Chapter 1: On the Beach
"How are we going to get home, David?"
I looked into Michelle's moist blue eyes as we sat together on the beach. From the ocean came the sound of rushing water, rolling and rumbling, softened almost into melody by its steady rhythm. The sky was a brilliant blue, broken only by the scattering of clouds drifting with the light morning breeze. It was a perfect day. I was with the woman I loved in one of the most romantic settings on earth, yet neither of us was happy. For all its beauty and solitude, this unknown place was more like a prison than a haven. We were lost at sea, shipwrecked, marooned on a lonely island somewhere in the Caribbean.
"I don't know, Sweetheart," I said, my fingers absently stroking her damp, disheveled blonde hair. "I just don't know."
"I'm scared, David. Really scared." Tears coursed down her soft white cheeks like tiny waterfalls. "Our boat is lost, the captain, the crew, most of the passengers--all dead. We don't even know where we are. How will we survive?"
Michelle buried her face in my shoulder and wept deeply. My heart ached for her. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close to my chest until her body stopped trembling.
"Don't worry, honey," I said, gently wiping away the last of her tears. "We'll figure something out." Michelle looked into my eyes, and I did my best to smile, trying to hide my own fear. "We're safe. Besides, it's not completely hopeless. We're not alone. Five of us made it off the yacht before it collided with the reef in the storm. We're fortunate to be alive, and surviving together is nothing short of a miracle." I held my wife's lovely face in my hands. "I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost you."
Michelle smiled then and kissed me, softly. She planted light, gentle kisses against my lips, my cheeks, and mumbled tender words of love in my ear, after which her lips returned to mine in a deeper kiss, one that I was powerless to resist. Her sudden passion amid all our strife made me overcome my own doubts about our future, and I responded to her as if we hadn't a care in the world. I held Michelle tightly and kissed her sweet face softly, lost completely in her love.
"Where are the others, Dave?"
Michelle's words came breathless to my ears as my kisses trailed down along her neck to her chest. I felt her hand stroking the back of my head, and I slowed my advances, nuzzling the hollow of her shoulder. I could feel my heart pounding in my ears.
"What do you mean?"
"Are we alone?"
I backed away and looked at her for a moment before a sly smile crept over my lips. "Why, are you afraid one of the others might see us?"
"Maybe." A wicked look touched Michelle's eyes, and she hugged me hard. "Or maybe I want you all to myself." Michelle began stroking my back. "I keep thinking about how Rebecca Cross kept eying you throughout the entire cruise. It would be just like her to spy on us now."
"And that would be a bad thing?" I said, feigning confusion.
"You brat!" Michelle tickled my ribs with playful pokes and jabs. "So, you were watching her too, huh?" She slapped at my arms and sides, giggling like a schoolgirl. "You horny beast!"
"Ouch," I said, trying hard not to laugh. "Take it easy on me, honey. My body still aches from our little trek across the reef."
"Oh, is my horny beast hurt?" Michelle's face unconsciously slipped into that charming expression she often wore when she was in a playful mood. "Poor thing. How about if I just do this instead--" and with that, she tweaked my nose, hard.
"Ouch! You little stinker!" I lunged for her, but she quickly moved away and started crawling backwards on all fours, crablike, across the beach. "Oh, no, you can't get away from me that easily," I said. I heard her giggle again as I plowed across the sand as fast as my tired body could manage, my knees aching from the effort. I soon caught up with her and, laughing, wrestled her down to lie beside me on the beach. Out of breath and perspiring, we held each other under an unfamiliar sky, allowing our laughter to run its course.
"Feel better now?" I breathed, amazed at Michelle's sudden burst of energy, and pleased that her recent sadness had left her, if only for the moment.
"Much," she said, raising up and kissing my forehead. "But you still haven't answered my question. Are we alone?"
"You are amazing." I kissed the tip of Michelle's nose. "Wilson and Tina are still searching the wreckage for anything useful they can salvage, particularly some working flares. I don't think we can go another night without a fire. We may even have to try lighting it the hard way again, hopefully with better luck. As for our lovely Rebecca, she's out gathering the dry wood and kindling we're eventually going to need to build the fire." I saw the way Michelle's eyes quivered at my fond mention of Rebecca's name, and couldn't resist teasing her a little. "You remember Rebecca, don't you, dear? Tall, shapely, attractive woman; full lips, sea green eyes, curvaceous ass, stunning jet-black hair--"
"You are a little shit, David Peterson! Are you trying to make me jealous?"
"Of course." I smiled sweetly. "Is it working?"
"Yes!"
Michelle smiled rather timidly, and then looked thoughtful as she absently brushed a golden strand of hair from her eyes. All at once a different expression appeared on her face when she looked at me.
"But you're right about Rebecca's hair," she said. "It is stunning. I've never seen hair so black. It beautifully complimented that red, Asian style dress she was wearing the night of the storm. Remember, honey? Rebecca really filled out that cute little almost-nothing, didn't she?" A spicy gleam rapidly engaged my wife's eyes, making me a little wary. "And I don't think she was wearing a bra. I could see her perky nipples outlined against the silky material when the angle was just right, or whenever she moved; and I could tell from your buggy eyes when you met her that you noticed it too," Michelle continued, grinning, "especially the way her large, rounded, nearly perfect breasts kept trying to burst from their confinement with her every breath. I thought she would pop her buttons!"
"Hey! Now who's making who jealous?" I asked, bemused.
"Why? Are you jealous?"
