What Emma Craves (10 page)

Emma nodded along. She was getting excited. This sounded like their kind of vacation. Sexy and relaxed.

Mona continued, “Beach towels are provided. They are in your rooms and at the pool. Feel free to take as many as you’d like. Leave them outside your front door, and housekeeping will pick them up. Housekeeping will only clean your room if you leave the card on the door handle. If you don’t, they will leave fresh towels and toiletries on a shelf outside. That means you’ll never have housekeeping knocking on your door. If you know ahead of time you won’t want your room cleaned the entire stay, we can make a note of it.”

“Thank you,” Emma said. “I’m sure we’ll want it cleaned, but we’ll play it by ear.”

“The last rule is no sex in the staff areas of the resort or restaurants, except the beach bar after ten p.m.,” Mona said. “There are many places to meet up, including the main pool at any time. Anything on your own balcony is fine. You are also free to have sex anywhere on the island, just as long as you’re not on the grounds of the resort. The delineation is our carefully manicured lawns. We have this rule to cater to the staff here who we hire from some of the bigger islands. Not everyone wants to stand witness to another’s sexual act, so we hope you understand.” She stood. “Everything else is in order. We have your credit card on file. I hope you enjoy your stay. Welcome to Paradise.” Mona gestured toward the door. “Henry should be waiting outside. He will see you to your villa.”

9

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T
he grounds were just as lush as they were on the drive in. Everywhere Pete looked there were flowers, bushes, trees, and grass. The salty ocean breeze felt cool on his face and tempered the humidity nicely. They could hear waves crashing into the shore as they moved along a path closer to the villas. Pete couldn’t believe how nice it was. And it was extremely private. The wooden footpath they’d been walking on wove through the resort, vegetation on both sides. It was made of some kind of dark teakwood. They saw some out buildings, but had yet to see a villa.

Pete and Emma had never had extra funds to spend on something extravagant like this. They’d been building a house, among other things. The opening to come here came at the right time. Both Pete and Emma had gotten bonuses last winter, and Pete had gotten a promotion six months ago.

Emma clasped his upper arm, leaning in. “I feel like we’re in a dream,” she murmured. “This might be the most romantic thing we’ve ever done.”

“I agree. It’s too good to be true.”

Henry turned down another path, and they followed. This time it led to a door made out of dark wood. It was huge. Big bushes bracketed either side of the entryway to give it privacy. The shelf Mona had mentioned sat to the right.

“This is your villa.”

Pete noted the number seven hanging beside the door.

“Everything is inside already,” Henry said. “I saw to it myself.” Pete tried to give him a tip, but he waved it away. “No, we’re paid well and don’t accept tips. Everything is covered in your room rate. No worries from here on out. Just enjoy yourself.” He bowed once and then turned and left.

Pete took the key card out and smiled at Emma. “Are you ready?” he asked. “It’s all been built up so much. I hope we’re not going to be disappointed.”

“We won’t be. There’s no way. Hurry up!” she urged. “I can’t wait another second.”

There was no slot to put the card in.

Pete waved the card in front of the metal plate, and they heard a pop. “This is more high-tech than I’d thought an island this small could get.” He turned the lever and opened the door, ushering Emma in first.

The villa did not disappoint.

“Oh, my,” Emma commented as she walked in. “It’s all so sleek and modern!” They walked through a short hallway and emerged into a small living area. All the furniture was dark leather with cream accents. The floor was green slate. All the art and knickknacks were modern, most of them silver. Everything had its place.

The living room opened up to a bedroom on the left.

The king-size bed was covered in a crisp white duvet cover, with big white pillows and tons of throw pillows accented in dark geometric designs. The lamps on either side of the bed had big, white shades and dark bases. A rectangle of glass was set into the wall above the bed as an obvious architectural feature, palm fronds waving back and forth outside, bringing the perfect amount of green into the room.

It was all perfect and well done.

They walked into the bedroom. “Holy shit!” Pete said. “Check out the bathroom. It’s open to the bedroom.”

Enough space separated the two, but a huge modern white soaking tub was set in the middle of the floor about twenty feet from the bed. The bather would have a perfect view out the sliding glass doors in the bedroom to the deck and the ocean beyond.

Emma walked toward the bathroom while Pete went to the doors.

“Look at this!” Emma exclaimed. “The shower is right out in the open.”

Pete turned. The shower was inset along the left wall with glass running from floor to ceiling. On the very back wall was a double granite countertop running the entire length of the room with matching sinks and mirrors.

Pete watched as Emma walked between the shower and the sinks. “There’s a door set in the wall over here for the toilet,” she called. “I’m happy there’s a teeny bit of privacy, but I love how open it is. It’s so luxurious!”

Pete turned back to the ocean view and tugged the door open and stuck his head out. The strong scent of salt filtered into the room. “You’ve got to see this.” Pete motioned Emma over. “Look at those lounge chairs.” He stepped outside.

Emma joined him on the deck.

The same dark teak that covered the walkways made up the decking. Small slats ran the entire length of the villa. Then it dropped down two steps, to the level of the infinity pool. The pool was about fifteen feet long—bigger than Pete had expected. Plenty of room to relax. Two huge chaise lounge chairs covered in thick, white cushions sat beside it.

To the right of where they stood, in front of the glass doors on the living room side, was a table with four chairs, covered by a large umbrella. In front of them, the backdrop of everything was the white-sand beach and turquoise water as far as the eye could see.

“It’s already worth every penny we spent on it,” Pete commented, “and we haven’t even seen anything else.”

“Look, there are steps around the corner,” Emma said, moving that way. “Oh, my. Pete, you have to see this shower!”

Mona had mentioned there was an outdoor shower. Pete followed Emma around the corner.

It was big enough for at least four people and had two rectangular rain heads pointing directly down. It was tiled in all natural stone and totally open to the elements on either side, but it was still private, because it was tucked into the dense vegetation on all sides. Pete had no idea where the neighboring villas were, because the bushes, flowers, and trees were so thick on either side, their villa was masked in total privacy.

“There’s a stone path leading down to the beach right there. Should we go check it out?” Pete asked.

“No, let’s unpack first,” Emma suggested. “I’d like to put on something breezier and maybe a swimsuit. Plus, I need to get these tennis shoes off and find my sandals.”

“Okay, let’s do that. Our luggage is already in the closet,” Pete said. “I opened up the doors already to check.”

“They didn’t put anything away, did they?” Emma asked as they headed back through the sliding glass doors.

“No, everything is still in the suitcases.”

“Good.” She chuckled. “There are quite a few toys in there. That would’ve been embarrassing. But I’m sure they know that, this being an open resort and all.”

Once they were inside, Pete slid the screen shut and walked over and wrapped his arms around his wife from behind. This was going to be a fantastic vacation. He could feel it. She turned, weaving her hands around his neck, beaming up at him.

“So this was a good idea, huh?” he asked as he ran his lips over her collarbone. “I can see you’re happy.”

“I’m so happy. This place has a magical feel about it. It’s like we’ve entered some kind of fifth dimension. I hadn’t realized how badly I needed a break from real life. This is already wonderful and calming.”

“Agreed. And it will be even more wonderful when you slip into your swimming suit and feel the water on your toes. Then you and I are going to make use of that plunge pool.” He gave her a lingering kiss.

“You’re on.” She smiled.

* * *

Emma felt her body relax by huge degrees as she changed into her beach clothes. Along with Piper’s wonderful swimsuit bottoms, Emma had packed a few swimsuits of her own. Just in case. She had a very sexy white one-piece that came high on the sides and plunged low in front. As she tugged it on, followed by a white gauzy sundress and her large white wide-brimmed hat with a cream band, she couldn’t help feeling like the stress had melted away.

Maybe this was all she needed to feel content. A simple week of relaxation with zero stress. Maybe the problem wasn’t Pete. Maybe she’d just been feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders for too long.

“Are you ready?” Pete called from the living room. “They have a full bar in the corner and a TV that opens and closes into the wall. This place rocks.”

Emma walked into the living room. “I’m ready. Let’s hit the beach. By the time we get back, we’ll be starving. It’s just about dusk now. How about we order room service tonight?” she said, giving him a saucy wink. “And then have a little fun time on our own.”

“Sounds great to me. After our walk, I’d like to duck into the beach bar and have one drink, just to check the place out. Then we can come back here and order room service,” he said. “That will give us a chance to see the grounds a little first. I’m curious to see the main pool.”

“Okay, that works,” Emma replied.

Pete took her hand. “We don’t have to stay long.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Just one drink.”

They headed out to the deck and walked by the outdoor shower to reach the path that led to the beach. Once they cleared their villa, they stepped onto fine white sand, and the beach opened up before them like a dream.

“Oh, my goodness,” Emma exclaimed as they walked. “Is that what I think it is?”

Situated under a perfect palm tree right in front of their deck was a canopied lounger built for two. It looked exactly like a bed with four wooden posts, but the mattress was thinner and covered in a blue and white striped fabric. “Look,” Emma said as they got closer. “It has a white cloth canopy on top and mosquito netting tied to the sides! We can come down and cuddle under the stars after our swim. I love it!”

Pete grinned as he sat on the edge and bounced up and down. “I don’t think cuddling is what this thing is meant for. But it’s way more comfortable than you think.” He patted the space next to him. “Come give it a try.”

She went over and sat next to him.

It was comfortable. They both enjoyed the view over the beautiful gently rolling waves. “We must be in an alcove of some kind,” Pete commented. “These waves are fairly small. I’m curious to see where we are. As much as I want to try this thing out”—he patted the mattress—“let’s go investigate.” He got up and offered his hand to Emma. She took it, and they headed down to the beach.

In order to get to the wave break, they had to descend a small incline. Once the ocean hit her toes, Emma let out a long sigh. The water felt wonderful. Just warm enough. Emma turned back around to see the resort laid out in front of them. The villas were all stand-alone. “Look,” she said. “They’re all in a row.” They stood directly in front of number seven. Three sat to the right, and six to the left. “The decks are built on stilts, so all you can really see are the edges of the pools.”

“They do a superb job of providing privacy,” Pete commented next to her. “They all have the double loungers in front, too, but there’s enough trees in between to hide them. It’s brilliant. The perfect escape.” Pete tugged Emma farther down the beach to the right. “There’s a curve up ahead. I bet the rest of the resort faces that direction.”

As they passed the remaining villas, which must be numbered eight, nine, and ten, they reached the curve. There was a break in the vegetation after the last villa, and the top of a thatched roof became visible.

“I bet that’s the beach bar,” Emma said. “The main pool is somewhere by it. We should’ve checked out a resort map. That was dumb.”

“This place is so small, I’m sure we’ll get the lay of the land very soon. I’m psyched to see what everything looks like. If our villa is any indication, it’s going to be nice. Let’s walk along the water a little longer, then we’ll come back. The sun is almost down. If we make it around this curve, we can catch it setting.”

They walked hand in hand, the warm water crashing lightly, the tide rushing up and over their feet.

Emma had to pull up the hem of her sundress a few times, but it was glorious. “I know I’ve said it already, but I’ve never seen water this blue,” she said. “It’s almost like the water and sky have become one. It’s magical.”

The vegetation began to thicken once they passed the pool and bar, and more villa roofs popped into view.