A Fresh Start

A Fresh Start

Published by Martha Dlugoss at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Martha Dlugoss

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So you’re forty, newly divorced, and
unemployed. Just enjoy your vacation and think about the rest
later.
She sighed, adjusting the chaise lounge, and turned the
page of the lusty novel she was halfway through. She looked up and
smiled as the cabana boy set her drink on the table by her side.
Some boy. He’s probably thirty and he’s hot as hell. He smiled back
and asked her, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No thanks,” Samantha said.

“If there’s anything else you need from me,
just call the front desk any time. My name is Luke.” With a wink
and a flash of dimples in his tanned face, he headed to the bar to
pick up his next order.

Samantha sighed again. If only. She really
didn’t want complications in her life right now.

****

The next day, Samantha woke late. The sun was
brilliant in the clear blue sky. She stood in her tank top and
panties in front of the patio door of her hotel room on the fifth
floor and spotted Luke waiting on a table full of young women by
the pool.
Figures,
Samantha thought.
He probably services
ALL the women here.
She snorted. As though able to hear her,
Luke looked up—directly at her. Her breath caught in her throat,
and she stepped back from the door to head for the shower.

After showering, she dressed in a light
sundress, strappy sandals, and a wide hat.
Time for shopping.
Maybe that will make me stop thinking,
she thought dryly. She
grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the mini fridge and her purse
and headed out.

She headed for the main shopping district on
foot, since it was only a few blocks from the hotel. She spent a
few hours walking through the open marketplace, haggling for a
beautiful sarong in bright pink. She blushed slightly as she walked
away from the vendor when he said, “Wear it for your man. He will
like.”

Back in her hotel room, she changed into her
brief white bikini—the one she hadn’t worn because her ex-husband
had told her she was too old to wear it.
Screw him
, she
thought, looking in the mirror. Then she wound the sarong around
herself and headed down to the beach.

She sat in a chaise lounge and opened her
book. A few minutes later, Luke’s smooth, deep voice murmured near
her ear, “How can I be of service today?”

Samantha started, nearly dropping her book,
and looked back at him. “Oh, uh, how about a seared tuna salad and
a virgin strawberry daiquiri?”

Luke smiled roguishly, his white teeth
gleaming. “You don’t look like the virgin type.”

Samantha blushed, then said, “Maybe something
stronger later.”

Luke laughed, a rumble low in his chest, and
left to get her lunch.

Samantha relaxed again and went back to her
book.

When Luke returned with her food, he sat on
the chaise next to her and said, “Why are you all covered up?”

“Oh, no reason,” Samantha said, “just not
ready to take off my sarong yet.”

“Take it off. I’ll put lotion on your back,”
Luke purred.

What the hell. I’ve wanted his hands on me
all week
, she thought, and stood to remove her sarong as Luke
watched, feeling wicked as she hadn’t in a very long time.

Luke whistled. “Nice.”

“Thanks,” said Samantha, “but I probably
shouldn’t wear something like this at my age.”

“Are you kidding? You can’t be a day over
thirty. Besides, with a body like yours, you should be out here
topless.”

Samantha laughed breathlessly. “Thank you,
but I’ll keep my top on. Um, lotion?”

“Sure. Lay on your stomach.” Luke warmed some
lotion in his hands and started to rub it into her shoulders. “So,
what’s your name?”

“Samantha, but you can call me Sam.” She
groaned as his hands smoothed the lotion over her skin, his hands
large and warm as they moved over her body.

“No, I think Samantha suits you perfectly.”
His hands began to move lower, caressing her waist, then her hips
just above her bikini bottom. Then he moved down to her thighs, and
she nearly came up out of the chaise lounge. He chuckled and put a
hand on her back to hold her down, then continued smoothing lotion
between her thighs. She moaned again at the feel of his hands so
close to the ache that was quickly becoming unbearable. Then,
suddenly, his hands were gone. His voice teased her, “If you need
anything else, just call. Any time.” He jogged back up to the bar,
leaving Samantha overheated and gasping.

Oh my God
. Samantha couldn’t believe
what had just happened. She groaned again, then grabbed her
daiquiri in the hopes of quenching the fire.

That evening, Samantha decided to throw
caution to the wind. Naked, she spritzed herself with perfume, then
put on the pink sarong. She tied it under her left arm and walked
around the room to be sure she was decent. Finally, she pulled on a
pair of pink high heels and headed down to the outdoor dining area
near the pool.

After she was seated at a table, she looked
around at the wait staff.
Stop it,
she thought.
It’s not
likely he’ll be working tonight too.

She ordered a daiquiri, not virgin this time,
and the catch of the day, then she sat back to watch the other
diners. She loved people watching. It was a good way to pass the
time alone. Taking a sip of her daiquiri, she leaned her head back
and closed her eyes.
Alone again at forty.
Tears pricked her
lids. Mentally shaking herself, she rolled her head forward and
opened her eyes. Across the table from her, in a loose-fitting
white shirt that accentuated his tan, was Luke.

He grinned at her. “May I join you for
dinner?”

“Oh, of course,” she said. “How are you?”

“I’m great.” He asked the waiter for a rum
and Coke, then turned back to her. “Have you been enjoying
yourself?”

“More and more by the minute.” She blushed,
then took another sip of her daiquiri.

He grinned again, showing the dimple in his
left cheek. Looking at him, Samantha was tempted to grab him and
run for the closest bed but managed to restrain herself…barely.

Dinner went on for three more hours as they
sat and talked. Too soon, Luke said “It’s probably pretty late. I
should let you get some sleep.”

“Yes,” Samantha said reluctantly. She stood,
then turned toward him to say good night.

Luke rose slowly from his chair. “Or we could
take a walk on the beach. The ocean is beautiful at night.”

Samantha looked at him, considering.
“Okay.”

Grabbing her hand, he started walking toward
the beach. At the edge of the sand, she stopped him so she could
take off her heels, and he removed his shoes, revealing large,
well-formed feet.

When they resumed their walk, he curled a
possessive arm around her waist. She reciprocated, leaning her head
on his shoulder. They walked to the edge of the water, then
followed the curve of the beach. The moon was so bright that they
could see their way easily along the sand. After several minutes,
he led her to a secluded spot where tropical flowers grew riotously
beneath several coconut trees, sat down and pulled her down next to
him. Leaning back on one elbow, he looked at her in the moonlight
and said, “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

Samantha looked back at him. “When you say it
like that, I can almost believe it.”

He frowned. “Why wouldn’t you believe
me?”

She sighed. “Because my life lately hasn’t
exactly made me believe anything good about myself.”

“Talk to me about it,” he suggested, then
reached up and tucked some wayward strands of her long brown hair
behind her ear then cupping her cheek in his hand. “I promise you,
I want to know everything about you. You can trust me.”

“Where do I start?” She laughed shortly,
“Well, I just went through a nasty divorce. My ex-husband told me
that I wasn’t hot enough, so he had to go elsewhere. I was fired
shortly after that because my ex-husband was sleeping with my boss.
Now I’m 40, alone, and unemployed.”

“Good.” Luke laughed at the shocked
expression on Samantha’s face. “If you ex-husband had been smarter,
you and I wouldn’t be here, and I couldn’t do this.” He leaned
slowly toward her and pulled her closer with a hand on the nape of
her neck. When he kissed her, it was all she could do not to rip
off his clothes and throw caution to the wind. Breathing hard, she
pulled away.

“Um, as nice as this is, and believe me it
is, I can’t do a casual affair,” Samantha said, biting her lip.

Luke’s eyes glowed hotly into hers. “Who said
anything about casual?”

Samantha laughed breathlessly, “I’m only here
for three weeks.”

“You’re alone and unemployed. Stay here with
me,” Luke said.

“God, Luke, don’t tempt me.” Samantha rested
her forehead against his and groaned. “I can’t stay here. I have a
life in Michigan.”

“Then spend what time you do have with me,”
he coaxed.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m sorry, could we go
back now?”

“Of course,” Luke said and smoothly got to
his feet. He held out his hand and helped her up, straight into his
arms. He kissed her again, hot and persuasive, but then he turned
and started walking back toward the hotel.

At the door to her room, he kissed her again,
but said “I won’t ask to come in tonight, but when you’re ready,
all you have to do is let me know.”

She practically floated into her room, then
took off the sarong and flopped on the bed. She was grinning so
hard it hurt, but it was a good hurt.

****

The next few days passed in a blur of playing
in the surf, relaxing by the pool, and exploring the city with
Luke. He took her to his favorite restaurants, shops, and sights
only the natives knew about. Each night they walked on the beach,
kissed under the stars, and ended the evening at the door to her
room.

On the fourth morning, she stood at her
balcony door looking down at the dining area by the pool in her
tank top and panties again. Again, Luke found her with his eyes as
he did every morning while he worked. This time, she smiled and
took off her tank top, never taking her eyes from his. She shook
back her hair and smiled at him. He stood below looking up at her
for several seconds, then turned to another waiter, handed him his
pad and tray, and took off into the hotel at a dead run. A minute
later, there was a knock at her door. She ran to it, opened it, and
was swept into Luke’s arms. They kissed blindly, then he stepped
back and looked at her.

“You’re even more beautiful than I knew.” His
hands rested on her ribcage below her breasts, then he brought his
palms up underneath them and rotated his thumbs across her nipples.
She groaned, grabbing onto his shoulders, and pressed her hips into
his.

“Luke, if you don’t make love to me right
now, I may combust.” She laughed, then pulled his shirt off over
his head. He grabbed her butt in his hands and picked her up. She
wrapped her legs around him and hung on as he walked to the bed,
kissing her as though he were going to devour her. He put her down
on the bed and reached for his shorts, kicking off his shoes as he
slid them and his underwear down his legs.

Samantha licked her lips and reached for his
thick, engorged staff. He said, “Honey, if you touch me now, I
won’t be able to control myself.”

She smiled and took his smooth, hot length in
her hand. “Good,” she purred. “Get over here.”

Luke sank onto the bed next to her and kissed
her again. Then he removed her panties with one hand while toying
with her breasts. He pushed her down onto the bed and levered
himself over her. He kissed her again, then lifted his head and
said, “I can’t wait any longer.”

“I never asked you to.” Samantha rolled with
him until she was straddling his hips, then took him inside
her.

“You feel so good, Samantha.” Luke’s hips
surged upwards as his hands pushed down on her hips. Samantha
moaned, and then started sliding up and down his shaft. Luke
groaned, then rolled over and started pounding into her. “Next time
will be slow. I promise.”

Samantha could only wrap her legs around him
and say, “More.” Moments later, Samantha cried out her release as
Luke poured himself into her. He rolled over and lay with Samantha
sprawled out on top of him, his hands gliding up and down her
back.