Lust And Found In Paradise

Lust: And Found In Paradise Tarot: Four of Cups By Madison Foxe

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Lust and Found in Paradise - Tarot: Four of Cups Copyright © 2005 Madison Foxe Cover art and design by Martine Jardin All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. Published by eXtasy Books, a division of Zumaya Publications, 2005 Look for us online at: www.zumayapublications.com www.Extasybooks.com

Tarot Card: Four of Cups The enigma, the Four of Cups, demonstrates the act of disconnecting the mind and soul from active life. It is a card dedicated to personifying self-absorption, apathy, and in better terms—self-reflection. The images on the card suggest that one can become so influenced by such spiritual isolation that they are unable to see the gifts life has to offer. In simple terms, it illustrates the need one has to pause along the path of life and smell the flowers, open oneself to experience and enter the flow. Without such connection, the soul will shrivel and the Being will cease to grow. It also describes an act of inner-focus in order to build a cocoon around the psyche to heal and transcend. It becomes a matter of card position, and the influence of the cards around it.

Madison Foxe

Chapter One

H

e needed little to survive, but had made sure he had whatever luxuries money, time, and effort could afford him. If one were going to retire, go underground, escape to an island somewhere unnamed, unknown, and unimportant, he was going to do so in a modicum of comfort. Cutting oneself off from the world was one thing, but to suffer in the process unnecessarily was masochism, an issue that was not his. He was totally alone. Not a phone, not a cell, not a fax, not a television, only a radio for emergencies. There was a standing supply contact every other month, on the fifteenth, weather permitting, but that was as close to civilization as he allowed himself. Why had he purchased the island here off the coast of Belize? Seclusion. He was running as fast as he could from the noise of fame, the clamoring of fans, the demand of life, limb and soul. Was he dead? Too some, he was now. To drop out of sight in the midst of an escalating career was nothing less then madness. Dylan Evers looked at his reflection in the pool of the murky lagoon. He was thirty, emotionally 1

Lust and Found in Paradise detached, drained of feeling, and had moved his focus to the inner reaches of his unconscious. Had he made the right decision, to suddenly disconnect from the world? There was no way he could know. All ramifications were based on time. Was he lonely yet? He shook his long blonde hair. Not yet, but he had only been here six months. He was still getting the lay of the land, and the trail of his mind. He dipped his brown hand into the tepid water and let the sand run through his fingers. How did you connect to the living? How did you find your way thought the myriad of color to something as clear as black and white? He didn’t know, but he was willing to explore. He rose from the edge of the water and flexed his body. He was in the best shape ever, his muscles defined, his physique honed, his skin blasted daily by the breeze of salt and sand. It was his soul that needed refinement. It was his heart that needed definition. Who was Dylan Evers? **** That is what Avril Towers wanted to know. Suddenly, bad boy Dylan Evers had dropped out of sight, escaped into the night like a man under witness protection. The last bit of press that surrounded the gorgeous hunk of an actor had been his relationship with the now-dead Willie Hansen, of which he had been exonerated of any connection. Photos from the Cannes Film Festival had made his location during the time of the murder an airtight alibi. He had 2

Madison Foxe refused interviews after that and disappeared, cloaking himself in anonymity. Eventually a rumor surfaced that he had purchased an island off the coast of Belize and had hidden himself for some sort of selforchestrated healing. Avril stood in the lobby of the Bungalows, in the village of Placencia on the coast of Belize. She wanted to charter a boat to the islands, specifically, one large rock twenty miles off the coast. The wiry young man behind the counter of the small hotel looked at the direction she was pointing on the wall map, west of the village, in the Caribbean Sea. “No, Miss. That area is off limits.” Avril threw a copper tress over her shoulder and smiled. “By whose authority?” “By the owners, Miss.” “Are any of those owners Dylan Evers?” The young man shrugged. “I don’t know.” Avril stuck her hand in her pocket and fingered the fifty-dollar bill. Was this the moment to use her minuscule ace? She would try something else first. “I’m a stranger in town. I’m not sure where to go or what to do.” The young man looked at her smile, her neck, and the hint of cleavage that graced the top of her T-shirt. “Do you need a guide?” Avril thought him cute. A little thinner then she liked her men. Maybe even a little more naive then she would prefer. But this wasn’t about sex. It was about information. She leaned over the counter, the tee leaving a bit more exposure of her breasts than 3

Lust and Found in Paradise originally planned. “Are you busy?” she smiled. The young man shook his head. Of course not. Was she kidding? “I can help, if you need it.” “I need it,” she grinned. “I’m down here on assignment. You know the routine. One gets paid if they perform. I’d do anything to know if I can get to Dylan Evers by boat from here.” “Anything?” “Yes.” She may not like herself after this, but she would make tracks the direction she was focused. This interview would make her career, and she had invested every penny she had to accommodate the challenge. “What is it you want?” she asked, smiling boldly. “Money.” It was an answer she hadn’t expected. Her eyes widened. “How much?” “How much do you have?” The young man had learned early to never to be the first to name a figure. “Twenty.” He shook his head. “I risk my job,” he said looking down at the papers on the desk. “I do twenty in a good day.” “Fifty?” “Maybe.” “That is my limit. It has cost me a fortune to get here. If you want a blow job, or a lay, I will consider it, but I have no more money.” He looked at the woman and believed her. Plus, he needed the money. “Okay. Go see a man name Ramirez at the dock on the east side and tell him I 4

Madison Foxe sent you.” Avril turned over her fifty-dollar bill to the young man. “How much is this Ramirez going to want?” She didn’t want to get caught up in some con scheme to bilk the innocent of their funds. The man shrugged. “Maybe just a blow-job,” he grinned. Avril didn’t find him amusing. “Thanks,” she said, slamming the door behind her.

5

Lust and Found in Paradise

Chapter Two

D

ylan’s island was a fifteen-acre paradise of long white sandy beaches, groves of tall swaying coconut palms, small pockets of banyans and mangroves. Numerous species of edible fish swam freely around the surrounding coral reef, and the island was free of animals, reptiles, and mosquitoes. A modern three-bedroom bungalow came with the purchase of the crescent rock, and Dylan had expanded it to include a weight room, a gourmet kitchen, and a wine cache. His time was spent grooming and exploring the contained world, clearing the beaches, fishing, reef diving, enjoying the sight of the occasional manatee, each day and night a journey into self-awareness and inner discovery. Dylan rose up from the sand, his ears tuned to any change that imposed itself on the air. It was nothing definitive, nothing he recognized, but he felt change. He knew he had been alone enough by now to experience his inner world projected into the landscape around him. It was an experience of the psyche that commanded experiential interaction, the 6

Madison Foxe voice of the unconscious demanding to be heard. It had happened before, swimming with the fish, the fluidity of his world personified in the unearthly exchange between the large, dull eyes of the snapper and his own question at the hollowness of the meeting. Life to life should understand each other on some level, but he did not feel it. It was then he had realized that the connection of things, people, moments, emotions, were all subjective and transient. There was no depth in any eyes except those that he wanted, or needed to see, experiences mere reflections of inner videos playing outside oneself for conscious view.

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Lust and Found in Paradise

Chapter Three

A

vril stepped onto the floating dock and walked carefully along the bobbing wood out to the old scow with peeling white paint, and plastic windows. She was looking for the man named Ramirez. “Hello, the boat,” Avril called, as she approached the beaten barge. She had expected a brown, sweaty man with a mustache, but she got a long-haired beauty that stood up in a formfitting tee and shorts. The woman offered a wide grin. “How can I help?” Avril stopped. “I’m looking for a man named Ramirez. I am obviously in the wrong place.” “No,” the woman said. “My father eloped two days ago. He’s on his honeymoon. But I would be happy to help.” “I’m supposed to join a friend of mine out on his island today. Your father was supposed to take me.” It was a lie, but Avril thought it prudent to take advantage of a situation when it came available. ****

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Madison Foxe Seville Ramirez stepped over some line to the side of the boat and looked out at the young woman. Had her father contracted to take this person where she needed to go and then forgot? Among the notes the man had left for her, this transport had not been mentioned. “Where is it that you need to go?” “Dylan Evers’ island.” “I don’t know it?” Seville went to the helm and pulled a chart from the box beneath the wheel. She scanned the chart that indicated all the inhabited islands, often identified by owner name. Within a twenty-five nautical mile radius their potential destination appeared to be the one furthest out, flagged by the initials D.E. Seville showed the island to the woman. “If this is his property, it would be about an hour and a half from here.” “Is that a problem?” Seville furrowed her brow. She didn’t have any experience in waters that far off the coast and she knew nothing about the island. “My boating skills are limited.” Avril’s face fell, but she wasn’t willing to give up yet. “If you can turn the engine on and off, plus steer, what more do we need?” A long black skein of hair fell from the clip at the back of Seville’s head, and she whipped it over her ear in frustration. “It isn’t that simple,” she said flatly. “But I’ve already paid for this trip,” another lie forming as Avril spoke, “and I’m willing to take my chances.” 9

Lust and Found in Paradise Seville took a deep breath, and looked at her watch. It may be a foolish effort, but her father wasn’t expected to return for several weeks, and she didn’t want him to come home to a problem with a pre-paid customer. “When are you prepared to leave?” Seville asked. “Anytime.” **** Dylan walked the white sand, nude, the state-of-being he found most comfortable in his private world, a fly rod in hand, and a bucket for his catch. Fish for dinner. He had that feeling again and he looked to the sky. There was a change coming. It must be the weather. **** The charter boat lumbered over the water like an old man, Seville unwilling to push the engine, naiveté giving way to caution. At this rate, she knew it would take longer then the time she had quoted, but the young woman seemed un-phased by the drag. Seville assumed this Dylan Evers was a lover, or someone equally important, by the way Avril was biting her nails in anticipation. “Has it been a while since you’ve seen this Dylan?” Seville hollered over the engine, making a friendly gesture. Avril looked at her and smiled. “It has been a 10

Madison Foxe while.” It had been nearly two hours when the island finally came into view. They approached the west side. Seville moved the boat in close to the shore, looking for signs of life—a house. She determined that the dock must be on the other side of the island. She turned the wheel sharply to get beyond the edge of the barrier reef. Suddenly the hull rammed a submerged crag gouging a huge hole in the tender wood. Water flooded the lower deck shorting out the batteries. The electrical system collapsed, along with the radio. Seville ordered Avril into a lifejacket as she scrambled for her own. The bow was submerging, pulling the stern up out of the water in a final death throe. It was all happening so fast. “Jump,” Seville commanded, pushing the woman to the side. “I can’t swim.” “It won’t matter,” Seville hollered, shoving the fear-frozen woman over the edge. She followed with a dive into the swirling white foam. Avril bounced over the water gasping and floundering, ignoring the fact that the life jacket she wore would keep her afloat. Seville reached around the woman’s neck, dragged her into shore, and pulled her choking body up on the sand. Once Avril had caught her breath, Seville rolled over and buried her face in her arms. Reality set in. She had just sunk her father’s boat, his only means of livelihood.

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Lust and Found in Paradise **** Dylan followed the sound of wood crumbling, the ocean sucking up debris like a vacuum. He took the path through the palms towards the noise. Large rocks surrounded the narrow cove, and he climbed the polished stone to look down on the litter floating near shore, and the two women. Avril looked up at the trickle of pebbles. A naked God hovered over them. Long blonde hair fell over the sculpted male shoulders like liquid gold. His bronze skin covered hard muscle; the virile physique wide and narrow in all the right places. She took particular interest in the sizeable phallus that the man displayed proudly, and he wasn’t even hard. She recognized the reclusive actor immediately. “Dylan Evers,” Avril called, waving her hand. “You have company.” Seville turned to the woman next to her and then followed the attention to the rocks. She gasped when she saw the man. He was an incredible specimen in all his visible glory, and he didn’t look happy to see them. “I thought you knew this man,” she reminded Avril quietly “I do, at least as much as anyone who followed the tabloid life of ‘Bad Boy’ Dylan.” The man called down gruffly, not bothering to hide his irritation at the intrusion. “Are you hurt?” Seville stood. “No. Do you have a radio? We obviously had an accident.” “No,” Dylan said, not moving from his perch. He 12

Madison Foxe obviously didn’t like the position he had put in, but he couldn’t leave them sitting on the beach. “Well, you might as well come to the house,” he said grudgingly and waved them around to the other side of the rocks. When he joined them on the beach, he made no effort to hide his exposed parts. Avril was right up next to him, obviously trying hard not to reach out and touch the sensuously damp body. “My name is Avril Towers, and I came here to find you. It appears I was successful.” **** Dylan didn’t respond, he just walked off into the trees, expecting them to follow. Seville kicked the sand, wishing there was another option beyond having to trail this rude man. “I get the impression he doesn’t like company,” she said loud enough for him to hear as she took up the path, Avril right behind her. Dylan paused for a moment on the trail and waited for them to catch up. “You’re right about that,” he commented, keeping his back to them. “That’s why I live on this island. Alone.” “Well, it was not my intent to set foot on shore,” Seville said, trying to keep her eyes focused between the shoulder blades of his back and not the solid glutes of his tempting ass. “I, on the other hand,” Avril said, her voice light, “had every intention of setting feet on the shore. I was hoping for an interview.” 13

Lust and Found in Paradise Dylan chuckled snidely, and turned to them abruptly. Seville collided with the hard wall, her upper thigh in the short-shorts brushing against his cock. He looked down into Seville’s eyes; his potency so rich she was sure her face burned from the heat, but his eyes were empty, like the soul of the man had died. “I came out to this island to get away from people like you,” he said to Avril. “So you may be assured this trip you made was a great waste of time and effort.” Seville shook her head, and then looked up at him, her gaze pointed. “I lost my father’s boat. I don’t know what you two people have going, but I want off this island.” Dylan scoffed. “There is no way off this island for eight weeks, so unless you expect someone to start looking for you, it will be awhile.” Avril grinned. “You’re kidding.” This was working out just fine. Seville was not happy. Nobody would be looking for her. She was a stranger to Placencia; no one would even notice she was missing.

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Madison Foxe

Chapter Four

A

s Seville had guessed, the house, and dock, were located on the other side of the island. It was a spacious home, spread out in sections, rooms linked with raised boardwalks that wove in around the rocks and palms over the sand, promoting an environmental friendship. Dylan left them on a terrace overlooking the water as he retired to put on some shorts. He watched the two women from the window of his suite, cloaked by the glare of the sun on the large picture window. One seemed to have been manipulated into a situation, and the other, the manipulator. Both were striking women in their own way. The manipulated beauty; dark, intelligent, and somewhere she obviously didn’t want to be. The manipulator, sparked with life, eager, and confident that she had bent the world to accommodate her goal. What Dylan was not sure of was what he was going to do with them. Screwing them was a given. He might as well take advantage of the moment, but he wasn’t eager to involve himself more than that. It was a matter of apathy, and self-absorption, both 15

Lust and Found in Paradise character flaws he nurtured without question. Which female would he take first? He smiled. The reporter was the path of least resistance.

**** “Why did you lie to me?” Seville queried the woman across from her. The gold-tinted head bobbed with a shrug. “You do what you have to do to get the story.” “The man does not want to give you a story.” “He will,” Avril assured her. Seville shook her head. It didn’t matter if the woman got her story or not. She didn’t want to be here, and she still wasn’t sure about what she could do about it. Seville needed more information. There had to be a way off the island, even if she had to put stones together for a giant SOS. She watched Dylan emerge from the house, his gait confident, and his attitude cool, nearly flat. “Ladies,” he said, setting wine glasses and a bottle on the table. “I suggest we drink to your dilemma.” Avril reached out to take the offered glass. “What a gracious host.” Seville ignored the invitation. “I can’t believe you live this far out and have no radio, or boat. What if something were to happen?” Dylan poured her a glass and set it in front of her. “If something were to happen, I would handle it. However, if it makes any difference I sent my radio in 16

Madison Foxe for repair.” “Here’s to fate,” Avril grinned, raising her glass in a mock toast. Seville offered an equally mock smile. “Am I the only one that sees any distress in this situation?” Dylan took a large drink of the wine, looking at her over the rim of the crystal. “What do you plan to do about it?” “Examine my options.” Seville moved forward on her chair. “Do you have a boat? A satellite cell phone? A fucking pigeon?” Her voice rose with each question that was met with a shake of his head. She stood. “How can you just sit there and expect us,” she then quickly glanced over at Avril, “or me,” she corrected, zeroing back on the indifferent recluse, “to just accept the next eight weeks lounging around your beach?” Dylan just looked at her. “Do what you want.” She grimaced with exasperation and stomped away, the direction of where her boat had gone down. Avril moved over to the chair next to Dylan and put her hand on his arm. “I want you to know that I am willing to be patient.” Dylan reached over, took her hand and held it tightly as he tossed down the rest of the wine. Moments later he was dragging her behind him to the house. Avril offered no resistance. Whatever he wanted, she wanted too. **** Dylan took her directly to the bedroom. He pulled her 17

Lust and Found in Paradise around in front of him, gripped the hem of her T-shirt in both hands and began to slide it up her body. “What is your name again?” Dylan asked, but he didn’t wait for an answer, pulling the material over the young woman’s head before dropping his mouth over the rouged lips roughly, with a growl. Avril couldn’t believe her luck. Sex with Dylan Evers. She leaned into him, her arms wrapping his neck like a boa. She wished it were being filmed; who would believe it? Dylan pressed his palm over the small breast and squeezed. Avril moaned, pushing herself into him. He smelled like the ocean, salty, primal, and his fingers were rough on her sensitive skin sending a current of excitement through her as his hands traced the curve of her back when she arched. Damp lips raced down her neck hungrily, and she let the anxious drench of her whimpers guide his path. Flushed with heat, his tongue reached around her erect nipple like a whip, ravaging the bud desperately. She could tell he hadn’t had his mouth on a breast in months and it thrilled her. There was power in the knowing that the erection he now pressed into her belly was stiff for her. Wanting of her. The famous Bad Boy was now slipping his fingers into her wet and ready center, willing her legs apart. His touch targeted the sensitive swollen button rubbing it deftly but he didn’t wait for much more then a gasp from Avril before he dropped her to the bed soundly and thrust his rigid member past her 18

Madison Foxe labia into the tight canal. He moved slowly at first, driving the throbbing cock into her slippery vagina, and Avril lifted her hips to accommodate the plunge. Dylan moaned as he picked up speed, and looked down at the woman who writhed beneath him. It was the face of a stranger with the whimper of an animal, the sounds of pleasure adding little to his intent. He wanted to get off, and within minutes the satisfied Bad Boy rolled away from the woman and closed his eyes. Avril knew that Dylan didn’t care about her. He didn’t even bother to remember her name. But, it didn’t matter. She still had managed to have the infamous Dylan Evers’ cock inside her, which was a badge she would wear proudly. Now if she could only get the interview. Avril rolled over and closed her eyes. **** Seville sat on the beach and looked out to the ‘blue hole’ that had absorbed her father’s boat, sucked in like debris on an event horizon. She had crumbled in paradise and found hell. Stranded. Isolated with a hungry nubile with the maturation level of a teenager and a gorgeous man with the social skills of an amoeba, there would be eight weeks before she might see light at the end of the tunnel. Seville dropped her head in her arms that rested on her knees. There was no way out, or off.

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Lust and Found in Paradise **** It had been so long since he had felt the warmth of a woman’s body, and Dylan spent little time accommodating his partner. He just needed the release. It didn’t matter to him whether she faked, or had any authentic pleasure. He was just in and out. The woman had fallen asleep, and he had left his bed feeling nothing but the physical relief in his balls. He looked down on the nude stranger. She might as well have been a mannequin for as much regard as he felt for her at that moment. He left her lying there in a wrap of limb and sheet. Dylan wandered into the trees, the lightness in his body giving way to the tropical atmosphere. Where had the other woman gone? He guessed she would go back to where the boat had gone down. He felt the stir of curiosity. A sense that he hadn’t felt in a long time, it was so obscure, that, initially, he didn’t recognize it. Past the thick, rough, trunks of the palms, Dylan saw the hunched brown shoulders draped over long, slender legs. Dark trails of liquid obsidian poured over the woman’s back in waves. He noticed the pile of miscellaneous debris she had cleared from the water, and collected from the beach. What was she planning to do? And, how would it impact him? **** Seville heard the sound of movement behind her, and took a deep breath. She didn’t need anymore 20

Madison Foxe adolescent or psycho behavior. Right now, she felt like the only sane adult on the island. “What do you want?” she asked, not looking up. It didn’t matter who it was. “I want you to know I recognize your concerns over your situation, but it does not equal the concerns I have of my own. I don’t like being imposed upon.” The voice was sultry, a hand reaching over the sand and touching her someplace inside knowingly. Seville turned her head slowly to him. “You’re kidding, right?” The expression on his handsome face guaranteed he was not. “You know,” she said pushing herself up off of the sand, “there is a grand canyon between selfabsorption to justify disconnection from the world and withdrawal in order to spend time pursuing selfawareness. One perspective requires that the soul shrivels, while the other offers cultivation. Your Being is nearly non-existent,” she informed. “You have my pity.” She turned away from him and waded into the water. “What a shame that you are surrounded by so much and see so little,” she said, pulling a seat cushion from the surf and tossing it on the pile. “You don’t know anything about me.” “There isn’t much to know. However, I am at your mercy. Do I need to build a shelter for the night?” “No,” he said coldly. “Though it might be good for you.” Seville took a deep breath. “Maybe you’re right,” 21

Lust and Found in Paradise she said stubbornly, looking at the pile of debris that now looked like potential furnishings. “I’ll camp here.” Dylan smiled. “Suit yourself. What about food?” She looked around, like she might find sustenance showing its face any direction. She saw nothing that appeared edible. There was always fish, assuming she could get one, clean it and then find a way to light a fire so that she might cook it. Dylan watched her mind working over the situation, each challenge that surfaced encased in her brow that seemed to try and squeeze possibilities. “I’ll provide you with matches and a fishing pole and net if you like,” he offered generously. “Fine, she said. “Your hospitality continues to amaze me.” Realizing she was pushing her luck, she turned and tossed him a smile. “Sincerely,” she followed, “thanks.” “I’ll send things over with Avril.” He then looked at the sun that was an hour from setting. “I’ll leave you to your work,” he nodded. “It will be dark soon.”

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Madison Foxe

Chapter Five

S

eville watched Dylan walk away, wishing she hadn’t let her ego dictate the perimeters of the scenario. It could have been so much easier. Now, as she stood alone curling her toes in the sand, the world seemed suddenly very primeval, and she no more native then an alien from space. **** Dylan was prepared to shrug off the comments, not really caring what her opinion of him might be, but he found himself needing to embrace his aloneness, and remind himself why he stood where he did, and how he had gotten there. It was an odd sensation. He smiled to himself as he left the dark haired vixen on the beach. For the first time since he could remember, though fleeting, he was amused, and interested. When he arrived back at the house, Avril was waiting for him, one of his T-shirts stretched over her body like a mini-dress. She was compliant, cute, and needy. It was a combination that Dylan found comfortable. When she wanted to talk, he kissed her. 23

Lust and Found in Paradise When she tugged at him, he sent her on an errand. This time she was to deliver a cache of supplies he had prepared for Seville. Avril pulled the narrow cart of the delivery through the palms and fern like a mule. It didn’t bother her. Dylan had asked, and Seville had opted to sleep on the beach, an interesting choice that had cleared the plane. Avril didn’t like competition. How could she refuse to support the distance? “Seville,” she called, finding the beach. “Dylan asked me to bring you these things. I can’t tell you how much I admire your independence.” Seville noted that the woman was a little too perky, a little too smug, and well within her right. Avril had come to the island with an agenda, what the reporter didn’t need was another center of energy drawing the attention away from her. Seville dug through the things that Dylan had sent over. The most interesting being a bottle of wine, a corkscrew, and two glasses. Was she to expect company? He obviously assumed that Avril would be joining her at some point. However, the young woman didn’t stay long, leaving Seville to decide what to do next. First she needed to start a fire. Among the other ‘luxuries’ Dylan had sent over was a small tent, a sleeping bag, and a large bottle of drinking water. She actually felt grateful for the consideration that he had shown by providing her with the basic necessities, and by the time the sun had gone down, she had good flames, the tent up, and the wine bottle open. As hungry as she was, the idea of trying to catch a fish, 24

Madison Foxe let alone gutting it, was not a viable alternative to the gnawing in her stomach. She expected the wine to fill the void. Quickly. **** The paddle fan spun overhead, thin paper blades circulating air. Avril looked across the table to Dylan and grinned. “You’re a very good cook.” Dylan set his fork down and leaned back in his chair, twisting the stem of his wineglass in his fingers. Her company left him hollow. It was like making conversation with a piece of cardboard. “Put that in your article,” he said. “So you’re going to give me my interview?” Avril leaned anxiously over the table. He shook his head. The bubble just didn’t get it. “Why do you think I live on this island alone?” “That’s what I want to find out,” she said brightly. “Did it have to do with the murder of Willie Hanson?” Dylan’s expression clouded, a dark force seething just beneath the surface. “Pick up these dishes, go to bed and wait for me,” he instructed harshly. He took what was left of the bottle of cabernet from the table. “I need some air.” Avril stood quickly. “I’ll go with you.” “No. I want to be alone,” he said as the screen slammed shut behind him. **** 25

Lust and Found in Paradise

Dylan walked out to the beach and sat in the sand, tipping the bottle to his lips. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and let the liquid trickle down his throat. There was a scent of burning wood in the air, and he smiled. What had she said? ‘Your Being is nearly nonexistent.’ He took another drink. Maybe she was right. He had put a great deal of energy into separating from the world, people, himself and the idea of reconnecting seemed remote. He had no reason to reenter the realm of the living. The smell of the campfire clung to the breeze that blew over the island from the southwest. It engaged his senses. Dylan stood, took another swig from the bottle and sauntered the direction the Siren’s scent emanated. **** He climbed up on the rocks above Seville’s campsite and sat. He had managed to infiltrate her space undetected, her attention drawn to the heat of the flames, lost in thought. Dylan wondered what such a woman thought about. She looked vulnerable, crouched before the fire’s glow, her delicate face warmed by the red embers. He watched her take a stick from the sand and stir the blistered wood, sending sparks into the air. Her eyes followed them, as if she were making magic, sending some sort of distress call into the night to an 26

Madison Foxe unknown rescuer. Dylan took a drink of the dry red, and noticed she did the same, as she sipped the wine from the crystal goblet he had sent her. **** “How long are you going to sit up there like a vulture?” Seville turned her head his direction. He chuckled. Caught. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. I don’t want to promote the possibility of a lawsuit.” Seville looked back to the fire. She believed him. “That is very human of you,” she chided. “But you may rest assured that I have no interest in pursuing any continuance of this encounter once I leave this island. But,” she added, “I do want to thank you for sending these supplies over. I am grateful.” Dylan stood. “How grateful?” Seville swirled her wine around in the glass that reflected the flames. “How grateful do I need to be?” The question was a challenge and she offered it without giving him the benefit of her expression. She would not let him know that she was amused by his macho positioning. The man scrambled down from the stone wall, his balance marginally compromised by the grape. This was a game he hadn’t played in awhile and the sudden spurt of energy, coupled with the lure of the alcohol, magnified his interest in the woman. “I think, at least a friendly attitude would be acceptable,” he said, edging up to the fire. 27

Lust and Found in Paradise The half-open eyes were seductive as he looked at her from under the waving wine curtain. He was remarkably attractive and Seville found it hard not to respond to him. “You may sit with me at my fire,” she said. “I don’t think there is a tribe in existence that wouldn’t meet another human from that perspective. One always shares water and fire.” Dylan dropped to the ground, offering his bottle. “I think they also offer their wares, or anything else they may have as a gift,” he grinned with innuendo. She could see he was loaded. “Do you always inebriate yourself to get through a night?” “Do you always seek a righteous posture when addressing your host?” Seville looked away and shook her head. “No. I don’t.” “Then relax. I’m not in the mood to do battle.” “And what is it you want to do?” “Make love, not war.” “A little cliché,” she said, taking a sip her wine. “Besides, don’t you have a willing, able, and ambitious partner waiting for you back at the house?” “Yes,” he said locking her gaze squarely, “but I am here.” Seville looked at him and nodded with sudden insight. “You’ve already had sex with her, now you need a new conquest. How novel.” Dylan raised his brows. “Were you watching?” She ignored the question. “You are wasting your time here.” Dylan dropped back on the sand, his knees up, his 28

Madison Foxe head cradled in the leaf of a palm. “Why are you doing this?” she asked, looking over at him. “Doing what?” “Why have you buried yourself out here on this island?” Dylan rolled his handsome face her direction. “Do you know who I am?” Seville shook her head. “No. But unlike your guest back at your house, I don’t follow the tabloids.” Dylan looked up into the dark night, the configuration of the constellations familiar to him. He had examined them a thousand times. “I have always wondered if there is a world out there that doesn’t require the blood-letting that this one does. Maybe for a moment, I thought if I put myself on the head of a pin, or a piece of rock in the middle of the ocean, that whatever I had to say, or needed to hear, might suddenly be conveyed through the silence. The essence of all wisdom reduced to the size of an atom, and only in the most isolated and quietist of moments could such a realization be experienced.” He hadn’t given himself the freedom for these thoughts in a long while. “Was such a realization experienced?” Dylan closed his eyes. “No. But then I think I may have tried too hard to see.” “What happened to you?” The pain oozed from the man like perspiration. She felt herself responding to his angst as if he emanated a scent—pain reduced to pheromone, contagious and seductive. Like an 29

Lust and Found in Paradise empath she reached for the sense, taking it upon herself because she thought she could bear the agony while giving the stranger next to her some relief. The chiseled face was unmoved. For a moment she thought him gone. Passed out. “What happened to me?” he repeated thoughtfully. “I don’t know. At first I thought it was a chemical imbalance, but then I realized it was a scream for closure, that whatever everyone wanted from me had been tapped and I was dry. And then, when they wanted it, and I couldn’t give it, the rats abandoned the ship. And there I was once again, alone. So I saw no reason not to personify the experience.” “You ran.” “As fast as I could.” Seville reached over and touched his hand. “Do you regret it?” He traced the outlines in the familiar sky. “No. I only regret that I have been forced to address it again.”

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Madison Foxe

Chapter Six

A

vril turned over in the empty bed. Where was Dylan? She knew there was a chance that she had fallen in love. Love at first sight. How often did that happen? She imagined, given enough time, she would bring Dylan around to her and the interview. Beyond the cool sheets of the king-size rattan bed, Avril stood at the window that looked out over the dark sea. He had told her to wait, but she was beginning to think he might have passed out on the beach, or worse, found his way to Seville’s camp. She reached for her shorts, then heard the screen door slam. His foot caught the leg of a chair as he negotiated the main salon into the long hall to the bedroom. Avril was back in bed by the time Dylan stood in the doorway. He wasn’t sure if she was asleep, nor did he much care. If he wanted her, he’d wake her. She rolled over and opened her eyes. “I was getting worried,” she whimpered coyly. The sound of her voice grated on his nerves. Avril pulled back the sheet, exposing her lush, nude body enticingly. “Are you just going to stand 31

Lust and Found in Paradise there?” Her tongue rolled across her lips provocatively. “Ah, what the hell,” he mumbled, stripping his clothes and tossing them aside. He waited at the edge of the bed as she crawled to him, her focus on the erection that continued to harden the closer she got. When she reached the swollen staff, it was too large for the whole of her mouth. She took the velvet head between her lips, and massaged his cock slowly towards her throat. With each gentle swallow her muscles began to accommodate the stiff rod. He moaned as she moved down over him, her tongue working the stretched skin like a master. Every nerve in his body was on fire. Her hot mouth coasted up and down the phallus, grip loose, no teeth, and the sucking effort gentle and seductive. His hands found the back of her head; he wanted to cum this way. He didn’t want to feel anything more from her than that mouth, and he pushed his hips to her, leaning back, feeling like he was just along for the glorious ride. She sucked earnestly now, wetness, heat, and muscle pulsing over his cock rhythmically. Her hands gripped the tight cheeks of his ass and pulled his groin to her, deeper, faster, with a force that thrust him into her relaxed throat penetrating the soft membrane like a light glove over a rigid hand. The man tensed under her hold. His breathing came in shallow gasps, as a slow ache from somewhere deep inside rose like Poseidon from the vast underworld. It started as a gentle roar 32

Madison Foxe and erupted in an agonizing cry as the molten fluid shot from the abyss. Dylan was sure if he let go of the woman’s head, he would collapse to the floor. She pulled back and looked up at him. “When do I get my interview?” “Soon,” he murmured as he dropped to the bed.

33

Lust and Found in Paradise

Chapter Seven

S

eville took the sleeping bag from the tent and tossed it out over the sand. The small canvas cave was too confining. She dropped on the soft bed and focused her eyes on the sparkling night sky with a sigh. Warm from the wine, moved by the conversation with the man, she was curious as to how her injection into his world would affect her, and maybe him. Little was left to chance when it came to the orchestration of time. It was like Jung had said; there are no accidents, only meaningful coincidence. How this conglomeration of puzzle pieces was going to come together was unknown, but she knew, like any multi-plated jigsaw, a picture would emerge after enough of the carved chips were put in place. Seville closed her eyes. Dylan’s face came into view against the dark screen. Undeniably, she was attracted to him. Physically, of course, but there was something else, it was like a man walking the space between life and death, looking for direction. Did he want to be released to some unknown world he adhered to, or called back to the place where things always demanded to be seen? She fell asleep, the 34

Madison Foxe island’s owner on her mind, the ocean breeze fanning her fevered body gratuitously. **** Dylan woke with a lifted brow, suddenly cognizant of the unusual sound next to him. Human breathing. It took a moment, but he recalled the day before that had offered all these changes. He turned his head to the sound slowly, not wanting to disturb the source. She was asleep. Dylan slid a muscled thigh over the mattress, his foot looking for the floor. Eventually, he stood, her sound left uninterrupted. He grabbed his shorts, scurried from the room, and quietly closed the door behind him. He wanted some coffee. **** Seville stretched. She needed a toothbrush and a shower, neither of which were a reasonable request under the circumstances. And what she would do for a cup of coffee. “I brought coffee,” Dylan said as he stepped into view from the flora. Seville looked at him with sincere gratitude. “You could be Lucifer, himself, and I would offer my soul for this coffee,” she said, taking the cup from the handsome man’s hands. “I am,” he grinned, “and I accept your soul in payment.” Seville looked at him over the edge of the steaming 35

Lust and Found in Paradise cup. He was charming, and captivating, but she felt out of place in his presence. She didn’t want to be there, and he didn’t want them there. He saw her dilemma, but at the moment wasn’t sure how to respond. Instead, he looked at the sleeping bag stretched over the sand, and smiled. “Claustrophobic?” She grinned. “Yes, I suppose.” “I have two extra bedrooms. You don’t have to stay out here on the beach.” She was thoughtful. “I’m surprised with your penchant for solitude that you’d bother with two guestrooms.” Dylan nodded. “They came with the house, fully furnished; I saw no reason to disturb what was. You’re welcome to one of them, and you will have your own bath.” The points he made were salient, especially when she considered having to go one more day without a shower, or food. “I think I’ll take you up on that. It’s bad enough that I don’t have any clothes, let alone to forego bathing as well.” He smiled and bent over to pick up her bed. “Yes, I’ll have to come up with some clothing alternatives for both of you.” Pulling the re-loaded cart behind him, Seville followed Dylan to his house, very happy with the change in living accommodations. She just wasn’t sure how Avril was going to receive the news. **** 36

Madison Foxe

Avril was not happy to have Seville underfoot, but there was little she could do but stake her territory. The opportunity to do just that availed itself an hour later when Seville had emerged from the shower and Dylan had gone to check his crab pots. “You can have your choice of either bedroom,” Avril informed. “I’m in Dylan’s room.” Seville felt an odd feeling in her stomach, but she held her expression, betraying nothing that had just lunged through her. She looked down on the bed, where Dylan had laid a pair of white drawstring pants and T-shirt. **** Dylan pulled the pots, emptied the catch and tossed the basket back into the surf. He looked up from the rocks and saw Seville watching him from the rise near the house. As soon as he saw her she turned and walked into the palms. He filled the bucket with salt water, set it in the shade with a lid, and followed her. She was sitting on the rocks above where she had camped the night before, as he had expected. “Holding vigil?” Seville looked down at him with a weak smile. “In a way. I’m trying to decide what to do.” “Sometimes to just do nothing is the answer.” He climbed up to the place next to her. “Relinquish control to fate? I’ve already considered it. But my ego has a difficult time letting go.” 37

Lust and Found in Paradise Dylan cocked his head her direction and flashed a brilliant grin. “Under the circumstances, the best your ego can do is chase you in circles. Punish you for not having an answer. Forget it. Do what I do, accept resignation and chill. Want me to teach you to fish?” Seville looked at him, her expression stern. “What makes you think I don’t already know how to fish?” “Do you?” “No,” she confessed.

38

Madison Foxe

Chapter Eight

A

vril decided to make lunch and impress Dylan with her prowess in the kitchen. Her specialty at this moment, broiled red fish, but she hadn’t seen him since he left this morning after depositing Seville at the house. Avril went looking. When she found him, he was wrapped around Seville, trying to show her how to cast a fly-line. It was a bit too intimate. “There you are,” she called as she moved in. Dylan didn’t release his hold on Seville. “Are you looking for us?” She grimaced with the use of the pronoun. “Yes, I made lunch.” Seville moved out of Dylan’s grasp, and grinned at Avril. “Sounds wonderful.” **** Over the next few weeks, Dylan felt the forced change in his lifestyle begin to cloud his mind with a fog, the clarity of indifference no longer so crisp. The realization had come suddenly, like a wind blowing open a rotting door, and left as quickly, the air 39

Lust and Found in Paradise reduced to the familiar and comfortable stench of apathy. Now, again, there were the gentle nudges of confusion, his passive will challenged by the intellectually demanding Seville. He began to realize that Avril offered him a place where change would never have to be addressed. She accepted him as he was; cold, empty, and barely motivated to remember her name. Whereas, Seville dragged him over the barren waste of his emotional world, yanked his head from the sand and made him look at his unfamiliar face. Either influence, was capable of taking power at any given point in time and what Dylan found most disquieting was that his psyche could be manipulated by these two women. **** Seville wandered the strand, kicking through the quartz and garnet granules dusted with minute coral shards, examining the occasional shell or polished stone, her mind lost to the man who was drawing her closer to him a day at a time. She put the conch to her ear, the mystical echo of the ocean imbued in its calcified core. Though Seville had yet to make peace with herself regarding the loss of her father’s boat, Dylan had been instrumental in distracting her from the urge to mentally flagellate herself with guilt. His demeanor had begun to change as the days and nights had passed. Much of the time Seville spent with Dylan was in conversation, exploring ideas, experiences, the 40

Madison Foxe affinity between them developing at its own pace, but living no doubt of the growing bond. She found herself seeking him out more and more, and his welcome embrace of her presence stimulating her sense of comfort with him. The relationship between the two women, however, was becoming more strained. Avril had been relegated to her own room, her position with Dylan eroding quickly. He had begun to ignore her. The secret meetings in the middle of the night for sex becoming less the more time he spent in conversation with the distant Seville. Avril knew she was losing ground, but the man still came to her when he wanted a physical companion, but when it came to fishing, walking, or even tossing rocks into the ocean, Seville seemed to be the first choice. When Avril broached the subject with Seville, she was met with surprise. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Avril was not stepping back. “For the past couple of weeks you’ve been trying to drive a wedge between Dylan and me. I want to know why.” “I’m doing no such thing,” Seville protested. “I am merely trying to get by until I can leave. Whatever is going on between you and Dylan is just that, between you and Dylan.” Dylan stood in the doorway and cleared his throat, announcing his presence. Both women turned as he stepped into the room and took Avril by the arm. “You’ll excuse us,” he said to Seville, urging Avril from the house. 41

Lust and Found in Paradise The next time Seville saw Avril, her face was puffy and tear-stained. “What did he do to you?” Avril spit venom. “Oh, I think you know,” she said tossing her copper hair before shutting herself away in the bedroom. Seville left the house, looking for Dylan and found him on the other side of the island cutting back a patch of reeds that had begun to infiltrate the small lagoon. “What did you do to that poor girl?” Seville waded into the pool until she was next to him. Dylan straightened. “What do you think I did?” Seville stepped back, tripped over a rock and dropped into the water. He took a couple of steps to her and looked down. “I repeat,” he said, “what do you think I did to her?” Salt water ran down her cheeks like tears, parts of her hair plastered to her head, and she stared up at him from her seated, very wet, position. “I think you hurt her deeply.” Dylan shook his head. “Women like Avril don’t ‘hurt deeply.’ She came to this island, and my home, with an agenda. I took what she offered, and refused to compensate with the interview. The price was not negotiated. She assumed, and I let her.” “But she was crying.” “Probably,” he said offering his hand. “But it wasn’t due to a broken heart; it was due to the fact that she gambled her savings and what she considered a career on my willingness to confess. She lost.” 42

Madison Foxe Seville accepted his aid and he lifted her from the lagoon. “I see. Then maybe I was out of line,” she said sheepishly. “I don’t have a great deal of experience with bartering sex for some sort of remuneration. I suppose that makes me naive,” she confessed, turning from him as she headed for the shore. Dylan watched her sway through the water, sending gentle ripples over the surface as she moved. He was mesmerized by her beauty, her intelligence, and innate wisdom. “Seville,” he said, drawing her attention back to him. “Wait.” He dropped the machete into the sand. “We’ll talk.” She turned to him. There was nothing she wanted more than to talk to him, walk with him, to spend time tossing words and weaving thoughts. “What are you doing?” She wanted to know what was motivating him. Did he share her budding feelings? He took her hand. “What do you mean?” He led her along the beach, the pace slow. “I’m here with no agenda,” she said. “I’m kind of a wild card in this scenario, and I don’t want to delude you into thinking that I am capable of operating without feeling. I don’t have anything to barter.” “Is that what you think? I’m done with Avril, so now I’ll turn my sights to you in order to fill in the final few weeks?” Seville looked down at her feet. Was that what she thought? Or feared? She lifted her head, refusing to quibble with the truth. “Yes. Or at least, it’s a possibility.” He appreciated her honesty. How much easier an 43

Lust and Found in Paradise exchange was without the anticipated moves of the game. It gave him an opportunity to address her issues directly without having to guess the meaning, and method, behind her position. It also was a portion of their exchange that had seduced him. It had been a long time since he had felt engaged anywhere. “But why? When you and I talk we do so without pretense, without the contrived sentence with a determined outcome.” He held her hand tightly, needing to emphasize the intensity of his expression. She smiled, halfway into the communication when she turned her face to him as they strolled along the beach. “All that is so. But, according to Avril, you are a big star. A commanding celebrity, a well documented player. I’m just me, and very likely out of my league when it comes to you.” He stopped and pulled her around to him gripping her arms. “No,” he said, searching her eyes. “It is I who is out of your league.” He bent his head and touched her lips lightly, not wanting to challenge her. Seville felt her body stiffen with his touch, but there was also a blanket of warmth that covered her as his mouth found hers. It took only a moment before she was lost into him. The kiss was long, deep, and when his tongue pushed past her lips, she felt the invasion all the way to her toes. At first she was too surprised to protest, and when she began to struggle, he crushed her to him, caging her in his arms, his naked chest pressed against her breasts savagely. By then it was too late, Seville felt the fire begin to burn erotically and she pushed into him. 44

Madison Foxe The woman’s sudden acceptance of his hunger for her, coupled with the moan as her arms wove their way around his neck, sent a force through his body, his rock-hard erection searing the thin layer of trunks into her thigh. “I want you,” he whispered over her lips. “Now.” She heard his words and knew she wanted him too, but it wasn’t right. Seville pulled her mouth away. “I can’t do this,” she gasped, yet unable to break the moment’s connection between her and the man. Her hesitation, and lack of conviction, was obvious. Dylan was unwilling to let her go. “Why?” He buried his face in her hair, his breath hot against her ear. “It feels awkward,” she whispered sadly. Dylan nodded, forcing himself to release her from his arms. “Okay,” he said, taking her hand once again. “I’ll wait until you are comfortable.” His tone was tender, the smile sincere. **** Seville left Dylan on the beach to continue his project while she walked back to the house. She could still feel his hands on her body, his lips on hers, warm, sensuous, and wanting. The house, and Avril, hung in the distance, and she stopped. Alone, the only sound was the water lapping on shore and the occasional call of a seabird reverberating through the palms. She dropped onto the cool sand, the sun having 45

Lust and Found in Paradise passed on its migration west leaving this section of the island in shade. Dylan wanted her, and she wanted him, but it didn’t feel clean. It was as if they were in a fishbowl, with the ever-present Avril lurking in the shadows. Now she understood what Avril had to deal with when Seville had moved into the house. The reporter may have been after a story, and a famous lay, but Seville still wasn’t certain there wasn’t something more on the young woman’s mind. **** Avril carried her drink out onto the terrace and flopped into a chair. She couldn’t shake the anger she felt for being used and then shunned, no longer of interest to the reclusive star. It was like a bad ‘B’ movie, cheap, shallow, and poorly directed. If he had agreed to the interview, she would have felt vindicated. He could have his Seville, and his seclusion. It was at that moment that the light bulb came on, as she turned to the movement on the beach. “Seville,” she called, waving the woman in, “come have wine with me.” **** Dylan dove into the surf, wanting to feel the cool water over his heated muscles. The changes he was experiencing now were remarkable, and often difficult to follow. There was comfort in the arena of aloneness, a solitary confinement of emotions that 46

Madison Foxe required nothing more than suppression. Now windows were opening that he was powerless to close, and they were all focused towards Seville.

47

Lust and Found in Paradise

Chapter Nine

S

eville stood by the table, and looked down at Avril. “How are you doing?” Avril tipped the glass to her lips, and smiled. “Dylan devastated me, but with a little wine and friendly support, I may get through it.” “I’m sorry things didn’t work out the way you wanted with Dylan. Such things can be very difficult.” Seville sympathized, but wasn’t sure how involved she wanted to get when it came to ‘support.’ “It wouldn’t have been so bad if I didn’t feel so used.” Seville accepted the glass of wine Avril offered. “I don’t know, Avril. I’m of the mind that you can’t be used unless you allow it.” The young woman shrugged. “Maybe, but I know I wouldn’t feel so bad if he’d just give me the interview. Maybe you could talk to him?” “Me? I have no influence over what Dylan does or does not do.” Avril raised her brows in feigned surprise. “Oh please, Seville. It’s obvious that you have the man’s attention. Just do this little favor for me.” 48

Madison Foxe Seville shook her head. “I’m not getting involved.” **** The evening passed quickly, and quietly, though the electricity in the air between Dylan and Seville was evident. Avril retired early, wanting to consider her next move and avoid any possible further alienation from Dylan. Seville took her wine outside and wandered down to the dock. The evening was warm, the sky clear, and the moon hanging over the horizon like a mottled dish. Dylan watched her through the kitchen window, wanting to join her, but not wanting to appear as if he were pushing her. He took the wine to his room, showered, and inserted a CD. It had been a very long time since anyone other than himself had occupied his mind. He slid his nude body beneath the sheet, laid his head back on the pile of pillows, and closed his eyes. He didn’t know how long he had dozed, but the soft rap on his door made him groan. What did Avril want now? “Yes?” He didn’t bother to open his eyes. He didn’t want to see her. The door opened. “Can I come in?” Dylan’s eyes flew open and he turned to Seville, dressed in nothing but the light robe he had given her weeks ago. “Of course. Is everything alright?” Seville walked around the bed to where he lay and sat down next to him. She reached out and pushed the hair from his eyes, her expression heated. “I’ve 49

Lust and Found in Paradise changed my mind.” A smile spread slowly across Dylan’s face as he rose up from the bed, his face so close she could feel his breath. “Are you sure?” he whispered, his lips brushing over hers seductively. **** Seville held her breath as she nodded. She was sure. It had been a decision she had come to while looking out over the dark emptiness of the sea and sky, suddenly wanting and needing human touch— Dylan’s touch. And touch her he did. It was gentle at first, his warm hands working their way up over the robe slowly as his mouth enticed hers with his demand. Gentle fingers flitted over the thin fabric, titillating her nipples tortuously. She moaned and pressed her breasts into the palms of his hands as his tongue worked its way between her lips, stroking sensuously. He reached down and untied the narrow belt, and pushed the robe off her shoulders. Seville’s nude body sat before him, desirous and vulnerable, with the combination of nervousness laced with lust— overpowering. Chest to chest, his hands massaged up the muscles of her back as he pulled her over on top of him, resting his head back into the pillow. Her skin tingled with the sensations that he generated through her body as he nibbled over her lips, his calloused fingers skating lightly over her back before they rested on the soft cheeks of her ass. 50

Madison Foxe He reached around and pulled what was left of the sheet between them, away. Dylan groaned as his hard cock was suddenly pressed into the soft curls of her venus, his tongue sliding into her mouth as he felt her begin to move gently against him, her thighs slipping up the sides of his, giving her clit better access to his heat. She slid up and down on his rod, the petals of her labia caressing his cock deliciously. Her body ached from the pleasure, desperately needing release. Dylan kept her at the edge of the euphoric abyss, unwilling to let her tumble too quickly. It was torture when his fingers began to probe the depth of her sex, gently at first, reveling in her wetness, the heat. Then, as she began to move, thrusting her pussy into his hand, she enveloped his digits, pumping, grinding, as she arched her back to accommodate his lips as they trailed her throat to her breasts. She was earthy, wanton, and she was driving him mad with her intensity. He rolled her onto her back, his lips trailing over her abdomen, his tongue burning a path as he neared her clit. Seville closed her eyes; the sensations he created over her body were like none she had known before. He tugged at her skin lightly, pressed his muscles into her provocatively, and begged she respond. Dylan felt the body of the woman in a way he had not felt in years. He wanted her, the taste, the essence, the being, and she enveloped him with her greed, a demand he was anxious to meet. His tongue rolled 51

Lust and Found in Paradise over the swollen bud, and worked its way down between the labia lips where she was most sensitive, before thrusting his hot mouth over her pussy, penetrating her core as he pumped her with his rigid muscle. His cock strained against the bed, pushing into the mattress needing the friction. “Dylan,” she gasped, “please. I want you in me now.” He didn’t need an engraved invitation and he rose up on his strong arms, lifted himself over her sweat damp frame and impaled the channel with one lunge. She rolled into him, whimpering with each lunge of his engorged cock as he pumped rhythmically. The deeper, harder and more merciless their ardor grew, the fiercer the encounter became. Her breathing and muted cries clued him to how close she was to orgasm, and he let his own body respond accordingly. When she arched her back to meet the brutality of the assault, slamming her sex into him with savage abandon, he let go, the ride into delirium—mutual. **** Seville was sure she had died, her heart staggering under the fury. Dylan dropped over her like a shroud, his body wet and heaving. She reached up and touched his cheek, her hand soft, warm and full of affection. Dylan pulled his arms in, embracing her. “I’m glad you changed your mind,” he whispered contentedly. 52

Madison Foxe “So am I,” she smiled into the darkness. **** Avril turned over in her lonely bed, her nostrils flared, her disgust becoming a scent. She couldn’t help but hear the lovers down the hall pounding their way into oblivion, and it nauseated her.

53

Lust and Found in Paradise

Chapter Ten

W

hen the sun hit the window of Dylan’s room, Seville opened one eye, the heavy arm that rested over her chest a welcome greeting to the day. “Dylan,” she said gently, touching the warm skin. “It is morning.” He turned over to her and nestled his face into her shoulder. “No, it isn’t,” he murmured, his lips playing a tune on her bicep. He tugged his arm around her tightly. “We are in paradise, miles from anywhere. We don’t have to move.” “What about Avril?” “What about her?” “She’ll know.” Dylan groaned. “What does it matter?” **** Avril dropped a glass on the floor, the splintering of shards echoing through the house like an electrical storm. It was an intentional demonstration, designed to draw life from the far end of the house. It worked. Seville slipped from the sheets and reached for the 54

Madison Foxe robe. “We’re going to have to deal with this.” Dylan turned to her. “I know. Maybe I should just give her what she really wants and hope we can survive until the plane gets here.” The cotton felt light over her shoulders. He was so earnest in his intent. He reached over and caressed her arm. Light blonde hairs rose gently off her skin. His touch was electric. “Don’t compromise yourself,” she said, looking down at his warm hand as his fingers trailed the tanned plain. Dylan smiled. “What difference does it make? For some reason the issues that directed my previous attitudes seem so removed from this new reality.” “Your perspective has changed?” His fingers ran slowly up over her elbow. “Yes.” The word was honest, full of color, and meaning. Her eyes focused on him, the question evident. Dylan let his eyes drift over her sensuously. “It is like pulling my head out of the sand. I am not dead. I am not drained. I have not been so beat into submission that I can no longer live in the world. I feel again.” Seville smiled. “What is it that you feel?” “Hope.” THE END

55

About the Author

M

adison Foxe is a Jungian-oriented psychotherapist taking a break to explore various writing genres.