Chapter Eight

Amadeo

The last place I want to go is the lobby, but I don't have a choice. When I enter, Zoe's ex is standing there, and my front desk manager's looking… uncomfortable. I'm really starting to hate this fucker.

"Is there a problem?"

Milo looks horrified while simultaneously incredibly happy to see me.

"The guest in the Rose suite is…uh…"

"Zoe and Fiona's great-grandmother is at the pool, and some of your guests, as well as this guy, have a problem with that," Mark says, sounding exasperated.

"Milo?"

"Sir, she's…"

Mark cuts Milo off. "She's wearing a bikini and this guy wants her to cover up." Mark jabs a finger at Milo.

"Apparently the other guests are complaining." Mark rolls his eyes.

Mine narrow. What the fuck did Zoe ever see in this guy?

"I see."

"No one would be complaining if Gran-Gran were twenty and a supermodel. It's ageism. And discrimination! Why can't a ninety-year-old wear a thong? We're important guests and we should be treated as such, with respect."

"A thong?" I hold back my smirk. Good for her, I think, but then Mark's words hit. Important guests, huh?

I don't point out that they aren't even paying guests and that Zoe's status doesn't give them any special perks since they aren't the ones with her pull.

But I also don't point out that we have a strict policy that prevents our guests from wearing overly provocative attire.

"Sir, the word indecent was used by several guests."

"Indecent? That's a nasty way to put it," Mark barks, voice loud enough to attract the attention of several guests standing in the lobby.

"There are guests waiting, Milo. I'll take care of this."

I look pointedly at Mark "Let's go see what all the fuss is about, hm?"

Sure enough, Zoe's great grandmother is walking poolside in the tiniest bathing suit I've ever seen. It's so tiny, I feel like a pervert looking at her.

I clear my throat. There is a string around the woman's neck that supports two tiny triangles that cover her nipples and that's all.

And two more strings that hold an only slightly larger triangle over her… pubic area. And those two strings meet in the back at the crack of great grandma's ass and disappear between two wrinkled, yet surprisingly shapely bottom cheeks.

The guests dotting various loungers and tables all look uncomfortable and no one but ‘Gran- Gran' is swimming in the pool.

Great-Granny does a cannonball with a whoop that reminds me of her granddaughter and I smile. No one should ever stop someone having this good of a time at her age. But my other guests don't share this opinion clearly.

"How about a compromise?"

"What kind of compromise?"

I don't answer him because I can't stand the guy and I hate that he's ever touched Zoe. Instead, I head to Gran-Gran, who's just risen from the pool, looking like the cat that ate the canary because an older gentleman with two young, disapproving acquaintances, shoots her a wink.

He's probably twenty years her junior, but I get the appeal. There's something about the Wayz women.

"Ms. Wayz, may I have a word?"

The older woman looks me up and down, making me feel a little like a piece of meat, and then nods.

"For a dish like you, certainly," she says and saunters over with the swagger of a woman who knows she's got the attention of everyone in the area.

I pick up her towel and wrap it around her shoulders. "Ms. Wayz?—"

"Call me Aggie, all my best boys do."

I grin, setting my hands on my hips. "I know where Zoe got her charm from now."

"She's something, ain't she? Sweet, witty, and clever." She leans closer to me, rubbing herself dry with the towel. "With the bonus of being a real looker."

I nod.

But then she frowns a little, tossing the towel on the lounger. "Too bad her sister didn't get a few of those traits."

I glance in the direction she's looking only to see a woman in a yellow bikini, lying flat on a lounger in the shade with a huge hat covering her face. Mark's next to her, pretending to read some pretentious book, that I've noticed he hasn't turned a single page of, this whole time. "He really wrecked her, huh?"

"They both did. Fiona's no angel in this." She shoots the couple the side-eye. "But they're better suited, those two. They both care too much about appearances, but I'm praying they'll mature soon."

I try my best not to huff at that, because in my experience selfish people like that never change.

"My Zoe didn't intend to become this big social influencer, you know, it just happened. And she's not completely comfortable with it."

"She's exactly the kind of woman that should influence others though. She's warm, funny and real."

Aggie smiles warmly at me, patting my arm. "Fiona's always loved being the center of attention but not my Zoe, she's always let others shine. So while I'm sorry she got hurt, I'm glad she's not marrying him. Zoe needs a different sort of man."

She eyes me again and one of those eyes narrows to assess me. "Someone driven and assertive. A take charge kind of man, that can handle her spark and encourage it, rather than overshadow it, or attempt to."

"I agree," I reply, with a nod. Looking at him again, I shake my head. He probably proposed to Zoe Wayz, the trademark, not the actual woman.

"Now, Aggie, how would you like to stay in my personal villa? It has its own pool and private beach where you can wear whatever you like, which includes nothing at all if you so choose, and there will be no one to give you disapproving looks."

Now both her eyes narrow on me. "Is this like that movie Indecent Proposal? Are you gonna pay my family big bucks to keep me as your sex bunny for this trip?"

I almost choke, but recover quickly when she bursts out laughing. "I'm just kidding, big man. I like my men younger, but not fresh out of diapers, ya know."

"Aggie, I assure you I haven't worn diapers in over thirty years."

"Ah." She waves off my words. "Your villa sounds lovely, but I'm not a woman who wants to be hidden away."

"You can invite whomever you like over while you're staying there," I add, sweetening the pot. "Like Mr. Grey over there."

One of her thinning white brows rises. "Mr. Grey, huh?"

"Yes, and don't look back now, but he's checking out your ass."

"You got a sex room?"

I bark a laugh. "What is it with you Wayz women and those books?"

She wiggles her brows.

"No, no sex room, but one of the bedrooms has a four-poster and some leather ankle and wrist cuffs in the drawer."

She grins mischievously. "Throw in free room service, including a good bottle of wine, and you've got a deal." She waves her hands down her wrinkled, albeit surprisingly lithe, body. "And I'll keep all this fabulous away from your prudish guests."

"You've got it, Aggie. Housekeeping will have it ready for you in an hour and I'll send a few men over to transfer your things. In the meantime, shall I show you my other private beach?"

She nods, and takes my offered elbow. "Mind if I grab your ass as we leave? Show the old guy he's got some competition."

"Let's leave that to his imagination, yeah? I'm a gentleman, not a gigolo."

"Fine, I'll tell you about my Zoe while we walk." She turns her head and calls out, "You guys coming?"

When the others follow us, I pipe up, "Hey bride and groom, you're not going to pester, or even ask Zoe about helping out, yeah? And you're not going to make her feel guilty either. You did a shitty thing, a really shitty thing, and you're not going to make it worse by forcing her to help your betrayal come to fruition. And if I hear you've been after her, I'll escort you off the property myself. Got me?"

There are grumbles behind us, but the bride finally answers with a crisp ‘yes'. Then I hear her whisper-ask Mark if I'm Zoe's new boyfriend.

My gut rolls at the term, boyfriend, but I'm surprisingly not revolted by it like usual. It's none of their business what Zoe and I are anyway.

Aggie gives my arm a squeeze and whispers, "I love a take-charge, protective man."

By the time I've got Aggie and the rest of the group settled on my private beach, I'm plotting ways to make Mark and his new bride miserable without making my resort look bad.

Zoe's ready when I return, and I smile at the stripe of white zinc on her nose, instantly forgetting the distaste her sister and Mark left in my mouth. Can this woman get any more adorable?

"Ready to go?"

She bobs her head, stuffing her curls into a bun on top of her head.

"Let's go." I hand her a small backpack with a few bottles of water, a first aid kit, a sandwich, an apple and a few snack bars. Mine's already on my back with the same supplies, but a few extra items, like towels and two helmets.

"What about our meeting?"

We take one of the resort jeeps for the first leg of the journey, having our meeting on the drive, but then hop out at a parking lot near the head of the trail. A few other couples are setting out too, so we hang back a few minutes and let them get a head start.

I hold out my hand for her to take. "Can't be losing you now, can I?"

She takes it and I give hers a squeeze, loving the way her small hand feels in mine. When did I turn into a guy that liked holding hands? Holding wrists, yes, especially when pinning them.

"I believe you've mentioned a few long stories and we've got a long journey so…"

"This suddenly feels like a trap," she says, her eyes narrowing on me.

I shrug."Tell me about your sister and your ex."

"Confession?"

I laugh. "By all means."

"I'd rather you spank me on my thighs with that paddle you mentioned than tell you that story."

"That can be arranged, but I highly recommend we finish the hike first. You won't enjoy hiking as sore as I'll make you for that cop-out."

"Okay fine. I'll tell you, but you need to reciprocate with your own ex-wife woes."

"Deal."

She gathers a breath and starts. I tug her to the side to pass the couple we let go ahead. Seems we're a little faster than they are.

"So he proposed to me after a short romance. And he did it in the worst way. I mean, as far as grand gestures go, it was pretty nice, but it left me little choice in answering."

"How so?" I ask, holding back some branches as we pass a narrow section of the path.

"He had a camera crew there."

I wince. "Damn."

"Yeah. So even though I thought things were going too fast, I said yes, and when he posted the video, my socials blew up."

"Double damn." I swat a mosquito from her arm. "So you really couldn't back out either."

"Nope. And everyone was freaking out wanting to know how Zoe Wayz, the adventurer, was going to get married."

I hold back more brush so she can get by, and she does the same for me as we hit another bush.

"Confession?"

She gives me a half smile. "Go for it."

"I'm glad you didn't have to go through with it. The guy's a douche."

She nods but looks sheepish. "Me too."

I motion to a rock and we sit, pulling out our waters.

"I've never told anyone that."

I swallow a gulp of water. "What, that he's a douche? I'm sure they know."

She chokes on her water and shakes her head. "No, that I was so unsure about marrying him."

"Well I'm glad you told me. I was starting to worry about your taste." I put my bottle away and hold out my hand for her. "No rest for the wicked, honey, let's go."

"How big is this waterfall?"

"At least double the cliff." She looks nervous so I stop her with my hand. "You don't have to do it."

I run my hand down her arm, entwining our fingers. "This is nothing compared to the base jumping you did in Yosemite." I bump her and she smiles.

"Right." Her chuckle sounds nervous.

"You sore from last night?"

"I am, but it's a good sore." She wiggles her brows at me and because it's cute as fuck and she's the first woman I've known outside of a sex club that makes me feel normal about my deviant sexual desires, I kiss her. Not hard and needy either, but slow and sweet and I end it with a peck to her head.

"Can I ask you something about Gwen?"

I gather a breath. "I suppose it's only fair." The last thing I want to talk about is Gwen, but Zoe's earned some personal information from me.

"Your ex-wife doesn't seem the submissive type, and the way she asked if I called you Sir or Master… She obviously knows what you like, so how did you end up together?"

"We went to Oxford. émile too, that's Gwen's current husband. We became best friends. Looking back now, I realize émile wanted more from Gwen from the beginning. She wasn't interested in dating anyone though, nor was I."

"She wasn't interested in dating anyone or she was only interested in dating one person?"

I'm suddenly glad we're hiking and I can look forward rather than at her, because her words hit me like a fucking truck. Why hadn't I considered that? Gwen knew I didn't believe in anything more than casual dating. She knew the situation with my parents and how jaded I was about relationships. She fucking knew.

I swallow hard. Had Gwen manipulated her way into my bed? Was this her plan all along? To change my mind about relationships? And then once she realized I was incapable of loving her, she hurt me by sleeping with émile?

"I don't know, now that you mention it." Hoping to change the subject, I stop walking and turn to her. "You hear that?" I smile. "That's the waterfall. It's still about a kilometer away but it's so formidable, you can already hear it."

She listens. "Whoa, it must be huge." Wiping her brow, she pulls off her backpack. "Water break?"

I nod. "Might want to have a granola bar too."

We're quiet for a moment while we eat our snacks, and I think I might be out of the hot seat, but then Zoe speaks.

"So did she pretend to be into it and then take it back once you fell in love with her?"

I grit my teeth not wanting to answer this question. The reason why I don't, though, hits me hard.

I don't want to tell Zoe I never loved Gwen… because then I'll have to tell her I'm incapable of love. And if I tell her that, maybe all this will stop. And I don't want it to stop.

The way her beautiful hazel eyes watch me, waiting for an answer, hurts my gut, so I decide to omit that information. Promising myself I'll tell her that part another day.

"So one night, in university, I'm getting ready to go out and Gwen asks me if she can come. émile still had a few exams left and she was bored." I take a swig of my water, finishing it off and tossing the empty bottle into my bag.

"We should keep walking."

She nods and packs her own stuff back in her bag.

"I told her she wouldn't want to come if she knew where I was going. I guess it was the wrong thing to say, because Gwen loved a challenge."

Was I the same kind of challenge, I wonder? Helping Zoe into her backpack, I continue.

"I explained I was a Dom and into kinky shit and that I actually went to BDSM clubs to burn off steam. What I thought would shut her up, made her even more persistent." I swat at a swarm of bugs and Zoe squeals, running several meters to escape them.

"So what happened?" she asks as soon as we're away from the territorial swarm.

"I took her."

"She wasn't into it, but went out of curiosity? That's brave."

"It's far braver to go when you are into it. There's something to lose when you reveal your deepest desires. If you're just curious, you're impervious to judgment."

"I never thought of it that way, but you're right. I'm definitely not brave enough to go to one. I've been more than curious for as long as I can remember, but if you hadn't confessed you were a Dom, I probably would never have explored my desire."

My brow rises. "Oh? That can't be true. You told me you're adventurous in all things, remember?"

She swallows hard.

"Another lie? Oh, babygirl." I shake my head, giving her my most disappointed look. "I'm going to have to spank you for that one."

Her cheeks go a brighter shade of pink than they already are from the effort of the hike. "I was trying to get into your pants, Amadeo."

I laugh, grabbing her and pulling her against me even though we're both hot and sweaty. I palm her ass, giving it a dirty squeeze. "So naughty."

I kiss her and we're both distracted until some people excuse themselves to pass on the trail.

"Hey, you tricked me, first by changing the subject and then with your devilishly adept tongue."

I smirk. "How adept?"

She cocks her head looking skyward, thinking hard. "Honestly, I don't remember." A smirk plays on her lips. "I need a reminder."

I'm instantly hard. Embarrassingly hard. I take her hand and guide it to my cock. "Do you see what you've done?"

Her smirk tightens on her lips. "Uh-huh."

My brow arches, my expression stern. "You're definitely getting a spanking for that and when you're nice and sore, I'm going to finger-fuck your ass until you're a good little submissive baby girl again."

She bites her lip, her face flushing bright red now. And with a quick glance around us, I pull her into the bush, and slide my hand down the front of her shorts.

She's fucking sopping wet. My eyes roll back and I bite my lip hard enough to taste copper. "Fuck."

"Daddy," she whispers. "I want you so fucking badly."

Bugs start to swarm us again and I curse, yanking my hand out of her panties.

"We need to haul ass and get to the falls. I need to cool off, but I also need this fucking adventure to end so I can get you back and give you everything you deserve."

We pick up the pace.

"So did she go? What happened?"

I groan. I definitely don't want to talk about Gwen when my cock is throbbing and I'm getting eaten alive by bugs, but I said I'd tell her, so...

"She was into it—sort of."

"She was?"

"She got off on watching me dominate women. So when I was revved up from a good scene, she was too, and that first night somehow we ended up in bed together."

Zoe looks uncomfortable, chewing the inside of her cheek, no doubt remembering Gwen's words. How long have you had her? I'd love to see you punish her.

"Is that part of your kink? Letting someone watch?" She trips over a root and I catch her.

"Whether she's temporary or not, my submissive is my priority. I'm completely focused on her during a scene. That's my kink." I watch Zoe's throat work, knowing my reassurance didn't have quite the effect I wanted. "Seeing Gwen get excited by the scene was a thrill but no more than anyone else watching at the club."

She nods. "It sounds like it was a convenient accident. How'd you end up married?"

"Every time I went, Gwen begged to tag along. And it wasn't all dungeons and roleplay. There was great music, dancing, and interesting people. And the bonus of us going together was that Gwen never had to worry about being hit on, and I never had to worry about entanglements."

"Entanglements?"

Shit, here we go again, I think, and tread lightly.

"Subs getting attached and expecting more." I don't look at her. "I wasn't interested in relationships, remember? And with Gwen there, I enjoyed scenes with various subs, and they let me go on my way with my ‘voyeur girlfriend'."

"That's still a long way from I do," she murmurs. "You weren't even in love."

"One day it happened without going to the club."

"Sex?"

I nod. "And before we knew it, we'd been together for over a year. We made it official, the dating that is. Our friends were shocked. None of them even knew we were fooling around. And again, hindsight being what it is, émile wasn't happy about it. Back in the states, we started our careers and fell into a normal relationship."

"And you just tied the knot?"

"She pushed for marriage. Her family was on her case, and it was the usual next step in a relationship at our age. It was expected."

"But you didn't want to be married?"

Again she hones in on my unspoken words and my chest feels tight. Luckily, as I pull back a palm frond, the waterfall comes into view and Zoe gasps.

"Oh my God, Amadeo, it's stunning."