Stone - Big Girls & Bad Boys (16 page)

“Very much,” I replied. Rick’s hands slipped over my shoulders and he cupped my ample breasts. I let him. Suddenly, I was anything but sleepy.

“What are you doing?” I asked curiously.

“Hoping you’ll let me continue,” he told me. I laughed softly at that.

“I’m in no mood to tell you no. If your plan was to seduce me into bed with good food, beer and weed, it’s working,” I told him, a bit brazenly.

“My plan? Not really. My desire? Most definitely. You’re a sexy woman, Erin,” he whispered.

“You are crazy, Rick. But who am I to argue even if your tastes are flawed,” I replied as Rick sucked my neck and squeezed my ample breasts through my top.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Erin. You’re the kind of girl I don’t see enough of. Too many tight, fit beach bodies. Nice, but boring,” he told me. I laughed.

“You are a real charmer,” I replied. Rick suddenly pulled away but only to walk around the Adirondack chair and kneel in front of me. He reached out and took my face in his hands. He coaxed me forward and I followed willingly. I didn’t know where this was going, but I wanted to find out. Then his lips met mine. I grabbed Rick’s shoulders and pulled him tight to me, suddenly eager to be with this man. Then he pulled away and stared into my eyes.

“I want to see you naked, Erin. I want to take you inside and show you that I’m not just being charming. I find you incredibly attractive. Let me show you,” Rick told me. I wasn’t about to argue. If he liked my full figure, so be it.

“Rick, this evening has been perfect. I’m not going to spoil it now,” I said and pushed his shirt off his shoulders before running my hands down his chest. Rick was hard and lean, his chest covered in soft hair. He pulled his shirt off as I caressed his chest. When he was topless, he began working on my tank. I didn’t have a bra on, it was too hot and humid. A moment later, Rick had me topless as well and the look in his eyes as he gazed at my breasts had me blushing.

“I don’t usually do this. You know, just sleep with men I hardly know,” I said, feeling I had to let Rick know I wasn’t prone to sleeping around and that I considered him special enough to give myself to.

“I don’t either. Only when I meet a woman I really like. I really like you,” he said as he cupped my breasts and squeezed them softly.

“Shouldn’t we go inside?” I asked, looking about nervously. It was dark but not that dark. Rick nodded. His house was surrounded by other small shacks of similar design, though they were several dozen yards away.

“Yeah, even in Jamaica, if you want to get naked in public, you have to go to that resort at the end of the beach,” he replied as he stood up and offered me his hand. I took his hand and got to my feet. Rick kissed me again before leading me into his small home. Inside were just two rooms, the main living area and a small bathroom. The bed was partially hidden behind gauzy curtains.

Rick took me to the bed and we tumbled onto it in one another’s arms, kissing and exploring one another’s bodies. Soon, each of us had managed to get the other naked. We kissed, touched and fondled each other, our bodies each covered in perspiration thanks to the warm and humid night. Our lovemaking felt raw and primal, untainted with the pretenses of the real world. We fully explored our desires as evening turned to night and night turned into the early morning.

I’d never made love like this before. Rick seemed to be truly enjoying me, living in the moment and savoring every shred of pleasure from the act. I followed his lead, letting go of my inhibitions and expectations. I allowed the experience to wash over me, enjoying our lovemaking for what it was. I didn’t worry about what other people might think, as if they’d ever know, or let my preconceptions get in the way. Rick and I had sex in the moment, did to one another what felt good and didn’t worry about the consequences.

I was left gasping and shuddering as Rick finally attained his own satisfaction well past midnight. He held me tight as we both fought to catch our breath. His story and our lovemaking were already working their black magic on me. As I felt sleep overcome me, I pretended that this wasn’t just a single night and much needed vacation. I dreamed this was an enduring condition, that I, like Rick, lived a simple life in the tropics, free to do as I wanted whenever I pleased.

I fell asleep in Rick’s arms still indulging in the pleasant fiction. I’d rarely felt more at peace and more satisfied than I did that evening. Little did I know that a seed had been planted in my mind. That seed would grow into a dilemma that I was to face in the coming days. But in that tiny shack, in Rick’s arms, I was content and as happy as I’d been in a long, long time.

>>O<<

I woke up alone in bed. Rick stood in only a pair of frayed cargo shorts cooking breakfast for us. I stirred and Rick turned to regard me. “Morning,” he greeted me with a pleasant smile.

“Morning. What time is it?” I asked. It was early, the sun not yet falling on Rick’s tiny abode.

“It’s not yet seven. Coffee?” he asked.

“Please,” I replied. Rick poured me a cup from a small French press.

“Sugar, cream?” he asked me.

“Yes, both,” I replied. I was still nude and surprisingly I didn’t feel self-conscious at all. I pushed the sheet down and sat up as Rick handed me the cup. “Last night was...perfect,” I told him. My head was clear, the beer and marijuana’s effects had faded as I slept.

“You were incredible. I mean that, Erin. I...I’ve rarely, if ever, enjoyed a woman as much as I enjoyed last night with you,” he said. I blushed and felt my core warm.

“So, what’s for breakfast?” I asked, not able to formulate a response to Rick’s compliment.

“Tomatoes and scrambled eggs along with sausages,” he replied.

“Smells wonderful,” I observed. Rick served up a plate, brought it to me and then joined me on the bed with his own plate. We ate in silence, Rick apparently as famished after our long night as I was. “God, this is delicious,” I finally said after I had eaten more than half of my breakfast, sitting nude next to Rick.

“It’s the Marijuana. One of the benefits is how good food tastes afterwards. I’m sure the sex didn’t hurt either,” Rick explained.

“No, that didn’t hurt my appetite at all. Just the opposite,” I said and giggled. I felt so free and easy with Rick. No worries about my body or what this all meant. It was what it was, nothing more and nothing less.

“You’re a machine, Erin,” he said. I laughed at that.

“I guess I did get a little wild,” I replied.

“A little?” Rick said and we both laughed. “I don’t mean to ruin the mood but I’ve got a bit of work to do this morning. I’ll take you back to the resort after you finish your coffee,” he told me. It sounded like I was getting the brush off but it didn’t feel that way.

“When will you be finished?” I asked hopefully.

“As soon as I can be,” Rick said meaningfully.

“Good,” was all I said in reply. Rick took me back to the resort where I showered, slipped into my bikini and went to go lay in the sun, lathered up in sunscreen. I realized as I lay there soaking up the rays that I hadn’t thought about home or my job since the previous afternoon. It was nice to just plain forget about all of that and be in the moment.

Once I was satisfied I might have gotten a bit of color, I moved into the shade and broke out another trashy romance. I had a hard time concentrating, however. My mind kept wandering back to the previous night. I had so much fun and the sex, oh my God, the sex. I already wanted to see Rick again. I felt like a teenager who just met a boy. I couldn’t get Rick out of my mind.

I thought about his story. It was rather romantic, leaving your complicated, stressful life behind to live a simpler one. It wasn’t very realistic though. I guess I understood why Rick had chosen this life. But part of me wondered why he couldn’t hack it. I worked a tough job with long hours and lots of stress. Lots of people I knew did the same. Why couldn’t Rick handle it? Was his job that tough? Was he that weak?

I admonished myself for those thoughts. That wasn’t fair. I didn’t know what Rick had gone through and I had no right to judge him. Honestly, those thoughts were barely mine. They seemed to come from outside of myself, a dogma pounded into my head my whole life. I sympathized with Rick. I even envied him. He seemed genuinely happy living the way he did. He certainly didn’t look like the man he had described to me, unhealthy, stressed out and depressed.

No, Rick seemed self-assured, healthy and strong. He seemed content with what little he had. I could barely understand that. I had heard people rail against materialism and greed, usually from their mansion and with a fat bank account. But as quixotic as living in a hut near the beach sounded, I’m not sure I could do it. I liked my apartment, my home and retreat. I enjoyed my gadgets and electronics. I hadn’t used that fancy bread maker since I brought it home, but I was glad I had it. Just in case.

I didn’t use half the stuff I owned. My giant television was on more often to provide background noise than actual entertainment. I barely wore a quarter of the clothes that were stuffed in my closet. I owned a car but I took the bus to work, parking was too hard to find and too expensive when I did find a space. I bought it dreaming of long drives out of the city on weekends but I hadn’t taken one of those imagined drives in...well, I don’t think I ever had.

That was the way of things, I suppose. Most people I knew were like me. They worked hard, sacrificed and hoped one day they might enjoy the fruits of their labor. That’s how it worked, right? Well, Rick didn’t think so but most people would find his lifestyle frugal and stark. But Rick seemed genuinely happy and those people didn’t. In fact, they seemed downright unhappy and I was one of them.

“Erin!” someone called to me. I was roused from my musings and looked up and down the beach. I didn’t see anyone. I turned to look behind me. Nobody was paying attention to me much less calling my name. “Out here!” I heard and turned toward the ocean. There was Rick in the blue water, waving to me. I set my book aside, having not read a single word yet, and climbed from my lounger. I walked down to the edge of the water.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m finished with my work. I came to see if you really wanted to see me again,” Rick explained. If I wanted to see him? I was kind of wondering if he really wanted to see me. I half expected never to see the man again but part of me knew I would.

“Of course, I do,” I told him.

“Then get your sexy ass out here,” he said. I smiled at the compliment despite myself. I walked into the warm, placid water towards Rick. “Nice bikini. You look great,” he told me as I approached. The water wasn’t that deep and I found Rick was hunched down with his feet in the sand and his head just above the surface. The water came to just below my breasts once I had reached him.

“Did you swim all the way here?” I wondered.

“No, I walked. I spied you from a distance and wanted to see you walk into the water,” Rick said and winked at me.

“I appreciate that but I don’t really have what you’d call a bikini body,” I replied. Rick came closer and slipped his arms around me as he stood up. He pressed close to me, the water warm enough not to cause a chill.

“Then why are you wearing one?” he asked me pointedly. I thought it over. The previous day I wouldn’t have but today I didn’t care. In fact, I wanted to wear it. I guess I knew why I wore it.

“I wore it for you,” I said.

“Well, thank you for that. Best thing I’ve seen all day,” he told me. I blushed and rolled my eyes but before I could respond someone from the beach yelled at us.

“Get a room!” came the call. Rick and I parted to see who was heckling us. A group of half a dozen hedonists from the resort next door was headed down the beach, all of them dressed, more or less, today.

“Show us your tits!” Rick called back. The three ladies in the group lined up along the surf line as if this was a practiced maneuver and pulled up their shirts. One of the men showed his junk as well. Rick howled with laughter and I couldn’t help but join him. The group on the beach laughed with us. Then Rick threw a fist in the air and howled in approval. The beach walkers shouted back and then went on their way laughing.