The Exception Read online

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, hand me your paddle and slowly stand up. Put your foot where your knee was. One foot at a time and make sure the nose doesn’t dip up. Then, keep your feet hip width apart. The most important thing to remember is don’t balance with your entire body, just your hips, and don’t look down. Keep your head up and looking forward at all times.”

  Drew did exactly what I said and balanced himself.

  “Good, now here’s your paddle. Make sure you grip the top and stand tall. Don’t slouch.”

  “Like this?” he asked.

  “Yes. Perfect. Now follow me and use short strokes.”

  As we began to paddle board back to shore, I looked over and noticed he was going in the wrong direction. I busted out into laughter.

  “You’re going the wrong way!” I shouted.

  “I can’t help it. It’s making me.”

  “You’re paddling wrong. We’re going to the left, so you want to paddle on the right.”

  “Oh. That makes sense.” He smiled as he turned his board around.

  Finally, we made it back to shore, and I was pleasantly surprised how Drew managed to stay on the whole time.

  “That was quite an adventure.” He grinned.

  “Yeah. It sure was.”

  We returned our paddle boards and began walking towards the lobby of the hotel.

  “I think I’m going to hang out at the pool,” he spoke. “Care to join me?”

  “I’m going to head back to the room and change. There’s someone I have to go see.”

  “Okay. You have a friend here?”

  “Yeah. He’s an old friend that I visit every time I come here.”

  “You must visit a lot.”

  “Every couple of years since I was six years old. I actually consider Hawaii my second home.”

  “Nice. Have fun reconnecting with your friend.”

  “Thanks. Have fun at the pool or maybe go take a paddle boarding lesson.” I winked.

  He chuckled and I walked away and went back to my room.

  Chapter Seven

  Drew

  She was so beautiful and she was all I thought about. I know, I was a bastard because I was in Hawaii with my girlfriend. But the truth was, we hadn’t been getting along the past couple months and I’d wondered if she was even worth it anymore. After having a slight disagreement at the pool, Jess suddenly came down with a migraine. She was successfully ruining this trip and it had only been one day. We had been dating about a year and my feelings for her never grew into anything more. She was a very selfish and jealous person and I couldn’t even smile politely at another woman without being accused of wanting to sleep with her. Her insecurities had been pushing me away for a while now and she knew it. This trip was her idea, and the reason we didn’t fly together was because I had an emergency business meeting in Seattle that came up unexpectedly, and I needed to be there. So she took our original flight out of New York and I changed my flight to fly out of Seattle.

  As I sipped on my Mai Tai at the pool, I couldn’t get Jillian’s smile out of my head. Her laughter was enough to brighten up anyone’s life. She had touched me in a way that I had never felt before. From the moment she stepped on the plane, I felt a rush of something. I couldn’t even tell you what the hell it was because it was something I’d never experienced before.

  “Hey,” Jess spoke as she sat down next to me.

  “Hey. Are you feeling better?”

  “A little. I’m sorry about earlier. I know it was all my fault and I just want this trip to be perfect. You’ve been so distant lately. We’ve been distant.”

  “I know.” I sighed.

  “I’m going to try harder, Drew. I promise. I love you, baby, and I want things to be good between us.” She leaned over and brushed her lips against mine.

  “Okay. Would you like a drink?”

  She ran her finger down my chest. “Why don’t we go back to the room and make love?”

  “Are you feeling up to it?”

  “Yes, and I know you’re the perfect cure for me.” She smiled.

  ****

  Jess and I hadn’t had sex in over a month and I wasn’t really bothered by it. With the problems we’d been having and all the arguing, I wasn’t in the mood. I would just put on some porn and take care of myself. I thought maybe having sex with her now would make me feel something or feel different, but it didn’t and it didn’t help that I had a problem staying hard. Shit. I never had that problem before and it bothered me.

  “Don’t be upset over it, Drew.” She softly stroked my chest. “I know you’ve been under a lot of stress lately with the company and I’ve done my fair share in contributing to that stress.”

  I wanted to tell her that I didn’t think stress had anything to do with it and that she was more than likely the reason why. Actually, Jillian was the reason why. I couldn’t stop thinking about her and how it would feel to make love to her. The whole time I was fucking Jess, I was thinking about Jillian, and it needed to stop. I would never have a chance with her anyway. Not only had she just dumped her fiancé yesterday, she was starting over and embarking on a self-discovery journey to find herself.

  “I’m not upset and you’re right, I’ve been under a lot of stress lately,” I lied.

  “Well, we’re just going to have to destress you, and the first thing I’m going to do to prove to you that I’ve changed is I’m going to invite that girl, what’s her name?”

  “What girl?”

  “The one who left her fiancé at the altar?”

  “Jillian?”

  “Yes, I’m going to invite Jillian to have dinner with us before we leave.”

  Shit. That was not a good idea.

  “You don’t have to do that, Jess. This vacation is for the two of us.”

  “Don’t be silly. I want to. She seems like a nice girl and she’s here alone. I kind of feel sorry for her. I’m sure she’s torn up by what she did and she could use some company.”

  ****

  Jillian

  I rented a car and drove to Ano’s house. I smiled as I pulled up and saw his family sitting on the front porch. His wife, three kids, aunt, sister, and brother in-law. They were a tight-knit family and they all lived in the same house. Stepping out of the car, I walked up to the porch, and his wife, Lonnie, got up from her chair and hugged me.

  “You’re back.” She smiled. “Look at you. It’s been what? Two years since you were here last.”

  “Yeah.” I hugged her tightly.

  “I’ll go get Ano. He’ll be so surprised.”

  As she went inside to get her husband, I said hello to all his family members. When Ano opened the creaky storm door, he stopped when he saw me.

  “Jillian.” He held out his arms.

  “Hi, Ano.”

  “It’s good to see you again, girl. What’s been going on in that humdrum life of yours?”

  I took in a deep breath. “I was supposed to get married yesterday.”

  Ano looked at me and cocked his head. “And you bailed, didn’t you?”

  “Yep. I sure did.”

  “Good for you. You know I never liked that little weasel. Come inside and I’ll make us some herbal tea.”

  “I’ll make it, dear,” Lonnie spoke. “The two of you go sit down and talk.”

  He led me out the patio door, and we took seats in the lounge chairs that faced the water.

  “So, you finally decided it was time to go find yourself.”

  “Yeah. Pretty much. I just walked away from the only life I’d ever known.”

  “How does it feel?”

  “It feels great, but also a little scary.”

  “Are you questioning yourself for leaving?”

  “No. I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”

  “Good. It’ll make your journey a little easier. But I will warn you, Jillian, in order to continue on with your journey, you need to become fearless of what you may discover and how your life wil
l change.”

  “I know. I understand that.” I looked down.

  “What you find out about yourself will be with you forever and there will be no escaping it.”

  “Here you are,” Lonnie spoke as she handed us our tea.

  “Thank you, Lonnie.” I smiled.

  “Thank you, my love.” Ano took hold of his wife’s hand and kissed it.

  They had the kind of relationship that I’d always dreamed of. Every time I visited them growing up, their bond seemed stronger. They had the kind of love that was rare. Unlike my parents, who were at each other’s throats 24/7.

  “You two are really something special.” I smiled at Ano.

  He reached over and placed his hand on mine. “You, my friend, will have a love like ours someday.”

  “I hope so.” A small smile crossed my lips.

  “You will. You’re a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. I want you to remember one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Your journey won’t be complete until you make peace with those who love you.”

  “I can never go back there, Ano.” I looked at the water.

  “You can and you will. You say that now, but once you get further along and become more aware of who you truly are, you’ll know it’s the right thing to do. You’ve come a long way since the day I found you hiding in that cave when you were just ten years old, but this time, I’m not convincing you to go back. That’s something you need to do on your own and on your own terms. You’ll know when the time is right. Sometimes you need to get lost to be found.”

  After having dinner with the family, it was time for me to head back to the hotel. As I was in my suite, pouring a glass of wine, there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, I was surprised to see Drew standing there.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi.” He smiled.

  “Come on in.”

  As soon as he stepped through the door, I looked down the hall.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Where’s Jess?”

  “She’s up in the room. I saw you come back to the hotel and I wanted to talk to you for a minute.”

  “Oh. Okay. What’s up? Do you want some wine?” I asked as I picked up my glass.

  “No, thank you. If by chance you run into me and Jess, could you please not mention that we ran into each other today and the whole paddle board thing?”

  “Why?” I asked with a twisted face.

  Drew placed his hands in his pockets. “She’s a very jealous person and she would take it the wrong way.”

  “Sure. I won’t mention it.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem.” I grinned.

  Removing his hand from his pocket, he rubbed the back of his neck.

  “I should get going.”

  “Enjoy the rest of your evening,” I spoke.

  “You too.” Walking to the door, he stopped and turned around. “Did you have a nice visit with your friend?”

  “I did. Thanks for asking.”

  He gave me a small smile as he opened the door and walked out. I stood there, biting down on my bottom lip. He seemed stressed. Maybe I was imaging things. No. He had a stressed look on his face and it made me wonder what was going on.

  Chapter Eight

  Jillian

  I took the elevator down to the restaurant to have breakfast before I started my day. I felt great today. I slept like a baby all night for the first time in years. As the hostess was taking me to my table, I saw Drew and Jess. I pretended not to notice them, but she called me out as I walked by.

  “Jillian.”

  I stopped and plastered on my perfected smile. “Good morning,” I spoke.

  “Good morning.” Drew gave a small smile.

  “Do you have dinner plans for tonight?” Jess asked.

  Shit. Really? Oh God, no. I started to fumble with my words and just thought to hell with it. She’d know I was lying.

  “No. Actually, I don’t.”

  “Excellent. Drew and I would love for you to join us. Right, baby?” she asked as she placed her hand on his.

  “Sure.” He looked down.

  “I would hate to impose on your vacation,” I spoke.

  “You wouldn’t be imposing at all. If I thought that, I wouldn’t have asked. So, yes?”

  “Yes. That would be nice. Thank you.”

  “Great. I’ll have Drew make reservations and then we’ll pick you up at your room, say around seven o’clock?”

  “Seven sounds good.”

  “Which room are you in?” she asked as she cocked her head.

  “The Presidential Suite on the ninth floor.”

  “Perfect. We’ll see you at seven.”

  “Enjoy your day.” I smiled as I walked away.

  My mind went back to what Drew said to me last night about her being a jealous person. Why would she invite me to have dinner with them? She knew Drew and I met on the plane and I could tell by her reaction when we first met that she instantly hated me. Why the sudden change of heart? I sighed as I sipped my coffee. Now that I thought more about it, Drew never looked happy when I saw the two of them together, and it was like he was a different person when he was with her. It was almost as if he was a different man than the one I met on the plane and paddle boarded with yesterday.

  When I headed out to the private boat I rented, Juno was there to greet me.

  “It’s nice to see you again, Jillian.” He smiled as he hugged me.

  “It’s good to see you too.”

  “Are you alone this trip?”

  “Yeah. I’ve decided to embark on a journey of self-discovery.”

  “Self-discovery is good.” He smiled as he handed me some scuba gear. “And what better way to get in touch with yourself than to swim with the dolphins? I’m going to take you to a special place not many of us take visitors. But for you, I’ll take you there.”

  Juno started the boat and took me to a cove. As I stood there, looking over the side of the boat, I saw a group of dolphins swimming around the crystal clear, aqua blue water. I would never grow tired of this. I’d been swimming with the dolphins for years and loved every minute of it, but this time, it would be a different experience for me.

  “There they are. They’re waiting for you to play with them, Jillian.” Juno smiled.

  As soon as I climbed into the water, a group of dolphins swam up to me as my hands skimmed the top of the water. I’d learned over the years how to play with them by swimming around in a circle. Suddenly, they started to swim away and then circled back, with one of them brushing his nose against my body as if to tell me to follow them. Diving down into the water, I followed them out a few feet and found myself in pure bliss. They were in a playful mood. Some were spinning around me while others were jumping out of the water. They welcomed me into their oceanic playground. They kept a close eye on me as if they knew what I was going through and every emotion that flooded my mind. I found myself in the presence of joy and peacefulness. I was suddenly face to face with one dolphin as he was mere millimeters from me. I slowly brought up my hands and placed them on each side of his nose. As I stared into his eyes, I became aware of this moment. As if I suddenly woke up from a life that had only been a dream. I saw freedom and fearlessness. His clicking became more pronounced and the other dolphins swam over to me. I found myself encircled by them, and as I looked around into each of their eyes, I felt an abundance of love and strength.

  Returning to the surface of the water, I played with them for a while longer and then climbed back into the boat.

  “Magical, wasn’t it?” Juno smiled.

  “Beyond magical, Juno.”

  As I stared over the side of the boat one last time before Juno took me back, the dolphins jumped up out of the water and spun around. Two of them came to the side of the boat and stared up at me as I ran my hand along their noses.

  “Thank you,” I spoke to them.

  Turning arou
nd and diving back into the water, they disappeared, but the feeling that I got from our time together never would.

  ****

  Passing by one of the shops in the hotel, a dress in the window caught my eye. It was a strapless, red floral print wraparound that would be perfect for dinner tonight with Drew and Jess. Walking into the shop, I asked the saleswoman if I could see it.

  “What size are you?” she asked.

  “Size 4.”

  She smiled as she took the dress off the mannequin and handed it to me.

  “Perfect. It’s your size and the only one we got in. I would say that you are meant to wear it. Would you like to try it on?”

  “Yes. Please.”

  As I stood and stared at myself in the full-length mirror, I ran my hands down my sides. The dress fit perfectly and I was in love with it. After making my purchase, I headed back up to my suite, showered, and got ready for dinner, which somehow I felt was going to be awkward at its best.

  Just as I put the final touches on my makeup, there was a knock at the door. My belly started to do tiny flips and I wasn’t sure why. I had nothing to be nervous about. I was just having dinner with a man I met on the plane and his girlfriend. Opening the door, my eyes instantly diverted their attention to Drew. Good lord, was he hot. A number of things took over me, one being the ache between my legs and the thought of how I needed to take care of that later.

  “Love that dress,” Jess spoke as she looked me up and down.

  “Thank you. You look so pretty.” I smiled.

  “Thanks. Are you ready? The car is waiting for us downstairs.”

  “Hello, Jillian.” Drew nodded.

  “Hi.” I gave a small and careful smile as not to upset the girlfriend.

  I grabbed my purse and we headed out of the hotel.

  ****

  Drew

  My heart picked up the pace the minute Jillian opened the door. My God, she was so beautiful. I loved the way her long brown, blonde-highlighted hair with the subtle waves swept over her shoulders. Her lips were stained in a perfect red color that matched her dress, which hugged her body in all the right places. Jess and I had had a small argument before leaving the room. It wasn’t anything major, just her complaining that she felt I wasn’t being romantic on this trip, and it was enough to set me off for the rest of the night. I couldn’t take my eyes off Jillian and I needed to be careful because my cock was being uncooperative.