Zori
The trip to my new location was quick. Less than fifteen minutes by air taxi. It was the first time I’d ever flown in a Cessna. The waves were a little rough, but for the most part, the landing was okay.
“How do I get to the island?”
I could see it right in front of me. A beautiful paradise to be sure. The green-blue water with its white foam glided back and forth, caressing the sand. In the distance, I could hear whales. Well, it was February, it was one of the reasons I had wanted to come to Indulgences to begin with. But now, I had a small dilemma: how to navigate to the island.
The pilot pointed, and that was when I saw a little boat making its way over to us as the plane swayed back and forth in the water. There was a man and a woman handling the boat. They grabbed my things and helped me into the boat until I felt comfortable enough to sit. It was obvious I was not dressed appropriately. I wore sandals with a pretty high wedge, and my dress was entirely too long and kept getting tangled around my legs.
“I am Javier, and this is my daughter, Patricia. We’re here to help during your stay.”
“Thank you, I’m Zoraida, but everyone just calls me Zori.”
Patricia was possibly a year or two younger than me, possibly more. She was tanned from her time out in the sun, and her father was fit for his age with barely any gray in his hair. They both wore comfortable clothing. Something I should have thought of.
“Am I the first one here?”
“No, a man and a woman came before you, they’re at the house now,” Javier said as he and his daughter rowed us to shore. My shoes can’t be saved, but I didn’t complain. They weren’t my most expensive pair, and when my sandaled feet hit the sand, I sank. A man and a woman? Thought I was going to be the only woman?
“You’re gonna want to take those off. There is a pair of water shoes in the boat so you can walk around the island. The sand is soft, but sometimes there can be bits and pieces of coral in it. You don’t want to cut your feet,” Patricia shared.
“Thank you for the tip.”
Patricia nodded but said nothing else as she and her father showed me to the house. Which wasn’t a house at all. It looked more like an estate. It was a Spanish Colonial that boasted a beautiful courtyard. Now I understood what open concept meant. There were no windows. There were doors, or rather archways. It was as if you were outside, yet inside. If it rained while I was here, depending on what part of the house I occupied and how the wind blew, it would be wet. There were coconut palms lining the walkway up to the house. A towering entryway with a large, spiral stairway wound around the open courtyard. There were potted plants placed around the house that gave it an indoor, yet, outdoor feel. A dining area and a wide, open-air kitchen took up the center of the house. There was no oven, but there was a cooking hearth. The only reason I knew what it was, was because of my mother’s childhood home back in Cuba. My grandmother had a working hearth. I looked around some more and found a shower and bathroom that looked to be more outside than in. There were three bedrooms upstairs, each with a bed and mosquito netting. The four-poster bed in the master suite was massive.
As I toured the house, there was still no sign of my mystery guests. Yet I was told they had arrived before me. It was almost time for lunch. Would they be joining me? Did I even want company? I was still upset that Mateo hadn’t responded to my text, and I couldn’t get service out here on the island. I’d checked. There were candles and sconces that held torches all throughout the home. Kenderly had not been playing around. There was no electricity. Javier had explained that he’d be back to light them before it became dark.
Patricia stowed my things in the master bedroom and said I could freshen up while she prepared lunch. She also suggested that I try to wear something a little more island-friendly. I went with a red sarong and a black bikini. I piled my hair on top of my head and decided that since I was in the house, I’d pad around barefoot. The tile floor was cool and the heat outside wasn’t uncomfortable, but I could still feel it.
This isn’t so bad.
It wasn’t. But now I was on pins and needles about who the mystery guy was and what would happen next.
* * *
Zori
“Would you like to take your lunch out on the veranda?” Patricia asked. She’d changed her clothing, as well. She wore a skin-tight dress that looked painted on. She was cute. I’d give her that. But, seriously, was it necessary? Her long, brown hair hung loosely down her back, and she wore a little too much makeup.
“Do you have a hot date tonight?” I asked. I didn’t want to be rude, but maybe she did have a guy she was meeting and just wanted to be prepared so when it came time for her to leave, she’d be ready to go. You’re on a secluded island. True. The beach was five miles wide, and the house sat back in the dense forest, enclosed snuggly within its jungle terrain. But there was a boat.
“No, I’m dressed this way because Kenderly asked me to. You and I are both here for the same reason.”
We were?
“What reason is that?”
“Why, a game of hearts, of course. You are looking for a husband, as am I.”
Okay, now just hold on one second. A game of hearts? I hadn’t signed up for some game. “Be open to the adventure.” I could almost hear Kenderly’s voice inside my head, although her exact words were meant for me to say yes, to be open. But I wasn’t about to play a game. I followed Patricia out to the veranda where lunch had been set up, and there, sitting at the table, was Mateo. And another woman. She was blonde, with long hair, and she wore a gold bikini top, white sarong, and sandals that probably cost more than my rent. I had looked at the other rooms of the house, and they weren’t nearly as big as mine, but I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. With Matty here, I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Not due to his presence, but because of the blonde, who eyed me up and down.
Mateo stood when I reached the table.
“Zori, I’m glad you came.”
“Well, I didn’t have much choice. This is the trip that I booked, after all. It would have been nice if you’d told me where you went last night.”
Instead of answering me, he tossed me a lopsided grin. I knew what that meant. Whatever he’d been trying to do had worked. He wanted me worried about him.
“Well, are you going to tell me where you were last night?”
The blonde cleared her throat. “I can answer that question for you. Mateo was with me.”
I looked between him and the blonde and sneered. I had a horrible poker face. I wore my feelings on my sleeve. It was a flaw I’d never be able to overcome.
“I’m Portia, by the way.”
Portia didn’t even stand, but she did offer her flawlessly manicured hand to me. I didn’t want to seem like a baby, so I took her hand and shook it. Or at least tried to. She barely touched me. So then why offer the hand?
“So, you and Portia…?” I asked, taking a seat at the table. I propped my elbows up with my hands folded in front of me, and placed my chin on the top, as I waited for an answer.
“Yeah, but not like that, Zori. I was out walking around, and we bumped into each other and got to talking. Next thing I knew, it was morning.”
Was I nowhere on your mind? I wanted to ask.
“Quite the conversation you two must have had to end up here. You could have at least responded to my text, Matty.”
“Matty?”
Mateo turned to look at Patricia, who was also seated at the table with us. Mateo blushed. Actually blushed.
“It’s what Zori calls me.”
Yeah, bitch. Only me.
“I like Matty, may I call you that, as well?” Portia piped in.
He didn’t even hesitate. He smiled widely and told both women they could call him Matty.
“Really?”
“Oh, come on, Zori, it’s just a name. It doesn’t mean anything.”
Doesn’t mean anything? It did mean something. It meant something to me.
“I guess it doesn’t.” I sat quietly and dug into the fruit salad that sat in front of me.
“You ladies get settled into your rooms?”
Everyone nodded their heads in response to Mateo’s question.
“Tonight we will have dinner out on the beach, and then we can all spend some time getting to know each other. The whole purpose of this is to see if we’re compatible. And at the end of the week, I’ll be able to decide which of you lucky ladies has the honor of winning my heart.”
I almost choked on my drink. Instantly, Mateo was there, slapping me harshly on the back.
“Are you okay, Zori?”
I turned and looked over at him with a glare. How dare he highjack my fantasy? How dare he come here and put me through this? First, he wanted me, and now he had his pick of the litter? This was so not gonna happen. If he wanted to play a game. Fine. I’d play.
“Okay, so tell me this, Matty,” I emphasized his name. “What happens if one of us wins your heart?”
His lips tilted up into a sexy grin, and my mind flashed back to yesterday. Those lips had been on my body, doing delicious things to me. We could have gone all the way if not for me opening my mouth and ruining it. Was I prepared to play this game to win my best friend’s heart? He’d turned me down once before, who was to say he wouldn’t do it again?
“Then I’m yours.”
The way he said it, his voice got lower, and he looked at me. Not them. Me. Patricia smiled widely, and Portia, well, her dainty little blonde ass got up and parked itself right in Mateo’s lap.
“Matty,” she said in a pouty voice. “Where is your room? I only saw three.”
He placed his hands on her hips to hold her steady before saying, “I’ll sleep in one of the three rooms with one of you. It just depends on how I feel. But tonight, we’re all downstairs.”
Great. He got to bed hop during this little adventure... An adventure that was supposed to be mine.