I hadn't ever really thought about paradise in real terms, but as I stood on the deck looking down onto the lower patio, the stairs, the small beach, and the bay beyond, with sunlight reflecting off the water as a warm breeze washed over me, I considered that I might have found it. My bags were still by the door, the rest of the house unexplored. I was the first to arrive, an so I stood, in silence and unbothered by time, taking in a perfect scene. A pelican swooped by. A few boats were out on the water, but even they contributed to the heavenly atmosphere in their own way. It was hard to imagine a world existed outside this place, thought I'd only been here a few minutes.
The week in the house was free, both to me and to the guests of honor. It belonged to a well-known actor who had loaned it to my friend Brian's mother for New Years and the week following it. Brian's mom Karen was the actor's lawyer, and it was the confluence of her 50th birthday and 25th wedding anniversary, both of which fell on New Year's Day, tomorrow. I was an add-on: as Brian's family gathered to celebrate the dual occasions, both kids had been able to invite one friend. Since neither Brian nor his sister Lauren had a girlfriend at the moment, I got his invite, and her college roommate got hers. We were all going to spend the week here, in a gorgeous house on a private stretch of land in the Virgin Islands.
We were all coming in from different spots - my flight, direct from Atlanta, had arrived at noon, the first on our list. Brian, Lauren, and their parents were due in from New York late tonight - their flight was due to leave around 4pm, though last I'd heard they were tracking a big storm headed toward NYC. In between those flights, Lauren's roommate Ana was scheduled to arrive around 2pm, meaning she'd get here closer to 4, a little over two hours from now.
I didn't know much about Ana - Mexican American, with a father from Veracruz and a mother from El Paso. She was a performer: dance, theater, some music. I'd seen pictures on Lauren's IG and from what I could tell she was a knockout. And as I stood there, looking out over the water, I realized idly that it would be me and her, alone for the next few hours, here in paradise. Not long enough for anything to happen, surely, if that was even an option.
While I waited for her, I chose a room - they were all amazing, water facing, with a little balcony and a private bath. I took a quick shower. Our absent host had made sure the place was stocked with food, so I laid out some snack food, assuming Ana would be hungry when she arrived - which she did, at about 3:45.
She came in with the code we'd all been sent, and I introduced myself as she lay down her bags. She had the haggard look of a traveler, in yoga pants and a loose t-shirt, but even in the rush and the recovery I could tell that she was even more gorgeous than the photos I'd seen had suggested. Tall - maybe 5'8, with caramel skin and long black hair pulled into a messy bun. Full breasts that pushed at a V neck t-shirt. Her legs were long and lean but clearly muscular, as I'd expect of a dancer. And her eyes were entrancing, I saw as she took off her sunglasses: a rich brown, wide, with a spark there. She spoke with just the hint of an accent. We chatted about her flight a minute, and I mentioned the food.
"Food sounds amazing, but what I
really
want is a quick shower after that flight..."
"I can bring it all out to the deck while you're up there." I offered, as I moved back toward the open kitchen. Her eyes followed me, but then moved past as she really took in the view out the back window, of the deck and the water beyond.
"That would be so nice of you - Oh my god, look at that..." she walked past me and out the french doors. I followed her.
"Yeah, this is the kind of place you dream about." She looked down to the lower patio level, with the pool and hot tub, then around to each side.
"I know the listing said private beach but I didn't really think that meant there was literally no one else around." The property was bordered on both sides by cleverly-landscaped sections that blocked off the neighbors, whose homes were also set back on private beaches, far enough away that it barely mattered. "I'm going to enjoy some serious beach time this week." she said, almost to herself. We stood there a couple minutes longer, before I went back in to make a couple sandwiches, as she went upstairs to rinse off. I brought some chips, assorted nuts, some fresh mango and banana, and a pitcher of lemonade out to the deck.
She came back down transformed - her hair was still up, but gone were the yoga pants and loose top, and in their place were shorts that left almost all of her legs uncovered, and an orange bikini top that revealed as much as it hid. I didn't do a great job of hiding the look I gave her body as she slid into the patio chair, but I didn't ogle. Instead, I struck up conversation.
She'd lived in El Paso her whole life; her father had come up to work construction and was now a managing partner in a big contractor firm in the city. Her mom was a nurse, second generation. I'd been right that she was a performer, but she was still thinking about whether she was committed to that. The dance and theater worlds in New York were cutthroat in their own way, and you needed much more than just talent to succeed. I could tell she had something more, of course - she was smart, engaging and engaged as a conversationalist, but not overly perky or bubbly; approachable, a girl next door if that girl happened to be a vision of grace, sex, and beauty.
After a while we veered personal. It started with a rundown of Lauren's latest relationship, after I'd asked about my friend's little sister; Lauren had been seeing a woman at school but it had ended very messily. Ana was still clearly mad about Lauren had been treated, but she also enjoyed giving the sordid details. That mischievous spark I'd seen in her eyes before came back with a vengeance.
She had a boyfriend, she made that clear from the start. But as we talked further, she admitted it was in bad shape. It was long-distance, for one. A guy she'd met freshman year, who had transferred schools but stayed with her. They weren't far, only three hours away or so, but it was distance enough. For the first year they'd seen each other constantly, but by junior year he'd started an internship, and she'd been in shows, and the scheduling got harder. There had been some fights, some bruised feelings. They'd spent much of the summer together and it had been better, but since September...
"We've seen each other twice? I think?" she said, after she'd finished a lice of mango. "And... the last time he barely touched me." A pause. "Sorry, if I'm getting too personal, we just met."
"I don't mind - seems like you need to vent about it."
"Oh, Lauren's heard it plenty, as have a couple other friends. But yeah. I don't know. I pretty sure he's seeing someone else and just hasn't worked up the balls to tell me."
"What makes you say that?"
"Hints his sister dropped when I saw her a couple months ago, like she knew something but wanted him to tell me. Him, hiding texts from me the last time we were together. A couple times on the phone I could swear I heard someone there with him, even though he said he'd been alone. He's admitted there's a distance, even sort of hinted he had feelings for someone but hadn't acted on them. It's... dunno. On life support, and I feel like I'm just putting off pulling the plug."
"It's a hard thing to do, especially long distance."
"Yeah. I feel like three years deserves better than me dumping him over the phone."
"On the other hand, seems like he's done most of the dumping for you already." She met my eyes. "Sorry," I backtracked, "I'm overstepping."
"Nope. Not at all. And you're right. But I'm done talking about him now. I feel a million miles away from that right now." She closed her eyes and breathed in the breeze that was wafting over us. "Anyway, give me your details."
So I did. After I graduated in May - I was a year older than Brian and Lauren - I'd moved back home to Atlanta to work in my dad's firm before figuring out what I wanted to do with The Rest Of My Life. Maybe law school. Maybe something else. I wasn't really seeing anyone seriously, and hadn't since I graduated. A few dates, a few hookups. Ana made me give her a couple of stories; she especially enjoyed the one that ended with me getting caught naked by a date's roommate who had come home unexpectedly while I was in the bathroom. She'd leaned forward while I told that one, and her tits rested on the table, offering me an irresistible view. She didn't seem to mind it when I failed to resist once or twice. Or three times.
After a couple more stories back and forth, she went in to use the bathroom, and I glanced at my phone. A text from my mom, which I replied to saying I'd made it. And a text from Brian... which made my eyes widen as I read it, just as Ana came back out. She must have seen the look on my face.
"Everything okay?"
"Well... yeah, but the storm hit NY faster than anticipated. They're stuck there - nothing's getting out tonight, looks like."
"Oh no! That's a terrible way to start the celebration week!"
And it was terrible, and I felt bad for Brian's family... but at that moment all I was thinking was that Ana and I were going to be alone in this house tonight.
We both spent a bit trading text back and forth with Brian and Lauren respectively, but there wasn't much more that could be done. So eventually, Ana put down her phone and looked at me.
"I'm going to go check out the beach - want to join?" I agreed. I went up to my room to change into my swim trunks, and when I came back out she was already down there, past the pool and hot tub, onto the sand. She was now standing knee deep in the water, the small waves that penetrated the cove lapping at her thighs. I grabbed a couple towels from the patio storage and joined her.
The view was extraordinary: the house sat on a secluded bay, and even as I walked out to the water's edge there was no one else around. I could see houses across the bay, but too far to be a privacy concern. There were other properties on this side, too, but the curvature of the shore, and the carefully managed vegetation, meant that if they were there, they couldn't see us and we couldn't see them. The water was crystal clear blue, and relatively calm due to the shape of the bay. As I'd thought when I got here: paradise.
As I approached, she turned, and just as I'd given her a once over she returned it. I worked out, and it showed, at least enough for her to appreciate. I dropped the towels next to her discarded shorts. Her bikini bottom was just as tight fitting and flattering as the top, and I took in the sight of her legs and her ass as I walked up.
"I cannot believe how clear and calm this water is, or how totally secluded we are."
"This is what $20 million per movie will get you, I guess... maybe this will be you someday."
"Oh god, I know my odds - waiting tables in Brooklyn is a lot more likely. But it's nice to dream..."
"I bet this beach has seen plenty of naked butts." She laughed - she had a great laugh.
