Inner Core: (Stark, #2) (21 page)

I wrap my legs around his waist as he artfully shrugs off his boxers without sending us both crashing to the floor. The moment he frantically sinks into me we both lose control and wildly start grinding against each other in frantic motions. We are all hard grips, errant heaves, rough kisses, groans, thuds. I find myself screaming for him to be rougher as I crush myself against him in need. I clench around him tighter, starting to feel my delicate tissues spasm and heat. He gushes out a low growl. My deep muscles lose control in ecstasy, sending me on waves of electric releases. Daniel’s lunges verge on violent as he reaches his relief. Our breaths play catch-up, sweat covering our bodies and trailing down our flushed faces.

Daniel still holds us both, his hand above my head holding the window for support. It takes me some passing moments to compose myself. Daniel puts me carefully on the ground. I find myself wobbling, barely able to walk straight.

“Enough satisfied hormones to keep us calm for a few days. Check.” I beam at Daniel, making my way to the shower, with him following me.

“There’s where you've got it completely wrong, baby. I'm never really sedated when it comes to you,” he mumbles hoarsely.

Judging history, he's speaking nothing but truth.

Helping me rinse out the lather from my hair, Daniel leans closer and presses a succulent kiss on my sodden mouth. “Fuck, this sucks,” he says.

“Totally agree,” I say. “But at least it’s both of us away at the same time. I don’t know why, but that somehow makes it easier.”

“I just hope my trip doesn’t drag on and that at least we’ll be back home at the same time,” he says, rinsing off my body, taking extra special care with my breasts and backside. “I still can’t believe I’ll miss your birthday,” he says, his voice annoyed.

“Hey, we’ll celebrate when we're both back. I just hope you guys will be able to close the final loose ends of the deal this time and that you won’t need to fly there again.”

“Yeah, there’s an arsenal of suits joining us this time for that exact reason.” He kisses my temple and hands me a towel.

~~~

As the morning creeps along, my mood gradually sinks. When I see Daniel to the car a watery film unintentionally forms on my eyes.

The sack of emotions I’ve become … nauseating.

“Come here.” He engulfs me in a tight embrace of clean linen and musky Daniel scent, leaving small kisses on the center of my head. “It’ll be over before we know it, and I plan on so much compensation when we get back.”

We both smile at each other.

“You’ll need to compensate my brains off, til I am unconscious,” he chuckles, and winks at me.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

He rests his hand over his heart and grins. We have one last fervent kiss and he is gone. I stand watching the Veyron’s taillights as it passes through the electronic gate.

With Daniel gone, I drop by the office for a couple of hours before we have to embark on our flight to the Maldives.

Chapter 23: Gay Times by the Indian Ocean

I stretch out lazily under the light comforter, breathing in the freshly-scented sheets. My stare is drawn to the open window, to the soft, clear light funneling in. I jump out of the bed, curious and thrilled to take a look outside, as it was too dark when we arrived late last night.

Wow, this place is amazing!
Almost jumping up and down like an excited little kid, I admire my view of the hotel’s sandy white private beach.
And I can call this work
… Humming, I get ready to face the day. I planned to meet with Ian and Josh for breakfast before heading to our first shooting day. When I join them, they're already drinking their second cup of coffee.

“Morning,” I say, beaming at them. They both stare at me for a long moment, from head to toe, and then trade glances.

“What?” I squeak, feeling a reflexive urge to check my face for any embarrassing sleep marks, or worse.

“You totally do basic black as it is meant to be done,” Ian explains.

“Totally do,” Josh adds and I grin at them both, twirl once and end my show with a double bat of my eyelashes. Giggling, I plop myself into a vacant seat at the table.

“Excited?” I ask, rubbing Ian’s arm as I scan both their plates and suppress myself from rolling my eyes.

Protein, healthy, and more protein…

“Uber,” Ian grins. “This is so awesome, it’s like… beyond…” Josh’s puppy eyes watch Ian, smitten, as he stutters.

Thank you for confirming the obvious, boss.
As I return with my plate after piling on my breakfast at the complementary buffet, I suddenly feel very self-conscious. The judging stares from my breakfast companions are nearly terrifying. Josh keeps quiet but my darling friend twists his mouth and shakes his head.

“Sure about
all of that,
gorgeous?” Ian can never really keep quiet. With a full fork of bacon in my mouth, I raise my eyebrows. Ian straightens his posture and points a finger at my plate.

“Carbs, fat, carbs, empty carbs,” he snarls. “And oh, more carbs!”

Josh bobs his head discreetly in agreement. I give him the evil eye.

As I pout, Ian pats my thigh pointedly. “Shhh,” he whispers dramatically, holding his hand in midair, “If we're quiet enough, we’ll be able to hear Hayley’s butt growing.”

Josh chuckles and I smack Ian on the back of his head.

“Please don’t step in the way of my path to gastronomic utopia.” I say jokingly, with a mouth full of delicious food. They both sigh like two ol’ biddies at a nursing home.

“With this gluttony of yours I’m not sure you’ll even outlive
me
…” Ian mumbles to himself. “And I’m positive Starky isn't into tapping mammoth-sized asses.” I almost spray my next sip of coffee at him. My eyes are wide open as I gape at him.

“God Ian, you are a sick, sick, man,” I say, wiping my mouth with a napkin. He shrugs, amused, high on mocking me. Then he grabs my face and smacks an audible, lengthy kiss on my cheek and grins. I huff, twisting my mouth and with a hint of a smile scold him with, “...and leave
Starky
out of it!”

Josh asks Ian something that has to do with the shoot; I couldn’t be happier Ian’s “attention” isn't aimed at me anymore.

As I look at the view of the ocean through the open terrace, their conversation fades into the background. For a long moment I admire the paradise we are lucky enough to be in, until Ian’s loud voice brings me back to the table.

“...and this study about how Prozac can damage your brain from long-term use. So I say, what are we really left with?”

Josh nods, gaping at Ian, enthralled. I guess he'd be enthralled by whatever rubbish comes out of Ian’s pouty mouth. Somehow I’m not sure he's even listening. For all I know, he's busy envisioning Ian in every sexual position available to human kind. A feeling that this trip will slowly wipe out the boss-employee boundaries passes through my thoughts. I check my watch. “Guys, we should get going.”

The location for the shoot is on a virginal white sand beach with clear cerulean waters.

I watch Ian from one of the director's chairs which are assigned to everyone in the crew except for the photographer and his assistant.
Except for the people who actually do the job
.

Ian is being worked on by the makeup artist and the stylist, but I'm not sure how crucial they are, given Ian is in nothing but snug black swim trunks. I watch him in adoration; my Ian is the ultimate model, with his perfect lean figure, exotic features and bursting energy. Josh takes the seat next to me, putting on his sunglasses. Soon we're joined by more people from our small crew.

The photographer’s assistant is engaged with taking photometer measurements next to Ian. When he's done, he shares them with his boss, then they both set up the equipment. The makeup artist dusts Ian’s now overly enhanced tan face with a fluffy brush as the photographer twists his baseball cap backwards and says, “Okay people, let’s get this show on the road. Everyone take your places.” He brings one of the Nikons near his eyes, telling Ian he’ll start with some test shots. We all watch as Kyle, the photographer, tells Ian what to do.  All of a sudden Ian looks somewhat lost. This doesn’t go unnoticed by the group watching him, and I cringe at his obvious tension. I think frantically whether there’s anything I can do to help him, but it's Josh who jumps to action. He stands up and moves behind Kyle, then calls out to Ian. “You know what a summer cover is, Ian? It’s sex and fun.”

Ian shifts to look at him and is rewarded with a timid smile, as though they were the only two people in this piece of paradise. “And do you know what sex and fun is? It's the white sand against the blue sea, and you, dear.”

Ian’s smile turns into a stretched grin. My mouth drops a tad at this public endearment and the obvious connection between the two of them. Josh continues, indifferent to the rest of us. “You, Ian, are raw, glittering, alluring, tanned, and unreachable. They should look at you and imagine how you'd feel under their hands in bed, your smell, your warmth, your skin. But remember, you're the Holy Grail, Ian. They're meant to worship you from afar—looking at you is as close as they'll get to you. It's a cover that screams it's summer, this is freedom and anything is possible.”

It sounds like this speech isn't about the summer cover at all, but about what's going through my boss’s horny mind as he thinks of my Ian. Nevertheless, it's magic; Ian loosens up from Josh’s encouragement and starts delivering the right material.

“Ian, look at the camera to your right,” orders Luke, Kyle’s assistant, excited at Ian’s positive change of mood. “Your other right…”

I can’t help the giggle that comes out as a reflex. I shake my head fondly. The atmosphere immediately lifts as someone puts on summery music in the background.

My pocket vibrates and I pull out my phone. I glance at the incoming message on the screen and the warm, fuzzy feeling arrives.

Daniel: Humidity, hole in my head growing by the minute from the constant drilling, miss you fierce.

Sandy beach, perfect weather, almost naked Ian, miss you too.

Daniel: Poor baby. Wish I could have almost naked
you
.

Patience dear, soon you’ll have fully naked me.

Daniel: keep going…

Can’t play now, am at work…down, lover boy.

Daniel: Tease

Love ya.

Daniel: Me too, especially when fully naked.

As the sunlight wanes, Kyle calls out, rubbing his neck, “Thanks Ian. Guys, let's wrap up for today.” He puts his expensive photography equipment into Luke’s waiting hands.

“Great job, man.” Kyle pats Ian’s back. Ian nods with one of his grins full of perfect teeth, though it’s clear that he's exhausted. We're a small group and everyone assists with the cleanup. Half an hour later, the place looks as though we’ve never been there.  Sitting in the sun for such a long time has left its mark on me and I feel somewhat withered, I'm glad that I'm about to make it back to the hotel for a much needed shower and rest. I look around for Ian and find him and Josh laughing together, in their own little bubble. They're so wrapped up in each other they hardly notice me as I approach. I wrap my arm around Ian’s warm waist and peck his cheek. “You did great, my handsome boy.”

He turns to plant a full hearted kiss on my lips and his eyes twinkle with joy.

“Wanna join us for some refreshments?” He air-quotes the word 'refreshments' and winks at me. I laugh. “You two sure about refreshments? After having nothing to eat and so much sun for so many hours?” I raise an inquisitive eyebrow. Like a responsible adult, gifting them with a pointed look.

“Of course,” they answer in unison and chuckle.

“You know, recent studies show that alcoholic beverages are a great source of electrolytes.” Ian grins and nods knowingly. I roll my eyes.

“Studies conducted by whom, Robert Downey Jr.?” Josh nudges Ian’s shoulder and is rewarded with a smirk.

“Well, I’m not sure my body can handle it right now, so I guess I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

“Grandma,” Ian says jokingly, and pats my butt. We walk together to the hotel, chatting about the day. I shake my head when I give them a final glance. Josh is following Ian like the obedient, sinful acolyte he is. I leave the liquor committee in the lobby and drag myself up to my room for the shower that was so inviting, while fantasizing about a pitcher full of ice water. 

It only takes me a few minutes to fall asleep once I lie down on the bed and close my eyes. My sleep is so deep that I hardly hear my phone ringing, even though it's sitting right next to my head on the pillow.

“Hello,” I say coarsely, coming out of a thick sleep.

“Hey, baby, did I wake you?”

“Mmm hmmm.”

There’s a low chuckle. “You sound so damn cute,” Daniel says, eliciting a smile from my still drowsy lips as I sink my head deeper into the pillow.

“You sound tired,” I say.

“This shit’s been going on forever. It's always like this when the suits are involved.”

“I guess... Never been there with any suits.” He snickers.

“So how’re the waves?” he asks, and we sink into pleasant conversation.

For the next twenty minutes or so we tell each other about our days. He sounds exhausted as he tells me how every single clause of the contract is being pored over. My mood falls a notch when he says there will definitely be at least two more meetings, meaning he’ll have to fly there again, and not only once. When I tell him how I have a hunch that things are starting to heat up between Ian and Josh he offers me his condolences, and amusedly tells me to hang in there.

“So dream of me,” I purr before ending the call. Daniel's going to yet another meeting.

“I always do, Hales.” His voice turns serious. It's even a little gloomy, which makes my heart clench. “I miss you fiercely,” he says, and then he's gone. As I set my phone aside I can hardly believe just how much I miss him. It’s been less than a day and I'm already him-sick.