Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Quinn
Isit on a lounger by the pool and shimmy my shoulders to the upbeat island music drifting through speakers tucked away in the little bursts of greenery scattered about.
Sweet flavors tickle my tongue as I suck down the best pina colada I’ve ever tasted.
Lying back, I grab the digital camera Jim gave me so that I can continue to make content without my phone.
It's a high-tech device that creates beautiful images, but it’s clunky and much harder to use than my point-and-click cell phone.
In the week that I’ve been here, I’ve managed to drop this camera on my face no fewer than six times.
Today is no different. As I frame the overhead shot and push my cleavage into God’s face, my fingers lose their grip.
The heavy camera slips from my hand and crashes into the bridge of my nose.
I let out a yelp and clutch my poor face.
“Being so self-centered is dangerous,” Aven says beside me.
Yeah, that’s still going on. My watchdog never lets me out of his sight. Even in my room, he’s watching. I’ve found the cameras. The only place where I’m free from prying eyes is the bathroom.
I hope.
If anyone has been watching me in there, I’ll be mortified. My diet doesn’t usually consist of this much red meat, and my bowels haven’t exactly adjusted well. At least the chef has been diligent about avoiding my allergen.
Another clue that he was watching me was the way he’d always pop out of his room the moment I planned to leave mine. That first night, I tried to sneak out, but he was right there waiting for me when I emerged in the hallway. How convenient that his room is directly across from mine.
And today, when I stepped out of my room in a swimsuit, there he was in blue board shorts, ready to join me. He even made me put on sunscreen. It’s quite annoying, actually.
I hold the camera toward him. “Could you take the picture for me so that I don’t end up with a concussion?”
He folds his arms over his muscular chest and shakes his head. “Not a chance, lass. My duties begin and end with keeping you safe.”
“Wouldn’t preventing self-imposed bodily harm be part of that?” I wiggle the camera and refuse to relent. “Please?”
With a rumbling grumble from deep in his chest, he stands and reaches for the camera. Pleased, I hand it to him and begin planning poses. This will be so much easier now that—
Click, click, click.
Aven tosses the camera at my bare feet on the lounger. “There. I took your damned pictures. Can we just sit quietly now?”
“No, we cannot just sit quietly. I’ve been sitting quietly for days, and I’m bored.
We can’t visit the amusement park. My subscriptions are dropping off because I’m not posting as much content without my phone.
And we haven’t even heard a peep from Desmond since the day you hauled me to this vacation from hell!
I’m beginning to wonder if this entire exercise is necessary at this point. ”
“Just because he isn’t saying anything doesn’t mean he isn’t scheming in the background.” He flops onto the lounger beside mine and places his hands behind his head without a care in the world. “Suit yourself, though. If you want to take a risk and go back to the mainland, be my guest.”
“Do you mean it?”
“No.”
I snatch up the camera and my wrap and get to my feet. “Fuck this. I’m going to do another show in my room.”
“Didn’t you do a show this morning?”
“Yes, which is why I said another. God, is it your first day using the English language?”
My handsome shadow stands and follows me into the lobby.
It’s a shame he’s such a prick. It’s also a shame that I’m so painfully attracted to him despite his piss-poor attitude, but isn’t that always the way?
We most want what we can’t have. If he showed the slightest interest, my vagina would dry up.
Why are we like this?
We take the elevator to our floor and part ways at my door.
He does his duty and waits until I’m safely inside before retreating to his room.
I haven’t been in there, but I imagine him surrounded by a wall of monitors, with all the screens tuned to me.
It’s three parts creepy and one part kind of hot.
I like being watched. That’s why I’m so good at my job.
Well, I like being watched when the people doing the watching aren’t psychopaths. Desmond isn’t the sort I enjoy performing for. But as I said to Aven, he doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore.
I’ll give this another week. If he hasn’t shown his face by then, I’ll have to find a way to break the news to Aven and Jim that I’m not willing to be used as bait any longer.
Sure, they want to keep me safe, but only until they can get Desmond to rear his ugly head.
Will they be so eager to save me once they have him in their sights? That’s what I’m unsure about.
I grab my half-assed setup and pull it onto the bed.
I miss my multiple cameras and expensive mics, but they’re all back at my house.
I’m forced to make do with the laptop and small webcam that I could fit in my bag.
There wasn’t much room among all the toys and outfits, and the men couldn’t care less if I’m faking orgasms in 4K or ten frames per second.
So long as I look good while I’m doing it, they’ll pay.
I pull out a lacy red teddy and change into that. It doesn’t bother me that Aven is probably watching me. He’s seen it all anyway, and it’s not like he’s doing anything with it. It almost annoys me to know he doesn’t beat his dick to me.
How do you know he doesn’t . . . ?
That’s a good point. For all I know, he’s on his knees with his dick in his hands as we speak. There’s one way to find out.
Other than the few workers I’ve seen roaming around the hotel grounds, there aren’t any other people staying here.
I haven’t even seen Jim since he gifted the camera.
With this information as my encouragement, I step half-naked into the hall.
The red teddy barely covers the lacy panties, and the majority of my ass is out for the world to see.
My nipples harden with the cool air, all their pointy glory visible behind the sheer fabric.
Thankfully, the hall is empty, just as I expected it to be.
I stand outside my closed door for a moment, waiting with bated breath to see if he steps into the hall to catch me. He doesn’t. After several seconds, his door remains closed. Does this mean he needed a little time to put his dick away?
A smile slides onto my face. Maybe Aven isn’t as unaffected as he’d have me believe.
The smile shifts into a smirk as I sway my hips extra hard on my way to his door. I raise my hand to knock . . . right as the elevator dings at the end of the hallway.
My eyes widen. My heart hammers. My asshole puckers.
I hear the doors sliding open in slow motion, followed by female voices laughing and growing louder.
Closer. In just a few seconds, they’ll get an eyeful of a half-naked woman knocking on a hotel door, and I can’t even blame them for what they’ll think.
The funniest part is, they’ll be right. I’m definitely a sex worker. This just isn’t a call on a client.
Turning back for my door, I remember that I failed to grab my lovely keycard on the way out.
I must look like a squirrel on a back road as I dart back and forth before the car hits me.
A very sexy, confused, and panicked squirrel.
My brain finally kicks into gear, and I slam myself against Aven’s door and bang on the metal with all the desperation I can muster.
My palm stings with each slap, but I really need him to open this door.
I’m out of time. The three women have their backs to me as they exit the elevator and begin gathering their luggage, but they’ll turn around and see me at any second. I grip the handle on Aven’s door and give it a wiggle, but it’s not opening. What the fuck is he doing?
His door flies open, and I nearly fall into his arms. His very bare, very wet arms. A towel drapes his waist, and a thick lather coats his dark hair in frothy bubbles. I guess he wasn’t beating his dick to me after all. He was too busy taking a fucking shower.
But I’m too relieved to worry about any of that right now. I hurry inside and close the door behind me before the women can spot me. It looks like we’re no longer alone at the resort.