Camp Paramore

by Wendy Lea Thomas

  “What?”

  Colt and I both stiffened and turned toward Avery talking on his cellphone.

  “Motherfucker.” He paused, and then sighed. “Yes, I’m coming.” He groaned, rubbed the back of his head, and then looked towards me, seeing my now naked body wrapped around Colt as we embraced on the mattress.

  Avery smiled crookedly. “That’s an awesome sight but I’m sorry, we have to head back to the island.”

  “What happened?” I asked as Colt rose off of me. He groaned as he pulled away from my naked body.

  “Pierce got arrested for public indecency. He’s in jail,” Avery said, turning to make another call.

  My head spun. I quickly dressed as Avery made his way to the deck. I was glad Avery kept a level head in these situations.

  A midsized SUV pulled up beside the dock and we all climbed in.

  “You’ve had quite the night, sir,” Ailani said with a thick Hawaiian accent.

  “Yes,” Avery sighed. “Thanks for coming to get us, Ailani,” Avery said then we made our way to the jail.

  About five miles down the road we turned into a bumpy parking lot and parked in front of the door. It was a small seventies-style building with several large windows in the front and a glass door framed in steel.

  Ailani waited in the car while we all went in to bail out Pierce.

  Avery tapped on the bulletproof window to get the man’s attention.

  The tall island police officer with a stereotypical seventies mustache finally looked away from his iPad and met us with a blank stare. He pushed the talk button.

  “Who are you here for?” his monotone voice crackled through the intercom.

  “Pierce Jameson,” Avery answered.

  “Ah, you must be the other Mr. Jameson,” the officer said. “Follow me.”

  The officer buzzed us in and we walked through the short hallway into the main room.

  There in the center of the room sat Pierce surrounded by eight policemen laughing and carrying on at one of Pierce’s stories. They all turned to look our way as Pierce spoke loudly.

  “There he is, the man of the hour, my brother.”

  “Hello, Pierce,” Avery said.

  A slightly wide police sergeant named Winkle stood up from his chair and shook Avery’s hand.

  “Ah, Mr. Jameson glad to finally meet you. Your brother has told us so much about you. I can’t wait to visit your camp some day,” Winkle said with a wide smile.

  Avery eyed Pierce. “Absolutely,” Avery said politely but his undertone was laced with frustration.

  “I was just telling the officers how we’d like to have them attend Camp Jameson as very special guests,” Pierce added.

  “It’s a real pleasure, sir,” another officer said, shaking Avery’s hand.

  I was dumbfounded. The entire small police force loved Pierce and, apparently, the idea of coming to Camp Jameson as they freely took turns looking me up and down and weren’t concerned about hiding it.

  My eyes scanned the decrepit police station and its old wooden chairs, as they visually undressed me. I kept looking around the room to keep from making eye contact with them.

  Avery paid Pierce’s fine, and we gathered his license and wallet. He never even made it to the holding cell. He charmed the police officers right from the start.

  We exited the police station and as Avery walked down the steps, he bumped right into a brunette who was too engrossed into texting someone on her phone to notice us, but she quickly recovered and flashed us a bleach white smile.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said to Avery. “Oh, Mr. Jameson. How are you?”

  It was Jenna, our hostess from the restaurant.

  “I’m sorry for bumping into you. I’m a little out of it. I’m busy trying to plan a trip to visit some of my relatives back in State College, Pennsylvania.”

  “Pennsylvania?” Avery replied. I slowed and turned to wait for Avery, but she continued to hold his gaze.

  “Jenna, why are you here at the police station this late in the evening? Is everything okay?” Avery asked. Hellooo...none of your business, I thought, feeling antsy to get back to the yacht.

  “I’m just picking up my cousin. She got arrested for disorderly conduct,” she said.

  “Is she as lovely as you?” Avery asked.

  “Cuter,” she said throwing me an innocent look. This was getting weird.

  I stopped and slowly, step by step, I inched my way nonchalantly back over to Avery’s side, though he seemed too engrossed in conversation with Jenna to notice me.

  Avery must have sensed my tension because he slipped his hand into mine and rubbed his thumb over my fingers.

  “So, you’re heading to State College?” Avery asked again.

  “Yes,” Jenna continued, “I’m a little burned out on work so I thought I would visit and maybe do a little hiking. I’ve always heard that Pennsylvania is lovely when the leaves change,” she said.

  “Pennsylvania is one of the most beautiful states in the fall,” Avery said.

  I could see the sexuality in his eyes. She was beautiful. He was like a Puma moving in for a kill.

  Lightning began to flash in the distant night sky as a storm closed in and the breeze started to pick up slightly. Come on sugar-puss let’s get to the car already.

  Avery reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a leather case, then a business card from the case, and handed it to her.

  “Call me when you’re in State College. I run an exclusive bed and breakfast that is only a short distance from there,” Avery said, taking my hand in his again.

  I tried to close my mouth but I don’t think I succeeded until Sara, who had walked back up next to me, elbowed me to close it. Now, I was sure that he must have met her before if he was offering her an invitation to come to Paramore.

  “Thanks, Mr. Jameson. I would love to stop by.” Jenna smiled at him, then to me, and finally to Sara.

  “Call me Avery,” he said.

  “You’re so nice,” she purred.

  I drew my lips into a thin line as Avery gripped my hand a little tighter, making me realize that I was squeezing his.

  As we were about to turn and leave, the side door buzzed loudly and the metal clanked and creaked, as it swung open. We all stared in disbelief as Nate walked through followed by another officer.

  “You’re free to go, Mr. Gregor,” the tall policeman said.

  I heard Nate say something, and then the officer laughed and patted his shoulder.

  “Next time you come to the island, give me a call. I could use a night off,” the officer said. His badge read Lieutenant Scott.

  “I will. That’s a promise, Gerald,” Nate said shaking his hand then the officer turned and stepped back through the door.

  Avery growled and before I had time to react, he was already pushing past Sara, Jenna, and me, closing the space between himself and Nate.

  “Avery, don’t,” I yelled. My words didn’t register with him.

  Pierce ran up and interceded, stopping Avery from moving any closer. “Don’t do it brother, or he’ll own Camp Jameson,” Pierce reasoned.

  “Stay the fuck away from Aria, you hear me, asshole?” Avery snapped.

  Nate didn’t respond but smiled, turned, and walked away slowly like he didn’t have a care in the world. What a dick.

  We quickly said our goodbyes to Jenna. She even gave me a hug like we were best friends. I didn’t even know this girl. Then we hurried to the car where Ailani was waiting patiently listening to the radio when we climbed in.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yea, let’s go,” Avery lamented.

  I took in Avery’s silhouette in the darkness of the car but as the street lights passed by, I could see the faraway look in his eyes.

  “I’m calling Lucy,” Pierce said.

  “Where is Lucy?” Sara asked.

  “I told her to run when we saw the police lights so she didn’t get arrested. She’s probably home now
,” Pierce replied.

  “Nice,” Sara crooned.

  “Where did you get caught?” Colt asked.

  “There’s a little public park on the water not far from Peak. I told Lucy I always wanted to do it on the merry-go-round.”

  “He always tells them that,” Avery whispered into my ear while Pierce continued.

  “Well, one thing led to another and there I was, with my pants around my ankles, on a merry-go-round, as several police officers moved in on me with their guns drawn. Apparently, that park is notorious for guys looking for midnight sex from transvestites.”

  Everyone burst out laughing. I tried to fight it, but I ended up snorting, and that made everyone laugh that much harder. Ailani looked lost.

  “I should have noticed that something was up when a couple of the ugliest girls I’d ever seen wanted to have a foursome with Lucy and me,” Pierce bleated. “Now, I get that they were dudes.” More laughter erupted.

  “I can’t believe you almost had a foursome with a couple of transvestites, and you probably would have said yes, if they weren’t so…as you called them…ugly.” Sara laughed hysterically.

  “I never said I was going to say yes,” Pierce said sheepishly, as he scratched the back of his head.

  “But you thought about it!” Sara accused in between breaths. She was laughing so hard she almost couldn’t breathe.

  “Maybe,” Pierce answered even quieter this time. We all laughed frenziedly as Pierce’s face reddened.

  We all settled in for the ride back to Avery’s yacht.

  “I love you, baby,” Avery whispered in a warm velvet voice leaning into me. I straightened my shoulders and giggled.

  “When do I get to see Camp Paramore?” I asked again.

  “Soon, Kitten. Very soon,” Avery answered.

  What is it about a full moon that makes people so crazy?

  ∞

  CHAPTER 4

  THIS IS WHAT HEAVEN’S LIKE

  Wednesday Morning, Aug 15th – Day Three

  I got lost in the feel of the white sand between my toes as I walked the beach in front of Peak’s restaurant. The waves lapped nearby while I wandered down the beach watching the sun rise over the water.

  It was the third day in Maui and the others were still asleep on Avery’s yacht, but I couldn’t sleep after all of last night’s drama. Seeing Nate again was tense, then Pierce got arrested, and I almost had a foursome with Avery, Colt, and Sara.

  When we arrived back from the police station, everyone was so tired they just crashed. I slept for a couple hours but then I awoke with nervous energy and had to go for a walk.

  I had my sunglasses over my eyes to shield me from the rising sun and I was wearing my white bikini that Avery loved so much and a short black Hawaiian cover up that he bought for me after we arrived.

  I never thought it’d be possible to feel so much passion for someone, and a part of me wondered what the hell was going to happen to us once we got back to reality. I buried that thought as unfamiliar hands wrapped around my waist. What the hell? I stiffened and turned around quickly.

  “Admit it. You miss me, don’t you?” his scaly voice said.

  “Nate!” I hissed. I scanned the area and instant panic shot through me. I had wandered farther than I thought from the restaurant and the yacht. Damn my incessant daydreaming. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Why waiting for you, of course. Your boyfriend has a very nice yacht. I bet you guys have some crazy parties on that thing. You must be having the time of your life.”

  I took a step toward Avery’s boat but Nate was towering over me and blocking my path. He reached down, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me closer. He was dressed in khaki shorts and a red polo shirt. Why was he watching us?

  “Aria, when will you learn that there’s nothing like a trail of blood to help find your way back home,” he said. I struggled to break my arm free of his grip.

  “You’re not going anywhere until you give your boyfriend a message for me.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “Tell him he’d better cherish what he has because you never know when it could come crumbling down around him. He wants to be the keeper of secrets for the one-percent. It’s too much for any one man to keep securely. Like sand, it could slip through his fingers, but I’m not sure he’d even notice. He’s so cold hearted, it might just take a funeral to make him feel alive.”

  “You’re sick in the head. Let go of me before I remove your manhood permanently,” I said, still struggling to free my arm. “I can’t believe you followed me to Hawaii and then tried to roofie me!”

  Nate’s nostrils flared and he loosened his grip but he didn’t let go. “I love it when you’re angry. The passion that burns in your eyes is intoxicating, but a guy needs to roofie you just to get you to stop your squawking all the time. I was doing Avery a favor. You know what? I could just fuck you right here, and there is not a god damned thing anyone could do about it. I don’t need to roofie you,” he said, pulling my hand to feel his erection pressing against his shorts.

  “Nobody would hear you scream,” he whispered in an icy voice. That was so stupid for him to put my hand on his groin. I squeezed with all my strength until I saw the whites of his eyes enlarge and his breath shook.

  “Let me go,” I seethed.

  “Let her go, Gregor!” Avery’s voice cut through the pounding heartbeat in my ears.

  Nate unclasped my hand, took a step back, and hunched over in delayed pain. Then he sank to his knees and crawled to face Avery’s tall figure.

  “Aria and I were just catching up, weren’t we babe,” he said arrogantly, through short puffs. He was having a hard time catching his breath from the pain.

  Anger flared through Avery’s eyes as he walked over to Nate, reached down, and grabbed Nate’s polo shirt pulling him up to his feet.

  “If you ever lay another hand on her, you’ll never walk again.” Then Avery pushed him backward and released his shirt. Nate fell back into the sand but his eyes stayed pinned on Avery. “Now keep the fuck away from her,” Avery bellowed.

  Avery held his gaze and I could see the flicker of fear run through Nate’s eyes then he stood and recomposed himself.

  “Aria, it’s been a pleasure, as always. See you around and remember what I said,” he warned laughingly, as I watched him limp towards the narrow steps that led back up to the road.

  I had my arms wrapped around myself when Avery let out the breath he was holding and stepped forward to pull me into his arms.

  “He is truly fucking crazy. Are you okay?” he asked. I nodded. “What did he say to you?”

  “Nothing…he was just being an asshole. He wouldn’t tell me what he was doing here in Hawaii. How do you think he found us?” I asked.

  Avery’s eyes scanned the beach as we headed back. “It wouldn’t be too hard to find me,” Avery said. “Everyone at camp knew I had a place in Maui. All he had to do was ask a few of the locals after he got here.”

  I shook in his arms. Avery pulled me away and looked me over. “You’ll be okay as long as you’re with me. I promise I won’t let that asshole near you.”

  “Thank you. Nate is turning out to be the villain of my life story,” I said softly. I didn’t want Avery to worry, but I didn’t think we’d seen the last of him.

  “Don’t worry about that idiot, Aria. He’s too stupid to be a villain.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead and led me back to Peak for breakfast. “It will take a smarter man than him to get to you inside my camps.”

  We entered the restaurant and I sat at the table fidgeting nervously analyzing every person that walked by.

  Avery was off in the corner making sure Ailani knew what had just happened and I heard him assure Avery that he’d keep an eye out for Nate. But Nate did what he set out to do…unnerve me.

  After breakfast, we sat on the beach enjoying some quiet time and getting some sun. As the day began to wane, we headed back to the Whiskey Girl.

  Avery wa
s good to his word and wouldn’t let me out of his sight the rest of the day. I sat next to him wondering if I should tell him about Nate’s warning. Avery did have awesome security back at camp. I was sure that we’d be safe from Nate.

  Avery gave Captain Morgan his instructions and we took the yacht out to open water. We sat on the upper deck and had Mimosas waiting for the others to join us.

  “What would you do if Nate ever leaked the existence of your camp to the world?” I asked.

  “There’s no way he could do that. He signed a confidentiality agreement. I’d take all his money in a blink of an eye. He’s not that stupid,” he said, taking my hands in his and looking confident. I nodded and tried to fight what my gut was telling me…that Nate wasn’t finished with us.

  Avery kicked him out of camp because of me, and fired him from his job because of me, then had him arrested because of me. There was a pattern emerging…me!

  “What about when I go back to school?” I asked.

  Avery frowned and pulled me into his side. “We’ll figure something out. I promise,” he replied.

  I decided that I wasn’t going to spend the rest of my vacation looking over my shoulder. We were safe out here on the water and I finally started to relax.

  “When do I get to see Camp Paramore?” I teased with a crooked smile.

  “Soon Kitten, very soon,” Avery teased back.

  “I can’t wait. It sounds so magical,” I said.

  Sara and Colt finally met us on deck as daylight waned. They had slept most of the day. Sara had a large blanket in her hands and Colt carried two bottles of wine and a bottle of Jameson whiskey.

  “I love you guys. I feel safer when I’m around all of you,” I said to all three of them. Avery squeezed my hand and nodded.

  “Where’s Pierce?” Colt asked, but as soon as he asked the question, he realized the answer, and all four of us looked at each other and spoke in unison.

  “Lucy.” Then we laughed.

  I turned toward Sara, appreciating the fact that she brought us beverages.

  “Good, we’re going need that whiskey,” I gushed, as she poured us drinks and I filled them in on what happened today.