Along day in the sun, watching Bree smiling more than I’d seen her smile since the day I’d met her, was exactly what I needed to push past seeing Jane and the reminder of our nonexistent relationship. We sure as hell tried to keep something going outside of our nightmares, and even though I was happier than I’d ever been, that didn’t change the pathetic situation with my sister.
Jim and I sat next to a gas-lit, fiery waterfall and enjoyed a bourbon, but the relaxing ambiance wasn’t what made me steal glances of the woman I loved. Bree’s dimpled smile was more alluring than whatever this resort had set in place to make one believe they were thousands of miles overseas at a tropical resort.
Jake, Ash, Collin, and Elena opted to join family night at the hotel, watching a movie outdoors that the resort had set up for families to enjoy with their kids. Jim and I watched in humor as Jake and Collin took a few shots and acted as if they were heading down the long road to hell to do a family night with all the kids. The best part was when Jim and Avery’s daughters tagged along, and Jim raised his bourbon glass to the two doctors as they were on their way to be devoted husbands.
Before Bree, I would’ve been happy to have everyone show up in San Diego randomly, and then I would’ve returned my focus to what I was down here for in the first place: handling business. If the group didn’t insist on me sticking around, I would’ve gone back to L.A. Yet, here I was, shaking off mine and Jane’s short reunion and more thrilled than ever to have a wonderful woman in my life to enjoy these brief trips with my friends.
Sitting next to Jim with a sense of joy that Breanne was down here—and her electrifying laugh that was heard from where we sat—completed the happiness I was feeling. It felt so fucking amazing to have someone to make me feel alive inside for the first time. I suddenly understood why my three closest friends were grateful that they’d found the right woman to blot out the mundane bachelor lives we all once lived.
“Is it me, or is this bourbon smoother than the usual drinks we have at these resorts?” I asked Jim.
Jim took another sip of his drink after handling a phone call from Spencer. “It’s you.” He eyed me with that cheeky grin he held since I admitted I was a fool in love. “It’s also her.” He lifted his glass toward where Bree and his wife were fully relaxed in a world of their own. “It is good to see my best friend like this, though.”
“It’s good to have some emotional freedom finally, I guess.”
“Emotional freedom?” Jim laughed while I continued to sip on my drink. “What exactly is that? You know it’s easier to say that you’re just in love, and the woman who made that happen has also made it possible for you to enjoy life a little more. It’s a hell of a thing, but emotional freedom? What makes you say that?”
“Because I seriously have no other way of describing it,” I answered honestly. “I’d usually chill with you guys on a random visit while I’m on a business trip and not feel anywhere near as excited as I’m feeling now.”
“It’s called being in love, buddy. Enjoy it.” Jim laughed and leaned on the armrest of the cushioned chairs where we’d found refuge away from the party animals in the pool. “Listen, I need to bring up this event we’re going to that’s honoring Brian Stone. The money raised at it will be given to the company.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Thank God, Breanne’s here. I hate these masquerade events, and I know you do as well.”
“That’s an understatement, but it’s in honor of your lady’s late father. I wouldn’t miss out on my best friend watching his love with profound pride whether the masks stay on or come off.”
“What does Breanne know about the award? This one sounds unusual. They’re donating the funds that are raised in Brian Stone’s name to our parent company?”
“It’s not that unusual to offer the check to the one who receives the award. I’ve already spoken with the chairman and requested they give the money to the late Brian Stone’s daughter. Unfortunately, since we own Brian Stone’s company, they’re entrusting us to offer her the money to donate to a cause of her choosing or to use it to advance the architectural firm in his name.”
“Why do the chairmen of masquerade events act as ambiguous as the masquerade itself? They should give her the funds raised on his behalf and allow her to invest in the company if that’s what she desires.” I sighed. “It all has to be fucking difficult, and she is still the CEO of the fucking place.”
“I’ll cut the shit about the award, the group, and why Brian Stone is being honored and celebrated,” Jim said, seeing my frustration rise because shit like this annoyed the hell out of both of us.
This was particularly annoying because these things were always staged for the wealthiest to attend, act like they gave a fuck about the recipient of the award, and then use the evening to prove who was the richest in the room by accidentally saying how much they’d donated. It always depended on the group hosting the party, but the donations would easily start at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Please do,” I answered.
“The Marin project,” he said. “Do you remember that?”
“Yeah,” I frowned in thought. “Brian Stone was the architect who built that place to help those in need. Doctors, nurses, teachers, and every last good Samaritan was part of helping the less fortunate get back on their feet with that project. A lot of people are alive and well today because of that place.”
“Exactly, it’s sort of like Avery’s center that helps women who suffered abuse and so on. Although we both know that the building and the land was worth more than we believed the cause was worth. Hell, how many people have you and I fired at Mitchell due to a failed drug test? Because of Marin, we had a place to send them to get sober, and they came back to the company better than ever.”
I nodded. “Too many employees to count. We could’ve lost some great people at Mitchell and Associates if we didn’t send them to Marin to get help.”
“Yes. Well,” Jim’s lips tightened as he looked at Breanne, “Brian Stone was the original donor to that place.”
“Shut the hell up,” I answered in surprise. “He’s the anonymous donor that we were all questioning at the time it was being built?”
“Yes,” Jim grinned. “Remember that other stupid-ass masquerade ball we had to go to? The first event we attended after John Brooks told us to.”
“I remember Brooks insisting that we get into the executive life and fast,” I said. “You know he was testing our asses to see if we could handle ourselves while taking over Mitchell straight out of college.”
“Brooks always had a method to his madness. He’s partly the reason we hate these things.”
“Well, it appears the masked man was Brian, the one to pour money into that thing. Jesus, the apple doesn’t fall far from the selfless tree, I guess,” I said as I smiled at Bree. “Does she know her father is the reason countless individuals were able to go to Marin? Because her father donated the money to get that place built faster than any of us anticipated?”
“She doesn’t. You’ll tell her.”
“Well, I’ll be happy too,” I said, but I didn’t fail to notice Jim’s perplexed expression and meet it with one of my own. “What’s the catch?”
“She’s going to ask why Mr. Stone was so charitable to that cause so many years ago. She’s not aware of it from what Javier told me. Brian almost took his own life after he lost his wife.” Jim stopped and shook his head. “I can’t imagine the grief and sorrow he must’ve gone through when he lost Brianne’s mom. It took someone speaking to him from a small place like Marin that helped him refocus and see that his wife may have been gone, but she didn’t depart this life without giving him the gift of their daughter. Through counseling, I’m sure, Brian settled himself to continue, and of course, this is why he came to you and me and begged us to keep his illness from his daughter.”
“Jesus Christ, man.” I suddenly felt torn for Breanne. I could never tell her that her dad almost ended it all while he was lost in grief. “I remember humoring the man, wanting that business under Mitchell for our greedy interests and thankful he came to us.”
“Sort of makes you feel like shit, doesn’t it?”
“Not anymore,” I answered him truthfully. “I’m honored he trusted us with his firm and his daughter’s well-being. It’s a shame that she almost lost the place after trying to run it with a bunch of thieves.”
“And because she’s quite the gifted liar,” Jim chuckled. “We hadn’t a clue that she was the anonymous donor in the numbers to keep Stone looking okay in reports.”
“Yeah, and her little donations cost her everything. She’s broke as fuck now because of that. I’ve never jumped her ass about hiding it from us, but she should have mentioned something when all her jobs turned out to be losses.”
“Pride,” Jim said. “That’s why Mitchell and Associates is matching the collected funds from this event, and you will be giving them all to her in the name of her late father.”
“Jim,” I tried to level the man, “you realize the woman only took that outlandish car I bought her because she had a few fun days in it, and of course, a few fun days with yours truly. The penthouse she nearly sold? She wouldn’t even allow me to buy the damn thing so she could continue to live there and pay all the debt back that was drained by those fuckers since Brian passed away.”
“That’s why you’re giving her the check. It’s going back to what we promised Brian. We’d take care of her, and we’re finally doing that. Before, she was floundering, and we saw that in the numbers. We should’ve known better.”
“We let the man down on our word.”
“Something we always prided ourselves in. Our promises and our word, and now we have a duty to do what’s right.” Jim was resolute, and he was right.
I shook my head and smiled at the woman I was in love with. “She won’t accept that money, even if we do come up with a crazy-ass story.”
“True. We obviously can’t lie as well as she can.” Jim shrugged his shoulders and laughed.
“So, we tell the truth?”
“In this case, the truth may sting a little, but isn’t that why you’re with her? Isn’t that what will get you both through this? Love, correct?” Jim said.
“Jesus, I’m just getting my feet wet in the love department. Now, you want me to dive headfirst in all of this?” I asked, knowing that his request shouldn’t have felt as heavy to me as it did.
“Does she deserve to know the truth?”
“Fuck yes, but shit, she might lose it,” I said, knowing how she’d reacted every other time she was offered something she thought was charity.
“That’s why you lift weights and workout every morning,” Jim chuckled. “Nice biceps to hold your lovely woman with.”
“Hilarious.” I rolled my eyes and studied Bree. “Shit, okay. Well, this thing isn’t for three days, correct?”
“And she’s been advised that she and Avery will be dressed to impress by Clay and Joe too.”
“Well, I have to be on that job this week. I need to figure out why we’re stuck with the city and what we need to fix, or we’re back to losing money and missing deadlines.”
“Already done. Breanne is going with you tomorrow. She showed me the issues with the site she found. She mentioned that she believes she could alter the dimensions of the project, and with your asshole self riding up everyone’s butts, you’ll get it all pushed through by the end of the day.”
“We’ll see,” I answered, knowing this project was held up over bullshit, and I had no idea how we’d get it moving again. “So, what else is on the agenda? And please explain why it feels like we’re all down here for a wedding or something? How’d Jake manage to take off time to come down?”
“Chief surgeons put in for vacation time months in advance like the rest of the hospital staff.”
“And he chose to come here for what, an award? To stay at a resort that, if we’re honest, feels less like a tropical resort than his beach house?”
Jim laughed. “Well, first of all, it was a perfect way for us to impose on your sappy ass and meet Breanne, and Jake used it as an excuse not to go to Disneyland for the hundredth time this year.”
“I’m not going to Sea World.” I eyed him. “You all may think I’m a true sap with my feelings about Bree, but I’m not a theme park kind of guy.”
“Wait until you have your own kids, and then tell me that nonsense,” Jim said. “And you will go because Collin and Jake plan to use the Dolphin Experience to shed light on the mammals that like to ride the surf with them.”
I shook my head. “Shed light?” I asked, rolling my tongue under my upper lip. “What the hell do a neurosurgeon and a heart surgeon need a dolphin to shed light on?”
“Collin read that they can bring the kids into the water, and the trainers teach them how to communicate with dolphins through sign language.”
“The kids being the two nine-month-olds, and John and Addy, correct?” I chuckled.
“Do you think those two jackasses would let the opportunity to speak to a dolphin in sign language pass them by?”
“No, but I’m curious as to what their excuses are for it now.”
“Trying to impress the Tahitians they try to compete with while surfing,” Jim said.
“I wish I could say you were joking, but part of me believes that shit.”
“And the best part is,” Jim laughed again, “those idiots are proud that you’re in love because they think we’ll start surfing with them again.”
“If it’s confirmed, and I see Collin and Jake in that arena trying to learn dolphin sign language, then you can’t keep me away. I’ll be the first one on a surfboard just to see the look on Flex and the other Tahitians’ faces when those two idiots try that in the wild.”
“That’s why I knew you’d join us at Sea World and take time to surf with the guys.”
“Well, Collin only has two weeks of this maternity or paternity leave left, whatever you call it. He’d better hope he’s a fast learner, too. I’ll be pissed if I go to Sea World and no human to animal communication happens.”
“What are you two going on about?” Avery asked as she and Bree walked over wrapped in towels with their wet hair in buns.
“Alex wants to learn dolphin,” Jim lied, and Bree quickly caught on. She must’ve been given a crash course in my friends’ ridiculousness on the flight to San Diego.
“More than anything in the world,” I answered.
“Why would a man who is fluent in three languages want to learn dolphin?” Bree teased me.
“So, I can ask them to help me while I ride a surfboard. I’ll tell them to get my back while I take a wave,” I teased.
“Such bullshit,” Avery added. “And are they going to use your sign language to scare off the sharks?”
“I suppose so. Even our science-geek doctors recommended it for safe surfing.”
“I’ll bet,” Avery added. “Speaking of which, I need to run inside, shower, and save those doctors from our kids.”
“I’ll sit with our kids. See you down at the beach where this theater is set up,” Jim answered Avery. He looked at us, “See you both tomorrow night.”
After Jim had taken off, and Bree and I went up to our room, I felt my dick aching to feel her again. When we got inside the room, I decided a hot shower was the perfect way to loosen up both of us. I had my girl facing the wall, and her beautiful hands stretched out over it while I answered her as she begged for it hard and fast. I’d never get enough of this woman.
Three rounds of fucking later, I’d switched it up entirely. We were both situated on the bed, her face more beautiful than ever, and my heart was so full of pride and love for her that I’d managed to slow it down in a way I didn’t even know I was capable of doing.
Bree’s groans were smooth and unwavering as I moved in deep and out in a way that made her grip my biceps. I nipped and tugged at her hard nipples, relishing in her full and large breasts as I’d always done, and then used my tongue to caress her neck.
“You feel so amazing. Right there.” She moaned when I brushed my cock up against her deep spot. “I’m close,” she whined, and I loved this slower way of watching her orgasm build.
The way her voice changed, her whines, whimpers, moans, and her legs fully open and allowing me to fill her deep was intoxicating. I was coming undone in my own way with her erotic sounds, the goosebumps covering her body, and her fingers, which were now digging into my forearms.
She went to turn her head the second I felt her pussy tighten against my last thrust, and there was no way I was losing out on the expression I was waiting to see. I cradled her face to keep her dazed eyes staring into mine. I was holding back but ready to feel this bliss the second I allowed my dick to have its way.
She closed her eyes when she licked her parted lips. “Fuck, I feel so high right now,” she said, confirming the exact numbing sensation that was occurring within me. “I love you fucking me.” That’s when I felt her pussy clenching all around me in a fiery orgasm that nearly went into me.
“Fuck yes,” I seethed, my eyes becoming heavy as they always did right before I came hard inside my woman.
While Bree’s fingers firmly dug into my ass, I kept myself from exploding into her. Instead, somehow, I throttled down the explosive sensations of my own orgasm and was so fucking stoned on Breanne’s faded eyes that my lips were as dry as hers. I pushed in deep, feeling myself release more cum into her, only able to close my eyes while she ran her fingers through my hair and kissed along my chin.
“That’s it, baby,” she coaxed. “You look so sexy.”
Bree’s lips went to my jaw while I held my mouth open, my lips softly moving down the side of her cheek.
“Shit,” I whispered, still coming. “Jesus.”
“I love you,” she said, adding to this slow way of taking her.
My forehead was in the pillow next to the top of her head while I felt a full-body shiver of completion to this hotter than hell way of fucking.
When I nearly collapsed on Bree, she went back to our usual pattern of riding out the last of an orgasm. I kept still and let my muscles loosen as her fingertips tingled over my back.
“Well, I’m hoping we at least can say that’s enough for one night,” she said as I rolled off of her and collapsed on the bed. “But I’m sure it’s not.”
I kept my eyes closed, still feeling my dick pulse in and out of my heartbeats as the blood returned to my head. “Most likely not,” I smiled.
