Indulge (13 page)

“I wouldn’t turn down the extra income.”

He looks away from his computer, all his focus on me. “Are you having financial difficulties after your divorce?”

“I do okay, but teachers don’t make a ton of money. I enjoy nice things, so I usually have a second job for supplemental income. I call it my fun money since I use it to splurge on things I can’t afford.”

“What’s your second job?”

“I work in one of Meredith and Grayson’s restaurants doing whatever they need me to for the night.”

“You’re a fill-in for whoever calls in sick?”

“Yeah. I float. I started out as a hostess, but they were short-staffed on servers one night so I filled in. One time I helped cook. I’m a jack of all trades.”

“That must work out well for them since you’re dependable.”

“Except when I take ten-day vacations to go to a hedonism club.” Where I meet the most fantastic guy who’s perfect for me.

Beau’s phone rings. “This is business. I need to take it.”

I nod. “Sure.”

“Hey, man. Give me just a minute to get to the listing.”

I don’t want to intrude on Beau’s call, so I put my earbuds in and listen to my writing playlist while I try to jot down a few words for the book I’ve been working on.

Yes. I’m a creative writing teacher who dreams of publishing a novel. And no one knows. Not a single soul.

I’m listening to “Sorry” by Ross Copperman. If I could choose only one song to describe the plot of my story, that would be it.

I busy myself channeling the day’s emotions into words. Before I know it, I’m a thousand in. That’s good progress for me; I tend to write slowly.

I get up to take a bathroom break and stretch my legs. I become restless so easily. It often prevents me from making more progress in one sitting.

I finish in the bathroom and Beau waves his hand to gain my attention. I take the earbuds from my ears. “Huh?”

“Come here. I want to show you something.”

I go to the computer and sit in his lap, putting my arm around his shoulders. Oh, my. I’m shocked to see the faces of a woman and a baby staring at me. “I was FaceTiming with Caroline and Ashlyn. Caro saw you walk by and threw a hissy to meet you.”

Thank God I showered and got ready earlier or I’d be mortified.

Beau adjusts the computer so we’re centered. I hold up my hand and wave. “Hi. I’m Anna James. And I know that little cutie must be Ashlyn.”

Caroline uses Ashlyn’s arm to wave at me. “Nice to meet you. I guess Beau told you I’m his sister, Caroline.”

“He did.”

“Did he also tell you that his niece is the apple of his eye?”

“He might have mentioned something like that.”

“He couldn’t stay away the whole week without seeing his girl. She misses him, too.” Caroline bounces Ashlyn on her lap when she whines. “See Uncle Beau, Ashlyn? He’s right there.”

Ashlyn’s face fills the screen when she leans in to bite the device they’re using to FaceTime. “Sorry, girl. Can’t have that.”

“She’s beautiful,” I say. Her hair is the exact color of Beau’s, but I can’t tell if she has hazel eyes like his or not.

“Thank you. She can be a handful sometimes.”

“Yes, she can be,” Beau says.

“We’ve gotta run, Beau. Anderson is supposed to be coming by to see her in a few minutes.”

Beau tenses. “Okay. Love you. Kiss my girl for me.”

He closes his computer. “That son of a bitch, Anderson, gets their hopes up and then won’t show. Happens at least once a month. Caroline’s a mess for days when he stands them up.”

“That’s so sad.”

“Shitty and lowdown. But what do you expect from a guy who’ll take advantage of a seventeen-year-old kid when he knows better?” Beau rubs my back in a circular motion. “What have you been working on so diligently while I was making my calls?”

“Just a little project to keep me busy.”

“What kind of project?”

“I’m writing a novel.” I don’t know why I tell him but it feels right.

“Writing a book? Like a real book?”

“Yeah, not a fake one. ’Cause that would just be silly, right?”

“Smartass. I want to know everything about it.” I like that he has an interest in my passion.

“Let’s see. There’s no title because I’m too indecisive. It’s a teen/young adult romance about two neighbors, a boy and girl, who were friends their entire lives until they entered high school. The boy becomes too cool for school and begins bullying the girl. Somewhere over the course of their four years in high school, he falls in love with her. During their senior year, he has to figure out how to convince her he has changed so he can win her heart.

“I want to read it.”

“It’s not finished. Or edited.”

“So?”

“I’m not at all comfortable with that.” The thought of him reading my private words makes me panic a little.

“You weren’t at all comfortable with me fucking you in the ass either, but you got okay with it real fast.”

That mouth.

“The antagonist’s name is Michael, but I’ve decided I’m changing it to Beauregard.”

Beau scowls. “You must hate that character.”

“I love that name.”

“If you want to keep it realistic, you’d better include kids making fun of it.”

I was right. “Your name is Beauregard. I knew it.”

“I’m only saying that because I know I would have made fun of a kid called that. It’s stupid.”

What is the big deal with his name? It’s cool. “You’re so full of shit.”

“Come on, Peach. Let me read it.”

I pretend to think it over although I already know I’m going to let him. He has a way of talking me into things.

But it’s not only his ability to persuade. I feel safe with Beau. Less guarded. More open.

“Okay.”

I get my laptop and take it to him. “You have to be honest, even if you think it stinks.

“Promise.”

Beau’s an hour into my manuscript and has said nothing. Aside from the occasional grin, he’s motionless, except for his eyes moving from left to right before darting to the left again for a new line. I’m not sure he’s blinked the last fifteen minutes. “What part are you on?”

He waves his hand at me. “Shh . . . don’t bug me. Can’t you see I’m reading?”

“Smartass. Seriously, what part are you reading?”

“She’s just gone into the store where he’s working for the summer.”

“Love that chapter.” Michael becomes infatuated with her from across the store and nearly pisses himself when he figures out who she is.

“You really make teenage boys out to be dicks.”

That’s because they are. “Am I far off the mark?”

Beau laughs. “Absolutely not. I haven’t been a teenage boy in over sixteen years, but you seem to have it pretty accurate by what I remember. Incidentally, this Michael character in your book reminds me of the little bastard who got my sister pregnant.”

Ashlyn’s father must be a huge asshole. Poor kid.

I stretch out on the sofa, opposite him, and close my eyes. When I open them again, He’s closing my laptop. “Wow. I guess I fell asleep.”

“Yeah.”

I push myself up to a sitting position. “So, what did you think?”

“I thought you were smart before, but I had no idea you were that intelligent and creative. I don’t give a shit about teenagers in love, but that held my attention from the very beginning. You made me hate that little prick.”

“And I’ll make you love him before it’s over.”

“It’s brilliant, Peach. My sister reads stuff like that all the time. She took a lot of shit for being pregnant in high school. It was embarrassing for her so she spent most of her senior year in her room. Reading became her passion. Caroline would love your book.”

“Then I’ll make sure she gets an advance copy.” I giggle.

“I have an amazing idea for the book you should write next.”

This should be entertaining. “Tell me about it.”

“Beautiful, sexy, heartbroken woman goes to hede resort where she meets an older stud, and they have hot sex for nine days before going home to Georgia to make a go of a normal, vanilla relationship. Just him and her. No one else.”

I could read a lot into that but I’m afraid to.

“That, sir, sounds like a bestseller to me.”

“I’m serious, Peach.” I can tell he is by his solemn expression. “I want to give us a try.”

Shit. He may have just knocked the breath out of me with those seven words.

Jumping into a new relationship, especially one with a man of Beau’s tastes, so soon after my divorce is crazy.
But what if this is right, and I miss out because it was all wrong before?

Beau could be the one for me. Can I chance letting him slip away?

I have so many concerns but my biggest is he’ll want to bring another woman into our relationship because I’m not enough to satisfy him.
That would destroy me.

“Be very specific about what you want, so I know we’re on the same page.”

“I’m not ready for us to end. We’ve not known one another long, but I already know I want to try a monogamous relationship with you.”

I want that too but I’m terrified. “This story you think I should write. Tell me how it ends.”

“I don’t know, but I sure want to find out.”

“Me, too.”

M
aybe it’s
all in my head but I swear the sex we had last night was different. Beau’s touch was tenderer. His words, sweeter. Our connection, deeper. It was more intimate, less like fucking.

Our situation has changed. We’re going to try dating, monogamously, to see what happens. No promises. Only potential. And lots of hot sex. I’m okay with that since the leery side of my heart isn’t ready to commit to anything more.

I’m excited to find out where this relationship could go. I’d be lying if I claimed I was confident. I feel like I’ve made a truly good friend, with some spectacular benefits, but I’m terrified of being let down again. That’s why I must proceed with extreme caution. History has a strange way of repeating itself.

I don’t know what time it is, but the sun is bright on the other side of the closed drapes, as evidenced by its luminosity. I lie perfectly still with my back to Beau, only the wheels inside my head turning. I’m trying to not disturb him after the long night we had. He needs his rest so we can do it again tonight.

We met at a tropical paradise and every activity we’ve experienced together has been amazing. For me, some of them have been once-in-a-lifetime. That sets a high bar for our future. I hope our relationship doesn’t wither when we return to the ins and outs of everyday life.

The mattress dips behind me, and Beau’s hand creeps around my waist. His lips press against the back of my neck. “Good mornin’, Peach.”

I lace my fingers through his. “Good mornin’, Beauregard.”

“Been awake long?” he says between nibbles on my neck.

“How did you know I was awake?”

“You were doing a weird twitching thing with your shoulders.”

I move them a little to see if I can replicate what he’s talking about. “Probably because I was talking to myself in my head and answering back.”

“About?”

“Us.”

“What did you and yourself discuss regarding us?”

No way. He’s not privy to my private thoughts. “We were trying to decide what we should do during our last two days.”

Beau chuckles. “Good topic. What did the two of you decide?”

“When I spoke to Meredith last night, she told me she and Grayson were supposed to attend a couples’ cooking class today at a local culinary institute. They were planning to explore Jamaican cuisine so they could introduce some dishes at one of the restaurants. She said we could take their places if we wanted to.”

“You cook?” He sounds a little surprised.

Cooking was my responsibility during my marriage to Drake. And cleaning. And the laundry. And the lawn work. I pretty much managed our home without any help.

“I’m not a chef but I do pretty well.” My real goal is hoping I might be able to learn something basic to share with Meredith and Grayson for the restaurants.”

“Sure. Sounds fun. What time?” Beau couldn’t be more different from Drake. So accommodating. Pleasant. How did I get so lucky?

“Ten o’clock but it’s a six-hour class. Your first entrée serves as your lunch so we’re covered there. It’ll be a long day, but we’ll have plenty of time to do something tonight.”

“I saw a poster at the reggae club promoting movie night at the beach.”

“That sounds cool. What movie’s playing?”

“Don’t remember. Seems like it was one from the eighties. Maybe something with Richard Gere in it.”

“Anything Richard Gere will be just fine, but I think the experience will be better than the movie itself.”

“The flyer said they’d be selling cocktails and beer so if it sucks, we can get a buzz.”

“I almost wish you hadn’t given that pot to Grayson. It would be fun to do that after smoking a little.”

“We’re in Jamaica. There’s plenty more weed around here.”

I recall what happened last time we went to bed high. I do not need a repeat of that. “Nah, we should probably leave it alone.”

Beau twists around to look at the clock. “Eight thirty. Gotta get up so we can get out of here at a decent time.”

He kisses the back of my neck, just a peck. “I’m glad we’re doing this. It’ll be fun.”

C
ooking class is not fun
; it’s hard work. Meredith and Grayson would probably rock this, but Beau and I . . . not so much.

We’re learning to make gizzadas, a Jamaican pastry filled with butter, fresh sweetened coconut, ginger, and nutmeg. Mmm. Sounds absolutely delicious. But I don’t have a lot of faith in what’s before me. It’s more like one of those #nailedit moments when you see something cool on Pinterest but your version is a royal screw-up.

I evaluate my tough ball of dough lying on the cold, marble countertop. “This can’t be right.”

“How do you know? Just looks like dough to me.”

I pick it up and drop it on the marble. Sounds like a brickbat. “It’s going to be too tough. Pastry crust is supposed to be light and flaky. This is going to cook up as hard as a rock.”

I lift my hand to gain the attention of Athena, our instructor. She’s all smiles when she notices me. Thank God she isn’t easily annoyed. “I’ve messed up, again.”

“Just a moment, dear.”

“We are the worst culinary students in the history of this establishment. We’re going to get expelled, Peach.”

“I know. She’s probably thinking we are the dumbest American cooks she’s ever encountered.” I’m typically successful at most things I try, so this is sort of a kick in the ass.

Six hours later, I can admit that attending this class was mostly a mistake with two exceptions: I learned how to make a decent jerk chicken and to properly cook plantains. “I’m sorry I had us waste half a day doing this.”

“I’m glad we did it. It’s better I learn now to never ask you to cook for me.”

I punch Beau’s arm. “Jackhole! I can cook plenty of things. I’m quite a good one, as a matter of fact.”

“You could have fooled me back there.”
Not
my finest moment for sure.

“I’ve never been great at pastries or ethnic food but I’m great at anything southern. My mom and grandmother taught me.”

“Good. Because I enjoy eating. I’d love for you to invite me over for dinner sometime. Or come to my place; I have a great kitchen. It deserves a good cook to give it a spin every now and then and that wouldn’t be me.”

“I look forward to it.” I need to redeem myself after this disaster.

We return to the suite and change into casual wear for our movie night at the beach. We opt for a taxi for this excursion so we can have as many drinks as we want.

Good thing we arrive early because we grab the last two loungers. “I’ll go for drinks. Whatcha want?”

I’d like to have more apricot cider, but I don’t guess I’ll get that here. “Rum punch.”

Beau returns a moment later and parks himself in the empty lounger beside me. He holds out his beer. “Let’s make a toast. Here’s to life’s little wonders.” He wags his brows at me. “And small hours.”

I have to add something heartfelt. “And twists and turns of fate we don’t see coming . . . because if we did, we’d probably run and hide. And look at all we’d have missed.”

We tap drinks. “That’s the damn truth, Peach. And it would have been a shame to have missed you.”

I don’t know what to say to that. “Find out what’s playing?”

“The guy at the drink stand says
An Officer and a Gentleman
.”

“Ah, classic romance. Love it.”

“You love it because of Richard Gere.”

This movie may be more than thirty years old but Zack Mayo is still one of the hottest movie heroes to date. “Zack can put a little of his mayo on my sandwich anytime.”

“Did you mean that the way it sounded?”

“Sure did.”

Beau laughs. “You talk about the filth that rolls off my tongue but you have your own little case of dirty mouth.”

“And you love it.”

He nods. “Yes, I do.”

“When we get back to the suite, I’m going to show you how filthy my mouth can be.”

He sits up on the side of his lounger. “We can go now.”

I shake my head. “Nope. Need my dose of Zack Mayo first.”

Beau crawls onto my lounger behind me and snuggles. It’s sweet. Intimate. Feels like we’ve known each other for years rather than under a week.

The days we’ve spent together have been so pleasant. I feel like I am finding myself again, becoming the Anna James Bennett I want to be, and I’m thankful. I don’t like to consider what this getaway would have been like had I not met him.

Beau was so sweet about the cooking class being a bust. Drake would still be bitching at me next week about my dumb decision to go.

Every minute I’ve spent with Beau has brought me closer to reality. Drake’s affair wasn’t an injustice. Instead, he did me a favor by ruining our marriage. Our divorce opened a new door for me. One where Beau is standing on the other side.

B
eau stops
at the suite’s door before inserting the keycard and kisses me. No, that word’s too simple to describe it. His mouth makes love to mine. When he releases me, I’m dizzy.

Our kiss was arousing so neither of us pretend to do anything other than make a beeline for the bedroom.

I push him so he’s walking backward to the bed. He stops when the back of his legs hit the mattress. He’s wearing linen, elastic-waist shorts, so they’re easily shoved down. He multitasks, kicking out of his sandals, and pulling his T-shirt over his head as his shorts drop to his feet.

I step back and slowly pull my dress up and over my head, followed by my bandeau. Next, I wiggle out of my panties, like a new butterfly emerging from its cocoon. “You are so fucking sexy.”

I place my hands on his chest and shove hard so he falls backward. He scoots to the middle of the bed, and I climb up to kneel between his legs. “I’m about to make you happier than a rooster in a hen house.”

I put my palms on his thighs and glide them upward until my fingertips brush his balls. I tease him for a moment, lightly sweeping my fingers back and forth. He clasps his hands behind his head and strains to watch what I’m doing.

I move my hand up and grasp the base of his cock before circling my tongue around the head. The stiff tip flicks several times when I lick that sensitive area just below the crown. I alternate licking his length and circling my tongue around the head’s edge before taking him fully into my mouth. “That feels so fucking good.”

He puts his hands in my hair, pulling all of it into a high ponytail. “I love watching my dick slide in and out of your mouth. I could almost come just by the sight of it alone.”

I take him out of my mouth and tilt my head so I can lick his balls. I drag my tongue up, beginning at the base, and I follow the seam connecting the two. I suck the loose skin into my mouth and lightly suck. I’ve always heard it brings blood and pleasure receptors to the surface. “Fuck!” he groans.

Seems it could be true. “You like that, huh?”

“Yeah. I’m all kinds of loving that. You can suck me anytime you want.”

“Not done yet.”

I suck his cock back into my mouth and massage his balls for a moment before slipping my finger against the skin beneath his sac. I press while rotating in a circular motion. Slow, and then fast. Soft, and then hard. I adjust according to how loudly he moans.

“Can’t fucking believe . . . about to come.” I brace for it, ready to swallow quickly. And I do.

“Holy shit, Peach. That was . . . I can’t even think of a fitting word to describe it.”

“Good?”

“I’m pretty sure that calling that good would be an insult of the worst kind. Astonishing is a better description, but even that doesn’t do it justice.”

“I wanted to make you feel good.”

“Again, good doesn’t come close to covering it. You give remarkable head. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

I’m surprised to hear him say that after his vast experience.

“You completely emptied my tank, baby. I’m bone dry. I’m gonna need a minute.” I love hearing his praise.

“We have all night.”

I move up the bed to lie next to Beau while we wait for the next round. He reaches for my hand and brings it to his mouth for a kiss. It’s endearing. “I want to introduce you to my family when we get back to Georgia.”

Wow. Meeting his family is sort of like . . . a declaration of intent. You don’t take temporary people in your life to meet permanent ones.

I’ve already met Caroline and Ashlyn via FaceTime, and liked them very much, so I’m okay with this. In fact, it feels right. The Emersons sound so wonderful, and if Beau is an example of the people they produce, I’m in.

I’m instantly curious if they’ll think I’m his girlfriend or a new partner. “Does your family know you practice hedonism or polyamory?”

“My brothers know. All three bug the shit out of me about coming to Indulge. I’ve been meaning to get them down here for a couple of years but Erin always vetoed that. She didn’t want them ruining our good time.”

“So they met Erin and Jenna. And Heath?”

“Erin and I were engaged so the whole family knew her. My parents and Caroline know nothing about my lifestyle choices so Jenna played the part of Erin’s best friend who always tagged along. I never told my brothers about Heath. You can’t imagine the hell I would have caught from them about another dude in my bed.”

“But they thought having two women was okay?”

“They envied me, but they wouldn’t have gone for Erin, Heath, and me.”

Erin is stupid but that works in my favor. “What she did to you sucks, but if she hadn’t, we wouldn’t be hanging out now.”

“And we wouldn’t be doing this.” Beau puts his hand on my hip and pushes. “Get on your stomach.”

I roll so I’m face down. Beau gets up and his body stretches over mine, pressing my front into the mattress. He kisses my neck while caressing my body. Goosebumps erupt on the top of my head and spread downward. My back arches, and his hand rubs my ass.

His mouth covers my ear and he pats my left cheek. “Lift up.”

He shoves two large pillows beneath my stomach and pushes me down with a firm palm between my shoulder blades. Ass up. Face down.

Beau starts at my shoulders, raining kisses down my back until he reaches my bottom. “Hope you’re comfortable because I’m about to fuck you like this.”