The Holiday Package Read online

  I’ve never seen so much fire and brimstone from any woman in my life. I mean, Justine, she’s headstrong and an opinionated woman, but this gal makes my balls ache and dick twitch. Why is it that I’m falling for someone who can give Sylvie a run for her money in the bitch department?

  “Ah, I’m positive I can’t quite call you the name that comes to mind either, I guess?” I ask, and I see a matching smirk on her face. I can only smile as I unlatch my hands from her chest and butt.

  “Okay, I get that a lot.” She lowers herself from the stepladder as she noticeably takes me in, all of me, and I remember I’m still in jeans, no shirt. Her little smirk that I noticed just seconds ago actually goes to a full-blown smile, as if she’s checking me out like I did with her in her little bikini.

  “Like what you see?” I ask.

  I thought maybe I would get a little bit of resistance or make her blush but all she does, while walking to her room and looking behind her, is say, “Yes, actually, I do very much like what I see.” Man, what the hell is wrong with this woman? No, strike that; there is everything right with this woman. She certainly doesn’t seem like the strings attached sort of lady and that is what I need, right this second, in the here and now. A distraction. Yep, Sasha seems like that little diversion I need. Sure, I want to find my person, my mate, and my lover but hell, Sasha is pure desire in this little tropical paradise holiday setting.

  * * *

  After Sasha leaves me in front of the half-decorated tree, I turn off the music and settle on the second level deck overlooking the pool. I’ve got the latest David Baldacci book in hand when I hear squeals and laughs. Peering over the balcony while still seated, I see Mack carrying an assortment of food with the help of his little ones. I wave and see my reflection play off the pool that has my name written on it, later in the morning. That is my hope, anyway. I want to see the skimpy bikini of Sasha’s again but this time, while I’m in the pool with her.

  What is wrong with me, I wonder. I mean, I came to escape the feelings of Justine and I quickly start lusting after another woman so quickly. Does this mean I never felt anything for the lovely blonde next door? No, that isn’t it at all. What it does mean, though, is I must let go. For fuck’s sake, she is marrying someone else and that little reality makes me realize I need to move on. Maybe it will let me partake in a little fun for myself, but it doesn’t diminish the feelings that are still swirling around about her.

  Twenty minutes go by and I’m still at peace in the quiet, though I hear Mack and his kids in the kitchen fixing us what smells like a glorious meal. I’m starting to like the remoteness of this little island.

  Sydney comes out and sweetly says, “Sir, breakfast is ready.” And she departs to find her dad, no longer wielding questions my way.

  Walking into the kitchen, just off the shared living space where the still half decorated tree sits, Cameron has two stockings in his hands. “Mr. Davis, Syd and I made these for you and Sasha last night. You have one already hung with our family stockings but we knew you needed some here.”

  These kids are precious. I walk over to him and rustle his hair then kneel to be face to face with him and his sister. “This is really the nicest thing anyone has done for me.” And truly, if you look at these kids and the fact that they think of others so astutely at an early age, it really is one of the most thoughtful gestures I could stomach. “Let me get Sasha so you can show her what you did for her.”

  They both seem to attack me with hugs and their dad smiles at me with a thank-you nod. Turning the corner to the hall that leads to the bedrooms, I hear something behind Sasha’s door. My heart sinks, remembering the creep at the airport and wonder if he found her. Knocking on the door urgently, I hear light footsteps approach along with a sternness in her voice that I don’t think is directed toward me. Opening the door, she gestures just a second along with a finger, telling me to be quiet. “I said absolutely not. Don’t let him get near me again.” Taking the phone in frustration and turning it off, then tossing it on her bed, I see she has been crying like she had in the airport. For a tough as nails girl, this contrasts with what I’ve come to learn about her in less than twenty-four hours.

  Before I can say something, she says, “I’m not feeling well. Tell the kids I’ll find them later.” With that, she shuts the door, not rudely, yet abruptly in my face.

  * * *

  I keep myself busy for the rest of the morning and when it is obvious that the beautiful Sasha will be keeping her piss and vinegar little self in her room for the foreseeable future, I hear the click and a creek. She appears around the corner while I’m working a crossword puzzle.

  I look up briefly. Sure, I want to go to her. There is something about this girl that gets me all jumbled up. She doesn’t want saving but then I see her crying, revealing she’s human. What’s she been through for such a Dr.Jekyll/Mr. Hyde sort of change?

  “Hey,” I hear her say, as she lowers herself into the chair opposite me.

  “Hey back at you,” I say calmly. I’ll take a different approach to this woman. No one has tangled my insides in the past year as much as she has in the last twenty-four hours. Well, no one except….no, I won’t think of her. I see the red fur of the stockings catch her attention and a sincere—not snarky or sarcastic—but sweet look crosses her face.

  “Those kids are the best,” she says, pointing to the stocking they hung on the wall since the Caymans is not a place I assume you will find a fireplace.

  “Yeah, I’ve known them as long as I’ve known you and they have worked themselves into here,” I say, pointing to my chest. For a large and macho proud man, I’ve always tended to wear my fucking heart on my sleeve. Case in point, why I am here and further supported by the fact that I’m trying to meet this hard shell of a woman halfway.

  “Yeah, they tend to do that.” Nothing is mentioned over the tears and if I ventured a guess about this woman, I’d say she doesn’t do apologies. Her sitting here, not acting like a bitch, may be the closest thing I get to an apology and I can only smile at her.

  Her stares are intense; however, I wonder what she’s looking at. It might be the fact I’m dressed now, having a shirt over my body. I may be a sensitive guy but I’m also aware I attract women’s gazes. I work out, I’m fit and I happen to like the face that is looking back at me in the mirror. I often joke that if I was indeed into men, I would fuck a man as hot as me. It really isn’t that much of a joke. I do have standards.

  Now, we sit in silence as I continue to feel her observation fall upon me, repeatedly, while she doesn’t hide the fact she’s looking at me up and down like I am a mannequin.

  Finally, being direct, I say, “Um, is there something I can help you with?”

  Taking a sip of my coffee, I’m expecting her to sidestep but no, I should understand her candidness at this point, as she says, “I was just thinking what it would be like to fuck you.” My coffee makes its way out of my mouth. It would get all tens if this were a spitting contest.

  “Oh, I shocked you?” she asks, almost timidly but with the little cocky smirk that is both behind her mouth, and moving up to those caramel-amber eyes of hers, she’s not attempting to be shy, not in the least.

  “So, tell me,” I begin. “What have you come up with?” I ask.

  Pursing her lips together, Sasha finally answers. “Um, let me really imagine this in my mind as I describe it. First, you have a long dick, like super long. It is thick and will fill me up just fine.” Instantaneously, my super long dick she’s describing aches. “Next, I would say you love pussy. However, mine is incredibly delectable.” Fuck, I try not to moan. “Next, I imagine you holding yourself up with one hand while you’re over me, licking my pussy, bringing me to a really good orgasm, all while you jerk yourself off. And by the way, if I had to guess, you’re really good with your tongue.”

  I smile because I’ve been told this on many occasions but at the same time, my balls ache. She doesn’t say anything and I realize she�
�s finished. I respond, “I think that is a possible scenario.”

  Standing up, she gives me a throaty little laugh. “Who knows, this may just be a long ten days.” She winks then leaves me aching in pain when she retreats to her bedroom.

  Ah, fuck! This woman might be the death of me.

  5

  Needing a cold shower and to take care of myself, I find Sasha outside in the common area, putting the finishing touches on that enormous tree.

  She will be single-handedly responsible for the constant hard-on I experience each time I think her name. It is going to be certainly an unbearable ten days if she keeps up this teasing.

  “Do you want some help?” I ask, looking at the Caribbean color of ornaments all over the tree and still in the box. “I’ve never seen flamingo pink ornaments before.” Both my mom and sister were crazy over the traditional colors at Christmas.

  “When in the Caribbean, do as the Caribbean,” she banters back at me. Taking a step back to get a full look at the tree and the fucking sexy woman still on the stepladder, I realize both look amazing.

  * * *

  Walking outside and down the steps, I hear the sounds of silly kids screaming from the pool. When I step off the stairs, rounding the corner, I see her in a different swimsuit. This one is not as skimpy yet it is still very appealing to my eyes. It is emerald green and with that auburn hair of hers, she looks like a Christmas present, albeit a scantily-wrapped one. She sees me instantly and smiles, while I can only give her a sheepish grin since I imagined a whole hell of a lot of her when I was taking care of the hurting she put on my balls earlier. She’s now showing me the softer side of Sasha Peterson.

  Thinking I would try to take a relaxing dip in the pool, seeing her in the bikini is making me hard again. I may need some sort of cup to keep my beast at bay.

  “Jake! Come swim with us!” Cameron yells and out comes Anna and Mack, both holding each other close. It appears they may have had some alone time while Sasha was kind enough to watch their kids.

  Anna clears her throat and says, “Kids, Mom and Dad are back from their appointment now. Give the guests some time to themselves.”

  Approaching the couple, I lean into Mack and say, “Appointments, is that what we are calling it now?”

  With a deep laugh, Mack confirms my suspicions. “Hell, you get it when you can and with my devils, let's just say they are invasive little shits when the mood strikes,” he jokes. Mack, who is in his early forties, I would say maybe seven to eight years older than me, is at least ten years older than his wife, but he takes good care of himself. Not as good looking as me of course, but if he were single he would certainly have his pick of ladies. Even with a smoking hot redhead in the pool, he can’t take his eyes off his wife.

  Sasha waves off Anna still trying to wrangle her kids. “Seriously, Anna, go take your hunky husband for a walk on the beach. Me and Mr. Davis can handle your angels for a couple hours.”

  “How did I get roped into this?” I ask.

  All Sasha has to say is, “Come in this water and help. I’ll make it worth your while.” Her tone is not seductive, but her words are all I need to take a dive into the deep end.

  * * *

  I’m all for one-night stands, hell, I lived that way in my twenties, especially early on in my current job, and I’m not talking about the fake imports and exports business. But I want more than a roll in the hay, though a roll in the hay is one thing I want with Sasha. It can’t be more with her, not with anyone until I know what I’m going to do with my life. Though I got that little glimpse when I let my feelings get ahead of me with Justine.

  Long story short, I want to fuck Sasha. Hell, she verbally fucked me this morning and as much as I want to be inside of her, I want it to be a holiday fling, something more than just a fuck but not where I allow myself to get attached.

  I think all of this as I take a break from the many rounds of Marco Polo while Sasha goes to retrieve a snack for the “starving kids” in the main kitchen.

  “Didn’t you all just have lunch?” I ask when I’m hungry is all I hear out of their mouths until Sasha finally appears with a large bowl of fruit. Hell, never mind, now I’m hungry after all. But before Sasha can look any better, I see her grab two beers and I must wonder, is this strong-minded, sexy talking goddess too good to be true?

  “Hey, you were reading my mind,” I say when I stand to retrieve my beer from her but she waves me off as she brings it to where I’m sitting. Fuck, could this woman be more perfect? She’s just the right mix of sweet and sour and right now, all I can think about are the words she said to me this morning.

  “Here you go.” Winking at me, she plops herself down in the lounge chair near me. “You look like a beer man.”

  “I am, but you look more like a champagne woman if I had to guess,” I say while she’s throwing back her beer as if it were water.

  Leaning in close, she whispers in my ear, “Looks can be deceiving, you know.”

  As I choke on the gulp of beer I’m attempting to swallow from those words, I hear Anna and Mack walk out to the back terrace. It’s not lost on Mack that Sasha and I are now in close proximity and he only smiles, but I also see a slight warning behind that smile. Before I know it, Anna has wrangled her kids out of the swimming pool and we are left alone.

  “How did that happen?” I ask. “She’s like a ninja mom.”

  Leaning back in her chair when she takes her swimsuit cover off her, she only smirks, “Anna is an awesome mom. Those kids are so lucky.”

  I hear something in her voice that I can certainly resonate with. I may have been a young adult when I lost my parents but that loss never goes away. I’m not sure how to say any comforting words but I don’t have to, her mood changes when she lifts her sunglasses to look at me.

  “Listen, Jake. I hope you don’t find this too forward, and this was the very last thing I had in mind when I came here, but I need fun and you look like you could be a hell of a lot of fun. And if I’m not mistaken, you look like you could relax and let loose, too.”

  Fucking hell, is she about to say what I think she’s saying? I’m not a man whore but this woman is something else, in a good way. I only smile at her next words.

  “So, by your smile, let’s have some fun together. Eight more days, that is all I can give you. Are you willing to see where tonight can lead and if it leads to your bed,” she wiggles her eyebrows at me, “or mine, are you okay with that? I mean, I sense an instant hard-on the second you and I are in the same room together and though I gave you shit for coming to my rescue, it did mean more than I can say.” She pauses, taking another sip of her beer, “I’m just a hard ass. I’m soft, when you get to know me. Oh, and by the way, you, Mr. Davis, do something to me.” She leans in, giving me a kiss and walks to the guest villa, leaving me both hard and breathless.

  * * *

  Sasha has kept herself scarce since the pool, as I ponder her little suggestion. Sure, one-night stands were stuff legends were made of in my twenties but I’m older now, wanting more substance yet, my heart needs to mend, too, to move on. Maybe the fiery redhead is what I need to keep my mind off the beautiful blonde back home.

  When I leave for dinner, I don’t see her anywhere around. Walking to the main house, hearing a loud deep feminine laugh, I venture it is Sasha. Though I’ve heard her laugh already, it’s what I’d expect it to sound like, bold and tempting, just like her.

  Before I make it off the back terrace and into the dining room of the main house, I see Mack on the back, smoking a cigar. “Care to join me?” he asks.

  “Sure, I never say no to a good cigar.” That is the truth but I feel there is more to this than a damn good cigar.

  We sit at the round table right off the living room and enjoy this time to ourselves in silence. He’s almost done when I see the same warning in his eyes that he had earlier when Sasha was very close to me at the pool.

  “Jake,” he starts but the way he says my name is stern, with a w
arning, same as his look earlier.

  “Just let me have it, Mack. You don’t know me very well, so keep that in mind.”

  He takes a deep sigh as he continues, “Yes, you’re right about that. You seem like a good guy. Sasha, we know her well and let’s just say, she hasn’t had the easiest life.”

  “As indicated by the thug who tried to manhandle her.” That is the observation I answer with.

  “Sure, there is that and I won’t go on. She seems tough as nails but what isn’t evident is the sign she should wear that says, ‘handle with care.’”

  “I’ve known many women in my day and the toughest always are the ones that have the most baggage,” I add. “Anyway, casual is what we both need.”

  “And can you do casual? I’ve known a lot of men in my day, myself included, and casual becomes that beautiful wife that is the mother of my kids,” he adds with a wink.

  “Touché,” is all I can say and with that, the conversation is over.

  “Let’s go eat some of my wife’s fine cooking. The woman I swear has it in her mind that if she fattens me up, I won’t ever leave,” he says, smacking me on the back.

  “And how is that going for you?”

  “The woman could be the worse cook in the world, though she’s not and I appreciate it, she could serve me burnt meals and she’d never get rid of me.”

  That is when it sinks in, what I want in life, a family like him, a forever. But first, I need to get Justine out of my system to make that happen. Step two is to rid myself of Sylvie and then, maybe, just maybe, I can have a life like Mack’s.

  * * *

  During dinner, the tension in the air, of a very sexual nature, is evident to the adults in the room. When I had walked in, Sasha approached me just enough to whisper hello in my ear, rubbing her breasts that were already spilling out of her black little dress across my own chest. She’s such a tease and who would have thought this woman, who was spewing ice crystals at me last night, is the same one that is now wanting me in her bed?