This side of the island was almost nothing but resorts and hotels of varying quality, but it was hard to imagine any spot would be bad in this paradise. The sun shone down in beaming rays that Clarice found hard not to smile into.
“This place is going to be amazing,” Trudy said to the girls, turning around from the passenger seat. “The resort purchased the parcels of land around the buildings so that it’s extra private, plus it preserves the ecology for hikes and such. And we won’t be sharing our beach with anybody who isn’t at our resort.”
Liz whistled softly, watching the green jungle race by her window. “It does sound pretty fancy.”
“Worth every penny,” said Sophie. “They have stores, restaurants, a full-service spa, I can’t wait. Ugh. We’ve been working so hard on the October issue that I haven’t even had time to get a manicure.” She frowned at her nails.
“We all need this,” said Clarice, and she meant it. “I haven’t been on a vacation since…” Since she broke up with Tanner, she was going to say, but she didn’t want to say his stupid name. That it constantly repeated in her head like a tragic Greek chorus was already bad enough. “Well, it’s been a while.”
“This is going to be a new beginning for all of us, ladies,” said Trudy with a triumphant and full sigh from the front seat. “A reset button on the last shitty year.”
“Amen,” said Liz. “I am determined to go one full school year without getting puked on, starting now.”
“Your job sounds so gross,” said Sophie with a squished nose.
Liz opened her mouth to argue, but she shrugged instead. “Nah, you’re right, it is gross.”
Listening to them banter made Clarice extra happy. It seemed like it had been forever since they had all been together on a trip like this. Every minute that passed made her realize how badly she really needed the recharge.
Trudy wasn’t kidding about the privacy of the resort, Clarice discovered. The van had to be led through a patrolled security gate before heading slowly down a smooth paved boulevard, lined with highly manicured foliage and symmetrically planted palm trees. The flowers in bloom were unlike anything Clarice had ever seen, and she could already smell them from the vehicle’s open windows. Sea birds cawed in the distance, and somewhere on the wind, the smell of smoking spiced meat flowed.
Stepping out of the van at the resort lobby was like sensory overload. Warm sunshine and wind, the sound of the ocean, the smell of the fresh island, all of it combined to instantly light up the faces of all four women while they stood together in a gaggle, watching handsome young bellhops collect and organize their luggage. The soft fabric of Clarice’s sundress spun around her legs, as if the place was welcoming her with a warm, sunny embrace.
“Jesus, Sophie,” Liz said, shaking her head. The bellhop was pulling bag number 6 belonging to the fashionista from the back of the van, all in the same gorgeous matching shade of Tiffany blue. “You looking to rent here?”
“Oh hush up, we’re here for a whole week!” said Sophie. “How would it look to anyone who knew me if I didn’t come prepared? I’m not letting some fun little getaway wreck my reputation.”
“Are you expecting a lot of fashion icons to spot you at this private resort, halfway around the world?” laughed Clarice.
“You never know who shows up at these things!” Sophie said, playfully lifting the beautiful curled ends of her stylish bob with her palm.
“I thought the whole point of this place was I didn’t have to be dressed,” said Liz. Almost as soon as the words had left her mouth, she went pale as a ghost, and turned with wide eyes to Clarice.
Clarice froze, blinking at her friends. All of them looked like they had just been caught sneaking booze from their parent’s liquor cabinet.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” asked Clarice, suspicious. “Did you bring me to a nudist colony?”
Trudy laughed just a little, the way she did when she was nervous but had nowhere to hide. “Well, not technically, you see…”
“Don’t ‘technically’ me, missy,” said Clarice. “Your lawyer tricks aren’t going to work. What’s going on, you guys?” She looked around at the gorgeous landscape and few milling people; everyone seemed to be fully dressed and normal looking. “Where the hell did you bring me?”
After a few seconds of tense silence, finally Liz blurted out, “It’s a sex resort, okay? It’s a sex resort, Clarice.”
Clarice’s face flushed with heat and color. The bellhops didn’t even seem to be listening to them, but she was mortified nonetheless, and scooted closer into the group towards her girls. “What the hell? Are you serious? What the heck is a sex resort?”
Trudy was clearly upset her surprise had been blown so crassly. She rolled her eyes. “It’s called a hedonistic resort, Liz, don’t be crass. It’s a place where hot, young, successful single people such as ourselves come to relax and get away and… get laid by other hot, young, successful people. It’s not like you have to have sex, it’s just implied that everyone here is, well… down to clown, as the kids say.”
Sophie made a face. “Why would the kids say that? Ugh.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” said Clarice. “This was your bright idea to get me out of my funk, Trude?” She pointed a finger towards the resort. “You want me to just bang a bunch of random dudes on a beach halfway around the world? I couldn’t get up the nerve to do that at home, what makes you think I’ll do it here?”
“Look, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” said Trudy, putting her hands on Clarice’s shoulders. “It’s not like someone’s monitoring us making sure we meet the fuck quota or they’ll send us packing. This is just a place where, you know… a lot of the guess-work is removed. It’s like going to a buffet instead of trying to cook for yourself at home. Basically everyone here is DTF.”
“Except me,” said Clarice, folding her arms.
Trudy sighed. “Except you, apparently.”
“I can be extra DTF for her,” said Sophie.
“Like you need the help,” quipped Liz with a smirk.
Clarice sighed. “I don’t know, guys… this feels really… big… and I’m uneasy. I don’t think I’m ready for this.”
“Who is ever ready for anything?” said Sophie. “You think I was ready for that promotion? I sobbed in my shower every night the first week!”
“I have literally never been ready for any day in my classroom,” agreed Liz, before she leaned over to the bellhop reaching for the last of the bags and asked him if the bar was open yet.
“Tanner was a douche, and he broke your heart,” said Trudy. “And you’ve been wallowing about it for over a year now, Clarice. Wasting time in the prime of your life! You’re a hot, young, successful professional, and you should be drowning in eligible bachelor penis. Instead, you’re like, prepping for your future as a cat lady and favorite aunt. As your friend, I won’t have it anymore. So you don’t have to fuck anybody here, but for me, will you at least try to have a good time and relax? This place has everything you could need.”
Hearing Tanner’s name out loud somehow made things seem much more real and awful to Clarice. Trudy was right; she had been wallowing. She was aware that she had buried herself in work during the days, hoping to get tired enough to fall right to sleep as soon as she got back to her empty apartment. Some nights she didn’t, and those were the worst. Those were the nights when Trudy often got sobbing phone calls waking her from the middle of sleep, and talked Clarice down from the emotional edge, where her heart seemed to permanently live. She knew she had been drinking too much wine lately, but it helped her sleep, and sleep helped her through the next day.
That’s all Clarice seemed to be focusing on lately: the next day. Not the long-term future, not the joy of her work or looking forward to spending time with friends. She just tried to make it through the regular days without having a disaster or feeling like she couldn’t take it anymore. Her funk had, she was realizing, transform
ed into something more like full-blown depression, and that wasn’t good for anybody.
As she looked around at the lush grounds, the tropical sunshine, and the eager faces of her beautiful and closest friends, she felt ashamed for all the time she had spent aching for a man who had treated her so badly. Right in front of her were four angels who had clearly worked very hard to make her happy and get her on a new and brighter path. They loved her, and she owed it to them to try, even if she was deeply afraid she was going to disappoint them and all their hard work.
Clarice smiled, but it was a tight and teary thing. Her emotions felt overworked and raw. “I will. I’m sorry, you guys. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. This place is a paradise, and you were all so sweet to kidnap me and hold me hostage here. I promise I’ll do my best to relax and have a good time.”
Sophie made a cooing sound and wrapped her in a tight hug. The ladies linked arms and followed the bellhops into the lobby to check in.
3
Harrison
“Jesus fucking Christ,” said Harrison as he read the email. Whatever bits of his headache had disappeared were now charging back with full force, stabbing at his brain without mercy. In between it all was a burning feeling he was trying to ignore that was pointing out that he probably deserved this for being such a goddamn fuck-up.
What had he been thinking? He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to conjure up memories from the drunken haze of the night before, but they remained stuck like sticks in a dark bog. He hadn’t spoken to his father in months, and hadn’t seen him in years. Harrison ran the resort well enough that George Moore, the true emperor of this and all the Moore Resorts throughout the Pacific, didn’t need to attend to the place closely. Harrison liked — no, needed —his independence from the family. Especially his father. So he worked his ass off to ensure there would be little need for interference.
But apparently some little gremlin in his subconscious was not having that now. He would give half his fortune to remember what had stirred him up and inspired him to send that email last night. However, the only images he could clearly recall were of the fire of the evening’s luau, along with its accompanying colors and spicy smells, where he had been off-duty and enjoying himself.
Apparently, that was the last place he’d been sober last night. At least initially.
Perhaps that was where he had run into his lady friend, since the only clear memory after the luau was of waking up this morning, well-laid and hungover.
That he couldn’t even remember why he decided to try and wreck his whole life almost bothered him more than the act itself.
The lift pinged gently as he arrived at the lobby floor, and Harrison walked with a determined stride through the hallways towards the front desk. The sea breeze was even stronger here in the spacious lobby, where the windows were only ever closed if the weather got too wet and windy. A few older guests milled around the diner; a small breakfast buffet was already open for the day, fresh food steaming from heated trays. Staff members, most looking brighter and less hungover than him, went about their early morning duties, and those that saw him gave him a smile or a greeting as he passed. Harrison tried to be polite and respond to them all, as being rude and the owner’s son simply would not do. With his head still rolling with pain and anger, it became difficult after the third or fourth attempt.
The sound of gathered voices got louder as Harrison approached the check-in desk. He knew his friend Bruce should be on duty, and there was no one else he could trust to help him with this complete catastrophe. The trick was going to be getting Bruce free from his duties, but he had certainly fried bigger fish than that.
As he approached the desk, he saw four stunning women gathered on the opposite side, speaking with Bruce as they proceeded through their check-in routine. Though their styles were all very different, it was clear they were professional, maybe even at the heads of their fields. At least judging by the expensiveness of their outfits, he recognized couture designers on at least two of them. The very thin one with the brunette bob was ten weeks ahead of her friends on the fashion front, and looked like she never left a salon.
But it wasn’t until he spotted the raven-haired, petite woman at the rear of the group, that Harrison froze in his tracks. Her arms were crossed anxiously as she looked around the lobby suspiciously, completely ignoring the front desk conversation. She had pale skin, like a marble statue, soft pursed lips that formed a perfect cupid’s bow, and big blue eyes framed by dark feathery lashes. She was absolutely breathtaking.
When her gaze swung around and met his for just a moment, he held it and smiled. The beauty hesitated for just a second, but then she smiled back, and he felt a spark of both arousal and connection between them.
“It looks like everything is in order, Miss Price!” Bruce was saying to the hard-looking brunette standing at the head of the group. “If you’ll give me just a few more seconds, I’ll get those room key cards popped out and ready for you ladies.”
As Harrison approached, the women all looked over to him, and their faces softened. Eyes lit up; pupils dilated; nostrils flared; and the faintest hint of flush crept up the delicate skin around the base of their necks. He had taught himself a long time ago how to recognize the telltale signs of physical arousal, and every single one of these ladies liked what they saw when they looked at him. His dick twitched in his shorts just a little at the idea of a new buffet of conquests, but he quickly clamped down on it. He couldn’t afford to get distracted now. Besides, this place never ran out of pussy, anyway.
“Good morning, excuse me ladies,” said Harrison, raising up a palm to greet them. He flashed his most charming smile, knowing that, coupled with his posh British accent, was enough to warm even the iciest of hearts. American women especially seemed to melt over it. “I need to borrow Bruce here for two quick seconds, if you don’t mind?”
Before Bruce could turn and acknowledge him — or argue, as Harrison knew he would immediately want to do, because God help him, the adorable surf rat took his job seriously —Harrison clapped a hand on his chest and gave him a little shake. Still smiling at the ladies, he bent down next to Bruce’s ear and whispered, “It’s a bit of an emergency, mate, give us a break.”
Bruce’s expression dropped and he nodded at his boss. Harrison wasn’t one to cry wolf on an emergency situation, especially not when it involved keeping customers waiting. He quickly finished the coding job he was in the middle of and turned to smile at the women. “This won’t take long, Miss Price.”
“By all means, take your time,” said Miss Price with a lazy, sexy smile. Her gaze ran up and down Bruce’s body without shame.
Harrison led Bruce away from the desk and spoke to him quietly. “Bruce, you have to help me, or I am royally fucked.”
Concern washed over Bruce’s face. The two of them had made fast friends when Bruce arrived six years ago on a backpacking trip across Southeast Asia. Like others before him, he found himself seduced by the paradise that was Bali. What was meant to be a short summer adventure after graduation in the States accidentally became a life of surfing, sun, and blunts on the beach, punctuated by his shifts at the resort, where his big heart and good nature made him the perfect introduction to the place. He made even the nervous visitors feel comfortable and welcome, like they belonged here. Bruce and Harrison were both masters at chasing tail, though their techniques and motivations were very different. But it helped cement the man as Harrison’s closest confidant on the whole island.
Bruce folded his tanned, toned arms across the white cotton button-up that was his resort uniform. “Oh man, what’s up?”
“Do you remember seeing me last night? After the luau?”
Bruce’s dark eyes darted about as he ran through his memories. He shook his head. “No man, I don’t. I remember you at the luau with that terrific babe, what was her name…. the supermodel?”
Harrison nodded. “Yeah, her, I figured that’s where I met her. I don’t remember her
name either. I left with her, you remember that?”
Bruce let out a laugh, and gave him a sly eye. “Yeah, after she wouldn’t get off your lap during the dessert service. You crushed two pieces of chocolate cake together on the same plate and tried to carry both her and the plate out onto the beach. Did you make it, or did you just brush the sand off the cake before you ate it?”
The joke was lost on him. Shame pierced Harrison’s chest and he closed his eyes. He was a party boy, sure, but he typically did a far better job leaving his most embarrassing displays for private places, and not in front of his guests. “Bollocks, how many tables did I knock over? Did anyone complain?”
“None this time! Well, one tipped pretty hard, but Tan was standing close and saved it. The party was going pretty hard, I’m honestly not sure anyone noticed when it happened except me and maybe a couple other staff members. What do I keep telling you about the Sambuca, man? It’s not to be trifled with.”
“It is officially poison to me,” said Harrison, shoving his phone into Bruce’s face. “If I survive this poisoning, that is.”
Bruce took the phone from him with a frown and read the email he had pulled up. There was no dawning expression on his face. He shrugged. “Your pops is coming in? Is that bad?”
“He’s coming in because he thinks I’m engaged.”
Bruce’s eyes went wide. “Oh. Oh, shit. Who told him that?”
He frowned and pointed to the phone. “I did, didn’t you read the…” Harrison stopped himself, took a deep breath, and snatched the phone from Bruce’s hand. “Never mind, forget it. The point is, I am going to need your help to pull this off.”
“Pull what off?”
“Fooling my father into thinking I have a fiancée.”
Bruce sighed. “You’re going to make me lose this job, aren’t you, dude?”
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