The sun pouring in her bedroom window woke Rachel. She lay still for a moment, ascertaining how she was feeling. She fully expected there to be some discomfort from the alcohol and pot she had consumed the previous evening. But surprisingly, she felt great, better than she had felt in months.
She leapt out of bed when she saw it was 7:20, realising she was starving. She moved to the shower, wanting to get to breakfast before the place filled up. The clothes she'd worn were on the chair by her bed, and knowing she would never wear the outfit again when she returned home, she determined to return it.
In the bathroom, however, she saw the crotchless panty set hung over the shower curtain. Just the sight of it made her wet. She wanted to keep those and had a wicked thought: she would wear them to church when she got home.
As she bent to wash her legs, she noticed the tattoo. She'd forgotten all about it and fleetingly wondered if she should cover it. No, Damed, if she would, it was a pleasant reminder that she had let her hair down and lived.
When she left her room, she saw Marty reading outside his unit. He called out, "I've been waiting for you. Can I come have breakfast with you?"
Rachel snapped out, "Okay," but she didn't show any encouragement. She was not that enthused about how he had acted the day before.
"What about Stephanie? Don't you want to wait for her?" She pointedly asked.
"No, last I looked, she was still out to the world. I'll leave her be; the boys have a busy day planned for her. So she'll need her beauty sleep," He said sarcastically.
They collected their food and chose a table by the window. And Marty launched into his reason for wanting to sit with her.
"I saw you on the dunes when your boyfriend came and talked to the boys. I wanted to know how much you saw," and when he saw the look she gave him, "Look, I know I reacted like an arsehole, but I want to apologise for that also. But what she had done was a huge shock to me. I think some husbands might have reacted even worse."
Rachel eased back in her chair and admitted she was shocked as well, "Your wife treated me like some slut, just because I'd been to that beach. And yet there she was, turning up and paying for sex."
"I think that act was for me to put me off the scent. Will you tell me what you saw?
When we got back to our room last night, she tried to tell me she never paid Frank and that he seduced her."
"Ha! That is bullshit. I was in the bar when you two arrived at the beach. And Arley and I escaped via the back door and went down to the video van where we watched everything."
Rachel then proceeded to tell Marty all she'd seen, from Stephanie asking the room boy where and how much they cost to her tipping Horse an extra $50 when he threatened to leave because of her attitude.
Marty laughed at that. Yes, Frank seems to have her number. I don't think any man has ever stood up to her before. I certainly haven't, but that will all change from now on.
"How on earth did you wind up married to her, and why do you stay?"
"She hasn't always been such a stuck-up bitch. It's just the last few years that she has gone of sex. Well, if I'm honest, she never wanted to do half the stuff I wanted. But that is pretty much the same for all my mates."
"Where did you meet?" Rachael asked.
"I manage a media company. We met when she was only eighteen and doing some modelling and promotion work for us at a show. It was love at first sight, and her lack of interest in sex didn't bother me much in those days. I was more interested in my job and having a beautiful woman on my arm."
"I don't hate her. She can sometimes be difficult to live with, but we have three wonderful children. We have a circle of friends to whom our lives are closely tied. There are dozens of other reasons I stay."
Rachel was not surprised that Stephanie had been a model and aspired to be an actress. At thirty-eight, she was still a fine-looking woman, and her figure was good, especially considering she had three children. Rachel hoped that when she reached that age, she would be in as good a shape.
"Are you going to let her see Horse again?"
"Yes, he's picking us up at Midday. Cassius is working somewhere today, so Frank is bringing two of his mates and taking us to a secret waterhole with a waterfall. He says few locals know about it, so no one should be there. I've booked the video guy to come with us."
"I hear that is expensive?"
"They may think so, but the company I work for produces advertisements primarily. And what he is asking for the day is a pittance. Hell! Stephanie is in Real Estate, and just one sale has paid for our holiday. So money is not an issue."
"How did you meet Michael?"
Looking puzzled, Marty asked, "Who's Michael?"
"The video guy, his name is Michael. He was in the van filming while I was watching you guys."
"Oh! I didn't know his name. He came to the beach after you left and offered to film us. I moved aside and let him film Cassius and Frank doing her. I'm getting the tapes from him today, and we will set up some more scenes at the waterhole. I don't like the thought of blackmail, but they will be bloody useful should Steph try and revert to her old ways."
One of the staff members came over to the table and interrupted, "Miss Rachel, there is a caller on the phone."
Rachel twisted on her seat and went to stand.
"They are just asking if they can meet you out front at 9:00 instead of 10:00. You don't need to get up. I can give them your reply."
Rachel told him that would be alright, and the waiter moved away. As she placed her legs back under the table, she saw that Marty was studying her legs.
"What is that tattoo on your ankle? It wasn't there yesterday."
"I got it last night. It's to be a reminder of my time here."
"Dam girl! Do you know what it means?"
Rachel felt a cold, ominous chill. She wondered if Eldon had any malicious intent in giving it to her, so she quickly made up a story in her head.
"I picked it out. I liked it, and I had the Elizabeth Regina initials underneath to remind me of my time in England. Why? What do you think it is?"
