The Family Business
Amelia closed the picnic hamper, resting her fingers on the latch thoughtfully, as she prepared for their fourth day out in a row.
She could scarcely believe this was happening to her. It was too good to be true. Not only was Sam a gentleman and a wonderful friend, he had paid for them both to fly to the coast and spend a week soaking up the sun.
Taking the basket out to the hire car, she placed it carefully on the back seat along with a blanket, a bottle of wine and two large bottles of water.
"Sam!" she called. "Are you ready to leave or are you still primping?"
"Hey! I don't primp!" Sam said coming up behind her and planting a kiss on the side of her neck. "Have you got everything?"
"Of course. Everything I could possibly need, anyway."
"Have you got that skimpy little bikini which barely covers…?"
Amelia gave him a playful slap on the arm. "I didn't buy that and you know it."
"Spoil Sport!"
"Shall we go?" Amelia asked, hands on hips teasingly.
"You carriage awaits, melady." Sam gesture grandiosely to the car and opened the door.
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Monja took one last look in the mirror and decided she would have to do. Meeting friends that she knew well, albeit online, for the first time, was a daunting matter. No matter how friendly they were and how generous of nature, she was delving into the unknown. She tucked a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear and walked out of her hotel room towards the lift.
America was a far cry from her home town in Austria, from the moment she had stepped off the plane the stifling heat had hit her. The atmosphere was almost oppressive in comparison to the clean Austrian air. But it didn't take long to get used to, and the beach that she had visited yesterday was delightful.
She planned to meet her friends at a café in town and then together they were going to spend the day at the beach. Catching up, sharing stories of their journeys, talking about the convention they were due to attend, hugging and of course swimming. Monja hoped there would be swimming. She didn't get the chance to enjoy the ocean except on holiday and this break would be no exception.
Monja reached the café ten minutes early and shyly walked through the door. Would her friends be here already? She saw Simona first of all, sitting alone at the back of the café, nursing a coffee, her nose in a leaflet about the local wildlife. Their eyes met almost simultaneously and Simona jumped to her feet to welcome her online friend.
"Monja! Hello, I'm so pleased to see you. I'm so excited. This holiday. I thought it would never happen."
Monja swept Simona up in a hug and they sat together, waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive. Valorie, Bettina and Emile would be there very soon.
# # # # # # # #
"Come on in, the water's perfect." Sam called as he strode out of the sea. Water ran from his hair which he swept back from his face with both hands. His blue swimming shorts clung to his hips, accentuating his perfect bottom, stopping just above his knees.
"I'd rather watch from here," Amelia said. Realising she was in a perfect position to appreciate his muscular body. His broad shoulders and pronounced pecs sent tremors through her body that ended at the pit of her groin.
"Really? I don't think you're wet enough actually," laughing he scooped her up in his arms and threatened to carry her out to sea.
Amelia squealed and kicked, demanding to be put back down again. Sam stumbled and together they fell to the floor rolling together in the sand.
Planting a kiss on the end of her nose, Sam rocked back on his heels laughing and looked at his sand covered body. "You know I've got to go back in now. Look at me."
"Off you go then." Amelia said, again having no intention of moving.
Sam ran back out to the waves and dived under the white foam.
# # ## ## # # #
Monja stretched out on the beach, luxuriating in the sand running through her toes. She was in heaven, and it wasn't just the beach that was delighting her at the moment.
"Are you watching, what I'm watching?" Emilie asked, practically reading Monja's mind.
"Mmm hmm." Monja answered distractedly.
"It's very entertaining," Bettina agreed her eyes also riveted to man frolicking in the water.
"He's with that lady over there," Valorie commented. "Young love," she added, astute as always.
"No harm in watching though," Emilie said.
"No harm at all," Valorie agreed.
"Why don't you go for a swim?" Simona suggested. "I mean you've been dying to all morning."
Monja didn't need asking twice. Jumping to her feet, she took one quick look at her friends who all seemed to be nodding in agreement and ran down to the water's edge.
"Are there sharks here?" Bettina asked suddenly, concern shadowing her eyes.
Simona lay back on her elbows. "They are known around these parts, but there are shark nets out in the bay to stop them coming inland. I read about it earlier."
"He swims like a fish," Emilie added, having not taken her eyes off of the man in the blue swim shorts all morning.
# # # # # # # #
Monja swam through the water with a practised stroke. She would try to catch up that beefcake she thought. Just close enough to get a good view and then she'd swim back.
But he was fast. My, he was faster than she was; all power and muscle and although she was fit, she really couldn't compete. She stopped for a moment treading water and then turned to the shore to give her friends a wave. They waved back.
Catching her breath, Monja swam out further. She'd got a bee in her bonnet now and she was determined to catch the man who was pounding through the waves ahead of her. Changing to breast stroke she dipped under the waves and then surfaced again a few yards further out. She was close now as the man had stopped swimming. Pushing her hair out of her eyes, Monja couldn't resist a little chance to show off. She dived back under the waves, resurfaced and with her best stroke, swam gracefully further out to sea.
Yes! She thought as she turned for a glance over her shoulder. She had left him in her wake. She could see him now head bobbing over the swell. He was watching her. She hoped he was impressed.
# # # # ## # # #
Sam was about to make his way back to shore again, when someone splashed past him in a cacophony of spray. He stopped for a moment, mesmerised by the shower of water that blundered past him. Thankful that the person wasn't actually drowning, he turned back towards Amelia, now a speck on the sand and started to power back to shore and hopefully lunch.
# # # # # # # # # #
Monja trod water for a while, taking in the sleek back as it sliced through the water, and then realised she'd better be making tracks back. She was quite a way out. Nothing she couldn't handle, but she didn't want to push her luck. She turned on her back and kicked her legs, spray spewing up in the air.
She didn't move far though, and her left leg felt funny. Caught in seaweed or something. Reaching forward she tried to release her foot. It wasn't seaweed. What was it? She tried to grab it and pull it away, but whatever she did, whatever had hold of her seemed to bind itself tighter. Realising she would have to dive under the water and see what was happening, she took a deep breath and then lunged forward.
She could see clearly now that her foot was trapped in some kind of net. It had wound itself round a couple of times by the look of it. She resurfaced, took another breath, and then sunk below again. She tried pulling, twisting, stretching the net. Whatever she did, she couldn't release herself. In fact the net just seemed to be getting tighter and tighter.
Monja cursed. Loudly.
She kicked frantically, pulling at the netting, but it wouldn't give, and it started to cut into her ankle, making it sore and painful.
Monja realised she couldn't move. She couldn't swim in.
She waved to her friends on the shore. But she was so far out the probably couldn't see her.
She felt dread in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't swim in, the tide was coming in, and the net was pulling her under. She didn't know what to do.
Mustn't panic, she thought. Whatever I do, I mustn't panic.