Presley came into the bedroom wearing a towel wrapped around her body and ignored the way the man who was looking at his computer screen suddenly looked up and groaned loudly.
“Damn, Ladybird, you are beautiful all wet.”
“I know.” She retorted and grabbed her makeup bag and headed back to the bathroom. It felt incredibly light, and she opened and turned to him furiously. “Where is my make-up?”
“You don’t need it.”
“You have got to be kidding me!”
“No. I left your face cleaners and moisturizers and shit, but you don’t need to hide your freckles and,” he ducked as she whipped a container of her moisturizer across the room, and it bounced off the wall over his head. “Why do you always resort to violence? Stop throwing shit!”
“Get my make up back!”
“No.”
A furious squeal ripped from her lungs. “I’m goi
“Where are you going?” Cruz asked as he looked up from his phone. It started buzzing not five minutes after they’d finished what he’d started. Now he was collecting his things to take a shower.“I’m dressed. I’m going to go down to the lounge and get a drink. I need one if I’m going to have to pretend to like you for an hour.” She needed out of there before he realized she’d removed the handle to the hot water.“You could wait fifteen minutes, and I’ll come down with you. We can have a drink together.”“No.” She shrugged.“Hey,” he reached for her as she started for the door, “you look beautiful. The dress is perfect on you like I knew it would be. You know,” he ran his knuckles down her cheek, “you could consider for a moment how amazing we are together, drop the anger and we could try to build something special. We have incredible chem
“This is nice,” Cruz said as he looked around the restaurant. “This is the nicest restaurant on the resort.”“How much is this costing me?” she grunted. “I imagine it’s all charged to the room.”“It is charged to the room but since you are having to deal with me on your vacation, I actually changed the credit card, so all incidentals go to my card and not yours.”“Really?” she was surprised at his words as she lifted the best glass of wine, she’d ever tasted to her lips again.“Yes. Therefore, if you wish to drink five bottles of the wine which is a mere two hundred dollars a bottle, I won’t bat an eyelash.”She sat the glass down with a shaky hand, “two hundred dollars a bottle?”“Yup. Why are you so thrifty? I was going through your file when you were in the shower, and you don’t spend money frivolousl
The silence during dinner as Cruz pondered the evidence, she felt she very neatly laid out in front of him was extremely uncomfortable. It hung over her like a shroud and she was as wrapped up in her own misery as he was in his.All of her life he thought they were in some kind of mutual prank war, and it was all started because her brother lied and said her mother beat him up. She didn’t even know what to make of it. What she did know was her mother was going to be devastated when she told her.“How was your meal?” the overly chipper server interrupted Presley’s thoughts. “Can I interest either of you in dessert? We have a delicious crème brulée or a small collection of patisseries.”“No thank you.”“Yes, the patisseries, please.” Cruz spoke over her.“Seriously Cruz?” she growled at him when the server walked away carrying their dishes. “I’m ready fo
The dance floor was virtually empty as people sidled up to the bar and Presley was one of them. She watched the door nervously as Cruz placed their order.“Presley, even if they come into the bar, they’re not going to try to fuck you out in the open.” Cruz started laughing.“Cruz, her husband chased after us out of the restaurant to ask you which bar we were coming to dance at.”“So?”“You told him!” she pushed his chest frantically. “Why?”“First, me and my two cocks, we could split her puny little husband in half, second, it’s kind of funny. We both know we’re not going to their villa with them. We both know I can keep us safe. Let them watch. If anything, it will make their sex spicier when they get back to their place later and fantasize about us being with them. We’re doing community service.”“You’re an idiot.&rdquo
When Cruz broke the kiss, her breathing was uneven.“Dance with me,” he whispered against her mouth as the music shifted to a slow song.“I thought you can’t dance.”“I can’t. Two left feet. Yet, I’m willing to sacrifice pride and ego to hold you in my arms.”“Is your photographer taking sound bites as well as photos?”“Not at all. I mean it,” he cupped her cheek, his big hand engulfing the entire side of her head. “I know you think I’m playing, Presley but the minute we kissed today on the swing, my entire gameplan has changed. This isn’t only about fixing my public image. I’m going to win you over. I’ll spend the rest of this vacation convincing you I’m not the same kid who hurt you growing up. I don’t think I ever was, but I want to show you who I am as a man now.”“Cruz,” she protested hi
Presley tore her hand out of his and smacked him. “What is wrong with you? I lost weight because I was stressed. Why is it me that has to be the one under stress?”“I was coming up with a reason for you not having a ring.”“How about you never gave me one?” she growled at him.“Well, that’s going to ruin our story. Do you want me to get you a ring, Ladybird?”“Fuck off,” she grunted and waved around frustratedly. “This entire vacation is going to the shitter and I’m over it. Can we go back to our room now?”“Why are you so mad?”“I don’t even know!” she grumbled.“You should be glad I’m here. Imagine if I wasn’t and you were here at this resort all alone fighting off the Algernons and the Parises of the world? It would be awful.”“I’m not glad you’re here thoug
She was surprised when she woke at dawn to find Cruz wasn’t in the bed and evidently hadn’t come back to the room. She grabbed her phone and noted the time was coming on five thirty. Finding herself wondering if maybe he’d slept on the patio, she got out of the bed, padded to the patio, and found no sign of him at all.He really hadn’t come back. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth she made her way to the bathroom and quickly took care of her business.By six-thirty she was wondering where on earth he’d gotten to because she knew this was an expensive resort which usually sold out well in advance. Her phone didn’t have a single message since she’d fallen asleep the night before. She went back to the patio annoyed with herself over how much she was worrying over him when he was a grown ass man who shouldn’t even be there to begin with.Scanning up and down the beach from the patio there was n
Strolling along a cobbled sidewalk, licking an ice cream cone which cost far too much money, Presley reminded herself she was in a part of the world mere mortals like her should never tread. She wondered whether the people walking around dressed to the nines in the early morning did this every day. It seemed a waste of an effort which would have taken her hours to do, considering she normally woke up in the morning and put her hair in a messy bun, added sunscreen and lip gloss and called herself ready for work.Her phone buzzed again in her pocket, and she knew it was impossible for it to be anyone from home. When she’d spoken to her parents it was after eleven at night. She’d seen her last text messages from the girls after midnight their time and took one annoyed call from her editor while she’d been on the train.It was easily two in the morning now in Vancouver so the person blowing up her phone right now needed to be Cruz. She considered shutting
“I’m so very confused,” Presley rubbed her forehead and with her other hand reached for Cruz. She needed his strength as all of hers seemed to have seeped from her body to pool somewhere under the table. She felt comforted as his large hand engulfed hers completely and then he moved sideways and pressed his lips to his temple.The lawyer spoke, “Miss Brookmore, my name is Atticus Marella. I am the legal advisor for multiple families associated with the Phoenix Initiative.”“Phoenix Initiative?”“Yes,” this time it was Belkin. “When we were coming up with a name of the organization where five families who usually fought one another for territory and profit were teaming up together, we came up with this name. Our goal is each woman we rescue to be like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. Liborio, when drafting our insignia, insisted we use the same shade of auburn in the flames which matched the hair of his sister and mother in tribute to them. I digress of course,” Belkin sighed, “however
Cruz looked at Presley sideways as they sat in the back of an SUV worriedly.“You didn’t have to come.”“It’s me he is threatening.” She rubbed the leather upholstery of the bench seat they were on. “This is nice. Maybe having to be driven everywhere won’t be so awful if I get to sit on buttery leather, have a hot driver and you in the backseat.”He turned his torso to face her pursing his lips in annoyance, “hot driver?”“Cruz look at him,” she whispered mockingly to the man on the other side of the glass partition. “Your security team found me a guy bigger than you! It’s my type.”“You’re not his. He likes men.”“No way.”“You think jacked up guys can’t be gay?”“Yes, they can but not him. He looked at my ass.”“When?”“When I was getting into the car. I saw him checking me out.”He shook his head and frowned, “you’re trying to get me going.”“Am I?” she made wide eyes at him.“Distracting me because of where we are going.”“Well, you’re squeezing your cell phone so tight I’m surpri
Presley looked down at Cruz as her shaking fingers unbuttoned his shirt to push it back off his shoulders. His hazel eyes were clear and focused on her as if memorizing each tiny detail of her features and yet she was mesmerized by the golden flesh she was uncovering. Vacation sunshine gave his skin a sun kissed and burnished glow Her palm ran over his thick pecs, stroking his nipples and cupping the taut sinew of his flesh. His cock twitched under her as she explored the curves of his abdomen and then back up his shoulders and it forced a smile to her face.“What are you grinning like the Cheshire Cat for?” he asked as he wriggled his arm out of the sleeve of his shirt to allow her further exploration.She ground her pelvis against his, “ten seconds of touching you and you’re already getting hard.”“Ladybird, I can get hard thinking of the smile on your face, let alone having you touch me.”She continued letting her hands search as he pulled his shirt from under him and tossed it asi
Presley entered her place in Gastown, in the city center of Vancouver and felt the tears fall down her cheeks.Cruz immediately seeing her crying grabbed her and hugged, “what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”“I’m so happy to be home. I thought,” her words were clogging her throat as she tried to get them out, “I’d never come here again. I thought I’d never see my own place again.”“Oh Ladybird,” he sighed as he lifted her up in his arms bridal style and carried her deeper into the space and towards a loveseat. He sat down and cuddled her against his chest.She sniffled and reached for a throw blanket behind his shoulder, “my Nana made this for me when I was a little girl. She died when I was really young, but I still have it and I’m so happy it’s still here and I get to touch it again.” She draped it over her knees as she sat across Cruz’s lap. She gave a giggle. “You make my small apartment look even smaller, Kong.”“Kong with two dongs,” he amended as he recited the name Algernon gave
Walking into the breakfast area in the morning, Presley was surprised to find it full of Russian men and she couldn’t contain her giggle when Cruz walked in behind her, and they all pounded their chests and screamed “Kong!”“You are so never living it down.”“I imagine they could have given me worse nicknames,” he shrugged as he nodded at Anderson who was sitting in a corner morosely pushing an omelet around his plate. “They named him Chip.”“Chip?”“Like microchip but chip.”“I wonder what is wrong with him?”“I imagine it’s that,” Cruz gestured in the direction of where Halima was sitting at a table surrounded by six Russian men all eagerly sharing their breakfasts with her and flirting outrageously.“Rami is here!” Presley tore away from Cruz and raced to where he was standing by the breakfast bar. “Rami!”“My fifth sister!” he swung her up in his arms, hugging her tightly. “It is so good to see you looking so well rested.” He set her down and pulled something from inside the pocke
The room looked the same. Why she thought or believed the room she shared with Cruz was going to be different somehow after only a couple of nights away was confusing to her. Yet, in her mind, as she looked around the room and saw all her belongings exactly where she left them, interspersed with Cruz’s things, she felt the urge to cry. Nothing was changed.“What’s wrong?” Cruz immediately noted the way she was rapidly blinking.“I thought it would be altered.”“Altered how?”“I don’t know. I thought maybe my things would be gone or put away or yours would be packed up.”He smiled as he took her hand and led her to the bathroom. “Now why would I pack stuff up? I wasn’t leaving here without you, Presley.” He turned the shower on. “Do you want help or do you want some time alone?”“Would you be upset if I said I wanted some time alone?”“You’ve been surrounded by men for the last twenty-four hours, all of whom you didn’t know. I completely understand why you want to be alone. Take your s
Once they arrived back at the resort, Presley was taken into a reserved room where food and drinks were prepared for her and her family.Algernon and Sloane were the last to arrive and Presley was dumbfounded by her best friend’s appearance. Bruised eyes, swollen lips and hair in disarray, her friend who was usually so well put together, was a mess.Sloane raced to her and hugged her tight. “I missed you.”“Did you because you look like you’ve been very well distracted.” Presley was only half-teasing.“I think I love him,” Sloane whispered in her ear. “I’ve never felt like this before. He sees me, Presley. He sees my heart and we connect so deeply. I can’t help but feel all of this was some divine plan to bring me into his life or him into mine. All I know is it’s meant to be. I think I love him.”Presley squeezed her friend in her arms, “then love him. It’s okay to love him. He’s a good man. He’s a nice man. If he makes you happy, then I’m happy.”“Are you okay?” Sloane leaned back t
The men lifted the door off the groaning man on the floor and Presley stifled a giggle.“That was insane.” She looked at Cruz who was glowering at the man with such rage she wasn’t sure he wasn’t going to stomp on the man without the door between them. She immediately moved to stand in front of him. “Hey, Kong,” he turned and gave her an annoyed glance, “good job taking out the bad guy like a movie star stunt man but maybe we can get out of the way so they can get him upstairs.”“I’d rather throw the fucking door back on top of him.”“With the way his nose is bleeding, I think it’s broken and he’s breathing funny so definitely some broken ribs. You’ve done enough damage.” She was tugging him back towards the stairs. She grinned at Belkin who was waiting, “it worked. Cruz jumped on him.”The men all started cheering as Liborio was dragged up the stairs and thrown at Belkin’s feet. Belkin squatted and grabbed the semi-conscious man by the jaw.“You fucked up my friend. You kidnapped a w
Presley wrapped her arms and legs around Cruz’s neck, and he crushed her to his frame.“Fuck Ladybird, oh fuck,” his voice cracked as he buried his head in her hair.She couldn’t help herself and she was sobbing uncontrollably in the crook of his neck as he stood holding her while men milled all around them. Despite the yelling and the way everyone was rushing around, in the midst of trying to get the ship back under their control before other factions arrived to assist Liborio, she felt nothing but the relief of being in Cruz’s arms.She felt him carrying her away after someone yelled at him in French and he was taking her to a more secure location, away from the possibility of gunfire. He wasn’t letting her go through. The sound of his sniffling and clearing his throat made her pull her head back and look at him. Tears stained his cheeks as he tucked them against a small corner of a wall. Cupping his cheeks with her hands she stared into his eyes. “Hi.”His laugh made her smile, “hi