by Meghan March
“Yes to the drinks! I’ll take a vodka tonic. Light on the tonic and heavy on the vodka,” Anya says.
“Heavy on the rum and light on the pineapple juice for me,” Kat chimes in.
I turn to find Vander looking at me with interest. “Not sure whether I should be pissed that you didn’t bother to warn me there was a shark in the water, or impressed that you’d sacrifice others to save your wife.”
Something about the way he puts it rubs me the wrong way. “I can’t apologize for that. I’d do it again.”
He gives me a measuring look. “You seem like the kind of guy that could take care of his own. You ever been a soldier?”
“I’ve been a lot of things.” My reply is vague, but he’ll have to live with it.
“Indeed. Haven’t we all?” His response sounds like there’s a lot more going through his head, but I’m not about to try to figure out what he’s getting at.
After Fedor fixes the drinks, they raise the anchor and we move away from what will be known as the shark spot. Kat ventures out onto the bow, gripping the handholds as I carry both our glasses behind her, ready to toss them in the ocean if it becomes necessary to catch her from falling.
Thankfully, she makes it without incident and sits with her feet dangling over the trampoline netting strung between the two hulls of the catamaran. I hand her the Panty Ripper before I take the seat beside her.
“You going to hold this against me for the rest of our lives?”
She shoots me a look before she takes a sip. “I might only have eight and a half more days to hold it against you.”
The reminder of the deadline I put on what could be the end of our marriage is unwelcome.
“Fuck the eight and a half days. We both know this isn’t over.”
Kat’s blue gaze shines with emotion. “Are you sure? I’m not going to force you to stay with me if you’re not happy. I might be selfish in some ways, but I’d never do that to you.”
“You’d give me up even if you still loved me if you thought it would make me happier, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course. That’s what love is.”
“And that’s why we’re going to make it.”
Her grip tightens on her drink until her knuckles turn white. “Are you sure? Because I’m not sure I can handle you getting my hopes up now, only to decide at the end of the trip that you’re done. I need to know either way.”
She needs to know whether to start building up her walls again.
“I’m sure. No more walls, Kat. I let you have them after Benjie’s funeral because I thought you needed them to keep it together, but you can’t bury yourself in work to escape from feeling everything. You have to talk to me. You have to let it out.”
She nods slowly. “I know. I’m bad at this.”
I wrap an arm around her hips and pull her closer to me. “You can’t be bad at something you’ve never tried. The woman I know and love kicks the ass of every problem put in front of her. Where did she go?”
“She got scared after losing too many people who mattered, and it almost cost her the best man she’s ever known.” Kat drops her head on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
The wind whips around us, and I lower my lips to speak into her ear. “We’re going to fix this.” I hold up my glass and clink it against the rim of hers. “That’s a promise.”
Before she can take another sip, I lean in and press a kiss to her lips.
“Sorry, I hope we’re not interrupting.”
Vander’s voice doesn’t sound the least bit apologetic as he and Anya make themselves comfortable on the trampoline only a few feet away, drinks in hand.
Kat stiffens.
“Captain Tisdale asked if we wanted to stop and snorkel more. I took the liberty of answering for everyone when I said no fucking way,” Anya says in the most serious tone I’ve heard her use.
“I seconded it. But if you want to go, definitely let him know,” Vander adds.
“I think I’ve had my fill of water activities for the day,” Kat replies.
“Fine with me.”
“So I guess that means we’re ready to get drunk. I have the perfect idea,” Anya says, excitement in her tone. It takes everything in me not to groan and drag Kat off the bow. “Absolutely perfect. We need Fedor to bring us bottles, and we’re going to play a game.”
“A game?” Kat asks, her tone wary.
Anya nods. “We’re going to play Never Have I Ever. It’s so much fun, and this is the perfect venue since we’ve got a few more hours of sailing.”
The suggestion of a game I remember playing my freshman year of college makes me wonder exactly how old Anya is.
“I don’t know,” Kat says.
“Come on, Kat, don’t be a wet rag. Have some fun.”
I’m about to intervene at the younger woman’s taunts, but Kat sits up, her shoulders going straight.
“Fine. Let’s play.”
It’s the challenge she couldn’t resist, and I have a feeling this means I’ll be carrying Kat back to our room.
“Excellent! Fedor, would you bring us a bottle of rum and a bottle of vodka, and some shot glasses?”
The deckhand looks surprised by the request, but at Anya’s smile, he snaps to attention and brings everything out within moments. The poor kid can barely look her in the eyes because he’s spent so much time staring at her tits and ass.
Kat’s posture is stiff and her game face is plastered on, so I’m the only one who can tell she doesn’t want to play any more than she wants to jump back in an ocean filled with sharks.
I’m debating putting an end to this when Anya passes out the plastic shot glasses and has everyone pick their poison. Kat and I pick rum, and the other couple chooses the vodka.
With each of us holding a shot glass of our chosen booze, Anya explains the rules of the game. “I’m going to start, and I’ll say something I’ve never done. If you’ve done it, you drink. Then the next person goes after we refill. Questions?”
She waits approximately two seconds before launching into the first never have I ever. “Never have I ever . . . eaten a woman’s asshole.”
Fuck. She could have at least started easy.
Kat stiffens, her swift inhalation audible.
“Good Lord, Anya. Had to go for the jugular right away?” Vander tosses back his shot. “Not fair.”
She winks at him. “Just making sure everyone knows what a dirty boy you are.”
He rolls his eyes as he pours another shot.
Screw it. I toss back mine too, and Anya squeals in excitement.
“Another dirty boy. Why does that make me like you a whole lot more all of a sudden?”
Kat’s face is completely red, probably because it was her ass that was the subject of my answer.
Vander goes next. “I’ve never sucked a dick.”
Anya shoots him a look. “You’re lucky I have.” She tosses back her shot, and so does Kat.
After they refill, it’s Kat’s turn, and she goes a different route. “I’ve never shot a gun.”
Vander, Anya, and I drink, and then it’s my turn.
“I’ve never owned a Rolex.”
Anya and Vander drink, and it goes back to Anya.
“I’ve never fucked two women at the same time.”
Vander drinks and takes his turn. “I’ve never fucked two men at the same time.”
Anya drinks.
Kat’s turn, and surprisingly, she goes with, “I’ve never had a threesome of any kind.”
Anya, Vander, and I drink, and Kat’s eyes go wide with a question I’m sure I’ll end up answering later.
It’s my turn, and I decide to say fuck it. I’ve had my suspicions about these two, and now’s the chance for me to confirm it. “I’ve never been a swinger.”
Both Anya and Vander drink, answering in the affirmative.
That explains a lot.
Anya goes next. “I’ve never . . . worn a dog collar. Never mind. Yes, I have. Shit.
I can’t think of anything else I’ve never done. This is sort of awkward.” She looks to Vander as if for help.
“You’ve never pierced your nipples,” he offers.
Her face turning a deeper shade of red, Kat downs her shot.
I look at her. “You had your nipples pierced?”
“Ooh . . . See, this is when it gets fun. New dirt! What else did you pierce, you dirty girl?”
“I plead the fifth,” Kat says, her voice tight with embarrassment.
“That means there was something else! Now it’s your turn. Is there anything you want to know about your man?”
Kat glances at me before she speaks. “I’ve never . . . cheated.”
“Oh shit. It’s getting serious now,” Anya says and then tosses back a shot, as does Vander.
I don’t even move my hand, and I never let my gaze leave Kat’s.
I already know the reason for her question was twofold. She wanted to make damn sure I knew she hadn’t cheated, and she was looking for one more confirmation that I didn’t cross the line. I have to admit that stings a little.
Silence hangs between us.
“On that note—hold, please.” Anya hops up. “I’m going to see if they have any snacks. I need some food if we’re going to keep downing shots at this rate.” She heads for the walkway, and Kat recovers from our shared moment of brutal honesty, courtesy of a drinking game.
“You never did say where you two were from.” Kat directs the question at Vander to break the silence.
He refills his shot glass and tosses it back before responding. “South Africa, Dubai, Britain, and a few other places in the meantime.”
“That explains the accent then. I thought British, but I wasn’t sure.”
“I do have a passport proclaiming me a proper Brit, so that’s fair.”
“And what do you do?” Kat asks.
“Curious little Kat, aren’t you?” he says, and I don’t like the way his words come out.
Kat backtracks. “I’m sorry if I’m being nosy. You don’t have to tell me anything. Just making conversation.”
“Not at all. Anya spends most of her working time modeling and assisting a few designers here and there. I do a little of everything. My business interests are wide and varied. What about you two?”
His answer is vague, and sparks my interest enough that if I had my laptop, I’d run a background check to figure out what the fuck he’s into.
“I’m a business consultant,” Kat says. “I focus largely on strategy, creating plans, assembling implementation teams, and streamlining processes.”
One of Vander’s eyebrows goes up. “Quite impressive. What consulting firm do you work for?”
“My own. I worked for one of the big ones after I got my MBA, but went out on my own two and a half years ago.”
“Indeed, very impressive.” Vander’s attention shifts to me, and it’s my turn to give the bullshit answer about what I do.
“Import broker. Boring stuff.”
Vander’s gaze narrows. “I know about working in boring stuff.”
He’s full of shit just like I am, but as long as it doesn’t impact Kat and me, I don’t give a fuck what he does.
“They’re bringing us snacks,” Anya announces, striding alongside the edge of the boat. She throws her hands emphatically into the air just as she trips over the hatch and tumbles over the railing.
Chapter 20
Kat
Anya screams, her drink splashing everywhere as she tries to recover her balance but falls overboard.
My heart lodges into my throat as I jump up.
Holy shit was followed by the uncharitable thought, at least it wasn’t me.
I can’t help but wonder if this is what all those other people on our Coco Loco booze cruise felt when they saw me go overboard.
“Fuck!” Vander stands and crosses to the side. But instead of diving in after her, he yells, “Fedor! Get her!”
Fedor is in the middle of doing something with a sail, but Dane is quicker. He rushes to the side and in one swift movement, dives into the water toward where Anya is splashing around.
With an eye on the boom so I don’t get whacked in the head and join them in the water, I move to the back of the boat as well.
Fedor tosses me a life ring. “Throw this out there while I pull down the sail so we can turn on the motor.” He reaches for the ropes, leaving me with the orange floatation device.
Vander rips it from my hand before I can toss it, whipping it out like a Frisbee toward Dane and Anya. He’s short about fifty feet.
“Fuck. Of course she’d get blitzed and fall overboard. Just like Anya.”
I shoot him a look. “Hey, it can happen to anyone. I’ve done it.”
Dane’s strokes cut through the water effortlessly, and he’s within twenty feet of her in moments.
“Do you see any sharks?” I’m scanning the surface, trying to see any fins between the small whitecaps that have cropped up since we started sailing.
“No. You?”
“No.”
Well, at least that’s one worry we don’t have at the moment.
Dane reaches Anya and she throws herself at him, clinging to his shoulders, and a whole new set of fears crops up in my brain.
She could drown them both.
“She needs to calm down.”
“I don’t know if she can actually swim,” Vander says, his voice contemplative.
“Are you shitting me?” I spin around to stare at him. “And you didn’t go in after her immediately?”
What a sorry excuse for a man.
Maybe I’ve had Dane in my life long enough to take it for granted that he’ll always rescue me if he’s there. He’s not just strong and capable—he doesn’t stop to consider his own safety before springing into action.
“I was getting there. Your husband apparently has a much larger hero complex than I do, however.”
It’s a cop-out answer, and we both know it.
I turn my attention back to Dane and Anya. He has her secured and is swimming them both backward toward the catamaran, which thankfully has stopped since Fedor lowered the mainsail.
Dane reaches the life ring and shoves it in front of Anya. She latches on, and Vander picks up the end of the rope and begins pulling them in. Dane holds on to Anya, kicking them forward to propel them toward us faster.
Once they reach the side, Fedor drops the ladder. Anya climbs up first, her face pale, eye makeup smeared down her cheeks.
“Are you okay?” Vander asks her.
She nods. “I’m not usually so clumsy.” The words come out hushed. A tear wells in her eye. “But my swimsuit is ruined.”
Of all the ridiculous things to be worried about right now . . .
I hold back my comments as Dane climbs aboard. “Babe, are you all right?”
He nods and shakes the water from his hair as I hand him a towel. “Fine. Just a little extra swimming to replace the cardio I missed out on today.”
Of course he would make light of the fact that he just dived off a boat to save a woman who may or may not be able to swim.
Anya turns toward him and lifts her chin. “I think the shots caught up with me a little too fast. Thank you for coming in after me.” She shoots a sideways look at Vander.
“No problem,” Dane says, tossing the towel down on the bench.
“I think we should shelve that game, regardless of how much fun we were having,” Vander replies. He turns to Dane. “We owe you a debt of gratitude. Since we can’t buy you dinner or drinks, given the resort is an all-inclusive, I’ll need to figure out something else we can do.”
“Don’t worry about it. Anyone would’ve done the same.”
I don’t point out the obvious—that Vander didn’t do the same.
“Would you still like snacks, Miss Anya? We have fruit and plantain chips and a few other items ready for you.”
“Yummy. Sounds delicious,” she says. Apparently Anya’s appetite r
ecovers faster than anything. “Probably a good idea to soak up the alcohol.”
Two hours later, we gather up our items and disembark from the catamaran. Vander and Anya walk ahead of us until Vander pauses at the end of the pier and turns to Dane.
In a conversational tone, he says, “I think I know how we can repay you. Why doesn’t Anya come to your room tonight and suck you off?”
Chapter 21
Kat
I choke on saliva, coughing hard.
What the hell did he just say? He didn’t say what I think he said. Did he?
I look at Dane, and his expression is dark.
Yep. He totally said what I think he did.
Dane forces a laugh. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.”
Vander looks at us both. “Come on, you already asked the question. You know you’re interested.”
What question?
Then I remember the never have I ever question Dane threw out there about swingers. He knew. He figured out what they were, and that was his way of confirming it.
“Didn’t mean anything by it. Just confirming my suspicion.”
Vander eyes him. “Well, you were right, so what do you say we make this vacation a whole lot more interesting for all of us?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Dane replies, and Vander looks at me.
“You can’t tell me you’re not intrigued, Kat. How long has it been since you’ve done something truly exhilarating?”
He steps toward me, and I retreat into Dane’s arms. Vander stops immediately as Dane’s hand curls into my hair and grips my neck.
“Thanks, man, but we’re not interested.”
“You’re missing out. Anya doesn’t just have dick-sucking lips, she’s got the skills to go with them. But that’s fine. I’ll just let her put them to work on me.”
Through all of this, Anya has said nothing. Her boyfriend offers her up to give another man a blow job, and she doesn’t object in the slightest.
“I think we should get back to our room,” I murmur to Dane.
He nods at Vander. “Have a good one.”
I smile weakly at Anya, whose expression takes on a disappointed cast. Seriously? Disappointed? Then again, maybe she wanted her shot with Dane, and now she’s upset she won’t get it.