“Further back,” the lifeguard shouted from the sand near the hut. “The tide’s coming in. They’ll be underwater in no time. Put them up the beach more.” He strode off toward the far end of the beach where a convoy of trucks had parked beyond the dunes.
Cursing, Alex splashed through the water to retrieve the flag he had planted so he could place it further from the sea.
By the time he had both flags in the sand and had set out his chair on the hut platform, he was already bored. All the action seemed to be happening at the other end of the beach where the Shark Festival stage was being set up. He watched the proceedings through a pair of binoculars he had found in the hut. Josh was marching around the workmen, pointing and shouting out instructions. The kid sure loved to be in charge.
Alex swung the binoculars to the other end of the beach. Something he saw there made him sit up and adjust the focus.
Maybe things were looking up after all. Walking along the sand toward the flags were two women. The one closest to the sea was tall and slender and wore a black bikini. She had a mane of curly black hair and caramel skin. Very nice. The type of woman Alex would sometimes be seen around London and Hollywood with. She almost seemed out of place on this quiet beach; she would probably suit her surroundings more if she were doing that wriggly walk along a packed beach in Santa Monica. The eyes of all the men would definitely be following her.
Her companion was a pretty blonde carrying a pink and white striped beach bag. She wore a big blue t-shirt that was several sizes too large for her despite the fact she was obviously a curvy girl. She kept pulling the t-shirt down over her full thighs. Alex caught a glimpse of black bikini beneath. The sight intrigued him. Maybe she was going to take off the t-shirt before she went into the water. He doubted it. She didn’t look the type.
In fact, compared to her friend who seemed just as comfortable in her bikini as she probably did in anything she wore, the blonde looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here.
Alex grinned. Maybe today wasn’t going to be so boring after all.
* * *
Madison Davis pulled at the t-shirt again, trying to get it lower around her legs. It only reached to her mid-thigh area but she would have preferred it to be longer. Ankle-length would be ideal.
“Stop tugging at it,” Kim said, shaking her head. “I don’t know why you’re even wearing that silly thing.” Kim looked perfectly comfortable striding along the sand in her black bikini.
“We can’t all be model-thin,” Maddy said. She didn’t feel envious of her friend or even ashamed of her own curves. She just didn’t want to display them in public. Her body wasn’t for everyone to gawk at, it was something to be shared in intimate moments with a man. With the lights out.
Not that she had a man.
Her last man - hell, her only man, Eric Turnbull - had dumped her on her twenty-fifth birthday. By text. Bastard.
She told herself she was over Eric and maybe she was but she had the sinking feeling that he was the only man for her. Not in the lovey-dovey romantic sense but in the sense that Eric was the only man she was ever going to get.
Since she had been single, there had been no males on the horizon at all. Her job at London Eye wasn’t exactly conducive to finding men. She was stuck in an office all day working on the magazine layout, not out in the field where she wanted to be. So much for her dream of being a journalist. And the men in the office were hardly boyfriend material.
She pushed all thoughts of men out of her mind. She was here with her best friend on a lovely beach and she was going to damn well enjoy herself.
Despite the fact it was so early.
Hitting the beach the moment they arrived in Sunnystone Bay had been Kim’s idea. Maddy would much rather hit their hotel and then her bed but it was way too early to check in yet.
“We should have left London this morning instead of last night,” she told Kim, “then we could have arrived here this evening, checked in to the hotel...”
“And miss a whole day of the festival?” Kim threw her arms up. “Look at this. We would have missed a whole day of sun, sea and sand.”
Maddy sighed. When she had agreed to come with her friend to the Shark Festival, she hadn’t reckoned on Kim’s need to take control of situations and squeeze every last drop out of them. That was why Kim was a journalist and didn’t sit behind a computer all day. She was a go-getter.
But if that meant hitting the beach at 6 a.m. just to make sure they didn’t miss anything, Maddy wasn’t sure that life was for her. At least when you worked in an office all day and had no ambition, you could sleep at night and stay in bed until a reasonable hour.
“They haven’t even put the stage up yet,” she said, pointing to the crew of workmen at the far end of the beach erecting the stage beneath the watchful eye of a shaggy-haired lifeguard.
“So we can get pictures of them building it and put them up online,” Kim said, producing a phone and finding the camera app.
“Err, where were you keeping that phone?” Maddy asked. Kim’s bikini barely covered anything and she was sure the phone hadn’t been in her friend’s hand.
“Don’t ask,” Kim said, winking. “Now let’s get some pics of the workmen.”
“You go on ahead. I’ll wait here.” She didn’t feel like standing around a work crew trying to keep her t-shirt pulled down. She was all too aware that she only wore a bikini beneath it. It was the only piece of beach attire she owned. She remembered buying it last summer, telling herself that she was going to slim down and wear it this summer. Of course, that never happened but when she agreed to come to the festival with Kim she forgot she didn’t have anything else to wear to the beach except the little black bikini that barely held her big boobs in check.
Thank God for over-sized t-shirts. She had plenty of those.
She pulled on the hem of the one she was wearing and stopped walking. “I’ll wait for you here,” she said, dropping the beach bag and making herself comfortable on the cool sand between the lifeguard flags. She hoped the day warmed up soon because the slight chill in the air was giving her another problem the t-shirt couldn’t hide. That was another reason she didn’t want to go stand with the workmen. Having a gang of men stare at her chest at six in the morning was not her idea of fun. Just thinking about it made her feel uncomfortable.
Kim put her hands on her hips and looked down at Maddy. “You’re not going to be like this all week are you?”
“Like what?”
“Boring.”
“I’m not boring. What I am is tired.”
“We’d just sleep the whole festival away if it was up to you,” Kim said, shaking her head. “I’ll be back in a bit.” She strode off through the sand toward the stage.
Maddy dug into the bag and found her pink beach towel and sunglasses. She spread the towel on the sand and lay on top of it, putting on the sunglasses and pulling down her t-shirt a final time, pinning it beneath her ample bottom so it wouldn’t ride up.
She could catch up on some sleep while Kim was over by the stage.
She closed her eyes and listened to the distant gulls and the soft whisper of the sea.
* * *
When she woke up the sun was higher in the blue sky and the day had turned warmer. The beach was getting busy with sunbathers and swimmers. She sat up and looked for Kim. There was no sign of her friend. Probably still over at the stage shaking flirting with the workmen. Maddy was more than a little envious of Kim’s outgoing personality. She wished she were more like herself. Good for Kim that she could make friends - especially of the male variety - wherever she went.
Maddy wondered how long she had been lying here. The sand was hot and her thighs felt a little sunburned. Maybe a quick dip in the sea would cool her down. Making sure her t-shirt covered her ass, she got up and ventured to the water’s edge. The water was cool as it washed over her feet but not too cold for a swim.
She waded out up to her hips then launched herself forward and ga
sped as the cold salty water washed over her back and shoulders. Kicking out with her legs and sweeping her arms in a breaststroke, she swam out deeper. A cluster of weed-covered rocks sat a little further out, poking out of the waves. She could reach them, take a rest, then swim back to shore. Then she would go find Kim.
By the time she reached the rocks, she was used to the coolness of the water. It felt invigorating against her skin. The rhythmic movement of the sea almost seemed like it was caressing her, drawing her out into deeper water. She didn’t want to go any deeper; she was already a long way from the shore.
The rocks felt rough beneath her fingers. Maddy went to pull herself out of the water but stopped when she felt something tugging her back down.
Pulling herself up with more strength, she felt the same tug on her t-shirt.
Something had her in its grip.
Fear chilled her blood until it felt like ice running through her veins.
Her first thought: shark.
She struggled to climb up onto the rocks but she was still held fast.
She told herself it couldn’t be a shark; there weren’t sharks in these waters, despite the name of the festival
So what was it?
She didn’t dare reach down to see what had fastened itself to her t-shirt.
A wave rolled over her, covering her face and sending water rushing onto her ears.
That sent her into a panic.
She waved her hands above her head and shouted, “Help!” There was a lifeguard hut on the beach and she saw a lifeguard sitting up there. He looked out at her but she couldn’t see his eyes because he wore sunglasses.
She expected him to come running down the beach and dive in to save her but instead he looked toward the other end of the beach where the stage was being erected.
He looked almost as panicked as Maddy felt.
CHAPTER TWO
What was he doing? Couldn’t he see she needed his help? She shouted louder to get his attention and waved her arms frantically.
At least whatever had hold of her wasn’t pulling her under. It held her in place but hadn’t tried to swim off with her and turn her into a snack.
The lifeguard seemed to come to a decision and took off his jacket. He started down the beach toward the water. He didn’t run and dive in as she had imagined. Instead, he walked to the water and slowly waded in before leaning forward and swimming toward Maddy and the rocks in a slow breaststroke.
She placed her hands on the slippery rocks to keep her head above water and waited. He reached her a couple of minutes later. Even though he wore shades, Maddy was sure she recognized him from somewhere.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Something’s got hold of me,” she said. “Below the water.”
He hesitated, seemingly unsure of what to do.
“You could take a look,” she suggested.
“I’ll take a look,” he said. He took a breath and went under. Maddy felt him pulling on her t-shirt then he surfaced again.
“There’s a big fishing hook wedged between the rocks,” he told her. “You’re snagged on it.”
“Can’t you get me loose?”
“Not without ripping your t-shirt.”
She felt mortified. If he did that she would have to get back to the beach wearing nothing but her bikini. Crowds of people had gathered there, pointing out to the rocks and chatting between themselves. They had seen the lifeguard go into the water and were interested in seeing either a heroic rescue or a drowned person. Damned rubber-neckers.
“It’s OK,” she told the lifeguard, “I’ll get it loose somehow. Thanks.”
He shook his head. “I can’t leave you out here. The tide’s coming in. These rocks will be underwater in a few minutes. So will you if I don’t get you loose.”
She was about to protest but he went under again. She felt a sudden movement and she was free. She pulled herself up onto the rocks but her t-shirt fell off and she was left with nothing to cover her curves except the tiny black bikini. She slipped back into the water.
The lifeguard re-surfaced. He was grinning. She had no idea why. She wanted to slap him across the face and knock those sunglasses into the sea.
“Enjoying this, are you?” she asked coldly.
“What’s your problem? I just saved your life.”
She almost wished he hadn’t bothered because now she was going to have to face all those people with all of her goods on display. Great. Just great.
He turned toward the beach and saw all the people there. “Oh,” he said flatly.
“What’s the matter? You’re a big hero. You can tell them how you rip women’s clothes off to save their lives.”
He hesitated, adjusted his sunglasses and pulled his cap down further over his eyes. “Come on,” he said.
“You go. I’ll stay out here a while.”
He shook his head. “I can’t leave you.”
“I’m fine now. Or do you think you should rip my bikini off as well?”
He looked like he was thinking about it.
“Get that thought out of your mind,” she told him.
He grinned and started to swim for the beach. “Come on. Follow me.”
She did as she was told. He was a lifeguard after all and if he said she had to get back to the beach she should comply. She swam after him slowly because the thought of getting out of the water filled her with dread.
On the sand, the onlookers gathered at the water’s edge with expectant faces. Pushing through the crowd, a woman with short dark hair and a grey jacket and skirt talked into a camera held on the shoulders of a cameraman wearing a green t-shirt and blue jeans. The woman held a microphone in her hand. With her other hand she gestured out to sea. The cameraman swung the camera so it pointed at Maddy and the lifeguard.
Oh God, the press were here. Probably doing a report on the Shark Festival. Please don’t let this be a live broadcast.
She heard the woman say, “This is Tammy Jones reporting live from Sunnystone Bay where a lifeguard has just jumped into the sea to rescue a young woman. These are dramatic events, Bob, so I hope you will stay with us live as we interview the lifeguard and the young woman who was in trouble on this first morning of the Shark Festival.” She turned to the lifeguard as he splashed out onto the beach and shoved her microphone in his face. “Can you tell us what just happened here? We saw you run into the sea to rescue this young woman.”
The camera lens swung out toward Maddy again. She kept her body submerged, sitting in the shallows with the water up to her chin. Getting out onto the beach wearing only her bikini was a nightmare she wasn’t about to experience on live television.
“I saw someone in trouble and I reacted as anybody would,” the lifeguard said to the camera. He certainly didn’t seem camera-shy.
“As your training has taught you to react,” Tammy Jones prompted.
“Err...yes.”
A shaggy-haired lifeguard pushed through the crowd. “Alex, what are you doing, Dude? You don’t get to do the cool stuff until later, I told you that. You don’t have the training yet. This isn’t a movie, Dude.” He noticed the camera and his face fell. “What’s all this?”
“We’re doing a live broadcast for Good Morning Everybody,” Tammy said, “and you are live on air right now. What do you mean this man doesn’t have any training?”
The young lifeguard looked confused. “Err, what I mean is... nothing really.”
“Is this man a lifeguard or not?” Tammy asked. She held the microphone in front of the young man’s face.
His eyes darted around the crowd as if seeking help but everyone just stared at him.
“No,” he said finally. “No, he isn’t.”
Maddy felt anger boil up inside her. He wasn’t even a lifeguard and he had swum out there and ripped off her t-shirt! Without thinking what she was doing she stood up and stormed onto the beach. She landed a hard slap across the fake lifeguard’s face, knocking his sunglasses to the
sand.
“How dare you?” she shouted, “I was stranded out there and you ripped my clothes off!”
She stopped when she saw his face. She hadn’t recognized him with the sunglasses on but now she could see who he was. That face - minus the red mark her palm had left on his cheek - had graced every show biz magazine cover in the world. Alex Stone. She had just slapped the actor Alex Stone!
“Oh my goodness!” Tammy said, shocked. She turned to the camera. “Bob, I hope you’re getting this in the studio. It seems that the lifeguard who saved this young woman was actually the famous Hollywood actor Alex Stone! We’ll stay with this story until we get all the details.” She turned to Alex Stone and thrust the microphone at him. “Alex Stone, can you tell us what you are doing on this beach and why you are dressed as a lifeguard? Is this all some sort of stunt for a movie?”
Alex ignored Tammy’s question and looked at Maddy. “I’m sorry. I’m not a lifeguard, I just play one in a movie. I guess I shouldn’t have saved your life.” He pushed his way through the crowd.
Tammy moved her attention to Maddy. “Are you working with Alex Stone? Your face isn’t familiar. Don’t take this the wrong way but you don’t look like a Hollywood actress.”
Maddy suddenly realized that she was standing in front of everyone in her inadequate bikini. Not just everyone on the beach but the all viewers of the popular Good Morning Everybody. She crossed her arms over her ample breasts but that only pushed them together and made them seem even bigger. Feeling heat rise up her neck and across her face, she pushed through the crowd. She had to get away from the cameras. From everybody.
She fled across the hot sand, grabbed her pink beach towel and wrapped it around her body.
Tammy Jones came over to her, struggling to walk across the sand in heels. “Miss, can we get your name? Our viewers would like to know who you are.”
“Her name is Maddy Davis,” Kim said, appearing out of nowhere, “and she isn’t answering any more questions.” She took Maddy by the arm and led her toward the car. Once they were inside, Kim said, “What the hell just happened?”
Crazy About Curves: 10 Luscious Reads Page 72
