Chapter 22: Home-Wrecker

Saturday March 25
I came out of my bedroom and found Megan reading something on her phone.

“Morning. You the only one up?” I asked.

“No. Ashley already left for her poker tournament. When she got up, I decided to stay up.”

“Want to go across the street and have breakfast with me?” I asked.

“I’d like that.”

As soon as we got outside, I could tell it was going to be a lovely day. My weather app said the high would be in the low 60s. I didn’t anticipate doing any swimming when I joined my princess and her group, but it would be a pleasant time on the water.

Since Brook had left, a couple of women had caught my attention. Joey, my trainer, appealed to my athletic side. I don’t think she knew the effect she had on me when she bounced around in her shorts that ... well ... I shouldn’t go there because there were serious ramifications if I ever did.

The second girl had been Tawny Greenwalt, whom I’d met on my recruiting trip to Oklahoma. I’ve been around a lot of drop-dead gorgeous women. When you act or model, it’s a given. Yes, I might have a type, if you consider two of my three infatuations are Kate Upton and Adrienne. Real women with significant natural assets up top catch my eye. So it was significant that Tawny wasn’t overly developed. Not that C-cup was anything to sneeze at. With her, it was the whole package.

Watching her move on stage and then talking to her and discovering she could more than hold a conversation made her someone I could fall for. Tawny made my decision to go to Oklahoma very appealing on a personal level. Not that I had any expectations, but I would definitely look her up when I got to campus.

What was the saying? Just when you stop looking is when you’ll find someone? Never in a million years would I have thought I would find someone I was interested in at some uptight, lavish masquerade ball.

I’ve always said that within a few seconds of first seeing her, a guy rates a woman on her looks. I’m sure women do the same, but men are visual animals. Like most men, I tend to use a scale of one to ten, one being a girl I had zero interest in. Actually, I would have to dislike a woman intensely to give her a score that low. A ten was someone I would be willing to throw down on the fifty-yard line during the Super Bowl and have my way with her, based solely on her looks.

Cinderella fell into the solid seven or low eight range. But it wasn’t her looks that had me intrigued. There was just something about her that I couldn’t put my finger on, sort of like the first time I met Joey, or even better, Lisa Felton. Sometimes the beast we like to keep hidden just knows what it wants, and mine wanted my princess.

When Megan and I were seated and the server had taken our drink orders, I decided to tell her about it.

Not to get off on a completely different tangent, but coffee in Monaco was expensive. Let me clarify. Everything in Monaco was expensive, but they wanted about four times what you would expect to pay at a better restaurant back home. Just saying.

“I met someone last night,” I said to kick off our discussion.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me.”

“You do realize I planned to buy you breakfast,” I said, giving her a stern look.

The poor girl wasn’t used to being teased because she looked traumatized. I felt terrible, and it must have shown on my face because she suddenly smiled.

“You’re getting better at that,” I said.

“Tell me about this amazing woman you met,” Megan said, dismissing me.

“Who said it was a woman?”

“There’s an ongoing debate on social media as to whether or not you’re gay. Most agree that when you see a good-looking guy, there’s a strong possibility that he is,” Megan retorted.

I was starting to like this Megan girl. The quiet little mouse had hidden claws.

“Yes, it’s a woman. I met her last night, but don’t actually know her name. We had to wear name tags with fake names, and hers said Cinderella.”

“What did yours say?” Megan asked.

I struck a pose, using my finger to mimic a gun.

“Bond, Ian Bond,” I said dramatically.

“You do know that if you weren’t an actor, you would be a weirdo.”

“I’ve been told that more than once,” I admitted.

“Did you get her number?”

“No.”

Megan’s eyes got big.

“I can’t believe you couldn’t get a girl’s number,” she said doubtfully.

I gave her my best smile with a touch of a leer thrown in.

“She invited me to go on her boat today. Then I’m taking her to the opera tonight. After that, who knows?”

“That sounds like a solid plan.”

“What did you guys do last night?” I asked.

“Went to dinner, then to a club where we danced. I even got asked to dance a couple of times,” Megan said as she blushed, remembering the experience.

“Was everyone on their best behavior?” I asked.

“Until they got home.”

The way she said it made me curious.

“Really? I must have slept through that.”

“Must have,” Megan said.

I could tell she was holding out on me.

“Spill it. You know you want to,” I pushed.

“They did stuff together in the living room,” Megan blurted and went bright red.

“All of them?” I asked.

“Well, Ashley went to bed because she’s playing poker today. But the rest of them did.”

“Did you join in?” I asked.

Megan slouched down and almost disappeared under the table. I heard her mumble something.

“Was that a yes?” I asked with a big grin.

“No!” she barked and then slid back down.

“You watched?”

She wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“You dirty girl,” I teased. “Was it hot?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

I raised my hands.

“Hey, I’m not judging. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I sometimes watch porn on the Internet.”

She peeked up at me, and I could see the hint of a smile. I leaned forward to make sure only she could hear.

“I sometimes touch myself when I do it. Did you touch yourself?” I asked.

“David!”

I gave her a knowing look.

“Just saying, it would be okay if you did,” I said in my best reassuring voice.

“I think the weather today is supposed to be nice for your boat trip,” Megan said to try to change the subject.

I decided I would let her. The poor girl might spontaneously combust if I pushed her much further. Perhaps I would have a talk with Cindy and see what was up with little Megan.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I put some thought into what I would wear today. My goal was to look good but not come off as a total Hamptons trust-fund douche. I decided that because we were going boating, I needed nautical attire. Since I didn’t really have anything, I did the best I could.

I started with white slacks that were a silk-cotton blend. For my shirt, I picked a blue Range Sports t-shirt and a gray Abercrombie sweater. With my Japanese sunglasses, I felt I’d pulled it off.

When it was finally time to meet everyone, I walked across the street. I spotted my princess standing alone out in front of the hotel. When she saw me, her face lit up, which made my day.

“Hey. It’s just going to be us today,” she said when I got close.

I couldn’t say that disappointed me in the least.

“I hate to ask,” I said.

“Let’s just say that the drama didn’t end at the fundraiser and leave it at that.”

I was okay with that.

I was starting to realize that Cinderella—that’s right, I still hadn’t found out her name—had money. Her personal driver picked us up and drove us to the marina. The streets in Monte Carlo were narrow, and traffic was heavy. I was impressed that her driver knew the back roads well enough to avoid the worst of it.

When we arrived at the marina, we met Winston, who seemed to know my princess. I was sure she was having one over on me when he greeted her.

“Princess,” he said and gave her a little bow. “Your boat is ready. Are you sure you don’t need someone to captain her for you today?”

“No, Winston. We aren’t going far, so I should be able to handle her.”

“As you wish. Call if you need anything,” he said and then led us to the dock with her boat on it.

At first, I had my doubts about us piloting the large sailboat I spotted as we got closer. I would suspect it was more than the two of us could handle, even if I had known what to do. My doubt turned into pure joy when we walked past the monstrosity and came to what is called a go-fast or cigarette boat.

Go-fast boats are speedboats designed for open water. This one was a Marauder fifty-footer. The hull was hydrodynamically designed to handle the high-horsepower, dual turbocharged Mercury Racing engines. 1340 horsepower, to be exact. If I hadn’t already come to the conclusion that she had money, this sealed the deal.

I felt a little guilty when I thought of Brook and how much she would love to be with me right now.

“You want to drive?” she asked.

Not only yes, but HELL YES, I wanted to drive.

“If you want,” I said, trying not to show how much I’d just lost my cool.

She tossed me the keys. I jumped in as Winston untied the boat. The driver didn’t actually have a seat. There was a wraparound backrest, and you stood at the wheel. I turned the engine over, and the twin engines rumbled to life.

My princess jumped onto the boat and stored our bags below deck. When she came back out, she reached over and turned on the stereo system. If the marina couldn’t hear the throaty groan of the engines, they certainly knew we were there when the rock music began to blast. I waited for her to get seated and then eased out of the slip.

I took it easy as we made our way to the mouth of the harbor. Several people checked us out and waved as we went by. It seemed that they knew my princess and were happy to see her. I donned my sunglasses and eased the boat up to plane as we exited the harbor.

Once we hit open water, I pushed the throttle forward. The boat responded with an alarming increase in speed. I was glad the seas were calm as we knifed our way away from shore. Cinderella pointed to the left, and I took us up the coast. I was struck by the remarkable colors of the water, deep blue where the water was deep and a deep blue-green closer to the rocky shore.

Cigarette boats are the favorite of drug runners and smugglers because they can reach speeds exceeding 130 mph. I felt like Duke when he stuck his head out of the window of the car as I raced down country roads. His ears would be flapping in the wind and my Demon would be whining as the twin turbos boosted our speed. Cinderella and I both had smiles on our faces as we ran up the coast, the wind blowing our hair back and the sun in our faces. I couldn’t think of anything I would rather be doing right now.

She turned the radio down and leaned over so I could hear her.

“Feel like getting into the water?”

“Isn’t it too cold?” I asked.

“There’s a little spot I know that has a hot spring.”

“I didn’t bring my suit.”

She just smiled in response. Well, okay, then. I gave her a little nod, and she laughed.

Frick! Mr. Happy suddenly figured out what was going on and began to wake up. Maybe the cold water would send him back into hiding.

I had a bad habit of falling in love at the drop of a hat. After dating Brook, I realized it was more falling in lust than the real thing. But in any case, my princess had my full attention.

She pointed to the horizon where I saw an outcropping of rocks.

“There’s a little cove on the other side that can only be gotten to by water. My dad used to take me there when I was a kid. It was a chance for us to spend time alone together. I haven’t been back since he passed.”

“I’m sorry to hear you lost him.”

“At the time, I was devastated, but I’ve gotten used to it now. It will be good to go back,” she said with a faraway look.

I left her to her thoughts for a few minutes before I interrupted.

“I hate to ask, but what’s your name? In my head, I’ve been calling you ‘My Princess’ because of your Cinderella name tag,” I admitted.

“I sort of like that,” she said. “Actually, I’m Princess Erika.”

I blinked a few times as I wrapped my brain around the realization that she was a real princess. Seeing my confusion, she continued.

“Germany used to be a collection of principalities. They no longer have any official sovereignties, but the old families cling to their past. Our lands are in the current state of Thuringia, though the princely title comes from a small town nearby in Upper Saxony. But I live in New York City now.”

“So, you’re a real-life Cinderella?”

“In a way, I guess.”

“Why don’t you live in Germany?” I asked.

“My brother inherited the estate, and I wanted to get away to go to school. I’m going to Columbia University. I’m majoring in business and plan to return and help run the family business someday,” Erika explained.

“What business do you own?”

“Several, actually. Everything from manufacturing to agriculture.”

By now, we’d come close to the inlet she had described. High cliff walls surrounded the cove and a small rocky beach. Erika scampered onto the front of the boat and dropped the anchor. She came back and smiled at me.

“My brother keeps swim trunks down below. I’ll grab you a pair so you can change.”

I followed her below. There wasn’t much room. Basically, it was two couches facing each other that I suspected turned into small beds, with a storage area at the front. Erika opened the cabinet, found a pair of swim trunks, and tossed them to me. I cringed when I saw they were basically Speedos. People joked that European men who shouldn’t wore this type of swimsuit on the beaches. Not a good look if you were older or didn’t have the body for it.

Erika gave me some privacy, so I decided to go for it. They were snug. I found a towel to wrap around my waist so I didn’t put on too much of a show as I came back on deck. Erika had worn her suit under her clothes, so she was sporting a conservative one-piece.

“Ready?” she asked.

I felt my breath hitch at her words. The double meaning wasn’t lost on me as I slowly walked to her. When we were inches apart, I leaned forward and kissed Erika. Our simple kiss had a profound effect on me, one that I didn’t expect. I’ve had some experience at hooking up, but this didn’t feel that way. I’d been concerned about removing my mask, or persona if you will. I was afraid that she would recognize that I was just after a good time, but I relaxed a little as I saw she wanted that as well.

I looked Erika in the eyes, unable to resist touching her, and reached up with my hand to wrap it around the back of her neck. I ran my thumb underneath her jawline, then over her cheek to her lips. As things heated up, I lightly grazed them. A little smile touched my lips as her mouth opened slightly to take in panted breaths of desire.

“I know I don’t really know you yet, but I want you,” I said to put it out there.

Erika’s nostrils flared, and I could see her eyes dilate with lust.

“You’re so bad,” she moaned.

I could feel my heart pumping hard as I leaned in to close the gap between us. Erika’s head tilted back, and her soft lips opened as she anticipated our kiss. It didn’t disappoint, and my mind felt like it would explode with instant lust. I was a little confused as to how we’d gone from friendly banter to this in just seconds. The animal inside of me was right from the start: I wanted her.

I was a little afraid I would come off as being too intense. So, as a test, I pulled her tighter to me and waited to see how she would respond. When I felt her mold her body to mine as her hands came up so she could run her fingers through my hair, all doubt left me. A tiny voice in the back of my head warned me that I was being a ‘stupid boy’ and should slow this down. The beast inside disagreed. He wanted it all, and now.

I deepened our kiss. Tongues dueled as I tasted her for the first time. I wanted more, so much more. But I also knew I couldn’t offer her much more than maybe tonight or the next day at the most. It felt wrong to start this, only to leave in a couple of days.

Mr. Happy lurched control of the body before I put an end to what was about to happen. Unable to stop myself, I gently pushed her down onto the aft bench seat and knelt between her spread legs. With my height, we were eye level. I kissed her neck as I moved to seal the deal. Then the big brain asserted itself.

“We should slow down. Let’s go swimming and get to know each other better before...” as I left the rest unsaid.

I saw the confusion appear as she tried to figure out what I was up to.

“Trust me,” I said before she got upset. “I want you more than you even know. When we do anything at all, I want it to be special. That’s what a first time should be, right?”

I gave her a little kiss on the lips and my sexiest smile, the one that gets me paid the big bucks. Erika tilted her head to the side as if she could figure me out better from a different angle. I’m not really sure why I was putting the brakes on if this was just a hookup. Despite my occasional reservations, I’d come to grips with seducing a girl for a no-strings-attached moment of fun. I could thank Lexi for teaching me that.

With Erika, I wanted her to not be surprised when this turned into a one-night stand. Somehow, it was different with her. I didn’t want to just have sex with her. Deep inside me, I had the feeling she’d be worth the wait to do it right.

“Maybe a swim might be a better idea,” Erika said reluctantly.

I inwardly thanked her for agreeing with me. If she’d given even the slightest indication that we should move this forward, I couldn’t have stopped myself. I stood up and dropped my towel. Erika was now eye level with Mr. Happy, who was making his Alien impression as he tried to burst through the ridiculously tight swim trunks. I could see she couldn’t help herself as her eyes locked onto him. She then made a brazen scan of my body.

Frick!

I gritted my teeth as I suddenly wanted desperately to drop back down between her legs and pull her suit aside so I could plunge deep inside her. Instead, I jumped up on the deck over the engines in the back. There was a mat-like surface that looked like it would be perfect for laying out to get some sun. I went to the edge to see if I could see the bottom. I felt a hand in the small of my back, and the next thing I knew, I was tumbling into the water. If I’d stuck my toe in, I would never have gone in. It was freezing.

I broke the surface and said a few choice words. I was positive that the tight swim trunks wouldn’t be a problem anymore because Mr. Happy and the twins were now trying to hide from the frigid water.

“Swim towards the beach, and it gets warmer,” she assured me and then dove in.

She cut through the water like an Olympic swimmer. I decided to follow her, not really sure whether to trust her, but I hoped for the best. Sure enough, as I got closer to the shore, it began to get noticeably warmer. While it was still cold, it was bearable. Either that or I was becoming numb.

When I caught up, she swam in a circle around me, grinned, then laughed as she splashed me with her legs before she tried to swim away from me. I reached out and grabbed her leg and pulled her back to me. She sputtered; her laughter increased until it was wholehearted. When she laughed like that, she instantly rated a ten in my book. I couldn’t help myself as I wrapped my arm around her waist and kissed her again.

The evil minx wrapped her legs around my waist. I was painfully aware of how easy it would be to take this to its forgone conclusion. I pulled back and held her gaze.

“You’re amazing,” I said.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” she said with a playful grin.

She slowly unwrapped her legs and winked at me. When this finally did happen, it would be epic.

Erika and I acted like we were little kids and romped around in the water. She discovered that I was very handy at launching her into the air so she could make graceful dives. All that work in the weight room had paid off.

When we got tired, we didn’t want to get out of the water yet, so she sent me back to the boat. I got masks, snorkels, and fins for us both so we could check out the fish. I found that the water was teeming with wildlife. They seemed to like the warmer water.

Finally, we were worn out and swam back to the boat. Erika had planned ahead and had packed a lunch. We lounged on the back deck and ate. Once we were done, I laid back and let the sun warm me up. Erika stretched out next to me.

“Tell me about yourself,” Erika encouraged.

“I live in a small town in the Midwest of the United States. My mother sells real estate, and my dad manages a golf course. I have one older brother who’s a junior in college. I have a daughter and three sons and claim another child as one of my sons,” I said to see her reaction.

“Wow. I didn’t think you Americans had large families.”

“Most don’t.”

“Are you married?”

“No, and the children are from four different women. Two of them are here on vacation with me.”

“Okay. I’m not sure I understand.”

“They’re older. We make it work.”

“You’re single?” Erika asked.

“Very.”

She was quiet for a moment and then looked at me intently. She came to some kind of decision—one I liked. Erika leaned towards me to kiss me. I went to reach for her, but she put her hand on my chest, so I laid back as she leaned over me and gently kissed me again. Erika startled me when I felt her hand travel south and push into my trunks.

Our kiss broke, and I looked her in the eyes. She touched my lips to tell me not to say anything, then kissed down my chest to my stomach. She freed my member and then leaned down to run her tongue along the underside of my cock.

I bit back a moan. She took me in her mouth in one fluid movement, hot and wet around me. Erika’s tongue danced over my skin while she sucked me, her hands planted on each side of my hips. I fought the urge to thrust up. Her mouth was an intoxicating mixture of heat and wetness. It didn’t take long before I could feel I was close.

Erika seemed to know as she began to seriously head-bob to maximize my pleasure. All too soon, my whole body shook, then stiffened as I spilled into her mouth. I groaned her name in my rapture. This was an unexpected surprise.

I felt like a complete shit. Apparently, I must have been tired because I fell asleep. I was wakened with little kisses on my neck.

“Wake up. We need to head back,” Erika said.

It took a moment for my head to clear.

“Oh, shit. Sorry about that,” I said.

“It was my fault because I knew better. I have an older brother. If he fills his stomach and lies out in the sun, he is out in an instant.”

“Guys are predictable like that. Especially if you help them ... you know.”

“Next time, you have to help me first,” she playfully teased.

At least she wasn’t mad. There was also a promise of ‘next time.’

“Go change. You have to take me out to dinner for falling asleep on me, and I need to get back and see what’s happening with my group.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I said.

This time when we went below deck, she didn’t leave as I changed. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she took off her suit to give me a tantalizing glimpse of what she had hidden under it. It was all good. I got dressed, anticipating that there would be more fun later. I could be patient, even though I really didn’t want to be. But I knew it was the right thing to do.

She retrieved the anchor, and I fired up the motors. The waves had picked up, so I held back from pushing the speed too much. I didn’t feel like getting pounded.

“I want to drive,” Erika announced.

“No problem,” I said and slowed us down so we could switch places.

“No, stay there,” she said with a mischievous grin.

Erika stood in front of me, and I wrapped my arms around her waist. She leaned back into my chest and shot us forward. I was in heaven as the boat flew back towards the harbor. Erika felt just right in my arms.

When we arrived at the harbor, it was bustling with activity. It looked like several of the boats were having parties. One boat, in particular; it was the monster sailboat I’d initially thought we were going out on. They were having a little too much fun. They waved at Erika as we pulled in. She obviously knew them.

“I don’t think they’ve actually ever left the dock,” she shared. “They go out and find women at the clubs and lure them to their boat each weekend.”

“Sounds like a solid plan,” I said as I eyed the scantily clad girls.

It would be if you were in your thirties and wanted to pick up college-age girls who were still naïve enough to fall for that. Add some drugs and alcohol, and bad decisions were about to be made. They kind of gave me the creepy older-stalker-guy vibe.

“Erika! Lose your friend, and come join us,” a guy who looked to be pushing forty called.

“Why can’t my friend come?” she asked, acting hurt.

“Because I don’t need him stealing our girls,” he said with a laugh.

She shook her head as Winston appeared and quickly had us tied up. He held out his hand to help Erika off the boat.

“Was everything okay?” he asked.

“Perfect as usual. Thanks,” she said.

“I called for your car when I saw on the GPS that you were coming back. He called and said he should be here in five,” Winston shared.

“My brother and his family will be in on Monday. Please have the boat ready for them.”

“Of course,” he said and gave her a little bow.

We went up to the parking lot and found the driver pulling in. I opened the door, and she slid in to give me room.

“Thank you for today. I had a great time,” I said.

“The day isn’t over,” she said as she slid closer to me.

I put my arm around her, and she snuggled up to my side.

“I wish you lived in New York,” she suddenly said.

What do you say to that? I was under the impression this might just be a vacation fling.

“Uh, yeah. Me too,” I managed to get out.

Then I remembered my itinerary.

“In fact, I’ll be there next weekend. Maybe we could meet again,” I said.

“Why will you be in New York?”

“I’m on spring break, and I obtained some condos that I’m checking out. During the week, I’ll be in Greece, and then I have one in Tribeca,” I answered.

On the ride home, I had to explain how that had all come about.

I came home and found my trip-mates, all except Ashley, had spent the afternoon drinking wine. There were several bottles scattered around, and each of the crew had a happy face. They all turned and looked at me.

“You got some sun,” Scarlet observed.

“Dude! You bagged a princess,” Kevin said.

I looked at Megan and gave her the exasperated teen look. She’d obviously had enough to drink because she just giggled.

“Leave her alone. I made her tell us what you’ve been up to,” Scarlet said.

“How’s Ashley doing in the tournament?” I asked.

“She called on one of her breaks. Early on, she was down but has been on a run this afternoon. I guess they show the players what the average chip count is, and she is just above that right now. They plan to play until they get down to the final 27 today. If she makes it to tomorrow, she’s in the money,” Scarlet explained.

“How many entered the tournament?” I asked.

“They capped it at 270 people. The buy-in was €10,000. The total prize pool is just over €2,000,000,” Scarlet said.

“If she makes it, we should go watch,” I said.

“That sounds like fun,” Cindy agreed.

“What are you guys planning to do tonight while I go to the opera?” I asked.

“Well, for me, I need a nap. I think I drank too much wine,” Kevin said.

“A nap sounds good,” Paul added and looked at Scarlet.

“Want to join us?” Cindy asked.

‘Nap’ seemed to be code for sex.

“I’m good,” I said.

“You sure?” Kevin asked, hopefully.

“I’m sure.”

Kevin, Cindy, Scarlet, and Paul all went to the bedrooms. Megan looked lost.

“Come on. You and I can go take a nap,” I suggested.

She blushed. I think she needed a few more drinks after all.

“I meant nap, nap. Not the other,” I said.

“Oh,” Megan said and then nodded.

I led her back to my bedroom, and I began to get undressed. When I was down to my boxers, she looked concerned.

“I promise to keep them on,” I said.

“It’s not that. You did get too much sun. I have some aloe in my bag. I’ll go get it,” she offered.

Megan ran off and came back. I thought she would just hand it to me. Instead, she put some on her hand and began to rub it all over my chest and arms. I’d fallen asleep on my back, so my front half was pink. She then knelt down and did my legs. Mr. Happy was a naughty boy. I think he had a thing for nerdy little girls because he began to wake up.