He’d spent half his life paying for one prideful moment, now he would spend the second half of his life, earning the privilege of loving a woman as amazing as his lovely, beautifully curved Penny. He grinned suggestively down at her and said as he cupped her generous, sweet ass, “Now about that shower...”
-Epilogue-
“I thought for your wedding gift, we could have our previous contract with Penny framed,” Nolan joked with Dillon as they enjoyed an after-dinner sherry together while the girls were off spending gobs of money on bridal doo-dads, the likes of which none of the Buchanan men wanted to know a thing about. Dillon shot Nolan a dark look and he laughed. “No? I don’t know, it’s what brought you two together. Some might consider that romantic.”
“Only an idiot would consider that romantic,” Dillon countered with good humor. Three short months ago, he’d wanted to destroy his brothers and anything they’d held dear. Now they were laughing and giving each other a hard time as they had as boys — and it felt good. It felt damn good.
Vince and Nolan had since found nice, respectable young women to date and both were going to stand beside Dillon at the wedding ceremony. Dillon had wanted a quick wedding but Penny had wanted something a bit more...well, just more in general. And because he’d do anything to see her smile, he’d caved quite naturally. Except, time wasn’t exactly on their side.
“So, when do you think Penny will start to show?” Vince asked.
“Just about the time we come back from our honeymoon. And if I find you staring at her tits, I’ll knock you the fuck out,” he warned Vince.
“No worries, big brother. I have plenty to keep me interested at night. Besides, I don’t see Penny that way any more. She’s your girl and I respect that. I wish I’d done that with Isabel. Maybe things would’ve ended differently for us all.”
Dillon reflected on that statement and nodded to his brother, respecting his sentiment but being with Penny had changed his perspective on many things, including the tragedy of Isabel. “If things hadn’t happened the way they had, I wouldn’t have Penny. And honestly, she’s the best thing that ever happened to me so, little brother, I say we let the past rest. Having you two idiots back in my life, has made me realize how much I was missing out on and I never want to go back to the way life was before. Besides, someone’s got to keep you two in line and who better than your big brother?”
“Amen, brother.” Nolan smiled and lifted his glass as his brothers followed suit. “To the Buchanans...”
“May the next generation be smarter than we ever were!” Vince added with gusto.
“
About the Author: Alexx Andria
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***
Bestselling erotica author Alexx Andria is the pseudonym for RITA-nominated contemporary romance author, Kimberly Van Meter. Born in a small town with a flair for the dramatic, Alexx Andria has a delightfully perverted nature that she hides behind a mischievous smile.
An unabashed extrovert, Alexx loves being the life of the party and doesn't mind one bit being the center of attention.
She loves to write about Alpha men who are wonderfully flawed and just a little dangerous and heroines who are smart and sassy, but just a little vulnerable, too.
You can reach her here:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alexx.andria.796
Twitter: @alexxandria2772
Website: www.eroticalexxandria.wordpress.com
Email: [email protected]
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Bikini Curves by Charlotte Summers
CHAPTER ONE
“I’m sorry, Francesca, it’s just not working out,” Alex said as he drove along a country road at the crack of dawn looking for the goddamned beach. “It’s best if we don’t see each other again.”
Francesca’s whining was making his mood worse. What had she expected when she started dating him? She knew his reputation, it was described in lurid detail in all the celebrity magazines. Had she thought she would be the one woman who could change him?
Alex chuckled to himself. They all thought that.
“Are you laughing at me?” she demanded over the phone. Alex could hear the anger in her voice. It came from the car speakers loud and clear despite the fact he was driving along the southern coast of England while Francesca was back in L.A. He couldn’t believe the Studio had sent him halfway across the world just to research his next movie role. Maybe they thought he wouldn’t be recognized if he was in the middle of Nowhereville. Fat chance of that; he was recognized everywhere.
“You’re a real bastard, Alex,” Francesca said indignantly.
“Come on, Babe, we had fun,” he said, trying to placate her. “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy the time we had.”
She hung up.
Alex relaxed a little and concentrated on the winding road ahead as it took him through a rolling landscape of quaint English fields populated by sheep and marked out by stone walls. He was surprised the sheep were even awake at this hour. This had to be the earliest he had ever been asked to be somewhere and it wasn’t even a shoot, just a research project. Driving all night from London and making The Call to Francesca only added to his misery at being awake so early.
He always thought of it like that, with capitalized words. The Call. He had made that Call so many times in his life the words were almost a generic script. Insert the girl’s name here and the rest is always the same. We had fun. It’s over now. Adios, Baby.
He couldn’t help it if he got bored after a while. He always got bored.
Alex’s headlights illuminated a small sign that proclaimed ‘Beach’ and pointed down a dirt track. This must be the place.
He took the turn and his car rumbled along the track. At the bottom, he discovered a small asphalt area with parking bays and beyond that a stretch of sand that led to the sea. In the early morning gloom, it didn’t look very inviting.
Alex picked up his phone and dialed his agent. He got the answering machine.
“Joe, I’m at the beach, it’s five in the morning and there’s nobody here,” he said loudly. He hoped the message woke his agent, Joe Tanner, from a deep sleep. If he had to lose sleep over this research project then why shouldn’t Joe?
He ended the call, closed his eyes and tried to relax using deep breathing methods he had learned in acting class. That didn’t help; the car smelled of McDonald’s, service station coffee and an underlying tang of all-night sweat. Not conducive to relaxation.
He cracked the window. At least the air outside smelled good. Salty and fresh. Sea air. In the distance, gulls cried as they searched for fish.
Maybe he should take a walk on the beach and clear his head while he waited for the lifeguard to show. He sighed and
resigned himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to sleep until later and opened the car door. He got out and stood in the morning breeze, looking out to sea.
The dawn sky was beginning to clear and the sea was calm, waves gently rolling and breaking on the beach with a soft whisper, as if they were afraid to wake the residents of Sunnystone Bay, the local town. Even Mother Nature knew everyone was supposed to be asleep at this hour. Why had the lifeguard wanted to meet so early? It was cruel.
His phone rang and Alex scooped it up from the passenger seat and stood leaning on his car as he answered.
“Alex, do you know what time it is?” Joe sounded as sleepy as Alex felt.
“I’m aware of the time. I’m here at five as agreed. Your lifeguard is a no show.”
“He’s not my lifeguard. The location scouts chose him. You sure he’s not there? I’m sure he wouldn’t sleep in on the day he’s supposed to meet Alex Stone.”
“He’s not here.”
“OK, I’ll try to find out where he is.”
Alex looked around the parking area, spotted a banner strung up between two trees and groaned.
“What’s the matter?” Joe asked.
“We have another problem.” He squinted to make sure he hadn’t misread the dates on the sign. No, they were clear enough. Printed in large black font beneath a silhouette of a shark on the blue sign. “What’s the Shark Festival?”
Joe went silent for a few seconds then said, “I have no idea.”
“Well it’s this weekend and it’s right here.”
“What? Those goddamned scouts can’t get anything right. You should come home, Alex. If this festival brings in a lot of people, your cover will be blown. I’ll get on to Sheila and make sure somebody in her department loses their job for this.”
“Hey, there’s no need for that. I’ll be fine. I’ll just wear a disguise. Sunglasses and a hat. Now I’ve come all this way, I’m not driving back.” Maybe the Shark Festival would make this weekend more interesting. He had expected to be sitting in a lifeguard shack on a quiet beach getting bored. If Sunnystone Bay was going to be more lively, all the better. At least there should be plenty of women around.
A tap on his shoulder made Alex jump. He whirled around quickly, expecting a herd of paparazzi to emerge from the bushes but only one person stood there. He wore a red jacket with the word ‘Lifeguard’ printed in yellow across the breast. He had long black curly hair and he looked like he was maybe nineteen. His expression said he was no happier being awake at this hour than Alex was.
“I think he’s here,” Alex told Joe.
“The guy you’re supposed to meet is...” there was a pause while Joe racked his tired brain, “...Josh. Josh Simmons. Find out if that’s him.”
“You Josh?” Alex asked.
The lifeguard nodded.
“It’s him,” Alex said into the phone.
“OK, have fun. But be careful and keep a low profile. We don’t want a repeat of...” he lowered his voice to a whisper, “California.”
Alex tried not to think about that. “Yeah, OK, Joe. I’ll call you later.”
“Hey, Alex,” Joe said.
“Yeah?”
“Have fun on the beach. I’m going back to bed now.”
“Fuck you, Joe.” He ended the call and offered Josh a sleepy smile. “OK, Josh, show me what it is you do to guard lives.”
“Yeah, cool,” Josh said. “It’s this way to the hut. He set off across the sand.
Alex locked up the car and set off after him. As he caught up to the lifeguard, they rounded the grassy dunes that separated the parking area from the beach. The sand stretched away in a gentle curve before reaching high cliffs on either side. Except for a couple of people walking along the water’s edge in the distance, the beach was deserted.
The lifeguard hut sat beneath the sun looking like it had just had a fresh paint job. The boards were bright white.
“They told me I’d get a credit in the movie,” Josh said as they approached the hut.
“Yeah, I guess so. An acknowledgement.”
“Cool. What’s the movie called?”
“A Lifeguard Alone.”
“Cool.” His voice was flat, bored.
They reached the wooden ramp that led up to the hut. Josh fished a ring of keys out of his pocket and jangled them in his hand as they ascended to the door. The hut looked simple yet functional. At the top of the wide ramp, a platform ran around the perimeter of the small building. The white railings were definitely freshly-painted and the paint smell was strong when Josh opened the door.
“Hey, you didn’t have to paint the place for me,” Alex said, “I’m here undercover, remember?”
“We didn’t,” Josh replied, stepping inside. “The paint job is for the Shark Festival.”
“Oh.” Alex reminded himself that not everyone was blown away by his Hollywood star status. Living a life hounded by photographers made him forget that some people saw him as just another guy. A guy who lived in L.A. and London and starred in blockbuster movies but just a guy nonetheless. He wondered if Josh ever got excited about anything. He got the impression that the lifeguard was cynical about everything even at his young age.
“Tell me about the Shark Festival,” he said as he entered the hut. Maybe that would make the kid smile. In a small place like this, a festival was probably a big thing. Maybe the biggest event of the year.
Josh shrugged and pushed open the board that served as a window. As he played with a catch that kept the board open, he said, “It’s music and stuff. We get really busy. You get a lot of drunk teenagers thinking they’re Aquaman or something. We have to drag them out of the sea usually.” He moved on to the next window.
Sunlight flooded the interior of the hut. Plastic floats hung on the wall along with lengths of thick white cord and a selection of different colored warning flags. A red kayak and paddles leaned against the back wall.
A set of four walkie talkies stood on a table in their charging units and next to them somebody had piled a stack of paperback thrillers. A couple of folded chairs were propped up against the table and a heap of red lifeguard jackets, board shorts, baseball caps and t-shirts lay on a shelf at the back of the room.
“Maybe I should put on one of these jackets,” Alex suggested.
Josh shrugged. “Knock yourself out, Dude.”
Alex found a jacket that fit and put it on over his t-shirt. He looked at the red board shorts in the pile of clothing. Hell, why not? He wanted this experience to be as realistic as possible so his role in A Lifeguard Alone felt authentic. He slipped off his jeans and pulled on a pair of the board shorts.
“You’ll want to lose those shoes and socks,” Josh suggested.
Alex kicked off his sneakers and placed them under the clothing shelf, rolling his socks into little fabric balls and placing them inside the shoes. “I feel like a lifeguard already,” he told Josh.
“Yeah, we actually have quite a lot of training,” the young man replied.
“Of course,” Alex said.
“Can you swim?”
“I can.”
“Well that’s a start. We need to put the flags on the beach. The people are only supposed to go into the water between the flags. That means we don’t have to watch the whole beach.”
“Do people stick between the flags?”
Josh shook his head. “Nope.”
“So what do we do?”
“I go out on the kayak and tell them to go back to the designated area.”
“Can I go out on the kayak?”
“You don’t get to do the cool stuff yet. Besides, I thought you didn’t want to be recognized? You should stay by the hut.”
Alex went over to his jeans and fished a pair of sunglasses out of the pocket. “I have shades,” he told Josh, “and if I put on one of those baseball caps nobody will know who I am.”
Josh shrugged. “Whatever, Dude. You still need to stay by the hut. Take one of those chairs
out and sit on the platform. Watch the area of water between the flags.”
“The flags aren’t out there yet.”
“That’s your first job.”
“OK. And if anybody goes outside the flags, I take the kayak out.”
Josh shook his head and rolled his eyes. “No, you blow this.” He handed Alex a chrome whistle. “Now you go put those flags out. Push the poles deep into the sand so they don’t fall over.” He pointed to a pair of red and yellow flags. “They mean ‘Lifeguard On Duty’ so people know we’re watching.”
“How far apart do I put them?”
“That’s up to you. I need to go to the other end of the beach and show the workmen who are setting up the stage for the festival where they can put it.”
“So I don’t put the flags out yet?”
“Yeah, put them out now.”
“But you said these flags tell swimmers there’s a lifeguard on duty.”
“Uh huh.” Josh looked as if he had just decided all actors were simple.
“But if you’re going to the other end of the beach, there won’t be a lifeguard on duty.”
“You’ll be here, won’t you?”
“But I’m not a lifeguard, I’m just playing one in a movie.”
Josh pointed out of the window at the deserted beach. “Do you see anyone out there?”
“No but...”
“It’s too early. The crowds don’t arrive until later. Just put the flags out so they’re there when I get back. Then sit out there and watch the water between the flags.”
“Sounds boring,” Alex said.
“You wanted the authentic lifeguard experience. It’s not all pretty women, pop songs and kayaks, you know. This isn’t Baywatch.”
You got that right, Alex thought, grabbing the flags and marching down to the water’s edge. There’s no Yasmine Bleeth in sight and you’re definitely not The Hoff.
He planted the first pole into the wet sand near the water and strode across the beach to place the second flag. Twenty paces should do it. It really didn’t matter since the flags didn’t actually mean anything until Josh got back.
Crazy About Curves: 10 Luscious Reads Page 71