Chapter 35

He carried her to the bathroom and laid her inside the large bathtub that was already filled with warm water and bubbly soap that smelled like vanilla and strawberry.

“Ah… this is so relaxing,” she sighed as soon as her body touched the deliciously scented water.

Derek grabbed a washcloth from a nearby rack, dipped it in the water, and began to run it over her body, starting from her neck. He slowly ran it over her shoulders in circular motions before he began to slide it down to her boobs. She inhaled sharply when he started to meticulously rub the washcloth over her breasts, stopping briefly on her nipples to give them extra attention. Then he washed her arms, back, belly, and finally, between her legs where he lingered, drawing a moan out of her.

“I should bathe you every day,” he murmured.

“Yeah, you should,” she agreed. She was hot for him right now and she wanted him beside her and inside of her. “Come here,” she said, scooting to one side of the tub to make room for him.

He joined her in the tub without hesitation, cradling himself behind her so that her head rested comfortably on his chest. “I haven’t washed your legs yet,” he said.

“Don’t worry about them. You’ve done enough washing already,” she said impatiently before lifting herself up and then settling down on his erect shaft.

The slipperiness of the soap made his penetration extra smooth, it was like slicing butter with a hot knife. A sizzle of pleasure vibrated through his body as she continued to move up and down on his rigid cock. The way her soft, warm womanhood enveloped him, made him sigh with joy.

“You’re killing me, Rachel,” he moaned. “You’re killing me.”

“I hope not,” she giggled and picked up her pace because the sensation blooming from where she is joined to him was increasing in tempo and she could no longer maintain the slow strokes she started with. Her hips seemed to be moving on their own, going up and down, and back and forth all at once.

“Oh, Rachel!” Derek cried out, gripping the edge of the tub because he was slipping into the soapy water from all that vigorous twerking that Rachel was doing on him.

He always took pride in his ability to maintain control at all times including during sex, but when it came to Rachel, he was like a pendulum swinging in whatever direction she chose, and right now, she was choosing an explosive release. He didn’t want to cum just yet because he wanted to extend this moment and make it last all night but he was not in control.

When his orgasm came, it was like a volcano erupting after many years of resting. Rachel cried out as her body shook in orgasmic pleasure. It was such a great feeling that she nearly wept because of it. She let Derek hold onto her tightly as they slowly recovered from that delightful exercise of lovemaking.

**********

“Is the weather always perfect in Bermuda?” Rachel wondered aloud while lounging in the pool with Derek and Zoe, who was splashing around with a ducky floater. It was their second day in the beautiful country and the sun was shining from a clear sky.

“Not always, but we came here at the right time,” said Derek. He took a sip of his chilled drink and sighed with satisfaction. “This is the life. I don’t know why I never liked the idea of taking vacations before. It just seemed like a waste of time to me because every minute that passed was a lost opportunity to make another kill in the business world.”

“You’re the wealthiest workaholic I know,” said Rachel. “Why do you like working so much? It can’t be for the money because you’ve always had that.”

“Yeah, it was never about the money for me,” he admitted. “I guess work helped me to suppress all my emotional baggage. It drowns out all the noise and keeps my mind constantly busy.”

Rachel was surprised by this unexpected display of vulnerability from him. She hadn’t realized that his emotional trauma ran so deep or that it was one of the things that motivated him to be a man who prioritized his career over everything else. He was simply using his work as a balm to soothe his inner pain.

“Don’t feel sorry for me,” he said when he saw how sad she now looked. “Work was merely a coping mechanism for me but I don’t need that anymore. I have you and Zoe now.”

Everything clicked for her right then; Derek was using her and Zoe to fill up the void in his life. Contrary to what Vanessa had told her, he wasn’t in love with her, instead, he was using her and Zoe to block out the pain that had gnawed at his heart for years. Rachel’s happy mood deflated immediately and she swam out of the pool feeling like an idiot. How could she have mistaken a relationship of convenience for something deeper?

“Rachel, are you ok?” Derek asked when he noticed how her mood had suddenly changed. “Is something wrong?”

“No, everything is fine. I just need to use the bathroom,” she said and fled.

Inside the villa, she went to the bar to pour herself a stiff drink. She needed to be honest with herself in this relationship or else, she will continue to get her heart broken every day and Derek wouldn’t even know what was happening to her. She did not agree to go on vacations with him to simply spend the entire time second-guessing her position in his life and being miserable. This was supposed to be a time for her to let her hair down, have fun and enjoy his generosity to the fullest. It was time for her to stop acting like a love-starved woman and just be that woman who was having the time of her life with her billionaire boyfriend who was also the father of her child!

“Stop being a pussy, Rachel,” she said to herself. “You’re already Derek’s novocaine, don’t be his emotional dump site too.”

If Derek was going to be using her as his painkiller, she might as well use him as her means to live the lavish lifestyle that she’d once thought to be unattainable. If any of her friends were in her position right now, they wouldn’t be acting like some love-hungry teenage girl who is finally in the same breathing space with her crush. She needed to get her head out of the clouds and face reality. Derek loves the idea of having his own family, but he does not love her. He loves and adores Zoe, but he does not love her and that’s ok. This trip was meant to be a fun trip and she was already ruining it with her unrealistic expectation that he would fall in love with her.

She drained the glass of wine and set it down on the table. As the alcohol made a hot path down her throat, she imagine it burning away her initial stupidity and restoring her senses. From now on, she was going to be the fun-loving Rachel she used to be before she met Derek. She would go everywhere with him, eat with him, sleep with him and spend his money without remorse. As long as Zoe was well-taken care of and happy, she was good. She didn’t need Derek to fall in love with her for her to be happy.

Having successfully consoled herself, she returned to the pool and found Derek and Zoe sitting on one of the lounge chairs, talking and laughing.

“What’s so funny?” She asked when she joined them.

Derek looked at her curiously. “I was telling Zoe a joke that I just made up,” he said, still staring at her with a puzzled expression.

“I’d like to hear it,” she said with a huge smile.

“O…kay,” he said tentatively. “So, here’s the joke; what did the duck say to the doctor?”

Rachel shrugged. “Quack, quack?”

“Yes!” Derek replied, surprised by her accurate response.

Zoe dissolved into a fit of laughter, clutching her sides as she laughed.

“How did you figure that out? Are you telepathic or something?”

“Maybe I am, or maybe I just know that ducks say quack, quack.”

Zoe started laughing again.

“She thinks quack, quack is funny,” said Derek, enjoying his daughter’s mirth. “I love the sound of her laughter.”

Rachel felt her heart beginning to melt and she caught herself. This was the sort of thing that made her think she was in love with Derek.

“Don’t you think this is a perfect day to go to the beach?” She asked abruptly.

“Uh, sure,” said Derek, uncertainly. He couldn’t figure out what was up with Rachel. Not long ago, she’d looked hurt by something he probably said, and now here she was all smiles and lighthearted and wanting to go to the beach? Was she ok?

“Do you know any beach we could go to around here?” She asked.

“Yeah. Coco Reef is not too far away from here. We could go there.”

“Cool. I’ll go pack our stuff and we can go,” she said and got on her feet to go back inside.

“Ok. I’ll let the guys know we are going out,” Derek replied, feeling more confused by Rachel’s sudden change in demeanor.