STEPHANIE: 

      "Ashley Purdy, will you stop that!?" I sigh, making a grab for his phone. "I thought that we agreed that neither of us was gonna bother with anything work-related during our trip!"

      "Yes, indeed we did," he replies, moving it out of my reach. "But I just remembered that I didn't get confirmation on one of our fabric shipments, so I figured that I should get ahold of Ren while we're sitting here in the airport, before the trip actually starts, and have him get on that." He reads the reply to his text, fires off a quick reply, then puts his phone back into his pocket. "There, that's done. And that's the end of anything work-related for the next eight days."

      I look at the smile on his face, and the sparkle that's made its way back into his eyes, and I can't help but marvel at how much he's improved since I saw him in Dr. Ledbetter's office just over two weeks ago. He was in the hospital for a week, and he's been staying at the house with us since he got out; partly because Dr. Ledbetter wanted someone nearby to make sure that he doesn't have any issues with his new medications, but mostly just because we came so close to losing each other that we both want to spend as much time together as possible.

      Because of this, and because I thought that he deserved a chance to relax and de-stress after everything that's happened the last few months, I got together with the rest of the band and Blasko, and with his assistant Ren at APFI, and made this point to them, which they all wound up agreeing with. So I spent some time on my computer checking out options, and managed to find out that the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida actually still had a couple of their overwater villas available on short notice, so I immediately snapped one of them up. We've spent the last few days wrapping up things that couldn't be put off, like a photoshoot and interview the band had scheduled to promote the new album, and me finishing up the last of the dinnerware for the restaurant order I've been working on. Then we either delegated or rescheduled everything else, and here we are, waiting for our flight to be called so I can get him away for a week of relaxation and recuperation.

      I reach over to move his hair out of his eyes, and he snatches my hand before I can pull it away, bringing it to his lips and kissing his way up from my fingertips to the back of my hand. Then, when he's finished, he says, "Do you have any idea how much I've been looking forward to this trip since you told me that you'd set it up? Don't get me wrong, I love my work, but it's nice to have an opportunity to be able to relax, and just breathe, without having to worry about keeping to a schedule, or what someone is going to expect from you. And knowing that I actually get you all to myself, without worrying about someone knocking on the door, or one of our phones blowing up, is the cherry on top of the sundae."

      "Glad to hear that, babe, because I actually have a couple of surprises for you once we get checked in," I inform him. His eyebrows raise, and he gives me a curious look, but I just offer him a rather mischievous smile and lean back in my seat, without saying another word.

      "Oh, come on, Steph, you're not really just gonna leave me hanging like that, are you?" he questions.  

      "Actually, yes, I am," I reply. "Otherwise, it's not gonna be a surprise, is it?"

      "Can't you at least give me a hint?" 

      I pause for a second, trying to think of something I can say that won't mess up my plan, but before I can, my phone goes off, letting me know that I have a text. I pull it from my bag, fully prepared to ignore anything having to do with work, but when I check the number, I realize that it's from my brother, Max. I hurry to open it up, because he usually prefers actual calls to texting, so I'm hoping that there's not some sort of emergency.

      I read the message, and quickly relax when I realize that nothing is actually wrong, then look over at Ash and inquire, "Would you mind terribly if you didn't get me all to yourself for the entire trip?" He looks rather confused, so I explain, "I just got a text from Max, and he says that... Oh, it'll probably be easier just to let you read it yourself!"

      I pass my phone over to him, and watch as he reads the message: "Hey, Sis! You're not gonna believe this, but I talked to J.T. last night, and he's actually at the same resort you and your fella are going to. When I told him that, he said to shoot you his number, so you can call him when you get there, and maybe you guys can have dinner or something with him and his chick one night before they leave. Have a great time, and I'll see you in a couple of weeks!" 

      "Who's J.T.?" Ash queries, as he passes the phone back to me. 

      "He's Max's best friend, since fifth grade," I explain. "They were both on the baseball team; he was the shortstop, and Max played first base. They also played football for Dad in high school, but J.T. was more interested in baseball, he got a scholarship from it, and last I heard he actually made it onto one of the minor-league teams. I got to know him a bit when I'd spend weekends with Macy before they moved to Hershey, and he was always nice to me. After they graduated, they wound up going to different colleges, but J.T. didn't really like where he was, so he transferred out and wound up living with Mom and Dad for his last two years. I was there for the first year, and we got better acquainted before I moved out to live in the dorm, so he wound up being sort of like an extra brother. I haven't seen him since before I moved to London, so it would be nice to sort of get current with each other, if you don't mind." 

       "Why would you think I'd mind?" he responds. "I'm not one of those guys who thinks that just because I'm dating a girl that she shouldn't have any guy friends, or anything like that, you should know that by now."

      "Yes, I'm aware of that, and you know that I trust you with your female friends, too. But you were just talking about how much you were looking forward to our 'alone time', so I wasn't sure how you'd feel about spending time with other people, especially ones you don't know."

      "Babe, we're talking about a family friend that you haven't seen in several years, so I think I can handle spending a couple of hours with him and his girl so you two can have a chance to catch up a bit," he chuckles. "We can't avoid people the whole time we're there, anyway, unless we skip out on all those activities that the brochure said are included in the price of the cottage."

      Before I can respond to this, we hear the boarding call for our plane, so we grab our carry-on's, pull out our passes, and start moving toward the gate. I decided to spring for first-class tickets, so we get to board fairly quickly, and Ash puts our carry-on's into the overhead bins, then turns to me and asks, "Do you want the window?"

      "I'm cool either way, so why don't we just flip a coin or something?" I suggest. "And whoever gets the window today can take the aisle on the way home." He agrees, and ends up winning the toss, so we take our seats, and I pull my book out of my purse to read until they tell us to put everything up for takeoff.

      It's not long before the plane starts moving down the runway, and once we're actually in the air, Ash starts fiddling with the controls for the TV screen in front of him, checking to see what movies are available, and manages to find something that interests him while I keep reading until the attendant comes around see if we want lunch. This is a five-hour flight, and with the time difference between LA and Florida, it's probably going to be almost nine o'clock by the time we get to the hotel and check in, so we both go ahead and put in an order, which winds up being surprisingly good for airline food. After they clear the dishes away, Ash and I talk a bit about some things we want to do while we're in Florida, then find another movie to watch together, and it doesn't seem very long at all until they tell everyone to get ready for landing.

      After we get off the plane and find our luggage, we get a taxi to the hotel and check in, then follow the porter out to the little over-the-water cabin I booked so we could have a bit more privacy. Ash opens the door, and we step inside, then he tips the porter when he sets our bags down inside the door. When he leaves, we look around the cabin, and he says, "This is very nice. I think we'll be able to make ourselves very comfortable here for the next few days."

      There's a small living-room type area, with a gray suede couch, a couple of poofy armchairs, and a flatscreen TV mounted on the wall, along with a small, but fully equipped kitchen area. Then, through a sliding wooden door, is a bedroom with a king-sized bed, another armchair, and a good-sized dresser. Both rooms also have a glass panel set into the floor which lets people see any fish that might be swimming by, and the other three doors in the room open onto a closet, a very large bathroom, and a partly enclosed deck area with a Jacuzzi. 

      Then when I spot a room-service menu hanging on the wall, I say, "Y'know, having all this available for a week is gonna spoil us rotten. We're not gonna know how to act when we get back home."

      "Oh, I'm sure your sister and Lylah will be happy to remind us," he snickers. Then he inquires, "Are you gonna call your friend tonight, or are you planning to wait 'til morning?"

      "I guess I'll do it now, just to make sure we don't get caught up in all of the activities and forget," I reply, taking out my phone and pulling up the text to find J.T.'s number. I call and talk to him for a bit, and he tells me that he and his fiancee are actually staying in the guitar-shaped part of the hotel, and will be there for the next three days before they have to go back home. He also tells me something that my brother didn't bother to mention: They're here celebrating the fact that he's finally been brought up from the minors and is now an actual member of the Tampa Bay Rays. He explains that they've already booked a couples massage after breakfast, so we decide to meet for lunch, and possibly go do some shopping or check out the casino afterward, and after we settle on the time and place, I say goodbye.

      After the call is done, I see that Ash is leaning against the bathroom door in just his boxers, giving me a sort of mischievous look. "So, now that you have that taken care of, do you think you might be able to let me in on those 'surprises' you mentioned earlier?"

      "I think I might just about be able to manage that," I laugh, as I walk over to where he's put his rolling suitcase, opening it up and looking through the pockets until I find his condom stash. I dangle the box in front of him for a second before dropping it back into the bag, and inform him, "The first surprise is that you won't need these anymore, unless you actually prefer to wear them, because I went and had myself fitted out with an IUD while you were in the hospital."

      He looks a bit surprised at first, but then the grin returns to his face as he walks over to me and starts unbuttoning my shirt. "In that case, pitch 'em," he almost purrs as he moves on to my bra. "And you said 'a couple of surprises,' he reminds me. "What's the other one?Or are you saving that for later?"

      "Oh, not at all," I reply, reaching out to tug at the front of his boxers. "But the other one isn't really something that words will really do justice to, so you'll just have to let me show you once we finish getting rid of these pesky clothes." 

      This prompts him to quickly shimmy out of his boxers, and slide my skirt and panties down until I can step out of them, and when I do I promptly push him onto the mattress, and quickly grab one of the items I've put in my purse just for this particular occasion, keeping it in my hand so he can't see what it is. I start to kneel down next to the bed, but he puts a hand out and says, "No, not like that. Come up here with me."

      He pulls me onto the bed with him, shifting his position so his head is at the opposite end from mine, which tells me exactly what he wants, even if the sly little smirk he's giving me hadn't done so already. "Of course, how could I forget about your 'lucky number'?" I murmur, just before I flick my tongue out and swirl it around his tip.

       He immediately returns the favor, and we find a rhythm, rather surprisingly managing to focus on what we're doing even as we're enjoying the sensations flashing through our nerve endings. I'm deliberately taking my time with Ash, teasing him right to the edge but then backing off, until he actually growls in frustration, which turns out not to be a bad thing at all. As soon as he does this, the vibrations are just enough to push me over, and I feel myself starting to shake from my orgasm. This pulls a wicked chuckle from his throat, and I feel him slide a couple of fingers inside me to kick things up a notch, so I decide it's time to bring out my "secret weapon", which I picked up at the Dollar Tree a couple of days ago after I remembered something that one of my dormmates had told me in college. 

      I let him slip out of my mouth, which earns me an unhappy groan, and rip open the packet of Pop Rocks I've been holding, pouring some of the contents into my mouth. As soon as I feel it starting to react, I wrap my lips around him again, smiling at the surprised gasp that escapes him when the popping candy in my mouth adds a tingling sensation to what I've already been doing to take him right to the brink.

      His concentration finally breaks and his head snaps back. "Oh, holy fuck, that feels so fucking good!" he rasps. I feel his muscles tighten, and his hips buck toward me as he groans out my name, and he erupts with a yell of "Oh, fuck yes!"

      We lay still for a couple of minutes until he eases himself out of my mouth, mumbles, "Y'know, I think that deserves a reward," and returns his attention to me, causing me to climax twice more before we finally wind up spooned together, quivering and exhausted.

      "Did you bring any more of that stuff?" he queries sleepily.

      "I have five more with me, and another six at home," I inform him.

      "Umm," he murmurs. "Later on, when we're more awake, remind me to see if it has the same effect on you."

      "Oh, I most definitely will," I reply. "Maybe in the morning. But right now, sleep."

                 ***************************************************************

      The sun peeking through the curtains wakes me up, and when I glance at the wall clock, I start working on getting out of bed. Ash sort of stirs, and mumbles, "Wher goin'?

      "I'm gonna grab a shower, then call for some breakfast," I inform him, "Remember, we're meeting up with J.T. and his girl at noon, so we might want to tidy up a bit. But you can go back to sleep, if you want, I'll wake you again later."

      But even as the words leave my mouth, he's pulling himself from the bed, and says, "Sounds kind of wasteful to me. We might as well do our part to conserve water."

      We have a very entertaining shower, then decide to dress and go out for breakfast instead of getting room service, and do a bit of sightseeing until it's time to meet up with J.T. We go to the hotel cafe for our food, and then check out a couple of gift shops, picking up some souvenirs for some of our friends and family. By the time we take everything back to drop off at the cabin, it's almost time for lunch, so we hurry to the restaurant and almost the second we walk in, I spot J.T., who has barely changed at all, except for wearing his hair slightly longer. He's already snagged a table, and there's an exceptionally pretty girl sitting next to him, with long, wavy black hair tumbling over her shoulders and down her back. 

      Ash is looking in the opposite direction, so I grab his hand and tug, saying, "I found 'em, babe. They're right over here, c'mon."

      He turns to follow me, but we only go a few steps when he suddenly comes to a screeching halt, nearly causing me to topple over when my grip on his arm causes me to pull up short. I turn around to ask him what's going on, but the words don't make it out of my mouth when I see the expression on his face, which seems to be a weird mixture of irritation, disgust, and just a touch of panic. 

      But what worries me the most is when I hear him mutter, almost to himself, "This can't be happening. Not when I've been trying so hard to avoid you. Damn it, how do you always manage to fuck things up for me?"