There's something about the South Pacific—the Polynesian influence that drew me to it indomitably. It seemed forbidden somehow—a world captivated by sensuality and beauty even lust. I stood now on the uppermost deck of the ship—staring out over the turquoise water as the cruiser sliced through the waves, and I sighed. This place made me feel powerful—less vulnerable somehow. Our first stop was Moorea, and I was awaiting the docking of the ship as Tommy suddenly drew up beside me. I didn't even have to glance over at him to know who it was.
"There was a guide telling me that Tahiti is a world ruled by the Vahine—by the women of the South Pacific. You should worry, Quincy. We are now in the domain of the iron-fisted woman." I stated wryly as Tom shifted next to me.
"Should I fear for my sanity then?" He asked in an amused tone as I finally glanced over at him. He was looking out over the waves and his eyes reflected the color of the water below perfectly. I smiled. He had let me go once. I wanted to show him why that had been the wrong decision.
"I don't know, Quincy. You should worry more about the idea that this place promotes independence—a separation from the norm." I replied vaguely as I turned to walk toward our group who had gathered along the top of the deck—lining up to unboard onto the first island on our itinerary—Moorea. Following everyone down, I let my bare feet sink into the white pearlescent sand before marching ahead toward the lagoons where the visitors were gathered.
"Look Spied!" I cried out as I approached him from the side—startling him out of the strange game he seemed to be playing with himself by discovering exactly how much sun tanning lotion he could apply to the open spaces afforded his body. I lifted a wary brow.
"See those sharks out there? Yeah, I bet they'll enjoy a dry roasted Spiederman." I stated on a chuckle as he looked up at me with a grimace.
"Is that supposed to be a joke, Harrison?" He asked as he threw Jamie an amused glance as Jamie walked by fully decked out in blue jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and sunglasses. I laughed too.
Because you did know that's tanning lotion not sunscreen, right?" I asked Spied as he shrugged with a sheepish grin.
"I need a tan to impress the local chicks. Might as well speed up the process." Spied commented as I just chuckled warily. Why did I have a feeling he was going to regret that? I could see Sadie motioning at me wildly from the distance and I made my way over to her slowly—enjoying the warmth of the sun as it soaked into my skin only to have my attention diverted by a bare chested Tom Quincy as he walked by lathered in Monoi lotion which made his skin glisten in the light. I almost tripped over the traditional Poreo sarongs all of us girls were wearing as I finally managed to make it over to Sadie, although not without a very distinguished blush. At least I could blame the embarrassed color on the sun.
"They let you swim with dolphins on this island." Sadie squealed as I just lifted a bare shoulder in amusement. It was good to be able to get excited about something.
"I'm guessing you want me to go into the lagoon with you. I mean, you did know they also let you swim with sharks too, right?" I stated simply as she nodded before dragging me into the water. I'm guessing the dolphin idea out ruled any fear of the meat eating predators. The warm surf was soothing as it flowed over our feet, and I swam through the waves next to my sister as the dolphins approached us—sticking their noses against our palms as if in desperate need to be petted. I laughed as they swam around us. Hey, this wasn't so bad. Sadie drifted away from me as she followed the pod with the rest of the tourists as I watched the dolphin I had been touching duck under the waves to be with his family. I was just about to follow the group when something grabbed my leg and pulled me under the waves. I sucked in a mouth full of salt water as I panicked—kicking my legs and arms furiously only to find myself suddenly pulled up the length of Tom Quincy's body.
"Not scared of sharks, are you?" He asked on a laugh as I brushed my wet hair out of my face furiously. Hitting him in the chest once I realized who had pulled me under, I watched him only smile in amusement as I threw a handful of water into his face.
"God! I could dismember you right now!" I cried out in annoyance as Tommy just laughed. Jesus! The scent of the coconut lotion he had spread across his flesh suddenly tantalized my senses as I realized my hand was still resting along his torso. I pushed away from him.
"Let go of me!" I gasped out as he raised a brow before I waded toward the shore away from him. The sun was beginning to set on our first day in Tahiti since we had arrived in Papeete around lunch that afternoon anyhow, and I watched the local Polynesians gathering along the shoreline. A sudden realization hit me, and I grinned as I glanced back at Tommy who was now standing just behind me in the lapping waves. I could feel the heat from his skin as he looked down at me.
"You want to prove your prowess, Quincy? There's your chance." I stated simply as I pointed to the group of muscled men being cheered on by the crowd. Tommy just shook his head at the local stone lifting contest going on as the visitors celebrated with the local families.
"I don't need to prove myself." Tommy replied simply as I just bit my lip to keep from chuckling.
"And here I thought I heard you brag to Kwest the other day about how much weight you could lift now at the gym" I remarked loudly enough that a few of the people from our group looked over. Spied and Kwest grinned devilishly. Tommy had no choice now. He had his pride to defend, and I watched him throw me a glare as he walked out of the waves toward the group.