Vacation (10 page)

"Only when I eat? You've seen nothing
yet." I gave a cheeky grin and turned. "I'm going to the restroom.
I'll meet you at the front."

My cockiness was only enhanced thanks to
the liquor. I needed a warning label on my forehead to warn everyone not to
give me more than two drinks.

It was harmful to everyone involved. Most
of all...me.

Chapter
10

Easton

I couldn't have forced myself not to stare
at her as she walked to the restroom. Her beautiful legs caught my attention
first, but her ass was second on my ever-expanding list. Walking with a hard-on
was going to suck, and yet I was sure it would only be the first of many if I
hung out with Vivian much more. She had a wickedly sensual way with her
descriptions, and the fact that she was innocent in using the terms she did
only made it more enticing.

I was in trouble where she was concerned.
As long as we didn't end up in a bedroom together later that night, I would be
okay. She was bubbling with passion, and where I wanted a taste of it, I
realized that I'd not be quick to let her go. She didn't need that, nor did I.

"All done. Thank you again." She
slid her hand into mine, which shocked me a little.

With the building crowd around us, I was
grateful that she had. She must have realized the need to stay together. It had
to be the need for a sense of security more than attraction. I couldn't tell if
she was into me at all, which was unnerving, and yet a good place to be.

"There's a great ice cream shop down
here. Did you save room?" I asked her as I pulled her closer to my side.
The hordes of people in the streets were kind enough to let us pass through,
but it was impossible to do so without brushing by twenty people on the way.

"Room for ice cream?" She smiled
up at me. "Who doesn't save room for dessert?"

"I like you more already." I
squeezed her hand and turned down an alley to our right, the place a little
scary, but with all the crowds behind us, it would be fine.

"Do you always take your dates down
dark alleys? I guess your mother didn't teach you anything, hm?" She
snuggled in closer, and I couldn't help but groan internally as her breast
pressed against the back of my arm. It was horrible of me, but I wanted so
badly to know the color of her nipples, if she enjoyed having them adored and
worshiped, if she made sounds when being pleasured.

"Date? Is this a date?" I
chuckled as she gave me a look my mother would be proud of. This was a girl I
could take home and have my family go ga-ga over. They all would, especially my
youngest brother. His obsession with redheaded woman was almost too much. A
sense of propriety rose up in me, and I forced it back, not yet ready to allow
any strong feelings to guide my actions where Vivian was concerned. I had just
met her, and we were simply on a fun date. Nothing more.

A dark shadow moved in front of us,
pulling from the wall. I pulled Vivian roughly behind me, not thinking twice
about protecting her from anything that came at us.

"You got any spare change, man?"
A raspy voice resounding from under the dirt-stained hoodie the man in front of
us wore.

"I don't. I'm sorry, man." I
took a step back and held onto Vivian's hand, though it put me at a bit of a
disadvantage not to have both of my hands in front of me.

"That sucks. You rich fuckers and
your credit cards nowadays." He took a step toward us and pulled off his
hoodie to reveal a weathered face with a long jagged scar across his cheek.

Vivian gasped behind me and pressed
herself to my back.

I turned my head to the side, but never
let my eyes off the guy. "Turn back and run. I'll meet you in the
hotel."

"Fuck that. I'm not going anywhere
without you." She released my hands and started to move around me as I
blocked her.

"Stop it. Get back," I barked at
her as the guy pulled a knife and lunged for me. My father had been a cop all
of my life, and one thing he made sure to do was to teach my two brothers and
me how to defend ourselves.

I spun out of the guy’s trajectory and
grabbed his wrist, twisting hard until he dropped the weapon. Pushing him
against the wall, I put my knee in the back of his leg and gritted my teeth.

"Not happening, dude. I don't have
cash because I don't carry it. I should put your ass on the ground for
attacking me and my girl." I worked to not breathe in the horrid odor of
his soiled clothes.

"I'm getting a cop." Vivian
turned and jogged back down the dark alley, her white dress and shimmery hair
almost making her look like an angel fleeing the scene.

"I'm sorry, man. You don't know what
it's like. You have your fancy clothes and your beautiful wife and...
and
..." The guy didn't get to finish as Vivian turned
the corner with a cop next to her.

I released the man and moved back as the
cop went into action, handcuffing the guy’s wrists behind his back.

He glanced over at me as he pulled the
creep from the wall. "No more dark alleys. They aren't safe here. Got
it?"

"Of course. Thanks for your
help." I wrapped my arm around Vivian's shoulders and glanced down at her.
"I'm sorry. That was stupid."

"It's okay. I'm just glad you weren't
hurt. That was fucking scary." She ran her fingers down her face.
"I'm thinking ice cream another time. I need my bed and a good love story
on TV."

I forced a laugh and moved us out of the
alley back into the fray. I wanted to make a joke about joining her, but from
what I could tell, it wasn't the time. She was shaken, and I should have been.
The adrenaline pumping through me wouldn't let me feel anything but a deep need
to protect the beautiful girl tucked against my side.

We walked into the hotel and I released
her, enjoying the slight look of disappointment on her regal features.

"Thanks for going with me. That was
the best meal I've had in weeks, and the best company I've entertained in
years." I rolled my shoulders, feigning meathead masculinity. "
Kinda
nice to show off my self-defense skills too."

She popped me in the chest playfully and
moved in front of me before lifting to her toes and kissing my cheek.
"Let's not test those skills again. I didn't like that part very
much."

"I know. I was teasing." I
touched the side of her face as my blood lit on fire. "I want to kiss you,
but you know that, don't you."

She pulled out of my hold and smiled.
"Yeah, but it's best if you didn't. A week wouldn't be enough."

"I agree with that." I let my
eyes drag down her. "No way I can talk you into coming up for a quick tour
of the penthouse?"

"Not for a million bucks. Neither of
us would survive a tour. Besides, I've had far too much excitement for one
night."

"Then tomorrow. You have my number
now. Text me and let's see if our schedules align?" I was pushing, but damn
if I couldn't help myself. Every part of me wanted to spend the night in her
arms, and her refusal didn't seem to dim that desire, but only make it worse.

"Sounds good. Thanks again, Easton.
Good night." She turned and walked toward the elevator.

I stood in stony silence and watched her
until she disappeared into the sea of bodies. The need to catch up with her,
kick everyone off the elevator, and hit the stop button was almost
overwhelming. It would feel so damn good to press her against the wall and run
my hands over her curves while tasting the skin of her neck, the tops of her
breasts.

Growling low in my chest, I turned and
moved toward the stairs efficiently. My body was in need of a long release. It
was far overdo, and Viv had sparked something inside of me that wasn't going to
lie down and obey with just a long night of sleep.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I let the
elevator scene play farther in my head. I would tug her dress up and make love
to her mouth as I rocked my hips forward, grinding my cock against her tight
stomach as she cried out for me.

The soft skin of her upper thighs and the
bottom curve of her rear would be delicious as I turned her around and moved to
my knees, tugging her dress up and pressing my tongue against her.

By the time I made it to my room, my heart
was racing, my body screaming for me to call her and demand that she come up to
my room. It wouldn't go over well, but if she beckoned to me, responded by
showing up, there's nothing I wouldn't do to bring her pleasure over and over
again.

I typed in the room code wrong three times
before finally getting the fucking door open.

The responsible part of me tried hard to
chastise myself for talking with Vivian about my company, about connecting any
part of our futures together, but I wasn't having it.

"Even if she is bat-shit crazy and
hiding it well, I want more of her." I shut the door and worked to get my
shirt off as I headed for the shower. Damn if I wasn't panting as I stripped
myself and climbed into the shower. Reaching for the soap, I lathered up my
hands and pressed my back to the cold tile as a yelp lifted from me.

How I'd gone from not wanting anything to
do with her, to pulling her into the center of my darkest fantasies was beyond
me, but I was too far lost to need to think on it.

I tightened my hand around the tip of my
cock and jerked my hips forward, imagining how tight she would be. I wanted a bit
of tension, a fight to take ownership of her, and something told me that she
would put up the exact experience I was looking for.

Groans filled the shower as I worked
myself to the edge and stopped. Turning, I slid one hand up the shower and
closed my eyes, fondling my sack and tugging softly as I imagined her on her
knees, her dark blue eyes showing me how hungry she was for more of me.

I pressed forward, crying out at the
tension my grasp created. It was nothing compared to the vivid colors of the vision
playing behind my closed eyelids. "Take it, Viv. All of it, baby. Show me
how much you want it."

I could almost feel her hands sliding up
my thighs as I watched her take my cock into her pretty mouth, tilting her head
and forcing more of me inside of her. Sharp nails dug into my lower stomach and
I rocked myself in and out of her mouth until I was breathless and dizzy with
desire.

She pulled back, her lips puffy and
swollen as she licked at them sensually. "I need you to fuck me."

"Yeah you do." I grabbed her
hair carefully and tugged her up, loving the way her big breasts bounced for
me. "Turn and press yourself against the shower. Hope you like it
deep."

"I like it any way you're giving
it." She stood and slid her hands up the shower wall, arching her back as
I reached out and grabbed onto her hips and pressed myself against her.

"I'm
gonna
cum," I groaned and pressed myself into her, my hand tightening on my cock
as I worked to bring myself to orgasm.

I shuddered as I lowered to my knees and
lost myself in the fantasy, bleeding out the passion that I'd tucked away for
companionship.

Something told me I'd found it, but the
thought alone scared the hell out of me.

Chapter
11

Vivian

"Wake up, sleepy head." Casey's
voice pulled me from a dream about my parents getting a divorce. I stifled the
need to cry and pressed my face into my pillow. I slept like shit the night
before.

"Go away," I mumbled, not
communicating in a way that she could hear me at all.

"Get up! It's almost ten and not only
am I starving, but I want to hit the strip today! Let's not mention the fact
that you own me all the
deets
on your date with
Easton last night." She jumped onto the bed next to me as I rolled onto my
side and smiled.

"It wasn't really a date, though he
treated me like a princess." Warmth burned my cheeks, and I forced my eyes
open.

"He is interested. I can see it all
over your face. I told you that he was into you." She poked at me, and I
swatted her away.

"I think he's just a horny guy
looking for a good lay." I rolled onto my back and giggled as she poked at
me some more.

"A good lay? Are you a good lay? You
know that Jackson is going to be missing out now that you're finally moving
on." She turned to lie on her back and pulled the covers up around both of
us. "Did you guys sleep together?"

"What? No." I turned to pin her
with a stare. "I wouldn't sleep with someone on the first date."

"Ugh. Such a prude." She teased
me. "Did you at least let him kiss you?"

"Nope. I kissed him on the cheek, but
he wanted to kiss me." I smiled so hard I thought my cheeks might crack.
There was no hiding from Casey or myself just how much I was starting to like
the handsome businessman.

"How do you know?" She turned on
her side, facing me and snuggled up next to me like she'd been doing our whole
lives. "Did he tell you?"

"Yeah. He said, 'you know I really
want to kiss you', and I said no." I turned on my side to face her.
"Besides, he's just a traveling, career-focused
kinda
guy. He's not looking for anything more than a few kicks, and honestly, I'm not
looking for anything right now."

"Whatever. Are we seeing him again
tonight?" She brushed my hair from my face. "I think we should."

"I don't know. I'm not sure that's a
good idea. I had four drinks last night, and it took everything inside of me
not to take his invitation to join him in the penthouse." I lifted my
eyebrows and spoke with snooty authority.

"He invited you to the
penthouse?" She sat up and slapped the bed dramatically. "What in the
world? So fucking unfair."

"I'll ask him if you can take my
place tonight." I pushed at her. "Get off my covers and I'll get up.
We can grab a breakfast sandwich at the coffee shop downstairs and get to
shopping."

"Yes on all counts. Sex, food, and
shopping. Get to it. Hook me up with the billionaire playboy, or try to. I
think he's far too into you for any hope for me." She moved off the bed
and worked to tame her crazy blonde locks.

"Those do sound like a great
combination." I got up and tugged my tank top over my head before walking
to the dresser beside my bed and pulled out a couple of tank tops, a bikini top
and some shorts. "We were almost mugged in one of the back alleys too. That
was interesting in the wrong sort of way."

"What?" Casey's voice turned to
steel. "What do you mean you were almost mugged?"

I turned as I worked the bikini top over
my breasts. "Some guy asked for our cash and when we didn't have it, he
pulled a knife. Easton took care of it quickly. It was scary as hell, but
pretty impressive to watch
him
put down the threat so
fast. He said his father had been a cop his whole life."

"That's fucking scary, Viv. Now that
you're okay, it's hot, but no
more dark
alleys. Okay?"
She moved toward me and put her hands on her hips, demanding my compliance.

"Yeah, I agree." I turned and
tugged my two tank tops over my head. "He works for a critique company. He
mentioned something about them looking for more food critics. It would be
pretty cool to get an interview, if nothing else, from this crazy
encounter."

"Then sleeping with him is out. You
know that, right?" She moved up beside me as she tugged at the strings at
the top of her bathing suit top. "Can you tie this for me?"

"Yeah, turn around." I worked on
it as I thought through her words. She was right, of course. If things started
to progress between me and Easton, then working for the company would be off
the table, not that I had a prospect of doing so yet. Relationships never
lasted. The last thing in the world that I'd be comfortable with would be
working alongside him and hating each other.

"You're awfully quiet." Casey
moved away from me and worked to get her sandals on. "What are you
thinking about?"

"Lots of things. He's the perfect guy
from what I can see, but so was Jackson. It's just crazy how you can be with
someone every day and yet not really know them at all." I pulled my
bathing suit bottoms over my hips followed by my short shorts. "Does this
look too slutty?"

"Not at all. You look like a dancer
with those long-ass legs. Almost too hot." Casey sat down on the edge of
the bed. "You know that not everyone is like Jackson, right? Not all men
cheat."

"I want to assume that, but having
just gone through this shit, it's hard to think about trusting anyone." I
ran my fingers through my long crimson hair before pulling it into a playfully
high ponytail. "I'm just going to stay by myself for a while and see what
happens. I don't need to get connected to this guy, Case. He told me that he
travels fifty weeks of the year."

"So travel with him." She
shrugged as I rolled my eyes at her. "What? It could work."

"It's not that easy, and besides,
it's just a spring break fling type thing."

"What if it turns into more?"
She got up and picked up her wallet. "It's a possibility, and you know
it."

"It's not going to. Honestly. There's
nothing to be worried about. I'm not." I pulled my purse strap over my
head and fixed it to lay across my chest. I was lying as best I could about
being interested in Easton. Just the nice dinner the night before had me
itching to see him again. Saying no to his kiss and the so-called tour of his
penthouse had been the hardest thing I'd done in a while. Denying myself
anything after all of the shit I'd been through seemed like a travesty, but it
was to protect the future. My ego wasn't going to handle much more in the way
of men shitting on me, so I would avoid them as best I could.

"You ready?" Casey opened the
door and smiled. "I have money to burn and bacon to eat."

I laughed and walked out into the hall,
tucking away the hope that Easton would call. Casey and I needed a vacation,
and this one had all the promise to be great.

We made our way down to the small cafe on
the ground floor of the restaurant and got in line behind the other hundred
people that had our same idea.

"Smells good." I glanced down to
Casey as she picked up a menu.

"Yeah it does. I want us to check
into that Thursday night event at Black's Beach that everyone keeps talking
about. We can take the rental car if you want. Might be better if we did."
She turned her attention back to me.

"Yeah, I'm down with us checking it
out. Not sure what the hype is all about, but if it's a bunch of naked people
dancing on the beach, I'm out."

"What if it's hot naked guy's
night?" She wagged her eyebrows as the elderly gentleman in front of us
turned and awarded us a scathing look.

"Don't mind her. Her elevator doesn't
go all the way to the top." I touched my head and smiled at the guy as he
grunted and turned back around. "No on the naked man conga line."

She laughed and snorted as we moved up in
line. "Alright, but I still want to check it out. You should see if Easton
is free to go with us. Ohh...you should see if he has a friend, or maybe a twin
brother?"

"Two brothers from what I gather, and
both of them are younger than him." I shrugged. "There might be some
promise there if you're interested."

"I'll need to see pictures of course,
but I would sign up mighty fast if they look anything like your boy." She
waved at the older guy in front of us as he turned and gave her another look.
"Hi gramps."

"Casey." I nodded toward the
cashier. "You're up next, mister."

"Thank God," he barked and moved
up to order.

Casey shook her head and handed me the
menu. "People nowadays. You can hide your attraction to the idea of a hot
sweaty body, but we all have it. Period."

"Yep. I'm getting the double bacon
stacker. What are you getting?"

"The triple dong sub." Casey
crossed her arms over her chest as I let go of a sharp laugh.

"Stop it. What's the matter with
you?" I moved up to the counter as the guy in front of us walked off.

"He just reminds me of my dad with
all of his damn rules, and that horrible look of disdain that I'm not good
enough. That I don't measure up." She shrugged and turned her attention to
the cashier. "I'll have the special, but I need ketchup on the side."

"No problem." The girl turned
her attention to me. "You, miss?"

"I'll have the same and a double
bacon stacker. Add a glass of orange juice for both of us too, please." I
pulled out my wallet and extended my card to her.

Her eyes remained on me as if trying to
work through how I was going to fit all that food in my stomach. She glanced
down and finished ringing us up without another word.

I took our drinks and sat down in the
booth Casey had for us. "People will always judge each other, Casey. It's
just part of life. You do it, I do it. Everyone does it."

"Yeah, well I hate it. If I want to
be a social worker and spend my life giving back to society, but making little
to nothing doing it, then it's my damn prerogative." She grabbed her orange
juice, spilling a little on the table between us.

"What happened? I assume something
went down last night while I was out?" I picked up a napkin and cleaned up
the mess.

She let out a long sigh and pressed her
hands to her face. "I need a Masters to do what I want to do, and my
parents aren't willing to help me pay for it. It's just upsetting. When I have
kids, I'm going to support their dreams and aspirations. I'm not going to shit
all over them."

"We'll figure out a way to pay for
it. We can room together in that little studio apartment off campus that we've
talked about a million times. I'll help pay for your tuition, and you can get a
part-time job at that little coffee shop you love so much. Besides, you've been
drooling after that blonde-haired cashier for two years. What better way to
meet him?" I offered her a friendly smile and reached across the table to
squeeze her hand.

"We can't live in that studio, or
neither of us will meet anyone. Asking the other to leave for the night so we
can sleep with someone is ridiculous." She lifted her eyebrow at me.

"We've been doing just that for the
last four years. We'll figure it out. If you want this future, then we make it
happen. Life's too short to do what's expected of you. No one is going to have
to live your life day to day but you. So choose what you love and we'll figure
out the rest. Got it?" I squeezed her hand once more before sitting back
and taking the plate the server offered me.

"That should be the same for you
then, Viv. If you want to be a food critic, then don't settle for anything
less." She picked up her napkin. "When is the last time you submitted
one of your articles to the newspaper for review?"

She was right, but she always was.

"It's been a while. When we get back,
you apply for your Master’s program, and I'll submit the articles from this
trip to them. Deal?" I offered her my hand to shake.

"Deal, and if that
hottie
takes you out again this week, you're at least
getting a kiss from him so I can hear about it. Double deal?"

"Double deal, and if we go to this
thing on Thursday–”

"I'm getting laid," she butted
in and gave me a toothy grin.

"No. We're leaving if it gets too
stupid. Promise me."

"I promise, but one of us has to have
some wild-ass stories from this week. It's you or me." She took a big bite
of her sandwich and nodded. "This is divine."

"We already have stories, and good.
Hush so I can enjoy it without you badgering me." I smiled and let my eyes
move across the three plates that belonged to me. If I was going to force Casey
to live her dreams, then it was only fair that I started living mine.

Maybe bumping into Easton wasn't by chance
at all. He could help with my career if we became good friends. I resigned
myself to texting him after shopping if he hadn't contacted me.

If we kept things on a friend level then I
would be good. Besides, not all men were cheating asses, but I'd lay the wager
that most were. As good-looking as Easton was, he was teetering toward the dark
side, and that was a bet I wasn't willing to take.