Part 12 (1/2)

The bug crunched in her mouth, and he knew it was the unexpected texture that made her look like she wanted to spit it out, but the aftertaste saved the day, as he knew it would. Sweet and sharp on the outside, spiced and soft on the inside, once foreigners got past the exoskeleton, they usually agreed it was downright delicious.

”Wow,” she said. ”I am definitely the d.i.c.k here. This ain't bad!”

”Told you so,” said Harrison. His skewer was already empty and he was going for a second. ”Are you ready to see something really breathtaking?”

”More breathtaking than edible insects?” she said, her mouth still a bit full as she finished off her skewer. ”I'm not sure that's possible.”

”All things are possible when you're with me, darling.”

He could tell she wanted to roll her eyes at the line, but then changed her mind and smiled warmly instead.

Leading her by the hand, the two left the market via a small but bustling road that sloped towards the sea. The jungle encroached on either side, and outlines of monkeys and birds were visible, hopping through the trees, chattering happily. They pa.s.sed locals carrying bundles of firewood and loads of groceries on bikes through the streets. When the road opened up onto the beach-side highway, Harrison took her south, towards a more secluded part of the oceanside, where the sandy beaches popular with tourists gave way to rockier land and tumultuous seas.

They stopped near an outcropping where the water whipped violently against the brown rocks. Seagulls were circling just a few yards offsh.o.r.e, pecking at something in the water. The view was absolutely beautiful, and the place was secluded and quiet.

”Is this the make-out point of Bali?” she asked.

”All of Bali is a make-out point,” he said. ”No, this isn't what I'm here to show you. Are you ready for it?”

”I was born ready.”

Harrison grinned and took her by the hand. He led her to the rock outcropping and pointed to a tiny, foot-wide shelf of rock that went out over the water, and then disappeared back into the rock itself. It was a sea cave; the deep echo of the water within was just audible.

”It's only a few meters in, and there's plenty of room in there. Just hold tight to the rocks, okay? Slide your feet like this.” Harrison demonstrated, facing the cliff and sliding his way along the small footbridge until he rounded the corner completely, out of sight. From within he yelled back, ”See? Done! Come on in.”

Only a few moments later, she appeared before Harrison as he waited patiently for her on a sandy beach inside the rock itself, offering his hand. She took it and he pulled her safely onto solid ground.

”Wow, look at this place!” she said. ”It's like a place pirates would hide their gold.” There was no more apt description of the view she was looking at. The cave was large, with a ceiling twenty feet high. A large circular chunk of rock had eroded out of the apex of the ceiling, and sunlight blasted in, creating a perfect beam of light that shone onto the white glittering sand. The ocean had eroded its way into half the cave s.p.a.ce, and it sloshed and shook against the rock faces, its usual bright blue color dimmed by the shadows of the stony walls.

”Pretty amazing, right?” said Harrison. He stretched out on the sand and patted for her to join him. ”It's a bit of a local secret, but they're all over if you know where to look for them.”

Clarice lay down next to him, his arm acting as a pillow to lift her head up out of the sand. He wrapped the arm around her and held her tight against his body as she looked up at the hole in the ceiling and said, ”We should come back here one night and do some star-gazing. I bet it looks really cool laying down here.”

”That's a brilliant idea,” said Harrison. ”I can't believe I've never thought of it. We could build a bonfire, too, roast marshmallows.”

Clarice laughed. ”I'm definitely game.”

Harrison lifted up his head out of the sand to look at her, head on his chest. ”You know, Clarice, all this other stuff aside, I really like spending time with you. You're a wonderful person to be around.”

Clarice lifted her head to meet his gaze, smiling softly, blus.h.i.+ng. ”I like hanging out with you too. It's nice to be with someone who actually wants to do things, not just sit around watching TV, waiting to die.”

”Wow, that got dark very quickly.”

She pinched him. ”You know what I mean.”

”I do. And I think we're on the same page on that issue, darling,” he said. ”Someone to have adventures with is a lovely thing.”

”Yeah,” she said, her emotions swamping her thoughts. ”It really is.”

15.

Clarice

Once a month, the resort hosted a ballroom-themed night meant to harken back to the golden age of American Hollywood, where guests wore their finest black-tie attire, ate a fine prime-rib dinner, and danced the night away to the sounds of a live swing band. After they returned from their adventure in town, Harrison told Clarice that it was the only part of the resort his mother had any patience for, and there was no way for them to miss it.

”Wow, I would have expected quite the opposite from a s.e.x resort,” Clarice mused, as it was described to her.

”What do you mean?”

”Like at a place like this, I would expect a black tie event to mean that a black tie was the only thing you were allowed to wear.”

Harrison laughed. ”That's not a bad idea, I'll bring it up at the next planning meeting for our events staff, but I don't think it would be something my mother would ever attend. She likes to pretend that the hedonistic side of this resort doesn't really exist. Ballroom dancing is much more her style, which is why we have to attend.”

”But I've never ballroom danced before!” said Clarice, with a whiny pout as she sat on the penthouse bed. ”I'm going to embarra.s.s both of us, or blow our cover.”

”No worries darling, they know you're in publis.h.i.+ng, remember? No one told them you were a ballroom dance instructor or anything,” he a.s.sured her as he tossed the pieces of a fine tailored tuxedo across the bed, inspecting them for faults and threads.

”What if I trip?”

He laughed. ”Then I'll catch you.”

”What if you trip?”

”Then you'll catch me.”

When she didn't reply, Harrison looked up with a pretend-shocked face. ”Hey, what's this now? No vote of confidence? My pretend wife-to-be can't even keep me from making a fool of myself at a fine event?”

”I don't know if you noticed, but you're like... a whole lot bigger than me. Pretty sure if I tried to catch you, we'd both go down.”

He grinned at her wickedly. ”Go down, you say?” With lightning speed, Harrison wrapped his strong arms around Clarice's thighs and yanked her down towards the edge of the bed.

She squealed and laughed in delight. ”What are you doing?”

Harrison rubbed his face along her neck, between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, moving steadily down her stomach toward her p.u.s.s.y. In a flash he had her dress pushed up around her waist and her panties pulled down to her ankles.

”I'm following my inspiration,” came his l.u.s.tful growl.

Before she could respond, Harrison began lapping at her c.l.i.t with his warm, soft tongue, and Clarice could do nothing but lay back and moan. With his body weight and his strong arms, he kept her still and pressed against his face as he ate her out with hungry fervor, sucking at her c.l.i.t before moving down to penetrate her inner sweetness with his tongue.

Clarice writhed underneath him as her flexing fingers twirled through his hair. When he pushed two fingers deep inside her, ecstasy rolled hard over her body and she came hard against his tongue. He didn't even stop eagerly lapping at her wetness until her quakes subsided. When they finally did, he kissed his way up her body until he hovered over her mouth, then shared the taste of her juices with a pa.s.sionate kiss.

”Is that protocol for all cla.s.sy evenings?” asked Clarice breathlessly.

”Certainly,” said Harrison. ”No gentleman would arrive at a gala without having eaten some incredible p.u.s.s.y first.”