I was followed back to camp, where the women had assembled breakfast, which consisted of boiled water, rice, and mangos. I ate my portion and headed for the ocean, with Loren in tow.
“The guys are going fishing. Production said the challenge is after lunch.”
I waded into the warm water, marveling at how clear it was. I could see my feet. “This is amazing.”
“I’m starving.”
I laughed, “I’m hoping to drop some pounds. I never did lose the baby weight.”
“You look just fine, girl.”
I grabbed my tummy. “Uh, not really.”
“This ain’t a beauty contest.”
My blonde hair floated in the water, as I held out my hands. “I miss my little girl.”
“I miss my kids too. I’ve never been this far away from them before. I can’t even call to check in. I hate that.” She lowered her voice. “You and me should make it to the end. We need the money worse than any of these people.”
“I’d be happy with just the Per Diem.”
“Don’t limit yourself. You can do better than that.”
I eyed her skeptically. The deep, rich tones of her skin glistened with water. “I guess.”
“We’re in it, to win it, hon.”
“If you say so. I’m going under.” I scrubbed my face with seawater and rinsed my hair. Then I gargled and brushed my teeth with my fingers, spitting into the ocean. Several women had joined us. We congregated, floating in the shallow, clear water while bathing and chatting. I dipped my hand into the crotch of my swimsuit and cleaned this area as best as I could.
To my dismay, David and Ashley approached, wading out to us. She’d been attached to him since we arrived, following our ‘King’ around, worshipping the ground he walked on.
“Doug caught some fish, guys. We can chow down when they’re done cooking.”
I said nothing, as I stared at him, hating the fact that he was entirely too handsome and arrogant. He dunked his head into the water, washing his face and hair. The muscles in his arms rippled with the movement, his pecks shifting beneath the skin. Ashley, seeing an opening, jumped on his broad shoulders, giggling.
“Get off, me, jungle-monkey.”
“I—” He grabbed her, dunking her under the water. She came up sputtering and squealing with delight. “You shithead!”
Several cameramen loitered, wet to their chests, with waterproof cameras perched on their shoulders. Disgusted, I waded to the shore and sat in the sand. Loren joined me.
She glanced at the horizon, squinting. “Well, we know who the stars are, don’t we?”
I snorted. “Ugh.”
Chapter Three
Our first contest at midday was a nightmare. The production team had assembled a massive aquatic challenge. We were required to maneuver across a narrow piece of wood to a floating barge, which was unstable, and then climb mesh ropes to collect puzzle pieces. Each contestant was responsible for his or her own success.
I fell from the floating barge twice, the second time bruising my thigh. I struggled to climb the rope, my lack of upper body strength an issue, and when it came time to finally assemble the puzzle, Mr. Muscle had already completed his, thereby winning the challenge. The rest of us were forced to finish, unveiling the final two contestants. I had the dubious honor of accompanying an older man, Ramon, to Panel, where one of us would be voted out.
Back at camp, Loren tried to console me. “Honey, you did the best you could. That goddamn challenge just about fried my ass. I got rope burns in weird places.”
I stared at the ocean, feeling miserable. “I…sucked so bad.”
Her arm went around me. “I think you’re gonna be all right tonight. From what I heard, the women are voting Ramon out.”
“I hate to be the first to go home.” Our camera guy hovered, making sure he got every word. I was slowly getting used to being shadowed wherever I went. Since I was on the chopping block, they wanted to record every bit of drama they could. Knowing this, I said, “I came here for my little girl. I feel like I let her down.”
“They’ll be other challenges, Marissa, honey. They won’t all be physical. You’ll get your chance to shine.”
“If I’m still here.”
Beth and Veronica approached. “You’re not going home tonight,” whispered Beth. “We’re voting out Ramon.”
I felt a spark of hope. “Really?” Could I even trust these people? I’d only been on the island twenty-four hours. My stomach rumbled. “I’d like to stay a little longer.”
Veronica said, “David’s got that movie night prize for himself and his buddies; the little shit. He’s prancing around camp like he owns it.”
Competition winners also won other prizes, which they could share with a limited number of people.
I stood, brushing sand off my butt. “Well, I’m gonna take a walk.”
My camera guy said, “I need to interview you, Marissa.”
“Sure.” I led the way down the beach and sat under a palm tree. I had only been exposed to the elements for one day, and I’d already begun to tan. “Ask what you want.” One of the producers stepped from the foliage, which made me jump. Jeez. These people are hiding everywhere. She held a clipboard, sporting an enormous straw hat, and a white streak of sunscreen on her nose.
“Can you tell us how you feel about being in the bottom two?”
“It sucks, but I’m not surprised. I coulda done better.”
“Who do you think will vote for you?”
“To keep me?”
“Yes.”
“I hope Loren and Susan. I only met everybody yesterday. They could all be lying to me, for all I know.”
“Who do you respect the most?”
“Loren and Susan. Wayne and Greg are all right.”
“Who do you consider your biggest threat?”
“Probably David.”
“How do you feel about him?”
On, he’s cute, arrogant and…sexy as hell…but…”Um, he’s a male version of a prima donna. This island isn’t big enough for all of us and his ego.” That better be a goddamn sound bite. “Ashley’s totally up his butt. Those two are like Barbie and Ken.” A peal of laughter escaped me; the mental images were funny, yet entirely accurate.
“Who do you think has the best chance to win the game?”
“I’d watch Loren. She’s a smart one. She’s playing with her head, which is something I’m trying to do.”
“Do you miss your daughter, Marissa?”
That question had caught me off guard, and my eyes watered. “Yeah.”
“Would you care to elaborate?”
“She’s why I’m here. Life’s been kinda hard for us. I wanna win for her, but…it’s tough. Being here is harder than I thought.”
The producer checked off something on her clipboard. “Thanks, Marissa. I think we got it.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have a granola bar on you, would you?”
“No, I’m sorry. You know we can’t hand out food.”
“Bummer.”
Panel that night was on a boat situated near the coastline. We climbed into the catamarans and paddled out to the vessel, the air moist with unshed rain. The clouds had been building all day, threatening to open up on us, adding to the misery of the experience. Dinner had been rice and fish, but because there were eighteen people needing to eat, each portion had been tiny. We also had wild mangos and papaya, but it hadn’t been enough, and my stomach rumbled distractingly.
On the ship, our perfectly made-up hostess, Charlene Laird, had a cell phone pressed to her ear. I envied the fact that she was clean, wearing a pair of freshly laundered shorts and a light blue blouse. Her legs went on for miles, tanned and shapely, with gently curving calves. We sat at the stern on specially layered seating, with the taller people in the back and the shorter contestants at the front. The sound of water lapped against the hull, and the floor swayed gently beneath us.
“We’re almost ready, people,
” said a crewmember.
I glanced at David and found his attention on me. He’d worn a green t-shirt and shorts, his hair a tawny mess and his expression bland, yet…strange. I began tingling horribly, wondering why on earth I would have such a reaction to someone so irritating. He was in his element, with his buddies, who thought they were in total control, manipulating the other players into submission. As far as I knew, I was staying tonight, but I was still nervous and distrusting about the entire situation. I had seen this game over the years on television, and I knew I had to prepare myself for a possible blindside.
“We’re on in ten, nine, eight, seven…”
I sucked in a breath and prepared to face my fate.
“Welcome to the first Judgment Panel of the season,” said our hostess brightly. “It looks like we’re in for some rain tonight.”
As the small talk commenced and questions were asked and answered, I felt splashes of water on my back. We were going to get doused at any minute by a torrential downpour. The humidity made breathing difficult. It was like trying to inhale water.
“David, who do you think deserves to go home tonight?”
He grinned and shook his head. “It’s rather obvious.”
“So you’ve already made up your mind about who you’re voting out?” asked our hostess.
“Most people have.”
“What did you base your decision on?”
“I wanna see the strong go to the end. No offense.” He glanced directly at me. “I’m sure there are some great people here, but this is about being equal to the challenge, and, if you can’t compete and win, then, you really don’t deserve to be here.”
“I noticed you looked directly at Marissa. Is she who you’re talking about?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Marissa. How do you feel about being singled out?”
“I did the best I could. I’m not the most athletic. I know there’ll be other challenges, and I hope I can stay around long enough to prove myself.”
“Well, said. Now it’s time for the vote.”
After everyone had written down whom they wanted off the show, I sat with Loren, and she held my hand. “It’s gonna be fine, honey. Don’t worry.”
We were getting drenched from the rain; my hair was soaked. My shirt clung to my breasts, a pink bra clearly visible beneath the white material. I wondered how that would go over with the primetime audience?
“I’ll read the votes.”
Charlene pulled out a card and read Ramon’s name, then my name, then Ramon’s. When it came down to the final vote, Loren squeezed my hand, and when Ramon’s name was uttered, my shoulders slumped in relief.
Loren hugged me. “See girl. I told you, you had nothin’ to worry about.”
Ramon said his goodbyes and grabbed his bag, boarding a small motorboat, which would take him to shore. Apparently, there was an exclusive resort on the other side of the island.
“Well, I see the battle lines have been drawn,” said Charlene. “This is when the importance of who you align yourself with comes into play. You don’t necessarily have to be the strongest to survive, and this vote proves it. See you in a day.” She stood under an overhang, dry and happy, her hair perfectly coiffed.
One of the directors announced, “We got it in one take.”
“Have fun paddling back,” said Charlene, grinning impishly. A rumble of thunder threatened in the distance.
I resisted the urge to give her a dirty look. We climbed into the catamarans and headed for the shore, while being pounded by fat drops of rain. I’d never been so miserable in my life, and, as we dragged the boats onto the beach, we returned to a camp with a smoking fire and a shelter leaking water like a sieve. It was going to be a long, miserable night.
Chapter Four
By some stroke of luck, the downpour lessened, the fast-moving rain clouds leaving the island. The men worked to get the fire going, using wood that had been stashed under the shelter. We gathered around the blaze trying to dry out. I sat near Loren, while others were on makeshift chairs and plaited palm fronds.
“Dangit! One of my braids came loose.”
“Where?”
Loren held up a piece of hair. “Can you fix it?”
“Lemme see.”
While I messed around with Loren’s hair, David stared at us, his expression blank, yet attentive. Conversations were going on, while the cameramen hovered with their night vision enabled. I’d changed into a dry shirt, which was unbuttoned, revealing the top portion of my cleavage that could hardly be contained. Most of my friends who had breastfed lost a portion of their boobs to the process, resulting in deflated and sagging breasts. Mine had engorged even more, which was alarming. The same thing had happened to my mother. Tonight they felt sore and itchy, pushing against my bra.
Matt and Greg appeared carrying green bananas, which they passed around. I gratefully accepted one and shared it with Loren. They weren’t ripe, but it didn’t matter. Starving, my stomach grumbled in protest and demanded more.
David and Doug were talking.
“I finished the Iron Man triathlon in October,” said David. “Came in sixteenth. I was tenth the year before. I plan to hit Oahu again this fall. I also wanna climb Bryce Canyon, this summer. I went with some buddies last year to Wyoming to climb Devils Tower. It was fucking amazing.”
Ashley stared at him adoringly. “I’m scared of heights. There’s no way you’d get me on top of a mountain.”
While I braided Loren’s hair, I felt his attention on me, and I wondered why. I could have cared less about his athletic aptitude or all the rocks he’d climbed. “There. I think I got it.”
Loren patted her head. “Oh, thanks, hon.” We had found a piece of driftwood earlier today. It functioned like a wide toothed comb. “Lemme do your hair. You got the prettiest head of blonde hair I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s a mess.”
“Sit right here.”
I knelt before her, sitting even closer to the fire, which felt wonderful. My stomach was momentarily satisfied, having been filled with banana, and, now, my hair was about to have the tangles taken out.
“I totally did like cheerleading for four years. I was a back spot,” said Ashley. “Cheer camp kicked my ass every summer.”
“My sister was a cheerleader,” said Chris. “Her muscles were bigger than mine.”
While Loren untangled my hair, I smiled into the fire, feeling blissfully happy. I loved having my hair played with; the feel of fingers running through the strands was a sensual, spine buzzing sensation.
“This hair is thick, girlfriend. I’d kill to have your hair. You don’t even want to know what I go through with mine. It’s so weak from straightening.”
“I’m sorry, Loren.”
“It’ll be a mess when I get back. My hairdresser’s gonna flip when she sees it.”
Again, David’s eyes were on me. While Loren ran the makeshift comb through my tangled strands, he seemed to be watching every movement of her hand. His attention would then return to my face, my neck, and lower. My nipples, ultra sensitive tonight, hardened from his appraisal and pushed against my bra. The heat of the fire and the feel of someone’s hands in my hair had thoroughly relaxed me. The only thing missing was food. I craved a juicy hamburger and…hot sex. I couldn’t remember the last time I had enjoyed a wild night of lust with an amazing guy. It had been far too long. I met David’s gaze, my tummy tingling.
This guy wanted to vote you out tonight. He did vote you out! He’s an arrogant son of a bitch, Marissa. I know he’s totally your type, but you’re not allowed to think about him like that. No way, no how.
That night, as the cameramen disappeared into the jungle, presumably to be picked up by production and taken to the crew camp, I tried to make myself comfortable on the knobby and hard branches we had strung together for a bed. I was exhausted, not having slept much the night before. After getting up and relieving myself behind a palm tree,
I came back to find that everyone had re-positioned themselves. The only space left on the platform was on the end, next to David. I groaned inwardly, cursing myself for having to urinate.
I sat on the wooden planks and sighed, sliding my arms into the waterproof jacket. The hard wood pressed against the bones in my back, producing a less than ideal sleeping situation. How was I ever going to get used to this? There were three inches before I rolled off the edge. I hated being on the end, preferring to be cocooned in the center. Turning, I made eye contact with David and felt a twinge of arousal and sensual recognition that was beginning to worry me. It was a good hour before I found a reasonable position, and, even then, my back ached. After tossing and turning again repeatedly, strong hands grabbed me, and I was suddenly pressed to the length of an overly muscular man.
“Quit it,” he growled.
“Sorry. I’m…not comfortable.”
I was so close to him, I could smell his body, the natural sweetness filling my lungs. His breath fanned out over my forehead.
“Go to sleep.”
“I’ll try.” How the fuck am I gonna sleep now?
I tingled everywhere, my pussy pulsing, being entirely uncooperative and demanding. I turned from him, offering up my back, his arm draped around my midsection. There was an inch of space between us, until he pulled me to him. The unmistakable feel of his erection pressed against me, my shorts a poor barrier to something so urgent and demanding.
Oh, shit!
His breath was on my neck, fanning out hotly over my skin, causing delicious goose bumps to form on my arms.
“We should take a walk,” he whispered.
“We should?”
Island Curves (A BBW Romance) Page 2
