“He is a wonderful man and so loving and gentle to my precious Rosalie. Yet, if I do not mind him he thinks nothing of taking me over his knee and spanking me like a child! I try to stay angry with him, but when he holds me after I melt into his arms. Why is this so?” she asked, lifting her sunglasses and peering at the other women.
They all laughed except Erica, and Johanna answered.
“If we knew the answer to that we’d all be sitting easier,” she replied wryly. “I guess when you love someone; you have to love the whole man, discipline and all.”
“As the oldest here,” Brandy added with a grimace, “and having been married to a man who believed in domestic discipline for many years, I will tell you it gets easier. You will learn what his hot buttons are and not to push them, unless of course you actually enjoy having your bottom roasted,” she sighed, winking at Susan.
“Why are you winking at me?” Susan demanded. “You don’t think I like getting spanked, do you?”
“Of course not,” Brandy laughed, raising her eyebrow in disbelief.
“Okay, I admit it. A little spanking can be sexy as hell. I just never know when I’m going too far and it will turn into something really unpleasant.”
“Don’t worry sweetie,” Brandy replied. “You’ll get the hang of it. Soon you’ll know exactly when to stop to avoid the real thing. It just takes time.”
“Yeah, well by the time I figure that out, I may be long gone. There are only a few months left on our contract and then I imagine we’ll both move on.”
Brandy and Johanna both snapped to attention in their chairs.
“You can’t be serious?” Jo asked stunned.
“Why not? There’s no guarantee Marcus will want to renew the contract when the time is up.”
“Honey, you will never be able to run fast enough or far enough to get away from that man,” Brandy told her. “He will never give you up. Trust me.”
A part of Susan’s soul prayed Brandy and Jo were right even though she rolled her eyes and slumped back in her chair.
Kelsey, who had been unnaturally quiet throughout the entire discussion, sighed and added, “I hope you’re right,” as she gathered up her beach bag and rose. “Ladies it has been an enlightening conversation,” she quipped. “Hopefully I’ll be able to remember all the important stuff when I need it, but for now I’m heading back to my room. I don’t want to be a sunburned bride tomorrow.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Susan added, feeling like she had reached her limit of rays despite the sun block. “See you all at dinner.”
Chapter Eighteen
Susan was ready by the time Marcus returned to their suite and he was forced to hurry along, leaving no time for any detailed discussions. As much as she was looking forward to a girl’s night out, she decided it might be best to let the others do the convincing. Surely Marcus would go along with the rest of the men.
She wore a short gold cocktail dress with a flared chiffon skirt and one of her favorite pairs of stilettoes. Her legs and butt looked marvelous and had she asked Marcus he would have agreed despite his conviction that the shoes were dangerous. With her hair up in a simple twist she looked elegant and refined, hardly the kind of woman a man would mistake as looking for a cheap thrill. In a group, it might be safe to allow her to have her fun, but he would wait and see.
Dinner was wonderful and served with plenty of champagne for pre-nuptial toasts. Every man in attendance was proud of the beautiful woman on his arm and if they were a little possessive, who could blame them.
The conversation was lively and entertaining and Marcus found himself relaxing and going with the flow. Apparently none of the other men had any concerns about the girls going solo fora few hours, but then none of them were as familiar with Susan as he was. Of course Ty, the wimp, would have agreed with anything Kelsey wanted to do, Marcus thought. Although Kelsey had never given Ty any reason to truly worry about her, Marcus was not the besotted fool his brother apparently had become. If he heard one more ‘Yes Darling’ out of him he was going to slap him upside the head.
After dinner they headed to the Bellagio to see O by Cirque du Soleil where for the next two hours they were enthralled by the skill of the performers. A limo was waiting for them outside and they soon arrived back at their hotel splitting into groups.
The men opted for some poker and the women kissed them goodbye and headed to the clubs. Erica was almost dancing in the hall she was so excited and she never noticed the narrow-eyed look John gave her as she walked away.
“Is the bloom fading from the rose?” Marcus asked him as they started toward the poker room.
“Not at all,” John replied smiling. “I’m actually quite glad I came along on this trip. It’s amazing what you can learn about a person in just a few days.”
“And what have you learned about our little Miss Erica?” Sam asked, curious.
“I’ve learned that the perfectly packaged image she presents to the world is as phony as a three dollar bill.”
“Hey, wait a minute,” Sam interjected. “Erica is the most professional woman we have on staff and I think very highly of her, we all do.”
“You misunderstand, Sam,” John responded smoothly. “I’m impressed with her work ethic and her ability to anticipate problems before they become crises. She’s remarkably talented and cool as a cucumber, but under that façade I believe she’s a real firecracker.”
“Erica, our Erica?” Sam snorted. “I hate to burst your bubble, but I think you’re mistaken. I’ve never seen her lose her temper or her composure, even in the most difficult situations. If you’re looking for excitement and a woman with fire, you’ve made a mistake.”
