10 - Damn
I stared at Miami's orange and purple skyline glowing in the distance, while my yacht companions chatted about Cabe's visit to Daytona and his business meeting at Derek's restaurant. They especially enjoyed the bit about Derek being my ex. Neither sibling mentioned my semi-private orgasm, which probably meant they weren't privy. Based on my impression of them, they would have given Cabe hell about it.
"So, June. I heard your family owns a popular bar on the beach." Jeffrey's baritone voice pulled me away from the tropical sunset, and I was forced to switch gears. How much had Cabe shared with them?
"Yeah. It's been a local favorite since before my parents bought it. Some call it a dive bar, but we've managed not to run it into the ground."
"It's all about location," he said. "If someone wants a drink, they're usually going to choose what's closest. Even if it's a dive bar."
Did I need to feel offended? I noticed Jeffrey used a lot of businessman lingo, some of which sounded like thinly veiled insults, especially with regards to Cabe.
"I wouldn't consider the place a dive bar," Cabe said. "It's got a nostalgic charm that makes you feel like you've been transported back in time. And the bartender is a total hottie." I received a wink, and it transported me back in time . . . to the couch.
"I'll bet you're tired of the bar life," Vanessa said. "You probably can't wait to start using that degree."
My gaze flicked to Cabe. It was an unconscious move, and I could have kicked myself because my astute audience picked up on it with no problem.
"Oh. This is going to be a good story, I can tell." Vanessa smiled at her brother, but he hadn't taken his eyes off me, like he'd already expected there to be a story.
"My mom kind of dropped a bomb on me just days after graduation. She wants out from under the bar and asked me to take it over."
"That sounds like a sweet deal," Vanessa said. "If the place is as successful as you say, you just need to hire a good bar manager and go live your dream. That's the whole purpose behind our company. We manage properties for people who don't want the hassle." She snapped her fingers, and I could have scripted the next words out of her mouth. "Hey, we could manage the bar for you. I'd love to take on a project like that."
"We have people in Daytona who can do that, Vanessa," Jeffrey said. "And maybe June has other plans."
Again, the focus landed on me, and I glanced at the slowly approaching cityscape, wishing we were on a speedboat instead of this damned behemoth.
"Actually, the reason I brought June to Miami was to forget about the bar for a few days," said Cabe.
I smiled at him. He seemed to have a knack for saving awkward moments.
"I totally get it," Vanessa said. "I need a rest period about every ten days. When I'm in Miami, I visit the Lotus and Palm Spa. As soon as you walk in, you feel like you've left the planet. If you're up for it, June, I can get us a reservation for tomorrow morning. I'll pick you up and have you back before Cabe even realizes you're gone. Then you'll be refreshed and ready for whatever Miami dishes out."
"You make a good argument," I said. "The closest thing I've come to a spa treatment was sports massages when I was running at school."
"It's done, then. Let's exchange numbers and I'll text you the details." Vanessa grabbed her phone, and I did the same while Jeffrey chuckled.
"Be careful, you two. Vanessa will have your whole itinerary changed if you don't nip it in the bud now."
The yacht had begun to navigate into the marina, and I was grateful that we were forced to collect our things and prepare to dock. The Mann siblings offered to drive us to Cabe's condo, but we opted for an Uber ride.
"That was a damned long boat ride," he said as our car creeped along Ocean Drive. "I didn't realize Vanessa was back in the states. I would have prepared you better. She's intense."
"They're both intense, but I like them. They're young and living the dream. Kind of like you."
His lips quirked up. "You think I'm living the dream?"
"Aren't you? You've got a great job that lets you travel and meet people. Your family runs a successful business. You drive a nice car. Or have I read you all wrong and you hate your life?"
"You're not wrong."
"So, how long did you and Vanessa date?"
I dropped my loaded question just as a group of half-naked skaters rolled by with glow sticks hanging in front of their junk.
"We never dated. We just screwed a lot."
"When was that?"
He looked annoyed, but I figured it was just embarrassment. "The last time we hooked up was February."
Yikes.
"Are you okay with me doing this spa thing in the morning? I won't ask any incriminating questions about you." That was a lie. I was totally going to probe Vanessa for information.
"I'm not worried. But she does tend to exaggerate, so if there's anything you need confirmation on please come to me before taking the first yacht back to Jupiter."
"Deal."
Cabe's parents owned a condo within walking distance of the art deco district. It had been in the family for three generations. While the neon and street noise was not conducive to relaxation, I couldn't complain. South Beach offered a unique, sensual ambience that matched my mood. If I had been reading Cabe's signals right, the delayed gratification game ended here.
The elevator carried us to the twelfth floor where we were greeted by pink flamingos and life-sized palm trees on the wall-to-wall carpeting. The wallpaper carried on the theme, with red hibiscus flowers outlined in gold. I chuckled at the sheer outrageousness, and Cabe wore a smile as he watched me take it all in.
He opened the door and immediately queued up Duke Ellington from his phone. Lights flickered from flameless candles placed on tables and shelves, leading me into a large living room. From there, a sprinkling of rose petals trailed down the hallway.
"Do you greet all your friends with romantic candlelight and rose petals?"
He smirked and shook his head as he looked at the petals. "To be honest, the rose petals were not my idea. I told my mom not to go overboard."
"Your mom did this?"
"No. She had the housekeeper do it. I thought candlelight and organic cotton sheets might help set the mood for what I'm about to do to you."
"Organic cotton . . ."
Cabe didn't let me finish. He tugged me close and covered my mouth with his, kissing me deeply. Fireworks exploded inside my belly, which had been happening a lot with him, and I couldn't decide if it was a good or a dangerous thing. At the moment, I couldn't care less. This was what I'd been waiting for.
With the jazz master serenading us and our lips locked, he walked us down the hall of petals into a bedroom. The scent of vanilla filled the room, probably from a fragrance plug-in. Likely another touch his mom added.
We were also greeted by more flameless candles forming a heart shape on the bed. When we reached it, Cabe left my lips to swat the votives onto the floor. Then he sat on the edge and pulled me between his legs, palming my ass.
"So, are you ready to snuggle?"
"You know just what to say to a girl, don't you?"
"I'll take that as a yes."
The playlist switched to something more modern, and while Bruno Mars sang Just The Way You Are, Cabe took his time to undress me, placing soft kisses on my exposed skin and leaving it dotted with gooseflesh. When I stood naked before him, he pulled off his shirt and ditched his pants in short order. If he had been hesitant to let me see his boy parts back in his hotel room, he had nothing to worry about.
I moaned as I admired him, and this brought a smirk to his face. "I was about to say the same thing." He tugged me onto the bed, and I helped him push the comforter to the foot of the mattress. The sheets felt like silk under my knees, eight-hundred thread count if I had to guess.
He came up behind me and slipped between my ass cheeks. Leaning over my back, he breathed into my hair as he helped himself. A whispered Damn at my ear had me smiling, and I reached between our legs, taking him in hand as he slid through my slick readiness. Damn, indeed.
He flipped me over and the foreplay continued, but we both hit our wall within a few minutes. My pulse raced as I watched him manage the condom, and the next sensation felt like pure satisfaction. We moaned together, and I wrapped my legs around him as we took off like two people who had delayed gratification much too long.
Time passed, but I couldn't gauge how much, as we blew each other's minds. His stamina ranked up there with Heracles, and it encouraged me to stay with him through every position we tried. It wasn't until he buried his face between my legs that my fortitude collapsed, and I came hard, squeezing his head between my thighs.
When I found myself again, he fucked me fast and demanding until he was convulsing over me and cursing under his breath. We kissed for a while, extending the pleasure. I didn't even rush to the bathroom to clean up. I wanted to stay in bed and just be with him.
"What are you thinking about?" His voice startled me, and I realized we were staring at each other. Somehow, I had drifted into the abyss of his eyes.
"I was thinking about how amazing that was."
"It sure was. I could do that all night with you."
I smiled as I tweaked his chin. "Is that a challenge I hear?"
"No pressure. We can pace ourselves. If you're walking with a limp tomorrow, Vanessa will have a field day with you."
"Let her tease."
~ ~ ~
Within five minutes of arriving at the Lotus and Palm Spa, Vanessa and I were reclined in a lavender-scented waiting room sipping on cucumber water. She hadn't asked about my limp, because I hid it well, but I smiled every time I remembered why my nether region was screaming like a banshee. I figured some sort of Q and A was coming.
"You're going to love Maurice. He has the touch of the gods. I book him whenever I want to relax. Bella has a firmer touch, to help get the kinks out. They work well together. I booked us a couples massage so we can chat. Don't worry, what's dished in the spa stays in the spa."
"I'm looking forward to it. I rarely pamper myself, but I plan to change that once I'm settled and comfortable."
"What does settled and comfortable mean to you?"
"Anywhere that isn't Daytona. Gainfully employed in my chosen field. Living above the poverty level."
She chuckled. "Those are very broad parameters. Let me help you narrow them down some. City or country?" She finished her water, and an attendant hustled over to refill her glass.
"City, but I need to be close to the beach. No more than two hours."
"That's better. Do you want to work for someone else or own your own biz?"
"Well, I need experience, so I have to work for someone initially. And I don't want to be a slave to my job, so I probably won't run my own business. I'd like to travel."
"That's a reasonable goal. Now for the money bit. What is your ideal yearly wage? You should have a picture of the number in your mind so you can manifest it easier."
This made a lot of sense. I knew the average income for sports managers, but it was dependent on where I ended up. "I don't know . . . seventy-thousand? I just want to earn more than the bar pays me."
"You need to come up with a number. I challenge you to do this before you leave Miami. Promise me?"
"I promise."
Maurice and Bella appeared in the waiting room, summoning us to follow them. I had difficulty believing Maurice had the touch of the gods. He was built like a brick shithouse. Although upon meeting him, his mellow manner and soothing southern drawl put me at ease as I climbed onto the massage table and slid under the sheet.
As soon as I had closed my eyes and Maurice's hands were on me, Vanessa broke the magic. "So, did you and Cabe manage your sexual tension last night?"
"Was it that obvious?"
"Oh, honey. You are clearly into him. I saw it from the minute you boarded the yacht."
Was I into him? Sure, I wanted to play him like a banjo, but more than that . . . ? "I like him, yeah. But I wouldn't say into him."
She laughed. "Denial."
"What are the tells? I'm curious now."
"For starters, you didn't give my brother extra attention, and he attracts women like drunks at happy hour. The other tell was Cabe. He was using his delayed gratification trick. And after all the oral sex, that kind of denial will either drive a girl away or make them crazy horny."
Damn.
"So, the delayed gratification is part of his repertoire, huh?"
"Yep. But don't judge him harshly for it. He's perfected oral sex, which makes the wait less painful. I get all tingly just thinking about it."
Had Cabe perfected his skills on Vanessa? I honestly didn't want to know. "So, you meant horny when you said I was into him. I won't try to deny that."
"Mmm." She moaned and I convinced myself that she was responding to whatever Bella was doing and not the memory of Cabe's talented tongue. "You're still in denial, honey. But I don't blame you. Cabe is one-of-a-kind. Any girl would be lucky to land him."
"Can you describe your relationship with him? I don't need details. I'm just wondering if . . ."
She was already chuckling into her face pillow before I could finish. "Cabe and I have a purely sexual relationship. If you weren't with him, we would have screwed and gone about our business."
"How often do you see him?"
"It's very sporadic. I've been in Germany since February, and it was at least a year before that while he experimented with a long-term relationship. Although I could tell that one was doomed to fail. His heart wasn't in it. Don't you worry, June. I wouldn't dream of coming between you two. Based on what I saw, his heart is in this one."
What was the deal with this woman? Did she claim to be a relationship guru? How could she know if Cabe's heart was in it? And why should I care if it was or not? I couldn't get serious right now. I also didn't want to break the guy's heart. He had his quirks, but he didn't deserve that.
After our spa treatment, Vanessa delivered me back to the condo. As predicted, Cabe had just left the bed and made it as far as the coffee maker. His posture was hunched, his eyes were half-open, and his hair was mussed, but he looked damned good in sweatpants and nothing else.
"No offense, but you look like you need a spa treatment," I said.
"Do they have one for sex marathon hangovers?"
"Yes. And I feel like a new woman." I kissed him on the mouth, and he tasted like sex. "I'm also starving. All I've had is cucumber water."
"Will coffee do, for now? I want to take you to a favorite place of mine, but I need to grab a shower. So, what kind of gossip did Vanessa dish about me? Wait . . . maybe I don't want to know. They say ignorance is bliss."
"You have nothing to worry about. She didn't tell me anything I didn't already know."
"Really? After only a few weeks, you know me that well?" An easy smile found him as he reached into the cabinet and pulled out two coffee mugs. "I'd like to believe you. I really would. But my gut is telling me you learned something new today."
"Okay. I learned that you were in a long-term relationship last year. But the rest wasn't news. I already knew you had perfected oral sex." I took a mug out of his hand and poured myself a cup of coffee while he stood there with his mouth open.
"I suppose there are worse things to be accused of. Do you want to talk about my ex?
"Not really. Do you?"
"Not at all. I just don't want you walking around with unanswered questions." He poured his coffee then kissed me on the forehead. "I'll be out of the shower in two shakes."
I watched him walk away, admiring how his back made a nice V shape from his shoulders to his waist. Why had he offered to talk about his ex even though he clearly didn't want to. Was it because he knew about Derek and wanted to make things even? He seemed determined to make me like him even though this was not a long-term thing. Maybe he was trying to make it a long-term thing.
Damn.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have another confession to make. I've lived in Florida for thirty years and have never been to Miami. One of the reasons is the traffic, which I've heard is hell on wheels. But the idea of visiting South Beach is appealing, even if it's just to see if it lives up to my Birdcage ideals. If you've never seen the movie, you should. It's a triumph.
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