PleasureGames: A Games Novella (9 page)

I
returned
to my room about an hour later. We managed to keep our hands off each other for the rest of the date -- well, mostly. Instead, we just talked about Eden, and small, random things. We kept the topics safe and light, and I ended up going into great detail about my plans for my 'beach' vases that I couldn't wait to get home and start creating. We'd ended our date with a quick kiss...that turned into another torrid make-out session, and by the time I pried myself away from Heathcliff, my pulse was pounding between my legs, my knees were weak, and my face felt raw and scratchy from beard burn.

I also felt gloriously, ridiculously alive.

I tiptoed into the dark room, determined not to wake up my roommate if she was sleeping. It was futile, of course; the light clicked on the moment I walked through the door.

Leona took one look at my kiss-swollen mouth and just grinned. She patted one side of the bed. "Change into your pajamas and come give me all the details, girl."

"
C
an
I boot all the other women already? I've decided. I'm tired of this show. Just give me Juno."
-- Heathcliff Forester, the Billionaire Bachelor, Episode 5 Interview

T
he next morning
, my mood was somewhere between 'cloud 9' and 'in the stratosphere'. I hummed as Leona twisted my hair into a sideways French braid that looped into a knot at the base of my neck. I didn't even mind as wardrobe put us in these dated-looking monochrome pantsuits. None of it mattered, because when we went to breakfast, there were only four contestant chairs, and one for the bachelor. It seemed that one of the girls had come down with a rather contagious island flu and they’d opted to have her ‘leave’ the show of her own accord. I didn’t care. I wanted them all gone.

When Heathcliff entered the room, I beamed at him, feeling pretty and loved and thoroughly wanted. He went around and greeted all the women, but his gaze kept flicking to me, and when he came and sat next to me, it took everything I had not to undo the knot of his expensive tie and jerk his collar open and start pressing kisses to his throat.

I, ahem, might have had some oversexed dreams after our torrid make out sessions last night.

Breakfast remained focused on bland conversations until Lawrence arrived. He stood at the double doors of the breakfast hall and gave us all an austere look. "Two ladies will be going on a special date with our billionaire bachelor later tonight. The other two will go on a special date with our billionaire bachelor the following night. The Decision Ceremony will be held the morning after both double dates are completed." With that, he gave Heathcliff a pointed look and exited the room again.

"I guess that's my cue," Heathcliff said, dropping his napkin on his plate. "You'll have to excuse me, ladies." He got up from the table, and as he did, he brushed something against my arm.

A note.

I ignored it for a few minutes, letting everyone get back to their normal conversations. It was the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. But when no one was looking, I furtively tucked the note into my hand and then excused myself from the table. Rushing to the bathrooms - the only place I knew wasn't filmed - I read it, holding my breath.

M
eet again at the beach
? - H

I
ripped
the note up and stuffed it into the trash bin so no one could see me with it, then washed my hands and smoothed my clothing. Did I have time to change before heading to the beach? I decided not to chance it. With a hot blush staining my cheeks at the thought of another make-out session, I crept out one of the back staircases, tested the emergency exit door, and then headed down to the beach.

Because it was a private beach, it was empty of all but one single person walking alone. Well, at least Heathcliff would be easy to find. I sat down in the sand, took my strappy heels off (thanks, wardrobe!) and rolled up the legs of my pantsuit to my knees. That done, I headed down the beach toward him, where he was walking in the surf.

"Hello, stranger," I called out as I neared. "What brings you out here?"

Heathcliff turned as I approached and gave me a wicked grin. "Oh, just a secret tryst with a lovely lady."

"Not skinny dipping?" I teased. "I'm so disappointed."

"Maybe if you ask nicely, I'll let you strip me down anyhow," he said, moving toward me. His arms went around my waist and he pulled me against him, and then we were kissing again, just as madly and passionately as before. And if I thought a night away would give me a clearer head, I was wrong. Kissing Heathcliff was as wild and intoxicating as it ever was. I still couldn't get enough.

Eight years later, it felt like we'd broken up yesterday.

"I missed you," Heathcliff told me. When I smiled, he kissed the corners of my mouth. "I'm serious. I missed waking up with you. Tell me I'll get to do that again."

"Maybe," I said softly. I wasn't sure I was ready to make the leap yet. But when he reached for my hand, I twined my fingers with his. Holding hands, I could do. Kissing, I could do. Wild monkey sex with the man who'd torn a hole in my heart eight years ago? Not quite ready for that just yet. "So what are your plans for today?"

He lifted our joined hands to his mouth and kissed the back of my hand. "Spending time with a beautiful woman here on the beach until those horrible production people come and herd me away again. You?"

"Spending time on the beach with an idiot man who thought a reality television show about dating was the best way to get his ex back."

"Hey, don't mock my master plan. It's working beautifully so far."

I just shook my head at that...though he did have a point. As plans went, I supposed this one was effective.

We walked and talked for hours, just happy to be in each other's presence. For the first time, I didn't think it was weird that our stretch of beach at Eden was so incredibly quiet. I was thankful that we were alone and unbothered. We talked about work - I went on about sculptures and glassmaking and my internship with Seville that hadn't quite turned out the way I'd wanted when we parted. Heathcliff discussed his father's tech company and how he'd sold off pieces of it and patents until he'd made over a billion dollars, and then set up accounts for his mother and sisters so they'd never have to work. I wondered what he planned on doing with his money now that he had gobs of it and no business to run, but he said he was contemplating a few avenues of action...whatever that meant. I suspected he had an idea in mind but wasn't ready to share it yet.

It was wonderful to just spend time with him again. It made me ache, thinking of the time we'd lost. We hadn't discussed our messy parting from before. I think we both realized that neither one of us would have won that battle. That there was no right answer. That we'd simply had to go in two different directions.

But we could go in the same direction now. There was nothing holding us back any longer.

"
Y
ou're a marvel
," I told Leona happily as I admired my hair in the mirror.

"Well, you said you wanted to look special for your date tonight," she said, tucking one last strand of hair in. "I aim to please."

That she had - Leona was a wonder with hair, and tonight, my hair was braided into a masterpiece. She'd outdone herself, pulling the majority of my hair into one thick braid and fixing small decorative braids around the sides. Then she'd taken the big braid and shaped it along the side of my head with bobby pins until it resembled a swirling seashell. I thought I was an artist with my glass? Leona could take something as mundane as hair and turn it into a wearable work of art.

She held up a tiny coral starfish, the size of a quarter. "Think this will be too much?"

"Not at all," I said, and loved the way it looked when she worked it into the center of the 'shell'.

When I arrived at wardrobe, my dress was a plain, pure-white sheath that went to the floor. I was disappointed at the sight of it at first, but when I realized it tied at the back of the neck and the back was non-existent? I thought it was perfect. I turned in the mirror and admired the long line of my naked back, the fabric pooling at the curve of my spine. Sexy but understated, and it made my ornate hairstyle stand out that much more. I felt like a princess.

I ran into Diamond as I left wardrobe. She was in a gown that was the exact duplicate of mine, but that stunning ruby red color that she'd lucked out on. It set off her pale blonde hair that cascaded around her shoulders, and she beamed at me. "Looks like we're both seeing our man tonight."

"Looks like," I said, forcing a smile to my face.
Our
man? The jealous side of me wanted to claw her eyes out, but knowing that Heathcliff wasn't interested in her made me feel better. The fact that Diamond was probably the prettiest out of those of us left had nothing to do with him choosing her. Maybe she was a great conversationalist. Or something.

I knew I was being insecure, but our budding re-relationship wasn't exactly on the most solid ground just yet. Combine that with all these other women around just waiting to get their claws into him? It'd make any girl neurotic.

But when we went down to the dining hall and met with Heathcliff, I knew they were groundless worries. He couldn't take his eyes off of me, and I preened in the light of his attention. It didn't matter that another woman was there on the date with us, because I knew he wanted his time to be spent with me.

I could tell that Diamond knew there was something going on between Heathcliff and me, too. Every look she gave us was questioning. Maybe it was the way his gaze lingered on me. Maybe it was the way his hand brushed mine every time he reached for something on the table. Maybe it was that, when he leaned, he leaned toward me.

At any rate, by the end of dinner, Diamond was miffed. Her perfect face was stiff with irritation, though she found a smile readily enough when Heathcliff looked in her direction. I felt a little bad for her. It wasn't easy being on a date with someone that didn't want to be with you. Having your date pay extra attention to someone else right in front of you? Double whammy.

When our plates were cleared, Diamond gave Heathcliff and me an expectant look. "So have you guys seen the hedge maze yet?"

My imagination was instantly captured. "There's a hedge maze?"

She nodded, all enthusiasm. "Want to go see it? It's huge, but there are lights in the gardens so we can't get lost."

I did. I looked over at Heathcliff.

"Let's check it out," he said with a grin, and stood up, then offered us both an arm.

We walked down a long, winding hall that led out to the gardens. Apparently whoever ran Eden had a green thumb, because the gardens were like something out of a movie. Lush hibiscus bloomed along the rock-tiled pathways. Vines crawled along arching trellises, and everywhere the scent of flowers reminded me that this was an island paradise, even if the ocean wasn't in view. "Wow, this is beautiful."

"Isn't it?" Diamond said, a pleased tone in her voice. She pointed ahead. "The maze is that way."

Excited, I abandoned Heathcliff's arm and moved forward, entranced at the thought of someone spending hours lovingly crafting greenery into a maze. I loved art in all its forms, and to me, this was definitely art. My mind always turned back to my glass-making, and I began to mentally play with the ideas of glass mazes, or maze-inspired pieces with different puzzle shapes. I wandered into the entrance of the maze and quickly got lost amongst the high hedges, my mind racing and my imagination giddy with the fun of it.

It took me a few minutes to realize I was alone in the maze. Diamond and Heathcliff were nowhere to be seen.

Frowning, I glanced around. No one was near. I backtracked in the maze, looking. Maybe we'd gotten separated? "Guys?" I made a wrong turn, and then began to backtrack again. I'd heard once that if you kept one hand on a side of the maze, you'd never get lost. It was worth a shot here. I put my hand on the left hedge wall and began to follow it.

Sure enough, it led back to the entrance a few moments later, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Up ahead in the shadows, I could make out what looked like Heathcliff and Diamond standing together. I must have been lost in a daydream and wandered off from them. I'd have to explore the maze again in the daylight, when there was more time. I'd make sure to bring Heathcliff with me, too, because--

I stopped. Diamond's arms were around Heathcliff's neck and they were kissing.

Horror crashed through me. I stumbled back into the maze, breathing hard. I couldn't believe what I'd seen. All of this was a lie. All the sweet words, the fervent declarations of love and wanting me back, all of it was pure crap.

Tears blinding me, I rushed past them, wanting to escape, wanting to do anything to retreat away from the visual of Heathcliff kissing another woman. Those dates he'd gone on with the other women -- clearly he'd been lying to me after all.