God. This is how it starts. Luke was becoming like a drug and I needed a fix badly.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I got a crush on my lab partner in Biology class. He would come to my house after school every day so we could make out in my bedroom for exactly two and a half hours before my parents got home. We needed that daily fix more than we needed a good grade. Ryan loved to imitate my dad’s voice to make us think my parents had come home early.
I pushed aside this memory of my brother as Luke approached me near the ship’s wheel. “What do you need me to do?” I asked, eager for a distraction from my bleak thoughts.
“I need you to come with me below deck.”
“With him here?”
“Not for that.”
I followed him into the cabin where we’d had the most amazing sex I’d ever had with anyone just three days ago. He moved past the bed toward a small galley kitchen and the voice of the addict in my head told me we could probably sneak in a quickie without Captain Craig catching on.
“Why don’t you own a yacht? This boat seems a bit small for you,” I asked, as he stopped in the kitchen and began searching through the drawers and cupboards.
“I don’t want a yacht. This boat was the first thing I bought when I had enough money; even before I bought a car.” He looked up at me from where he was crouched in front of a cabinet. “I lived on this boat for more than a year when I was twenty-one. I love this boat. When I love something, I hold onto it.”
He finally found what he was searching for and I was glad for the diversion from the awkward silence that followed his last statement.
“Do you plan to go fishing?”
He held up the box of fishing tackle and grinned. “We’re going fishing. Come on.”
From fucking to fishing. This was not my idea of the perfect date with the perfect billionaire.
He led me a bit further down the dock to a small speedboat. He climbed in first then reached over, grabbed me around my waist, and lifted me into the boat. Our eyes met as he set me down and I couldn’t take it anymore. I clutched the back of his neck and pulled his face toward me. His lips burned against mine as his arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me off the floor.
A strange clicking sound interrupted us and he quickly set me down. “Get in the passenger seat,” he ordered me, as I noticed the gaggle of paparazzi waddling down the dock in our direction.
I climbed into the passenger seat and he pulled the boat out of the slip and sped out of the harbor toward the darkening sky.
“We’re like the Dukes of Hazzard of the sea!” I shouted over the roar of the boat’s engine.
“Your pants aren’t short enough, Daisy!”
The wind whipped my hair into a tangled mess as the boat sliced through the water. When the marina was far enough that we could no longer see the dock, he stopped and immediately began loading our fishing poles with bait. I had only gone fishing with my father and brother once. I hated the smell. As I watched him setting up the fishing gear, I wished I had gone more often.
“You weren’t kidding when you said we were going fishing. I was hoping it was some kind of metaphor.”
He laid the fishing poles against the side of the boat and spun the passenger seat around so I was facing him. “It’s not a metaphor. It’s a bogus excuse to get you alone.”
He knelt down and reached for the button on my jeans, but I pushed his hands away.
“What are you doing? People will see us.”
“There’s nobody out here.”
I pointed into the distance at a giant cargo ship, but he just rolled his eyes and went back to undressing me. He unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans before he yanked them off. I felt so exposed with my bare ass against the leather seat.
He stared at my crotch for a moment before he spoke. “Can you do me a favor? Can you let your hair grow out?”
“You want me to grow it out?”
His eyes pleaded his case for him and I couldn’t resist.
“Fine. But if I don’t like it I’m getting rid of it.”
“That’s fine. Stand up.”
He watched me eagerly as I stood. He lifted the bottom of my shirt and my skin prickled as he planted a soft kiss just underneath my naval. His hands gripped my cheeks firmly as he laid a trail of kisses over my belly and hips. His hand slid down the back of my thigh to the back of my knee and he lifted my leg onto his shoulder. My body shivered as he kissed the inside of my thigh.
“Oh, Luke.”
I gripped the back of the seat to steady myself as his lips moved up my thigh. He kissed me gently, paying attention to the entire area, before his tongue traced a light circle around my clit.
Savor it, slowly, tasting every drop.
Luke was a connoisseur and expert of many things, but when it came to this, he was a master.
“Oh, that’s so good,” I breathed, moaning as he slid two fingers inside me and coaxed me further into this new addiction.
He feasted on me, patiently and tenderly, doting on every inch of me. His tongue stroked and flicked at just the right pace. I wanted this moment to last forever, but it didn’t take long before a strong surge of pleasure bellowed inside me and I cried out with ecstasy. He gripped me tighter to steady me as I exploded and collapsed in his arms. I was a weak, quivering mess as he lowered me gently onto the seat and suddenly I realized I wasn’t just panting; I was crying.
“Hey, are you all right?”
He brushed my hair away from my eyes and the look of concern on his face made the tears come even faster.
“I’m sorry. This has never happened to me before,” I said, as I hastily wiped the tears from my cheeks.
He stood and grabbed my hand. “Come here.”
I heaved a deep sigh before I stood and he pulled me into his arms. He kissed the top of my head as I sobbed into his chest. There was no way I could betray him. I was falling in love with him.
3
Luke walked me out to the marina parking lot and handed me the keys to his car so I could drive myself home to get ready for the party.
“And no ball gowns,” he said, his hands cradling my face. “It’s just going to be us and a bunch of programmers and they all work from home. I’ll be lucky if they change out of their pajamas for this thing.”
He kissed me deeply as I clutched the front of his shirt. I was done for. He let go and walked away quickly, as if he were also trying to escape this potent energy drawing us to each other. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled just before he reached the docks. I sighed as I climbed into the driver’s seat.
I had never driven a sports car, but I knew from watching enough television and movies that I needed to go easy on the gas pedal or I’d turn the car and myself into junkyard decor. I slipped the key into the ignition and pressed the start button. The engine roared to life and a chill lifted the hairs on my arms. I pressed down on the brake pedal, shifted into reverse, and slowly eased my foot off the brake.
The car didn’t move. I would have to put my foot on the gas to coax it out of the parking spot. My heart pounded as a dozen horrible, bloody scenarios flashed in my mind. I placed my foot lightly on the gas pedal and as soon as I barely pressed down the car jumped to life and screeched out of the parking space. I hit the brake and my body was thrown back against the seat.
“Shit!”
After a few more false starts that turned me into a nervous wreck, I finally managed to pull out of the marina parking lot. I drove a steady thirty-five miles per hour the entire way to my apartment, which felt like ten miles per hour in this beast. I could feel the car purring around me, urging me to push it harder, faster, but I kept my wits about me and somehow managed to make it to my apartment in one piece.
I parked the car in the alley behind our apartments, too afraid to leave it on the street. I showered quickly and changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a tank top. When I made it back to the alley, a crowd of teenage boys had gathered around the Bugatti. They watche
d me in awe as I approached the car.
“Is this your car?” one wide-eyed boy asked.
“Yep,” I replied, as I deactivated the alarm and slid into the driver’s seat. “See you later, boys.”
I arrived at Luke’s boat just as the catering company was leaving. I climbed the gangway and Luke rushed over to help me into the boat.
“Fuck. You look hot,” he said, as his gaze wandered over my breasts and down the curve of my hips.
He had also changed into jeans and a plain white T-shirt that was stretched taut across his strong shoulders.
“You’re looking pretty steamy, yourself. Very country boy meets city boy. Want to hit the hay, partner?”
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and my hip twitched at the tickling sensation.
Luke glanced at my pocket then back at me. “You can answer that.”
“I know. I just don’t want to,” I said, as I grabbed the belt loop on his jeans and pulled him toward me.
It was probably a call from my colleague, nemesis, and admirer at NeoSys, Milo Yates. He was probably calling to remind me, for the millionth time, of the importance of this assignment, and how the future of NeoSys and my family’s security hung in the balance.
“What do you want to do?” Luke whispered in my ear.
He kissed my neck and my knees weakened as his cock hardened against my belly.
“I want to repay you for what you did for me today.”
I grabbed his hand and led him toward the boat’s bow. I couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the ocean, sparkling under the warmth of the late afternoon sun. The sky would darken soon and all of this would soon twinkle with moonlight. Even with the storm clouds closing in on us, this place was magical.
“Where are the paparazzi?” I asked, as we reached the forward pulpit and I resisted the urge to climb onto the railing and shout, “I’m the King of the World!”
“The thugs with cameras?” Luke replied. “They went home. I had a little talk with the security guard at the marina entrance and he’s going to make sure they don’t bother us again.”
I pushed him back against the railing and reached for the button of his jeans. “Do you think we’ll be on the cover of the tabloids tomorrow?”
He smiled as I unzipped his pants and slid down to my knees. “Probably. But nothing they can print will change anything between us.”
I inhaled deeply before I took him into my mouth. I kept my eye on him as I took him in deeper. He gripped the railing and groaned as he leaned his head back.
“Fuck yes.”
I licked him up and down then stopped at the base of his cock and took his sac into my mouth. I stroked his length with my hand as I teased and sucked his balls. I moved back to the tip and licked him clean before I took him deep into my throat then pulled him out. I did this a few more times, pushing him as far back as I could stand it before I ceded to my gag reflex.
“Oh, fuck! I’m gonna come.”
I bobbed my head slowly until he exploded in my mouth. I had to swallow quickly before it spilled over my lips. I kept him in my mouth, savoring every last drop, until his cock stopped throbbing with pleasure.
He pulled me up and laid a forceful kiss on me. I had to push him back so I could catch my breath. “Your turn,” he murmured, as he pulled me toward him again and kissed my neck.
I shook my head. “Nope. You already took care of me today. Time to get ready for the party.”
After thirty minutes of setting bottles of beer and champagne on ice, and one very sexy ice fight where Luke went fishing for a piece of ice in my jeans, he left to pick up one of the lead programmers who didn’t drive. I offered to do it, but Luke insisted he didn’t want me sitting alone in a car with a sex-starved man.
As soon as he was gone, I slipped my phone out of my pocket to check my messages: four texts and one voicemail from Milo. The voicemail reminded me to cozy up to the programmers to see if I could get my hands on one of their tablets or cell phones to search for the password. The text messages were blank. He was just pestering me to get me to check my messages.
Luke arrived twenty minutes later with an overweight guy who was probably in his early-twenties, but looked more like he was in his early-thirties. He looked the way I felt most days.
“Brina, this is Josh Ramos. He’s the lead programmer on the Blaze project.”
I held out my hand to Josh, but he just raised his eyebrows and smiled as he walked right by me toward the wooden barrel packed with ice and beer. He grabbed a beer and disappeared below deck. Something about the way he grabbed the beer and left without another word brought up the memory of my brother’s first day back from his tour. He spent most of the night sitting on my parents’ sofa, guzzling beers and throwing phony smiles at anyone who passed.
“What’s wrong?”
Luke was staring at me with that familiar expression of concern.
“Just… Just thinking about my brother. Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize.”
“I know. I just…. Can we not talk about this?”
He looked disappointed at first then he nodded. “When you’re ready.”
More programmers began showing up within minutes. Most of them were dressed in jeans and T-shirts, except for the one guy who wore doctor scrubs and house slippers. I tried to speak with everyone, but some were more talkative than others and, before I knew it, the rain had arrived. There wasn’t enough room for everyone to take shelter below deck so half the party left.
I stood on the forward deck and closed my eyes as the rain dotted my face. It didn’t take long for Luke to find me. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“You’re so beautiful.” He spun me around and yanked me by my waistband until our bodies were pressed against each other. “Thank you for helping me with this. I was afraid I wouldn’t find anyone to replace Janice before tonight.”
“Oh, is this what you used to do with Janice?”
He chuckled as he kissed my forehead. “She wishes.”
He brushed my wet hair out of my face and kissed me. I traced my fingers lightly over the smooth skin on his back and he shuddered in my arms.
“Brina?”
“Yes?”
He stepped back so he could look me in the eye. “I really… care about you.”
This was his way of telling me he was falling in love with me, too. I couldn’t breathe and soon my entire body began to tremble.
“Are you cold?”
I nodded and he pulled me quickly toward the stern and below deck with the cabin full of drunken men. They stared at my chest as I entered and I realized the rain had turned my tank top into a soaking wet, semitransparent shroud. I crossed my arms across my chest and Luke stepped in front of me.
“I think it’s time to call it a night. There’s a storm coming,” Luke said, a tinge of anger in his voice. “Thank you all for coming down and for all your hard work on this project. Keith: Can you drive Josh home?”
“Sure thing, Boss,” Keith responded, and they filed out of the cabin in a single file line, a couple of them still soaked in enough liquid courage to sneak a peek at me as they passed.
Luke left me alone for a few minutes as he followed them out to call for some cabs and make sure everyone made it down the gangway without stumbling. While he was gone, I roamed the cabin, picking up half-empty bottles of beer and champagne. I checked the restroom and found a phone on the counter. I grabbed it and was about to race up to the deck before I realized this was my opportunity to look for the password. I closed and locked the restroom door behind me then sat on the toilet to search through the contents of… Josh’s phone.
A picture of Josh and an older woman, probably his mother, was set as the background image. He was smiling much wider than he ever smiled all night and I wondered if maybe this was a picture of him before…. Maybe his mother was gone like Ryan.
A twinge of guilt echoed in my heart as I began searching through Josh’s
apps for anything that looked like it could be a portal into Blaze. Then I found it. The app was named “NeoSys”. Either Josh had access to our mirror network at NeoSys or this was Josh’s idea of a joke; a taunt.
I touched the app and, as suspected, it prompted me for a password, which had already been saved in the app. This was it. All I had to do was take this phone to Milo tomorrow morning and we had everything we needed. I stuffed the phone in my back pocket and buried my face in my hands as I contemplated my next move.
4
When I came out of the restroom, Luke was staring at me and I didn’t know if he knew Josh had left his phone behind or if he were just giving me that intense stare he liked to give me right before he proposed something dirty. I smiled and pulled my shirt over my head. He stared at my breasts for a moment before he came to me.
He unbuttoned his pants and I quickly shrugged out of my wet jeans before he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. His pants dropped and he pushed me up against the restroom door as he entered me. I ripped his shirt off and gasped as he pounded me against the door.
“Fuck me,” I urged him on. “Fuck me hard.”
He thrust himself deep inside me and I screamed with a mixture of pain and pleasure. He kissed me roughly, his stubble rubbing my lips raw, as he screwed me hard and steady.
“Don’t stop,” I whispered, as he took my breast into his mouth and teased my nipple with his tongue. “Oh, God, Luke. Don’t stop.” He pounded me hard until I couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m coming,” I cried, as my body shuddered in his grasp.
He laid me down gently on the bed and within seconds he came inside me. He kissed my collarbone, his cock still twitching as he moved down to my breast. He licked my nipple and laid a trail of hot kisses over my belly as he moved down.