Long Blonde Hair, Sky Blue Eyes Pt. 08

The Lutherans were having a Barbeque dinner at the VFW Hall by the river, with games, raffles, and auctions. The January chill was gone by the time they arrived; it was 72 and sunny, so they made their donations, got their plates, and took them to the outside tables. Of course, they were introduced to a few dozen more locals while waiting in line and at the outside tables, and learned that the MDs, PhDs, and other researchers at the University of Texas Cancer Research Center just outside town, near Buescher State Park, mostly lived in town. Those folk were unanimously impressive, and everyone there was nice.

They bid on items in the silent auction, won a cake in the cake walk and a Yeti ice chest playing bingo, and Erik won his date a Teddy Bear by ringing the bell with a mallet. They each won an expensive item in the auction and donated it back to be auctioned again. They made a lot of friends that day and went from being known the good-looking newcomers to novice community members. They liked Smithville and were pleased their land was situated in Smithville ISD.

They checked out and left at 4, with the promise they would stay with the Lehmans anytime they were around. It was an easy 45-minute drive to the airport phone lot, where their security team showed themselves to get the keys to take Erik's pickup back to the lake, and with warm smiles, congratulated them on the friends they made over the weekend. Even though they knew they were around, neither had noticed the team; that gave them a warm, secure feeling.

Minneapolis was 22, not 72, and the difference was shocking to the system. The wind dropped the chill factor to 12 degrees, and it cut right through the clothes that had been so comfortable in Texas, even with heavy over coats.

One sixty-hour workweek for both, and then they would board a plane for the American Virgin Islands and Annika's first photo shoot in three months. She looked and felt perfect to Erik, but she ate carefully and drove herself through long daily workouts to hone her body for the camera. He also worked out hard, but he ate plenty.

They both were near their ideal weights when the week started, but Annika was very lean by the time they boarded the private plane, which was supplied by the cosmetic company and designer for whom she would be working. She was heading back into a world she knew well, and her attitude and confidence showed it. He had no idea what he was getting into but was happy to be sharing her life for a week.

Both the commercial and photo shoot would take place on St. John's, but the only way to get there was by boat or sea plane. The landing at Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas was as smooth as the glassy water they flew over on approach. They disembarked to discover the temperature was exactly 60 degrees warmer than the 24-degree weather they left in Minneapolis, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky!

Security First had an armored SUV (after Hollywood, that was de rigueur) and a three-man team waiting. Rhonda and Andi were fully recovered and had flown in with them. A five-person security team and all their electronic gear, on the island of St. John's with its 4000 inhabitants, might seem excessive, but no chances were being taken. Even with the head having been cut off from the outside world, Koslov's criminal gang was still a force with which to reckon.

The yacht they boarded was previously owned by a Middle Eastern prince who had many violent enemies; it was well armored and well-armed and sat in a private slip on the edge of the marina. The large drone that had been launched before they boarded was circling high above. Erik watched its feed on the pilot's monitor and commented on the UHD pictures being received.

Don chuckled: "It's a customized Tikad; we call her Tika. It has laser, heat signature, and night vision capabilities and carries a machine gun and a grenade launcher. We have government permission to use it on this assignment, which means someone has friends in high places. We also have chain guns on both sides in case of sea drone or torpedo attack. If I, and the rest of the world, wasn't aware of Koslov's obsession with your fiancée, I'd think this is way overkill, but he seems capable of anything.

"We also have surveillance drones we'll use on the island, with Tika in reserve. Rhonda and Andi will be visible; we will not, but at least one of us will always be watching from on high. I understand you and Miss Olsson are also trained and armed, so we are confident we can withstand most any challenge."

Annika was on deck but in front of the wheelhouse, keeping her out of sight of anyone with evil intentions watching from shore - like a sniper. Their destination was Hansen's Bay on the east end of St. John's. They would sleep and stay on the yacht when not engaged in the contracted activities and use the tender/ dinghy to go back and forth.

They could see photographers and cinematographers along the shoreline and the tree line, doing what they had to do to be ready tomorrow. The crews were also busy, preparing scenes to be set up and filmed. The film director and photographer were gathering information and giving instructions, while the wardrobe and "makeup" people were scurrying around trying to find suitable locations on which to do their work. Annika smiled, waved, informed her companions she was going ashore to assist, and asked if anyone wanted to accompany her.

Erik, Rhonda, and Andi were quick to volunteer, wanting to test the white sands and crystal blue-green water of Hansen's Bay more than anything. The women quickly changed into swimsuits, flip flops, and coverups with large pockets. Erik wore a tee shirt and carried a bag with suntan lotion, towels, and his pistol. He climbed into the dinghy, then watched each lovely climb down the ladder, offering his hand as each stepped aboard. He was "in high cotton," as his grandpa would say; Annika was a renowned beauty, but he certainly wouldn't kick Rhonda or Andi out of bed for eating crackers either!

The drone circled above, looking for dangers; on deck, Don, Marcus and their electronics were keeping track of the scuba divers working along the reef offshore and the large yacht making its way toward them. They had been advised that Mr. Tom, the designer for whom Annika was working, was on board his yacht, and he would be anchoring well offshore because it drew so much water. Still, they kept watch on and communication with Mr. Tom's Toy until it stopped and anchored a quarter mile away, just beyond the point that sheltered the bay.

There were a few lovers frolicking in and around the bay, though they were kept on the northwest end of the beach by local officials. Tomorrow the entire bay had been leased by Mr. Tom and L'Oreal, and no one would be allowed within 1000 feet of the area except those involved in the photo shoot and filming.

Rhonda drew the first shift with Annika, leaving Erik and Andi testing the waters and enjoying the white sands of the beach. The wet sands near the water were perfect for sunbathing, the gently-moving waters the perfect temperature for swimming - it was an unbelievably beautiful and pristine setting for a boy from Texas.

"This is unreal, like a contrived painting of paradise," Erik commented to Andi. "I've been to Costa Maya and Baja in Mexico, Gulf beaches in Florida, and California beaches, but nothing compares - I had no idea the US had places like this!"

"Hawaii has some, but it was different," Andi replied, "because there were tourists everywhere! Some of the tiny, deserted islands of the Bahamas have sand and sea like this, but not the foliage. This makes me want to travel more!"

"Yeah, I'm admittedly provincial and untraveled, but this makes me realize what I'm missing. We'll have to ask Annika how this compares to other places she's been; she's the world traveler."

They leaned back, water lapping at their feet and legs, and just talked. Neither was unaware of the physical beauty of the other, and Erik couldn't help teasing that she was wrong: he did get to see her wound! She giggled, raised her arm to give him a clear view, and asked if it was too gross. The heat in his eyes and the timbre of his voice made her hormones rage when he answered, "It's hard to even see, what with all the rest to look at." She had never felt as naked and vulnerable wearing a bikini; he was gorgeous, and if Annika didn't exist, she would take him right there, in the sand.

Knowing this was getting out of hand, Andi relieved Rhonda, and she had a similar conversation with Erik about the beauty of the bay. "I'm from Iowa, but I was stationed overseas during much of my military career. For unspoiled beauty, this takes the prize, but you need to see the Greek Isles, Tuscany, and the Italian Alps. Not the same at all, but similarly breathtaking, and, of course, there are the ancient ruins around the Mediterranean that almost stop your heart.

"Don't let anything keep you from seeing the world, Erik, even your work. You, your wife, and your family will be better people for it."

Erik didn't hide his appreciation for her athletic body either, and she had thoughts similar to those of Andi as she sat beside this sexy man and talked about life and the wonders of the world in which they lived.

After a while, Annika and Andi joined them on the wet sand. Annika's response to his question was to say she never compared sites or sights. "The sunsets over the brush lands west of Hondo weren't 'better' than those I watched in Tahiti, Hawaii, or Alaska, but I enjoyed them more because I was with you.

"This is a gorgeous setting, yes; is it more gorgeous than the Maldives or St. Lucia? I don't know how to compare them, but I do know how to rate them, Erik: any place I'm with you is better than any place I'm not. Does that help?"

"So, sitting in a deer stand overlooking the Brush Country with me is better than standing on the Eifel Tower overlooking Paris without me?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes," she answered earnestly, before grinning back. "But I'm not sure walking to the deer stand with you would be better than wandering Paris with you."

The three who had been tittered about that, explaining all the reasons Erik must see Paris, the City of Love. "What about the rude Frenchmen? What about their hatred of Americans?" he asked.

"Some are rude, but it is rude Americans who usually cause it. If anything, most French men and women are overly friendly!" Annika replied with a wink.

"And I'm certain no French woman would be rude to you, you big hunk!" Rhonda teased. "Maybe the jealous men, but no women."

Annika looked appraisingly at her and then at Andi. "Did I leave him alone with you so long he worked his magic? Both of you look at him like a delicious lollypop you'd like to lick!"

They both turned pink, but Andi's bravado answered, "Well, he is a Dreamsickle. It's just unfortunate that he's engaged to a supermodel superhero!"

That turned Erik pink, but also sent a little more blood into the chubby cock he'd been trying to control all afternoon. "Oh, look! You embarrassed him, Andi!" Rhonda teased as his blush spread, but Annika was watching her favorite toy inflate.

"You girls need to run down the beach to the wardrobe tent and pick out cocktail dresses to wear to the party on Mr. Tom's Toy tonight. I told them to expect you. While we're waiting, the Dreamsickle and I will rest back in the shade, out of the tropical sun that is turning him such as dark shade of red."

Andi and Rhonda left laughing, but Annika wasted no time pulling him out of sight in the tropical growth, pulling his shorts down, hitting her knees, and turning the chubby into a raging hardon with her generous mouth.

"I can't leave you alone with women for even a few minutes, can I?" she asked with drool running over her plush bottom lip to her delicate chin. Watching him as she loved to do when his cock was in her mouth, she again swallowed all she could, bobbed up and down, and then pulled off. "They both want to fuck you, you know," she proclaimed, and giggled at the lurch of his cock in her hand. "But you're mine, Big Boy, and don't you forget it!"

With naked Annika bent over, hands holding the trunk of a small tree, her wetness exposed, wriggling her ass at him in invitation, he couldn't remember seeing another woman, much less wanting one.

But that night, he definitely did see some very attractive women. The three he, Marcus and Arnulfo (Arny) escorted to the party were certainly among the finest, but the 'extras' were incredibly delicious as well. Perhaps one among them would be the next Annika or Giselle, but right now they were paying their dues, which included fawning over the great man himself, Mr. Tom, and the male models.

Erik quickly spotted Afton, his fiancée's first crush and first lover. He was as pretty as ever; even more handsome in person than on Facetime, film, or photos, and Erik's jealousy reared its head. It found a new target in Carlos, a tall, exquisitely handsome Spaniard, who abandoned the young extra fawning over him to rush to Annika and crush her in his embrace.

Eschewing the so-called 'European tradition' of cheek kissing, he gave her the kind of kiss on the mouth lovers exchange. She turned loose of Erik's arm to extricate herself from Carlos, who then began raving about how much he had missed her, how she had become even more beautiful, how her body had blossomed, and how she must never keep them apart for so long again!

She blushed lightly but interrupted his verbose flattery to introduce Erik Swahn, her fiancée, and the others in her entourage. Carlos was courteous to all, but obviously unfazed by Erik's standing. He turned back to Annika and continued his adulation of her beauty and form. Erik's fists clenched and his eyes turned cold.

Perhaps fearing for the welfare of his male model, Mr. Tom came over to loudly greet "The most beautiful, talented, and heroic woman on this planet, and the handsome man who stole her heart!" He inserted himself between Carlos and the object of his obsequiousness, gave Annika air kisses, and warmly shook Erik's hand.

Turning to the others, he remembered Rhonda from New York, introduced himself to the others, and stepped back to look them over. "My! You four should also be included in my little commercial! Such fit men and women - you would flatter my swimsuits and clothing!" Andi and Rhonda looked interested, Marcus and Arny chuckled and shook their heads.

"And what about your beautiful boy, Anni? Have you convinced him yet?"

"I was saving it for a moment of weakness later tonight, until you spilled the beans!"

Mr. Tom clasped his hand over his mouth but forged ahead. "I have this shot in mind for you, Erik! You are wearing my shorty swimsuit; the camera follows your chiseled body as you come up behind Anni, who is standing in the shallow waters with her arms crossed over her delicious breasts, wearing only the bottom of my most daring bikini. You wrap your arms around her, kiss her neck, and whisper in her ear. She writhes against you, speaks of her love, and you begin lowering the iridescent pink thong while nibbling her neck.

"We will break at that point, allow the two of you to pose nude lying in the sand, and the camera will follow the pink thong and your shorty floating away while you kiss. Isn't that incredibly erotic?

"I originally envisioned Carlos and Afton both holding and whispering to her, but her reticence won out. If you won't do it, I'm sure Carlos would be willing, but I think you would be the perfect model!"

The look on Erik's face spoke volumes, loudly, causing Annika and the others to smile broadly. "So, what's it gonna be, Big Boy?" Andi asked. "You gonna become a model, or watch Carlos, and maybe Afton too, holding and kissing your naked fiancée?"

The rest of the party was a blast, but nothing came close to topping Erik's ambush!

None of the 'civilians' had been in close proximity to this many of the beautiful people before, most of whom were scantily clad and seemingly oblivious to their exposed body parts when they sat, crossed legs, danced, or leaned over.

'Anni' stayed close as much as possible because Mr. Tom wasn't the only one there who thought Erik was yummy, and he was being a shit due to Annika having failed to warn him about those scenes. When they flirted, he flirted back; when they touched and stroked, he reciprocated, and Annika got a case of jealousy to deal with.

Andi and Rhonda had been hustled by handsome men all their adult lives, so they laughed and teased right back. Marcus and Arnulfo, however, were all but overwhelmed by the blatant flirting, touching, and propositioning from barely legal beauties, not all of whom were female.

Afton dropped by to say hi and that he was glad things turned out okay with Erik after the party in Tahiti. He wore a hint of a smirk, but Annika wiped it off his face by informing Afton they were engaged, wrapping her arms around Erik's neck, rubbing her body all over his, and sticking her tongue down his throat. When she finally broke the kiss/exhibition, she looked adoringly at

At the end of the night, though, the six made their way back to their own yacht, eschewing invitations to staterooms on Mr. Tom's Toy, or rides to hotels on the other end of the island.

Anni softened Erik up enough over the course of the night that he acquiesced to her pleas to be the one holding her naked on the beach, but he also punished her for duping him, leaving her with a noticeable hitch in her get-along the next morning.

Day one at this location was the easy one: Annika went ashore at eight to model swimwear, including one piece, bikinis, cover ups, and footwear, with Carlos and Afton modeling Tom's men's line during her changes and breaks. That afternoon, the three modeled beachwear - shorts, pants, tops, shirts, hats, jewelry, and footwear, with closeups of Annika in the proper L'Oreal cosmetics for daylight and outdoor settings.

There were the expected shots of the three beautiful people exchanging meaningful glances, teasing glances, smiling, standing close together, and of Annika between the men with their arms around her as they strolled along the beach, feet splashing in the shallow water. Erik was sure the finished product would be provocative, but having watched it being made he realized it was all show. If anything, the actions and poses of the frolicking extras in the background were sexier than those of the stars.

They changed clothes quite often to get shots in the fading light of clothes modeled in the morning or mid-day, and a good number of sunset shots, after which the director told them to go back and rest. Tomorrow's Hansen's Bay shoots began early, they transitioned to beach bars on St. Croix, and continued with the night life on St. Thomas. Be there at six and don't expect to be back on ship or in your rooms until after midnight.

Erik cut her loose for the morning shoots, working with Johnny, his development teams, and the new administrative team via satellite until the move to St. Croix began. It was a productive, if rushed, morning.

Rhythms at Rainbow Beach was the new setting, and the dress was tropical wear for bar and beach. Erik was impressed by some of the designs and complimented Mr. Tom, who had ventured ashore to watch and drink in the background. He convinced Erik to join him, although he insisted that he remain behind the table since he wasn't dressed in Mr. Tom's finery. He did don a Panama hat and tropical shirt after the designer cajoled him into it, and quite enjoyed their rum drinks and conversation while everyone else worked. Like JoJo, Mr. Tom was a charmer, if a bit too flamboyant for Erik's tastes.

Annika had relaxed and gotten with the program; she knew Erik was there, but focused on her job, which included wearing sexy clothing in sexy settings, positions, and poses. Erik noticed, but context matters, and it was clear that he was watching professionals going about their business.