“Joel takes pictures of people having sex.”
Henry blinks once… twice… before in a groggy but still sexy voice, he murmurs, “Good morning, Abbi.”
“Did you know?”
“Of course I knew.” He frowns. “How did you figure that out between last night and this morning?”
I tell him about my trip to the kitchen for water and stumbling upon the open door.
He shakes his head, but he’s smiling. “How do you always get yourself into these things?” At least he’s not mad.
“And then they all started having sex together. Did you know that they would be doing that, too?”
He sighs. “That’s what they’re into.”
I hesitate. “Is that what you’re into, too?”
His fingers weave through my hair. “I’m into you.”
“But are you also into that?”
“I’m into a lot of things. I’ve told you that before.”
“Is this why you brought me here?”
“You seriously think I’m going to let another man touch you?”
“No, but—”
“Why do you think we went up early last night?”
“And if we hadn’t?”
He sighs. “The night might have gone very differently. And way out of your comfort zone.”
“I’m not sharing you, Henry. I can’t do that.” I close my eyes tight against the thought of him being intimate with another woman at all, let alone me having to watch.
“I would never expect you to.”
“Margo would still sleep with you. You know that, right?”
Pushing me onto my back, he pulls the sheet down and rolls over onto his side to graze my nipple with his teeth. Heat rushes between my legs “She’d also sleep with you.”
“Yeah… she told me last night.” I hesitate. Will he be mad? “And she kissed me again. I didn’t have a chance to tell her to—” I gasp as he pulls my nipple into his mouth, sucking hard.
“It’s okay, Abbi.”
“You’re not mad?”
He chuckles. “That Margo wants to fuck you? No.”
“I just don’t understand her. She has a boyfriend, and she watches him sleep with her friends while she’s propositioning me.”
“Margo is like no one you’ll ever meet in your life. She loves the human body, male or female. She wants a front-row seat to people orgasming. The intimacy of it gets her off.”
“That’s….” I don’t know what that is.
“That’s a woman with no boundaries and full confidence in herself.”
“You sound like you admire that?” Is that what he wants me to be?
“I’ll admit, it’s sexy.” Henry’s brow rises a notch. “What’d you say to her when she asked?”
“That you won’t share me. What else was I supposed to say?”
His hand smooths over my stomach. He seems to be weighing his thoughts. “And if I said that I would share you with her… would that change your mind?”
“No.”
He pulls the sheet down the rest of the way, exposing my body. “You sure?”
“Why? Is that what you want?”
His hand travels to my thighs to pull them apart. “You want complete honesty?”
“Yes?” I answer warily, because I’m not sure that I do.
His fingers slide through my folds, making my thighs clench. “Watching her go down on you would probably be the fucking hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
“I’m not into women, though.”
“You don’t have to be into women to be into Margo.” With his typical fluid grace, Henry slides down to place his head between my legs. “Lie back and close your eyes.”
I do as asked, waiting with anticipation as his breath skates against my most private part.
“You’ve seen her mouth. I know you have. I’ve watched you stare at it.”
Her soft, plump lips, painted in velvety lipstick. “So?”
“Do me a favor. Imagine it right here.” His tongue dips into my opening, earning my gasp. “Do you think you’ll care if it’s my tongue or hers, once you’re coming?”
I don’t know, but I do know that his words alone are making me wet right now.
“Stop talking.” I reach down and press against the back of his head, pushing his face into me. My muscles spasm as he chuckles once.
And then he grants me my request.
~ ~ ~
Henry’s in the shower when the knock sounds on our door. I assume it’s the staff, coming to take our breakfast dishes, so I holler, “Come in.”
When I turn around, I find Margo standing in the doorway. She’s wearing a fitted t-shirt and casual cotton pants today. Simple and casual, and yet still somehow glamorous.
She drapes a navy-and-white-striped cotton dress across the chair by the door. “A change of clothes for you. It should fit.”
“Thank you.”
“Have you heard from the airline yet?”
I shake my head. “Hopefully today.”
She pauses. “How did you sleep?”
My eyes flicker to her plump lips, painted a soft pink today, remembering Henry’s words. I flush with the thought. “Well. Thank you.”
She comes farther in. “Henry mentioned that he had a few calls to make?”
“Yes.” I groan. I hate that he has to work while we’re here.
“Don’t let that stop you from having fun. We’ll be leaving shortly for the vines. Come with us. There is no point wasting your day inside.”
It is sunny out. “Who’s going?”
“Everyone but Henry.”
Great. It was one thing to spy on that couple in the parking lot outside Billy Bob’s, but I have to actually look these people in the eye for the next several days. Not that I haven’t been in this position before, with Katie, Rachel, and Ronan. But this feels somehow different and I can’t explain why.
She must be able to read my apprehension. “Please.” She reaches out to touch my wrist. “There is no reason to be uncomfortable about what you saw, Abigail. We are not. It is not a big deal for us.”
What about what she said to me last night? Is propositioning me not a big deal either? Does she do that with every woman she finds attractive?
The water shuts off in the bathroom, signaling the end of Henry’s shower. He’ll be coming out in a few minutes and I doubt he’ll be wearing a towel.
Margo’s eyes drift to the door, pushed shut but not closed all the way. “Please, come with us. We are meeting at the doors in ten minutes. We’ve packed a picnic.” She ducks out the door, leaving the faint scent of her perfume behind.
I venture over to see what she brought, reveling in the feel of the material between my fingers. It’s softer than normal cotton. Tossing my robe onto the hook, I pull the simple pencil dress over my head. It reaches halfway down my thighs, which makes me wonder how short it is on her. All in all though, it fits nicely.
“From Margo?” Henry asks, strolling out of the bathroom.
I admire the way his impressive length bobs between his legs as he heads for the dresser where his clothes are tucked away. “Yeah. She just dropped it off. She asked me to pick grapes with her and the others.”
“You should go.”
“But what if they… you know, out there?”
“Then leave.” He chuckles as he pulls his briefs on. “I can’t imagine fucking in between vines would be comfortable though. They’re not animals. Either way, you’re not going to have much fun here and I don’t want you distracting me. I really do have to work.”
“Will you come out and meet us?”
“I’ll try.” His phone starts ringing then and he sighs, checking the screen. “I have to take this.” Grabbing my hips, he spins me around and ushers me toward the door. Opening it, he gives my ass a swift slap, just hard enough to make me yelp without it hurting. “Go on and have fun.” He leans down to kiss me quickly on the lips. “But not too much, got it? Because I’m not there.”
I sigh. I guess I’m going on a picnic.
~ ~ ~
“The dress fits nicely.”
“Yes, thank you.” I shield my eyes against the sun as Margo stretches out next to me on the red-and-white-checked blanket that I pulled from the stack sitting on the wagon.
“You would pay to visit a place like this, oui?”
“Yes. If I could afford it.” It’s so peaceful here, lying in the grass, overlooking the rolling hills and valley below. We picked several bushels of grapes before breaking for lunch—a delicious assortment of freshly baked breads and cheeses and sliced meats. And wine, of course, which has left my cheeks warm and my shoulders relaxed. I think these people crack a bottle with breakfast.
She chuckles, her hand smoothing over her taut belly. “You are with Henry. You can afford anything your heart desires.”
“His money isn’t my money.”
“But you two are serious?”
I sigh. “I don’t know what we are.”
“You would like to be, though, yes?”
“Yes.” Is it wrong to admit it to Margo?
“He is an interesting character. Very open in some ways, and very closed in others.”
She is right about that. The man will give himself over physically without hesitation, but to let people in to what he’s feeling? He’s a vault.
“Are you enjoying yourself so far, Abigail?”
I close my eyes and revel in the early afternoon sun beating down on my limbs. “Yes.” Despite everything, it’s been an incredible day so far. Margo was right, there’s no awkwardness coming from any of them. They laugh loud and they joke frequently. It reminds me of my relationship with Connor and Ronan and, while I’m still an outsider here, they haven’t made me feel uncomfortable for it.
Margo rolls onto her side to face me, her body close but not touching. “Did you tell him what I said last night?”
I can feel her watching me behind her dark sunglasses. “Yeah.”
“And? Was he surprised?”
“No.”
“Of course not.” I hear the smile in her voice. Rolling onto her back, she sighs. “I see the way you look at me. You are curious.”
If I’m being honest with myself, I am curious. At least, I’m becoming so as I spend more time with her, in this seductive fog that swirls around her, now that I know she’s attracted to me.
What would it be like to have Margo touch me?
What would it be like to have her go down on me while Henry watched? If I were ever to allow a woman to do that, I have to think that it’d be Margo.
As the minutes go by and my thoughts spin and the smell of her shampoo and perfume waft in my nostrils, I feel my blood beginning to pulse.
I’m actually disappointed when Margo climbs to her feet. “We have one more bushel to pick and then we can go to the grotto to swim.”
I frown. “The grotto?”
“Ah, you have not seen it yet. It is underground and the best part of this chateau. You will come, yes?”
Swimming sounds like heaven. “If my suitcase comes in time.”
Another secretive smile touches her lips. She holds her hand out for me. “Come.”
Hesitating for only a minute, I take it, letting her fingers slip through mine.
~ ~ ~
“Margo said she’ll send us a case of the wine when it’s ready.”
“Did she now?” I hear amusement in his voice.
I wander out onto the balcony, to where Henry sits at the table with his computer and a glass of Scotch. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing at all,” he murmurs, but his eyes are twinkling in that way.
Coupled with that smirk and a fitted black long-sleeved shirt, he looks irresistible. I can’t help myself, I drape my arm over his shoulders, grabbing his earlobe between my teeth.
“I have to get this e-mail out in the next ten minutes.” He stops my hand before I can get it past his belt and into his pants.
I heave a sigh. “It’s almost three o’clock. You’ve been in here all day.”
“Almost done. Oh, your suitcase arrived.”
I gasp. Darting inside, I dive for it, pulling the zipper to inspect its contents. Everything seems to be there.
Including the samples of the new soap packaging. I quickly gather them, bringing them out to show Henry. “Look at them! Aren’t they amazing?”
He pauses from his work to flip them around in his hands. “They are. I like the name you went with.”
“It’s perfect, isn’t it? Organic and natural, but also fun,” I parrot Zaheera. “I wasn’t sure about it at first but it’s grown on me, and now I love it. And look! They even colored the twine!” I hold up the mauve string that wraps the lavender bar.
Henry leans back in his seat with a sigh. “Abbi, how much have you had to drink?”
“A few glasses. Why?”
He smirks. “No reason.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m fine.”
“Yes, I can see that.”
I head back to my suitcase, where I packed a new bikini. “When will you be done?”
“Another hour. Two at most.”
“Seriously?” I groan exaggeratedly.
He shoots a glare at me before shifting back to his computer, those fingers of his that are so skilled in getting me off typing furiously. “I think I liked you better when you were my assistant and scared shitless of me.”
“Too bad.” I stand in the doorway and peel Margo’s dress over my head.
His fingers stall. “What are you doing?”
“Changing into my bathing suit.”
I feel his hard gaze on me as I unfasten my bra. My breasts spring free. “No. You’re trying to distract me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I turn around to make an elaborate show of peeling off my panties, bending over to give him a good view.
And lose my balance trying to get my foot out. I stumble into our room.
His chuckles carry as he types.
“Don’t worry, I’m not hurt,” I mumble. Giving up on my attempts to seduce him away from his computer, I pull on my bikini.
“I’ll do my best to be done in an hour and meet you by the pool.”
“We’re not going to the pool. We’re going to the grotto.”
The furious typing stops. “Who’s going?”
“Me and Margo. I don’t know who else. Why?”
He looks up from his computer at me, and his jaw instantly tightens. With a heavy sigh, he scans whatever he was typing, clicks something with his mouse, and then pushes his laptop shut.
“You’re coming?” I exclaim excitedly.
“I’m definitely not letting you go there alone.” Setting his laptop on the table, he grabs the robes from the hooks. His gaze wanders over my body like fingertips, sending shivers through me, making my nipples pebble. “New?”
“Yeah. Do you like it?”
“I do.” He yanks on the strings until they unfasten and the bottoms fall to the floor. “But it’s pointless wearing it down there.”
I frown. “Why?”
Unfastening my top, he holds out the robe out for me. “Because nobody else will be wearing anything.”
My mouth drops open as he fastens the belt around my waist.
“What do you mean? We’re going naked? I don’t know….” I’m shaking my head, even as nervous flutters course through my body. Skinny-dipping? I’ve never done anything like that before.
I quietly watch him strip. Heat pools between my legs as he drops his boxers. I’ll never get enough of the sight of Henry’s body.
He pulls the fluffy black robe over himself. “Do you trust me?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Do you trust that I know what you’ll enjoy?”
“Yes.”
He leans down and kisses me. “Then trust me now.”
Nervous flutters explode in my stomach as he takes my hand and leads me out of the room.
~ ~ ~
It takes a minute for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. “Holy….”
“This part of the castle was built over a system of caves. Margo’s grandmother was Italian, so her grandfather built an underground spa reminiscent of the grotto near her childhood home.” Henry’s eyes skate over the stone ceiling above us. “Spent a lot of fucking money on this gem.”
“But it is well worth it, yes?” Margo glides through the water toward us, her wet hair slicked back. “Henry, you should take Abigail to the real grottos one day. They are… magnifique.”
He peers down at her. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Napping or fucking. Not here. Annie complained that Charlotte’s wine is too strong. ”
He says something to her in French. I have no clue what, but the tone is dark, warning.
She only smiles. “Because I knew you would come.” She stretches out to float on her back, her round breasts like two peaks breaking the water’s surface.
She’s taunting us.
Or Henry.
“Fresh towels are on the shelf and you can hang your robes there.” She points to where a rack hangs, fifteen feet away from the steps.
I feel her hawkish gaze on us as Henry leads me over.
He slides his robe off his body without hesitation, tossing it onto a hook, giving Margo a chance to take in his nakedness fully.
“Come on, Abbi. You wanted to come down here.” He smirks. “It’s cold standing here.”
I can’t believe I’m doing this. Taking a deep breath, I unfasten my robe and let it fall from my body. Henry hangs it next to his and then, taking my hand again, leads me toward the steps.
Margo is appraising us without shame, her eyes drifting from Henry to me, where they linger.
I find myself wondering what she’s thinking about my body.
Thankfully, the water is much warmer than the air, and it’s a rush to get to my neck. The ground beneath my feet is uneven. In some places it’s shallow enough that I’d be halfway out of the water if I weren’t crouching. In other spots, I’m on my tiptoes to keep my head above water.
“We need to talk business, Henry,” Margo purrs, wading over to stand in one of the shallow spots, the water reaching just below her belly button, her perfect breasts and taut belly on full display.
I steal a glance at Henry to see if he’s watching. Relief overwhelms me as I meet his eyes, locked on me. “Later.” His hand coils around mine and he begins pulling me through a small chasm in the rock, seemingly on a mission. I follow willingly.
The hum of jets churning water can be heard as we round the bend ahead. A wall divides us from the small, circular whirlpool that’s obviously manmade, the sea-blue tile walls smooth. Steam from the heated water rises, giving the entire area a mystical feeling.
Without warning, Henry hoists me out of the water and over the wall with no effort, dunking me into the much warmer water. I crouch down to completely cover myself. “Stay on this side, Margo,” he warns, swinging his body over the wall gracefully, slipping in with a groan. He doesn’t crouch though. He stands there, the water barely covering him. The tip of his erection pokes out of the water.
Margo, who’s resting her arms on the edge of the wall, stares at it with hunger.
My jealousy flares.
“Hey.” Henry seizes my chin between his thumb and forefinger, turning my face to his. “This is yours, not hers. She can’t have it. No one can have it except you. Understand?”
I nod.
“Do you trust me, Abbi?”
Another nod.
“Good.” He hoists me out of the water to sit on the wall. The steam from the whirlpool has warmed the air on this side, and yet goose bumps still dance along every inch of my bare skin on display. Oddly though, I don’t feel the overpowering need to cover up, even with Margo next to us.
Henry closes his mouth over mine in a soft, intimate way. So not like his normal hungry style. Still, I’m hyperaware that Margo is leaning over the wall right beside us, watching as Henry’s hand slides down my belly and his finger slides into my slit. Try as I might, I can’t keep the light moan from slipping out as they dip into me.
Margo murmurs something in French. It sounds like a question. A few more moments pass.
“Henry,” she murmurs again, this time almost pleading.
Henry dips down to catch my ear with his teeth. “You remember that bet we made that night? The one that you lost?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m about to collect.”
“I don’t even know what that means.” But my stomach drops all the same.
He cups my chin within his hands, his eyes turning gentle. “Trust me?”
“Okay,” I whisper, because I have to trust him or this will never work between us.
“Bring your legs up,” he orders.
I do. He lifts me at the waist and turns me around to face the other way.
To face Margo.
He presses his chest against my back as his lips find my neck and his hands find the insides of my thighs. “Relax, Abbi.”
I do my best to as he pushes my legs apart.
Spreading me wide in front of her.
Before I have a chance to say anything, his hand is on my cheek again, turning my head so he can reach my lips. Again, kissing me in that slow, lingering, intimate way that makes my blood rush and my heart swell with love for him. Still, I sense Margo shifting to position herself, her shoulders just barely skimming my knees.
His rough, callused hand slips down between my legs to begin working against my clit. He smirks against my lips and I know why. That slickness isn’t from water. I’m completely turned on right now.
“She is so beautiful, Henry,” Margo purrs.
With a deep breath, I dare look down to find her peering up at me with nothing but adoration in her eyes, her full lips parted. “Please, Abigail.” The way she pleads, so seductively….
I’m so nervous, but I am turned on right now, I’ll admit. That such a beautiful woman wants me boosts my confidence.
And Henry would love this. I’ll do anything, at least once, for Henry.
Reaching down, I coil my fingers through his, pulling his hand away. And then I stretch my thighs farther apart for her.
A sigh sails from her lips to my skin and when she leans forward, when her tongue slides over my clit for the first time, I cry out.
“Fuck,” Henry growls, his hands tensing over my thighs as he watches Margo’s tongue slide back and forth.
It feels strangely different than when Henry is going down on me. Margo’s tongue is smaller, her lips are softer, her skin is smoother. But, it’s no less intense. Almost too intense.
“Watch her,” Henry whispers.
“I am,” I gasp, catching her green eyes as they glance up at me, the flat of her tongue pressing against my clit. She murmurs in French against me and Henry wraps his arms around the backs of my thighs to lift my legs up and farther apart. I lean back against his chest and close my eyes as the base of my spine begins to tingle, her tongue relentless in its swirls and curls.
“I’m going to come,” I moan.
“And I’m going to fucking explode if I don’t get inside you soon,” he pants against my ear.
Margo’s fingertips dig into my thighs, but it’s easy to ignore the sharpness as heat floods downward between my legs.
Henry’s hand grasps the back of her head, fisting her hair as he presses her mouth against me. It only seems to excite her, her tongue pushing deep inside me, just in time for my muscles to begin to spasm.
My cries echo off the cavernous walls around us as I buck against her.
No sooner have I stopped than Henry is lifting me off the wall and into the whirlpool. Pushing my legs apart and my back down to lean against the divide, bracing myself with my palms, his rigid cock is inside me in less than five seconds. His hands grip my hips roughly as he thrusts into me from behind.
Margo simply watches us for a moment, her eyes hooded and full of lust. And then she blows me a kiss and swims away, disappearing around the bend.
Henry comes moments later, his deep groans trumping the jets, his legs trembling from exertion against me. The pulsing seems to go on forever before it subsides and he pulls me up to a standing position, his arms roping around my chest, his heart pounding against my back. “Thank you,” he whispers through pants.
“For letting her go down on me?” I can’t believe I just did that.
And I enjoyed it.
He rests his forehead against my temple. “No. For trusting me so completely.”
I turn to face him, to peer up in his eyes, my emotions suddenly getting the better of me. “I love you, Henry.”
He heaves a sigh and somehow I feel like I’ve said the wrong thing.
I avert my gaze but he’s quickly pulling my chin up to face him again. “Don’t. I may not be ready to use those words yet but know I feel it, too.” His hand brushes back wet strands of hair from my forehead. “You are everything to me. Christ, Abbi. You should have figured that out by now. Do you think I’d fly across the country for a night for just anyone? Do you know how much I dread putting you back on a plane at the end of this trip? How much I dread not seeing you for another three weeks. Probably longer? I hate it.” His sigh skates over my face. “This is the first time in my life that I have all the fucking money in the world and I can’t have the one thing I want.”
My heart hammers in my chest with his words. I slide my hands over his chest, my thumbs stalling over his nipples, pebbled from the cold. “You have me. I’m yours.”
“Not how I want you though.”
“How do you want me?” I ask tentatively. He’s finally opening up to me, but I don’t want to scare him.
His lips twist. He’s hesitating. “With me when I go to bed at night and when I wake up. When I’m stressed and I need to talk.” The corner of his mouth curls. “Or not talk.”
“Soon. I can be that soon.”
“I don’t like missing people. It’s been a long time since I’ve missed anyone.”
“It won’t be forever, I promise.” I stretch onto my tiptoes to kiss him deeply.
Laughter carries from the other side of the grotto.
I peer over my shoulder to make sure we’re not being watched. “I guess the others are here now?”
“Perfect timing. Margo’s going to need to get off after that.”
“I think I want to go back to our room.” I’ve had all the group excitement I can take.
“Good idea.” Henry pulls me down until the water covers my shoulders. “I’ll go and get our robes.”
“Oh, so now you don’t want me on display,” I tease, sighing as I feel his hands cup my breasts.
“Not for those assholes. No fucking way.”
“But women are okay?”
“Margo’s different. I trust her and I understand her. It’s hard to explain.”
“I think I know what you mean.” It’s how I trust Ronan. Not that I’m going to mention him right now.
I watch Henry climb out of the whirlpool, the muscles in his legs and ass still extra taut from his recent exertion.
And accept that I will do whatever it takes to keep him happy with me forever.
Because it finally feels like Henry is mine.
