As soon as he realized they were unaccompanied by males, Dean Hubbell moved in on the two oriental girls strolling in the sand just off the boardwalk at Credence Key. They became friendly from the moment he opened his cooler and offered them each a Budweiser.

He seemed to make better progress with the one named Sydnee, which was fine with him. Her girlfriend, whose name he’d already forgotten had purplish hair and a ring through her left nostril. Both girls had pierced tongues, which didn’t bother him in the least, but the piercing in the nose did, although, Dean couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Yeah, I live with my mom”, Sydnee giggled and arched back in the shaky lounge chair they were sharing. It was move designed to thrust her bikini clad breasts out even more than they were, signaling both Dean and her companion that she wanted him for herself.

Dean grinned as he looked from her breasts to Sydnee’s creamy belly then the small mound barely hidden by the skimpy material of her bikini bottoms.

These young girls really know how to turn a guy on, he thought as she stroked her stomach with her fingers.

“Do you have kids?” she asked, flicking her hair back and leaning back even further in her seat, the added pressure to her top making her nipples clearly visible to him.

“Nope”, he replied, “Married and divorced in seven months time.

“Wow,” the purple haired companion said. “That was quick. What’d you do to end it so fast?”

Dean scowled and took a sip of his beer before answering. “Yeah, it was quick. You see, once I found out she was carrying another guys kid, it became easier to ... shall we say, expedite matters?”

“Ewe!” the purple haired girl said and left it there.

“It was good that you could prove it wasn’t yours,” Sydnee laughed, lightening the mood somewhat.

Dean took another sip of his beer and imagined his tongue running across that taut flesh.

“Yeah, it was,” he said and left it at that.

He’d eventually asked the vixenish Sydnee if she’d go out with him the following night, which was a Friday. She accepted, and he picked her up at the women’s shoe store where she worked around nine, which she’d told him was closing time.

On arriving at the store, she told him there was still some last minute cleaning up to do, and apologized for the last minute rush by two women customers.

At least that was how Sydnee explained the mess he’d walked in on as the ‘closed’ sign was hung in the shop’s door by another young employee.

“It’s not usually this way,” she said. “Most nights we’re twiddling our thumbs for the last two hours, but hey, they have a wedding tomorrow and needed the right pair of shoes.”

Dean laughed and said, “Take your time, I don’t mind waiting. Do the job right, it shows character.” The truth was he was enjoying watching the two girls scampering about, bending and stretching as they put the shoe boxes back on the shelves.

Sydnee, he told himself, you’ve got a nice pair of jiggling tits that you don’t mind showing off.

He smiled and said, every sale counts, right?” He couldn’t keep his eyes off her tight, swaying butt as she moved around the store, bending to retrieve errant shoe boxes left scattered about from departed customers.

“Hey, they each bought two pair of shoes. That’s a nice commission, you know?” Then she chucked him under the chin and blew him a kiss, a promise of things to come, he hoped.

Once the store was back in order, she and the other girl—Connie, a cinnamon skinned girl from Haiti, locked the door and moved into a storage room to change, promising him they’d only be a minute.

They kept their word. Five minutes later both girls emerged from the storeroom dressed as twenty-two year olds might for an evening out.

Sydnee had swapped her top and jeans for a slinky skirt, off the shoulder blouse and of course, the latest in foot wear black high heeled strappy shoes. Connie was just as sexy in a skin-tight tube dress with 5” heels that showed her legs off to perfection.

“Doesn’t Connie look great, Dean?”

Dean permitted himself a longer look at the Haitian beauty. “She’s absolutely gorgeous, Sydnee.

“Would you fuck her if we all went into the back room?”

He was still looking at Connie as her words registered. He thought he saw a glimmer of amusement in the other’s eyes. He took a deep breath and answered Sydnee accordingly. “I’d love to fuck the both of you. But it’s you I’ve asked out, and while I’d like nothing better than to get it on with you right now, I promised you a night on the town. I think a man should keep his promise, don’t you?”

Both girls burst out laughing. Connie pointed a finger at Sydnee and said, “He got you dere girl ... he wan fuck us both, but he good man and say no to it. I like dat in a man. Character, that’s what he has, character. You treat him good Missy, you hear?”

Sydnee was laughing too, and gave Dean a hug and then pulled Connie into an even tighter hug that wound up a long soul kiss before breaking apart.

When they were out on the sidewalk and Sydnee was locking the store door, Connie sidled up to Dean and whispered, “he likes you, Dean, gonna give you some sweet pussy later—if you’re nice to her. Maybe I see you again sometime. I think I like dat. Yeah I think I do. Night-night, Dean. Night-night, Sydnee!”

And she was gone around the corner.

“So what now, Dean?” Sydnee inquired with a cheshire-like smile after the last of the food had been eaten and the bill had been paid. They were dining at Pho Cali Vietnamese Restaurant, a sophisticated spot on Bednarik Crossing, looking out on a barrier island named Teach Island off the coast of Chastened.

“They say,” Dean said, “some pirate captain buried his treasure on Teach Island.”

Her scent was unique and he breathed it in as he moved some hair off her neck and over her left shoulder. He was careful not to touch her.

“Really, I’ve never heard of any Captain Teach.”

“Have you heard of Blackbeard the Pirate?”

She smiled, “Who hasn’t?”

“Mr. Edward Teach—Blackbeard, one and the same.”

Her smile continued, as she leaned back again and looped her fingers into the top of her slinky skirt, pushing it down so he could glimpse her hip bones.

“Looks like that skirt’s a bit uncomfortable”, Dean grinned, wondering why he couldn’t see the waistband of her panties, or thong.

“Oh, no, it’s fine, just a nervous habit I have.”

Nervous, huh? He thought, taking in the pulse in her neck as it beat away in a furious rhythm. Shutting all else out, Dean leaned in, bared his teeth and bit into the skin over the pounding artery.

Sydnee had to swallow the moan that wanted to erupt from her throat. There was no pain, only pure pleasure. No skin was broken, no blood taken, yet the intent behind the gesture was intensely erotic.

What made it even more pleasurable was the fact that he lingered, pressing soft kisses all along her beating flesh. To soothe, to excite, to please.

And Sydnee went along, keeping her eyes closed; letting her other senses guide her. Already the scent of him was embedded into her mind. Spicy, like cinnamon, with a hint of good pipe tobacco and herbal soap, she could have picked him out of the crowd by his scent alone. She would also know him by the feel of his lips, the pattern of them, the firmness and heat. Like a fingerprint, their uniqueness had been branded onto her flesh.

For several long moments all she could do was try and catch her breath, slow her pounding heart. Luxuriate in the strong male body behind her, the heat of his skin through their clothes.

Wow, this guy is awesome! She thought dreamily. Slowly, she became aware they were the center of attention in the restaurant. His large hands on her waist stopped her breath, and her musings.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “We should go now, Sydnee,” and he stood up. She was so caught up in trying to analyze what was happening that his words didn’t register right away and she almost had to run after him to avoid being left behind.

He took Chastened Boulevard to Venice road out by Matthews Lake and turned into a closed gate community on Meadows Street. Sydnee took in the multi-million dollar homes facing the lake and wondered just who this Dean Hubbell guy was and what he did for a living.

“Nice place,” she said as they pulled into his circular drive and he opened the front door by punching a code into what looked like, but wasn’t, a cell phone.

As they approached the front door, Dean said, “I want to surprise you. So please close your eyes for a bit, okay?”

He took her hand and led her to what she felt was the center of the room. Even through her closed eyes she could see the room had brightened considerably. Her ears strained to hear him moving around. Monitors came on, a sound she’d been very familiar with in her old life. He brushed close by her, his footfalls nearly silent on the thick carpeted floor. He had to have removed his shoes. What was it he wanted or didn’t want her to see?

The room smelled of him. Cinnamon and herbs in the air mixed with could only be vanilla scented wax and books. The smell of old books was very strong. Like a great library.

What was it about him that had her so attuned to his smells and touches?

“Sydnee, please take off your shoes.”

She didn’t hesitate and slipped them off and stepped out of them. Her breath caught and for a moment she felt dizzy.

He ran his hands up and down her arms while asking if she was all right.

“Yes—yes, I’m fine, thank you. Can I open my eyes now?”

“No, not just yet.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask ... it’s probably a dumb question—well maybe not dumb, but enough to piss you off.”

“Go on, ask me, Dean.”

“You’re not Asian-American, are you?”

“No, I’m Japanese-Malaysian,” and then she smiled at him, and knew he was smiling back at her even with her eyes closed.

“That’s a wonderful combination, and look at the finished product, wow!”

The blush began on her chest then climbed her neck, settling in her cheeks. The air-conditioned room also had an effect on her in that it caused her nipples to engorge and jut out against the material of the off-shoulder blouse she wore.

“You’re blushing. I can’t remember the last time I saw a woman do that,” Dean said warmly and ran a fingertip down one bright pink cheek. “It’s very becoming on you.”

Coming up behind her, he pulled her hair over to her left shoulder, baring her neck and the slightly red mark he’d left there. “I hope I didn’t cause you any real pain? I have no clue what came over me.” He placed a soft kiss on the mark and this time she couldn’t contain the small moan that rushed past her lips.

Chuckling against her skin, he whispered, “So, now I know you can at least make noise.”

She smiled, nodding her head yes. At this point she couldn’t have spoken even if he’d commanded her too. The lump in her throat was too large.

“You didn’t answer my original question. Did I cause you any pain?”

While she’d been lost in thought, he’d come around to face her. She couldn’t see it, but his face was concerned, thoughtful.

“Um no!” she said suddenly on snapping out of her lust-filled thoughts. “No pain, no pain at all!”

Her legs felt slightly weak and she wobbled. Moving forward, he caught her up and set her in a chair. She sank in, inhaling his scent mixed with fine leather.

“Open your eyes.”

For a moment, just a split half of a second, she thought of refusing him. Curiosity won out over doubt. It actually took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light. Once they did there was nothing in her vision but his rugged face and amazing eyes. So familiar to her somehow. So honest as he stared back at her.

Unable to sustain the contact, she looked down, noticing how he crouched in front of her like a baseball catcher waiting for the pitcher to throw the ball. His hands were on the seat beside her thighs. Dark tan against light. Her nipples were singing and to her utter horror tears burned her eyes. She tried to dash them away before he could see but it was a useless attempt.

Dean sat forward and ran his thumbs through the salty trails her tears had made on her cheeks. “Are you sure you want it this way?”

Sydnee’s eyes opened and all he saw was fire, burning bright and hot. It was in control. Eating her alive.

He knew that fire. Recognized it in him. Pulling her up as if she weighed nothing, he let her believe she was in control. With a growl that surprised him, she took his face in her tiny hands and held him still while she devoured his mouth.

With her ankles locked behind his back, his hands were free to roam up the smooth tautness of her thighs, over her slinky skirt covered ass; her heat reaching him through the taut material.

His hands dug into her flesh, she reared back and with a strength her size hid, ripped his shirt open, buttons flying. She leaned in let her tongue trace a trail of fire along his chest. This time the growl was his.

Pulling the ruined shirt off his shoulders and down his arms, he threw it on the floor, lifted her higher, turned and pressed her body into the nearest wall. Not giving her a chance to catch her breath, he ripped her flimsy blouse down the front then gave the pretty little black lace bra underneath the same treatment.

Her upper body was exposed to his hungry gaze and like the predator he resembled; he licked his lips, his mouth watering for a taste of her. Locking her wrists above her head with one hand, he used the other to push her breast up, pinching the nipple just hard enough to make her squirm but not causing pain. Just as he’d done with her neck, he marked the plump upper flesh with his teeth, dragging a moan from deep in her gut.