A Time of Changes

She looked up at him, her hands moving to his arms and her legs wrapping around him as she locked her eyes on him and he just knew that she wasn't looking for lovemaking, but something more. He looked into her eyes and slammed his hips forward as she tensed her legs and pushed him harder. The cry that was wrenched from her throat echoed on the water and her back arched so hard that he was lifted up with her, unable to stop her. She had climaxed just from that one thrust and her hunger and need infected him. She was unable to do more than hold onto him and he pulled back and slammed into her again, pressing her down into the netting and the two of them bounced and shifted and he used that movement to aid his next thrust, pushing into her as she rebounded up to meet him. He drew another cry from her, almost a scream, which was so primal that he had trouble believing that it had come from a human throat. Again he slammed into her, and then again and he lost all sense of self as he practically assaulted her body with his own. She was crying out in a wordless scream as she dragged her nails across his back and shoulders until blood trickled from his torn skin and he felt none of it as he thrust hard and deep into her, harder than he ever had before and she was gasping and almost choking on her own scream, unable to stop, but needing to draw breath. He paused and she took a deep, shuddering breath an instant before he slammed into her again, their bodies slapping together and her breath exploded in a fresh scream of release.

There was no one within miles of them, no one to hear that primal, bestial scream as it echoed over the waves, chasing the dolphins away in fright as she descended into sobs of release and he groaned in his own release. Exhausted and sweating he hunched over her as he spent into her core and it felt like she was sucking the life out of him with every jet of his seed that filled her. Finally he collapsed atop her and she just held onto him like he was the only thing keeping her from floating away. She drew shaking breaths and licked at her lips, feeling dehydrated and starving as she recovered. They had been at it perhaps five minutes, but she had climaxed three times and all three had bled together until it felt like she had done nothing but climax the entire time. She was exhausted and sore and her sex felt like he had punched it, inside and out. But she felt so very good, so alive and whole that she was giddy with excitement.

They disentangled and she saw his back and felt like she had killed him. There was a lot of blood, but when he took a brief dip in the sea, she saw that it was just scratches but it had bled a lot and the blood had mixed with his sweat to spread until his entire back was covered. She felt better about that and they donned their clothing again only to find that her bikini bottoms had fallen through the netting and were lost to the sea. She shrugged and pulled on the life vest again, gasping as it rubbed her still sensitive nipples and they got ready to head back to the island. He took her back to the tiller of the boat and taught her how to steer and navigate. He knew how to use the sun and stars, but the catamaran had a GPS mounted right by his elbow. She sat in his lap and did her very best to distract him as they worked their way back. They were joined by the dolphins soon enough and she enjoyed flying along the water, leaning back against him and watching the horizon as the island appeared and grew steadily. They made a long, lazy loop around it and by the time they beached the craft it was nearly sunset. They went up the beach to her bungalow and took a quick rinse in the shower before she pulled a sarong around her hips but nothing else and they went toward the tower to watch the sunset together.

Alex and Sara were relaxing at the pool and saw them and when Pen said where they were going the other couple joined them and the four of them went up the stairs to the tower and looked out across the sea. It was a beautiful day, clouds on the southern horizon were stained a million shades of red and orange and yellow. They chatted for a while as they watched the day wane and Sara stood next to Candice and looked her over.

"I wish I was as brave as you are." The blonde said and Candice was curious.

"Oh, how so?" She asked.

"Topless I'm OK with, but fully nude..." She looked curious and afraid and Candice smiled a little.

"You get used to it. Before I came here I was always covered, but in the last few weeks I've been so comfortable and relaxed that it felt natural. I tried going topless the first day just to dare myself and it was harder than I thought, but once I got used to it, it was easy." She said and Sara nodded and looked back out to sea.

"Maybe I should try." She said and Candice looked her over.

She was shapely, with soft female curves and a trim, athletic figure. She had larger breasts than Candice did, a generous C-cup that were nonetheless firm and high on her chest. She was average in height, just a little over five feet tall, but with long strong legs and her hair fell down nearly to her waist. Candice smiled a bit and when Sara looked back she spoke.

"Do you want to?" She asked and the other woman nodded tentatively.

So Candice reached over and unlaced the sides of her bottoms and as Sara flushed with colour Candice took the garment off of her and balled it up to tuck into Alex's pocket. He glanced at his wife, did a double take and stared and she smiled as she pretended not to notice he had seen and she ignored that she was in just her skin. She looked very good and her confidence was growing as the four of them watched the sunset together, seeing the distant island of Barbados on the horizon as the day slid into twilight and the twilight turned to darkness. The four of them moved from the tower down to the restaurant together and the wait staff didn't even blink at the sight of two nude women. They were seated together at a table and had a casual dinner and drinks before moving to one of the Jacuzzi tubs in the central area of the resort. By the time all four of them had settled into the water Sara was completely comfortable with her nudity and they were all pleasantly buzzed.

They chatted as the night deepened and the stars turned the sky to a roadway of light. It was a pleasant night and Sara grew more and more affectionate with her husband as time passed. Candice could see the instant the blonde grew bold enough to grope him under the water, his eyes snapping open and his breath coming in a gasp. Pen caught it too and he hid a smile as he got ready to get out of the water.

"Well, it has been a pleasant night, and I hope we can all do this again soon." He said with a smile. "But I have to fly the plane into Miami tomorrow and I need to get some sleep. Have a great evening."

He and Candice stood, waving goodbye to the young couple and walking with Pen to the little hut where the towels were kept for guests and they dried each other off. Behind them Sara laughed a low, pleasant laugh and Alex gasped again and it was clear that the two of them weren't going to make it back to their room. Sara was feeling bold and playful and such feelings weren't going to wait for a more private place. As Candice walked away with Pen she could hear a low laugh and a splash as the two of them moved around and got more active.

When they reached her bungalow they bathed together and crawled into her bed, cuddling up together and as she lay with his arm around her, she felt at peace. She smiled and rested a hand on his and closed her eyes, enjoying the sounds of the night and the sea. He thought she was asleep when she spoke softly.

"A flight into Miami tomorrow... What for?"

"One of our special guests has requested to leave a little early. I'm going in tomorrow morning, leaving the plane for service and returning in a few days. Nothing major, but some time on the mainland would be welcome." He explained. He also had an errand of his own to run and this was the perfect opportunity. "I wish I could bring you with me. I know a few places in the city that you might enjoy." He said with a kiss to the back of her neck.

"I'd love to go. There are some things I need that I can only get in a large city." She said and he smiled a bit and gave her a little squeeze.

"Well, Stephan won't mind a bit if you come, as long as you don't mind travelling with one of our special guests." He said and she nodded.

"One isn't so bad, there's enough room in the plane to keep some distance if I need to." She said and just like that she had plans to go back to the mainland for a few days. Like Pen she had some things to take care of and that was the best opportunity she could have hoped for.

————22————

The next morning she went down with him to get the plane ready, watching as he went through his checks and the regular routine to get the plane up and ready. It was already fuelled and ready to go, but he still did it all again, just to make absolutely sure. When the staff began loading bags into the back, she glanced out to see who the passenger was, and she was shocked to see Kennedy standing at the top of the walkway. She was dressed in a skirt and a loose shirt, her sunglasses over her eyes and her manner stiff and angry. She had known the young woman for several years and could read her fairly well. Damon was there talking with her, almost frantic as he tried to get her to listen, but she ignored him. When Damon saw Candice watching, he flipped her off and Kennedy took that opportunity to walk down the walkway and onto the plane. Damon stood staring after her angrily before he turned and stalked away.

Kennedy sat all the way at the back of the plane, her arms crossed angrily and staring out the window. Candice sat at the front, feeling a little bad about what she had said to the other woman days before. It had been a defensive reflex, spurred by her own recent separation from her husband and the betrayal she had been feeling, indeed that she still felt now. She was hurting and she had wanted someone else to feel that hurt too and she had struck out, remembering Kennedy smirking behind her hand when the lawyer had come with the divorce papers. The words that had been hurled at her as she walked past the pool had caused her to act out more than she probably should have and now she felt terrible about it. It would be the end of Kennedy and Damon's relationship and that was something that Candice regretted for she knew that pain.

She rode on the four hour flight in relative silence. There was a flight attendant for this particular flight and she served drinks and snacks to the pair. Candice had a glass of wine, but she could hear Kennedy in the back asking again and again for vodka and tonic and she knew just where the young woman was headed. She thought about going back and talking to her, but she couldn't bear the thought. She had the feeling that anything she said would make things worse so she kept her distance.

When the flight landed Candice planned to wait for Pen, so she sat in her seat and looked out the window. When someone came up beside her, she thought it was the flight attendant and she glanced over with a pleasant but forced smile, only to see Kennedy standing there. Her sunglasses were off and for the first time Candice saw her without makeup. She was younger than Candice had thought, and with her red rimmed eyes and no makeup to alter her features she looked about fifteen years old. She couldn't have been more than twenty-one or twenty-two and Candice had plate-fed her the worst pain of her young life.

"Ken..." she started but the young woman interrupted her.

"Why did you have to be there?" She asked and Candice felt like she had just been slapped. "You think I didn't already know? You think I didn't understand that Damon was being false?" She said in a haughty tone, her back ramrod straight and her chin up, her angry eyes wet with unshed tears.

"I didn't..." Candice started again, trying to stand up but Kennedy pushed her back into her seat again.

"I don't care, whatever you want to say you can blow out your ass you fucking bitch." She snarled at Candice and the tears began then. "I knew... I fucking knew that he was sleeping around, but I could still deny it. Or I could until you had to shout it out in front of everyone. There was no hiding it after that, and they all laughed at me, they laughed in my face because of you." She said angrily and when Candice tried to stand again, Kennedy slapped her face then broke into tears and Candice stood and hugged her. She knew just what the younger woman was going through.

Kennedy tried to push her away, tried to pull back, but Candice held on and eventually the young woman sagged against her and they sat down heavily, Kennedy clinging to Candice and sobbing openly. Candice soothed her and held her and when she looked up, Pen was standing in the door to the cockpit watching them. Candice smiled at him sadly and he left the two of them alone for a while.

————23————

The ride to her hotel was a quiet one. Pen would join her later; he had to take care of getting the plane in for the service and run an errand or two so she had some time to herself. Kennedy hadn't spoken another word to her when she finished sobbing, she had just stood and wiped her eyes and left. Candice hadn't tried to stop her, it was clear that whatever had been there between them, friendship or hatred, was all gone. It was a clean slate and they were strangers now. She sincerely wished that the young woman could find someone she loved and who would love her the way she deserved. She didn't feel bad about Damon, or about any of the other shallow people she had known before. She had shed that like a skin and left it behind when she moved on. She felt unfettered for the first time in weeks and it was a curiously empty sensation. She wanted something to tie her down and something to care about again.

She went up to the penthouse suite she had reserved and the porter carried her one bag up and placed it in the bedroom for her. She thanked him and tipped him and when he left, she went to stand at the window and look out across the city. It felt strange to be in a huge metropolis again, and she had realized along the way that it was the middle of December and she had completely forgotten. She had things she wanted to do, and she started making a list of people that she wanted to contact and wish a merry Christmas, but at the same time the list she had once used was drastically abbreviated. She had left so many things behind when she fled what had once been her home that she hadn't expected to, and she was realizing that there were other things that had been cast to the wayside. She had once sent little gifts to all of her friends, personalized cards and something small that they could open on the day. But she didn't have any of those friends anymore. Even if she had once thought she might save some of them, what had happened on the island had alienated them very effectively.

She adjusted her mental list and it surprised her how short it had become. There was her mother and step-father, an elderly aunt and three cousins and their children. She had an old friend from college and her husband and son. About fifteen people in all that she could even think about at the moment. Then she adjusted her list and added a sixteenth and smiled as she turned away from the window to call for a car. She knew what to get most of them, and she planned to be lavish this year, after all, what was the use of all of this money if she never did anything with it?

————24————

Pen parked the company car that Stephan kept in Miami and he went into the post office. He had the address that Stephan had gotten for him, and he had a long letter he had written to a friend stationed at the Washington DC Navy yard. He hoped that this would set some things right for Candice. There wasn't much foot traffic that time of day so he went up to an open teller and purchased a box, insurance and an overnight postage tag for his small parcel. It wasn't cheap to next-day something from Miami to Washington DC but it was worth the expense. As he filled out the paperwork he thought on just how lucky he had been to find it. It had been a one in a million shot, but he had somehow managed it. He took the rings out of his pocket and turned them over in his hand. They had been locked together, which was likely the only reason he had found them both. The antique wedding band and the matching engagement ring were heavy and expensive and flashing with diamonds and gold. He had found them the day Candice had wanted to go snorkeling with him, the day they had had sex in the rolling surf, nearly drowning in their frantic lust.

He hadn't told her about it, nor would he and his friend in DC had promised to make sure that her ex-husband never did either. Candice was sufficiently estranged from Gavin that she wouldn't likely see him with his new wife, and if he wanted the rings back as badly as that he would agree to keep his mouth shut about them.

So Pen sealed the package and carried it to the teller and she checked everything again and got it out of his care and into circulation. He left the post office and walked back toward the car. He went and parked the car at the hotel Candice had booked and went to check in. She wasn't there when he reached the room, but she had left him a note explaining that she had gone out shopping and asking him to meet her for dinner at the restaurant on the ground floor that evening. He smiled and went to shower and when he had finished he shaved and went back out to get a haircut, grooming himself for the evening. He had brought his only real suit along and it was hanging in the closet by the front door, freshly pressed and ready when he returned from the barber. As he dressed he heard the door open and he glanced out to see a porter bringing in bags and boxes, followed by Candice with several others. She was chatting amiably with the man as he set everything in the sitting area of the suite and then she tipped him and he thanked her and left. She glanced up and saw him and smiled.

"How did it go with the plane?" She asked as she sorted through the bags and set a few aside.

He shrugged and walked toward her, flipping his tie around expertly until it was knotted to his satisfaction. "Just the basic stuff, oil and filters and the same stuff you do with a car every few months. It's just more expensive with a plane." He said as he glanced over the bags.

"Christmas shopping." She said with a smile, answering his unspoken question. I'll get it all shipped out before we have to go back to the island. But there is one more that I need to buy..." She said as she glanced over him.

He shook his head in negation and smiled. "No, you don't need to get me anything. Really." He said but she smiled in a way that he knew meant he was going to lose this one.

"Oh, it's not that I feel I have to, but more that I want to. Besides, I've already booked the appointment and I won't let you sneak out of it." She said playfully and he sighed but accepted his fate.

They chatted back and forth as she got the bags and boxes sorted out, wrote out notes for each one before she took a few bags and vanished into the huge bathroom. He heard the water come on and he shook his head as he moved to look out the window to the south and wait for her.

She took her time in there, whatever she was doing. She showered and dried off and slid her hands over her body, feeling how warm and soft and smooth her skin was. She had gone in for a bikini wax, wincing as they had denuded her completely of all hair below the waist and under her arms. Then a mani-pedi and a haircut and style making her short black hair look really good. She picked up some makeup to fill out her kit and some perfume to make herself smell good. Now it was time to dress and she did her face and dabbed on perfume and turned to the bags of clothes she had picked out.