Filed to story: Young Girls Forbidden Love Series: My Best Friend’s Daddy
The softness from the kiss the night before had all but faded into the passionate urgency of our kisses in the water.
I wrapped my legs around his waist again, loving the way our bare bodies felt against each other.
Michael moved from kissing my mouth to kissing down my neck.
I could feel his desire, hard against my leg, and couldn’t deny I wanted him just as badly.
“Are you sure you want this, Shelby?” Michael panted between kisses on my neck, moving back up toward my mouth.
“Yes, Michael! Don’t stop!” I moaned in a breathless whisper.
“Do you still want more?” His voice caught in his throat, and I could hear the longing in each word.
“Yes,” I whispered into Michael’s ear before biting it gently.
Just as I started to feel him slipping inside me, a tree branch cracked, snapping my attention to a man holding a camera pointed directly at us.
I grabbed onto Michael and said urgently, “Michael, there is a man taking pictures of us!”
Michael turned his head, clearly seeing the man with the camera.
“Shit! Stay behind me, Shelby. I’ll get you out of this.”
Michael used his body to cover mine, and I buried my face into his neck, praying the man hadn’t already gotten a picture of my face. Michael swam for a group of rocks, hiding us behind them.
“You stay right here, and I will go handle this,” Michael said.
I latched onto one of the rocks, and Michael used a butterfly stroke to reach the beach. Sliding on his shorts, he took off in the cameraman’s direction. They both disappeared from my view in the dense vegetation and palm trees.
Hot tears streamed down my face mixing with the salt water. I swam over to the beach and slipped my dress back on before the cameraman could return. The fabric clung to my still-wet body, a feeling I absolutely hated. However, the feeling of safety the dress brought me was worth being uncomfortable.
How could I have forgotten that Michael is not only my friend’s dad, but he is also, in his own right, a famous businessman? It was easy to forget that the man was worth billions because he was so kind and generous, especially toward me.
As my heart slowed, my stomach rolled with dread. That man was likely with a magazine that would publish those pictures for the entire world to see. Pictures of me about to have sex with Lauren’s dad!
‘Billionaire Michael Astor Spotted Skinny Dipping with Mystery Woman!’
I could already imagine the headlines and articles that would follow the scandalous pictures. There would be no way to face Lauren after she saw pictures of me naked and kissing her father.
If my identity got out, I could possibly lose my spot at Harvard, and I could kiss the job at the law firm goodbye too.
I finished getting dressed and then walked back to the mansion on my own, knowing I could not face Michael after the trouble I had just caused. I would lock myself in my room until I could sneak away to my flight tomorrow.
I kept looking over my shoulder and scanning the surrounding areas for people as I walked back. Once in my room, I leaned my back against the door. Michael and I had almost had sex!
I smiled to myself, no longer trying to deny how good he made me feel. The thought of facing him after this scared me, but I desperately wanted to finish what we’d started.
I slid my dress off and got in the shower to wash off the sand and then snuggled into the robe Michael gave me, drinking in his scent.
I just wished things could have ended differently between Michael and me. If that was the only time I was ever going to be in his arms, I didn’t want it to be tainted by the intruder with the camera. I wanted to remember the two of us together, wrapped in each other’s arms, focusing on how amazing we made each other feel.
Hot tears slid down my cheeks. I’d known this was a bad idea, that I shouldn’t get involved with my friend’s dad, even if Lauren wasn’t the nicest person, even if she was unknowingly marrying my ex.
Going home couldn’t erase what I’d already done, but it could prevent anything worse from happening. I would miss Michael, but leaving was for the best. I knew that now… for certain.
*************************
*Shelby*
My eyes burned from all of the crying I had done the night before. I’d spent the whole day in my room, and I’d barely slept that night, worrying about how many magazines would have the picture of me and Michael on the cover the next day and thinking about my decision to leave.
I just hoped that I would be able to make it home before the media caught hold of the story. I wanted to be as far away from Lauren as possible when she got ahold of the picture.
I texted Lin, telling her to confirm the flight for the next day and wondered how I’d even get there. Flying commercial meant I couldn’t use the private airstrip.
Maybe Reggie will be able to help me. Or Brenna. Now more than ever, I wanted to escape this vacation.
I’d gone to the bathroom and started the shower, filling the room with steam, when I heard an urgent knocking on my door.
My heart sank, knowing Michael would never knock so frantically on my door; the only other person it could be was Lauren. She must have already seen the picture.
I turned off the shower and wrapped myself in my robe before taking my death march to the door. I swung it open to find Lauren standing there with mascara-stained tears running down each of her cheeks.
“Shelby,” Lauren sobbed and cupped her mouth with one of her hands.
“Lauren, I am…” but before I could start apologizing, Lauren wrapped me in a hug and started crying into my shoulder. I stood there stunned and confused.
I figured Lauren had come up here to kick me out of her father’s house and end our friendship. After a few seconds, I wrapped my arms around her and patted her back.
“Lauren, what is going on?” I asked, still confused but selfishly relieved.
“I caught Todd with another woman last night!” Lauren gasped, her body shaking with sobs.
“Oh, Lauren,” I said in a sympathetic tone. I wanted to call Todd every horrible name I could think up, but I knew that wouldn’t help right now.
That came later in the breakup, as I was all too familiar with, because of Todd.
I pulled back from Lauren, and with my arm around her shoulder, led her to one of the small couches in the room’s sitting area. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to the maid, Brenna.
Shelby: SOS! Lauren is having a breakdown in my room. Could you have someone send up some coffee (for me) and tissues (for Lauren)?
Brenna: On it! I’ll be there soon. Hang in there.
“Who are you texting? I need your undivided attention right now!” Lauren said, shooting me a dirty look.
“I texted one of the maids; I am having her bring up some stuff for you,” I said, trying to stay calm at Lauren’s outburst at me. It was probably just because she was so upset.
“Oh, that’s fine, I guess.”
“Lauren, tell me what happened,” I said.
“Last night, Todd didn’t come back to our room. I was worried about him, so I started looking through the entire house for him. I could not find him anywhere, so I went outside, figuring he might have gone for a walk on the beach to calm down after our fight.”
“What did you two fight about?
“Well, the first day we got here, I picked up his phone while he was in the shower, and he had a text from an unknown number. The text said I miss you.”
“Lauren, that could have been from someone in his family,” I said. I couldn’t believe I was standing up for Todd.
I knew exactly the kind of man he was, but seeing Lauren so upset made me want to protect her feelings.