*****

   “When can I take this dang thing off?” I question anxiously, resisting the urge to pull the blindfold off. After a very short plane ride, Jeremy insisted I put a blindfold on before we stepped off the plane. He still won’t tell me where we are. I have my suspicions. I could feel the heat of the sun beating down on us as soon as we stepped off the plane.

“Patience, doll,” he croons low in my ear.

I choose to ignore the shiver that runs down my spine. I feel his hand at my lower back.

“We’re taking a twenty minute ride to our final destination. You think you’ll be okay with this blindfold for another twenty minutes?”

I can hear the smirk in his voice. He knows I can last more than twenty minutes. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

“Watch it, love,” he growls low so only I can hear him.

I hear voices in the background and realize we’re not alone. I hear more scuffling and I assume whoever is with us is putting our suitcases into a vehicle. “I’ll be fine for twenty minutes,” I say as Jeremy grips my fingers, leading me to what I assume is a waiting vehicle. When I hear the door open and he directs me to duck my head and step up to get in, I know I’m correct. I feel the coolness of the leather seats against my bare legs and Jeremy’s presence behind me, urging me to scoot over. Once seated, I hear doors shutting, and minutes later, we’re pulling off. Jeremy is in the backseat next to me. Typically, this type of thing would be freaking me out. But I’ve come to trust Jeremy implicitly in such a short period of time. His grip on my hand tightens, tugging me closer to his side. He leans away from me for a second, raising his arm to wrap around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest. I inhale deeply, taking in his favorite cologne and his natural scent. I recline into his embrace, sigh, and relax. I’m still not all that excited about heading to New York in two days, and in fact, I had difficulty sleeping the previous night. I tossed and turned so much that Jeremy woke me up with his head between my thighs. He gave me not one but two incredible orgasms in such quick succession that I could do nothing but fall into a deep sleep afterwards. I guess that was his way of letting us both get some rest before leaving early this morning.

“We’re here,” A voice that sounds far away announces.

I feel my shoulder being massaged as I come to. “I fell asleep?” I ask wearily, looking around, only to remember I’m still blindfolded.

“Yup. You’re a lousy road trip partner,” he teases, chuckling at his own joke.

I snort and sit up straight, blinking a few times although my eyes are still covered by the blindfold.

“Just a few more minutes,” he says as his fingers adjust the blindfold around my head.

“A few more minutes? I thought we were here,” I protest.

“We are, but you still have to wait.”

I feel the weight of the car shift as he exits and then pulls me toward the door to assist me as I get out. Again, I feel the warmth of the sun and dry air. My suspicion heightens as Jeremy helps me up what I assume is a walkway. He pauses for a moment before I hear a door open. He guides me over a threshold where we are immediately surrounded by the cool air from an air conditioner.

“Put those in the bedroom please,” he instructs someone.

Impatiently, I begin to tap my foot, hating how anxious I feel in this moment.

“Okay, doll. I know the suspense is killing you. Let us take care of that.” He releases the blindfold, finally allowing it to fall from my face.

I open my eyes and immediately shut them again against the brightness of the sun shining through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. But the small glimpse of my surroundings intrigues me and I struggle to make my eyes cooperate. I blink continuously until they finally adjust to the brightness. I gasp at the scene before me. We’re standing in the middle of a huge living room in front of glass doors and windows that lead to the most majestic view of desert mountains.

“Arizona?” I question, still drinking in the sight before me.

“The spa I’ve been working on for the past year. You, doll, are our first guest before it officially opens next month.”

My eyes scan the view before me. There’s a fireplace along the far right stone wall. There are low sitting, tan loveseats forming a U in front of the fireplace. To my left is a huge kitchen and dining area. All of the colors coordinate with the desert theme in light tans and earth tones. But my eyes are immediately pulled back to the view of the mountains.

“Later we’ll take a horseback ride up that way to give you a much better view of the desert,” Jeremy says, gripping my fingers. He pulls me. “Let me show you the rest of the villa.”

“We’re staying in a villa?” My head whips around, still looking at the surrounding scene.

He laughs. “Of course.” We continue down a hallway. “To the right is the bathroom with the garden tub with spa features. There’s a separate shower with a waterfall showerhead.” He grins mischievously. I blush slightly, knowing that he’s referring to how in love I am with his waterfall shower at his home.

Next, we venture into the massive bedroom with a king size canopy bed, another fireplace, and a few chairs set on the sides of the bed. There are more huge windows, which give us another great view of the mountains.

“It’s still early, so the staff will be delivering our breakfast soon. After that we have a ten o’clock appointment to do a two-hour horseback ride along one of the trails. I knew you wouldn’t be able to take your eyes off the mountains, so that was one of the first things I thought would be fun to—”

I take his face between my hands and bring his mouth down to mine with a passionate kiss, cutting him off. I pull back. “I usually hate surprises, but this one was perfect. Thank you.”

“Oh, don’t worry. You’re going to thank me properly later on,” he says, squeezing my ass.

Even as I giggle, the warmth low in my belly causes me to feel flushed. I look up into his eyes and become warmer than I was as we stand out in the Arizona sun. Just as he begins to lean down to take my lips again, there’s a knock on the door.

“That’s breakfast.”

I nod, disappointed as my hunger for something else is extinguished. We return to the living room where Jeremy lets the room service attendant in to deliver our breakfast. The table is soon covered with an assortment of breakfast foods. There’s steaming hot sausages, eggs, Belgian waffles, three flavors of syrup, a delicious-looking fruit salad, and bacon. There are also three different types of toasted bread, scones, and muffins.

“I may have gone a little overboard with ordering all your fave breakfast foods.” He grins.

“I’m not complaining,” I respond, my stomach growling as the delicious aromas intermingle and float to my nostrils.

As we eat, Jeremy fills me in on the details of the spa. His company bought it about a year ago after its previous owners wanted to retire. The spa had been going downhill for years because the owners were getting too old to properly take care of and promote it. Jeremy’s Bennett Industries purchased the company and took the last year to revamp and remodel the estate, update all the facilities, and get the necessary licensing to operate the different services.

“It has taken a little over a year to get everything completed, but she’s just about ready. The grand opening is a month from now, but we’re having a soft opening next week. I want to bring you back for the grand opening,” he says, grabbing my hand as I attempt to do the dishes in the sink after our breakfast. “Don’t worry about those. Will you be up for coming back?” he questions.

“If you make it worth my while,” I tease as he escorts me outside. He looks back at me with a steamy look, silently conveying he intends to make it worth it. I look over and am surprised to see three horses and a man standing beside them. “Horseback riding!”

“It’s the best way to see the entire spa grounds before the temperature becomes too hot. There’s a manmade lake on the grounds, we can take a swim later before lunch,” he announces, guiding me toward the horses. “This is Edward. He’ll be our tour guide.”

“Just call me the horse guy,” Edward says. His weathered, tanned cheeks crease as he gives me a warm smile.

I instantly feel at ease around Edward. It could just be because Jeremy obviously trusts him, and I’ve come to trust Jeremy with my life. Either way, I’m excited for the tour.

“Thank you.”  I nod as Edward introduces me to my horse, Betsy. She’s the smallest of the three, animals. She’s light grey with a white patch on her back. I pet her jaw, making nice before I mount her. Back at Haven House, one of the therapists incorporated horses into her outdoor sessions. So when Betsy nays and bobs her head, obviously enjoying my petting, I grin and let out a breath. Horses can be temperamental creatures, but Betsy doesn’t seem like she’ll give me any trouble. Edward starts to help me mount her, but Jeremy stops him. He deftly, lowers his hand to hoist me up and over Betsy’s wide back. He even secures my feet in the straps once I‘m seated. I notice the grin Edward gives Jeremy and duck my head. I turn and watch as Jeremy mounts his horse. His is larger than Betsy and its coat is a beautiful coal black. At first glance, he looks mean, but Jeremy bends over and says something low in his ear. The horse dips his head and nays, taking on a deferential pose toward the man on his back. A warm sensation courses through my chest after that little exchange. When Jeremy looks up directly into my eyes, winks, and flashes a panty-wetting grin, that warmth moves down to my core. God, I love him!

We spent the entire morning and early afternoon exploring the spa grounds and hiking a few of the trails. I never knew the desert could be so beautiful. The backdrop of the mountains provided the perfect scenery. Jeremy proudly pointed out the spa’s gym, which will offer all types of low and high impact cardio classes and will house an assortment of state-of-the-art fitness equipment. We then explored the industrial size kitchen filled with all modern appliances and gadgets where healthy cooking classes will be offered to patrons. We got to see the rest of the horses under Edward’s care. I was introduced to the instructors who will teach meditation sessions, art classes, photography, and more. The best part of all was the absolute pride in Jeremy’s eyes and body language as he showed off the entirety of the resort and spa.

“You’ve done well here, Mr. Bennett,” I say as he helps me off the horse at a little canopy that’s been set up just off one of the trails. There’s another smorgasbord of food set up under the canopy, but I’m still full from breakfast.

“I’m sure you’re still stuffed from breakfast, so let’s go for a swim before we eat.”

I nod, wondering how he already knows what I’m thinking before I say anything. With anyone else, I would normally hate that, but with him, everything is different. “That sounds wonderful.”

He had instructed me to wear a bathing suit underneath my clothes before we’d left the villa this morning. I notice him removing his T-shirt and jeans, so I do the same. I strip out of my black shorts and lavender T-shirt, revealing my purple one-piece suit. I walk over to the manmade lake and see Jeremy already in. Sticking my toe in the water, I notice how warm the water feels. It’s not uncomfortably hot definitely a relief from the hot sun. But it’s not nearly as cool as I’d imagined.

“What are you waiting for?” he teases from the midway point in the water.

I inhale deeply and trudge in before I finally submerge my entire body underwater. I hold my breath until my lungs begin screaming at me for air. When my head breaks the surface, I wipe my eyes and catch my breath. I blink a few times and look for Jeremy. I don’t see or hear him for a few moments.

“Ahh!” rushes from my lungs when I feel a splash of water behind me.

My scream is followed by his deep belly laugh that warms my core. Turning towards him I see those green eyes glinting with mischievousness as he splashes me again. I return the favor and I get lost in our little splash fest. We swim around each other and laugh like school children. I’m sure to an outsider we look like two crazy-ass people who somehow sneaked onto this private resort. No one would ever suspect the owner of such a place to be so carefree. That’s just one of the things I love about Jeremy. With most people he’s his reserved, albeit charming self, but he allows me to see his carefree self.

If the purpose of this short trip was meant to break up my underlying tension surrounding the Awards dinner, he’s certainly done his job. I haven’t felt this relaxed in quite some time.