Part 4

"Here, I want you to have this," Dave said handing her a small, wrapped package, that could only be some type of jewelry.

It was only four days before Maryse and Claudia went back to New York and Dave wanted Maryse to know how much she had come to mean to him in such a short time.

"Dave you shouldn't have," Maryse protested.

"Open it," Dave said ignoring Maryse's protest.

Maryse did so and inside was a beautiful locket. The locket was gold, probably real knowing Dave, as he never did anything halfway. She also knew he could more than afford it as she had learned that he owned the hotel they were staying in. When she had found out that piece of information she had been rather shocked but it did make sense when she thought about it. She had noticed that Dave never seemed to worry about money and just spent what he liked on her and even Claudia. That he was willing to spend money on her best friend whom he didn't have a relationship with told her that he was kind and generous. Maryse look down at the locket and saw that it glistened in the light. Tiny diamond chips were embedded into the gold making it glitter and in the center was a ruby shaped like a heart.

"This is gorgeous, Dave," Maryse said as she stared at the locket. "I can't accept this, it's too much."

"It's merely a trifle," Dave told her. "I want you to have it to remember me by."

Maryse gave in as Dave gave her his best puppy dog look that was sure to make her cave and had him put it around her neck.

"I'll treasure it," Maryse promised.

"You look gorgeous," Dave said, as he looked admiringly at the woman he loved.

"Thank you," Maryse said blushing a little at the sincere compliment. "Let's just enjoy my last few days here, as I intend to spend every minute of them with you."

"That's a great idea," Dave said enthusiastically understanding the message that Maryse was telling him without saying the words.

"I'll just call Claudia and tell her I'll be busy for the next day or so," Maryse said. "She'll understand. I'm sure she was hoping this would happen."

Dave nodded and watched as Maryse made her phone call to her best friend. From the way that Maryse was blushing Dave got a big clue that Claudia was telling her it was about time.

Dave knew that Claudia was concerned about her best friend and how she had shut herself off from other men where it concerned relationships anyway. His relationship with her was the first one in six years according to them both. Leo Vertis had really done a number on her self-confidence or maybe she was just mourning the way it had ended. She had been hurt with the mean-spirited way her former fiancé had just dumped her with no explanation being given as to the reason.

He knew Claudia believed that Leo's true self was just coming to the fore and that he wanted Maryse to be a housewife. Yes, she was often out until dawn sometimes, trying to make a clients dreams come true Yes, she could cheat and had plenty of opportunities to do so. However, if her former fiancé couldn't see that she would be loyal then that was his loss. He could already tell just because of her personality that she would never consider cheating, not unless he cheat on her first at least and possibly not even then.

Maryse finally shut off her phone and took Dave's hand.

"So, where to?" Maryse asked.

"There is an owner's suite on the 15th floor. I rarely use it, but it is always ready when I need it. I told the manager to tell housekeeping to have it cleaned and put food in the fridge."

"You were really hoping weren't you?" Maryse said grinning at Dave.

"I won't deny I was hoping and usually I am a pretty good people reader. I thought you were nearly ready to take the next step," Dave explained without shame.

"And if you had been wrong?" Maryse asked.

"Then the food would've been taken to the kitchen to be used for the guests and the suite closed back up until needed," Dave shrugged. "I wouldn't have let the food spoil I promise, as there is no point of being wasteful."

"Well, it was a good plan," Maryse said, as the two headed for a different elevator than she normally took. The elevator they entered was the only one that went to the 15th floor, where the owner's suite was and also several executive suites that were mostly used for famous guests, movie stars, famous authors and such.

The elevator rose fast and smooth and didn't stop for anyone on the way, so it was only a couple of minutes later that they were on the top floor.

Dave escorted her out of the elevator and directly to the owner's suite. Dave swiped a keycard, which had no logo on it as it was just plain black. Normal hotel keycards were white with the hotel logo, so the black was probably to make sure they didn't get mixed up with the others.

Come to think of it, Dave had also swiped the key card at the elevator in the lobby before they were allowed to enter, so it must be limited access, which only made sense really. The top floor was only for special guests who were willing to pay the high price that the suites up here cost. There was only four of them, one at each corner which meant that they were quite large, much larger than those on the other floors. They were probably like self-contained flats and fit for royalty. They probably cost a mint to, but hey if someone could afford the fee then good for them.

"Come on in," Dave said, as he gestured Maryse inside.

Maryse entered and immediately saw the splendor of the brightly painted walls and the comfortable furniture.

"Would you like a drink or something to eat before we get started?" Dave offered.

"No, I'm ready to get started now we can worry about anything else later," Maryse said.

"Sounds good to me," Dave said, as he escorted her to the master bedroom without another word.

They both shed their clothes without any embarrassment and Maryse immediately lay down on the bed.

"I'm ready when you are," Maryse said softly.

"Believe me, I've been ready for this since shortly after I met you," Dave said. "I knew you were rather skittish, though I didn't know the reason why then, now I do and believe me, I more than understand. I know that that bastard left you with a lot of doubts about yourself, but Maryse, you're one of the most beautiful women I've ever known and not just on the outside, but inside. You could be as ugly as the Hunchback of Notre Dame and still be worthy of love."

Maryse said nothing blushing instead. Dave made her feel really good about herself. She now realized that not all men were out to hurt women and some were truly more than decent. This was something that Claudia had been trying to tell ever since Leo had dumped her so harshly, something that had gone in one ear and out the other, because she been so afraid of being hurt again.

Dave was a totally different kind of man though. She would be grateful forever that he had proven to her that decent men did exist. Dave wasn't spoiled or entitled like so many men of wealth were and he definitely didn't have a disloyal bone in his entire body.

Dave had been preparing her, though there wasn't much to do, since Maryse was already so wet and slick, which pleased him immensely, as it proved that Maryse was indeed attracted to him, not that he hadn't already known it. When he slid in, he was slow and gentle, because this was the first time that Maryse had been penetrated in six years, so she was very tight.

Maryse for her part cooed in satisfaction and urged Dave to go faster, be rougher. Dave was more than happy to give into those demands since apparently Maryse wasn't in the mood for gentleness at least not right then, something he could understand. She hadn't had sexual intercourse in half a dozen years so it was no wonder she wanted it a little rough, since it was her first time in a while.

He slammed himself into her the second time and even harder the third. By the time he finally released his seed into her he had thrust in and out of her center a dozen times.

"That was spectacular," Maryse said her voice hoarse with her screaming of Dave's name as she climaxed.

"I'm glad you think so," Dave said with a satisfied grin. "Believe me, we're just getting started and I plan on doing that to you a lot until you leave in a few days."

"You won't get any complaints from me," Maryse said grinning from ear to ear. She had felt something release within her as soon as Dave had spurted his seed into her body. Something that had been tight, but hardly noticeable relaxed within her. Maryse realized it was her reluctance to pursue any personal relationships with men that had relaxed. It was as if Leo had put a curse on her to not ever get involved with another man, though no magic had been involved, just her own hurt feelings.

"Good, because I plan on keeping you occupied at night at least. I know you need to spend some time with Claudia, but hopefully, you'll allow me to join you."

"I don't know what our plans are, but we have been wanting to go to this place we've heard about. We don't really have a schedule per se as that wouldn't be relaxing at all," Maryse said.

"What's the name of this place?"

Maryse told him and he nodded. "I've never been there, but I have heard of it. It's supposed to be a good place to get lunch or dinner. It's supposed mimic a Hawaii luau."

"Which is why Claudia and I want to go before we leave, as neither one of us have ever been to Hawaii. There's no guarantees that we'll ever get a chance to go, since we're both so busy."

Dave started planning their honeymoon in Hawaii, since Maryse wanted to go so much, but that's only if she agreed to marry him, so he would keep the plans at the back of his mind, as a possibility for later.

Dave immediately got back to what he had been doing without mentioning his idea and both found their releases for the second time, not long afterwards.

The two of them made love for quite some time before they both fell asleep tangled together.

Before she fell into dreamland Maryse realized that she was more content than she had been in a very long time, but she didn't have time to wonder why that was, as she was out seconds later.

~~~Dave and Maryse~~~

"Well, it's about time you showed up," Claudia teased her.

"You knew where I was, so it's not like you were worried about me," Maryse answered, the goofy grin she was sporting refusing to leave her face.

"Well, I see, I don't even need to ask if you had a good time you expression tells me everything I need to know," Claudia said, as she observed, as her friend entered their suite.

"I just came to pick out fresh clothes and spend some time with you while Dave has business. He's picking me up for dinner and he also invited you if you want to come along."

"I think it's better if I just gracefully bow out," Claudia teased her. "I wouldn't want to get in between you and Dave. I might get scorched."

Maryse blushed knowing that Claudia was exactly right. Dave was someone she was going to miss intensely when she went back home but they both had their own lives or at least that's what she was telling herself.

"I'm assuming that you won't be staying here tonight," Claudia said, not commenting on her best friend's deep blushing. It was actually rather nice to see Maryse so happy for a change. Before she had been a mere shadow of her former self, a shell.

"No, Dave has the owner's suite on the top floor, that's where I'll be. I'm not going to be parted from him at least at night. Not until we leave in a few days," Maryse explained her blush deepening even more.

"I can't blame you," Claudia said trying to keep the envy out of her voice. She was truly happy for her friend, but for all the time her friend had been 'not dating' she had been trying to find Mr. Right and all she had found was a lot of Mr. Right Nows.

In her own way, Claudia was just as beautiful as her friend Maryse. She had bright red hair and freckles across her nose, The curse of being a redhead. She was actually lucky that her whole face wasn't covered in freckles. Her skin was also very white, like fresh cream and she was taller than her friend by over an inch with amazing dark blue eyes. She had a bit fuller figure then Maryse, so she had never had any trouble attracting the boys attention. It wasn't attracting the men's attention that was the problem though, it was finding one to fall in love with and settle down.

"We can still go to lunch together since Dave's busy, maybe see some of the sites," Maryse suggested. "We need to be back by five though, so that gives us a little bit over five hours. I need to come back and get ready for my date, as Dave's already promised to take me someplace spectacular, which means I need to buy an appropriate outfit since I didn't bring anything suitable with me. I wasn't expecting to meet a hot guy after all, one that was going to take me someplace exclusive. Thank you for pushing me to say yes to Dave's offer of dinner."

Which meant super expensive, Claudia thought but didn't say. Still, it was Dave's money and if he wanted to spend it on her friend she wasn't about to say a word, as not only was it none of her business so long as she was sure that Dave had good intentions, as it would be rude and also ungrateful for the way Dave had brought Maryse back to herself.

"Sounds good and you're welcome," Claudia said letting go of her envy. "I really didn't expect to see you at all today, but if Dave has business to do..."

"He understands that we need to spend time together," Maryse said. "He might like to keep me all to himself until I leave but he's not that selfish."

Claudia knew that Maryse was absolutely correct. Dave was a man amongst boys. Men might be grown, but that didn't mean they didn't still act like boys with no manners. Dave was definitely different in that regard, as she already knew his plan to follow them to New York, as they'd already had a conversation about it. Claudia approved of this because she knew very well Maryse would be miserable when she realized how much she missed Dave.

Her friend would tell herself that it was just a fling until she realized that she was actually in love with Dave no matter how much she tried to deny it at first if only because if how fast it had occurred.

Claudia was actually very happy for Maryse, considering the terrible time she'd had getting over Leo and then the first guy she meets is the one. Hopefully, it was a love story that would have a happy ending. She certainly hoped so anyway. If she knew her best friend at all Maryse would throw herself into his arms as soon as she opened her door and saw him standing there.

She could very easily imagine the reunion that was bound take place then and she truly couldn't be happier for her friend.

"See what he gave me," Maryse said showing Claudia the locket that had been tucked under her shirt.

"That's really beautiful," Claudia said examining the locket. That the locket was real gold she had no doubt and those were likely real diamond chips embedded. She had no doubt whatsoever that the ruby shaped like a heart in the center was also real and was probably at least half a carat.

The locket just proved to her that Dave truly care for her friend, even loved her. Most men wouldn't give a woman they had only been dating for a few weeks such expensive jewelry, not unless they were trying to win their affections, or were extremely foolish, but Dave wasn't that type at all. For one thing, he never dropped hints about how wealthy he was like so many men rich or otherwise did. Men often bragged about how much wealth they had in the bank, especially when they were trying to get a pretty girl's attention. Their common sense often flew out the window due to testosterone clouding their thinking processes. Not Dave though. That just wasn't his style.

Claudia already knew that Dave owned this hotel so that meant he was fairly wealthy and by extension that meant he could afford to give her friend such a lavish gift.

"I think so," Maryse said blushing.

Claudia knew then that Maryse was already in love with Dave, even if she refused to admit it. Of course, that had really been obvious for the last few days anyway, too her at least.

~~~Dave and Maryse~~~

"I don't want you to go," Dave told Maryse quietly, being completely honest. He held her in his arms as if she was a precious treasure, because to him that's exactly what she was.

The two of them stood there and stared out at the ocean waves for a bit, each lost in their own thoughts before they started strolling along the beach hand-in-hand. They were basically alone as most people had gone in for dinner over an hour ago, particularly those with young children who needed to be fed, so the beach was only sparsely populated by those people that wanted to catch the last few rays, before the sun went down.

"This was only a vacation for me and Claudia," Maryse told him quietly with a certain sadness in her vivid green eyes. "I have to get back to my life. That's not to say I'm not leaving without a few regrets. I just want you know this has been the best time in my life in years."

"No thanks to that bastard Leo Vertis," Dave growled, his hands clenching into fists, showing he was furious. "He deserves a good pounding. He made you stop trusting men on a personal level."

When Dave had heard about Maryse's previous fiancé, he had nearly punched something. That man had tried his best to make this beautiful woman into something she wasn't. He couldn't understand why the man had proposed only to break it off when Maryse was in the midst of planning their wedding. Possibly it had been a tactic to make her beg him to come back? If that was the case it had failed miserably. No instead it had sent this beautiful, vibrant woman into a kind of mourning. It had totally wrecked Maryse for a long time Dave knew.

It wasn't Maryse that had given him the details about Leo, but her best friend Claudia instead. Claudia had been very vivid as she described her friend's reaction to the way Leo had dumped her and it had made Dave wince at her very detailed descriptions. How this beautiful woman at his side had cut herself off from any type of personal relationship with a man. She had plenty of clients of course who were men, but that wasn't a personal relationship just a business one.

"Probably, but I don't want you to be arrested for beating him up. I won't say he doesn't deserve it, just that Leo is in my past and I know how to look after myself. I won't ever allow myself to be taken advantage of again," Maryse said firmly.

"We could try the long-distance thing?" Dave suggested, knowing Maryse would never go for it. He knew that that woman he had fallen for was going for a clean break. "Travel back and forth for a few months, even if it's just for a couple a days each time."

"I think it's better if we break it off cleanly," Maryse said. "Long distance relationships almost never work out."

Maryse didn't say so, but she didn't want to risk her heart any farther than she already had. She doubted very much she'd ever get over Dave completely, but she would always have the many happy memories of being together here in Miami to think about when she was lonely. That was something at least, even if it wasn't nearly enough.

Dave said nothing, but did not agree and did in fact already have plans in place, though they needed finalizing. He would be wherever Maryse was until he could convince her to marry him. He refused to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him just because Maryse was afraid of their relationship not working out, because of the distance. Maryse might not believe she was in love or at least didn't want to admit it, but he knew he was with her.

He had been searching for over 30 years for the right woman and he refused to lose her without trying his best to get her back. Maryse, was everything he could want in a wife. She was sweet, kindhearted, intelligent, not in the least greedy and gorgeous, though that last one wasn't a requirement, just a bonus. Dave just knew she would make an excellent mother for any children they might have, though he would be happy with just one, even if he knew his mother wouldn't be.

"Let's just enjoy ourselves before I head home tomorrow," Maryse suggested gently.

"As you wish," Dave said neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Maryse took that for agreement though, just as Dave had thought she would. He wasn't about to let Maryse Cabral slip away without trying his hardest to get her to agree to a more permanent arrangement.

Dave knew that Maryse would claim you couldn't fall in love in less than three weeks, but he knew differently and he was going to prove it to her no matter what it took.

Dave laid Maryse down on the beach, stripping her clothes away, before he gently and tenderly made love to her right there on the sand. The people that had been on the beach had left, as the sun was beginning to sink into the ocean, so most of those without families had gone find themselves some dinner Maryse was sure, but since it gave her and Dave the opportunity to make love right on a public beach she didn't care. By the time Dave was done worshiping her body she was nothing more than a pile of skin or at least she felt that way.

The two lay there for some time just enjoying the silence and the sound of the waves as the sun was sinking into the east.

Finally, they rose and walked along the beach hand-in-hand, stopping to kiss every few feet, once they redressed, except for their shoes, as they liked the feel of the sand beneath their feet and between their toes the water gently lapping them. Maryse also picked up shells to take home with her as they went, feeling like she was having a wonderful dream. Both eventually stopped walking, to finish watching the beautiful sunset out over the ocean as it painted the sky a dozen different colors, all of them vivid.

By the time they got back to the hotel it was pitch black but still, Maryse didn't want her time with Dave to end, though she had always known in the back of her mind that it would. The time had ticked by incredibly fast unfortunately. Still, the reality was far different from the dream and mostly felt as if she wanted to cry, as she knew being separated from Dave was not going to be pleasant at all. She felt as if her heart was breaking, even as she kissed him goodbye and headed to the elevator to go back to her room.

~~~Dave and Maryse~~~