I turned to Henry. He had changed his clothes, too, and was now in a pair of plaid pants with a tucked in collarless shirt. His bright blue eyes glistened against the backdrop of the pool. Behind him lay the thick lush forest of the mountain in the middle of the island. The views that surrounded every corner of this island were breathtaking. I couldn’t help but think about the very few people who ever got to experience this place and my heart fluttered knowing that I was one of them.
I noticed more red roses sitting in the middle of the small table that I was sure was put here for this specific occasion. This mansion was built for a lot more than two people, but for the next four days it was just for us.
“You really didn’t need to do this,” I said, as he kissed my lips softly, embracing me into a hug.
“Do what?” he said, staring back at me intently. There were many things that “do this” could have been. The floral bath, the helicopter ride, the beautiful lunch and this specific setting, but I was referring to my new incredible outfit. The outfit that I was sure cost a lot more than all of the ones I bought on this trip… and now I had a full wardrobe.
Henry’s hands rested firmly on my hips and as much as I wanted to keep them there, I slowly lifted them off me, taking a step back and twirling around showing off the new outfit.
“This,” I said, twirling around in my dress. The largest smile took over his face.
“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. I wanted this trip to feel…” he paused, his eyes slowly looking me up and down.
I wondered if his mind had flickered back to the moment that we shared upstairs not too long ago. All it took was for him to look at me like that and I was right back there.
“I wanted you to just really enjoy this trip,” he said. “And I hope you don’t feel any pressure by me saying this but… I also wanted this place to not just feel like a great holiday, but maybe a place that you would like to come back and enjoy more than once.” he said.
Wow. Ruth was right. But of course Ruth was right since he had said it himself that he had wanted to give me that rose.
Henry took my hand and walked me over to the table, pulling a chair out for me like the perfect gentleman. I took aseat, eyeing the three short-stemmed red roses in the middle of the table. Maybe I should have just picked one out now, and said yes. Yes, to him, yes to not only being my boyfriend, but yes to this life, to marriage. I could say yes to all of it right now, skip lunch and demand that he take me upstairs, and make love before we spent the rest of this holiday diving deep into his fetishes… another thing that I was dying to know more about.
But I was meant to be playing the game, the game of cat and mouse, and I was the mouse. I had to let him be the cat. Everyone knew that was how you won any man over. I was great at the banter, not so great at the follow through in holding it back. After what had just happened upstairs, after how much he had given me and created for me here, was there still a game? Or did he have me? I was beginning to feel a little lost within my own game.
“Henry, this is amazing, like truly amazing. For you to have created everything that you have for yourself, all on your own and so young. I’m sure you have people say this all the time, but your parents would have been so proud of you.”
His jaw clenched and he looked away from me. One single look that felt like a punch to my stomach. Instantly I knew that I had said something wrong.
But the understandable pained look on his face as I mentioned his parents, dissipated quickly. “Thank you,” he said. “I do like this life, and I have to say, right now, it feels better than ever being able to share it. So, thank you very much for being here… I hope that you feel comfortable here,” he said. I nodded. “There’s still so much more to show you, I just want you to be comfortable, that’s all. If there’s anything you want to change around the place, anything that you want to do, anything that you don’t like, I won’t be offended. If you need anything, tell me.”
I had an instant connection with Henry from the moment that we met. Our time together had been a mixture of intimate chats followed by light, sexy and fun banter. Staring into Henry’s eyes right now and listening to his words was like I was seeing a whole other side to him that I hadn’t seen before. Or maybe it was always there, and I was too focused on playing the dating game that I hadn’t opened myself up to see it yet. Either way, it was there right now. His deep caring side, the side that wanted me to be happy, comfortable. The side that was willing to forego his own needs for any that I might have. And I couldn’t help but notice the way that he was picking ever so gently at his fingernail. Was he nervous around me?
I smiled. “You sound like Ruth.”
“Ruth?” he said, as his brow furrowed.
“Yes Ruth. You know the very intelligent, very lifelike and very sexy AI that you created upstairs,” I said. “Although, it would make sense that she sounds like you since you made her. But you must tell me, why a sexy redhead? Is there a fetish or fantasy you have about reds?” I said, leaning in closer to him, making sure that my voice was nothing but a whisper.
I heard the door behind me open and a tall thin man appeared. All I saw was his sandy blonde hair. Ikept my gaze on Henry, as the man dropped three plates down in the middle of the table. One covered in pieces of a very thinly sliced steak, the other a pomegranate and orange dressed leafy green salad and the third was a bowl of seasoned roasted potatoes.
“It’s all fresh in today, and it looks divine. Dylan, our chef, here is outstanding.” Henry began filling my plate with each of the ingredients, but I kept the silence between us, waiting for my answer.
I took a bite into a potato, as Henry began filling his own plate, and he was so right! Dylan, whoever he was, was outstanding! This was a simple potato, but he had made it almost orgasmic. What was it? Duck fat?
“But to answer your question, no,” he laughed as a smirk raised on his face, the smirk that I loved. “I do not have a fetish for redheads. Ruth comes in many voices, shapes and sizes. It’s been a couple of months since I have been here, and I can’t remember who was the last business group that used this place. But anyway, there’s a lot of good-looking male characters in there that you can find in there as well.”
“I guess you’ll just have the find the setting,” he smirked and winked playfully.
“I’m joking,” I said, “I’m feeling pretty happy with what I have to look at in front of me right now.” He smiled back at me, slowly chewing on a piece of meat, keeping his eyes locked on me until he finally gulped it down.
“Unless that’s a kink of yours? A threesome maybe? Or someone else watching on?” he spoke quietly, but professionally.If he hadn’t had that smirk on his face, someone might have thought that we were simply in a business meeting.
I felt my cheeks turn red, not because of the humidity or even because of the conversation, simply because of how distracted I had become from the wardrobe that Henry had filled for me. I hadn’t come to the table with the talking points. Now I was just stuck here with nothing but my vanilla mind.
I threw a whole potato in my mouth and chewed slowly, giving myself enough time to think about how to actually answer that question. Could I tell him that I was into threesomes? That I too was into blood play? Surely there was something that I was into, something that hadn’t been explored yet, or maybe even something that I had, and not exactly something that I would have classified as a kink. I gazed out to the pool, swallowing down the rest of my potato. Ah-ha got it.
“That’s a no for the threesomes, not that I would know how to have a threesome with a holographic AI anyway. But personally, for me, I like to keep the intimacy between me and one other only.” I wanted to make that clear and Henry nodded. “As for someone watching, I wouldn’t say that that is a specific kink for me either, but it is something that I could be open to.” I shrugged. I still really wished that I had taken some more time researching kinks. Suddenly I felt like my world had been so sheltered in more ways than one, and now a whole new one had opened up. One of significant style, taste and complete sexual exploration. I had been living under a rock, and from one random decision to go on a goddamn reality televisionshow, thanks to the girls, to Henry, I really had been gifted a whole new life. Ruth was right. There was no way that I was going to let myself shy away from this. I would completely open myself up to this. My cat and mouse game could now be enjoyed through some fun flirting, but everything else, I was completely open for.
“I don’t know if this is a specific kink. But I know that it is something that I enjoy… and well something that you might like to try with me…” I paused. Should I say it? All in, Molly, all in. “And it’s the very reason that I enjoyed finishing myself off in the bath upstairs just after your sudden exit.” Henry’s eyes widened as he bit his lips together. You’ve created the perfect environment for public sex,” I said.
