by Kimberly Fox
“Dad!” Tanya snaps.
Ethan straightens up in his chair and swallows. “They’re not coming, sir. We’re not exactly close.”
“Oh, how nice,” Mr. Prentis says as he turns back to his menu.
I close my eyes and turn over to Julia and Matt. That was way too awkward.
“So what drink are you getting, Matt?” I ask. “What would a professional bartender recommend?”
“I would recommend wine with dinner,” he says, staring at me with blank eyes.
Wow, this guy is a real conversationalist.
“Okay,” I say, “I’ll take some wine.” A lot of wine.
“Can you believe another one of our friends is getting married?” Julia asks. “One day it will be our day.” She finds my hand under the table and squeezes it.
“I hope so,” I mutter under my breath. I don’t want to end up like Ophelia down there.
A band starts playing some light Caribbean music and toes start swaying, fingers start tapping and heads start bobbing all around the restaurant. The music is really good and mixed with the salty smell of the ocean and frying fish from the kitchen, it finally feels like vacation. Just because it had a rocky start doesn’t mean the whole week will be bad.
Megan snorts out a laugh as Ophelia rushes to the dance floor in front of the band and starts dancing. She shakes her hips and large breasts suggestively as she stares at the wide-eyed chef who’s grilling a large fish.
“That’s your roommate?” Julia asks, watching Ophelia over her shoulder.
“Yeah,” I say, curtly. “Thanks a lot.”
She winces. “Sorry babe.”
“Yeah, I know,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Ten inches.”
We have a nice dinner chatting easily. Julia and I catch up with Tanya as Ethan fails spectacularly over and over again at trying to win Mr. and Mrs. Prentis’ approval. Matt stares blankly at the dead marlin hanging on the wall through most of the dinner.
The staff clears the dirty plates and I take one last fry from my delicious fish and chips before the waitress takes it away.
Julia hands the waitress her plate with the poor, dead lobster carcass sitting on it. “Did you enjoy the cute little lobster that you had murdered?” I ask.
“I did,” she said, wiping the corner of her lips with her cloth napkin. “I think tomorrow night I’m going to eat her cute, little delicious children.” She grins at me and cackles like the witch from the Wizard of Oz.
“You’re so evil,” I whisper.
She touches her palm to her chest and closes her eyes. “Thank you.”
“I read in the reviews that this restaurant has the best chocolate cake in Central America,” Tanya says, clamping her fingers together in excitement.
“Do you like chocolate cake?” Ethan asks Mr. Prentis.
“No,” he answers curtly.
The band starts playing some romantic music now that the dinner is finished. Ethan looks over at the dance floor as couples start to make their way over, hand in hand.
“Would you like to dance, my love?” Ethan asks Tanya. I think he just wants to get away from Tanya’s disapproving parents.
Tanya grabs his hand and they excuse themselves on the way to the dance floor. The band starts playing Lady in Red and women drag their men to the dance floor like moths to a flame.
One by one the couples at our table get up and make their way to join the soon to be bride and groom.
“Come dance with us,” Julia says as Matt and her stand up.
“Thanks but I’m just going to wait for my chocolate cake,” I say, feeling a little sorry for myself. “Apparently it’s the best in Central America.”
“Well, when you’re done,” Julia says, “come join us. We could use your sexy moves out there.”
Mr. and Mrs. Prentis stand up from the table. “Are you two going to dance?” I ask.
“He doesn’t like dancing,” Mrs. Prentis says, looking disappointed.
“We’re going to bed.” He nods his frowning face at me. “Good night, Cynthia.”
“Good night, dear,” Mrs. Prentis says before following her husband out.
I’m all alone at the large table. Even Ophelia is on the dance floor, singing and dancing by herself. At least she owns it.
Just when I’m starting to feel sorry for myself the staff walks over carrying the true love of my life. My eyes light up when the waitress places a large piece of chocolate cake in front of me. She drops off a piece in front of each empty seat and smiles as she leaves.
I pick up my fork, glance over my shoulder and then take a big bite out of Julia’s cake. Don’t judge. She deserves it.
The taste is like a chocolatey orgasm in my mouth. Who needs Ophelia’s impressive and creepy vibrator collection when I can have this? I can’t stop shoveling it into my mouth until my piece is done. And after, I feel sad, like I just lost my soulmate.
Yes, it was that good.
The band finishes the song and immediately starts singing a romantic Caribbean version of You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling. Are they kidding me?
All of the couples stay planted on the dance floor leaving me with twenty or so pieces of cake daring me to eat them.
A hot, muscular waiter walks over, staring at me as I sit by myself. His eyes are locked on me and I sit up straight in my seat with a tinge of nerves radiating through my body. I push my chest out slightly and hold my breath nervously as he approaches with a smile on his handsome face.
Is he going to ask me to dance?
He reaches out with his hand and I look down at my lap shyly as my cheeks start to warm up.
“Really?” I ask, looking at him with blushing cheeks. “You want to dance with me?”
“Huh?” he asks, jerking his head back. “No. I take the dirty plate. You ate the whole big piece all by yourself.”
I let out a deflated breath as I hand him my empty plate.
“Anyone else?” he asks in a thick accent as he looks around the table. “Nope. You the only one who ate their whole cake.”
“It wasn’t a whole cake,” I mutter under my breath as he leaves, taking his big muscles with him.
All of a sudden it’s feeling very hot in here so I walk outside to get some fresh air. It’s a gorgeous night with a nice breeze and the beach is only a short stroll away. I slip off my flip flops and hook them onto my finger as I step onto the cool sand. The ocean is dark and loud from the waves crashing onto the shore. They’ve picked up in intensity and are much more active than they were this afternoon.
There’s a bright full moon sitting in the dark sky with a gazillion shining stars around it. Not a cloud in the sky. I can still hear the live music from the band drifting over on the breeze. I hum the song as I stroll down the beach.
I really hope that it’s going to be a good week, but so far it’s starting off pretty lame. I’m trying to stay positive but it’s really hard being single at another wedding. The big questions keep getting thrust in front of my face, nagging me. Will I ever find the one? I really want to get married and have a family and all of my friends seem to be meeting their soulmates except me. I don’t get why I’m so unlucky.
I sit down on a beach chair and lay back, looking at the dark ocean as the same thoughts run through my head. I can escape and fly around the world but I can’t escape the thoughts that are haunting me. Will I be single forever?
I’ve tried online dating but it’s been one long string of perverts and creeps just trying to get laid. I need more than that right now. I need to find someone to settle down with. To have a family with.
Will he ever come?
The sound of splashing in the water jerks me out of my pity party and I jump up to see what it is. There’s something moving in the water a few feet away from the shore. I gasp and move back a step.
Is that a shark?
My heart starts to race as I hold my breath and watch in horror. I step back and bump into the chair that I was sitting on, scaring me half to death.
Geez, Cynthia you idiot. It’s not like the shark is going to come on land and eat you.
The splashing gets closer to the shore and the skin looks pale. Almost human.
Is that a person?
I narrow my gaze on it as I step forward. It’s super dangerous to be swimming in the water at night with no lifeguard. Who is this idiot?
A man stands up with the water up to his chest. I can’t see him too well in the dark but he’s got a muscular body with tattoos all over it.
My feet are frozen in the sand as he wades through the water to the shore. Who is this guy? A recently turned merman? A pirate dumped at sea?
He walks forward and the water level sinks to his knees. He’s naked.
Oh, he’s a pervert. That’s nice.
He steps onto the shore and the soft light from the resort behind me lights up his face, and other places. Wow. He’s hot.
I can’t take my eyes off him. It’s funny how all it takes for a guy to switch from a creep to a hot naked man is a set of abs.
His incredible dark eyes are locked on mine as he walks straight at me. I drag my eyes down the carved line of his cheekbones to his chiseled jaw with the perfect five o’clock shadow and swallow hard as my eyes pass over his delicious wet lips.
Sexy dark ink covers his towering, round shoulders and slinks down his hard biceps to his thick forearms. He has dog tags hanging around his neck that are resting next to a tattoo of a skull in front of two AK47s on his left pec. It’s a military tattoo. And a sexy one at that.
I still haven’t taken a breath as my eyes move down his sculpted abs to the mouthwatering V carved into his pelvis. My fingers start to tingle as my eyes move down to his long wet cock hanging freely in between his muscular legs. Holy fuck. He’s gorgeous.
“Hey beautiful,” he says, looking me up and down, “do you have a towel?”
I take the first breath in the past few minutes as he stands in front of me in all of his naked glory. His dark brown eyes are sparkling in the soft light beneath thick dark lashes that I would kill to have.
The light from the resort lights up his body and I’m shocked to find scars everywhere. Lot’s of little scars all over his arms, ribs, stomach and chest.
“Do you have a towel?” he repeats when I just stand there gawking.
Even if I did I wouldn’t give it to him. The view is too good.
“No, I don’t,” I say, crossing my arms and taking a step back. He may be hot but he’s still a naked stranger that I don’t know on a dark beach.
He runs his hand through his short wet hair, making his abs flex, and my panties get instantly damp. “Would you do me a solid and go grab me one from the front desk?”
“Seriously?” I ask, in shock. He has some nerve.
“Unless you want to keep staring at my cock,” he says with a smirk.
I clench my teeth and look down at it. It’s the biggest cock I’ve ever seen but I’m not about to give him the satisfaction of looking impressed. Lucky beads of sand are sticking to his wet athletic thighs, clinging to his hotness.
“Maybe I can get one from security,” I say, coldly.
He just grins. “Or maybe you can slip out of that sexy dress and I can use that.”
I should be running away screaming from this naked creep but I feel compelled to stay and talk to him. I unsuccessfully try to convince myself that his off the charts hotness has nothing to do with it.
“My dress isn’t going anywhere near your balls,” I answer.
“It’s not your dress that I want near my balls.”
Now it’s my turn to grin. “My foot?” I ask, lifting it up off the sand.
He cups his dick with both hands and grimaces. I always find it amusing how just the threat of doing something to a guy’s balls always has them feeling the imaginary pain.
His abs, arms, and pecs are all flexed as he steps back and stares at me in horror. The carved V on his pelvis is jutting out from his hands with just the hint of pubic hair tempting me over his cupped palms. His muscles are so perfect that they look airbrushed on. If it wasn’t for all of the tiny scars all over him he would look like a model in a magazine.
Who the hell is this guy?
“Put your foot down,” he says, his voice a higher pitch than it was ten seconds ago.
“Are you sure?” I ask with a grin. “I played soccer for ten years.”
He clenches his jaw as his eyes widen.
“Relax,” I say, putting my foot back in the sand. The beach is empty with everyone either at dinner or listening to the band. I’m curious to see what his next move is considering he’s naked in public with no clothes to put on.
“Are you just going to stand here naked?” I ask.
“Are you just going to stand here and watch?” he asks back.
“Don’t get all full of yourself,” I say, crossing my arms. “I just want to see how you’re going to get yourself out of this mess. Or if you don’t, I’ll videotape you getting arrested and put it on Youtube. Win win for me.”
“I left my shorts on that chair,” he says, pointing at the beach chair behind me. “The staff must have taken them.”
He lets go of his package when he points and once again he’s hanging freely in the wind in all of his naked glory.
“Cold out there in the water?” I ask with a smirk.
He grins. “Very. This is only half my regular size by the way.”
It’s still the biggest I’ve ever seen and I have to admit, I’m afraid to see bigger.
A flashlight shines in the distance up the beach. “Oh great,” I say with a smile. “Here comes security now. Where is my phone?” I ask, rifling through my purse.
Hot naked guy, that’s his name now, sprints past me, hurdling over beach chairs running to the resort where the rooms are. He runs impossibly fast and jumps off the ledge of a garden and leaps up. What the fuck?!? Hot naked guy sails into the air and grabs the bottom of the balcony of the room on the second floor and easily pulls himself up like a naked Spiderman. Wait, a hot naked Spiderman.
He steps on the railing of the balcony and leaps up, grabbing the third story balcony. He dangles from there with one hand, turns and winks at me as I take in an eyeful of his hard ass.
His jacked back and shoulder muscles flex as he pulls himself up and climbs over the railing. He waves at me and slides the patio doors open. He’s in the room with the door shut in an instant.
What just happened? Did I just meet a superhero?
The security guard tips his hat and smiles at me as he strolls by. I look from him up to the closed door of the room and back again. I’m speechless. But even if I told him what just happened he’d probably think I was drunk or high on something.
I stay there for a moment watching his shadow move around the room through the curtain. I’m totally not trying to figure out what room number that is. Nope. Definitely not.
I push out all of the unwelcome thoughts pouring into my head right now. I don’t need another fling, I tell myself as I walk back to the resort. I’m twenty-nine, not nineteen. I need to settle down. This is not what I’m looking for anymore.
I want a husband and kids, I say over and over again, trying to push out the image of hot naked man’s hot naked cock out of my head where it seems to be permanently implanted. I want a husband and kids. I want a husband and kids.
The band is still rocking the restaurant and they’re playing more lively music now that the dinner service is finished. The staff removed some tables widening the dance floor, which is hopping with people.
I stand on the outside rubbing my forehead as I see Megan and Tanya doing a synchronized dance. They look like two ostriches having seizures.
“Where have you been?” Julia asks, sliding beside me.
“Hiding from these two,” I answer. “I’m afraid they’re going to drag me into another embarrassing dance.”
“I know,” Julia says shaking her head as she watches them. “Megan was frantically lo
oking for you before.”
I let out a sigh. “Those two are so weird.”
“I know,” Julia says, leaning her head on my shoulder. “But that’s why we love them.”
“Yup,” I say. And it’s true. I love those two dorks to death.
It’s not long before my mind drifts back to hot naked guy’s perfect abs and how the water drops rippled down the deep ridges. I think about telling Julia but it sounds like a made up story. I can’t even seem to believe it now that I’m back in the restaurant surrounded by fully clothed people.
I wonder if he’s here with a girl. I close my eyes tight. I want a husband and kids. I want a husband and kids.
“I know it was you,” Julia says, with her head still on my shoulder.
“What?”
“My cake. You took a bite, you bitch.”
“Sorry,” I say, touching my temple to the top of her head.
“It’s okay,” she says. “I’m sorry I left you to bunk with Ophelia.”
“It’s okay,” I answer. “She’s not that bad.”
“Really?”
“No, she’s the worst.”
Julia grabs my hand and squeezes it as Megan and Tanya crash into each other during their grand finale. “I think he’s the one.”
No, he’s not.
“That’s great,” I lie. “Does he have a brother for me?”
She looks up at the ceiling with a look of confusion on her face. “I don’t know…”
I stifle a laugh. I wonder if they’ve talked at all.
“Oh shit,” Julia mutters.
Megan is pointing right at us from the middle of the dance floor. “There she is!”
“Oh shit is right,” I say as Tanya locks eyes on us.
They both storm over with that fierce intensity in their eyes that can only mean one thing: a dance off.
“Why do we hang out with these girls?” I ask as Tanya grabs my arm with a powerful grip and yanks me to the dance floor.
Megan clamps onto Julia’s arm and drags her back. “I was going to ask you the same thing,” she says.
Ethan slips the DJ twenty bucks and before I know it the Backstreet Boys are blaring through the speakers and we’re lined up ready to perform the synchronized dance that we couldn’t even perform well in the high school talent show, let alone fifteen years later.
