Page 25 of Doggy Style

Yessi

Fear threatens to take over my mind as our plane starts to make its descent for landing. Against my better judgment, I reach over and grip Preston’s arm. He smiles back at me and calmly squeezes my hand, his touch warm and reassuring.

I gaze out the plane’s window and marvel at the breathtaking tropical island slowly coming into view. The ocean is clear, deep, and bright and the lush foliage paints a stunning landscape.

For a moment anxiety fills my chest, and I ponder the possibility of our plane plummeting into the ocean. I’ve read that statistically, you’re more likely to get into a car accident than a plane crash, but that fact is doing little to reassure me now. I feel the plane start to shake and rumble beneath my feet, and I look around, alarmed. Preston notes my sudden distress, taking my hand in his again and leaning over to tell me it’s just the landing gear making that noise. My cheeks color with a blush at my ignorance, but Preston doesn’t tease me, and he lets me squeeze his hand as hard as I can as the plane lands.

When our plane finally touches down, I exhale. I drop Preston’s hand and wait for the plane to pull into the gate.

But even though we’re safe on land, my nerves are still on high alert. I’m now trapped on an island with a man I barely know.

Preston stands up and retrieves my bag from the overhead compartment. “Ready to go, babe?”

Babe. Those words seem foreign to my ears, but I just roll with it. “Yup.”

We disembark and gather the rest of our luggage from baggage claim. A short man dressed in a tuxedo greets us with a sign with Preston’s name on it, and the man places a lei around my neck. The fragrant scent of plumeria tickles my nostrils, and I start to look forward to this trip. Avril’s always saying I need to loosen up, so I’ll do my best to relax and go with the flow instead of needing to obsessively plan every little detail.

The driver leads us to a limo parked in the terminal. I immediately grab my phone and text Avril.

Yessi: Hey. Just landed.

I don’t expect to hear from her right away but am shocked when she replies immediately.

Avril: Did you join the mile-high club? Are you drunk on Mai Tais?

I laugh. No matter what, I can always count on Avril to be consistent.

Yessi: Nope, but I had some pretty strong POG. I’ll text you when we check into the hotel.

As the limousine pulls out of the airport, relief washes over me, and it’s not just from the tropical breeze. I’m on vacation—I’m actually in Hawai’i, a place I never thought I’d be able to visit. And Preston has made this dream, one I once thought of as impossible, come true.

The silence between Preston and me is awkward, and, at this moment, I attempt to open up my heart. Still, I question his motivations.

I move closer to him on the back seat and allow myself to really look at him. His incredible muscles are visible underneath his shirt, and the bottom of a tattoo peeks out from his sleeve. Since I’ve already seen him naked in his video, I know precisely what that particular tattoo is—an eagle, globe, and anchor against the backdrop of an American flag.

I also know that he’s seriously packing a seriously huge cock under his shorts, but I try not to think about it, and focus instead on the tattoo.

“Who did the ink?”

He pulls up his sleeve, and I examine the tattoo like I’ve never seen it before, even though I drooled over him shirtless in his store earlier today. “Actually, a place down here in Honolulu. The guy is excellent.” He gives me an admiring glance and adds, “You have some pretty badass ink yourself.”

“Thanks. I designed this one myself, but my friend at work actually inked it,” I say, pointing to the Catrina on my arm. “That’s the kind of work I do. I’ve been getting into watercolor tattoos lately.”

“It’s beautiful. You’re really talented.”

His phone beeps, and he looks down. I watch as his eyes rapidly scan the screen. After taking a deep breath, he throws down his phone and clenches his fist. He quickly turns his head and looks out the window.

“What’s wrong?”

He just shakes his head.

I don’t know what to do. I recognize the look of pain on his face as one I know intimately. He’s just received some bad news.

I place my hand on his thigh. “Hey, what happened?”

He places his own hand over mine, and my heart rate accelerates. “My dad.”

A lump gathers in my throat. “Is he okay?”