Borrowed Billionaire #4 Under the Sea (7 page)

He chuckled sheepishly and looked at me through his thick, dark eyebrows. “Sorry I had to pull out there, but the angle … it was really good, but I couldn't … you know.”

I smiled at him, thinking about how funny it was guys can say the filthiest things to you before or during sex, but right after, they're all modest, like shy teens.

“That's cool,” I said. “You shot pretty hard. I think you got me under my chin.”

His eyes grew wide. “No!”

I tilted up my chin to show him where I'd felt the hot splash.

He retrieved the loofah and some soap and gave me a quick wash. “I didn't see anything,” he said, grinning, “but I'll wash you down, just in case.”

I felt calm and in control, thanks to my orgasm. I always have a spell of about ten minutes, right after sex, where I can say almost anything and not lose my nerve.

“I won't take any money for this,” I said.

He frowned and fiddled with the taps of the shower.

“This trip here has been magical,” I said. “I really appreciate your generosity, but I won't take any cash. Whatever you have arranged with Suzanne, you can give her the commission, but if you give her the whole amount, whatever you agreed to, I'll just donate it to a charity.”

“But it's for you.”

“Luthor, my parents raised me to take care of myself. I own a condo, and the mortgage is half paid-off already, because I work hard and I'm smart with my money. Granted, my savings plan hasn't left a lot of fun money around, and some months my bank account gets close to zero, but I go on the odd vacation, when I can get a nice one on sale. I am a business woman, but there's one thing I don't sell.”

He gave me a hard look, and I nearly lost my nerve.

“I don't sell my body,” I finished. “I give it freely. And I gave it to you, here, because I like you, and you're adorable, and you fuck like a bunny.” I smiled at the last comment to lighten the mood.

He grabbed a shampoo bottle and scowled at the label. “Wouldn't you like to have your mortgage paid off?”

“I'll get there on my own. I'm only twenty-seven. I've got lots of time, and once the business picks up even more, Suzanne and I will hire some other organizers, and we'll just keep expanding.” I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and drew him in close, so I could kiss his handsome jaw and cheek. “Maybe you can give me some business tips, be like a mentor.”

He put the shampoo bottle down and kissed me, once. “Sure.”

As we had breakfast with Suzanne and Simon, and the three of them joked about Simon's dancing moves from the night before, I sipped my fresh tropical fruit juice and thought about returning home the next day.

Jacob's email was very much on my mind, and I was weighing the possibilities. Luthor Thorne, who was currently looking dashing in a white linen shirt, was exotic, like tropical fruit juice, or like all the spicy dishes we'd enjoyed at the resort. Jacob, however, was like Coca Cola and spaghetti, and home. I knew where I stood with Jacob, and was looking forward to seeing him again, putting on the special underwear that I hadn't packed for my trip because the idea of wearing them for another man didn't seem right.

Simon asked me a question, but I'd been lost in my thoughts. “What?”

“Finding Nemo!” he said, and the three of them laughed.

“Yes, yes, let's find Nemo
again
today,” I said.

One more day. One more day of exotic food, Luthor Thorne, and adventure under the sea.

The day was perfect and blue, again, and I wondered what Indonesia might be like during the rainy season. We were on the boat, heading out to our dive, and Simon asked our guide if he might ask a personal question.

The guide, a friendly gray-haired Indonesian man in this sixties, said, “Everybody goes pee in the scuba suits. But it's sterile, so don't worry.”

“Not that,” Simon said. “I was wondering if … people ever have, um, intercourse while scuba diving.”

The guide grinned from ear to ear. “Trust me, it is not worth the effort. Plus we have a rule. Do not have sex in front of the fish, because it scares the fish.”

Everyone—there were a dozen of us on the boat, guests and staff—laughed.

Suzanne said, “For the record, everyone, my husband was asking out of intellectual curiosity. There is no way I'd have sex scuba diving. It is not on my
sensual tourism list
.”

Beside me, Luthor sat up straight and asked, “Sensual tourism list?”

Suzanne blushed and pointed at me. “Lexie started it.”

I rolled my eyes and tried not to show my embarrassment. “It's not an actual list. Like, I don't have a list of things written down anywhere. It's more of a casual list, in my head.”

Luthor fixed me with his gaze. “Is swimming pool sex on the list?”

I covered my smile with one hand. “Not before, but it is now.”

“About that,” Simon said. “Next time, could you guys do it in your pool, not ours?”

I gasped and covered my mouth with both hands.

Suzanne elbowed Simon and then leaned across the boat to pat my knees. “It's okay. It was dark out and he barely saw anything before I dragged him away from the window.”

I doubled over with giggles, and when I looked up at Luthor, he had a bemused expression on his face, and he was neither confirming nor denying anything.

We reached the reef for that day's dive and went over the safety protocols again. My heart was beating faster, and I was excited to get down there with all the beautiful fish and coral again.

Luthor was quiet. He'd been cool since our talk in the shower, and I wondered if I should have left rejecting his money until the very end of the trip. The more I thought about it, I realized it likely made him uncomfortable to not have the power.

Well, it had taken a while, but now he knew how I'd felt when he left me in that pitch-black restaurant. I would likely bring that up at some point as well … or maybe not.

In a day, I'd be flying home to Jacob's arms, and this time in Indonesia with Luthor was just a vacation. A vacation from my real life.

Suzanne came up to me before we got into the water, saying, “Will you be my diving buddy? Luthor can go with Simon.”

I glanced over at Luthor, who shrugged. Apparently he wasn't that keen to hold my hand and swim around with me, appreciating Simon's company equally.
Simon could have him.

“Sure,” I said to Suzanne. “But no underwater scuba sex.”

“But you look so good in that suit.”

“So do you,” I said, and gave her a hug. Whatever happened, I was so glad my best friend was there with me.

We got into the water and began the descent. This dive was a little deeper than the previous one, and this coral reef was similar, but different, like a neighborhood you don't normally shop in.

Suzanne and I goofed around holding hands for a bit and doing a little synchronized swimming, then we got down to the sightseeing.

I'd been looking at photos back at the resort, including some coffee table books back at the villa, and I was able to name some of the sea creatures.

We found some striped Emperor Angelfish, flashing through the water with their bright orange tail fins. A snake-like Blue Ribbon Eel darted out from shadows and nearly scared my scuba pants right off, but luckily they were attached to the whole suit.

I spotted a gorgeous little fish, the Yellowstripe Basslet, with its prom-dress-pink body and yellow racing stripe.

My body felt a little denser that day, perhaps because of all the rich food we'd been eating, or perhaps because we'd be leaving soon, and before long I was at the bottom of the ocean.

Suzanne had her back to me, watching some long, skinny Trumpetfish buoy along, when my flipper stirred up the sand and rocks below me. The sand came to life, whirling around me, and my leg felt hot. Pain. I struggled to breath. Pain.

I waved for Suzanne, but she was so far away. I looked down and saw a trail of blood pluming from my leg.

The blood was beautiful, like the feathery coral, fanning out.

I yelled for Suzanne, but she couldn't hear me, not through the equipment on my face and all the water.

Suzanne!

The blood plumed up, tinging the water.

I've never been good with the sight of my own blood.

It makes me faint.

*
To be continued in Borrowed Billionaire #5 – the final installment
*

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