Page 119 of Stains of Desire

21

Penelope

"You ready, green eyes?"Axel wiggles his eyebrows.

I pull his head down and kiss him. Besides Millie, he means everything to me. He's my strength to keep moving forward when I want to curl up in a ball and sink. "Anywhere you go, I'll go."

He smiles against my lips. "What about hang gliding over Interlaken, Switzerland?"

"Have you done that before?"

"Nope. But I think it would be more fun while listening to your screams."

I snort. "You're insane."

"Probably. Come on. Time to go."

We get out of the SUV. The drive from Managua to Bluefields took eight hours. It's a coastal town situated on the Caribbean Sea. Like the rest of Nicaragua, poverty reigns, and it shows in the infrastructure. Dilapidated homes and businesses in bright colors fill the city. Non-motorized rowboats sit parked at docks. The wood looks rotten on many, as if you stepped on it, you would fall through.

A white man, who looks American, tan from the sun, wears a hat with a bald eagle and an American flag on it, long pants and shirt. I assume he's in his fifties. As we approach him, he holds out his hand. "You Axel and Penelope?"

"Yes. And that would make you Barry?" Axel asks, and they shake.

"All day, every day."

I smile.

He bends and kisses me on my cheek. "We've got a five-hour window. If we don't get going, we'll miss the tanker."

He points to a fishing boat. There is a small cabin, but it's mostly open. "Ma'am, with your fair skin, I'd suggest you stay in the cabin or put on some of the clothes I keep in the boat. I've got some for you, too, Axel."

"Thank you," we both say at the same time.

We get on the boat and put on the clothes. For several hours, the sea is calm, but then it kicks up. The vessel slams down on the waves. Axel tugs me closer to him, and we get drenched with seawater.

Barry puts it in neutral. "It might be best if you go inside the cabin. These white caps might get uglier."

We do as he says, and I spend the next hour with Axel as my body pillow.

The boat comes to a stop. Barry opens the door. "It's now or never." He hands us life jackets.

A crew of two men approach our boat in the biggest inflatable raft I've ever seen. Behind them is a massive oil tanker ship. The ocean continues rocking our boat, and my insides quiver. I grip Axel's hand. "We have to get in that?"

He kisses my hand. "Yep."

"Why are you smiling? This is a suicide trap."

He chuckles and leans into my ear. "I can't wait to see if your screams sound like when I'm eating your pussy."

I smack him in the chest. "Not funny."

When he pulls back, his heat-filled eyes create flutters in me. He has his expression on that I'm his prey, and he hasn't eaten in months. It mixes with my fear, and I'm suddenly buzzing.

He moves me so my back is against his body, securing me with his arm.

Barry is in front of us, focused on tying the raft to his boat.

Axel gives me a quick kiss on the back of my neck then murmurs, "As soon as we get on the tanker, we're finding our room. My guess is you'll already be dripping wet. And I want that pretty mouth of yours on my cock while I dine on you." He drags his fingertip along my collarbone.