Si walked down the sand, letting the gentle hiss of the tide washing the beach relax him. It was a welcome departure from the din of the party. The sun had set minutes before and he could see the colors fading to the purple of twilight throwing its wing over the Earth. He’d taken a relaxing walk on the beach each evening of the week they’d been there.

He had reluctantly accepted the invitation when Wes invited him to come with him. They had booked the trip together with the knowledge and agreement that they had different interests and reasons for the vacation. Wes was a little more than a decade younger than Si, but they worked together almost every day at home and had become friends.

But there was also a huge gulf between their personalities; the mental distance between them couldn’t be helped. While Wes was mainly interested in the party scene and trying to ‘hook up’ – this generation’s name for one night stands, Si just wanted a change of atmosphere and he had an interest in the culture and people of this island country they’d decided on for a vacation.

For the last week, the agreement had been respected. They had hardly seen each other except for a few meals together if Wes didn’t have a date. After the day at the market square when Wes had introduced the air-headed blonde he’d picked up for the day, Si had drawn the line. Wes made arrangements to meet the girl later and she left. The guys had stopped for dinner at a small café in town.

“Look, buddy,” he’d told Wes, “that girl looked like she was barely of age. Try to be more selective. From the few things she said, she probably doesn’t even know the name of this place.”

“Aw, she’s stupid, but did you see those tits hanging out of her bikini?”

“Yeah, but did you notice the natives giving her the stink-eye? Swimwear is meant for swimming. Other than a few tourists, the custom here is to wear regular clothes away from the beach.”

“Yeah, okay. Still, when she faced away, those luscious cheeks hiding the strap of her thong! They feel just as delicious to grab as I thought they’d be. She might be young, but she could deep throat a cock without a second try. Besides, she’s leaving tomorrow.”

“Is she with her parents? She would barely have been allowed to travel alone.”

Wes colored a little. “She’s with an aunt and uncle.” He glanced around them and back at Si. “Okay, I’ll keep my dates away from you. Sorry.”

“It isn’t running into you I’m objecting to, man. But the local girls grow up differently. Don’t try to pick up one of them that young. You’ll end up in prison for a long, long time.”

“Okay. We have another five days here. Come with me tonight. I know the two girls who will be there. It’s at their condo. They live in Florida and the condo belongs to Terry’s dad. They’re flight attendants, so they’re all grown up.”

After a few refusals, Si finally gave in. “Okay, but I won’t be a ‘wingman’. Still, even I feel like I need to loosen up some. We can go together, but I’ll leave when I want. You can play with your girls and I’ll have a few drinks.”

“Deal!” Wes said with a grin. “But you at least have to meet these girls. Frankie, Terry’s friend, is interested in this one guy. But he’s married and his wife will be there.”

“Oh, so I’m supposed to pose as this Frankie’s date. Let her know I’m just along as a ‘space-filler’, not her date.”

“She knows. I told them I’d ask you. Frankie said, ‘I like older men, but there’s only one for me.’ So you don’t have to worry about that.”

Wes said the condo wasn’t far down the beach. It was late in the day, but Si knew it was several hours before it got dark. They wore their street clothes – shorts and untucked button down shirts and sandals.

When the door opened, Wes grinned at the girl (okay. ‘woman’, but Si still saw her as a girl) and introduced her as Terry. Another blonde, her friend Frankie, turned out to be an attractive brunette. They took the guys to the bar and told the hired bartender to give them anything they wanted. Wes asked for Long Island Iced Tea and Si opted for a short Scotch with rocks.

“Wes says you and Terry are flight attendants,” Si said as a conversation starter. Frankie confirmed that. She was friendly enough, but she was distracted. Whenever the bell rang, she anxiously looked toward the door. Waiting for her married lover, Si decided. Still they carried on a decent conversation while she waited. She was happy to share stories about her job and passengers she’d dealt with.

After watching her hopes rise when somebody arrived, then fall again when she saw it wasn’t him, Si said, “Look, Frankie, I know the deal. Wes explained that you’re in love with a married guy. I don’t care about that, but if he’s bringing his wife, what chance will you two have to get together tonight?” She looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded.

“Yeah. Sorry. I don’t want you to feel used. If I didn’t have Mike, I’d probably try to seduce you. It’s just that...” Si held up a hand and told her to stop.

“You don’t owe me an explanation. I know I’m mainly for appearances tonight and that’s okay. I was married for seven years before we divorced. I didn’t come down here looking for sex, I just needed the break. You are a very attractive woman, but I went through my partying and ‘bird dogging’ stage years ago – probably before you were born. I’m flattered by what you said about seducing me, though.” She searched his face.

“How old are you?”

“I’m forty six,” Si told her with a smile. “You’re, what? Twenty one, twenty two?”

“I’m actually almost twenty four. I met Mike last year when he was here on a fishing trip. His wife stayed home. But this year she wanted to come here and he emailed me. She has a boy toy at home, he said.”

“Still, if she comes with him, you will probably not get a chance to be with him.”

“I know, but he said she’d probably find some guy here to hook up with and he’ll be free for a while.”

“So they’re swingers, or what?”

“Not really. He knows she fools around and she knows he does. He said they just keep it all to themselves.” The doorbell rang again but it was a group of three girls (young women!) and Frankie’s shoulders dropped again.

“Okay. It isn’t up to me to judge you or them. I just wanted you to know how I felt. But I don’t plan to stay very long. It’s too noisy, for one thing. And the music is really not my style, either. Like I said, I came here to relax. This doesn’t relax me.”

“I can see that.” She looped her arm under his and they wandered a little bit watching and talking about the others. Despite the noise, they could talk without shouting. “I’m glad we talked about this,” she said. “I was afraid you’d expect a ‘date’, you know?” He nodded. She gave him a pretty smile and bumped her head against his shoulder. He freed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder.

“So we’ll be buddies, then, okay?”

“Yup. And thanks again for understanding.” They found seats (with a clear view of the door), and remarked about the behavior around them.

Wes and Terry stopped by. They were all over each other, though and eager to go somewhere else. Terry ‘dragged’ Wes off, saying she wanted to show him the place. They disappeared up the stairs. Si smiled at Frankie and she laughed. “They’ll be fucking their brains out in about two minutes.”

“I suppose,” Si said just as the bell rang again. Si watched as Frankie seemed to bloom. Her face flushed and she sat up straighter. Si noticed the move stuck her tits out more. He looked toward the door. A guy his age or so had entered, followed by a beautiful woman. She was red headed and, in Si’s opinion, several steps above Frankie in the looks department. She looked a little older than Frankie. More in Si’s league. He sighed, wishing she wasn’t with her husband – or had a husband.

Her hair was pulled back and braided. Her lips were thick – what were once called ‘bee kissed’, similar to Angelina Jolie. Her face, shoulders and arms were smoothly tanned. Looking back at Frankie, he said. “Mike and spouse, right?”

“Right.” The couple crossed the room, heading for the bar. As they passed Si’s table, Mike glanced at Frankie, gave a small nod, then looked at Si. Silent signals passed between Mike and Frankie. Looking back at Frankie, his head inclined in Si’s direction, a questioning expression on his face. Si saw Frankie give a small shake of her head and she nodded toward him.

Si understood he had just asked about Si’s presence. Frankie’s head shake assured Mike that it wasn’t a real date. Her nod toward him said that she wanted him only. Mike’s wife looked at her husband, saw the direction of his gaze, then past him at Frankie. Si hardly rated a glance from her. He could tell she knew.

Then the couple’s backs were toward them. Si noticed that the wife’s shorts were fairly tight across her ass, yet not skin tight. The ass they covered looked delicious to Si, but he ignored it after noticing.

Turning back to Frankie, he smiled again. “So the plot thickens,” he said. She blushed and looked into her nearly empty glass. “She knows, and she now knows who you are. Be careful lady,” he cautioned her. “She may play around at home when he’s away, but I doubt you’ll pry him away from her tonight.”

“I know she’ll probably hang on him all night. But there’s always a chance. I don’t suppose you’d step in somehow... ?”

“Oh, no. Like I said, I’m just along for the ride. I don’t want to get involved.” Looking around, he shrugged. “In fact, I’ll stay for one more drink, but my head is starting to ache. I’ll probably leave after that.” Her face took on a frustrated look.

“Okay. Could you get me another vodka Collins, too?”

“Sure.” Si saw that Mike and company were moving deeper into the party. So he headed for the bar. A half hour later, he rose and leaned in to kiss Frankie’s cheek. “I’m going now. Frankie...” he began, not sure how to say what was on his mind without sounding like a disapproving uncle. “I hope you can shake off these feelings about Mike. You’ll probably never get him away from her. I’m about his age. If I had a marriage – even one like theirs, or maybe especially like theirs – I wouldn’t be in a hurry to bust it up. It would be messy and he’d be left considerably poorer.”

She gave him a sad smile. “You’re probably right, Si. It’s just that, well, last year he talked about doing just that. When he wrote me that she would be with him this year, I cried all that night. I still have to try.”

“Well, good luck, honey. Thanks for the company. I have to go. Tell Wes ... oh nothing. He’ll do whatever he does. It was nice meeting you.” With that, Si moved to the door and out, into the cool of the evening. He went past the patio and garden area to the beach.

That was where we joined him in all this. He had taken his sandals off and enjoyed the feel of the cooling sand under his bare feet. The sand was still warm underfoot and it felt good. When he stopped to sit a while, he could still hear the party. But it was background noise. His ears were tuned to the world around him.

He sat on a dune and closed his eyes to listen. The waves washed the beach with an occasional rolling hiss of a larger wave. Night birds were emerging and announcing their presence. When he opened his eyes, they had adjusted to the dim light. He began to see a fluorescence on the tide. Markers of millions of tiny creatures drifting in and out, in and out forever.

Then there was a voice behind him. It was a low, sultry voice and when he turned, he started at the sight of Mike’s wife. She wore her strap up sandals tied together over her neck and hanging down over her tits. He stood up, but she told him to sit again and she moved up to sit beside where he’d been sitting. He sat.

“I’m Dani, Mike’s wife,” she said watching him. She saw he knew who Mike and she were. “Was that Mike’s latest conquest you were sitting with inside?” she asked. Si realized they’d given the game away. He simply nodded. “She can have him – at least tonight. I’m going back to our place. There’s too much ‘hipster’ in there for me.” As she talked, Si’s eyes took in her beauty. He just shrugged.