Chapter One
There were only a few things that drove a man to the company of Johnnie Walker on his wedding day. Being left at the altar was one of them. Baffled by how the day took this turn, I took another sip of my drink. I wanted to chug it. An alcohol-induced amnesia was preferable to this gnawing anger and need to hit something but years of disciple refused to allow me the escape. The sound of waves washing the shoreline mixed with the conversations around me and reminded me of the recordings I used to get to sleep sometimes. The relaxing effect was absent today.
A Type A personality, I had my life planned down to the T. I earned that first million by the time I was twenty years and started my first sole ownership business that same year. Soon after, I made the Fortune 500 list. All that was left on the list was getting married and having those four kids I wanted. Two boys and two girls.
I thought the marriage end of the deal was as good as done. From the moment I laid eyes on Amanda Holster I knew she was everything I imagined my future wife to be. Classy, poised and beautiful. Her father and I were business associates. He invited me to a dinner party at his residence about eight months ago. Though hating these shindigs where the primary objectives were to kiss someone's ass or have your ass kissed, I went anyway. She came down the stairs and every man in that room took notice. Long, pale blonde hair flowed around a slim, tucked waist and each step revealed legs that wouldn't quit through the slit in her figure-hugging dress. Her blue eyes said she knew the effect she had on the opposite sex and was not afraid to use that power. I wanted her and it was not long before I had her. We had sex on second date. I proposed on the fifth.
Everything was going according to plan.
I footed the bill for the expensive beach side ceremony on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia but I did not mind. Money was no object as long as she was happy and I was spared most of the actual organizing.
I had no delusions about our relationship. We fought often. She was a shopaholic with a propensity to flirt with anything that had a cock swinging between its legs. I was a workaholic with control issues who hated any overly emotional situations. We only got along when we fucked and even that aspect of our interaction had cooled in the last few weeks. She was marrying me for my money and to get out from beneath her father's thumb. I wanted my first child by the time I was thirty.
I had no idea why I was so adamant about marrying her. I realized she was not the kind of mother I wanted for my children a long time ago but I hated admitting I was wrong, hated any setbacks in my plan. Now, sitting in a lonely, dark corner of the bar, weeks away from my thirtieth birthday and still wearing most of the white suit, bitterness boiled in my gut.
A cleared throat pulled me away from my thoughts. A waitress was standing next to my table, her lips curved into a careful, sad smile. By now everyone at the small hotel heard about my fiasco of a wedding, especially since my former fiancé ran off with one of the staff. "Excuse me, sir. This came from the lady in red at the bar."
She placed a glassed of the amber colored liquid in front of me. Gravity pulled the top embossed with the hotel logo lower and revealed dog paw tattoos on the top of breasts encased in dark lace. They were very nice breasts. The rest of the package was just as appealing. Rich ebony skin and deep, brown eyes that tilted at the edges.
My cock did not stir.
She noticed my attention and her smile turned seductive. Slowly rising, she said, "If there's anything else you need, let me know. I'm Annette, by the way."
"Thank you, Annette. I'll let you know."
She turned and left with a sashay of hips covered by tight pants that showed no panty lines. I waited for my cock to take notice.
Nothing.
I mentally sighed.
Picking up the drink, I looked in the direction she indicated earlier. There was a redhead leaning against the wooden surface. Her stare was pointed, without any of the pity I'd been receiving for the better part of the day. She raised her glass and I reciprocated the action. Before I thought better of the action, I mouthed the words, join me. She smiled, placing a sandaled foot on the floor.
My cock rose, imitated a fist pump. Now that's more like it!
The dress accentuated her curves perfectly, clinging and giving teasing hints of what lay beneath one second, only to let go and swirl around her knees the next. Full breasts pushed at the top of the fabric. The image of burying my face there came out of nowhere. Would they be as soft and pillowy as they looked? Saliva pooled in the bottom of my mouth at the thought of sucking on her nipples. What color were they? Would they be as large or barely there bumps? Precum leaked from my tip and I barely bit back a groan.
Confused by my reaction, I looked around for the waitress. She was only a few feet away, the invitation still in her eyes. She was everything I liked in a woman physically. Tall, slim and full of in-your-face sex appeal. My cock actually lost some of its fullness.
I looked back at the full-figured woman. What was it about her? She was not bombshell gorgeous but she was pretty in that girl next door kind of way. The one that could hang with the fellas, go fishing on the weekends and was not afraid to break a nail. The one that all the guys imaged was a wild cat in bed but were too scared to find out.
Was she? Would she scream and claw as I pounded her pussy from the back, my grip on those breasts pulling her back into each thrust? How would she react of I sucked on them? Nibbled on them? Would she get that bored looked that said move on already or would she arch in my mouth, demanding more?
Shit. I shook my head slightly, shocked by my sudden obsession with that part of a woman's anatomy. This woman's anatomy.
She took the seat opposite me and I took a deep breath in an effort to calm myself. I only made it worse. Her scent wove its way into my system. Dark and lovely. Just like her eyes green cat eyes and the red hair that set off the porcelain white skin. I struggled to pull my eyes away from her bosom. She smiled brighter, clearly unaware of the effect she had on me.
"Wow, you're even better looking up close," she proclaimed with a voice that rang with a hint of a southern accent. She laughed at my look. "I did not mean that the way it sounded. I'm not hitting on you, I swear. It's just that, there's been a lot of talk about an idiot of a woman leaving a blond Adonis with sexiest brown eyes at the altar. I have to say you're more gorgeous than I expected. And with all this talk of beefcake bod with enough muscles to melt panties away, I was expecting a lot."
This drew a snort from me. Built like a linebacker, I was all muscle and brawn. My size intimidated most people though I have noticed women seemed intrigued by the prospect that all of me was proportionate. It was.
I leaned closer and got another whiff of her scent. "What else did they say?"
"Oh, there's been some talk of comforting you. Especially those manly parts of yours. There was some mention of a whip and handcuffs. If you're into that, you'll have fun with the two three tables behind me."
I tried to be subtle with my search. Two blondes sat there in dresses too tiny to contain much. I was not as inconspicuous as I thought. They both waved at me and giggled. I looked back at my companion. She was biting her bottom lip, trying not to laugh. "You'll protect me, won't you?"
"Oh, absolutely. A ninja has nothing on me." She flexed a muscle.
"Scary."
We laughed.
"That's much better."
"What is?"
"As sexy as your scowl is, I much prefer you smiling."
It did feel good to smile. Tension eased from my shoulders and suddenly my failed wedding seemed like just an unfortunate incident to be brushed off. This was just what I needed. "Are you sure you're not hitting on me?"
