Chapter One

Vanessa

A mature woman shouldn’t do crazy things, which means the only conclusion I can reach about my mental health is that I’ve lost my mind. Why else would I accept an invitation to spend two weeks at a nudist resort in the South Pacific? A resort where clothing is forbidden and there are virtually no rules. I’m fifty-four years old, for heaven’s sake. The most insane part of this whole adventure is that I jumped on a plane because I received a letter in the mail inviting me to do it.

You have won a free vacation at the Au Naturel Naturist Resort South Seas, the letter declared. Leave your old life behind and embark on an adventure where nothing is forbidden. Live the fantasy for two weeks at this all-inclusive resort.

“Ms. Stendahl, are you all right?”

I snap out of my trance and smile at the nice young man who stands behind the reception desk. “I’m fine, yes. My mind wandered for a minute, that’s all.

“A lot of our guests experience the same thing when they land on Heirani Motu. They know it’s a naturist resort, but they aren’t fully prepared for what it’s like.” He offers me a cardboard folder and a keycard. “This is your welcome packet. We’ve set you up in a suite that overlooks the bay, and here’s the key.”

I’ve forgotten the sweet young man’s name already, but fortunately, the employees here wear name tags. “Thank you, Emilio. You’re the assistant manager, right?”

“Yes. James Bythesea, our general manager, will greet all the guests at the welcome ceremony. His wife, Holly, will be there too.”

“When and where is the welcome ceremony?”

“In half an hour, on the main patio.”

“Um, where is that?”

He grins and points behind me. “The main patio is right out there. You walked across it to get here.”

“Right. Of course.”

Yeah, I feel like a moron. Ever since my airline flight landed on Fiji at the Nausori International Airport, I’d gradually begun to feel like I’m entering an alternate universe. A small jet, piloted by an Australian who loves to gab, had brought me to this private island.

A bellhop leads me to my suite and carries all my bags inside while smiling and telling me how wonderful this island is. I’m getting the impression that the employees love this place as much as their guests must. I’ve been here for twenty minutes, and already I wish I could stay forever. I have a job and responsibilities waiting for me back home. My kids might be adults now, but I still feel like a mom who needs to take care of everyone.

Once I’ve tipped the bellhop, I finally take a moment to drink in the surroundings. What am I doing at a nudist resort? One where I am not allowed to wear clothes. If I want to visit Fiji or New Zealand while I’m here, I will need clothing. But on Heirani Motu, that’s forbidden.

I glance down at my outfit. Should I strip now? Or wait until after the welcome ceremony? I grab the folder Emilio had given me and flip through the contents. On page one, it says, “Once you’ve checked in, please remove your clothing. This is a clothes-free resort.” Okay, then. Time to strip.

Am I doing that yet? Not quite. I bite my lip. Then I kick off my sneakers and remove my gauzy overshirt, but I can’t convince myself to take off the rest of my clothing.

Suck it up, woman. You’re too old to give a damn what other people think of you.

I need to ease into this. That sounds like a good plan. So, I wander across the suite to the open patio. I can tell the glass doors as well as the windows that separate the patio from the suite itself are wide open, and there’s a small hut out there too, which seems to be made of bamboo or palm fronds. I’m a high school science teacher, not a botanist.

But I need to forget about all that. For the next two weeks, I’m a nudist looking for a good time.

Oh, jeez. I sound like a teenage nymphomaniac.

I amble out onto the patio and admire the incredible scenery. The island of Heirani Motu boasts a big, jagged mountain and crystal-clear water surrounding it on all sides. But the most impressive element is, by far, the deep-blue sky. I live in America, where even tiny towns have skies marred by the contrails of airliners and other types of jets. But here, I can’t see a single thing up there except for natural clouds. I wonder if this island is away from the commercial air traffic paths. Seems like it must be.

No more procrastinating. I strip off my clothes and toss them away, sucking in a deep, cleansing breath of tropical air.

But a breeze grabs my shirt, whisking it away.

“Shit!” I race to snatch it up before the shirt gets pulled away to who knows where, but the breeze picks up even more. “No, no, no!”

I slap my palms on the patio railing and curse under my breath. My shirt has flown away with the birds. Well, I am on a clothes-free island. Time to embrace the naughtiness.

Guests are starting to head for the main patio, though they don’t seem to be in any hurry. We must have fifteen to twenty minutes left before we need to arrive at the patio for the welcome ceremony. I notice three men have stopped directly below my private patio. All of them are naked, of course. I can see the faces of two of them but the third man, who stands closest, has his back to me. His body captures my attention, and I can’t stop admiring that physique. That’s one tight ass. He must work out religiously. He has strong thigh muscles too, and his biceps could make even a ninety-year-old woman salivate.

Am I here for a fling? Or just to escape from my boring life back home? I’ll think about the answer to that question later.

The hot guy saunters off with his friends and moves out of my sight.

Sighing, I walk back into the bedroom and dig my sandals out of my bags. This is the only clothing I’ll need. I brush my hair and check my makeup, then hunt around in my purse to find the new shade I’d bought just before coming here. It’s a brighter pink than I usually wear, but I decide to go for it. The last thing I do is glance down at my body to make sure I don’t have any dirt on me.

No dirt. But I can see the faint scars from my hysterectomy. That’s not sexy. All the workouts on earth won’t get rid of that. So, I root around in my purse until I find the little bottle of foundation I’d stuffed in there. A quick patch job covers the scars well enough.

Now it’s time to go.

I grab the wide-brimmed straw hat I’d bought at the Suva airport and stroll out to the main patio. A lot of people are here already.

And I see that hot guy again, though only from the back. I’d recognize that ass anywhere. My ex-husband had never cared about working out, and I didn’t mind if he was slightly flabby. Well, not until he dumped me and started dating women who were inappropriately young for him.

I should not be thinking about Craig right now. This is my getaway, an adventure to spice up my life. My ex is probably knee deep in computer stuff right now, crammed into a cubicle in an office building, while I’m here on a gorgeous island surrounded by gorgeous men. I can take my pick.

A dark-haired woman steps out onto the patio and whistles loudly. “Listen up, folks! It’s time for the welcome ceremony. Please pay attention because we will be giving you important information. I’m Holly Bythesea, guest services manager here at the Au Naturel Naturist Resort South Seas. If you need anything, feel free to ask me.” Holly steps aside and spreads an arm. “And now, may I introduce the general manager, and my hubby, James Bythesea.”

A dark-haired man walks out of the lobby and clasps Holly’s hand. He waves to the guests. “Welcome to paradise. The island of Heirani Motu is privately owned and offers many opportunities to explore the landscape, on prepared trails or in the wild. But before you explore, we need to explain the rules.” He smiles and winks. “There aren’t many restrictions, so don’t complain just yet.”

Wow, that is one good-looking general manager. Do they only hire attractive people to work here? James Bythesea looks older, though not as old as I am. His wife seems much younger.

My gaze wanders over the crowd until I spot a familiar backside. Once the welcome speeches are over, I might go over there and introduce myself to the mystery man with the tight tush and thick biceps.

James continues his speech. “Remember, this is an adults-only, clothes-free naturist resort. The few exceptions to that rule are outlined in your packets. In consideration of our clothes-free mandate, we provide a few amenities other resorts don’t. The terracotta bowls located throughout the resort proper offer free access to sunscreen, insect repellent, and condom packets. Our in-house pharmacy can also provide whatever medication refills you might need.”

Condoms? My head swivels toward the man in charge. Is this a sex club? Not sure if I’m progressive enough to sign on for that. But the packet I was given said nothing about BDSM, so I assume the condoms are strictly there to ensure everyone practices safe sex.

I can’t focus on whatever James Bythesea is saying now. Why? Because I can’t stop staring at the mystery man. I’m too damn old to get infatuated with anyone, no matter how sexy he is. But simply watching his backside makes me feel warmer and wetter in ways that are not appropriate in public.

No doubt about it. I’ve been celibate for too long.

James has finished his speech, and the guests begin to spread out and head for their rooms or down the nature trails. The mystery man’s friends have walked away, leaving him alone on the patio. Alone except for me. But he hasn’t looked this way. I glance down at my breasts that aren’t as perky as they once were and suffer a brief moment of panic. Then I suck it up and act like a mature woman, waltzing straight up to him. He’s still facing away from me, so I tap his shoulder.

He turns around.

And I gape at him as cold rushes through my and throat tightens. “Craig? What the hell are you doing here?”

Chapter Two

Craig

My ex-wife is gaping at me like I have a nuclear weapon strapped to my chest and the countdown timer has five seconds to go. Is it so much of a shock that I might visit a nudist resort? Yeah, it is. But her shock still seems like overkill. I’m having trouble concentrating on what she said, though, because her nude body is distracting me. I’ve seen Vanessa naked more often than I could count. We were married for a long time, after all. But I swear she’s more toned now than the last time I saw her.

That was two years ago. She looks better than ever.

I can’t remember what she said, so I force myself to look her in the eye instead of in the tits. “Did you ask me a question?”

“Yes. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Taking some time off. You always said I was a workaholic, so you should be applauding me for kicking back for a change.”

“But this is a nudist resort.”

“I know that. Did you think I accidentally stumbled onto this remote island and decided to stay for a while?”

She plants her hands on her hips. “Why are you here, Craig? Nudism isn’t in your comfort zone.”

“Maybe I’ve expanded my zone.” My gaze flicks down to her groin, and I cough into my fist as I zero in on her eyes again. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

Vanessa rubs her arms, a gesture I know well. It means she’s uncomfortable and wishes aliens would land to whisk her away to Jupiter so she wouldn’t need to answer my question. Finally, she sighs. Her shoulders flag. “I got an invitation in the mail. It said I won a free two-week stay at the Au Naturel Naturist Resort South Seas.”

“Since when do you jump on a plane because of a letter? You didn’t even know if the offer was legit.”

“I checked it out, obviously. Wasn’t hard to find the resort website. Then I called the airline and found out there was a reservation for me.” She lifts her brows. “What about you? What drew you to this place? You know I don’t believe in coincidence.”

Neither do I. Vanessa is too smart to believe whatever bullshit I might invent to explain away the situation. But I can’t tell her the truth. She’d whack me on the head with a terracotta condom bowl. Yeah, there’s one right behind her. I doubt she noticed. My ex-wife is laser focused on me, and she wants an answer to her question. What kind of lie can I believably feed her?

There’s no way on earth that I’ll tell her the truth. Not yet. I need to ease Vanessa into it.

“I got a letter too,” I say. “We both lucked out, huh? I guess whoever sent out the invites thought we were still married.”

“But you live at a different address, and I have a different last name.”

Damn. I’ve always loved that she’s whip smart, but right now, I wish Vanessa would develop a sudden case of the dumdums. “Uh, there are probably mailing lists that haven’t caught up with the fact we’re divorced. The post office must know to forward those to you.”

“Uh-huh. Do you think I’m a moron?” I open my mouth to respond, but she throws a hand up to silence me. “I don’t care how it happened. We’re both here, and I intend to have a good time.”

I open my mouth again.

She holds up a hand again. “We will not be vacationing together. This might be a small island, but we will steer clear of each other. Got it? I’ll enjoy my vacation, and you can enjoy yours.”

What else can I say? “Yeah, sure. Separate vacations.”

Vanessa turns and walks away.

I can’t resist watching her sexy ass while she sashays down a trail that leads into the woods. She doesn’t trust me. She thinks I’m hiding something from her. And she’s annoyed that I’m here, horning in on her tropical holiday at a naughty resort. Well, she’s not wrong about that. I do have an ulterior motive, but it’s not what she thinks.

Four hot young women amble by, and they all smile at me. One even winks.

Even if I wanted to find a holiday lover, I couldn’t do it. A fifty-five-year-old divorced guy has no business trying to seduce nubile twenty-somethings. But that’s not the reason I won’t dip my toes into those waters.

I want my ex-wife back. I’m still in love with Vanessa.

Christ, I wish I’d realized a lot sooner that I would never love anyone else and that we just needed to spice up our lives. The divorce had been a mistake. Now I have two weeks to convince Vanessa of that.

How did we wind up on this island together? I sent her that letter.

A trio of women who seem a little older, probably in their forties, walk past me. They smile and wave. The only reason women are eying me like I’m a sirloin steak with all the fixings is because I spent the past year working out like a maniac—all to impress Vanessa.

I consider wandering down the trail she had taken, but I don’t want to become a stalker. So, I head out to the pool on the other side of the main building. The pool snakes around that side of the resort and includes little huts where swimmers can kick back before they dive in again. I’d met a few people here earlier, but I don’t fit in with the younger generations. They want to drink appletinis and check their cell phones every five seconds.

What’s wrong with a cold beer and conversation?

I wind up bypassing the pool and going to my room instead. I came here to win back my wife. Can’t do that by ordering room service and watching dirty pay-per-view movies. I want to fuck my ex-wife, not watch other people getting it on.

After twenty minutes of twiddling my thumbs, literally, I suck it up and head out to enact my evil plan. I need to convince Vanessa that we should never have split up and that I can give her the excitement she always wanted in the bedroom. I’d balked at playing games. It seemed… I don’t know. Unmanly, I guess. If I’m ever going to seduce Vanessa into taking me back, first I need to seduce her into fucking me. I’m a data scientist, not a lothario. But I’m also pigheaded, as Vanessa always used to tell me.

So yes, I will get her back. I just have to hope she never finds out that I tricked her into coming to this resort.

I head out beyond the main patio, down the same trail Vanessa had taken earlier. Two young guys nod to me and smile as they pass by me, walking in the opposite direction. Everybody here seems happy, from the guests to the employees. I’ve felt more relaxed ever since the moment I stepped off that spiffy little plane and onto the solid ground of Heirani Motu. That’s the only reason I have the balls to enact my plan.

Offshoot trails lead to various other locations on the island, and signs tell me where each one goes. I bypass the waterfall trail. Vanessa would be more likely to head for the beach on her first day here. Some of the young women who had admired me earlier walk past me now on their way back to the resort building. They smile and wink again. Jeez, don’t these women have anything to do besides flirting with men? When I’d been a young guy, girls weren’t so brazen.

Times change. But I’d rather rewind than fast forward.

At last, I reach the end of the trail and see the beach ahead of me. I hope it’s not packed with young people. Or packed at all. I need to get Vanessa alone. Fortunately, it seems like not many guests have made it to the beach yet. I step onto the sand, swiveling my head left and right. I’m searching for ex-wife, of course. But I don’t see her. Maybe she went somewhere else, like the waterfall. I could waste hours trying to find her. I didn’t bring my phone with me because this is supposed to be an escape from reality, and a cell phone doesn’t mesh with that idea. If I want to call Vanessa, I’ll have to go back to my room to grab my phone.

Laughter erupts from further down the beach, beyond my sight.

I know that laugh. It’s Vanessa. I jog down the beach and duck around an rock outcropping into a sheltered spot shaded by the fronds of a palm tree.

Vanessa sits on a towel with a muscular young man.

Oh, shit. Is she flirting with this guy? Is he flirting with her? I can’t tell. They’re both smiling, but I only heard Vanessa laughing. Her buff new friend can’t be more than thirty, if that. He has a tattoo on his left arm, but the abstract pattern and colors don’t scream “tough guy” to me. It seems more like he asked his little sister to choose a design for him.

I’m turning into such a fossil. Pretty soon, somebody will screw a name plate onto my chest that declares I’m the oldest example of the now-extinct computer geek species ever dug up from a tar pit.

Vanessa notices me, and her eyes go wide. “Craig?”

“Glad you remember my name. I am your husband, after all.”

The buff young guy scrambles to move further away from Vanessa. “Oh, hey, sorry. I didn’t know—”

“He is not my husband.” She scowls at me. “We’re divorced.”

“Yeah, still don’t think I want to get in the middle of this.” The young guy gets up and gives her a tight smile. “See you around.”

I cross my arms. “But we haven’t even been introduced yet. I’m Craig Hathaway.”

“Uh…” He eyes me like I might go thermonuclear any second, but then relaxes. “Nice to meet you, Craig. I’m Zach Moore. We can all be friends, right?”

“Yeah, sure.” My tone probably didn’t convince him.

“Well, I’ll see you around.”

Zach hustles away.

Vanessa jumps up and scowls at me again. “Whatever kind of game you’re playing, I want no part of it. Go home.”

“I paid for two weeks on this island.”

“Just so you could harass me.”

“You know I’m not like that. But since we’re both here, why don’t we talk about…things.”

She sets her hands on her hips and gives me a suspicious look that I know well. “You are up to something, Craig. I don’t like it. You never used to be so cagey, and you weren’t the type to do anything sneaky. But I’m getting that vibe from you now.”

How can I respond to that? She’s right, of course. I am being cagey and sneaky, though for a good cause—in my opinion. She probably won’t agree. That means I need to ease her into the idea that we belong together. The divorce was a mistake.

“We’re not kids fresh out of college,” Vanessa says. “We are adults heading toward retirement age. Please don’t patronize me. Just be honest and tell me what is going on. Did you know I’d be here on this island? Did you have something to do with that?”

No, I can’t answer that question. But I don’t like lying to her, which leaves me with only one option—to sort of tell the truth. “Since we’re both here, why don’t we spend some time together and see what happens? We’ve been out of each other’s orbits for too long, and it might be nice to just be friends.”

She taps her fingers on her hips. Then she relaxes. “All right. Let’s have a friendly chat.”

“Great. We can go to the dining hall—”

“No. Let’s talk at the waterfall. I saw it on the map of the resort, and it looks like it’s a private place to hang out.”

“Sure. Let’s go there.”