Anything But Mine (27 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

O
nce all the guests left the apartment, Jen disappeared into the master suite, where she began packing for their honeymoon.
I wish I knew where we were going,
she thought.
It would make packing so much easier.
She folded some simple sundresses into her suitcase, along with shorts, tank tops, yoga pants, underwear, bathing suits and cover ups. She added a couple of pairs of sandals, two pairs of flip flops, her running shoes, a baseball cap and a foldable, wide-
brimmed
beach hat. Finally, she opened her lingerie drawer, and selected some pieces that she had been given at her bridal shower and had saved for the honeymoon.

As she zipped her suitcase closed, Vince strolled into their bedroom. She looked up and smiled at him. “I’m all packed and ready to go.”

“Good. We have to leave here tomorrow morning by 7:45, at the absolute latest, in order to get to the St. Regis by 8:00.”

Jen nodded her head. “It was really nice of you to offer to take Drew and Collette to the airport. It will save them quite a bit of money.”

“I’m happy to do it, Jennifer. Drew is your friend, and I’m glad that you’ll be able to spend a little extra time with him before he returns home to San Francisco.”
And it will give me another opportunity to remind him that you are now my wife, and mine, forever,
Vince mused. “Did I hear correctly that he and Collette are planning on moving in together?”

“Yes,” Jen said, almost a little too enthusiastically. “That’s what Collette told me.”

“I’m happy for them. They seem to make a nice couple.”

Jen wanted to ask Vince what he and Collette had been talking about when she saw them deep in conversation earlier during the brunch, but thought better of it. Instead, she simply agreed, “I’m happy for them, too.” Jen yawned, and stretched her arms. “I know it’s early, but I’m wiped out. I think I’m going to lie down for a while.”

“Would you like some company?”

“Sure, of course,” Jen said, afraid to express to her husband that she would have preferred some time to be alone with her thoughts.

Vince watched as Jennifer disappeared inside her dressing room. When she returned, she was wearing a simple white satin and lace chemise.
I’ll never get tired of looking at her
, he thought, as his pulse quickened.
And now she is mine, forever.
He disappeared into his dressing room, and returned a few minutes later in an Egyptian cotton robe that Jen had brought back for him the last time she traveled overseas for work. Before joining Jen in bed, he removed his robe, revealing his naked body underneath.

They snuggled together for a while, re-
hashing
the events of their wedding weekend, before Vince’s eyes took on that familiar dark look, signaling to Jen that the time for talking had ended.

“Jennifer,” Vince said, as he brushed her hair away from her face. “My Jennifer. My beautiful wife.” He shifted his body on top of hers, so that she could feel him, hard and hot, and ready to take her.

Jen drew a sharp intake of breath, as she felt his lips travel from her neck down towards her breasts, his tongue and teeth devouring every inch of her, all the way down her body to the sweet, tender spot of her womanhood.

He took his time with her, teasing her with his mouth, bringing her to the brink and then retreating, time and again, until he heard her beg him to let her finish. Unable to deny her, Vince brought Jen to her climax, before entering her and allowing himself his release.

Once she was sure Vince had fallen asleep, Jen quietly crept out of bed, wrapped Vince’s robe around her, and curled up on the chaise by the window. The sun had set, and it was dark outside, but the lights were on in the bedroom. She retrieved a set of knitting needles and some white cotton yarn from the basket of knitting supplies she kept next to the chaise, and began to cast on a simple project that she could take with her on the flight. After completing a couple of rows, she put the needles down and looked out at Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art across the street.

Jen let her mind wander to thoughts of Drew, trying to imagine him standing on the museum steps the previous morning, waiting to see if she would show up, and her heart broke.
I was standing at the living room window, drinking coffee and looking at the museum yesterday morning at the time he would have been standing there,
she thought, with a catch in her throat.
In a way, maybe it is better that I didn’t see his note until it was too late. What if I’d chosen him, and he pushed me away again?

Looking over at her sleeping husband, Jen thought,
Vince is possessive, and jealous, and even a little scary sometimes, but deep down I know he loves me. He has loved me and taken care of me, and he deserves a wife who will do the same for him.

In that moment of clarity, Jen resolved to put Drew out of her mind once and for all.
Whatever existed between us is gone, forever.
She opened the drawer of the small side table, pulled out the rosary beads she kept there, and began praying for strength to help her be the best wife she possibly could be for Vince.

The next morning, Drew and Collette joined Jen and Vince in the back of Vince’s limousine. Despite the bright sunshine, the temperature was a bone-
chilling
20 degrees, and Jen said, “I’ll bet you’re looking forward to getting back to California.”

Collette nodded her head. “New York is exciting, but when it comes to the weather, California has New York beat, hands down.” When Drew didn’t reply, Collette prompted him, “Don’t you think so, honey?”

Drew agreed that the weather was better in California. “But there is no city in the world like New York,” he added, wistfully, looking out the window as they travelled down the FDR Drive.

“So, you never told us where you’re going on your honeymoon,” Collette said, trying to change the subject. “Hopefully someplace warm?”

God, she’s awfully chatty this morning,
Jen thought. “That’s about all I know, that it’s someplace warm. Vince won’t tell me where we’re going—
it’
s a mystery.”

Vince looked up from the screen of his cell phone, and replied, “It’s definitely someplace warm, and very private.”

“Aww, come on Vince, can’t you tell us where you’re taking Jen,” Collette asked, brightly. “We won’t tell, will we Drew?”

“Of course not,” Drew answered. “But I’m sure they want their privacy, Collette.”

“Our privacy is very important to us,” Vince added, as he reached next to him to squeeze Jen’s hand.

Jen squeezed her husband’s hand in response. “How is your father feeling, Drew?”

“He’s doing much better, thanks. He’s returned to work full time, so I’m finally able to look for work in television. I have an interview this week for an on-
air
sports reporting job at a local station. It’s just a weekend slot, but it could be a great first step towards getting a gig with one of the 24-
hour
sports networks.”

“Wow! That’s really exciting,” Jen replied. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!”

“Which of the sports networks are you interested in working for?” Vince peered over his reading glasses with a laser-
like
focus at Drew. “Aren’t all of them based on the east coast?”

“Yes, they are. ESPN is in Connecticut, and the new Sports News Network is based here in New York. I’d be really happy to work for either of them.”

“Wouldn’t that mean you would have to re-
locate
?” As Vince asked the question, he shifted his eyes towards Collette, thinking,
don’t I pay you to keep him on the west coast and happy, and away from Jennifer?

“Sure,” Drew answered, oblivious to the staring match going on between Vince and Collette. “But that’s a long-
term
goal. For the near future, I’m just hoping to get hired somewhere in the Bay area, so I can get some more on-
air
experience.”

Vince exhaled, and was able to relax somewhat with Drew’s answer.
If that is Drew’s long term goal,
then my short term goal is to get Jennifer pregnant as soon as possible. She won’t leave me if she is pregnant with my child.

Jen climbed the stairs to Vince’s private jet, and shrugged off her coat before settling into one of the plush leather seats.

After Vince finished speaking with the crew, he sat down next to her in the passenger compartment. “We’re all set, and we’ll be taking off in just a few minutes,” he said as he snapped open a copy of the Wall Street Journal.

Jen knew better than to disturb Vince when he was reading, and instead dug her current knitting project out of her tote bag.

After take-
off
, Vince seemed to relax. He put down the newspaper, and turned to admire his young wife.
I love watching you knit,
he thought, as he watched her fingers adeptly wrap the white cotton yarn around the needles. After a few moments, he asked, “What are you making?”

“Oh, just a little bikini,” she replied with smile.

“It’s a
very
little bikini,” Vince said, “I’m getting turned on just looking at you knitting it.”

Jen looked down at Vince’s lap, and noticed just how aroused he was getting. “I’m glad you like it. That’s the point, after all.”

“I hope you finish it soon, because I want to see you in it this week.”
And I want to take it off of you this week, too,
he thought.

“This is a very quick project. I should be finished knitting it before we land, I think. How long is the flight?”

“About three, three and a half hours. Then we’ll transfer to a helicopter for the last part of the trip.”

Snuggling up to Vince, Jen asked, “Can you tell me now where we’re going?”

Vince chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Jen’s shoulders. “I told you, someplace warm, and very private.”

“But where, Vince? I’m dying of curiosity,” Jen purred, as she began to nibble on his earlobe.

Vince took a deep breath, and said, “Okay, but first let me explain why I’ve kept our plans under wraps.” He adjusted himself so that he could face Jen, and continued, “I wanted the first part of our honeymoon to be a special experience, a time to explore a new place for the first time together. Only, once I started planning our trip, I realized that would be a bit of a challenge, because we’ve both traveled so extensively. So, I did some research, and with a little help from a friend, I came up with the perfect combination of a place neither of us had ever been, and the ultimate in privacy.”

“So…where are we going?”

Grinning, Vince replied, “Serenity Island.”

CHAPTER THIRTY

“S
erenity Island?” Jen looked at Vince with raised eyebrows.

“It’s a private island in the British Virgin Islands,” Vince replied, clearly pleased with himself. “And we have it completely to ourselves for the next week.”

“Completely to ourselves? Really?”

When Vince confirmed that they would have the island all to themselves for the first part of their honeymoon, Jen wasn’t sure if she should be happy that her husband went to great lengths, and spared no expense, to ensure their privacy, or nervous that they would be completely alone for the next week. “Tell me about the island,” she said.

“There are several guest cottages, as well as the main house,” Vince explained. “There are pools, a tennis center, kayaking, and of course there are beautiful beaches. There’s also a full staff to take care of anything we want, from food and drinks, to masseuses and personal trainers. There’s even a yacht, if we want to spend a day out on the water.”

As she listened to Vince’s description of Serenity Island, Jen began to get excited about the trip.
He really thought of everything,
she mused. “Now I understand why you told me to make sure I packed everything I’d need for a week because there wouldn’t be anyplace to buy things. It never occurred to me that you’d whisk me off to a private island.”

“I just want to make you happy, Jennifer” Vince said. “That’s all I want to do.”

Jen curled up against her husband and sighed. “I know, Vince. I know.”

The helicopter touched down on Serenity Island shortly before 1:00 p.m., and Jen and Vince were warmly greeted by the island staff, before they were ushered into a golf cart. One of the island’s staff members explained that he was taking them to the main house on the island, where they would be staying for the week, but they were also welcome to stay in any of the other cottages on the island any night they wished.

As they were driven across the small island, Jen took in the views and inhaled the scent of the tropical flowers.
This is paradise,
she thought.

Once they arrived at the main house, they freshened up and changed into bathing suits and cover ups, before wandering out to the terrace by the pool, where they were served a lunch of shrimp salad, sliced avocados and tomatoes, and freshly baked rolls.

“Everything is delicious,” Jen said, as she thanked the staff. “This is my favorite kind of lunch.”

“I’m so glad you like it,” Vince said, once they were alone. “I e-
mailed
the staff with some menu suggestions for the week, so that they would have all your favorite food and drinks on hand.”

That was really sweet and thoughtful,
she thought, looking at her husband across the table and seeing him in a different light. “Thank you, Vince. You really thought of everything.”

“I just want to make you happy,” he replied.

When they finished eating, Vince asked, “Would you like to take a walk on the beach?”

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to sit here under an umbrella, and maybe take a dip in the pool,” Jen said. “I don’t want to get too much sun on our first day here.”

“Sounds good,” Vince said, as he watched Jen remove her cover up and slather on some sun screen before laying down in the shade on a cushioned lounge chair, where she promptly fell asleep. Vince remained seated at the table, staring at Jen while she napped.
She looks so young, and vulnerable, when she is sleeping
, he thought as he snapped some photos of her.

Over the next couple of days, Jen and Vince took their time exploring Serenity Island, delighting at all the wildlife they happened upon as they took daily walks. Jen was particularly taken with the flamingos and the peacocks that roamed the island, whipping out her phone to take pictures every time she saw them.

Vince enjoyed watching Jen’s expression as she gleefully described seeing lizards sunbathing on some rocks when she returned to the house after having a massage one morning, and then jotting her experience down in the journal she was keeping of their trip.
I’ve got to be the luckiest man alive,
he thought.

Other than the hour or so he spent reviewing e-
mails
each day, Vince refrained from working, and Jen noticed that most of his usual edginess had dissipated during the first few days of their honeymoon. Other than when he craved her body for sex, which she readily gave him, he was relaxed most of the time, causing Jen to wonder,
why does his demeanor become so dark and serious when he becomes aroused?

After breakfast one morning, while they were in the hot tub, he asked, “Do you remember your birthday, when we talked about some fantasies I’d like to act out?”

Looking warily at her husband, Jen replied, “Sure. How could I forget my birthday?”

“I’d like to try some new things with you, and explore some of those fantasies with you, while we’re here,” he said, as his eyes narrowed into dark slits.

“Okay,” Jen said tentatively.
I wonder what he wants to do with me.

Jen wasn’t left wondering for long. During one of their morning hikes, they passed by a beach pavilion with a fire pit, seating area and a large bed with mounds of throw pillows and strands of what looked like tiny Christmas lights attached to the bed posts and the overhead canopy. As Vince surveyed the area, his eyes took on the dark, passionate look that signaled to Jen that he wanted her. But instead of taking her there and then, as she expected he would, he sat in a shaded area by the fire pit, and beckoned her to join him.

As she went to sit down next to him, Vince caught her around the waist and pulled her onto his lap, holding her close against his chest. Jen rested her head on his shoulder and softly kissed his neck, feeling his body relax in the process.

They held each other quietly for a little while, before Vince took a deep breath, and asked, “Jennifer, do you trust me?”

Puzzled by his question, she shifted her body around on his lap so she could look at him, and answered, “Yes, of course I trust you.”

He nodded, and pulled her close again. “Remember yesterday, when we were in the hot tub? I told you there were some fantasies, some role playing that I’d dreamt of acting out with you for a long time.”

“I remember.”

“This location,” he said, gesturing towards the fire pit and canopied bed, “would be the perfect setting. But I need you to place your total trust in me.”

“Why?”

Vince took a deep breath, and as he gave a detailed explanation of what he wanted to do with her, Jen felt herself involuntarily shiver, and her blood run cold.
Oh God,
she thought.
Not that. I’m open to just about anything but that. But how can I refuse him without getting him into a rage?
She heard him ask if they could act out the scene he had just described later that evening and, feeling as though she had no choice, found herself agreeing to everything. For the first time, it dawned on her that there was a downside to being on a private island, and thought,
there is no place to run if things take a bad, dangerous turn.

Late that afternoon, after her massage, Jen returned to the main house, and discovered a note from Vince containing the simple request to change into the white cotton bikini and matching lacy sarong she had knit, to wait until a member of the staff arrived, and to comply with any instructions or directions she was given.

Jen felt her pulse quicken and she began to tremble as she walked towards the armoire to retrieve her white bikini and sarong. She applied moisturizer all over her body and let it dry before she tied on the top and bottom of the cotton string bikini, and then tied the sarong around her waist. She realized Vince’s note said nothing about footwear, but decided to wear a pair of white flip flops in case they walked back from the pavilion later on. As Jen looked in the mirror, hoping Vince would be pleased with her, she heard a knock on her door.

When Jen opened the door, Shabaa, one of the island’s tall and particularly well-
built
staff members, was waiting for her on the other side.

“Mr. Moscolo sent me for you,” he said.

Jen’s pulse began to race as she realized Shabaa was holding a large knife and some rope in his hands.
Oh God
, she thought.
This is really happening.

Shabaa saw the fear register on Jen’s face and, thinking she was going to run, grabbed her wrists. In a flash, he tied her hands together with the rope. He cut the rope with his knife and pushed her backwards onto the bed, and quickly bound her ankles together.

“No, Shabaa, please don’t,” she protested.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Moscolo,” he replied. “I won’t hurt you. I’m just following orders.”

Jen looked down at the floor and replied, “I know you are.”

With that, Shabaa leaned down, picked her up around the waist, and slung her over his shoulder as he began the walk towards the beach pavilion.

Despite being unable to see her surroundings or where they were going because she was facing the ground, a few minutes later Jen noticed the light and heat of the bonfire as Shabaa came to a stop, and said, “Master, I have brought you the girl.”

Vince gestured towards the bed, and sternly instructed Shabaa, “Put her down so I can inspect her.”

After Shabaa obediently deposited Jen on the bed, Vince said, “Help her to her feet. I want to take a good look before I decide whether to accept her.”

Jen was trembling and silently stared at her feet, as Vince made a grand gesture of walking around her, lasciviously looking her up and down.

Vince grasped her chin and jerked her head up. Addressing her directly, he said, “Shabaa tells me you are pure. Is it true that you’ve never been with a man before?”

Barely able to speak, Jen replied, weakly, “Yes.”

Anger flashed in Vince’s eyes. “Is that how you address me? Is it?” He raised his hand as if to slap her, but when he saw Jen flinch, he dropped his hand to his side instead.

“Master. Yes, Master, I’m pure,” she replied, following Vince’s lead.

Vince stared at her, with his arms folded across his chest. Finally, he said, “She’ll do,” and pointed towards the bed.

Shabaa scooped Jen up and placed her on the bed. Vince’s eyes were dark and his demeanor was sinister, as he commanded Shabaa, “Secure her to the bed so she can’t escape.”

Shabaa jerked Jen’s wrists backwards, and she heard the click of metal. She tried to move her arms, but something was holding them backwards and behind her head.

As she struggled, she heard Vince’s sick laughter. “You can’t escape. Don’t even try.” He approached the bed, and ran a finger down from her neck to her breasts, then down her torso to the top of her bikini bottom and across her inner thighs. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way,” he said, as he pushed her knees apart. “But, either way, we are going to do this. I am going to make you mine, and you will submit to me tonight.”

Jen gasped as Vince drew a large knife from the waistband of his shorts, waving it at her. Her heart beat rapidly as she thought,
he’s sick, he’s insane. I have to keep my head clear and find a way to buy into the role he wants me to play.
Swallowing hard, she whispered, “Yes, Master,” as he cut the ropes away from her ankles, freeing her legs and pushing them apart.

“Don’t fight me, or I’ll tie your legs up again, but with them spread apart this time,” Vince warned.