Erotica Ebooks: Free ebook sample of "Paradise Island" by Beverly Rae

Foreword

Come visit a mystical place, where magic is everywhere and life gives second chances. Follow me in the search of promised treasure and love renewed. Open your mind, your heart, your soul and join me on Paradise Island.

Beverly Rae

Paradise Bound

“You cheating, scum-sucking son of a bitch!”

Macy Maitland slapped her boss and fiancé, Ed Williamson, owner and president of Williamson Motors, as hard as she could, leaving a red welt emblazoned on his cheek. If the tingle in her hand gave her a true indication, she’d given him one helluva shot. But it still wasn’t hard enough to wipe the sickening, taunting smirk off his face.

Damn the bastard to hell and back.

Keeping his salesman’s attitude about him, Ed attempted to placate her. “Now, darlin’, I know this is hard to accept., but Barbie and I did get married this weekend in Vegas. Ain’t no way to change what’s already happened. I know you and I are engaged—”

“Were engaged.” Macy shoved her hands into her pockets. God knows what she’d do if she found a weapon near her. Like the hideous I Can Sell Baths To Pigs paperweight resting on his desk.

“—were engaged, but I couldn’t help falling in love with my sweet little Barbie.”

“Little?” Macy snickered at his description of the Pamela Anderson wanna-be. “Shit, her gargantuan tits weigh more than two Texas-size watermelons. Little? What a joke.”

Which was worse? Getting dumped by her fiancé? Or the humiliation of his choosing that dimwit over her? She fumed as she watched Big Boob Barbie through the glass wall separating his office from the sales floor. Barbie flashed her enormous wedding ring at Macy’s coworkers.

“Now Macy, darlin’, let’s not get personal.” Ed flashed a brilliant smile.

Oh, no, he didn’t.

He couldn’t have said what she thought he’d said. The man had more brains than that. After all, he owned the largest car dealership in Dallas. Intelligence played a factor in running a business, right? Even if, instead of working his way to the top, he’d inherited the dealership when his dear old daddy kicked the bucket last fall. God rest his soul.

Macy dipped her head and peered over her reading glasses. “Personal? Let’s not get personal?” She closed in for the kill. Wishing she could turn her finger into a knife, Macy poked at Ed’s chest, emphasizing each word with violent jabs. “Let me get this straight. We’ve been engaged for what? Two years? I never got so much as a promise ring from you because you didn’t want our relationship flaunted in front of the other employees. Then out of the blue, without so much as the common decency to break our engagement first, you up and marry some Madonna-wannabe. Now you don’t want us to get personal?”

He chuckled.

Wait. He chuckled?

Either Mount St. Helens would explode into outer space or her blood pressure would blow her head off. Right now she didn’t care which one happened.

“Now, darlin’, you don’t expect me to stay engaged to you, do you? I mean, I’m a married man now.” Dismissing her, he crossed over to his desk, sat down and reared back in his imported leather chair. “But don’t you worry your pretty head about my marriage. Barbie said she’s willing to let you stay on as my secretary.”

Macy checked around her. The world must have tilted on its axis and thrown her into an alternate reality. Nothing else would explain Barbie’s sudden influence over her livelihood.

“Gee, Eddie. Do thank Miss Blow-Job-For-Anyone for me. I’m sure the fact that her daddy owns the bank holding the title to this company provided no incentive at all for your impromptu marriage. What’s wrong, Eddie? Business go south while you were busy cavorting around with the town slut?”

Ed’s brown eyes lost the crinkles around their edges. “Watch your mouth, Macy, or faster than you can spit, you’ll find yourself strutting the street, hustling to pay the rent.”

She crossed to his desk, leaned forward and got up in his face. “Don’t you threaten me, you lowlife. I wouldn’t work for you one minute longer even if you paid me ten times my pitiful salary. Let Mrs. Whore Hound fetch your coffee from now on. I quit!”

He cocked his head back and laughed. “I do love your spunk, hon, but let’s not go off the deep end. You need this job. Let’s you and me settle down a mite and talk this over. I’m sure we can come to an understanding.”

She jerked back. “An understanding about what? What’s left to discuss?”

Slanting his eyes to the side, he glanced out the glass walls of his office and marked Barbie’s location. “I know you’re hurt, but I don’t see why my hitching up with Barbie has to change our relationship.” He stood, moved beside her and caressed her arm. He leaned in closer, his warm breath on her cheek. “You can still have me, darlin’. You know, for nooners, late evenings and all those business trips.”

He winked at her. Her skin crawled while her gut did a sickening somersault.

Macy’s right fist connected with his winking eye and knocked him backwards a couple of steps. “Consider that a big, fat no!”

Ed stumbled, groping the air for leverage, and flopped on the couch. “You, bitch! I’ll have you arrested for assault and battery.”

She closed her fist around the knot in his tie faster than he could flinch. “You try, Mr. Williamson, and I’ll counter sue you and that reject from strip joint for alienation of affection. Let’s see what a little bad publicity does for your family dealership.”

Releasing him, she brushed imaginary lint off his shoulders and added, “Instead, darlin’, you’re going to contact Louise in Accounting and tell her to cut me a check for five times my monthly salary. And I want it within the next five minutes.”

Rising up, she plastered on a fake grin and faced the people gaping at them through the glass. Wiggling her fingers, she adopted a cheery expression and hurried off to Louise’s cubicle.

“I will go kill him. I will not kill him. I will not kill him.” Macy muttered her litany through the showroom of curious spectators, through the service department and down the hall to Accounting. By the time she made her way to Louise’s desk, she had control of herself. She rounded the corner to the correct station and slid into the chair next to the older lady.

“Louise, did Ed call you about my final paycheck?” A nervous, excited tickle zipped around in her stomach, tearing her in different directions. Part of her hoped the answer would be no, giving her a reason to return to Ed’s office and sock him one more time. On the other hand, the prospect of having to pass by the mass of gossiping people again dimmed her enthusiasm.

Louise’s ratted and sprayed gray hair remained a solid mass while her head bobbed up and down. “He sure did, sweetie. Whatever did you do to get fired?”

Macy liked the twenty year veteran. True to form, sincere concern made more creases in the kind lady’s features. “He said he fired me?”

“Well, yes. Yes, he did.”

Pump it up!

Her blood pressure shot up. She wondered how high a reading she’d register on a blood pressure monitor. Hell, she’d probably break the damn thing.

“He’s a good-for-nothing, money-grubbing, swindling liar. I quit his sorry ass, both as a fiancé and as an assistant. Did he tell you how much to pay me in severance pay?” Just let Ed try and not give her what she’d demanded. Then he’d see what she’s like when she was really angry.

Louise pursed her lips and whistled. “Yes ma’am, he did. I’ve never in all my years seen anyone paid so much money for leaving. Especially if you quit.”

Puffing up her chest like a mother hen, she added, “We all know it’s nothing compared to what you deserve. Why, everyone knows you run the place and let him take all the credit.”

Macy dragged in a deep breath. She should be upset, right? Not just angry, but emotionally torn up. Yet she wasn’t. In fact, she was relieved. How many nights had she lain in bed wondering why she’d decided to settle for Ed? Yet after Dan, every man had seemed second best. Maybe the bastard, Ed, had done her a favor.

“Sweetie, he’s going to be lost without you. We all are.”

Macy squeezed her friend’s hands. After three years of working at Williamson Motors, she’d gotten to know and love a lot of the other employees. Wonderful, caring people like Louise.

“Thanks. I’m going to miss everyone.” She took the check Louise offered her, checked the amount and tucked it into her purse.

“But hey, at least you’ve got an exciting vacation ahead of you.”

Macy raised her eyebrows in question. “Vacation? Did Ed include my accumulated vacation and sick days in my severance check?” If not, should she go back to the office and demand unused vacation and sick pay?

“I went ahead and included all those days, too, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I assumed you must have scheduled one since you got this in the mail today. Sorry, but the delivery man found me while everyone else was in the morning meeting. I flat forgot about it until Ed’s call.” Louise gave her a sorry-for-being-nosy face and handed a large envelope to Macy. “Nothing’s marked personal, so I opened it by mistake. I hope you don’t mind.”

“No problem. I understand.” Macy lifted the flap and pulled out a cream colored envelope very reminiscent of a wedding invitation.

Louise cringed, then tried to hide it.

“What’s up? Why did you make that face?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything, but Ed’s got me working on a party for him and Barbie. Kind of a celebration of their wedding since no one else was at the actual ceremony.”

Talk about adding insult to injury. “Wow. After all the times I tried to get him to do something like that for our engagement.”

Louise sniffed. “The man is a grade A jerk, that’s for sure. But, honey, open the envelope. I think this might just pick up your spirits.”

“Okay. But I didn’t plan a vacation.”

Lace enclosures surrounded the thick card nested inside the envelope. “I can’t imagine what this is. Please God, don’t let it be a wedding invitation. I know that sounds mean, but I don’t think I could handle someone else’s wedded bliss right now.”

“No, honey, it’s an invitation to some fancy resort.” She dropped her eyes and apologized again. “Uh, I happened to drop the package and everything fell out. I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help but read a bit of it. I’m sorry.”

Waving off Louise’s explanation, Macy slipped out the card and studied the intricate lettering. At Louise’s nudge, she started over and read out loud.

“Dear Ms. Maitland,

The Benefactor invites you to be his guest on Paradise Island, a privately owned island in the Pacific Ocean. Your Paradise Palace accommodation includes all the amenities of the five star Palace, including the opportunity to discover a treasure richer than any you’ve ever known. All activities, all meals, all your needs are included. The length of your visit is determined at your discretion.”

Macy’s mind fluttered, unable to fathom the meaning behind the words. “Louise, is this a joke?”

The older woman shook her head and gave a low whistle. “Oh my, I don’t think so. They’re not asking for any money. In fact, the invitation says everything’s free and this isn’t cheap stationary, either. Someone wants to give you this treat. Plus, we’re talking about a treasure. You know what? I’ll bet this is one of those television reality shows. You can’t pass this up, hon. I, for one, say grab on and go.”

“I don’t know. Seems kind of weird to me.” Nervous excitement ran down her spine all the way to her toes. “But then again…”

“There’s more. Read on.”

Macy nodded and continued.

“Travel arrangements await you at the airport. A representative will meet you at Honolulu International Airport upon your arrival. Please plan to leave today.”

Sensing movement, she looked up and found several more of the department’s employees hovering around the tiny space. Figures. Nothing was private in the office. Why not get their opinions?

“So? What does everyone think? Too strange? Should I go for it or forget it? What should I do?”

No one spoke for several minutes as they glanced at each other. Louise took Macy’s hand and pressed it between her two. “Honey, listen to an old lady. Chances like this don’t come along every day. You’ve got to take a few risks and seize what joy you can from life. Don’t find yourself working in some stinking cubicle when you’re sixty and wishing you’d taken a chance like this. I say go!”

* * * *

Macy landed in Honolulu twelve hours and a hundred misgivings later. Deplaning, she got her bearings and headed toward a nearby food stand. She scanned the menu items and tried once again to rid her mind of the nagging doubts plaguing her since leaving Dallas. How stupid could she be? Taking off at a moment’s notice and accepting a mysterious invitation? She should have found out more information first, but no, she’d packed her bags and headed to the airport within two hours of receiving the invitation. Sure, other people traipsed into unknown territory without a care, but not her. At least, not until today. An excited buzz zipped around the inside of her stomach.

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