Page 27

Penultimate

L

iam awoke and started his day right: by kissing two stunningly beautiful women, both of whom were equally glad to begin their days in the same way. Heaping on the good news, Anna looked completely refreshed, having overcome her sleep troubles. Apparently, she just needed to be thoroughly worked over, and all was well. Well, Liam was happy to volunteer his efforts and help her get a good night’s sleep as often as possible.

“Shall we order something for breakfast?” Victoria asked, lithe body escaping the covers after Liam finally unhooked his arm from around her waist. She was light on her step, aware of how his eyes trailed after her.

“That’s a good idea,” Anna said, stretching her arms above her head. She smiled and happily stayed in bed, cuddling with him.

Victoria disappeared into the bathroom, though they could still hear her as she made further suggestions. “Something carb-heavy, perhaps, to compensate for all the energy we spent last night.”

“A good idea,” Liam said, eyeing Anna’s breasts. Was it just him, or had she intentionally shimmied out of the covers enough to reveal them?

Victoria came back to find Anna receiving an explosion of bliss through her breasts. The older woman, toothbrush in motion, rolled her eyes. Of course, she still swapped places with Anna a few minutes later.

That was how Avril found them. Anna was away, brushing her teeth, while Liam and Victoria were in bed, above the covers, with the older woman breathing heavily as Liam sucked on one of her nipples.

“Well, look who’s starting their birthday off right,” Avril said, grinning and throwing herself beside the two of them.

Liam froze, feeling as though an anvil had dropped into his stomach. Victoria rubbed his hair as she diverted her pale gaze toward the redhead.

“Thank you, Avril,” she then said.

Liam’s sunny mood evaporated, and an ice age took over. In that bizarrely human way, for all the good that had come about during this trip, all the unforgettable moments, all the progress, it all vanished in the face of this one failure. He must have looked shellshocked, for Victoria raised an eyebrow at him.

“Can I get in on this?” Avril asked, running a fingertip around Victoria’s unclaimed nipple.

“On my birthday, perhaps,” Victoria said, allowing Avril to make a few circuits with her finger. “So, you can ask again tomorrow.”

Oh, thank fucking God, Liam thought, lurching into a third emotion: annoyance. One he distributed equally between the pair of viciously cruel women.

“That’s fucking awful,” he glowered. “You did not need to play along.”

“I barely played along,” Victoria said.

“Enough to make my heart nearly break in two,” he said.

“I’m sure I’ll manage to make you forgive me.”

“ Maybe. ”

She pulled back from him, allowing her to hit him with the driest stare he’d ever seen. “I’m sure you’ll soon forgive me,” she repeated.

Something stopped him from replying. A second anvil fell. This one hit him on the head, and it broke apart his annoyance.

He’d won. That realization drew a gasp from him. A dewdrop of understanding collected on a blade of grass, bending down its tips. When its weight finally proved too much, it bent, releasing the droplet, which now splashed on Liam’s forehead. After its impact, after the shock wore off, he grew giddy.

There were no more days left to guess. It wasn’t today, so it must be tomorrow, the trip's final day. He literally couldn’t be wrong about it. And if he couldn’t be wrong, he couldn’t miss out on the promised reward.

Victoria’s long drought was going to end. He was going to be the one who ended it.

“I guess I will,” Liam said, swallowing. “But I can still be mad at you right now.”

Victoria rolled her eyes and pushed his mouth back onto her breast. That helped. So did having Avril around to watch. More normality, more comfort. Tomorrow was Victoria’s birthday. It was also the day the five of them would gather on Yawini Island, spending an isolated day in an isolated paradise. What bliss awaited?

Liam could barely wait, but licking Victoria’s breast helped a little. A lot, actually. He playfully pushed Avril away, then rotated himself on top of Victoria. Holding both her breasts, he soon had her trembling beneath him.

But Avril Knight wasn’t one to solely play spectator, especially after what he and Victoria had said to her yesterday.

Maneuvering around on the bed, Avril ended up kneeling above Victoria’s head. Emerald eyes stared down at pale blue ones.

“Might I fulfill my fortune?” she asked—and Liam was pretty sure she was asking Victoria, not him.

Victoria stared up at her for a moment. They still hadn’t had those talks she’d said the two needed to have. But if there was ever a time to catch Victoria in a good mood, now was it. She exhaled, caressing Liam’s cheek in a way that drew his eyes up.

“Very well.”

Imitating Peter Parker and Mary Jane, Avril came down and kissed the woman who’d nearly become her in-law. It was one of the few things that could have distracted him from Victoria’s breasts. Without a complaint in mind, he happily watched.

Avril trembled with a passion that she’d been holding onto for years. Eyes shut, smiling through the kiss, she worked her lips. Setting her hands to either side of Victoria’s face, the younger woman explored every part of the kiss with a rare sort of hesitance. It was as if she couldn’t believe that it was finally happening.

Their mouths moved, working in tandem, probably as full of emotion as such a kiss could be. Victoria shut her eyes too, but before that happened, Liam could see the shimmer of all their shared history in them. But she let go of that, at least for now, and focused on passion.

Surprisingly, Avril didn’t escalate things. She kissed Victoria for a long while, mesmerized by the experience, but then she let it end. Drawing back, her eyes slowly opened, brimming with love and desire.

Victoria did the same thing, and it seemed to Liam that a similar suite of emotions, if perhaps slightly more complicated, also shone in hers.

“Thank you,” Avril said, touching her lips with two fingers. She traced them, as if wanting to be sure that what had happened was real.

Victoria reached up and grabbed Avril’s wrist. She brought those same two fingertips down to her lips, allowing Avril to repeat the same process. Avril shivered, entranced by what she’d finally been allowed to do.

“ Now, you can watch Liam,” Victoria said. “I haven’t finished starting my morning in the right way.”

Avril nodded, and Liam resumed what he’d been doing when she arrived. The redheaded beauty was practically drooling by the time Liam finally made Victoria climax.

“Here,” she said soon after, pulling out the fortune that had “prompted” her to visit them early this morning.

I’ll kiss another woman in front of you.

#057

“That makes everyone but you,” Liam noted, running his lips over Victoria’s smooth skin. Her breasts rose and fell quickly, as she was still catching her breath.

“I’m aware,” the buxom brunette said.

“Have you sold any new ones?” Avril asked, still lounging by them. Anna had come back as well, dressed and ready for the day. She’d also peeked in a few times while Liam worked on Victoria’s morning bliss.

“Haven’t tried to yet,” Liam said. “Might today, but I think I’ll wait until we’re back home.”

Avril’s lips curled, and she kissed him next. “There are plenty of really good ones left. Heart pounders. The kind that might even make me blush.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Liam promised, pulling her a little closer.

After their lurid hour or so in bed, a more normal set of events occurred. Everyone got dressed, took care of their hygiene needs, and finally got that breakfast delivered. Tess arrived around then, and the five of them discussed the day’s plans. They would also be a little more normal.

Taking up the offer provided by their presenter last night, they joined other tourists in visiting a village south of the resort. After a short hike along a path through the forest, they arrived at a collection of about forty buildings, most more modern-looking than the bures they were all staying in.

Heading through the village, they received a quick bit of history from the tour guide who’d led them to it. Sitting right on the shoreline, a rising range of tree-covered hills as a backdrop, the village was pretty tranquil. Naturally, as this was part of the resort’s offered activities, the villagers within were more than used to seeing tourists. In fact, it seemed like they’d been expecting them today. Once they were through with a walkabout, their tour guide unleashed them, allowing them to interact with and traverse the village and its surroundings at their whim.

So, that was what Liam and the others did for the next few hours. As usual, Anna was especially interested in learning more about Fijian culture, and she got her fill of it here. She also picked up a few souvenirs and keepsakes, which a few shrewder villagers quickly highlighted and hawked as they moved around the village.

And yet, for all the culture that Anna was able to absorb like a sponge throughout their time there, she was only the second merriest member of their group. Avril was not to be outdone, though her joyfulness wasn’t because of anything to do with the village.

She walked with an unebbing kick to her step, all smiles, friendly, and as pleasant to those she interacted with as the day was sunny. In fact, she seemed to have almost supplanted the balmy day with her upbeat attitude, shining even brighter than the rippling ocean at their backs.

“Look what you’ve made,” Liam whispered to Victoria, nudging her with his arm.

A cool pair of eyes watched Avril chat animatedly with her best friend. The two of them were looking over a shell necklace that Anna had let herself be talked into buying a few minutes ago. It’d probably been more expensive than it should have been, but that would hardly concern either of those two women.

“A single kiss, and she’s practically buoyant,” Victoria remarked.

Liam diverted his attention toward the final woman in their group. She wasn’t too far away, having engaged in her own conversation with a pair of Fijian children. It looked like they were also trying to make a little profit, holding out various colorful trinkets.

“As someone who spent a lot of years wishing to kiss a certain someone, it can evoke that response.”

“Can it?” Victoria’s lips curled slightly, and she also glanced toward Tess. “I wonder what that’s like.”

“We can compare and contrast notes later,” Liam said. “How was it for you?”

“Kissing Avril? It was enjoyable. She’s a good kisser.” She focused back on him. “Before you came along, I doubt I’d have ever allowed myself to consider such a thing happening, given our history. You’ve proven to be quite the influence on me, Liam.”

“Fiji helped.”

“Very much. But accept your share of the approbation. You made much of this happen. My… willingness to be involved with her, now and going forward, ultimately stems from your efforts.”

“Feel free to point that out to her,” Liam said, leaning in so he could kiss Victoria’s cheek. “As many times as you like.”

“I’m sure she knows. You are the lynchpin of all this, after all.”

“And happy to be so.” He threaded his fingers with Victoria’s, bringing the back of her hand to his lips. “I guess I should probably be as giddy as Avril currently is. Given that I now know when your birthday is.”

Victoria chuckled and lifted his hand to her lips, imitating what he’d done. The sensation of her lips sent a wave of excitement racing up his arm. Already, he was starting to wish they could wrap things up in the village, even though they’d only just arrived.

“I suppose you should be, given what it means for you.”

“What it means for us,” Liam corrected.

Victoria smiled—a full, real smile. It dazzled him. His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t resist kissing her. The affectionate display attracted a bit of attention, but Liam simply didn’t care. In this village, Victoria could be his girlfriend.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Victoria said. “Tonight. If we can make it to midnight.”

“Is that the plan, then? Tonight?”

“I’d prefer it that way. I have a feeling that tomorrow will be far more about the group, even if it is my birthday. I’d prefer our first time together to have a little more privacy, seeing as the second might involve others. So, tonight or tomorrow morning, before we regroup with the others. I prefer tonight.”

“Tonight, then,” Liam said, anticipation bubbling up like a geyser preparing to erupt. “I can’t wait.”

“Nor can I,” Victoria whispered, drawing him into another kiss. This one attracted Tess’s notice, and she approached them with an eyebrow up.

“Just making plans to get thoroughly fucked later tonight,” Victoria coolly told her inquisitive colleague.

Tess snorted but smiled. “Well, you two enjoy yourselves. Liam’s good at fucking professors.”

“Getting better by the day,” he agreed, grinning jubilantly. Without worry, he grabbed Tess’s hand too. “Now, where are we exploring next?”

The women—the professors—shared a knowing look. The three of them split away from the busier parts of the village. Once they were a little more isolated, Liam sent his hands to some of their favorite places. Feeling up both women, kissing them frequently, he bought himself the patience needed to make it to tonight.

When he’d finally fuck Victoria Moreno. Avril had some competition this morning; he might just be giddier than she was.