Chapter 20

Joey

I knock on Dani’s front door and wait, my hands tucked behind my back, the pressure building in my chest. The sun has risen, I haven’t seen Holden since he cracked me on the nose this morning, and the crazy-anger that pulsed through me this morning has finally dissipated.

I’m OK.

I’m not going to break my brother’s back for what he did. I’m not going to overreact.

But I will find Dani and make her mine and mine alone.

If she’s got a choice, she’ll choose me. Simple as hell.

The clouds from last night have already lifted, and another beautiful blue day has dawned in the Caribbean. Mystique Island is alive with events. Beautiful masked women hop around naked in the sand nearby, playing volleyball, their tits bouncing—all different shapes and sizes.

A couple days ago, I would’ve been in their midst, sucking breasts and getting sucked off by more than one woman at a time.

Now, nothing appeals to me less.

I knock again. “Dani,” I call out. “It’s Joey. Open up.”

No answer. She’s not home, or she’s ignoring me.

Footsteps thump up the path behind me, and I turn, finding a dude without his mask. He’s one of the cleaners here, judging by the keys attached to his belt and the supplies he carts in a basket in one hand.

He stops and frowns at me. “Sir?”

I adjust my mask—I can’t afford to break any more rules or I won’t see Dani again—and nod to him. “You guys only come to the villa when the resident has left, right?”

“That’s correct, sir.”

“Which means Dani isn’t here,” I mutter, more to myself than to him.

“Yes, sir. She left not ten minutes ago. I believe she’s in the main reception area, talking with Mistress Prunella about leaving the island.”

“Mistress Prunella?” I blink. What the fuck kind of name is that?

“Yes, sir. If you’ll excuse me, sir, I need to clean her villa before she returns.”

I nod and step out of her path. Obviously, the cleaner dude has no reason to hide her whereabouts from me. I’m a guest of the island. A billionaire guest, and this is a safe place. If Dani didn’t want to be found, she would have told them as much.

I take two steps down the path, then halt and turn back. “Yo, dude.”

The cleaner guy stops, his brown doe eyes wide. He’s pale, with freckles, probably in his twenties. This has to be a dream job for him. Good pay and an eyeful of pussy wherever he goes. “Yes, sir?”

“Pay extra attention to the sofa cushions.” I walk off down the path and make my way toward the boardwalk that trails between the island-style buildings. There are thatched roofs and tiled ones, pale white walls, a central garden that features native flowers and trees. Birds flit between branches and people sit on benches there, some of them with their dicks wet, others with their faces dripping cum.

Island paradise. That’s what this is for most people.

Not for me, at the moment.

You started this. You should’ve left her alone on the beach.

Nah, I shouldn’t have.

She was mine from the start. I just didn’t know it until I laid eyes on her.

I walk past the main banquet hall, empty now, and head down the walkway that leads to the reception area. It’s a building removed from the rest of the resort, near a grouping of palm trees that lead back into a thicker forest.

There’s a long span of boardwalk between here and there, bordered by white sand, pebbles, emptiness on my right, and water on my left. My bare feet thunk on the boards, and I quicken my pace.

Why is she at reception talking to Miss Prune or whatever the fuck her name is?

No one on this island bothers with reception.

I reach the small building and open the glass front door, stepping inside.

“You’ll have to sign a disclaimer that states you’re leaving early, dear,” the bespectacled woman behind the desk says. “It’s general policy that early-leavers don’t get a second invite to the island.”

Dani’s back is to me. She’s dressed in a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a fitted camisole, her long dark hair tossed over one shoulder.

Christ, she’s perfect from behind.

“That’s fine,” she says. “I won’t be coming back.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, dear,” the woman says. She’s totally unsuited to the island—older, probably a prude. Maybe that’s why they’ve got her hidden in reception on this side of Mystique. “Usually, the women who attend Mystique’s events have a fabulous time.”

“It’s not the island,” Dani breathes. “It’s lovely here. It’s just that some personal complications have arisen—”

The receptionist nods, her eyes made small by the lenses of her glasses. She looks past Dani and spots me, then arches an eyebrow. “May I help you, sir? Goodness, it’s never this busy in reception. Would you like some coffee while you wait until I’m finished with this lady’s query?”

This is surreal. It’s as if I’ve stepped off Mystique and into a dentist’s office.

“Dani, what are you doing?” I ask.

She spins around and that cursed fucking mask hides her features from me. Her perfection.

“Joey?” She swallows. “Hi.”

“What are you doing?”

“The only thing I can do,” she replies. “I’m leaving.”

I cross the sparkling tiles in two long strides then sweep her into my arms, holding her close.

She lets her arms hang limp, but she reacts to me regardless. Her lips part, and a tiny sigh escapes.

This woman needs me. She craves me as much as I crave her. “You can’t leave.”

“I have to,” she says and shakes her head, placing a palm to my chest. She pushes away from me, and I let her go, though I fucking hate it. “It’s not right. None of what’s happened is right. Last night, Holden—”

“Is this about the fight?” I can’t promise I’d take it back, given the chance. No, I’d probably break my brother’s nose.

“It’s about everything. This can’t happen. It’s not healthy for any of us. Your relationship with your brother is more important than—” Dani stiffens and looks over her shoulder at the receptionist, who’s clearly way too curious about this conversation.

Miss Pruney jumps and busies herself with papers on her desk.

“Let’s talk outside.” I take her hand.

“I’ll be back shortly, Mistress Prunella.” Dani squares her shoulders—one of the straps of her camisole slips down her arm, and she fixes it, absently. “Please prepare those documents for me.”

“Of course, dear,” the woman says and looks up as if she hasn’t heard a word of our talk.

I lead Dani out onto the boardwalk, and we stand under the sun, looking out on the turquoise ocean. Someone’s got a boat out there, and they’re tearing it up. People shriek and laugh, others glide by on water skis.

The sun bakes my forehead and sweat trickles down my temples. I squeeze Dani’s fingers. “You’re not leaving.”

“Don’t you understand, Joey? Holden gave me a choice. It’s him or nothing. And I bet you’ll tell me it’s you or nothing.”

“That’s right,” I reply. That’s what I want. Just me and her, somewhere special together. We can travel the world. She wants that. She wants the freedom, right? So, she can have it with me. We’ll take first-class flights and stay up late talking, feeding each other, fucking.

“But that’s wrong,” Dani says. “I can’t—I care about both of you.”

“Just because you’ve known him longer doesn’t mean he’s the one for you.” It’s petty to talk like this behind Holden’s back, but I’d say the same to his face, and he’d do it, too. He did last night when he told her I want nothing but sex.

“It doesn’t matter who’s the one for me. It matters that I don’t ruin your relationship. You’re family. That’s important.” Dani slips her hand from my grasp and sets off down the boardwalk at a blistering pace.

I follow her.

“Dani, you can’t walk away from me that easily.”

She doesn’t reply.

Fuck, I hate being the follower in this scenario. I’ve never chased pussy in my life. It’s always fallen onto my dick. But Dani isn’t “pussy.” She’s my woman. She’s redefined how I think about life over the course of a couple days.

It’s crazy, and that’s fine. I’m fucking crazy.

We zip down the boardwalk, past the garden and its couples and threesomes, down onto the beach and past an orgy of men and women, then up to her villa’s front door.

She spins on the threshold and presses out a palm.

“I’m not leaving before we talk this through,” I say. “I’ll stay out here all day if I have to. This is more than just a weekend for me, Dani.” And that takes a lot to say.

Dani hesitates, licks her lips. “Fine. Come in. You can help me pack my bags.”