Chapter 6

Brayden

Emily Davis, the well-known ballet dancer, was due at any minute. I was watching her limo pull up through the door when I spotted Harper and her two charges trudging toward the Utopia entrance. Harper looked adorable, if a little dated, in a faded red bikini, but she was carrying two orange life jackets, a purple cooler, a lime-green beach chair and a computer case. The kids’ arms were empty but they wore expressions of arrogance as they approached. I felt for Harper and hoped she chose another entrance. Emily was liable to be a showstopper and Harper would feel, well, dowdy. It broke my heart.

True to what I’d expected, Emily was wearing a mini black number and her famous legs were in full display. She was nothing but presentation and while I played the part, I hated it. Harper had paused, and I hoped the kids would give her a break. Naturally, they didn’t, and she was forced to follow them into the hotel lobby in our wake.

I deposited the stunning Ms. Davis among her fans in the tea room and excused myself. I rang Harper’s room.

“Hello?” she answered and I could hear the misery in her voice.

“This is room service calling. Anything I can bring up for you? Me?” I joked.

“Brayden, I’m not in the mood.”

“I’m sorry. I saw you come back from the beach and I don’t blame you. Why don’t you drown the little freaks?”

“Don’t think it hasn’t crossed my mind, except that I know the boy would drag me under with him,” she said dryly and I was glad to hear her sense of humor was returning.

“Say, I have some responsibilities to see to for a new guest.”

“Yeah, I saw her.”

“Well, I was calling to ask you to meet me for drinks again tonight at the Cabana. I’d like to do a reset on our last talk—it didn’t go the way I’d planned.”

“If you’re thinking you’ll get me into bed this time, don’t bother, Brayden.”

“Not at all. It felt so good to be with you again last night, Harper. I hadn’t realized how much I missed you. C’mon and be a sport and just meet me to talk?”

There was a pause before she agreed. “Same time?” she asked.

“I’ll come up to your room and get you,” I suggested and she agreed before we hung up. Now I had something to look forward to that would make my day spent waiting on a prima ballerina bearable.

I was headed back to the tea room when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and looked down to see Ripley Bonham standing there, an expectant look on his face. “May I help you?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” he replied, and I couldn’t get the image of a worm out of my mind.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry?”

“I thought you might like me to help you with your special guest? I know you’re busy and these are my people. I could take her off your hands.”

What the hell is this stupid fuck talking about?

“You’ve got me at a disadvantage, Ripley. Are you a personal friend of Ms. Davis?”

He looked downward and scuffed the point of his shoe against the patterned carpet. “I know of her, of course.”

The last thing I was going to do was hand off Emily Davis, one of the up and coming stars in the world of ballet, to a knucklehead wannabe like Bonham. Emily had a fan base of some of the wealthiest and most snobbish arts aficionados in the world and would be the perfect drawing card for the kind of guests I wanted. People unlike Ripley Bonham. I held my temper, though. I didn’t want a scene.

“Ripley, I appreciate your offer but her schedule is already set by her people and my job is just to make her comfortable during her stay with us. If it looks like help is needed, I’ll be sure to drop your name,” I offered.

He nodded with excitement. “Very well! I’ll be on call, you know where to find me!” He was drooling, the ass.

He stayed behind me as I entered the tea room, and I nodded to one of my security detail to get rid of him. They understood completely and escorted him like a king out to the pool where an overflow of like admirers posed and waited to be introduced like so many peacocks holding champagne flutes. How does Harper put up with his shit?

Just thinking of her made me want to drop everything, including the lovely Ms. Davis, and spirit her away to a shared afternoon at our spot at the beach. I wondered what I was doing in that life. How did Harper manage to keep such a hold on me, considering she’d never graced my bed? I imagined that I got a whiff of her cologne and turned quickly to see if she was in the crowd behind me. She wasn’t. It was probably the last place she’d be; just not her style. Nor mine, to be truthful.

Emily Davis was holding court from her table in the tea room. Nearby, there was a linen-covered table with a tea service and crystal platters of finger sandwiches, fruit and petit fours. Women seemed to like those things. Colorful little pretties that looked elegant when you nibbled on them but had no calories. Give me a prime rib and baked potato anytime.

A potted palm was strategically positioned just behind her and with her magnificently long legs crossed at the knee, she was a photo op from almost any angle. She knew how to play the game, or perhaps it was her handlers who had it in hand. Either way, she was probably originally a cowgirl from Oklahoma who won some local talent contest and her life turned into a fairy tale at that point. I didn’t care, she wasn’t my style. I was into ringlets and jade eyes and breasts that I could bury my dick between. Speaking of… I had to get Harper off my mind or Ms. Ballerina would be getting an eyeful.

The afternoon dragged. Twice, Ripley Bonham showed up next to me like a salivating dog. I glared at my security guy, and he spoke into his shoulder mic before quickly herding Bonham into another holding pen. The man was like flypaper! Is he fucking insane? Maybe even dangerous?

Finally, her limo reappeared and the ballerina was whisked off to her performance in downtown Miami. At least I was free of the responsibility for her for the time being. I went up to the condo I used when not going home and showered and changed into something a little more casual.

I caught sight of myself in the mirror as I shaved. My eyes looked lively, and I wondered what had made the difference? I didn’t need to wonder. She was waiting for me upstairs at that very moment.

I tapped on Harper’s door, and she opened it. She was wearing a pair of black leather pants and a pink and black striped tunic with a low neck. When I looked at her, I felt a sense of overwhelming relief, like I’d come home to where I belonged. She was smiling in welcome and it made me feel even better. I wanted to pick her up and carry her, like a teddy bear, so I could feel her warm flesh against me and wrap my arms around her without ever letting go. She made me feel so… well, so me.

As she closed her door, I turned and saw the weasel Bonham peering out his door at us. He’d opened it an inch, not to investigate strange noises from the hallway, but to spy on me; on us. I felt the urge to kick his door completely open and knock his block off. As I held Harper’s hand down the hallway, I asked myself just why in the hell I even let the guy in the place? I had all the money I needed. I certainly didn’t need him, and he was a nobody. A body taking up rooms that could be given over to better people. But he would take Harper with him, and then I couldn’t keep an eye on her. It didn’t sit well, and I was moody as we went downstairs. Harper kept looking up at me with doubt in her eyes. I squeezed her shoulder in reassurance. This seemed to satisfy her, at least until we were seated in the Cabana.

“So, what’s up?” she asked immediately as Bert disappeared to get our drinks.

“What do you mean?”

She tilted her head and called my bullshit without a word.

“That Bonham guy,” I began. “I don’t know how you can work for him.”

Bert set her drink before her, and she stirred the Manhattan with the sword-pierced cherry before raising it to her lips and licking the droplet from her finger. I felt my own sword spring upward hard and I shifted, trying to arrange it and still sit comfortably on the padded chair.

“You do what you have to do,” she explained and I got it.

“He’s been on my back all day like a fly on cow dung, and I don’t know what the hell his problem is.”

She kept her eyes low and had gone back to stirring her drink with the small red straw mixer. She said nothing.

“What are the kids like?”

“Exactly like the parents,” she filled in and it was pretty much as I’d expected.

“Harper, look at me. Is this what you want to be doing for the next forty years?”

“Of course not!” Her vehemence surprised me. Her eyes had turned moss green as tears pooled in them. I didn’t get what had just happened, but I knew it wasn’t good.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, Brayden, I’ve gotten myself in a mess. I should be off in a dark closet by myself somewhere.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“Oh, never mind.”

“Hey,” I said and reached for her hand. She didn’t pull it away. I held it with one hand and stroked the back with my other index finger. “It’s me, Brayden, remember? Tell me.”

She wagged her head from one side to the other, and I could feel that she was getting upset. “So, I graduated with a degree in computer science and got this job, right out of the chute at Cleve-Mobil, a guy named Steve Tabbott.”

My gut tightened. I prepared myself for what I was afraid to hear.

“I did some coding but it was boring stuff. Nothing challenging. Tabbott asked me out, and I dated him a few times but it was like being with the king of nerds. He had no sensitivity whatsoever. He had numbers for blood. We were kind of an item and that was fine until he absconded with the company funds and left everyone hanging. I became Bonnie to his Clyde even though I had nothing to do with it, and I got dumped the same as everyone else. Well, tech is a close environment. Everyone knows everyone. So, without my knowing anything about it, he managed to ruin my reputation. I couldn’t find a job anywhere in Cleveland and I lost everything. I was on the job boards online and saw the nanny job back here at home. They were footing the expenses, and I could stay here at your awesome resort. Course, back then, I didn’t know you owned it. So, one thing led to another and here I am, nanny to two of the worst kids who could have ever been created. I wasn’t even terribly crazy about kids to begin with but I thought I could sort of just keep an eye on them and with the rest of my time, I’d code an online dating site.”

I nodded. “And that’s not working out?”

“Are you kidding? Have you seen that family? They are just one freaking hot mess!”

I continued to stroke her hand as I listened. “I get the idea. So, tell me about your website.”

“You sure you’re really interested?”

“I wouldn’t have asked, Harper, dear. If it fascinates you, it must be worth hearing about.”

“Geez, Bray, that’s a really nice thing to say.” She smiled and touched her finger to her lip and kissed it, then planted that kiss on the back of my hand.

I continued stroking hers. I don’t know if it was getting to her, but it was definitely getting to me. “So, how did you come up with the idea?”

“Okay, so I’ve had friends who tried the dating sites and they’re so lame. They’re hangouts for perverts and scammers, for the most part. Lots of people get catfished. I’m sure there are nice people on there, too, but for the most part they play the role of victim. I wanted to do something different, something safe and original. Most importantly, I wanted to do something that worked.”

I loved the way her eyes lit up as she spoke. It was clear she was really excited by her concept.

“So, my site has a pay-to-play concept, but it’s per connection. You can look at the photos and profiles others post all day for free. But if you contact them or look to see their personal video, then you pay a small fee. This way, people are encouraged to put videos up that show them in real life, in their home or work environments, with their friends – you get the idea. And if someone is willing to pay to see your video or contact you, then it’s a boost to your ego and you’re more likely to put your best foot forward. Naturally, the people paying are serious about what they’re doing.”

I watched the animation on her face and wondered about her incentive in doing this. How often had she been on dating sites? The thought made me jealous. I didn’t like the idea of other guys paying to ogle my girl. Whoa! When had she become my girl? “Tell me more.”

“Huh! I’m surprised you’re interested in this. Okay, well, everyone is assigned an email address via the site and there are private phone lines set up for security. There’s chat, naturally. But there’s one feature I’m really excited about.”

“And that is…?”

“With the subscriber’s permission, they turn on their computer camera and over a series of days, when they log in and go through pictures, the camera films their reactions. It uses AI to discern raised eyebrows, smiles, widening of the eyes, nervous gestures, aroused gestures, etc. It stores this data and compares the subscriber’s preferences or dislikes against the database of subscribers. Using this information, it matches people and gives them an automatic introduction. At that point, they can have an online date via camera. Again, it’s all perfectly safe.”

“Sounds like a winner, Harper. I’m impressed.”

“Oh, there’s more.”

“More? Virtual sex?”

“Oh, no, no… that is strictly forbidden, and they acknowledge they’re being filmed when they agree to the camera service, so they’re monitored to prevent that. What they want to do on their own is their business. We can’t stop that. No, the real information comes in the advertiser products that will line one side of the page. We’ll track the eye and click through reaction of those ads and then have even more information to help advertisers target their customers.”

“So it’s Big Brother?”

“Oh, don’t be naïve, Bray, Big Brother is everywhere already. You’re probably being filmed at this very moment.”

“I know I am, silly. They’re my cameras.”

“Did you get permission from your guests?”

I laughed. “Did you notice that little plaque by the door that advised people that security systems were in use?”

“But that’s not obviously stating it.”

“Makes the lawyers happy. That’s all I care about.”

She nodded. “Makes sense. I’m going to have to get really chummy with lawyers after a certain point, I’m sure. First, I’m going to write the code, and later, I’ll look into the administrative side of things.”

“Maybe that’s something I could help you with?”

“Aw, Bray, you’re too busy for something like this. Geez, look at all you do.”

I moved my finger so I was stroking her palm then. “It’s not about being busy; it’s about making priorities.”

She nodded and looked down at her hand. “I suppose that’s true,” she said, her voice trailing off. I knew I was getting to her and it was making me feel pretty damned good at the same time. I closed my eyes and imagined that the skin I was stroking was at the top of her inner thigh, at the perimeter of her pubic mound. I was completely hard and aching as I thought about her that way. None of the others had ever done that for me. She was the sought-after treasure I’d never gotten. Harper was my drug of choice, and I was willing to bet she didn’t even realize it.

“May I tell you something I don’t think you know?” I asked her.

“Sure. Go ahead.”

Her eyelids were drooping, and I knew she was probably rubbery-legged with relaxation. “I have an admission to make, and you need to understand that this has nothing to do with me trying to sleep with you.”

“Oh?” That last part made her sit straight up, and I could see her inhaling, getting ready to tell me off again.

“Hold on, hear me out. Will you?”

Exasperated, she nodded.

“I want you to know that I really screwed up when we were in school. I was all sprouting bones and hormones. I did what I thought all guys were supposed to do but I was way off base. The girls I dated after you? They were all easy, had no class, no substance. You were it for me. You were gorgeous, intelligent, ambitious, loving and compassionate and could handle yourself in any situation. When I think about what I settled for, it makes me sick. I should have never let you get away, Harper.”

She stared at me. “If I’m not mistaken, I think I just heard an apology?”

“Yes, indeed, you did.”

A tear dropped onto her cheek. “Thank you for that. I needed to hear that.”

I felt something strange well up inside of me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but at that moment, it was more important that Harper be happy and fulfilled than me.

I couldn’t stand the separation between us any longer. I stood up and pulled her to her feet. “Come here, my girl.” I dragged her from the Cabana and toward my office. I opened the door, flipped on a small lamp and pulled her inside, kicking the door closed behind her.

I slid one hand up beneath her cascading curls and pulled her head back so I could find her mouth. I tasted her, inhaled her scent and I felt her familiar body accept mine. She fit me perfectly as I lifted her petite body and molded it against me. Her arms went around my neck and she kissed me back, her tongue diving in and challenging my own with swordplay. I collapsed backward onto my office sofa and she clung to me. Her buttons surrendered themselves, and I laid back the fabric to expose her burgeoning breasts. Reaching for the back fastening, she suddenly pushed my hands away. “Don’t!”

“Stay with me? Please, Harper? You’re not the girl in high school. You’re a grown woman who is extraordinarily beautiful and desirable. You know we need one another. Don’t push me away. Please.”

She wasn’t angry; she was scared. I believe she was afraid of the woman inside herself. She pushed me away and rebuttoned her blouse. She scrambled up from my lap and paused at my door. “I’m sorry,” she whispered and disappeared through the door.