Author's note: Desperate Measures is an anthology consisting of stories related by theme, rather than by character, chronology, or storyline. Accordingly, they can be read in any order, as each installment is a stand-alone entry.
* * *
Sonia Castro switched off her cell phone and raced to the rear deck of her home.
"Luis," she shouted. "Guess who called!"
"Your mother," Luis answered, "again?"
"That was earlier."
"Your sister?"
"No. It was nobody you know."
"Then how am I supposed to guess if it's no one I know? When did I become clairvoyant?"
"Stop being a bitch. You know what I mean. It was a client–my first client! I have a catering job this weekend!"
"That's wonderful, baby. Which day?"
"That's the amazing part. It's for the entire weekend."
"All weekend? Where? Who?"
"I was speaking to a Mr. Ramirez. He has a vacation home in the Keys. He and his wife and two other couples are going to spend the weekend there, from Friday afternoon through Sunday morning. I was hired to cook for the six of them–Friday dinner through Sunday brunch. Isn't that great?"
"How much are they paying you?"
"Twenty-five hundred dollars. Plus, they provide all the supplies."
"Twenty-five hundred? That's a nice payment for one weekend."
"It's cooking five meals for six people. That's pretty good, I think. Hell, I'd do it for half that amount. We need the money, you know."
"I know, I know. You don't have to remind me."
"You aren't working this weekend, are you?"
"No."
"Do you have any plans?"
"Nothing set in stone. Why?"
"Well, they suggested that I bring an assistant. Someone to help with service and clean up."
"What about your sister? She's probably not doing anything all weekend."
"That wouldn't work. There's one other thing I didn't mention."
"Go on."
"Well, it seems that they are sort of, um, nudists."
"Nudists!?"
"Yeah, nudists. I don't think Eva would be able to handle that."
"What makes you so sure you can handle it?"
"I'm down to forty-nine dollars in my checkbook. That has to last me until you get paid again. Right now, I don't care if they're Satanists. I can handle just about anything for twenty-five hundred dollars. But I would feel better if you were there, with me."
"I see. That's an interesting proposition. Tell me about these people."
"All I know is there are three couples. They're all Latin, ranging in age from forty to fifty-five. The husbands are all professionals. Mr. Ramirez is an architect, another is a chiropractor, and the other one is a professor at the university. The women are all housewives. That was all I could gather from my conversation with Arturo."
"Arturo?"
"Mr. Ramirez."
"What kind of food are they expecting from you?"
"Well, that's another reason why I hope you will go with me. They like seafood, of course, and anything Caribbean. I can do Cuban, but those things are not really my specialty–especially seafood."
"Sounds like I don't have much of a choice then, do I?"
"Baby, we need the money. It's been hard since you lost the restaurant. I know you're doing everything you can, and I want to help. This is my first good catering job. I need you to help me make it work. You said you would do whatever you could to help me get started. Who knows, these people could help me launch my business."
"Who's going to watch the kids all weekend?
"I can ask Eva. She wouldn't mind."
"And if she says 'no'?"
"Let me worry about that. I just need to know if you're with me on this."
"If that's the case, then when do we leave?"
"Friday morning. It's only a two and a half hour drive, but I want to get there early so I–I mean we– won't be rushed with dinner."
"I'll have the car fueled and loaded by ten a.m. Is that early enough?"
"That would be wonderful."
"At least it won't take long to pack our suitcases."
"Why's that?"
"It's a clothing optional vacation, right?"
"Baby, we'll be working–not vacationing. And besides, they're the nudists–not us."
* * *
Sonia slept for the first half of the two hour plus drive from Miami to the Lower Keys. She awoke when Luis stopped at a dockside restaurant in Islamorada for lunch, and then settled in for another snooze as they commenced the second leg of the trip. She was surprised to find that sleep evaded her.
"What's wrong, Sonia, can't get comfortable?"
"I don't know. I'm restless."
"Are you nervous?"
"No. Maybe–just a little."
"You don't have anything to worry about. I'll be doing most of the cooking. And it's only going to be six people."
"I know, I know. Still, this is my first big engagement. This could open some doors for me."
"What else do you know about these people?"
"Well, like I told you already, there are three couples. Arturo and Kika are both around fifty-five or fifty-six–I don't remember exactly. Ernesto and Rosa are fifty-two, I think. And the other couple–Antonio and Liliana–are forty-eight and forty."
"So Liliana is the only one our age?"
"I think so."
"Ok."
"They like to drink–a lot. They prefer rum, red wine, and vodka."
"Mixed or on the rocks?"
"Rum and coke, mostly, and vodka and tonic."
"That's easy enough."
"Oh–and pina coladas."
"Do they have a blender?"
"I don't know. We'll find out when we get there, I guess."
"What else?"
"The husbands are supposed to be big time fishermen. They are expecting to catch some grouper, mahi, or snapper. Or–if they get lucky–maybe some tuna or wahoo. So think about what you can do with those fish."
"No problem."
"The wives should be there already. They drove down this morning. They husbands are coming by boat. We need to have dinner and drinks ready for them when they tie up."
"What time will that be?"
"I'm not sure, exactly. Depending on how rough the ocean is, it could be anytime between seven and nine."
"That might be a problem, you know."
"We'll work it out."
* * *
Luis turned on the GPS while crossing the Seven Mile Bridge. Twenty-five minutes later–guided by the precise directions of a mechanized female voice– he was pulling into a crushed shell driveway leading to a home on the Atlantic side of the island. The house was a typical Keys-style residence built on stilts, with a cement block ground floor addition. A poured concrete stairway on the side of the house led to a wooden deck that wrapped around the entire main floor of the home.
Sonia led Luis up the steps to the second floor. As they climbed the stairs they discovered that the wide deck overlooked a canal and dock on the East side, the Atlantic Ocean on the South, a brushy marsh on the West, and the highway on the North. There was a Jacuzzi in one corner of the deck, and a dominoes table in another corner. The lilting sound of three female voices cut through the gentle roar of the crashing waves as Sonia and Luis approached the corner.
"Well, here goes nothing," Sonia said, as she adjusted her sunglasses.
"Should we take our clothes off first?" Luis asked.
"Shhhhhh!" Sonia punched him in the side. "We're just the hired help, remember?"
"Oh yeah."
Turning the corner, Luis and Sonia were greeted by the sight of three women lying on lounge chairs in various states of undress.
"Show time," Luis whispered to Sonia.
"Knock knock, hello!" Sonia called. "I'm Sonia, and this is my husband, Luis".
"Welcome! I'm so glad you are joining us!" a tall woman wearing only a large, floppy hat and sunglasses stood up and squealed. She was around five feet, eight inches tall. She wasn't heavy, but her body was far from firm. She had several small tattoos scattered about her ankles, back, and upper arms. Beneath the hat her hair was cut short in a stylish red bob. Her unnaturally firm breasts appeared to be C-cups, and her pussy was shaved bare. The nude woman stepped toward Sonia, wrapping her arms around the dazed woman before she could back away.
"I'm Kika," she added in a thick Spanish accent, before planting a quick kiss on each of Sonia's cheeks. "These are my friends, Rosa and Liliana."
Rosa–who was wearing a plus-size bikini bottom in addition to her floppy hat and sunglasses–also stood and approached Sonia. Standing in her bare feet she was about two inches shorter than Sonia's height of five feet, four inches, but outweighed Sonia by at least twenty-five pounds. Most of that weight was in her pillowy breasts, which rested on her pale belly like small watermelons. Luis couldn't remove his eyes from them.
"Sonia, is it?" Rosa asked as she also hugged and kissed her. "I'm Rosa. We are all so happy that you'll be here to help us this weekend. We're going to have such a lovely time."