Page 10 of Unwrapping Spring Break

Right up until it roars back into existence.

I pause to look over a rack of tobacco leaves drying in the Bahamian sun. Dad hates American tobacco—says you need a tropical environment to cure the leaves without drying them too much. A touch of sea moisture in the process adds to the flavor, which is why he only buys from Cuba, Columbia, the Dominican Republic, and possibly the Bahamas.

As I lean forward to get a sniff of the leaves, a hand caresses my ass and gives it a small squeeze. All my pent-up irritation comes to the surface and spills over. I’m enraged. My eyes widen as I whirl around to see the unnamed plantation owner with a leering smile on his face. Before he can open his stupid mouth, I slap him. Hard.

“How dare you!”

Chapter Eight

Jax

Everyonefallsintostunnedsilence. Well, everyone except Lily. One look at her face, and I can tell she’s furious. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a woman look like she’s about to jump down my throat and pull it out. Of course, I’ve heard the saying, but to see it before my very eyes is something else. Looking at Lily, I understand the expression, and I never want that look turned on me. Especially not from her.

But what happened to make her so outraged? That is my first and only concern. My eyes shift from her to the man in front of me, then back to Lily. The pieces fall into place when I see a mark on the man’s cheek, which is growing redder by the moment. It didn’t take but a moment to realize why she slapped him. I can see it in his eyes. The hunger—as if she’s a tasty treat.

She is but not for him.

It’s my turn to grow instantly furious. I don’t bother looking at the two men as I step forward, catch Lily by the arm, and storm back in the direction we came from. “Come on, Lily. We’re leaving.”

Employees of the plantation close to us show different reactions as we walk past with determined strides. Some of them are confused. Others look pleased. The ones that look pleased are female employees, displaying a look of understanding. If the incident with Lily hadn’t made up my mind, seeing the looks on their faces sure does. I will not do business with a company that mistreats its employees, especially female employees.

“Mr. Griffin!” Mr. Rolle calls out with concern, confusion evident in his tone. “Where are you going? We are not done.” He chases after us, but the closer he gets, the more I hurry Lily along.

“Yes, we are,” I growl back. I don’t turn around and don’t care if he hears me. What happened and all that it implies is completely unacceptable. I will inform Alexander of what occurred and insist we don’t do business with them. They have no respect for women.

Lily’s eyes burn into me. To be honest, I’m a little surprised she’s not yelling at me for the way I’m manhandling her. I don’t need to look at her to know what she’s thinking. We need to get away from this place—getheraway from this place as fast as possible.

We catch our driver off guard when we reach the car. He wasn’t expecting us to want to leave so soon, let alone in this manner. Too bad. He can either catch up, or I’ll drive us back, leaving him here. I take Lily to the back of the car, open the door, and assist her inside. As I walk around to the other side of the car, I shoot the driver a glare. “Take us back to the hotel. Now.”

“Yes, sir.” Smart man. He doesn’t ask questions; he just gets in and starts the car.

I don’t bother with my seatbelt. Honestly, I don’t care so long as we leave the place quickly. The driver doesn’t wait to see if I buckle up anyway, proving yet again that he can pick up on the mood of his clients. I keep my eyes straight ahead and cross my arms over my chest. I’m livid at the insult to Lily. I can’t think about anything other than making our escape. Screw them.

Alexander will lose his shit about losing the vendor due to personal reasons, but I can’t bring myself to care. This is how it is. Alexander can take it or leave it. If he decides he still wants to do business with them after I explain everything, thenhecan be the one to explain it to his daughter, and he can handle everything himself.

“. . . Jax?” Lily’s worried voice pierces the silence, given how small and meek it sounds. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have . . .”

“No.” My tone startles her a bit, and she shrinks into the seat. Immediately, I regret being so abrupt at her. It’s not her fault. However, my fury isn’t abated yet. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

Her eyes widen as she stares at me with her lower lip caught between her teeth. I’m so furious, I almost miss how sultry she is. The way her teeth bite into her lip. Another time, another place, it would instantly make my cock hard.

Instead, I find myself explaining why she shouldn’t need to feel sorry, so she can attempt to relax.

“I will not do business with anyone who treats a woman like an object for their enjoyment.”

I grit my teeth. The man had been lucky I hadn’t seen him do whatever he’d done to Lily. It would have ended with more than a slap to the face. Lily might’ve had to ask her dad for bail money.

I glance over at her to find her studying me.

“What?” I ask, even though it’s not a question. “I’m simply protecting a woman who also happens to be my partner’s daughter. There’s no reason to look at me like that.”

She looks taken aback, as if it were an insult. Now, a man of my age should be able to spot the flashing warning sign when he’s about to be in trouble. The look coming from this woman penetrates my soul. In my defense, I haven’t been around many women, let alone in a situation such as this, in a long time. It’s possible I missed a cue coming from Lily. Regardless, I don’t understand why my statement offends her.

I’m about to ask her when she surprises me again. Lily grabs my arm, and I think I may have crossed a line I didn’t even know was there. I feel as though she’ll tell me off. Instead, she uses my arm to pull herself over to straddle my lap.

“Lily, what are you—” She interrupts me before I ask my question.

Her hand clutches my chin, forcing me to look at her, which baffles me even more. Now, a look of determination shines in her eyes, accompanied by a spark of mischief as they lock with mine. “That’s not the only reason you got so angry. Admit it.”

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