Ixchel
Chapter 1
by Adam Gunn
The drink - no, two, including the frozen one at the reception desk - had already started a buzz in her head, a very welcome buzz. She was reclining on the pearly beach, a palm tree mostly shading her, her skin pale. Her neck length walnut hair was freshly cut, the nails ruby with polish, her brows plucked, eye-liner applied, her lipstick a soft shade of carnation. Further below, beneath the protection of the bikini bottoms, she knew the hair was short and trimmed, and completely removed from the important, most sensitive area.
Those were the things she could do something about. Then there were the others, and she was completely aware of all her faults, her broad nose and full cheeks. Even though she'd lost twenty three pounds due to dieting and worry since the divorce, her stomach was still marginally rounded, the hip bones amply padded. Her legs and arms weren't thin by any means, and her breasts were too small for the frame. But the three lovers she'd had in the previous twelve months had all reassured her she was 'cute' or 'hot.' Well, she'd just have to deal with those limited compliments.
Cheryl wondered what the next four nights at the Ixchel resort would bring. She was uncertain, fearful they'd be spent quietly. For that, she'd brought two novels, an Amanda Quick and a Harlequin Blaze, but there was also a copy of Hotel Sex Stories buried deep in the bowels of her suitcase.
She inspected the sands and ocean. The middle of the afternoon had passed, yet there were still three dozen people around. All the women, like herself, were topless but had their bottoms on; the check-in package was quite uncompromising about that - no full nudity in public whatsoever! Of course, the restriction didn't include PassionnΓ© Island, 250 yards away, almost close enough to touch, far enough away that the thought of it was still comfortable. The mixture of ages on this beach was interesting, a few were young, extremely desirable, most were nearly her own age or even older. A couple of men walked by, glanced at her. Even though she wore sunglasses, she shyly peeped back, inspected them as they were inspecting her. What, she wondered, would they be like?
She wanted to touch one of her nipples, even put a hand into her panties. But she resisted, for it wasn't something one did in public, was it? And besides, she'd done too much of that lately. Instead, she closed her eyes, relaxed in the warmth of the sun.
Later - seconds? minutes? - she sensed another body nearby. When she opened her eyes, it turned out to be a man fifteen feet away, lying on his side on a beach towel facing her. "I hope you don't mind," he said in a way of introduction, "but I was admiring your beauty."
What the man saw was a lady of medium height, he estimated her age to be not more than forty-five, perhaps a year or three younger. Had she sensed this she would have been pleased, for her true age was closer to his, comfortably past her fiftieth birthday. She had an oval face, deep set midnight green eyes, a mouth with a full lower lip and a lovely cupid's bow that, when at rest, slightly opened to reveal wonderfully white teeth. Her neck was slightly elongated, the shoulders wide. Although by some physician's chart she was probably overweight, any uncritical being would tell you she was just perfect for her full body. Her legs and arms showed few sign of aging, her hips were not overly broad, her breasts had lost the firmness of youth, yet had not begun to sag. They were slightly conical, the coral nipples slightly extended even when not excited, the surrounding circles tawny. In short, to most men at the resort, she was utterly fetching.
Cheryl smiled, more to herself than to him. "No, I don't mind you looking," she teased back in a well educated soprano. She turned on her side, facing him, and returned the favor. He was, if not handsome, then - that trivial word - 'cute', clean shaven, stocky, a modicum of chest hair. Cheryl's hidden eyes delved to his crotch, and was pleased to discover a pleasant lump seemed to be disguised by the thin material of his speedos. "I'm Cheryl."
"I'm Wes. Did you just get in?" he asked.
"Just today. How could you tell?"
"No suntan yet." He was golden.
"And you?"
"We got to Ixchel two days ago. This is our third trip."
"It's my first time here."
"Enjoying it?"
"So far, yes. I'm looking forward to seeing everything."