Looking down at me was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen in my life. High cheekbones, a day’s worth of dark brown stubble, hair that seemed to practically flow from his head in a polo shirt and jeans that looked formal somehow, here in Hawaii. I grabbed his arm to steady myself, the hard muscles of his biceps bulging against my skin.
For the first time in my life, I found myself completely speechless. I wanted to say something, anything, but no words were coming out of my mouth. I was completely captivated, taken in by the man’s glistening blue eyes, like the deep waters here on the Hawaiian coast.
“Are you alright?” he asked me, his voice kind, but deep.
“Yes. Yes, I’m fine. Thank you,” I stammered, feeling like an idiot. The man smiled at me and I melted into a pool on the elevator floor.
“Perfect. Sorry about that once more,” he told me, leaving the elevator. I watched as the man walked away and the doors closed behind me. As the elevator slid smoothly up to the 12th floor I had completely forgotten what I even came up here for. I couldn’t think about anything except that guy.
Oh my God, what is wrong with you? He’s just some guy. I scolded myself, trying to stop thinking about him. This wasn’t the sort of thing I did. I hadn’t had a boyfriend in ages, hell, I hadn’t slept with anyone in ages. After all, my last relationship had ended so badly I’d sworn off men forever. Maybe this is all this was. Maybe my libido was just in overdrive, desperate for something, anything.
I could feel my sex pulsating underneath the light sundress I wore. I decided to change my panties quickly when I got to my room, the ones I was wearing were completely soaked. Look at you. You’re like a desperate old divorcee or something, collapsing at the mere sight of a man paying you the slightest bit of attention. He was just making sure you were fine, it’s not like he was trying to sleep with you.
Still, no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get the thought of that stranger out of my head. He was so beautiful, so masculine, so perfect.
“What took you so long?” Lisa asked when I finally met her back down in the lobby.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” I told her about the man in the elevator.
“Wow, Caroline, you should totally have asked him out.”
“Why? First of all, I looked like a huge idiot, plowing into him like that. Second, I don’t even know where he’s from. He’s definitely not from Minneapolis. So like, what’s the point? I wouldn’t ever see him after we went home? Third, I don’t want a boyfriend. I’m perfectly happy being single forever.”
“Ugh, you’re so naive sometimes. This is what the one night stand from heaven is made of. Sexy guy, Hawaii, super expensive resort. Get him to buy you some nice dinners, sleep with him, have the time of your life, then go back home to your regular job.”
I laughed at Lisa’s ideas of how the world worked. Maybe that was how her world worked, at least before she met Rob, anyway. But that wasn’t for me.
“Not a chance, Lisa.”
She shrugged. “Fine, your loss. Let’s get going, anyway. I want to get some good seats somewhere so we can hang out and drink until the sun sets.”
As Lisa and I drank drinks with little umbrellas in them against the beach, relaxing, chatting about anything, I kept finding my thoughts drifting back to that stranger in the elevator. I couldn’t help myself, and I had no idea why. This wasn’t like me at all.
“Did you say you were going to go surfing in a couple of days?” Lisa asked eventually.
“Yeah. I think I’ll do it the day after tomorrow. Why, are you thinking of joining me?”
“No, I don’t want a shark to mistake me for a turtle and try to eat me.”
I laughed. “I don’t think we’re going to be going in deep enough waters for a shark to be able to sneak up on us, not in a beginner lesson.”
“Still, I don’t trust it. I’m sure I’m just going to end up on my ass. I’m not really the athletic type.”
No, that was true. Lisa had never shown any interest in any real sports. Her idea of athletics was sitting on the sidelines watching other people, mainly Rob, play soccer or touch football.
“Fine, if you’re going to make me go learn how to surf by myself.”
“I definitely am. I’ll sit on the beach and watch you make an idiot of yourself at the most. What company are you going with?”
“I don’t know, I was just going to go with the recommendation from the concierge.”
“Well, let me know, and I might just come and watch you.”
“How about you, what are your plans for the last few days of this awesome vacation?”
“I don’t have any yet. I’m just going to relax, go with the flow, you know, that sort of thing.”
Lisa and I didn’t leave the restaurant until after the sun had well and truly set. We listened to the soft sound of the waves lapping against the shore, music wafting over to us from not only our restaurant but the others along the strip, the sounds of happy people celebrating their vacations here in Hawaii all around us.