And He Called It Research

Dinner progressed through the salad course and another wine was served and then on to the entrees of medium rare prime rib, herb crusted pork and on and on, and of course more wine was offered. Then the dessert carts appeared it was almost like being on a cruise ship with the large variety of decadent and tempting sweets.

As the last of the desserts were consumed, Wendy took up the microphone again and said, "Okay, I just have a couple of things to mention and then we'll get you to your cottage so you can rest or go for a walk or whatever you desire to do. First and most important is, each cottage group has its own private area. That means that if you're in the Tropic Treat group for example, don't go beyond the stop sign. So say for the Coral's group, if you want to go for a long beach walk, going to the left at the beach will be your best bet. Blossoms, you'd go to the right, and Tropic Treat, you can go either way, as long as you don't go beyond the signs. Next, each cottage has a folder with information about where and when you can eat, where snacks are available and a lot of information like that. I would like to offer a suggestion at this point. Since you won't see your spouses for two weeks, you won't likely remember everything you'd like to share with him or her. So with that thought in mind, we strongly encourage you to keep a diary or a journal, and to make that easy, you'll find plenty of writing supplies in your cottage. At the end of two weeks, you'll be amazed at all you've done, the people you've met and interacted with. You'll be surprised at how much you will enjoy reading your own words in the weeks and months to come. I'd also suggest that you not write in short cryptic sentences. Be verbose in your descriptions of people and situations as though you were writing for a friend that has never seen this island. And men, don't just write I did this or I did that. Write about why you did what you did and who you might have met and what it was like. What was it about that man or woman that impressed you? Write about emotions guys, and remember, this is for you and your spouse alone, and whatever you do, be honest with yourself most of all. Okay, that's all I have tonight. Mac and Cletus will get all of you to your cottages and you can start your exploring or whatever whenever you want to. A moonlight stroll on the beach can be great for example. Goodnight everybody." Wendy put the microphone down and left through a side door and Mac said, "Okay, everybody with Tropic Treat tags, go with Cletus. Everybody with Blossoms tags go with me and The Corals, we'll be back for you very shortly and you are the closest so you'll be settled very soon."

Chapter Eight

Using the Tropic Treat cottages as an example of all of the cottages, those guests were in for a major surprise. Charlie was assigned to Tropic Treat, Jackfruit cottage, and he entered to find a very nicely decorated sitting area with a desk with two office chairs. The bed was only a queen sized bed but...then that fact slammed him. Nothing could be worse than sleeping with a strange man in a queen sized bed, absolutely nothing. He was struggling to keep his spirits up, but that was going to be a hard one to deal with. More difficult even than getting naked in front of that whole damn room full of people. He wandered into the bathroom and mumbled to himself. They couldn't manage to provide two beds, but there was a very large walk in shower, and surprisingly a large bathroom window. Great that so much outdoor light poured into the room, but strange that the one place where a person might want privacy the most was open to at least tropical foliage. Uncomfortable, but not a disaster like the damn queen bed.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed when he heard the shuttle stop and unload more people for the Tropic Treat cottages. Then in walked a woman and when she saw him she froze. "Oh god no, they wouldn't do this to me."

"You're Tropic Treat Jackfruit?" Charlie asked her.

"Yes damn it. Now there's no reason for them to do that."

"I don't know what to say Miss..."

"I'm Alana."

"Hi, I'm Charlie. I never would have guessed they would match man to woman."

"I'm getting the feeling now that we'll find other times when we're caught off guard."

"Now this was something I would have never seen coming. This is pretty awkward but...well we'll have to make the best of it I guess."

"Damn, I'm in here with you and both of us are naked, and now we learn we share a small bed." Alana was attractive in a plain sort of way. Modest build, pale complexion and a hairstyle that lacked the style part. But her complexion was smooth and her eyes were clear and alive. Her mound was trimmed but not shaved smooth and her breasts were modest and firm enough to tempt him to stare at her.

"Okay Alana, let's start with the easy stuff. What side of the bed would you like?"

She laughed and said, "That's the least of my worries so I don't care Charlie. I'm trying not to get mad. Not at you of course, but at whoever, or maybe the situation as silly as that sounds."

"I'll take this side then since that's what I'm used to."

"What's your wife's name?"

"Dodie."

"Believe it or not, my husband's name is Charles."

"Well that will make it easier for you to remember my name."

She laughed again and said, "I'm sure I'll remember the names of the men I've slept with."

"Alana, I think we can make this work just fine. During the day we can go our own way if we choose, or we can share a movie or a walk. Whatever seems to work for us."

"I'll give you this much Charlie, you're going to make this easier than it could be and for that I thank you."

"One more minor detail. If, during the night, I move and bump you or in the fog of sleep I put my arm around you, I trust that you won't beat the fool out of me."

"I won't beat you. Assuming I'm awake and aware I'll move your arm away."

"Great, another little detail brushed aside."

Her smile disappeared as she said, "Of course this means that my Charles and your Dodie are going to sleep with another man and woman."

Charlie hesitated and said, "Damn, that's true. But then they'll work it out just as we are I'm sure, because they have no other choice."

"There's little we can do but assume that they are doing okay, and I for one will keep a detailed journal starting with our surprise sleeping arrangements."

"That's probably why they provide matching desk chairs and a long desk. We can sit next to each other and pour out our hearts to our journal."

She smiled and said, "I don't know about your wife, but I have trouble picturing Charles keeping a flowery and detailed journal. I hope he does, but I'll believe it when I see it. He's not the romantic type at all."

"Oh, too bad for you. I mean that he won't keep a journal."

"Well we'll see I guess."

The other guests were going through the same shock and fast period of adjustment. Lacey for example was in The Corals, cottage Pineapple and her roommate turned out to be Ray from Pennsylvania. Lacey was in the cottage first and nearly fainted when Ray appeared in the doorway. "Damn it no, they wouldn't do that. They can't do that."

He stared at her and said, "What the hell? You sure you're Corals Pineapple?"

"Of course I am. Now that I think about it we shouldn't be surprised, because that's how they work things. Alternating men and women at dinner for example. It's going to be like this for two weeks, so get used to it Ray."

"Melody isn't going to be happy about this."

"Melody is going to be battling her own situation with some other guy."

"Oh damn, that's right, and your husband..."

"Kyle. Oh yeah, but he'll puff up his chest and put on a good show for the unfortunate woman. He'll prove, or rather pretend that he isn't surprised or rattled."

"Melody is freaking out at this very minute and you can bet on that. He could be the perfect man and she'd still come apart at the seams."

"How did you ever get her to agree to come here and get naked then?"

"It wasn't easy," and they both laughed. "I'm Ray by the way."

"Hi Ray the roommate, I'm Lacey. Okay so what are our rules?"

"Rules? What kind of rules do we need?"

"I don't know, but I thought you might have some in mind."

"Not me. Pick your side of the bed and we'll take it from there."

No matter the cottage, the pairings continued, and again and again men and women were surprised or more often shocked to discover their bedmate was the opposite sex. A smile here and there, but mostly looks of great concern or anger or tears being shed out of fear and frustration.

Mike, the guy that had talked so much with Kyle, entered cottage Calla Lily in the Blossoms group and found diminutive soft voiced Elise sitting on the side of the bed. When she saw him she turned red and her nostrils flared as she said, "Damn them, I just knew they were going to do this. They lied to us when the said the computer assigned the cottages," and she wiped her eyes with her arm and sniffed.

"Yeah and hi to you. I'm Mike."

"Oh right...I'm Elise. What are we going to do? I can't sleep with you."

"Well I don't know what you're going to do but I'm sleeping in the bed.

"This is just a disaster." She knew she had to sleep with this naked stranger, but the very thought of her doing that made her nauseous. Her world was spinning and falling apart. Her Joe not only wasn't there to comfort her, he was also getting acquainted with, and preparing to sleep with one of the fourteen other nice looking women in the whole group. She needed to keep her thoughts straight so she moved to the desk and started a journal. Fifteen minutes later she asked Mike, "Are you going to keep a record of events?"

"Hell no, if I can't remember it, then it must not have been important to begin with. I'm going out for a walk on the beach," and he left. She stopped writing and stared straight ahead at the wall and let her mind roam. After just a couple of minutes of doing that she quickly straightened her back, took a breath and started to write again as fast as she could. She had to get her thoughts back to a healthy place again.

Darren was paired with Rita and they started off very civil to each other, and by bedtime they had progressed to laughing and learning about each other. He was having so much fun he was vibrating inside. She was attractive in an every day sort of way and she thought he looked like and seemed to be a great guy. They were both so relieved that if anything they were over doing the 'let's be friends' thing.

But things were a little different with Darren's good friend Martin because he was barely inside The Corals, Star cottage when Liz appeared in the doorway. The instant she saw who she would be living with for the next two weeks, her hands went to her face and she said, "Oh my god."

Without considering possible future complications he smiled and said, "Damn am I glad to see you."

She was timid with her moves as they moved to each other and shared a very careful embrace. "God," She thought, "I just felt his cock push against me, this isn't good at all."

Chapter Nine

Like most days on the island, Sunday morning dawned bright and clear. By afternoon heavy tropical heat would build clouds far out to sea, but it was fairly infrequent that clouds like that ever reached the island. They were something to look at and to watch as they changed shape. The cottages had coffee pots and that first morning almost everybody opted for that rather than go to the dayroom to have coffee. It was just too soon in the morning and into the vacation to interact with so many naked strangers.

Lacey and Ray got up and took turns in the bathroom without a door, and she made coffee. She sat at the desk and wrote a long page for her diary and Ray joined her, but for him it was more of a struggle. "Damn I'm not very good at this. She...Wendy said to be generous with words and pretend I'm writing for a friend back home, or however she phrased it."

"That's right. You'll want to write that your roommate is voluptuous and charming for example," and they laughed, and then she added, "and I'm young with milky complexion and I live to make you happy. I wrote that my roommate is Ray and he's okay." They laughed again and then she poured the coffee for both of them, and then they went back to writing until a leisurely breakfast at nine o'clock. They had a hastily formed friendship so they ate together, but they also talked to others at the table. Pretenses were being shed faster than their clothes had been shed, and slowly the awkwardness of nudity was easing its hold on most of them.

Elise was one of those exceptions. They were up and moving around, but she wasn't sure of what to do with herself. She didn't drink coffee and she wasn't prepared to go to breakfast, and before she could make up her mind, she saw Mike reach down and tug at his cock and balls. "Oh my god, did you have to do that?"

"Do what?"

She pointed between his legs and said, "You know, play with yourself."

"Holy shit, you're married so you should know, or are you married to a woman?"

"Don't be abusive."

"Well don't be stupid, all guys do that. Sometimes we itch. Sometimes our nut sack needs to be repositioned. Hell sometimes we like to play with ourselves, what's the difference to you? Just now I needed to adjust my nuts okay? I'm going to breakfast," and off he went. She waited five minutes and then she too headed to the dayroom and sat next to a couple of women.

After breakfast, the dayroom emptied and Elise went back to the cottage to decide what she was going to do with her day. Mike took off in search of naked women on the beach, and to see if he could score with one of them. Elise too decided on the beach, but when she saw Mike she turned and headed in the other direction.

Most of the cottages would be empty before ten o'clock and everybody headed to the long sandy beach complete with palm trees, and that whole scene that was the very symbol of a tropical island escape. Though they had all seen each other at the reception dinner, many faces were unfamiliar to many of the others. There were groups of comfortable lounges arranged in little pockets amid greenery along the beach area. Some pulled their lounges out into the sun and others preferred the shade to preserve their youthful skin. Other's like Charlie and Alana chose to walk the beach slowly as they talked almost continually. Lacey and Ray also chose to walk in the warm sand, and within a couple of hours they were touching each other's hands and they walked slower or would walk into the water a few feet and stand there and talk. "Ray I better apologize right now if I stare at you but I have a defense."

"I haven't caught you staring at me and I don't mind if you do, but tell me your defense anyway."

"My husband Kyle, who I've been married to for over ten years, is so very different than you are. Where he's gruff you're smooth. Where he can be loud and a little too mouthy, you are the opposite. You look totally different than he does too. He's dark haired and you're closer to blond. He always needs a shave but you're face is smooth and fresh looking," and she caressed his cheek for a second. Then she wondered why she had married Kyle those many years ago and even more why she had stayed with him.

"Thank you Lacey," and he kissed her cheek. "This is very interesting and I'm going to have a lot to say to my journal tonight, because Melody is so different than you are. She's small and soft voiced, but she never lacks for an opinion or the nerve to share it. You are shapelier and indeed you are voluptuous and hedonic. You are funny and fun to be with and to be around, and I too must apologize if I'm found guilty of staring at you."

"I like the idea that you want to stare at me. I know I can be loud and brassy, but that really is me, though I do continue to struggle with myself to not be that way so much. I'll blame that on living with Kyle."

He slipped his arm around her waist and said, "Let's walk back toward the others. You check out all of the guys you see and tell me what you think of them based on what you can observe. I'll do the same with the women."

She smiled and asked him, 'Is there a special reason for this?"

"Only that I want to learn as much about you as I can in the time we have together. That and I want to keep your mind busy so you won't wander off."

She smiled and said, "Honey, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Her arm went around him, but she teased him by playing with his ass as she smiled at him. "This is my way of making sure that you don't forget who I am," and then she looked down. "Oh god Ray, you've been keeping a secret from me."

He too looked down at what he knew was between his legs. "Now look at what you've done, now I'll be embarrassed."

"Darlin' don't be embarrassed, be proud. You have a very interesting appendage there."

"Thank you, I'm glad you approve."

"Oh I approve," and on they walked, but now even closer to each other than before.

Martin and Liz woke in the morning and lay there smiling at each other. "Martin are you going to keep a diary?"

"I hadn't decided until I saw it was you I'd be with, but now I have to keep one and be very accurate in what I write. Are you going to write?"

"Very definitely. Another question, will you share it with Allie?"

"Probably. I really should in fact."

"True, but I haven't decided about sharing mine with Darren either. I figure that by the end of two weeks I'll know what I'll do. Do you love Allie?"

"Of course I do, very much."

"I'm glad," but she was close enough to him to kiss him lightly and then added, "We better go for breakfast."

Chapter Ten

Through all that had happened since arriving on the island, Al and Beth, unlike a lot of the other guests, had handled it all pretty well. Being swingers they weren't bothered all that much by stripping naked in front of others, because they were prepared for it. Earl had also informed them of being separated, but there again being with other lovers on occasion helped them to adapt much sooner to their new temporary life than the others.

Beth in The Corals, Torch cottage, ended up with a man named Walt. Huskier than Al, but he seemed nice enough and with all of the new things to experience, recreational sex wasn't exactly on her mind, and she started her journal with those thoughts.

Al was matched with Bonnie and they were in The Blossoms in Gardenia cottage. Bonnie had to be four inches taller than his Beth, and though thinner, and what some considered too skinny, she had what Al thought was a very nice shape. Al and Bonnie were relaxing in lounges near the sandy beach and talking when he told her that he and Beth were swingers. Bonnie's eyes went wide as she said, "You're kidding me right?"

"Oh no, we've been doing that for three or four years. We have a regular place where we go and more often than not we see the same dozen or so couples."

"So to you, this nudity and everything else is no big deal."

"Oh it's a big deal because of the numbers of people involved and the unique and impressive surroundings. We could never afford anything like this even if we were to find another place this open minded and plush. Where can you go and make love in the middle of the day on the beach, and not worry about others walking past."

"You could really do that?"

"I could really do that," and he smiled at her.

"Living with you for two weeks is going to be very educational for me, but I'll bet you wish you were with your wife so you could find another couple to swap with."

"I love my wife very much, but I'm enjoying being with you."

"I'm glad, but being with me isn't going to be anything like being with your wife or your swinging friends."