Chapter 1: Jamaica

I closed my eyes and let the sun beat down on my pale skin. There was a soft breeze off the sea that kept me cool even when the temperature was in the high eighties. The dark sun glasses I had purchased at the resort gift shop helped keep the sun out of my eyes and finally I could relax.

I was happy with the decision to come down early to the resort so I could have a couple of days alone to relax and de-stress. The resort was beautiful, right on the beach but still had a couple of pools. It was a world class facility with a plantation style motif and rich, elegant decor. Gardens and trees made parts of it secluded and romantic for the many honeymooners and couples here on a romantic getaway. They had all the amenities and activities available; a full spa and salon with all sorts of massages, mud baths and treatments for the ladies; a golf course and deep sea fishing for the men and water activities for couples. A hot tub was available off the smaller, secluded pool for the newlyweds to get romantic and the resort had both a patio and indoor restaurant. There was even a bar with a small dance floor.

The staff was discreet but plentiful and attentive if desired. Some of the couples liked being waited on hand and foot while others liked their privacy. There was a bar near the pools as well as a smaller one out by the beach to cater to the sun worshippers. I had a pineapple juice sitting on the table beside me, one of many varieties of tropical juices available.

I opened my eyes after a while and then looked out at the ocean for a bit. Every once in a while, people walked in front of me and I enjoyed watching them stroll down the beach. It was an expensive and exclusive resort, so only the very well off could afford it. Thus there were mostly couples walking along the beach though a few small groups of women also meandered by. I enjoyed looking at the women in their swim suits, with my sunglasses hopefully hiding my lecherous stares.

I noticed an oddity soon after she came into view from around the corner where the land dipped in, making a small cove. A woman, dressed in a black tee shirt and rolled up black jeans, was walking along the beach just above the high water line. She was the first person I'd seen in anything not white or colourful, and the only one not in shorts or a swimsuit.

As she came closer, I downgraded her age to something closer to mine or even younger. She had the requisite white ear buds attached to an iPod and her hair was short and obviously dyed black. Her makeup was dark and her skin was as white as, well mine I guess. I caught the glitter of jewellery in her ears and her overall demeanour led me to label her as a disgruntled Goth teenager, probably here with parents and not by choice.

She looked up and then changed her path to head back up to the resort. She glanced at me and saw me looking at her and stared back for a few seconds before she passed by. While she had a couple of earrings in each ear, I saw no visual evidence of other body piercings or tattoos but then there wasn't much exposed skin to check. The girl was pretty enough but the clothes and bad dye job made it hard to see. I moved on to watch other ladies, more appropriately dressed in bikinis, as they walked with their new husbands or boyfriends.

My phone rang and I leaned over to see that it was Katie.

"Hi Katie, how are you?" I asked after picking it up.

"I'm fine, and you Michael?" she asked in return.

"I'm doing very well, thanks for asking," I replied. "To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your voice?"

"I'm just checking to see if you're all set to fly to Jamaica in a couple of days?" she asked.

"Nope," I told her.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a worried voice.

"I'd have to fly back up to Detroit in order to fly to Jamaica," I answered. "I think I'll just stay here instead."

"You're already there?" she asked. "What are you doing there?"

"I just came down to get some sun and relax for a couple of days," I replied. "Right now I'm sitting on a beach, drinking pineapple juice and enjoying watching the ladies in bikinis in eighty five degree weather. The breeze off the sea is very delightful. You should come down and relax with me."

"I might have if you had told me," she rebuked me. "Did you get the suite I reserved for you?"

"No, it's still occupied until Sunday afternoon," I told her. "I just got a smaller room for a couple of days. So, are Trish and Barb coming down with you on Sunday?"

"Yes they are and they're very excited to see you again and to model with you," Katie replied. "Ok, I should let you go so you can ogle newlyweds. We'll see you in a couple of days. Enjoy your peace and quiet and have some fun."

"Have a good flight and I'll see you soon," I replied before we hung up.

After a half hour lying on my stomach to get some sun on my back, I put on my tee shirt and gathered up my stuff. I walked by the other couples getting some sun on the beach and headed up the flagstone path to the resort's main building. The two pools and hot tub were emptying as the dinner hour was fast approaching. I looked at my watch and saw it was quarter to six already, so I stopped at the patio restaurant and booked a table for six thirty.

After a shower, I put on a white golf shirt, tan shorts and sandals and headed back down to the lobby. I grabbed a couple of pamphlets on their water activities and then walked out to the patio. I was shown to a table for two near the entrance to the patio and handed a menu to peruse.

I decided on a seafood platter with a variety of fish and other creatures of the sea and put that order in when the waitress came over. The meal started with a clam chowder soup that I enjoyed greatly. I was sipping on some pineapple juice, waiting for my salad, when I saw the Goth girl from earlier in the afternoon. She was with an older woman, obviously her mother as they were almost identical in height and had the same facial features. Only the mother's blonde hair colour was different and probably only because of the girl's dye job.

The mother was dressed in a blouse and skirt with low heels and looked very good for her age, probably in her late thirties to early forties. The clothes were elegant and expensive and her hair and makeup were flawless. Her jewellery looked expensive but not gaudy; her whole appearance was that of a beautiful lady of means.

Her daughter had changed from her earlier black jeans and tee shirt she was wearing while beachcombing. She had on a black blouse and dress pants which, while showing off her trim figure, were so out of place it was almost laughable. She had on dark eyeliner and was obviously not happy to be here.

They were led to a table near mine and I gave them a smile as they looked over at me. I got a polite smile back from the mother and a non-committal look from the girl. The waitress came to take their order and came back with two tropical looking drinks.

"We didn't order these," the mother said.

"No, I took the liberty of buying two lovely ladies a drink this evening," a dark haired man said as he approached the table. "My name is Daniel; I was hoping I could entice you to join me for dinner this fine evening."

"Thank you for the offer, but my daughter and I wish to be alone this evening," the mother said. "Please take the drinks away."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said politely with a smile. "Here is my card if you change your mind during your stay."

The waitress took the drinks away as the man walked back to his table. I looked back at the two ladies and saw the mom blush when she read the card. The daughter looked curious and reached over and grabbed it from where her mother put it down.

"Daniel Rodriguez, escort," I heard her read out loud.

She grinned at her mom and said, "Thinking of giving him a call later? I can make myself scarce for a while if you want."

"Real funny Rachel," the mother replied. "We came down here to try and relax and work on our relationship, not to sample the wares of the local gigolo."

"You haven't been with anyone since you and dad split up a couple years ago," Rachel said, still grinning. "You really could use a romp in the hay with a total stranger."

"My sex life or lack thereof, is no concern of yours, young lady," the mother said primly. "And I certainly wouldn't start with him."

"I'm sure there are others around that are more to your taste," Rachel said. "I see three or four guys dining alone that you might find attractive."

I was grinning at the conversation when they both looked at me.

"Sorry ladies, I couldn't help but watch and overhear," I apologized.

"So, are you an escort as well?" the mother asked.

"Sorry, but no," I replied.

"That's a shame, my daughter could use a man to straighten out her attitude," the mother said with a wicked grin.

"Mother!" Rachel reacted while I laughed.

"I don't know about her attitude, but she does seem to have an issue with colour," I replied.

"Tell me about it," the mother agreed. "It's still hot out and she still insists on wearing all black and she has to wear pants."

"I'm sure she has a very good reason for her lifestyle choice," I said diplomatically. "Maybe she's embarrassed about her knobby knees."

"My knees aren't knobby!" Rachel protested.

"Sure, you say that but I'm afraid I'd need visual proof of that," I told her as her mother grinned.

"Not a chance," Rachel replied.

I turned to her mother and asked, "You ex had bad legs, right? She wouldn't have to hide them if she had your legs."

"Why thank you, young man," she replied. "I'm afraid I'm not sure whose legs she inherited; I haven't seen them in a couple of years myself. I was hoping she would put aside her look this week and get some sun but no luck yet."

"Hey, if you two want to talk about me, I'll just leave and let you get acquainted," Rachel said, starting to get up.

"Sorry, my bad," I told her. "Please don't leave; I'll mind my own business."

"Rachel, that wasn't called for, we were just doing some light teasing," her mother said. "You have to admit it's a bit silly to wear black pants in this setting."

"It's my choice," she replied as she sat down.

I looked away as my salad finally arrived, along with their soup. They got busy with eating as did I. I avoided looking over at them but caught them whispering to each other out of the corner of my eye.

The patio was getting crowded as the tables quickly filled up. I was finishing up my salad when two handsome men, one older and one in his twenties, approached the mother and daughter.

"May my son and I join you this evening, ladies?" the older man asked. "The tables are filling up quickly."

"Sorry but we're not interested," the mother replied. "We're trying to have some mother-daughter time."

"Of course, sorry to have intruded," he said. "Please take our card if either of you wish some company during your stay."

He put the card on the table and they walked away. I grinned into my salad and tried not to chuckle.

"We see you grinning, young man," the mother said to me. "It's not that funny."

I looked up and saw that she was serious.

"Sorry Ma'am, I guess they must think even beautiful ladies get lonely," I responded.

"Ladies don't hire escorts," she replied primly.

"I wouldn't think so but I'm neither a lady nor an escort so I have no experience on the topic," I told her. "Sorry for grinning at your situation."

"Mom, leave him alone, it is kind of funny," Rachel told her. "Next time we need to get a table for two so we're not bothered so much."

"Hmm, I guess so," the mother relented. "Maybe we should have him over here to stop the others from coming around."

"I think we're fine," Rachel replied. "Let's just eat and get out of here."

The rest of the meal went by without another incident. I polished off the seafood platter and had some banana ice cream while they had some lobster and skipped the dessert.

"You ladies have a good evening," I told them as I got up.

"You as well, young man," the mother replied for the both of them. "I'm sure we'll see you around this coming week."

"I hope so, I need to verify your daughter's knees," I told her with a grin.

"Don't hold your breath," Rachel said with a frown.

I sighed dramatically before walking away as her mother laughed.

I took a walk along the beach and out on the wooden boardwalk the resort had out into the sea. At the end there was a grass covered gazebo with a bench to sit on and stare out at the waves. I pulled out the pamphlets and perused the activities they had available. I thought jet skiing would be fun as would snorkelling in the lagoon with a guide. I even thought of doing some deep sea fishing but that would take a half day for sure where the first two would be done in one hour increments.

I stayed out there and watched the fantastic sunset and then made my way back to the resort. Once inside, I heard reggae music and followed the sound to a bar where a band was playing. I slipped inside and found a table in the back to sit down at. I ordered a Diet coke and sipped on it while listening to the music and watching some of the guests dance. The women were mostly in short skirts and colourful camisoles or thin blouses and it was a pleasure to watch them strut their stuff.

When the band took a break, I left the bar and went back upstairs to my room. It had been a long day as I had gotten up early in Ann Arbor to make the trip down. I was asleep soon after my head hit the pillow.

I was up at five as usual and, after a quick shower to wake up, dressed in workout clothes and made my way to their exercise room. The equipment was more than adequate for a good workout, including a long run on an elliptical. I had another shower in the dressing room and got into a swimsuit.

I walked out to the pool with a towel from the change room and claimed a lounge chair to put stuff on. The sun was coming up over the trees and had started warming the air. I tested the water and it was nice and warm so I walked in via the shallow end stairs and started swimming some laps. I took it easy for a while and then sped up as I got used to it.

When I was done my laps, a few morning people were just starting to appear out of the resort and either taking a seat at tables in the patio or on some of the loungers. I noticed a few people on their balconies as I dried off and appreciated some of the skimpy outfits some of the women were wearing after getting up from bed.

I went back upstairs and got into a tee shirt and dry swimsuit underneath some shorts before heading back down for breakfast. I found a seat near the pool and ordered an apple juice and a large breakfast which I ate while eyeing the lovely women who were coming out to sun themselves while the temperature was still bearable.

I signed up for snorkelling and for the use of a Jet Ski in the lobby and split them up, deciding on snorkelling in the morning and the Jet Ski in the afternoon. I had an hour to kill so I walked to the beach and lay on a lounger to work on my tan.

At the appropriate time, I threw on my tee shirt and made my way to the activity building, located on the far side of the resort where a small canal led to the sea. There were a few motor boats, Jet Skis, paddle boats and even a small sailboat all tied up along the canal. I moved over to the building that had an awning out in front and found a couple of people manning the front booth.

"Hi, I'm here for a snorkelling session," I told the guy and girl.

"You must be Mike," the guy said.

"Yep," I agreed.

"Are you a decent swimmer?" the girl asked.

"Yes, no issues there," I told her.

"Ok, let's get you some equipment and we'll walk over to the lagoon to start," she told me as she led the way into the building. "I'm Stacey by the way."

"Nice to meet you Stacey," I said as we came to a shelf with some flippers, goggles and snorkels.

"Go ahead and pick out some flippers from the far end, you'll need the biggest size," she directed me. "I'll find some goggles and a snorkel set to fit you."

Eventually she got me outfitted, including a two foot forked rod for protection.

"Once in a while small nurse sharks enter the lagoon and we have to push them away," she explained. "They're not big enough to seriously hurt anyone but we like to keep the guests coming back and a bite out of an arm or leg makes that a harder sell."

Stacey laughed and gave me a big grin after saying that. I was a bit less jolly about the prospect of swimming with sharks but, if she wasn't scared, I wasn't going to chicken out. I followed her along the path to the lagoon where we got out of our clothes. She had a very fit and sexy body, and her swimsuit was a two piece florescent orange bikini that really stood out from her dark skin. She whistled when I took off my shirt and long shorts.

"Someone's been doing a tad too much working out," she said, looking me up and down.

"I play hockey and have to be in good shape," I told her. "You're looking quite fit as well."

"Two reasons for that," she said. "I'm always swimming or diving so I have to be in shape."

"And the other reason?" I asked.

"All the husbands and boyfriends won't want to partake in the activities if we had plain looking instructors now would they?" she asked with a grin. "They don't mind leaving their wives and girlfriends to the hunky guys to instruct them as long as they get to have someone sexy to look at as well."

I laughed at what she said.

"So how often do you have to discourage the men from being too hands on?" I asked with a grin.

"Oh, if I even suspect one of them might be thinking of fresh, I just don't give them a shark prod and then let them know I can't be protecting them from sharks while trying to fend them off," she told me. "If that doesn't work, the shark prod usually keeps them at bay."

"So you don't think I'll be too hands on?" I asked with a grin.

"Once and a while I wouldn't mind a little hands on from a single guy," she responded with her own grin. "But no funny business when we're out there, we need to be alert."

"Don't worry, I'm here to learn how to snorkel and appreciate what's in the sea," I assured her.

"Ok, a few rules to keep you safe," she said. "There are a few things that are dangerous and you need to avoid them. Sea urchins, bristle worms, scorpion fish and stingrays all sit on the seabed and will protect themselves with their needles and spines or tail. Some are venomous and some are just painful. We will slide our feet when we walk out and then start swimming as soon as we can to avoid them. Likewise, avoid the coral reefs, some are fire coral and if you brush up against them, you will have a severe burning sensation. Basically, don't touch anything; just look and appreciate from a distance. Don't collect any souvenirs; I'll get you a couple of things at the end of the swim."

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Jellyfish shouldn't be an issue until late summer, but obviously don't go near them," she replied. "Finally, Jamaica has some crocodiles but they congregate at river estuaries so we should be fine. If you see one, get out of the water and keep running."

She handed me a strap-on knife and showed me how to tie it on my leg down by my ankle.

"Just in case," she said.

I was starting to regret choosing this activity as she led the way into the water with our fins on. We were up to our waist in the warm water before we put on our masks and snorkels and started to swim. She had me look down and my regret disappeared. The lagoon was full of life; colourful fish swam through the coral and darted away as we approached. All sorts of rock lobsters without the claws and turtles moved on the floor as well as a couple of eagle rays.

I looked around once and a while and spotted a small shark going after some fish. Stacey would nudge me and point out another type of fish or a stingray now and then.

Finally she tapped me and pointed to the shore. I led the way and we walked out of the water and took off our equipment.

"That was fantastic!" I told her. "Thanks for showing me all of that; it was great to see all of the different varieties of fish and sea life."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it so much," Stacey replied. "Don't forget to fill out the guest satisfaction card so my employers know how I did."

"I certainly will," I told her as we slipped on our clothes.

I helped her get the equipment back to the building and then slipped her a hundred as a tip.

"Now I really regret not taking you to the hut just inland," she said. "We would have had an excellent time together."

I smiled and replied, "You're too much woman for me Stacey and you were still holding the shark prod."

"Come back any time and ask for me and you'll find out just how much woman you can handle," she said with a laugh.

I grinned at her and headed back to the resort's main building, bypassing the pool area and heading directly up to my room. I took a shower and got into another swimsuit before donning a tee shirt and shorts.

I was shown to a table on the patio and had ordered a clubhouse sandwich and fries when a larger group of four couples plus a single woman came in and took up two tables nearby. One of the men came over and asked to use the extra chair from my table and I nodded. I noticed an extra man stationed at the entrance to the resort and another closer to the patio.

The leader of the group was a handsome man in his late forties, with dark hair and greying temples. His partner was much younger, probably in her early thirties and a real looker. The other couples were of varying ages and all good looking and in shape. The single woman was much younger and was probably a daughter or younger sister of one of them. All of them were tanned and wearing expensive clothes, jewellery and watches. They looked Spanish or Latin to me but I wasn't a good judge of cultures.

They ordered nothing but the best; lobster and off season fish were accompanied by the best champagne and preceded by caviar and other delicacies.

The other three couples were pretty boisterous, while the older man was quiet but smiled at their antics. The single woman was also quiet but was almost embarrassed at the noise and disturbance some of them were causing. She was a classic, raven haired Spanish beauty with fine, delicate features and a slim body dressed in a short but elegant dress and heels.

I caught her glancing over at me a few times while I ate my lunch. I think she was trying to place me and just couldn't make the connection. I could tell it was frustrating her and she even had the next youngest woman turn and look at me to see if she knew who I was.

When I finished, I left a tip after signing the bill to my room. I stood up and gave the woman a wink before walking out of the patio and down the path to the beach. I had a couple of hours to kill so I flopped down on a lounge chair after taking off my shirt and watched the waves roll in.

A roving waiter took my drink order and I sipped on a banana-mango concoction while enjoying the sun and the cooling sea breeze. It was peaceful and quiet and I finally could relax and leave the world behind for a couple of days.

My contentment and seclusion lasted about twenty minutes before the Spanish invaded the island again, at least my little piece of the island I was occupying for a couple of hours. The whole group, including the two body guards, as well as two more that I hadn't seen, descended on the beach and took over most of the loungers and small huts and sun gazebos that were on the same side I was on.

Shirts and dresses came off and some of the people went into the water while others lay on the loungers and shouted for service from the wait staff. The young woman and her friend scooped up the two loungers closest to me but I noticed that one of the guards had drifted to stand behind their loungers. I returned the smile they gave me as they sat down, showing off they wonderful bodies in white bikinis. They helped each other with some sun screen before laying on the loungers.

All too soon the rest of the group came back from the water and the noise grew exponentially. The man who I thought was paired with second woman sat down beside her and shouted for a waiter. He then lay on his stomach and turned to the two women.

"Maria, I need sun screen on my back," he demanded.

The younger one beside me turned to him and said sharply, "Rodrigo, Maria is not here to service any of your needs, so I don't want to hear you address her in that manner again."

I looked over to see his face turn red as he fought with his temper. I could tell that he dearly wished to respond angrily but she must have been higher up in the group pecking order as he held his tongue.

"My apologies, Maria could you be a dear and put some sun screen on my back for me please?" he said, trying to turn his angry look into a smile.

"Sure," she replied as she sat up.

I must have been grinning at how the young woman put him in place because he caught a glimpse of it and had to react.

"Did that amuse you?" he asked me.

"Actually it did," I replied. "I'm surprised you didn't burst a blood vessel trying not to yell at them."

"I may have to put up with her insolence but I don't have to do anything of the sort for the likes of a common boy like you," he said as he sat up.

I sat up and stood up as he did. He was a typical Latin man; tall, dark and handsome and in decent shape. I probably had five inches and forty pounds on him so I wasn't worried much about a physical confrontation with him. I snuck a glance at the bodyguard and, while he was watching us, he didn't make a move to intervene.

"Rodrigo, you're not in Spain and the guards will not intervene on your behalf," the woman beside me said to him before turning to me. "Ignore his bluster, this is usually when a guard or his buddies step in to either fight his battles for him or pull him away."

"Bianca, you go too far," Rodrigo told her. "I think it's time someone put you over their knee and taught you a lesson."

Bianca stood up and went off on him in rapid fire Spanish as Maria stood to back her up. I noticed that the guard had moved closer and the others in the group were now paying attention to the argument. The older man got up and walked down to us and listened as the two of them went back and forth for a minute. He asked a question in Spanish and the woman answered, but with a lot less heat to her tone. She gestured to Maria and then to me and the older man glanced over at both of us.

He then asked a question of Rodrigo and he answered with a longer explanation and much waving of his hands as he pointed at me and the women. The older man listened patiently but I could tell he wasn't buying the story he was being told. He finally lost his cool and interrupted Rodrigo and whatever he said made Rodrigo shut up and cool his jets. The older man spoke to him for another minute and then pointed to the resort.

Rodrigo hung his head and gathered up his stuff before heading back to the resort. The older man nodded to the guard who followed him until they were out of sight.

"My apologies young man, Rodrigo's temper has embarrassed me for the last time," he said. "I'm sending him back to Spain and will let his family deal with his arrogance as they are the ones that have spoiled him for far too long. He won't be bothering you or my daughter again."

"No apology necessary, Sir, he obviously is a grown man and responsible for his actions," I responded. "I apologize for stirring up the pot when I should have just ignored him."

"I'm afraid that wouldn't have worked either," he told me. "This was a long time coming but I wanted to give the two of them every opportunity to make things work. Well, it's partially my own fault for raising a daughter to be independent and strong in a still male dominated culture such as ours."

"It's never a bad thing for a woman to be able to stand up for herself," I agreed. "I should leave you alone to get back to your relaxing. I have an appointment with a Jet Ski in half an hour."

I put on my shirt while Bianca and Maria watched.

"I'm sorry for the problems," I said and prepared to walk away.

"We haven't even been introduced yet," Bianca said quickly. "I'm Bianca Castile, my father Alphonso Castile and my friend Maria Consuelo."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, I'm Mike Stewart," I replied.

She hit her head with her palm and said, "I knew you were somebody I should know!"

"What's this?" her dad asked, clearly puzzled as the two women looked at each other.

"This is Mike Stewart, he's the guy who saved the British Actress, Emma Watson, from the acid attack a couple months ago," she told him. "He's also a model for Calvin Klein and plays a sport, football or hockey. Remember, it was all over the news?"

"Yes, it was a very brave thing you did there, Mike," Alphonso said. "You seem to have suffered no ill effects from the burns?"