Chapter 9

Heather

I stumble into my villa at noon, still high on Daddy’s touch. Before this, I would never have considered calling anyone by that nickname, but with him, it feels right. I can’t fathom why.

I’ll save the thought for another time. Right now, I’m in serious need of a shower and a change of clothes. Not that I have much on me. I’ve got my bikini top and that’s it – the bottoms are lost somewhere in the sand.

I hurry through to my bathroom, past my double bed, which has been made by the staff on the island, thoughts bent on my time with the mystery man.

The masks are a pain in the ass. I long to rip his off, just so I can see what’s underneath, to identify the man I’m with. I won’t know him, yeah, I don’t exactly run in billionaire circles back in New York, but at least I’ll remember his face after this and look back on this time.

“No looking back,” I mutter, and shake my head at myself. “You’re here to lose the virginity, to be wild. No emotions. No attachments.” The sex is amazing, not that I have a real frame of reference here, but I can’t afford getting invested.

I have tonight and tomorrow night, and after that, it’s over. No more Daddy. No more fun.

I’ll return to my normal life at Columbia, study and work hard, and hopefully, all this pressure and sex stuff will be off my mind.

I slip off my bikini top and drop it into the wash basket beside the basin. The bathroom is all cool colors, pale blue tiles, steel gray fittings with a matte finish, and a mirror over the sink that reflects it all.

I step into the open plan shower and switch on the hot water. Steam pours down and I’m instantly doused. I don’t want to wash his scent off my skin, not really, but I have to get clean for tonight.

I’ve promised to meet him at the party in the main hall – a place we’ve never been – and I can’t go without –

A knock rattles my front door, and I drop the soap. Never a good idea. “Hello?” I call out, then roll my eyes. How will anyone hear me in this?

I’m about to switch off the water when the front door clicks. I tense up. What if it’s him? What if he’s come to my villa, without his mask? A thrill travels down my spine. I wash up as fast as I can, but footsteps track across the wooden boards in my bedroom and toward the entrance to the bathroom.

My pulse races. I cut off the water and reach for a towel on the hook beside the shower. I grab it just as a shape materializes in the steam. A woman’s shape.

“What the –?”

“There you are, girl, I’ve been looking all over for you.” Becky’s voice is honeyed, and she waves the steam from her face. “Still taking showers that’ll burn your skin off.”

“Oh my god,” I say. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I totally forgot about you.”

“A mean feat,” Becky replies and winks at me. She’s stunning in her bikini and a lace shift over it. “I take it there’s a reason you haven’t come over.”

“I – uh, I don’t know where you stay.” I wrap the towel around my body and step onto the bath mat.

“Dude, I literally live in the villa right next door to you,” Becky says. “Boy, you’re distracted.”

“Yeah.” I grab another towel for my hair and walk through the bedroom. “I guess I am.” I flip my hair forward and put it up in the towel to dry.

Becky follows me and takes a seat on the chaise lounge at the base of my bed. “So?”

“So?” I throw back, though I already know what she wants to ask.

“Oh, come on, how’s it going with the, you know, losing-your-virginity deal? Have you managed it yet?”

I blush and turn my back to her, walk to the closet where I’ll surely find the perfect dress for tonight, paid for, brand new, and a matching set of shoes. “Uh –”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Yes, I have.” I sigh and throw the door open. And true to form, there’s a gorgeous red dress, this time a strappy one with a square cut at the breasts, tapering down to a body con at the bottom.

“Good,” she replies. “How many guys?”

I drag the dress off the rack and turn to her. “Are you kidding? Just one! I mean, I came to lose my virginity, not lose my mind.”

“Oh, come on. It’s fun! You haven’t lived until you’ve had two dicks inside you, one in your mouth and the other in your pussy.” Becky clasps her hands together and sighs. “So good.”

“Right,” I say, and slip into the dress, still a little moist from the shower. “It’s not like that for me. I’ve met – I don’t know how to describe him. He’s amazing. He’s not just good at the sex stuff, he emanates this… I don’t know, this power. And when I told him about it being my first time ever, he went really gentle with me.”

“Wow,” Becky says and blinks at me. “That’s great. But, I mean, you do know that’s all for the weekend. After this event, he’s not going to give a fuck about you.”

I freeze midway to drying my hair.

“Sorry, I hope I’m not bursting your bubble here,” Becky says, and checks her nails. “I just want you to be prepared for the disappointment.”

“There’s been no disappointment so far.” What was her deal? I was well aware of the length of the weekend, and that I’ll probably never see Daddy again, but what the hell? Is it necessary to shove it in my face when I’m trying to have a conversation with her about how good things have been for once?

“Yeah, I don’t want you to wind up regretting this like you did not fucking Jake.”

“Jake,” I say, and lick my lips. “Jake didn’t deserve my virginity. He cheated.”

“Because you wouldn’t fuck,” Becky replies, then shakes her head. “That came out wrong. Like I said, I’m not taking sides.”

But she is. This is her side. She was friends with Jake before she was friends with me and it’s clear that in Becky’s twisted mind, she believes I should’ve fucked him merely because he asked for it.

“I wasn’t ready back then.”

“But you are now? Girl, you don’t even know this dude,” Becky replies.

“What the hell? You’re the one who told me to do this in the first place,” I say.

Becky presses her lips together, releases them slowly. “Yeah, I did. I just didn’t think you’d jump right into this one guy. If you were going to do that, you should’ve just let Jake get it.”

“Whatever,” I say. “This is crazy. You got me the invitation and now you’re acting weird.”

“I just don’t think Jake would approve of your new soulmate. This is just supposed to be a sex thing.”

“Jake? Who gives a fuck about what Jake would think!? I’m not his girlfriend anymore. God, you know what? For once in my life I’m actually enjoying myself. I’m feeling things I didn’t think were possible. I –”

“Feeling things?!”

And just like that, I’ve reached my limit. It’s none of her business what I feel. Friends are supposed to be supportive and this is the opposite of that.

“Get out,” I say. “Get out of my space.”

“Heather –”

“Now!” I point to the door, and the towel drops from my hair and falls to the floorboard.

Becky hesitates, shakes her head at me one last time, then slips off the end of the chaise lounge. “Just – just be careful, Heather. You’re in over your head here.” And then she leaves, trailing her effusive Chanel No. 5 and all the attitude I thought I liked about her.

I stare at the open front door, silently cursing myself, the villa, and Becky.

But not Daddy, no. If anything, my longing for him has grown stronger. I can’t wait until tonight.