All the Pretty Poses (Pretty #2)(26)
Author: M. Leighton

To touch her…to put my hands on her and my fingers inside her…to taste that creamy skin…to feel her liquid desire bathing my c**k from deep inside…

I see her brow furrow before she moves her head. As though she can sense my eyes on her, she crosses her arms over her chest and sits up to look around. I can’t see her eyes through the slits of her lids, but I imagine she’s scanning the area for someone or something. When she seems satisfied that they are still alone, she relaxes again, letting her arm fall back to her side.

Saliva pours into my mouth when I think of sucking on one of those pink little ni**les. As I watch, they pucker, making my c**k jump inside my shorts.

I bite back a groan as I fight the urge to go to her, to lick her hot skin and suck the moisture from between her legs. But it wouldn’t happen that way today. Not the way things are right now, and certainly not with Brian beside her.

Besides, I want her begging me for it. And that will happen soon enough. Sooner than she thinks.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO – Kennedy

I’m pleasantly exhausted by the time Brian and I get back to the boat. A nasty storm rolled in, but we were due back to the boat anyway, so our day wasn’t cut short at all.

I stretch out on my bed, not quite ready to let go of the boneless feeling that I’ve had since I catnapped on the beach, when someone flings open my door, bringing me to instant alertness.

Even in the dim light from my single small, high window, I can see how beautiful the woman standing in my doorway is. Her long, wavy hair is the color of cinnamon and frames the pale oval of her face. Her cupid’s-bow mouth is currently forming a small O and I can plainly see her hourglass silhouette, set against the light in the hall behind her.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Kennedy,” I answer, still recovering from my shock of being barged in upon.

“What are you doing here?”

“This is my room.”

“Since when?”

“Since last week when we left Los Angeles.”

“Oh, well there’s obviously been some kind of mistake,” she says, finally smiling. “I’ll get it straightened out. No big deal.”

“What kind of mistake?”

“This is my room. This is always my room.”

“No one told me that. Karesh just said that this is where Reese wanted me, so…”

I can see one fiery eyebrow arch. “Reeeally?”

“Yes, but if this is your room then I’m sure they can put me elsewhere.”

Just the thought of being stuck in one of those tiny shared rooms with no window is enough to cast a very dark shadow over what was a beautiful day. But it was never my intention to usurp anyone’s place here. I was just doing as I was told.

“I don’t mean to put you out, but this is the only room with a bigger bed and…well… Reese likes to come and visit me.”

I can see her suggestive wink. My stomach turns accordingly.

“Oh. I see.”

“Yeah…”

“Well, in that case, let me call Karesh and have him put me in another room. It won’t take me long to get my things together.”

“Okay,” the girl says happily, rolling her suitcase into the room behind her. “I’m Amber by the way.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Amber,” I say perfunctorily, trying to inject at least a smidgeon of sincerity into my voice, because I feel absolutely none. I cross the room in the wake of her trail of expensive perfume and pick up the phone to dial Karesh.

“What do you do onboard?” she asks as she leans her case up against the closet.

“I dance,” I answer as I listen to the phone ring.

Amber opens the closet and I hear her gasp. “Are these yours?” she asks just as Karesh answers.

“Hi, Karesh. I’m sure you’re busy right now, but is there any way you could find me another room? Evidently this one belongs to Amber.”

“No, ma’am. Mr. Spencer wanted you there specifically.”

I feel tears burn the backs of my eyes when I consider the reasoning that Amber gave me for why Reese puts her in this room. This was all just a part of his plan to sleep with me. That’s it. Nothing more. There was no consideration for the fact that I might have some privacy or that I might have a window or that this room might be more comfortable. There was no special treatment because of what we shared so long ago. No, this was simply a maneuver of convenience on his part.

Well, I’ll be damned if I’m going to be a foregone conclusion for him!

“Karesh, I’m not trying to be difficult, but if you don’t move me then I’ll have to find a place on my own.”

“I’ll speak with him again and let you know. Until then, stay put.”

He hangs up before I can comment. I stare at the phone for a few seconds before hanging it up and turning back to Amber. She’s still standing in front of the open closet with a slightly agitated look on her face.

“So you’re the one.”

“The one what?”

“You’re the one he’s going to favor next. He did this once before, but it didn’t last long. I was back upstairs with him within a week.”

I don’t know if Amber is trying to twist the knife, but if she is, it’s certainly working.

“Well, you needn’t worry about me. I have no intentions of being the next girl in his parade of conquests.” I pause, feeling guilty over how that must’ve sounded. “No offense.”

“None taken. Reese is the kind of guy that’s worth it. If you don’t know that by now, you will. I’ll tell you up front that I’m willing to fight for him, too.”

“You won’t have to. I have no interest in Reese. None whatsoever.”

“Honey, that’s what I thought at first, too. Most of us do. I graduated suma cum laude from Stanford and I come from good stock. Boston stock. I’m no dummy. I could make a very nice life for myself, without a man. Even as a dancer. But when I met Reese…well, you know. He’s the kind of guy that changes everything. I know he’ll settle down one of these days and I damn sure want to be the one he settles down with.”

“I wish you well, then,” I tell her, fighting the urge to puke down the front of her beautiful violet dress. I walk past her, bending to take my suitcase from its little cubby at the end of the bed. I start opening drawers and haphazardly tossing clothes into my luggage. “I’ll clear out the closet once I find another room.”