Chapter 3

As the boat docked, Ava followed the line of guests heading to the resort. Once her feet hit the sand, it was a sheer relief to be on dry land again, even though her stomach hadn’t caught up to the fact she was free from her seacraft nightmare.

The place was a literal paradise. Palm trees, beautiful sandy beaches, and bungalows extended out into the water in and around the island, and a huge resort sat in front of her looking like something right out of a dream. It was more than she could have ever imagined.

A distinguished man, and a lady with a clipboard, stood at the top of the resort staircases leading to the main entrance. As she stood at the back of the lines of guests, barely listening to the announcements from the owner, she looked around and noticed the hooded man watching her again. Standing under the shade of a nearby tree, she couldn’t tell if he were for sure watching under his dark glasses but could feel his eyes on her.

As the owner spoke to the guests to greet them, she barely caught word of the week’s events, including an island gala that normally would have excited her. Today the heat and her woozy head weren’t allowing her to enjoy what the island had in store. No, her ideal kink getaway was clouded right now as she was experiencing seasickness beyond anything she had ever felt before.

Lowering his mask to take in some fresh air, Ava could see a smirk traced over Mr. Mysterious’ lips. His tongue darted out to lick across them, making Ava mirror his movement. His strong jawline and perfect features, which she could faintly make out through her woozy head, were glorious. His plump lips made her wonder what they would feel like as they crashed down upon hers, but her head was swimming, so she chalked it up to nothing more than a hallucination.

His slightly pale complexion was that of the living dead compared to the tanned bodies that were surrounding them. He almost looked like a scary vampire in comparison. A sexy one at that... but... Wait...

Were those vampires' teeth?

No. That’s ridiculous. She was hallucinating and could feel it.

Reaching to brush away a bead of sweat, she mumbled, “I don’t feel so...”

All thoughts of Mr. Mysterious faded in an instant as the sickness took over. While the guest made their way into the main resort, Ava felt herself waver. Heat rushed through her veins with the feeling she would faint which came like a flash of light. The whole island seemed to spin in circles around the photographer as her eyes rolled back in her head. She tried desperately to focus on the man in the distance, but his image became blurry as she struggled to keep her consciousness. Her weak knees buckled, and she thought for sure she was dying.

Suddenly seeing the man rushing toward her, she lost her footing. Catching her in freefall, just before she reached the ground, the mysterious man waved to the resort owner’s assistant.

A woman’s voice called out, “Mr. Halifax! Call the medics! It’s okay, sweetie. We’ll help you.”

Just as she heard scuffling feet across the sidewalk, everything went black.

***

“So, is this woman the same one you told me about?” the man said as he looked over the redheaded who was still passed out on the hospital bed.

“Yes, sir. Will she do to your liking?”

The mystery man shrugged at the hotel hostess. “She's vanilla, but I made the old man a promise to give it a try. She’s beautiful though. I love a curvy woman.”

Rebecca snickered. “I’m aware. You’ve always gone for women with a little more curves.”

“Well, that’s that,” said the doctor as he turned to face them after checking the sick woman over. “I’ll have to check her test when they come back from the lab, but I think you’ve saved this woman’s life by giving her that water on the boat. The boat ride over being a little wavy must have made her sicker than she realized that she already was.”

The blonde man who pulled off his hoodie agreed. “Yeah. She was sick on the boat. Will she be okay?”

“I’ll know more when she wakes up. The woman just needs rest. She should wake up soon. I gave her some fluids and we’re just waiting to see if it helps.”

“Thank you, doctor. Rebecca. I’ll be back. I need to make a call.”

Stepping to the hall, the mystery man reached for his phone before the hostess placed her hand on his, watching to see if anyone was listening in. “Are you sure you should be here? If your stepmother finds out, she’ll go off on one of her tangents again. I don’t like that woman, and you know it.”

“Oh, sweet Rebecca. You're always looking out for me, aren't you? Too bad you don’t bottom. We could have been a good pair.” The man gave her a kind smile as he nodded yes. “I’m fine, legs. Besides, no one knows I came.”

“All right. And stop calling me that dreadful nickname. Here comes Rowen. I should head back in to check on the girl.”

“I’ll be in as soon as I make this call to the office. We have a corporate takeover happening this week. I want my vice president to handle it so I can enjoy my vacation.”

“You do that. You know my rules. No work while on Sizzle Island.”

Giving the tall, lovely woman a wink, he nodded. “I know, I know. All work and no play makes the Master a dull boy.”

“No play makes Master a vanilla, and we can't have that, now can we?”

“You and Rowan convinced me to check out a girl who’s not in the scene. I can’t really take your word on that.”

“You never agreed yet.”

“And I won’t. I want to watch her for a bit first. If she’s to my liking, I’ll see what games I can play with this little pet. First, get in there and make sure she’s all right. I hate that the woman got sick. That’s not exactly a fun first day on this beautiful island.”

“I agree. And... have some fun on your own this week. Stop worrying so much.”

“Rebecca, you know I have reason to. Back home isn’t like being in paradise.”

“Well, even paradise has its troubles. Somehow I think this week will take away some of yours.”

“Yeah, let’s hope so.”