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, blushing. "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 publishing, 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."

Clarice giggled and pulled him down for another sweet kiss. He groaned into her mouth and nuzzled his nose against hers, only pulling back briefly to look at her face before kissing her again and again. There was something so tender and intimate about the motion that Clarice felt like her heart was going to burst. She wrapped her arms tighter around Harrison's neck and settled in with his face resting against hers.

For a long moment, they just lay there and caressed each other's bodies, and when Clarice closed her eyes, there was nothing fake about the serenity or completeness she felt being wrapped around this gorgeous, foreign man.

Like he read her mind, Harrison spoke softly against her shoulder, "This is quite peaceful."

She nudged her face against his hair. "Yeah, it really is." The words they didn't say filled the empty s.p.a.ce in the room like a living, pulsating thing, invisible, yet impossible to ignore.

Harrison cleared his throat and sat up from the embrace, rubbing a hand through his hair. "I suppose we'd better get ready. We don't want to keep father waiting. Plus, I am absolutely dying to see what you look like in that dress you bought."

"Oh, babe, you have no idea," teased Clarice as she scooted off the bed and headed for the bathroom. "You would swear this dress was made just for me, it fits so well. It's a conspiracy!"

"Or maybe it's just fate," winked Harrison. "The G.o.ds of Indonesia knew you were going to need something smashing to wear for a night out in high society." Before she could pa.s.s by, Harrison pulled her close into his chest and kissed her head.

She put her hands on his gorgeous sculpted chest. "I sincerely hope the G.o.ds of Indonesia have much better things to do with eternity."

Harrison laughed, kissed her once more, and then released her with a little pat on the a.s.s. Clarice gave him a look of mock disdain and disappeared into the bathroom to begin her routine. She kicked Harrison out into the living room before she got too far, insisting that he not see her until she was completely ready.

When she finally emerged from the bedroom, Harrison was fully dressed in his tailored tuxedo. His broad shoulders and trim waist made him look at once both attractive and dangerous, and all the darkness of his suit contrasted against the bright blue of his eyes.

As soon as he saw her, though, his mouth dropped open. He stopped fidgeting with his cufflinks and just stared.

Clarice grinned. She knew she was going to be irresistible. Trudy had nearly cried when she came out of the boutique dressing room in the body-hugging, ankle-length sheer gold dress, accented with sweeping gold sequins that resembled the unfolding wings of birds, acting as both decor and practical cover between her legs and across her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Bits of skin covered in simple sheer gold, peek-a-booed out in seductive shapes. When she moved, the dress glittered around her curves and sent light dancing across the room. The vintage look of the dress inspired her to put her long black hair up in finger rolls, and paint her lush lips with bright red lipstick.

Judging by the look on Harrison's face, she had greatly succeeded in her quest.

"Holy mother of G.o.d, Clarice," he said. "You look absolutely stunning."

Clarice blushed. "It's all because of you. This is the dress I found shopping."

"I can't take credit for any of this." He came close to her, awe in his expression and something deep in his eyes. "You are simply the most stunning woman I've ever met, Clarice, and it's not because of this dress."

Clarice blinked up at him, momentarily speechless by his show of emotion. She swallowed against a tight throat. "You're sweet to say that, Harrison. Thank you."

He lifted up her hand and gave it a kiss. "Thank you. Every single man at the party tonight is going to wish he was me."

Harrison wasn't wrong; the roomful of partygoers did stare at her like they wanted to be on her arm, and Clarice had no idea how to feel about it. Some vain part of her loved the attention, and loved being by Harrison's side, if nothing else, but it certainly was a strange experience. Besides, she was pretty sure at least some of the people were staring more at him, than her.

Trudy and the girls weren't coming to this event, sadly. They all had different plans with men, and Clarice was glad they were getting the most out of their vacations, but she did miss their smiling faces. Nevertheless, the night was dreamlike and wonderful as soon as Clarice and Harrison stepped into the high-ceilinged ballroom. The full band on-stage had just launched into "Begin the Beguine", and couples swayed softly on the polished dance floor. All around the open dance s.p.a.ce, big round tables were arranged for the dinner service, and guests were already enjoying their meals, the air abuzz with conversation.

The Moores waited for Clarice and Harrison at the VIP table separated from the guest tables by a small dais and few steps. When he saw them approach, George rose and clapped, beaming at Clarice so hard that she couldn't help but smile back at him with everything she had. He was infectious.

After dinner was served and eaten, both Harrison and his father insisted on having dances with their respective ladies. "Moore men simply cannot abide hiding such stunning women back at the dinner table," said George.

Clarice looked to Harrison with a smile. "Is that right?"

Harrison gave her a shrug and a smile. "He has a point."

"Well then, in keeping with tradition..." She offered Harrison her hand. "But don't say I didn't warn you about my lack of skills."

He smiled and steered her to the ballroom floor. The band launched into a slow ballad, and Clarice tucked up against Harrison's strong chest as he led them across the dance floor. It wasn't long before he was pulling her into him completely, and she rested her head on his chest while he kept a hand on her back.

"This is so beautiful," she said softly.

"It really is a lovely time, isn't it," agreed Harrison. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"And this dance is simple enough that even I can do it," she joked.

"Well, this is just a slow dance, don't get c.o.c.ky."

Clarice gave him a look. "If we weren't surrounded by fancy people, I'd bite you right now."

"I dare you to do it anyway." There was a glint in his eye that made her almost believe he'd like to see that.

"Oh, do you?"

"Do it, tough guy."

So she did, right on his chest, and Harrison had to swallow his surprised cry when he felt it. A few close couples gave them weird looks, anyway, and they quickly danced towards another part of the floor as they tried to stifle laughter.

"I honestly can't remember the last time I had this much fun," said Clarice. "I'm really glad you decided to ask me to be your pretend wife, Harrison. This week has been amazing."

Harrison smiled down at her and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "It's me who has you to thank. You've completely pulled my a.s.s out of the fire, and I owe you an empire for it. And I have to say, it's been a very long time since I've had this much fun, either."

"That can't be right," she said. "You live in paradise."

Harrison shrugged. "Things are never as simple as they look. But I really mean it."

Something shifted in his mood right then. The light in his eyes seemed to dim, and sadness descended over his handsome face. The smile faded out. The way he stared at her, his eyes tracing all the features of her face, it was almost like he was afraid.

Clarice's chest tightened around her heart as she licked her lips. "What's wrong?"

He didn't say anything for a moment. She realized they had stopped dancing, and Harrison was just standing there, staring at her silently.

"Harrison?" She squeezed his hand.

He blinked finally and swallowed. "I'm sorry, Clarice."

"Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"I have to excuse myself," he said. "I feel a bit ill."