The Deep End 3

I woke up to the muffled sound of laughter. I could feel sun washing over my body as it shone down through the window onto the bed. I was sprawled out, covering most of the mattress, wearing only a pair of plaid boxers. I looked at my watch; it was 10 am. I couldn't believe that it was already this hot so early in the day. It must have been 90 degrees. I wondered if this was normal for Las Vegas in April. It had been snowing in Iowa a few days ago.

My head was pounding. I felt a little sick to my stomach - the result of too many tequila shots the night before. My best friends and I had been determined to enjoy every minute of our spring break in Sin City, so we'd had to go to a club after we checked into the hotel at 11 pm. We were so excited to be away from our small boring college town, where both bars closed promptly at 1 am. We'd partied until the earlier hours of the morning before returning exhausted to our shared hotel room.

I walked over to the en-suite bathroom. The countertop was already littered with items: deodorant, tooth paste, and cologne. I should have known that squeezing four guys into a one-bedroom suite with a single bathroom would be a messy affair. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as I looked into the mirror.

I had a major case of bedhead; my wavy blonde locks were more tussled than usual, sticking up in disarray in various places. A white crust of drool was dried near my lower lip. I looked into my icy eyes before splashing my face with a palm-full of cold water.

I started to brush my teeth when I heard someone enter the bathroom. I could see Diego in the mirror's reflection. He was only wearing a pair of red swim trunks that stopped a few inches above his knees. They clung tightly to his muscular thighs as he moved. The intense light from over the bathroom sink shined down against his caramel-colored skin.

Diego sidled up next to me at the sink as he reached for a container of hair gel. He started working the sticky substance into his black hair, giving it a shiny quality.

"Last night was intense, huh, Jake? I can't believe that we all got so fucked up. I could hear Noah puking right after he woke up. He's such a light-weight." Diego chuckled. "You seemed to have a good night, though. I can't believe what you did to Wylie; it was so brutal."

I wondered what he was talking about. I could remember chunks of the evening, but clearly not as much as him. I tried to think back over the night. I recalled going to a club, drinking lots of shots, chatting up a hot blonde, and falling into bed. It was like trying to remember the details of last summer's action blockbuster; I could picture the major action sequences, but not much more. I spit out the mixture of toothpaste and saliva from my mouth.

"What are you talking about? What happened with Wylie?"

"Oh, you don't remember?" he asked casually. "He was really into this fit blonde who was at the club with a few of her friends. She was the one with the big tits, if that jogs your memory. Wylie was making progress with her, then he went to the bar to grab some drinks for her and her friends. When he came back, you and the blonde were all over each other. You had your tongue down her throat."

I was starting to remember a few more details from the night before. I could picture the blonde in better detail. She was short and curvy, with a thick ass. She had worn a dress that had a deep cut in the front; I couldn't believe that her huge breasts had stayed in place. An ex had told me that women use double-sided tape to help avoid potential nip slips when they wear those types of outfits. I remembered that we had kissed a bit, but her friends had pulled her away; they'd wanted to take her with them as they'd all left for... well, for wherever else they'd been headed.

"Wylie bitched about you being a cock-block for the rest of the night," Diego said as he finished styling his hair. He still seemed amused by the whole situation. "I'm surprised you don't remember. He was giving you a death stare in the taxi back to the hotel."

We both walked into the main living area of the suite. Ennis and Noah were sitting on the coach. Apparently, they had already hooked up the game console to the TV. They were oblivious to me and Diego, already laser-focused on shooting zombies.

Ennis had sunglasses perched on his short, auburn hair. He was wearing a white tank top and baggy green swim trunks. He was really proud of his biceps; he would start wearing sleeveless shirts as soon as the temperature hit 70 degrees each spring. Noah was shirtless and wearing loose-fitting black swim trunks. He was a bigger guy; his stomach pooched out a fair amount. His chest was covered in thick, black hair that partially obscured his small nipples.

I could see Wylie crouched next to his duffel bag near the corner of the room. I walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He slowly rose, turning to look me in the eyes with a smile on his face.

"Hey, sorry about last night," I said. "Diego was just telling me about my party foul. I can't even remember it; I was so fucked up."

"It's not a big deal," Wylie responded in a wooden tone. "I'm sure I'll hook up with an even hotter girl tonight. Just don't cock-block me again."

It sounded like he was trying to force a laugh after the last sentence. I didn't quite think that he was as cool with everything as he was letting on.

Wylie and I had some baggage in our friendship. Last summer, his (now) ex-girlfriend had kissed me when I was wasted at a party. I had told her I couldn't fuck over my best-friend like that, and we didn't end up doing anything, but she'd broken up with him a few days later. After drinking away some of his sorrows, he had told me that he had always been a little jealous of how easy I had it with girls. He had talked about how, at 5'8" and with a "normal" body, most girls wouldn't even give him a second glance. He'd told me that he wished he could look like me: 6'2", muscular frame, a big smile with near-perfect teeth, blonde hair, and azure eyes.

I had genuinely felt bad for my friend, but I also thought he was over-simplifying things. It wasn't like my life was perfect. There had been tons of times I had been rejected. I had tried to tell him this to let him know we all deal with those struggles; he kept reiterating that we weren't in the same situation. We had never really talked about it after that one evening.

I noticed that Wylie was starting to apply sunscreen to his arms; he had just pulled the bottle from his bag. He was wearing a sky-blue T-shirt and dark-gray swim trunks.

"I'm guessing the swim trunks aren't a fashion statement?" I asked.

"We decided that it's so sunny, and too fucking hot, compared to back home. So why not hit up the pool for an hour or two? We can have a few drinks to help with our hangovers. And we can grab some lunch afterwards," Diego said.

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan. Just give me a minute to change."

I headed into the bedroom, finding my bag amongst the piles of pillows and blankets on the floor. Clearly, we had made a mess after we had come home last night. I started digging through my clothes. There were jeans, t-shirts, polos, boxers, and socks, but I couldn't find my swim trunks. I was almost certain that I had packed them. I traipsed back out to the other room.

"Guys, has anyone seen my swim trunks? Maybe someone took them from my bag by mistake?"

The guys all shook their heads to indicate that they didn't know where my swim trunks were. Ennis and Noah had stopped playing their game; they were eating some fruit that had been left in the room to welcome us. Wylie and Diego were standing next to the desk in the corner; it looked like they'd been mid-conversation when I had interrupted.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed. "Do you think somewhere nearby sells swimwear?"

"The hotel's gift shop might have some. They'll just cost $100," Diego joked.

"I think I have an extra pair you can borrow for the morning," Wylie said. "Then you can go find some further from the Strip that aren't so expensive."

"Thanks, bro," I said as we both made our way over to his duffel bag.

Wylie opened it; sitting right on top, there was a pair of navy swim trunks. He picked them up and handed them to me. I'd been worried that they might not fit when Wylie had made the offer, but they looked like they would be fine. I figured he must go for the loose, baggy look when it comes to swim wear.

I went back into the bedroom, quickly changing into the swim trunks. They felt a bit odd; it was almost like the fabric was made from some synthetic material. It didn't surprise me that Wylie had opted for a cheap pair; they had probably only cost $10. But I figured that beggars can't be choosers, and slipped into them.

We gathered the things we needed for the pool: water, sunscreen, headphones, and towels. I asked Diego if we needed to wear shirts in order to ride the elevator down and walk through the corridor to the pool outside. He said he didn't think it would be an issue; if worst came to worst we could just drape our towels across our shoulders so that most of our chests would be covered.

We exited the room and made our way down to the pool. The hotel was not as busy as I had imagined it would be. I figured that most of the other guests were also college students on spring break; they were likely still sleeping or grabbing breakfast to help with their hangovers.

We made our way through the door leading from the hotel to the pool area. I had to hold my hand up to shield my eyes; the sun was overwhelming. Once I could see again, I scanned my surroundings.

There was a medium-sized pool, but nothing special compared to some of the lavish offerings at the other hotels. The concrete surrounding the pool was lined with a few rows of adjustable lounge chairs that could be put into a flat position. There were a few large umbrellas, but not enough to offer shade to all the seats. I noticed that the seats under the umbrellas were already occupied.

"Let's go the front," Diego said. "I want to be close to the pool. That way we'll all get a better view of the hotties getting in and out of the water."

We followed Diego to the opposite side of the pool so that we were facing the hotel. We were able to get five chairs next to one another, in the following line-up: Wylie, Noah, Ennis, Diego, and, lastly, me. I placed my towel across the chair's hot plastic slats. It was in a position where the back was slightly reclined, with the place for one's legs lowered flat. I sat down, trying to get comfortable.

I looked around the pool; there were probably thirty other people enjoying the sun. Almost all of them appeared to be college students, or, at least, people in their early twenties. I could see that some of them were already drinking. Margaritas seemed to be the popular choice for the girls.

Ennis and Noah offered to grab us drinks as well. They came back with some beers; it was so refreshing to have something cold to counter the scorching sun. I was also hoping it would help with the low-grade headache that I was still battling. I normally didn't drink so early in the day, but, when in Rome - or, rather, when in Las Vegas.

I looked at the pool. There were a couple people in the shallow end with drinks in their hands. I noticed that there was a guy near the corner of the pool standing on the cement; he was using something to remove debris from the bottom. It seemed weird to be doing that when the pool was occupied, but I wondered if maybe the morning was when it was the least busy.

I was talking with Diego about some of the stuff we wanted to do over the week. He wanted to go to this place where you can race a Ferrari. I told him that I wanted to go to this foam party at one of the clubs that I'd heard about from a friend. We both agreed that we wanted to fuck some hot girls. Neither of us were in a relationship, although I don't know if we would have felt differently even if we had been.

"Hey, sexy," I heard a sultry voice interrupt as someone sat down in the chair next to mine.

I looked over to see the blonde girl from the night before. She had large designer sunglasses balanced atop her bleach blonde hair; her lips were full and shiny. She was wearing a small white bikini; the top and bottom both tied at the sides to fasten it. I thought her body looked fucking insane! The bikini top barely contained her large breasts; they looked like they wanted to spill out. I thought I was going to drool just looking at her.

"You remember me, right?" she asked. "Kacey. I'm glad I'm getting to see you again. I was pretty bummed that my friends pulled me away from you last night."

We started talking. I introduced myself, assuming she didn't remember much from last night either. She was visiting Las Vegas for spring break as well; she attended college in Texas. We were getting pretty flirty. She would reach over and caress my bicep whenever I said anything remotely funny. She also introduced me to her friend, who was sitting on her other side.

Diego asked me a quick question. When I looked back in his direction to reply, I could see Wylie glaring at me. Part of me thought that maybe I should shut things down with Kacey; I didn't want to hear him whine for the rest of the week. But, I figured, it wasn't like they were a couple, so I didn't really owe him anything.

I realized that Diego, Ennis, and Noah had been tossing back beers like they were water. They had already drunk quite a few in less than an hour. They were the types of guys who find everything funny and don't really think things through when they get intoxicated. I was having a hard time hearing Kacey whenever they would burst out laughing.

"Hey, Jake," I heard Wylie call across the others. "I dare you to go do a cannonball in the pool."

He was smiling in a devious manner. I thought it was pretty odd that we had barely spoken all morning, but now he was challenging me to do a cannonball. I figured he must think I would look like a fool and embarrass myself in front of Kacey. It seemed petty. Then I thought it could be a fun excuse to get Kacey into the pool with me; maybe I could invite her in after I completed Wylie's challenge? In the water, I could get a lot closer to her without it feeling forced.

"Get ready for the best cannonball you've ever seen in your life!" I replied.

I could see Kacey smirking as I walked over to the deep end of the pool. She had downed a couple drinks while we had been talking, so she was definitely giddier now. The few people in the pool were all in the shallow end, so I didn't have to worry about colliding with any of them.

I decided to ham it up a little before I dove in. I could see that my friends and Kacey were all watching. I did a few silly poses: the standard showing of the guns, popping out my leg and flexing to show off my muscular thigh, and tensing my abs to make my six-pack pop. Everyone in my group, with the exception of Wylie, was either cheering or laughing. I could see a few other women egging me on as well.

I dove into the deep end, pulling my knees firmly against my chest. The cold water felt really nice in contrast to the oppressive heat as I emerged back to the surface. I swam over to the edge of the pool in front of where Kacey was sitting. I slicked my blonde hair back with my palms. I tried to convince her to come into the water. I talked about how refreshing it was and how I could use some company. After about five minutes of trying to persuade her, I decided that it wasn't going to happen. She seemed firm on the fact on the fact that the chlorine would dry out her skin and damage her hair.

I started to swim over the ladder near the corner of the deep end. I could feel fabric scratching against the back of by right knee as I did the breaststroke. I grabbed onto the hot metal pole framing the ladder. I looked down to see loose pieces of navy fabric separating from the swim trucks; they were swirling in the water, and it looked like they were dissolving?! I reached down, feeling them disintegrate between my fingers as I examined the fabric.

My heart started to race; my breathing became shallow. I could feel my chest heaving with each inhalation. I couldn't understand what was happening. It would make sense if they had ripped, but this was far more serious. I tried to grip the remaining fabric in a more frantic manner, willing it to reform itself. I could see my terrified reflection staring back at me from the surface of the water.

I heard laughing from where I had been sitting. I turned to see that Wylie had changed seats. He was now reclining where I had been sitting. He and Diego were doubled over as they watched what was happening. Kacey was smiling and shaking her head from side to side. Ennis and Noah were chuckling as well, but not to the same extent as my other friends.

"Jake, what happened to your trunks? Did you decide to go skinny-dipping?" Wylie cackled.

I could see other people from nearby chairs start to look at me now. There was a group of college girls under one of the umbrellas, who started pointing. They were clearly curious about what was going on. I was hoping that the reflection of the sun on the surface of the water was making it harder for the onlookers to see what was happening below the surface. I could feel my face turning red from embarrassment; sweat started to drip down the nape of my neck.

My hands now felt my skin where the fabric had been moments earlier. I slid my palms across my thighs; there wasn't a bit of clothing left! My hands glided across my ass, finding that it was exposed as well. I looked down; I could see my soft dick floating in front of me through the surface of the water. The six inches of flesh were buoyantly trying to reach the surface. I cupped one hand over my crotch while continuing to hold onto the ladder with the other. The only piece of fabric remaining was the white drawstring around my waist, and even that looked like it was dissolving.

"What the fuck did you do, Wylie?" I asked.

"Nothing!" he replied, faking sincerity "I don't know what you are talking about." The other guys all laughed in response to his answer; they must have known what was actually going on.

My stomach was hurting; the sickly feeling of embarrassment had collided with the lingering nausea from my hangover. I looked around the crowd; I could hear some of the women nearby talking about my ass. I positioned one foot on the ladder, using my other hand to try to cover my backside. It was hard to stay balanced while shielding myself.

"Come over and grab a towel," Wylie called out.

I looked over to see him holding my towel in his hand, waving it like a flag. Kacey was laughing; she must have been starting to enjoy the joke they were having at my expense. I thought about asking him to bring it to me, but I was starting to accept that I would have to jump through the hoop of going over there. I was sure it was supposed to be part of the joke: making me beg for my towel in front of Kacey.

I pulled myself along the wall of the pool while keeping my dick covered with my other hand. I stopped when I reached the spot in front of my friends; the chairs were about ten feet from the edge of the pool. I positioned my crotch against the wall, while placing on arm onto the concrete and my other arm behind my ass to offer coverage.

"This has all been incredibly funny," I said, rolling my eyes. "Can I get that towel now?"

Wylie stood up, meandering a few feet from the pool. I couldn't believe that he was being such an asshole. I could forgive my other friends for thinking it was funny, since they were halfway drunk, but Wylie had obviously come up with this plan well in advance. Where the fuck did he even find dissolving swim trunks?

He was waving the towel in front of me; he pulled it out of my reach as soon as I started to grab it. I could hear my friends and Kacey chuckling as it slipped through my fingers. I leaned forward a little further, making another attempt. Wylie moved back just enough so I couldn't reach it. Diego was in hysterics; he must have known about the prank in advance too. I was starting to notice more people commenting from behind me.