The man, in his late twenties, grinned at Damien and pointed behind him. “Individual or a box?”
“Box.” No sense in having to repeat this shopping expedition if things went according to plan.
The clerk slapped the box down on the counter, and Damien studied the busty woman in a bikini on the front. The carton was bright yellow, the bikini a violent orange. They looked like vacation condoms. He hoped like hell these weren’t some kind of novelty product. He wasn’t wearing anything with parrots on it.
“Would you like some Mamajuana, too? Good stuff.” The man pointed to a bottle of what looked like alcohol, shelved next to the rum.
“What is it?” Not that he had any intention of getting drunk. He wanted to remember every second of this.
“You drink it. We call it Dominican Viagra.” The clerk winked. “Helps you last, if you know what I mean. If this doesn’t work, they say you should just go and throw yourself in the ocean.”
Did he look like he needed Viagra? What the hell. He was so hard he could moonlight as a woodpecker. Damien shook his head. “I don’t need any help, thanks.” He handed over the eight hundred pesos for the condoms, which he shoved in his pocket, and turned to find Mandy. She was biting her lip, arms over her chest, staring vacantly at a display of T-shirts.
“Have fun!” the clerk yelled with a knowing grin.
And people thought New Yorkers were rude. Not that it was rude. More likeoverlyfriendly.
Fortunately, he’d forgotten how to blush. But Mandy looked like she’d spent too long in the sun, so he took her hand and hustled her outside to the quiet walkway that lead to the main lobby.
And kissed her eagerly.
“Damien,” she protested, trying to pull back. “There are people around.”
“No, there aren’t. Not a single one.” The path was deserted, everyone still down at the buffet, and it was lush with foliage, and thick with humidity in the glow of faux gas lamps.
But she was still darting her eyes around, hands pressed on his chest to hold him at bay. So Damien dropped his mouth to her forehead and gave her a soft kiss. “My room is in the first building on the right.”
“Then it’s closer than mine. I’m by the adults-only pool.” But she didn’t move in the direction he had pointed to. She worried her lip, and Damien watched her, waited for her to say what was on her mind. “I just want you to understand that I don’t usually...I haven’t since things ended with Ben. I thought Ben really cared about me, and well, I’ve never really fancied one-night stands. But that’s all this can be, because I can’t get involved with anyone until I’ve sorted out my own life.”
Damien brushed a hair back that had caught on her lip. “This isn’t a one-night stand. It’s not just about sex. It’s about being together, enjoying each other, if only for a few hours.” It was about loosening the suffocating chains of loneliness and reaching out for something simple and uncomplicated. “But I’m not looking for a relationship either.”
He couldn’t believe he was about to admit this, but he wanted her to understand, wanted her to know what this— she—meant to him. “I haven’t been with a woman in three years.”
“You haven’t been in a relationship in three years?”
“Yes, but I also haven’t had sex in three years.”
Understanding dawned in her eyes. “Oh. Oh, my.” She stroked his forearm. “Since Jess?”
He nodded, not willing to say any more. “That’s been a conscious choice I’ve made, and now I’m making the conscious choice to change that. Let me have you tonight, Mandy.”
There was no way she was going to say no. He could read the acquiescence in her eyes, the way she leaned toward him, stroked his arms and opened her mouth. Her breasts pressed against him as she tilted her head to the side and gave a small, sweet sigh.
“Oh, I’m not a bloody idiot, Damien. I have every intention of doing this—I just needed to make sure we were clear on what it was, and that you don’t think I make a habit of sleeping with my bosses.”
He raised an eyebrow. “That definitely wasn’t on your resume.”
She gave a soft laugh and wet her lips, making him want to suck on both her lip and her tongue, taking turns. “What if I don’t meet your expectations? Three years is a long time to wait. I’d hate to be a disappointment.”
That was a joke. He’d be lucky if he got a full five seconds in her before he exploded. “As long as you don’t have some sort of objection to oral sex, we’ll be fine. I have it in my head that I’d really like to taste you.”
Her breathing quickened. “Funny, that. I had a dream you were doing that very thing to me, and I was really quite enjoying it.”
Damien’s groin tightened. What the hell were they doing standing here then?
“You know, you’re usually much more efficient than this. Move it, Mandy. Before I drop your sundress here on the sidewalk.” And he reached for her zipper.
Mandy had taken Damien’s threat seriously, and a quick two minutes later they were in his room, her beach bag tumbling to the floor as she reached for the buttons on his linen shirt.
