The Last Dance (2 page)

“It’s not like we wouldn’t have discovered these things if you weren’t leaving.” This time I let my chuckle break over the line.

“You find my pain amusing?” he bit out, using my words against me.

“Yes, Rhys, I do, but only because I know it’s killing you not to order me around. Though I’m sure if you wanted to order my pussy around right now, and you said it just the right way, I might not have a choice.”

I let the invitation sink in. I was testing him, and with his groan, I knew he had passed.

“I know better. I will give you what you want. I would’ve given it to you anyway because I want it, too.”

“Then we agree,” I said, hopeful.

“You aren’t giving me much of a choice, but yes,” he said grudgingly. “You’re punishing me.”

“Maybe … a little,” I said truthfully.

“I had every intention of telling you. I never meant to hurt you.”

“I want to believe you, Rhys.”

“You will … and, Violet, you are going to pay for every single fucking hard-on I get in the next week.”

“Make it RED,” I said sweetly then hung up. Minutes later, after my suitcase was zipped, I got a text.

R: Just come back to me.

The tears fell and I wiped them away. There was no need for them. This wasn’t the end, it was just the beginning.

Molly’s parents had agreed to let me pay for a week, at my insistence. It was the only way I would agree to stay. I’d left Savannah without seeing Rhys, because if I had, I wouldn’t be standing at the entrance of the most breathtaking villa in the Caymans. The house was large, a two-story stucco with a Spanish style roof that sat oceanfront. The views in every room held me captive for minutes at a time as I walked around the house. The windows were all open, offering a panoramic view of the property, making it feel almost as if it existed within a tropical rain forest. A mosaic of dark blue and aqua tiles lay at my feet and spread from corner to corner. I chose the largest bedroom with a huge king sized canopy bed, and the best view of the water. It was magnificent. I unpacked quickly, getting the burden off my shoulders so I could go put my toes in the sand. The breeze was warm, light. I put on a large hat to shade the newly unveiled scars on my neck and face to protect them from the beaming sun, then made my way out onto the sand from the back porch. I took in a deep breath as I listened to the lulling of the waves. Peace is what I felt here. It’s what I longed for, what I needed.

This is the life, VI.

I spent the day rubbing on sunscreen and reading my first book in months. I kept the book clean, keeping to the rules Rhys had set early on in our relationship. When the sun set and I had soaked in as much soft, white sand and aqua blue water as I could get, I went into the house, realizing I had nothing to eat. After freshening up, I called a cab and made my way to a local restaurant the cabbie suggested. It was there, sipping a mango margarita, that I sent my first text.

V: It’s so beautiful here. The longer I’m here, the more I know it was the right thing to do. I’m just missing one thing.

R: I come with a party of two.

V: I know. You can join Bryce if you like.

R: Cute. What did you do today?

V: I spent it by the water.

R: What color is your bikini?

V: Red

R: My favorite. I can picture you there.

V: No need to.

I sent him the selfie I had taken and a few others of the water and the house. I waited forever for his response.

R: Do you have any idea how hard it is to tote a baby around with a hard-on!

I burst out laughing as my plate was served and apologized to him quickly.

V: I’m sorry.

R: Don’t be, I just really don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea.

V: What did you do today?

R: Worked, picked up Bryce and took him to the fountain in Forsyth Park where he ran away from me as I screamed for someone, anyone to stop him. The kid is lighting fast and I swear he ran before he walked.

V: How old is he?

R: Fifteen months.

V: And the mother?

R: Is not and will never be in the picture. I come with no baby mama drama.

I laughed as I forked some enchilada and took a huge bite. Then the thought occurred to me.

V: Deceased?

R: No, and I will tell you everything but only when I can see you.

V: Okay.

R: No more secrets or lies between us.

V: Never again, not of any color.

R: I’m going to get him fed and put him to sleep then I’ll call you.

V: Sounds good to me.

R: Violet, you in that bikini. There is a place I want to lick.

The throbbing began at my core and I swallowed hard.

V: Hurry up. I want to hear your voice. Kiss him goodnight for me.

I finished my plate then headed to the local grocery store for odds and ends before returning to the villa. There was plenty of time to sight see, for now I was more fascinated with the house. As I sat in a cream-colored lounge chair on the back patio, I listened to the ocean, trying to write a bucket list. I sat for an hour, coming up completely blank. It wasn’t hard. There were a million places I wanted to see, a million things I wanted to do, but it all seemed so … unimportant. Travel wasn’t what mattered most. The thought hit home for me because, although I was wrapped up in the arms of paradise, the arms I craved were in Savannah, Georgia.

I just didn’t want to depend on those arms so quickly.

I’d meant what I said to Rhys. I didn’t want to be Mrs. Harvell the next time he saw me. I wanted to be free of the name and the scars, and anything else that could taint my new beginning—
our new beginning.
An affair of the heart was not what I had been after, but it’s what I ended up with, and I wouldn’t change a second of it. After another hour of staring at a blank piece of paper, I gave up and was thankful when my phone rang. I smiled and slid it to open, his voice greeting me instantly.

“I keep staring at this fucking picture and I want you. Fuck, I want you!” I squeezed my thighs together so tight I nearly fell off the chair. I dropped the phone and scrambled to pick it up. My breathing was erratic and I couldn’t stop picturing the things he could do to me. The way his eyes closed when he plunged his tongue inside of me. Calming my breathing and letting out a nervous laugh, I finally responded.

“There is a way to get even with me,” I rasped as I fought for control.

“Oh yeah?” His voice spiked slightly. “How?”

“Take a picture of Bryce and send it to me,” I murmured.

“Should I be jealous of my son?” he asked, amused.

“Yes, it took you a few months, it took him ten seconds,” I scolded playfully.

“Wow … maybe I could learn a thing or two from a baby who was playing in pigeon shit earlier. You know that stuff is toxic, right? God, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”

I burst out laughing and he chuckled.

I loved this side of him. And then I thought of the passionate and disciplined lover who commanded my body. I stayed silent and he sensed my hesitation.

“Violet, what is it?”

“Rhys, we can have both, right? This and…the other. Don’t get offended—it’s just, am I wrong to want both? We—you and me—when it comes to the bedroom, we—”

“Absolutely,” he confirmed before I could finish.

“How?”

“Better leave it to me,” he said, a slight hint of arrogance in his voice, and God how I loved it.

“How long have you been in this lifestyle?”

“I started when I was twenty-one.”

Whoa. That gave him over thirteen years of experience. And man did it show. Jealously coursed through me and I had to push it down. He had to have been with hundreds of women.

Don’t ask, Violet, it’s none of your business.

“So you have slept with hundreds of women?”

SHIT, Violet
.

“You are a shitty phone date.” He sounded amused, but I knew he was on guard.

“Sorry, I’ve never dated a Dom before,” I said playfully.

“All the questions can’t be yours, anyway. I plead the fifth on my number. And you are the last and only woman I want to be Dom to. I mean that.” I sat stunned at his admission. It was the first time he had ever referred to a real future with me.

“Rhys, why were you in the chat room that night?”

“The same reason you were. It’s been a busy first fifteen months. I was bored. My days are pretty boring sometimes. You can only watch so many episodes of Bunnytown before you start to sing along then slowly plot the damn muppet’s death. I couldn’t exactly bring a sub home. I’d been a good boy.”

“But you managed to see me?” I asked, interest piqued.

“I can honestly tell you, I had no intention of doing anything but browsing. I was on my couch screening new members for the club. I saw you check in, a few hours later you hadn’t typed a word, so I spoke up.”

“And then?” I asked quickly.

“And then curiosity got the best of me. We were kind of in the same situation. We both needed the same thing at the same time. You wanted the experience, and I needed a sub without long-term expectations.”

“So I kind of fell into your lap?”

“At first I was going to let you seek out your own partner by using the club. It’s not something I’ve ever done. I just knew you were lost, and I was just as lost at one time. I felt I was leading you to a safer place.”

I thanked the stars that aligned for me that night, then asked, “Why leave it? I mean, you just told me we could have both.”

“I couldn’t own that club. Like I said, it was never something I wanted. And honestly, no subs were interested in dating a single father. I wasn’t exactly interested in dating them either at that point. Some of their needs are…insatiable. I couldn’t run out at all times of the night to fulfill those needs. I couldn’t really justify doing or starting anything with you the next day. I was determined to leave it behind until I could find a woman more suitable. And then, I saw you on the security screen.”

I stayed quiet. I wanted to hear more. He had no idea what he was doing to me. I was on fire and so wet I could have slid off my lounger. The mere sound of his voice triggered every nerve ending I had.

“And?” I prodded.

“You are just dying to hear this, aren’t you, Violet?”

“Yes,” I said, breathless. “Please tell me.”

“Are you wet now, thinking of me sucking and fucking you? I know you are. I won’t let this go there tonight.”

“Damn it to hell.” I was gasping as he chuckled at me.

“I can control your body from Savannah. Tell me, is my pretty pink pussy aching for me? It’s probably throbbing right now, swollen and needy, hungry for me to push in.”

“God…please…shut up.” I stood and walked to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face.

“You shouldn’t have run away,” he taunted as my limbs fell heavy with need.

I stood in the bathroom, seeing firsthand what he did each time he aroused me. My nipples were drawn tight, my cheeks flushed, my skin blistering hot.

“Rhys, I’m completely ready for you. How do you do this to me?” I leaned in to look at my pupils, which were dilated.

“Don’t touch, Violet,” he commanded, his low growl only making my need grow.

“I can’t, Rhys. I’ve never have been able to do that,” I whispered, breathless.

“You can’t come with your fingers?” He sounded truly shocked.

“No, I’ve tried. God, like a sixteen-year-old boy I’ve tried. I’ve just never been able to,” I admitted.

“Oh, baby, that’s a fucking tragedy,” he murmured. I sighed in reply before smiling at his term of endearment for me. Rhys had been the only man who could get me off, and so easily. I knew it had a great deal to do with our chemistry. All it took was one look from him and I was a willing participant in any game he wanted to play. The feelings I had for him now magnified it to make something that used to seem so impossible … simple, intimate, addicting, fucking perfect. Rhys didn’t just have the right set of skills, he was the right man.

“And that’s why I had a toy.” I sighed as I turned off the bathroom light and wandered into my bedroom, listening to the ocean waves, inhaling the breeze while staring at the full moon. It was spectacular. I laid down in the bed, drawing the covers up over me.

I heard Rhys moving around his house. “Toys are fucking sad excuses for men who are too lazy to do their damn job.” He sounded disgusted and I laughed.

“Well, sorry to disappoint you,
baby
,” I playfully added, “but it’s the only way for me…alone.”

“That’s bullshit, and I’ll prove it.” He sounded convinced. “Fuck, this is a nightmare. Is it too late to demand that you get your pussy back here right this minute?”

“Yes,” I chuckled. The sight of the moon, the smell of the ocean, and the beautiful house I was surrounded by did little to stop the next thing I told him. “But I left my heart there, Rhys.”

Silence. Shit.

What the hell are you doing, Vi?

I offered an excuse quickly, my face heating and my heart racing. “It’s really romantic here, Rhys, and I told you I love cheesy romantic movies. Can we just move forward here? Better yet, I’ll let you get some sleep.”

“Violet, stop it.” His voice was firm. “You can’t keep saying shit like that to me then take it back. If you could see me when you said it, you would know I closed my eyes and smiled. Don’t hide from me. I’ve given you no reason to.”