Obsessed

Blurb

I wanna bend her over my desk, and show her all that she has missed these years. 

She's back from college. 

And looks more than just the tiny Mexican orphan she was. Her voluptuous body, perfect a$$, those long legs that could go on forever...

One look at her firm bre*sts and I am hard. 

I wanna feel her soft body, hold her close to me. 

And never let her go. 

But mom said she was like our sister (my brother and I) 

We practically grew up together. 

Does that really matter? 

Wait! why is my brother trying to be a jacka$$ in this relationship! 

 

Chapter One

Nathan

I pored over another real estate contract, making sure the legal team downstairs hadn’t missed anything crucial. Neatly stacked piles of documents lined my desk in my office overlooking the city. The gorgeous view was a waste for me since I was forced to focus on paperwork.

Work never seemed to end, but in the real estate business, you had to keep your wits about you and always be on top of things. Otherwise, someone else would come along and steal a client right out from under you or snap up a lucrative deal. It was a cutthroat business, but I managed to keep our company the most profitable in the city of San Diego.

My father had passed his company to me when he retreated from the world. Taking the reins was an amazing opportunity, and I enjoyed every second of it, until my brother Nick decided it was time to get his shit together and make his worth known to our father. I couldn’t fight Nick on it since technically, the business had been handed down to both of us, but I couldn’t stand the way Nick walked around all high and mighty, trying to take over everything.

I had literally dedicated my entire life after college to this company, and then Nick traipsed in and uprooted everything. But that seemed to be how it was for us our entire life, Nick wanting what I had, and using the older brother card to take it. I knew Nick had no real interest in being a real estate mogul, but we both wanted to make our father proud. So I dealt with his presence, trying to put out fires he made before they became full on blazes.

I took in a deep breath and looked down at my laptop. The email symbol was flashing and rotating around in a circle. When I clicked on it, I saw Nick’s name as the sender, and I sighed. I was really hoping it was one of our bigger clients who were trying to finalize a multimillion-dollar real estate deal. As I opened the email, a picture appeared.

My brother smiled at the camera mischievously with his arm around Ronni. They were standing in the kitchen of our father’s estate. I hadn’t realized that Ronni was back in town already. I slammed the lid of my laptop, irritated by my brother’s brash reactions to things. He always tried to rub it in my face and be the first at everything. I gathered my things and headed down to the garage to grab the car and head over to my father’s. Luckily, it was midday so traffic wouldn’t be too bad in Coronado where Dad lived.

I was glad I chose to drive the convertible Audi today, as the San Diego sun was shining bright and warm overhead. I pulled out of the building and took to the street, heading for the bridge. I crossed over and looked down at the large Naval ships sitting at port and the city disappearing behind me, and I thought about the first time I ever met Ronni. I was sixteen years old and obsessed with cars, chicks, and anything and everything that was the complete opposite of my father’s business and learning it. I was a rebellious teen that knew just how far to take it because I also knew where the money came from.

Mother had decided that we needed some live-in help to keep better care of our estate, so she hired a really nice couple from Mexico. The couple had a six-year-old daughter.

At first, I really didn’t pay any attention to Ronni. I was ten years older than her, and she was just a little kid, running around and getting in my way. The thing I remembered most when she was that age, was the fact that she had big, striking, dark eyes. With Ronni’s parents working here in Coronado and living on the premises in the servants’ quarters, it gave her a chance to get a better education than she had in Tijuana.

I always noticed her sitting at the kitchen counter while her mother cooked, studying her English diligently. Sometimes, I would try to help by speaking in my broken Spanish, but it just got confusing. Ronni was incredibly intelligent on many levels, and though I wanted to help, she started following Nick around and mooning over him. He was the older brother, and even I had to admit he was cooler than me back then. I just put it out of my mind, not really thinking about it, other than the times that I would run into her sitting in the kitchen studying.

Then that day came. The day that changed her life forever and the lives of my own family as well. I could remember the day like it was yesterday. We were gathered in the living room, speaking to the police who had brought news of the car crash. Ronni was still at school when the police first arrived, but I remembered standing in the living room and seeing her enter through the front door. It was the last few moments of her childhood. If I had realized it then, I would have run to her, pushed her out of the house, and prolonged those last cherished minutes of innocence.

She walked in and looked at the tears on my mother’s face and the police staring at her with sadness, and she knew. No one had to say it. I reached out, as if life were in slow motion, and caught Ronni by the arm as she dropped to her knees. My mother ran over, scooping her delicate little body into her arms and covering her, trying to keep the pain out. I think we all grew a little bit that day.

Ronni didn’t have any family left in the states now that her parents were gone. My mother knew sending her back to Mexico would mean a very hard life for her. So, doing as my kind-hearted mother always did, she brought Ronni into our home permanently. She made up the room right next to hers and treated exactly as if she were her own daughter.

My father kept a distance, but since he loved my mother so much, he did what he could to make Ronni feel as if she were part of the family. That was really important to my mother, for her to feel like she was part of the family. We always made sure to listen to our mother, knowing how kind she was and knowing how she was the glue that held this family together. So, there she was, our new little sister, too scared to speak up, but kind enough to treat us how she always had.

Now that she was back home, I couldn’t wait to see her. I weaved in and out of traffic, hurrying toward my destination. The closer I got to my father’s house, the faster I pushed the car and the more my thoughts of the past overwhelmed me.

After Ronni became part of the family all those years ago, I lost track of everything. I was in my own little world, being accepted into the Ivy League, having my outrageous college experiences, and almost looking down on the “servant’s daughter.” Looking back now, she probably could have used my friendship, but at that time, I didn’t even know how to introduce her to my friends, much less find anything in common between us.

A few years after Ronni’s parents died, more dark times hit our family. We lost my mother, too, when her kind, loving heart gave out on her. When I got the news, I was stunned, broken, and completely unable to come to terms with it. Everything changed that day, and my father fell into a deep, inescapable bitterness. Ronni was no longer protected by my mother, so father sent her off to boarding school, trying to get rid of any reminder of my mother’s unrelenting kindness.

For me, it was easier to stay where I was, finishing school, building my career, and just trying to get past the fact that my dear sweet mother had died so suddenly. I knew that this meant that my parents’ real estate empire would end up falling on me and Nick, but I knew Nick was not someone I could rely on. He never had been. I’d grown out of my wild lifestyle after high school, but Nick stuck with the parties, the girls, and the freedom of being a rich boy with no responsibilities. However, knowing I had security and that my father trusted me with his business, was worth it all.

When I finally came home for the holidays, my father was even worse than before, and Ronni was sixteen. I hadn’t seen her since my mother’s funeral, and she tried not to come home for holidays. This year, though, she didn’t have any other option. When I walked in, I didn’t even recognize her. The chubby little Mexican girl with a toothy grin had slimmed, trimmed, and transformed into an absolutely beautiful woman. I could barely take my eyes off of her, and when Nick arrived, I had to pull him aside and remind him that she was like our little sister.

My father didn’t seem to notice Ronni at all, and she went around fixing the table and helping the servants prepare for the holiday dinner. Her spirits were high, and I found instant comfort in her positive outlook on life. She was, indeed, a light in the darkness of our family. Her charming smile, long dark hair, and same striking eyes glimmered in the candlelight of the house.

My father hadn’t even thought of decorating for the holidays, but he reluctantly agreed to allow Ronni to do so, knowing it was her and my mother’s favorite thing to do every year. Nick and I chipped in to help, hanging lights, putting up wreaths, and finding the perfect tree for the living room. We laughed and joked with each other as if nothing had ever happened in our lives, but on the inside, Nick and I both were struggling to remember to see Ronni as our sister and not the sexy young woman in front of us.

For the next few years after that, I found myself at my father’s house more often, usually when I knew Ronni would be coming home from school. Every time I saw her, she seemed as if she had grown more and more beautiful. He body filled out, her lips were strong but pouty, and her eyes cut right through me. She had worked really hard in school and ended up getting a full scholarship to a private college, and when she left, I did everything I could to get her out of my mind.

But still, late at night, I couldn’t help but pull up her Facebook page and stare at her amazing smile. I had to keep reminding myself that my mother wanted Ronni treated like part of the family and not like the girl I was dreaming about. My father, on the other hand, was still stuck in his depressed anger, and he didn’t treat Ronni like anything more than the servant’s child. It made me sad for her.

Now, knowing she was back and standing in my kitchen looking more amazing than ever, I couldn’t seem to get there fast enough. Sure, she was supposed to be like a little sister to me, but the look on Nick’s face made me feel sick in the pit of my stomach. I tried to tell myself I was just being protective, wanting to get a scumbag like Nick away from her. But I knew that wasn’t the only reason, and that was why I was driving wildly down the backroads to get to my father’s house.

As the road turned and carved out of Coronado and up the cliffs overlooking the city, I couldn’t help but think about all the times my mother would take me on drives through the canyons. It was absolutely amazing out there, and I could still hear Ronni’s laughter as we passed the Native refuge where the horses ran wild in the fields. It was one of my favorite memories of my mother, and until then, I hadn’t even remembered that Ronni had been with us. Come to think of it, Ronni had always been there, even before her parents were killed. My mother had taken a special interest in her, feeling that she wanted to show her all the beautiful things that we took for granted on a regular basis.

Nick hated spending time as a kid just driving around. He wanted to be back at home with his brood of rich friends. But for me, I loved every moment of it, and I was so glad that I still had those memories of my mother. I was able to look at them as memories that helped me through my mother’s death, but Nick and my father had their own vices to deal with. And apparently, from the looks of it, Ronni seemed to be one of Nick’s new vices.

Chapter Two

Ronni

The house was just as stunning as I remembered it. The sleek marble floors and warm feeling of the kitchen hadn’t left when Mrs. Landers passed away. I had a hard time coming here since it was filled with pain more than with happiness. I could still hear my mother’s voice, singing quietly as she cooked dinner. I would sit right up at the counter, slogging away at my homework, talking to Nathan for a few moments, and catching glances of Nick, my childhood crush, walking through with his friends. After my mother died, though, I couldn’t bring myself to sit there anymore, and even with Mrs. Landers there, treating me like one of her own, the kitchen made me sad inside.

Now, though, with college done and the rest of my life ahead of me, I was glad to be back here to gather my things. College had been an amazing experience, and I really enjoyed my time on the East Coast. Still, I was more than ecstatic to be back in San Diego. It was so close to my childhood home, close to Nick and Nathan, and most importantly, close to my best friend Maria from boarding school. We had decided that we would get a place together when I got back, and I had already landed a job at an accounting firm. It was an entry level position, but I was fine with that since Maria and I had our own ideas for starting a business. Everything was looking to be exactly how I hoped it would be. I would just have to tie up some loose ends here, and I could be on my way toward my bright future.

When I rounded the corner into the kitchen, Mr. Landers walked past me, barely even noticing I was there. After Mrs. Landers passed away, Mr. Landers’s affection for me had soured. It was okay, though. I had beautiful memories of my own father to keep close to my heart. I looked up as I walked through the doors, surprised to see Nick standing at the kitchen sink.

“Hey,” I said, smiling. “I didn’t realize you would be here.”

“I had to send you off with a smile,” he said, looking down at me. “Welcome back and congrats on graduating.”

“Thank you,” I said excitedly. “It was a lot of hard work.”

“You graduated early, right?”

I went to answer, but he cut me off.

“When I was in college, I was part of the rowing team so leaving a year early would have been nearly impossible,” he said, starting to brag. “But things were different at my school, I suppose.”

“Ivy Leaguers definitely do things differently,” I said, trying to hold back the annoyance I felt at his need to show me up with his college education.

I’d had a crush on Nick since I was like eight years old, and from the amazing smile he flashed standing in front of me, he had only grown hotter over the years. He was always a bit of a wild child, running around with his friends, asserting his wealth, and to be honest, being kind of a dick sometimes. But at home, we really got along. It had been a really long time since I had seen Nick, so I was pretty stoked when I walked into the kitchen and he was standing there. He lifted up his phone and shook it at me.

“Come take a pic with me,” he said, smiling.

“Oh, I don’t really like pictures,” I said, blushing.

“Whatever, you’ll look hot,” he said, grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me into him.

I didn’t enjoy having my picture taken, but I sure didn’t mind having his arm around my shoulders and my hand pressed against his chest. I smiled for the picture and stood back while he sent it to whoever he was taking the picture for. I looked down at the list in my hand and realized I needed to get going on this so I could get to my new place and get settled in.

“Wanna help me clean my room?” I smiled big and watched as he scrunched his nose.

“Just have the maids do that,” he said. “That’s why they’re here.”

He was such a spoiled rich boy, and even though I still had the biggest crush on him, I couldn’t help but be slightly turned off by it.

“No, I can do it myself,” I said, turning and walking toward the door.

“Wait,” he said, jogging over. “I’ll supervise.”

It was kind of irritating how superior he thought and acted, but with one glance of his charming smile and amazing eyes, all was forgiven. I wasn’t even sure why Nick was here today, but it had been a long time since I had seen him, and it was definitely not bad to have him hanging around me. I never got much attention from him growing up, even though I was dying for it.

Instead, I’d sit at the kitchen counter, working on my school work, listening to my mother sing and hum, and steal glances of him when he and his friends came trampling through the house. He always ignored me in those situations, which I understood since I was the servant’s daughter, but it didn’t stop me from daydreaming about him. All the other girls had posters of rock stars or TV stars hanging on their walls. They would stare at them and imagine a teenage love affair. I didn’t have any pictures of Nick, but he was definitely the boy I laid in bed and dreamed about. It was a pipe dream, of course. I was the little immigrant from Mexico, and he was the rich heir to a real estate fortune, but that didn’t matter to me.

When we got to my room, I went straight in and started boxing things up. Nick looked around the room, picking up a picture of me and his mom. He smiled, but I knew he was smiling at her not me. It still sent butterflies through my stomach.

As I packed things away, I could tell Nick was getting restless, and it didn’t surprise me at all when he went wandering off. It was weird having him stand there and stare at me anyway. I pulled out my drawers and looked down at an old photo album I had stashed away. I picked it up and sat on the edge of my bed, opening it up and smiling at a picture of my mother and me. She was so beautiful and confident, and my whole life, I wanted to be just like her. As I flipped through the pages, tears tugged at the corners of my eyes and trickled down my cheeks. Hearing footsteps coming down the hall, I assumed it was Nick coming back. I closed the album and looked up forcing a smile. However, instead of Nick, Nathan walked into my room, and I quickly wiped the tears from my cheek.

He looked concerned for a split second before returning his face to that typical-Nathan, serious look. I was slightly embarrassed about getting caught crying over my mother, but I wiped my tears and took the silk handkerchief he handed over to me. I wiped my eyes and smiled, before handing it back to him.

Nathan was always so strange, so stern and serious. I always felt slightly awkward around him. He had been the only one to really pay attention to me as a small child, stepping to help me with my English when I had first moved to San Diego from Mexico. In fact, some of the things that he taught me really helped me move forward to fluently speaking English.

When my parents died, his face was the first I saw when I walked into the room full of police officers. He grabbed me by the arms and led me to the couch when I collapsed under the weight of the news. I could never tell whether his kindness to me was from his own heart, or because he knew how much his mother loved me and wanted to provide me with the best life that she could. Either way, awkward or not, he had always been there in the background so part of me was happy and comfortable having him come by to say hello, though I wasn’t quite sure how he knew I was here.

Nick had always been the one in the Landers family that I got along with the best. He had a fun personality, and when I got older, he became more playful toward me. It was only natural that I gravitated toward him, even though Nathan had been the more caring one. Part of me felt bad that I didn’t realize that until now. I’d always blown off Nathan and hadn’t even thought about it during family events. He walked in the door and looked around.

“Would you like some help packing and loading your things?”

He was quiet and serious, but I was happy he was there.

“That would be really amazing,” I said, relieved that I didn’t have to be alone during this.

Quietly, we moved around the room pulling everything out and wrapping the breakables. We packed the boxes as full as I could carry, since I would be moving them into my place by myself. I smiled at Nathan as he rolled up his sleeves and awkwardly taped the boxes. I could tell he had never actually moved on his own before, and I wondered who moved his things from college to his house on the water. Being as rich as the Landers meant they could hire someone to do just about anything.

When we were done packing, we carried the boxes, one by one, through the house, pausing momentarily to see Nick in the living room watching television with his feet propped up on the coffee table. Nathan rolled his eyes and shook his head as he pushed past and out of the house. He helped me get everything packed into my car and walked back in with me. As I started grabbing cleaning supplies, he chuckled, realizing there was no way I was leaving my mess for the maids. He grabbed the vacuum and followed me back, and we commenced the cleaning process.

Between the two of us, it took less than an hour to get the place cleaned. When we were done, Nathan helped me put everything away. I leaned in and hugged him tightly, thanking him for helping me. He smiled awkwardly before turning and walking to the kitchen. The house looked so sad and lonely now that Mr. Landers lived there by himself. Most of the shine had faded when Mrs. Landers passed, and she took a piece of my heart with her. I took a deep breath and headed down the hall, knocking quietly on Mr. Landers’s study doors.

“Come in,” he said sternly.

I cracked the door and stepped inside, my hands clasped in front of me.

“What can I do for you, Ronni?” he asked impatiently.

“I am all packed up,” I replied. “I just wanted to come in and thank you. Thank you for taking me in all those years ago and giving me the amazing opportunities that you have. I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am.”

“Mmhm,” he grunted, staring out the window.

I waited for a moment to see if he was going to say anything else, but he never turned to look at me. I took a deep breath and turned from the room, leaving the house without saying goodbye to the boys. I was hurt by Mr. Landers’s reaction, but there was nothing I could do but walk away. I looked up at the large mansion before getting in my car, excited about my future but sad to leave the place behind.

Chapter Three

Nathan

I was back in the office Monday morning, surrounded by people who either loved me or hated me. It came with the territory of being the boss. But even though I was at the top, a constant feeling nagged at me that my father was waiting around every corner, watching over my shoulder. The company wouldn’t be fully mine and my brother’s until my father was gone, not that I was looking forward to that day. But after I got out of college, my father wanted to retire, so he made me the head of the company. I knew that chapped my brother’s ass, but my father could see just as well as I could that Nick was not interested in taking over this company. I looked up at my phone as the secretary came over the speaker.

“Mr. Landers, your brother, Nick is here to see you,” she said.

“Thank you, send him in,” I replied, rolling my eyes and sighing, wondering what in the world he wanted now.

Nick strolled through the door, his hand in one pocket, and the other making sure his perfectly coiffed hair hadn’t moved from the same position it was earlier that morning. He looked around my office, picking up different items, scoffing, and putting them back down. I sat at my desk watching him, wondering what the hell he wanted.

“So,” he said, sitting down in the chair and looking at me. “Why haven’t you taken my advice on the acquisition I brought you?”

“Nick, we talked about this already,” I said, sighing.

“Remind me,” he said, lifting his eyebrows.

I wanted to slap that smug look off of his face.

“The property value is crap,” I replied without sugar coating it. “After estimating the number of repairs that we would have to do, the cost of the people we would have to pay, and the commissions that would come out of it, it wasn’t a smart business venture.”

“I thought profit was a smart venture,” he said angrily.

“Only if the profit is more than the cost of a light bill,” I said, looking down at the paperwork in front of me. “Time is just as valuable as money here, Nick. We could invest that time in a property that gives us five times the return.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with the return,” Nick said angrily leaning forward. “It’s your irritating need to control every decision in this company.”

“That’s my job, Nick,” I replied, still not looking up at him.

“No, it’s your job to make this company money, and you’ll never do that if you keep turning down proposals based on your own sick need to be right,” he growled.

“Look,” I shouted, shutting him up quickly. “I would be more than happy to buy a property that will make us money. But you’ve got to find something more than these money pits you’ve been putting on my desk. They are a waste of everyone’s time, including yours.”

“Whatever,” Nick growled. “You don’t want to give me a chance. You never have. In reality, I know you’re intimidated by me. I’ve always been the one that people enjoy talking to. I’ve always been the one with creative ideas. You hate the fact that I’ve had the spotlight our entire lives. You hate that when people come to this company, they’d rather deal with anyone but you.”

“Enough,” I yelled, slamming my fists on the table. “While you’re out there daydreaming about bad business ventures, spending the family’s money, and frolicking all over California, I’m here running a business. I am the one putting the blood, sweat, and tears into it, and I would be a fool to let you come in and ruin our father and mother’s legacy. Now, if there isn’t anything else, I have work to do.”

“Fine,” Nick said, standing up and walking toward the door. He stopped in the doorway and looked back at me, a coy smile on his face. I knew whatever this was, it was not going to be good. “By the way, I have a date with Ronni tonight. Enjoy being alone in your office.”

I shook my head and watched Nick walk out of my office laughing. He was such an asshole, and I blamed my father for spoiling him and never putting his foot down. I didn’t know why it was a surprise to me, though. Nick had been a spoiled little jackass since we were kids, always flaunting his money and skirting his responsibilities. I was pretty sure the only reason he got into an Ivy League college was that he had someone else do all his work and had my father send them a very large donation.

Now he was taking Ronni out, the girl our mother had begged us to treat like our sister. I was slightly taken back by just how upset I was over this turn of events, but I knew it had to be because I was concerned for her, especially because of Nick’s playboy ways. I had seen the kind of man he was when it came to women, and it was shameful. Irritated by it all, I sent Nick a text message.

Nick, you cannot take Ronni out on a date. Did you forget everything that Mom asked from us? Ronni is like a sister to both of us.

I sent the message and sat back, waiting for a response. I knew he wasn’t going to have a lightbulb moment and cancel the date, but I hoped that the memory of our mother would be enough for him to leave poor Ronni alone. However, after about fifteen minutes, I realized that he wasn’t going to text me back. I picked up the phone and dialed my assistant’s line.

“Mary, I need you to call Nick’s assistant and butter her up,” I said. “I need to know where he is going to dinner with Ronni.”

“You got it, boss,” she said, hanging up the phone.

Getting more work done for the rest of the day was completely out of the question. The rest of the day, I quarreled with myself, trying to convince myself that Ronni was not my responsibility. In the end, though, I knew my motivations for wanting to interfere with this date were not completely innocent in nature. The truth was, I was attracted to Ronni, but at that moment, it didn’t matter. I didn’t want to see her get hurt.

I sat there for the rest of the day, fiddling with paperwork and jumping every time my phone went off. I also tried to decide whether I should go to the restaurant where Nick and Ronni would be. My secretary had gotten all the details, and I even knew exactly where they would be sitting. But what if I went and Ronni got angry at me? Nick could be a really convincing guy, even though I figured Ronni was too smart to fall for his bullshit. The only thing was, I knew she’d had a crush on Nick since she moved in with us all those years ago. He was her first real crush, and that was hard to walk away from.

I went back and forth with myself for hours. On one hand, Ronni was a grown woman now, but on the other hand, she was still young, just getting started in the real world, and there was a very high likelihood that Nick would break her heart into a million pieces. Just the thought of Ronni upset irritated me to the point that I made a firm decision. I would go there and see what I could do to diffuse the situation and keep my dumb ass brother from hurting Ronni. She didn’t need anymore pain in her life after what she had been through.

I stacked my papers on my desk and started to pack up. I was going to use the excuse of a meeting, but I wanted to go and change my clothes. Nick would never believe I had a Tuesday meeting in a polo and khakis at one of the hottest restaurants in San Diego. I went down to the garage and threw my stuff in the passenger seat, jumped in, put the top down, and made my way to my house on the beach. I lived in Coronado just outside the city so it only took me a few minutes to get there.

I jumped in the shower, did my hair, and put on one of my best suits, figuring if I was going to save the day, I might as well look good doing it. I decided to take a cab back to the city since it would be easier than finding a place to park. When the cab pulled in front of the restaurant, I paid him and walked in to claim the table that my secretary had reserved for me at the last second. I glanced over to where they were sitting and saw Ronni, looking bored as hell as my brother rambled on about something, probably talking about himself. As I walked, I kept my head down but coughed loudly, hoping to get her attention. Luckily for me, it worked, and I quickly heard her voice.

“Nathan?” She sounded happy and confused at the same time.

“Oh, hey guys,” I said, walking over to the table. “Crazy seeing you here. I had a meeting, but it was canceled, and I figured why not get some food anyway.”

“That’s interesting,” Nick said in a monotone voice. “I thought Tuesdays were your no meeting days.”

“Well, Nick, when you run a company, sometimes you don’t get to pick your meetings,” I said in a confident tone that I knew would strike to the heart of him.

Nick was the kind of guy that could dish it out but not take it. Knowing he was here to put the moves on Ronni, with no intention of sticking around afterward, I didn’t feel bad at all in embarrassing him. He thought our parents’ money and hard work gave him the right to be a complete asshole, to ride on their shoulders and claim everyone else’s hard work as his own. As long as I had the ability to change that, I would never let him get away with it in front of me.

I was the person that actually worked hard. I was the person that was there for Ronni when she was learning English, when she was orphaned, and when she would come back every year to give thanks for what she had been given. I was the one that helped her pack up her things and get them to her car. He knew all of this, but he took the way my mother and I acted toward Ronni and rode on those coat tails. I never even gave a shit about his audacity until he decided to use it to hurt someone that was close to us.

“Well, why don’t I just join you guys,” I said, smiling at Ronni. “No reason to waste a table.”

They both answered at the same time, Nick said “no,” and Ronni smiled, saying “of course.” She looked over at Nick and wrinkled her brow, irritated by his asshole response. She looked back at me and pulled out the chair next to her. She patted the seat and nodded her head.

“Of course, you can join us,” she said, smiling. “Have a seat. We’ll have the waitress come take your order.”

I smiled kindly at Ronni and turned to Nick, trying to stifle a chuckle at the look of anger on his face. I was cock blocking him, and I was making no attempts to hide the fact. There were millions of women in this city, and there was no reason that he should be sinking his claws in someone as innocent and sweet as Ronni, especially knowing how our mother felt about her. As far as I was concerned, Nick had brought this on himself, and I was going to make sure he was miserable.

Chapter Four

Ronni

I never thought in a million years that I would be on an actual date with Nick. After so many years daydreaming about him, wishing he would look at me that way, we were finally on a date. Too bad it was a terrible one.

I was actually pretty shocked at myself when I realized how relieved I had felt to see Nathan at the restaurant. I immediately said yes to him crashing our date, desperate for a change of subject. I mean, Nick was sexy as hell and hadn’t aged a bit, but he was easily distracted, jumping from topic to topic, which all had the same thing in common, him. I’d never actually heard someone talk so much about themselves. At first, I thought he was trying to impress me, but in the end, I realized he didn’t give a damn how I felt. He was talking because he liked to hear himself talk. Before Nathan showed up, I had turned to leaning my head in my hand and just staring at him, seeing his lips moving, but zoning out to whatever was playing on the speakers in the restaurant.

When the conversation turned to business, I perked up, wanting his advice on my best friend, Maria, and my business proposal. I sat there patiently, listening to him talk about the real estate company, obviously frustrated with his inability to have Nathan take him seriously. When he paused to take a bite of his salad, I chimed in.

“So my best friend is a designer,” I said nervously. “And she has a line of bikinis that she has been working on. We are planning on getting everything together and starting that as a business. We figure we live in San Diego, everyone wears bathing suits, and—”

“You’re too young,” he said, interrupting me and waving his hand dismissively. “Besides, the market is absolutely inundated with swimwear lines. Someone like you wouldn’t stand a chance against the big boys out there. You should focus on whatever it is you went to college for. Get that job, land yourself a rich husband, and then play with whatever business proposals you want. I mean I’d let you do it.”

I scrunched my nose up and looked the other way as he turned the conversation back to himself. It had been a long time since I wanted to slug someone, but that was exactly how I was feeling about Nick at that moment. I was hurt by the fact that he didn’t even want to hear me out, laughing my idea off as some child’s pipe dream. We had put a hell of a lot of work into our business proposal, and now, we were waiting for the perfect time to launch. Maria was a genius, her bathing suits were gorgeous, and with my knowledge of business, plus what I could learn from other people, we would be unstoppable. I straightened my face, not wanting Nick to realize I was upset.

I had taken the invitation for a date with the thought, and hope, to have an amazingly romantic experience with my lifelong crush. I had imagined the flowers, which he didn’t bring, the linen table cloths, which were not on the table, the bottles of wine, that he didn’t order, and his charming smile. In the end, his charming smile was the only thing he brought to the table, and it was starting to not be so charming.

When things started to turn south, and he began boring me to death with his arrogance, I calmed my disappointment with the idea that at least I’d be able to talk to him about business, something that his family was known for. I had been listening to him for over an hour, and finally, I jumped in, just to be shot down. It was times like these I wished my father were still alive. He would have known exactly what to tell me about business and never shoot me down like that.

But there I was, sitting there smiling at the passing waitresses and listening to Nick talk about all the people he knew, the money he’d made, and his plans for future investments. In reality, after actually listening to what he was saying, I realized that none of his ideas or plans seemed well-thought-out at all. The people he knew were because of his family, the money he had made was from investments his father made for him, and his plans had huge holes. Of course, I wasn’t going to be the girl that pointed that out, but I found it humorous that he thought so highly of himself and was so absorbed in hearing his own voice, that he forgot I grew up in the same household as him.

When Nathan arrived, I could tell Nick was pissed, but I didn’t really care. I was just happy for the distraction. I smiled kindly at Nathan and excused myself to the bathroom, needing some fresh air away from those two. I figured whatever was going on, they could work it out while I was gone. However, when I got back, both of them looked angrier than hell, wearing matching scowls. I sat back down at my seat and took a bite of my dessert. My eyes flashed back and forth between the two. It was painfully awkward, and I was starting to get tired of dealing with it.

I attempted to ask Nick more questions about his plans, but it was obvious he did not want to talk in front of Nathan. I took a deep breath and laid my napkin on the table. I looked back and forth between them and shook my head.

“I think I’d like to go home,” I said quietly. “I have a really early day tomorrow.”

Nathan smiled kindly and pushed his chair back, standing up and helping me from mine. Nick threw cash down on the table and walked over, putting his arm around my shoulder. The feeling was so forced. I didn’t even like the fact that he was touching me. He pulled me past Nathan and stepped in front of him, sliding his hand down my back. I reached back and lifted it from my ass but kept walking. He was being utterly impossible, and all I wanted to do was get out of there. He leaned in close to my ear and whispered loud enough for Nathan to hear.

“I’m sorry my brother is such a clock blocker,” he whispered, making me scrunch my nose. “Why don’t you come for a ride in my Lamborghini?”

“That’s a very nice offer,” I said, faking a laugh. “But no thanks.”

“Your loss,” he said, pulling his hand from around my shoulders and nodding to the left at someone in the bar. Before I knew it, he was off, distracted by someone he knew, leaving me standing there by myself. I shook my head, looking down in my purse to find my keys. What the hell had happened that I was now standing here with Nick’s brother, and Nick had totally ditched me? Nathan stepped forward and smiled kindly, reaching out his arm for me to take. I dropped my keys back in my purse and shook my head, laughing as I hooked my arm in his.

“Well, that didn’t go like I thought it would,” I said, chuckling.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” he replied. “I didn’t realize Nick would still be pissed about yesterday, and it made things really awkward.”

“What happened yesterday?”

“He got angry about some investment he wanted the company to make,” he said, shaking his head. “It was a bad business move, but he took it personally.”

“Well,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “It wasn’t a total waste of a night, I guess. I got to run some of my business ideas by him, and he gave me some advice.”

He stopped in his tracks and looked around for a second, obviously formulating what he wanted to say. That was one thing about Nathan that I really appreciated, his ability to think about things before he said them. I started to understand why his father picked him to run the real estate business over Nick.

“I don’t want to sound mean,” he said carefully. “But please don’t take anything Nick says about business to heart. He has zero knowledge of the business world and no experience to back anything up. I’m not trying to talk shit, but I don’t want to see you make a mistake because you listened to something Nick said. He still thinks shaved ice stands would bring in millions like he did when he was a kid.”

“Oh,” I said, laughing. “I was starting to get that impression as he talked. I think he forgets I grew up in the same house as him.”

As we strolled down the street in the warm San Diego air, I realized I was walking with the head of one of the largest real estate conglomerates in the world. Nathan wasn’t just a nice guy, he was a repository of knowledge that I knew could help Maria and I jump on the road to success. Part of me wanted to jump right in and ask him to help, but the other part of me felt like I shouldn’t be so bold. I thought about what my father used to tell me about being a business woman. He told me that those that were bold were always the most successful. So, without another thought, I went for it.

“Hey, do you think that I could sit down with you and pick your brain about business?”

“Sure,” he said with a surprised look. “I’d love to help in any way that I can. How about we go somewhere and grab a drink? Somewhere quiet where we can talk.”

“That sounds great,” I said excitedly. “I actually know the perfect place, and they are open pretty late. I’ll drive us.”

We walked up to my car, and realizing it was no Lamborghini, my cheeks turned red. I had worked my butt off in college to buy a car, and although it was a new car, it definitely wasn’t anything luxurious. Nathan smiled as I unlocked the doors, not letting on that he noticed I was driving a Honda Civic and not a BMW, something I knew Nick would have scoffed at.

I often wondered how Nathan had turned out so normal being surrounded by people his whole life that were like Nick, including his father. I drove us over the bridge and into Imperial Beach, a small beach town a few exits from the Mexican border. It was one of my favorite places, with its small-town coffee shop and surfer dudes. Plus, you could look across the inlet and see the lights of Tijuana.

“So,” I said, sitting down at the table. “My best friend is a bathing suit designer. She has some really amazing pieces that I know people would love. With my business knowledge, that I am trying to grow even further, and her amazing line, we figured we could get these suits into some of the local surf shops, if not the bigger stores where the tourists shop.”

Nathan considered my pitch for a second. Then he started rattling off things I needed to do to make this work. I sat listening to Nathan talk, impressed by the copious amounts of knowledge that he had. I soaked up everything he was saying, realizing that his solutions were exactly what I was missing in our plans. On top of that, he didn’t think our idea was stupid at all, and he even complimented me for the ideas that I put forth. As I sat there sipping my margarita and listening to Nathan talk, I realized that the night hadn’t turned out so bad after all.

Chapter Five

Nathan

While Ronni was in the bathroom at the restaurant, sparks flew between my brother and me. Nick was livid that I showed up, and he saw right through my story. After seeing how much of a dick he was being, though, I didn’t feel bad at all for breaking up his date.

“You need to leave Ronni alone,” I hissed. “Mom loved her like she was her own and wanted us to see her as a sister.”

“You’re just jealous that she wants me and not you,” he said angrily. “You’ve always been pissed about that.”

“No, what I’m pissed about is the way you treat women,” I said. “You act like a little-spoiled brat, the biggest issue being you didn’t earn any of the recognition you try to take credit for. You are constantly riding on the backs of others. It’s pathetic. Leave Ronni out of this. She has been through way too much to have you do what you do to women.”

That was where it really started, with my crazy need to protect her from Nick. As we walked to her car, I couldn’t help but feel warmth in my chest with her arm wrapped around mine. Even when we got to the restaurant and started talking business, I was having a hard time remembering that I should have a brotherly frame of mind. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. On top of all that, Ronni was extremely intelligent. Her ideas for the business were brilliant, and all she needed was a few pointers to fill in the blanks.

Her business instincts reminded me of my father’s. I went through everything I could think of, giving her advice about starting the business, getting the suits in stores, marketing, and all the rest. I really thought hard about the things that I struggled with at the beginning and tried to help tell her what I learned. That way, she wouldn’t have to make the same mistakes. Talking to her about business was a breath of fresh air, and she soaked every word up like a sponge.

I could tell this swimwear line was extremely important to her, but I did warn her against putting all her eggs in one basket. Of course, it had worked for my father, but it was a different time when he started the company. Now, with so much competition, and so many large organizations, it's hard to be a private business owner and turn a profit. When you order production of a product on a small scale, you have to pay more, and that expense gets passed on to your customers. Suddenly, people are searching for your design but in a cheaper location, causing you to lose out. It was important to provide innovation and quality in a way that the customer has to buy from you, and not go to the larger chain stores.

She smiled and nodded her head, listening to every word. She leaned her hand against her head and smiled at me as if it were the first time seeing me. I guess this was a change for her, especially since I had always been so quiet and serious. She stood up from the table, sipped the last bit of margarita from her glass, and slammed her hands on the table smiling.

“I’ll be right back,” she said excitedly.

I laughed to myself as I finished my second whiskey on the rocks. I could see from the way she polished off her third margarita she definitely had some fun while she was in college. I smiled thinking about my own days in college, the parties I would go to, and the women I would meet. Now, I had the whole of my family’s company on my shoulders, and going out like this almost never happened. Ronni skipped back toward me, holding two shots and two slices of lime. She sat one down in front of me and smiled, pulling out the salt and wetting her hand. She passed the salt to me and raised her shot in the air.

“A thank you, for all your amazing advice,” she said, smiling.

We both leaned back and took the shot, wincing as we bit down on the lime. I had never been much of a shot taker, and definitely not tequila. However, as the liquid burned down my throat, I looked over at Ronni and couldn’t help but be immediately attracted to her. My inhibitions were low from the alcohol, and any restraint I attempted to have in order to keep a brotherly mindset had gone down with the tequila.

She sat back down, and we spent time talking about what she had been up to. I hadn’t realized she had worked so hard in college to keep her scholarship. She never wanted to have to ask my father for help after my family had done so much for her already. That was probably a skill my brother could learn. He lived off my father and mother as a trustfund child usually does, except he was irritating and reckless in the process. She looked down at her watch with wide eyes, realizing that it had gotten pretty late.

“I’ve gotta get going,” she said, sighing.

“Okay, but let me call my car,” I said, grabbing her hand. “We’ve both been drinking. We don’t need to drive.”

She smiled and looked down at my hand on hers. Immediately, shivers marched down my spine. She was incredibly hot, and for the first time that night, I looked at what she was wearing. Her dress was black, tight, and accented every single one of her curves. Her tan skin and dark hair were intoxicating, and her breasts pushed up and out of the dress, bouncing as she walked along in her six-inch heels. She was so freaking hot.

When the car arrived, I held the door for her and then slid in, sitting close to her. Her thigh pressed against mine, and I set my hands in my lap, trying to control myself. She gave the address to the driver, and we took off toward the city. I raised the partition in the limo, sealing us off from the rest of the world. The smell of her floral perfume made me think all kinds of dirty things about her, and before I could talk myself out of it, I reached over, grabbed her face, and pressed my lips hard against hers.

I half expected her to jump back, but instead, she opened her mouth and moved it sensually against mine, pulling my lower lip into her mouth and sucking hard. I reached up and ran my hand up her thigh, feeling the passion erupt between the two of us. She pulled her mouth away from mine and smiled, pulling herself to her knees in the seat and lifting her skirt up. She pulled her leg over and straddled me, her warm wet pussy rubbing against my cock.

I reached my hands up and grabbed onto her huge, glorious tits, massaging them hard as we kissed. She moaned quietly in my mouth, and instantly, my dick was rock solid inside of my pants. I ran my hands down her sides and pushed on her hips, groaning as she pushed her legs outward and ground against my shaft. When the car came to a stop in front of her place, she leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“Come inside,” she said, leaving no room for discussion.

I nodded my head and adjusted my cock as I climbed out of the car and up the sidewalk to her door. She turned to me as she opened the door, putting her finger to her big pouty lips. I knew that I shouldn’t be in here, but all I wanted to do at that moment was bend her over and fuck her hard.

She grabbed my hand and led me down the hall into her room, closing the door quietly behind us. I walked in and turned toward her just as she lunged forward, rubbing my cock with her hand. Immediately, the passion from the car sparked back to life, and she was unbuttoning my shirt and kissing my mouth hard. She pulled my shirt off and undid my pants, letting them fall to the floor. I reached down and grabbed the edges of her dress and pulled them up and over her head.

Her tits bounced around wildly, and I looked down at her tiny black g-string and high heels. I sunk my hand down the front of her panties and watched her head fly back as my fingers pushed through her wetness. I grabbed her around the waist and moved her toward the bed, kissing her passionately.

She laid down in front of me and scooted back until her head was on the pillow. I pulled her panties from her body and spread her legs open, rubbing my hands over her stomach and down between her thighs. Her clit was hard and she was ready, but I wanted to know what she tasted like first. I lowered myself down, putting my head between her legs, and looked up smiling. Slowly, I parted her lips and ran my tongue through her wetness and around her clit.

She breathed deeply as I swirled my mouth through her juices, nibbling and sucking on her nub. I pushed two fingers into her pussy and pressed in deep, feeling how incredibly tight she was. My cock pulsed, still trapped in my black boxer briefs as I fingered her softly, and my mouth moved wildly over her pussy. She reached out and grabbed the sheets on the bed, grasping them in her hands and moaning.

I looked up at her face as I pushed her further into ecstasy, lifting her thighs in the air and running my tongue through her juices. She arched her back and moaned, reaching down to her tits and squeezing them hard. She writhed and wiggled beneath my face as her hips began to move in the motion of the waves. I could feel her body tensing as she came closer to her first climax. Her hips moved faster and faster, and she reached down, pressing her hand against my head top bury my face between her legs.

She put her feet down on the bed and lifted onto her tiptoes as she began to fuck my mouth. As the motions became frantic, she screamed out, arching high in the air and throwing her head back. Her body shook and twitched beneath me as her juices flowed from her pussy. She whimpered and moaned as the breath left her lungs and her hips relaxed back into the bed.

“Oh my God,” she said, laughing.

She grabbed my face and pulled it up to hers. I kissed her lips softly as she reached one hand over to the bed stand next to her bed. She pulled out a new box of condoms and handed me one, biting her lip. I opened up the packaging and rolled it over my shaft, pulling on it slightly as it wasn’t quite big enough. I shrugged, knowing it would do, before diving back down and kissing her mouth. I moved my body between her legs and reached down, grabbing the base of my cock. She lifted her hips in the air and wrapped her legs around my waist, closing her eyes and feeling the tip slide into her. I moved slowly but with intent, and she moaned loudly at the feeling of my cock gliding through her juices.

Her pussy was tighter than any woman I had ever slept with, and I went slow, unsure of whether I would hurt her or not. She reached her hands up and pulled me down on top of her, feeling my body slide up and down hers. She felt so fucking good, and at that moment, I lost track of everything. Ronni was a freaking goddess, and I didn’t know how long I could hold on. Our bodies meshed together and moved in tandem, our breaths matching and our eyes locked onto each other’s. She had definitely put a spell on me.

Chapter Six

Ronni

I could feel his hard shaft move inside of me, and I closed my eyes, allowing the waves of pleasure to wash over me. I had spent so much time studying in college that I never went on dates. Technically, Nathan had just taken my virginity.

The alcohol had done wonders for my inhibitions, and I laid there allowing him to take me, to fill me, and to push his huge erection deep inside of me. I couldn’t think of anything, other than how strong he was and how right it felt to be in his arms. His muscles rippled over me as he thrust forward, groaning over the sounds of the creaking bed. I reached up and pulled him down closer, wrapping my legs around his waist. He hooked his hands over my shoulders and slid up and down, our sweaty bodies entwined in the most intense passion I had ever felt. I moved my hips beneath his body, unable to control myself. He ran his hands down my tits and squeezed as he lifted up and pressed as deep into me as he could.

I reached out and grabbed my pillow, squeezing it hard in my hands as I felt another orgasm brewing deep in my stomach. The heat of the pleasure was rising so fast I could barely control myself. Nathan reached down and held on to my waist as he pushed forward, faster and harder. I arched my back and lifted my body to feel every inch of his throbbing cock. He growled as I massaged my breasts and ran my fingers over my mouth before rubbing my clit. As my fingers moved across my nub, he picked up the pace, grunting as he pushed hard inside of me. The sound of his voice echoed through my entire body as my orgasm erupted, pulsing through my veins, arching my back, and sending deep moans from my throat. He growled and thrust fast and hard several times, before pushing in deep and grasping my skin. I could feel his cock vibrating inside of me as he released, coming hard.

His hips continued to move in short intense bursts as the waves of pleasure moved through his muscles. He let out a deep breath and fell forward, catching himself with his hands on each side of my head. He laid there with his head hung down, breathing heavily and allowing his body to relax. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked down at me, his lips curving into a sweet smile.

I reached my head up and kissed him softly. He rolled over to the side and looked deep into my eyes. He brushed my hair away from my face and kissed me sweetly several times. I took in a deep breath and looked up at the clock, my eyes growing wide.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I have to be at work in like three hours,” I said sheepishly.

He chuckled, and we both climbed from the bed, putting our clothes on before turning toward each other. He stepped close and ran his hands through my hair.

“I’ll get out of your way,” he whispered.

I nodded my head and showed him to the door. He stood in the doorway, bringing me in for one last, deep kiss. I lost my breath in his embrace, and as he pulled away, my heart fluttered.

“Thank you for your business advice,” I whispered.

“Is that what we are calling it now?”

We both stifled a laugh so we didn’t wake up Maria.

“Call me, okay?” He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

I nodded a silent yes and bit my lip, watching him walk out of the door and to his car. I waved as the limo pulled off. Then I turned, closed the door, and leaned my back against it. My emotions were crazy out of control, and I didn’t know what to think of anything that just happened.

Somehow, I started the night on a date with Nick and ended up in bed with Nathan. I shook my head and wandered to the bathroom to take a shower since it was too late to get any sleep at that point. By the time I was done in the shower, I could hear Maria up in the kitchen making coffee. I got dressed and pranced out, taking a seat at the breakfast bar and popping a piece of bacon in my mouth. Maria turned around and raised her eyebrows at me.

“So, you going to tell me what all that noise coming from your bedroom last night was?”

She tapped her fingers against the counter, and my cheeks blushed. I hadn’t even thought about the fact that Maria would be able to hear us.

“Well, Nick was a jerk, big surprise,” I said, rolling my eyes. “But Nathan showed up, and one thing led to another.”

“Okay, wait. So you didn’t sleep with Nick. You slept with his brother?” She leaned in and rested her head in her hands. “You need to spill all the details here, woman.”

“Ugh,” I said, looking at the clock. “I will give you more details later, but right now, I have got to get to work. Oh, and I got some really great ideas for the business. Nathan is a damn genius, and he filled in like every blank we’ve had so far.”

“Sounds like he filled in something, all right,” she said.

I laughed. “I’m serious.”

“That’s awesome,” she said excitedly. “Okay, we’ll talk tonight. Oh, and congrats on losing the big V.”

She smiled and held up her fingers in the shape of a V. I shook my head, embarrassed by the amount of attention she was giving my new sex life. I was twenty-three years old and had just lost my virginity. It was definitely different than most people my age. I took a deep breath and grabbed my purse and keys, rushing out of the house and out to the street where I quickly realized my car was in Imperial Beach where we left it. I shook my head and hailed a passing cab, jumping inside and making my way to Trillsworth Financial where I was an entry level data clerk. I would make sure to grab my car after work.

I got to work just in time and scooted through the rows of cubicles until I found mine. I looked over at the boss, who glanced up at the clock and then turned away. I was never late, but my boss was also a stickler, and I knew I would get written up if I was even five minutes late.

I got to work typing away on the computer, trying to get my mind off of Nathan and back to life. But as my fingers moved across the keys, my cheeks blushed from the visions of the night before replaying in my mind over and over again. His hot body glimmered in the lights from the street while he moved over me, pushing deep inside and sending me to a place of passion I didn’t even know existed.

I shook my head and wiped my forehead, absolutely embarrassed that I gave it up so quickly, and to Nathan of all people. The guy that used to help me with my English and walk around the house with a serious face. The only time I could remember him smiling was when his mom would take us to the beach in the convertible. He loved that time with her, and so did I.

Either way, it had happened, and I didn’t regret it, even for a second. He was so amazing in bed, and the feeling of his mouth against my heat was crazy. I shifted in my chair and crossed my legs, feeling wetness pooling just thinking about it. He moved gently but passionately against me, bringing me to not just one orgasm, but two. I needed to let go of the guilt and be happy that I was opening myself up to new experiences letting loose for once.

I had been working so hard for so long. I deserved to be a bit carefree from time to time. I had been holding on to my virginity for far too long, and if you asked me, I couldn’t even give you a good reason why. There was nothing religious behind it, and I wasn’t afraid of men. But I had been so busy with school and keeping my scholarships that dating was something I couldn’t afford to do. But now, I was out in the world, ready to face life in a new way, with my own place, my own job, and my own life. A life that was brand new, never been touched, and ready for me to make my own choices in. Ultimately, it was a new life and a new me, and I really liked that.

Work seemed to drag on for hours, and I decided to skip lunch since I had so much work to catch up on. Living in la la land and thinking about sex with Nathan had taken up a good portion of the morning, and my boss was constantly looking over my shoulder. I had this weird feeling he didn’t like brown people, or Mexicans, as the gringos call us. Not that I really even remembered much of my life in Mexico. After my parents died, the Landers took over and Mrs. Landers made sure I got my citizenship. I was really grateful to her, not that I showed that last night by getting drunk and screwing her son.

When five o’clock rolled around, I took the bus into Imperial Beach and grabbed my car, grumpy because I would have to drive back through rush hour traffic to get home. By the time I reached the door to the house, it was almost six and I was glad to be home. I walked through the door and tossed my bag on the counter, smiling at Maria. She shifted her eyes toward the living room and took a drink of her tea. I squinted my eyes and walked into the room, looking at the two bouquets of flowers on the table. The first one was gigantic, filled with every color of every flower you could imagine. It was decorated with large ornate bows and a small card stuck out of the top. I pulled it out and looked down at a note from Nick apologizing for the night before.

I put the card down and walked over to the other bouquet, which was understated but tasteful. The white and pink roses were absolutely gorgeous, and they smelled amazing. I pulled the card from that bouquet, reading Nathan’s name with X's and O’s underneath. I smiled at Nathan’s card and held it to my chest, turning around and dropping my smile as I faced an irritated Maria.

“You want to explain what the hell is going on?”

“I wish I could,” I said, laughing. “I guess Nick is still trying, and Nathan is letting me know he’s thinking about me.”

“Come here,” she said, softening her face and pulling me over to the couch. “I think you should stay away from these boys. I know you have known them your whole life, but I am starting to think this battle for your attention has more to do with their own issues between each other than it does with them actually fighting over you. I know the attention feels good, but what happens when the boys make up? Where does that leave you?”

I shook my head and smiled as she kissed my cheek and walked back into the kitchen. I looked down at the card from Nathan and wondered if maybe Maria was right. I knew Nathan would never hurt me on purpose, but things happen and emotions take over. I sighed, still not convinced that this was a terrible idea. I would just have to wait and see.

Chapter Seven

Nathan

Sitting there and staring at my computer, I couldn’t think of anyone other than Ronni. I had mountains of work waiting for me, but none of it interested me. Only one thing was running through my mind, and it had nothing to do with business.

That night had been erotic, arousing, and absolutely amazing, but now that the smoke had cleared, my guilt was starting to take back over. I had visions of her riding me, moaning, her beautiful body clenching in ecstasy. It looped through my head like a movie I couldn’t turn off. This woman had been someone I was supposed to think about like a sister, but she was so sexy and so smart. Giving in to my feelings for her was the most natural thing in the world. I couldn’t keep my mind off this girl, and I had been sitting here for the second day in a row just running it through my head over and over again.

Looking back at our hot and heavy night, I had a feeling she hadn’t told me the whole story about her sexual history. It was the little things that made me think that, like how she fumbled with her clothes, how she moved rigidly at the beginning, and how tight her pussy had been. I had known her a very long time and had never thought of her as a party girl, or someone who would jump right into bed with someone. In fact, I was pretty sure, with her dedication to school, and the fact that she had never talked about another man in her life, that she was a virgin.

But if that were true, why would she have chosen me to give it up to? Initially, the thought of her being a virgin sent a tingling, masculine thrill through my entire body. The idea that I had taken her virginity, that I had been the first man ever inside of her was extremely arousing. Her taste seemed almost purer as I sat there, thinking about her untouched pussy. On the other hand, guilt was desperately trying to creep into my chest. She was drunk, upset from her dinner with Nick, upset with how my father had blown her off when she left the house, and I had been there to comfort her, to listen to her, and to support her dreams. If I didn’t know myself better, it would look like I took advantage of her.

I no longer was sitting here daydreaming about Ronni. Instead, I was now terrified that I had taken advantage of a vulnerable woman. My mother had sat me down after Ronni’s parents had died and told me how she wanted to make Ronni feel like part of the family. My mother trusted that I would be kind, and welcome her with open arms. She knew that Nick was a hot head and really full of himself, and she wanted to make sure that I was looking out for her.

When my mother died, Ronni had come to me, hugging me and crying to me. She had really loved my mother, and she had seen so much loss in her life. More than I could ever imagine feeling in that short amount of time. If my mother was still here, I couldn’t imagine that she would be okay with this in any way, shape, or form, especially since it was driving an even bigger wedge between Nick and me. I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair. I had gotten myself into a bad situation. The entire time I was trying to protect her from Nick, I was unknowingly luring her into my own arms. I ended up treating her exactly how I hoped that Nick wouldn’t. It made me feel absolutely terrible. To top it all off, I cared about Ronni as a person, and I knew that this was going to drive a wedge between us, too. The best thing I could do at that point was go to her and apologize. I needed to live up to my promises, no matter how much I wanted to see her again.

The rest of the day flew by quicker than I had hoped, especially since I was dreading going to Ronni’s house and breaking the bad news to her. I was such an asshole, and to make matters worse, I had sent her flowers with the hope that she would want to see me again.

I procrastinated when it was time to leave the office, but eventually, I had no choice. I grabbed my things and headed down to the car. It was a chilly day so I left the top up, and the waves were crashing hard in the wind as I drove past the ocean. It seemed that mother nature was in the same mood that I was, except for her, it was acceptable. For me, not so much.

The sun in the distance was getting closer to the horizon, and the sky was lit up in bright oranges and pinks. As I rounded the corner and pulled up in front of her place, my stomach did flip flops. I approached the door, and I could see Ronni inside, folding her laundry. She looked really sexy in a pair of cutoff shorts and a white t-shirt. Her raven-colored hair was straight and shiny, and it hung down over her shoulders. I knocked on the door and waited for her to answer.

“Hey,” she said happily. “I wasn’t expecting you. Come on in.”

I walked in the door and stood there looking around. It was a really cute place, and the girls had decorated it to feel just like San Diego. I looked over in the kitchen where her roommate was standing. I smiled, but she glared over at me with a knowing look in her eyes. I turned back to Ronni and smiled nervously.

“Can we take a walk?” I asked her.

“Sure,” she said, grabbing a sweatshirt and looking over at her roommate. “I’ll be right back.”

The girl in the kitchen stared me down as I closed the door behind me. I started to think she could read my thoughts, but that was just my guilt. We walked across the street and down to the small private beach below. I had my hands stuffed in my pockets since I was trying to avoid reaching out and touching her. I knew if I touched her, I would lose my nerve, and I needed to do what I thought was right.

“The other night was really amazing,” I said, smiling. “Like beyond amazing.”

“It was,” she said, blushing.

“That being said,” I continued. “I made a promise to my mother a very long time ago that I would always look out for you. I would always treat you like family. And that night, I didn’t do that. I feel like I took advantage of you because you had a bad night with Nick, you just moved out, and you were kind of drunk.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head with hurt in her eyes. “I was fully aware of what I was doing.”

“Right,” I said, shaking my head. “But I didn’t realize until afterward what I had done. I had gone against everything I had promised my mother, and it can’t happen again.”

I looked at her face as we walked forward. She was staring down at the sand beneath our feet, and I could see how much my words had hurt her. She looked like I was stabbing her with knives in the heart. Immediately, I wanted to reach out and take her in my arms and apologize, but I knew in order to move past this, I needed to say everything.

“You are an amazing woman,” I said. “You always have been. I’ve been there as you’ve grown into the most gorgeous person, inside and out. It makes it really hard for me to follow my mother’s wishes. I want you to know, I don’t regret what happened. I just think that we should end it there. I don’t want to lose you as my family.”

“Right,” she whispered. “I understand, and I appreciate you coming to speak to me in person. Oh, and the flowers were beautiful.”

“Ronni,” I said, turning toward her and grabbing her hand.

“Thank you,” she interrupted, staring sadly at me. “For all of your amazing advice. It really was a life saver. I can’t thank you enough for that. Anyway, I should go back. I have dinner plans, and it’s getting late.”

She grabbed my arm and leaned up, kissing me on the cheek and lingering for just a moment. She turned and jogged back toward the street. I swear I could see the glimmer of a tear on her cheek as she turned. I felt absolutely horrible. Ronni was such an amazing woman, and I would be lucky to have her in my life. If it weren’t for the promise I made to my mother, I would be on cloud nine right now, trying to woo her and wine and dine her. She was exactly the woman I was looking for, and I didn’t know until that night that I had been looking. I turned and watched the sun dip below the horizon. A cold wind whipped along the beach and down the collar of my shirt.

I walked back to the car and looked up at Ronni’s window. She was standing inside with her hands covering her face. Her roommate was hugging her, and she looked up at me angrily, before leaning forward and pulling down the blinds. I hadn’t realized I would have such an effect on her. I jumped in my car and headed to the gym. I needed to get these emotions out and the only thing I could think to do was workout.

I grabbed the gym bag from my trunk and headed into the gym, thankful they were open twenty-four hours. There was barely anyone inside, not that it mattered, and after I had changed, I jumped on the treadmill. With every step, my gut dropped, thinking about Ronni’s face when I told her. I picked up the pace, now running full speed. I breathed heavily and wished the knot in my chest would disappear. After about forty minutes, I got off the treadmill and headed over to the weights, doing as many reps as I could handle. I worked out harder than I had in a really long time, but still, I didn’t feel any better about what I had done. I had broken Ronni’s heart, which was the complete opposite of what I set out to do in the first place.

I finished my reps with the weights and walked over the punching bag, slipping my headphones in my ears in an attempt to drown out my own mind. Nick was supposed to be the villain in this scenario, not me. And yet, I continued to punch the bag as hard as I possibly could, feeling the sting in my knuckles. This girl had really done something to me. She had touched me in a place that I couldn’t describe, and I didn’t just mean my dick. Being with her was not a normal hookup. It was years of bonding and love, all compressed into one really hot night. She was smart, probably smarter than I was, and determined like I had never seen. She wanted to make something out of herself, and she wanted to do it all while spending time with me and giving herself to me fully. Had I known she was giving her virginity to me, I would have held her longer, caressed her more gently, and made her feel like she was the only woman in the world.

I took in a deep breath, reared back, and punched the bag as hard as I could over and over again. My knuckles swelled and cracked as they met the plastic material. I grabbed the bag, stopping it from swinging, and leaned my head against it. No matter how many times I punched this bag, I was still a giant piece of shit.

Chapter Eight

Ronni

I took a deep breath and wiped away the fog from my steamed-up mirror. There was a knot in my chest from the conversation I had with Nathan the night before, and I really didn’t like it. I had given him my virginity, given him a part of me that I could never get back, and he had broken it off before it even had a chance to begin.

All this time, I’d thought Nick was the bad guy, the one that would break my heart. But I never saw it coming from Nathan. He was so kind and gentle. Even when he was telling me this couldn’t happen, his eyes told me he was genuinely upset about it. That should have made it better, but it almost felt worse, knowing he wanted to be with me but the ghosts from our past were dictating our future.

No matter how good his mother’s intentions had been, they never came to fruition. I wasn’t treated poorly, but I was never treated like a sister. Now, it was messing with Nathan’s mind so much that he couldn’t separate it from what happened. It made me angry that he couldn’t come to terms with the fact that his mother’s wishes had been broken a long time ago, and there was no going back.

I was drawn from my thoughts by my phone buzzing on the counter. I looked down and saw Nick’s face flashing across the screen. I picked it up, thinking twice about answering but pressing the call button anyway.

“Hey, Nick,” I said, trying to sound normal and not mopey.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said in his normal energetic voice. “I wanted to see what you were up to tonight.”

“I don’t have any plans,” I said, sighing. “Why? What’s up?”

“Well, I thought maybe I could make up for the other night and take you dancing at this awesome club in San Diego,” he said, igniting visions of that night in my head.

“You know what? That sounds great.” I decided that I needed to get Nathan out of my head, and there was no one more likely to help with that than Nick.

“Awesome,” he said. “Pick you up in an hour?”

“Great,” I replied before hanging up.

I got ready in record time and was waiting by the door when Nick pulled up. Maria was in her room, and I didn’t want her to know I was going out with Nick. So, I hurried out the door and down to the curb. Nick whistled at me as I walked down in my high heels and short dress. I blushed before leaning in to let him kiss me on the cheek. He opened the car door for me and then jumped into the driver’s seat. Then we sped off toward the club.

As soon as I was in the club, there was a drink in my hand which I didn’t mind in the least. Nick pulled me around the place, giving me the grand tour. It was definitely a hot spot in the city with its high ceilings, great music, and the poshest VIP area I had ever seen. He handed me a shot and clicked my glass. I threw it back, unaware of what I was even drinking.

“So, what do you think?” he asked.

“It’s great,” I yelled over the music, curious as to why he wanted my opinion so bad.

“I’m thinking of becoming an investor,” he said loudly in my ear.

“Oh,” I said, bobbing my head to the music and thinking back to the study we did in college on nightclubs. “You know when I was in college, we studied nightclubs. Apparently, it's really hard to recoup any investment in nightclubs. So, I would really think hard about it.”

“You sound like my brother,” he said, scowling. Then he handed me another drink.

The last thing I wanted was to be reminded of Nathan so I downed that drink and dragged Nick out on the dance floor. My only option at that point was to get drunk and have fun dancing, which was exactly what I was doing. Nick leaned forward and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me in close. I smiled politely and pushed back, looking around as I swayed my body to the music. He reached out again, this time forcefully pulling me in and grabbing my ass. I reached around and grabbed his wrist, throwing his hand off of me. At that point, he seemed to get the message.

His face went quickly from entertained to angry. I watched him stomp off back to the VIP area. I continued to dance a bit longer and then headed toward Nick. I stopped short, though, when I noticed him inside, hitting on a tall blonde girl with giant tits. I shook my head and chuckled to myself, finding it hard to focus. I realized quickly that I was completely wasted, but I knew that Nick had zero intentions of taking me home anytime soon, if at all. I fumbled around my bag, pulling out my phone and dialing Maria’s number. I tapped my foot impatiently as it rang, but she never answered.

“Shit,” I said to myself, hanging up and pulling up the Uber app on my phone.

I clicked the button, but it was still programmed for the East Coast. I tried to figure out how to switch it, but between the alcohol, the lights, and the music, I couldn’t get a clear focus on anything. I took a deep breath and tossed the phone back in my purse. I needed to get the hell out of this club and get some fresh air.

I pushed through the crowd, trying to keep my feet firmly planted below me. I wobbled back and forth, the alcohol getting stronger in my system with every step. By the time I made it to the door, I burst out into the cool air and took in a deep, steadying breath. I was so angry with myself. How had I not thought that Nick would abandon me all over again? To be fair, I had no intention of letting him touch me at all. I was mostly using him as a way to get out of my own head for a bit. Still, he had brought me out here, gotten me drunk, and then started hitting on another woman. I stepped to the side to get out of the way of the other people exiting the club.

My feet were freaking killing me so I leaned down, not giving two shits, and took off my heels. The cold cement under my feet sent a chill up my arms, and I realized it was colder tonight than I had ever remembered San Diego feeling like. I had only been gone three years, but I had immersed myself in college, forgetting all about this place until I drove back over the San Diego bridge.

I looked around me at the people walking from the bars. The lights from the signs and street lights made me even dizzier so I started walking down the block, not even sure where it was that I was going. I looked down at my phone and realized I had hit a wrong button, so I fumbled with my phone to close it out. I walked toward a large planter on the sidewalk and sat down on the edge of it. I set my phone in my lap, looking around for a cab.

“Finding a cab in the Gaslamp Quarter shouldn’t be this damn hard,” I muttered out loud to myself.

I sat there for several minutes just looking around. Five frat boys joked their way up the street, and I looked in the other direction, trying not to catch their attention. But sitting here drunk and cold in a skimpy little dress was a bit more than noticeable.

“Look what we got here,” the guy in the front said, staring me up and down. “What are you doing out here all by yourself pretty girl?”

“Leave me alone,” I said angrily.

“Whoa,” one said, and they all laughed. “She’s got that Latin spice in her.”

“Don’t,” I said, slapping one guy’s hand away and turning as another scooted up next to me on the planter, putting his arm around me. “Get the fuck off of me, asshole. I don’t need your help, nor do I want you anywhere near me.”

I stood up and found myself being circled by these assholes. My heart began to beat wildly in my chest as my already dizzy vision got worse. I couldn’t focus on any of their faces, but I could hear them laughing and taunting me. Suddenly, one of them grabbed me and pulled me against him. I put my hand on his chest and pushed hard, trying to get away.

“Let go of me,” I yelled out. “Get your hands off of me.”

“I like a girl that struggles,” he said, laughing.

The squeal of tires cut through the night, and the guy dropped me before stepping back and watching as Nathan jumped from his sports car and barreled toward them. He grabbed the guy by his shirt collar and threw him to the ground. He turned toward the other guys with his fists clenched. I had never seen him so angry before, not even during the millions of fights he had with his brother growing up.

“The lady said to leave her alone,” he growled. “Now get out of here before I kick all your asses.”

One of the guys made a move at Nathan, and Nathan punched him square in the jaw. The frat guy dropped to the sidewalk. That one punch was enough to drain the fight from the rest of them. They gathered up their fallen friends, backed up slowly, and then took off down the street.

I looked up at Nathan from the place I had fallen, and his face softened. He reached down and helped me to my feet, picking up my shoes and taking me around the waist. I didn’t know how in the world Nathan found me or even spotted me over here, but I was so glad to see him. He ushered me to the car and helped me in the seat, leaning over to buckle my seatbelt. He closed my door and got in on the other side, reaching back and handing me his jacket. I shivered in the seat, and he reached over and turned the heat on. We sat there for several minutes, letting the car and my body warm up.

All kinds of thoughts were swirling through my head, and I couldn’t get a grasp on reality. I had drunk more than I ever had at one time, and all I wanted to do was sober up. It was like fate that Nathan had been here, had found me, and was saving me yet again from the trouble his brother had put me in. I knew at that moment, I would never trust Nick again, not even to have lunch with him. He didn’t care about me and Maria was right, at least about Nick.

He was using me as a pawn to get to his brother. He wanted to hurt Nathan and make him angry, and by doing that, he had pushed Nathan away from me. I took a deep breath, trying to sober myself up, knowing I was going to have to explain to Nathan how I got out here and why I was stranded without a way home. I knew he was going to be furious so I wanted him to start driving before I told him. Otherwise, he might go in the club and drag his brother out by the neck. The last thing I wanted out of all of this was to make things even worse between them. Nathan kept talking about his mother being disappointed, and I knew that if her and my parents were watching right now, they would be absolutely mortified at how I was acting.

I laid my head back on the headrest and breathed deeply, ready to tell Nathan everything.

Chapter Nine

Nathan

“So, I was really feeling down about everything that has happened, and Nick called me up,” she said, explaining what happened.

“Wait, what does Nick have to do with this?” I asked, as I drove down the street and away from the crowds.

“He asked if I wanted to go out to the club,” she said. “I just wanted to feel better so I said sure. He picked me up and took me there. Well, once we were there, he started feeding me drinks. When we were out on the dancefloor, he got really grabby, and I slapped him away.”

“Let me guess, he got pissed,” I said getting angry.

“He went over to VIP and started hooking up with this tall blonde chick,” she explained. “So, I tried to call Maria for a ride, and she didn’t answer. I tried to use the Uber app but I was too drunk to figure it out. I stopped and sat down, trying to find a cab, but there weren’t any. Then those guys came along, and well, you know the rest.”

I gritted my teeth and gripped onto the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles began to turn white. My idiot brother, too self-absorbed to care about anyone else, put Ronni in a situation where she could have gotten hurt, or worse. He abandoned her in the middle of the city at night, drunk as hell, and didn’t care enough to make sure she even got a cab back home.

It was a good thing I had pulled away from the club already because everything in me wanted to go in there and drag him out by his skinny fucking neck. Just wait until I get my damn hands on him and let our father know what kind of man he has turned into. If he thinks I’m going to sit back and keep my mouth shut any longer to avoid his embarrassment, he has another thing coming.

“I’m so sorry,” Ronni blurted out, tears in her eyes. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been randomly driving down that exact street. I was so scared.”

I looked up from the road confused for a moment, not understanding what she was talking about. She had called my cell phone, and I could hear her talking in the background. She led me straight to her with her drunk mumbling and incoherent banter. I was scared to death when I heard her shouting at those guys. I almost killed ten people speeding through the streets to get to her. I looked over at her and down at her lap where her cell phone was sitting. I reached over and pressed the speaker button on my phone.

I pointed over to her lap and she looked down in confusion. “It wasn’t magic,” I said, hearing my voice echoing from the speaker.

Ronni looked over at my phone, and I could see the realization moving across her face. She picked up her phone and looked down at the call that was still in session. She shook her head and rubbed her hand over her eyes, clicking the phone off and tossing it in her purse. She sat quietly for a few seconds, staring out the window, and I wondered what was going on in her mind. I didn’t mean to act harsh or uncaring toward her. I was just so angry at my brother for being such a cocksucker. He had purposely hurt Ronni, and he didn’t even know it would affect me. It was probably a good thing he didn’t know since it might have been worse if he did. I could hear Ronni begin to sniffle, and she turned quickly in her seat, staring at me. That was when the words just started to flow from her mouth as if she no longer had any control over what she was saying.

“I barely ever drink,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve been so obsessed with grades, graduating from school, and making a life for myself that I didn’t have time for parties and clubs. Then I get here around you and I am making all kinds of decisions that aren’t like me. I’m having my heart broken by you, I’m getting wasted at a club and randomly being stranded out in the streets. Then I try to get home, but for the first time in San Diego history, there's not a damn cab anywhere. I couldn’t get my Uber app to work because it’s still linked to the East Coast. And then, I randomly dial you, which I’m really glad I did, but you have to get up and come rescue me, yet again. And all because I was stupid enough that I thought coming out tonight would make me feel better.”

“Okay, okay,” I said, rubbing her shoulder. “Relax. You’re only human, and after this long of keeping it together, especially after what you’ve been through, it’s okay for you to let your hair down. You just need to be a little pickier on who you put your trust in. Nick is an asshole and he only thinks about himself. Just when I start to believe there is something decent inside of him, he goes and pulls a stunt like this. Look, you don’t have to be sorry. I will always be there for you. We are family and we have been since the first time you and your family stepped foot into our home.”

She raised her hands to her face and began to sob. Her tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks, and she gasped between breaths. I didn’t know what happened to cause her to cry like this, but with every weak whine and sob, my heart felt like it was being ripped from my chest. She was in so much pain, and although I understood that she had every reason to feel that way, I didn’t know what these tears were for. But then again, maybe she didn’t either. Maybe they were for everything. Maybe they were for every terrible event she had been through. Every person ripped from her life without cause or justification. Maybe even a little of it was because of me.

To think that I had anything to do with this suffering made me feel sick to my stomach. She was such an amazing girl and she was going through hell right now, and I didn’t help make it any easier on her. All those times I could have reached out and I didn’t, leaving her to be strong on her own. I guess everyone has a breaking point, whether it’s early on or after years of suppressing those feelings and tears. I reached over and rubbed her back, hoping that she would get this out of her system and be able to see herself the way that I saw her.

We pulled up in front of the house and only Ronni’s car was in the driveway. Maria must be out, and that was why she didn’t get Ronni’s call. I got out of the car and rushed over to her side, opening the door and helping her out. She was still crying so I wrapped my arms around her and held her close as we walked toward the house. I could feel her body shaking in my arms, so I took the keys from her and opened the front door. She took in a deep breath and looked up at me, her makeup running down her cheeks and her big brown eyes bloodshot from crying.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” She looked so sad. “Just to hold me. I don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course, I will,” I said, relieved that I didn’t have to leave her alone in this state.

She grabbed onto me as we walked back to her room. She had finally stopped sobbing, but I could tell she was absolutely exhausted from the night’s ordeal. We got into her room, and I quietly shut the door. I switched the light on next to her bed and pulled the curtains closed. Then I took her phone and her shoes from her hands. I turned her around and unzipped her dress, pulling it off her shoulders and helping her step out of it. She crawled into the bed and pulled the covers over her. I took off my shirt and shorts, laying them across the chair, and I climbed in next to her in my boxers. She rolled over on her side and faced me, her eyes puffy from crying.

“I’ve been working so hard this whole time,” she said. “And my dreams of success, I’ve patterned after you. You are so dedicated and hardworking, and you always have been. In college, the professor asked us to think about a businessman or woman that we wanted to be like, and you were the first person that popped into my head. So, I’ve worked extra hard, sacrificing my freedoms and my friends. I haven’t minded it at all, knowing one day I’ll be able to slow down. But without a family, sometimes it just gets really lonely.”

As soon as she spoke the word lonely, I immediately knew exactly what she was feeling. Ever since my mother died and I took over running the company, I had felt very alone. My mother was my rock throughout my life, and before taking over the company, I had a life with friends, romance, and a strong family. However, all of that changed in the blink of an eye, and there were more nights than not that I went to bed feeling completely alone, lost in the isolation that came as part of my life.

I leaned forward and kissed Ronni gently on the forehead, finally understanding so much more about her than I had before. She and I really weren’t all that different in the end. She scooted closer to me and laid her head on my chest. I stroked her hair with my hand until I could feel her body relax and her breathing deepen. I laid there, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about that loneliness. Suddenly, I realized that I couldn’t remember what it felt like, and that laying there with Ronni cuddled in my arms was the first time I hadn’t felt lonely since my mother died.

I took in a deep breath and scooted down slightly in the bed, propping the pillow under my head. Ronni had given in to the grief, the excitement of the evening, and the sheer amount of alcohol she had consumed. As she laid there, her head moving up and down as I breathed, I couldn’t think of another place I wanted to be, or another woman that I wanted to be with. Ronni filled a hole in me that I didn’t even realize was there until now. I had dove head first into my work so that I could stay busy enough and tired enough that I would only experience that dire loneliness for a few moments a day. I hadn’t realized, though, it wasn’t a fleeting feeling before Ronni. It was something I had been carrying around inside of me for years.

I looked down at her as she slept hard, her eyes finally calm from the crying. Never in a million years did I think that the cure to my sadness had been sitting in front of me this entire time. She made me feel alive in ways I never had before, and just as I had jumped from my car and bullied a bunch of frat brothers which was not like me, I also felt at ease and calm in moments that I would normally have hit the height of anxiety. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe my mother wouldn’t have been so sad about this. Ronni and I were cut from the same cloth, and I couldn’t think of another person I’d rather have by my side.

Chapter Ten

Ronni

I snuggled my body into the covers. The warmth of the blankets and the softness of the pillows enticed me to fall back to sleep. There was a cool breeze blowing from the fan, making it the perfect temperature for a lazy Saturday in bed. I reached back to scratch my shoulder and heard a man grumble and turn behind me. Oh, God, what did I do?

Come on brain, think. I ran through the foggy bits and pieces of memories coming back from the night before. I freaked out, thinking it was Nick. That I had somehow brought him back and slept with him. However, as I lay there frozen, I started to remember what actually happened last night. Nick had ignored me, cozying up with some tall blonde chick. I remembered stumbling around the club until I made my way out to the streets. I could remember calling Maria, feeling a bit of fear when she didn’t pick up the phone. Then, the frat boys flooded my memory, and I realized exactly who was behind me. It was Nathan.

He had found me, bursting onto the scene like a super hero, taking down the assholes and scooping me up into his car. But why would I be so stupid as to sleep with him again, knowing he was trying to force himself to not be attracted to me? I peeked under the covers and realized I was still wearing my panties and bra. I looked to the side and he was still in his boxers.

Okay, we didn’t sleep together.

I was a shit show last night between the alcohol and the complete mental breakdown in Nathan’s car. That poor guy had come to the rescue and ended up having to babysit my drunk ass. I laid my head back in the pillow, groaning to myself as I thought about how big of a fool I had looked like last night, standing in the street, holding my shoes, and swaying back and forth. And Nick, that son of a bitch, had thrown me to the wolves, and all because I rejected his sexual advances.

He deserved to buy that club and have it fail, so he can go running to his daddy with his tail between his legs while I started up my fabulous new business, selling swimwear with my best friend. Wouldn’t he be shocked when we were ruling the “saturated market” with our bikinis? I took in a deep breath, feeling the after effects of the alcohol from the night before. I was going to have one mother of a hangover once I finally dragged my body out of this bed. But damn if it didn’t feel nice having Nathan’s warm skin grazing mine. His tight strong body next to me, protecting me and making me feel that twinge of arousal that I knew I shouldn’t have.

Laying there, I started thinking about what he said to me on the beach when we went for that walk a few days ago. I could almost feel the knot developing in my chest all over again. I pushed that from my mind and replaced it with Nathan’s heroic rescue last night, grabbing me off the streets and bringing me home, where he even undressed me and got me comfortable in the bed. I had asked him to stay, and he didn’t even think twice.

In reality, I was bummed nothing happened between us. Not only had I found myself craving the feeling of being safe and protected in his arms, I felt like he deserved to be treated to a sexy foray of hot sensual sex. He deserved to be shown just how hot he was and how much I wanted him. I hadn’t been able to get his huge cock and sexy body off my mind since that night, and now he was behind me in the bed, wearing nothing but boxer briefs. His little “love you like a sister” speech was forced from the guilt of his mother, and we both knew that.

He shifted behind me, his groin sliding behind my ass. The feeling of his half hard morning wood bounced across my ass, and immediately, I could feel myself getting wet. I quietly slid my hand down into my panties, running my fingers across my clit. That was it. I wasn’t going to stand by and let him blow me off when I knew that wasn’t what he wanted. I was going to turn over and show him just how different I was than a little sister.

I bit my lip and turned slowly over in the bed, pulling my panties off and unclipping my bra. I scooted forward into his arms, pressing my naked body against him. His eyes were closed as he moved his arm down, running it down my back and groaning slightly. I nuzzled my face in his neck and pressed my lips against his skin, kissing him seductively. He breathed heavily as I pushed my hips into his, feeling his cock getting harder. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked down at my naked body.

“Ronni,” he whispered, staring down at my tits. “We really shouldn’t.”

“Shh,” I said, running my fingers across his lips and grabbing his hand.

I thrust his fingers between my legs, and he instantly began massaging my wet pussy. I ground my hips against his hand, rubbing my clit on his arm. I reached up and pushed him over on his back, sitting up and feeling him slip his fingers inside of me. I closed my eyes and moaned as I fucked his hand, feeling the juices starting to flow. He looked at me wildly, as if he had never seen something so sexy, and it made me even more brazen.

I ran my hands up my sides and over my breasts as I bounced up and down on his hand. At first, my goal was to get on top of him as fast as I could, but the feeling of his eyes on me and his fingers inside of me turned me on so badly I couldn’t move. As he fingered me hard, I pulled down his boxers and leaned forward, swallowing his hard cock. He groaned loudly, pushing his fingers inside of me harder and faster. I whined as my lips moved down his shaft. I reached up and grabbed his free hand, placing it on the back of my head. I liked it when he was in control.

He wrapped his hand through my hair and pushed down, pulling my head back up and groaning as my tongue swirled around the tip. Over and over, my head bobbed up and down, and my throat opened to take all of his giant cock inside. His hips began to move up and down, and I sat still, letting him fuck my mouth. It was incredibly erotic, and I glanced up at his face which was staring down at me. I curled my lips into a smile, and he rolled his eyes back groaning and laughing. I slid my hand between my legs and started rubbing my clit, moaning into his cock. It was so hard and so ready for me, but I didn’t want to rush it. I wanted to feel him get needy and really want me.

He took his fingers out of me and grabbed me by the waist, pulling me toward his face. I straddled his head, feeling him pull me down onto his lips. I screamed out at the feeling of his tongue running through my folds, sopping up my juices and sucking on my clit. I swayed my hips, taking a moment to really feel his pleasure before bending forward, grabbing his shaft, and pushing it into my throat. He gasped as I sucked hard, and my lips pressed against the base of his cock. He squeezed my ass, moving his mouth wildly around my pussy. I could feel the orgasm beginning to simmer, but I took a deep breath, not wanting to come until I was riding his dick. I wanted him to feel me explode, to feel my juices surround his erection, and my body twitch and writhe over top of him.

I sat up on his face and waited for a moment feeling the pleasure of grinding on his lips. I rose up on my knees and flipped around, scooting down to his waist. I leaned down and kissed his neck, whispering in his ear.

“I want you to feel me come.”

He moaned loudly as I reached back and stroked his cock, letting him know I was ready for him. I reached up and grabbed a condom from my drawer and tore the wrapper open, leaning back and sliding over his dick. Holding the base of his shaft, I tilted my hips and slid slowly down his cock, my juices dripping down him. I pulled my knees underneath me and sat down good and deep, moving up and down just slightly. I kissed his lips sweetly and then sat up, pulling his hands to my tits as I moved my body like a wave. I could feel his skin pressed against mine, and instantly, I wanted more. I moaned loudly as my clit dragged across his skin and his shaft pressed against my stomach from the inside. He reached up and grabbed my waist, but I slapped his hands away with a mischievous grin. He chuckled and raised his arms above his head, watching me bring myself closer and closer to orgasm.

I leaned forward and slowly lifted my ass, bringing his cock up before slowly lowering back onto it. He felt so damn good inside of me, and I did that same motion over and over again, feeling every ripple of his cock. I could feel the pleasure and need build up in my body, and I began to slam my hips up and down on his dick.

“Yeah, baby,” he groaned.

I sat back up and shifted my hips up and back, bringing myself to the edge of climax. I screamed out frantically, moving my body against his, turning to the side, and grinding down hard. As I pushed forward, rubbing him across my nub, I arched my back and threw my head up, screaming as the orgasm exploded and waves of pleasure pushed through my entire body. He reached up and grabbed my waist, thrusting his cock in and out of me hard and fast, trying to bring me to an even higher climax. I grabbed my tits and moaned as his body slammed against me. Pleasure ignited in ways I had never felt before. As the peak of my orgasm tipped me over the top, I fell forward, breathing heavily and whimpering. He slammed his lips against mine, kissing me passionately while still thrusting into me.

I moaned, feeling him completely filling me up. I braced my body and let him fuck me hard, biting into his shoulder as he held onto my hips and grunted loudly. The sound of his voice was enough to push me back into pleasure mode, and I swept his hands off my hips and sat down on him again. I lifted my body up and looked down at him smiling.

“You want this?” I asked, biting my lip.

“Yeah, baby, give it to me,” he growled.

“Like this?” I asked innocently as I began to slowly bounce up and down on his cock.

“Harder,” he groaned, grabbing the sheets on the bed and trying not to take over.

His self-control didn’t last long. He sat up, grabbed me by the waist, and threw me down onto the bed. He climbed on top of me and pushed my legs apart. His eyes were dark, and he leaned into my neck, whispering into my ear.

“No, like this,” he said.

Chapter Eleven

Nathan

I spread her legs apart with mine and looked deep into her eyes. Then, I thrust my cock deep and hard inside of her. Ronni smiled and moaned. She stretched her body out, leaving her large breasts to jiggle and move on her chest. I leaned down and took her nipple into my mouth as I pushed in and out of her, feeling my balls slap against her ass. She was so fucking sexy when she took control, and despite the fact that I fought it at first, any illusion of her being treated like a sister quickly flew out the window with the passion I felt for her.

Her hands grasped the bed behind her, pulling on the sheets and arching her body into mine as I fucked her hard. I stopped and sat up, pulling her legs onto my shoulders and grabbing her ass. I pulled her toward me and lunged deep inside of her. Then, bracing myself, I began pumping fast and hard. She screamed and moaned below me, and I felt her pussy tightening and releasing around my cock. She was so wet, and I could easily slide in and out without a problem. She reached down and started rubbing her clit as I slammed into her, feeling my own orgasm beginning to rise.

She moaned with the rhythm of my body, her screams echoing over and over through her room. As I pushed deep and hard, I could feel her begin to tense, and I knew she was about to come again. She rubbed fast against her clit, biting her lip and closing her eyes. I wanted to feel her again, her pussy vibrating against my shaft, the warm liquid rushing around it. As she reached her peak, she lifted her body off the bed. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out of her throat. I groaned loudly as I felt her pussy pulsate around my shaft. I wrapped my arms around her thighs, jamming my cock in as deep as I could get it. After two more thrusts, I leaned into her, letting my body rest against hers as I came hard.

The orgasm sent a blanket of pleasure and relaxation through my entire body. I moaned loudly as her body began to relax, feeling my cock bulging inside of her. The orgasm felt like it was going to last forever, and I slowly let my panting breaths calm down, leaning back on my knees and sighing as my muscles relaxed.

I looked down at Ronni, laying there recovering from her multiple orgasms. Her cheeks were rosy, and she was smiling, trying to catch her breath. I knew at that moment, I wanted more of this woman, and the idea of treating her like family now had a completely different connotation. She was one of the most amazing women I had ever met, and I would never again spend my days trying to run from her. Instead, I would run full force right into her arms, holding her in the day, and worshipping her tan silky body at night.

I pulled out and jumped from the bed, feeling more energized than ever. I smiled down at her and reached out, pulling her from the bed and into my arms. She laughed as I picked her up at the waist and let her feet dangle down. I pressed my lips tightly against hers, feeling the passion and emotion surging between us. I didn’t want to leave her yet, so I figured why force myself to?

“Get dressed,” I said, smiling. “There is this amazing French Bistro at the Del that I want to take you to. They serve brunch, and I would love some French toast right now.”

“That sounds perfect,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I am so hungry!”

I pulled my clothes on and watched as she pulled on fresh, sexy panties and a new bra. She lifted her arms up in the air, allowing a sweet but sexy sundress to cascade over her curves. She grabbed a sweater and sat down at her makeup table, brushing her hair. She looked back at me, smiling as she pulled her hair into a ponytail and touched up her makeup just enough to look fresh and bright. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She nodded toward a pair of wedge sandals sitting on the floor against the wall, so I grabbed them and walked over, holding them close to me as I bent over and kissed her lip-glossed lips.

We walked out of the room, and I watched as Ronni skipped into the kitchen and planted a huge kiss on her roommate’s cheek.

“This is Maria,” she said happily. “Maria, this is Nathan.”

I leaned over and kissed the top of her hand, flashing her a smile. Her stern face melted slowly away, and she looked into Ronni’s eyes, seeing that she was happy. Maria laughed as Ronni’s excitement trickled over into her. I wanted Maria to like me, especially if I was going to be with Ronni and help them get their business off the ground. If Ronni believed in Maria, I knew I could take that as a solid fact.

We left the house and jumped into my car, letting the top down now that the clouds had cleared and the sun warmed the air. It was a slow start to summer in San Diego this year, but I didn’t mind the eighty degree days at all. Ronni looked over at me, her ponytail whipping around in the wind, and her smile brightening up my day.

We got to the restaurant, and they took us straight back to a table, realizing who I was. My father and mother used to have brunch here every weekend, but they didn’t bring us kids. It was kind of their date night but with brunch instead. I could remember my mother putting on a beautiful dress, doing her hair just perfectly, and dabbing a tiny bit of perfume on her neck. She always hummed on Saturdays, and I knew it was because she got to spend quality time with my father, something that was few and far between with him running the company. However, no matter how busy their lives got, my father always made sure to clear his schedule for Saturday afternoon brunch with my mother.

We sat closely together, sipping our mimosas and looking over the menu. Everything looked delicious, so instead of picking I asked the waitress to bring us one of everything. Ronni’s eyes lit up at that. The waitress laughed and smiled, seeing the love surging between Ronni and me. When she left to put our order in, I leaned back in the chair and put my arm around Ronni. We watched the people coming in and out of the restaurant. The older women were dressed in their Sunday best with large hats and every piece of jewelry they could fit on their hands. The younger crowd was prim, pressed, and proper, laughing and talking amongst themselves as they enjoyed the beginning of a life of luxury. Ronni and I looked up at the door as a loud giggle broke through the low murmur of voices. It was Nick, walking in with a tall blonde girl, dressed like she was ready to go to the club.

“That’s the woman he ditched me for last night,” Ronni said, giggling. “Seems she didn’t get to change her clothes, and neither did Nick.”

I thought about how often Nick stayed at the Del and how if he had gone to his place, he would be wearing different clothing. They must have decided to stay at the hotel last night, which meant Nick had no intention of keeping this girl around past brunch. If he thought he would want to fuck a girl again, he would take them to his house in the hills, but if he knew it was a one and done, he would bring them to the Del, feed them brunch, more because he was hungry than anything else, and then put them in a cab back to whatever hole they crawled out from. He was so predictable.

The hostess took them to a table across the room, but Nick had already spotted Ronni and me. Ronni had switched her attention to her hot tea, but I sat meeting Nick’s angry glare. The blonde was fawning all over him, but he ignored her, sending angry daggers in my direction. I actually found it to be quite humorous, and I smiled a condescending smile in his direction. As soon as the waitress arrived with the food, though, I brought my attention back to the present, ignoring him for the rest of brunch.

We feasted on every breakfast food you could possibly imagine, laughing as people looked over at us and smiled. They figured we were a young couple in love, enjoying our breakfast on cloud nine. I kept my arm around Ronni, keeping her close to my side. I hated the idea that eventually I would have to let go and get to work. Weekends didn’t stop me from having client meetings. When we were done, I had the food boxed up and told Ronni to take it home for her and Maria.

“You’ll instantly win Maria’s heart,” she said, laughing. “That girl is so thin, but she can eat more than most men.”

We laughed as we carried the bags out, still ignoring Nick’s angry stare. We piled the food in the trunk so it wouldn’t blow around and drove slowly back to her house. I walked her in and helped bring the food in, smiling at Maria as I set it in front of her. She laughed and wagged her finger at me.

“You found my weakness, sir.”

Ronni walked me back outside and shut the door behind her for some privacy. I leaned in and kissed her lips softly, running my fingers over her shoulders and back. It was like torture saying goodbye.

“I’m sorry that I have to leave,” I said, sighing. “I have to head into work because I have a meeting later this evening. A lot of my clients don’t care about working weekends.”

“It’s okay,” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist and leaning back to look up at my eyes. “Do you want to get together again?”

“Of course,” I said, laughing. “I wouldn’t even leave now, but my weekend is completely sewn up with business. Sunday is insane, but I’m hoping to make headway with this huge deal that I’ve been working on for about three months now. I think things are finally coming together with it.”

“I understand,” she said, smiling. “Trust me, I would kill baby seals to have that kind of experience. Okay, maybe not baby seals, but I would definitely think about it.”

I laughed loudly and leaned down to kiss her lips. She was so soft and comforting, and I was having a really hard time breaking away. I took in a deep breath and released my grip, stepping back down the walk and toward the car. I blew her a kiss and waved.

“I’ll call you tonight, I promise,” I said as I opened the car door and stepped inside.

As I drove away, I watched her in the rearview mirror. I loved the fact that she was craving experience in business, the same way she used to crave education and knowledge. This girl was going to be trouble when she learned everything she needed to know. There had to be a way I could help her get that knowledge. As I turned toward the center of the city where the office was, I looked over and saw a help wanted sign, and it hit me. That was it. I owned a company that would give her everything she needed. I would hire her to work at the real estate firm. Why didn’t I think of that before?

Chapter Twelve

Ronni

I really didn’t want Nathan to leave the day before, but I knew how important his business was to him. He had taken charge of his father’s company after his mother passed away, and from studying the company as a whole during college, I knew that whatever he was doing was helping to bring the company into the new era. His father was a brilliant man, but he didn’t understand changing times. The company wasn’t in danger at any point, but if Nathan hadn’t come in with the changes he made, eventually the conglomerate would have been broken up and sold to the highest bidder. He was brilliant, just like his father, but he understood what it took for an enterprise to survive a changing economic and political world. They were one of very few real estate companies in the country that actually increased revenue during the economic collapse, while many others barely hung on or folded under the pressure. It was extremely impressive.

So, in the spirit of moving forward and hard work, Maria and I sat down to work out the details of the bikini line and all the logistics that went along with it. She was an exceptional designer, more talented than most of the famous ones I saw in magazines, but just like me, she was just starting out. She sat and listened to everything that Nathan had explained to me, and I patiently went through each step with her so that she could better understand.

She had a designer education, a designer background, and an artist’s mind so I wanted to make things simple but understandable for her. Though I wasn’t going to be designing anything, we were going to be running the company together. Between her amazing work and my business skills, I knew there was no way we could fail at this venture. Luckily for us, Maria came from money, her father being a very successful Latin singer. He loved Maria’s designs and had already set up an account to fund the entire venture, and he didn’t want us to pay him back at all.

I had known since the beginning that Maria had gotten lucky in the parenting department, especially since she didn’t have to pay for college, didn’t have to work at all, and always had money in her bank account. When we decided to move in together, her father came down and picked out the place we lived in, offering to pay for the entire thing. Though it would have been nice to not have the cost of rent, I didn’t feel comfortable having yet another person take care of me, so we settled on a fair price, and I paid my monthly share. Maria thought I was crazy since she knew her father just took that money and put it in her bank account, but it made me feel good to be taking care of myself.

We sat there, brainstorming ideas for what we wanted to call the business, how we wanted to incorporate it legally, and where we really wanted to start. We had a really good list going, and I groaned as my phone went off on the other side of the room. I grabbed it and flipped it open, not even looking at the name on the screen. I cringed at the sound of Nick’s voice on the other end.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” He was furious.

“Excuse me?”

“You just go and abandon me at the club, acting like you are so much better than everyone else,” he yelled. “And then I find you hooking up with my fucking brother?”

“First of all, that is none of your business,” I said. “Secondly, if you hadn’t just ditched me for your blonde disgusting bimbo, I wouldn’t have ended up wandering around the Gaslamp District, drunk as hell, not knowing where to go. I was almost fucking mauled by a group of frat boys. It was a fluke that your brother found me, and thank god he did, because who knows what those guys would have done. You can lay the blame on me to make yourself feel better, but when it comes down to it, you are a disgusting and poor excuse for a man.”

“Maybe if you learned to not be such a cold bitch, none of this would have happened,” he yelled back. “It’s not my problem you have mommy and daddy issues and can’t handle someone of my stature and power putting their hands on you. You should be glad that a man like me asked out a girl like you.”

“A girl like me? What the fuck does that mean?”

“Oh, come on,” he said with a harsh laugh. “You think because my mother took you in, that makes you part of this family? No. Everyone looked at you as the poor little immigrant who was taken in by my mother. That was it. Nothing more. You are trying to hold on to that and milk it for all its worth.”

“You are so blind,” I said. “I have done more to support myself than you ever have and ever will. Have fun milking daddy for his hard-earned money just so you can go invest it in shitty ideas and watch them fail. Go to hell, you piece of shit.”

I hung up the phone and screamed, letting my anger radiate through the entire house. Maria poked her head around the corner and lifted her eyebrows at me. I rolled my eyes and waved my hand at her, wanting to kill that little prick. I sat down at the kitchen counter and tried to collect myself. It had been a very long time since I wanted to hurt someone, but right now, that was exactly what I wanted to do.

I was such an idiot, and after everything I had been through in life, I still couldn’t figure out what I ever saw in Nick. He was arrogant, ignorant, had no motivation, and when it came down to it, he was nothing more than a spoiled little rich kid. In fact, unless something drastically changed for him, I couldn’t see him ever making anything out of himself except for a mooch on his father’s name. Nathan, on the other hand, was that guy. He was the man who got things done and had the compassion and fortitude to think of other people in the process. Just thinking about him calmed my heartbeat, and I tossed my phone on the counter and headed back into the living room. Maria looked up at me and smiled as I sat down.

“Was that Nick?”

“Ugh, how did you know?” I rolled my eyes and stomped my feet.

“He’s pretty much the only rich asshole in your life, so I figured it was him harassing you,” she said.

“I thought you thought that about Nathan, too?”

“Yeah, well, he seems to have proven me wrong so far,” she said, laughing.

“It was the pancakes, wasn’t it?”

“You got me,” she said. “No, I just see how protective he is of you and how much you light up every time you are around him. I thought he would be bad for you, and for a second, I was right. But in the end, he really showed his true colors, and they are bright and happy, just how I like it.”

“God, Nick was such an asshole,” I said, still upset. “I don’t understand how you can know someone your whole life and be so mean. I mean we grew up together, in the same damn house.”

“Some people are only concerned with their egos,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Nathan doesn’t seem to be one of them.”

I nodded my head and looked up as someone knocked hard on the door. I peeked out the window to see Nathan’s car sitting in front of the complex. It was like he knew we were talking about him, and poof, he was here. I took a deep breath, trying not to look so upset. I didn’t want him to know his brother said those things. It would only cause more issues between them. I grabbed the handle and opened the door wide, trying to muster a smile. Well, Nathan saw right through that, and his eyebrows furled at the upset look on my face. He reached out and brought me in close, hugging me tightly and kissing me on the top of the head. Luckily, he took my silence as a sign I wanted privacy and didn’t ask me what happened. He just squeezed me tightly. He waved at Maria and then looked down at me.

“You have a minute to go for a walk?”

“Uh oh,” I said with a worried face. “The last walk we went on didn’t turn out so well.”

“No,” he said, chuckling. “It’s not that kind of walk, I promise. Grab your jacket. The wind is pretty strong today.”

I reached in and grabbed my lightweight jacket off the rack and smiled at Maria as I shut the door. I looked up suspiciously at Nathan as he took my hand and led me toward the beach. The sand was cool between my toes, and I couldn’t help but feel renewed as the sea air hit my face. I looked over at Nathan as we walked, curious of what he wanted to talk about.

“Okay, what’s up?”

“So,” he said, taking a deep breath. “You are so smart and so amazing, and you are thirsting for knowledge in the business arena. On my way to the office, after I left you the other day, I started brainstorming ways to get you the experience that you’re looking for. Then it hit me. I run a huge conglomerate. Why would I not just give you a job with me? You could help me out and learn at the same time. It would be perfect. What do you think?”

“Wow,” I said, taken back by the offer. It was huge, and everything I wanted since I left college, but I was completely torn. Working alongside Nathan would be amazing, but throw in the fact that he was the man I was lusting after twenty-four seven, and it suddenly seemed like it might be a bad business decision. It was hard enough handling a growing personal relationship, but twist that up in an office romance, and I knew bad things could come of it. However, if I looked at his parents, they did amazing things as a couple running a business. Nathan was so intelligent, and he was the savviest businessman I knew. I would learn so much from him.

“Say something,” he said, laughing.

I smiled. “Sorry. I’m just thinking it over really fast. That’s a big chunk of news at one time.”

As we walked along the beach, I played out the different scenarios in my head, always landing on the fact that, if it started to affect us personally, I could quit and go to something different. Best case scenario, I learned a lot, picked up some serious tricks of the trade, and ended up killing it with me and Maria’s new business. It was so blatantly obvious what I needed to do, but I was nervous since taking chances on things wasn’t my normal MO. In fact, I had been taking chances on things a lot lately, and though it landed me Nathan, it also put a huge rift between me and the family. But I couldn’t think about that. I needed to think about my career and making it big in the business. I stopped and turned to Nathan, taking in a deep breath.

“Okay,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ll do it. I need to put in two weeks at my other job, but I can do that first thing tomorrow.”

“Yes,” he said, smiling and picking me up off the ground.

He leaned in and kissed my lips softly, gazing into my eyes. Maybe working with this man wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Chapter Thirteen

Nathan

I was more excited than normal to be in the office as I was beginning preparations for Ronni to start with the company. I had set up the perfect arrangement where she would be considered a paid intern for the company. I figured this would allow her to go from department to department, so she could learn the ins and the outs of the business. She would also be able to travel with me when meeting with long distance clients and have a desk set up right outside of my office. I knew there would probably be some friction between her and Nick, but I figured that would die out over time. Nick was a pissy little guy, but he wasn’t usually one to hold a grudge.

I looked down at the new hire packet I had my secretary fill out and looked over and out the window as the maintenance staff carried in Ronni’s desk, filing cabinet, and computer. In all reality, if this worked out, I could have a regular intern here at the company. That way, we were giving back to the community and getting our name out there to the universities. My father used to talk about implementing this exact program, but after my mother died, it fell to the wayside.

I really wanted to do everything I could for Ronni, to really give her the experience she needed to be successful in her venture. She soaked everything in like a sponge, so I knew once she got here, she would kick ass. In fact, I slightly worried about having her be so good that I wouldn’t want her to leave. I kept trying to tell myself that placing her here was all about her learning experience, but I knew in the pit of my stomach that there was a part of me that also wanted to keep her close.

Knowing I could look out the window and see her beautiful face was extremely exciting, and I tried to keep my wits about me. Not to mention the fact that I kept imagining the late nights spent in the office. Everyone would go home, we would be working late on a client, order take-out, get naked, fuck on the desk. The normal stuff. I laughed at myself for my fantasies, knowing full well Ronni would be more than professional here. That being said, I couldn’t promise that I wouldn’t stare at her ass or cop a feel in the elevator every once in a while. She was so sexy in her little professional skirts and high heels, and I could picture her now with little black glasses, her hair pinned up, and a tight ass pencil skirt, hiked up as she kneeled down under the desk to suck me off.

I adjusted my cock in my pants, taking a deep breath and trying to shift my attention. I’d never get anything done today if I didn’t get her off my mind. As soon as I thought that, I heard a loud noise and my door swung wide open. I looked in shock as my father, Noah, walked in the office, anger covering his face. He stomped over to the chairs and plopped down, taking a deep breath and crossing his legs. My father hadn’t come into the office in several years. What in the world was he doing here now? From the snarled, angry look on his face, I imagined he would have no problem letting me know exactly what he was thinking. Hopefully, Nick didn’t go purchase any stupid properties on our dime and not tell us about it. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to speak, but my father put his hand in the air.

“Don’t speak,” he said angrily. “I have caught wind of some interesting news, and to be honest, it shocked the hell out of me. I thought I raised my son with a bit of class, but apparently, that isn’t the case.”

“Speak plainly, Father,” I said, irritated by his jabs. “I have work to get done.”

“Apparently, that’s not all you’ve been doing,” he said, leaning forward. I stopped what I was writing and looked up at him in surprise. “It seems you’ve been sleeping with that little Mexican housemaid, and now you want to give your whore a job here.”

“Be very careful how you choose your words, Father,” I said slowly, standing to my feet and leaning forward on the desk.

“I still own this company, or have you forgotten?”

“That doesn’t give you the right to—”

“That gives me whatever God damn right I want,” he said through gritted teeth, standing and facing me nose to nose. “I will not allow this to happen. We are not running a daycare service for your sluts, and I am sure not going to allow you to taint this business with the likes of her.”

“Listen to yourself,” I scoffed. “My mother would be ashamed of you. She loved Ronni like family. I will not allow you to stand here and demean her like that. You may be my father, but that doesn’t keep me from kicking your ass for being a racist old fool.”

“Your mother had her play thing, but she’s dead now,” he yelled. “And I’m not here to play babysitter to every immigrant that crosses the border.”

“Again,” I said, trying to keep my anger controlled. “I would shut your mouth if I were you. Besides, I make the business decisions here. You made sure of that when you quit, running off to hide and wither away in your office at home. You are the one who gave up on life, and I won’t let you take it out on Ronni because you can’t handle Mom’s death.”

By that point, my father and I were standing nose to nose in the office, our eyes strongly fixed on each other. How dare he come in here and talk that way about Ronni after all she had been through? How dare he act holier than thou. At that moment, I realized exactly where Nick got it from, and I was utterly disgusted. I stepped forward, challenging my father’s intentions, and I watched as a smile spread across his old, angry face. He put his finger up and shoved me in the shoulder, laughing out loud.

“You are not going to do this,” he whispered. “And if you do, I’ll have you fired and cut out of the will. See how well you will do in a city where you have been blacklisted and dumped by your own father.”

“If that’s the kind of man you’ve turned into, then I don’t want your disgusting money anyway,” I said angrily.

We stood there, staring into each other’s eyes for several moments. I didn’t even recognize the man standing in front of me. This was the same man that took a scared six-year-old little girl into his lap and hugged her tightly as the funeral procession for her parents began. This was the man that loved my mother more than anything, even this company. He had changed, and it was a damn shame he had become so hateful that he was attacking his own family. He had no right to talk about Ronni in that manner, and I wouldn’t stand for it, no matter how much I had to lose.

I had made it this far just fine, and I could do it again without his help. He shook his head and turned toward the door, freezing in his tracks at the sight of Ronni standing in the doorway, tears tugging at her eyes. She had heard everything. My father grunted and pushed past her, knocking her to the side. I watched him march out of the office, slamming doors and yelling at staff as he went. He had lost his damn mind, and I didn’t know what to do about it.

I stood there, staring down at the papers on my desk, trying to collect my thoughts. I had never had a confrontation with my father like that before, and my blood boiled knowing who set him up for this. Nick wanted to run this company into the ground, and he would do anything, including hurting his own blood to get his paws on it. It was a good thing he wasn’t here right now. Otherwise, I might throw him through the window with how angry I was. I looked up at Ronni who was standing there, looking down at the floor. I couldn’t believe that she had heard everything. It must have been so hurtful to her. She stepped forward and forced a smile, looking at me with glistening eyes.

“I, uh, I gave my two weeks,” she said, looking at her box of things. “My boss said she knew how amazing the opportunity was so she didn’t make me work those last two weeks. I was really excited so I came right over. I didn’t mean to walk in on you. I didn’t realize your father felt that way.”

“No,” I said, walking forward. “Do not apologize for anything. You have no reason to apologize. My entire family, including myself, should be the one begging for your forgiveness. We have treated you terribly. You didn’t deserve any of this, and whatever you do, don’t listen to one word my father said. He is an old fool.”

“He’s hurting,” she said, leaning into my chest. “Just like the rest of us, and I know that I am a very sore spot in his life. It’s not right, but I haven’t proven myself to be very supportive of him, either.”

“You are so sweet,” I said, shaking my head. “But he chose to push everyone away. He wouldn’t take my help or anyone else’s for that matter. All he’s done is surround himself with his rich friends and dive into his money pit like Scrooge McDuck.”

“I’m sure if I go back to my boss, she’ll let me stay on,” she said, sniffling.

“No,” I said emotionally. “I don’t care what that old tyrant says. I’m going to put you on as my paid intern and do what I promised to do. You worry about getting your head filled with knowledge, and I’ll take on the old man. I will not buckle to his pressure.”

She squeezed me tightly around the waist, and I kissed the top of her head, looking out my office window at the workers putting together her desk. I couldn’t believe what this all turned into. When we started the day, I was on cloud nine knowing I would have Ronni close to me, knowing that I would be helping her follow her dreams, and knowing that everything was going to be calming down really soon. Instead, I got my father bursting through the door, acting like a complete stranger, and having Ronni hear every hateful word coming out of his mouth. And still, even after all of that, she had the biggest heart. She sees through the hatred and anger and just tries to make me feel better. I couldn’t think of a better woman in this world than Ronni, and I knew I had to do everything I could to protect her. I wasn’t afraid of my father, nor was I afraid of going out on my own and making my own fortune. His will meant nothing to me since it would take him dying to receive anything from it, something my brother didn’t think about at all.

It was going to be a bumpy ride for the next few days, but I was determined to ride it out with Ronni by my side, whatever choice we decided to make.

Chapter Fourteen

Ronni

I could still remember the day my parents were killed. Nathan had caught me before I fell to the floor, and his mother and father had pulled me into their laps and comforted me. I could still remember that for weeks after the accident, Mr. Landers would come into my room when he heard me crying and cradle me in his arms, rocking me back to sleep.

They had all insisted that I consider myself part of their family for the rest of my life. It was what helped me get through being alone in the world. They had made me believe that they would never turn their backs on me for any reason. When Mrs. Landers died, I tried to repay the love and be there for Mr. Landers, bringing him breakfast and lunch every day, checking in on him every evening, even when I was at school and all I could do was call. Most days, he didn’t answer, but he knew I was there if he needed me. Slowly over time, he started emerging from the darkness of their bedroom, but when he did, I could see he had changed. There was an all too familiar hole in his heart that Mrs. Landers used to fill. Mr. Landers had always been strict. but he had never been cruel. That was, until I came back from college and began making a life for myself. In reality, Mr. Landers knew better than anyone, even Nathan, that I was capable of doing the job. He had seen my grades in college, read my papers, had discussions with my professors, not realizing that I would find out. But now, there was nothing but hatred in his heart.

I felt completely betrayed by everyone except Nathan. Nick had not only done what he did on our date, but he had used me as a pawn in his game to gain control of the company. He had said horrible things about me and painted a picture in his father’s mind of a woman that I was not. The things that Mr. Landers said were uncalled for and cruel, and I could feel my whole body shaking with the pain and sadness I was feeling. And now, even after all of that, Nathan showed his loyalty to me by offering to fight for my right at the company, going as far as to offer to give up everything for me. Sure, he was a billionaire in his own right, something his father couldn’t take away. So, he wasn’t worried about the job and money, but I couldn’t help but think about his family and how they would be ripped apart, all because of me. I couldn’t allow myself to be the wedge that drove them apart, especially knowing that one day, Nathan would look at me and realize I had been the cause of all his loss.

“I will fight this, Ronni,” he whispered. “I will give everything up for you. I don’t care.”

“Don’ be silly,” I cooed, taking a deep breath. “Me working for you is not worth the fight that is brewing, nor is it worth you losing your relationship with your father.”

“Come on,” he said, grabbing his jacket and phone. “Let’s get out of here. Regardless of what you say, you are worth all of that, if not more. None of this means anything to me anymore without having you by my side.”

As we moved out of the office and down into the streets of San Diego, Nathan stopped and looked around. He checked his phone, stuck his hands in his pockets, and then stood there as if he were lost. Nathan was used to working all day, every day, with no time to do other things. He was out of his element, having left the office shortly after arriving. I giggled to myself, finding the scene actually kind of adorable. He was completely baffled by what to do next so I walked over to him, kissed his cheek, grabbed his hand, and led him to my car parked in the garage next door.

“Why don’t we take this time to relax,” I said, smiling. “We can run by my house, grab a suit, and go out on the beach for a swim. It’ll be a little chilly, but it will be really relaxing. Just the sound of the waves has a way of soothing the soul.”

“I like that idea,” he said, nodding. “I don’t have a suit, though.”

“Not a problem,” I said, smiling. “Maria was doing some test lines for men’s swimwear so you can wear one of those.”

“Okay, but if I’m going to be a guinea pig for Maria, so are you,” he said, smiling mischievously.

“Ha,” I said, opening the car door. “No problem. I’ll wear one of the bikinis from the women’s line.”

“Yes,” he whispered. “I have won.”

I laughed loudly as we pulled out of the parking garage and drove toward my house, leaving the high-rise offices in the background. It was time to force this man to let loose, have some fun, and really get some relaxation flowing through his bloodstream. Come to think of it, I couldn’t even remember a time as kids when Nathan looked like he was relaxing. He was always so serious, and even on family vacations, he was reading something, writing something, or talking to his father about business. He had been serious for most of his life, despite a few wild years in high school. It was something I loved about him, but I also wanted him to stop being so stressed and serious. Crack a joke every once in a while, run through the waves, be spontaneous. That was what life was all about. I knew better than most people how short life was and how it could be over in the blink of an eye.

We pulled up in front of the house and held hands as we walked in. I put my hurt feelings to the side and decided that today was for relaxing and living. I went into Maria’s room and pulled out the box with all the prototypes inside. For Nathan, I picked a teal blue swimsuit with Buddhas across the bottom. I dug into the other box and found the bright red tops and bottoms that I knew would fit me. I smiled at Nathan as I exited, tossing the trunks to him and walking into my bedroom. I shut the door, knowing if we ended up naked in front of each other, we might not make it to the beach. When I was done, I looked at myself in the mirror, adjusting the strings on the top so that they were tighter. When you have big breasts, you had to be careful. Sometimes they had a mind of their own. I pulled my hair back in a ponytail and put some lip gloss on before opening the door and peeking down the hall.

Nathan was standing in the living room, wearing the shorts which looked so freaking sexy. They came halfway down his thighs, fit comfortably, but definitely hugged his cock in an amazing way. It made me want to skip the beach and get him back out of the shorts. His upper body was buff as always, and I could tell he had been working out since his stomach was almost flawless. I took a deep breath and walked out into the hallway, letting him see the bathing suit. I could tell by his immediate reaction that he liked what he was seeing. My breasts bounced lightly as I walked toward him, the strings on the sides of my bottoms pulled tightly.

“Wow,” he said, looking down at my curves and walking forward with a towel. “I’m not sure if it's safe for you to leave this house like that. You might want to go back in your room and let me inspect the strength of those strings.”

“This is the only one that fits my, um, cleavage,” I said, giggling.

“I like it,” he said, leaning in and kissing me.

I grabbed the towel from him and slipped on my flip flops, taking his hand and leading him outside. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else with Nathan. Well, maybe I could, but that wouldn’t get us out in the sun. It had been a really long time since that loneliness that I had been experiencing had lifted, but as we walked across the street, laughing and flirting, I felt completely alive. Nathan filled a hole in my heart that had been there since my parents passed away, something that had grown larger and larger as the years passed. When his mother died, I felt like there was no one else in the world that cared. Little did I know that everything in life would lead me back to the Landers and ultimately, to Nathan.

We walked down the ramp and into the cool sand, looking around at the empty beach. There was no one around since it was the middle of the workday, and that was perfectly okay with me. I loved being on the beach all alone, relaxing to the sounds of the waves, and taking in the warm California air. One day, I hoped to own a home right on the water where I could sit on my porch every morning and drink my coffee and then meditate every night to the surging tides.

Nathan took my hand, and we walked along the beach in silence, just happy to be close to one another. He gripped me tightly, making me feel secure and protected, and I looked down at the sand flying from my feet with every step. I leaned down and took off my sandals, throwing them and my towel up the beach. He looked down at me and smiled his charming smile, sending waves of butterflies fluttering through my chest. We walked up and back the small strip of beach, stopping at the rock wall protruding outward.

I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, letting the energy of the moment take over. Before I could open them, I felt Nathan’s lips press softly against mine, and he tapped me on the butt and laughed as he walked back over to our stuff. He spread out his towel as I picked up mine and sat down, leaning back and breathing deeply. It looked like that relaxation attempt was starting to actually work on him. I looked around the beach and decided that laying out wasn’t really what I was looking for. I smiled coyly at him as he looked at me suspiciously. I tossed my towel down next to him and turned toward the ocean, running full speed toward the waves. As the cold water hit my body, I gasped and laughed, feeling my whole body awaken from the cold. I trudged outward into the surf until it was up to my waist. I turned back and waved at Nathan who was laughing and walking toward me. The cold water ran all over my body, making me feel like there wasn’t a care in the world. In reality, in that moment, there really weren’t. I was on the beach with this amazing man, and I was swimming around in the most beautiful surf California had to offer.

I turned back toward the horizon and spread my arms wide, letting the waves crash into me. I breathed the salty air deep into my lungs and decided that these cool waters were going to carry my cares and fears away. There was no more headache for me, and I would decide who I let into my life, and who I threw to the side, no matter how long they had been there. It was time for the pain to be over.

Chapter Fifteen

Nathan

I couldn’t remember the last time I laid on the beach, not thinking about work, not stressing over meetings, and not trying to get ahead of the game for the next week. I closed my eyes and let the sun beat down on my face, feeling the rays of energy pushing through my skin and healing me from the inside out. There had been so many hard moments over the last several years, but right then, all I could think about was how lucky I was to be there with Ronni. She was like this crazy ray of light shining over me at every turn.

I opened my eyes and looked up at her as she giggled, holding her towel. She smiled coyly at me, and I squinted my eyes, unsure of what she was going to do. She tossed her towel down next to me and ran toward the ocean and right into the waves. I laughed as she kept going until the water was up to her waist, and the waves pounded into her. I couldn’t help but follow after her, walking slowly toward the waves and smiling at how beautiful she looked with soaked hair and the water glistening off her tan skin. She reached her arms out as the waves washed over her, looking like a goddess in the water. As she turned around, my eyes shifted from her beautiful smile to her tits. Her bathing suit, after getting wet, allowed her nipples to show right through. I could feel my cock hardening in my shorts, so before she noticed, I ran forward in the waves, struggling through until I could get to her. She laughed, splashing water at me. I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close.

“What are you doing?” She laughed.

“Making sure none of the randy surfers out here get any ideas,” I said, glancing down at her breasts. She looked down and ran her palms over her breasts, winking at me and pulling away. Immediately, I could feel my hardon getting worse, and I dove into the wave, letting the cold water wash over my body. Normally in temperatures like these, that bad boy would have shrunk right up, but as I watched Ronni dive forward, her ass cheeks bouncing up and down, it got even stiffer, and I could feel the ties start to come undone.

I swam after her, determined to have a little fun out here all alone in the ocean. I wanted to feel her smooth wet skin against my hand and play with her out in the open like this. She swam forward until her feet could barely touch the ocean floor. I followed after her, standing up and pulling her arms around my neck. She pulled up and pressed her lips hard against my mouth, and I could feel my heart begin to beat faster. I ran my hands down her sides and across to the top of her bikini bottoms. I pushed my hand inside and grasped onto her pussy, massaging it lightly.

“Nathan,” she said with a grin, looking around the beach.

“There’s no one here,” I cooed, pulling her against my rock-hard cock. “Even if there were, they can’t see what we’re doing.”

Slowly I pushed back, bowing my hand and pushing a finger deep inside her. She breathed deeply, pulling her body closer to mine. I dropped down to my knees, letting the water come up to our necks and allowing her to reach me better. The waves pushed us up and down through the surf, creating a motion against her pussy that brought the moans escaping her throat. She held on to my shoulders and hooked her feet around my thighs, keeping her body still as I pulled it out of the top and pushed the fabric between her legs to the side. I reached under her, pulling her close and pushing two fingers inside, wiggling them back and forth and listening as she moaned in my ear. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and laid her face down, the noises coming from her chest rolling with the waves of the ocean. I could feel her getting closer and closer to orgasm, and I was determined to make her come.

“I want to fuck you,” she whispered breathlessly.

“Not until you come for me,” I said.

I could feel her hips start to grind against my hand, and I moved it up and down fast and hard. I looked around to make sure we were still alone, the arousal of having sex in public almost intoxicating. She reached down and grabbed my arm, moving it up and down faster and harder. Her eyes clenched shut as she roared with ecstasy.

“Oh, God,” she screamed out, fucking my hand hard and fast. “I’m going to come.”

“Yeah, baby, I want to feel it,” I said, wiggling my fingers as she bounced up and down.

She moved fast, her hair splashing around her and her tits bouncing up and down in the water. She dug her fingers hard into my wrist as she shoved my hand upward and held it there, grinding her clit against my arm. Her muscles tensed, and she took in a deep breath as the orgasm erupted through her body. Her hips kept moving, as did my fingers inside of her, and she tossed her head back, moaning over and over again as her pussy tightened and released around my hand. I could feel the gush of warm liquid as her body twitched and writhed in ecstasy. For several moments, she held on tightly, still rubbing her clit against my arm. It was hard as a bullet, and with every stroke, her body shuddered from the feeling. Slowly, her muscles untensed, and she leaned in, grabbing my suit and pulling it open. She looked me straight in the face as she yanked my hard, bulging cock out in the water.

“Now fuck me,” she commanded.

I grabbed her around the waist and slid both hands down to her ass, lifting her toward me and wrapping her legs around my waist. She grabbed my shaft and pushed it against her pussy, biting her lip as I pushed it through her juices. She pushed her hips forward, jamming my cock deeply inside of her as she bit down on my lip and smiled.

Slowly, she moved her hips back and forward, letting my cock rub her from one end to the other. As she pulled herself back down the shaft, she moved her hips like a wave against my body, grabbing onto my shoulders and leaning back. I looked around at the empty beach before reaching up and pulling her top to the side so I could put her round, succulent breasts in my mouth.

I flicked my tongue over her hard nipples as I massaged her tits with my hands. She continued to fuck me, slowly coming up, but then fast and deep, going back down. As she rubbed her pussy against me, I could see the ripples of pleasure shudder at her body. She took it slow and steady, obviously wanting this to last for more than a few minutes. The water around us no longer felt cold, and I could imagine steam bubbling from the surface around us.

I moved my hands down her sides and lifted my body up slightly so I could lay her across the water in front of me. She leaned back, rubbing her breasts as I took control of her body. I kept her hips just slightly under the water as I pushed inside of her, feeling the water moving all around us. My hand slipped up to her clit and began to rub in circles. She grasped onto her breasts and growled as I looked down on her sexy body floating in front of me. I pulled her in and pushed her out, watching the waves move over us. I grabbed her wrists and brought her forward as the waves got larger. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders as I picked her up and moved inland just a tad. The entire time, her hips ground hard against me, and my cock shoved deep inside of her. I took her toward a shallower area and looked around, making sure no one had come to the beach, but it was still empty.

I laid her down in the shallow surf and climbed over top of her, wrapping her legs around my waist and diving back in. She screamed out as we sunk into the sand. Our bodies rolled through the pounding surf. I thrust harder and harder, grunting as I pushed deep inside, filling her to the brim before pulling back out and doing it again. Her arms spread out, grabbing handfuls of sand as our bodies intertwined, and her legs wrapped tightly around me and her hips ground hard against me. I pounded her hard, hearing the sound of water and skin colliding in ecstasy.

I pulled out and flipped her over on her stomach, spreading her legs and fucking her hard. She groaned as I pulled gently on her ponytail, looking back at me and licking her big luscious lips. Her pussy was so tight and so wet, and I felt like I couldn’t get enough of it. She pushed herself up on her elbows, lifting her ass high in the air and pushing her bottoms to the side. I grabbed her cheeks and began to ram into her, slapping her ass cheek lightly as I pushed. As my need increased, so did my frustration as we continued to sink down in the sand. I pulled out and lifted her to her feet, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her over to the blanket. I laid down and pulled her on top of me, smiling as she bit her lip and looked around. I could tell she found this as sexy as I did, but at the same time, she didn’t want to get caught. In all reality, we could have walked across the street to the house and gotten crazy in her bed, but it just couldn’t wait.

She stepped over top of me and dropped to her knees, pulling her bottoms back to the side and sliding her pussy down my cock. She moved her hips like waves against me before leaning forward and slapping her body up and down, feeling my cock move in and out of her. She reached back and rubbed the base before sitting back up and leaning backward, holding herself up on my thighs. I reached up and moved the fabric of her bottoms off her clit and reached up to her mouth, sticking my fingers inside. She sucked on them, moaning, and watched as I moved them back down and massaged her clit.

She pushed her top to the side, and her tits bounced up and down as she rode me hard, burying every inch of my shaft inside of her. I turned my hand and pressed my thumb against her nub, pushing it in circles. She began to moan in short, high-pitched tones, her nipples standing at attention, and her pussy getting wetter and wetter. I could feel the desire begin to take her over as she bounced up and stopped letting me thrust my hips upward and pound into her hard and fast. She screamed out in a wavering tone as our bodies collided. I could hear the orgasm growing closer, and at that point, I didn’t care if anyone saw us or not.

I grabbed her waist and held her still, slamming into her pussy over and over again, gritting my teeth at my own impending orgasm. She leaned her head back, screaming loudly as the waves washed up onto the shore. I knew it wasn’t long before we both gave in and exploded in ecstasy.

 

Chapter Sixteen

Ronni

I could feel every inch of him as he pushed deep inside of me, the tide washing higher and higher until the waves crashed over our feet. I grasped on to his shoulders as our bodies connected, and I could feel the orgasm release, sending pulses of pleasure through my body. I moaned loudly, feeling him thrust deep inside of me before pulling out and rubbing his hand fast and hard over his cock. I could feel his shaft against my ass as he released his load, the warm wetness squirting out and all over my legs.

He growled loudly, still stroking his bulging red cock, and I rolled to the side, pulling my bathing suit back over my breasts and breathing heavily. The cold water crept up the shore and over my legs as I watched him let go of his erection and pull his bathing suit over the bulge. He swished his hands in the water around him breathing heavily with his eyes still shut. Pleasure was still vibrating through me, but I pulled myself to my feet and walked out into the waves, washing his come from my body. I turned back and looked at him as he opened his eyes and smiled big. I shook my head, laughing, and pulled myself back through the waves and onto the sand.

Nathan stood up and grabbed our soaked towels and started ringing them out. He rescued my sandal as it attempted to rush off with the receding waves. I laughed watching him fumble about, his legs weak and his balance off-kilter. I walked over and pulled his suit closed, tugging on the laces and tying it shut. As soon as my hands pulled away, laughter sounded from the other side of the dunes as several people started making their way onto the beach. I looked at Nathan with wide eyes before bursting into nervous giggling at the thought that we almost got caught. We walked up the beach a bit and sat on the rocks, looking out over the ocean.

“What will you do?” I asked.

“Honestly,” he said, looking down at me. “I’m considering walking away from the whole thing. The business, my father, Nick, everything. I’ve made so much money already on my own that I could be set for life, and with my name and my skill, I know I could find another job with no problem. The people that really know me know what kind of worker I am.”

Nathan paused for a moment looking out at the ocean. The birds squawked wildly above our heads as we sat gazing out at the boats on the horizon. I didn’t like that he was talking this way, but I knew this wasn’t my decision.

“I’ve given years to this family, building the business back up after the recession,” he continued. “Honestly, if my father doesn’t realize that and he wants to throw it all away over this, then good riddance. I have sat too long in his shadow, picking him up after Mom died, to sit there and be kicked around like this. We all know who is behind this, and if he wants it that bad, he can have it.”

On one hand, I understood why he was feeling the way he was, but on the other hand, I couldn’t see him just walk away from everything he had built. When his mother died, his father fell into a deep depression, and he let the company go to shit before finally offering to let Nathan run it. Nathan had walked into a sinking ship and turned it all around in record time. Nathan was so young, but his work was legendary in the business world, and we even studied it in our classes. It was really difficult to watch this man go through this. It wasn’t fair, and I couldn’t help but think that I was the cause of all of it. I never wanted to come between Nathan and his father, nor did I see any of this coming. I couldn’t let myself be the reason Nathan gave up, and I knew if I wanted this to be fixed, I would have to do it myself.

We sat on the rocks for a little while longer before I stood up and pulled on Nathan’s arm. I smiled at him and leaned in, kissing him passionately. We went back to the house and fell into each other’s arms, twisting our bodies around each other and making passionate love. Afterward, Nathan fell peacefully asleep, and I smiled at how relaxed he was as I quietly pulled on my clothes. I needed to do something about what was going on, and there was no way I could with Nathan knowing about it.

I jumped in my car and headed over to the Landers’s estate, extremely nervous to face Mr. Landers again. I entered the house and walked straight back to his office, assuming he would be where he always was. I greeted the house staff in Spanish and smiled kindly at them, thinking about my own days in their shoes. As I rounded the corner to the office, I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at Nick. He stepped sideways in front of the closed office door and crossed his arms over his chest.

“It’s my turn to be in charge,” he said sternly. “And I don’t need you messing that up for me.”

I shook my head, seeing the selfishness flowing over him. He had really been the reason for all of this. His incessant need to be important, to rule the roost, caused him to become a hateful and disgusting person. I really wasn’t shocked by this at all. I had just hoped that after all these years, Nick would have grown into a better man. I guess I was wrong.

I took a deep breath and walked forward, completely ignoring him and attempting to push past, reaching for the doorknob. Nick stepped forward, throwing his body into me and pushing me back with his arms. I stumbled backward, losing my footing and landing hard on my butt in the hallway. I was completely shocked that Nick would actually resort to violence and send me falling to the ground. As I tried to stand back up, I heard quick footsteps coming down the hall and watched as Nathan reared back and punched Nick right in the jaw. Nick fell backward into the door, grabbing his face and looking at Nathan in shock.

Before he could even move, Nathan bent down and scooped me into his arms, walking quickly back out of the house. I wrapped my arms around his neck, realizing I had just done more damage than good. I leaned my face into his neck and closed my eyes as he flew out the front door and down the steps, gingerly setting me down in the passenger seat of his car. He climbed in the driver's seat and sat there gripping the steering wheel with his now bloodied fist. His knuckles were white, and his face was stern. I feared that he was angry with me. I hadn’t meant to make a mess of things like that. All I was trying to do was appeal to Mr. Landers’s sensibility that I knew was deep down inside him. I thought if I could sit in front of him, he would remember the little girl he used to cottle. I thought he might remember his dead wife’s wishes and love for all people, but I wasn’t even given the chance. I looked back over at Nathan who had calmed quite a bit, and I wondered how he knew I was here.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, carefully putting my hand on his wrist.

“I woke up to the sound of your car and watched as you pulled away,” he said stiffly. “I knew immediately where you were going.”

“I just wanted to have the chance to speak to your father,” I said sorrowfully. “I know that man from my childhood is in there somewhere, and if Nick started all this, I knew it could be undone. He only has one voice in his ear right now, and it’s not fair. It’s not fair to me, it’s not fair to you, and it’s definitely not fair to your father who is being manipulated by your brother for Nick’s own advantage. Your brother is a terrible person for doing that to your family.”

“Look,” he said, turning to me with a kind look. “I appreciate what you are trying to do, and I understand what you are saying, but my brother is right.”

“He’s what?” I picked up my head and looked straight into Nathan’s eyes, unsure of what he was trying to say.

“It’s his turn to run the business,” he said, sighing. “My father has made his decision without discussion or reason. So if that’s his decision, he will have to live with the repercussions of watching his business be run straight into the ground. I’m tired of trying to keep the business going with so many people with ulterior motives trying to take it down at every turn. My father has made his bed, and now he will have to lie in it.”

With that, Nathan put the car in drive and pulled away from the mansion we both spent our entire lives growing up in. I watched as the beautifully kept lawns and the staff working diligently faded away in the rearview mirror. Part of me was incredibly sad to see that part of my life go, and if I was going to be with Nathan, I didn’t know how I felt about him walking away from everyone and everything he had always known. All because of me. I had always been the voice of reason, the one that kept everyone together, and now, I was the one tearing it all apart. Nick was malicious and had been out for Nathan’s spot in the company for a very long time, but if I hadn’t come into the picture, he would have never had the opportunity to snatch it right out from under Nathan. Having my family all wiped away made it hard for me to accept Nathan just walking away from his, but at the same time, I understood how hurtful all of this was for him.

I looked over at Nathan as we drove along, and I could see how calm he looked on the outside. He had come to my rescue yet again, and I couldn’t stop for two seconds to see that even with the best intentions, I managed to push the situation into a worse place. At that moment, I just wanted to take it all back. I wanted to take back ever going out with Nick to that dinner, I wanted to take back ever falling in love with Nathan, no matter how much it hurt. If I could reverse time and remove myself from the equation, none of this would be happening.

Nick would still be gallivanting all over California, sleeping with random women, and trying to make bad business decisions that Nathan would quickly block. Sure Mr. Landers would still be miserable and alone, but he would at least not have to deal with his sons battling over the company. I didn’t know what happened to Mr. Landers after his wife died, but he went to a dark place, and Nick was there to make sure he stayed there. Mr. Landers was not only capable of trashing my name around town, but he was able to watch his son, who had done so much for him and his family, walk out of the door without another word. I loved Nathan so much, but I knew it wasn’t enough to take the sting of betrayal from his own family out of his heart. All I could do was sit and wait for him to make up his mind.

Chapter Seventeen

Nathan

I loved this girl sitting next to me in the car so much, and I was extremely touched by her desire to fix this for me. I knew how it felt to love someone and sit there watching their lives turn upside down, and not be able to fix it. It was a helpless feeling, but in this situation, there was nothing that she could do. Sadly, her presence at that house was not only dangerous now that my brother had turned to violence, but it was just going to continue to make things worse.

I wanted so badly to make her feel better, to let her understand that I was going to make the best choice I could, and that everything that I did in my life now, I considered her as part of it. I had fallen deeply in love with Ronni, and there was nothing I could do to change that, nor did I want to change that. She was the most amazing thing to ever happen to me, and she opened my eyes to life. Before her, I was stuck in the daily grind of the real estate empire, constantly trying to make my father proud of the accomplishments I had made. In the end, though, I realized that my father didn’t care what I did with the company as long as his paychecks kept coming in, and he could keep going to the golf course with his buddies. He really had no idea how idiotic Nick was and how he was going to take all of his and my hard work and flush it straight down the toilet.

We pulled up to the house, and I walked Ronni to the door, grabbing her arm and pulling her into me before we could walk inside. I hugged her tightly, trying to show her just how much I cared, and how appreciative I was to have someone that was willing to put it all on the line and stand up to a man like my father. She truly cared about me more than I ever realized, and I couldn’t even think about spending one more day, in the business or not, without her right there by my side. I looked down at her and pressed my lips against hers, softly at first, but then hard and passionate. She ran her fingers through my hair, leaning into my kiss and pulling back to look deep into my eyes.

“I’ll be back soon,” I said, comforting any fear she might have.

“Where are you going?” She looked concerned, and that was the exact reason I needed to go finish this here and now. I couldn’t keep putting her and me through this never-ending stress.

“Don’t worry,” I said, leaning down and kissing her forehead. “I promise it will all be okay.”

With that, I turned and walked back to my car, jumping in and speeding off. As the warm California winds blew through my hair, I thought about the last decade that I had spent carving and molding the company into what it had become. Last year, we were listed as one of the most powerful real estate conglomerates in the world, and I knew it wasn’t because of stupid little investments like nightclubs and abandoned buildings. It was because I had put blood, sweat, and tears into every single merger, every single acquisition, and every single major sale that floated out of that office. I had developed an understanding of the industry that only someone that spent years in the company would fully appreciate. Nick had none of this. He had a college degree he didn’t earn, a bank account he didn’t earn, and a tired-ass attitude about himself that would surely be one of the things that brought him down later in life.

This was a time that I needed to fully put my, and Ronni’s, needs before anything else. I needed to finally start making decisions that were based on my own well-being. Every decision I had made to that point was for our family and the betterment of my father’s golden parachute, never taking the time to realize what my dreams and aspirations were. But earlier, sitting on the beach, breathing the salty air, I let all of that go. What Ronni didn’t realize was that I had already made my decision, even before I knew it myself. I had finally made a choice that I wanted to make, and the only thing left to do now was to explain that to my father and let the chips fall where they may.

I pulled up in front of the house and jogged inside, hoping not to have to face Nick again. Luckily, he wasn’t there anymore so I walked straight into my father’s office and stood in front of his desk. He looked up at me with no expression and waited for me to speak.

“I don’t care whether you like Ronni or not,” I said. “It’s not your right to make that decision. I love her with all of my heart, the way you loved our mother, and I won’t let you or some sniveling brat like Nick who wants to lie to you about her, change that. In the end, Nick doesn’t even compare to me in the business arena. He will get eaten alive, and these business ventures he drops on my desk weekly that are nothing more than broken down shops and old houses, are going to be what takes the company down. I have busted my ass day in and day out since Mother died to run a company you let fall to the wayside in your grief. I brought you back from the recession, I increased profits three-fold, and I turned our old company into one of innovation and future. If you think that idiot has any chance of continuing that legacy, then you are more senile than I thought.”

I stepped forward and shook my head. Sadness overcame me, looking at this man I no longer recognized. I didn’t see care or desire in his face. I saw deep and hollow grief, a never-ending sadness that just sucked the life out of him. He pitted my brother and me against each other all the time, but I wasn’t seeing that here. I was seeing a complete lack of caring.

“Look,” I said, lowering my voice. “I know it must be hard living every day without the woman that you love, the woman you shared your life with, but being angry at the world, bitter even, and taking it out on the people that are closest to you would not be the way that Mom would have wanted you to keep living life. She had a zest for life like no other, and she didn’t take that when she left. You let it slip away. I can’t help you get that back. I have done everything I could for this family. I have gone out of my way to make this family my own, sacrificing my life for your company. And how do you repay me? By listening to the lies and bullshit from your other son, who you know is incompetent and selfish. It’s really sad how all of this has come to head.”

“Give it a rest,” Nick said, strolling into the room. “You act all high and mighty, like you are so damn important. You are a control freak, and you got lucky with the business. You had all of it fall into your lap. It’s laughable that you think so highly of yourself or even feel you are able to point fingers. Now you’ve come to grovel for your position, knowing full well you don’t deserve it.”

“Relax, shit stain,” I said, wanting to punch my brother again. “I don’t want the job. You are more than welcome to have it.”

“Welcome,” he scoffed. “I earned it.”

“Yes, you earned it with your bad investments, drinking, and disrespect for women like throwing Ronni on the floor,” I responded, watching my father’s eyebrows raise, but then seeing the care slip back away as soon as it came.

“Well, if you would keep your women in line,” he said.

“Nick,” my father said impatiently. “Get out of my office.”

“Yes, Father,” he said, looking like a scolded puppy scurrying out of the room.

“As for you,” I said, not giving my father one moment to talk. “Go ahead and take me out of the will. Your money is of no interest to me. What I want is a family, love, and most importantly, Ronni. I don’t need people in my life who don’t appreciate me, even if it is the remnants of a dysfunctional family.”

I stood there for a moment, tired of talking and ready to get away from the whole situation. I opened the office door and pushed Nick out of the way, knocking him into the picture on the wall. I walked straight out of the house, not wanting my mother’s memory to draw me back in. I didn’t need a house or a family to remember the kind of woman she was. That was already inside of me. And in fact, I had chosen a woman that exemplified the qualities my mother looked for in a person. The qualities she tried so hard to instill in me and my brother. It seemed only one of her children actually took that to heart, and it wasn’t any of the ones related to her by blood or marriage. I nodded at the servants as I jogged down the steps and jumped into my car, pulling quickly down the drive and out onto the streets. As I watched the gates slowly close behind me, I couldn’t help but accept the feeling of closure, knowing I probably wouldn’t ever drive back through them again.

As I drove through the city, my thoughts rested on Ronni and how worried she probably was, waiting for me in her little beach house on the edge of the city. She was more than supportive. She wanted what was best for me, no matter what cost it had on her. She would have broken our relationship up if she thought that it would be a better choice for me, but I wasn’t going to let that happen. Like it or not, I was madly in love with the woman, and I couldn’t go another day trying to deny it. I had now centered my entire world around her, and the feeling outweighed any sadness I felt for leaving my family behind.

I wanted people in my life that loved me, supported me, and understood the sacrifices that I went through to make their lives better. My family never did that, but Ronni did. She was even thankful when I would make her breakfast, or take her somewhere nice. She was thankful when I held her hand or kissed her face. It was her turn in life to follow her dreams, and she deserved to do it without care or worry of the outside world. I was a man of means, but what I never realized was all those sacrifices, investments, and lonely nights were not there to make my family richer or bring fame to myself and our name. It was all leading up to a life with Ronni.

As I turned onto Ronni’s street, I smiled, feeling more comfortable here than I ever had anywhere else in my life, including my childhood home. I had found exactly where I needed to be, and I was not going to do anything to put that in jeopardy. If it meant I went out with Ronni and formed a new life, then so be it. And in all reality, that seemed like a more perfect plan than any other I had ever come up with.

Chapter Eighteen

Ronni

I was more than nervous, standing in the house pacing the floor, knowing exactly where Nathan had gone. I didn’t know what decision he was going to make, but I had to trust that he would make the right one, no matter what the outcome was. Our relationship had flown in out of nowhere and taken me completely by surprise, which started as a really good thing, but had spiraled out of control for a while. In the end, I couldn’t imagine my life without Nathan in it, and sitting here, not knowing what was going on was driving me absolutely insane. I continued pacing, going over every possible scenario in my head and driving myself crazy as usual. When I saw his car driving toward the house, I didn’t wait. I threw open the door and ran down the walk, greeting him at the sidewalk.

From his expression, I could tell whatever conversation he just had, it was a hard one. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, doing the only thing I knew to do, comfort him. Though I could tell he had just been through something extremely stressful, he didn’t seem to be all that upset. What did that mean? Had he gotten his job back? Had he made up with his family, and if so, where does that leave us? I had so many questions, but I didn’t want to overload him as soon as he got back.

“I left the company and the family,” he said expressionlessly. “I have put so much time and effort into them and their business that I never stopped to think about the years I was missing out on life. I had watched my mother pass away, your parents pass away, yet I still didn’t understand that there was more to life than just work. That is, until you came into my life. You showed me what it meant to live. You showed me that there was so much more out there that I was absolutely blind to. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, even before I realized you were doing it.”

“Don’t forget,” I said, laughing as he hugged me. “I’m a workaholic, too. Though I’m thinking it might be a good policy to have since we are now both unemployed.”

Nathan laughed for the first time since we were on the beach, and his comfort made me feel safe and secure. I knew I didn’t have to worry about anything with him by my side, whether he worked at the company or not. I loved the fact that his father’s money had no effect on him, and that he saw that there was more to living than waiting to die. Nick wasn’t so lucky to understand that, and I didn’t know if he ever would. As for now, it seemed it was just the two of us, and we had to start thinking about our future.

“You aren’t seeing the bigger picture,” Nathan said, calming his laugh. “We are both free to pursue our passions without rules and regulations. Without family and bosses looming over our heads. We can do whatever we want, and we can do it together.”

I liked the sound of that. I liked the idea of facing this uncertain and wavering world with Nathan by my side. I had done it alone for so long that the release of loneliness and worry was almost more than I could bear. I reached up and kissed his lips, tears burning at my eyes. I was excited for the future, even if I didn’t know what it would bring.

“To start, I want to invest heavily in Maria’s bikini line,” he said, surprising me. “She does amazing work. With her creating and you managing, there is no way this company could fail. The only thing I ask is for a seat on the board.”

“Really?” I was more than ecstatic to have someone like Nathan on our team. “I mean, I have to ask Maria how she feels about it, but that is so amazing.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” He laughed as he watched me turn and run down the walk to the house. I burst through the door calling out Maria’s name. She stuck her head out of her bedroom door, looking around for a fire or emergency of some sort.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I said, laughing. “Come out here. I want to talk to you about something.”

We sat down in the living room as Maria entered cautiously, smiling nervously at the looks on our faces. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down next to me on the couch. She took in a deep breath, readying herself for anything and clapped her hands together.

“Okay, kids, what’s this all about?”

“Nathan quit his job,” I said. smiling.

“Okay,” she said, looking over at him. “And this is a good thing?”

“Yes,” I said excitedly. “He has his sights set on something better.”

“I’ll bite,” she said, setting her water down on the coffee table.

“He wants to heavily invest in our company in exchange for a seat on the board,” I blurted out.

“Wow,” she said, her eyes getting big. “I mean, really? You are so fantastic with money. Yes, I mean. I would love to have you on our team. I’m assuming Ronni’s down with it.”

“Of course,” I laughed.

“Well, shit,” she said with a huge smile. “Let’s do this!”

“We’ll start talking strategy tomorrow,” Nathan said, standing, stretching, and then walking over toward me. “For now, though, I am going to need Ronni to model some of these suits.”

I laughed as he reached down and scooped me up out of the chair, cradling me in his arms. Maria giggled, shaking her head as he walked through the house and into my bedroom. He sat me down on the floor and pushed his hands through my hair, holding my face and looking down in my eyes. My stomach did flip flops as I waited for him to speak.

“I love you Veronica ‘Ronni’ Sanchez,” he cooed. “I loved you before I even knew you, and I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”

“I love you too, Nathan,” I said, tearing up and pressing my lips against his. I could feel my emotions bursting from my chest as our mouths touched together, and we walked backward, falling into the bed.

Slowly, he pulled my tank top over my head and kissed my shoulder as he reached behind my back and unclasped my bra. He pulled the lace bra from my body and threw it to the side, cupping my breast in his hand and taking my nipple into his mouth. He sucked, nibbled, and licked at my tit as his other hand unbuttoned my shorts. I leaned my head back as he moved up, kissing my neck and caressing my body with his hands. He reached down and pulled my shorts off, running his fingertips through the wetness seeping through my panties.

I gasped as he massaged my juicy mound, keeping his eyes on me and his lips on my skin. He hooked his fingers in the sides of my panties and slowly pulled them off, tossing them on the floor. I watched as he sat up on his knees, pulling his shirt over his head and stretching his neck. His pecks moved up and down with his motions, and his now-tanned skin glimmered in the light of the setting sun out the window. He pulled his shorts off, and I could see his throbbing cock bulging in his black boxer briefs.

I reached up and ran my hand over his erection, pulling down on his underwear and watching as his cock bounced out. He grabbed onto his shaft and laid down next to me, running his hand down my body and between my legs. He was in no hurry and I shut my eyes, wanting to feel every second of his warm caress. I let my legs fall to the sides as he pushed apart my folds and rubbed his finger down through my wetness. I moaned as his warm skin rubbed over my nub and back down where he slipped slowly inside of me.

I could feel his breath against my neck as he slowly pleasured my pussy. He nibbled at my ear, and I turned my head, passionately pushing my mouth to his. His tongue enticed my lips to open up, and our tongue intertwined in a lustful and emotional response. As our kissing began to become more heated, so did the motions between my legs. He cupped his hand and rubbed hard against my pussy, causing me to moan into his mouth. With every sound, his touch became quicker and heavier, and I knew he was pushing me toward orgasm.

I lifted my hips slightly from the bed and moved them in a wave against his hand. He reached in and slid two fingers back inside of me, pushing them in and out as his palm slapped against my clit. I gyrated my body in motion with his fingers, feeling the heat of orgasm rising in my stomach. Our lips stayed firmly together, and I screamed loudly into his mouth.

He lifted his body to a sitting position and grabbed onto my breast as I reached back and hooked my fingers into the headboard. He watched my body writhe and twist underneath him as he used his hands to make me come. His eyes darkened, and he licked his lips as my moans picked up speed, building and building to the climax my body was searching for. He pushed his fingers deep inside of me while rubbing my clit with his fingers. As my body moved faster and his hand met my speed, I arched my back and moaned out in ecstasy.

Pleasure exploded from between my legs, traveling upward and through my entire body. I felt him pull his fingers down and push his face between my legs, heightening the effect and prolonging my orgasm. His tongue lapped my juices as they rolled out of me, my hips shaking at every stroke. My nub was hard and sensitive, and as he flicked his tongue against it, I shuddered and laughed, grabbing his head and sinking back down in the bed.

He continued to move his tongue over my pussy, tasting me, caressing me, and bringing a calmness to my shuddering body. His hands slid up my stomach and grasped my breasts as he licked one last time before moving upward toward my face. I reached up and grabbed his cheeks, pulling his mouth into mine and tasting a mixture of orgasm and lust. He laid there, kissing me passionately as he stroked his long, hard shaft. My body ached to feel him inside of me. I reached down and grabbed his cock, pulling it toward me as he rolled over on top of me and spread my legs with his. I lifted my hips toward him and gasped as he slowly slid inside of me, his eyes penetrating my soul.

He slid his hands up my arms and pushed them over my head, intertwining his fingers into mine as he moved slowly in and out of my body. I could feel his bulging cock fill me up, and I leaned my head back as he ran his tongue down to my collar. He put his hand next to my head and lifted his body up, thrusting softly into my hips. He leaned his head down and passionately roamed my mouth with his tongue, giving me every part of himself. I opened my eyes and looked up at the ceiling as our bodies collided, feeling the passion of love mixing together as we twisted and turned to the light of the setting sun.

Chapter Nineteen

Nathan

Everything about this woman was amazing, from the way she walked to the way she smiled up at me while we were in bed. I could feel my cock pushing deep inside of her as we made love in her bed beneath the setting sun. Her moans made me never want to stop, and our entwined bodies were both erotic and emotional. I had never met a woman that could bring this side of me out, but as my mouth caressed hers, I felt as if I couldn’t get close enough to her.

My feet pushed against the soft fabrics of the bed as I thrust forward, groaning against her mouth. Her mound was sopping wet, and it was taking everything in my power to not explode all over her. She grasped onto my right hand tightly as my left arm held me up. I slid my body up hers, feeling her tits rubbing against my chest, and I pushed as deep as I could, holding myself there for a moment before sliding back out and moving to my side. I reached out and grabbed her hips, turning her away from me. I lifted her leg high in the air as she pushed her ass back toward me and opened up. I slid my cock back through her juices and leaned against her back, growling at how good it felt. I reached up and held her leg, pushing faster and faster inside of her. She turned her head toward me, and I reached mine forward to meet her lips as my shaft slid in and out of her pussy. Her hand slid down between her legs, and she rubbed her clit with three fingers, pushing her hips back in rhythm with my thrusts.

Feeling my orgasm simmering inside, I pulled her leg over my shoulder and moved back over the top of her, keeping my motion going. She grabbed her ankle and pulled it toward her head as I reached down and grabbed her waist. Her curves fit perfectly in my hands as I pulled and pushed her back and forth on my cock. I could see her fingers clamp down on her leg as she arched her back and opened her mouth to scream out as she came. I lowered my head and pressed my mouth against hers, feeling the vibrations of her pleasure flow down my throat. The rush of juices and the tightening and clamping of her pussy pushed me over the edge. I growled as I thrust deep inside of her and held it, pushing my hips forward as much as I could. An explosion of pleasure rocked my world, and I closed my eyes, letting it filter through my body.

This woman had blown my mind on every account, and as I sat there breathing heavy, relaxing my muscles and looking down at her, I realized that was the best sex I had ever had in my entire life. I didn’t know if it was the sex itself, her amazing body, the fact that I was in love with her, or a combination of all those things, but I knew right then I couldn’t ever walk away from this woman.

I lowered her leg back down to the side and rolled over next to her, instantly grabbing her body and pulling her in close. She sighed as she curled up in the bed, her hair streaming all around her, still smelling like lavender. Her skin was smooth and radiant, and I truly felt like I was holding on to the most beautiful woman in the world.

As she drifted off to sleep, I turned over on my back and stared up at the ceiling, thinking about how far everything had come over the last few weeks. Several weeks ago, when I received the picture of Nick and Ronni in our kitchen, I was livid, but I wasn’t capable of admitting to myself exactly why I was feeling that way. I pushed the idea of Ronni and me away, allowing the words of my mother to haunt me. I had this impression that my mother would have hated this or been disappointed in us, but in the end, she loved us so much, I was sure that she would have been more than ecstatic that two people like Ronni and I found each other in a sea of noise.

She would have kissed us both and embraced the fact that if our relationship continued as it was going, one day, Ronni would have been actually considered her daughter, something my mother always wanted. I let my family blind me because it was all I ever knew. My mother used to tell me to lighten up and have some fun, but I never listened to her. I was determined to be successful, finding my brother’s lack of ability a burden on my shoulders when it should have been a burden on my father, not me.

Now, lying here next to this woman, having said goodbye to the toxic people and toxic situations in my life, I never felt more peaceful or free. I could finally breathe a sigh of relief and know that if I really wanted to, I never had to put on another suit again. When I was in the thick of it, really going full steam ahead, day in and day out, I didn’t realize that there were any other options out there. I thought that the life I led was the only way to live, and making any kind of drastic change is terrifying and impossible. Then, when I finally let myself go free and made the jump, I asked myself why I hadn’t done it before. It was almost comical how easy it was to make the changes that I wanted for my life. All it really took was getting over the fear that dragged me down. Once that was accomplished, I realized how free I really was in this life.

I turned over to Ronni and rubbed her back, listening to her groan softly and reach her arms and legs out to stretch them. She turned over toward me and smiled, ruffling my hair with her fingers. I leaned down and kissed her softly.

“Want to go get some food?” I asked.

“Holy crap, I am starving,” she said with a very serious face.

“Okay,” I said, laughing. “Get dressed and see if Maria wants to come. You guys can pick where, and I’ll buy.”

“Deal,” she said, pulling herself from the bed and grabbing a pair of shorts and tank top from her drawer. She kissed me on the cheek and slipped out of the room. I laughed, hearing her call Maria’s name through the house and start speaking in Spanish. She didn’t speak much Spanish anymore, but when she did, it was fast, emotional, and pretty damn sexy.

“Food!” Maria shouted from her room. “We should go to…”

“El Torero,” the girls yelled out at the same time.

I corralled the girls into the car, and we made our way out to the restaurant on the edge of town. I sat there listening to Maria tell stories about Ronni in college. I hadn’t had any time seeing Ronni interact with anyone else, so watching her get into the groove of things with Maria was amazing. She lit up and came alive, singing, laughing loudly, and drinking margaritas like they were going out of style. After dinner, we were having so much fun that we didn’t want to call it a night. So I let the girls drag me to a salsa club in the underground of San Diego.

When I walked in, I looked around at the dim lights, the red velvet covering everything, and the amazing music that piped through the speakers. I watched as couples adorned in their best clothing moved their bodies in a way you wouldn’t find in most clubs. It almost seemed like they were attached by invisible strings, and when one moved, the other moved as well. Their sleek dancing and erotic moves made for a very interesting show. Maria seemed to frequent the place often, and as soon as she walked in, men were asking her to dance. She laughed loudly as they whispered things in her ear before taking one of their hands and allowing him to lead her out onto the floor. I watched in shock as she moved with ease on the tips of her toes, turning right and left, in and out, and dancing to the music. When the song ended, Ronni and I stood up, clapping and cheering for Maria. She bowed to us from across the floor and picked up with the next song. I turned toward Ronni and leaned in close, brushing her hair away from her ear.

“You are the sexiest woman in this entire building,” I whispered. “Every man in here turned and stared at you as you walked in.”

“You must be a lucky guy,” she said, smiling and laughing.

“You have no idea how lucky I feel,” I replied.

After the club, we took Maria back to the house and then walked across the street to the beach. We laughed and talked about the night’s events and the one and only song I allowed her to pull me out on the floor for. If a man ever felt whiter, it was trying to keep the rhythm on a dance floor with some of the most charismatic men I had ever seen. I could see the laughter from the audience, but I didn’t mind because I could also see the happiness in Ronni’s face. I was willing to try anything if I had her by my side.

We walked through the cool sand, listening to the waves crashing against the shore. It was the perfect night, and although the day had started out a bit rough, it ended in a way I never thought it would. I was free from the stress and craziness of the Landers’s lifestyle. I was free from the desk I had chained myself to for many years, and I was free to love Ronni with no control and no ultimatums.

The wind blew across the beach, and I watched as Ronni took in a deep breath of sea air, letting her hair fly freely behind her. She was sincerely the most amazing woman I had ever met. Things may have looked bleak for many years, but they sure did have a way of turning around quickly. Here I was, standing with the love of my life on a gorgeous beach, getting ready for a new and exciting adventure, with no ties to the past. It was like Ronni’s light was seeping over to me, and I was more than happy to bask in it. She stopped and turned toward the moon, bright in the sky. The waves lapped gently against the shore, and I moved behind her, wrapping my arms around her chest and squeezing tightly.

“Do you think our parents are up there, looking down on us?” she asked.

“Maybe,” I said, smiling. “If they are, I am damn sure of one thing.”

“What’s that?” Ronni asked, turning toward me.

“They are proud of us for what we are accomplishing,” I said, looking up at the moon. “And my mother is more than happy to see that the two people she loved the most found each other in this chaos.”

“That’s how I feel,” she said, laying her head against my chest.

“I promise,” I said, pulling her back and looking into her eyes. “I will never allow anyone to treat you the way that Nick and my father treated you. I will do my best to shield you and protect you from everything bad in this world.”

“I know,” she said confidently. “I never for a second thought any different. I am excited about our future. And I am excited to spend it hand in hand with you.”

My sentiments exactly.

Chapter Twenty

Ronni

I stumbled forward, giggling as Nathan led me blindfolded down the sidewalk. He had blindfolded me even before I got in the car so I really had no idea where I was. I could hear the ocean in the background, smell the salty sea air, but in reality, it was Southern California. I could literally be anywhere.

I held tightly to Nathan’s hand, listening to the people passing us by in the streets. He stopped me for a moment and told me to stand right there. I heard the jingle of keys and the click of a lock in front of me. As he took my arm and led me forward, I shivered in the cold San Diego winter weather. Sure, it was way colder on the East Coast, but to me, this weather felt bitter. As soon as I walked in, warmth surrounded me, and I could smell the scent of lavender all around me. He moved me inside and shut the door behind us before walking back and pulling down my blindfold. I kept my eyes clutched closed for several seconds, almost too excited to open them.

“Okay, you can look now,” he said excitedly.

I opened my eyes and blinked several times before they came back into focus. I scanned the area with wonder. The floors were tiled with black and gray tiling, the racks were a bright white, and the seating throughout was accented with purples and grays. I walked through the large space, imagining our suits and outer wear lining the walls. We had expanded to outer wear when we realized that pushing our label further would only increase revenue. I shook my head, looking around the room, impressed by what I was seeing. Everything was perfectly decorated and brand new. I looked over at Nathan and laughed, giving him a huge hug.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“We are at a strip mall in Ocean Beach,” he said, pointing toward the door. “It’s the closest shopping to the tourist beach and right next to the grocer that the locals use. It is literally the best spot in the entire town. Most of the shops that surround it have been here forever and don’t have plans to move. Your only competition is the beach shop three blocks down, but they don’t specialize in anything. It's pretty much a generic shop with expensive name brand suits. You would be the only designer swimwear and outer wear shop on the strip.”

“Nathan,” I said, shaking my head and running my hand across the counter. “This couldn’t be more perfect if we built it ourselves. It is exactly what we were looking for.”

I walked around the room, taking in every inch of the space. I walked back into the dressing rooms which were split one way for women, the other for men. The deep purple velvet fabrics that acted as doors to the dressing rooms hung across black steel rods and piled down on the floors. The mirrors were tilted just enough to pick up every good angle of the body. There was an area for clients to put the ones they didn’t want, and a rope that went across the entrance so we could check people in and out of the rooms. On the counters were two brand new computers, fully stocked with scanners, bins for hangers, a stack of boxes with our logos for wrapping the suits, and deep lavender paper to wrap them in. I shook my head, realizing that Nathan had really thought of everything, even down to the security system attached to the walls. I walked back over to Nathan and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist. I couldn’t believe how perfect everything was.

“You did an amazing job,” I whispered. “I love everything about this.”

“Want to hear a funny story,” he said, chuckling.

“Always,” I said cautiously.

“I actually bought this from my brother,” he said, laughing. “Of course, he didn’t know it was me until our lawyers had finished with the negotiations and I showed up to sign for it. You should have seen the look on his smug little face. I almost had to pick his jaw up off the floor. I got this place for half of what he paid for it. He was seriously bamboozled into buying this spot, and after months of not having anyone interested, he was forced to drop the price drastically. I knew if I personally showed interest, he might not sell, so I sent a lawyer in to represent me as an anonymous buyer.”

“Oh, I wish I could have been there for that,” I said. “How satisfied did you feel?”

“It was like strutting into a failing business wearing a thousand-dollar suit,” he said, laughing. “He didn’t know what to do, but our lawyers had already done all the contracts, and he knew if he took it back, then I could sue him hardcore. He was backed into a corner.”

“I’m surprised he even knew that,” I said, shaking my head.

“Well, he didn’t, but his lawyer let him know when he tried to walk out,” he said, chuckling. “Still the same old asshole doing exactly what I knew he would do with the company. He has absolutely zero business skills, and I don’t think he will ever learn them.”

“Well, jokes on him,” I said, smiling.

“But after I got this place, I pulled together a design team after stealing the info on your design ideas,” he said, lifting his eyebrows and smiling.

“I was wondering where those went,” I said, snapping my fingers.

“They put all of this together for me in such a short amount of time. They were really professional and I could see you and Maria’s vision coming to life every time I walked in the place. I was so impressed, in fact, I hired them to redo my loft, not that I spend much time there these days.”

“Wow,” I replied. “They did all of this in a couple of weeks?”

“Yep, furniture, computers, design, everything in two weeks,” he said, nodding his head. “Now, we could open the doors in just a couple weeks if Maria is down for it.”

“Are you serious? I thought it would take at least another six months!” I was completely elated. “We could have the place open in time for Christmas shoppers and then just sail right into tourist season. By the time warm weather comes, we’ll have all the kinks worked out, and we could have a fashion show to reveal the new line. Nathan, this is so awesome.”

“See,” he said, putting his arms out. “I’m useful for something, right?”

“I can think of a few things you are useful for,” I replied, winking and shaking my butt at him.

“We could always break the place in,” he said, coming up behind me and grabbing my breasts. “Have a little fun in the dressing rooms? Christen the place behind the counters?”

“Calm down, stud muffin.” I laughed, feeling his cock harden against my ass. “We have work to do.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “You're always all work and no play.”

“That’s crazy coming from you,” I said, looking back at him. “Like I never in a million years thought I would hear you say that.”

We walked around the shop, and I smiled as Nathan enthusiastically showed me every nook and cranny of the place. He had already purchased the software for the store that not only kept track of sales, but did accounting, calculated taxes, and kept inventory all in one area. He showed me how the different systems worked and how they would help us cut down on theft, especially when we got to the point where were able to hire a staff to run the place. Everything was set up so perfectly.

“Okay,” he said with a deep breath. “That is everything down here. Let me show you upstairs.”

I smiled and walked up the steps, feeling his hand pressing warmly on my back. He seemed jittery all of a sudden, but I ignored it, figuring we hadn’t eaten anything that day and he was really excited to show me everything. We walked to the top of the stairs, and he led me left into the designer’s room. It was enormous, and he had it designed with shelves everywhere, a huge sketching table, lamps, track lighting, and a full-on desk in the back. The room was mostly white with splashes of black, green, and orange throughout. On the door, there was a placard with Maria’s name and the title of Owner and Head Designer. I knew immediately that she was going to freak out over this.

“So, this space is for Maria,” he said, walking in. “She can go to town designing. I had the mannequins and fabric rods brought in over there, and a modeling space and dressing room over here. All she has to do is get with the fabric sellers and start filling up the space. I also contacted a friend of mine in New York who was a designer, and they sent me a list of all the tools she would need. I figured it would be better for her to start out completely fresh and new.”

I walked over and looked down at all of the pencils, ink, sewing material, the sewing machine, bright and new on the desk, a computer with CAD and other drawing programs, and everything she would need to create her masterpieces from paper to body. I shook my head, absolutely amazed at how much he had done in such a short amount of time. I looked up and walked over to the door with him.

“Then, across the hall is where I had our open-concept offices put in,” he said, leading me into the other room. “It’s our space to work side by side with each other.”

I couldn’t believe the space in front of me when I walked in. The ceiling was high, the paint was neutral and calming, and there were couches and chairs strewn all over in different hues of lavender and teal. The rugs on the floor were brand new and matched the accent pillows on the furniture. There were two desks that sat on opposite sides of the room but faced each other. They were large, dark, wooden casings with beautifully carved embellishments on the sides. Computers and office equipment peppered the desks and art covered the walls. It almost felt like walking into a fancy apartment you would see in a magazine. In both the design room and the office space, the back wall was nothing but large floor to ceiling windows, allowing us to look out at the beach and ocean behind us. I walked over to the desk and ran my hand across the wood surface before plopping down in the chair and sticking the end of a pen in my mouth.

“Do I look like a professional?”

“A fucking sexy one,” he growled.

He walked over and stared at me, pulling open the top drawer of the desk. I smiled and leaned over, looking down at a small silver box. I scrunched my eyebrows together and pulled the box out, holding it in my hand. Slowly, I lifted the lid and stared down at a beautiful diamond ring with the biggest stone I had ever seen in the middle and tons of smaller stones surrounding it. I gasped and put my hand over my mouth, looking up to see Nathan on one knee in front of me.

“Ronni, you are the light of my world, and I can’t think of anything better than spending it with you,” he said, his hands shaking. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” I said with teary eyes. “Oh my God, of course, I’ll marry you.”

I stood up with Nathan and watched as he slipped the ring on my finger. I looked at it as it sparkled in the lights. I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly as I thought about my forever. There was literally no one else on earth that I would want to spend my life with, build an empire with, and walk into the future hand in hand.

Chapter Twenty One

Nathan

Bedroom to Boardroom

I thought the beaches in San Diego were beautiful, but looking out across the crystal blue waters as I stood on the white sand beaches of Hawaii was absolutely breathtaking. Everything from the birds in the sky to the sun closing in on the horizon, spewing hues of oranges, blues, and pinks everywhere, created a feeling beyond relaxation. I stuck my hands in my white linen pants and rubbed my toes through the sand, closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath. There hadn’t been a day since I left my father’s company that I regretted it one bit, and now, I got to live my life with the woman that kept me on my toes, showed me what life was really about, and had the same dreams and aspirations for the future as I did. I couldn’t feel luckier than I did right then.

Just looking out over the ocean, I couldn’t think of a more perfect place for a wedding. It was like this place was created just for us, knowing that some stuffy church wedding, surrounded by hundreds of people we barely knew, didn’t fit our love at all. We were brought together by unyielding and unbiased attraction, a love from a parent that transcended background or nationality, and now we were getting ready to join together as husband and wife. We had so many things planned for our future, from building an empire to building a family, and I really felt like this was going to be the first day of the rest of our lives. No one could have prepared me for meeting Ronni. No one could have prepared me for when my eyes finally opened and I saw who my family members really were. But, with Ronni patiently waiting by my side, I was able to push through all of that and set myself free from the chains of a miserable and lonely life.

Relaxing still wasn’t coming easily to me after living my entire life on the go constantly, since I was old enough to go to school, but the stress of that life had lifted off my shoulders. The loneliness I felt so long ago was nothing but a memory that has since floated into the distant past. Although I'm not surrounded daily by hordes of people anymore, I couldn’t feel more loved than I did in my simple little life with my amazing wife to be. Standing here, waiting for her to come join me to be married, I realized that I finally, after so long, felt at peace.

I looked up as I caught the glimpse of blowing fabrics out of the corner of my eye. I smiled as Maria walked forward, wearing a lavender bridesmaid bikini and carrying a small sprig of flowers. She looked over at her boyfriend, the guy that I met at the salsa club so long ago, and winked at him, putting a bit of pep in her step. Once she passed, I looked down the makeshift sandy aisle on the beach, and my jaw dropped. Ronni was standing in front of me in a white, specially designed bridal bikini with a sheer skirt tied around her waist. Her dark hair glistened in the sunlight, and her tan skin sparkled radiantly. Around her ankle was a bracelet of fresh white flowers that accented her skin perfectly. She had to be the most beautiful bride I had ever seen, and she was all mine.

Emotions flowed through my body, and tears tugged at the edges of my eyes. I was more than overjoyed at the fact that this beautiful woman was going to be my wife. She was absolutely stunning in every way, and on top of all of that, she was a beautiful person on the inside. Looking back, I could now see that I had been drawn to Ronni ever since she came to stay at our house. At first, it was curiosity and empathy, wanting to make this young girl feel at home in a new country and a new place. As she grew older, I could see her blossoming into an amazing woman, and my thoughts about her shifted to a new reality.

There were always beautiful women throwing themselves at me, mostly because they knew I was a billionaire, but none of them had stayed on my mind for more than a few moments. Ronni, however, continued to beat into my brain every day for a very long time. I never took that as anything more than lust until we finally freed ourselves from my family and got together. I realized that she was the one from the very beginning, and I knew that every time I was around her or near her, I felt calm and complete. Now she was going to be my wife.

She stepped forward beside me and smiled big as she handed her bouquet to Maria. Maria and her boyfriend stepped back and watched as the officiant began the ceremony. It was short but covered everything that made us who we were as a couple. The strength that we built between us was overwhelming, and the light that Ronni brought into my life couldn’t have been more of a beautiful thing. As she said the words, “I do,” I grasped her hands and pulled her close, pressing my lips deeply against hers.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the officiant said joyously.

Maria and her boyfriend clapped as Ronni and I embraced. From there, overjoyed at our union, we went to dinner at a local restaurant with Maria and her boyfriend, before retiring to our private honeymoon suite at the small resort that I had completely rented out. I wanted our privacy to be so absolute that I even took the time to book Maria and her guest at a separate resort where they would be wined, dined, and showed all over the island. The place was gorgeous and the staff was plentiful. As we approached the doors to the villa, the staff on call opened the double doors, and I lifted Ronni off her feet, carrying her over the threshold. She laughed and giggled as we entered into the luxury suite and looked around in awe at our accommodations.

Everything was absolutely gorgeous, from the fresh flowers on the table to the light colors and beach decor. The ceilings were vaulted with large fans whose blades were shaped like the leaves of the palms outside. The smell of suntan oil and fresh coconut wafted through the room, giving it that extra feeling of an exotic nature. Our bags had already been delivered to the villa, and we walked into the bedroom where a large, four-poster bed sat in the middle of the floor and the doors opened up to a private beach.

The water was rushing onto the shore, and the sky still shimmered, even in the light of the moon. Ronni walked out onto the terrace, looking out at the view and closing her eyes, taking it all in. I stood back and watched my beautiful wife as the wind whipped through her hair and over her scantily clad body. Her bathing suit cut in on the ass, and I couldn’t help but appreciate the way her luscious body curved in the illuminated string of lights on the railing. She was absolutely radiant. I set my bag down on the floor and walked outside, cloaking her in my body and kissing down her neck.

“It was absolutely amazing,” she whispered with a smile. “And now we are husband and wife. Isn’t that crazy?”

She turned toward me and smiled, kissing me back as I leaned into her. She could feel the bulge in my pants beginning to grow as I reached for the string on her top. She grabbed my wrist and smiled, shaking her head. I looked at her with slight confusion and watched as she walked past me, grabbing her bag and disappearing into the bathroom. I walked around the bed and pulled my shirt off my back, folding it and laying it on the dresser. I untied my long white pants and let them fall to the floor. I stretched high and walked over to the bed, laying back against the headboard, and waiting for my bride to return. I could smell whiffs of her perfume coming from under the door of the bathroom, and instantly, my cock was erect thinking about what was about to come. I looked over as she creaked open the door and stood in the artificial lights, wearing a sheer nighty and a pair of white thong panties. Her nipples were hard, and I could see almost every part of her.

She walked forward seductively and crawled across the bed. Her hand ran up my boxer briefs, pressing hard against my erection before grasping it through the cloth. I groaned at the feeling of her fingers wrapped around it and reached out to cup her breast. She shifted between my legs and pulled my boxers from my body, grabbing my dick with her hand and stroking it slowly as she fondled my balls. I reached my arms up behind my head and watched as she licked her lips before diving down and taking my cock into her mouth.

At first, she was playful, licking up and down the shaft, swirling her tongue around the head, but after a few moments, she took the shaft deep into her throat and sucked hard as she pulled her head back up. I moaned, feeling her lips wrapped around my cock and feeling the shaft touch the sides of her throat.

She looked up at me as she began to suck harder, slightly increasing her speed. I clasped my hands behind my head and watched her succulent lips slide up and down, her saliva dripping and pooling at the base of my cock. She pulled her lips away and grabbed on tight to my shaft while she gripped it hard and fast, causing me to jolt forward in pleasure. A coy smile pulled at her lips every time she saw my face writhe in ecstasy.

I reached down and wrapped my hand in her hair, pushing her face back down. She smiled and looked at me as she opened wide and deep throated my erection. I pulled her head up and down, twisting her face as I pulled back up. I held her head high for a moment while I thrust my hips up and into her mouth. She moaned as I picked up the pace, fucking her mouth and feeling my cock deep down inside of her. Her eyes watered, but she kept going, groaning deeply as my cock touched the back of her throat.

The noises coming from my wife were raw and uninhibited, and I couldn’t help but be completely turned on by them. I wanted her so badly in that moment. I wanted to feel her wet pussy wrapped around my cock. I wanted to feel her erupt in orgasm, squeezing my dick in her pussy. I wanted her to feel how it felt for me to explode inside of her, pushing my seed from my body, and letting my orgasm flow inside her. I looked down, fighting with myself about whether to keep feeling the amazing motion of her mouth or flip her over and fuck the hell out of her. As if she could feel the answer through my bulging shaft, she pulled her head up and slipped her nighty over her head. She slid her panties down and threw them on the floor, climbing forward and straddling me. I knew exactly what she wanted.

Chapter Twenty Two

Ronni

Just putting on lingerie made me aroused, and now, as I slid my body down and took his enormous cock deep inside of me, I could feel my desire pulsing through my body. I started to grind against him, and my juices ran down his shaft. It had thrilled me to watch him writhe underneath me while I sucked his cock, and it had gotten my blood pumping like crazy. Now that I had his cock inside me, I was almost insane with lust.

I put my palms down on his chest and lifted my hips up and down, slamming his dick inside of me. My clit rubbed against his stomach, sending an extreme buildup through my body. The orgasm had already started to simmer, and I could tell it wasn’t going to be too long before I exploded all over him. He groaned loudly, and I pushed up and down against his erection before moving my hips back and forth. I ran my hands up my body and grabbed my breasts, massaging them as I pushed myself closer to orgasm. He looked up at me, and I bit my lip as I threw my head back, moaning loudly.

I could feel his hands grasping onto my waist, moving me back and forth faster than I could move myself. I screamed out as the feelings grew more and more intense, bringing me to the top of my peak. I grabbed his arms and took in a deep breath as I felt myself exploding in orgasm. I leaned forward and pressed my mouth against his, letting out my moans into his throat.

He growled and continued to move me hard and fast on top of him. I could feel his need growing as my juices erupted, flowing over his cock. As my orgasm released and simmered back down, Nathan reached up and tossed me onto my back, moving quickly between my legs and gliding right back into me. He pulled my legs straight up in the air in front of him and grabbed on to my thighs as he continued thrusting. I reached down and rubbed my clit, moaning at how full he had made me. It was complete ecstasy as he fucked me hard, my head leaning off the end of the bed. I opened my eyes and watched as the scene moved back and forth, our bodies slamming into each other.

The sound of our skin slapping echoed through the villa and out into the ocean, and I reached my arms over my head and moaned over and over as he pushed as deep as he could. I could feel his fingers clasping to my thighs as his body began to stiffen. He reached down and pulled my hips in, leaning forward and pushing in as deep as he could. I split my legs and draped them over his shoulders as he growled loudly and his body convulsed in pleasure. I could feel his cock throbbing and then the explosion inside of me. It was warm and sensual, and I closed my eyes, feeling his seed fill me. His hips continued to thrust forward as his body untensed, leaning into me. He opened his eyes and took a deep breath, pulling my legs to the side and rolling over next to me. We both laid sideways on the bed, our heads dangling over the edge, collecting our breath and feeling the warm Hawaiian air washing over our naked bodies.

I turned my head toward him and kissed his soft lips, smiling as he looked up at the window. This man was my husband, and I couldn’t be happier about that choice. I would get to spend the rest of my life having amazing sex with my partner in life, and the only man I had ever been with.

We turned over in the bed and cuddled up under the light covers, leaving the doors open for the soothing sound of the ocean. It didn’t take long for us both to fall asleep after a day like we had. I could feel his warm arms around me, and I knew I would never feel lonely again.

The next morning, I woke up to the alarm and slipped out of bed, jumping in the shower. I washed my hair and put on one of our new line of bathing suits. I applied some gel to my hair to keep that wavy beach look and snuck back to the bed. I slowly ran my fingers down Nathan’s chest, trying to wake him up softly. He smiled and moaned, trying to turn over, but I laid my body on his. He sniffed the air and touched my hair with a big grin. He always loved the way I smelled, even if I hadn’t taken a shower yet. He slowly opened his eyes and picked up his head, kissing me softly on the lips.

“Is it time for breakfast?” he asked groggily.

“Yes, and it’s a working honeymoon, remember?” I tapped him on the chest and stood from the bed. “Time to rise and shine. We want to catch the morning light as the sun begins to rise.”

“But it’s so early,” he whined.

“Get up, get up, get up,” I sang, pulling the covers off his body.

I walked out onto the balcony where they had served breakfast. I picked up a piece of fruit, tasting it, and I rolled my eyes at its amazing flavor and juiciness. Everything here was perfect, even down to the fruit salad they served for breakfast. I grabbed a bottle of water and took a swig, pouring Nathan a cup of coffee with light sugar and a splash of cream, just how he liked it. It was time to get the photos taken for the new line of swimwear, and Maria and I had made the executive decision that we would be the ones to model the bathing suits because we wanted to see real women with real curves. Nathan didn’t like the idea of my body being splashed all over the place, but it was a bathing suit, and it was my company. I had to be proud of the clothes that we made and show that anything that we sell, I would gladly wear out in public.

“Hey, girl.”

I looked up as Maria’s voice sounded in the distance. She was strutting her stuff down the walk, ready to get our hair and makeup done. The whole crew was tagging along behind her, carrying bags and boxes of makeup and primping tools. I waved and smiled, turning back to make sure that Nathan had put on pants. I didn’t really think the entire entourage needed to see his white ass this early in the morning.

Maria snagged a piece of fruit and popped it into her mouth. “Oh my God, seriously is everything on this island perfect?”

“I know, right?” I looked around but didn’t see Diego, her boyfriend. “Where’s the love?”

“Oh, he wanted to sleep in,” she said, shaking her head. “He didn’t think he could deal with watching someone take pictures of my half naked body.”

“Morning, Maria,” Nathan said as he took his coffee from my hand. “Where’s your boy toy?”

“Morning, Mr. Married,” she said, grabbing another piece of fruit. “He’s back at the resort sleeping.”

“Lucky,” he said like a child. “How come I’m not allowed to sleep?”

“Because you insisted on helping run the company,” I said, squeezing his cheek and walking into the villa.

“Damn it,” he said under his breath, making me laugh.

We sat around getting our hair and makeup done, laughing and talking, and waiting for the photographer. With about ten minutes to spare, he showed up looking pretty tired. He dropped his stuff in the middle of the floor and dramatically sighed.

“Ladies, I need coffee, stat,” he said to the staff standing around to help. “I spent way too much time at drag night last night.”

We laughed, glad to be around men that we didn’t have to be self-conscious around. They told us how beautiful we looked about a hundred times, and then we made our way down to the beach to start taking pictures. The main beach right outside of the resort was where we landed. As the sun peeked over the horizon, the constant click of the camera filled the air. Maria and I spent the next several hours posing for the camera, walking out into the ocean with that sassy look back, and rolling around in the waves, really testing the durability of my top. Nathan was standing on the side, watching every time our wardrobe guy had to fix my suit. He was being way overprotective, but for some reason, I actually found it endearing. He was jealous of anybody that even looked at me, but I just smiled and winked at him, letting him know whose attention I really wanted.

As the sun rose, the beach began to fill up and a crowd started to gather. Maria and I ran out into the surf, frolicking around in the waves. The water was so warm, and the people seemed very entertained and curious about what was going on. Our marketing crew went to work immediately, handing out cards for our online shop. We knew we didn’t want the brand to just stay in California, so Nathan had an amazing website and online store put up days before our trip began. We made sure to set limits, just in case things took off. We didn’t want to get home and not have enough product produced to fill the orders. The women loved the ideas, and I could see them chatting amongst themselves excitedly as they looked at the cards. The men, well, they were men, and they were content with watching our small bikinis barely cover our bodies as the water ran down our dark skin.

I could see the thunder clouds clashing in Nathan’s eyes as the men next to him whispered and gawked at me in the waves. It didn’t bother me a bit since I knew exactly what man I wanted to take me home. But Nathan, he was not having a very good time with it. I smiled at him and waved from the water, laughing to myself as he forced a smile back. His crossed arms and rigid smile let everyone know exactly who he was, and the men turned and walked to the other side. I didn’t want Nathan to be uncomfortable, but the idea that he was jealous was slightly thrilling for me. It made me want him even more, and I had to be sure that I let him know just who I belonged to. I waved to the photographer for a break and jogged up the beach to Nathan. Immediately, he wrapped a towel around me, and I smiled up at him with a big toothy grin.

“Aww, what’s wrong baby?”

“I don’t like this beach,” he said. “Why couldn’t we have done it on the private one?”

“We talked about this,” I said, chuckling. “We want people to see the bathing suits. It's killing two birds with one stone.”

“Two naked birds,” he scoffed.

“Aww, come here,” I said, pouting at him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned in, kissing him deeply and passionately in front of everyone. When I pulled away, I stood on my tip toes and whispered in his ear. “I belong to you alone.”

I kissed him on the cheek and handed him my towel, ready to get this shoot over so I could get back to the honeymoon. Maria stood smiling with her hand outstretched, and I jogged over to her. We ended the shoot with some photos together that we planned on getting framed and putting up on the walls in the store. As we posed together for the camera, I watched Nathan look down at his phone, scrolling through the internet in search of something. Knowing him, it was probably some ridiculous, elaborate surprise, but at least, I knew it would be for me.

Chapter Twenty Three

Nathan

It was one thing to look at your wife in a club, all decked out, and have other men stare. In that situation, you were proud of the fact that she was with you. It was something completely different for your wife to be pretty much naked, frolicking through the waves of the ocean, and having skeevy ass hats standing around gawking at her huge tits and round ass.

I couldn’t believe how incredibly sexy my wife was, and I truly felt lucky to be able to honestly say that. But the thought of her body splashed all over advertisements made me kind of sick to my stomach. I mean, she was my wife, not some woman that was meant for other guys to jack off to. I really didn’t know how the husbands of swimsuit models dealt with seeing their wives splashed all over newsstands every year. I would go around buying every single one of them before anyone else could. I tried not to talk about how uncomfortable it was for me around Ronni because I didn’t want to make her feel bad. Just by watching her in front of the camera, she was a natural at posing, and she was beaming with self-confidence, something I never saw in her while we grew up.

Her conservative style as a young adult was definitely shed off when she hit college, and on a regular basis, I had no problem with watching her walk in front of me in a pair of cutoff shorts and crop top. However, out here on the public beach with a crowd, I was having a really hard time controlling my irritation. I did not want to be that guy, that jealous guy that beat up every man that stared at my wife, but right now, it was really hard to control myself.

I just needed to continue to tell myself that while other men might be able to look, I was the only one that was allowed to touch. Her soft supple skin and the dark exotic look were just for me, and I couldn’t wait to get back in bed with her. I could already feel my pants getting tight just thinking about the night before, when she rode me until I could feel her juices running down my shaft. I took a deep breath and nonchalantly adjusted myself, trying to get the thought of her naked body out of my head. It wasn’t so easy with her nipples hard under that thin bikini top.

As Maria and Ronni began the last part of the shoot, which was group photos for the shop’s walls, I looked down at my phone, realizing I hadn’t made any plans for later that night. I need to make sure I showed Ronni just how committed I was and how treasured she really was. I flipped through the options of restaurants on my phone, landing on the very famous five-star French Polynesian restaurant just a short helicopter ride to another island. I dialed their number and began to set my plans in motion while glancing over at Ronni, who was now chatting with Maria and the marketing team. I needed to make this night so special that she would never be able to forget it.

We headed back to the villa where I pulled out a beautiful evening dress for her to wear for the surprise. She walked out of the shower, drying her hair, and she smiled at me, holding the dress up in front of myself. I quickly lowered it, my cheeks blushing.

“I don’t think that will fit you,” she teased.

“Then I think you should wear it tonight,” I said. “I have a surprise for you, but we have to leave in like twenty minutes.

She rolled her eyes at me and laughed, grabbing the dress from my hand. She hurried into the bathroom, and I could hear the blow dryer going while she stumbled around the bathroom getting ready. I pulled out a suit and tie and gelled my hair in the mirror on the wall. It was really easy for me to get ready, and I was glad I didn’t have to go through as much as Ronni did, even though I never understood why, since she was gorgeous all the time. When she was done, we walked across the resort to the helicopter pad where the pilot picked us up. Ronni shook her head at the amount of excess I was showing off and climbed inside, putting on her headphones. She gazed out the window as we took a short ride to the other side.

We ate dinner all alone at the most amazing restaurant I had ever been to. I had called them and requested to have the place all to ourselves. Luckily, they weren’t usually open on Monday nights so I paid a bit extra and the chef and staff came in just for us. They set up a table out on the balcony overlooking the water and lit about a hundred candles around us. It was absolutely enchanting, and we sat feasting while talking about our day and how amazing the photo shoot ended up being. I wasn’t as jealous now that we were out of the situation, but I still didn’t like the idea of it all. When we were done, we decided to take a long walk on the beach, not having been to this island yet. I had paid the pilot to hang around until we called, not knowing when we would finish up.

As we walked along the sandy shores hand in hand, I took Ronni’s hand and twirled her into my arms, dipping her low and kissing her softly. The full moon shone brightly over the ocean, lighting up her magnificent face. Her hair was shiny and long, and it blew in the light breeze off the ocean. I tipped her back up to her feet and pushed hair from her face.

“You are the most amazing, charming, intelligent—”

“Yes,” she said, swinging her hair over her shoulder. “Go on.”

“Beautiful woman I have ever met,” I said, laughing. “I don’t know what I would do in this world without you.”

Her heart immediately melted, and her love for me showed all over her face. I leaned in and tilted her chin upward, pressing my lips against her mouth. Her arms immediately wrapped around my neck, and she leaned into me, pressing her body against mine. Under the bright light of the moon, we explored each other like sixteen-year-olds at a summer fling.

My hands moved over her body, touching every inch of her and grabbing her ass tightly. She squeaked into my mouth with surprise as I picked her up by the butt and wrapped her legs around my waist. I stood there on the white sand beach and made out passionately with my wife, groaning as she sucked on my lip seductively and pushed her hips into my hardening cock. I reached one hand up and cupped her large breast massaging it hard. She leaned her head back as I pulled one side of her dress down and took her exposed tit in my mouth. I looked around but didn’t see anyone else on the beach, though it was a public place.

She hopped down off me and ran her hand down the front of me, squeezing my cock between my body and pants. As her fingers moved downward, she grabbed onto my shaft and began to jack it hard inside of my pants. She smiled as she bit my lip, feeling my cock get harder and harder in the palm of her hand. I groaned loudly as she stroked it up and down with force, her face looking aroused and determined.

She undid my belt and slid her hand back in, loosening up the area, and she began stroking my cock long and hard. I growled out, thrusting my hips forward as her hand slid up and down the shaft. I wanted to fuck her so bad, and I knew there would be no way I could make it all the way back to the villa first. She looked up into my eyes as her hand steadily moved in my pants, and I could see she wasn’t willing to wait, either. I pulled her hand out of my pants, and we ran down the beach toward the cliffs where they would at least provide the coverage of shadows in the corners. As we approached, she reached out and grabbed my tie, backing up into the steep rocky side.

I put my hand up against the stone next to her head and watched as she pulled her dress from her shoulders and let it fall to the ground. I reached out, but she slapped my hand away, smiling at me with glimmering eyes. She pushed me back and propped her ass up on one of the rocks. I watched as she split her legs apart and pulled her panties to the side, exposing her wet mound. She bit her lip and stuck two fingers in her mouth, sucking and wetting them before sliding them down through her folds. She moaned quietly as her fingers circled around her clit, dipping part way into her pussy before pulling out and circling back.

“You like watching me?” she asked.

“Yeah, baby,” I said, rubbing my cock outside of my pants.

“Good,” she moaned. “I want to watch you, too.”

I walked over and leaned my shoulder against the rock next to her, unbuttoning my pants and dropping them around my ankles. I slowly reached down into my boxers and pulled my pulsing, engorged cock out into my hand. I reached up and unbuttoned my shirt so it would hang out of the way, and I draped my tie around her neck. She looked so fucking sexy sitting there fingering herself in nothing but her panties. I looked down at her pussy and began to move my hand up and down the shaft of my raging erection. She bit her lip, keeping her eyes glued to the motion of my hand, her own fingers plunging deep inside of her and coming back out to rub her clit. I could hear her breath increasing as my fist began moving faster over my shaft.

She groaned loudly and tilted her head back, rubbing her pussy wildly. I could tell she was about to come so I moved in front of her and pushed her hands to the side, thrusting my cock deep inside of her. As my body rubbed against hers, she exploded, her warm juices gushing over my cock and her mouth wide open, singing her song of pleasure. I kept thrusting, feeling her pussy pulsating around me. I gripped her waist, and her fingernails dug into my shoulders. I groaned, feeling the pain and ecstasy mix together. As her body began to relax, I leaned in and pushed my mouth against hers, passionately kissing her under the full moon. I could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest, and she smiled as she moved her hips against my slow, steady thrusting. It was extremely sensual, and we sat there against the wall, grinding in sync as our eyes locked on to each other. I could feel the hot steamy heat between us as I pushed hard and fast into her, watching her jerk beneath me. I looked over at the water lapping the beach in the shadows and reached down, picking her up and carrying her over to the water’s edge. She slipped off her panties and tossed them up to her dress, walking forward into the shallow waves.

I grabbed her shoulder and took her to the ground, moving slowly and steadily on top of her. The water washed around us, and I knew I wanted to make this last.

Chapter Twenty Four

Ronni

The warm water washing over our bodies added to the exotic pleasure I was feeling, laying in the sand while Nathan hovered over me, thrusting his hard cock deep inside of me. The breeze howled through the cliffs, and I looked over at the beach, feeling a sense of titillation like I did the last time we made love in the sand. Anyone could walk out here at any minute and find us making love under the full moon.

The sounds of Nathan’s groans brought me back to his eyes, and I breathed deeply, stretching my arms over my head. He took both of his hands and ran them up my wet naked body, stopping to play with my nipples. Bursts of electricity shot through me as he pinched and twisted my hard tits. I moaned loudly, arching my back and opening my legs wider, inviting his cock deeper inside of me. The look in his eyes was lustful and committed, and I could tell his slow movements were purposeful. As much as I wanted him to let loose, slamming into me like the waves against the rocks, I couldn’t help but hope this feeling wouldn’t be over so soon. The unwavering pleasure I could feel radiating through my entire body was unlike anything I had ever felt before.

I tossed and turned beneath him, fighting myself to push him harder. He grabbed my hands and held them down as the water washed around us. As if he, too, were fighting the urge, he pushed as deep as he could and held it, looking down at me with a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. I bit my lip and pushed my hips upward, asking for more. He instantly delivered, grabbing me under the body and pulling me upward. I wrapped my legs around his waist as our bodies moved in sync, pushing and pulling against each other. I leaned back in his arms and threw my head back, closing my eyes and feeling my body grinding against his. He leaned back on his heels and pulled me in, grabbing me by the lower back and thrusting short and strong. I put my hands on his shoulders and pushed him down into a crossed-legged position, putting my knees to each side and wrapping my arms around his neck. He grabbed my ass and started to push and pull, thrusting his cock into me. I moaned loudly as another orgasm began to rise, and I hoped to feel his cock bulging at the same time.

As my hips ground against him and thrust forward, I pulled back and pressed my forehead against his, looking deep into his eyes. The heat rose a thousand degrees in two seconds, and we found ourselves pushing deep and fast, longing for release. My mouth fell open, but nothing escaped as my clit rubbed against his stomach. As I reached my peak, I arched my back and screamed out into the waves.

He growled and gritted his teeth, grasping my ass cheeks and pushing as hard as he could as my juices erupted over his shaft. As the waves of pleasure echoed through my body, I could feel him slam into me, holding me close and grunting loudly as his cock spasmed inside of me. He came hard and long, his body twitching in the waves as he held me close to his body. I couldn’t move and didn’t want to, wishing we could fall asleep right here in the sand and surf.

Breathing heavily, he slowly pulled his body back, locking his eyes with mine and pressing his mouth against me. The kiss was deep and meaningful, and I could feel him telling me he loved me through his motions. We sat for several minutes, intertwined as the waves washed around us. After our bodies had recovered, I kissed him gently on the cheek and scooted back, standing and putting my arms out for him. He took them and stood up, wobbling a bit in the knees. We walked up the shore and got dressed, realizing we would now be wearing wet clothes and sand back to the villa. I didn’t mind at all since we just had the most amazing sex yet. It seemed like every time we made love, it just got better and better, and I couldn’t wait for the next time.

As we walked, he texted the pilot to let him know we would be there soon. I carried my shoes next to me, holding his hand and enjoying the night air. We climbed aboard the helicopter, and as we flew through the air, I looked down at the lights coming from the islands. Some were artificial while others came from bonfires lit in celebration of summer. I smiled, thinking about all the young couples enjoying their nights in Hawaii while sitting around a giant bonfire, sipping exotic drinks and watching the natives dance. This was definitely an amazing place, and I could already feel myself wishing for a longer trip, and we weren’t even close to being done. Nathan reached over and took my hand, smiling out his window as we made our way back to the resort. I loved the fact that we had the whole place to ourselves, and I didn’t have to worry about who I would wake as I tiptoed through the grounds.

When we arrived back, the staff had cleaned the room and put fresh linens on the bed. I called down to the front desk to let them know our breakfast selections and times for the next morning. Then I pulled my sandy, wet dress off my body. I rinsed off quickly in the shower and left the water running for Nathan to do the same thing. However, as I walked out of the bathroom to let him know, I found him completely passed out already in his pajama pants in the bed. I laughed to myself as I turned the water off and clicked the lights as I walked. I had really tuckered him out tonight on the beach, and in fact, I could feel the complete exhaustion start to wash over me as well. As soon as I laid down and pulled the covers over me, I was out, not dreaming or even moving until the light shone through the windows.

When I woke, I opened my eyes and stared at the clock. My stomach rumbled under the sheets. I realized we had slept in a bit so I turned over to let Nathan know that breakfast would be waiting for us. As I looked to the other side of the bed, I realized he wasn’t there, and I laughed, listening to him talk to the staff about how amazing the food was there. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top and walked out onto the deck, sleepy-eyed. The staff nodded their heads at me, and Nathan jumped up, pulling my chair out for me. I sat down at the table and squinted my eyes, taking in the air once again. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning, and it reminded me of the many mornings I woke up in San Diego. Although this was even better because of the amazing display of pancakes, omelettes, and fruit in front of me.

I reached over and poured myself a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice and began to fill my plate with all the goodies in front of us. As usual, the food was perfect, and I immediately realized I was eating way too much. If I wasn’t careful, we would have to make another size in the bikinis for me to fit into them. Nathan poured me a cup of black coffee and handed it over, taking a bite of his toast and propping his feet in the empty chair next to me. I leaned back from the table and smiled as the staff took my plate and wiped the place setting clean of syrup. Before they could leave, Nathan pulled out a wad of cash and tipped all of them.

“You’re so generous,” I said, leaning back in the chair.

“I want to make sure they are well taken care of,” he said, smiling. “They keep my life in order, even if it's only for a short time.”

“I’m going to start accepting tips,” I said, laughing.

“What’s mine is yours, Wifey,” he said, winking at me from across the table. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“Well, after breakfast, we have to run inland and meet Maria and the photographer to go over the shots from yesterday,” I explained. “And then, I thought maybe we could go to one of those super touristy luaus they have on the island.”

“Okay,” he said, chuckling. “Whatever you want is yours.”

“Why thank you,” I said, pursing my lips.

We sat talking on the deck for only a few more minutes before going inside and grabbing our things to meet Maria. I pulled my wavy hair up in a messy bun and looked at my even tanner skin than normal. You could really see my Mexican descent in the contrast between my brown skin and dark features. I actually thought it suited me quite well.

The resort provided transportation to the small café in town, and I stepped out of the car with my arms wide, hugging Maria as she giggled, walking forward with a croissant hanging out of her mouth. I swear the girl was always eating but always in amazing shape. It would take me three weeks at the gym after this vacation to even get close to where I was before we left. But I didn’t want to harp on that because I was on my honeymoon, and that meant I could let loose and be free.

We all sat down around the computer as Philandro, the photographer, flipped through the photographs he had picked out as the best. I was shocked at how absolutely amazing they came out, and though I tended to be a bit self-conscious, I was completely comfortable with every single photo. As he rounded out to the end, both Maria and I were in awe of the photo of her and me standing arm in arm, smiling big as the waves splashed around us. It was the perfect picture for the wall in the shop, and when I said wall, I meant it was going to be seven feet high and five feet wide.

“So,” Philandro said, leaning back in his chair. “Are we doing any editing or touch-ups here? These photos are already edited for optimal colors and brightness, but I did not touch your bodies.”

“Good,” Maria said, shaking her head. “And we want to leave it that way.”

“Yeah,” I explained. “We want women to see us as regular women. We want to show that our skin bulges when we jump in the air, too. We want them to know that curvy, busty women with big butts can look just as sexy in our bikinis as the others.”

“If not more,” Maria added.

“I absolutely love it,” Philandro said. “Then, ladies, my work here is done. I will get all of these sent over to your marketing manager, and I will get the one for your shop blown up for the wall.”

I looked at Nathan as he leaned over and whispered in my ear.

“I worship those curves,” he whispered, kissing me on the cheek.

I could feel my cheeks burning red, and I smiled big as Philandro leaned down and hugged me goodbye. All the crew except Maria would be leaving tomorrow, going back to San Diego to get things going. When we returned, we would put the final touches on before we had our big release. I leaned back in the chair and smiled at Maria as she took my hand and Nathan’s.

“We are really doing this,” she said, laughing. “This is all so amazing.”

It was more amazing than I ever could have imagined.

Chapter Twenty Five

Nathan

I pulled the cotton t-shirt with company logo over my head and slipped on sandals, getting ready for dinner. Ronni had the bright idea that it would be a good experience to have dinner at one of the touristy luaus on the beach. I had never been to something like that, and my comfort level was at about a two. But this was what she wanted, and I was going to smile through it.

Who knew? She had managed to get me out of my stuffed shirt mode and into a more relaxed atmosphere. Maybe I would actually enjoy watching dancing Hawaiians in grass skirts and fire juggling natives, though I really had my reservations. But still, looking back at the man I was when Ronni came back into my life, I felt proud of how far I had come. I still wasn’t at a place where I felt completely comfortable with all of the free time this new life change had brought me, but I was working on it slowly.

Every day I could feel myself taking life a little less seriously, relaxing my shoulders just a tiny bit more, and allowing Ronni to convince me to step out of my comfort zone. It wasn’t like it was that hard, after all. Between Ronni’s amazing personality and her killer smile, I was pretty sure she could talk me into moving into an igloo at the South Pole. Hell, if it meant I could keep myself warm by snuggling up to her naked body, I might be down for it.

I turned and looked at myself in the mirror, barely recognizing the man standing in front of me. I think I had actually worn a t-shirt about ten times in my life, and they were all before the age of six. We had packed a bunch of the new outer wear to strut around town in, hoping to build a little brand awareness far from home. But still, it felt weird not buttoning up my dress shirt, tying my tie, and polishing my shoes. Life at the Landers’s business was anything but relaxed, and I had come to terms long ago that I would probably live the rest of my life in either a suit and tie or a polo. My father still dressed in a suit and tie, and he barely ever left the house anymore. At least in retirement, you would think the old man would loosen up and put on a pullover or something, but unless he was headed to the golf course with his buddies, he was ready to go for meetings that would never come. After waking up every day for so many years and doing the same thing over and over again, he must have gotten used to it and didn’t want to change.

Speaking of change, I was right in the midst of it. It had been a huge change leaving the company and parting ways with my family. But I had new goals and new things to look forward to, and I was more than happy to be taking on those responsibilities. I was building an empire with my wife and planning a future for our own family, one that was less rigid and more loving than how I grew up. I could barely remember Ronni’s parents, but it was always amazing to me as a child how different they were. They really acted like they loved each other, and I found myself slightly jealous of Ronni as a kid. But now, here I was, building this empire, making waves, embracing change, and hoping that I got used to the more quiet hustle and bustle of our business than I experienced with the real estate company.

I was drawn from my thoughts as the phone buzzed on the nightstand. I thought it was strange, since everyone I talked to was here on the island with me. I walked over and looked down at the name, shaking my head in disbelief. It was like the old man could sense I was thinking about him, and I tried to decide whether or not to answer my father’s phone call. I sighed and pressed the button, bringing the phone to my ear.

“Father,” I said without emotion. “How can I help you?”

“Nathan, I’m glad I caught you,” he said in a more than tired voice. “Look, I need to see you as soon as possible. It’s urgent. You know I wouldn’t call if it weren’t.”

“Well,” I said, trying to keep my irritation of his summoning to a minimum. “I’m on my honeymoon. Nick is in control of everything now. Have him get you whatever you need. He is more than capable of following strict and specific instructions.”

My father breathed heavily into the phone, and I couldn’t help but notice that his voice was ragged and tired, moreso than usual. I sat patiently waiting for his response, slightly curious as to why he would call me in the first place. I did understand that he had no idea I was on my honeymoon, but I could have been in his front yard and still wouldn’t have come running when he beckoned. I was no longer under his control, nor did I need to drop everything and come running when he thought it was important. Nick wanted to be the big man in charge so he needed to step up and do his job.

“Nick can’t help,” he said with a deep cough.

“Are you sick?”

“I’m fine,” he grumbled. “Like I said, Nick can’t help. He’ll only hinder this cause. In fact, he is the main reason for this call.”

I sat there silently, waiting patiently for my father to ease up and actually ask me for my help. He seemed to still be under the impression that I was at his beck and call. I was no longer a child, vying for my father’s attention, learning the ropes of the company, and hoping to be part of it one day. I had been part of it. In fact, it was my entire life, but my life had changed, and I didn’t feel as if I needed to ask “how high” whenever my father told me to jump. I had broken those chains months ago, and I was just starting to let drift away into memory.

“You need to return home now,” he said angrily and sick. “There is no time to lose in these matters. You’ll understand when you get here.”

“Will I?” I said with attitude. “Because it has been thirty-three years, and I still don’t understand you. I don’t understand where you develop the kind of audacity that you do. I don’t understand how you think you can call me like this and expect me to drop everything going on, which is my celebration of marriage by the way, and come running to you. I told you Ronni was the most important thing in my life now, not you, not Nick, and definitely not the company.”

“Why are you being so difficult? Can we just skip the games this time? I need you here and it is your responsibility—”

“Responsibility?” I scoffed. “Need I remind you that you not only erased my name from your will and took my job, but you blatantly disrespected a woman who loved you like a father figure. A woman who I am now married to. So, why in the fuck do you think I would drop everything and just run home? I am at no one's back and call anymore.”

With those words, I hung up the phone, trying to control my anger and not bash my phone against the wall. I turned and found Ronni standing in the doorway, looking at me with confusion. I didn’t want her to hear that, but I just got so angry, I couldn’t control the level of my own voice. I hadn’t been this angry since Nick threw Ronni on the floor. Only this time, I had nowhere to go with my anger. Ronni stepped forward and rubbed my shoulder, looking deep into my angry eyes.

“I heard the shouting from the other room,” she said. “What is going on? Who was that on the phone?”

“It was my father,” I said, sighing and sitting down on the bed. “He told me he needs me to come home. I told him to get his boy Nick to do whatever he needed, but he said he couldn’t because it was about Nick. Well, partially at least. He didn’t tell me more than that, but he had the audacity to summon me like one of his servants. He didn’t ask me. He told me, and I don’t owe him a damn thing. Even after telling him twice that I was on my honeymoon, he didn’t offer any congratulations at all. It was like he wasn’t hearing what I was saying. Same old situation.”

Ronni bit her lip and looked down at the floor. I could tell she was thinking about how to say what she wanted to say. From the look on her face, she was being careful because she knew I wouldn’t like whatever advice she was going to give me. But every time she gave me advice, no matter how painful, it always turned out to be the right thing to do. She took a deep breath and sat down beside me, taking my hands in her lap.

“Look, I know you don’t like how he treats you, and neither do I, but you have to admit it’s strange that he would call you,” she said. “You know your father, and you know how long he can hold a grudge. Whatever is going on has to be major enough for him to put aside his pride and dial your number. For that fact alone, it concerns me that he is calling. What if someone is hurt or ill? What if something has happened to Nick? I know what regret feels like, Nathan, and it’s not something I ever want you to feel.”

“What about him?” I said angrily. “Why can’t he step forward and say he’s wrong? Why do I always have to be the responsible one out of the three of them?”

“Because it is who you are,” she said, smiling. “You don’t do it because you feel they deserve it or require it. You show respect and strength because of who you are on the inside. I think we should return home.”

“But it’s our honeymoon,” I protested.

“Yes,” she said, running her hand over my cheek. “And in case you’ve forgotten, you are extremely rich. We can come back here, literally anytime that we want to.”

“Fine,” I grumped.

I changed my clothes back into a polo and slacks and went to work packing up our things. I called the hotel and let them know we would be leaving early but to keep the entire amount I paid them plus add a thirty percent gratuity for all the shifts the workers would miss when we left. They were very thankful, but I couldn’t kick the bitterness I felt on the inside. I had finally gotten the life that I wanted, and I had finally settled into it. Then out of nowhere, my father calls and turns my whole world upside down. Just from the sound of his voice, I could feel the calm and serenity I had been collecting slip right down the drain.

The staff came to help take our bags to the car, and I sighed as I closed the villa behind us. We were on our way to the airport and back to reality. This time, though, it was a reality that I had no interest in being a part of.

Chapter Twenty Six

Ronni

As the plane flew over the islands, I gazed out the window at the same bonfires I had seen the night before. I was really disappointed that our honeymoon was over, but at the same time, I was insanely worried about Nathan’s family. One thing I think Nathan forgot was that I’ve known him since he was a young boy, and I can read him better than anyone. Sure, on the outside he acted like he was completely at peace, and even relieved, to have separated himself from his family and company. But on the inside, I knew he wasn’t happy with how he left things. Who could be? Nathan’s father was a hard ass, and he had become a bitter and grumpy old man, but he hadn’t always been that way.

I could remember a time where he would pick Nathan up and toss him in the air, laughing at his stories about school. I could still see the man that coddled me in his arms after my parents died, letting me cry it out, wishing he could take the pain that I was feeling. That man, regardless of the last few years, would always hold a special place in my heart. Somewhere in my gut, I had a feeling that something serious was going on. It was my duty as Nathan’s wife to push him to do the hard things that I knew were best for him.

I was orphaned so young, and although the Landers family provided me with a home and an education, they were never truly my family. I knew what it felt like to be all alone in the world and not be able to change that. Until Nathan came back in my life, that feeling still ran rampant in my chest. I would do anything I could to have my family back, even for just a little while, and I knew that if something happened to Nathan’s family, he would have some really deep regrets.

There was nothing worse than regret, and I knew that first hand. Everything in me wanted to protect Nathan the same way he went out of his way to protect me. Though I wasn’t the root of the falling out between them, I was definitely one of the causes, and I felt it necessary to make sure I helped bring them back together, at least from the sidelines. The way I saw it, by going home and facing his father, Nathan had nothing to lose. If he didn’t and we stayed behind in Hawaii, not only would it be constantly on his mind, but he might never have the chance to even know what his father needed. Sure, Nick was a definite sore spot for him and his dad, but now his dad needed help, and he couldn’t turn to Nick. Big surprise. Nathan didn’t owe them anything, but I knew with the type of man Nathan was, he would want to help in one form or another.

The plane ride home was silent, and I looked over at Nathan as we rode along. He sat quietly with his hands in his lap, staring out the window into the darkness of the night. When we got back, we went to my house since we still hadn’t figured out living arrangements, and Nathan didn’t seem comfortable at his apartment. I was pretty sure it was because it reminded him of his past life, one that he was desperately trying to forget. By the time we got back to San Diego, the sun was starting to peek out so we grabbed some coffee and headed over to the house. We unpacked our luggage and changed our clothes, all in silence. I knew Nathan needed to think so I let him be.

“I want you to come with me,” he said, looking up at me as I filled the laundry basket.

“Are you sure?”

“You are my wife, and I have no secrets from you,” he said. “I could really use your strength and light in that dim, dark office.”

“Of course,” I said, walking over and kissing his cheek.

I changed my clothes quickly, and we headed out to the Landers Estate. As we pulled through the gates, I thought about the last time I was there. When I left, I thought I would never come back here. We pulled up out front and were greeted by the service staff. I smiled kindly at the women from the kitchen who were always so kind to me when I came to visit. I looked around at all the faces, realizing there seemed to be quite a few more service staff than normal. I wondered what one man could possibly need this many staff for but shrugged my shoulders, figuring it was his normal excess and attempt to make the house not seem so quiet and empty.

As we walked into the giant foyer, I looked up at the beautiful marble arches, remembering feeling so overwhelmed by them as a child. I had come from a two-bedroom home on a farm in Mexico and ended up in a seventeen-bedroom home in the hills of San Diego. It was a bit of a change for a little girl. Now, though, the surroundings seemed hollow and almost sad, the shadows darker than before, and the faces in the crowd quiet and somber.

I was nervous as to how Noah was going to accept my presence, especially after the way he treated me last time I was in front of him, or behind him for that matter. I was pretty sure he never found out that I had come over there that day to confront him, but now, seeing how things turned out, I was glad I never made it in front of his desk. I took a deep breath as I followed behind Nathan and entered Noah’s office. I was surprised to find a different man sitting in the chair behind the desk. Where once sat an angry, but healthy man, now sat a thin and frail person. His skin was more wrinkled, his eyes had dulled to a gray, and the color in his cheeks had faded away. The look on his face was somber, not angry, and he looked less vital than he did the many times I had seen before. I glanced up at Nathan’s face, and I could tell he was hiding his shock at what his father looked like. His face was straight and stern as he approached Noah’s desk.

“Have a seat,” Noah said. “Please.”

His voice was raspy and rough, leading to an even darker realization that he may not be well at all. I wasn’t sure if it was life in general, Nick, or his health, but something had drastically changed Mr. Landers, and it was not for the better. However, as his eyebrows relaxed and he folded his hands in his lap, I realized there was no hidden bitterness left inside of him, and it took me by surprise. Six months was a very long time for someone like Noah, and it could lead to many changes, including, as it seemed, a completely different viewpoint on life.

Nathan motioned to the seat next to him, and I smiled politely, sitting down and crossing my legs. Noah looked at me for a moment and back at Nathan, but I couldn’t tell what was going on in his mind. He seemed to be distraught, but my being there didn’t seem to bother him at all.

“First, I would like to thank you for coming,” he said with tired eyes. “And I would like to congratulate you both on getting married. I had no idea. I’m sorry you had to cut your honeymoon short.”

I was surprised by his words, but I kept my mouth shut. Instead, I smiled kindly and nodded. Nathan reached over and took my hand, squeezing it tightly in his. I could tell he was having a hard time already, and I couldn’t blame him. Noah looked and sounded terrible, and it was heartbreaking.

“A lot has happened,” he said, grabbing a handkerchief and coughing into it. “Your brother, Nicholas, is being investigated by the FBI for fraud surrounding some questionable international investments. Luckily, he did that on his own and not through the company. If that had been the case, there would be no company to discuss today. Since I kept control of the company and Nick had no ability to control where the money went, they did not freeze our assets. That being said, you can only imagine what this kind of scandal can do to a business’s reputation. Our quarterly profits are at rock bottom, and Nick has run off to South America with, what I am assuming is no real interest in coming back. Things are very bleak.”

Nathan sat there for a moment, taking all that information in. That was a lot of news for one tiny office, and even I was shocked, sitting there with wide eyes. Nathan looked around the room at the pictures on the walls and the books on the shelf. The room had been the same way since I had moved in here, with the exception of a couple of awards and some lame Father’s Day gifts. Nathan took a deep breath and looked back at Noah, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head.

“And how does this affect me?” he asked coldly. I could tell it was an act, and a really hard one for him to put on. “You tossed me out of everything, remember? You put yourself and this company in this position.”

I reached over and patted Nathan on the arm, feeling that he was starting to let his anger run loose inside of him. He needed to listen to everything and really take it all in. Otherwise, he would let his emotions rule him and make a decision he might not be happy with later. The entire point of this was not to get him his old life back. He had a life with me. But it was to allow him to face the turmoil in his family and come out the other side feeling satisfied and without regrets at the decision he made. The touch of my hand seemed to calm him a bit, and he leaned back, staring at his father who had turned and looked out the office window.

“Why can’t you take over the helm again and bring the struggling company back from the brink?” Nathan asked. “That is what you have been known for your whole life. You are known as the man who built an empire and survived the darkest days of the economy since the great depression. You were known as one of the top businessmen in the world. I know that sitting around all day and playing golf with your buddies can soften you a bit, but I’m sure you have it in you.” Nathan looked at his father in the eye as he turned back toward us. “I don’t know what you want from me. I am not the cleanup crew anymore. I did it once when mom died because I wanted to do it for her, but I don’t owe you or Nick anything. Anything you might think I owed you from being your son has been more than paid off.”

“All right,” his father said sadly. “I can’t take over the company because I’m sick.”

“Sick? What do you mean sick?” Nathan sat forward in his chair and stared at the old frail man on the other side of the desk. I had a feeling that what Noah was about to say next was going to knock us off our feet. I reached over and grabbed onto Nathan’s hand, squeezing it as Noah looked him straight in the eye.

“I have colon cancer,” he replied. “It has spread everywhere, and there is nothing they can really do.”

Chapter Twenty Seven

Nathan

The words flowed so easily from my father’s mouth, but they hit me like a blow to the face. I leaned back in my chair, unsure if I really heard what I thought I heard. Everything in the room immediately sounded muffled and felt as if it were in slow motion. I looked down at Ronni’s hand grasping mine, but I couldn’t feel it. My father was dying of cancer and from the looks of it, he had known for a while. To make matters worse, while our father was here trying to handle the fact that he was dying, my brother was trying to fuck the company before the FBI caught on.

He must have realized he was driving the company into the ground and decided it was better to take the money and run than face my father and a federal prison. Since Mom died, it was hard to face my father, but to completely screw him over while he was facing a death sentence was low, even for Nick. My father had always been so full of life, living it on the edge, unlike me. It was so hard to wrap my head around the fact that he was dying. It almost felt like a bad dream that I couldn’t shake myself awake from. And even with all that information, my father was looking to me to save the day again. He wanted me to bring his company back, just like I had done when the great recession had hit us hard.

I had been the hero last time, bringing the company back, saving the family fortune, and raising us higher than when we started. It sounded great on the outside, but in reality, it was absolutely miserable on the inside. I didn’t even know what to say. I couldn’t get my mind clear enough to even think straight. They expected me to do this, but did I want to? Did I want to drag Ronni through hell by spending hours a day at the office, coming home late, grumpy, and tired? Did it mean enough to me to put everything we had worked so hard for on hold just to appease my dying father?

And after everything my father and Nick put me through, how they tossed me from the will, from the company, and forced me to choose between the love of my life and them? I didn’t even know if they deserved my help. Suddenly, all the noise of the house came rushing back into my ears, and I looked up at my father. His face was solemn, and he wouldn’t meet my gaze. I looked over at Ronni, unsure of what to do in that moment. That was a lot of information to take in at once, and I couldn’t just make a decision right here on the spot.

“I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head and standing from the chair. “I need to think about all of this.”

I walked lifelessly back to the car, shock seeping into my system. Ronni took the keys from me and hopped into the driver’s seat, seeing that I was in no shape to drive. As we moved through the streets, I sat in silence, staring out the window. I wished I could say my mind was full of thoughts, but all I could feel was an emptiness inside. When we got back home, Ronni and I sat down on the couch. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me on the forehead. I could feel her love surging through me, and it helped me push forward. Had she not been there in that moment, I probably would have just sat there, staring at nothing, letting my mind go in all directions. She always knew exactly what to say. She always had good advice, and in that moment, that was exactly what I needed.

“Help me,” I said, leaning into her. “Tell me what to do. I don’t know what the right move is here. Should I just jump back in and take charge, forgetting all the terrible things that my father and brother have done to me? Should I turn my back and walk away from my family just like they did to me? Neither one of those choices seems like the right one. My father just told me he is dying, and I am supposed to be able to think clearly enough to make a life-altering the decision? I can’t blame my father for having cancer, but it’s just like him to drop something like this on me without giving me any options. I am completely at a loss, Ronni.”

“First,” she said, rubbing her hands through my hair. “You need to take a deep breath. Remember how calm we felt lying on the beaches in Hawaii. Remember how important it is to really understand what you are facing and not go forward emotionally. You are an amazing man with an amazing future. You just need to figure out what future you want. Take a deep breath and sit there for a moment. I want you to really hear what I have to say, and right now, you can only hear what’s in your own head.”

I closed my eyes and focused on Ronni’s fingers running through my hair. I took in deep breaths, imagining the crystal blue waters and white sandy beaches we’d been forced to leave behind. I thought about our wedding day and how beautiful Ronni looked walking through the sand, holding a small bouquet of flowers. I thought about the feeling I had when we were finally confirmed as husband and wife. All of these things had just happened recently, but they were the best things to ever happen to me. I could feel my heartbeat begin to slow, and my mood begin to shift. Slowly, I opened my eyes and nodded at Ronni.

“You know just as well as I do, especially from your mother, how important family is to your life,” she said. “You have seen firsthand how different things are when you have a strong family relationship versus a bad one. That being said, not all family relationships are healthy, nor do all family relationships end well. We have seen time and time again how relationships with toxic people can bring you down with them. That’s why I don’t have a lot of close people in my life. I never want to be put in a situation where my life ends up a certain way because I got dragged down by someone who never really cared in the first place.”

“But how do I know if this is one of those situations?”

“Not everything is black and white,” she said softly. “This is one of those times where everything is not as it seems. You need to take some time and really think about it. Take the emotion and put it to the side and really dive into the inner workings of who you are. You need to think long and hard what you want out of your life, and where you want to go in the future. Not everything is about the here and now. Many things are about how the here and now affects the future.”

“But shouldn’t I be thinking of more than just what I want? Shouldn’t I be thinking about what my father wants, too?”

“What people want and what people need can often be two different things,” she whispered. “Sometimes when you take the time to really think about things, you realize that what is best may not be the most ideal choice for everyone. But, if they are given that as their only option, in the end, they will find that what is best turned out to be the right decision. You might be surprised how similar those decisions are between you and your father. You need to decide what kind of future you envision for your life.”

“You’re all I want in life,” I responded, smiling up at her.

“And I will always be here, no matter what path you choose,” she replied with a grin. “Remember that when two people get into a relationship, they don’t just magically become one person. What makes a relationship strong is having two individuals working on the things they want in life and having those things intersect. We don’t have to have the same dreams or timelines. We just have to have our lives intersect at the perfect point. When that happens, everything falls into place. Don’t think about me and us. Think about what you want. You always think about what I want, and now, it’s time to understand that no matter what choice you make, I will be right there, cheering you on the entire way. And at the end of the day, our lives will intersect, bringing us back together.”

“You are a wise woman,” I said, looking up at her and feeling much calmer. “I think I’m going to go for a walk on the beach, clear my head, and really think about things.”

“Sounds like a perfect plan,” she said, smiling. “I’m going to get dinner started so we aren’t starving in an hour.”

I stood up from the couch and kissed Ronni on the lips, walking to the door and looking back at her before I closed it behind me. I crossed the street and took my flip flops off before stepping into the moist, cool sand. It didn’t feel the same between my toes as the sand in Hawaii did, but it was still just as nice to be by the ocean when the sun was getting ready to set. The beach had always been such a big part of my life, and it was funny how I always reminisced about my mother taking me to the beach and never thought about the millions of beach trips my father would take Nick and me on. The three of us were thick as thieves, and no matter what was going on at home, or how much Nick and I fought, as soon as we were out there in the sand with our father, we were brothers to the end. Noah and I really had a strong and special relationship when I was a boy and I always was in awe by the fact that my father was so strong and so ready to always be there for us.

I really wanted to have that bond again, that feeling that no matter what life threw at us, we had each other to lean on. I just didn’t think, at this point, anything with Nick could be salvaged. As far as the company was concerned, I didn’t know if I really wanted to dive in and bring it back from the brink of disaster yet again. It would take long, hard hours repairing a company that was not even my legacy. It was my father’s. My father was smart enough with money that he didn’t need the company. He just wanted the company. My thoughts were drawn from my father as I looked ahead at a family walking through the sand. They were laughing and talking, and the dad reached down to swing his little boy up and onto his shoulders.

I stopped and watched them for a few moments, smiling as they passed. They were the perfect example of a happy family. The mom was shining brightly from her husband’s obvious love for her, and the child was carefree and happy to be with his parents. I watched as the boy clung to his father’s head, looking around in wonder at how different the world looked from that height. It was at that moment, everything faded away, and I knew exactly what my choice had to be.

Chapter Twenty Eight

Ronni

I stood there in the shop, staring out the front window, completely lost in my own thoughts. Nathan had been very quiet the last couple of days, and I didn’t want to push him for an answer to what was going on. The retail location was really coming along, and we had all come in today to see what we could do to get everything up and ready as fast as possible. Things were really starting to come together, and I was starting to get really excited about our future with the company.

We had already gotten several orders just from the photo shoot and handing out business cards. There were even orders placed by husbands who saw us there and wanted to get their wives something sexy for their next trip to the beach. When we had arrived this morning, there was a truck sitting outside, and we realized that it was our first shipment of suits arriving from the tailors. We immediately opened every box and sorted them by size, color, and style. We placed the stacks throughout the store, excited to get them on hangers and on the shelves. It was going to actually look like a store in here for the first time, and I couldn’t wait to stand back and soak it all in.

We grabbed a large tub of hangers and went to work, getting them hung up perfectly and uniformly, and placed neatly on the racks, with all the hangers going in the same direction. One thing I loved about working with Maria was that she was just as anal retentive as me about having everything sleek, smooth, and the least messy we could possibly get it. When you walked into a store to buy clothing, you didn’t want to have to search through loads of clothing just to find one piece that you are looking for. You want the customer to come in, pick out their favorite thing, and go right to the register to buy it. The longer they had to think, the worse off the store was.

I looked over at Maria and smiled as she pushed the first rack to the side and began working on the next color.

“Okay,” she said. “Spill it. What’s wrong with you?”

“Nathan’s dad is dying,” I said, sighing. “And Nick ran off to South America after being chased by the FBI. He was involved with some international sales he shouldn’t have been.”

“Oh, wow,” she said, looking at me with wide eyes. “That’s nuts!”

“Well, now Nathan’s father wants him to run the show again and save the company,” I replied. “But Nathan hated it when he was there, and he is having a really hard time deciding what to do while also mourning the fact that his father is dying.”

“Nathan doesn’t own anyone a damn thing,” Maria said proudly. “He has done so much for his family, and that includes giving up on his own life to make sure their legacy lived on. But that being said, he would be a damn fool to walk away from all that money.”

“Nathan has money, remember,” I said, chuckling. “He doesn’t need the money. He just feels guilty, and that is really messing him up when it comes to making a decision on where to go next.”

“You guys think too much about things,” Ronni said, laughing. “Do what’s best for the future. Put everything else to the side. I don’t know why people latch on to things in life so much. Mr. Landers, when he’s dead, is he really going to care if the company is running or not?”

“Well, if he is the same man in the afterlife that he is in this one,” I said. “I would not be surprised in the least.”

I looked down at the bathing suit I was folding and began to think about Mr. Landers when he took care of me as a child. It was weird. I was spending so much time making sure that Nathan was doing okay, I hadn’t even stopped for two seconds to think about if I was okay. When Noah died, it will be the last piece of family connection I have, and my fond memories will be all jumbled up with the most recent ones.

I didn’t want to think about death. It made me uneasy, especially since I had dealt with so much of it over the years. This would be the fourth parent figure I lost, which was way too many for any twenty-three-year-old woman to deal with. I turned as I heard Nathan’s footsteps coming down the stairs. He smiled at me as he walked forward and kissed my lips, rubbing my arms up and down with his hands.

“I am having dinner with my father tonight,” he said. “Would you like to join?”

“Do you want me there?”

“Of course,” he said, chuckling. “I want you by my side always. You are my wife, and I love you very much. You should be just as much part of this as I am, especially since I know you have a special place in your heart for my father.”

“Then, of course, I will come.” I smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

We went through the rest of the day folding, clamping, and hanging the suits on the shelves. Maria and I were like speed demons when it came to getting things done, so we were more than happy that Nathan came down and wanted to help. When we were done, we stepped back and looked at our handiwork. The place actually looked like a real store, and it sent excitement bubbling all over my body. Just a few more touches like the art mural and the rugs, and this place will be ready to go for Christmas holiday shoppers. Nathan walked up behind me and kissed me on the forehead, signaling it was time to go so we could get ready. Maria agreed that she was done for the day so we all rode back in Nathan’s car. It was starting to be that exciting time in San Diego where lights were going up for the holidays and Hawaiian shirt-clad Santa Claus’s could be seen on every corner.

When we got to the house, we changed into our fine dining clothing and headed out for the restaurant. When we arrived, Noah was already sitting at the table, sipping his glass of water. He looked even more frail and ill than he did the other day, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to make it long enough to see his company rise or fall.

The dinner felt awkward, and everyone sat around the table in silence, picking at our personal appetizers and sipping our drinks. Nathan ordered a double whiskey on the rocks, and I got a martini, while Mr. Landers stuck with his water. I wanted to ask him if he was on any kind of treatment, but I knew it was none of my business, and I didn’t want to upset him or the situation any more than it already was. Nathan reached down and squeezed my hand as he sat up straight and cleared his throat.

“For many, many years,” Nathan began. “As far back as I can remember, running your company and bringing it to greater heights was my dream. As a young boy, I would sit back and imagine what it would be like to be as good in business as you were. And in the end, I found that it was very lonely. I had big dreams for the company, but dreams change, and so do people. I’ve grown so much over the last year. You would be proud of everything I have accomplished. I’ve learned how to take a deep breath and realized that I am way happier without the weight of that company on my shoulders. With that weight gone, I have been able to put my talents in other areas, and my wife, Ronni, and I have been busy working on building our own empire. The things we have been able to do with our combined knowledge have been leaps and bounds above what I expected, and we still don’t wake up in the morning feeling stressed and lonely. So, for those reasons, I want to respectfully decline your offer for me to take back over the business.”

Nathan took a drink of his whiskey and watched as his father’s face hardened. As Mr. Landers opened his mouth to protest Nathan’s lack of interest in saving the company, Nathan put his hand up and shook his head. He swallowed his whiskey hard and smiled at the waitress as she set his food down in front of him.

“I’m not done,” he said, wincing at the after bite from the liquor. “I don’t understand why you are so obsessed with keeping the company busy. It can’t be for the money. You are dying, Nick is running from federal prison, and I have my own money. Don’t you have enough money? Your bank accounts and investments total so much that you could live six lifetimes and still not run out. Is it about the power? If so, that would be a change, because until now you didn’t want the power. You were the guy sitting back and just letting things go with the flow. You trusted me to do the right thing, but I didn’t even realize what the right thing was until last night. While you are over there still striving for more, pushing for a better company, a stronger bottom line, and a company that will stand the test of time, everyone else is moving on with their lives. Wouldn’t it be better to let this go in its glory and try to enjoy the time you have left, without the stress of a company and legacy? None of those things will be worth shit when you aren’t there to enjoy them.”

Nathan stopped and took another drink of his whiskey. Mr. Landers sat in his chair, staring down at his food. His face did not portray anger, but instead, showed a deep sadness I hadn’t seen in years. He had clung to that company because it was built with Mrs. Landers at his side. It was their idea and their hard work that pushed the company to greatness in the first place. I realized that this never actually had anything to do with money or legacy. It had to do with grief and the inability to let go. Mr. Landers wanted to fix the company because it was the only thing he had left of his wife.

“Look, Dad,” Nathan said, setting down his drink and putting his hand on his father’s shoulder. Go home and really think about it. If you agree and you want to dissolve the company, I will help you. I will take the reins, dissolve the company, sell the assets, and let you retire in peace. The payout, even after the 401Ks and the pensions we are obligated to pay, I’m sure there is enough in there that you will never have to want for anything. “

The rest of the dinner was quiet, but I could tell that Nathan had touched Mr. Landers by figuring out exactly what I already knew. It was time to let go.

Chapter Twenty Nine

Nathan

As we sat there quietly eating our dinner, I thought about how proud I was for making the choice to go in the direction that I knew was best. It took a lot of courage to stand up to my father, and it was the first time that I had ever done it. Through the years, I had folded to every single one of his wishes.

Our father was like a god to us growing up. This man could turn nothing into gold. We were taught to always listen to him, take his advice whether we wanted to or not, and be there anytime he needed anything. I lived my life feeling like I was the only one that could keep the family and the business on the right track, and letting that burden go was extremely hard. I wanted my father to be proud of me, to look at me as someone he could come to, lean on, and know that he could count on me to do what he thought was best. The problem with that was, when I got older, I was still living my life based on what my father thought was best for him, not what I thought was best for me. So, without thinking I dove into the life that had been laid out for me since birth and engrossed myself so much in that life that I didn’t even have time to see the world around me. When I met Ronni, that world that had been built for me started to crumble away, and the world I wanted to build for myself began to take shape.

I didn’t tell my father to dissolve the company because that was in my best interest. For all intents and purposes, he could have easily gone out and hired someone to do the job that I wouldn’t. But I told my father that it was the best choice because I truly believed that it was. He needed to be free from this burden, especially now that he was quickly losing time. I wanted to see him flourish in the last days, months, or however long he had left, without sitting in his office and stressing over a legacy that wouldn’t matter once he was gone. Sure, he could sell the company, but I knew that wouldn’t do any good. He would still keep himself engrossed in what was going on with it. It would kill him more to watch someone else change his company into their own, than watch Nick take it down in a blaze of glory.

I watched my father across the table as we finished our desserts, and I asked for the check. His face was solemn, and I could see the anguish in every glance. It was not what he thought he wanted, and he wasn’t happy with my choice to turn him down, but he knew there was no way, at this point, he could fight me on it. In reality, he was tired. He was tired of missing my mother, he was tired of fighting his children, and he was tired of living half of a life.

He had done it for so long that it hadn’t even hit him until he was given a death sentence. So, facing the end, he clung to the only thing he had left, a company that would hold no meaning for anyone once he was gone. It made me sad to think that he didn’t feel that he had his own sons to go to instead of holding on to his own company for dear life. I know he didn’t like my opinion or offer, but I could only hope that when he got home, he really took a hard look at himself and his life and made peace with letting the company go. At this point, he was the only one that could make this decision. I had spoken my mind, and now, I would have to wait and see what he decided.

When dinner was over, I hugged my father and kissed him on the cheek before getting him into the limo and sending him back home. As we drove back to the house, many thoughts flew through my mind, but I was distracted by Ronni’s beautiful face. She reached over and grabbed my hand, pulling it into her lap. I could tell she had questions, especially since it was the first time she had heard my decision as well.

“How did you come to the conclusion that you did?” she asked.

“My first instinct this entire time was to jump right in and do exactly what my father wanted. My whole life, that is exactly what I did, and the thought of making any other decision, with his life coming to an end, made me feel so damn guilty. Then, when I went for that walk on the beach, I let it all work through my mind. I thought about my father taking Nick and me to the beach as kids. I thought about how much love he gave us on a daily basis. I thought about how he always pushed us to be better, smarter, and stronger. I thought about everything going on in his life right now, and then, I stopped in my tracks and stared at this adorable little family walking down the beach. The father had put his son on his shoulders and grabbed his wife’s hand. They looked perfect, happy, and prepared to face the world.”

“Did that make you think even more about your own father’s role in your life when you were younger?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head and smiling. “It made me think about the future I really wanted. It made me answer those questions you gave me before I walked out to the beach. I knew if I took that job at my father’s firm, I would have no time for anything, especially a family. And I don’t know your thoughts, but a family is what I really want with you, Ronni. I want to start a family together. A family we can build together, just like the empire we are building.”

I looked over at Ronni and held her hand tighter. I could see how touched she really was with the decision I had made. Tears were flooding her eyes, and she sniffled, trying to hold them back. Ronni knew what it felt like to never have someone there making choices that were for her. She knew how it felt to be running in circles with no way out. Now, she knew what it felt like to have a man in her life that truly appreciated and loved her for everything she was. I wanted a life with Ronni, not a half marriage where I was always gone.

When we pulled up to the house, I went around to Ronni’s side of the car and helped her out of the car. She wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned up, kissing me hard. Tears flowed down her face, and she laughed as I reached down and picked her up, cradling her in my arms. She laid her face on my shoulder as I walked her up the sidewalk and into the house. Maria wasn’t home, having gone to the salsa club with her boyfriend, and I gently set Ronni down on the floor, grabbing her hand and leading her back to the bedroom.

I shut the door behind us and leaned in, kissing her neck softly as I unbuttoned her blouse. As I slid her top off her shoulders, I kissed her collarbone and down her skin, tasting the saltiness of her body. I reached back behind her back and undid her bra, spilling her breasts out and pulling her close into me. As our mouths connected and our tongues explored, I unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the floor.

I stepped back away from her, holding her hand and smiling at her beautiful body. I pulled my shirt over my head and took off my shorts, tossing them to the side. I stepped forward and picked Ronni back up off the floor and turned around, laying her gently on the bed, her head pressed into the pillow. Slowly, I pulled her panties down and off and pulled my boxers to the floor before crawling over the bed and running my lips down her tanned supple skin.

As my kisses grazed her, goosebumps peppered her body, and she reached up, running her fingers through my hair. I loved her touch more than anything in the entire world. As I moved downward, I sucked lightly on her nipples, massaging her breasts with my hands. She breathed heavily beneath me as I worshipped every inch of her body. I turned and moved down to her legs, lifting her ankles to my lips and kissing softly down past the knee and onto her thigh.

I could feel the tension building as my lips moved closer and closer to her wet mound. I laid down on my stomach and pushed her legs apart, pushing my finger through her folds. Feeling her soft lips against my fingers, I moved forward, running my tongue through the juices and up around her nub. She moaned softly, her voice taking a higher octave, something I never heard from her before, but I definitely wanted to hear again. My tongue ran over her pussy, bringing her body to a point where she could no longer help but sway her hips to the motion of my mouth. She tasted amazing, and as I pressed my fingers inside of her, I thought about the way my shaft was going to feel inside her tight wetness. My cock was hard and throbbing beneath me, but I wasn't going to give in to its needs. I wanted this woman to really know how I felt about her. I slid my fingers slowly in and out, as her hips continued to move in a melodic motion. Her high-pitched moans sent chills down my back, and I pulled my tongue up to her clit and began to suck and nibble on it. She giggled between sighs as her body prepared for the orgasm that was coming.

I dove face first into her juices and rubbed my mouth all through her lips and back up to her clit. I opened wide, caressing her nub with my tongue and kissing her pussy like I kissed her mouth. She reached down and grabbed my hair, feeling the heat of her orgasm getting stronger and stronger as the seconds passed. I moved my fingers out of her and stuck my tongue where they had been, giving her a completely different sensation than before. She breathed heavily above me, pushing her pussy harder into my mouth. I wanted so badly to taste her as she came so I buckled down, replaying the same pattern with my tongue over and over again while fingering her slowly and deeply. I could hear her moans getting faster and needier as my tongue slipped through her juices in the pattern of a figure eight. She moved her hands from my hair and reached around, grabbing her sheets and holding on tightly.

I could feel her body begin to tense as she reached the edge of the cliff. I instantly began moving my fingers faster and faster until she exploded over the edge. Her body shook and shuddered underneath me, and she reached up, grabbing my hair as her legs pulsated against my head. I could taste her warm juices running from her tight pussy as the orgasm washed over her. She laid there, breathing heavily, letting the last of the sensation run its course. I loved licking her pussy, but now, it was my cock’s turn to explore.

Chapter Thirty

Ronni

I had never felt this kind of touch from Nathan before. It wasn’t lustful or needy. It was soft and kind. He was touching every part of my body with his, and I couldn’t help but feel closer to him than I ever had before. His strong hands turned gentle, and his kisses floated over me like the Hawaiian breeze in our villa. I felt no need to rush or hurry, and when he brought me to orgasm, I laid back and let the feeling flow over me like water.

He moved his body over top of me, cloaking me in his masculinity as he carefully pushed deep inside of me. His eyes locked with mine as our bodies moved in sync, feeling every inch of each other and taking our time to really know each other’s bodies. I ran my hands up his strong muscular back as he breathed heavily into my skin. Our legs intertwined as we rolled across the bed. I straddled his hard body and caressed his chest as I moved my hips melodically to the sounds of our moans. I tossed my head back, enjoying every wave of pleasure that surged through me as his body met mine.

Nathan reached up and ran his hand across my chest and up to my face. He pulled my head toward him, pressing his lips against mine and kissing me passionately as I moved up and down on his hard cock. I could hear his groans echoing through my mouth as my juices flowed down his shaft and over his balls. He moved his hands down to my waist and rolled back on top of me, wrapping my legs around his waist and pushing deep inside. He stopped for a moment, completely immersed in my body, and ran his tongue over my poised lips, tasting my sweet breath on his tongue. Slowly, he pulled his dick out until only the tip sat inside of me before pushing back in and groaning at the feeling. He gyrated his body against me like a snake, rubbing my clit with his skin and bringing me closer to pure pleasure. I reached down and grabbed his ass, holding him down on top of me as his hips swirled in circles and his cock filled me completely. I moaned loudly, not even recognizing the sounds coming from my throat. It was a completely different level of arousal, and I didn’t want it to stop.

He reached his arms under my back and lifted me up off the bed, pressing our bodies tightly together as he thrust in short bursts in and out of me. I could feel my body reaching the tipping point of orgasm, and as my muscles began to tense, he laid me down and thrust deep and long inside of my wet mound. I arched my back and threw my head backward, closing my eyes tightly and letting out a squeal of ecstasy as my body erupted in orgasm. The waves ran through me at a speed I could barely stand, and I felt his hands clenching my sides as he pushed down deep inside of me and allowed himself to release. As his lungs expelled, he growled deeply, his body feeling the release of his seed. His cock pulsated hard inside, and I could feel every single part of his orgasm. His eyes became heavy, and his head bobbed as he laid gently down on top of me, his head resting on my breasts.

I reached down and stroked his hair as we both fought to control our wildly beating hearts. That was the most erotic experience of my life, and instead of my normal, lustful satisfaction, I felt extraordinarily close to Nathan. Our bodies had connected in a way they never had before. As he got his footing, Nathan rolled to the side and pulled his body up next to mine. He pushed the hair back out of my face and held my cheeks while he kissed me gently. I could see the same look in his eyes then, that he had the first time he told me he loved me. Only this time, I was fully his with no drama, no secrets, and no one there to try to keep us apart. Everything that had happened before had led us to this moment, and we had found solace, love, and friendship in each other’s arms.

“I love you so much, Ronni,” he whispered, still holding my face. “And I will love you for the rest of my life.”

“I love you too, Nathan,” I responded with a smile I couldn’t hold back.

He kissed me again and rolled onto his back, pulling me onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close, lying there and enjoying the silent bond between us. I rubbed his chest gently, feeling the peace in the room around us. The stress of the past few days was still there, but together, we were able to handle them with strength and class. It was definitely no secret that we were better as a team than we were apart, and I could never imagine a day without him. I knew he was hurting, knowing his father was very close to the end of his life, but he had made a decision that would leave him without regret. He had done the best for his father, for himself, and for his family, and I was so very proud of him. I only hoped that Noah went home and really understood how much Nathan loved him. They may not show it in a normal, conventional way, but their bond was still there, and they still cared about each other so very much. I yawned deeply, feeling the exhaustion of the day’s emotions flooding over me.

Nathan looked down and smiled, his eyes getting droopy himself. Before either of us could fall asleep, we heard the humming of Nathan’s phone on the floor. Nathan grunted as he pulled himself out of bed and pulled his phone from the pocket of his shorts. He looked at me strangely as he answered the phone, and I couldn’t tell if it was concern or excitement. I sat up in the bed, alarmed by his initial reaction, and watched as he began to pace the room.

“Dad,” he said, answering. “Everything okay?”

Nathan listened, shaking his head and saying “okay” several times. He stopped and took in a deep breath, his face falling to a serious expression. I could hear his father’s voice on the other line, but it wasn’t the normal angry tone that I was used to. This was a tone I hadn’t heard since I was a little girl, staying in the bedroom next to theirs after my mother and father had died. It was a fatherly, loving tone that had endeared me to that man from the beginning.

“I understand,” Nathan said into the phone. “I’m really happy for you, Dad. And I can’t wait to hear all about it. I’ll talk to you soon.”

He paused, listening, and glanced up at me with a smile.

“Okay,” he said, chuckling. “I’ll let her know. Bye.”

Nathan hung up the phone and stared at me in amazement. He smiled as he walked over to the window and looked out at the road. I wrapped the sheet around me and grabbed his boxers, handing them to him and glancing down at the street. He looked down at his naked body and jumped back from the window, laughing. He was in such a daze that he didn’t realize he was flashing the entire neighborhood. This daze, though, was completely different than before, and I could sense a sincere peacefulness surging through him.

“Okay,” I said impatiently. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“That was my father,” he said, rubbing his hand through his hair. “He, uh, he said that he went home and really did some soul searching. He said he talked to Mom, he talked to God, he talked to himself, and in the end, he knew what he needed to do. He agreed with my suggestion and wants me to go ahead and start the process of dissolving the company. He realized his intentions were selfish, and it would be a terrible legacy to leave a broken company for his family to clean up. He said that he wants to spend the rest of the time he has left on this earth traveling around, seeing the world. He told me that he realized that he had been lonely and empty for far too long, and he wanted a new adventure to close out his amazing life on this earth. He told me to tell you he was sorry, that he was a monster, and that he really does love you.”

Instantly, tears began to flood from my eyes, and I walked over and laid my face against Nathan’s shoulder. I could hear his heart beating fast and his breath catching in his throat. He took a deep breath and looked down at me.

“He told me he was proud of me,” he said, tears running down his cheeks. “In the end, I’m just as proud of him. It was that strength that I've known him to have our whole lives. I just was waiting for it to come back out. It had been in hiding for a very long time.”

I hugged Nathan tightly, and he pressed his face into my neck, calming his soul. He pulled back, wiped the tears from his face, and grabbed his shirt. He kissed me hard, over and over again, on the lips, and I giggled loudly.

“What are you doing?” I laughed.

“I want to get this started for him,” he said. “I don’t want it to be something looming over him.”

“Okay,” I said, smiling. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”

“I love you,” he said before turning and walking from the room.

“I love you, too,” I whispered.

I climbed back in the bed and laid there, staring at the ceiling and thinking about my future. I always knew I wanted a business, and now I had one with the man I loved. But even more exciting than building an empire, was the thought of building a family with the man I love. Having those loving arms wrapped around me and our children was a new dream for me, but something I craved to have with Nathan more than anything else. I knew he was going to be a phenomenal father as well as an amazing husband for the rest of my life. Just the vision of the beautiful babies we could have, made me want to get started right away on a family. If my parents could see us now, they would be so excited to know that they would be grandparents. Part of me was sad that I would never share that with them, but the other part of me knew they were there somewhere, guiding me, watching over me, and smiling down at the kind of woman I had turned into.

Bringing a new life into this world and forging an even stronger bond with Nathan was something that I just couldn’t help but smile about. I ran my hands over my belly, thinking about the last few days and thinking that for all I knew, there could be a life starting inside of me as we spoke. The spark of light that turned into a beautiful person could be happening already, and that child would be a child of love and laughter. The child would have been made from pure love of two people that happened to find each other in the strangest place. I knew right then that I had found my happily ever after, and I was never going to let it go.