Beginning with Forever (38 page)

Owen ex
its the jet first to check for paparazzi clearance. He gives us a hand signal that only Carson understands. I assume we’re cleared because Carson tugs my hand to go, and we’re off to a waiting white limo. The weather is perfect, clear sunny skies with no signs of rain, hot and humid. Ame enters first and then Carson and I follow behind. I sit between them. Carson has a fixed grip of my right hand as he stares out the window. Our minds are completely in sync even though we haven’t shared a single word. Life without each other except for occasional weekends will plainly be crappy.

After a
n endless forty-five minute drive up winding roads and deathly, curvy cliffs, we happily arrive at the majestic Pearl Mountain Resort. I don’t think my stomach could’ve handled even thirty more seconds. The god-awful smell of sulfur from an active volcano ten miles back didn’t help matters either. I can’t believe tourists around the world pay hard earned money to smell this foul odor. I’m praying its motion and not morning sickness. Still in denial, I guess.

Pearl Mountain is
privately hidden in the center of a green lush tropical paradise. The architectural design is truly impressive. It brings the historical Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, back into the twenty first century. If someone has to describe what heaven is like, I’d say the astonishing views from this resort come pretty close to nailing it. Both Amelia and I are speechless as we exit the limo. We gape all around the resort and then at each other in disbelief. Carson waves his hand in front of our eyes to break our trance from the mesmerizing views. “Ladies, before we enter, I advise you both to shut off your phones. They encourage a tech-free experience here.” We both do as instructed and follow Carson’s lead.

Upon entering the front lob
by, two hosts, male and female, dressed in sterile white uniforms greet us. We happily accept refreshing moist towels and cool drinks with sliced starfruits and mint leaves from them. I especially appreciate the warm scented towel. It’s a godsend for settling my stomach as I wait for Carson to finish our check-in details. I can’t believe my ears; Carson is fluently conversing with the concierge in French. All along, I assumed he was faking a sexy accent to charm me at the resort. It’s real and it’s super sexy, upping his overall hotness several more impossible levels. I’m wondering what he’s saying or asking. It really doesn’t matter because I just love hearing his desirable voice in a foreign accent. He crooks his neck sideways and rewards me with one of his come-hither smiles. Hmm…I might have to ask him to speak French to me later tonight in private. I’m caught drooling over him. My face blushes, and I bashfully look away from him and towards the open view.

After Carson complet
ed our check-ins, he hands Amelia her keycard and another striking young man directs her away from us. Ame turns around to gives me a flirty wink as she points at her guide from behind. Her brownish-green eyes are so mesmerizing. I remember feeling quite envious of them when I first met her. I repay her with the same wink and smile, appreciating the handsome view from my end. Carson is not amused, understanding the true meaning of our gesturing. His jealousy has no boundaries. He laces our fingers together and leads us down the opposite hallway. The key card in his hand opens the elevator doors for our entry. They close as soon as he pulls it out. The serenity of this place is completely powerful. I’m not the slightest bit anxious about our elevator ride. For once, I’m independently standing in an elevator without needing to hold onto Carson’s hand. I still do it anyways because I’m always hopelessly craving for his touch.

We step out of the
car to a single private level. This entire floor is ours for the evening. It’s one big open space with lushes green nature surrounding us, somewhat like being in a glamorous treehouse. The bird’s eye view of the region is truly enchanting, especially with twin mountains in the background.  I see a large king-sized platform bed located by an open space where there’s an infinity pool and a Jacuzzi tub.

“Do you like this
place?” he nervously asks me.

“
Yes, it’s very beautiful,” I reply.

“I wasn’t sure
if you’d be okay being this high in an open space.”

I walk over to him and attempt to distract my
troubled mind with a little playfulness. “You can easily calm my nerves by speaking to me in a foreign language like…French?”

He scoop
s me up in a single lift, surprising me. With one hand, he glides the mosquito net back and then gently tosses me on top of the king-size platform bed. My body softly lands on several down pillows, and I welcome the coolness from the cottony smooth sheets. He climbs on top of me and hovers his upper body over mine as his pelvis nuzzles between my thighs with unusual cautiousness. Casually, he tucks several of my loose, silky tendrils behind my ears and tenderly caresses my face and neck with his fingers.

“
Do you find my accent or me sexy, Lily?” he inquires while smiling with his lips loosely pressed together and with one eyebrow arched. Incessantly, he kisses the area behind my ears and along my jaw, a very sensitive zone for me. Knowing my weakness, he goes in for the kill. Tingling sensation shoots like fireworks, arousing my entire body.

“I fi
nd everything about you sexy,” I breathlessly confess what he’s been longing to hear.

“
Très bon!
  I want you to have eyes for me only,
mon amour
, and no one else.
Qui
, Lily?”

“Keep
this up and my faint vision of Amelia’s handsome host will be permanently erased,” I taunt him while refraining from laughing. He strokes the length of my jawline with his lips and tongue, nips the delicate lobe of my ear with his teeth and slowly pulls away from my extremely aroused and willing body. He leaves me yearning, almost shamefully begging for more.

“Carson,
you’re not playing fair,” I sulk for not getting my way.

His expression is subdued.
“You need to be punished for being naughty, for toying with my emotions, little Vixen.” A playful smirk overtakes his frown as he fights hard to hide it.

I know what this is all about. Well, two can play this game.
I quickly remove my clothes, toss my silky bra on top of his lap and seductively sashay in front of his ogling eyes to step into the infinity pool. I turn my head sideways, narrow my eyes and give him a wry grin. “I guess I’ll have to relieve my needs all by myself,” I tell him in my fake pathetic girly voice, pretending to be the bad little Vixen he calls me.

He
races over unexpectedly to grasp my wrist and tug me into his arms. “Lily, you’re impossible and too damn irresistible.” He dips my body backward and tickle-kisses along my neck. I laugh hysterically as I struggle to break free. His powerful grip is solid.

“Please stop!”
I beg him for mercy. He knows I hate being tickled and is using it as a weapon against me.

“Tell me what I want to hear or this torture will not end
for you,” he continues his relentless tickling along my sides while trapping me in his arms. I think I’m going to die from laughing so hard.

“Alright!”
I squeal out loud, gasping for air. “I have eyes for only you. Please stop! I’m begging you for mercy.” He finally stops.

“
You’re the only one I see in my eyes,” he whispers sternly into my ears, all traces of humor completely erased. “Now let’s enjoy the pool together.” He lifts his polo shirt over his head as I hurriedly slide his khaki shorts and boxer briefs past his lean waist. His sexy body is frequently guilty of planting sinful thoughts in my head. I stare at him with no shame. He offers his hand to help steady me into the pool and follows behind. Carson settles on top of a fixed ceramic tile recliner below the water and cages my body between his thighs and arms. I’m grateful to be imprisoned by him as I lay securely against his bared chest. The cool water ripples back and forth against our bodies as my hands glide freely through it. I’m savoring this tranquil moment, wishing for more days like this, especially after the eventful week I just had.

My
backside playfully writhes against his lap, hoping to stir him up. His firm erection tells me he’s ready, but his body backs away from me instantly. Since our unprotected incident in the pond, Carson hasn’t attempted to have sex with me in any body of water. He’s steadfast with his promise of being responsible.

After we dr
ied off from our skinny dipping, Carson tells me he made an appointment with a holistic healer. Since I’ve refused to see a physician with him, he’s adamant about having this healer relieve my nausea. This man’s reputation goes far beyond this island, Carson tells me. People travel from all over to seek his natural healing remedies for every kind of ailments possible.  I’m reluctant of course because if there’s a chance I might be pregnant, I don’t want him to introduce anything harmful or foreign to the baby.

“He uses all natural or
ganic herbs grown locally here on the mountains,” Carson reassures me, not knowing that I’m thinking the same thing at the same time.

“He’
ll have to list all the herbs in my concoction before I’ll agree to drink it, okay?’

“Yes,
Dear,” Carson agrees with my terms and rolls his eyes at me. Carson hands me a sundress from an open closet and slips into a pair of linen khaki pants and a light baby blue cotton t-shirt.

“No undies?” I inquire. H
e shakes his head mischievously. I’m going to shock him and do as he asks for once.

“Are you ready?
It’s almost time for your appointment.” He hurries me with a smirk. God forbid he’d ever be late for any appointments. I hesitantly shake my head, but still follow him to the elevator. Carson presses level 6 on the keypad and pulls me against his chest. “I just want you to feel better,” he murmurs into my ears. “And then I’ll feel better when I leave.”  He runs the back of his hand along my face.

“Thank you for
caring so much.” I look up into his soothing eyes and press my lips gently against the curve of his neck and inhale his addictive scent.

The elevator door
s uncover a large open office. Once again, everyone is dressed in a crisp white uniform. A youthful blonde receptionist greets and directs us over to an open area on the airy terrace. There must be an age and good-looks requirement to work here. Everyone appears to be in their early twenties to mid-thirties and attractive. Her eyes are locked on Carson’s mesmerizing face like every other woman who’s ever set theirs on him. I’m becoming callous to all their ogling, but it doesn’t mean I don’t turn green because I most certainly do.

I’m able to see
the same two beautiful mountains in the background again. We sit comfortably on a white upholstered loveseat as I lean snuggly against Carson’s chest. I’m apprehensive about this holistic healing approach. My sweaty hands grip Carson’s tightly with white knuckles. “Lil, I’m right here. I’d never let anything harmful happen to you,” Carson reassures me, hoping to settle my nerves while his hand soothingly strokes up and down my back.

“I know, but I’m still nervous anyways
,” I mutter against his chest.

A ta
ll, slender, dark-skin gentleman approaches us, eyeing us closely. “Mr. Bradley, it’s been a long time. How are you?” This is odd that Carson knows this man personally. I wonder if he’s brought other women here for treatments or vacations in the past. My blood boils just thinking about it. I don’t understand why I’ve been such an emotional wreck lately.

“Jean-Pierre, I’m fi
ne and you? How long has it been? Maybe six years ago when we collaborated on that rare plant extract project,” Carson recalls, making me feel like an idiot for falsely accusing him. I’m almost as bad as Carson when it comes to jealousy, jumping to stupid conclusions. It’s a flaw we both need to work on. It’s not exaggerated when people say love makes you do crazy things.

“
Jean, this is Miss Lillian Ly, my girlfriend. She’s a medical-resident at Hope Hospital in St. Croix,” Carson proudly introduces me. I’m astonished to hear him introduce me as his girlfriend for the first time. He’s absolutely serious about letting the world know that I’m his. My heart swells up with his confirmation of us.

“Miss
Ly, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jean.” He offers me his hand, and I shake it cautiously, sizing him up to his skills.

“
Jean, it’s an honor to meet you, too. Carson has told me great things about your unorthodox approach to medicine,” I commend him. I hope my facial expression doesn’t expose me. I have a difficult time hiding my emotions, especially when I’m upset or insecure. I’m escorted to another open area while Carson and Jean-Pierre finish their conversation in French, leaving me clueless. Lucene, a brunette receptionist, gives me her name and instructs me to lay flat on a soft leather recliner. I carefully prop my legs up, fully aware that I’m panty-less, thanks to Carson, and rest my body backward. She throws a soft silky sheet over my body, giving me the privacy I need to lay there more modestly. It’s so peaceful here that I practically fall asleep until Carson lifts my hand to his moist lips.

“Lil
y, Jean will need to assess your condition first and then determine which herbs will meet your needs best. I’ll come back when he’s finished with you. He doesn’t want me to be in the same space, affecting your aura.” Carson leans down to kiss my forehead and gives me an okay wink. I reluctantly release his hand when he stands upright to walk away.