Epilogue
“Ready? Now!” Ensuring the camera was firmly in its tripod, Marnie pressed ‘play’ and watched, both proud and aroused, as Sam’s handsome body danced in time to the music. The muscles in his back and shoulders rippled as he cracked his whips, one in each hand.
Crack, crack, crack, crack. His hips moved in time with the beat, the swivelling motion spreading through his body, as his biceps flexed with the exertion of cracking the whip.
Since the viral video that had saved Terako, Sam had become an internet sensation. Their YouTube channel had thousands of subscribers, along with the Facebook page and Instagram, and the website Marnie had set up had thousands of hits every day. Thanks to Sam and his sexy shirtless whip-cracking skills, Terako was busier than ever. So busy in fact, that it was hard to find the time between treks to film. And while there was plenty Marnie could and did do—everything from updating all the social media to mucking out stalls, and even leading a few shorter treks—there were some things, like this, she needed Sam for. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t crack a whip. And even if she succeeded she’d never be in Sam’s class and she’d never ever in a million years look as good as he did without a shirt on.
Marnie had got the idea of Sam cracking a whip to music from something she’d seen online—an Australian guy had done it, and it had been the hottest thing she’d seen. She’d mentioned it to Sam, and now he had a whole repertoire of songs he liked to use, mostly stuff that was older than she was. Leaning back against the fence, she watched, totally enthralled, as Sam cracked his whips in time to the beat of ‘Achy Breaky Heart.’
Relaxing in the sunshine, Marnie couldn’t keep herself from smiling. They had come a long way. When he’d first seen the video of him that had gone viral, he’d hit the roof. He’d been mortified, and her backside had paid a heavy price. But then when he’d calmed down and read the comments, mostly of adulation from scores of admiring women, he’d decided that maybe she was onto something. Now, as often as possible, they filmed something new. And it was working. Terako Treks was the biggest, most well-known trekking place in the country, and they took out tourists from all over the world. It seemed that everyone wanted to see the shirtless whip cracker in action. Sam was famous. And he was hers. Sometimes, she still had to pinch herself to believe it.
The song ended; Marnie turned off the camera. The instant she turned her back to Sam, she felt the leather thong of his whip wrap around her waist.
“Come here, little girl,” he growled, his voice a gruff tone of authority. A tingle went down Marnie’s spine. She loved the sound of his voice, especially when he pretended that she was in trouble and injected a stern note into it.
“Have I told you lately how much I love you?” Tugging on the whip, he pulled her in toward him. Heat shot to her core as he bent down to kiss her nose.
“Nope, you haven’t,” Marnie insisted. “Not today, anyway.”
With a flick of his wrist, the whip unwrapped itself from around Marnie and dropped to the ground.
“I’ve got to tell you something,” he said, his voice dropping into a low timbre.
“What?” Marnie frowned a little as his arms replaced the whip in drawing her close to him. She hoped it wasn’t something bad. There had been enough trouble to last them a long time, but she still worried a little every day that something might still go wrong.
“We’ve done it, little girl,” he whispered in her ear, hugging her tight. “Terako Treks is mortgage-free. It’s ours. Forever.”
A squeal of pure joy escaped Marnie as he bent her back over his arm, her head dipping toward the ground as he literally swept her off her feet.
She flung her arms around his neck and squealed with shock. “Sam! Put me down!”
“Not a chance, little girl. Now shut up and kiss me.”
The End