Laurie blinked, just staring at them. She felt like laughing out loud, nerves notwithstanding. She'd come to the island to get away from men and their complications, and now she'd managed to end up here with two of them. Two who were completely gorgeous examples of the gender and who probably came with twice as many complications.
The lovers stared back at her, and a little tilt of Denny's blond head seemed to be asking a question.
Oh hell, of course, my name!
'Oh, sorry… I'm Laurie Jones. Pleased to meet you…' Meet? How absurd was that after she'd masturbated to orgasm in front of the pair of them last night, not to mention the fact that they had already shared smiles and vague pleasantries around the pool in the last couple of days. A bubble of laugher escaped her lips, and suddenly Ed and Denny were laughing too, as if they'd both known her for years.
'I suppose I should say sorry for spying on you last night… and… um… making an exhibition of myself too.' She could feel a fresh sizzle of blush start to rise up through her decolletage and her face and throat. 'But I blame that lot in Cabana Two, they started it with their… um… performance.'
'Indeed,' said Ed with a grin, 'It would have been cowardly not to, well, rise to the challenge.' He winked at his lover. 'At least that's what we thought.'
'Yes, it just had to be done, didn't it?' Denny waggled his sandy eyebrows at her, reminding her more of a naughty boy rather than of the hot, mature, rampantly sexual man he so obviously was.
'Absolutely,' concurred Laurie, still blushing but feeling her edginess ameliorate and the promise of relaxation with the two men beckon.
'Shall we have a drink… Just chill out a bit, eh?' suggested Denny, reaching for her hand again and leading her towards the large wickerwork sofa that matched the planter's chair. As Laurie sank down onto it, he sat beside her. 'Ed's ordered some food from the hotel kitchen. Just finger stuff, seafood, chicken and the like… It'll be here in a little while, so we can have a bevvy first and get to know each other.' he paused, dropping an outrageous wink '… with our clothes on.'
'At least for the time being,' added Ed, from across the room, presiding over the drinks tray.
For the time being?
Trying to suppress her quivers, Laurie looked at her left hand and realized she was still clutching the bottle, a bit like a protective talisman. 'Maybe we could have some of this?'
'Good idea. Thanks for bringing it. You're very thoughtful, Laurie.' Denny took the bottle from her, almost having to prize it from her fingers because she was still processing the implications of 'For the time being'. He strolled across to Ed and set it on the tray while his lover did the honors with highball glasses, ice, and slices of lime.
'Rum and Coke?' enquired Ed.
'Yes, please!'
A shot of rum was just what she needed; anything to settle her nerves a bit. She was feeling quite giddy from the sight of so much raw male pulchritude, and the transition from last night, which still felt like something she'd imagined, to tonight, which was oh-so real. As the two men stood by the cabinet, it was all she could do not to ogle them and wish she had X-ray vision so that she could admire them as if they were standing there naked, as they'd done last night.
Laurie stole a glance at the innocuous woven rug on which they must have been standing for their performance, and then flipped back to the men. Even in their clothes they were devastating. Ed's legs were long and lean in close-cut denim, and Denny's ass was a poem of spectacular desirability beneath the creamy linen of his trousers.
'Here you go.' He handed her the tall, generously proportioned drink on his return, as Ed took up station in the planter's chair, just a couple of feet away, at her other side. 'Chin-chin!' He clinked his glass to hers as Ed raised his in affirmation.
'Here's to a happy holiday.'
Momentarily, Laurie felt as chilled as the icy drink. It seemed stupid to think of what might have been, in such warm, sexy company, but she couldn't help herself. To cover her pang of angst, she took a sip from her drink. It was strong, but a delicious balance of spirit and mixer, just the job.
But meeting Denny's eye, she saw he was frowning, concern writ large across his heavenly features. He wasn't a fool, he'd seem her sad little twist, and as she glanced across at Ed his expression was an echo.
'Are you OK, Laurie?' Ed asked, 'I know it's a bit weird, us all being together here, after what happened last night. But I swear, last night was last night, and tonight is tonight. There's no pressure. We don't even have to mention it any more if you're uncomfortable. We can just hang out, eat some good food, and then maybe go for a stroll on the beach?'
'Yeah, just three new friends, hanging out on holiday, simple as that.' Denny laid a hand lightly on her arm as he spoke.
But it wasn't simple, and in a flash vision, she suddenly saw that hand on his own flesh, caressing, laced with Ed's, and flexing, flexing, flexing. At the same time, she desperately wanted Denny's hand upon her own body, moving and exploring in intimacy. It didn't matter that they were patently gay, she couldn't help desiring them. Both of them.
'I'm fine, thanks… both of you.' She turned from one to the other, enjoying the little squeeze Denny gave her forearm before releasing her. It seemed strangely filial almost. 'And weirdly, despite everything, I feel quite relaxed here with you.' She smiled at both of them, aware that she was beginning to loosen up. 'Although that might just be Ed's demon interpretation of rum and Coke… Phew!'
'There's plenty more where that came from. We've got a few bottles of this and that in reserve,' Ed said roundly.
Laurie sipped her drink, eyeing them both. For a moment or two, there seemed to be no need to speak while they all enjoyed the killer cocktails. Just as Laurie was feeling she should open the conversation, there was a knock on the door and their buffet meal arrived.
Chat, over food that was just as delicious as predicted, was light and strangely innocuous. They discussed the resort, the beaches, and Denny's first forays into scuba-diving, which apparently hadn't exactly been all that accomplished.
'He swims like a baby hippo with the tanks on,' teased Ed, but Denny seemed unfazed and laughed it off, saying he had other talents.
You certainly do.
Laurie stole a glance at the golden boy out of the corner of her eye, imagining him naked and writhing again. When she flicked a look to Ed, she could almost believe he was thinking the same thing himself, his eyes were so intent on his partner.
The evening sped on, becoming more relaxed and easy, despite the slow simmer of confused desire Laurie felt. The men seemed to know that she didn't want to talk about the reason she was here in this romantic place, all alone in a Cabana appointed for two. Instead they launched into their own lives, telling her all about who they were, what they did.
Good grief, not only brawn and beauty, but brains too.
Laurie was slightly awestruck. Both her new friends were scientists, quite eminent by the sound of it, but in entirely different fields. Ed's research specialty was climate studies, with a particular interest in long term weather patterns, global warming and other issues; while Denny was a leading volcanologist. Laurie actually fancied she'd seen him on the television, interviewed when there'd been a large eruption. His hair had been much shorter, and the clip had been barely seconds, but thinking back, she was sure it'd been him.
'That's why we're here, really,' he said, swirling his glass as they touched on field work. He was drinking water now, Laurie noticed. Did he think that he needed a clear head for something? 'We've been loafing around in colleges and cozy cloistered seats of learning long enough, so now we're both going out in the field. This is a last hedonistic holiday for a while, a chance to have some fun together before we head off to the ends of the earth, in different directions.'
Ed shrugged, quirking his lips. 'Well, not quite the opposite ends, but near enough. Denny's off to Indonesia to study his pet volcanoes there, and I'm away to Antarctica at the end of October, to monitor the ozone layer amongst other things.'
'Bloody hell! Antarctica? No wonder you wanted some late season Caribbean sun.' Laurie stared at him,
