by Rhea Wilde
There were only a couple of nights left in Hawaii. I wasn’t sure how I was going to spend them. But something inside of me kept telling me to enjoy these last few moments. There wasn’t enough time for me to sort out my feelings but I knew that I had to do it soon.
Chapter 17
I spent the next night with Dante just the same. We laid there on the beach and enjoyed the atmosphere. The drunk college students were as loud and rambunctious as ever but we were a picture of calmness.
We didn’t do much else. Doing nothing but lying in the sand left me alone with my thoughts. And there was a lot for me to think about.
I kissed him. I didn’t believe it happened. Even though I enjoyed it, at the same time, it didn’t feel right. I had only been a few days away from Rafael but it felt like an eternity.
It didn’t make any sense. There were times when he would be stuck in his office and I would be in mine. When we would finally see each other in one of his penthouse suites, we would relieve our stress together. I told myself that this was no different.
But it didn’t work. We were in a different place. We were under different circumstances. And there wasn’t someone like Dante back home to tempt me.
I was torn. Dante’s reasoning was sound. I could indulge in this moment. Just once. Things wouldn’t change between Rafael and me or anyone else. It was just a thing. We would all be back to our normal lives and Hawaii would be just another memory. I didn’t know what to do.
After finishing the last set of presentations I was scheduled to attend, I let out a huge sigh of relief. The last night of the conference was here. I knew that I had a lot of work ahead of me. I had to organize all of my notes and come up with a report as soon as I got back. But for now, I could enjoy the luxuries of Maui one last time.
As I exited the conference room, Dante was there to greet me. I wanted to run up to him and jump into his arms because I had made it through the tedium of it all.
“You look happy,” he said with a smile.
“I am. That’s the last workshop.”
“That’s good news. Now you have all this time to yourself.”
“Yeah. But it also means that the week is pretty much over and—”
“Hey. Don’t talk like that now. You should be happy that the worst part is over.”
“I am,” I said as I laughed. “I’m real happy.”
“Good. I’m pretty much done myself. I think I spoke to nearly every executive in this building. If I missed one, they’re going to have to find me.”
“Maybe you should hide from them.”
“Maybe,” he said with a smirk. “Speaking of which… There’s a special celebration happening tonight. Out on the beach. They’re hosting a luau.”
“Is it for the conference?”
“Does it matter? We’re going to be out there anyway, right?”
“True. So…”
“Meet you on the beach in an hour? Unless you want to spend dinner in the banquet room with all of the other people attending the conference.”
“I’ll see you out there on the sand.”
Dante and I headed toward our rooms. I was excited about finally getting through all of my work but the festivities of tonight made me more excited to get out near the water. I didn’t know what was going to happen exactly. But I wasn’t thinking too much about it. I was just going to enjoy myself.
* * *
I stripped my clothes off then washed away the remnants of a hard day at work. After my shower, I felt invigorated. I sorted through all of the swimsuits to wear tonight then picked one of the bikinis up. As I tied the top around my back, I looked down and saw something sitting there on the edge of the bed. Scattered away from the pile of bikinis I’d brought with me was the tiny thong bottoms Danica had convinced me to buy. I picked it up and held it in the air. I started laughing as I examined it.
“What was I thinking?”
I tossed the thong back onto the pile of swimsuits. As I looked at it, something came across my mind. I was suddenly considering it.
“It is the last day of the conference…”
I remembered everything Dante said to me. After tonight, Hawaii would just be a memory. I could just enjoy myself and forget about the consequences for a moment. Even if that included potentially embarrassing myself by wearing something skimpy. But I didn’t want to wear it just to wear it. I knew that Dante would appreciate it.
I picked the thong back up then put it on. The outfit seemed to be more revealing than I remembered. I looked at my reflection in the mirror then turned my back. My entire ass was on display. It didn’t look nearly as bad as it did in the store since I had a tan from a day in the sun. But it left absolutely nothing to the imagination.
As I examined myself and became more enthused about actually wearing it out tonight, there was a knock at the door. I rushed toward a towel then quickly wrapped it around my waist.
“Just a second.”
The door opened from the other side and I was surprised to see my boss standing there, only because I hadn’t seen him in so long.
“May I come in, Alice?”
“Of course.”
We smiled at one another as he closed the door behind him. He walked forward into my room and glanced at the swimsuits scattered on my bed. Then he turned around and looked me up and down. It wasn’t any different from our usual encounters in hotel rooms. He was still in his suit and I was half-naked.
Without saying another word, he rushed toward me and began kissing me passionately. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me forward in his embrace. I tied my arms around his neck and opened my mouth. I wanted to consume him.
“I missed you,” I moaned into his mouth.
“I know,” he sighed. “It’s just… I’ve been… busy…”
“I know…”
I had to be reminded of what it felt like to be this close to him. He knew exactly how to make me feel.
“Come here,” I whispered to him, tugging him toward the bed.
“I… I can’t…”
“Please,” I moaned. “I want to fuck…”
“Alice, I have a meeting tonight… I don’t have time…”
“Just real quick…”
I reached down and began massaging him through his pants. His thickness was straining against the side of his leg. I stroked him softly as I pulled him closer toward me. I sat upon the couch and the towel slowly fell from my waist.
“I have to go,” he sighed.
“I know… Just let me—”
“Alice.”
He placed his hands on my arms and pulled away from our kiss. I looked up at him as he breathed heavily. I had never seen him restrain himself like this before. I took my hand away from him and the desire I felt inside of me started to dissipate.
“Why did you come here then?” I asked him.
“I just wanted to see you, that’s all. It’s been so long. Even when we’re working back home, I see you in the building sometimes. There are board meetings when we don’t speak but I know you’re there. I wanted to apologize. I’ve had to talk to a lot of people—”
“You don’t have to apologize to me. You’re working. I know that.”
I looked down at the ground away from him. No explanation he could give me was good enough to not make me feel disappointed. I rested my palms on the bed and leaned back with a sigh.
“I wanted to talk to you,” he said.
“About what?”
“Well, I just wanted to make sure that you were enjoying yourself. I know that I put a lot on your schedule.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“I know. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take some time to yourself. This is your first time out here. Asking you to stay in the hotel every day isn’t fair to you.”
“I’m here to work. So are you. Besides, you gave me a day to enjoy the sun. And I’ll still have tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I suppose you do.”
I looked up at him and he stood there calmly. He had his hands in his pockets and didn’t seem like he was moving.
“Is that a thong?” he said with a smirk on his face.
“…Yeah,” I said sheepishly.
“I’m… sorry I’m not going to see you model it out on the beach.”
“Yeah…”
He didn’t say anything more. I looked up at him and saw the smirk on his face disappear. I swallowed nervously then remembered what Cheryl said to me.
“I had dinner with your friend the other night,” I said. “Cheryl and I were alone.”
“I know. She told me.”
“She did? What else did she tell you?”
“That’s it,” he said with a shrug. “She just said that you two enjoyed dinner and got to know each other a little better.”
“She didn’t mention anything else?”
“No, she didn’t, Alice. Is there something she didn’t tell me?”
I didn’t know how to put it. She made it clear that she was interested in him. I wanted to warn him. She was going to do everything she could to get what she wanted. I knew that. But I couldn’t do that when I knew I was spending time with Dante and even I didn’t know what was going to happen.
“You have another meeting tonight,” I said.
“Yes, it’s starting in just a few minutes.”
“Is Cheryl going to be there?”
I clenched my jaw after I said it. I stared into Dante’s eyes and waited for his response. He hesitated for a moment before saying anything.
“Cheryl has been there every night, Alice. I do a lot of business with her brother. She—”
“You don’t have to give me reasons as to why you’re spending time with her.”
“I’m not spending time with her, Alice. I’m working. And she’s there.”
“Are you telling me that you don’t still have something for her? She said that there are times when you look at her and she can feel it. Is she wrong?”
Rafael paused. It only took a second for him not to reply for me to get upset. I could feel something raging inside of my stomach. I was trying to reason with myself but it wasn’t working.
“Is she wrong?” I repeated it.
“No. No, she’s not wrong. There are times when I remember what we had in the past. But that’s exactly what it is. The past.”
“How do I know that something won’t happen?”
“You don’t. I might fuck her tonight. Is that what you wanted to hear? Because that’s what it sounds like. Besides, I might ask you the same thing.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look at what you’re wearing. Was that for me… or someone else?”
He was right. Even though I would never admit it, I had done something with Dante. And I didn’t know for sure if I would go even further. But rather than let me think about it any longer, Rafael tried to reason with me.
“I told you right from the start,” he sighed. “I don’t know what this is… between us. But I wanted to just let things happen. I wasn’t going to rush you or convince you to do things my way. I just wanted to let it be. And that includes tonight. If something happens, it won’t change things between us.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because we don’t know what the future holds for us until we get there. Nobody does.”
He had given me a lot to think about. I still didn’t know where I stood with him. And in my own head, I didn’t know where he stood with me. I was still trying to sort things out. But before I could dwell on my thoughts any longer, Rafael intervened.
“I just stopped by to say hello,” he said. “That’s all.”
“That was a long hello.”
“It was,” he said with a chuckle. “But I also wanted to make sure that you were having a good time here. You don’t get a chance to come to Hawaii very often. You might not ever come back. You should enjoy yourself while you’re still here.”
“…Yeah,” I sighed. “You should, too. You’re… going to be late for your meeting. You should go now.”
“Yeah. And I think the luau on the beach is starting.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to it?”
“I can’t,” he said as he shook his head softly. “You’re going to have to go without me.”
We didn’t say another word to one another. He stared at me. His eyes stirred all kinds of emotions within me and I had trouble looking back at him. I sighed then turned toward the window. As I looked out onto the beach and the festivities beginning, I heard the sound of the door closing.
Chapter 18
I didn’t have the nerve to step onto the beach in just the outfit I was wearing. I put on a sheer skirt wrap to cover myself up. Even though you could still see everything, I wasn’t completely bare. When I got to the beach, nobody seemed to mind or care about what I was wearing. If anything, I seemed to fit in with all of young college coeds who flaunted their bodies around like it wasn’t a big deal.
The moon was slight in the dark Maui sky. The last night of the conference signaled one of the blackest nights of the week. But the stars were out and the visible moonlight gave everybody a good enough view of the beautiful scenery. If that weren’t enough, makeshift torches were lit around the festivities taking place on the beach.
The hotel had a grand set-up on the sand. There were more than enough tables to accommodate all of the beachgoers. The warmth emanating from the fires burning was joined by the smoke from the grills and barbecue. The smell was enough to whet any appetite and after a long day of doing nothing but sitting around, I couldn’t wait to satisfy my appetite.
Dante was there just as we had planned. He didn’t look any different the way he usually did. His body seemed more fit from tanning underneath the Hawaiian sun. He was a few years older than the crowd partying and indulging themselves but he didn’t look out of place.
I sat at the table just across from him to celebrate the end of the conference. Music played through the speakers. The weather was cool. The food was good and the people enjoyed themselves. The atmosphere had never been more perfect.
“How is it?” Dante asked me just as I shoved a forkful of food into my mouth.
“It’s good,” I said as I gnawed on my food. “It’s real good.”
“Yeah, it’s a nice change of pace of the stuff they’re usually serving in the hotel. Sometimes you need to get away from all of the fancy gourmet meals that put in front of you. Being outside gives the food a little authenticity.”
“I see what you mean. Out here, you’re able to tell whether or not they dropped it on the floor. You know exactly what you’re getting.”
“A pinch of salt and a pinch of sand.”
We laughed with one another as we enjoyed the food. I had a lot to think about and every time there was a moment of silence between the two of us, the thoughts would race through my mind. Something was going to happen but I didn’t know what it was. I was just bracing myself for the inevitable.
I looked around our table at the raucous scene. Everybody was laughing, talking and partying. The alcohol was flowing and people were loosening up. I saw Dante looking at all of them with a smile on his face.
“I remember what that was like,” he said. “Going through school and just waiting to get some time off. Waiting for exams and all of that studying just be over with. Then racing over to the nearest keg or bottle of beer and getting drunk. Trying to catch the eye of a beautiful woman.”
“Really? You don’t seem like the type.”
“Is that right? What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know,” I said as I shrugged. “You just seem a little more… professional.”
“Now I am. But there’s still a side to me that you haven’t seen. I believe you were the one who said the cutoff was at 30. I’m not quite there yet.”
“Hmm, I guess you’re right.”
He burst into laughter and I shook my head after being out-reasoned by him.
I didn’t know how I viewed Dante at this point. I still didn’t know him very well. But of the little things I was aware of, I knew that I enjoyed his company. So far, he was the same man I suspected he was when I first saw him.
After a plate full of food, I rubbed my palm over my stomach as if to flatten it out.
“I think I overate,” I said. “I’m completely stuffed. I don’t think I can move.”
“I think you can move,” Dante replied.
“Well, I still feel like a blimp.”
“It looks more than fine from here. You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of, Alice.”
I looked down at the table as I tried not to blush. I could feel him staring at me with that look in his eyes. It was the same look every man gave me to let me know that they were interested. I didn’t want to think about it at this point. I didn’t know if I were ready. I looked away from him and turned to some of the performers just off to the side. There was a display of men and women in grass skirts dancing to the delight of the crowd. Their bodies flowed and swayed in a way that seemed unnatural. It was like they were in control of every single muscle in their body. It was hypnotic.
“You should join them,” Dante said to me.
“What?” I said as I laughed and shook my head. “No way! I can’t move like that.”
“How do you know? Have you tried?”
“No, I haven’t. That’s how I know.”
“You’ve certainly got the body for it. And it looks a lot easier than surfing.”
“If it’s between shaking my ass and hips in front of everybody and falling in the water over and over, I’ll take the latter.”
“So, you’re not much of a dancer, are you?”
“Get a few drinks in me and then we’ll talk.”
“Good advice. I’ll be right back.”
Dante took me more seriously than I was expecting. He disappeared and returned a few moments later with a couple of bottles of beer in each hand. I didn’t need much convincing to celebrate.
We toasted to the end of the workweek in Maui and enjoyed the rest of the performances. As time passed and more alcohol was consumed, the crowd grew more and more raucous. It was a party and Dante and I were sitting in the middle of it. It was like being in the center of a hurricane.
