Stopping Time

I hadn't ever really thought about paradise in real terms, but as I stood on the deck looking down onto the lower patio, the stairs, the small beach, and the bay beyond, with sunlight reflecting off the water as a warm breeze washed over me, I considered that I might have found it. My bags were still by the door, the rest of the house unexplored. I was the first to arrive, an so I stood, in silence and unbothered by time, taking in a perfect scene. A pelican swooped by. A few boats were out on the water, but even they contributed to the heavenly atmosphere in their own way. It was hard to imagine a world existed outside this place, thought I'd only been here a few minutes.

The week in the house was free, both to me and to the guests of honor. It belonged to a well-known actor who had loaned it to my friend Brian's mother for New Years and the week following it. Brian's mom Karen was the actor's lawyer, and it was the confluence of her 50th birthday and 25th wedding anniversary, both of which fell on New Year's Day, tomorrow. I was an add-on: as Brian's family gathered to celebrate the dual occasions, both kids had been able to invite one friend. Since neither Brian nor his sister Lauren had a girlfriend at the moment, I got his invite, and her college roommate got hers. We were all going to spend the week here, in a gorgeous house on a private stretch of land in the Virgin Islands.

We were all coming in from different spots - my flight, direct from Atlanta, had arrived at noon, the first on our list. Brian, Lauren, and their parents were due in from New York late tonight - their flight was due to leave around 4pm, though last I'd heard they were tracking a big storm headed toward NYC. In between those flights, Lauren's roommate Ana was scheduled to arrive around 2pm, meaning she'd get here closer to 4, a little over two hours from now.

I didn't know much about Ana - Mexican American, with a father from Veracruz and a mother from El Paso. She was a performer: dance, theater, some music. I'd seen pictures on Lauren's IG and from what I could tell she was a knockout. And as I stood there, looking out over the water, I realized idly that it would be me and her, alone for the next few hours, here in paradise. Not long enough for anything to happen, surely, if that was even an option.

While I waited for her, I chose a room - they were all amazing, water facing, with a little balcony and a private bath. I took a quick shower. Our absent host had made sure the place was stocked with food, so I laid out some snack food, assuming Ana would be hungry when she arrived - which she did, at about 3:45.

She came in with the code we'd all been sent, and I introduced myself as she lay down her bags. She had the haggard look of a traveler, in yoga pants and a loose t-shirt, but even in the rush and the recovery I could tell that she was even more gorgeous than the photos I'd seen had suggested. Tall - maybe 5'8, with caramel skin and long black hair pulled into a messy bun. Full breasts that pushed at a V neck t-shirt. Her legs were long and lean but clearly muscular, as I'd expect of a dancer. And her eyes were entrancing, I saw as she took off her sunglasses: a rich brown, wide, with a spark there. She spoke with just the hint of an accent. We chatted about her flight a minute, and I mentioned the food.

"Food sounds amazing, but what I really want is a quick shower after that flight..."

"I can bring it all out to the deck while you're up there." I offered, as I moved back toward the open kitchen. Her eyes followed me, but then moved past as she really took in the view out the back window, of the deck and the water beyond.

"That would be so nice of you - Oh my god, look at that..." she walked past me and out the french doors. I followed her.

"Yeah, this is the kind of place you dream about." She looked down to the lower patio level, with the pool and hot tub, then around to each side.

"I know the listing said private beach but I didn't really think that meant there was literally no one else around." The property was bordered on both sides by cleverly-landscaped sections that blocked off the neighbors, whose homes were also set back on private beaches, far enough away that it barely mattered. "I'm going to enjoy some serious beach time this week." she said, almost to herself. We stood there a couple minutes longer, before I went back in to make a couple sandwiches, as she went upstairs to rinse off. I brought some chips, assorted nuts, some fresh mango and banana, and a pitcher of lemonade out to the deck.

She came back down transformed - her hair was still up, but gone were the yoga pants and loose top, and in their place were shorts that left almost all of her legs uncovered, and an orange bikini top that revealed as much as it hid. I didn't do a great job of hiding the look I gave her body as she slid into the patio chair, but I didn't ogle. Instead, I struck up conversation.

She'd lived in El Paso her whole life; her father had come up to work construction and was now a managing partner in a big contractor firm in the city. Her mom was a nurse, second generation. I'd been right that she was a performer, but she was still thinking about whether she was committed to that. The dance and theater worlds in New York were cutthroat in their own way, and you needed much more than just talent to succeed. I could tell she had something more, of course - she was smart, engaging and engaged as a conversationalist, but not overly perky or bubbly; approachable, a girl next door if that girl happened to be a vision of grace, sex, and beauty.

After a while we veered personal. It started with a rundown of Lauren's latest relationship, after I'd asked about my friend's little sister; Lauren had been seeing a woman at school but it had ended very messily. Ana was still clearly mad about Lauren had been treated, but she also enjoyed giving the sordid details. That mischievous spark I'd seen in her eyes before came back with a vengeance.

She had a boyfriend, she made that clear from the start. But as we talked further, she admitted it was in bad shape. It was long-distance, for one. A guy she'd met freshman year, who had transferred schools but stayed with her. They weren't far, only three hours away or so, but it was distance enough. For the first year they'd seen each other constantly, but by junior year he'd started an internship, and she'd been in shows, and the scheduling got harder. There had been some fights, some bruised feelings. They'd spent much of the summer together and it had been better, but since September...

"We've seen each other twice? I think?" she said, after she'd finished a lice of mango. "And... the last time he barely touched me." A pause. "Sorry, if I'm getting too personal, we just met."

"I don't mind - seems like you need to vent about it."

"Oh, Lauren's heard it plenty, as have a couple other friends. But yeah. I don't know. I pretty sure he's seeing someone else and just hasn't worked up the balls to tell me."

"What makes you say that?"

"Hints his sister dropped when I saw her a couple months ago, like she knew something but wanted him to tell me. Him, hiding texts from me the last time we were together. A couple times on the phone I could swear I heard someone there with him, even though he said he'd been alone. He's admitted there's a distance, even sort of hinted he had feelings for someone but hadn't acted on them. It's... dunno. On life support, and I feel like I'm just putting off pulling the plug."

"It's a hard thing to do, especially long distance."

"Yeah. I feel like three years deserves better than me dumping him over the phone."

"On the other hand, seems like he's done most of the dumping for you already." She met my eyes. "Sorry," I backtracked, "I'm overstepping."

"Nope. Not at all. And you're right. But I'm done talking about him now. I feel a million miles away from that right now." She closed her eyes and breathed in the breeze that was wafting over us. "Anyway, give me your details."

So I did. After I graduated in May - I was a year older than Brian and Lauren - I'd moved back home to Atlanta to work in my dad's firm before figuring out what I wanted to do with The Rest Of My Life. Maybe law school. Maybe something else. I wasn't really seeing anyone seriously, and hadn't since I graduated. A few dates, a few hookups. Ana made me give her a couple of stories; she especially enjoyed the one that ended with me getting caught naked by a date's roommate who had come home unexpectedly while I was in the bathroom. She'd leaned forward while I told that one, and her tits rested on the table, offering me an irresistible view. She didn't seem to mind it when I failed to resist once or twice. Or three times.

After a couple more stories back and forth, she went in to use the bathroom, and I glanced at my phone. A text from my mom, which I replied to saying I'd made it. And a text from Brian... which made my eyes widen as I read it, just as Ana came back out. She must have seen the look on my face.

"Everything okay?"

"Well... yeah, but the storm hit NY faster than anticipated. They're stuck there - nothing's getting out tonight, looks like."

"Oh no! That's a terrible way to start the celebration week!"

And it was terrible, and I felt bad for Brian's family... but at that moment all I was thinking was that Ana and I were going to be alone in this house tonight.

We both spent a bit trading text back and forth with Brian and Lauren respectively, but there wasn't much more that could be done. So eventually, Ana put down her phone and looked at me.

"I'm going to go check out the beach - want to join?" I agreed. I went up to my room to change into my swim trunks, and when I came back out she was already down there, past the pool and hot tub, onto the sand. She was now standing knee deep in the water, the small waves that penetrated the cove lapping at her thighs. I grabbed a couple towels from the patio storage and joined her.

The view was extraordinary: the house sat on a secluded bay, and even as I walked out to the water's edge there was no one else around. I could see houses across the bay, but too far to be a privacy concern. There were other properties on this side, too, but the curvature of the shore, and the carefully managed vegetation, meant that if they were there, they couldn't see us and we couldn't see them. The water was crystal clear blue, and relatively calm due to the shape of the bay. As I'd thought when I got here: paradise.

As I approached, she turned, and just as I'd given her a once over she returned it. I worked out, and it showed, at least enough for her to appreciate. I dropped the towels next to her discarded shorts. Her bikini bottom was just as tight fitting and flattering as the top, and I took in the sight of her legs and her ass as I walked up.

"I cannot believe how clear and calm this water is, or how totally secluded we are."

"This is what $20 million per movie will get you, I guess... maybe this will be you someday."

"Oh god, I know my odds - waiting tables in Brooklyn is a lot more likely. But it's nice to dream..."

"I bet this beach has seen plenty of naked butts." She laughed - she had a great laugh.

"I bet it has... I've never skinny dipped in the ocean. You?"

"To be honest, I've never skinny dipped anywhere."

"No, you just flash strangers in their apartments at 2am."

"Everyone has their thing, no shaming." Another laugh.

By this point, the sun was getting lower in the sky with the first hints of orange and red tinging the low hanging clouds. I mentioned we were probably going to get a hell of a sunset.

"You know what we need then..." she said, looking at me with a grin. "Drinks. On the patio. Come with me." She took my hand and we walked to the stairs. There was a little sprinkler there where we washed off our feet, then continued up the stairs. The sunset washed the upper patio with soft red light. She moved toward the door, and turned to me as she did. "You stay here - I'll be right back." She smiled as her eyes twinkled in the light. She wrapped a towel around her waist and went inside. When she came back, she held two long stemmed glasses in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other.

"There are five of these in there, with a note to Karen, so I think they're fair game." She handed me the bottle. I popped the cork as she held out both glasses, which I dutifully filled. We clinked glasses as our eyes met and held for a moment. Then we turned to the railing and watched the sun begin to set slowly over the water.

We both loosened up even more as we drank. She told me a couple of stories about Lauren in college, I told her a few about Brian. And a couple about me that I thought reflected well on my sparkling personality. Before long, we watched the sun dip over the horizon, with the oranges and reds and purples of a proper Caribbean sunset. Somewhere along the way we'd both subtly shifted so that our bare arms touched as we leaned on the railing with our drinks, but neither of us mentioned it. I wondered what she was feeling - the way she'd told it, she hadn't had romantic attention in a while. I knew what I was feeling, though.

We went back inside not long after that, and cooked some dinner together - your basic pasta, with pesto we'd found in the pantry, and a salad she threw together. And more champagne, of course. We ate on the patio, lit by the moon and by small lights around the space that gave us just enough to see each other clearly. The air was still warm enough for us to be there in our bathing suits without trouble, though the temp was dropping. We talked and laughed, and as we did I kept getting these little glances from her.

"You know," I said, "I'm sorry for everyone else, but I'm having a pretty good time getting to know you here." She smiled, but maybe a bit guiltily, looking away. But then she looked back and met my eye. "Me too. It feels... free here. Like the rest of the world doesn't exist."

"No rules, no responsibility... just some champagne, the moon, and good company." I raised my glass and she clinked it, her eyes on mine, a fire in them. But then suddenly it went out, like she thought of something that pulled her from our little pocket universe.

"Well, maybe a few rules. But not as many." She said, looking out.

"I can deal with that." I stood up. "Here's what we're going to do. We're going to get a blanket, bring this champagne, and finish it off on the beach."

"That is a plan I can get behind." She smiled again, warmly. We gathered everything, including towels in case, and went back down the stairs in the moonlight.

We got settled down there and had topped off the glasses. I was telling her another story from the annals of the Atlanta dating scene when she shushed me.

"Did you hear that?" she asked, low. I listened. At first all I heard was the gentle waves of the cove, but then... there, from off the left, the direction the breeze was coming from, I heard a sound. I looked at her, and she looked back, eyes wide, an incredulous smile on her face. Then I heard another sound, different, lower. A grunt. Then the first sound again, and I now identified it as a moan. My eyes widened as I met her glance again.

"I guess the neighbors are enjoying their private beach..." she whispered to me, as the moans grew louder. I watched her as she looked over in the direction of the sounds, and saw her fingers curl a bit, running absent-mindedly down her chest. The moans and grunts both became louder, more insistent. They were getting close, both of them. I was starting to stiffen now, and I could tell Ana was turned on, as her legs fidgeted and her fingers stayed tracing the skin of her neck and chest.

"Here they go..." I whispered back, as the moans reached a crescendo, turning into near shouts, rhythmic, as the woman came, and finally one last loud call as he did.

"I'm tempted to clap for them." I whispered into her ear, and she smacked my arm and smiled at me.

"That was pretty wild." She finished her glass.

"Well, I guess that's what a private beach will do to you."

We were out of champagne.

"You know..." I said, looking over at her, "speaking of private beaches, we have one here, and a chance to do something neither of us has ever done." She hesitated for a minute, maybe wondering if I was propositioning her, before our earlier conversation came back to her.

"Why Connor, are you asking me to take my clothes off?" She laughed.

"Well, I've had a couple drinks, and I seem to recall someone saying we had fewer rules, so... I'm going to go do it, and I guess I'll think of it more as an invitation for you to join me." I smiled at her, set my glass down, and stood. She had no objection, and watched as I untied my trunks. Looking right at her, I slid them down, revealing my cock, no longer erect but still thick with the aftereffects. She was totally still as she watched, as she stared at me, her eyes locked on my midsection. I let her look, for a moment, before turning. I knew she'd been impressed by me.

"I'll be in the water, if you want to join me." I walked down to the beach without looking back, wondering what she'd do.

I stepped into the water, still warm and inviting. I waded further, finally diving in and resurfacing, the water at my stomach. There was a strong breeze at the water's edge, and now that I was wet the air was more than a bit cooler than I wanted, but I wasn't about to stop. I waited a few moments, and then heard her behind me. in a moment she bobbed up next to me, her brown skin glistening under the moon. It was behind us, so I didn't get a great look at her body, but there we were together, naked, facing the water and the breeze.

"This feels amazing!" She called in to the night, her arms above her head. She turned her eyes wide with excitement. She flung her arms around me, hugging me, but then pulling back as we felt our bodies pressing together, my cock brushing against her. I looked at her, and could see the indecision, but also the desire. I pulled her a little closer, and kissed her, tentatively, to see how she'd react. My cock swelled against her, but she didn't pull away, instead running her hand over my back. I kissed her again, deeper, and she returned it. We stayed there, kissing, holding each other, for some time. But the wind got the best of us, and I started to feel her shiver.

"You're cold."

"I'm very very cold." She laughed. "But... I seem to recall a hot tub up there."

"I like how you think." I took her hand and we walked out of the water. We washed our feet again, quickly, then went up the stairs, taking the towels with us. She went ahead, and I watched her ass move as she climbed the steps, my dick still a little chubby despite the cold. I couldn't quite make out her pussy from behind as we ascended, but I tried. When we got to the top, to the hot tub, she slid down into the water. I still hadn't gotten a great look at her, and she turned on the jets so the water hid her body from me further.

I joined her, and watched her ogle me as I sunk into the foam beside her.

"I needed this," she said, as I sat.

The water roiled around me. "You wouldn't think it would feel that different naked in here, but it kind of does," I said, contentedly, letting my body fully react.

"Mmmm... feeling excited, are we?"

"Well, there are probably several reasons for that. Like the look I got at your ass on the way up here."

"I do have a nice ass," she deadpanned.

"You have a nice everything, from what I've seen, though I still haven't gotten as good a look as you have." She looked away with an uncertain look on her face. "You okay?"

"Just... thinking about those rules again."

"And what are you concluding?"

"That in an hour and a half, it'll be midnight. That I'm tipsy, but not drunk. That... there are a few rules. That I'm in a relationship, even though it might be over. But also that I'm in a magical place, naked, with a hot guy who doesn't deserve my confused and indecisive mess."