Getting Lei'd (11 page)

“I can’t do that, Baggy. He would feel guilty for breaking his promise to his mom.” I quickly jump into my role as reasonable adult.

“He’d get over it fast enough, once he realizes how much fun he’s been missing out on. I bet he can get it up three or four times in one night, and work it like a boss while he’s plugged in. I’ll have a go at him, if you don’t want to.”

Ruthie and I both stare at her in wide-eyed shock. Her last statements were outrageous, even for Baggy. She looks back at me, apparently oblivious to the fact that what she said was completely inappropriate and cringe-worthy. “Um, no,” I finally answer, stating the obvious—in case she wasn’t kidding.

Baggy raises her shoulders in a shrug, as if she has offered to help and can’t understand my refusal. Ruthie shakes her head, probably to relieve her mind of the horrifying mental image. Then, in an uncharacteristically selfless move, Ruthie tells Baggy that they should leave me alone to get some painting done.

“Don’t wait up,” she tells me over her shoulder. “If Curtis plays his cards right, I’ll be spending the night in his room.” I can only assume that Curtis is the watersports guru who she’s been chasing around the resort.

I nod at her before Baggy adds, “Don’t wait up for me, either. Howie doesn’t even have to play his cards right. I’m planning to rock his world tonight anyway—assuming he can raise his ding-dong again.”

Ruthie quickly shuffles her out the door so I don’t have to respond. As they are leaving, I can hear her asking Ruthie if she knows where she can find some little blue pills that will bring “Little Howie” to life. Once they shut the door behind them, I heave a sigh of relief. Having a sister to run interference definitely comes in handy sometimes.

Since I have the room to myself, I decide to take Ruthie’s suggestion and paint. As is usually the case when I start a new piece, I lose myself in the brushstrokes. When I step back to take a look at my creation, I realize that, once again, I have no idea how long I have been at it—nor do I care.

I admire my work. The painting is one of my best ever. It’s another view of the waterfall where I spied on Kai and he later shunned my advances. This one uses more muted tones than the one I painted of Kai swimming, but the two pieces complement each other perfectly.

The angle of the viewpoint allows two entwined bodies to be seen on the ledge just beyond the crashing water. I am certain that Kai and I would have been those naked forms, had his mother not forced him to promise away his premarital sexuality.

The knock at the door comes just as I am cleaning my brushes. I am not overly surprised to find Kai standing on the other side of the threshold. “Are you avoiding me?” he asks me in a teasing tone, although I sense some underlying hurt feelings.

Before I have a chance to respond to his question, he spies the just-finished painting over my shoulder. He gasps—yes, actually gasps—as he veers around me to walk over to it. “I love it!” he practically gushes, making my cheeks turn pink.

He takes his time perusing the painting. He inspects it closely initially, before standing back to look at it from various distances and angles. He gazes at it for so long that I start to become slightly self-conscious. I wonder if, despite his previous raving, he might not like it as much after further inspection.

After what seems like an inordinate amount of time, he turns his attention from the painting back to me. “I need this painting,” he says matter-of-factly. “How much do you want for it?”

“It’s not for sale,” I tell him firmly. This painting will serve as the perfect reminder of my time in Hawaii and my almost-affair with Kai. I will display it in a prominent location in my condo so that I am able to gaze it and daydream about being with Kai anytime I like. There isn’t enough money in the world to make me part with it.

After lightly badgering me about it for a while, he finally gives up. “I’ll let it go for now, but I will have that painting,” he tells me.

Before leaving, he asks if I’d like to go sailing with him tomorrow. I jump at the chance—eager for the opportunity to mark something off my bucket list. “Bring your family,” he adds kindly. I wonder if he has any idea what wildness he might be signing up for with that invitation, but I nod, indicating that I will ask them.

He kisses me at the door, and I forget all of my concerns. His soft lips and smooth, warm tongue send me to a wondrous place where worries wouldn’t dare exist. I float to bed and dream of Kai’s tender, sweet kisses turning insistent with passion and searing over my skin—all of my skin.

We spend a luxurious night ravaging each other’s naked bodies in my dreams. When I wake up, I stretch my limbs, longing to do in real life we had spent the night doing in my subconscious. As fabulous as it had been, I bet having real-life Kai in my bed would be better than anything I could create in my dreams.

I guess we always want what we can’t have, but knowing that Kai is physically unavailable to me makes me want him even more. I have never craved a man’s body the way I desire Kai. The knowledge that I’ll never have him makes it that much worse. As anxious as I am to spend the day with him, the idea of keeping my hands off him is becoming more of a challenge than I could have ever imagined.

I decide to take a cool shower in hopes that it will help stave off the burning desire building in me. As much as I want Kai, I have to think about how he feels. Having never had sex, he is probably practically bursting with need. Stepping out of the shower, I realize that I admire his extreme willpower and the unwavering respect he has for his dying mother’s wishes, so I don’t want to tempt him into doing something that he will regret.

Do they still make chastity belts?
I wonder, chuckling as I head down for breakfast.

I am pleased to find Baggy and Ruthie at our usual breakfast table. Both of their men have joined them, so I have to scoot over a nearby two-top to be able to sit with them. They all seem to be excited at the prospect of sailing with Kai, so we scarf down our food and agree to meet down at the docks in twenty minutes.

Having never been sailing, I’m not exactly sure what to expect. I had hoped that it would be as carefree, fun, and relaxing as it looks in photos, and I am pleasantly surprised to find that it is even better than I had imagined.

Kai is super-patient as he shows us the ropes. Rather than barking out orders and becoming impatient with my flighty family, like Gary no doubt would have, Kai calmly explains what needs to be done in his good-natured manner. I am slightly embarrassed to realize that this fleeting, unflattering thought of Gary is the first time my almost husband has crossed my mind in days. Clearly, it is a good thing that we didn’t get married.
How could I have thought I was in love with him? He didn’t make me feel a tenth of the emotion that Kai does.

I watch Kai’s muscular shoulders work the jib or mast or whatever it is that he called the big triangular doo-hickey. He has shucked his shirt, and he looks tan and delectable. I sit back, relax, and enjoy watching him.

Curtis seems to be the man of all watersports. He has quickly picked up on sailing and is cheerily helping Kai, which takes the pressure off the rest of us. Ruthie seems as happy to sit back and watch Curtis as I am to gaze at Kai.

We get a good chuckle watching Jim/Howie and Baggy on the bow of the boat. At first, Baggy acts like a beautiful mermaid statue leading our boat’s charge through the water. Unable to resist, Jim/Howie soon joins her leaning out over the water and declaring, “I’m the king of the world.”

“Those two are a match made in heaven.” The wind carries Kai’s voice in my direction.

I nod in agreement. As uncertain as I was at first about her new man, I have to admit, they really do seem to be perfect for each other. I never would have thought that Baggy would find someone as eccentric and full of life as she is, but I think she might have succeeded in doing just that. They certainly seem to have fun together. I don’t recall ever seeing Baggy this happy.

Kai asks if we’d like to stop at a deserted island, and we are all in agreement that this sounds like loads of fun. He drops anchor, and we set off in pairs.

Ruthie and Curtis dive into the water and swim toward shore. I hear them giggling as they jog hand-in-hand into the lush foliage. Kai gives me a shy smile as we make eye contact—both of us know exactly what they’re going to do.

Baggy and her man set off in our boat’s small dinghy. He gallantly rows while Baggy sits with her back stiff and straight, like she is the homecoming queen riding in a convertible red Corvette. I almost expect her to give us a prim curved palm wave, but she refrains.

Kai and I don snorkel gear and jump off the Catamaran. I am simply stunned by the vibrant colors and variety of marine life that is teeming just under the surface of the water. We hold hands as we glide through the water enjoying the show. It is a whole other world under water, and I feel lucky to be able to get a glimpse of it, even if I am an intruder. We are careful to keep our distance and avoid touching anything, so as not to upset the delicate balance of this undersea utopia.

We snorkel for a long while before heading toward shore. I have lost track of Baggy’s boat and Ruthie hasn’t emerged from her tryst in the jungle, so it feels like Kai and I are the only people on Earth as we walk along the shore together. He finds a beautiful, unblemished conch shell, which he holds up and blows loudly. The tooting sounds like the dinner bell for a luau, and it makes me laugh.

We walk for what seems like miles along the pink sandy shoreline. When we stumble upon the beached dinghy, but don’t see any sign of Baggy, I start to become a little concerned. I say as much to Kai.

“I think they’re okay,” he tells me, pointing out the pile of clothes farther down the beach.

Quickly realizing they must be skinny-dipping and
so
not wanting to see that, I suggest that we turn back. Kai readily agrees—likely not wanting to risk seeing Baggy frolicking au natural with her man any more than I do.

Once we reach a safe distance from any chance of seeing the elderly bumping of the uglies, we sit down on the sand, our legs touching. Kai addresses the elephant in the room—or rather, on the island. “I think everyone here is having sex, except for us.” When I nod, he continues, “I’m sorry that we can’t fool around,” he tells me earnestly. He is quiet for a while before adding, “You’d probably much rather be here with someone who you could get naked with—someone who can show you the pleasures that I can’t. It is supposed to be your honeymoon, after all.”

Since we haven't discussed this before, I give him a questioning look. "The wedding gown at the airport gave you away." He smiles, but I still feel slightly guilty for making him draw his own conclusions about my non-wedding, rather than telling him about it sooner. He has shared his secret with me, and I need to be more open with him.

It feels good to talk to Kai about what had happened with Gary—especially when I hear his reaction to what I now refer to as
the
dumping text
. "Crazy bastard," he says simply, shaking his head.

We are quiet a while, each lost in our own thoughts, until Kai murmurs, "He might be crazy, but he could have at least had sex with you, unlike me."

I don't want Kai to feel insecure. I long to make him feel better. “I want to be here with
you
,” I tell him honestly.

I wonder if I should suggest we play around in ways that don’t involve actual intercourse, but I’m not at all sure that we would be able to keep things from going too far. I’m also not crystal-clear on exactly what the acceptable activities boundaries are. Finally, I settle for saying, “If we could get naked, that would be great,” he blushes a little at my words, “but you are the one I want to be with, whether we’re clothed or not.”

“I feel the same way,” he murmurs near my ear. “Someday, I’ll bring you back here, and we’ll spend hours ravaging each other’s naked bodies.”

I wish that he wouldn’t make promises that he has no intention of keeping, but I decide to enjoy the fantasy and not call him out on it. After all, it seems that fantasy is all I’m going to get with Kai.
That sounded bitter
, I think to myself.
I don’t blame Kai at all for our circumstances. In fact, I admire him for his incredible restraint. Being on a secluded island where my sister and grandmother are getting down and dirty, while I sit with the man of my dreams holding his hand is for the birds, though. More than that, it just plain sucks. There, I said it—in my mind, anyway. That counts, right
?

By the time the others finally return, I have released my sour mood and am just grateful to be in this amazing place with this wonderful man. I hand the other two ladies gorgeous pink hibiscus flowers, and we each place one behind our ear. Kai tells us we look like Hawaiian beauties, which makes us all preen a little.

He gently switches my flower to my left ear, whispering that a hibiscus worn on the right side of the hair means you are available. “You’re taken,” he growls in a deep voice before nibbling my ear and sniffing the flower. The sentiment makes a delicious shiver zing up my spine, despite my effort to keep my hopes for a real and lasting relationship with Kai at bay.

The men set about catching fish and building a fire on the beach. I had been uncertain about eating a fish that I had just seen wriggling on the line, but I have to admit, it is really delicious. We sit around the fire eating and laughing, enjoying an utterly carefree, wonderful time.

When Ruthie pulls from her pocket a dark lava rock that she has picked up, Baggy shocks us all by being practical—well, somewhat practical. “You can’t take that from the island,” she tells Ruthie vehemently. “It’s a piece of the island, and it belongs here. Taking it will only serve to anger the land, and it will seek vengeance.” We all stare at Baggy. This warning is so out of character for her. She’s normally the one getting into mischief, not doling out precautions.

Just when I start to think that she might have a conservative and responsible side, she proves that she’s still Baggy by adding in a serious voice, “Didn’t you see the Hawaii episodes of
The Brady Bunch
? Bad things happen when people steal from the islands.”