Mukul Resort

Guacalito de La Isla, Nicaragua

 

Steam rose from the jacuzzi hot tub as Phoebe dipped her toes inside.

“Mmmm,” she moaned as the heated water covered an entire foot.

Gently, Phoebe swept her other foot inside, allowing her legs to sink in to her knees. Sitting on the edge of the tub while donned in an all-white two-piece bikini, Phoebe cozied up to the steamy bath, giving her body time to soak up the heat that now seeped through her pores. Initially, Phoebe wanted to dip her entire body under the calming waters, but now she was having second thoughts as it would take her stylist half a day to recreate her glowing shine and straight tresses. She played around with the idea a little bit more. Then, with her hands pressed into the cemented surface, Phoebe lifted her luscious frame and slowly descended into the whirlpool.

“Now that feels good,” she said.

Phoebe’s long black strands fell to her shoulders, instantly getting wet once coming in contact with the water. Resting against the wall of the tub, Phoebe’s head fell back, and her eyes closed. The torrid water and jet stream were a constant message in her shoulders, back, and buttocks.

“Mmmm,” Phoebe moaned again, her mind whirling with thoughts of the day’s festivities.

After being widowed for over twenty years, Phoebe’s father, multimillionaire business mogul Christopher Lee Rose, remarried with a beachside wedding on Guacalito de La Isla in Nicaragua. It was something Phoebe never thought she would witness. After so many years of being single and watching his kids grow, unbeknownst to Phoebe, her father had inadvertently fell in love with Norma Rodriguez. When Phoebe’s mother Janet was still alive, Norma had been hired as their housekeeper. With their family growing almost every year with a new brother or sister, Janet could barely keep up with the daily goings-on of a housewife. Not to mention the home they resided in was practically the size of a football stadium.

At the time, Janet had thought they would need at least three maybe even four others to help with the massive structure. But she’d soon found out, along with everyone else, that Norma was more than well equipped to handle the place. It wasn’t until Janet’s life was taken in a home invasion did Norma fall into a role she never intended to be in. Norma had grown to love their family like her own, becoming a friend, nurturer, and sounding board. More than that, she’d become their mother figure. And no one deserved happiness more than she.

Phoebe and her sisters and brothers had been more than ecstatic. And now here she was hours after the wedding had taken place, trying to keep her mind from venturing to a man who ruled her thoughts on any given day. Quentin Davidson.

 With little to no effort, Phoebe’s mind filled with images of his Phoebe had ever seen. But besides his masculine build, Quentin was everything Phoebe wanted in a man.

Graduating from Harvard with a bachelor’s degree in business management, Quentin grew his chain of fitness centers from the ground up. Now, as the owner of thirty-two gyms trailing the southeast, the southwest, and a plethora of endorsements; Quentin had become a multimillionaire business tycoon. His career skyrocketed, making him the spokesman for energy drinks, healthy snack bars, and an instructor for workout videos that sold across the globe. Society had deemed him an overnight success. But, Phoebe knew better.

Since she , Phoebe had watched Quentin grow into the man he was today. And nothing about his success was as simple as being overnight. Witnessing his transformation had been beautiful. Something like a poem that started out rough around the edges before forming into beautiful words that shaped the heart of the person speaking them. It started out as a crush. He was, unfortunately, Phoebe’s brother’s best friend. And they had already considered anything romantic between she and Quentin forbidden.

It was too bad because Phoebe’s crush was developing with each passing day into a soul-stirring love that burned so hot she’d rather swim in a volcano than tussle with it. No one understood the longing she held for him, not even Quentin himself. At first, Phoebe was sure Quentin had a thing for her, too. When she would catch him staring whenever she’d come around. Or even when they exchanged phone numbers when he came back from college. At times he’d play it off as if he was being a caring friend or big brother. But Phoebe needed to be certain. It was like playing mind games trying to figure it out. So, a few weeks before Christmas, Phoebe had built up the courage to confront him. And confront him, she did. Like it was yesterday, the memory cruised through her mind. Phoebe had shown up to one of Quentin’s fitness centers he frequented. Earlier in the month, she’d decided to become an official member of the gym. Not because she needed or wanted to work out, but it was the only excuse she had to see him.

On this day, she’d entered with her head held high, and her hair slicked back in a high ponytail, confidence oozing. Wearing tights and a sports bra, Phoebe sauntered through the doors in search of him. Finding Quentin in the back didn’t halt her steps or make her think twice. The courage in her was potent. Her feet moved in his direction, and as she got closer, a stirring in her belly rummaged.

She found him lifting weights. Ones that she couldn’t raise if her life depended on it, but still she’d told his spotter to take a hike so she could get an overview of his bulging muscles and ripped abs. Phoebe smiled thinking about his tight picturesque frame pushing and bending the bar over his head.

Quentin’s eyes were closed, and he wore earplugs. As he worked, she watched, and it almost took her out. Without question, Phoebe’s body had torched, and the stirring in her belly had turned into a full-fledged tornado. Quentin had replaced his bar on its base and sat up. With her courage heightened, Phoebe had rushed around to face him and propped her leg up on the bench he sat on.

Quentin had reached for his towel to blot dry his face, and finally, his gorgeous eyes met hers. A current of heat waved over Phoebe, and when Quentin spoke, the gruffness in his tone had given her an inkling that Phoebe’s appearance threw him off his axis—just as his did hers.

“I need you to help me with something,” she had said. “An exercise.”

It was over from there. Quentin and Phoebe ended up in the dance studio behind closed doors. They’d kissed so hard and hungry that a raging population of chills flourished over her skin. Phoebe’s heart had swelled. Finally, they could admit their attraction for one another, but Phoebe’s victory was short-lived when Quentin decided to stop their tongue dance in favor of the oath he’d given her brothers. Or so that’s what he said. Phoebe wasn’t convinced.

She was done chasing him after that. It was the last thing she had to do. It wasn’t like there was a shortage of men waiting in line to take her out. There were plenty, but none seemed to pique her interest like that of Quentin Davidson. For days, Phoebe’s attitude had been sour. Trying to study some of the information her paralegal had given her for her next court case had been like watching paint dry.

Her focus had been completely thrown off. And then something unexpected happened. Quentin showed up at her father’s beachside wedding. He’d sauntered down the aisle and quickly found a seat close to the front row. Their eyes met and held immediately, then his mouth moved.

“Me… You… 2 p.m.”

That was it. Phoebe’s heartbeat raced, and she’d wondered what their meeting would entail. But much to her chagrin, when Quentin had walked through the door with his eye trained on approaching her at the bar, her brother Jonathon stepped in, unknowingly taking Quentin off of his mission.

“Aye, brother, what’s going on, what time did you get here?” Jonathon had said.

Quentin slipped a quick look her way then kept his complete attention on Jonathon. As a matter of fact, it was as if she’d been an afterthought. Jonathon had invited Quentin over to the other side of the restaurant, where he and her other brothers were dining and having a few drinks. Quentin didn’t reject their request, and without another glance back at her, he was gone.

Phoebe blew out a deep breath. As a criminal justice attorney, Phoebe hadn’t met a case that was harder to break than that of Quentin Davidson. The jet stream in the jacuzzi tub continued to drill into her back. Although Phoebe had never been with a man sexually, her burning desire for Quentin made her feel like the horniest person on earth. The back and forth was driving her crazy, and knowing that he resided in the private villas, in walking distance from where she was, gave Phoebe another round of bravado. Taking the plunge, Phoebe held her breath and sank beneath the heated waters. She hovered there for a second before coming back to the surface. Breathing in air, Phoebe made her way out of the tub and traipsed across the beach, and down the shore.

A mild breeze sailed into the wind, tussling a few wet strands of hair against her face. The moon was full, and the stars aligned in the dark sky, leading a trail that highlighted her pathway. As her feet sank into the sand, Phoebe’s thoughts were tunneled on one mission alone. When the beach house came into view, Phoebe’s steps paused but only long enough for doubt to creep inside of her. What if he wasn’t alone? How embarrassing would that be? Phoebe took another encouraging step, then paused, unsure of how to proceed.