Chapter 4
A crack of sunlight burst through the gap in the blackout curtains, shining directly into Jake’s eyes. A quick glance at the clock revealed it was 7 a.m. “Fuck” Jake yelled, rolling over and pulling the comforter over his head. This was a vacation, no way he should be up before noon. He closed his eyes, praying that Sean was still asleep. When Jake arrived home at 5:00 a.m., he found Sean passed out in a chair in the living area. Jake tried to wake him to get him to go to his room but Sean was too far gone so Jake left him there.
They were lodged in a two-bedroom VIP villa with bright sky-blue and white décor that made Jake feel like he was in a hotel brochure. Between the bedrooms was a small living room with a matching blue couch and a white distressed wood bar. There were no televisions on the property. Outside the living area was a swim-up pool that connected to the main pool about 50 yards away.
“Rise and shine, Jake!” To Jake’s dismay, Sean’s voice rang out from outside Jake’s door, way too chipper for this hour. “Come on, we want to get down to the beach to grab some premium real estate before the cabanas are all taken.” After a minute of waiting for Sean to go away, Jake gave in, realizing there was no way he could fall back asleep. “Be out in a minute!” he yelled before splashing cold water on his face. He chose a swim brief that one of the guys at his bachelor party had given him, presumably as a gag gift, but Jake thought he looked great in the tight black brief that was cut high on the hip on his right side.
Sean was wearing a red speedo. “Think fast, Jake!”
Jake instinctively threw his hand up in front of his chest, just in time to catch the bottle of spray suntan lotion Sean had tossed. “You don’t want to burn that lily-white skin your first day in the sun since what, the dawn of time?”
“Very funny Sean!”
“Where were you last night Jake? When you left dinner, I thought that being around such easy conquests may have been too much for you so I ditched the twins and came back here to make sure you were ok. But you dirty dog must have found someone more your liking. Was it the blonde in seat 15F?”
Jake through the suntan lotion back at Sean, maybe a bit too hard. He felt his skin blush. “Nothing like that. I went to the ocean for some air. Some girl Alice did too. We talked, nothing more.”
On the way to the beach, Sean waved down their butler Charles. Charles was a dark-skinned local with a thick British accent. They had met him at the dining hall last night as he made his rounds introducing himself. He made it very clear, that if they needed anything, he could procure it. Sean through his arm around Charles’ shoulders and said something to him Jake couldn’t make out. He did notice Sean slipping the butler a $20.00 bill. Charles nodded and scurried off to fulfill Sean’s request. Jake started to ask about it, but Sean silenced him as they approached the beach.
Sean was right to want to get to the beach early. Most of the cabanas were already taken. Sean led Jake over to a cabana in the center of the beach, a prime location. “I think this one is taken,” Jake said, pointing at the reserved sign on the cushion. “Really Jake, you’ve known me for how long? That is our reserved sign!” Jake groaned, “Then why did we have to rush down here?” he asked, feeling the exhaustion creeping over his body.
Sean playfully grabbed Jake in a headlock. “Because, buddy boy, we are on vacation, and I am determined not to let you spend the entire trip sulking in bed.”
He pushed Jake playfully, then ran over to a volleyball game that was forming on the sand.Good, Jake thought, I can have some alone time. He lay down on one of the cushioned cabana benches and closed his eyes to get a tan, setting his cell phone alarm so he wouldn’t burn.
The sun felt good caressing his body. He was exhausted, not just from the travel and late night, but from the stress of the last month preparing for the wedding. Under the sun’s kiss, he felt that heavy weight slowly lifting.
As he faded into dreamland, he found himself thinking of Alice. The way her bright copper hair shone in the dawn’s rays was etched in his mind. He thought about last night. It was so easy to talk with her once she broke the ice with her scream. She was everything Jake desired, pretty, intelligent, confident, and sarcastic. Darkness rolled over the image as doubt crept in.It’s too soonhe thought.I’m broken. I need time. How can I like someone new when yesterday I was in love with Charlotte.These thoughts whirled through his mind as his calm sleep turned fitful.
BEEP BEEP BEEPhis alarm jolted him from his nightmare of self-doubt. As he groped for his phone to shut the alarm, he felt the warmth on his skin and realized he may have misjudged the amount of time he could be in the sun. He sat up, grabbing the aloe Sean had thoughtfully placed by his bench and rubbed it on his chest. His skin was red and warm, but not too bad. He surveyed the beach, spotting Sean serving in the volleyball game. It was odd seeing naked people playing a sport that involved diving in the sand and such close contact, but at least half the guys playing had their cocks swinging in the wind, and several of the women were topless. No wonder Sean couldn’t wait to play.
The hour nap had help return Jake to a sense of normalcy and he stood up to stretch. Maybe he would join in the volleyball game. As he was about to exit the cabana, a crowd of people over to his right caught his attention. He looked over to see what the commotion was about. The throng of people were surrounding someone.Wait, was that Alice?. He would recognize her fiery locks anywhere. It hadn’t clicked with him last night because he was lost in his despondence, but she was the girl he had seen at the airport. He recognized her now. Well sort of. He knew her name was Alessandra. She was a well-known Instabook model.An influencer, he thought, rolling his eyes. He had seen a few of her posts, usually in some upscale location. He never bothered to read them. After all, he was happy with Charlotte at the time. Also, he wasn’t impressed by the socialites who flitted off to vacation spot after vacation spot while normal people struggled to pay their bills.
The entourage was moving closer to Jake’s cabana. Glancing around nervously, Jake saw no graceful exit. He hadn’t even brought a book with him. He sat down on the nearest lounge and tried to look nonchalant. The nervousness surprised him. Jake wasn’t sure if it was attraction combined with guilt, or irritation that Alice turned out to be internet famous.
“Jake, right?” Alice’s voice had a different, fake high-pitched tone to it, the Hollywood wannabe greeting. “Hon, you don’t mind if we use your cabana for a couple of quick snaps, do you? Of course, you don’t.” Without waiting for Jake’s response, her crew of three began setting up cell phones on lighting circles and poles. Jake watched, helpless as Alice posed on the lounges, making sure to catch the water in every shot, even the ones where she was lying down. She wore a white bikini. The top showed off her well-formed bosom while the bottom was cut high on the hips, crossing like a v between her legs, leaving little to the imagination. Jake had to admit she had a killer body.
Feeling like he was in the way, he started to pack up the few things Sean had brought with them. Sunscreen, two towels, and his sandals. He glanced around to see if Sean was nearby. “You’re not leaving Jake, are you? Oh, I know, I’m not being very inclusive. You should be in a photo with me!” Before he could decline, she grabbed his hand and pulled him down onto the lounge next to her. Jake juggled the lotion for a second before dropping it. Some of it squirted when it landed, splashing white cream onto Alice’s legs. Jake and the entourage froze, expecting Alice to explode in rage. She surprised everyone, flicking on the camera and recording, “So here I am in Temptations in Paradise resort for less than 48 hours and already this hot young stud sprayed me with his white cream. Now, now, it’s just lotion, you all know I am not that easy!”
Jake chuckled as Alice turned the camera off. She playfully flung a glob of lotion at him with her index finger. She waved her hand at the crew and crowd and they dispersed, at least far enough away that Alice and Jake could talk without being overheard.
“I’m sorry about that,” Alice said, her voice returning to the friendly, normal register she had used last night. “I didn’t want to tell you who I was, we were having such a good time. People either like Alessandra or they hate her, but few people even know ‘Alice’”
“Is knowing Alice a good thing or a bad one?” Jake was trying to be funny but realized too late it came off as harsh.
“I thought it was a good thing last night, now I am not so sure.”
Jake saw the hurt in her eyes, realizing she was more vulnerable than she appeared. “I’m sorry, that was out of line. Listen. I had a great time talking to you last night. But I got left at the altar less than a week ago and I am certainly not ready for all this.” He swept his arm out towards the crowd that was still lingering, waiting for Alice’s next big thing. “I guess I just better go.” Jake picked up the lotion and pushed through the crowd, making his way toward the volleyball game. The sound of Alice calling her crew back instead of coming after him, fueled his ire. Had he looked back, he would have seen Alice forlornly watching his back as he walked away.