I love surprises. I love starlight and the ocean waves and everything that smells like jasmine flowers. But most of all, I love to be surprised. When I was 13, my mom threw me my first surprise birthday party. Every year for my birthday or Christmas, I'd shake with excitement before opening the first gift, more elated with the feeling of not knowing what was inside rather than the thing itself. Whenever Halloween rolled around, the feeling of being scared rolled right into that. I trembled with anticipation at something or someone being right around the corner waiting to jump out and scare me. So, whenever you get the chance, take me off guard and watch me run, breathless into the unknown.
Paul drove them northeast to the Forks regional airport. They got on a small Cessna plane that flew them to SeaTac (the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport). Maya was all butterflies as she held Paul's hand through the airport. When they reached their gate, Maya looked up at the sign:
"Los Angeles?" Maya said, surprised.
"Well, Santa Monica actually." He gave her a small smile and Maya buzzed with excitement. When they got on the plane, they were steered to first class and Maya was given a glass of champagne.
"Fancy," she said. After taking a sip she looked at him, "Paul this is amazing." She grabbed his hand and he immediately tugged it up to his lips to kiss.
"You were right, that it wasn't fair of me to ask you to stay." He paused to look at her, "I'm trying."
"I know." Maya said, softly.
Paul was an expert at travel at this point. He not only took several trips to Seattle a month, but he had travelled all across the country and internationally. He told Maya during the flight to LAX about his worst flights, particularly one to the Philippines where he was pretty sure the plane was breaking apart as it was trying to land. Maya had no idea he had lived life so...widely.
"But wait, if you've got all of this business all over the world, why wouldn't you live somewhere like New York or LA?" Maya asked once they were tucked into the sleek rented Audi that Paul sped toward their final destination. He glanced at her in regular intervals.
"La Push is home. And there's plenty of things to stay close by for." He gave her a knowing look, "Plus, I'm still able to do all of these things, just less often than when I was, say, 24." He shrugged.
At the hotel, he led her to their large, wide open room with gigantic windows that could be pushed open to let in the sea breeze. The room faced a long stretch of beach that glittered in the sunlight. Maya squealed and ran toward the window, hanging out a little on the balcony and letting the warm air wash over her face. Paul came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, lowering his head to kiss her shoulder. Maya brought a hand up to circle around the back of his head.
"Happy?" He said softly.
"Mmm, yeah," she replied. "This is beautiful."
"Tell me about it," he said in a low voice, letting his lips trail from her shoulder to the crook of her neck. Maya shut her eyes at the feeling and let herself enjoy it for a just moment. This was the problem with Paul, everything was easy. And Maya worried that if she let herself drift into that easiness with him, she'd get lost and end up on an unintended shore. She pulled gently out of his grasp and turned to face him, a loaded look on her face. Paul acknowledged the look with his own and took her hand.
"Do you want to eat first or go to the beach first?"
Maya, leaning against the railing, squinted in the sun like she was having to think hard about it.
"Mmm, food," she said, "Because I know you're hungry," she swatted at his hard abdomen. He grinned and shrugged knowingly, "You're always hungry." As she moved past him, she opened her bag and dug out some shorts and her light blue bikini.
As Maya and Paul walked hand in hand through the lobby of the hotel, Maya in short denim shorts and a blue top that tied tightly around her waist with her blue bikini underneath, she couldn't help but feel...different. Maybe it was the fact that they were officially out of a La Push, existing as something other than Paul and Maya-the-imprint. No one knew them here and that gave her this rush of freedom to explore what she could be. And when she looked at Paul under this new light, in a new city, she knew she wanted to be with him. So, just for this week, Maya told herself she could chase that feeling.
They opted for a beachside restaurant that served cold beer and bar food. Over fried fish and fries and a couple of beers, Maya and Paul fell into step. He made her laugh, like really laugh, with stories of his experiences with clients he built custom furniture for in Seattle and across the world. Paul loved making Maya laugh. As she sipped her beer and watched him over her glass feeling warm and floaty, his eyes lit up with promise:
"My, I want to tell you something." Maya raised her eyebrows in curiosity at his sudden shift in tone.
"Is this something I need to put my beer down for? Do you have, like, a wife and four kids in Seattle or something?" she laughed. Paul shook his head and gave her a lopsided smile.
"No, I uh, want to tell you that...I thought about what you said," he started slowly.
"Oh?" Maya leaned in a little, stealing another fry off his plate. "What did I say again?" she laughed.
"About leaving...for college," he said. Maya looked up at him, hesitation in her eyes.
"Paul, we don't have to talk about this right now." She wanted to stay locked in this carefree feeling with him for as long as she could.
"No, listen." He lowered his eyes to the table and then brought them back up to her face. "I know you need to leave. I'd never...I'd never make you stay with me in La Push if Princeton or Columbia is what you want. The thought of being without you for a long time freaks me out. But if it's what you want, we can make it work. Whatever 'it' is," he conceded. Maya looked at him for a long time, "I want you to have….everything, My." She reached for his hand across the table.
"Thank you," she squeezed his hand, "That's all I needed to hear. We'll figure it out. And anyway, I haven't even got in yet. Probably won't…" she trailed off and Paul made a noise of annoyance.
"You're gonna get in. You're amazing," he took a sip of his beer now, "They'd be crazy not to want you." Maya felt her stomach flip at this and her eyes flickered down to the table.
After lunch, they went to the beach and Maya was quick to shed her shorts and shirt and let the sun run across her skin. The water was still a little chilly but wrapped around Paul's scorching body, it felt perfect. They dipped in and out of the waves together for a while, playing and swimming. Paul swam out farther with Maya on his back so they could get some distance from the crowd of people on the beach.
When they finally collapsed on the beach together, under the sun, Paul laid on his stomach next to her running a hand down the side of her body.
"You look entirely too good to be in a bikini that small," Paul let out an exhale. Maya put on her sunglasses and leaned up to look down at him.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she laughed.
"That I need to watch you because the second I leave your side, someone is going to be all over you," he groaned. Maya rolled her eyes but she knew he couldn't see it.
"Test that theory then, I dare you. You're more intimidating than you think," Maya looked around the beach.
"I'm not taking that dare," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her down to slot under him slightly. He hovered his body half over hers with one leg in between hers. Maya's breath caught in her throat as she looked up at him stunned. He was never this bold in La Push. With his other hand he gently pushed a wet strand of hair from her face. Maya pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and smiled up at him. With one hand placed on his jaw, she said,
"You're sort of beautiful." Paul's face twitched into an overwhelmingly large smile and Maya thought he was going to close the space between them, finally bringing his lips close to hers, but instead he said,
"You are absolutely, mind blowingly gorgeous, Maya Sun," he said. Maya thought she'd pass out from the rush that pulled over her body. She knew Paul found her attractive, that wasn't hard to piece out, but having your so-called soulmate come out and say it was entirely different. Most things between Paul and Maya were unspoken, but when he actually took the time to speak about his attraction and care for her out loud, it sent Maya into orbit and she felt impulsive, like she'd agree to just about anything.
After a couple more hours on the beach, Paul finally scooped her up and steered her back toward the hotel. Maya was glowing from the sun and when they got back into their hotel room, Paul excused himself to check on some emails. Over his shoulder, he called:
"Go get ready for dinner, please. Michael got us a reservation at this nice steakhouse down by the beach." Maya made her way to the bathroom and took a long shower, letting the salt run clean from her body. She dried her hair into beachy, soft waves and donned some stark white high rise pants that tied with a big sash. She finished the look with a cropped, off the shoulder top with billowy sleeves in a blush rose with white flowers dotted across it. Maya did her makeup a little fancier than usual, opting for a blushed rose lip and sparkly warm gold eyeshadow that glittered against her sun kissed skin.
When she exited the bathroom and came into the bedroom to find her strappy gold heels, Paul was relaxing on the bed with his laptop on his lap. His eyes snapped up to her and he took his time letting his eyes rake over her entire body.
"Is this okay?" Maya said a little self consciously, looking down at her outfit.
"Oh yeah," Paul said, want clear in his eyes and voice. He hopped up and walked around to her, running a hand through the side of her hair, "This is perfect." Maya smiled and wrapped her hand around his wrist. "I'm just going to take a quick shower and we'll be ready." He said as he kissed her forehead quickly and dipped into the bathroom.
When they arrived at the steakhouse, Maya was amazed by the absolute splendor of the restaurant. There were no places in La Push like this. She gripped Paul's hand as he chatted with the hostess.
"Right this way, Mr. Lahote, Miss Sunriviere." Maya smiled up at him and he placed his hand on her lower back, the heat of his fingertips searing into her skin. They were led to a grand, shining wooden bar.
"This is stunning," Maya said, running her hand across the smooth surface. She gained a new appreciation for woodwork after watching Paul working tirelessly in his workshop. The bartender set down drinks in front of them. Maya's was in a tall fluted glass and was fizzing with raspberries.
"Oh good, because I restored it," Paul said looking around at the bar now.
"What? Really?! Paul! This is so cool!" she said looking closer at the intricate carvings on the pillared legs of the bar.
"Yeah, restoration on a piece this large is tough. Took me about 5 months to complete, I think," he nodded to the bartender and sipped his highball glass of whiskey.
Dinner was incredible and Paul and Maya clearly enjoyed each other's company. They talked about Maya's plans for college (Paul barely even cringed at the mention of her in the dorms alone), what she wanted to do in life, her family, La Push, everything. By the end of the evening, as they walked hand in hand back to the car, Maya felt like she found out more about Paul in one day than in the past four months that she'd been his imprint. Stepping outside of La Push had clearly set something free in him too.
Back in the room, Maya kicked off her heels and thanked him over and over again for the amazing dinner.
"This is just night one, My," he laughed. "We've still got five days left. But I need to admit something," Paul said mocking seriousness.
"Oh? So many secrets you're revealing on this trip, Lahote." she said as she removed her necklaces twined around her neck.
"Yeah well, I'm not just here on vacation with you. On Monday I have a couple of meetings with potential clients in the area that Michael set up, so you'll be on your own for the afternoon." He gave her a measured look and Maya's eyes glimmered, partly due to the alcohol, but partly due to the promise of some independence. She loved being around him, but Maya also loved being alone in a new place, untethered.
"That's fine!" Maya said eagerly. She started to untie the sash of her pants and slipped out of them, tossing them over the chair by the window. Paul sucked in a sharp breath that made Maya giggle.
"What are you doing?" his eyes were glued to the small white lace underwear Maya wore. She took off her top now too to showcase the matching white bustier lace bra. "My." he said quickly.
"What?!" Maya said, "Oh come on, you've seen me in a bikini, this is no different." She put her hands on her hips and looked at him. His eyes were flush with desire and lust and it sent a thrill through her. He stood stock still in place by the bed.
"It's different," he said. His eyes ran the length of her body and stared at her in almost begging desire.
She rolled her eyes, "Fine, I'll put on a shirt...prude," she muttered. She honestly did it just to get a reaction out of him. This Maya was chasing a feeling and seeing how far she could push things. Paul, ever in control, was cracking and she could see the edges starting to fray at his resolve. She turned away from him and unclasped her bustier before tossing it aside; she was very aware of his eyes burning into her naked back. She threw on a t-shirt of his that allowed just the bottom of her buttcheeks to peek out.
"Better?" she turned around and threaded her hands through her thick hair to put it up in a ponytail. As she did this, the shirt rode up to her hips, showing off the white lace underwear again. Paul gave a grunt of assent and tried to keep his eyes on her face. She laughed lightly and walked past him to the bathroom, grazing his arm as she went by.
When she finished washing her face and brushing her teeth she came out to find Paul shirtless and in his boxers. She blushed and as he walked past her to the bathroom as he said, "Same difference right?" Maya smirked and hopped into the soft white bed listening to the waves roll in.
The next day was more of the same–Maya getting comfortable in Paul's arms, relaxing in the sun together, wrapping her legs around his midsection as they floated around in the water.
On Monday, after sleeping in late, wrapped up in each other, they ordered room service. As Maya finished her late breakfast sitting cross legged on the bed, she watched Paul don a dark suit, sans tie, with a navy blue button up, his hair neatly coiffed. He was absolutely breathtaking.
"So profesh," Maya teased, getting on her knees on the edge of the bed so she could properly run her hands down the lapels of the suit coat as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"I'll be out until six or so, but I'll pick you up for a late dinner around 7. Sound good?" Maya nodded at his direction. He took her hand and turned it over so it was palm up, then slid a thick black metal card into it, "Have fun today."
"Holy shit!" Maya said, turning the card over in her hand, "Wait, have you been loaded this whole time?" she teased and he rolled his eyes to lean down again and kiss on her cheek to her neck, a low growl sounding in his throat that made Maya squeal.
"Very funny. Don't buy like a boat or anything. And stay close." He warned. Maya giggled and flopped back onto the bed fanning herself with the cold, black card.
"I've never had a sugar daddy before," she murmured. Paul let out a bark of laughter before leaving the hotel room and Maya ran her finger across his name etched into the card.
With the day to herself, Maya buzzed at the possibilities. She slipped into some denim shorts, a blank top with ruffled straps that dipped into a sweetheart neckline with her white Keds. She took off in the direction toward the promenade shops by the pier. Her phone vibrated and she answered it before looking at the caller ID:
"My?!" Keye shouted on the other line.
"Oh fuck, hi Keye." Maya said. She had completely forgotten to text or call Keye on Saturday.
"The only reason why I know you're not fucking dead is because your mom saw you leave with Paul."
"Keye, I'm sorry I forgot to call, I just—"
"You fucking caved is what! Did he lock you in his house or something!?"
"Ahhh, no. I'm actually in Santa Monica….with Paul." Maya cringed as she heard a laugh/scream come from the other line.
"You're FUCKING with me right?! He took you to Santa Monica?!"
"Yeah...first class." Maya said, egging her on now.
"Holy fucking shit. You little slut."
"Keye! It's not like that." Maya blushed but it was kind of like that. She felt his black card burning a hole in her pocket and it made her feel weird. "Did you guys make it?"
"Yeah. Jer and Collin came too. So what the fuck are you guys doing? Did he take you there to like….abscond with your innocence?"
"Jesus fucking christ, Keye." Maya muttered. "No, he partly came here on business and partly to hang out. He said he was wrong for trying to get me to stay so...it's actually been really great. He's in meetings all afternoon so he gave me his fucking black card to go shopping. Like what the fuck!?" Maya was reeling.
"A black card!? I didn't know he was sugar daddy rich!" Keye said. There was mumbling on the other side of the line that Maya couldn't make out and then Keye yelled, "You knew?! What the hell Jeremy! Jeremy apparently knew he was loaded and never said anything." She could hear Becks laughing in the background "So what are you gonna do? Buy a Birkin bag or something?"
"God no. I'm almost too scared to use it."
"Buy like some cute lingerie and bang his brains out or something. That's what I'd do." Keye said between mouthfuls of food.
"Yeah maybe," Maya said skeptically. "Anyways, we'll be back on Friday."
"K. Spill all the details when you can."
Maya let out an exasperated sigh and carried on. She hesitated in front of stores that all seemed too fancy for her. To help boost her resolve, Maya grabbed a beer at a nearby bar and texted Paul.
M: I hope your meetings are going well.
M: What am I supposed to buy?
After about ten minutes he texted back.
P: Buy anything you want. We're going to dinner almost every night this week so buy an outfit for each night if you want.
M: That's way too much.
P: I'm about to walk back into this meeting. Buy something that would surprise me…
Maya inhaled sharply and smiled. She could manage that. After she finished her beer, Maya felt her hesitation wane and she walked into a few stores picking through pieces that interested her. She was worried that a store clerk would walk up to her and ask her what she was doing there but it was the actual opposite. They approached her and asked her what she was shopping for and stocked dressing rooms for at her request while handing her a glass of champagne.
When she handed over the black card at the checkout, they seemed utterly pleased. Maya squirmed at the odd feeling in her stomach.
"Thank you so much for shopping with us and have a wonderful day, Mrs. Lahote." The saleswoman said with a sweet smile as she handed back the card.
"Oh I'm not–" Maya started, but when the clerk looked confused she stalled and said, "Thank you" tilting her head to one side.
Maya dropped off her things at the hotel—the receptionist intercepted her and offered to have her things taken up to her room and Maya gratefully accepted. She wondered if that was the black card's magic too.
After dropping her stuff of, she decided to go and grab a bite to eat. Then, feeling the sea breeze on her face, she bought a new bright red stringy bathing suit. She changed in the bathroom of the restaurant and laid out on the hot sand to kill time before she had to go back and get ready for dinner. Her phone buzzed next to her suddenly.
P: Checking in. How's shopping going?
Maya smirked and decided to lean into the high shopping and drinking champagne had given her. She took two pictures to send to him: one where she was sitting on her knees in her new red bikini, the ocean stretched out behind her, the cups of the bikini top curved and pushed up her breasts; and then one where she was laying down, taking the picture over her shoulder so he could clearly see her ass that was on display from the cheeky red bottoms.
M: Is this surprising enough?
Maya covered her mouth as she pressed send on the text with the accompanying photos. She watched as the three little dots appeared and disappeared multiple times. Hopefully that was him being speechless and not furious. After a few more minutes of typing and not typing she finally got a new message.
P: I should give you my card more often. You look incredible.
P: We're going fancy tonight so I hope you bought something a little high end.
M: I got it covered.
Maya smiled and let herself drift in and out on the beach in bliss.
Around five, she made her way back to the hotel to get ready. Her bags were laid out neatly across the bed for her and she made light work of unpacking and stowing everything away so she could surprise him throughout the week with her looks. By the time he walked through the door at around 6:30 that evening, Maya was pressing a gold earring into her ear.
"Hey!" she said as she turned around to greet him. She was in a dark blue tightly fitted dress that fell just above her knees and dipped just low enough to show the pillow tops of her breasts. She coupled it with some red bottom black pumps and simple gold jewelry. Her hair fell in a silky sheet down her back and she wore dark plum lipstick that set off her mouth against her shimmering bronzed skin.
"Wow," he said, taking off his jacket.
"Good?" she looked down at herself. "Fancy enough?"
"Very fancy, very very very good." He said unbuttoning his shirt. "Let me just change my shirt and jacket and freshen up and we'll get out of here," he said, coming over to plant a kiss on her forehead. Maya looped her arms around his neck, pressing her body to his naked chest. "Oh," he said softly as he lowered his lips to kiss her shoulder. Taking her cue to slow down, he wrapped his arms down around her back, "Did you have a good day?"
"The best," Maya breathed. She pulled back and cupped her hands on his face for a moment, giving him a smile before saying. "How were the meetings? Did you impress them?" He moved to the dresser and pulled out a crisp white shirt buttoning it up and donning a dark blue suit jacket to match her.
"Yeah, it went really well. I've already got one commission in the works and sold another tonight so, overall I'd say it was a win." He said nonchalantly.
"Paul! That's great. Congratulations!" she said with excitement. He dotted on some cologne and quickly brushed his teeth before holding the hotel room door open for her.
"Yeah, I'm pretty pumped. Shall we?" Maya nodded and grabbed her new medallion bag and threw it over her shoulder.
They had dinner at an upscale sushi restaurant and dined on the roof that overlooked the Santa Monica Pier that glittered in the night. Maya found it easy to be with Paul all of the time, and felt none of the suffocating control that she had felt back on the rez.
"So..what happens now?" she said calmly to him over the food. He looked up at her with a quizzical brow.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I like being with you like this...Away from everyone. It feels….real and not like some weird curse that keeps me tied to you."
"You think the imprint is a curse?" Paul said, genuinely interested.
"Don't you?" Paul shrugged in response and Maya continued: "Think about it. You and I would have never been thrown together otherwise, right?"
"Right, but wouldn't that make it not a curse then? Isn't it a good thing we were thrown together?"
"I mean, yeah, it is now. But without the imprint, we wouldn't have had any reason to be thrown together, so we'd never have known."
"I'm confused. Are you saying you would have preferred not to be imprinted on?"
"Absolutely," Maya said too quickly. When she saw the pained look pull across his face she was quick to revise, "No. No, Paul. I love this. Really I love...spending time with you." Woops, almost slipped on that one. "I just would have preferred it to be real. Like this, without the influence of the imprint. And without the imprint, this probably would have never happened and we wouldn't be any the wiser and that…" Maya sighed, trailing off. "This is coming out wrong."
"You're right. It is coming out wrong," Paul said firmly.
"I'm sorry, I just mean that I'm having a good time and I wish it could be like this...all the time. Without the pressure of the council, or the imprint, or anything else. Just us." she breathed out a worried sigh. His face gave way to a gentle smile.
"I know what you mean. But I'm happy the imprint happened. I'm happy that the universe—our ancestors—chose you. You make life…..better," he said finally, his eyes steady on her with intense need.
The full weight of the imprint fell on her in this moment and she ached all over again. Paul watched her carefully and then glanced out toward the beach.
"Follow me." He stood up and dropped a dollop of high value bills on the table indiscriminately and grabbed her hand. They walked down the steps that emptied them out onto the dark deserted beach. Maya pulled off her pumps and held them in their hand as he pulled her across the sand. He took off his shoes and jacket and waded into the ocean, pulling her with him. She didn't fight it and let the cold waves lick across her ankles. When they were waist deep he turned to face her, pulling her to stand flush against his body.
"What are we doing?" Maya said, looking up at him with wide wanting eyes.
"You want this right? Everything? All of it? Me and you?" he said in a warm, low voice that echoed above the waves. Maya looked at him, her face close to his now. After a fleeting moment where she tried to search his eyes for any other answer, she replied with the only thing she knew she wanted to say,
"Yes." Her hand pressed against the side of his face. "Just like this." He gave her a soft smile.
"Then let me give it to you." The tip of his nose nuzzled against hers and it sent her heart thrumming against her chest.
Her lips were slightly parted in surprise and he finally closed the distance between them pressing his lips to hers, as the waves buffeted them around at her hips. She was held firmly in place by Paul's strong hands pressed against her back and the rush of warmth that flowed through her from his lips sent her head spinning. Maya looped her arms around his neck, leaning into the kiss and letting out a small sound of pleasure in her throat. Paul responded with a low growling rumble that sent her to the edge. She felt like she could never get enough of this feeling with him and something in her finally gave way, like a damn that had been holding up water too long that needed to be released. She felt better.
When he pulled away and they both gasped for air, their eyes frantic over each other's faces at the realization of their step toward something new, he said, "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that for."
Maya traced the line of his lips with her finger and said softly, "Do it again." He gave her an achingly sweet smile and lifted her lightly in his arms against the rocking waves and kissed her hard, sending her into orbit.