Campaign for Love (23 page)

 

 

"Not now, I'm not in the mood, and it would spoil the great day
we've
had so far."

 

 

"Then how about racing me to the float and back?"

 

 

"You're on," she said.

 

 

As she plunged into the water and started toward the float with a
strong, graceful crawl, Quentin launched into a good backstroke so
he
could look at her while they swam. They reached the float in a dead
heat.

 

 

"We both win," she said with a grin.

 

 

"I concede victory to you because I'm a gentleman."

 

 

"Thank you, kind sir."

 

 

They boosted themselves onto the float, where they were soon joined
by
the whole crew except Helene, who had gone back to the guest house.

 

 

They splashed, dived, pushed, told jokes and laughed a lot, and when
they were relaxed and feeling tired enough to sleep, swam slowly
back
to shore.

 

 

Suzy had been delighted to notice that Candy's figure was no less
lovely than it had been when she had been at the height of her
career.
Her breasts were high and firm, her abdomen flat and her buttocks
still
firm and tight.

 

 

Unless Suzy was very much mistaken, her measurements were still just
about the same as they had been when she had been a top model. It
was
good to see she had nothing to fear from growing old, at least not
yet.

 

 

But Candy had been right about what she had said about her looks:
they
would not last forever. There was no sense in wasting her beauty. If
Quentin didn't want, her, there would be plenty of other men who
would.
It would just be a case of her finding the right one.

 

 

There had to be a Mr. Right out there somewhere for her. She had
thought Quentin would be it, but perhaps she had been wrong? He
didn't
seem to care about her the way she longed for him to. She was only
making a fool of herself by continuing to want what she couldn't
have,
for all his slip of the tongue had caused her hopes to raise for a
moment.

 

 

Her impression that he might not really want her after all was
reinforced when he made no move to speak to her privately or detain
her.

 

 

They all bid one another goodnight in front of the guest house and
went
in to a well-earned rest. She went into her room to be dejected,
think
how lonely it was to be in paradise without Quentin in her arms.

 

 

She headed to bed just as lonely as she had been the night before,
and
wondered why everything had to be so complicated where Quentin was
concerned.

 

 

 

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

 

 

The next morning, shooting started immediately after a luscious
breakfast of coconut pancakes with mango syrup and rather more
mundane
ham and eggs.

 

 

Quentin had a great brain storm as they were finishing up. "You
know,
you're such a great cook, I think you really look at home in the
kitchen."

 

 

"Thank you, I think. Or are you being sexist?"

 

 

"No, I mean, I think the 'before' shots today should feature you as
a
domestic goddess in a plain dress with an apron. If there isn't one
in
wardrobe, I'm sure the housekeeper can provide one. No glasses, but
hair up, slightly looser. There's probably some batter left from
breakfast. You could have her making breakfast for us."

 

 

Max and Joe agreed. There would be three weeks left before Christmas
and they wanted a new look each week.

 

 

"What can we use for a 'before' shot tomorrow?" asked Helene. "I
have a
nice, plain in the house type clothes and gym clothes for today, and
all the other 'after' things are ready. I didn't know you'd want all
the befores to be different."

 

 

Quentin hadn't realized that his final layouts hadn't been seen by
the
crew. "I wanted her in a nurse's outfit, neat and efficient."

 

 

Helene looked thoughtful. "That shouldn't be too hard to arrange.
Everything else is laid out, so I can probably ask one of the
houseboys
to take me over to Freeport, where I can buy something appropriate,
or
that I can rework."

 

 

That decided, Suzanna went to get dressed for her housewife role,
while
Quentin went into ask Bella, the cook, to save the pancake batter
until
they took their domestic shots.

 

 

They worked through until noon, ate a quick snack, and started in
all
over again.

 

 

Suzanna breathed a sigh of relief when the light failed and they
were
finally through for the day.

 

 

After an early dinner, Candy said to the crew sitting around the
table
sipping smoothies, "This will be our last night here. I'd like to
see
some or the night life before we go back. Who's for going to
Freeport?"

 

 

Max, Joe and Bruce jumped at the chance. But Helene had been there
already once that day, so she opted to stay and work on the nurse's
outfit. Suzanna said she was too tired. Besides, Helene might need
her
for a fitting. Quentin declined also.

 

 

Accordingly, the others took off. When they had gone, Quentin asked
Suzanna, "Are you too tired, or would you like to look at today's
videotapes again?"

 

 

"I'd like to see them all again. I'm tired, but not sleepy. It's too
early to go to bed."

 

 

Quentin got the tapes, turned on the TV and watched them quietly.

 

 

"I didn't enjoy watching them last night when everyone was here,"
Suzanna admitted. "There were certain segments I would have liked to
ask you about, but not in front of the others. Lots of people I know
will probably see these commercials, and I don't want them to get
any
wrong idea. Some of those shots in swimsuits, for instance."

 

 

Quentin stared at the TV open-mouthed. Then he whistled. "I see what
you mean. It doesn't leave much to the imagination. But these shots
will all be edited, so have no fear."

 

 

"It's just the idea, that's all. I mean, I can just imagine them
being
pirated."

 

 

"I wouldn't mind a copy myself," he said, grinning broadly.

 

 

"It's not funny."

 

 

"No, I know it isn't."

 

 

He picked up a pad and pen and then rewound the tape. "I'm going to
make sure we get rid of anything even remotely too sexy."

 

 

They watched both days' shots twice, and Quentin made notes on the
things he thought should be censored. When they had seen enough,
they
turned off the set and put the tapes away.

 

 

They decided to have one last drink before bed time. They chatted
away
quietly about their plans for the following day, and then he walked
her
to the guest house, where Helene's light was still burning.

 

 

Quentin gave her a quick hug, despite her trying to move into his
arms
for something more romantic, and started back to the main house.

 

 

Suzanna sighed and headed straight for her bathroom, where she took
a
long, relaxing soak in a warm tub to put her in the mood to sleep.

 

 

It wasn't working. Suzanna had to admit to herself that watching
Quentin watching her on the tapes had been unbelievably titillating.
She was too aroused to sleep. The glass doors to the outside were
open,
and the fragrant breeze was tempting.

 

 

She could see the moonlight reflected on the rippling water and
thought
that a walk on the beach and perhaps a swim might take away all of
her
pent-up tension. She took a towel and beach blanket off a shelf in
the
bathroom, turned out the lights, and started out the side windows
down
to the shimmering sand.

 

 

She walked to a point beyond a stand of trees and shrubbery away
from
the houses to ensure her privacy. She knew there wasn't much risk of
anyone seeing her anyway, since most of their party was on the main
island.

 

 

In the shelter of the trees, she spread the beach blanket and sat to
watch the water lap up on the shore. After rolling over on her
stomach
with her head propped on her elbows, she waited for drowsiness to
overcome her, but sleep remained elusive. All she could think of was
Quentin.

 

 

On an impulse, she decided that her original idea of a swim was a
good
one. Maybe a brisk sprint to the raft and back would tire her. She
jumped to her feet and, in a repetition of Friday night's gesture,
allowed her gown to slip down to her feet.

 

 

As she waded in, she had a moment's worry about whether there were
any
sharks around at night. She got her answer a moment later, when her
waist was enclosed by a pair of large hands, while a warm body
pressed
firmly against her from behind, and a familiar voice murmured in her
ear, "Got you!"

 

 

"Quentin, you idiot," Suzy laughed happily. "You scared the life out
of
me."

 

 

"I don't know about that. You feel pretty lively to me."

 

 

"What are you doing here?"

 

 

"Right now, I'm holding the sexiest, most voluptuous woman I've ever
seen."

 

 

Pressed up against, her, he had no chance to hide his desire, and
she
gasped as he caressed her belly with one hand and her thigh with the
other.

 

 

She went weak, and reached behind to caress his face and the back of
his neck. His hands now moved downwards to the soft mound between
her
thighs, and Suzanna was undone.

 

 

She floated upwards and turned around to face him full on. Mouth to
open mouth, their tongues coupled wildly, until they both knew
kissing
was no longer enough. Cupping her tightly against his throbbing
body,
he carried her effortlessly over to the blanket under the trees,
where
he laid her down and began to caress her all over with his hard,
strong
hands.

 

 

She watched him in the moonlight, gloried in the sight of his bare
body. She knew he would be amazing, but this was beyond what she had
imagined. The light down of hair on his chest tapered to a thin line
toward his navel before fanning out once more to frame his
magnificent
maleness. She worked up the courage to touch him, and felt a surge
of
triumph at her own power to thrill him as he was doing her.

 

 

She started with his chest, trailing down the light line of hair
until
her fingers wrapped lightly around him. Quentin gave a shuddering
groan
and pulled her to him.

 

 

"For two days I've watched you in various stages of undress. I've
wanted to be the one touching you, adjusting your clothes, doing all
those personal things. What's wrong with me?"

 

 

She giggled. "Not a thing. I'd have hated it if you didn't feel that
way. When we swam to the float yesterday, I wanted to rip off your
trunks and see you naked. I wanted to hold it against me and never
let
go."

 

 

"Then you won't have to. You were right, I know that know. All the
way
back at the beginning. We belong together."

 

 

He kissed her deeply, then, and delicately began to stretch her and
caress her until he was sure she was ready for him. He delicately
sucked and nibbled her tongue, and then her bare flesh, going lower
and
lower, taking his time as though he was savoring every inch of her.

 

 

Finally, when she thought she had experienced every delight he had
to
offer, he moved between her thighs. She opened to him fully, holding
nothing back. He kissed her almost worshipfully as he gave one sure
thrust, and plunged into the depths of her warm and welcoming body.

 

 

"Oh, God, Suzanna, my love!" he rasped.

 

 

She clung to him fiercely as the sensations flooded through her,
setting her on fire. The harder and faster he moved, the more her
world
fragmented. She thrust her hips upwards instinctively, until his
body
was in control and demanding its ultimate release.

 

 

As they brought one another to climax, Quentin smothered her cries
of
fulfillment with his mouth, until at last, an eternity later, they
stilled, and lay silent for a moment, completely thunderstruck.

 

 

At last, when he was able to speak, he murmured, "You might have
been
the virgin here, my love, but I've never experienced anything like
that
before."

 

 

"It was amazing," she breathed, cradling him against her. "I mean, I
read about it in the books and magazines, but nothing could have
prepared me for that."

 

 

"I'm glad. I'd have hated to let you down."

 

 

She kissed him tenderly. "The only time you let me down was when you
fought this incredible attraction between us."

 

 

"There's no fool like an old fool. I should have known you were
special. I was just scared, I guess."

 

 

"Nothing to be scared of. It's all worked out in the end, hasn't it?
I
love you."

 

 

He held her close, stroking his hand down her belly. "I don't know
what
I ever did to deserve you, my dear, but believe me, I'm going to do
my
best to make you happy."

 

 

"You do. Don't sound so worried."

 

 

"It's just that, well, the beach, I mean, I could at least have had
enough control to take you to a nice comfortable bed. Oh Lord, or
used
a condom."