’s musical accompaniment. They watched in hushed silence from the corner of the house undetected, until the duo finished their number, at which time they made their presence known by applauding wildly.
“That was fantastic,” exclaimed Dani. “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe you guys. That was wonderful.”
“It really was ladies.” Shane chimed in. “I’d swear you were part Hawaiian yourself Margie if it wasn’t for that one dead giveaway….. your Birkenstocks clash with the grass skirt.”
“Hey…. I resemble that remark,” Margie fired back without missing a beat.
After they shared a warm group hug and a round of greetings Margie proudly made her announcement.
“So as you can probably see, I’ve been taking hula lessons from May. And guess what? She’s invited me to perform with her in her weekend shows whenever I want to. Isn’t that great? That’s my surprise. Now if she can only teach me how I can get these coconuts to stay up……” Margie said while holding up her low-hanging breasts with her hands.
Everyone laughed and took a seat on the patio. Margie ran inside and retrieved a pitcher of pink lemonade and four glasses for her guests.
“It’s weird being back at my house again,” said Dani. “How have you been Auntie May? Anything new going on around the neighborhood?”
“I’ve been pretty good. Not too much has been goin’ on around here. Daisy ate old Mr. Weaver’s hair piece last week. Serves him right too. He was reaching over my fence to steal some papayas from my tree again and Daisy came up and snatched it right off his shiny little bald head. Gobbled it down in two bites! That’s my girl.”
“That’s a riot May. What a funny story,” said Shane. “Daisy is the coolest dog.”
“Oh she really is.” Margie interjected. “I was leery of her at first, she’s got such an intimidating presence. But I was surprised - she’s really just a big sweet pussycat of a dog once you get to know her.”
Auntie May chuckled and added, “Yes like somebody else I know,” she said glaring straight at Shane.
“Me? Are you talking about me May?”
“Yes siree. It seems I was all wrong about you and nobody wa
s more surprised than me to learn you’re quite a big sweet pussycat yourself. I hear you and my sweet kuuipo girl are getting married and I want you to know you have my blessing.”
“Are you saying you didn’t like me May? I’m hurt,” he said with exaggerated sadness. “I hope you didn’t try to advise Danielle against seeing me?”
“Hell no,” May burst out laughing. “I told her it was okay to keep you as a boy toy.”
The three women hooted at her remark while Shane grinned sheepishly.
“Boy toy huh? I guess I had that coming. That’s pretty much what I used to be. But not anymore. This woman here has forever changed me.” Shane put his arm around Dani and kissed her on the cheek.
“Well I certainly hope that’s true buster because if you ever hurt this girl my fellow Hawaiians and I will give you a proper burial at sea……..wearing cement shoes. HA!”
Shane joined in the group’s spirited laughter but shuddered to himself. Despite the friendly exchange there was something in May’s diabolical laugh that made him fear she wasn’t entirely kidding. He had a suspicion that at the very least the woman would probably roast his nuts over the hot coals of a luau pig pit..….and possibly with Margie’s help.
As he lovingly watched Danielle hand out the souvenirs and gifts to the two craziest old gals he’d ever known, he knew he didn’t actually need to worry; he would never hurt her. Not for anything in the world. And he was glad she had friends who loved her that much, looking out for her well-being.
As much as he hated to break up the evening’s lighthearted conversation, Shane eventually asked Margie the two questions that were weighing heavily on his mind.
“So Margie, you must have heard from my father in the last few weeks haven’t you? And what the hell’s going on with the Lanai land deal? I’ve heard nothing at all from Jon Ohana. And what about Asian-Pacific? Are they still bidding on it? What’s the fucking hold up already? I’m losing my patience.”