Chapter 20
Thedazzlein Henry’s eyes made me want to cartwheel up the beach, but I pulled him in for another kiss instead.
Henry set me down on the warm sand, and as I lifted my skirt, I wished I hadn’t worn such a long dress.As he left my side to talk to Steve,I tied the fabric into a knot above my knee.
He returned, carrying a large bag that looked the same as the one he’d had last time I’d seen him. As much as it was killing me to know, I resisted asking what was in there. I put my hat on, and he took my hand and led me away from the plane.
The view was spectacular. Gentle rolling waves lapped at the fine sand as we strolled along, and soon, all the worry that had consumed my thoughts this week evaporated, and I felt the most relaxed I’d felt in days.
He let go of my handand bentdown to collect asmallshell from the sand and gave it to me.It was a conch shell, caramel and white in color, and about the size of my thumb.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Just like you.”
I was two seconds away from objecting when I caught myself. “Thank you.”
“Ahhh, we’re making progress.”
I wanted to ask what we were progressing toward,but decided against itasI wasn’t sure I was ready for his answer. Especiallyas Henry considered this a date. Lolly had told me dozens of times that my sexual encounters were all about fun. I hadn’t pledged myself to any of these men. Butmaybe accepting this ‘date’ had me committing myself more than I’d anticipated.
Was that a bad thing?I had no idea.
Henry was incredible; everything about him made him special to me. Although his age had never bothered me, the fact that he had adult children made me wonder if he’d want more. I wanted children, myownchildren—three at least. Oh God, I’mtotallyover-thinking?—
“So, how’ve you been?” Henry lurched me from my illogical landslide, and when he turned to me, the concern in his eyes made me wonder if he’d somehow perceived my emotional rollercoaster.
“I’m fine.”
“I’m sensing you’re not.”
I tilted my head at him. “I thought wewere going todo this later, after our wonderful day.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”Nodding, he guided us away from the waves andheaded tothe center of the island which was a vista of healthy green trees and shrubs.
He touched the small of my back, just a gentle nudge of reassurance, and then moved in front of me to lead us up a smallembankment. His impressive body enhanced my already spectacular view.
At the top, the grass was mottled patches of brown and green. Henry continued walking farther inland, and soon, there was enough shade cover that I removed my hat and tousled my hair out.
I had assumed he knew where he was going, just like the last timehe’dled me into the bushes, but whenhestarted looking left and right, I wondered if he did. A dull roar caught my attention, and after a few seconds, I realized what it was. I turned back toward the ocean, and my jaw fell as our plane took off.
“Where’s he going?”
“Don’t worry.He’llbe back in a couple of hours.”
“Oh.” Trapped on a deserted island with Henry. Yay me.
“Here,” Henry announced as he turned to me. “This looks like the perfect spot.”
I glanced about the broad, grassy expanse. “Perfect for what?”
A small smile curled at his lips. “For us.” He reached into his bag and pulled out a picnic blanket very similar to the previous one.
“Did you buy these in bulk?”
Henry laughed, and it was such a deep, infectious melody that I joined him. “Maybe I should have.”
The blanket billowed out, spilling across the grass, and Henryindicated forme to sit.
He sat by my side. “I hope you don’t mind. I had so much fun last time, I’d like to improve on it.”
“Oh.” My insides did a little happy dance.
Henry placed his hand above my knee, just below the knot of my dress. “You make me feel alive, Jane.”
The sun, filtering through the foliage, caught in his eyes, magnifying the intensity I saw in them. I chewed on my bottom lip and swallowed. “Henry . . .”
He touched his finger to my lips. “Shhh.” His hand glided up my thigh, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. “We’ll chat later.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He turned and kneeled to face me, the sun caught in his hair, highlighting slivers of silver.Our eyes met, andfor a moment,we just looked at each other.The intensity of thatspecialmoment made my heart thump in my ears.
His hands glided up my thighs with a gentle smoothness that made my insides purr. “You know I haven’t kissed you yet.”
“Yes, you have.”
“Yes, but not on your lips.”
That was true. I tugged on my lip as my insides did a happy dance.
“May I?”
As I nodded, he leaned forward, placing his hands on my cheeks, and thesecond I closed my eyes his lips found mine. His fingers glided down across my neck, and I tilted my head to the side, and aswe moaned in unison, our lips parted.
Our tongues forged across new territory, and it was an explorer’s dream.
His kiss was soft yet eager. He tasted of peppermint, he smelled of spice, andhefelt like heaven.
My insides purred a delicious beat as his tongue tangoed with mine. I melted under his touch as his fingers moved from my cheek to my breast. He cupped my boob in his palm and caressed it as if it were a delicate prize.
I reached for his chest, found his nipple, and flicked my thumb over his hardened bud. His groan confirmed he liked my touch, and our breaths mingled in an inferno of lust as I alternated my attention from one nipple to the other.
Henry had mastered the art of kissing, and Iwas preparedto experience this glory until my lips were red raw. My clit had other ideas, though, and as it pulsed to a delicious beat, I ground my hips, begging him to touch me lower.
It was an eternity before we released each other, and Henry eased back. His large pupils threatened to consume his light blue irises. His chest rose and fell, and the bulge in his groin was unmissable. He licked his lips and smiled.
“Wow.” The word whispered off his lips like he was in a trance.
I grinned and nodded. “Wow.”
He put his hand on my knee. “You do things to me that make me feel incredible. I haven’t felt this way in a very long time.”
“And you do things to my body that I’ve never felt before.”
His smile was glorious, capturing every part of his face in the most magnificent of ways. “I’d like to kiss you again.”
Hell yes. “Okay.”
He lowered his eyes to my hips. “Down there.”
Hell yes, a thousand times over. “Okay.”
My heart galloped as Henry threaded his hands up my dress and tugged on my underpants. He drew them down slowly, and I raised my hips to help and pulled my dress up, allowing him to watch the show. His tongue licked his lips, and his eyes glazed.
He curled the lacy fabric off my ankles and brought it to his nose, and when he inhaled, his eyes rolled backward. Watching him do that was a potent aphrodisiac that had my building orgasm hitting a whole new level.
I raised my hips and parted my knees, and when his attention turned to my pussy a delicious shudder rolled through me.Henry’s gaze was drivenwith intensity as he cast my underwear onto the rug.
I glided my hands up and down my thighs as I pumped my knees open and closed in a little game of peek-a-boo. The anticipation was excruciating. Yet I could wait forhimall day. Henry was my suave tutor, and when hewas teachingme a new move, I was his ready and willing pupil.
Finally, he placed his hands on my knees and sucked in a shaky breath. His trembling fingers glided down my thighs and parted my legs. He licked his lips and leaned forward, and the second his tongue touched my pussy, I clawed at the blanket and gasped.
He raised my right leg,and his left hand cuppedbehind my knee.His hot tongue glided up and down my velvet folds as the fingers on his other hand entered me. As his tongue licked my clit, hot,hard, and wet, his finger probed in and out of my pussy with fevered thrusts. Rockets shot through me that lit up every nerve in my body.
My orgasm hit me, fast and explosive, and I screamed as I climaxed.
As I drove my fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair, Henry’s head bobbed up and down as he lapped my juices. His fingers continued to plunge, drawing out every last drop of lust from my body.
I heard nothing.I smelled nothing. ButI felt every single exquisite sensation that rippled through me.Hedidn’t just take me to the edge; Henry took me way beyond. It was sensation overload, and a magical euphoria gripped me, eliminating everything elsein the worldexcept my body. He had a gift, and I was so willing to take it.
It was an eternity before he eased up from between my thighs. His glazed eyes and partially opened lips made him look drunk.Drunkon ecstasy.
He licked his lips. “Yummy.”
“Thank you.”
He chuckled. “You’re getting better at this.” He smiled that glorious smile that said everything in the world was perfect.
I propped up on my elbows and drew my knees together, and that was when I noticed the dark stain on his trousers. He looked down at his pants and then at me, but he didn’t look embarrassed.In fact,he seemed pleased. “You do that to me.”
His look of pure satisfaction made me smile with him.
He reached into his bag and handed me a towel.“Excuse me for a second,” he said,then he grabbed the bag and disappearedinto the bushes.
Using the solitude to wipe myself, I once again marveled at how messy sex had become. I tugged on my undies and stood up in time to see Henry walk toward me. He’d changed his pants.
“Wow, you are organized.”
“Yep, you should know that by now.”
It was true.Every moment with Henry seemedto beperfectly choreographed.I wondered if I’d be able to keep up with that perfection.
I didn’t geta chanceto ponder that question because Henry grabbed my cheeks and kissed me, just a simple, fun kiss.
He grabbed the blanket and dragged it to the side to shake off the sand. “Hungry?” He asked as he folded the blanket into the bag.
“Always.”
“Good.” He clutched my palm to his, and with my bag over my shoulder and my hat on my head again, he led me back down to the beach.
We were silent as we strolled back toward where the plane had dropped us off.
“What’s that?” I pointed at an umbrella in the distance.
“That’s lunch.”
Beneath the blue-and-white umbrellawasa small wooden table and two chairs. A metal bucket was nestled in the sand to one side, and the foil top on thetop of thechampagne bottle inside,glistened in the sunshine.
Henry pulled out a chair for me, and I sat. He popped the cork on the champagne, and bubbles fizzed as he topped up our two glasses. He put the bottle back in the bucket, offered me one of the glasses, and held hisownforward. “Here’s to secluded beaches.”
I giggled. “To secluded beaches.” Our glasses chimed as we brought them together.
The champagne was cold, sweet, and delicious.
Henry gave me a plate and cutlery and grabbed a set for himself, then he removed the lids off the Tupperware and positioned them about the table. The selection was magnificent, and my stomach rumbling increased with everydish thatwas revealed.Once he’d finished,there was very little roomleft on the table.
He sat at my side. “Ladies first.”
I had to start with the prawns. I grabbed four of them and a dollop of pink seafood sauce from a small glass jar. Henry followed my lead, and we set about peeling the prawns.
“So, are you ready to talk to me?”
I yanked the prawn’s head off. “I am talking to you.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Ohhh, I’d hoped you’d forgotten about that.” Our day had been perfect so far, and the last thing I wanted to do was divulge my crazy challenge to him.
“Come on, Jane. There’s no need to hide anything from me.”
As I dunked my peeled prawn into the sauce and bit into it, I tried to unscramble the thoughts blazing through my mind. No, I didn’t need to hide anything from Henry, but did I want to ruin thespecialthing we had going on?
“Are you having an affair?”
“What?” I swallowed my prawn. “No! Is that what you think?”
“Yes, of course. You’re sneaking around pretending to be Memphis, and you get jittery and evasive when I ask too many questions. Don’t forget I’ve experienced a cheating partner before.”
“So have I. And I’d never do that to anyone.”
“Good. Then whateverit is that’stroubling you can’t be as bad as you think.”
“Pfft.” I rolled my eyes. “Okay.” I sighed. “I’ll tell you.”
“Good. Have another prawn.”
I wrenched the head off the prawn and tossed the scrap toward a seagull that’d landed off to my side. “After my fiancé cheated on me, I was so hurt by what he’d done that I couldn’t stand the sight of him or any of the dozen or so women who’d slept with him. In that small town, it was nearly impossible to avoid the daily confrontation. So, I moved to the Gold Coast.”
Henry sipped his champagne, silently listening to my sorry story.
“I spent the next three years consumed with my work and improving my fitness. But I didn’t find time for myself. No dates, no men, no sex. Not once.”
“That’s a shame.”
“There were two problems. One is my crazy night shift, which means it’s hard to go on dates.Believe me,my girlfriend tried to hook me up many times. But the second problem was . . .” I cleared my throat, “I don’t have sex with strangers.”
“Ahhh.”
“Ahhh what?”
“I assume this is where the costume came in.”
“Correct. On the 1st of January, I did the craziest thing. I put on a French maid costume that I’d bought for the fancy-dress staff Christmas party, and pretending to be someone else, I got myself invited into acompletestranger’s room and masturbated in front of him.”
He clapped his hands. “I love it.”
I blinked at him. “You do?”
“Hell yes. I bet it was one of the most erotic moments of your life.”
I nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“So, you just kept on doing it?”
“Uh-huh.”
He cocked his head. “There’s more, isn’t there?”
I nodded and gulped thefullglass of champagne. Henry reached for the bottle, topped me up, and then turned to me, waiting.
A big sigh rumbled off my lips. “My girlfriend, Lolita, challenged me to have a sexual experience every week for a year.”
“What?” He slapped his hand on his thigh and burst out laughing.
“You don’t think that’s weird?”
“Yes, it’s weird.” Hecontinued chuckling.“But it’s also fabulous. So how are you going with the challenge?”
I spread my hands apart. “This is week thirty-five. I haven’t missed one yet.”
“So what . . . you need to have sex fifty-two times in fifty-two weeks?”
I shook my head. “No, not sex. Just a sexual experience.”
He raised an eyebrow. “So, you haven’t had sex with any of them?”
I plopped my elbows on the table and covered my facewith my hands. “Please don’t ask me that.”
Henry wrapped his hand around my wrist and eased my left hand away from my face. “I’m only asking to see if there’s hope for me.”
I turned with my jaw dropped. “You’re not grossed out?”
He reached for both my hands and held them in his. “No, I’m not grossed out as you put it. I’m fascinated. I certainly don’t see anything wrong with it. You’re single; I assume the men are willing. It’s not like you’re drugging them before you have your wicked way with them.”
I huffed and rolled my eyes. “Of course not.”
“Iactuallythink it’s fantastic. You get to explore your sexuality, and you get to meet different men. It had always bugged me why you’d picked an old bugger like me.”
“I told you, you’re not old.”
His eyes bulged. “Have you had someone older than me?”
I gasped and was two seconds off saying no when I stopped. “I’m not going to kiss and tell.”
“Awww, that’s no fun. I’d love to hear all about them.”
“That’s a little weird, don’t you think?”
“I’m weird? You’re the one with the split personality.”
I pouted. “I don’t have a split personality.”
“Well, I, for one, am truly grateful that you do. And to your friend and her challenge. Otherwise, I would never have met you. We wouldn’t be having this lovely lunch on a deserted beach.” He spread his hands at the view. “And I certainly wouldn’t be experiencing you and your delicious body.”
My heart fluttered. This conversation had gone much better than I expected. Maybe there was hope for me once this crazy journey was over.
“So, what happens at the end of this year?” He read my mind.
I shrugged. “I have no idea.”
We were silent for a while as we nibbled at the antipasto platter.
“I’m glad you told me this, Jane.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Now I know I have until the end of the year to teach you a few more things.”
I burst out laughing and reached for my champagne. “I’ll drink to that.”
We chinked our glasses together, and I drank the delicate bubbles.
The following hour was consumedwith eating and talking much more freely about ourselves. I learned more abouthislife, career, and children, and he, in turn, learned more about my life in Mildura, my job, and Lolita.
A dull roar preceded the return of our plane, and we gracefully landed on the water and glided right up to our beachside picnic.We helped Steve pack up the equipment,andweclimbed back into the plane.Henry took the front positionthis time, and I settled into the seat behind him.
The flight back was much shorter as the pilot took a more direct route, and we landed at Seaworld Resort within twenty minutes.
Once we were back on the sand, Henry handed the pilot some money and shook his hand. A delightful sense of contentment washed over me as we strolled back to the car and hopped in.
“Thank you for a magical day,” I said.
“Thank you for fulfilling another one of my bucket list items.”
“Which one? The plane flight or the sex on the beach?”
He laughed. “Actually,you’re nearly right. It was a seaplane flight and sex on a deserted island.”
“We didn’t have sex.”
“We had fun, though.” He raised his eyebrows as if seeking confirmation.
“Yes, we had fun. Are you flying home now?”
“No, as a matter of fact, I’m staying in your hotel, room ten.”
I turned and frowned at him. “You’re kidding?”
“No.”
“When did you check in?”
“Around seven o’clock this morning. I must’ve just missed you.”
“Yeah.”
“But don’t worry—I’ll forgive you if you don’t sneak into my room.”
“I have work later.”
“I know.”
“And I need to get some sleep now.”
“Jane, it’s okay. I know.”
“Oh.”
When we arrived at the hotel, he used his room access card to open the security gate, drovedownto the underground car park, and reversed into his designated spot. We climbed out, andthe sound ofour doors closing echoed about the concrete space.
I didn’t want to walk into the hotel with him and paused at the front of the car, unsure how to say it.
“So, I guess this is where we say goodbye.”
Wow, he really was intuitive. “Thank you.”
It took all my might not to wrap my arms around him and hold my body to his. He caressed my cheeks and lowered his lips to mine for a brief kiss. “I’ll be back, Memphis Jane.”
“I’ll be waiting, my suave tutor.” A little bit of Memphis had instigated that comment, and I instantly regretted the ridiculousness of it.
“Is that what you call me?”Even in the dimmed lights of the parking lot, hisgrin was impressive.
I’m such an idiot.I nodded.
“I like it. Now, off you go, or I’ll have to tear your clothes off and teach you another lesson.”
Before I did something stupid and allowed him to make good on that threat, I kissed his cheek and tossed my bag over my shoulder, and withmy hat in my hand, I walked up the ramp to the front of the building.
Back in my room, I went to the bath, turned on the taps, and pouredina good slosh of the new bubble bath Marjorie had bought me.I undressedandremoved what little makeup I had on and brushed my teeth.
I grabbed my diary and rested it on the edge of the tub, along with a fresh cup of green tea. Before the bath had filled, I slipped into the warm water. The muscles in my body quickly unraveled as the tumbling water raised the level higher with each second.
Sitting up, I reached for my diary and turned to the 24th of August. At the top, I wrote Henry Addison, Room 10, and next to that, I wrote Soaring to New Heights.
That was exactly what today was, and not just because of that wonderful joyride.
I wrote in great detail about how Henry could produce orgasms that were unparalleled by any other. I’d had many orgasms this year, but somehow, the ones with him were a level above the others.
Was that because of what he did, or was it because of how I felt about him?
Am I falling in love with Henry?
Was I prepared to fall in love with a man who may not want more children?
I closed my diary and lowered into the bath. With my toe in the faucet to stifle theflow of water, I pondered those questions.
Was I willing to sacrifice having children to marry the man I loved?
Love was about sacrifice. . . but was I prepared to sacrifice that?