"Darling, you're starting to look a little green around the gills. Are you sure you don't want me to take the helm for awhile?"
"Nyet, we are almost there and I will be fine once I am ashore. In fact, once we get to the end of this bit of land you will see why I wanted to bring you."
Moments later, the Russian guided the little motor boat around the edge of the island and April gasped, "Oh, Illya, it's so beautiful!" as she gazed at the half – moon shaped beach that spread out before them. There was not a person in sight.
As if he had read her mind he said, "The only way to access this beach is by boat. Those trees over there are the beginning of a very thick forest with lots of undergrowth. No one walks here and very few people even boat here because the other beaches are easier to get to and even more beautiful." He guided the boat to shore, leapt out to secure it using a stake as an anchor and then helped April, who was carrying a picnic basket with their lunch inside, out and carried her to shore. He gently put her down and kissed her tenderly before releasing her. "When we were watching 'The World, the Flesh and the Devil' the last time we were together, you mentioned how nice it would be to be the only people just for a bit. It is so nice to have this level of privacy, is it not?"
She leaned in and wrapped her arms around him as she returned his kiss. "It is indeed, especially since no nuclear weapons were involved." She laughed at her own joke and then said, "Napoleon and Mark both seem to have accepted our…friendship way better than I thought they might, though I think your partner may be leading mine astray. Mark is no prude, but I have to say: Your partner's hedonism is rubbing off on him."
She pulled a blanket from the basket; they each grabbed two corners and spread it out on the sand. As Illya opened and poured a glass of wine for April, she was busy pulling containers of ceviche, lobster salad, codfish cakes and other island delights from the basket. He handed her wine to her and remarked, "I think that is Mark's way of coping. We both know he has always had a bit of a crush on you. Napoleon is just being Napoleon. If you had showed an interest in him, he would not have hesitated to bed you. He is so used to my disinterest in women compared to him, that it surprises him when I want the girl and shocks him when I actually get the girl. Or in your case, woman."
"Glad you made that distinction, Darling. Sit. Eat. Aren't you going to have some wine?"
"I will have to get drunk on your company. The one time alcohol really does not agree with me is when I am on the water." He put some lobster salad on a cracker and held it up for her. "Let me feed you," he said with a smile that widened as she delicately took a bite.
She picked up a shrimp. "Only if I can return the favor."
They ate at a leisurely pace, forgoing for once the Section II habit of wolfing food down like it's about to be snatched away. Their conversations were punctuated with comfortable silences and a lot of laughter. When they had eaten and drunk their fill, they put the dishes back into the basket and laid down for a brief nap in the warm sun with the waves gently lapping in the background.
April was the first one to awaken and laid there taking in the sights and sounds of all the natural beauty surrounding her. Her eyes glanced down at the man lying beside her and once again, she admired his beauty. The blond hair that seemed to glow in the sunshine, the deceptively slim build that hid the strength the man possessed, the scars on his back that somehow added character…God, he really is gorgeous. She reached into her beach bag and removed sunscreen. "Illya," she whispered.
"Hmmm?"
"I'm going to put more suntan lotion on you, you're starting to look a little red." As she rubbed it into the skin on his back and legs, he raised up on his elbows and made little noises of contentment.
When she finished, he rolled onto his back and smiled devilishly. "My front needs tending, also."
She raked her eyes across his aroused body and said, "You do seem a little…hot. Did you ever see a movie called, 'From Here to Eternity'?"
"Nyet."
She held out her hand and stood. "There is a scene I would like to recreate."
He took her hand and followed her to the water's edge. They sank down onto the sand and gasped in pleasure as a wave of warm water washed up their bodies. "This feels nice," Illya said as he reached behind her and unhooked the back of her bathing suit top. "In this movie scene, do the man and woman make love?"
"You don't see it, of course, but it is implied."
As he slid his swim trunks down, he groaned in anticipation, "Then we will have to improvise."
Later, as they lay holding hands on the blanket and drying off in the late afternoon sun, Illya flung his other arm across his eyes and stated, "The sun will be down in a couple of hours. We need to start getting ready to leave."
April released his hand and sat up. "You're right, Darling, though I hate to go. Thank you so much, Illya, for this lovely afternoon. It was perfect."
They gathered up their belongings and returned to the boat. Just before they got in, Illya gathered April to him in another hug. "You are welcome. Let me know when you are in the mood to recreate another movie scene. I enjoyed this day, also. Spacibo."
And with that, they got back into the boat and motored back to reality.