by Ami Snow
“Oh, snap,” grumbled Marissa, reaching for her vibrating phone. Her father's name blinked on the screen, instantly raising the corners of her pouting, downturned lips.
“Hey Daddy, what's going on?”
“Hey kiddo, you at work?” Derrick's affectionately low, gritty voice washed over her like a wave of nostalgia.
Marissa swallowed the rising knob in her throat, her voice cracking, “Y – no, well I'm on my lunch break. It's good to hear your voice, Dad. I miss you.”
“I miss you too, sweetheart.”
Marissa cleared her throat, “So, what's up? Is something wrong? How's Mom?”
“No, no,” assured Derrick, the line crackling, “Mom's in Sudan. I was just calling to ask if you had to work this weekend – maybe you could clear up your schedule?”
Marissa frowned, “This weekend? What's up?”
“Your dad won some all-inclusive tickets to a three-day-stay at Emerald Bay Water Park.” Marissa rolled her eyes, smiling to herself. She could almost hear the fatherly smugness dribbling from his voice. Derrick continued, “Would love it if you joined –
“I don't know,” mumbled Marissa, flicking the piling ash off her cigarette.
“Come on, Marissa, I haven't seen my little girl in ages. We used to go to water parks all the time when you were kids, remember? You used to love it. For old time's sake? Oh, and my buddy, Uncle Cam's coming along – that fella could use a break himself.”
“Um, I don't – Uncle Camden?” blurted Marissa, her cheeks reddening, “I haven't seen him in so long – how's he doing?”
Derrick's voice was solemn. “Not great. Aunt Melanie left him two months ago.”
“Oh,” said Marissa softly, quickly wiping off the smile forming on her lips, “That's horrible.”
“It is,” agreed Derrick, “So what do you say, pumpkin?”
“I – um, it'll just be three of us, right?”
Derrick stammered, “Um – yes, just the three of us. So are you in?”
Marissa took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. She pulverized the cigarette with her heel. “Sure, Dad. I'd love to come. I'll ask around and see if I can switch shifts with one of the girls.”
“Great! We can meet at the parking lot Saturday morning, let's say around, ten?”
“Sounds good, Daddy. I'll see you soon,” said Marissa, ending the call. She headed to the quaint European deli around the corner, a delicate, unwitting smile on her lips, her heart swelling in excitement.
Marissa drove past the wooden signage, prominently scripted with the words “Emerald Bay Water Park & Family Resort”, and pulled up at the empty boxed space closest to the entrance of the water park. She chucked her keys in her vintage, quilted purse, and hopped out of the scratched up, second-hand chevrolet. She slammed the door shut, tiny flecks of lemon-yellow paint scabbing off the frame. She pushed up her sunglasses, nestling it behind her ombre hibiscus flower clip, goggling at her surroundings. She moseyed towards the entrance, grabbing one of the pamphlets from the counter. She unfolded the map, her eyes widening as she pored over the new rides and attractions, the child inside of her getting giddier by the minute. She turned at the crunchy sound of tires grinding against asphalt, waving enthusiastically at the station wagon rolling into the parking lot, beelining towards the vehicle as it parallel parked in the empty spot next to hers.
Marissa folded her arms, her cheeks starting to smart from the broad grin she couldn't help but exhibit on her face. Derrick exited from the driver's seat, dressed in a navy-blue polo and cargo shorts, his eyes concealed behind the glinting, polarized lenses of his sport sunglasses. She frisked towards her father, freezing to a halt as the passenger door began to open, her brows furrowing in confusion.
Marissa swallowed, disdain swirling within her. “What is she doing here?”
Chapter Three –
Marissa took a long, hard look at her younger sister, Lana Swanson, who had perceptibly aged over the two years since they had last seen each other. Lana still possessed the lithesome build she so envied, save for slightly rounder cheeks, her exposed legs and bare shoulders bronzed with a sun-kissed tan. Her faded blue eyes were devoid of expression, simply blinking back at Marissa's behind a clumpy, doll-like set of false eyelashes, insufficiently adhered onto her eyelids. Her previously edgy pixie cut had now grown to shoulder-length, carob-brown grace curls, her blunt bangs invigorated with a frosted, chalky blue.
Derrick stepped between his two daughters, turning towards his first-born, “Marissa, sweetheart, I'm sorry I had to lie to bring you out here –”
Marissa crossed her arms against her chest, scowling, “You didn't have to do anything, Dad –”
“I'm sorry, Marissa, I know you're mad and you have every right to be.”
“Damn right,” sniffed Marissa, rifling through her purse for her pack of smokes, her fingers finally grazing the flattened paper box. She stuck it between her lips, her limited edition, fire-brick lipstick smudging across the filter.
Derrick shot a look full of daggers towards his daughter, knitting his bushy brows, “And when did you start to smoke?”
“Daddy, I've been a full-fledged, legal adult for three whole years now,” said Marissa, furiously huffing out the corner of her mouth, “I think – oh, sneaky – don't change the subject.” She glared at Lana, ranting, “Well, that's different – I guess that damn cat finally got your tongue, huh? It's been a good five minutes and you still haven't tried to claim the spotlight. What's the matter, Lana, has someone gotten soft?”
Derrick glowered at Marissa, shaking his head, “Come on, honey, don't start –”
“Don't start what? I'm –”
“Hey, could I bum one o' those?”
Derrick looked past Marissa's shoulders, his lips broadening to a smile, his goatee wavering against his chin. “Cam! Where'd you park? Don't think I saw you pull up.”
Marissa spun around deliberately, the thoughts slowly erasing from the slate of her mind as she breathed in the statuesque features of the striking, older man. Camden's ashy blonde hair had turned a pure, cine-real gray, which he had cut short and neat above a broad, lined forehead. He seemed taller and burlier than she remembered, the indents of his beddable, Herculean chest visible through the unbuttoned collar of his black henley shirt, peering down at her with thin, almond eyes the shade of roasted pecans. He wriggled the tip of his somewhat crooked, greek nose, his desirable, inherently downturned lips stretching out in a grin.
Camden brushed away the ephemeral shock shivering down his spine, completely stunned by Marissa's beauty. She stood out from her kin, excluding the broad-tipped nose and muted blue eyes. She had soft, opaline white skin, and mesmerizing curves, not to mention a lusciously plump cleavage, in spite of the innate, lanky frames of the Swansons. She seemed to have adopted a retro-chic sense of style, her satiny black hair rolled up in dramatic, volumed curls reminiscent of a vintage pin-up model, which he found surprisingly endearing. He watched as she flipped open the box of her cigarette, looking up at him sheepishly, “Sorry. That was my last one.”
Derrick stepped forward, grinning, “That's fine, let's head on in, yeah? Get settled and go for some lunch before we hit the water?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Derrick relinquished the privacy of his stay, consorting to sharing a room with Lana, leaving Marissa and Camden bunked in their own separate rooms. The bizarre foursome gathered at the dining square of the water park, deciding on a sporadically populated, shanty-themed seafood restaurant. Derrick and Camden engaged in light-hearted banter, sprinkled with the good-humored, juvenile teasing, conditioned within men that seemed to thrive with age. After lunch, Lana retreated to her shared room, not once lifting her eyes from the screen of her phone, barely replying when spoken to. Derrick decided on a soothing shiatsu at The Massage Hut before checking out the attractions.
Marissa emerged from her room and started on the pebbled path past tall, mock coconut and palm trees, sashayin
g past the tickled screams from the log flumes of the alpine water coasters. She pulled her filmy shawl close to her, her flip-flops smacking against the gravelly pavement, mincing towards the densely inhabited wave pool, her eyes zeroing in on the shock of wet, silvery hair, Camden's head bobbing on the rippling water. She draped her shawl over an unoccupied lounge chair.
Camden gasped, water spurting out of his mouth, watching as Marissa dipped her toe into the pool, shuddering. He gulped, gripping the floating safety rope to keep himself from drifting, disrobing the old-fashioned, lattice-patterned bandeau swimsuit, emphasizing her generous, titillating curves, with his eyes. He watched as she waded towards him, her ravishing features denuded of make-up, the tangerine and ruby infused hues of her intricately-detailed phoenix tattoo blurring prettily underwater.
“Hey, Marissa, you –”
Marissa narrowed her eyes, instantly entrancing him as she covertly trailed her fingers up the slippery polyester of his board shorts.
Chapter Four –
Camden's eyes widened, his brows arching in surprise, shivering regardless of the tepid water, Marissa's fingers rubbing up and down his left thigh in swift, furtive motions. Jewels of water cleaved to her dark, flickering lashes, her rhapsodic blue eyes zipping from side to side, retracting her hand as a little girl in a frilly one-piece and green inflatable armbands splashed towards them, twittering ecstatically. A sly grin formed on Marissa's lips, tugging him towards the sideline, sputtering as an artificial wave surged towards them, briefly submerging the pair underwater. Camden's shoulders tensed, quivering as he clenched his thickening cock between his legs, requisitely floating behind her. His paradoxical thoughts ricocheted in his head like clanging cymbals, his internal deliberation centralizing on an image of Derrick's ghoulish, sullen expression, one that rarely surfaced, and Camden preferred to conserve the peace. Any shred of loyalty dissipated, his eyes lingering over the milkiness of her glistening, dripping shoulders and back.
Camden hooked his fingers over the marbled coping of the swimming pool, managing a low, husky whisper, “What do you think you're doing, Marissa?”
Marissa blinked back at him sweetly, her innocent eyes widening. “I'm just trying to have a little fun,” she purred in his ear, her warm breath tingling against his dark, stubbled cheeks. She traced her finger down the deep, appetizing marks of his sculpted chest, smiling wryly to herself as she felt the drumming of his hammering heart beneath her fingertips.
Camden slanted his head to the side, his eyes sweeping down the swollen, shapely cheeks of her buttocks pressing against the seams of her swimsuit, licking away the light sting of chlorine on his lips, muttering obliviously under his breath, “Damn, you've grown.”
Marissa perked up at the coarse lust in his voice, twirling to face away from him, slowly backtracking towards him, Camden's eyes locked on the hypnotic dimples of her vibrating cheeks underwater. He sighed deeply, the whites of his eyes flashing, extending both elbows onto the coping for support as Marissa thrusted her bounteous, bouncy cheeks against him, nestling his pulsating cock between the tight warmth of her crack. She nodded blushingly at an elderly man in a clover swimming cap, who was shooting her uncertain, quizzical looks. She averted her eyes, a peculiar, yet inviting fizzle of excitement bubbling within her as she scanned the unsuspecting, unaware mass of yoyo-ing heads and neon floating lounges. Her shallow breaths rippled against the water, reaching her hands behind her back and crumpling the waist of his board-shorts, rubbing her cheeks up and down in slow, tantalizing movements.
Camden's elbows slipped off the coping, looking around discreetly as his wrinkled fingertips began clawing at her fleshy curves through the slick material of her bandeau, slithering down to the silky flesh of her corpulent thighs. Marissa stifled a staggered moan, averting her eyes from the drawn-out, calculating stares of a group of college freshmen in soaked baseball caps and puka-shell necklaces. She reached over his right hand, guiding it towards the midst of her inconspicuously spreading thighs, her lips popping open softly as he began rubbing furiously at the sensitive knob of her clitoris. She tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes and swallowing gusts of air, struggling to keep a straight face as the ignorant, flushed faces of the neighboring patrons went about their business, heedlessly resuming their flippant chatter and giddy amusement. She wriggled out of his grasp, her clitoris slightly numbing, a teasing, kittenish smile stretching out on her soft, roseate lips. She swam towards the pool steps, tugging his arm, and seating him upon the second level of the flat, rounded surface, his small, oval nipples peeking above the line of water.
Camden cocked an eyebrow on his creasing forehead, a thin, anguished smile spreading across his lips. He whispered brusquely, peering over her shoulders, “What's up? You done play –”
Camden choked on the rest of his words. Marissa gazed at him doggedly, with intense, unblinking eyes, prying his seated legs apart and sliding her foot between his thighs. Her lips puckered in anticipation of his reaction, caressing the stiff muscle between his legs tenderly with the smooth balls and arches of her sole. Her toes curled, gliding around the thick shaft, watching as Camden's eyelids fluttered, his fingers tightening around the edges of the steps, breathing raggedly out of his mouth as he contested the pleasurable groans rising up his throat.
“Mm, you look so stressed, Uncle Cam,” breathed Marissa, the immobilizing technique of her feet astonishingly nimble and experienced from a face of such purity and innocence.
“Fuck,” Camden swore under his breath, breathing deeply through his trembling lips, “That feels fucking amazing, I –”
Marissa withdrew her foot and paddled towards him, grinning flirtatiously, the soft salmon tip of her tongue clenched between her gritted teeth, shoving her cupped palms over his throbbing pole. “Then you're gonna love how this feels.”
Marissa winked, squeezing the thick pole between her fingers, her lip smarting from innocuous lip biting as she watched the normally authoritative, mature man squirming under her touch, completely intoxicated, under her spell. She shot her clenched fingers up and down in tight, surreptitious fluidity, her jerking movements triggering unobtrusive riffles on the water around her right shoulder. She sniffled in shock as Camden pulled him towards her, extricating her from the swelling rush of the looming, man-made waves. His heart pounded against his chest, ogling the proximity of the tip of her nose and her soft, tempting lips, the cushiony mounds of her restricted bosom resting above his bare chest. He found himself stroking the subtle cleft of her chin, infusing his lips with hers. Marissa's eyelids flickered shut, the knots of her shoulders slowly loosening, prickling her fingertips against his rugged stubble.
Marissa's lip quivered as Camden abruptly broke free from their spontaneous lip lock, furrowing her brows, “Where're you going?”
Camden tucked away the stiff stalk of his manhood as he rose from the pool, balancing himself on the steps. He peered down at Marissa, an unnerving, attritional expression unfolding on his grief-stricken face. He muttered an incoherent apology under his breath, Marissa catching the gist of the overused “it's not me, it's you” rolling out his lips. She folded her arms against his chest, lowering her eyes in defeat. She glanced up quickly, watching as Camden shook himself off quickly with a towel, her eyes squinting at the calligraphic name, “Carrie”, inked on the inside of his wrists, swinging from his sides as he lumbered into the crowd.
Chapter Five –
A thick, uncomfortable silence enshrouded the foursome as they gathered at an empty table, their mountainous plates filled from the breakfast buffet, boasting of buttery scrambled eggs, hashed browns, golden-brown waffles and neatly cut blocks of seasonal fruits. Marissa feigned a cough, her eyes peeling away from Camden's quick, shooting glances, who was seated across her, next to Derrick. She took a brief gander at Lana, who was had her hair pulled up in a thick, sloppy bun, picking at the single, thinly glazed waffle on her plate, her eyes fixated on the dimmed screen of her phone. She lifted her
left leg and tucked it under her casually, her knee grazing her sister's thigh. Marissa shook her head, grunting under her breath, inching to the edge of her seat. She looked straight ahead, stuffing a forkful of eggs into her mouth, ignoring Lana's apologetic smile.
“So, are we having a good time so far? What's the itinerary today?” said Derrick loudly, breaking the silence with a wide, toothy smile plastered on his face. He looked around desperately, his smile fading, “Anyone?”
Camden cleared his throat, forcibly lifting the corner of his tightened lips, “I think I'm gonna head back in my room for a quick nap – I'm feeling a migraine closing in, but you guys feel free to explore without me.”
“That's too bad,” said Derrick, frowning, “Yeah, go ahead and get some rest. Migraines are no joke. Hope you feel better, buddy.” He turned to Marissa, brightening, “What about you? Did you do anything interesting yesterday?”
Marissa's eyes flitted towards Camden's direction, her lips curling in a sly, knowing smile, shrugging, “Nope, nothing interesting. I think I'm gonna go check out The Massage Hut –”
Derrick tutted disapprovingly, gazing at Marissa imploringly, “You sure you don't wanna join Lana and I –”
“No, thanks,” said Marissa curtly, taking a sip of her orange juice, “You guys have fun.” She rose from her seat, nodding at Derrick, “I'm actually pretty stuffed now – guess I went a bit overboard heaping food on my plate. Excuse me, guys.”
