Note: This story will follow several characters for a while but gradually phase out to follow one story from the male's point of view. At first these stories are not going to be filled with sex. This first chapter is more about establishing my main four characters over the course of the same day. Later chapters will get more sexual intensive, with the back-story of the four characters I establish here weaving in there as well.
Also, thanks Alexandra for the edits.
Chapter 1, Part 1: Brandon
Brandon fought to stay conscious as he was battered by the waves with no shore in sight, and wondered what had driven him to be here at the mercy of the storm. In trying to save friends he had been betrayed by a woman he had come to love. He would survive to help his friends. He would survive to spite the men that had left him for dead. He would survive so that he could face the woman, the one to whom he had been ready to give his heart and soul, so that he could find out why she had betrayed him. Some hours later as he lay alone on a beach too tired to move he thought back to how he got here, back to when his trip had began…
A vacation was what Brandon Metcalf needed, and that was why he was on the cruise He had fallen into a rut, and after working for the same company in the four years since he graduated from college, he had been laid off despite what he had believed was a rather good track record. He was let go because he was not assertive enough. As a result he had often been passed over for newer candidates who were better at getting credit for their work. So his list of accolades failed to show his true value, and unfortunately the recent layoffs had been based on the file and not what he believed was his true worth to the company. .
However, that was only part of his troubles. His commitment to his work had been such that he had had little time for a social life. When combined with his quiet nature it meant that he had precious few friends and only one girlfriend to speak of since college. None of which was much to brag about; his friends were mostly left from college and the girl was more of a pity setup by his sister-in-law. This meant that his work had become the primary thing in his life and when it ended he was lost. The one thing he did have going for him was a supportive family. It was they who had convinced him to take advantage of his sudden surplus of free time and take a much needed vacation. It was his brother who had suggested he take the cruise to 'recapture those college glory days.' Brandon was not sure that college had been exactly glorious, but it had been an enjoyable time and perhaps more importantly, at least in his brother's mind, had involved frequent interaction with not only people, but women as well. As his brother so bluntly put it 'Brandon, head south on one of those cruises you've always talked about going on and for God's sake get yourself laid.'
So that's why he stood on the deck of the ship watching the city skyline recede into the darkening horizon; not so much the getting laid part, although he would certainly not be against that, but mostly to get himself out of his rut. It was not appear that the cruise was going well when he discovered that his travel agent had double booked his cabin. So, instead of being alone as he had anticipated, he was forced to share the cabin with a guy named Hutch. His cabinmate's real name was Mike, but he chose to go by a shortened form of his last name Hutchinson. Despite his quiet nature Brandon felt he got along with most people rather well, but Hutch was another story. In short he was a loud mouthed, heavy drinking, womanizing, pig. Every night Hutch would roll in smashed at God knew what hour, sometimes with one or more women who were equally drunk. One night though it seemed that for a change Hutch had decided to start his evening in the room.
Brandon had just come in from some sightseeing on a nearby island. He was a history nerd and the island had several obscure historical sites that only a history nut would appreciate. As Brandon had lost touch with his inner history nut for a while to focus on his work, one of the reasons he had picked this particular cruise was because it had sights like on this island. He had spent the day taking pictures of the various sights and admiring a few of the more feminine attractions of the small island. In particular he had enjoyed admiring a tall dark haired young woman who spoke with a southern accent that he found extremely sexy. However she was never alone long enough for him to talk to her. There was always a man who looked to at be in his forties if not fifties. He was possibly her father or maybe her husband wherever she went and he seemed very protective of her. So he satisfied himself with watching from a distance.
After following them around while touring the island he saw something that intrigued him. When they had reached the inside of one of the island's feature sights, an old Spanish church, the overprotective man seemed work his way into a large group of frat boys and shortly after left the young woman with the bulk of the group, and made his way to the front privately discuss something with one of the frat boys. Brandon was pretty sure he saw an envelope change hands, but he could not be sure.
This was because at that moment he heard a soft shriek and clatter as a woman behind him fell after apparently tripping on a nearby pew. As he went to help her get up she refused, and struggled to her feet unassisted. Her embarrassment seemed heightened by the mock laughter coming from the direction of the frat pack at the front of the church. She seemed determined to spurn his offer of help, but he gave it anyway, figuring he could gather up her camera and the supplies that had spilled from her bag.
'Taking a few picture today miss?' he inquired as he handed an unusual number of memory cards to her. At first she seemed determined to ignore him, but then responded in a tone that seemed defensive and angry.
"Yeah, so I'm someone who likes history, you got a problem with that?"
