Trouble in Paradise

'How much farther is it?' asked Jasmine, wiping her arm across her forehead.

'Not far,' I replied. 'Maybe a half-hour or so.'

'What's wrong, trouble keeping up?' questioned Tess from a few yards further up the path.

Jasmine stopped dead, her hands on her hips. 'Maybe I'm just tired of the view of your fat ass in my face,' she retorted.

The blonde stopped too and turned to face us, laughing. 'Alright Jasmine. No need to get your little pink panties in a twist.'

We set off again in silence. Personally, I was very much enjoying the sight of the arses of both of these women in front of me, but I was starting to wish we were already on our way back from the campsite.

-----

It didn't take long after our arrival for both women to spot the glaring problem with the sleeping arrangements.

'There's just one tent?' asked Tess.

'Yep,' I nodded. 'You'll both take that, and, to give you a bit of privacy, I'll be sleeping under the stars about fifty yards that way.' I pointed through a gap in the treeline.

I watched Tess and Jasmine exchange a look. Was it uncertainty? Hostility? God, what I would have given to know what was going through their minds.

We relaxed for a while until it came time for me to prepare something for us to eat. Surprisingly, both women suddenly became helpful, enthusiastic even, and in almost no time we were sitting down to enjoy our dinner. Well, I say enjoying... I'm not sure I remember seeing anyone eat a meal as quickly and in such complete silence as these two did, and it crossed my mind that they both figured that the sooner we finished eating, the sooner they would be rid of me and my plans to bring them closer together. By the time we had cleared away, the sun had set completely, and the campsite was lit only by a small lamp and the billions of stars above us.

'Remember, if you need anything, you just have to call out and I'll be back here on the double. I'm literally seconds away,' I reminded them as I shouldered my small pack and gathered up a blanket to sleep on.

'We'll be fine,' insisted Jasmine. She had a determination in her face which gave me at least some hope that things would be okay in my absence. As I took one last look at the campsite, Jasmine climbed barefoot into the tent after Tess. I caught a quick glimpse of her slipping her shorts down her long legs before the tentflap was pulled down into place.

I strolled off through the treeline and down a shallow incline, until I came to a small clearing with a fantastic view out to sea. Unrolling my blanket, I settled down for a well-earned sleep. My brain had other ideas; an hour later I was still fully awake, alert to the slightest noise from the direction of the campsite. The welfare of both actresses, as well as the potential headlines arising from something happening to either of them while they were on the island, was playing on my mind. Finally giving up, I pulled my boots loosely back on and crept through the darkness back up the hill to check that they were okay.

I approached the campsite from a direction which meant that Tess and Jasmine's tent was between me and the small lamp which I had left on in the centre of the clearing. What little light was given off by the lamp was more than enough to project the silhouettes of the tent's occupants against its side. What I saw in that silhouette took my breath away.

One of the figures projected against the canvas was on all fours, her face pressed against the chest of the figure laying beneath her. By the shape of the breasts hanging down, and the ample curves of the rest of her body, I knew that the woman on top had to be Tess. I watched as the arm of the prone woman, Jasmine, reached up and held the pack of Tess's head, pulling her closer, while her other hand reached down between them and cupped one of the blonde's magnificent swinging breasts. In the stillness of the night air, I could now hear their gentle moans and sighs of their passion, and the smacking of hungry lips against flesh. The twp silhouettes merged together into one writhing shadow. My imagination filled in the blanks of what I could now no longer see; the two women clasping each other, touching, stroking each other, loving each other. I watched as Tess's head pulled up and back, and somehow I knew that Jasmine had found her pussy, was working it with her fingers. The blonde let out a deep groan, before Jasmine pulled her face back down to hers to taste her lips.

I so desperately wanted to stay and watch; more than that, I wanted to be in that tent, to see them. To join them. But my sense of right and wrong said no to all of that. This was a private moment. And then I knew; this was the private moment that they had wanted all along, that they had worked towards, that they had played me into making happen.

I crept back from the campsite to my own little encampment, my mind full of the events of the last two days. I replayed every event, every conversation, in my head, and slowly pieced it all together.

-----

Believe it or not, I slept pretty well for the rest of that night; I guess the stress of wondering whether the frostiness between Tess and Jasmine might thaw, had disappeared, given that I thought I now had a better understanding of their relationship. The question of how, or even whether, to raise the issue with them was what was now playing on my mind.

'Good morning, Joe; I hope you slept well,' chirped Tess as I stepped into the campsite. She was back in her stone-coloured shorts, paired with a dark green vest; her long blonde curls were tied into loose pigtails and seeing her without make-up, I thought she looked almost girlish. Almost innocent.

'What's on the schedule for today, Warden Joe?' said Jasmine, climbing out of the tent. She too was in shorts, with a white shirt tied off at the waist and with the sleeves rolled up. Neither of them was wearing anything on their feet and despite Jasmine's question it was clear to me that they weren't in a rush to do anything this morning.

I decided to give them at least one opportunity to come clean. 'Well, aren't you two in a good mood this morning? Did you have a good night?'

The briefest of looks was exchanged between them before Jasmine replied. 'Yes, fine, thank you. This one snores like an elephant with sinus problems, of course, but apart from that, I've no complaints.'

OK, so maybe they might need more than one chance to 'fess up.

'A bit of snoring's always a possibility after some strenuous activity,' I said. Once more, the two women exchanged a look, this time a clear mix of confusion and concern.

'The hike up from the resort. Have you forgotten yesterday already?' I continued.

'Aaah, yes. No, you're right, that might have been the reason,' replied Tess, eagerly.

'Uh-huh,' agreed Jasmine.

Enough was enough. I sighed, theatrically. 'So how long shall we continue with this charade?' I asked. 'All day? Surely not for the whole duration of your visit?'

'What do you mean?' asked Jasmine, a look of suspicion now dominating her beautiful features.

'How long have the two of you been in a relationship? A couple of months?' A new thought occurred to me. 'Surely not since the casting for that superhero movie?'

My questions were met with explosive denials and indignation, but I was on a roll.

'My god, this whole falling out was a scam, wasn't it? What on earth for? This is the twenty-first century -- surely two single women can have an affair if they want to?'

'Not if they want to continue their careers as major Hollywood actresses, they can't,' said Jasmine quietly.

'Jasmine!' exclaimed Tess.

The brunette looked at her, the previous expression of suspicion on her face now replaced by acceptance. 'It's OK, sweetie. He knows.' She turned back to me, fixing me with an intense but curious stare. 'The question is, how?'

I sat down on the soft grass and leaned back on my elbows. 'Jasmine's underwear should have given it away. Yesterday afternoon, you, Tess, told Jasmine not to get her "little pink panties in a twist"; when I later saw that Jasmine was actually wearing little pink panties, when you were getting ready for bed, I should have asked myself how on earth you could have known that. Thye certainly weren't visible from underneath your shorts, so maybe you knew she was wearing them because you were with her when she was putting them on. How could that have happened if you weren't sharing the same bungalow?'

'Coincidence,' retorted Jasmine, although I could see the ghost of a smile on her face. 'She could have guessed.'

I nodded thoughtfully. 'Maybe. But of course it wasn't just Tess who was careless, was it, Jasmine?'

Jasmine's shoulders sagged a little in defeat. 'The bar,' she stated, with resignation in her voice.

'What about the bar?' asked Tess.

'When Jasmine helped you out with the word "subconscious",' I explained, 'she did so without being mean about it. In fact, she was just the opposite. She even called you "sweetie", just as she called you a few moments ago. What she said, and perhaps more importantly, the way that she said it, struck me as not quite right at the time. That's because she said it affectionately, and almost out of habit.'

'And they say I'm too cerebral,' laughed Jasmine. 'Not cerebral enough to avoid a rookie mistake like that, it seems. I knew it almost as soon as I said it.'

'But you played your part on the beach just perfectly,' I admitted. 'Here I was, thinking that bringing the two of you up here, away from the other guests, away from the staff, was almost a punishment for you both, when in fact it was your ideal scenario. You absolutely played me, Jasmine. Bravo.'

Tess slowly took a few steps to stand by Jasmine's side and took the brunette's hand in hers. 'I couldn't believe it when she told me; I thought we'd have to behave much worse towards each other before you decided to switch to the next stage in your plan.'

'I figure you managed to spend some time being 'nice' to each other too,' I said. 'Our security guard spotted someone moving around outside the bungalows the night you arrived. Which of you couldn't resist the booty call?'

Tess held her hand up in mock contrition. 'Guilty,' she giggled.

'I still don't get why,' I repeated. 'I can't believe that, in this day and age, people care whether two movie stars are straight or gay.'

'Or bi,' interjected Tess, smiling at her lover.

'You don't understand Hollywood, Joe,' said Jasmine, releasing Tess's hand and sitting cross-legged in front of me. 'The people who watch movies -- who consume movies and everything about them - need their stars to be attainable. It's one thing to be in a relationship with a man, even married, but completely different to be with another woman. All but one of the relationships I've ever had have been with men, but once it's known that I'm in a relationship with Tess, my time on the major studio pictures could be over. It's the same for both of us.'

'I can't believe it,' I said.

'Believe it,' countered Tess, sitting next to Jasmine, who slipped an arm around her waist. 'Give me the name of a single modern-day actress who had a lead role in more than one or two major Hollywood movies after they came out as gay or bi.'

I couldn't, and they knew it.

'If it gets out, chances are we'll be ruined,' said Tess, with a sudden intensity. 'All the work we've done, all the bullshit we've had to put up with, all for nothing.'

I stared at her, a sudden realisation hitting me. 'You think I'd tell anyone?'

'I doubt you'd be surprised to hear that people aren't great at keeping the secrets of famous people,' said Jasmine, grimacing.

'I couldn't do that to you.'

'NDAs don't mean a hell of a lot in the real world, not really,' Jasmine replied.

'That's not what I mean. I just... wouldn't.'

The three of us sat there for a few moments, lost in our thoughts.

'I still can't believe you figured out our secret from those measly slip-ups,' blurted Tess eventually. 'That's some real Agatha Christie shit you've got going on there, Joe. Must be a Brit thing.'

'Ah,' I replied. 'Yes, there was all that, but of course there's also the fact that I saw the two of you fucking last night.'

'No!' they squealed in unison.

I held my hands up in mock submission. 'Sorry. I came back to check on you and, well, you weren't exactly subtle. It was like some sexy Japanese shadow theatre played out against the side of your tent.'

I'm not sure where Jasmine conjured the hiking boot from, but I only just managed to dodge it.

-----

I can't remember ever having a more relaxing time than the next few hours of that day. After breakfast, we sat around talking, the two actresses relaxed enough in my company to act as if we were all just regular people, old friends from way back. Towards lunchtime, I could sense that they wanted to spend time alone with each other, so I took myself off for a walk for an hour or so, completely out of earshot of the campsite. When I returned, both women were laid out on the grass, absorbing the tropical sun in only their bikini bottoms. They welcomed me back without hesitation, and in fact my voluntary absence even seemed to have the effect of bringing us closer together. They were my two gay female friends (although my brain couldn't disregard Tess's suggestion that one or both of them was bi) and I was their straight male friend who was decent enough not to openly drool too much in their semi-naked company.

In the afternoon, I led Jasmine and Tess to a secluded tidal pool not far from the campsite; at first, I again intended to leave them and occupy myself elsewhere for a while, but at their insistence I agreed to join them for a swim. It was only when I saw them stripping out of the last of their clothes that I realised that they intended to go skinnydipping; confronted by two such stunning women, stripping off right in front of me, I was suddenly glad of both my shorts and the handful of blankets I was holding in front of me.

'Well, come on then,' laughed Tess, her chest jiggling mesmerisingly in front of me as she pulled her bikini bottoms down.

'They're magnificent, aren't they?' Jasmine teased, as she walked past, idly brushing her fingertips across one of her lover's full pink nipples.

'Not fair,' I complained.

The two women giggled at my obvious discomfort, before taking each other's hands and wading into the middle of the pool. They then turned and faced me, their delicious figures still entirely visible to my gaze through the clear water.

'Off off off!' they chanted merrily.

I dropped the blankets and removed my shirt, then slipped my shorts down my hips into a pile around my bare feet. For a moment, the only sound I could hear was the thudding of my own heartbeat; as confident as I was in my body and the fitness regime I had imposed on myself since my arrival on the island, I was preparing myself for the next teasing comment from the direction of the water. I glanced at them both in turn, but they were both unable to meet my gaze, so clearly intent were they both on my naked body. The thrill of being near them, feeling so close to them, seeing them naked, had had an effect on me which was entirely inevitable. Judging by the rapt look on both their faces, I finally had an answer to my questions about whether Jasmine and Tess were gay or bi.

I took a step forward and the spell was broken; both women turned to each other, awkward at first, until Tess mouthed a silent 'wow!' and Jasmine broke into fits of laughter. I strode out into the water until I was only an arm's reach from them, our bodies below the waterline but still fully open to inspection. I ducked my head below the water, and when I broke the surface again, Jasmine and Tess were in each other's arms, their lips pressed tightly together. Now it was my turn to fall under a spell, the perfection of the moment searing itself into my memory.

We splashed around in the pool for what seemed like hours, until the sun started to disappear from view behind the palm trees surrounding us. I occupied my mind with thoughts of anything but Jasmine and Tess -- football scores, cooking recipes, childhood holidays in Cornwall -- until my cock was relieved of some of its almost unbearable hardness, then strode from the water, briefly drying myself with a blanket before sliding my shorts back on. I turned to face the two women as they followed me out into the late afternoon air, wrapping each of them in a blanket to ward off the post-swim chill. Jasmine opened her arms wide and Tess stepped into her embrace, the blankets now wrapped around their joined bodies.

I led them back to the camp, and they ran into their tent to put on dry clothes while I lay the blankets out to dry. When they emerged, once more holding hands, they were back in their tops from earlier in the day but now accompanied only by panties. They sat side by side, arms around each other's waists, while I prepared the food. Each time I looked in their direction, their heads were together, whispering and giggling like two misbehaving schoolgirls. When the food was ready, we ate hungrily, enjoying the quiet companionship beneath an emerging display of heavenly bodies as day turned into night.

After we had cleared away the dinner things, I dug out a small bottle of rum and we stretched out on the cool grass. I offered glasses to the two women but Jasmine pulled the open bottle from my hand and took a swig directly from it before passing it to Tess, who did the same.

I sat with my back against a fallen tree stump and watched as Jasmine and Tess exchanged a silent look, then together they crawled on all fours to sit either side of me. Without a word, I opened my arms to them and they snuggled in close to me; I wrapped my arms around them and we sat like that for a while, silently gazing up at the stars. Through the thin layers of material they were wearing, I could feel each woman's chest pressing against mine; the soft ample bosom of Tess and the perfect handfuls of Jasmine's breasts.

'Oops, excuse me,' said Tess, before slipping into a halfway decent prim English accent. 'Call of nature!' With that, she slipped out of my arm and disappeared into the darkness of the trees behind us.

My gaze returned to the heavens, until a minute or two later I felt a hand on my thigh; looking down, my eyes met Jasmine's and she lifted her face to mine. She kissed me lightly on the lips, her mouth trembling softly at the touch.

'It's not just Tess I want,' she whispered, biting her lip for a moment before pushing her face up towards my mouth again.

'Wait, Jasmine. You're with Tess. Much as I want to kiss you, I won't do anything to harm your relationship with her,' I replied awkwardly.

From behind my ear, Tess's voice whispered huskily. 'Don't worry, Joe -- I'm in on this too.' I felt a soft hand reach under my chin and tilt my head backwards; Tess's lovely features came into view above me and she leaned down to kiss me deeply, her tongue lapping at mine between our open mouths. Her spare hand reached down to stroke my chest, as her lips became hungrier against mine. When she finally broke the kiss, her golden hair brushed against my face as she stepped over the log against which I was sitting. Now in front of me, she pulled her t-shirt up over her head, once more exposing her incredible full breasts to my gaze. She knelt down next to me, across from her lover, and resumed her caressing of my chest while she kissed my shoulder and neck.

'Don't forget me,' called Jasmine softly, pulling my face back towards hers. Our eyes locked on each other before she too reached up and pulled her shirt up over her head, tossing it casually aside. I leaned forward, cupping a pert breast in the palm of my hand while searching out her nipple with my tongue. I lapped at it once, twice, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Jasmine's head roll back in pleasure, a sigh of satisfaction escaping her lips.